Day Three in Minnesota

From Sunday

It wasn't as cold today. The temperature was about 35 degrees. What great weather!

This morning, we went to church with my family to Faith Church. It is the Evangelical Free Church in Wahpeton, North Dakota. I enjoyed it a lot.

Next, we went to lunch with my grandparents, my cousins, and my aunt Jan. Then, we packed up and met my parents in Fergus Falls, Minnesota to drive down to Minneapolis to catch our plane. We left Minneapolis at about 9:00pm local time and arrived in San Francisco at about 11:20pm local time.

I enjoyed our trip. I don't know what it is, but I still feel like Minnesota is home. I have some weird connection there and I love being there. Call me crazy, but Minnesota is one of my favorite places.

Day Two in Minnesota

Again, I wrote this a few days ago.

Well, I’m on the road right now between Fargo, North Dakota and Wahpeton, North Dakota. We had a very busy day. Here’s how it went:

1. We left my aunt and uncle’s farm in Northern Minnesota in the morning to go to Grand Forks, North Dakota to go to my cousin’s college football game. He plays fullback for the University of North Dakota.

2. We watched my cousin Trent play his football game that afternoon. We made big poster-board signs that read, “TC=TD” and “Trent, you’re my hero!” (his full name is Trent Christensen for those that didn’t make the connection that TC was his initials.) He loved the signs and they made his teammates laugh.

3. We then went out to dinner at The Royal Fork restaurant in Grand Forks, ND. It is kinda like Fresh Choice in San Jose.

4. Now, we’re on the way to my other aunt and uncle’s house in Wahpeton, ND.

I must say, I love Minnesota and North Dakota. Some of my favorite people live here. It’s interesting to hear people out in Minnesota say, “The weather’s not too bad right now; it’s only 20 degrees outside.” I hear the same thing in San Jose, just with a 50 degree difference in temp.

I love hanging out with my cousins. We have such a great time together. We only see each other once a year, but we pick up right where we left off. We laugh and hang out and I have such a great time with them.

That’s about it for today.

Day One in Minnesota

I wrote this post a few days ago while I was in Minnesota. I couldn't get internet access, so here it is.

Today, I arrived in Minneapolis, MN at 6:00am. My sister Ruth and my brother Brad and I took the red eye flight from San Francisco last night. My parents picked us up at the airport because they were already here. We immediately drove south to Rochester, MN to visit my grandmother in Mayo Clinic. She was hospitalized again because she developed an infection in addition to her disease. But, this morning right as we arrived at the hospital the doctors came into her room to talk to her. What they said was amazing.

They told her that after all the tests they have done on her, the disease she had somehow practically disappeared. They told her that it hadn’t spread to any other parts of her body and that it is pretty much gone! They will be taking her off the medication she was on, which was making her very sick. This is a huge answer to prayer. Praise God.

I’ll never forget the look on my grandmother’s face when I walked into her hospital room today. She had been worried that she would never see us again. This disease had caused her to question whether she would even be around to see us this weekend. When the doctors told her that the disease had been halted and we showed up to see her, she couldn’t contain her joy. I practically burst into tears when I saw the pure joy on her face. She reached out frantically to give me a hug and I embraced her praising God that I got to see her. Today was huge for her because the news about the disease subsiding gave her hope about the future. She was talking about being able to see Greg’s graduation and the rest of her grandchildren get married, etc. I can’t explain how emotional this morning was.

So, I’m on the road right now on the way to meet my auntie Konnie, my uncle Kent, and my cousins Trent and Trevor for dinner in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I’ll publish this as soon as I can get internet access. Stay tuned for day 2.

Plans

I know this album came out a while ago, but I just listened to it in detail. Death Cab For Cutie's album Plans is amazing; particularly, the song "What Sarah Said". It seriously made me cry.

My grandmother was just in the hospital for about a week because she was diagnosed with a crazy disease that killed her kidneys. She is much better now and is home from the hospital, but I still remember the feeling when I heard that her life might be in danger. I got home from church on Sunday two weeks ago and my dad told me that her condition had worsened. He told me he wanted me to talk to her on the phone (implying that it may be the last time I talk to my grandma). It was all I could do not to cry while talking to her. Memories began coming to mind of summers spent at my grandparents' lake cabin. I remembered her kind smile as she called me in from the lake shore for dinner. I used to sit next to her in the car every chance I could get when I was young. She is such a comforting person. The thought of never being able to say, "I love you, grandma" choked me. Talking to her for those few minutes that day was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I can only imagine how hard things must be for my grandfather. This song is my way to understanding how he might feel.

I thanks God that she is doing better. I'm going out to Minnesota in a few weeks to visit her.

Sweet Home Minnesota

Well, I just got back from a week in Minnesota with my whole family. It was so much fun. I must say, Minnesota is still home for me. Here's a rundown on all the fun things I did while in MN:

We arrived at 6:00am after a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis. We immediatly met my great aunt and great uncle on their boat for breakfast and a tour of downtown St. Paul and downtown Minnneapolis from the Mississippi River.

We spent two days in my home town: Winona, MN. I saw my place of birth and my old houses, schools, and church.

We drove to my aunt and uncle's house in Wahpeton, North Dakota to have dinner before we drove to my grandparents' lake cabin just outside of Lengby, MN.

We spent the rest of the trip at the lake cabin while we celebrated my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. All my paternal extended family was there. I rode my grandfather's jet ski and ATV. I waterskied and kneeboarded and we swam a lot.

The only downside was that the weather was not ideal. It was jsut as hot in MN as it was in San Jose last week. The temp in Minneapolis the day before we left was 103 degrees. We did get to see one of the coolest thinderstorms I've every seen one night. For 15 minutes it was like daylight outside because there was so much lightning happening all at once. Also, we saw the Northern Lights in the night sky. If you don't know what the northern lights are, just search google images for "northern lights". This phenomenon can't be seen in San Jose.

Well, I am back in California and I miss Minnesota already. The landscape and culture speak to my heart. I love going there because I love the outdoors. Maybe I'll live there at some point in my life. We'll see. By the way, GO SIOUX!