Year in Review 2021

Reflecting on the past year, one cannot forget about all the lives that were lost prematurely due to COVID-19. While our family lost a wonderful, loving, caring father, Lawrence Rocheford, in 2020, we fortunately did not suffer any additional losses this year. We planted a tree at the cabin in memory of Studly Uncle Larry. Many of us in healthcare continue to experience first hand the devastation this virus has on families and our communities. 

This time last year it seemed there was a light at the end of the dark tunnel. I received my first COVID-19 vaccine. We had hope for 2021. Both the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines got the green light from the FDA for emergency use approval followed by Johnson&Johnson. All of our grandparents received doses shortly after the high risk groups were selected. Seth waited until it was his turn to get it in the spring. After much research, the FDA finally approved vaccines for kids age 5-11 years. Theo and Marit received their 2nd doses in December 2021 with no adverse effects. For the first time in nearly two years, it finally feels like we can venture out a bit more. But now there's omicron. Soon to be the dominant strain in Europe, overcoming Delta very quickly. It will no doubt rapidly spread across the U.S. in 2022. Our healthcare systems are near their breaking point and many healthcare workers have left or taken other jobs leaving gaping holes to fill without adequately trained people available to fill them. We still have a long way to go until we get back to pre-pandemic indoor activities, routine travel, and not wearing masks. 

If 2020 was the year of the lock down, 2021 was the year of quality family time. We hope 2022, the year of the Tiger (in Chinese zodiac), is a year of positive changes. We hope that your holiday season and new year is filled with hope, health, and happiness. 

2021 Recap

Winter (January, February, March) - 

We celebrated Christmas 2020 over New Year weekend at the Pastorius Family Balsam Lake cabin. Due to rising COVID-19 rates, we quarantined for nearly a week after Christmas at home and crossed our fingers that everyone was not sick. Rapid testing was not widely available. PCR tests were still largely for those who were symptomatic and took up to 5 days to get back. The kids enjoyed opening presents, skating on the lake and sledding (or is it sliding?) down the hill.

Schools were shut down so the kids were home schooled by Seth for all of December and most of January. Full time school resumed at the end of January. They had to wear masks all day. Each class had specific zones on the playground to minimize mixing. Assigned seats in the lunch room and on the bus were also the norm. Fortunately, neither kid contracted COVID-19 despite high community transmission. 

Theo was on the Spirit Mountain Team Duluth alpine ski racing team and spent three days a week skiing. Marit regained her confidence on the greens after having broken her leg last season. We traveled around as Theo had ski races at Mont Du Lac, Giants Ridge and Spirit every Sunday. 

February 19th was our 10th wedding anniversary. Seth and I escaped for a long weekend to the Gunflint Lodge up north of Grand Marais, MN, while Grandma JoJo and Papa Pastorius watched the kids. We went dog sledding for the first time and snowmobiling. It was the least comfortable and loudest activity I have ever done outside. I decided that I prefer the natural sounds you hear when you snowshoe or go cross country skiing. The chef prepared a special 7 course anniversary meal for us. It was our first date in a restaurant, indoors, in over 10 months! 

For spring break, we stayed at a ski-in, ski-out condo at Lutsen Mountain on the North Shore. Grandma and Grandpa Pastorius came along, too. Besides riding in the gondola, the kids favorite part was playing in the hotel pool. While Lutsen is not as big as the mountains out west, the snow gods blessed us with over eight inches of fresh powder, which made for arguably the best skiing I have ever had in Minnesota. 

Spring (April, May, June) -

Theo started playing traveling soccer this spring for Gitchi Gummi Soccer club. He was on a U9 tournament team and is a natural defender. 

We celebrated our little cousin Lucy's first birthday at the cabin. She was born in March 2020 during the pandemic. Fortunately, she would hardly know it since she is lucky to have two big sisters and four grandparents in her bubble. 

We were excited to see grandparents, Bob and Kim Benziger, after nearly 16 months apart. Shortly after they received the second vaccine dose, they drove up north. We planned a trip down memory lane with a day trip to Lake Gogebic State Park, an old campground that Grandma Benziger visited as a girl on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was a snowy April day but we warmed up with tasty meat pasties (made for the mine workers) for lunch. We hiked to a couple cascading waterfalls. Later that week, we went bird watching in the Sax-Zim bog and visited the world's tallest hockey stick in Eveleth, MN. 

We celebrated cousin Evie's 6th birthday followed by Easter outside at the new Weber house in Shoreview. The Easter bunny even made an appearance for the egg hunt! 

Our Skagit Valley tulips that we planted last fall in the garden were a beautiful daily reminder to appreciate the little things in life. The neighborhood deer even thought they were so lovely they left them alone (and the deer spray helped)!

For Mother's day, we rented a private trolley car and surprised the mothers: my mom, JoAnn, and aunt Michele. We took a four-hour tour starting at the Grand Ol' Creamery ice cream shop on Grand Ave. in St. Paul. The dad's picked up the kids while the adults took a tour down memory lane. JoAnn and Michele recalled which bedroom window was the girls room and which was the boys room. They told stories of breaking a neighbors window and the walk to school. We all laughed and cried together remembering Jim and Jane, Jim Jr., Rita and Larry.

In May, we joined my Macalester college friends and their families for a group campout at St. Croix State Park. Our shaded, quiet hike-in site was quickly deemed "Tickville" as Theo captured no less than 40 ticks in < 48 hours. Fortunately no one got Lyme's disease!

The kids enjoyed biking the mile to and from school as the weather warmed up. 

They enjoy Cub Scouts and seeing their friends outside. Theo was a Wolf Scout and Marit was Lion Scout. I am the den leader for Marit's grade. COVID made it difficult to host indoor meetings or events but we followed the scout motto and tried to "DO YOUR BEST!"  The pinewood derby car racing, which had been postponed from 2020, finally got the green light. We ended the year with the outdoor rank up ceremony at Camp Horace Johnson on Island Lake. Theo's favorite part was archery and learning how to shoot a BB gun.

I successfully trained all winter and ran my fourth Gary Bjorkland Grandma's Half marathon virtually. Not quite a personal record (PR) but it was close. Unfortunately, after the race, I had shin splints that took nearly two months to heal.

We assembled the new roof rack, packed up the car and drove out west across the prairies of Minnesota and South Dakota finally stopping at Custer State Park. Highlights included beautiful Sunday hike, the monuments Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, and seeing the bison, pronghorn antelope, and prairie dogs. We continued on to Wind Cave National Park, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Rocky Mountain National Park where we saw moose, marmots, pika, elk, deer and big horn sheep. See blog for details. 

Summer (July, August) -

COVID rates finally plummeted in early summer. It seemed like most adults had received the vaccines. The mask mandates were removed. Things were looking bright. Then, two weeks later, the Delta virus came roaring back. The pandemic was not over. We immediately went back to wearing masks indoors in the hospitals at all times, continuing to social distance and pushing for vaccines for younger kids, too. 

We went "Up North" for the annual 4th of July celebration. "Up North" to the cabin is a bit of a misnomer. "Up North" is actually a feeling about a place where there are lakes and pine trees, the air quality is good, there is peace and quiet and you can listen to the loons call and watch the sunset. "Up North" to us is both "East" to the North Shore of Lake Superior and "South" to the cabin. There is so much to do at the cabin in the summer - swimming, water trampoline, maui mat, floaties, paddle board, sailing. pontoon rides, tubing, water skiing, knee boarding, canoeing, fishing, yard games, biking, playing on the swing set, watching movies, campfires, s'mores, sparklers, fireworks and star gazing. It's really a magical place to be!

The kids spent a lot of time outside: playing with the neighbors, play rec soccer, and disc golf with Seth at UMD. Theo played the advanced disc golf 27-hole course at Blue Ribbon Pines. His favorite memory is beating Dad on a hole! We went camping at Split Rock State Park two weekends in a row.  Theo and I even backpacked over 2 miles and camped overnight on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT). Theo celebrated his 7th birthday at the Zero Hour Escape room with a few of his closest friends. He got a new Specialized Rock Hopper adult XS mountain bike for his birthday and enjoyed mountain biking camp at Spirit Mountain. 

While all races were canceled in 2020, I did my first in-person race in July: timberman triathlon. Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, MN was a lovely location to spend a long weekend and I finished 2nd in my age group! Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed a round of golf and some much needed R&R. In august, the kids participated in the Root Beer Kids Triathlon at Island Lake and they both won their age group. 

A triathlon training group I joined did weekly open water swims in Lake Superior. It was incredible to swim off Park Point to the big Aerial Lift Bridge and see down to the bottom of the largest of the Great Lakes. Twice, I even woke up at 4:30 to go for a sunrise paddle board tour, too. I only fell in a few times (thank goodness for lifejackets).

My good friend Annie came to visit us from Portland to go canoeing and camping on Duncan Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Unfortunately, there were three devastating forest fires and rescue teams were exhausted so they closed the BWCA the day before our trip. We camped at Cascade River State Park instead but when we woke up and our tent was covered in ash, we decided to pack up and drive south to Wisconsin and spend time at the cabin. 

Theo tried out preseason at the Duluth YMCA swim team. He learned how to do flip turns and dives off the blocks. He wasn't excited about having to compete on the swim team so he quit before the official season started.

Fall (September, October, November) -

COVID rates continued to climb. Vaccinate mandates were implemented in health care and the federal government. Many states, like California and Washington, require proof of vaccination to dine in a restaurant or attend a performance. New data came out this fall that the immunity from the vaccines waned after 120 days so booster shots were recommended to all older adults and those in high risk professions to ensure adequate protection against the Delta variant. Eventually, it was recommended that everyone get boosters given how overwhelmed the health systems have gotten with over 1 in 4 patients admitting having COVID and of those with COVID, majority (>80%) were not vaccinated at all. 

We actually had a back to school night (A-M went earlier, N-Z went later). The first day of Congdon Park school actually started in person (YAY!) Unfortunately, many kids fell behind from last year. Teachers are not only having to play catch up but kids are constantly getting sick or missing school due to quarantine. Theo is doing exceptionally well in math and goes to a 4th grade math class. His reading has improved and he loves Bad Guys, Who Is/What was series, and Bad Kitty. He is not too keen on writing. He also meets with the school speech specialist four days a week to help with his R, L, Z and Th sounds. Marit struggled to make much progress in reading from last year and is getting extra help. She loves art, writing and doing math. Her reading has significantly improved since the beginning of the year now that they are back in person. She doesn't argue with her teacher like she did with teacher Daddy everyday last year. It's a stressful time to be a parent and a teacher. 

Seth hosted his friends for the 4th annual Folf-A-Pallooza at our home in Duluth. They played > 72 holes of disc golf over 2 days while Theo, Marit and I escaped to Ely, MN to the Grand Ely Lodge. We went to the North American Bear Museum and learned all about the friendly black bears (we even had one visit our bird feeder on our deck!). We also learned about the importance of wolves at the International Wolf Center. Besides the giant indoor swimming pool, Marit's favorite part was going underground and touring the Lake Vermillion-Soudan Iron Ore Mine. We secured our safety helmets and rode down 1/2 mile below the surface. We climbed on a small train and traveled deep into the dark Iron Ore mine. Closed in 1962, the mine was donated from U.S. Steel Company to the state for education and conservation. After resurfacing, the kids learned they have a fear of heights while climbing up the old Soudan fire lookout tower.

Theo is now a Bear Scout and Marit is a Tiger Scout and Katie is the Den leader. Marit and her friends, Isla and Adrienne, are learning plies in pre-ballet 3 with the Minnesota Ballet. We went to the Sleepy Hollow performance and Nutcracker. She can't wait to audition for a part in the shows next year! 

For Halloween, Marit was a witch and Theo was the grim reaper. They were happy go trick or treating with friends this year after a limited, social distanced, trick-or-treating last year. 

I took a week long running trip with my Duluth running friends to Las Vegas, Zion and Bryce Canyon in Utah. We ran 67 miles over five days on single track mountain biking and rim hiking trails with panoramic views of red rock and hoodoos in the area national forests. The scenery was spectacular and it was fun to do yoga and spend time with friends every night. 

We went opening night of the musical, Annie, at NorShor Theater. It was put on by the Duluth Playhouse, a local theater group. It was our first in-person event and it was spectacular: a live orchestra, diverse cast, and incredible singing! There's a feeling you get with theater that you can't get watching virtually on a computer or T.V. screen. The power of music is incredible. Marit can't stop singing, "The sun will come out, tomorrow..." Yes, we can all hope that tomorrow things will look better.

Winter, again (December) - 

Delta variant continues to ravage the hospitals across the region with critical staffing levels due to sickness and staff attrition. New variants, like the Omicron, are spreading rapidly from South Africa to Europe and now the U.S. There were 8400 staffed hospital beds in MN in the Winter of 2020 and there are now just over 7000 total today. Each large hospital has over 200 beds so that's a lot of beds that we no long have available to put patients with heart attacks, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, pancreatitis, pneumonia, acute back pain, or other critical issues. Read my op-ed here. Patients cannot get transferred from area ERs to the appropriate hospital because there are no available beds. Staff in the ERs and ICUs are burned out and having to work overtime to cover and there is currently no sign of relief. 

Theo and Marit received their Pfizer vaccines at their school. The MN department of health sponsored it and the PTA had volunteers help. Marit said, "It didn't even hurt at all." We enjoyed holiday lights, including the new Miracle and Big Rock light tour and personal visit with Santa Claus. We also toured Glensheen Mansion and Bentleyville light displays. Both kids lost teeth on the same day - Marit lost 4 in two weeks, including her two front teeth. Just in time to tell Santa just what she needs for "Chrith-muth." 

We are looking forward to driving to Chicago for Christmas. We have not seen the extended Benziger family in two years. Maya and Zachary are in college and Danika is home alone. 

Global warming is making Duluth a destination city. High temperatures were 46 degrees yesterday and will be in the 30s in Chicago next week. While the warm weather means we may not have snow, we'll "have mistletoe. And presents under the tree." 

The midwinter season during the time of COVID has taught me to slow down. Remember to be thankful for the time we have today. Thankful for the people who are close to us. Take a deep breath. Remember to be thankful and grateful for our friends, neighbors, teachers, healthcare workers, all essential workers and our community. They say, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present." Enjoy the present and we wish you and your family a happy New Year. May 2022 bring you joy, health, happiness and let's all hope it will be better than the past few years. Mask up. Please get your booster. 

All the best,

Katie