The past few days have been a whirlwind. Our tour from Fergus Falls, MN, to Voltaire, ND, was filled with the faces of people dear to my dad. Masks caught tears. Fist bumps replaced hugs. Stories were shared. I wish I had some of the words I heard before writing the obituary--especially from my uncle Gayle. You can view it at the 39-minute mark on the video here:  https://portal.midweststreams.com/services/watch/7q32026FP4

There are some fun stories here: https://www.olsonfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Norman-Skarstad/

I can only add five photos here, so to see a few more images, go here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VH66REJARHQJtooV7
I tried to find ones with people's faces for those who couldn't attend in person--so you can see some of the lovely faces we did.

Many of us were re-routed on the way to Moorhead, MN, because of an accident. There was quite a layer of ice! Thankfully, the North Dakota leg was beautiful. Aside from our near-empty-gas-tank-scare, it was smooth sailing. Oh--and also the GPS led us astray while a tent full of very cold people (mostly seniors) waited an extra 15 minutes for us to get there. SO SORRY FOR KEEPING PEOPLE OUT IN THE COLD! Please forgive us! *sigh*

Side note . . . I was looking for the steeple of the church as a marker, and guess what? It was no longer up in the sky! It was technically there, but the entire church was gone! Maybe someone told me, but I sure didn't remember. I was sad to see only the cemetery without the beautiful little church I knew from childhood.

THANK YOU to all who have shared your hearts, stories, and love in the past many weeks. It has gone so fast. It's hard to believe that Dad's hospital journey started in October and I've been here since mid November! I haven't spent this much time in Minnesota since moving away to get married in the 90s. I've re-learned to drive in real snow. I remembered how much I love the views. I also realize that I'm spoiled by not having to deal with much ice and snow in Oklahoma! I've cried more than I have in a long time (even though I'm a "crier"), and at the same time I feel like I've cried too little. But for the next week at least, I'll do my best to dry my tears and settle into the business of transition. I'm taking a deep breath, looking to Heaven, and stepping into my dad's shoes.

I am grateful for each one of you. 

-Ingrid :-)