Living Life With Passion & Purpose!
It was so good to see her again after all those years since Australia. We had such an easy, natural friendship, and spending time with her and her family felt like picking up right where we left off. I’m really grateful I got to reconnect with her on this trip.
I didn’t have much color film, but this moment felt worth using some of it on. We took this photo right after the black-and-white one, and unfortunately, I didn’t realize until I got home and developed the pictures that Katrine had blinked. I wish we would have taken just one more! Still, I’m glad I have this color version of us together — I love our smiles!
Katrine wanted to show me Lillehammer, so we took her car for the hour-long drive. Along the way, I asked her to pull over a few times so I could take pictures — it was just too beautiful to pass by. This was our first stop. The quiet stream cutting through the snow and the frosted trees made everything feel so peaceful and magical.
This was our second photo stop on the drive to Lillehammer. We pulled over to take in this beautiful view of Lake Mjøsa — Norway’s largest lake — stretching out between the snow-covered hills. The bare trees along the shore and the calm, misty water made it feel incredibly peaceful. I couldn’t resist asking Katrine to stop so I could capture it.
This was another stop on our drive to Lillehammer. From across the lake, you can see the town of Lillehammer nestled along the shore, with the famous Olympic ski jump ramps clearly visible up in the hills. It was exciting to finally see the actual site of the 1994 Winter Olympics from a distance.
These are typical homes in Lillehammer. I loved how the snow sat on the roofs and how the stone walls and wooden houses gave the neighborhood such a cozy, traditional feel.
This snow-covered phone booth in Norway caught my eye. I had been photographing phone booths in different countries throughout the trip, and this one felt very Norwegian — simple and functional.
This beautiful view of Lillehammer was taken in the late afternoon light. The church spire stands out against the snowy hills, glowing warmly in the sun.
These flagpoles stood at the Olympic Village in Lillehammer. Even though the 1994 Winter Olympics had ended months earlier, seeing the Norwegian flags still flying here felt special. The golden light hitting the snowy hills in the background made the whole scene feel calm and proud at the same time.
While we were at the ski jump facility, one lone ski jumper was practicing — he basically had the whole place to himself. It was really fun to watch him fly down the ramp and launch into the air.
Standing up so high to watch him was both exhilarating and terrifying for me. After my fear of open water, heights are my next biggest challenge, so being at the top of the ski jump gave me a real mix of excitement and nerves!
From the very top of the ski jump, the view was absolutely incredible. You could see the entire valley, the town of Lillehammer below, and Lake Mjøsa — Norway’s largest lake — stretching out into the distance with mist hanging over it. Standing up there with the sun breaking through the trees made it feel almost magical. It was one of those moments where the view completely took your breath away.
This was one of those perfect moments. Standing at the top of the ski jump with the entire valley, the town of Lillehammer, and Lake Mjøsa spread out below me, I felt like I was winning the gold medal of life. After everything I had been through earlier that year, being here — alive, free, and taking in this incredible view — felt like a huge personal victory. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Next, Katrine took me to Maihaugen, one of Norway’s largest and most famous open-air museums in Lillehammer. The museum features over 200 historic buildings from the Gudbrandsdal region, including farms, workshops, and traditional wooden churches.
This beautiful structure is the Garmo Stave Church. Originally built in the 1200s in the village of Garmo, it was carefully dismantled and moved to Maihaugen in 1921. Standing in front of it covered in snow felt like stepping back in time — it was one of the most impressive and peaceful places we visited that day.
Here it is in color. The deep brown wood against the bright blue sky and fresh white snow made the Garmo Stave Church look even more beautiful. Standing in front of this 13th-century church on a clear winter day was one of the highlights of our visit to Maihaugen.
This photo shows some of the beautifully preserved traditional log buildings at Maihaugen. These structures are part of the museum’s large collection of historic farmhouses, barns, and workshops from the Gudbrandsdal region, many of which date back several hundred years.
This impressive two-story wooden structure is one of the larger historic buildings at Maihaugen. With its steep roof, upper balcony, and traditional log construction, it stands as a great example of the kind of substantial farm buildings that were common in the Gudbrandsdal region. The long wooden fence running alongside the snowy path adds to the feeling of stepping back into rural Norwegian life from centuries ago.
This photo shows one of the traditional wooden buildings at Maihaugen, with long icicles hanging from the corners of the roof. The old split-rail fence, also covered in snow, leads the eye across the quiet winter landscape toward the valley below. It was these small details — the icicles, the snow-laden fence, and the peaceful surroundings — that made walking through Maihaugen feel so magical.
This photo was taken in the late afternoon during golden hour. The low winter sun cast a warm, golden light across the snow-covered fence and trees, creating a beautiful contrast with the cool tones of the misty valley in the distance. It was one of those perfect moments where the light transformed the entire landscape into something magical.
This photo shows several of the smaller wooden structures at Maihaugen. These modest buildings were typical on Norwegian farms and were often used as storage sheds, workshops, or animal shelters. Covered in snow and surrounded by the tall wooden fence, they give a strong sense of what rural life in this region looked like in earlier centuries.
Founded in 1887 by dentist Anders Sandvig, Maihaugen now preserves over 200 traditional buildings from the Gudbrandsdal region, including farms, workshops, and homes dating back hundreds of years. It remains one of the most visited cultural sites in Norway, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year who come to experience authentic Norwegian history and architecture — especially beautiful in the quiet snow like this.
This quiet path winds through the snowy woods at Maihaugen. The traditional wooden fence lines the trail as it disappears into the trees, giving a strong sense of how peaceful and remote these historic farm areas must have felt in winter.
This is another quiet route through the snowy woods at Maihaugen. The traditional wooden fence lines both sides of the trail as it disappears into the trees. These paths gave visitors a real sense of how people would have moved between the different farms and buildings on a winter day long ago.
This wide, open view shows a frozen body of water surrounded by snow-covered trees at Maihaugen. The bright winter light and untouched snow give the scene a very still and peaceful feeling
This wide view shows several of the historic wooden farm buildings at Maihaugen, set against the snowy hills and forest.
This lovely color photo shows several of the historic wooden farm buildings at Maihaugen on a bright winter day. The golden sunlight on the snow-covered roofs and trees creates a warm contrast against the cold landscape. The frozen water in the foreground and the quiet buildings give a strong sense of peaceful rural life as it would have looked in this region long ago.
This beautiful color photo captures the warm golden sunlight hitting the trees across the snowy field at Maihaugen.
This beautiful color photo captures the warm golden sunlight filtering through the snow-covered pine trees at Maihaugen. The bright winter light creates a magical glow on the heavy snow and contrasts beautifully with the cool blue shadows on the ground. I
Katrine grabbed my camera and suggested I pose in front of one of the historic buildings at Maihaugen. Standing there in the snow with the traditional wooden architecture behind me felt like a perfect moment to capture during our visit.
This was the last photo of the day at Maihaugen. After everything I had been through, standing there in the snow I really did feel like a champion. In the spur of the moment I raised both arms in victory, and Katrine caught this great shot. It perfectly summed up how I was feeling — grateful, strong, and on top of the world.
