A Year to Inspire 3:54 AM

Somewhere back in October our blog stranded a bit. More time was spent doing things than writing about them. We still have plenty to go back and write about and more images and adventures to share, but for now our year on the road has come to an end and the reality of a more "normal" life looms. Yet the inspiration that led to taking a year off to spend as a family is still ever present. While we won't be able to spend as much time on the road or in the mountains, we have learned that home isn't necessarily a place, but a state of mind. Home is being together, eating together, playing together, exploring together. Home is learning new things, rekindling old interests, and sharing in all facets of life. Our curiosity and adventurous spirits will lead us into new experiences in the coming year.

The Rainy Pacific Northwest - Olympic National Park 10:05 PM

The rain continued to fall as we left Portland. Not suprising perhaps since we were headed toward the rain forests of Olympic National Park. Up until we reached Portland, we had followed the coast s much as possible and had a sense of where we were headed. Leaving Portland though set us off on a new adventure.  All we knew was that we were still headed north toward Victoria British Columbia, but how we get there was a matter of making decisions underway. Olympic National Park seemed like a worthy destination so we braved the rain and made our way out toward the Pacific coast once again.

Farmers Market - Santa Barbara 11:41 AM

While planning this whole trip, the opportunities to be able to get fresh fruits and vegetables for the season has been one of the main treats to taking a sabbatical in California. Fresh local produce, flowers, plants, freshly baked pies and preserves, eggs, locally raised meats and much more! Finally! We are able to get fresh fruit and vegetables!

Closeness and courage 8:37 PM

We have now been able to spend almost two months together, close, together as brothers, mamma and sons, daddy and sons and husband and wife. And also as being part of other family here in California. Being a family spending so much time together, made me think of thousands yeas ago, a hundreds years ago and today, that it is in our families that we learn to take the freedom and opportunities presented to us and make something of them. It is in our families that we learn courage. We learn how to become self reliant and to focus on our personal potential of service to others. We all have to practise self-discipline and moderation. We have to foster respect for our family members, which extends to the outside world, as well as the love we have for our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. With our mistakes and learning in this little society, we experience justice and mercy for our mistakes and trespasses against others. It is in our families that life is lived. Families are never perfect, but families are the best way we know to develop as people. I am grateful for being able to spend so much time together.

Leaving Home 5:18 AM

While in our own minds, our reasons for taking some time off to do some soul searching are well grounded, it seems as though it's hard for others to grasp the "why". Maybe some of the reasons are obvious, but others perhaps less so. Why are we leaving the refuge of a secure job, a comfortable home with a fantastic view, a safe environment for our kids with beautiful forests right outside our door, and much more? We have everything most people would be happy with, except for the one thing that we want most. At the very core, lie our values. We want to be understood, and accepted for our beliefs, not looked upon as "outsiders" because we follow a different path. Sure, we miss the mountains, granite spires, alpine meadows, sandy beaches, sunshines, but when it comes down to the day to day things, it's about what we eat for breakfast, what our kids engage in, what toys they play with, what books the read. While we don't aspire to be "normal", we want to be appreciated for our choices and find an environment where our values and decisions are reinforced. We want to be able to exchange ideas without having to worry about stepping on toes. Somewhere out there is a community that we belong to, people that share our ideas and live the same dreams. Our journey is about finding these people and places and being inspired by them. Maye, in the end the journey will lead us back to Norway at the end of the year. Often the things we are looking for are found right where we are, but we still need to see them from another perspective.

Beautiful landscapes, enjoying the agriculture diversity and of course family are also a big part of the reasons for our journey to California and beyond. Spending time with cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, skiing fresh snow, climbing clean white granite, running along empty beaches, communing and renewing in energy filled places. In the bigger picture a year is not a long time, but let's hope it's enough to at least revitalize and empower us to follow our own path.

Inspiration 12:12 AM

Inspiration. Sometimes everyday things get a bit overwhelming and time for ourselves seems rare or non-existent. Even with two fantastic kids, sometimes a few minutes alone to collect (or rather empty) our thoughts goes a long way. Whether it be a run through the forest, or just a few moments in solitary meditation. We all need these moments, yet we have to balance these with our routines of everyday life, children, work, making dinner, grocery shopping... At the end of the day though it all comes down to priorities and weighing up what really needs to be done today, and what in fact can wait. Sometimes our inner being needs to be fed more than our physical being.

In planning our adventures for the coming year, these times for spiritual nourishment are equally essential to pursuing our dreams as all the other activities on our to do list. We need to remember to plan for time for morning walks or yoga on empty sandy beaches, and time for afternoon reading in mountain meadows while the kids are off running picking flowers and collecting pine cones. Until our adventure begins, it's important not to let the chores of our daily lives cloud the beauty we already have around us.

Everyday Blessings 12:25 PM

"When a child, no matter how old, feels our acceptance, when he feels our love, not just for his easy-to-live-with, lovable, attractive self, but also for his difficult, repulsive, exasperating self, it feeds him and frees him to become more balanced and whole".
Myla Kabat-Zinn

Home is where you are 9:28 PM

Home is not about a building with four walls, but a place where we are able to share time and adventure with our family and friends. It's about searching for adventure and spending time in places that inspire. Home is where we are and how we choose to live our lives.

Leaving the security of our house in Oslo Norway, we took a year off and have set off on a journey to find people and places that will inspire us, in California and across the Western United States and perhaps further.

Despite a comfortable house and secure jobs, we felt we were missing something and have set out on a journey to find  out what it is. It's hard to put a articulate exactly what it is we are hoping to find or experience on our journey, however our quest does involve seeking out beautiful places in the mountains, valleys, and along the coast. We are also in search of nourishment in our day to day lives, eating food close to the source in the form of farmer's markets, providing an outdoor playground for our children to learn and explore, meeting interesting and inspiring people, and even finding inspiring books and magazines to read.

Maybe, in the end our journey will lead us back to Norway. Often the things we are looking for are found right where we are and we just need to see them from another perspective.

This blog is a record of our journeys and hopefully an inspiration to others to follow their own dreams and seek their own true home.