Friday, October 31, 2008

It worked

by posting a comment I can get on to make a new blog entry! Thought this would be the
quickest way to let everyone know that Darrell Vosahlo from Grand Bay, Alabama, passed
away unexpectedly Wed. at 10 p.m. They were at the Himango Reunion. Ruth's dad was
Roy Himango, Sam's son. They were in Minnesota in July on the way to a class reunion out
west but we couldn't meet them as were leaving for Cokato-Dassel High School for summer
services. Sandy and Andy Anderson did meet with them at a restaurant on 61 near I-35.
The last time we were in Grand Bay Ruth had just come home from the hospital after rectal
cancer surgery. Darrell served us some boiled shrimp. Forgot to take the bag of pecans so
Darrell came to our motel and brought the pecans. Still have some in the freezer. I remember
when they stopped at the farm, Ruth asked Elizabeth her age! Remember that?! Their son
sent a notice to everyone on Darrell's e-mail list.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Baby Lindula

Had my 20 week ultrasound today. I don't have my camera with me so can't take pictures of the pictures to post on here.

After taking the measurements, etc. we are right on track. Due date continues to be March 15th. Baby is at 14oz which seems so little, but is almost the weight of a loaf of bread. Seems bigger that way :) Baby is going to be a gymist and well behaved. The person doing the ultrasound said she had never had a baby cooperate so well with the first few pictures she took. However, after doing so well, baby decided it was time to move and decided to practice his/her gymist skills: front flips, back flips, covering the face, sucking the thumb..... What a miracle though, at only 20 weeks, there are 2 little hands with fingers, 2 little legs with toes, rib cage, stomach with fluid (proving baby can swallow), heart pumping at 150 just like it's supposed to and all the other little miniature versions of the human anatomy. Not sure of baby's gender - don't want to know and the lady was kind enough to ensure not to tell me and kind enough not to give me a picture that would provide any clue. I'm sure she knows as baby didn't have any problem just laying it all out there for a full frontal view. She hid it from me - what a nice lady :) Now to remind the over enthusiastic nurse and doctor that I DON'T WANT TO KNOW! Shawn and I decided we would really like the surprise.

One of my co-workers said you can't have a baby shower if you don't know the gender of the baby. I informed her that in the past no one knew the gender of the child and they still had baby showers. Informed her that I'm a bit old fashioned in that: 1. I don't want to know the gender - I am eager about the "You have a ......" 2. I like the idea of a baby shower prior to baby being born. The whole - fat, sticking out a mile, swollen ankles.... See, a little old fashioned, but both Shawn and I want it that way :)

What do you do at 5:30 in the morning?

Have been having a lot of fun working on digital scrapping A Year in Alaska. Am finally done with the month of July!! This is sort of taking a while but I'm afraid that photos will sit on discs and never be viewed if I don't do something with them. Still need to work on moving thru January, and then August 'til now. Another month makes it a year that we've been here. Hard to believe it!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

grandma's getting senial (sp?)

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day, because I had just come from a thrilling choir practice followed by a powerful prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.
I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus; because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed. I found that LOTS of people love Jesus. Why, while I was sitting there, the nice man behind started honkin like crazy, and he leaned out of his window and screamed, "for the love of God, GO! GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for the Lord!
Everyone started honking then! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love.
There must have been a man from Florida back there, because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach. I saw another man waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. When I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was an Hawaiian good luck sign or something.
Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing; why, even he was enjoying this religious experience.
A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So I waved to all my sisters and brothers, smiled at them all, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again, and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window, and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away.
Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!

Friday, October 24, 2008

College.

Well, It's the time to start looking.
I was thinking DCTC to be an RN,
and doing that for a few years, and
then after a few years, go to UMD, or
NDSU to be a pediatrician. :)
I don't know how to apply for a Votec school, though.
any suggestions?
-amanda

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

PER JENNY'S REQUEST

The generations picture! Isa 70, Jody 50, Charlie 40, Jennifer 30, Denise 20, Mitchell and Susan 10, baby Randall 0

Have been wanting to post this for quite some time. You can call me slow Jo....(smiles)


Mitchell's new toy




Mitchell, Tristan and Gary









Tanners Senior Proofs

Tanner as we all know and love him-The Skateboarder (he straightened his hair)

















Parents of a teen-ager...we seem to be doing OK!!!
Love ya all!
Farmington JO

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER HERE I COME

YEAHHHH
I got the job! Just got the phone call. I now have to go through a security background check and get my clearance then I can start. Thinking it will take 2-4 weeks as the government tends to move a little slow! (smiles) I had my interview 6 weeks ago and just received the call today.
Now what ths means for my family...Insurance for one!...plus benefits that are simply amazing. 13 sick days per year and 13 vacation days per year plus 10 paid holidays (yes that is 36 days per year) and it starts on day 1. You accumulate 8 hours per pay period (every 2 weeks). Plus a retirement plan that is quite nice. Best part is not worrying about getting laid off in the winter.
I am so excited I could bust!
Dave is finally slowing up a bit at work, nothing like pushing things to the last day as they usually end their season on the 15th of November.
Tanner is counting his days till he graduates (haha). He has plans on attending Mankato State next fall and will more and likely live with my sister and her husband while attending school. At least we have that much figured out. Mitchell is growing like a weed. We measured him in the garage over the weekend and he has grown 2 inches since June. No wonder I can't keep him in pants (jeans) as he grows out of them overnight. He is going to be tall like his Daddy!
Hope everyone is doing well, snow will be here soon, looking forward to the holidays. I have a great deal of shopping done already as I hate to wait until the last minute!
Take care all!
Farmingtin Jo

Friday, October 17, 2008

Mel Isaacson died (Shawn's uncle)

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at United in Christ Lutheran Church in Eveleth. The Rev. Joel Rova-Hegener will officiate. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Inurnment will be in Eveleth Cemetery. Honorary casketbearers will be Jared and Mason Isaacson. Memorials are preferred to United in Christ Lutheran Church, 201 Station 44 Road, Eveleth MN 55734. Arrangements are entrusted to Cron-Sheehy Funeral Home, Eveleth. To sign the guest book online and to leave a memorial message, go to www.cron-sheehy.com

Melvin Isaacson, 83, of Eveleth, died Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008, at the Virginia Regional Medical Center.He was born Jan. 22, 1925, in Eveleth to John and Anna (Backall) Isaacson. Melvin attended Eveleth Schools. He served in the Army during World War II from 1944 to 1946 in Italy with the 85th Infantry Division. After the service he lived in California from 1946 to 1952, working for various contractors in the carpentry trade. Melvin went to work for Eveleth Mines from 1969 until his retirement in 1987. He was a life member of Mesaba Range Post 1172, Veterans of Forerign Wars of Eveleth and a member of United Steelworkers Local 6860, Carpenters Local 606 and United in Christ Lutheran Church, having served on the church council. Melvin volunteered at Camp Chicagami and loved working with the children.

He is survived by his son, Mark (Jamie) Isaacson of Eveleth; grandsons, Jared and Mason Isaacson; stepchildren, Robin (Wayne) Hopke of Hibbing and Terry Schultze of Virginia; brother, John Isaacson of Grass Valley, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Helen Saari and Aileen Ogan; and brother, Arnie Isaacson.

(Jamie was a Lanyk)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Out my window ... what do I see?

Welcome to our little world. In what was about the space of a week ... the whipping winds came and removed the leaves off all but one tree around us. (We have that one stubborn thing I'm watching!) And then came the snow. It is predicted to be a wet season. Good thing. Snow machines are ready to roll ... just need more wet stuff! This was the view out the front door this past Sunday morning. What a treat to do dishes and watch the changes of nature before my eyes.






Monday, October 13, 2008

Happy Birthday Isa (a day late)

I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?
For all of my childhood memories

For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?
Or for teaching me the value of hard work,

Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?
If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now

You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew it all along.
Happy Birthday, Dad


Hope your day was as special as you are!
Love,
Charlie and Jen

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Walter wanted Jen to give this article to us

and I thought it was worth sharing:

Liz Kuoppala, an Eveleth city councilor since 2006, received the 2008 Women in City Government Leadership Award at the Minn. League of Cities annual conference. The award recognizes Kuoppala for her work with the council, mayor, city officials and residents as well as for her work the Eveleth Horizons and the Rural Women's Leadership Project.

Kuoppala is associate director for Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless and was appointed by the speaker of the House to the MNSCU Trustee Candidate Advisory Council in 2007. She serves on the Eveleth Parks Commission and the Virginia-Eveleth Economic Development Authority. dk

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Things We Heard When We Got Back

Maxine Makela is moving to Brainerd. 5 Star motel will no longer be a motel. She will move
into that apt. When Eric Laho moves to AZ, that apt. will become a motel. Works well as that
is the smallest apt.

Ken and Pirjo Hill flew to Finland for 2 weeks. Her mom has been ill.

Lahtis bought a new Lincoln.

Jeremy and Anna Maija Lee had a girl on 9-16. Ina Maija-Leena, 6# 8 oz., 20.5 "

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

5,935 Miles and we are Home, Safe and Sound

We got home this afternoon. Typed this once and must have hit the wrong thing as it never got
posted. Will make a second attempt.

We got the 11 capitol pictures we were missing. Print those and we will have 48 on the wall.
Gov. Palen was against the road to nowhere but perhaps she'll put in a bridge to Juneau so we
can just drive there to get No. 49!

We also went to 4 presidential libraries or museums: Ford, FDR, Kennedy and Lincoln. The
Lincoln museum/library was opened 3 years ago. Very well done. We got the Springfield
capitol picture many years ago but as we weren't that far, decided to go into Springfield
yesterday.

We drove through 2 national parks: Acadia and Shenandoah. Abercrombies took us through
the last one. One section of road was so curvy that I got dizzy. Saw many deer and one bear.

Museums: fly-fishing, Norman Rockwell, Essex Ship Building, and the New Bedford Whaling
Museum.

Interesting towns: Bar Harbor, Annapolis, Plymouth, and Salem, Mass., the witch hunt town.
The girls who were responsible for the witch hunt would really be amazed how that brings
tourists into town.
Interesting area: Cape Cod. We drove but Paul and Alice Sorvo were our guides. Stopped to observe glass being painted at Sydenstricker and then it goes into a kiln. Bought a plate!
There is a Kennedy Memorial on the Cape and we drove past the Kennedy Compound. Oh,
in Kennebunkport, Maine, took pictures of the George H. W. Bush home.

Visited Jennifer Wasti Cragg and her husband. Their son was born Sept. 12 and had to have
surgery because the pancreas had wrapped around the intestines. They had to move organs
around so took appendix out at the same time as they might not find it later! We were
there last Tuesday and Gabe was getting out the next day. She went back to work when the
baby couldn't come home and started maternity leave again when the baby got home.

Spent 3 or 4 nights at Abercrombies. Besides driving through Shenandoah, the next day they
just drove around showing us the area. Drove past the home of Sen. John Warner, the home he
lived in when married to Elizabeth Taylor. Also the farm that was home to the race horse,
Secretariet.

Spent 7 nights with friends, 3 or 4 with relatives, the Abercrombies. Slept 2 nights in the car
and rest were in motels. Will put more details in the Newsletter. dk and rk

Monday, October 06, 2008

It's the time of year for sewing

Saturday I got a bunch of chores done, it was beautiful outside.
Sunday was not so pleasant so I dug out the scrap fabric Mother gave me, dusted off the sewing machine, and made my baby a baby blanket. (This child is going to have so many blankets.... this is the 3rd one thus far.)
Shawn thinks this is way to "girly" so I got a boys one that is almost done, but can't put a picture on here until I finish it!
Can do a few more before I run out of fabric. It's fun and easy to sew these and if I make enough, it won't matter how long they hold up, right? :)

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Not much happening this fall?

The blog has been quiet for awhile. How is everyone? Enjoying fall? Watching the turbulent stock market and the political races? Keeping busy getting things done before winter hits? Canning tomatoes? Squeezing in school conferences, field trips, and homework assignments?

From our corner, the answer is a continuous yes. We have had a beautiful fall and it promises to continue that way. We were part of a fundraiser for the church building fund, termed the Fall Festival and Pig Roast. The weather was perfect. Wagon rides were a bit nippy, but half the sky was clear and filled with the stars. A bon fire kept people warm. A pole shed served as the dining hall and farmer's market. It was a fun and profitable evening.

We have been including Wayne in our lives as much as possible, but have been doing that long distance. He went to Peurto Rico on the first of September. He came home last weekend for two days and is back there now. If he makes it home in time, he will come with us to Leah and Jeremy's wedding. He needs to be in Colorado next week. We are very thankful for cell phones, digital photos and computers. They help shrink the distance between us. In today's economy, we are very thankful that he has a job (even one he enjoys). His travels bring geography to life for the kids. They track his travels on a big wall map and learn a bit about those areas through his pictures and stories.

Steven planted a garden in a raised bed he built. After the spring hail storm, he needed to replant it. It was worth it. We have been eating delicious tomatoes and cucumbers. I even canned a few pints! Maybe next year, the garden will expand. He enjoys that kind of thing. This past weekend we brought pumpkins home from an apple orchard. Steven cut some up and made homemade pumpkin pie from the fresh pumpkin. Pretty awesome!

Fall also brings a few more bugs, but so far, we have been pretty healthy. Laura needed antibiotics for an ear infection and Debbie needed a course of steroids to try kick a bout of asthma. We can't get by without the normal stomach things and cold things here and there. I won't complain...

Enough blabbing. Time to get some work done before calling it a day. Enjoy the fall!
-b