This is Maddie

With Ingrid and my four month anniversary approaching, I am finally blogging for her. I don't know how much you already know about me, but here goes it. I am sixteen, recently acquired a driver's license, and a sophomore in high school. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life, but I've still got a couple years before I really need to know that. I enjoy, hanging out with friends, talking, shopping, watching movies, using said driver's license, eating(the true American), and making fun of Ingrid because she eats Santa's pets(supposedly she doesn't actually eat reindeer, but it's still fun to tease). My mother's side of the family is of Norwegian decent and I quite honestly think my Grandfather- who grew up in a house speaking Norwegian- likes Ingrid better than me.

Being Ingrid's exchange sister has been a very fun, very busy, and very new experience for me so far. Yes, I already have a sister of my own(Ingrid, you see, has become somewhat of an older sister to me), and yes, I have been friends with other foreign exchange students before, but never have I spent so much time with somebody who is so similar to me- and yet so different. Ingrid and I have spent a lot of time with each other in the past four months; talking, laughing, making fun of each other, watching Pretty Little Liars, and learning from each other. From Ingrid showing me how to take care of my nails properly, to me showing her how to properly make a Sophie's Station ice cream cone, to her showing me chords on her guitar, we have learned a lot about each other and each other's lives.  Although it has been a big adjustment to make for all of us, I'm glad that Ingrid was able to come live with my family for a year- it will be hard to adjust back to living with just my parents, an overly protective couple if I do say so myself.  Short-term, I'm looking forward to the EF trip next weekend to the cities and Christmas when my family will be going to Colorado to ski in the mountains, I'm sure Ingrid will show all of us a thing or two about mountain skiing.

Also, if anybody has a good- very American- Christmas gift idea that I should get Ingrid, that'd be great.