He took pride in our democracy and followed all the races. A good thing too. I loathe politics. A two-party system that pits half of the country against the other half makes no sense to me. Everyone despises each other and parties spend 4 to 8 years pushing an agenda only to have the other party take over and undo what was done or work for the...
Read MoreWhat makes us think we know where we are going and when? Is it because we are the schedulers? The ones who sign everyone up. Put things on the calendar. Figure out the logistics. Or maybe it is easier when you have a vague notion of the path you should be on. Graduate high school.
Read MoreThe Lt. Adam Gustafson Memorial Fund has been giving away $305 meat packages, along with smokers, grills, and cooktops to local first responders for five months now. Adam loved to cook and his badge number was 305. It’s been fun making deliveries to area departments in Adam’s honor, but even more so when there’s
Read MoreGod puts people in your life long before you know you’ll need them. Our last season of hockey as a family of five brought new and closer friendships. One man was a delight to get to know and Adam and I enjoyed talking to him. He was wheelchair bound, which isn’t easy in a northern climate. Snow, ice, dicey roads and tons of travel for hockey, but...
Read MoreSummer is here. That means it is grilling season. Smoking meat. Blackstone breakfasts. Time to cook outside. Adam loved cooking meat. Inviting people over to eat his smoked ribs, meatloaf, pulled pork, or burgers. He enjoyed buying in bulk and cooking for the masses. After losing Adam, we created the Lt. Adam Gustafson Memorial Fund (LAGMF) as a...
Read MoreI decided if I must own 150+ bottles of whiskey, they may as well be pretty. Last year’s basement remodel by The Home Authority did just that. What a beautiful space to showcase Adam’s collection. He would have loved looking at these shelves, though it may have fueled his drive to keep hunting for rare and coveted
Read MoreI recently shared about fun times at Victual in the small town of Crosby, Minnesota. It wasn’t my first time there. I took my kids for our first Memorial Day weekend trip in 2022 as a family of four. We survived the first anniversary of my husband’s sudden death and then I packed up my kids and headed to Crosby, determined to enjoy the long...
Read MoreThere is so much sadness these days. Good people facing difficult circumstances. When tragedy strikes it can feel like some are looking at me to see how I got through. “Through” implies there’s another side. An end.
Read MoreHockey has taken me to Crosby, Minnesota three times this season. It holds a special place in my heart. It was the first solo trip I took the kids on by myself over Memorial Day the year after Adam died. I’ll tell you about that trip later. Today, I’m talking Victual. The smallest liquor store in
Read MoreThe recent passing of Toby Keith had me reminiscing. I love his music - so many good singing songs. His patriotism. Adam loved country music and he loved America. Toby came over to Baghdad, Iraq when Adam and I were serving there in 2005. We waited patiently for him to fly in on a helicopter and put on a show in the middle of the
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