Goodbye 2018!

The Highlights of 2018:
This was supposed to be the year of landscaping and gardening, but it turned out not to be as evident in the photo of the house. The siding was finished with more effort than initially estimated. The basement was completed and kids moved in before the end of school in May of 2018. Each kid had their own bedroom for a few months before they gained a new brother! Kjetil (our Norwegian exchange student) came in August to share a bedroom with Raif.

Mark had several accomplishments this past year. He finished the house projects, then started working on a pavilion for the Trezona Trail which was timber-framed. This structure was funded by an anonymous donor in collaboration with the city. It was completed at the end of summer, and was dedicated as a Veteran's Memorial. He worked a few days each week at Camp Du Nord in maintenance. He enjoyed the opportunity to be back at a camp, but in the fall returned to working with the sawmill. His new project is building a large garage at his parents' place across the road from our place. It will be a great storage building when it is finished and may facilitate their move up to Winton. Whitefishing was productive this fall, as well as the first buck with Mark's new black powder rifle. He purchased a winter camping tent this year with his friend, and is looking forward to new adventures.

This structure is located alongside the Trezona Trail in Ely.

Raif ended his ski season last year with his team making it to state. He had some health issues during both the section and state meet, but has been working to find solutions and has been training hard for the 2018-19 ski season. A recent fall on the ice has him off his skis for a little while, but he had a good couple of races with his best finishing 2nd at the Grand Rapids meet. Track last spring ended with an appearance at Sections in the 400 m dash. He also participated in speech in original oratory, which gave him a chance to share his thoughts on how we have too much "stuff". The big news of Raif's summer was his trip to Spain to visit Laia, and a week in Munich with Martina. His adventure expanded his world view, and gave him a great start on independence. We cannot thank his hosts enough for their generosity. CC this fall was fun, but the team didn't make it to state. They have high hopes for next year. Raif did a great job in the fall musical, "Zombie Prom" playing the nerdy student journalist. Raif has begun the college search with visits to UW-Stout, UW-Madison, and Michigan Tech so far. There will most likely be more visits in the near future!

The cast of "Zombie Prom"!

Cora had an exciting spring with a trip to State Speech in Dramatic Interp. She had a great experience, and will be competing in the same division this year. Her dance team competed twice in Duluth, and had some success with their "Bad" routine. She also was in track, and enjoyed the 400 m dash like her brother. Gluttons for punishment, I say. Her summer was filled with dance, swimming with friends, and family vacations. Cora tried Cross Country for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised by her own success making the section team. She had a lead role (the principal Ms. Strict) in the fall musical, "Zombie Prom" and was she ever mean! She joined the JV ski team and has been adjusting with no issues to the 5K distance. Her 15th birthday means driving soon, but she is not as eager as her brother to start that process.

This girl is a little taller now.

Fiona enjoyed her first dance recital in May, stealing the show with her improv and deep bows. Over the summer she took some one-on-one swim lessons, which improved her confidence in the water. She still attends daycare at Wild Within, with her care provided by two men both named Nick whom she adores. Afternoons are her favorite when she goes to Happy Days Preschool Mon.-Wed.-Fri. This fall she started taking an Acro/Tumbling class as well as two other dance classes. She will be involved in youth Nordic ski league again this winter and has already been asking to go to Giant's Ridge this winter to downhill ski. Last winter she mastered the small bunny hill and is eager to try for the bigger hill. We get her out skating and skiing as often as we can. She lost two bottom teeth in November, and turned 5 before Christmas. She keeps our table full of artwork, and our house full of noise!

Kjetil arrived in August from Oslo, Norway and we immediately took him on a BWCA trip for 5 days. He loved it! Since then his life has been a mix of adventures, school work, CC or ski practice, and friends. He enjoys all the food we make him, brings smiles and laughter to our household, and is a constant companion for Raif. He also was part of the section team for CC, and is proving to be a strong competitor for the ski team as well. He is looking forward to the American Birkie this February as he finished the Norwegian Birkie last year. He took a trip to Yellowstone for skiing this fall over Thanksgiving, and will be traveling to Washington DC this spring.

I graduated with my Master's of Education in Learning Design and Technology last January, and promptly put that to work with two new courses I am teaching. I teach Coding and Web Design, as well as STEAM which puts in the Art & Design into STEM. Last April I presented at the MCTM Conference where math teachers gather to geek out. Over the summer I worked with 18 dancers and 18 musicians to put on a multimedia dance production centered around the theme of water with two soldout shows. I directed, choreographed, and danced in Reflections on Water as well as doing the publicity and videography which was perhaps a bit much?!? Cora was a thrill to watch as she also danced in numerous pieces, as well as choreographing one of the most memorable parts of the second act. The show was made possible by grants through the Donald G. Gardner Humanities Trust as well as a Cool and Creative Grant through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. As a result of the successful show, I started the Reflections Dance Company along with two other dance teachers in Ely. We are already planning for another show this next August 8-11, 2019 with the theme of sky.

The lowlights from the year not mentioned above include losing Mark's cousin Alan to cancer, losing Mark's Aunt Elin after her lifelong struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, arguments, depression, anxiety, a messy house, a malfunctioning washing machine (after 1.5 years seriously?), hitting a deer with the new car, back pain, insomnia, and general stress. I would hate for anyone reading this blog to think that somehow we have escaped life's tough moments. As Roger Miller sings in one of my favorite cartoons, Robin Hood, "sometimes the ups outnumber the downs". Luckily, in Winton we have had the seesaw of life tipped up.

One final note I wanted to share was the completion of a book about my dad that my siblings and I had started in 2009 around the 20th anniversary of his death. Since it is now approaching the 30th anniversary of his death, we were inspired to finally print the book. I have included it here for people who may be interested in knowing more about him as told by his family. You may have to enable flash or update your flash player to view the book.
https://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/family/tom-saunders-1947-1989-4457910?vk=jXyWUzhhpxDr8y25byqY