Here's To Life!

 Christmas 2023 A great day with family! Celebrated at John and Sasha's house in Oak Park.  John, Sasha and Xochitl along with Kristin and Scott, Anna, Jim and Luke plus Paul and I and Mom. Photo Highlights here .

Pumpkin carving fun! Auntie Kristin shows how it's done Happy carver!   Jack-o-lanterns!

A reading from Good Shepherd’s August 14, 2022 Worship service Spill the Beans lectionary Violence The Bible says it is okay to use violence, that nations are built on war, that God sides with the victorious, that might makes right. But the Bible also says blessed are the peacemakers, lament the tragedy of warfare, turn the other cheek, that God inflicts defeat on the faithless. So, Lord, which is it? Slavery Slave owners were often Christian, using the Bible to defend their practice, building vast wealth on the backs of others, dining in polite company while their hands were dripping in the blood of the enslaved. But slave abolitionists were often Christian, using the Bible to motivate their actions, seeking the common humanity in all people, created in God ’ s image, and motivated by justice for all. So, Lord, which is it? Power The Church is bedecked in gold and velvet, rich artwork and ancient treasures, connected to high places, indulged by the powerful for their own ends. But the...

November 18, 1993 Dear Dad, As we were driving out to Augustana College Mom said she expected one letter a week from me and she would write weekly as well. Her mother had said this to her as she was going off to college. You promised to write also. I've been away from home for almost 20 years now and although we have not corresponded weekly I still do try. Mom’s letters have always been full of what you have done, where you have gone or who you have seen. My letters have been the same and now are also filled with what John and Kristin have been doing and their latest accomplishments. Dad, you never wrote to me on a weekly basis - but you would write and your letters were always more of an inspiration to me and were what I would call “feel good" letters. I have saved every one of those letters you wrote to me in college and since. Your letters are full of your outlook on life - the renewal of the feeling that spring brings every year - the importance of digging in your garden -...

It has been a long time since I have added anything to this blog. It’s not like I have nothing to add - I just haven’t written anything. It’s not like we haven’t been anywhere - because we have taken several trips. I’ve had a few health issues - but nothing to keep me from writing. I just need to motivate myself to sit and write. Perhaps I should make that a goal of mine - to write more - especially more than just a daily diary. Anyway, here goes. We did have a nice trip to Williamsburg, VA in December, 2021. Enjoyed seeing all of the Christmas wreaths and decorations and partaking in some of the holiday events there. Christmas we spent at home - a little low key - it was hard to find a time when everyone could get together with schedules, other family, etc. But we managed to have a Christmas Eve lunch here and exchanged gifts.   Did not venture out too much in January and February. We did celebrate all February birthdays with lunch at Maggiano’s - lots of food (and leftovers) and ...

  Oh God, hear my prayers and thoughts. The world is troubled, there are many who seek to control and suppress, there are many who spread falsehoods and show ill behavior. Help me to see beyond the actions and the lies, to determine why people act as they do, or speak untruths. Be with me, help me to act in defiance of wrong and live to do right and be just. Thank you for your constant presence in my life which is filled with blessings. A writing exercise from our Women's Retreat March 5, 2022

  The Year in Photos 2021 Accomplishments - not in any particular order Created The Swanson-Frost scholarship at Augustana College Got vaccinated and boosted for Covid 19 Celebrated Kristin and Scott getting married for the 2nd time - this time with many family and friends Gathered with Family and friends     For Xochitl's 3rd birthday     Family trip to Brookfield Zoo     Thanksgiving     Christmas Eve Lost 10 lbs. Visited with my mom in March and October Enjoyed the warmth of Edisto, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in April Explored Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico in June and celebrated my 65th      birthday in Santa Fe Visited Joy and Dan in Michigan for a few days in August Explored the Poconos and the Delaware Water Gap area late August Enjoyed pre-Christmas decorations and celebratory fireworks at Colonial Williamsburg as well as attending interesting programs Enjoyed holidays at home c...

Today started out as a windy, rainy day. I was glad I had nowhere I needed to be. Leaves fell more today then they have for the past few weeks. But, while today started out rainy it didn’t stay that way. We have had some marvelous, beautiful fall days and the colors of the leaves has been glorious. Our fall adventures have enabled us to see some great colorful trees from the Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin border area to the Chicago area and southern Wisconsin. We have enjoyed many fall days out and about. We really did get to appreciate fall this year. We went to Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL two different days to experience some color. Augustana College in Rock Island, IL is always at its most beautiful in the fall - and we were fortunate to have a great day for a visit. We took a day trip to Lake Geneva, WI where we wandered a bit around the lake. We had a couple of days in the Galena, IL area where we visited Mississippi Palisades State Park and drove into Wisconsin to overlook the Missi...

  Had an end of the summer trip to Pennsylvania - in the Delaware Water Gap area and finishing up by visiting Gettysburg. It was a pleasant week for the most part, though we felt some of the remnants from Hurricane Ida in the area. It rained all of one day and we ended up losing power in the resort we were staying in for about 12 hours. But we were able to enjoy some wine tasting, both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and in Ohio on the way home. We enjoyed the outdoor pool and exploring the area. We saw some of the results of all the rain - mostly in high river banks, standing water and some closed roads. We started our trip visiting Mildred, PA and the cemetery there where several Coleman ancestors are buried. We then headed to Shawnee on Delaware, PA for our stay. One of our bucket list items we decided on recently is to visit a winery in as many states as possible. On Monday we had a delightful visit at a winery in New Jersey where we tasted several wines and wine slushies and me...

A visit to Leelaunau Peninsula   Northport Lighthouse A little wine tasting Our hosts for the weekend! The must have Michigan sunset photo!

June 2021 - Our trip to Colorado and New Mexico!   Pictures from our trip! Our western jaunt this June was a trip over various parts of terrain through southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Our main destinations were Pagosa Springs, CO and Taos and Santa Fe, NM.   We drove through Lawrence, Kansas and our first historical site was Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in LaJunta, CO. Bent’s Old Fort is an adobe fort, built to trade with Plains Indians and trappers and located on the Santa Fe Trail. A hot day but an interesting fort showing how the traders lived and worked. After visiting the fort, we headed to Pagosa Springs but made a stop at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. We did not attempt to walk on the dunes but did take pictures. From there we drove through the mountain pass to Pagosa Springs and our home for the next few days. We wandered in downtown Pagosa Springs but did not try the hot springs. We explored the area, driving to Durango one day to t...

Our trip to South Carolina in April was wonderful. The weather was lovely and we were there for the peak blooms of azaleas. It was relaxing, we visited new sites, ate some great food and had a good time. Wonderful to be near the ocean. We traveled through Kentucky on our way and visited a Buffalo Trace Distillery. As the weather warmed as we went south, we could also see the trees budding out and flowering. A great sign of spring. Our first stop in South Carolina was Edisto Beach. It is almost like an island -surrounded by the ocean and the South Edisto River. We wandered on the beach and drove among trees laden with Spanish moss. We visited the Charleston Tea plantation and drove through nature preserves. We spent a day at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens where we saw lovely flowers, lots of wildlife, and experienced a bit of history. We spent a few days in Charleston where we made a trip to Fort Sumter, took a carriage ride, visited the Slave Mart Museum and had some great meals. Then...

Spring has sprung! And the time to travel has begun.  Retirement is great because we have time to do the things we want to do, including traveling as the weather warms up. Of course we are traveling safely, wearing masks and not making contact with too many people. This March we drove out to the Cape to visit my mother. I have been going to the Cape in March for a number of years, though I never made it last year. Paul was able to go with me this time. The weather was decent - at least no rain - so we tried to spend some time outdoors. When I go to the Cape I always want to "find the water" and eat fish and chips. This time we found the water at Dowses Beach, the National Seashore, Plymouth Harbor and the Sandwich boardwalk. We had fish and chips from Bobby Byrne's Restaurant and Seafood Sam's.  Finding the Water We had a nice visit - drove out to Provincetown one day, stopping to see the water in various places. We drove to Plymouth to visit the harbor, see Plymouth ...

What a winter it has been so far. We have had some extremely cold weather - though not as bad as some years - and now we have over a foot and a half of snow on the ground. We are so thankful for our neighbor who has a snowblower and does our sidewalks! Enjoy the  little bit of snow!

Never so happy as to see the end of a year. 2020 held a lot of promise in the beginning. There were many good things that we had planned. Many of them happened under completely different circumstances but happily the best of what was to be in 2020 was there. I so look forward to being able to spend more time with family this year, hoping without masks. I want to be able to celebrate happy things - Kristin and Scott's wedding celebration as they had originally planned, the engagement of my niece, Anna, to Jim. I want to be able to spend more time with my granddaughter, Xochitl, at the zoo or the park or anywhere we might be able to go. Now that we are both retired, we both want to be able to travel, to explore old and new places. We want to see the United States. We want to be able to visit with people who live far away from us. We want to be able to eat out - breakfast, lunch or dinner - when we feel like it.  Here's to the new year! Let's hope it is better than the last on...

The Christmas tree is decorated, and there are even presents under it.   A wreath hangs on the door. The nativity set is out. The holiday season is here even though it feels different. What a year this has been! We had a couple of big events planned for this year — events which still happened though not in the way we had originally thought.   Paul planned his retirement for this year — in July he celebrated 35 years being with Mayer Brown LLP and decided that he was ready for retirement at the end of that month. He was asked to stay on a few more months and so retired at the end of September. He started working from home in March when everything was shut down and never went back into his office. He hasn’t missed working though he missed seeing his colleagues in person before he retired. He has spent his time since continuing to work in the yard, work on his genealogy and writing up family histories. Gail’s mother celebrated her 90th birthday in July. A big birthday celebration...

  What a fall it has been! From Paul's retirement on September 30 to Kristin's wedding on October 10 and a trip to enjoy the fall colors and visit my mother, we have celebrated. This year we really had a chance to see the changing colors of fall. Since we are both not working, we were able to take the time to enjoy the end of the warmer weather and the leaves as they were changing color. Chicago, our backyard, western Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Pennsylvania - we spent the fall enjoying each day. Because of everything going on this year, we spent a lot more time outdoors. We made one of our favorite drives in western Massachusetts on Route 2, a route we have taken many times in the summer but this was our first fall drive. We looked at the seashore in many places on the Cape. We celebrated Kristin and Scott's wedding in our backyard. We enjoyed Halloween with John, Sasha and Xochitl. We have spent time at home just doing things around the house.  The weather has been unseas...

  Kristin and Scott got married in our backyard on October 10, 2020. Anna married them. Planning began last year for their wedding and they planned a celebration at Galleria Marchetti for 10/10/2020. Kristin planned well for that day - arranging the photography, a dj, flowers, and getting a dress. Changes had to be made after the pandemic scuttled her plans - along with the plans of a lot of other people gathering for various festivities in 2020. They decided they still wanted to get married this year and hold their celebration next year. So new plans got formed and our backyard was decided upon just a couple days before the 10th. Our family was there, along with Scott's parents, Kristin's bridesmaids and Anna and Jim. The weather cooperated and we had a lovely afternoon. Anna was a wonderful officiant for the ceremony and it was a special occasion. Wedding of Kristin and Scott

So many of the trips that we have taken have been east coast oriented or perhaps south or southeastern. So at the end of this summer, Paul and I decided it was time to travel west - and enjoyed a week in Colorado! And if you read all the way through, you will find a link to many of our pictures of our trip. We drove through Iowa and Nebraska - parts of the country we hadn't driven through since we were kids. We spent the first night in Council Bluffs, IA after stopping in Rock Island for Whitey's shakes. We stopped at a Danish Winery and did a little wine tasting and buying and drove through the Danish town of Elk Horn, IA but were too late to visit the windmill and Danish museum. Having been watching the show, "Hell on Wheels" on Netflix which is a drama about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, we were interested in visiting the spot of the eastern terminus. Driving through Nebraska the next day, we decided to see if there were any wineries near where we ...

  John, Xochitl and I went to Brookfield Zoo last Thursday. We saw wombats, goats, a tiger and giraffes among other animals but Xochitl's favorite was the animatronic dinosaurs situated throughout the zoo. They roared - and she roared back. She showed her dinosaur to the dinosaur at the zoo.  We had a fun day and Xochitl was a happy little girl.