2015 in Review

Yes, we do update our blog regularly. Every Christmas. I know that’s not often. I’ve heard the complaints. All I can say is…maybe someday I will become a blogger. But in the meantime, please enjoy our yearly updates.

The Year in Review:  2015

January:

            *Berit turned 12.

            *Hope had surgery on a toe that had been dislocated for six years.

            *Emma turned 16.

            *There was lots of basketball. Sigre played for the varsity girls; Zofeyah, Berit, and Anders played on the junior varsity teams; Britton coached; and Jonathan was the Athletic Director for the Monroe County Warriors homeschool basketball program. He also reffed a number of games for other teams.

February:

            *Jonathan spoke at a men’s retreat in Northwood, ND.

            *Emma got her driver’s license and started nannying for three kids in Sparta.

            *Eleri Hilda was born to Gretchen and Ryan.

March:

          *Guys went to the homeschool basketball nationals in Springfield, MO.

            *Our remodel was completed—two walls torn down to make a bigger living room, wood floors refinished, basement door moved.

            *The younger kids attended weekly homeschool co-op classes at church; Hope taught writing.

            *Sigre turned 18.

April:

            *Britton moved to KY to join Leif.

            *Hope completely course work for certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages).

            *The family (six youngest kids) took a trip to KY to bring a trailer load of household items to the boys.

            *Jonathan started doing monthly church services in the Memory Unit at the Morrow Home in Sparta, WI. Hope and the five youngest accompany him to sing for the residents.

May:

            *The men redid all our garden fencing and put up trellises for the blackberries and raspberries.

            *Sigre graduated from high school.

            *The family (five youngest kids) took a trip to DeKalb, IL, to visit old friends and our former church.

            *Hope was chosen to be on our clinic’s Patient Advisory Council.

            *Jonathan began a three-month sabbatical which included travel, personal retreats, lots of good books, and mentoring.

June:

            *Our entire family spent three days together at a cabin on Little Stone Lake for            our 2014 Christmas Trip.`          `

            *Anders joined a park and rec baseball team.

            *Grandma U took Sigre on a trip to Mackinac Island as a graduation gift.

            *Grandma D, Aunt Helene, Emma, and Hope accompanied Sigre to the outdoor theater in Spring Green, WI, to see Pride and Prejudice, her graduation gift from Mom and Dad.

           

July:

          *Britton, Leif, Emma, Zofeyah, and Berit attended the FLY (Free Lutheran Youth) Convention in Estes Park, CO.

            *Jonathan and Hope attended the Grand Assembly of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission in Stavanger, Norway. Afterwards they spent a week with Dr. Derek and Pauline Stringer in Christchurch, England.

            *We had to find a new home for our dachshund, Panz, when he started killing our chickens for sport.

            *Zofeyah, Berit, Finn, and Bronwyn attended Tent Camp, a ministry of the American Missionary Fellowship, in Alma Center, WI.

            *The family (six youngest kids) took a trip to the Black Hills of SD.

            *Britton and Leif moved back from KY in order to go to school.

August:

            *Berit and Anders took the Hunter’s Safety course.

            *Sigre, Emma, and Zofeyah went on a weeklong tour with the Faith on Fire drama team which Jonathan directs.

            *We did a second little remodel with the help of Analaya’s husband Tim and his parents, converting our schoolroom into two bedrooms for the older boys, adding floor to ceiling shelving in the kids’ playroom for all our books, and converting our junky dog shed into a cute garden shed.

September:

            *Jonathan began his 16^th year of ministry at Christ Is Lord Church in Onalaska, WI.

           *Hope turned 50 and spent the day celebrating with all the children home.

            *Tim began his final year at Hamline University where he will complete the ESL teacher licensure program in June. He and Analaya continue to live in St. Paul. Analaya nannys two little girls several days a week and does some occasional home care.

            * Gretchen, Ryan, and Eleri moved from Minneapolis, MN, to Stillwater, MN. Ryan began his final semester toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Crown College. Gretchen continues to work as an OB nurse at Black River Memorial Hospital.

            *Britton began the Instructional Assistant program at WTC (Western Technical College) and started working at Coulee Region Adult Day Center.

            *Leif began the Architectural Technology program at WTC and started working at Gap.

            *Sigre began the Accounting program at WTC and nannys a couple days a week for two little boys.

            *Our homeschool, the Millpond Academy, celebrated its 20^th anniversary.

            *Emma began her junior year of high school and started working as a soda jerk/coffee    barista at Ginny’s Cupboard coffee shop and restaurant.

            *Zofeyah entered eighth grade.

            *Berit entered seventh grade.

            *Anders entered fifth grade.

            *Finn turned 8 and entered second grade.

            *Bronwyn entered first grade.

            *Hope attended a Children’s Ministry conference at Answers in Genesis in Petersburg, KY, with two other women from church.

            *Our apple trees produced heartily, so we made applesauce, applesauce, and more applesauce.

            *We did a mini-remodel by adding a wall and moving a bedroom door to make a little hallway downstairs in preparation for eventually adding a breezeway into a garage with an attached granny flat.

October:

            *Anders turned 11.

            *Zofeyah turned 14 and got her ears pierced.

            *Finn got the birthmark/mole on his face removed.

November:

            *The entire family saw The Little Mermaid at the La Crosse Community Theater and then ate out at Old Country Buffet for our early 2015 Christmas Trip.

            *Gretchen added to her schedule a very part time position as a casual OB nurse at Lakeview Hospital, six blocks from her house.

            *Finn had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed.

            *We finally junked out Lazarus, our fifteen passenger van who had faithfully served us for thirteen years.

December:

            *Bronwyn, our baby, turned 7.

If you are reading this, chances are good you received one of our Christmas cards this year. We want you to know how much we love and value each one of you and that you were prayed for. Individually. Out loud. We could think of no better gift to give the people we love than to lift them up in prayer to our Lord and Savior—the One who is the whole reason we are celebrating.