The VanNordstrand Family 2018 Highlights

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1. We have a Kindergartener! Reed is 5 years old and started Kindergarten in August. He tells us that his favorite parts of the day are snack, lunch. He is learning a lot in math, and his reading skills improve daily. His biggest motivation to read is to be able to play Minecraft and read Minecraft tutorials. Reed also started soccer and basketball. He loves to play defense! He inherited both of his parent's competitive sides. Yikes!

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2. We traveled the world! Our biggest trip was a 7-day Alaskan Cruise with Rod's parents, siblings, and families. It was a blast! We were taken with the vastness of the Alaskan landscape and loved looking at wildlife. We saw humpback whales, dolphins, otters, and Rod's dream of seeing part of a glacier "cav" came true. The picture on our holiday card is at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau,  Alaska. Other travels in 2018 included China (Shelby), Lithuania (Shelby), Florida (Shelby), New Orleans (Shelby), California x3 (Rod), Memphis (Reed, Rod, Shelby), Seattle and Vancouver (Reed, Rod, Shelby), and Cancun (Shelby and Rod).

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3. We spent lots of time with loved ones. My mom is a fighter and came through all of her surgeries to remove a malignant golf-ball sized tumor in her sinuses. She did lose an eye as a result of the surgery, but it has not slowed her down. She still runs her quilt shop and also travels the USA and cruises the tropics. My sister, mom, and I were thankful to take a trip together to Chicago to see Hamilton and to eat lots of pastries. 

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My Grandma Gladys passed away in December at the young age of 95. We give thanks for her good health right up to two days before she passed, her sense of humor, her knack for telling a joke or a story, her smile, and her homemade macaroni and cheese. She will be greatly missed.

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We shout our gratitude for so many good things in life, and hope 2019 brings tidings of good cheer to you. Please stop and see us if you are in the Council Bluffs/Omaha area.

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Happy New 2019 to you!

Shelby, Rod, and Reed

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