Sheri's family photos - AWESOME!!!

Those photos Sheri took were priceless! Actually the moments were as priceless as it gets - family having a ball, whether it's playing in the mud or riding the 4-wheelers or just plain sitting around chatting and catching up. What a great weekend! Thank you for sharing the pics, Sheri. I am biased toward the mud pics - those girls had such a great time playing in and creating more mud! By next year I will have a camera and know how to use it - too many once-in-a-lifetime moments go by in a heartbeat; and to be able to capture them is a work of art.
This year's reunion has gone past, but not the memories or the moments. Next year will be here before we know it. Here's hoping for more great moments in time at another phenomenal Kjentvet/Fosse family reunion!!

Pictures....

Here are my families highlights from the reunion.


My main goal this weekend was to get a family picture done. We had all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids in one place with GG (Great-Grandma) and I couldn't let everyone get away without getting the picture done. Sunday morning after breakfast we all got into place and took about 10 pictures...here are the 2 best. I think I like the 2nd one better :).

Jack had a blast with Isaiah & Josh on the 4-wheelers. He would now like to either buy some land and his own 4-wheeler or just live with Nana. He was happy just protecting the house with his "new" BB gun from Isaiah.

Grace and her "Mud Bud" Sierra were inseparable the whole weekend. They begged us to let them play in the dirt...Grace LOVES dirt. Of course we let them play in the dirt.....then, they asked Nana for some water so they could make mud. Of course Nana got them water for mud. They played in the mud for at least 2 hours and then the sun went down and they started freezing! I don't know if Nana's bathtub will EVER come clean.

Then on Sunday, we got the slip n slide out for the girls when the boys all went into the woods to do guy stuff like make more trails and cut down trees. Again, Grace and Sierra were all giggles. They found it very funny to squirt people with the water gun and slide down the hill into the water.

Kate found her new favorite place...on the swing with Nana. She fell asleep there for all her naps and at night. We are still trying to get her used to be home where we don't have a nice porch swing....it hasn't been easy!

Jared had fun playing working with Jeff and blazing trails. Jared is like a kid in a candy store when he gets up to Nana's. He can't wait for deer hunting to start.

We all had a fantastic time and ate way too much food. Thank you to Nana, Joan and Kristi for putting this together. Thank you to Sarah and Jeff for graciously letting us use your 4-wheelers and gas. Thank you to everyone who came and shared pictures and stories...Grandma (GG) will remember that day for a long time (hopefully ;)).

A Weekend to Live For

Many many thanks for all who came to the reunion! It was such fun seeing you all,catching up on lives, and simply being together for a joyful occasion! And what glorious weather and scenery - how fortunate can we be? Both Vi Kjentvet and Joyce Graff brought fantastic photos, only a few of which we had time to scan. Kari Katz brought a wonderful memory in photos of her and Mary Beth - who can forget the inseperables? Whenever they could, they got together for loads of fun! I think we all had fun at the Christenson's and Kjentvets! John and two sons were here; and it was so good to see them! The boys are as blond as ever, and full of fun and energy. John always has a great story to share - thank you! It was great to see Joyce Graff, two of her daughters - Ruth and Marie - and Ruth's grandson Caleb! Joyce's photos were phenomenal, and the memories they all had to share are priceless! Thanks so very much! Ragnhild Heath, her husband Red, and daughter Deb all came; and what a great visit Mom, Vi and they all had! All of Jean's family came, as well as Joan's and mine. What a lively crew! Everyone pitched in to pull things together; and this first reunion in at least 18 years was a success. We plan to keep in touch with everyone and to share photos as soon as they're downloaded and printed.

Continuing the Threads

Wish I was as funny as Rodger or Buck, or as witty as my sisters. However, that did not happen. Nor did I have that lovely singing voice, even though I can sing. So whatever I write will not be hilariously fall-off-your-seat funny or liltingly melodious!
To pick up from last writing, as we grew up and older, with families of our own, none stayed in real contact. We saw eachother occasionally at a wedding, but more frequently at a funeral. I think that is a big part of why we (Jean, Joan, and I) began this effort to have a reunion. We may not have reached everyone; but we hope that by a lot of us coming together, we may have enough contacts between us all to reach the entire family. And our children and grandchildren all should learn and know just what a good time we can have as a large and caring family. We were all so fortunate in that it was important to our parents that we know and love all of our family, including any great aunts and uncles! We had an idyllic time at Grandma Fosse's/ Uncl Mel's farm and Uncle Ted's store! Many of us can remember hiking up to Name Rock to carve our names or initials into the rock, and to try and see to La Crosse on a clear day! A few of us can remember Uncle Mel growing cucumbers for pickles in the field behind the old barn; and also picking berries back there at the edge of the woods! A visit with Uncle Ted and Aunt Borghild at the country store meant loads of treats (that didn't really thrill our parents!) and a bottle or two of soda. And Uncle Ted and Uncle Mel reading in Norwegian from some book. Aunt Borghild always had a lunch ready for anyone who came by! What amazing things we saw, heard, experienced!
Does anyone remember the get-together (maybe reunion) we had at St. Croix Falls Park? Hiking around the river, just having fun? The last reunion I recall was held in Madison about 20 years ago, or so it seems. It was at a Quality Inn I think, near the now Alliant Center. We all had a great time there, also; and had an opportunity to catch up with everyone. The kids swam inn the pool and just had a ball!
So here's a huge Thank You to all our family! How fortunate and blessed we all are to even get to know one another! Perhaps this will be a link for our children and grandchildren- a thread for them to connect with one another and enjoy.
So ends another chapter, for now! Have a Happy Day!

Family - History - Memories

Jean and Joan are working hard over at Jean's place this weekend. I work all weekend at the veterans' home in King. Wish I could be over at Jean's instead! Oh, well. Next weekend is coming up fast. This has been quite an adventure. We all have different ideas, and all have a time making decisions. Perhaps getting through tis reunion will make the next one smoother.
We all have many great memories, for most of us beginning at Grandma and Grandpa Kjentvet's in Eleva. Grandma had the most beautiful garden in the back, and had flowers planted around a huge old tree on the side of the house. And who could forget Rex, who was not just a dog but a "pony" for those of us little enough to ride him?! That wonderful huge dog had the greatest patience for all of us! I thinkk the first thing any of us did when we got to Grandma's and Grandpa's was to beg for a sugar lump to dunk in the coffee. If we were lucky we managed to get two or three! Then there was the old upright piano. "Thunder" was banging on the low keys and "lightening" was banging on the high keys! Grandma had a swivel chair whichh we all had to take turns on. Does anyone remember the great turtle that crawled up to the driveway fairly often?
In beginning to trace genealogy, I was fortunate to actually go back as far as Enngrav Farm to 1430. The Kjentvets came from Tinn, Telemarken, Norway; and it has been a tough road to trace the Fosse's on the free sites. If anyone has any information, please bring whatever you have.

One week and counting....

That is,, if I can still count! My son, Landon, will be flying in from New Mexico in Wednesday the 19th. I haven't seen him since April 12th. He moved out there to help his grandparents on his dad's side, and he has done very well. They say he is quite a good help; and it sounds as though indeed he has really stepped up to the plate. Adam is still working in landscaping for the same company he has worked for for 4 or 5 years. Time really flies! Sierra is now 4 years old, and Anthony is 7 + months old! They are truly amazing! They bothh have now been to Lambeau Field and are now officially Packer Backers!! Their mom might not be thrilled - she likes the Dallas Cowboys, poor thing!
If anyone out there knows how to get hold of Lucille Bjerke, please let us know. I tried all three numbers listed to her, and no luck. Am also trying to reach Alice Baker. Both are relatives, and it would be great if they can come to the reunion also. With Lucille, I even used the internet to no avail.
Hope all are having a beautiful weekend! It has been a hot and humid day today. See y'all soon!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to our family blog. I'm hoping one of the invited authors will take on the task of prettying this site up. I usually don't want to work at the computer too much after a full day of it, so haven't even tried to personalize the site.

Here's a blast from the past picture I like to call the Christmas List. This would be 1956 in La Crosse. Left to right is Kristi - 2, David - 8, Jean - 5, Joan (me) - 1.

Please pass the link on to whatever family you have in your electronic address book. Would love to see a lot of posts going on here

See y'all in a just a couple weeks!

Today's goals!

Today's goals are to contact the people that Joyce Graff has given me. They are older, but we would be thrilled to meet them! Of course, we are getting older, too! No surprise there! Also, more letters need to be printed and mailed; so that needs to be accomplished. So much yet to do! We have relatives on the west coast? Did anyone else know that? I found it out ion family search.org. But Joyce confirmed this. Thank you, Joyce!
Peerhaps this should have also been titled " Thoughts for the Day" as well. This is just a thought or perhaps a recognition of something (reaffirmation?): Joan and I have been trying to work things out differently, yet we make the same or similar mistakes. Therefore, it is time to seriously commit! Given this economy and even the past, it is time to change how we do things, live, spend, etc. I like the quote, "live below your means". It is truly what we need to do. And it is certainly not impossible! It is, what I believe, this whole country needs to do! We need to also carry this over into government and management. We still need to be able to give to help others in dire need, in our own country and in others. In these hard economic times, I have seen this happen - someone picks up the tab at a restaurant for a complete stranger (I was working there part time and saw this more than once!). Someone helps someone else get enough gas in their car, someone helps another find a job and apartment. It is truly amazing and encouraging to see these things happen and to be a part of this. It is what we are supposed to be about - random acts of kindness, acts of paying it forward. Senseless acts of beauty are really not senseless at all. they are meant to be. These are my thoughts today. And they are also continuous goals. Thanks for listening.

Things are picking up-yahoo!

So far, Amy and Jeff Segerstrom, John and Lisa Kjentvet and their kids, Mary and Fred Crosby, and maybe Lisa (Kjentvet) Anderson are coming! Mark and Andreen and their kids are a strong possibility, along with Vi. Joyce Graff is hoping to get there, and she has also given out more relations to contact. Lisa, we hope you can make it.
Tonight is the Relay for Life at Wild Rose - for all of Waushara County. While Joan and I missed the boat on getting on teams, we did get over and donate and put up luminaries. Then we walked around the track just to say hello to whomever we knew. What a beautiful night for it! Although the nights are a bit cool, and tomorrow may be rainy, we have all been affected and touched by various cancers; so it is with remembrance that I wish you all a good night and a beautiful weekend.

I'll throw ya a bone!

Ok, I will take a few minutes out of my busy night to write a little something.

First, I take ok pictures...if anyone would like to donate any money so I can get a great Digital SLR camera I would take some rockin' pics at the reunion! I usually have to take a zillion pictures of the same event to get one good one :). Second, I call a bedroom for the reunion weekend. As much fun as it would be to sleep in the tree stand, I will let someone else (that can pee over the side if they need to) have at it!

Have we gotten any people saying they will be coming or is it just going to be us at Nana's? I am hoping to see everyone there and any new additions ;). There is lots of land and lots to catch up on. Here is the link to my families blog if anyone would like to "visit" us there: www.holthefamily5.blogspot.com.

I am a little afraid to do too much digging into our family lineage because Jared's family is 100% Norweigian...what if we are related? I just can't handle that...it would explain a lot, but I don't want to know (hehehe).

I will try to let any family on facebook know about our blog and see if we can get some traffic here.
Have a great night and start posting any RSVP's so it can make the rest that are just visiting the blog feel guilty for not coming to the reunion on all reunions ;).

Sisters

This blog idea came from my sisters and oldest niece. The funny thing about that is that none of them have begun to write! Now, I know how busy our lives are at this time. But, REALLY!!!
I hope SOMEONE else writes SOON! It is boring reading only my stuff, yet. Well, maybe not entirely boring; but we all have thoughts, concepts, and ideas which do truly matter in the scheme of things. Today we received a note from Ragnhild Heath, one of Mom's cousins up in Eau Claire. Because it is addressed to Joan,I am waiting for her to return from work to see what she has written. What has been fun in this process is finding names of relatives we really didn't know, from relatives we seldom get to see. That really needs to change.
My oldest niece, Sheri (oleson) Holthe, is the pro on blogging. She has a family blog, is all over facebook, and has great pics of her family! She also does great photography! Maybe we should have her do photos the weekend of the reunion. We can always use the computer to print copies, as well as drive in to WalMart or Walgreen's. We could start a photo family tree! Do you know that some of the Kjentvet line can be traced to 1430? It took some work, but that much was done through the familysearch.com site. Free. Imagine if we could look even more by paying a little? Or by traveling to Norway! A reunion trip to Norway really is a big dream. But what a great thought!

The reunion looms near!!!

I truly hope many can make it this year, to the reunion. There is much yet to do; but it's a weekend of fun, conversation, memories, and looking to the future. Hopefully more family will find this blogspot and contribute their thoughts, ideas, and plans. We have a good history, and we will have a great future!

Are there any Kjentvets and Fosses out there???

This is my first attempt at writing a blog - hmmm. If anyone is reading this, have fun! It has been a fun and challenging time trying to get a reunion together. Now that it is nearly here, all I can think of is, "Oh my God! How much is left to be done - UFFDA!". But all three of us have been working on this,albeit slowly. So we procrastinate. Doesn't everyone? Truthfully, life is much too short to miss the people who mean the most to us, friends and family. So this reunion, although many years late, is much anticipated. All of us have seen many changes within our families. Finally we have an opportunity to meet again and have a ball!