Rest in Peace Grandma

This is old news to many, but still fresh in my heart. It is one of a million reasons why it is so hard living away. My Beloved Grandma passed away suddenly on May 20th at the age of 87. I have so many memories of her growing up and will miss her terribly! Her birthday is the day after mine and some of the best memories involve celebrating our birthdays together every year. Even if there was distance between us, we always talked and celebrated over the phone. Here are some pics from many years past.

I had to quickly rummage through our photos before the movers came, but also came across this one of us and her late husband, my grandfather, Jack.

I will miss the sleep-overs. My cousin, Kylie, and I would visit for either a weekend or for a full week each year growing up. We would give each other makeovers--grandma included (where I first discovered the combo hairdryer/curling iron), climb trees, walk or bike up to the 5 and dime or grocery store, bake cookies....what memories. I heart her "eccentric" tastes whether it be her plug in fireplace that made some sound that was supposed to resemble the sound of a fire but fell miserably short, the ceramic goose that stood guard on her front stoop adorned with the appropriate seasonal attire, among many others. Love you Grandma!!

Here is the text from her obituary in the Mankato Free Press

Velma Rogers

MADELIA — Velma L. (Feder) Rogers, age 87, of Madelia, MN died on Thursday, May 20th, 2010 at the Madelia Community Hospital.

Visitation will be held on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Pilgrim Funeral Home in Madelia and will continue on Monday for one hour prior to the time of the service at the church. Funeral services will be held Monday, May 24, 2010, at 1 p.m. at the Church of Christ in Madelia with the Rev. Allen Burnham officiating. Casket bearers will be children Shari Roemhildt, Bill Feder, Terry Feder, and grandchildren Nathanial Feder, Jon Roemhildt and Scott Roemhildt. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Madelia. Arrangements are with the Pilgrim Funeral Home in Madelia.

Velma L. Cunningham was born Dec. 28, 1922, to George & Octa (Butcher) Cunningham in Letcher, SD. She was the fourth of five children. The family moved from Artesian, S.D., to rural Madelia in 1934, and Velma (Cunningham) graduated from Madelia High School in 1940. In 1941, she married William Feder and they had four children. She helped run a television store and operated Feder’s Mobile Village mobile home park in Madelia. She also worked many years for LaSalle Farmers Grain fertilizer plant. In 1988, Velma married Ken “Jack” Rogers and they were together until his death in 1994.

Her children include Shari Roemhildt (Errol) of Owatonna, Bill Feder (Judy) of Mankato, Terry Feder (Linda) of Struble, IA and Larry Feder (Lynda). Larry is now in Heaven. She also has five stepchildren, Ramona Bjork (Delano) of Embarrass, MN, Beverley Murphy (Richard) of Kissimmee, FL, Laura O’Hara (Michael) of Pleasant Hill, CA, Susan Rogers (Anne) of Golden Valley and Cynthia Barton of Roanoke, TX. She has 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and sister, Jeanne Brown of St. James. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Jack, son Larry, brothers Robert and J.T. Cunningham, sister Minnie Sprague, their spouses and many other relatives.

The Simple Life

Two words for you....roughin' it. Our HHG (House Hold Goods) were packed Wednesday through Friday, crated and sealed, and are en route to CA. It feels good to have it done. Like this move is really happening. We are down the the bare essentials. Living on "stick" furniture. Sleeping on a not so comfortable mattress. Finding new ways to entertain ourselves. Getting creative cooking with less than adequate supplies and trying to deplete our remaining food. Here are some pics of the great pack out.

The week preceeding the move, I put signs up on cabinets, closet doors, etc and relocated all supplies and items we would need for the next 2 months in these areas so the movers would not pack them in this shipment.

Bye Bye Bedroom

Bye Bye Dining Room

Bye bye living room

Elsa showing one of many inventory stickers placed on our things. We spent a better part of the day replacing stickers that she tore off (why is it they are drawn to things off limits)

Elsa did quite well during all the chaos. She had fun playing peek-a-boo with our two packers and loved crawling among the boxes.

Day one's shipment

Day two shipment. In all we filled 8 crates.

This is out of order, but quite funny. A few days before the movers, Aaron went out golfing. So, it was just me and bean at home. I shut our bedroom door so I could hop into the shower. I think I was in there for 5 minutes max and I came out and this was the scene. I should mention there were no clothes on the floor....

She emptied the laundry basket, the under bed tub full of clothes, pulled clothes out of the dresser drawers, and pulled the comforter off. Hurricaine Elsa....Category 5.

So, when I title this post "The Simple Life" it is definitely that. Here is our loaner furniture for the living room.

I don't have a pic of our bed, but here is Elsa's high chair...I think you can imagine. Think institional, metal frame...

Our next shipment will be packed in three weeks and will take one month for that to arrive. Unlike this shipment which is via cargo ship, that one will be via military aircraft. There are pretty strict weight restrictions, so it is only supposed to be items that you need within 30 days.

Springtime in Suffolk, England

Now that our time here in England is short, I thought it would be a good idea to drive around the countryside and take a few scenic pictures to help remind us about the subtle beauty that can be found all around England. Elsa and I set off and drove all around Suffolk one afternoon and while Elsa decided to take a two hour nap, Dad took the camera and snapped a few memorable photos.

This picture was taken just outside the village of Gazeley on a typical English road that most locals simply refer to as "B Roads". They are small roads that can seem pretty tight when you come upon a car travelling in the opposite direction. Every once in awhile you come across a lorrie (semi-truck) and the driving experience turns into a nerve racking moment behind the wheel. And, the national speed limit on these roads are 60 mph!!! Most of the time there is not room for two cars!

This photo was from Icklingham...I still get a kick out of the red phone booths after being here for three years. I've never seen anyone using these phone booths, but I think they are a neat part of England.

This next photo is also from the village of Icklingham. Every village seems to have it's own church and while most are not in use, the local Brits are good enough to take care of them as a centerpiece of the town.

This is a shot from Mildenhall where Courtney and I fist lived when we moved to England. I just liked the view!

More scenery...there were small creeks with flowers blooming everywhere the day Elsa and I took our drive. The flowers come and go pretty quickly.

So, one of the things Courtney and I enjoy about springtime in England is all of the baby lambs running around the pastures. It is a for sure sign that spring is near. Here is a typical setting just outside the village of Moulton.

One thing I have noticed during our time here in England is that many English people take great care of their old and stylish homes. These thatched roof homes are a great example of that point. Neat looking roofs and a great way for a house fire to quickly get out of control!!!

A nice and brightly colored home in the village of Dalham next to the creek with the springtime flowers in full bloom!

One last thing I could resist taking a picture of was a typical hog field in England. Most hogs in England have more elbow room than your typical Brit living in a larger town or major metropolitan area!!! While the accomodations aren't exactly high class, the open views and spacious living area is tough to beat in England!

Thats about all for now. We hope to post photos of Elsa's first birthday party soon and I will also try to post a few pictures from my golfing trip to St. Andrews, Scotland.

Elsa versus Steel Oats

I gave Elsa a whole banana today, mostly to entertain her while I was preparing our breakfast of Steel Oats. She loved the Banana. Not so much the Steel Oats.

Happy Baby...then, came the steel oats. Look at that face! Aaron and I were cracking up!!

Look at the scowl she gave me!! They say it may take seven times to get them to like a food. I am thinking that will never happen with steel oats...LOL.

Here is a cute pic Aaron took of her yesterday while he was cleaning up after breakfast. She loves to play with the detergent dispenser as it has a door that she likes to open and close. Next thing he knows, she has crawled up onto the door and was playing with it.

And, I caught her trying to crawl into our large kitchen drawer!! All I can think is "great, right before we move, we are going to have a broken appliance AND drawer" But, i think it is awfully cute :)

Hope you are all having a great weekend...now, back to getting ready for her party tomorrow!!

1st Birthday Dress Rehearsal

Since Peggy was visiting us for two weeks, we decided to have a small, early birthday party in preparation for her big party.

We let her open presents first. She got a cute fuzzy billy goat puppet, a soft book where we can put in pictures of our family, and this cute jack in the box. She loved them!!

Grandma demonstrating how the toy worked
Pop goes the weasel!!

At first, she didn't quite know what to think. She was very delicate with the frosting.

She needed a little assistance from dad and reassurance that it was safe to eat.

Before long, she was fully exploring!! Still much cleaner than I had anticipated.

After this...immediately in the bath tub!! Peggy joked about how there was cupcake crumbs down her stomach and in her diaper. Thanks for helping me celebrate Grandma!!

This next month is going to be a whirlwind!! We are having her party next Sunday the 16th. On the 21st, we are shipping our SUV back to the States (it will take 51 days to arrive) and our household is being packed up on the 26-28th as it will take 60 days to arrive in CA. We will be reading lots of books, taking lots of walks, and living life with rental furniture. So, I have to put aside everything we will need for the next two months and separate out so the movers don't pack it. In addition, I have to pull out "essentials" such as a few dishes, pots/pans, coffee pot, etc. These are consistered "unaccompanied baggage" and will be mailed the day before we leave on our cruise. This is flown and will arrive by the time we get to CA. It was one thing when it was just Aaron and I. Add in Miss Elsa to the equation and it is so much more stressful. But, we are so excited to move to CA. We enjoyed our time in England, but are so anxious to return to the states!!

11 Months Old

Wow!! Elsa is 11 months old!! I can't believe in one month she will be one year old!!

I am not sure how much she weighs, although she loves to play with the scale in the guest bath and I tried to put her on it. Gross estimate of 23 lbs. And, she is so tall!! She wears 2T pants! We recently transitioned to size 4 diapers and she is wearing anything from 12 month- 2T clothes (baby clothes are more varied that women's clothing!!)

She is such a social baby! She loves to people watch and wave to them. The other day when I was taking her up for communion, she kept playing peek a boo with my friend Lilliana by alternating looking over each shoulder. Then when we stopped in the aisle, she started waving and talking to a family. Definitely not shy!!

She loves crawling up the stairs. If she realizes that either Aaron or I have come down the stairs and failed to latch the gate, she seizes the opportunity.

Once she gets to the top, she turns around and starts clapping.

I wish I could capture a picture of her face as she is tackling the stairs. She has a look of such fierce determination!

She loves exploring every corner, drawer, cabinet, room, etc. It is starting to be a challenge locating objects as she often moves things from one room to another or "helps" put things away. Here she has crammed her book, magnetic letters, and a kitchen towel into the drawer under the stove.

Grandma Anderson gave her these magnetic letters and she absolutely loves them. We keep a bucket near the refrigerator because she loves to remove them from the fridge and put them into the bucket. Then, she tips the bucket over and then puts them back on the fridge. It is nice to have some entertainment in the kitchen that can keep her occupied while we cook dinner.

She is starting to get close to standing on her own!! It scares me so much!! We have tile throughout the first floor and she has already bumbed her head on more than one occasion. She loves to make laps around our coffee table, but doesn't quite like to walk assisted with mom or dad.

And, the thing I ABSOLUTELY love, is that she is giving me kisses. The other weekend, we brought her into our bed and I asked for a kiss. She gave me the sweetest (albeit juicy, open mouthed) kiss!!

Here is a cute pic of her in the stylish sunglasses we bought her for our cruise.

I guess i have a lot of catching up to do: SWEDEN

Two weeks ago we flew to Sweden to visit our friend Mattias. He was a foreign exchange student who lived with Aaron's family back in high school. He was in our wedding and his brothers wedding, and we haven't seen him for several years. So, with Peggy visiting and the fact that we are leaving the UK in a couple of months, we figured it was the perfect opportunity.

We boarded a jet. Thankfully the volcanic ash air restrictions were lifted that morning. We didn't know if our flight was going to take off until we got to the airport. Now, for those of you who don't know about Ryanair...it is definitely an experience. It makes Southwest Airlines look like a 5 star airline!! No frills and minimal service. Aaron joked about feeling like we were on a home shopping network: they sold lottery tickets, smokeless cigarettes, perfume, and calling cards at various times throughout the flight.

This is the terminal at Goteburg (Gothenberg City)....definitely didn't need to allow two hours prior to flight for check in. As soon as our flight landed, they took off back to England only 20 minutes later.
Here is the city of Goteburg
We went up to Heaven (no, not that one...) and saw some great views of the city.
Mattias and his dad at the Science museum
Elsa loved watching the fish. It was her first time to an aquarium and she was absolutely intrigued by all the animals.

No, don't touch the birds.
Peggy and Mattias about ready to go into the rainforest
After touring Goteburg, we drove to their hometown of Jonkoping. It was approx 1 1/2 hour drive. That part of Sweden is so scenic. It reminds me a lot of northern MN with lots of trees and lakes. Jonkoping sits on the southern part of a large lake. Here is Mattias and his girlfriend, Anna. They were such great hosts. Their apartment was amazing. Very Sleek. Very Modern. Definitely not baby proofed. I was so worried Elsa was going to break or damage something!!
The view from their apartment to the harbor

Welcomed with Andersson beer

An amazing meal!! We joked about how when they come to visit us, we are going to have to secretly hire a chef. Incredible food. Incredible presentation. Multiple courses. Definitely did not lose any weight on this trip!
Aaron got a kick out of their refrigerator. It was more organized than seen on MTV cribs.

It is fun to see what people of other cultures eat. We joked about we should have a blind taste test of Aaron. He tried Pickle herring mustard and Kaviar paste at breakfast!!
Elsa all bundled up for the cold!!
Downtown Jonkoping.

Strolling along the lake

Jonkoping's hockey team was playing for the National championship. Anna's company sponsors the team so she let Aaron wear one of the jerseys. I think it is a wee bit small.
Mattias and Aaron swapping hockey teams.
Elsa bundled up for more cold...
A view of the city from a bluff.

On Saturday, we drove to his mom and dad's house.

Here we are all enjoying each others company
Elsa was quite the entertainer!! Maya absolutely adored her!
Another amazing dinner. It was the largest, most incredible Salmon with a lobster sauce. Delicious. Diet will resume tomorrow.
Her kiwi-fig-ice cream dessert. Definitely will need to locate a chef when they come visit us.