What
happened to Janet and Family??
The last year and a half have been a rollercoaster ride that
is for sure! I apologize to those of you
that have heard the story for repeating it.
Here goes: On March 8, 2014 I
sold the Hutchinson house and moved into a rental in Garrison MN (move
#1). I had lots of help from family and
friends which I greatly appreciated.
Shortly after I moved in the house I was renting, sold. I had to remove the cats immediately (move #2
for the cats). I moved my belongings to
Milaca and myself into a 27 ft camping trailer that my brother Tim graciously
let me borrow (move #2 for the belongings and me, move #3 for the cats). The camper was parked on my parent’s west
lawn. I moved into the camper at the end
of April. It was cold! The camper didn’t have a heater, so I got a
space heater (which honestly didn’t heat the camper very well).
At the beginning of May I signed papers to buy 5.87 acres of
land and build a new house right outside the town of Pease, MN. I also went on a road trip to Texas in
May. Jenni took a new job at the Frank
Buck Zoo in Gainesville, TX. I drove
some of her belongings down to her. It was
a long (15.5 hours one way) drive but my friend Janet D went with me. We had a good time despite the soreness we
developed from sitting so long.
In June I was let go from my Personal assistant job in
Milaca. I was very glad not to have many
bills at that time. I spent June and
July looking for a job and helping Mom and Dad with their garden and mowing
lawn. I am very grateful for the extra
time that I got to spend with my parents.
I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friend support during
this very stressful time for me. July 7
the backhoe arrived to dig the hole for my basement. My house was finally started! I was so excited to see something
happening. The crew that I was working
with was unbelievably nice. They let me
get in the way and “help” with the work. I laid some block on the foundation
and even put up one of the walls in the kitchen. I can’t say enough good things about
them. If you ever need a contractor Mark
Baas is WONDERFUL! The guys listened to
my concerns and suggested alternatives if my idea wasn’t feasible.
In August I moved my belongings into a storage unit in Pease
(move #3 for my belongings) I want to thank my loyal movers again. I don’t know where I would be without
you. I promise I will not move for a
very long time. I was hired at Lakes and
Pines at the end of August.
Unfortunately I started my new job at the same time that my house was
ready for painting, staining, varnishing and laying the floors.
September was unbelievably busy with working on the house and
learning a new job. The kitchen
porcelain floor and the bathroom Lake Superior rock floors were laid on Labor
Day weekend. Mom and Dad helped me so
much with the painting, staining and varnishing. Dan had shoulder surgery in mid
September. Dan and I switched cars for a
month because he couldn’t drive stick with his bandaged shoulder. I had issues with the gas company and ended
up having to install propane for 3 months.
The house had to be heated to install the wood floor and by that time it
was the middle of October and starting to get cold again. I am so glad we had such a mild October. On Oct 25 I moved into my new house (Move
#4). Can I say again how grateful I am
for the help of family and friends?
On February 19, 2015 ElliAnna Rachel Marie Swanson was
born. I was privileged to be asked to
take care of Evie during the time that Jason and Michelle were in the
hospital. Michelle had an emergency
c-section and Jason needed to help her. Jenni
also arrived in Minnesota February 19.
It was so nice to actually see all three of my kids in the same room
even for a short time.
I still have things to do in the house, pictures aren’t up in
all of the rooms, the entryway penny floor is unfinished, the yard is a work in
progress, and the list goes on. The cats
are settling in, they still don’t like to be picked up because they are afraid
they are going to be moved again. I love
my new open kitchen and all of the windows.
I have a garden plowed and am looking forward to planting it. I have trees to plant and flower beds to
create; I want to get bees and chickens.
There are a lot of plans that are going to take time.
I am pleased to be able to go to events for Cedric now that I
am closer. I helped with one of his Cub
Scout badges and was able to be there for his bridge ceremony from Cub Scout to
Boy Scout. He will be 11 in August. Where does the time go? Evie is almost two and starting potty
training. She is so adorable, big blue
eyes and brown hair. It will be exciting
to see Ellie pass milestones. Three
beautiful grandchildren and three wonderful children; I am truly blessed!!
