80th birthday celebration

It was such a busy weekend that it would take me hours to tell you all about it. We drove over 675 miles and never left our state. No joke. But it was all worth it.

On Friday evening, Nathan was the guest speaker at a local college’s winter commencement ceremonies. He was asked to speak by a former employee and our friend Aimee. She asked Nathan to speak about going from working in corporate America to owning a small business in rural North Dakota, a topic he knows well. Nathan talked on his career change as well as recognizing turning points in your life and how you respond to change defines you. I was a very proud wife and Anika was a very proud (and well behaved…of course) daughter. The above picture was Saturday morning as Anika snuggled with her daddy before we left our hotel room to begin the next leg of our road trip. I had to take the picture because Anika was sporting her own slippers that matched her jammies which I find to be over-the-top adorable and cozy. And you can see in the picture how Anika looks like her daddy more and more every day.

After some Holiday Inn Express breakfast and coffee, we weaved our way across the back roads to get to Grand Forks in time for the afternoon UND Fighting Sioux men’s basketball game versus Northern Iowa. Hunter, my brother Joe and my dad were already there for a reunion of my dad’s. He and other UND former teammates and past players were recognized at half time. Dad is featured in a few pictures in the basketball arena which you can see in the above pictures.  From the game we were onto the farm for the real weekend celebration, a Saturday night birthday party…

to celebrate Grandma Nola’s 80th birthday! We had a birthday feast made by my mom and a grand party. Kirsti brought an ice cream cake so we passed on putting eighty candles all over the cake. An ice cream cake was a first for Grandma in her eighty birthdays she has celebrated.

Elizabeth had spent the day at the farm with “Gamma Nola” and her “Mayme” (my mom). She was full of kisses and “bertday” greetings for her Great-“Gamma”.

Above: Kirsti, Robbie, Joe and me with our “little” Grandma Nola.

I remember when Grandma made the rule for me that she could not carry me up the stairs at her house anymore because my legs were hanging past her knees. It does not seem that long ago.

Despite the 445 miles Anika had driven with us in 24 hours to finally get to the farm for the birthday party, she was still all smiles which Great-Grandpa Sonny especially enjoyed. Our next grand birthday celebration will be in mid-January when Grandpa celebrates his 85th birthday. (We can skip right over my birthday and Aunt Holly’s to celebrate Grandpa’s!)

Today all of us went to church together. The fourth Advent candle was lit which caused Elizabeth to exclaim “day yightd da pink one!” (they lighted the pink one). Grandpa’s father, Oscar Sr. made the advent candle holder that is on my mom’s table in the above picture as well as the one at our family’s church in Aneta.

Miss Anika Iris continued being her smiley self today after church as she played with Auntie Kirsti.

Now we are home to prepare and get ready for a Christmas celebration at our home in just a few short days!