The Waiting Was the Hardest Part

On Wednesday, Luke left for Norway.

We got some updated family photos before he left by the amazing Lisa from L.M Broderick Photography.

Even now, writing those words feels surreal.

For years, Norway was our dream. It was something we talked about endlessly, planned for, researched and imagined. It was the adventure we hoped for but never quite believed would actually happen. In many ways, I think we assumed it would remain just that, a dream. Something we would talk about one day when we were old and grey, reminiscing about the life we almost had.

Instead, it has become our reality.

As hard as this week has been, I find myself feeling incredibly grateful. I am so incredibly proud of Luke and what he is doing for our family. He has left behind his family, friends, career, home and everything familiar to help create an opportunity for our family. He is carrying the weight of being the first one to go, of building a life from scratch in a new country, and of spending months away from the people he loves most. I don't think any of us fully appreciate how brave that is.

While there has always been excitement about this adventure, the emotional reality of it did not truly hit until the week before he left.

The farewell party was probably the turning point.

Standing outside surrounded by family and friends, watching Luke hug people goodbye and knowing that nobody really knew when they would see each other again suddenly made everything feel real. Up until that point, Norway had still felt like a future plan. Something we were working towards. That night, it became something that was actually happening.

From there, the emotions seemed to build every day.

Monday and Tuesday were particularly hard. There was a heaviness that sat over everything we did. We found ourselves noticing all the little "lasts" that were unfolding around us. The last visit with family. The last catch-up with friends. The last cuddles with the dogs. The last time Luke would likely walk through our house as his home.

Ordinary moments suddenly felt significant because we knew they would not happen again for a very long time.

The Last Meal together

By the time Wednesday arrived, we were all emotionally exhausted. Saying goodbye at the airport was every bit as hard as I feared it would be. The boys were devastated. I was heartbroken. Luke was emotional. There was no way to make it easier or soften the reality of what was happening. We simply sat in the sadness together and felt it. It was one of those moments in life where there is nothing to fix, nothing to solve and no shortcut through the grief of saying goodbye.

For months, I had assumed that the hardest part would be after Luke left.

What has surprised me is that, at least so far, that hasn't been the case.

Once he landed safely in Oslo, something shifted. We spoke on WhatsApp. We received photos. We knew he had arrived safely and was beginning to settle in. The countdown that had dominated our lives for so long was finally over, and instead of focusing on the goodbye, we could start focusing on what comes next.

The boys and I have already started talking about our new routines. We've decided that Saturday breakfasts together will become our thing. We've gone back to work and school. Life is continuing, just in a slightly different shape than before.

Of course we miss him. We miss him terribly.

I know there will be difficult days ahead. There will be moments when the distance feels overwhelming and times when all of us wish we could simply be together. This journey is only just beginning and there is so much we still have to navigate.

But sitting here now, only a few days after what felt like an impossible goodbye, I can already feel a small sense of hope returning.

The sadness is still there.

The missing him is still there.

But so is the excitement.

So is the adventure.

And for the first time, it feels like we have finally stopped preparing for this new chapter and started living it.

Med kjærlighet og vennlighet (with love and kindness),

Alicia