My happy place. Anne Gro and her family grow corn and harvest lumber.
A little over ten years ago my dad connected with some distant relatives in Norway using a picture of a gravestone and an internet search. He exchanged a few letters with a woman named Anne Gro. Her family and our family share a common ancestor named Halvor Johnson, my great-great-grandfather. He emigrated to the United States in 1882 along with his wife and child.
When I was in college I traveled to Norway to visit Anne Gro and her husband and children at their home on the outskirts of Oslo. They were, without a doubt, the best hosts I’ve ever stayed with, and have set a standard for me when I host other people at my home.
Me, Rachael, Anne Gro, Havard, Joakim, Line, Eskil, and Ingrid
Rachael and I had the chance to visit Anne Gro and her family on our way back from Qatar. I was especially excited to introduce them to Rachael because I’d told them a lot about her.
We didn’t have much time to spend with them this time around, but flying into Norway and spending time with family, even if a few generations was the perfect way to punctuate our third year in Doha.