Happy Solstice!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

How is it that another year has passed? I find myself reflecting on the last year, and while the days got long, the months were short, and now we’re rounding out another orbit. 

The kids have been good. Eliza turned four in May which meant preschool started this fall! She has absolutely LOVED going to school. She has made new friends and has been learning all sorts of things. The preschool she’s in is three mornings per week, so she still gets to go to daycare and see all of her friends there. Most days she doesn’t really want to come home! I figure that’s a good sign. She writes her letters very well, and will often ask me how to spell things so she can write cards and notes on her drawings. She continues to be an artist too, and really likes coloring and painting. We try to do projects, baking, and go on adventures during the weekends too. Eliza has also continued to be in dance and absolutely loves it! She shows off her moves often!

Seger turned two in October and has been learning new words and becoming more independent every day. He’s talking up a storm which helps us to meet his demands because now we know what he wants… Sometimes. He is generally opposed to getting out of bed in the morning (something he gets from his father). He has also started sitting at the table like a “big boy” which has been a bit of a challenge for the rest of us. Derrik and I are looking forward to the day when he whines less, so keep your fingers crossed that’s coming in 2022. He discovered the three-wheeler this summer, and loves it, along with anything else with a motor. 

Derrik has been busy as ever at the shop. Business is good, and he’s hoping to hire another full-time technician by the spring. He’s in the middle of another season at the mall in Alexandria where we set up a kiosk and sell winter gear; coats, snow pants, helmets, etc. That takes up every weekend from Black Friday through the end of the year, so we’re all looking forward to January! This year he plans to make more time for racing. Between having babies, growing business, and remodeling a house there hasn’t been as much time for hobbies, so we’re both hoping that will change for the better this year.

I am still working for ALP Utilities in Alexandria, and keep learning more in my role there all the time. There’s some projects coming up that I get to be a part of, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I don’t do well when I’m bored! I’m lucky to only work there four days a week, and spend the fifth at the shop helping with whatever I can. I feel like there’s not a lot that has changed for me over the past year, but I’m hoping that as the kids grow and become more independent I’ll be able to make time for the ideas and projects that have been swirling in my head these past few years! I did manage a couple of getaways with the girls, and that was good for my soul!

A few of the highlights of our 2021 include:

  • Finishing our remodel (with the exception of a few pieces of trim… almost there!)
  • Celebrating Eliza’s 4th birthday.
  • Celebrating Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day) in Sunburg, MN.
  • Making friends with the cows in our pasture, and picking out our favorites.
  • Having lots of camp fires, which included lots of s’mores.
  • Derrik and I went to Algona, IA for ABATE of Iowa’s Freedom Rally over the 4th of July. It’s our happy place, and shenanigans always ensue. 
  • Visiting the Pope County Fair, where we ate cheese curds and drank milkshakes.
  • Hosting our annual Labor Day weekend party at the lake. Again, shenanigans. 
  • Going to Duluth with my mom and grandma, and Derrik’s mom, to celebrate my cousin’s wedding. Also, a few shenanigans. You’d think our parents would help keep us in line, but no. 
  • Eliza starting preschool.
  • Harvesting walnuts from the trees in our yard.
  • Meeting Tasha Cohen and her husband Spike, along with Bull Johnson.
  • Celebrating Seger’s 2nd birthday.
  • Dressing up for Halloween as the Addams Family.
  • Derrik and I going out to Deadwood, SD with a group of friends for a short vacation in the land of the free. Just a few more shenanigans.

We sincerely hope that this finds you well! Hopefully this next year brings us together more. We look forward to continuing to travel, seeing our friends, and enjoying the things that make life worth living, and we hope you do the same. Here's to 2022!