Hello from the other side.  It’s been a long time since my last blog. Almost a year. A lot can happen in a year, including the release of Adele’s “25,” which surpassed 8 million sales by February. We are among the millions of fans. The girls and I have almost worn out the CD, listening and singing aloud (really loudly) on the way to school each day.

Also over the past year: I was promoted to Director of Annual and Planned Giving at HudsonAlpha. I am grateful to have found a career that drives and challenges me professionally and inspires and fulfills me personally.

Another update: our girls’ passion for horses has soared. Serina, 11, and Sophia, 9, spout off facts about care, anatomy, techniques and breeds the way some tweens talk about, well, what do typical tweeners talk about?

Serina and Sophia have done two horse shows, both in Fayetteville, Tenn. Neither “won,”
but they will still tell you it was a great experience and neither can wait for the next opportunity. The girls are presently gearing up for another month of Appaloosa camp at Pine Ridge Day Camp and Equestrian Center.

They want their own horses, of course. David and I have told them they’d have to secure their own funds to buy and board them. Not an easy financial feat, as you might imagine. You should see their young entrepreneurial minds churning.

Mormor, after moving back to Minnesota, has settled into her senior living community in Minneapolis. She is also back at Mindekirken, her Church of 50-plus years, where she worships with her fellow Norwegian believers.

Our family returned to Minnesota for a visit last fall. We got to see my oldest niece, Rachel, marry her best friend, Mike McArthur. Beautiful wedding! It was wonderful to see our families, both on my side and David’s. We love our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins very much. Time with them is always special.

Serina also discovered volleyball. She played her first season with the North Alabama Spikers Association and loved NASA. She also won a song recording at a local studio, Maitland Conservatory, through a talent show at the Academy for Academics and Arts.

Sophia dabbled in volleyball too, showing a knack for the sport that I enjoyed playing in high school. She also appeared in a local commercial for Redstone Federal Credit Union and a national print ad for Dollar General.

The summer, I suspect, will be short and busy. We’ll likely say goodbye to Adele and move on to another CD. The girls will have fun and grow in spirit, mind and, in true Petersen fashion, body (Serina was 5’8″ at her 11-year check-up). And hopefully I’ll get back to my writing roots because it just feels right.