ND Revisited

Here's Heather to report on Jillian's big trip to North Dakota:

I must say that Jillian is an excellent little traveler. I hope this pattern continues. She did very well riding in my lap on the flights and her ears never bothered her. She was very social with all the people we met on the plane. It was very fortunate on our flight out that the middle seat became open between myself and the lady sitting on the aisle. She was happy to let Jillian stretch out on the middle seat most of the flight. Jillian was quite pleased about this too! Jillian's favorite toy on the plane ride was the tri-fold plane safety card. This provided Jillian with many moments of entertainment. Her second favorite item was the plastic cup they served my soda in.

We arrived in Grand Forks at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. My cousin Rodney's wife (Carol) picked us up from the airport. It is never very hard to be found in the Grand Forks airport, since there are only two gates. We had a quick bite to eat at the house with the kids and then Rodney, Jillian, and I were off to Rugby to meet up with Dad and Meagan. We arrived in Rugby around 9 p.m. and visited with the bride (my cousin Nadia) and her soon to be in-laws, at my cousin Debora's house. Are you happy Deb, I didn't call you Debbie for once! Debbie (sorry old habits die hard) is my first cousin. Her mother Carol was my Dad's older sister. However, my Dad and Debbie are pretty close in age, Dad being the eldest. These are the complicated kind of things that happen when your Dad is the youngest of ten children!

When it was time to go, Jillian and I loaded up with Dad, Meagan and my Aunt Elvina and headed to Fillmore. At this point Jillian had enough of traveling and threw a little fit when we strapped her down in the car seat for one more ride. However, Aunt Elvina and I eventually got her calmed down and she went to sleep. Fillmore is where my Grandma Myrtle's house is. After she passed away my Uncle Dave took ownership of it and still keeps it up. It was nice to be there with Jillian. I know it probably made my grandma very happy!

Jillian slept until 10:30 a.m. the next morning (Thurs.). I think she was worn out from all the traveling. Meagan made us a very nice breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

It is very quiet in Fillmore. In fact we were Fillmore's only residence, aside from one other neighbor. Fillmore was a thriving farm town back in the day, but it is pretty much a ghost town now. It is very quiet and peaceful, so I can understand why Jillian had no problem sleeping in. We spent the day relaxing and visiting with my Aunt Elvina. Later that evening she made us a nice hot dish and my Uncle Red drove in from the family farm to join us. My Grandparents John and Myrtle were farmers. My uncle Red still lives in the original family home. The farm land is owned by my Dad, his twin sister Karen, and my Uncle Dave. They cash rent the land to a local farmer. It's a nice little extra income for each of them. Later that evening my Aunt Karen and cousin Sara arrived. Of course this means a very late evening of conversation whenever you get my Dad and his twin together.

Friday morning was pretty relaxing too! Dad, Meagan, Jillian, and I went for a drive to the family farm in Knox. Knox is about a twenty minute drive from Fillmore. We enjoyed a beautiful day and all the crops looked great! Dad was amazed at how the land had changed since he was young. He said there were certain farms you could not see when he was young. He said it was due to the land erroding with the past flooding and years of farming. It is quite remarkable to me how much things on the farm have changed since I was young. After our visit to the farm, we drove to the Knox cemetary. This is were we buried my Mom's ashes when we traveled to North Dakota last summer for the Peterson family reunion. My grandparents, great grandparents, great uncle, Uncle John, and one cousin who died shortly after birth are buried also. The area is very well maintained and the view is quite beautiful. I wish Mom could have met her blue-eyed granddaughter in person, but I know she is watching over her. Everyone always comments on how much I look like my Dad, but I got my eyes from my Mom, and now Jillian has them, too!

On Friday evening we drove into Rugby for a pig roast after the wedding rehearsal. Now, if there is one thing that they know how make well in North Dakota it is meat. Not to mention all the home-baked bread and goodies you can eat, and don't forget the COFFEE! The dinner was very nice. It was hosted at the local golf course club house. Shortly after we arrived we were joined by my brother Richard who drove up from Arizona. Everyone enjoyed themselves and many family members were excited to meet Jillian for the first time.

Saturday was the big day! The Fillmore house guest list grew over night when my Uncle Alan(Karen's husband) and their son Steven joined us. Meagan, Dad, and I needed to drive to town for some errands, so Jillian stayed behind and had some one-on-one time with her great aunts and cousin Sara.

We headed to the wedding in Orin at 3:30 p.m. The church in Orin is where Nadia's grandparents were married some sixty years ago when it first opened. So they will always share that history together. It was a beautiful wedding on a wonderful summer day. Not too hot, not too humid! The reception was held back in Rugby at the local dance hall. Dad remembered attending many a wedding dance there growing up and crashing a few parties in his teen years. A delicious buffet of beef roast and ham was served and live band played well into the evening. Jillian napped through most of the dinner and early dancing, but she woke up revived and ready to dance and socialize. It was so warm in the hall I ended up stripping her down to her diaper until she cooled off a little. Jillian danced with me and with Meagan and didn't seem to mind the volume of the music. The newlyweds were heading off to Michigan on a scenic tour for their honeymoon. We wish them all the best!

On Sunday morning is was time to drive back to Grand Forks (approx. 2 hr. drive). This time Jillian and I had to drive ourselves because we needed to leave by 10 a.m. After we said our goodbyes, Dad, Aunt Karen and Meagan showed us the way to the highway. For those of you wondering why, it's all gravel roads once you leave the highway for Fillmore, and there are no signs. Jillian and I made it safely to Grand Forks, and our flight home was uneventful (other than the binky-throwing episode). And Rick was sooooo happy to see us arrive home!

Thank you to all our family and friends in North Dakota for making our stay so enjoyable. It's good to know we are always welcome. See you next time!