1979

Dear ones,

Time marches on! But as our student pastor said in his sermon at the Advent service last Wednesday, history belongs to God. So it is that 'His story' which we hear anew especially at this season is the basic foundation of all history, the promise of the past, the fulfillment in Jesus' birth, and the hope for the future. Praise God!

December is chock full of so many fun things. We started it by driving up to Decorah to hear an 800-voice choir sing the Messiah. Mark was one of the soloists, so that added to the excitement and thrill. We drove back there on the 4th, to hear Mark's senior voice recital - he did a good job. He has studied and practiced hard and has noticeably improved his voice (and his stage presence). Dawn drove over from Osage (where she thoroughly enjoys teaching third graders) for both those performances so we had a chance to visit with her, too. They will both be here for the holidays.

Sunday Jene went with us to see and hear "Cocoa and Carols" presented by the Old Gold Singers, the University swing choir. It was colorful, bright, cheerful and musically enjoyable. This Saturday is the Christmas smorgasbord for our Norse club. That's always fun - lutefisk and lefse, krumkaka and sandbakkels, søt suppe - doesn't all that sound delicious?!

We are looking forward to having my 2 sisters and their families and my folks here for Christmas. So I've added leaves to the table, and rented a couple of play pens. After vacationing together we have found out it is better for everyone if the little ones have a definite place to nap.

Our younger 2 are growing up and away. Arik is 15, looking forward to his next birthday and wheels, of some kind, of his own. He also thinks he will be the biggest one in the family and he very well may be. He is a sophomore, so is beginning to think about college and/or career. Jene is a giggly 13-yr. old, in 8th grade and very aware of boys. She is a cheer leader, takes piano lessons, is in church choir and sr. catechism class. So she doesn't lack for things to do.

I've done some fun things this year - went with the folks, my 2 sisters and their kids, out to Denver in May to visit my brother and his family - three days out, three days there, three days back was some trip. That's such a pretty place - they can see the mountains out their living room window.

In July, we went up to Windom for my class reunion. I enjoyed it in spite of the ambivalent feelings it gave me. To see people who were part of your life such a long time ago, is both fun and a little eerie. We also went to Decorah in July for the Nordic Fest. Big crowds, much visiting.

Vince is on the downward side of the hill as far as his studying. He gets his specialty degree in May, has written and defended his thesis, and will advance from instructor to assistant professor. The students have learned if they don't want a "picky" dentist checking their work, they ask someone else. They likewise have learned he will see that they get it done right. He will be happy to be done with the classwork for awhile, but I'm sure he will always be studying something.

I even studied some this fall. Well, I didn't study much but I went to an 8-week sourse in Genealogy. You should see Vince try to be interested when I tell him about finding the death of 7 great-grand-parents in the Jackson Co. Minn court house and the 8th one in the Court House at Windom. You either really like that stuff or you really don't. And I don't know very many married couples who both really do.

Better get this to the printer and in the mail.

Merry Christmas!