Christmas in Tennessee

Happy New Year (almost)! Not only are we nearly at the end of the year, but we also are nearly at the end of our two weeks of Christmas festivities with our daughters. Tomorrow Susan, Abigail, and I will fly back to North Dakota and get ready to resume our daily routines. Here is what we have been doing the last couple weeks in Tennessee with our kids.

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Sat., Dec. 20 -- Susan, Abigail, and I flew from Bismarck, ND, to Nashville, TN, where Suzanna, Jacob, and Hillary met us at the airport and drove us back to Murfreesboro, where they live. We got to meet Hillary's new puppy, Dodger, whom she brought to the airport! And he was a very good boy, napping in my lap on the drive home.

Sun., Dec. 21 -- After a day of running errands and playing with pets and relaxing, we made a supper out of our favorite dips (for chips, veggies, etc.) and had a family movie night, watching A Very Jonas Christmas Movie. It was pretty funny ... and it starred the Jonas Brothers, whom the Moberg sisters had just seen in concert in October!

Mon., Dec. 22 -- Instead of buying one another a bunch of things for Christmas, we decided to give each other experiences. Each person chose a day to sponsor an experience for the family. This was Susan's day, and her experience was a family game night. She made us homemade pizza for supper, and we played Catch Phrase, Farkle, and Wicked Christmas at the dining room table while snacking.

Tue., Dec. 23 -- This was my day, and my experience was a night out downtown. We started with cocktails and live music at High Society, then had a delicious meal at The Alley on Main (pictured here), then walked around the Public Square to see the shops' Christmas-y window displays and enjoy the temperate weather, and then had dessert from Andy's Frozen Custard on the way home.

Wed., Dec. 24 -- After the Christmas Eve service at Advent Lutheran Church, we gathered at Hillary's home to make our traditional Scandinavian Christmas Eve meal. Well, it's tradition for us to make a Scandinavian meal on Christmas Eve, but we don't usually eat the same foods every year, other than to start the meal with a shot of ice-cold akevitt ("Skol!"). This year we made halibut, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots, beets, lingonberry cocktails, and dessert parfaits made from Icelandic skyr. Then we gathered in the living room for gift opening. (Yes, although we mainly gave each other experiences for Christmas, we did also draw names for a gift exchange so we'd have something to unwrap for Christmas.)

Thu., Dec. 25 -- Susan's sister, Cassie, and her family (husband, Nick, and kids, Davis and Marly) live in Murfreesboro, too, and invited us over to their place for Christmas. We lounged outdoors on their patio in the afternoon because it was 62° ... quite a difference from a Christmas Day in ND! Supper was prime rib, twice-baked potatoes, creamed spinach, baked corn, and blueberry cobbler for dessert--delicious. Pictured (left to right) are Davis, Nick, and Cassie next to Jacob, Suzanna, Abigail, Susan, me, Hillary (holding Dodger), Marly, and Nick's mom, Kutzy.

Fri., Dec. 26 -- Friday is "date night" in our family, and that usually means going out for Mexican food and margaritas ... so that's what we did this night. We had delicious food and great service at Las Trojas Cantina. Then Susan and I relocated from Suzanna's house to Hillary's to spend the weekend at her place.

Sat., Dec. 27 -- We got back to our experiences today, and this was Abigail's day. Her experience was an afternoon in Nashville, starting with an outdoor igloo reservation at Game Terminal, a "super arcade" and bar. We had cocktails and food delivered to us in our igloo out on the patio area (where they have games like shuffleboard, cornhole, and ping pong) and then went indoors to play a variety of arcade games, like Space Invaders, Q*bert, Frogger, and Dig Dug.

Then we went downtown and visited a couple Christmas pop-up bars for seasonal cocktails and views of the Nashville skyline. It was so bizarre to be sitting outdoors on December 27 without a coat on a rooftop bar's patio with the neighboring skyscrapers in the background!

Sun., Dec. 28 -- This was Suzanna's day, and her experience was an at-home variation of Liquor Lab, a place for mixology classes that she has taken before in Nashville. Before we all arrived in TN, she had each of us tell her the ingredients for a Christmas cocktail that we would make for everybody else. Suzanna had everything ready for us on this day, and we took turns making small versions of our chosen drink for the others (e.g., pictured is Suzanna's cocktail: a peppermint white Russian). We sampled and snacked while playing card games throughout the afternoon and evening.

Mon., Dec. 29 -- This was Hillary's day, and her experience was taking us to see the Dancing Lights of Christmas, a drive-through holiday light and music show in nearby Lebanon, TN. On the fairgrounds they have an enormous setup of Christmas lights, all of which move in sync to the holiday songs playing on their radio station. After driving through the light show, we stopped at Santa's village, where there was a petting zoo, several carnival rides for kids, and backdrops suitable for Christmas photos ... like this one!

Tue., Dec. 30 -- This was Jacob's day, and his experience was providing a feast of Polish food from his own family's traditions. Pictured are pierogi with a half-dozen different fillings, two kinds of sausage, potato pancakes, stuffed cabbage rolls, sauerkraut with caraway, beet salad, and two kinds of dill pickles. It was absolutely delicious.

This was also ... Suzanna's birthday! We went out for lunch and pedicures in the afternoon; and after the Polish feast, dessert was Suzanna's birthday cake, which Susan made and topped with homemade chocolate fudge frosting using my mom's recipe.

Wed., Dec. 31 -- Our New Year's Eve frivolity included a trip to Arrington Vineyards, about a half-hour west of Murfreesboro. There we met some of Suzanna's friends from work to sample wine flights while playing trivia together. When we got back to Suzanna's, we made our usual surf-and-turf NYE meal. Jacob grilled filet mignon and made garlic mashed potatoes to go with our lobster tail, carrots, wedge salad, shrimp cocktail, and stuffed mushrooms.

Now we're watching country music stars perform on Nashville's televised NYE countdown and pouring the champagne so we'll be ready when the clock strikes midnight. Tomorrow we'll have brunch in Nashville (at SweetMilk) before heading to the airport for hugs and tears and the return flights to wintery ND.

Thanksgiving on the Farm

We spent Thanksgiving weekend on the farm where I grew up--and where my sister Sandy now lives. She hosted us (Susan, Abigail, and me), our sister Cathy, and our dad on Thanksgiving day. Dad went back to his house in Tioga each day while the rest of us stayed at Sandy's throughout the weekend--so we had a Moberg sibling slumber party in our childhood home.

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back row: Susan, I, Abigail, and Cathy

front row: Dad and Sandy

This is a post-turkey pic ... so forgive any tryptophan-related drowsiness on our faces.

On Saturday we went to Dad's and put up his Christmas decorations, including these banners on his garage doors.

On Sunday we joined Sandy for church in McGregor. She is the organist at Zion Lutheran Church, the church we all attended while growing up. After church we stayed for "Souper Bowl Sunday," a potluck meal of homemade soups. Sandy's contribution was a delicious tomato tortellini soup.

The trees around the yard on the farm looked so beautiful from the frost and snow.

Iceland Vacation, Day 6

Today was our last full day in Iceland. We spent the morning sightseeing, the afternoon driving, and the evening packing for our return home tomorrow.

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Here are morning views where we stayed last night. In the bottom photo is our building with three units (one for each couple). The entrance doors are on the other side and open onto the terrace that Nate is sitting on in the top photo.

I wrote yesterday that we would be returning today to Breiðamerkursandur (a.k.a. Diamond Beach), where the Atlantic Ocean meets up with Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. After yesterday's 60-mile-per-hour winds there (that canceled our ice cave tour), we were grateful for a still day today. The top photo is a view of the icebergs in the lagoon, and the bottom photo shows Susan and me standing next to one of the icebergs that had washed up onto the beach.

Our reason for returning to Jökulsárlón today was to take a glacial lagoon boat cruise! We suited up and boarded a Zodiac boat (that held 10 passengers) to cross the lagoon and approach Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest glacier. As we neared the glacier, we saw some seals hanging out on an ice chunk. At the glacier's edge, we saw and heard it "calving," the process in which chucks of ice break off from the end of a glacier and fall into the water, creating icebergs.

It was about a six-hour drive from there back to Keflavík, where we're staying tonight (at the beautiful Hotel Berg) because we have to be at the airport here at 5:30 A.M. to go home tomorrow. We had seafood for dinner at a roadside stop off the highway; and we had seafood again for supper at Kaffi Duus, a restaurant near our hotel. Susan and I have just repacked our suitcases and are ready for our last sleep in Iceland. What a fantastic trip with a terrific group of friends!

Iceland Vacation, Day 5

Our driving and sightseeing today took us around the southern side of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Iceland (it covers about 10% of the country!). From morning to evening, we saw both the westernmost and easternmost ends of the glacier--about 90 miles across. It is an impressive presence to have in the background at all times.

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Our first stop was for a hike through Múlagljúfur Canyon, the most rugged (least developed) site of all the nature spots we've been in Iceland. From the gravel parking lot, we were on our own to find the start of the hiking trail, which is a rocky path winding up and down hills and through streams to the top of the canyon. From there we could see the waterfall Hangandifoss across the canyon and, in the distance, the glacier.

Then we drove to Breiðamerkursandur, which tourists call Diamond Beach. It's a black volcanic sand beach next to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and its "diamonds" are the large and small icebergs that wash up after breaking off from Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of Vatnajökull. The icebergs float out of the lagoon and into the ocean during low tide and then are washed up on shore during high tide.

We ate our dinner from the food stands in the parking lot. From there, we were meant to board "super jeeps" (heavily modified four-wheel-drive vehicles for rugged terrain) to take us to the glacier to explore the Crystal Ice Cave. However, due to high winds (around 60 miles per hour!), the ice cave tours and other activities on the lagoon were canceled today. We will be back tomorrow, though, for another event here ... stay tuned!

Then it was back in the rental cars for a drive to Stokksnes Peninsula near Vestrahorn Mountain. There we explored a Viking village recreation. It is a film set built for a movie that was never finished, but now it is a popular tourist attraction. Its setting--with the mountain behind it and the black sand beach and Atlantic Ocean in front of it--made it easy to imagine Vikings settling here.

To end the day, we drove to Höfn, an Icelandic fishing town, and ate supper (cod) at Hafnarbúðin near the docks. Our accommodations for the night were just outside of town in Rey Stays, studio units built with north-facing terraces. The other two couples joined Susan and me in our unit, and we had drinks and snacks and visited before bed. And, of course, we saw more Northern Lights!

Iceland Vacation, Day 4

Today was another day in the rental cars, continuing our travels eastward to see more Icelandic beauty.

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A reminder: we slept in glass igloos last night! After an overcast night that nevertheless gave us great views of the Northern Lights, this was our morning view to start the day.

Our first stop was Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that people are able to walk behind on a path that hugs the rocks while the falls cascade outward from the cliff above. This waterfall is meltwater from the glacier Eyjafjallajökull.

This nearby waterfall is Gljúfrabúi. We all brought waterproof gear on this trip, knowing that we'd be spending time near and behind waterfalls.

Icelandic sheep are everywhere! Their fleece is double-coated; click on the photo to see a closer view of the long external coat, which is hardy and waterproof. The finer internal coat is soft and insulating.

This waterfall is Skógafoss, just up the road from Seljalandsfoss. The cascade produces so much spray that at least one rainbow is visible here anytime the sun is out.

I had utter faith in the integrity of my waterproof gear, so I ventured all the way to the base of the waterfall to take it all in: the slippery rocks, the noise of the water, the mists and splashes, and the fresh smell.

After another scenic drive, we arrived at this lighthouse built on a promontory called Dyrhólaey. The geographical formation in the distance ...

... is Reynisdrangar, the basalt sea stacks at the base of the mountain Reynisfjall. That black sand beach is called Reynisfjara. Here we're looking eastward from the lighthouse.

Just under the lighthouse is this black arch of lava that gave the peninsula its name: Dyrhólaey means door hill island, and that bigger archway is the door of that name.

This is the view north/northwest from the lighthouse. In the distance you can see the glacier Mýrdalsjökull.

From Dyrhólaey it was a quick drive over to Reynisdrangar to see the enormous basalt sea stacks up close and to watch the huge waves roll up onto the black sands of Reynisfjara.

Not coincidentally, our restaurant choice for dinner (in the nearby town of Vík) was the Black Crust Pizzeria. Iceland's black sand beaches are black because they are made from eroded lava that cools rapidly when flowing into the sea and shatters into tiny black fragments that are eroded into sand by the waves and wind on the beaches. Iceland's black crust pizza, however, is black because of the activated charcoal that they add to the dough to achieve the right look! We shared three pizzas: a traditional pepperoni/sausage pizza; an Icelandic cheese pizza with red currant jelly and rose pepper; and a langoustine pizza with truffle cream cheese, arugula, rosemary, chili, and balsamic vinegar.

Not far from Vík is the canyon Fjaðrárgljúfur. A gentle waterfall feeds the river Fjaðrá flowing through the canyon, which dates back about two million years to its glacial formation during the Ice Age.

Tonight we are staying at Landbrot Guesthouse just outside of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Notice the grass-covered roof, a common sight across Iceland. We ate supper at their restaurant (including Viking beer with the meal and skyr mousse with berries for dessert) and spent another night with our cameras to the sky ...

... for more views of the Northern Lights! So beautiful.