tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131222382024-03-23T12:54:03.316-05:00Who will make me laughJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.comBlogger2037125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-36818809344757106792024-03-21T10:36:00.002-05:002024-03-21T10:37:19.733-05:00Retirement Trip part 2It hard to beat our week with Rick's aunt and uncle....Our next adventure was to travel more south to Galveston where we spent 4 nights at an Airbnb on the beach. The temperatures were in the low 60's but for us Minnesotans, thats' warm enough!Documentation that we were indeed thereWe both got into the ocean, and agreed that the temperature of the water felt a lot like Long Lake.COLDOurJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-72768898818123111172024-03-18T18:12:00.010-05:002024-03-18T18:14:44.255-05:00Retirement trip Part 1Our first Retirement tripWe had never been to Texas, and we have family who live there so mid February Rick and I had a little midwinter getaway and drove to Texas.We took 3 days to get there stopping the 1st night in Kansas City and the 2nd night in Oaklahoma City.Rick's Aunt and Uncle are gracious hosts and alway show us a good time.We visited them a few years ago when they still lived in Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-45393755393137919482024-02-06T15:44:00.007-06:002024-02-06T15:44:45.315-06:00From Christmas to now.....Time just gets away from me sometimes... I have been MIA since Thanksgiving. Blogging is something I do for myself, It's kind of like a diary of my life in photo's. Also it's something my kids can go back to someday when I'm long gone. Those who want can follow along to see what I'm up to.Retirement has been good to us, we stay busy with family stuff and recently some updatesJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-26282083624096323612023-11-24T08:45:00.003-06:002023-11-24T08:45:44.446-06:00I shared my birthday with a turkey I shared my birthday with a turkey yesterday, yes....about every 4 years my birthday falls on Thanksgiving. I was blessed to be surrounded by FAMILY... My daughter orchestrated the singing of "Happy Birthday" while I was cutting pie in the kitchen.It began with my Brother Randy's voice singing, "Mee mee meee meeeeeeee" Followed by the sound of 25 voices from age 86Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-82421015986020009472023-10-28T18:09:00.008-05:002023-10-29T13:31:56.916-05:00He will wipe away all their tears, and death shall be no more....It's been a year since that warm October afternoon, the day my dad would leave this earth, the day no one wishes for but in truth, it was time and Jesus called him home.* * * The other day I went to the cemetery to "visit" my dad.I sat on the cemetery bench that dad & mom had designed... It was good to reflect on our times we had together! I had recently been to Bucksnort Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-58877580315158758892023-10-18T09:33:00.003-05:002023-10-18T09:33:22.636-05:00Fall happenings at the cabin...Our son Brice and the grandkids were here over the weekend to help get the dock and boat lift out of the lake. It was a fun few days of both work and play.The cabin will some day belong to our children so they need to "learn the ropes", ha haBrice always carries the kids into the lake with his chest waders on.It's a bit nippy out there, so he keeps them high and dry.Games....Scarlett has theJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-29147230044873096062023-10-10T16:28:00.001-05:002023-10-10T16:28:14.890-05:00Friends and familyCabin visits from family... and friends (that seem like family to us)Judy is our long time friend! She and John used to own a cabin just a few up from us. In fact her mom used to own our cabin when it was a resort (Hawkeye Haven)John is with Jesus now but Judy comes back in the summer as I know John would have wanted her to. She comes during the brutal hot Arizona summer, and relaxes atJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-21645670833317761542023-10-10T15:42:00.004-05:002023-10-10T15:42:55.030-05:00A Farm experiance...A few months ago my sister and I arranged to take by mom and my Rochester Grands to a "farm", but it's not just any old farm, read an excerpt from the website below..."Nestled in the beautiful hills of the St Croix River Valley, Rusty Bucket Acres offers a must see and visit, farm experience. You won’t find anything like it anywhere else. A visit to the farm will fill your bucket with Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-89867196680664626322023-09-27T15:06:00.000-05:002023-09-27T15:06:02.544-05:00Hemmer/Lewis Family Cabin Week (Final post of 4) It was a week of great memories that we will not take for granted.We are blessed to have this little piece of heaven on the lake to share with our peopleTubingWe love these 4 so much, I love how they all get along and enjoy time togetherMe and my girlsWe love to swim togetherBrice is known for his tossing of the kids in the lakeYep, thats my guy! 64 years old and still skiing on the slalom Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-21170445047503521062023-09-27T14:39:00.001-05:002023-09-27T14:42:53.998-05:00Hemmer/Lewis Family Cabin week (Part 3)Our week was packed full of memories, this is why all the photos....It's a way for me to document our family time at the cabin.Rick and I feel like we are in the "Golden years" right now, "Golden" not meaning we are old but that our grandkids are at the perfect ages.... still little, but getting older, and not yet tied-down by jobs, sports etc.We know that as they get older it will be harder to Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-86937710819672784712023-09-26T15:05:00.000-05:002023-09-26T15:05:06.233-05:00Hemmer/Lewis Family week (Part 2)First time to Itasca State Park for Scarlett & Lewin it was a fun adventure for our family.Auntie Brie helping Scarlett across the start of the Mississippi Proof, here we all are (missing Chris) Venturing over the rocks at the headwatersSure step-in'UsBrice and the boysBrice, Jen and kids... and CarsonUncle Gavin and AudreyRehydratingSweet siblingJenny & ScarWalked to the Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-54662547281495449142023-09-26T14:44:00.002-05:002023-09-26T14:44:26.908-05:00Hemmer/Lewis Family week (Part 1)This week fills my heart! Especially this year as I missed it all last year staying home in Rochester with my dad during his end stages of dementia...this I will never regret :)Chris wasnt able to make it this year, we missed him!Brianna & Carson right after arriving (first of all the peeps)Audrey was eager to refresh her skiing skills.These TwoThe rest arrived the next day...Sweet Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-68485555835233099532023-09-26T14:19:00.000-05:002023-09-26T14:19:17.890-05:00July 4th celebrationMy Brother Rick and Sil Cindy bought my Mom and Dads house and have remodeled most of the interior, taking our walls, moving the fireplace, repainting, added a Peninsula, new cabinets etc.They have graciously intended to carry on the traditional (every other ) holidays, the first being the 4th of July. It was bittersweet and different, but refreshing and a happy time for us all!Mom loves all the Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-39770055204327809792023-06-18T15:17:00.001-05:002023-06-18T15:17:13.185-05:00I miss you Dad… I took a drive the other day without you dad. It would’ve been the drive to hang out together as we did so often. This Father’s Day the seat next to me was empty, but I felt your presence regardless.I made the trek down to what you called “God‘s country“ its where you grew up on the family farm and went to school in the country schools! The Amish were in the fields, you Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-66783248940073162462023-06-15T17:10:00.003-05:002023-06-15T17:10:24.895-05:00The celebration of Retirement... This week is finally "feeling like retirement", Not because I'm sitting around being lazy but because I feel busy without "work" getting in my way. That's such a great feeling. The start of it all, that's me the top middle with the "mullet"! All young and naive but ready to do what I said I would do since I was a little girls!I started talking retirement a few years ago.....Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-4209760018653638272023-06-14T17:12:00.003-05:002023-06-14T17:12:21.115-05:00A REFLECTION OF 41 YEARS AS A NURSE...41 years of impact....Recieving my diploma in December of 1981As of June 1st 2023, I have 41 1/2 years of service as an RN at Mayo Clinic.Through the years I have been impacted by many things...Patients, Doctors, Co-workers, & Technology to name a few...In the course of those 41 years, I have changed jobs at Mayo 6 timesMost of my career at St. Mary's hospital, 4 years at Methodist Hospital Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-87522045469805029512023-05-10T10:49:00.006-05:002023-05-10T10:49:44.545-05:00We begin our 2023 Cabin season...The ice went off the lake on May 3rd this year.The company that opens our cabin did so on the same day.We eagerly traveled up on Saturday May 6th to start our 2023 season!It was a long-hard-winter with a lot of heavy wet snow! Our giant pines felt it. There are also a few oak trees on both side of our cabin that left a few leaves to clean up along with the pine needles and a "bumper Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-58320882520283865622023-04-04T16:19:00.007-05:002023-04-04T16:19:49.616-05:00Anniversary Roadtrip and more...Rick and I had a little "Anniversary get-away" last week to one of our favorite destinations,"Breezy Point cabins on Lake Superior" near Two Harbors MN(The view out our cabin door)We were hoping to be where winter still resided, and we found the jackpot as Northern Minnesota still had plenty of snow, the temperatures were mild, so it was perfect for some outdoor activities.We were excited to try Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-66755627408880861262023-03-12T16:18:00.006-05:002023-03-12T16:20:09.915-05:00Transistions....After Dad passed away last October, My mom mentioned a few times that she didnt know how much longer she would be able to stay at the home she and dad had shared (and raised their family) for the last 63 yearsThe homestead (as we call it) is a large 4 bedroom rambler on 3/4 of an acre out in the country, 5 miles South of RochesterThe home I grew up inA lot of things have happened since Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-29156978577556683132022-12-28T20:18:00.003-06:002022-12-28T20:35:11.966-06:00Christmas 2022Our Christmas weekend started with church on Christmas eve, followed by the movie (Jim Carrey's) "A Christmas Carol".There was lots of loose ends to tie up before bed but all-in-all, a good day.Christmas morning was presents & cinnamon rolls with Rick, Gavin and me.Then off to my mom's for a Erickson family Christmas (30 in all)My dad's chair was empty in person this year, but filled Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-17800437423089183852022-11-27T16:58:00.000-06:002022-11-27T16:58:00.335-06:00Experiencing the Gales of November...Lyrice form Gordon Lightfoots, "The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald""The Legend lives on from the Chippewa on downof the big lake they call Glitch GumeeSuperior, they said, never gives up her deadWhen the gales of November come early"Rick and I got to experiance the "Gales of November" as we visited the North Shore a few weeks ago.We happened to to be there on November 10th, the anniversary of theJackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-24313253512848978602022-11-10T22:54:00.003-06:002022-11-10T22:54:55.301-06:00It's been a long good-bye God understands the cries of our heart, even when they're to deep for words Romans 8:26It's been a long goodbye...I started grieving the loss of you when you were still alive!Little by little, your thoughts became tangled and didnt always make sense.You forgot what direction to turn on the roads we traveled together many times.Your voice became soft and you were hard to understand.Your Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-51521884566494625152022-10-04T14:37:00.007-05:002022-10-04T14:49:25.413-05:00Closing crew to the rescueHeaven is under our feet as well as above our heads ~Henry David ThoreauThe White family trust tree farm, right off Chippewa Loop, in our backyard. The area is a Pine and mixed hardwood forest, the forest includes a meadow and lots of wildlife. So fun for our family to hike here all season, but fall is spectacular. I took this photo 3 days ago, such a beautiful sight.It is Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-26776590839364958272022-08-10T08:17:00.002-05:002022-08-10T08:18:13.967-05:00A new normal.... It’s been 16 days since dad went to memory care, his new home is at “Cottagewood”, only a few blocks from my house! He has a nice room with 2 big windows! All-in-all, things are going ok. He isn’t happy to be there but I guess in all fairness who would be! “Home” is where we all long to be! Dad is slowly getting used to his surroundings, but still struggles with directions, finding Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13122238.post-31265894035759092722022-07-09T21:20:00.007-05:002022-07-09T21:39:47.817-05:00It's been a rough week...It's been a rough week at the Hemmer's.Covid reared it's ugly head for beginners and then...My sweet dad had a couple of rough days, which lead to a more urgent search for memory care placement, We also beckoned some help from hospice, and the visiting angels. He is advancing in the decline, Dementia is a cruel disease.The last 6 months have proven to take a toll on dad, excessive Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201186319647600605noreply@blogger.com1