Sunday, August 17, 2008

Celebrating 95year with Grandma at the Twins


Showing off for the crowd!
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
It was the "Johnson" clan celebrating the 95th Birthday of Grandma Marie. Every year, I take my Grandma for her birthday, to the Twins game. It is a fun task each year. It started years ago, when my cousin Debbie and I would take Grandma to the game and sing and carry on, and Grandma would pretend to be embarrassed. We all would have a great time.
Years later, my mom would join us at the games, even though mom never really enjoyed sports. She only would enjoy it if one of us kids were playing or WAY back when my dad played for the Gophers. Since Grandma really loves the Twins, mom would go along, just because Grandma enjoyed it.
I have been working part time for the Twins for 11 years now. It has been a great time. Five years ago, I decided that mom, Debbie and I shouldn't have all the fun, so I invited all the family that I could to come to the game with us, and it would be a surprise! Well, what a surprise that was. My aunt and uncle came in from Boise for the party. There were probably about 40 of us that went to the game that day. As always, Grandma claims it will be 'her last game!"
Two years ago, mom died and Grandma fell and broke her hip. No game that year, since it all happened just days before Grandma's birthday, so we thought that Grandma really wouldn't go anymore.
A couple months ago, Susan and I talked her into going to a game. Since we don't know if it will REALLY be her last game, we invited everyone to celebrate her 95th birthday in a big way. We had about 30 people attend and as you can see, we thought we would with our great signs get on national tv, and the rest of our family could join in via tv. Even though we had some pretty impressive signs and we made sure everyone could see us, we didn't make it on tv. There were lots of shots of the roof of the Dome, but few closer up crowd shots.Too bad. Many family members around the country watch the game and tried to see us.

It was a great game and Twins won! Grandma really enjoyed the game. Of course, she did tell us again that this was 'her last game.
We will see!!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Bye Jesper


Bye Jesper
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
Well, our time has come to and end. Jesper has gone home to Sweden and I am home and back to work. The time has gone by so quickly it seem like he just arrived.

I am sure that Jesper is happy to be back at home, but also wishing he could still be here with all his new friends. It is always hard to say goodbye!

Hopefully, he will be back to visit again soon!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Time is flying by

Where has the time gone. It is now June and Jesper will be leaving in a few short days. It seems like it was just the other day he arrived for his year in the USA.
These last few days will go by in a blur. We have so many things yet to do. Eva and Peter arrive on Tuesday. Graduation is on Wednesday, followed by the All Night Party. Friday begins a new round of graduation parties to attend. Jesper's party is Saturday afternoon. Sunday, Eva and Peter return to Sweden and we have 2 parties that day too. Once that is over, there will be a flurry of goodbyes and packing to go home. Then, it will be time to say goodbye to me.

It is kind of hard when the kids leave, but knowing they always come back and visit, makes it easier. I plan to go visit next summer as well, so that will make it just a bit easier as well.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Nice day for golf


Nice day for golf
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
We finally have a nice day for golf. I took off work for part of the day, so I could be the "crazy mom" following around the boys at he golf meet. It was a beautiful day, but the breeze was still a bit cold. They golfed 18 holes, but I only followed them around for about 10. I got too tired and I wasn't even carrying a bag, just cameras. I am glad that I finally got to go to a meet, I just wish it would have been at Bunker, instead of Elk River. That was a long drive.

Good news, we all got a bit of a tan, but Jesper's looks like a 'farmer tan'. Mine is just my nose and cheeks.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

It's been a while

Wow, I can't believe it has been a long time since I last updated. So much has been happening, yet there really isn't much going on.

Jesper has been golfing on the golf team this year. It has been terrible weather all spring long. Cold and rain most days. Mondays seem to be the nicest weather, but by Thursday it is going down hill fast and that is the day of most meets. The weekends are the worst. Hopefully, that cycle will break soon, since Jesper has 3 more meets and I haven't been able to get to any of them. I plan to see the meet on Thursday this week and next Tuesday, his last official meet.

It was Mother's Day on Sunday. We had a great time at my house. Some of my family came over for a pot luck brunch. Two of my sisters and their families, 2 aunts and some of their kids and grandchildren as well, and of course, Grandma. We have a really nice time. Grandma was still sad, since she is missing her 3 oldest daughters. It must be really hard for a parent to outlive so many of their children. Anyway, after brunch, Jesper took me to the movie for my Mother's Day gift. We had a really nice time.

The count down is on. Only 1 month left before Jesper returns to Sweden. Time is flying by. With graduation fast approaching and party planning going on, we are really busy. Invitation for Graduation parties are arriving as well. If we are doing our own thing, we will be attending many parties in his last few days. He will have to decide which ones he will be able to attend. Unfortunately, several will be after he leaves.

Check back later for updates on the golf match! I hope I am able to get to the meets and get some pictures.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Prom






Jesper went all out for Prom and rented a white tux. He had to add the showy top hat, cane and gloves and really hammed it up for the camera. He was the only one that I saw with the hat and cane. All the boys wore sunglasses for some reason. Jesper said something about 'cool without the sun' I don't get it. His date was his friend Michelle and they had a great time. We started out taking pictures at home, went to Michelle's for more pictures and then went to someone else's house for even more pictures and people.
There were about 40 to 50 kids in all, plus parents. The big yellow party bus arrived to whisk them off to the Sculpture Gardens and dinner, then finally the dance. After the dance, an after Prom party was at yet another house where the kids stayed all night. Jesper called about 9am this morning, wanting to come home and sleep.
Click on the PROM title above to see video of Jesper and the girls. He can sure ham things up. The last picture is of Erin and her date, Sean.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Spring Has Arrived

Spring has finally arrived here in Minnesota. The snow has melted, except for the snow mountains in the store parking lots. The grass is greening up. We had a beautiful day yesterday, although very windy. It brought the warm air though, so we can't complain.

I know it is spring, since I am back working at the Twins and Jesper is out golfing on the team. He has his 1st meet today on the JV. I am sure he will work his way up to Varsity very soon. Monday I hope, since there is a meet at the U and I can go after my class! I can get some golf pictures then, that would be great!

Most things are day to day stuff, although Jesper just got back from Chicago where he met him mother, Eva, for a few days of sight seeing and just having fun. I have posted the pictures, so take a peek.

Prom is this Saturday, so look for those pictures. I will get them on as soon as possible!

Friday, April 4, 2008

A lot of Homework

It has been a busy week this past week. It is the last week of the quarter and Jesper is catching up on all the homework he missed when he went on this USA discovery trips! That also meant that I got to correct the grammar in a couple papers he wrote. The last of them were done on Wednesday night to turn in on Thursday. Jesper is recooping by sleeping in today, since they have no school. Man, they get a lot of days off!
We started off the week with Jesper playing on his indoor soccer team. The boys did really well. I think they won 8-2. Jesper scored 3 goals, including a very exciting goal where he was just playing footsy with the ball, since no one was guarding him.
Monday brought the Twins Home Opener. We enjoyed the return of Torri Hunter, who now plays for the Angels. Twins won the game and we were all very happy to have a dome stadium since it snowed about 8 inches during the day and the game. It was a little icey leaving the game though!
With the Twins back in action, I am back at work, so that means, Jesper is on his own for dinner a lot. He has discovered Mac and Cheese, yuk! Well, he likes it. Golf is also keeping him busy. They make cuts to the team on Tuesday, so Jesper is going to take a golf lesson to help his slice. Hope all goes well with that! We will find out on Tuesday if he makes the team. (I am sure he will!)

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Sunrise


Sunrise
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
I finally have gotten the last of the photos on.
We got up at 4:30 this morning to return the rental car and catch the plan before 7am. No problems with that. It is just weird to wear short in 80 degree weather yesterday and have to go back to snow and winter today!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Last Few Days

It has been a few days since I posted and don't have time to put pictures on, but I thought I would update the past few days.

After our Slot Canyon adventures, we packed up and headed south to the Grand Canyon National Park. We didn't have access so, this will be a big post.
The Grand Canyon is my favorite park. It has been about 20 years since I have visited, but it is still wonderful and I love it there. We arrived at the east entrance midday on Tuesday, stopped for views as we made our way to our hotel in the park. I decided to stay in the park since we would be able to commute either by foot or park bus just about everywhere. We saw some pretty spectacular views.
After settling into our room we tried to find the rim to watch the sun set, which is a must in the park. We managed to miss it by the time we arrived at the rim.
Wednesday morning we slept through sunrise and instead went to town for a quick trip and back to the park. We spent the entire day hiking and checking out the views. We did make it to the rim on Wed. night for sun set. It was wonderful to see. I will put pictures on as soon as I get home.
Sunrise on Thursday was yet another must see. We got up at 5:45 to get out to the rim for the view.Jesper and Randy were a little tough to get moving, but we made it. Jesper enjoyed it, and Randy will some day! Teri and I really enjoyed the experience.

We headed for Vegas on Thursday afternoon. We decided to travel via California, since neither Jesper or Randy had ever been to California. We found out today, as we went to see the Hoover Dam, it was a wise decision on our part. It took over an hour to get to the dam, which was only about 30 miles away. The traffic is horrible, but the view was great. Everyone enjoyed the time spent there.

We are headed to the Strip tonight and will be flying home in the very early hours of the morning. I will post pictures when I get home.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Antolope Slot Canyon


Antolope Slot Canyon
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
It has been a couple of busy days.
Jesper and I went golfing on Sunday morning. It was cold, but hey, when you get the chance, take it. It started snowing on us, but we carried on.
Later in the day, we all drove over to Arizona (that sounds weird!). Anyway, we had hiking permits for the South Coyote Buttes. I didn't get luck enough to get the permits for the Wave, that I had been wanting, so we went for the South Buttes. We drove, during some nasty weather, only to be snowed out completely. This is the way the last few days have gone.

Today, turned out better. We woke to sun shine and warmer weather. Once again, we drove to Arizona, this time Page, AZ. We got a tour of the Antolope Slot Canyon that is on the Navaho reservations. It was an exciting and interesting tour. We are so glad we got to do that. I put on only half of the pictures I took. I think I actually took 60 photos. It was that amazing. The boys really enjoyed it and the 4 wheeling we had to do to get there!
We also stopped by the Glen Canyon Dam. We kind of had to, since we had to drive over it to get to Page. It is a rather inspiring place.

We ended our day with a hike in the Grand Staircase Escalantes. We hiked out to the rock formations named, Toad Stools. It was a short hike and a nice day to do it.

I hope that you are enjoying our pictures.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Challanging Day

Today we were going to go 4 wheeling, but we were actually unable to find somewhere that not only would take us on a tour, but also, close to where we are staying. We called and checked everywhere, but it was very difficult to find. We were not successful, so we will try again another day. Perhaps on our day in Las Vegas next week.
I also tried and was unsucceful in getting a permit to The Wave. I needed to be at the ranger station, before 9am this morning, but it took longer to get there thanrealized, so I walked in just at 9am, and couldn't get in the lottery. So, we will be hiking the South Coyotee Butte instead. I hope that it is just as beautiful as The Wave!
Instead of 4 wheeling, we went back to Zion and hiked the trail to the Narrows. Since this is spring and the snow is melting, there was too much water in the spring, so we didn't get very far.

Tomorrow, we hope the weatherman is wrong, but snow and cold is what is forecast, so our golf game may be out and it might be a challanging hike at Coyotee Butte.

Bryce Canyon


Sunrise Trail
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
We finally made it to Bryce Canyon. It was cooler than it had been at Zion, but it was still really sunny and nice. There was still about 8 feet of snow in the park, so we got to see the nice views with snow. It was melting fast though. We took in all the sites and then went for a hike. We thought it was going to be a nice short hike, about 1 mile. Turned out it was over 3 miles and really muddy. We started out on the Sunrise trail and hooked up with Navaho trail. The snow was melting causing the mud and ice to make the trip a little slippery. We waled along the steep paths When we finally was about to finish it became vert muddy, Teri sunk in the mud, up to her knees. I managed to avoid the knne deep much, with Jespers help.
I was pretty happy to finish this hike.
The pictures we took, and there are a lot of them, do not do justice to the realy beauty of this park.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Zion


Zion
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
It has been a busy few days. We arrived safe and sound in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Once we got our rental car, we hit the road and got lost trying for find our hotel. Not completely our fault!!! We were given really bad directions. 1 hour later, we finally manage to get to the hotel.
Today, we took off for the 1st leg of our trip. Utah and Zion National Park. We had to drive through the park, just to get to our new hotel in Kanab Utah.; We managed to see a lot, but I can't seem to upload the photos. I managed to get a few on, but the internet connection is soooooo slow here. I will try again tomorrow.

Monday, March 3, 2008

A Fast Week

Last week just blew by so quickly. Partially since I was lucky enough to come down with the cold/flu thing going around. I am almost over it, so that is great, since we leave next week for spring break.
Jesper surprised me last week with the request to go to the wrestling tournaments. He has told me all winter long that he thinks wrestling is boring, but Thursday he wanted to go. So, he went to the tournament. Coon Rapids won the team meet to go to the semi finals for State. Friday, during the day was the individual meet. He wasn't interested in that, until Friday during school when he found out that he could get out of school and it would be an excused absence. So, the school called to make sure it was OK, it was as long as it was excused and didn't count against his attendance. Any excuse to get out of school.
Indoor soccer started last week as well. Jesper is pretty good at soccer and has missed playing since the school season had ended back in October. Since basketball is over now and golf doesn't start yet, it gives him something to do, rather than sit on the computer all day!

We leave next week for Spring Break. Check back then for pictures and posts of our adventures!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Space Needle


Space Needle
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
Jesper has returned from Seattle and is settling back into life in Coon Rapids. Mostly he sleeps and plays on the computer if he isn't at school.
He had a really good time in Seattle, especially since the weather was much warmer than it is here. He said is was in the 60's and sunny most of the week. Not at all Seattle like.
Apparently, Seattle reminds him of the west coast of Sweden, so he enjoyed that.
While he was enjoying his adventures in Seattle, I was home relaxing most of the time. I did travel to Iowa to see the Gophers play the Hawkeyes in basketball. It was an unbelievably long trip , 6 hours there, 7 back, to watch a 2 hour basketball game. Most of the time it is only a 4 hour drive, but the weather was not like Seattle. There was a huge snow storm and we saw many cars in the ditch. At least 50 and all of them in Iowa.

Monday, February 18, 2008

A Week of Nothing

Jesper was off to Seattle on Saturday morning. It looked like the weather was going to be much warmer in Seattle for a few day than in Minneapolis. He had no problems getting off on the plane and I didn't have any problems accompanying him to the gate. Something good has come out of the Larry Craig incident at the MSP airport. No one has any issues with you going with a minor to the gate.
On Sunday, I was off early to go with a group to the Gopher game in Iowa. It is about a 4 hour bus ride from Minneapolis. The weather in Minneapolis was cloudy and gray but that was about it. As soon as we got to Iowa, all that changed. They were having a really nice snow storm. There we cars in the ditch everywhere. It took an extra 2 hours to get to the game. We arrived just in time for tip off. Unfortunately, the Gophers were off to a bad start and the refs were even worse than usual. They didn't bother to call the blatant fouls, such as an Iowas player putting a Gopher in a headlock. They just watched her struggle! Gopher lost by 3 and we had a really long bus ride ahead of us. The storm had increased and I really thought we would be staying in Iowa, but our great bus driver got us back safe and sound. It only took 7 hours! Not bad! I am just glad that Jesper text me that he was enjoying the 60 degree sunshine in Seattle, while I was enjoying the Iowas blizzard!
Hopefully, I can update with pictures when Jesper comes home.

Monday, February 11, 2008

MORP


IMG_2269
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
Friday night was the Morp dance at school. Morp, is backward for Prom. This a new version of the Sadie Hawkins dance where the girls ask the boys. It used to be just a fun casual dance, but it seems to have gone a bit more dressy. Jesper was asked to go to the dance with Katie. They went out to dinner before the dance and then to the dance at school. They all got together for pictures at Evan's house. Everyone looked really nice and had a great time. Jesper even ran into Erin at the dance. Erin looked really nice.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Basketball

Jesper is playing basketball now that soccer is over. He is enjoying it, but they have yet to win a game.

A new quarter has started at school, so he is keeping pretty busy. Just a few weeks until he is off to tour Seattle.

Keep checking, hopefully we will have some nice adventures to tell you about!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Letterman


Letterman
Originally uploaded by GailJ.
I finally got a picture of Jesper in his letter jacket. I don't like it so I will have to take another one.
He was off to his basketball game on Saturday. It was a busy day. There were 2 games. One at 9am then again at 4. They have yet to win a game, but each game, they get better. Not bad for never playing together and only 2 practices.
This week has gone by quickly. We had only four days of work and school because of Martin Luther King Day. It was a cold week, so no one wanted to go outside. It was below 0F (-15 to -25C) most of the week. Friday we finally cracked the 0 barrier and actually were above freezing all weekend. That will come to a big end very shortly.

On Friday I met Jesper new girlfriend. I had no idea he had one until Friday. Neither of them drive, so it is her mom or me doing the driving, but they seem to hang out at my house. Hmmm! We will see how that goes.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Nice Week

Not much has been happening around here. Jesper went back to school on Monday and I have been back to work since Jan. 3.

I have had an injured shoulder from falling back in November and have been suffering with that for 2 months. On Monday, I got a cortisone shot and what a miracle! I can move my arm again. So, since I have been able to move my arm, I have been going with Jesper to the Y to work out. I usually go in the morning, but I have been having a tough time getting up in the morning. So, evenings with Jesper will work just fine.

Next week, CRAA basketball, or as they call it, 'house' ball starts. Jesper was going to go out for the school team, but he didn't enjoy the personalities on the team, so he changed his mind. Oh well, as long as he is busy.

We have a Gopher game on Sunday and that is about it. Hopefully, there will be fun adventures coming soon.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

New Year

Well, we have started our new year. Jesper's family was here for New Year and left us on January 2. It was so great to see everyone. I have miss them all, especially Anna. She is still a wonderful girl, but has changed some. She is more confident and outgoing. Not as shy. It is so wonderful to see. I hope that this was one of the good things she took home with her.

I will post future happenings with Jesper as the year progresses.