Photos Taken with My Family

Shopping with birthday money

At the Stuttgart Zoo

Off to school

Tea party with Grandma

Not yet 4 years old and knows his way around the computer!

View from one of the many windows in Neuschwanstein

My knight in shining armor!

Enjoying a treat

Hans and Annika at the top of Zugspitze

Isn't he adorable?!!!

Josiah's 4th birthday

Annika enjoying the birthday cake and ice cream!

Safely Back Home

I've had a wonderful time over the past 16 days, but I'm happy to say I am safely back home. My three flights today were uneventful - the best kind. The flight from Munich to Chicago was 9.5 hours long, so I was happy to have that one crossed off. Immigration and Customs in Chicago went well, too.

I have great memories and hope to write entries about the mission trip to Ukraine and Austria soon. I'll be able to post pictures, too.

Yesterday I was able to watch the Wooddale Church 9 AM service streaming online from Stuttgart (4 PM German time). It was good to see my friends again and to hear them sing. If you care to watch it yourself, log onto www.wooddale.org, register (simply supply your name and email address), and click the window indicating watching the service. You must do this at 9 AM Central Daylight Savings Time - adjusting it to where you live. One must have high-speed Internet service to make the connection.

Happy 4th Birthday, Josiah!

Today we are celebrating Josiah's birthday (the acutal date is tomorrow, but the party was today). This morning Josiah, Hans and I went shopping for helium baloons, fresh flowers, the birthday cake and ice cream. Rachel and Annika stayed home and prepared (I'm possitive it was Rachel who did the work while trying to keep Annika entertained) a delicious dinner. The invited guests were the family from the downstairs apartment - mom and her two sons. Her husband has been deployed for the past six months and is due to return to Germany in the next few weeks.

Josiah chose a Cars birthday cake - complete with a race track and model car of Cars. It was very cute and meant more to me because we watched the movie of the same name since I have been here. We have also watched Finding Nemo and last night Hans and I watched the first part of Star Wars. It is probably one of Hans' all-time-favorite movies, and I have never watched it. We'll try to watch the remaining scenes yet today.

Josiah has grown up so much in the past year. I love his sweet voice. He still likes the Thomas and Friends trains. Many of his birthday gifts were new trains. Happy Birthday, Josiah! I'm glad I got to come to your party.

Fun Trip to Edelweiss Lodge and Resort

We got back from Garmisch, Germany a little while ago. The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort was lovely. From the deck on my room, I could see Zugspitze and its surrounding mountains. Josiah wanted to do a "sleep-over" with Grandma, so he and I shared a king-size bed. He's so funny - - he slept from side to side rather than head to foot. It was a good thing there was lots of room.

Last night the four of them spent some time in the hot tub and pool while I shopped a little in the gift store. It was another good time. Annika has no fear in the pool, so someone had to keep an eye on her at all times.

This morning we took a cable car to the top of Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany. It's part of the Alps. I thought it was amazing. The cable car, though crowded, gave us a smooth ride, taking about 10 to 15 minutes to make the climb. Once above the tree line, the craggy rocks were extremely steep and dangerous looking. At the top, there is a ladder from which "brave" folks can climb to the very top tip of the mountain. There isn't enough money in this world for which I would attempt to make the climb, thank you very much. I was content to be on the sturdy platform and in the confines of the restaurant. Once on the platform, one can step over into Austria.

The altitude was 2964 meters, which is about 10,000 feet. My breathing was labored when I walked or climbed any stairs. Once seated in the dining room, I felt fine. While we were there, it began to snow. Josiah, Hans and Annika climbed up onto a big snow drift on the platform -- yes, in case you were wondering, there was a sturdy fence around the perimeter.

The drive through Austria and Germany back to Stuttgart was stunning. I love the chalet-type homes with gingerbread trim, flower boxes at the windows, carved shutters, flowering lilacs and apple trees, green grass, streams, snow-covered mountains, and beautiful churches with onion domes. How can you not want to visit this area????

Goings On In Stuttgart

I've had three great days here in Stuttgart so far. On Tuesday, after I landed in the morning, we drove to the base, unpacked my stuff, had lunch, and walked around the base to a park so the kids could play. We stopped in the commissary to buy a few groceries, and came home and had a wonderful dinner. It was so nice to see my family again. My granddaughter, Annika - now 2 years old - has changed more than Josiah, who turns 4 on Monday. Both of the kids are so cute! Late Tuesday night, my son Hans got home. He had been away on business. He took leave for the remainder of the days I am here. Isn't that nice?!

Wednesday we drove to another base where I had to get authorization to be here until Monday. While there we shopped a little and had lunch. In the afternoon we went to the Stuttgart Zoo. It was rather crowded and the temperature was warm, but we still had a good time. Today we took it easy in the morning and then Rachel and I went shopping in a gardening shop and a big store that was sort of like a super Target - and yet different. They have a GPS in their car so we don't get lost.

Tomorrow we are driving to the Alps to stay in the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. It is on the border of Germany and Austria. We'll return to Stuttgart on Saturday. Sunday we are having Josiah's 4th birthday party. This will be the first birthday party I have ever attended for any of my three grandchildren.

Monday I fly home. I am due to arrive in Minneapolis at 6:30 pm. It will be a long day for me as I leave here at 10:30 am, flying first to Munich, then to Chicago, and finally to Minneapolis. Stuttgart is 7 hours ahead of Minnesota. Thus, I will be landing at 1:30 am Tuesday (Stuttgart time) -- 15 hours of flying time. I'm glad I don't have to work until Wednesday.

Salutations from Stuttgart

The mission trip for me was over this morning when I left the others in the Munich airport and headed down the G concourse for my flight to Stuttgart as they made their way down the H concourse for their return to the USA. We had the time of our lives and have thousands of photos and videos, plus stories, to prove it. I'm thankful I took the time each day to write in my journal, as so much happened that was meaningful and inspirational, that I want don't want to forget it. I plan to make an entry for each day of the mission trip in a week or so, but right now I want to enjoy being with my family in Germany for the next six days.

My flight from Munich was only 37 minutes of actual time in the air - not bad, right? Rachel, Josiah and Annika were outside the window of the baggage pickup as I walked from the plane. (My luggage made it on every single flight! I am very thankful.) I got big hugs from them when I came through the exit door. Guess what? Both Josiah and Annika called me "Grandma." This is the first time I have heard Annika say it. They both talk so cute.

The kids are adorable! They showed me their rooms and some of their toys. We went to the park and played together. Rachel made two delicious home-made meals. What a treat to eat food that I really like (the food on the mission trip was fine, but this was better.)!

Tomorrow Hans gets home from a business trip. I'm looking forward to seeing him also.

Greetings from Munich

We were in Salzburg, Austria, for Mother's Day. Our choir sang in an Evangelical church there. It was just wonderful.

Today we are in Munich. Tomorrow the choir flies back to the US and I fly to Stuttgart to be with Hans and his family.

I am sitting in an Internet cafe for my first time ever. This keyboard is weird - some of the characters are in unusual places. Many of the choir members went to the old city center, but I wanted to catch up on my emails and family blogs. So glad to have only happy messages in my "In Box."

Our weather has been PERFECT! Our concerts (6 in all) went very well. The Ukrainians are wonderful people. The home we stayed in was so tiny, but the widow with whom we stayed has a huge heart. Such Christians they are.

Yesterday afternoon we went on the Sound of Music tour. I loved it!!

I hope to post some photos while I am at Hans and Rachel's. I can't wait to see Josiah and Annika again. I'm so anxious to hear them talk and to play with them.

Hello from Kiev

I have lots to write about regarding our mission trip to Ukraine and Austria, but I am at a computer where I am paying per minute so will keep this brief. We have completed 4 concerts, plus one impromptu, and they went very well. The Ukrainian people are very sweet and we communicate a lot with smiles. Yesterday afternoon I gave my faith story in a beautiful former Catholic church. I got through it fine. I can't recall how old the church is, but we have been in at least 3 structures that were built in the 1100's! Makes me feel young. :-)

This is our last day in Kiev. We'll be touring the Monastery of the Caves, going down into the catacombs. We'll be checking out of our hotel at 3:30 am (that's right) tomorrow to head for the airport on our way to Munich where we will board a bus and drive to Salzburg, Austria. I'm looking forward to seeing that area again. We may sing at a church on Sunday morning.

I'll try to post another entry and photos from Hans and Rachel's next week!

I'm Packed and Ready to Fly

We've planned and practiced for months. This morning was our last rehearsal. Excitement was high. Now my bags are packed and I'm ready to fly. Tomorrow morning after our choir sings for two services, we will board the bus and head for the airport. After 18+ hours, our final flight will touch down in Kiev, Ukraine.

We've had some tips on what to expect, but as I've learned from past experiences, my observations will differ from others. I'm anxious to interact with the nationals. I'm excited about seeing their culture; their homes; their churches, and yes, the bakeries and candy shops! I hope to find a yarn shop or two, and check out the local stores for the china department. [Some things never change.]

I won't be able to write for awhile, but I will check in as soon as I can.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Dave's office

Sign outside Dave's office

Darling thank-you card made by Pat.

Photo inside journal made by Pat.

Sweet Aurelia!

Aw! Isn't she cute?! (Aurelia, that is.)

Lovely tulips given to me by my boss, LaVonne, for Administrative Assistants' Day

These past few days have been very busy, indeed. Here's a little bit of what I have been up to:

• Saturday: choir rehearsal in the morning. After our rehearsal, my friend, Pat, gave me an adorable Thank You card to include with the prayer shawl I knit to give to my host family while in Ukraine. She actually knit the little piece using toothpicks on which she had glued beads for the ends to make them look authentic! Inside she included a hand-crocheted book mark. She also made a journal from a little notebook she found at a local store for each woman going on the trip. The outside of the journal is pattern that looks Russian, and is in the colors of the Ukrainian flag - blue and yellow. Inside the cover she glued a photo of one of the churches in Ukraine. Pat is an amazingly talented gal!
• Saturday, continued: I had lunch with Peder, Sarah and Aurelia, and got to see Aurelia crawl and walk with our assistance. She is so cute. Her smile is infectious, don't you think?!
• Sunday: I sang for two church services, had a little snack with some friends, shopped for a few more things for the trip, decorated a co-worker's office for his birthday. Dave is a great guy. When his father died a couple of years ago, he inherited a summer home in Arizona. But Dave wasn't allowed to use the pool until he reached 55 years of age. Well, yesterday he turned that magic number so we went with a "pool" theme. I picked up the giant size swim trunks and kid's towel at a local thrift store. My boss, Paul, lettered the pool sign for me. I capped off Sunday by attending a concert by the Gustavus Adolphus College choir. It was so beautiful.
• Monday: I worked my heart out for 8 hours and then went to tutor Rosy for my final night this season. At the end of our session, she hugged me real tight and we each said, I love you. She told me her mother said to say, "Good Luck" to me for my trip. I'll see all of them on May 31 when I return to their home to tutor Rosy's mother and grandmother. They are so sweet.
• Tuesday: The first thing I did this morning was bake a blueberry pie for Dave's little birthday party this afternoon at our break time. Oh, did my house smell good!

That brings me up to date. I still have things to cross off my list, but the list is getting shorter.

One Week to Go

We had another choir rehearsal this morning. We rehearsed most of our numbers and a guest from Russia and our missions pastor spoke to our group. We ate little open-faced sandwiches called kanapis (Ukrainian) made by two of our choir members. And another choir member made each of the women on the tour a beautiful journal with a cover that looks like typical Ukrainian artwork. We were given our airline tickets and had our concert wear approved by our director. It was a busy, productive morning.

I got to have lunch with Peder, Sarah and Aurelia. I'm telling you, little Aurelia is so sweet. She has a smile that is just beautiful. All the while we ate, she played with her little toys and watched people. Following lunch, we drove to their home and I got to see her crawl. She also walks by holding onto our hands. Again, she smiled and smiled. Oh, and she said "uh, uh, uh." It's darling. Peder and Sarah are doing a very good job with their parenting.

It's so rewarding seeing your kids grow up and raise a family. Hans and Peder, I'm so proud of both of you and your wives. You've given me beautiful grandchildren. What a treasure. Heidi and Chad, when you have children, I'm sure you will be equally good parents.

I'm nearly ready to start packing things into my bags.

News of the Day

There isn't much news from me today. We're getting rain and tonight it may be mixed with the "S" word. Yuck! Spring is really holding back from arriving in Minnesota. A few leaves are starting to open on the trees in my back yard. The grass has more green blades than brown.

I've been crossing more things off my list for our mission trip. We leave in 10 days! I have things in a couple of piles waiting to be packed. We'll have two more rehearsals before departing. The choir members who have elected to stay home have divided up the names of those going and are committing to pray for us. That really means a lot. If you care to pray, please ask God to protect us as we travel; keep us healthy; help our music to touch the hearts of those who come to listen; may we make new friends.


If you came here today wanting to read news, I suggest you go here. Rachel has posted new photos of Josiah and Annika from their outing to the zoo yesterday. Be sure to read the entry under the photos, too. Rachel is a gifted writer, and she captures their outing like no other mother could. I was laughing out loud as I read it. I only hope Peder is doing as well with Aurelia today at the Mall of America.


Meanwhile, Heidi has her hands full, dog-sitting their friend's black lab. Brian isn't too happy about it. I hope it has stopped raining and snowing out in Seattle so they can all go to the dog park.

(Note: click any of the underlined words to read the respective blog.)

Another 10 Minute Weekend Is Nearly Over

Why do our weekends go so fast???? It seems we leave the office on Friday at 5 pm, and 10 minutes later -- it's 8 am on Monday. Maybe it doesn't work that way for you, but quite often it does for me. Here's a recap of my weekend:

• Friday night I was blessed to attend a tribute dinner for the father of one of my co-workers. Her father had been the music pastor at a twin cities church for 23 years. The dinner event was attended by 400 people. On the program were church members from the past who had starred in the many productions written by Ken. Some of the guests flew in from far away places and were surprise soloists for the evening. Clips were shown of some of the shows performed over the years. All of the music presented had been written by him. Though I have never met Ken, I was touched by the songs he wrote and the tributes given to him. It was a beautiful affair.
  
• Saturday I gave Peppi a clean cage and then got up my nerve to reach in and grab him to clip his nails. This should be done to canaries about every six months. He flapped and flitted and finally I was able to contain him in my hand. His little heart was beating so fast. I clipped about 4 long nails, and then returned him to his cage. Thankfully I didn't hurt him and won't have to repeat it for another half year or so. After doing some other domestic tasks, I got ready to go to church for the annual choir festival our church hosts each year. This year, four choirs joined ours for a total of approximately 350 voices. Rachel's parents, bless their hearts, drove all the way from St. James to come to listen to us. I got to visit with them before and after the festival. The music was so inspirational. It makes me think of what heaven will be like.
  
• This morning I sang in two services at our church and then went to brunch with my theater friends. This afternoon we saw Pajama Game at the Bloomington Civic Theater. Once again, the acting and music was sensational. And now, I'm relaxing for the last minute or so. It's been a packed weekend, but I loved it. I hope you had a good one.
  

Recycling Crayons

Heidi has inspired me to become more "green." It started when she gave me the green cloth bags for groceries, etc. I now have 5 such bags which I keep in my car and do my best to take them with me when I go shopping. Another way I have gone "green" is by using a washable plate, glass and real silverware at work. (This has always been my practice at home.) In fact, our vice president was at the same table as I was yesterday for our special Friday morning snack. I looked around and noticed everyone sitting at our table was eating their coffee cake from a Styrofoam plate and was using a plastic fork. 4 out of 6 of us were using washable, china cups; the other 2 were drinking from Styrofoam. I decided to ask him if he thought our office could try to be a little more earth friendly by purchasing dishwasher safe plates and bowls and stainless tableware to cut down on all of the plastic and Styrofoam we toss into the garbage everyday. We already have a cupboard full of dishwasher safe mugs. He pleased me by saying we will be doing this soon.

So, what about the title of this entry: recycling crayons? Well, just this morning a program on TV mentioned this: crayons are actually a fuel product (I had forgotten this), and old crayons simply do not "go away" when tossed into the garbage. Here is a web site for disposing of them. It's one more way we can help save our earth. What new ways are you trying?

Equake Shakes Central Illinois Today

Yes, that's right. Around 4:45 am today, residents in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Ohio felt the earth shake. It was a quake that measured 5.2 points on the Richter Scale. The epicenter was in southern Illinois near Mt. Carmel.

I know that is unusual, but I recall it happening when Steve and I lived in Lincoln, Illinois, in the fall of 1968. It was a Saturday morning and I was standing at the kitchen sink, which was filled with soapy water. My hands had been out of the water for well over a minute, when all of a sudden, the bubbles began to move like waves. Weird! Later that day we learned we had had a small earthquake.

This morning I phoned my Aunt Ginny to see if they felt it in Indiana. She said she was actually at her computer and felt the chair move. She thought the cat had bumped it. After hearing the news, she realized she had indeed felt it.

Horton Hears a Who

On Saturday I took Rosy to the movie Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. It was an adorable movie, rated G. Rosy was all dressed up: skirt, white blouse, black boots, and a beautiful red coat with a black velvet collar (Yes, we're still wearing coats and mittens here.) We got pop corn and orange soda pop at the theater; I had a couple of bags of M & M's in my purse since I didn't want to pay $4 for them at the theater. What a rip-off the concessions are! Anyway, back to the movie. Horton is played by the voice of Jim Carrey, Carol Burnett's voice is used for the kangaroo (sorry, I can't recall her name in the movie). She plays the part of the negative, crabby animal in the jungle. She has a little kangaroo in her pouch that she says she is "home schooling." At one point, she tell the little kangaroo to "go to your room!" I thought it was hilarious. The voice of the mayor of "Who'sville" is done by Steve Carell.

There's light-heartedness, drama, suspense, and a very happy ending. I would love to take Josiah to see it in a few weeks if it's playing in Germany. I think he would really like it.

Winter That Will Not End ~ Spring That Will Not Begin

Batten down the hatches -- here we go again! We are under another winter storm warning: rain mixed with snow beginning late this afternoon and continuing tomorrow with accumulations of up to eight inches possible. Winds may be from 30 to 45 mph. Won't this be fun?! NOT! I have no extra curricular activities planned until Saturday afternoon, so other that getting to and from work, I'll just have to grin and bear it. I hope it's nicer where you are.

To feast my eyes on something other than brown grass and dirty piles of ice and snow, I treated myself to some fresh daffodils yesterday. Aren't they lovely?

Family Time in Rochester

After leaving Rosy's house Saturday, I drove to Rochester to join Peder, Sarah and Aurelia at Janet and Jerry's. We had a good time together, in spite of Aurelia not feeling well. Even though she had a cold and hadn't been sleeping well, she still flashed her beautiful smile. Plus, she was standing! She pulls herself up by holding onto things, such as her diaper bag.

It was good spending time with my family again. We talked about our upcoming cruise to Alaska over a delicious dinner of steak, baked potatoes, salad, and a delicious Red Velvet cake.

Sunday morning we went to church and got to hear the choir in which Jerry is now a member. It was very nice.

Following the church service we went to see my little friend, Cassie. The last time I went to visit her, she was sound asleep and we couldn't wake her. But today she was wide awake, and most of important of all, she recognized me! I was so happy to see her smile again. She seemed to understand what I was saying. And when we left, we waved at her through her window, and she waved back. This is amazing, as she has Alzheimer's Disease. Cassie will turn 95 in July.

Tutoring Adults in English 101

Saturday afternoon was my first session of tutoring Rosy's mother and grandmother. I arrived at their home and Rosy welcomed me and helped me set up my supplies in the family dining room. She was so cute as she sharpened the new pencils. I started out by asking Maria (Rosy's grandmother) and Maricruz (Rosy's mother) to tell me the English words they already knew, with Rosy and her teen-age aunt, Carolina, acting as my translators. Actually they are familiar with quite a few. Then we moved on to a work sheet with small phrases such as:

Excuse me.
Good afternoon.
Good evening.
Good morning.
How are you?
I'm sorry.
My name is . . .
Nice to meet you.
You're welcome.
Who's calling?

We worked on their practical uses and practiced some dialogues. They did very well. And they thought it was fun when I would say to them in Spanish, "Muy bien!" (Translation: Great! or Very good!)

We worked for about an hour and a half and broke to have a little snack. Maria and Maricruz are very enthusiastic and looking forward to our next lesson. Oh, and they told me they plan to practice the things we went over and asked me to give them a quiz when I return. I don't recall ever asking my teachers to prepare a quiz for me!

Dare I Get My Hopes Up?

As I walked to my garage this morning, I may have experienced the entry of Spring in my neighborhood. To my surprise, I heard a robin sing. I looked up to see if I could spot him, and there he was, high at the top of the tree across the street, happy as could be. Of course, I greeted him and welcomed him back to Minnesota. I asked him if he had had a good winter. He didn't answer, but he didn't fly away either. (This photo was taken from the Internet. We do not have any leaves yet.)

I just checked the weather for the temperature and learned is currently 47 degrees, but is supposed to rise to 52. Whoo Hoo! The sky is blue, and more snow is melting. This is so encouraging, since we have had a winter that hasn't wanted to end. Even now there is S*N*O*W in the forecast for this coming Sunday, but I'm trying to ignore it.

A month from tomorrow our choir leaves for the mission trip to Ukraine and Austria. We have had two rehearsals and the music is going to be very exciting. I have been asked to have my faith story prepared and be willing to share it at one of the concerts. This is uncharted territory for me, but I agreed to do it. I have written my first draft and one of my editor friends at work has agreed to help me with it. One of the pastors at my church will also be helping. My understanding is that an interpreter will be standing next to me when I present it. This may be helpful, as I imagine the pauses would give me a chance to catch my breath and regain my composure, if necessary. I'm trusting the Lord to help me with this venture. Please keep me in your prayers for this part of the journey, as well as the preparation and flights. I will post more about what to expect on our trip in a future entry.

I May Be Getting In Over My Head . . .

I may be getting in over my head, but I'm going to give it my best anyway. What is it, you ask? I have agreed to try to teach English to Rosy's mother and grandmother. Our first time together will be this coming Saturday.

Here's the background: I am a volunteer at the One by One program at a local church. My little student is Rosy, an adorable, sweet first grade girl. At the Christmas dinner for the students and their families, I sat with Rosy, her little sister, Katie, and her mother and grandmother. Following the dinner, an announcement was made inviting any of the women to sign up for English classes. Immediately Rosy's mother and grandmother signed up. They were so excited.

In January, I was invited to Rosy's house for her birthday, to have dinner with her and her family. At the dinner, I asked how the English classes were going. I should tell you, Rosy is our interpreter as I do not speak Spanish. She translated her mother's comment to me: "Some of the Hispanic women made fun of us because they know more English than we. Donna, will you be willing to teach us English?" How could I refuse? I have heard so many people make a statement to this effect: If they're (the Hispanics) going to live here, they should learn English! Well, I've had my eyes opened these past months. These people want to learn, but they don't always have the opportunity. So when they asked me, I agreed.

I am not, nor do I pretend to be, a trained teacher, but I do speak English, and I do care about Rosy and her family very much. I'm going to give it my best. Today I went to Barnes & Noble and purchased an English/Spanish book. Then I drove to the ABC store for teachers and picked up a small white board with lines for her mother and grandmother, and a larger one for me; markers and erasers, and a notebook and pencils for each of them. Lesson one will be on Saturday afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes. If you think of it, please say a little prayer for me.

My Red Hat Friends

Last night I went out to eat with my Red Hat friends. We had fun conversation over a delicious dinner - - complete with dessert.

Our Red Hat group is different from most in that we never wear the red hats - - only red hat pins, scarves, or some sort of red hat jewelry. These friends are also my co-workers. From left to right, they are: Joanie, Karen, Jeanne, yours truly, Sharon and Nancy. This is the fourth year we have been meeting. We meet once a month during the school months, each taking a turn hosting the event in our home, and three times during the year we choose to eat out.

Update

Annika in Disneyland Paris

Josiah's delightful meeting with Woody

It's not an exiting headline, but since my schedule this week isn't very exciting, I guess it fits.

Singing at the seven Easter services this past weekend went very well. I should be able to include the pastor's sermon in this entry, but I think I'll pass. One interesting thing to me is how the audience at times has the appearance of an ant farm - moms and dads taking kids in or out of the service; babies being passed back and forth; folks coming in late, or leaving early. It was more activity than we usually experience.

Before leaving for church on Sunday morning I called Germany and got to talk to Hans. He gave me a brief overview of their last outing: Disneyland Paris. Unfortunately it wasn't as much fun as they had hoped it would be. But it looks like the kids had a great time. You can read about it and see the photos here.

Aurelia is really changing. Sarah has the talent of putting darling videos together. They are posted here and here.

Six weeks from last Sunday I will be leaving on the choir missions trip to Ukraine and Austria. I've been crossing things off my list in preparation.

The Snow Continues to Fall (on the first day of Spring?)

I woke this morning to about 4 inches of new snow. By the time I left for work, we had had 5 or more inches. It has snowed all morning long and it is to continue all day. The last report I heard was that we have received 8 inches. It is very wet - and I know this because I was the second person to arrive at our office this morning and our parking lot had not been plowed. Consequently, I was plowed in. I went out about a half hour ago and shoveled away as much as I could from behind my car. Yikes! I did this as it will only get higher. Isn't this the first day of Spring?

I learned that Brian isn't the only pooch with a blog. Check this out: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/03/21/dog.blog/index.html.

This being Holy Week, I prepared myself by watching the film The Passion of the Christ last weekend. It's a difficult film to watch, but in my opinion it is very well done and closely follows scripture. I will be attending a Good Friday service tonight at the church where several of my co-workers worship. One of them is in the choir. I have always wanted to hear their choir sing, but usually our concerts are on the same dates as their's. Since the church I attend has a Maundy Thursday service, there is no conflict this year. I will be singing in my choir for 7 Easter worship services - 2 on Saturday; 5 on Sunday.

May all of my readers have a blessed Easter.

My Time with Aurelia Was Very Nice!

I enjoyed my time with Aurelia very much. She is a sweetheart, to be sure. I put her in her little bed after rocking her to sleep Friday night and she slept all night long. I sure like my Amish rocking chair for rocking my grand children! I wish I would have had it when my own kids were little.

Aurelia is a happy child - breaking into smiles a lot. She is a good eater, too. One thing she liked about my home is my wall clock. I'm not sure if was the pendulum or the chimes, but every time we were in my living room, she turned to look at it. Oh, I just thought of another - she liked watching Peppi. He liked her too, as he broke into song many times while she was there.

It won't be too much longer and she will be crawling. She's really working on it.

I was really anxious to see her reaction when her mommy and daddy came into my door to take her home. She smiled and smiled. Peder and Sarah said I passed the test and they are willing to let me watch her again soon. Whew!

Aurelia has Sleep-Over with Grandma

Last night Aurelia came to my home for her first sleep-over. She had supper: oatmeal and sweet potatoes, eating her food from the same little spoon that her daddy used to use. She likes her bouncy seat, and her pacifier. She is so cute - - and a very good girl.

After a good night's sleep, she is up and we are hanging out in my cottage.

A Coincidence

Photo which is identical to Hans' photo

Castle ruins

Dinner at the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium

While in Heidelberg, Germany, earlier this week, Hans stopped to visit the castle there. Like any other American tourist, he took lots of pictures. Rachel posted them here. I was so surprised to see that Hans and I had photographed an identical image. My photos are from my first trip abroad in April of 1977 - I'm six months pregnant with Heidi. Hans' photo is labeled "Bird's eye view of Heidelberg." The only difference I can tell is that his is a vertical shot while mine is horizontal. At any rate, check it out.

At Hans' request, I am posting some of the photos I took way back then . . .

Spring May Be On Its Way!!!!!

Our weather started moving in the right direction yesterday. Moments ago I checked the temperature and it is 49 degrees!!! That is reason for celebration!

Perhaps the four foot high, dirty snow piles on my front lawn will be a thing of the past in a few days. I hope so. I know I've complained a lot, but that is a right we Minnesotans claim for living here. We battle the elements and they say we live longer and are stronger for having done so.

In a day or two, I may be able to put away my snow boots. They won't go into storage quite yet, however, as "Old Man Winter" is known to be fickle.

Little Voices Over Seas

Yesterday I was treated by a phone call from Rachel. It was so nice to talk to her and hear about what they have been doing lately. You can read about it here. She put Josiah and Annika on the phone. Josiah told me they were making muffins and he had cracked the eggs. He said the muffins were going to be "cool." Then he counted to 20 in German. It was so cute.

For the first time in my life, Annika called me "Grandma." This was a happy moment for me. She talks so cute, ending our little conversation with a sweet "bye-bye."

It's not easy for me to differentiate their little voices - kind of like my problem with Hans and Peder. I like to think my hearing is average, but their voices are so similar.

Thank you for the fun conversation, Rachel, Josiah and Annika.

Another Busy Week

It's been another busy week. Here's a re-cap:

• Monday: after working all day, I went to One by One to tutor Rosy. We went to the computer lab for our first time and had fun playing one of the games wherein spelling words correctly, Rosy added bricks to a tower. (Sorry, I can't remember the name of the game.)
• Tuesday: I worked again. Then went to Rosy's school concert with her dad and little sister. Her mother had a cold and had to stay home. Rosy attends a charter school. I got to meet her teacher and a few of her friends. What an enjoyable concert!
• Wednesday: I worked all day and went home to rest. Routinely I go to choir rehearsals on Wednesday nights, but since I will be going to Rochester for Janet's birthday this coming Sunday, I took the night off. It felt very good to stay home. Also, I got to talk to Heidi while she and Brian were out for a walk. Talking to my kids is priceless.
• Thursday: I worked again (no surprise here. I like my job!). After dinner I picked up Rosy and her aunt (a 5th grader) and we went to see the movie Evan Almighty. We all enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, consider doing so.
• Friday: Of course I worked all day, and then drove to my friend's house to take her cat to the vet for a saline IV treatment while she is on vacation. The hardest part of the ordeal was getting Jasmine to come out from under the bed. Once I got Jasmine back home, I took off and met my dear friends, Lil and Jim, at a restaurant for dinner. They were in Minnesota for a funeral of their friend. It sure was good to see them again. I met them for the first time 20 years ago tomorrow.
  
• Saturday: In the afternoon I'll be attending the farewell reception for our company's president and his wife, vice president. I'm looking forward to seeing some of our authors and some folks who no longer work at our company. I've been asked to film parts of the festivities.

I don't enjoy being so busy, but am happy I was able to participate in these events. Thankfully I don't have to get up early tomorrow morning (no alarm). Yay!

Speaking of Easter . . .

This is interesting.

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Found out a couple of things you might be interested in.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).


2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year.


3. Just hope that you are still around next month or you will miss the event of your lifetime.

Time Flies

My finished egg.

Doesn't it seem we just celebrated Christmas? And now in three weeks, it will be Easter. Next Sunday we're springing ahead for Daylight Savings Time. Stop the world . . . I want to get off! (Not really - but I wish time moved at a slower pace.)

Yesterday I had the privilege of car-pooling with several of my choir friends to the home of Cheri, another choir friend's home, to learn the art of making Pysanky, Ukrainian Easter eggs. There were 12 of us. Cheri lives 50 miles from our church, yet faithfully comes to rehearsals on Wednesdays and Sundays. What a commitment! Anyway, she had blown out the yolks of many eggs and had drawn the patterns on them before we arrived. She also had made some Ukrainian foods for our brunch: Borscht, Holubtsi which are Ukrainian cabbage rolls, and little baked cups made of phyllo dough and filled with cooked sausage and I believe pimento. I don't recall the name of them. We choir members brought some other foods to share, so we had a nice brunch.

Before starting the decorating of the eggs, we watched a video of a professional Pysanky decorator. It helped a lot. Then we went to the tables and sat at the design of the egg which we chose to decorate. I selected one that was more graphic rather than floral. Applying the heated bees wax with the kistka - we heated the kista in the flame of an open candle - took me back to my ceramic days. (I used to teach ceramics classes in my home.) Holding the delicate egg shell and applying wax to it; carefully walking with the egg to the jars of dye, holding the hollow shell down with a spoon for a couple of minutes, and then blotting the dyed egg with a paper towel before applying more of the design with more bees wax was very interesting. I kept looking at the designs progressing on my neighbors' eggs. It was so much fun! It gave us plenty of time to visit too.

When all of my design had been applied with the bees wax and my egg had been dipped in five colors of dye - from lightest to darkest - I started removing the wax by holding my egg close to the flame of my candle. Everything was going well when all of a sudden my egg flew from my hand and bounced on the floor. I heard it crack - nearly into two pieces! Argh! I'm the only one to whom this happened. Nevertheless, I brought it home and it is displayed on a shelf. If one leaves it alone, it will be fine. It was so neat to do this craft that is centuries old.

When my grand kids get a little older, it will be fun to try this with them. I can picture Josiah enjoying it now.

9 Weeks to Go

Nine weeks from now I should be putting the final things into my bags in preparation of the mission trip my choir is making to Ukraine and Austria. Last Saturday we had our first meeting; got our packets of concert music; sang through each selection once; heard great tips on what to pack and what our hotel rooms will look like from a seasoned traveler to Ukraine; and helped decide what the women's concert dress should be. We have 54 going over - 46 voices. I love all of the music our director has chosen for our program.

I've never gone on a missions trip before, but have to say I am pumped! I have heard that the people of Ukraine are so hungry for Christian music. One choir that went over there last year sang to a packed church, with 250 additional people standing outside in the pouring rain just to hear some of the melodies.

When Will This Bleak, Glacial Weather Break?

It seems we've had more than our share of frigid weather this winter. It's hard to recall a day that began above zero. Each night the weather person tells us, "We should be near the end of this arctic front." But she is wrong. Again this morning we are below zero. It's past wearing on me. I reached that point on Tuesday. It was then that I decided I craved the smell of fresh flowers. So during my lunch break, I headed out to Costco where I proceeded to put my nose into nearly every bouquet of flowers available. These creamy-colored roses did the trick. They smelled "heavenly."

I made the purchase, covered them as well as I could, dashed to my car, and brought them back to my office. What a lift they have given me.

Funny thing with having flowers at one's desk . . . I can't tell you how many people have asked me, "Who gave you the flowers?" My response, "God did. He creates beautiful things, doesn't He?" I'm not the type that would have flowers only if they were given to me.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets with Aurelia, Peder and Sarah

I had a great time yesterday meeting Peder, Sarah and Aurelia at the Mall of America to have lunch and shop a little. I hadn't seen them for about a month, so it was fun to see the changes in Aurelia - - her eyes light up when she is spoken to; she laughs out loud; she's very content, easily entertained; smiles at complete strangers. When an Elvis tune started up from the juke box, I took her out of her stroller and we danced together. I think she's a big fan of Elvis!

As always, the MOA was crowded, but in spite of it, we walked around a little bit (Peder and Sarah had walked all three levels before I arrived. Sarah told me it is over 2 miles in distance. That's a good walk!), and shopped for Aurelia's Valentine gift. She is a real sweetheart!

Dealing with Guilt

I have been trying to find a time to go to southern Minnesota to visit my little friend, Cassie, who is now in a nursing home. Today was the first Saturday I have had free in a long time. I woke up this morning, fully intending to drive down for the day, but as I wrote to many of you earlier, I decided against it when I learned that my brother and sister had plans today. I wanted to be able to see them as well as visit Cassie. Well, after cleaning my home, I headed out to buy a news paper, and while sitting in the parking lot, I thought, "It's really a nice day. We haven't had that many. It would be good to drive down and see Cassie, even if I couldn't see Janet and Jerry." So I phoned Sandra, Cassie's niece, and she told me she would be happy to meet me at the nursing home. I was so happy I had decided to go.

I pulled up to the nursing home just as Sandra was getting out of her car. We went inside and found Cassie sound asleep in her recliner chair. Sandra tried and tried to wake her, but she was in a deep sleep. Even tickling her nose with the tail of a stuffed animal didn't wake her. Apparently she sleeps most days and is awake at night. Anyway, I got to see her and she looked wonderful. She was fully dressed, and had a new perm which made her hair look very nice. I know Sandra will tell her I was there. I'll try to go down again soon, depending on the weather, of course. I don't want to be guilty of not seeing my friend who means so much to me.

I ended up getting to have dinner with Janet and Jerry and Sandra and Jim. So, it was a very nice day.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Annika!

Today my darling grand-daughter, Annika, is 2 years old. I phoned her (in Germany) moments ago and Rachel put me on the speaker. While I sang Happy Birthday to her, Rachel said she was dancing to the music. She's excited because she is having a little party and a Nemo cake.

Annika is a delight. She brings joy to everyone who meets her. I hope she has the best party ever! Happy Birthday, sweet Annika.

~ Grandma D

Happy Valentine's Day!

To all of my family and friends, Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy 4th Birthday, Brian

Not every dog gets my attention, but I have a lot of affection for my grand-dog, Brian. He is a beautiful Golden Retriever who gives his people lots of love. He is a very well behaved dog; does some fun tricks. He only speaks in the house when two commands are given to him:

1. Touchdown! = 2 barks


2. Please. = 1 bark

He's great at football, swimming, fetch, going for long walks, riding in the car. He has stayed at my home only one weekend, but it was fun, and he was a very good boy.

Happy 4th birthday, Brian.

One by One Valentine Party

Last night we had our Valentine party at One by One. All tutors and students were asked to wear red or pink clothing, so the scene was rather colorful. Rosy looked especially pretty in the pink outfit she was wearing. If I could pick anyone to be my Valentine this year - aside from my three adorable grandchildren - I would choose Rosy. She is such a blessing in my life.

Survived the Weekend!

Yes, I survived the weekend, but when I had to go outside, it was brutal. Leaving for church yesterday the temperature was minus 14 with a wind-chill of minus 47. Thankfully, my car started and the roads were clear. Attendance in church was down a bit, but spirits were up. That's the thing about Minnesotans - - we may grumble about the weather, but we are survivors.

After church my theater friends and I went out for brunch at a local hotel. The food was delicious, and I ate way too much! Then on to the theater to see The Fantasticks. The acting was super; the singing lovely; the set was simple; the costumes were okay; the story was very weak. I had a hard time staying awake because of over-eating and the lousy tale. Oh well, they can't all be "winners."

Last night I bawled through the two hour TV show Extreme Home Makeover and then put together all of my paperwork to have my taxes done. That's a good feeling - getting the paperwork together, not the bawling. :-) And then the ten minute weekend was over.

Batten Down the Hatches

New snow, winds in excess of 35 mph, temperature 16 degrees and falling = a blizzard. Yes, we're having another one. Warnings started a couple of days ago, allowing us time to stock up on groceries, run errands, and clear the calendar. I've done all of that and am happy to be able to stay indoors the rest of the day.

Thankfully we don't loose our phone connections or electricity, so life goes on in a normal pace. This morning I got to talk to Hans, Rachel, Josiah and Annika. I was especially happy to talk to the little ones because sometimes they don't feel very chatty. Today I conversed with Annika by asking her: what does a kitty say? a dog? a duck? a cow? a horse? a sheep? a giraffe? Now that last one is funny. You see, I'm not sure many people know the sound a giraffe makes, so last year Hans made up one. It's a cross between a roar and a loud shriek. Josiah has it down perfectly. So that's the sound he wanted to give Grandma when it was his turn to talk.

Even when the kids don't want to talk on the phone, I enjoy their voices in the background. For instance, today I heard Josiah say, "May I have some milk, please?" Rachel said to him, "Yes. That was very good, Josiah." He's not always that polite or patient, but it was fun for me to hear him when he was both.

Next week Annika turns two years old. I can hardly believe it. It seems Jerry and I were in Japan just a few months ago to see all of them. In a little over three months I'll get to see them again and can celebrate Josiah's four year birthday. I'm very excited about that.

Happy Anniversary, Heidi & Chad

Three years ago tonight I was sitting at the dining room table of one of my Red Hat friend's home when my cell phone rang. Who could be calling me now? I answered my phone to hear Heidi say, "Guess what, Mom? Chad and I were just married in Hawaii!" I was so surprised -- and happy. Congratulations, Heidi and Chad!

The Mouse Has Met His Revenge!

Today while driving to work, the mouse that has possibly been living in or on my car, had the nerve to raise his head up over my windshield wiper, looking at me through the glass. Well, that was a mistake. When I saw the timing was right, I turned on the wiper and like a pin ball machine hammer, it knocked him off my car. Good-bye! Good riddance!

Another New Experience

You’d have to be living under a rock to not be aware of the big political happenings in the US over the past several months. Has it been a year already? In my opinion, whatever it has been, it’s been way too long already and we have nine months to go! If I had my way, none of the candidates could throw their hat in the ring until four weeks before the election. One of the benefits being the individuals would actually be putting in the time and doing the work for which we are already paying most of them, with a four week "leave of absence." [There, that’s one of my gripes.]

Last night I attended my first caucus ever. I have never been a fan of politics, but since it has become the topic of conversation in nearly every activity in which I’m involved, I decided to check it out. First of all, my place of meeting is the high school building from which Heidi graduated. I thought I left home in plenty of time, but was totally surprised when I got into bumper-to-bumper traffic a mile from the school. Judging from the cars going into and turning around and coming out of the middle school a few blocks from the high school, I concluded the parking lot and "overflow" parking lots were full, so I turned onto a side street, parked my car, and walked about four blocks to the high school. It wasn’t that cold outside, the sidewalks were partially shoveled and I was wearing my boots, so I started out. Later that evening I learned the middle school was the meeting place of the other political party caucus. (duh?)

Entering the building, I was met by a volunteer asking me the number of my precinct. "I don’t know," I shyly replied. So she instructed me to get in line where another volunteer would give me that information and tell me the room number to which I should report. That was my first surprise: meeting in precincts. I assumed our entire party for our city would be meeting together in the auditorium or gymnasium.

Next surprise: Entering the designated room, I learned I had to sign in. That’s fine. I found a chair/desk in the front row (I like hearing everything and don’t like the distraction of having folks in front of me who may or may not be paying attention.) My first thought was, "Wow, Heidi had classes for three years in this building. I wonder if she ever had a class in room C14. Did she sit in this same chair?"

Next surprise: An attractive, professional looking woman at the front of the room called the meeting to order at 7. She asked us to stand for the Pledge of Allegience to the American flag (I liked this a lot.) She said that was following the caucus rules. (I didn’t know there were rules or procedures to follow. I know, how naïve can one be?) She said we would be casting our straw ballots (small pieces of paper) at exactly 7:30 and that they had to be totaled by 7:45. I helped pass out ballots. When we ran out, homemade ones were passed out. To everyone’s amazement, people kept coming into the room. Reports were that every room – 32 in all – was overflowing. No one predicted this crowd!

More news: We were there not only to vote for our favorite Presidential candidate, but to elect ten delegates and ten alternates for the convention. I was very careful to sit on my hands and not give any eye-to-eye contact during this part. How on earth would I be able to fit in another activity this year?! After a few minutes, we satisfied the lists and voted on them.

Next business: submit resolutions. Our group had a few, but they were very lengthy and had come from outside organizations. I stayed for the voting of the one dealing with immigration, then quietly left. After all, it was nearing my bedtime and I had to walk back to my car.

I was glad I went and hope to have some time to think about the whole process. I think I’ll go again. It helps to know what to expect.

10 Minute Weekend

Backyard scene at Whiskey River

Wild turkeys at their feeders

At our table at Whiskey River

The 4 of us shared this dessert. Honest!

Gayle, YT, Laurey

Nancy, Laurey, Gayle

Nancy, YT, Gayle in the chapel.

I comment on this nearly every Monday - - Why does it seem the weekend passes by in ten minutes? It seems we leave the office at 5 on Friday, and bloooooop! it's 8 on Monday! This has been such a weekend.

Here are the details:

Friday night I rested, recovering from the flu bug that bit me on Wednesday and held on through Thursday. It felt good to get to bed early.

Saturday morning I cleaned the house and then went with friends down to St. Peter to eat at Whiskey River where we watched many birds, wild turkeys, and squirrels at the feeders. My friends had never been there before. They enjoyed it a lot. After lots of visiting and eating, we left to drive through the campus of Gustavus Adolphus, where Gayle is an alumnus. She took us through one of the student buildings and the beautiful chapel. I have been going to St. Peter all my life (my mom and dad were married there and my brother and sister were born there), but had never been up to the campus. And I do mean up. The campus sits high above the town. I was very impressed.

We couldn't leave St. Peter without going into two of my favorite stores: Kontur (a Scandinavian store) and Contents (home interior/gift items). We enjoyed looking around and managed to buy a few things.

Coming back to the cities, we stopped in Jordon and had some tea and dessert at a darling restaurant in Jordon, The Feedmill. This little restaurant also had ambiance, sitting high above a creek, large windows to our side allowing us to look down into the valley. We had a really nice day.

This morning I sang in the choir at two church services, had a quick lunch and met a friend at a movie theater where we watched Juno. It is a much talked about movie, capable of winning some of the upcoming Academy Awards. Did I like it? Yes. I thought it was very well done. Did I cry? Yes. It has tender moments.

The Super Bowl game is on TV right now. I'm glancing at it once in awhile; mostly watching the commercials. I'm rooting for the Giants. Why? I don't want to see Randy Moss win. It's that simple.

Soon it will be bed-time, and my ten minute weekend will be history.