Peter Pan !

Are they CUTE or what? Congrats Kate on your first MHS theater production experience! We had a blast watching you and see Peter Pan sprinkle around his magic sparkle dust. May we all get to enjoy seeing you in many more!

Remember These Two?

I remember vividly the day this photo was taken...out by Maplehurst Beach on Lake Lida one late Sunday afternoon...trying to get a christmas card picture of these two siblings. I put this picture out every year with my fall decorations, I guess to always remind me of what was. Me having the need to be the perfect Mother... sewing Ria her color coordinated church dresses, always making sure Ryan had matching pants, sweaters, socks.....and raise the perfect children.....concentrating on keeping a clean house, holding down a job or two and never really giving any thought as to what these two would become as adults. I realized when putting this picture out this fall, that it was taken 30 years ago...back in 1979...Ria was 3 and Ryan was 5. Looking back there are many things I wish I had done differently in that era of my life, but I guess I must have done somethings right because today I'm still the proud Mother of these two. They pick out their own clothes now, purchase their own homes, raise their own children as they see fit, and I just get to be an outside observer for the most part. The thing that I admire the most is how they each have become educated and each have followed a dream, turned that dream into a career and are both giving back to the community with their talents.

Ria as a photographer, giving many families the joy of capturing moments in their child's life in print, much like that picture taken back in 1979 does for me.

Ryan as a doctor of chiropractic, educating the public about the importance of spinal health and helping those in pain back on the road to wellness. I was so excited to get to attend the Open House for his new clinic location, and meet his co-workers.

From the first time I walked into his clinic over 10 yrs ago when he was just starting out, it jolted me to see my son, the same kid I had to nag about washing his face and hands, all dressed up in a tie, dress pants, wing tip shoes and a white lab coat!!

Ryan at the front desk with one of his chiropractic assistants! The back drop screen plays a view of the ocean with the natural sound of waves over the intercom relaxing you as you enter the clinic.

So I thought I'd brag a bit today about his success as a doctor and share pics of his new clinic for you. As someone who has worked in this field for almost 5 years now myself and visited several other clinics and how they do things, this place is a top notch, state of the art facility. You can check out more pics and features of his clinic at thebrostclinic.com. You can even sign up for a monthly newsletter with all kinds of great tips and info on spinal health!

Ryan's little wing of the clinic with his 3 adjustment rooms.


Ryan's desk area adorned with pics of his beautiful family taken by his photgrapher sister!

I wish everyone in my entire family would make the trip down and have Ryan do a thorough patient intake, exam, digital x-rays, computerized orthotics foot scan, report of his findings on your exam and top it all off with a great adjustment on you!

I also don't want my kids to ever forget who was most adamant that they receive a college education and helped them to get it.....I found this picture of my Dad with Ryan on his lap... it must have been taken in 1978 at one of my Dad's birthday parties as I had written on the back of the picture "giving Grandpa his birthday present from you... a minnow net!" So I made up this frame for Ryan with a bit of his ancestry; as he's the one who shares my father's name.


I can remember being a young child and traveling all the way to Davenport, Iowa to visit the Palmer College of Chiropractic as my dad wanted to pursue a chiropractic career back when he was about the age that Ryan is now. He never got to follow through on that pursuit... I think a wife and 3 kids to support at that time in his life pretty much halted him on that path, but I know he's very proud of what Ryan has gone on to accomplish and I know if he walked up into Ria's loft studio right now he'd probably shed a tear or two and think "WOW, all this from that little browned-eyed, brown-haired little pudgy girl who used to trudge out to the fish house with me just so she could eat butterfinger candybars one right after the other"....

The two little smiley kids of mine have made the best of an imperfect, in some ways very dysfunctional childhood. I guess I just have to keep telling myself I did the best I could with the circumstances I was given at the time. I'm very proud to be their Mom! Congrats to both of my kids on successful families and careers!

Speaking of my BIRTHDAY....

I was such a lucky girl to get some "loot" for my birthday so I treated myself to one of my MOST favorite places on earth.... my favorite little shop in the whopping big town (population of about 363) of CARVER!..... this is the famous "Mustard Moon" owned by dealer Jane who has been featured in Country Living Magazine and is about to go national we think! Her shop is in the basement of this wonderful old building... and pretty much feels like a cave once you are inside. Carver is about 5 miles west of Chaska and always was one of my favorite spots to visit... it is quite like Erhard or Elizabeth...only tons more charming! Had I known it existed when I moved to the Twin Cities, this is the place I would have chosen to live.

What kind of fun things did I buy for my birthday with my stash?

Well.... this one's for my Mom... told her there was an antique bowl I had hidden at the Buffalo Nickel until I could get back to purchase it, and here it is Mom! Also was able to get the junior sized one pictured next to it.... Thanks Mom :-)

I also had the great fortune of bringing home a bit of history from one of my favorite shops in Chaska... the 1st pic was taken about 2 yrs ago in front of this shop... note the scalloped window flower box on the left, filled with christmas greens...

several times I had asked the owner if she was going to sell it, and the answer was always a firm "No Sandi, it goes along with the shop as a display!".... so when I arrived last Saturday, I was pretty surprised to notice it was gone... as I got near the back of the shop I saw my little treasure...leaning up against a wall way in the back corner... I ran back out to Linda the owner and said "WHAT???? you took down the front window flower box?"... and she just laughed and said it was time for something new out front.. and then it hit her...she remembered how I had always asked to buy it --- so guess what I came home with? I told her I almost felt guilty taking that fixture out of Chaska, and she assured me there was no one else she would rather see it go home with than me. I had also purchased the bench she had displayed beneath it 2 years ago. Can't wait to find the perfect place for it here in my home or down at the cabin where I have put the bench.

Finally, my favorite new treasure... a birthday gift from my hubby... this old, white, shabby, scalloped cupboard...straight from the farm yard... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it... and can't wait to decorate it as each season changes.... ya shoulda seen us shoving that thing into the back of the Explorer...! I think this ones going to have to go into the nursing home with me someday :-)

a little of each....

so I had another birthday.... it was great and i even received greetings from nieces and nephews who remembered ! thanks guys! i love getting "real" mail and always try to send out "real" cards to friends and family via "real" mail..something about the surprise of getting mail in your mailbox... so this year I received many, many fun cards. also this year, a few wrote inside the cards the the people pictured on the front reminded them of "ME"... so thought I'd share some of them with you to see what you think!


got this one from jim and johanna... she wrote the "spirit-filled" girl on the front reminded her of me... I kinda have to agree!





got this one from my friend carol who i worked with at moorhead high... and i swear this is just how my grandma christianson looked back in 1952...seriously....i know i inherited her legs...ugh



got this one from my long-time friend jan... and i really think the lady in the green dress on the left has some "sandi" in her....



and finally I got this one from my old boss "DOC" in the cities... and of all them, i think this one most accurately reflects who i think i am... or who i'd like to picture myself as being... a lively, old retired lady just sipping her coffee in the local coffee shop down at the lake, wearing her sun hat, colorful clothing and flip flops....actually I have a pair of sparkly, sequined lime green flips flops just like these!

DON'T I WISH....

richie would buy me this cute little vintage camper that used to be parked by Hwy. 3 on my way to the cabin last summer... it lasted there the whole month of august.... and then when sept. came it was gone! on one of my summer road trips kate and i went to an occasional sale where the gal had a restored one just like this permanently displayed in her back yard where her husband had attached a deck to it and she held her sale in and outside the camper... adorable! don't you just LOVE that turquoise color?

IF i had my own cottage on some land at the lake I'd make this a permanent yard fixture and decorate it up like a dollhouse...just for my grand-daughters to come for a Lucy and Desi Arnez style slumber party!!!

generation gap....

I can tell I'm getting older. And, it's got nothing to do with my birthday arriving yesterday.

I couldn't believe what happened the other night....probably wouldn't have affected me 10 yrs ago...but this just sorta enraged me....

So....Last Friday, I'm ready to head back to Fargo after a one day road trip to Eden Prairie for my quarterly hair color and cut... yes, I know...at $14.95 haircut and $68 worth of gas to get it... that's something like the "priceless" commercial right? well that's another blog entry... but...

I'm leaving the Ridgedale Mall just after 9pm and decide to gas up in the little quick stop station located right there in the parking lot... I get my gas all while the attendant, all of about 20 yrs old, stands outside the little hut where you pay smoking a cigg... he says to me "hey, lady you're dog's really barking"...(I had taken Hazel along with me for the ride to keep me company for the day) to which I think "yeah, well she's just wondering why there's smoke coming out your nostrils".... so he follows me inside and proceeds to ask me if I'm goin all the way back to north dakota tonite... of course to which I think "ALL the way back to ND?"""

So just as I finish paying for my gas this elderly man, complete head of silver hair, nicely dressed, with somewhat of a Jewish accent walks in and asks the attendant "I'm looking for Hwy 12, can you direct me? I've got to find a town called Wayzateeeeee and I'm lost". I sorta chuckle cuz he doesn't even know how to pronounce the name of the town and he so reminds me of my Dad...but, wait, my Dad never would have stopped to ask directions.... OK Mom you can quit nodding your head now...

and this is what enraged me...

the kid goes "well just get back in your car and follow the signs"...

to which I'm thinking and want to shout "what the hell you idiot kid, if the guy could just follow the signs he wouldn't be in here asking you".... I mean, I can clearly see the elderly man is looking for someone to say "you go to the first stop sign and turn right, then turn right at the next stoplight, then stay in the right lane until you veer onto the ramp... then immediately get in the left lane and stay there..... you know that kind of directions... comforting ones at 9 pm at night when you should be asleep in the nursing home.

Anyway, so the elderly man says "well I need Hwy 12 and I don't see it and I've got to get to Maple Plain to my sons"... to which the kids says "well this is Hwy 394 and there's signs out there..." and the poor old man just looks at me...

Now I know how confusing it can be to get out of that mall parking lot and on the right path off 394 to the old Hwy 12 and up through Wayzata, Orono, Long Lake and on the road to Maple Plain. I can see his little wife sitting out in the shiny new gold Cadillac with Arizona license plates, looking concerned so guess what I end up doing?

Yup, I ended up going back to his car with him, telling him to follow me in my big white Explorer and proceeded to lead him out of his darkness and down 394... the opposite direction of heading west down I-94 way back home to ND....

But it felt good when I got him there and could see his big smile and hardy wave goodbye as I turned around...

also made me realize I'm in his generation...those of us without GPS or fancy phones with mapquest :-)

and what was the kid doing as we drove off? standing back outside his hut smoking another cigarette... and I just let Miss Hazel bark all she wanted ---

The Bucket List Lady

This is my new friend Jackie.

She rents Cabin 6, across the yard from our Cabin. She's a woman after my own heart, even though we are about as different as night and day. Jackie likes to cook, garden and fish. I hate to do all 3. I like to create, decorate and sunbathe. Those things are foreign to her. The minute I'd get to the cabin, Jackie would come scampering over with a family member, friend or other cabin renter to "tour" my little cottage. She couldn't get over that someone would actually have that many "red and white" THINGS as she called my prized little possessions. She was so impressed that late in the summer she came over with a "surprise" for me... she had grown miniature red chile peppers in her garden for me to dry out and hang in my cabin kitchen. They were adorable and I loved them.

There were a couple of things though that Jackie and I did have in common.... we both had husbands who didn't particulary love the lake like we did. Her husband George had a love of his Harley, and only came to the lake about 3 times for a few hours each time all summer! My husband has a love of his jobs and while he came often, not once did he spend the night at the lake. Another thing Jackie and I truly had in common though was a love of "pontoons". Early on one night while conversing by the campfire Jackie made all of us go round the circle and name one thing on our bucket list. Being a newcomer to the group I didn't want to get too personal, but I did have one at the top of my list that made sense. I said that someday I had hoped to own a pontoon. That when my final days came, they would be spent on Lake Lida out on a pontoon, and that my dust remains would be floating away off the dock on an air mattress for eternity. Well, the next day Jackie explained to me that the pontoon on dock #4 was HERS! and hers alone... her husband bought his Harley, so she bought her pontoon. AND, Jackie being the great gal that she, is told me where she kept the keys to the pontoon and that I could take it out whenever I wanted. I thought "Wow, I can sorta cross that one off my bucket list!".

I never had to take that pontoon out by myself... as everytime Jackie was going to go out on it she came over to get me to go along! The pics were taken the very last time we were out on her pontoon... it was Sunday morning in mid-September... she came over about 8:30 that Sunday morning, pretty much waking me up saying "c'mon girl, the crappies are biting".... I'm like "Jackie, I'm still in my jammies and I haven't had a shower!"... to which she of course responded "who the heck needs a shower, this is a pontoon on a lake woman!". I told her to give me 30 mn... she said she was leaving and to stand on the end of the dock when I was beautiful and she'd be back in to get me.

So here we are that gorgeous fall morning...she's crappie fishing with her fish hat and fish clothes on and here's me....having had my shower, properly attired in my white sundress, with the required bare minimum of at least some blush and lip gloss on and my morning cup of coffee.



How different we are, yet how alike. Can't wait until next summer... I'll add something else to the bucket list by then I'm sure...and Jackie will still be giving tours of my cabin.