Category Archives: Uncategorized

“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces” -George Santayana Right now, being at home everyday with my family sometimes feels like more of a mess of scribbles than a masterpiece.   The coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives so drastically so quickly.  It’s hard to adjust to being at home all day everyday. Going to schoolContinue reading “My Family in Quarantine”

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”  Marcel Proust   I come from a modest middle class family, however, every summer my parents have made it a priority to travel as a family to some destination.  The types of trips have varied for sure. The summer my brother was born we spentContinue reading “Family Trips”

“Nashville is resilient.  I have so much faith in this community and its ability to be there for those in need.”  Brad Paisley – Country Music Singer and Songwriter You may have heard about the recent tragedies in Nashville, Tennessee. For my family, they hit close to home. My mom’s sister, my aunt Lori, graduatedContinue reading “Nashville Strong”

“I love summertime more than anything else in the world. That is the only thing that gets me through the winter, knowing that summer is going to be there.” -Jack McBrayer Personally, February is a tough month to get through.  Cold and snow were fine when there was that Christmas feeling in the air, butContinue reading “The Cabin”

“What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Spoken by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.   What truly is in a name?  All of us have a name story.  Some of our name stories are simple, while some are more meaningful.  The nameContinue reading “Namesakes”

 “The best part about Genealogy is searching for ancestors and finding friends.” – Lawrence Dillard To recap my last post…  My grandfather Vitus wrote a letter to the city of Gmina Popielow around ten years ago.  The letter found its way to an unlikely man named Tomasz Graca, Popielow’s Assistant Mayor’s son in law.  Yes,Continue reading “Traveling to Poland”

“In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage — to know who we are and where we come from.”  – Alex Haley. Personally, I don’t have to wonder where I come from. My grandpa knows! In my last post, I shared a family tradition from Norway. In this post,Continue reading “Polish Roots”

Daniel Willingham once said, “Family traditions reveal what you value enough to repeat, and- if done with love- build warm, happy associations.”  Or, in my family’s case, we build warm, fresh lefse. My family has been making lefse, a traditional Norwegian flatbread, for six generations in America!  When I was younger, my Great Grandma Mavis,Continue reading “Making Lefse”