Our Christmas Miracles

We have five, now adult, miracles we are lucky enough to call our own!

What a bunch we have!  click to see them in motion!

Christmas 2015

The summer of 2015 was all about Norway.  Nick worked at the US Embassy in Oslo from May through August.  Nancy and her sister, Carol along with Carol’s granddaughters, Sarah 12, and Jessica 8 traveled to Norway to visit Nick and to reconnect with friends and family there.  Nick’s Oslo apartment above the Ambassador’s garage was home base for us.

Our second cousin Inger Berit Kjørrefjord Ramstad. and her family showed us a wonderful time both at their home in Oslo and at their vacation home in Fjällbacka, Sweden.  (Kjørrefjord was our grandfather’s family name before immigrating to the US.)

"cousins" Sarah, Jessica, Peter & Annetta

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Carol, Nancy and the girls made a trip to Tromsø, where Nick, Nancy, Courtney and Morgan lived for two years from 84-86.  Our son Darcy was born there. The view from the hotel room is pictured on our Christmas card. We were lucky to get together with Nancy's friends. We have kept in touch over the years, but had not seen each other in 30 years! We were also invited to tour the house we had lived in. Memories of the time there and the beautiful daily views came back to Nancy.

Back in Oslo, we met with another second cousin, Christian Sømme and his family of four sons. (pictured on the card.) Nick and Nancy first met Christian in 1972 when we went to Norway on our honeymoon.   Christian was a young child then and doesn’t remember.  Three of Christian's sons have visited us in our home here in Virginia, and the fourth son plans to come here in June 2016.

All of our children are now adults and on their own. Courtney, and her husband Ben continue to live in Portland, Oregon where Courtney (37) is a freelance journalist and Ben is a data engineer. Morgan (34) lives across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington where he supports himself as a programmer. Darcy (31) is living in Cary, North Carolina and is a computer guy, too.  Austin (28) is living in Richmond, Virginia working as a courier. Chance (25) is also living in Richmond, about 3 blocks from Austin. He has been attending VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and is working as a "fry chef" in a Richmond restaurant.

Nick is endeavoring to re-claim all of the boy's bedrooms by painting and laying hardwood flooring. Nancy continues to be active with La Leche League as a volunteer. She also continues helping new mothers as an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant).

Nick and Nancy spent Thanksgiving with Nick's mother, who celebrated her 98th birthday this year. The only dependents in residence with us these days are our 16 ½ year old cat, Tigger and our 3 ½ year old dog, Buddy.
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016,

 Nick & Nancy Sherwood

Christmas 2001

The year my brother died, 2001, I remember going to my mother's apartment.  We had to go in two cars, the kids and Nick and me.

We stopped at the cemetery where Dale is buried.  It was a cold, sunny day.  As we stood, looking at his grave, a little flurry of snow fell on us.  It was the only snow that day.

Now my mom is buried near Dale.  I don't think I will visit them this year for Christmas.  and I am pretty sure it won't snow.  But I will think of them.  And miss them.

I think I am married to Super Man!

In the lifetime of years that Nick and I have been married, I have not been the easiest person to live with.  I am demanding and I have been known to expect people to know what I want- through osmosis.

I am a talker- I love to talk.  I am also a complainer at times.  Or, should I say I like to express myself.  Thing is, once I talk something out, I feel better.  It's like I have to verbally digest an idea or a problem before I can totally "get it"

So, what does this have to do with Super Man?   Well, there have been plenty of times when I have been frustrated about not being able to do all of the things that *I* think need to be done.  Usually basic stuff- like running the vacuum cleaner  or cleaning the fridge.  But deep down I know that while these are things that bother me, I want Nick or someone else to notice and do what I think needs to be done.   For instance, I would get annoyed if the kitchen floor needs to be swept and nobody is even aware of how dirty the floor is.    I am starting to see (well right this minute anyway) that the condition of the kitchen floor is not all that important (did I really just write that?).  It is only important to me because I make it that way.

Actually, Nick knows the things that bug me and I think he tries to do thing that will make me happy.

I am mellowing with age.  Maybe having had a brain tumor and brain surgery has a little bit to do with it!

So, here's what Nick is up to now that I am so impressed about.   Now that there are no kids living at home, Nick has been cleaning and re-doing the kids' bedrooms.  They were left a mess.  A real mess.  Spilled soda and melted candle wax in the carpet.  Holes in the walls.  Nick has been pulling up old carpet and laying down hardwood flooring.  He has been pulling wallpaper off and sanding, patching and painting the walls.  These are really hard jobs he is doing.  I couldn't do the work!

So, yes I am married to my very own Super Man!

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I saw this online and I wanted to put it here:

 

Being a Mother

Before my first cup of coffee!

This is me before my first cup of coffee!

It is crazy how much I think I look like my mother!  Not that she looked this spaced out, just the surprised look somehow looks familiar.  

 I was thinking I should take a "selfie" every day for a year.

This is me not so tired- plus I have had coffee and a shower!














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Twenty Five Years Ago

December 6, 1990 was a day that changed my life forever.   First off, I wasn't even sure I was going to survive that day, much less my unborn baby.  Lots of unexpected and unplanned medical stuff was going on.  My water broke 8 weeks before I was due and what resulted was an emergency situation.  And in the end, a very tired, sore mother and a very alive, small baby boy we named Chance.

He was perfect, just smaller than my other babies had been.   We were nowhere near home.  It was hard to say the least, an adventure to say it another way.