Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Love from Minnesota

Dear Lerhol Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Minnesota.

We have a lot to blog about so you may want to grab a cup of coffee, while you settle in to read this...we also have a special blogger today too.

A Christmas note from Sondre:

 

Merry Christmas or God Jul to all of the people reading this blog about me!

My experience so far has been extraordinary! I have met a lot of new people, played in sports I never thought I would ever play. Football is probably the most memorable experience that has meant most of the sports so far! I was privileged to have played on the Minnetonka Football Team, but look forward to two more sports: Nordic Skiing and Rugby!

Being in the US as an exchange student is something I would recommend to everyone! The amount of people you get to know, the different cultures, is an experience you can bring through to for the rest of your life.

Living with the Colehour's has been an 11 out of 10 experience (10 is the best), they are a very different family, but in a very good way! :) It is strange to think about that I am halfway through my stay here! I have mixed feelings when I think about it.  I think how fun it would be to see my family and friends back home, but it’s also sad that I’m leaving all my friends and family here.

Celebrating Christmas away from my home, makes me appreciate all of what I have back in Norway, but celebrating Christmas with the Colehour family, I think about how lucky I am to be a part of another wonderful family experience! I have gotten a lot of new cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews too. :) 

Plus, I get to spend time with family here in Minnesota.  I consider the Lerol/Weiss family as my close family, even if we are distant relatives on our family tree, I feel like just as close to them as I do my grandparents, aunts and Uncles in Norway.  So I am lucky to say that I have a bunch of people that I think of as my family!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Sondre

Nordic Ski season...a star is born: 

The ski season is in full swing and Sondre is really skiing well.  Considering he has never skied competitively, it makes his efforts even more impressive.  He has had a couple of meets over the last few weeks and has had special guests at all of them.  At a recent meet in Dresser Wisconsin,  some of Sondre's relatives (Mike and Marilyn Carlson) were able to make the trek to cheer Sondre on in his first Nordic ski meet.  While Scott and I have not met them in person, they sure seem to be very warm and caring people.  I was not able to “connect the dots” on how they were related to you so I asked Mike:    

A note from Mike and Marilyn Carlson: 

We were happy that we could connect with Sondre last night.  When we last visited the Lerhol’s

in 2007 Sondre was a handsome young man who ferried us across Vangsmjosa in a runabout

that Jon and he had purchased.  Now, from your blog, I see he has grown up into a tall and strong as well as handsome man! 

Marilyn and Sondre's relationship is actually a double one.  I think I have this right: Jon Lerhol's great, great great grandfather, Knut Jonsson Lerhol (1791-1865) in 1813 married Anne Helgesdotter Remme (1795-1845)  Anne was Marilyn's great, great grandfather's sister.  The Lerhol and Remme farms are only about 2 kilometers apart.  Anne and Knut's son, Jon (1819-1878) farmed the Lerhol farm from 1846-1878.  Jon married Berit Tomasdotter Remme (1825-1901).  Berit was Marilyn's great grandfather, Anders Remme's, sister.  So, if we understand this correctly, Marilyn and Sondre's relationship is a double one and Jon and Berit were first cousins.  The relationship is on the Lerhol side and not Sigrun's side.  Berit and Ander's brother, Helge, farmed the Remme farm and he had no children so the Remme farm was sold out of the Remme family to his second wife's brother in 1880. The Remme farm had been in the family from approximately 1665 to 1880.

Since we first met the Lerhols in 2002 they have been very gracious, welcoming, and warm people.  Marilyn, her siblings and their spouse, and I all feel very fortunate to have met such

wonderful relatives!!!

All for now, Mike & Marilyn


AFS Party

Last weekend Sondre attended an AFS party at the home of one of the other AFS students.  Here he is “hamming it up” with a couple of the girls.  Anna (far right) is in his AFS chapter and also attends Minnetonka High School too.  She is from Italy. 

Christmas 2011

Scott, Sondre and I have been working on getting the house ready for Christmas.  Sondre was very excited to show Torstein and Knut the house in person, so he would not let us post any pictures.  We have included pictures in this blog. 

Christmas Cookie Exchange

Last Sunday night Sondre remembered he was participating in a Christmas cookie exchange and needed 7 dozen cookies for Monday morning…yep the next morning.  J (That is when I realized that all teenagers, regardless of country, are the same!)  I am not sure if you do cookie exchanges in Norway but the idea is everyone makes a large amount of one type of cookie and then exchanges with others so that you get a nice variety of homemade cookies. 

Fortunately,Courtney had a great recipe to make toffee that is super easy and without much effort we were able to bake and package the cookies in time for Monday morning. 

Here is a picture of the final product of all of the cookies he got in the exchange…really ended up being worth the effort. 

The tray of cookies is WAY bigger than it looks here!

Toys for Tots

In the US there is a program called Toys for Tots where there is a big “drive” to gather toys for children who are far less privileged than we are.  Scott, Sondre and Alex went to Target (my favorite store) and each picked out a bunch of gifts that we could donate to the Toys for Tots program.   Such a small gesture in the grand scheme of things…but hopefully it makes a few kids have a merrier holiday season.  We have been beyond fortunate to have such a wonderful life…a great family, friends that are like family, good jobs that we love and good health. 

The Norwegians arrive in the US

Knut and Torstein arrived in the US a few days ago.  Yesterday they were able to make it to Sondre’s ski meet at Elm Creek Park Reserve to see him ski for Minnetonka High School.  He is strong like a bull and came in 2^nd overall in the JV race.  Very impressive. 

Sondre and a couple of the skiers on the girls team.

As Sondre was skiing by us the boys were cheering him on in Norwegian and I think that helped motivate him.  One of the other spectators heard the boys cheering in Norwegian and was very excited to speak in his native language with them.  Apparently, this gentleman came to the US for medical school and stayed in the US.  His son skied for Eden Prairie. 

Last night we had Knut, Torstein, Kristoffer, Hilde, Kelsey and Kyle over for dinner after Sondre’s ski meet.  We had a great time catching up with everyone and look forward to spending more time with them over the next few weeks. 

At this time of year we are thankful for so much but especially thankful for the wonderful gift the Lerhol’s have given us.  Sharing Sondre, Knut and Torstein with us for Christmas is the best gift we could ever imagine.  

One thing that would make this holiday better would be if Billy were home with us.  Christmas is his favorite holiday….He is out on deployment serving in the US Navy and we are very proud of him.  However, we  very fortunate though that Pam and Jackson are in town and will be celebrating with  us.  Below is a picture of the day 8 months ago Billy left for his deployment.  He will be home in about 4 weeks....YAY. 

We are only 3 months away from the birth of Maxwell August Dirks...Amelia will be such a great big sister. 

All of the kids are planning to sleep over on Christmas night and then we will open presents with our little family the day after Christmas. 


 Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear to you all. 

Love, Alix and Scott

Tis the season to be jolly.....

Dear Lerhol Family and Friends....

Well here I am...alone with a glass of wine and a very quite house.  Scott  and Alex are in Las Vegas for our brother-in-law and niece's very special birthday celebrations...50th and 21st respectively.  Sondre is tucked away for a good nights sleep in preparation of a full day of  Nordic skiing at Trollhagen in the morning. I think he is worn out from doing his Christmas shopping tonight.  We have to get the package in the mail soon to make sure it arrives in Vang Norway for Christmas.

The last few weeks have been action packed, as usual...an AFS fundraiser, the Reindeer Run, Christmas tree shopping and decorating and the year-end football banquet...and Nordic skiing of course.

Nordic skiing is going well...it takes a great deal of discipline and physical capability.  He has practice every day after school and on Saturday's...so between school and sports he is pretty busy. He was asked to practice with a group of the more elite skiers...so I suspect he will have a good season.  Oh yeah...his grades continue to be good too. 

Last Saturday Sondre had to work at an AFS fund-raiser.  All of the AFS students had to sell fruit to raise money for the program.  He actually was the top-seller...thanks to many of our family and friends. The kids had to work in the warehouse and pack all of the boxes and then deliver them.  While Sondre was doing that, Scott and I were participating in the annual Reindeer Run/Walk.  It is an annual holiday event where everyone dresses up in holiday gear and run/walk around Lake Harriett.  After the event we went back our good friend's house...the Paulson's for a great brunch and laughs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Claus cheering on all of the runners.

Not a bad crowd...for a pretty cold day.

After the Reindeer Run, we picked Sondre up and went to pick out our Christmas tree...we found a really great one.  Sondre can tell you just how picky we are.  We are known for our Christmas tree, so we are very selective.  The best part was that we had extra muscle to get it in the house this year.  Normally, I am the one that has to drag the tree in the house with Scott but this year I was able to "direct" Scott and Sondre and not get tree sap all over my hands...it was nice.  We put on some great Christmas music on and enjoyed the evening very much. Amelia slept over that night so it was even more special to have a curious 3 year old helping us.   "Pretty, what's that", but her best line was...Glamma that was fun". I nearly melted.

"Is it straight?"  We have to tie it up...because in past years we have had a fully-decorated tree tip over.  Now that is NOT fun...trust me.

Thank goodness they are both tall...

Then we decorated the house for Christmas...but Sondre won't let us post any pictures because he wants to surprise Torstien and Knut when they arrive in Minnesota in a few weeks.  Stay-tuned for more pictures then.  We are expecting 50 people for Christmas dinner so we are already in preparation for a big day.  Our heated garage will be full of tables, people and good cheer.

Christmas is a very emotional time of year for my family and me (Mom and sisters).  When I was in high school, my little brother Billy and his best friend  Mark were both hit by a car and both died.  It was paralyzing for our family, community and church.  He was a wonderful and beautiful 12 year boy whose life was cut tragically short. Our family survived because of the unbelievable courage of my parents and the love and support from our community of friends.  I cannot wait for you all to meet my Mom (my dad died 15 years ago). She is the most inspiring woman in the world and has been a role model for me, my sisters and our children.  She was able to work through unbearable grief because she had four daughters to raise.  Frankly, she is the rock star of our family.  She is loved by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren too.  God works in mysterious ways...because 9 years later (just 2 hours from the anniversary of my brother's death) my life changed in the the most wonderful way when my daughter Courtney was born.  Not only did I find out what unconditional love was it made a reflective time of year for our family very joyous.  She is now a wonderful mother...and in a few months a new little member of our family will be arriving.  Happy Birthday Courtney Anne.
On Sunday we had the end-of-the season football banquet....it was a very nice event.  There was a fun video of the season highlights (Sondre has a copy), great food and lots of speeches by the coaches.  When the head coach got up and did his "top-ten list" for the season, we were pleasantly surprised when he said one of his season highlights was having "a Norwegian, who had never played football as a wide-receiver".  Scott and I were really proud at that moment...we channeled our inner Jon and Sigrun so you could be proud virtually.  His wide-rreceiver coach also mentioned him...and the crazy "small-world" story about how he and Sondre are actually distant relatives.   

The video....a picture of Sondre with us

Sondre shaking the hand of his wide-receivers coach...a wonderful coach and teacher.

Getting his "letter" for completing his football season.

We are looking forward to all of the activities around the house in the next few weeks and especially excited to have Knut and Torstein experience an American Christmas with us and  also their relatives in Minnesota.  We have a ton of fun stuff planned so get ready boys.  The added bonus is that Pamela and Jackson will be here for nearly two weeks.  We will miss Billy while is out on deployment  with the Navy but he will be with us in spirit as will Synne, Jon and Sigrun.

Lots of love,

Alix and Scott Colehour

Thanksgiving, Nordic Skiing and Birthdays....

Dear Lerhol Family and Friends,

Wow...what a week!  It started with a meeting with the Nordic Ski team, coaches and parents and then Thanksgiving, a surprise 80th birthday party for my aunt Margee at our house, then family game night and birthday celebration for Alex....who is 23 years old today.

Nordic Ski Season begins:
Tuesday evening Scott, Sondre and I attended a pot luck (pot·luck  (ptlk) n.

A meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all) at the high school for the official kick-off of the season...we met the coach, other parents and several of the athletes.  From what I understand these kids are really good kids...dedicated to the sport, their fitness and their school work.  Those are the kind of kids you like your kids to associate with!

I am excited for the season to start.  Sondre has purchased his equipment and is ready for more snow so they can practice on their skis.  The school has provided Sondre with some "roller" skis that he can use for dry-land training.  He took them for a spin yesterday and said it was very hard work, but enjoyable.  Scott has again offered to be the team photographer (he was for the football team) so we look forward to sharing some beautiful pictures with you over the next few months. 

Unfortunately, Scott has to have surgery on his knee in a few weeks (second surgery on the same knee in a year.).  He was running at one of Alex's football game to capture a picture of a great play and landed on it wrong and re-injured his meniscus.  He needs to recover quickly because he is gong to Vail skiing at the end of January with all of his buddies. 

Thanksgiving Celebration: 

On Thanksgiving morning most of our family and relatives did the 5k Turkey Trot at Minnetonka High School...it was a beautiful morning and we all got some much needed exercise.  Everyone came over to our house after the race for an informal breakfast and then at 2pm we all went over to my sister Anne's house for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast and family time. 

This year was really special because my Aunt Margee, my cousin Edd and his two kids joined us.  Margee lives in Florida in the winter, Edd and Erik live in Colorado and Julia lives in San Francisco, CA.  They were in town for Thanksgiving and for a surprise 80th birthday party for Margee. 

 Pretty good crowd!

 On your mark, get-set, go!

 The finish line...26 minutes.  Well done Sondre!

 Let's talk Turkey!

 The Family

It was a very nice day so we were able to be outside and play the game cornhole bags and let the little ones run around.  (The game of Cornhole is similar in concept to Horseshoes or Lawn Darts. However, instead of pitching heavy iron horse shoes or throwing sharp pointed darts, you toss corn-filled bags into a hole.) Our family is crazy about this game and play it all the time.  I am not very good at it...but Sondre sure is.  He and Scott were the champs of the day.

 A little rough-housing with Owen (6 year old nephew)

 Sondre's first Thanksgiving (of many we hope) in the US.

 

The big kids table...and my Mom (Grandma Floss)

Surprise Party
On Friday we transformed our garage into a Cantina for a Mexican fiesta themed surprise party.  We gathered about 45 people in the garage and when Margee got to our house we just pulled up the garage door and sang her happy birthday.  She was really surprised and laughed and cried.  My niece did a wonderful video of her life that was really heartwarming. 

I think Sondre had a good time and is starting to figure out just how big and close (and crazy) our family is.

 The birthday girl

 The birthday girls singing karaoke...she was hilarious!

 Now...time to get after the pinata!  .

My niece Meghan and her Dad Ross...the one with the large chile pepper on his head.  :)

 The girls....Angela, Shannon and Amelia.

My favorite 3 year old girl!

Courtney Anne Dirks...22 weeks pregnant!

 Alex, Sam and Sondre "hamming" it up for the camera. 

 More fun...this time with the girl cousins!

 This picture does not even need a caption! 

It was nice enough to sit at the bonfire...without jackets on.  Sondre loves Norman (the dog) 

Alex's Birthday:
Last night we decided to take it easy and just stay home, have a good dinner and play some fun games.  Courtney, Ryan and Amelia slept over too.  In this family we play a lot of games and Sondre fit right in...he was very good at a game that is similar to Charades.  He has no challenges at all with understanding the themes he had to act out.  I really am amazed just how fluent he is...he just gets it.  Sondre made Alex breakfast this morning since it is his birthday!

Here he is acting out the theme "hiding places".  Yes that is a bannana...you could use props that are around the house to try to get your team to get the right answers.
It was very funny! 

Today...is going to be a low key day.  Probably will watch the Vikings game and not do much of anything else.  Scott makes the worlds best Turkey soup so we have a great dinner planned for later today. 

Looks like you guys got some great snow...please send it our way!  Sondre is going to write the next blog...so next week you will hear from him.  :)

Best,

Alix and Scott