an extended weekend with my extended family

Due to my Grandma Flo's passing, I was able to spend 5 whole days with my extended family. True, we were coming together for a very hard and sad event. We were coming together to morn and grieve a life that meant so very much to us all. However, we were also there to console and comfort one another with great memories and stories of some great family times of the past. And in true Youngern (my mother's maiden name) style, we had a fabulous time just hanging out together.

We made sure to make time for:
1. Extended coffee parties
2. Extended cocktail hours
3. Candle-lit dinners
4. Rummy
5. Sharing stories and jokes
6. Laughing at inappropriate things (prayer service, anyone....WHAT? WHAT DID SHE SAY?....) Even in the darkest of times, we Youngerns find a way to have fun together, even in the midst of sadness, chaos and drama. Here are some highlights of the Days for Family:


My cousin Katy and I taking our usual photo stance . . . we may have a million pictures that look just like this :) Ahhhhhh, coffee at The Urban Stampede. A Grand Forks visit MUST! What's in the water bottle, you ask? It is a lactose-intolerant creamer that comes to many Youngern coffee get-togethers (AKA Baileys)

Mr. Myles John Lundby - - getting so big. Katy and her son Elliot "Say cheese, Elliot!!" . . . . .

Eddie Hansen

One of my favorite parts of the extended weekend was watching/listening to my Grandpa and his cousins. These cousins traveled all the way from South Dakota to be with him. They had such a great time telling old stories and we had a great time listening.

I look forward to seeing everyone this August in Montana . . . I am sure the post after that trip will be one of my favorite of the year!

Florence Catherine (Brady) Youngern

I am so sad to tell you that my Grandma Flo passed away today (not to be confused with Carl's Grandma Natalie whom we also recently lost). I guess we all knew it was coming, but none of us knew exactly when the day would come. Sadly, my Grandma had been struggling with the mind-crippling disorder of Dementia for well over 5 years. It felt as though God was taking her up with him little by little, until today when he needed her totally and fully. It's like Grandpa told me about 3 years ago, "Annie, it's like she's somewhere in between here and heaven".

(....movie star gorgeous, eh?!)

My Grandma was the most gentle person I have ever been around. She had a sweet little voice that always said the right thing at the right time. She seemed to be the "Master of Motherhood". I still don't know how she raised six daughters . . . that is double what I have . . . our "chaos" times two! How did she deal with the drama? The arguing? The name calling? The hormones??

From what my mom has told me, Grandma set high standards for her girls and expected them to act a certain way. My mom said she was stern, but also very even-tempered, and hardly ever raised her voice. She also told me that every day she and her sisters would come home from school, there would be some sort of homemade baked good waiting for them to eat as their after school snack . . . really Grandma? Now you're just making me look bad! :)

The best part about her was the love she radiated. Maybe she was able to love other people so well because of the love she received from my Grandpa. Their life-long romance seems as though it was written by a best selling author. The first time they met, Grandma was turn-off by his "over confident personality" and actually told one of her friends, "You can have this one". But fortunately, his charm won her over and they were married right before he was deployed as a Darby's Ranger in World War II. I was told by one of my aunts that Grandma went to church every day while he was away at war, to pray for his safety. Her prayers must have been heard, because Grandpa returned from the war (unlike MANY of the people who he fought with) and ended up working as a CPA at her father's very successful accounting firm in downtown Grand Forks (which he later took over).

I am certain they had their struggles, but they never stopped taking care of each other. Grandma took care of him and the rest of their family for most of her life. Planning business dinners, laying out his clothes everyday, keeping the home spick-and-span at all times, making all the meals, sewing clothes for the girls, to name a few. When her mind and body wouldn't allow for her to take care of him anymore, he turned the table and took care of her. He has worked tirelessly to keep his bride at home, where she would be the most comfortable. He hired nurses to be at the house around the clock to make sure she was being taken care of in the manner which she deserved. Many people tried to advise him to put her in a home, but he just would not cave to the idea of her being anywhere else but by his side.

(This is my favorite photo . . . ever)

Grandma and Grandpa snow-birding it in Maui Absolutely nothing could separate those two. Over a year ago, my Aunt Jan decided to leave her home in Colorado and move to Grand Forks so she could take care of Grandma. Our whole family owes her our gratitude. What an unbelievable gift to have given to my grandma, my grandpa, and all of us. Thank you Jan, for taking such great care of her.

Grandma (on the right) with Lorraine Sullivan

When Grandma met Ella

I think about my Grandma often and will always remember the orange rolls we had when she hosted the many "coffee" gatherings at her house, the way she would always drink her coffee out of a very small cup, her unbelievable organization skills, her banana bread, her brownies, the way she warmed up the plates in the oven before she would serve us dinner, the stocked pop fridge in the garage, the matching outfits she would make for my cousin Katy and I when we were young, her smile, her laugh, her petite frame, and above all, the love she gave us all.

Grammy, we love you very much, and look forward to seeing you again.

new baby

NO! I am not pregnant. But I do have something new in my life that I care very much about.

As most of you know, I have been giving my camera quite a workout the past year or so. Not only do I take many candid photos of my own family, but I have also branched out and have been taking some not-so-candid photos for other family and friends. With every photo session I fall a little deeper in love with photography . . . and I am not alone.

Two friends of mine also share the same passion. After sharing ideas and props, we got to talking - - and after a lot of nervous conversations, we have decided to start our own side photography business! We made this decision because:

a) we absolutely love taking photos
b) we want to be able to support our habit
c) we want to be able to offer great portraits at an affordable price

and thus, our new baby was born

It's always nerve-wracking and scary to "put yourself out there", but we are excited about what's to come. We have already had paying customers, but we are looking forward to booking more clients this Spring and Summer - - so if you know anyone who needs some photos taken, please spread the word! :)

Please check out our website and let us know what you think!

http://www.myfriendsphotography.com/


Here goes nothing!! :)

Hallelujah!

It's been two looooooong MN winters without one, and finally (in the Spring) we get our SNOW DAY!! Yeah, baby!







Yes, it is March 23rd and yesterday we were almost free of all the snow in our yard. But if we have to have all this snow and ice, at least we have a day off from school!



We filled our morning with:














Yes, MN weather is Bipolar in nature - it doesn't know what season it wants to be. It is also something we can't control, so we have to take it for what it's worth . . . and today it is worth a day off! I will take it :)

return

Today we did something that has been long overdue. It's actually almost shameful that it has been so long. This activity was a major part of my up bringing, and I haven't been very good about sharing it with my kids.

The rink in Monticello has open ice almost every Sunday from 12:00 - 2:00 (see - - shameful). So, after church and lunch at Applebees, we headed directly over with our skates in hand. This would be Claire's first time "skating" and Ella's second or thrid.






Of course Claire wasn't able to do any real skating, but she loved gliding while Carl did the skating.

Ella had mentioned a few times how she wanted to learn how to skate. She was pretty tentative when I first started skating with her. But as our "lesson" went on, she grew more and more confident until she was skating without my help! I was so impressed with the way she was skating - - pushing back and to the side while keeping her knees bent (most of the time) and her back straight. A few more days at the rink and she will be learning bubbles and cross-overs!

Skating is just like riding a bike. You never forget. You never forget the feeling of the ice. You never forget the "push and glide" motion. You never forget the placement of your arms, and the graceful way you were taught to hold your hands. I even remembered specific footwork from old routines. It took me back, and it felt good.

Ella was pretty excited about skating when we left the rink. She didn't like the feeling of cold and soar feet, but I hope she will help me remember to get to the rink more often!

green beer, anyone?

I was lucky enough to grab a green beer with some good friends after school on St Patty's Day. I wasn't lucky enough, however, to share any green beer with my step-dad, Dennis. He and my mom whooped it up right in downtown St. Paul with all the other die-hard-St.-Patty's-Day-goers!

Yes this is really him, and no he's not a real leprechaun.

One thing is for sure . . . those shoes are bitchin'!

May the luck of the Irish be with you always!

the sound of music

On Tuesday night, I was off to another one of Jocie's activities. Only this time, it wasn't for athletics but instead for music.



The musical world is a little foreign to me. Yes, I have an ipod that I listen to when I run and we listen to the radio in the car, but for me, that's the extent of my musical knowledge.



A couple of Music Facts about Anne:

1. I played the clarinet for exactly one month before I hit that damn thing up against my bed frame out of frustration . . . and then quit the next day.

2. I was the only girl in my 5th grade class that did NOT join Choir.

3. I sound like a dying cow when I try to sing.

4. That being said, I really wish I could sing well, and admire people who can.

5. My dad would always laugh when he would attend my elementary music concerts because he said that I looked like I was marching to my death every time I walked out on stage.

6. I hardly ever sing for real . . . not even in church.

7. The only people that have ever heard me sing for real are my kids . . . and I usually stop singing them lullabies when they are at the age when they can hold a real conversation ( . . . maybe because I'm afraid they will tell me how bad I sound . . . )



Anyhoo, the musical event I attended was Jocie's Jazz Band Concert. She plays the trumpet and usually plays in the regular 6th grade band. But for something different, she decided to join the Jazz Band too.



I had never attended a Jazz Band Concert before. I must admit, there was a part of me that was waiting for Ron Burgundy to jump out from behind the curtain and play his Jazz Flute for us.

Ron never showed up, but I did get to hear a lot of talented young musicians. Sure there were a few squeaks and off tune horns every now and then, but what is a middle school concert without that?!



Jocie's group got to preform the coolest song of the night - - Low Rider




(There's my girl in the top left corner, waving to her mother - - - or to her friends that were sitting a few rows behind me)









She did great, and I was glad to see that I had created a child that has some musical sense. I can only hope the next two do as well!

from dark to light

This past Friday, we headed to Argyle with sad eyes and heavy hearts. Carl's Grandma Natalie passed away last week after a long battle with Diabetes and kidney failure. She was extremely special to Carl and will be missed greatly. She will live on in our thoughts, hearts and memories.

In true northwestern Minnesota style, we were hit with a terrible blizzard the night of the wake. It was so bad in fact, that 50 people were stranded in the church, and ended up having to all stay the night there (I was lucky enough to get out in time and headed back to the Adolphson house along with my mother, two sisters and niece who had to stay the night). And again, in true northwestern Minnesota style, the blizzard hostages had a great time eating good food, playing cards, sharing funny stories, and drinking (church) wine . . . it was more like a big family reunion :)

The next morning, all we could do was move snow and eat all the goodies that everyone was dropping off at the house.

(this picture was taken from inside the garage - that drift in front was up against the door)

check out Dwaine's pick-up in the background . . . it is (usually) a red pick-up

Daysha, Ella and Jocie

(The four Adolphson Grand-Girls - Claire, Ella, Annika and Jocie)

I missed most of the wake and funeral services due to Claire's "toddler activities". I pretty much just chased her around the choir balcony and church basement.

After a long weekend filled with tears, fun stories, visiting with extended family, snow storms, eating, eating and more eating and losing an hour to daylight savings time, we were a tired, played out, Adolphson family.

But, do you know what losing that hour gives you in return? Days filled with more sunlight! If you can remember all the way back to when we had green grass ( . . . I can't), Claire LOVES being outside. Well, she still loves it and got a little taste of what's to come!

. . . . can you tell how much she likes being outside?

Spring,
We can't wait until you come! Really! We have had a loooooooong winter, and now it's your turn to come to Minnesota!!
Love,
The Adolphsons