The Christmas trees are up and the Sunday School children have given their Christmas program.  Most of the shopping has been completed and we are looking forward to the arrival of the rest of the family for Christmas.  So, t’is the annual Christmas letter that remains.
     This year our Christmas tree hunting expedition ended at Lowe’s in Billings.  They had the freshest trees and nice shapes - so they have lost very few needles and soak up a lot of water each day.  There is the 100% plastic American tree with colored lights and bright ornaments.  Next is the German tree with candles and the decorations Christiane left with us.  And the third is our Scandinavian tree which has been renamed the Norwegian tree since we have an exchange student from Norway this year.
     Since my time is no longer tied to a regular job, I’ve been able to take some trips that would not have been possible otherwise.  In January Maren and I went to Longmont so Maren could see where Kirsten and Manuel are living.  In March two other couples and I went to a folk dance workshop in Boulder but stayed at Kirsten and Manuel’s in Longmont.  I had made a bookcase system as a birthday present for Kirsten and we managed to get it assembled before she got home from work.  But she spied it within a minute of walking in the house - so much for surprises!  After graduation in May I accompanied Franziska (German exchange student from last year) and her parents on a tour of Yellowstone Park.  Great trip!  Then September 11th!  Maren and my mother were here and I was scheduled to do a folk dance workshop in Rapid City, SD, for the Sons of Norway starting the following Friday.  Their return flight was to have been that Friday but no planes were flying.  Thursday morning Maren and I drove my mother home to Minnesota and then back to Rapid City.  Lots of driving - Uff Da!  Having Maren as an expert assistant made the workshop go very well.  She enjoyed being able to ‘boss’ the dancers - mostly senior citizens - and they enjoyed having her add ‘color’ to the workshop.
     There are still a number of projects that are on the agenda.  Finish and replace some windows in the house.  Build some wall systems for 4 rooms in the house - kind of entertainment center, bookshelf, display furniture.  Getting a line on some teak plywood has been a little difficult.  Otherwise, at least one member of the family appreciates that our fleet of vehicles has been reduced in half - from 10 to 5.  Four of the VW’s were parts cars and the fifth was a pickup that was sold.  Next step is to reduce the number to 4.  And more of the raspberries have been replanted in the garden and more rocks have been removed.  It’s amazing how much more one can do with a backhoe; the rocks and dirt were approximately in equal proportions.
     Looking ahead, one interesting duty will be to escort 3 blue-eyed blondes on a ten-day trip to California.  But somebody has to do it!  Two close friends of Christine’s will be here to visit her and she has always wanted to see California.  The exchange organization does not permit driving - too young to rent a car - exchange organization does not approve of travel without host parents......  So guess who volunteered???  Maybe I need to rethink this trip????
     So much for my rambling - have a peaceful Christmas and a rewarding New Year.
           Bob
 
 

Hi from the ‘still-employed’ member of the family in Red Lodge.  Sometime this year I will have completed 25 official years of teaching... just in time for me to ‘semi-retire’ at the end of this school year.  I already have discussed and cleared with superintendent and Roberts school board teaching just 3 classes for the 2002-2003 school year.  I look forward to working on scrapbooks, studying Spanish, and just not having to prepare for 6 different classes every day :-)!

     It’s been a busy and interesting year.  At this time last year, Franziska, our most recent German exchange daughter was with us, attending school in Roberts and suffering through two math classes with me each day.  We were delighted to have her parents join us as Franziska took part in graduation ceremonies from Roberts High School in May.

     Summer went by very quickly. I spent two weeks in Longmont, CO, visiting relatives and keeping an eye on my ‘grandchildren’... Red, Sasha, and Fermi (two dogs and a cat)... while Kirsten and Manuel went to Mexico.

     In August, Christine joined us from Norway.  Although going to school in Roberts, she manages to avoid taking any classes from me... I, however, am trying to learn some Norwegian from HER.

     In preparation for her arrival, Bob and I created a ‘home page’ to give her a preview of what to expect (although the pictures of dirt floors with pots over a fire that Bob took at the Rendezvous aren’t quite what our kitchen actually looks like).  It is now used to keep her parents aware of her activities here.  It also contains pictures of Thanksgiving in Colorado, shots of this year’s Festival of Nations, and views of the citizenship ceremony in Colorado in September.  If you’re curious, you can see these and the latest picture of Maren (click on the first picture you see of her to get the one I’m talking about) by going to:
http:www.theholmens.net

     Since I didn’t get to Minnesota for the usual visit this summer, I asked Bob’s mother to fly here to visit us.  I arranged for Maren to take a trip home at the same time, meeting Grandma Holmen in Minneapolis.  The enclosed picture shows what all of us were doing at 7 a.m. our time on September 11.  To say that the news I heard at when I got to school that morning was surprising is to put it mildly.  I was VERY happy to have Maren home at that time!  We DID fly her back to New York City, however, after she accompanied us to Colorado for Manuel’s citizenship ceremony.
 
     We decided to give Christine a picture of what Americans perceive Norwegians to be like by taking her to the Høstfest in Minot, ND, in October.  It was fun to spend time with our friends Neil and Mary Ruedisili and my cousin Eline Knudson at the same time.

     I continue to play the organ at church fairly frequently, tho have enjoyed weekend travels to Colorado, North Dakota, Big Timber, Charlo... when other musicians have been ‘on deck’.

 We’d love to have you visit!  And if you have succumbed, as I have, to using e-mail on a more regular basis than ‘snail’ mail, we’d also love to hear from you.

         Love,
         Andrea

 Okay, so I know that this is going to sound just like my parents, but where does time go?  This year seems to have just flown by and time seems to be moving faster and faster!  Yes, Kirsten is also worried about not only how fast time flies, but also how we are aging.  Her parents have another exchange student this year—this time from Norway—and she alluded to the fact that Kirsten and I are getting old. 

     As most of you know, we are currently living in Longmont, Colorado, where we bought our first house in 2000.  Although it is definitely part of the "burbs," we like it---especially for the relatively large yard it has.  It allows our two dogs, Red and Sasha, plenty of room to meander during the day.  We were also able to section off a part of the yard by building a fence so that we could have a garden.  Sasha proved to be very effective at ripping out all the plants we left unprotected last year!  Fermi, our cat, is the owner of the house—we simply pay the mortgage!  These three, with us, comprise our current family, with everyone doing well.

     Well, Manuel definitely wanted to start out the year with a bang!  My family (my pregnant sister, her husband, my father, his wife, and my two half-brothers) came to visit us in Colorado for New Year’s.  It was fun to show them our new house and showing Oscar, my brother-in-law, his first snowstorm.  We went sledding up in the Rocky Mountain National Forest, which turned out to be quite the adventure.  To make a long story short, I collided with a rock, which unseated me from my sled and then rolled down the rest of the hill, head encountering snow the entire way.  After a couple of ambulance rides, we found out that I had sustained no major injuries and have been fine ever since---wait a minute, who are you?

      Very funny, Honey...  Both of us are working in Fort Collins, Manuel at HP (Hewlett-Packard) and I at Agilent (used to be a part of HP).  That means that we can both commute together, which works out great as it means that we can park in the carpool spots.  I am working as a "Process Development Engineer" in the Photolithography group.  We work on making computer chips, power amplifiers for cell phones, the chips for the optical mice, and the chips for the Logitech cameras, to name a few.  I spend approximately half of my time working in the cleanroom, which means that I spent the first month of my employment learning how to dress myself in a bunny suit!  :-)  The work is very interesting and challenging, with some days being more stressful than others.

     I am currently working as a Test Development Engineer.  We just finished designing the latest and greatest microprocessor chip to be used in our fancy schmancy servers and workstations.  The processor spent a couple of months in the fabrication facility and now we are about to turn it on (cross your fingers).

     There is another benefit of working at the same place together.  We have also found a forum where we can beat on each other in a socially acceptable setting.  There is a Wellness Center at HP/Agilent that offers Tae Kwon Do classes.  Manuel is currently a blue belt and I am a purple belt.  Much to the amusement of our instructor, we like to spar against one another and practice our techniques on one another.  Not only are we getting out the days’ aggressions, but we are both in far better shape.  I have lost 45 pounds since starting the class in August 2000.

     In April, we had the pleasure of seeing some of you as we took a road trip to Washington State to clean up some property that Manuel owned out near Yelm. 

     The next big trip of the year was to Mexico to visit my family and to be the godparents of my new niece, Natalia Lorena.  She was born on May 1st to my sister Paola and her husband Oscar.  She is the most adorable baby I have ever seen---not that I am biased!  During our time there, we were also able to take a short trip to Oaxaca.  The food was terrific and we were able to see some Olmec/Zapotec ruins.

     In other news, no longer are we a multi-national household.  I was proud to take the oath of citizenship this year, in a large ceremony in Denver.  It happened shortly after September 11th, giving the day a whole new meaning.  Kirsten’s family was present for the event, where over 600 people also took the oath.

     This year also marks the first year of a new Thanksgiving tradition.  We are now the semi-proud hosts of the annual Cabanas-Holmen Turkey Feed!  J  (just kidding….)  Actually, we had my family down for Thanksgiving and we invited some of my "orphan" co-workers (family in other areas of the country) for dinner.  The turkey actually turned out pretty well and no one complained of food poisoning!  Even Christine had seconds!

     This Christmas we will be heading to Montana to spend the holidays with my parents.  We will leave on the 21st and return on the 26th, when my parents and sister head off to Minnesota.   Both HP and Agilent are having holiday shutdowns—HP for one week and Agilent for 2 weeks.  We are DEFINITELY looking forward to the time off.  We will spend the remainder of our vegging at our house, with me working on a long overdue project---our wedding scrapbook!

     Here’s wishing all of you the very Merriest of Christmas’ and the Best of New Years!

         Kirsten and Manuel

 
 

I, Maren, have spent the last year on the East Coast, finally fulfilling my ambition to live in New York City.  The driving force behind my move to New York, as you may know, was my goal to start an acting career, primarily in theater.  The question I have been asked the most over this past year by my friends and family is "Have you been to an audition yet?"  And the answer has always been "No."  (Of course, the second-most popular question is "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" and they get the same answer.)  I have many reasons for both of these answers, but I expect the answer to the first question to change after the new year.

     I spent the first two and a half months staying with various friends in New York (and given the size of the apartments, they were all saints to have taken me in.)  I found an apartment in Manhattan at the end of March, which I share with two other girls.  My room was called a "partitioned room", which meant that I lived in a 4x8 room that was sectioned off from the living room by a stud wall and a curtain.  It was...cozy.  I was not about to complain, though, since it was located in a fairly nice neighborhood and was cheap by New York standards.  I have since moved into a real room in the same apartment (one of the girls moved out to pursue grad school, and our new roommate is a sweet girl from Canada.)

     Although I have yet to audition, I have stayed busy with many jobs.  I currently lead the life of a temp.  As a temp, I have (briefly) worked at Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns (both are big investment firms), a newspaper centered on the metals market, and two PR firms, among other things.  Temporary work is never terribly challenging, but everyone I have worked for was very appreciative of my help and I often end up making new friends at my various assignments.  I also spent the summer nannying again for the Parsons family, whom I worked for after graduating from college.  Those three boys are now a year older and a year more active--gone are the days when I could strap one of them to my chest in the baby carrier, hold one of them on my hip, and hold the hand of the third.  Jennifer, their mother, worries about me almost as much as my own mother.

     I'm sure my mother would want me to let you know that I met Alan Alda at a recent benefit for the New York Hall of Science.  My boss at my most recent temp job invited me after only two days on the job!  He had four tickets, and was trying to get people from the firm to go with him.  As he was once on the board of directors, he talked the director of the Hall of Science into introducing me to Mr. Alda, who was being honored at the benefit.  I got my picture taken with him, which my mom promptly printed out and took to church with her!  I also have gone with another new friend in the firm to parties thrown by Vogue magazine and Vanity Fair/GQ magazines.  Quite a lot for a small-town girl!

     As I look back, I am struck by the blessings I have received throughout my life and especially in this past year.  Just as I was becoming desperate to find a place to live, I found a beautiful apartment in a wonderful neighborhood.  Just when I began to worry about not being able to pay my bills, I had not one but two well-paying jobs.  And most importantly, in a city where so many people lost so much, I was fortunate enough be with my family in Montana on September 11th and not to lose any loved ones in the tragedies of that day or in any of the aftermath.  My hope is that, wherever you and your loved ones are, you are safe.  Have a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!

         Maren
         

   Hi, I’m Christine, the real Norwegian addition to the family. I am a 17 year-old exchange student, and I come from a place called Kvarstein in southern Norway. Kvarstein is a really small place, but it is only 10 min. away from Kristiansand with 60 000 people. At Kvarstein we have a school, a grocery store, a garden center and a woodwork shop. Kvarstein is located in a valley that goes all the way up to mountains in the middle of Norway. I think Kvarstein is a really pretty place with lots of fields and strawberry patches, the river running through it, and the green forests surrouding it.

     I live together with my dad, Arild, my mum, Randi, and my 3 younger sisters (yes, they are all blondes too). Anne is 15, Ingrid is 13, and Åshild is 10. My dad works with customer service in a computer company called InfoCare. My mum is a teacher for adults, and, among other things, she teaches foreigners to speak Norwegian.

       This year I am a senior at Roberts, and I will graduate on the 18th of May. My mum will come over here for graduation, and we will head back for Norway, after visiting some relatives, at the end of May. When I go back I will still have one more year of school in Norway before I can start college. That is because we start kindergarden one year later in Norway than in America. I won’t have to catch up on anything when I go back - I have simply “exchanged” my 12th year in Norway with a year in an American highschool.

        I arrived Montana at the 14th of August, about 4 months ago. In the beginning I thought it was pretty hard to adjust to a new family, a new school and a new country.  Everything was new and unfamiliar. But after starting at school and getting into activities like cheerleading, everything got a lot better. And now I’m having a great time. The kids at school are so nice to me, and I have gotten a lot of new friends. I also enjoy my new family. Since I’m used to having 3 sisters around, I enjoy spending time with Maren, Kirsten and Manuel. We have actually been in Colorado twice after I came here! My parents hardly believed me when I said that we left for Denver on Wednesday and got back on Sunday - 10 hours of driving each way! In Norway, a 3 hour long drive would be more than enough to drive back and forth during a long weekend. So when I go back to Kvarstein in May, I will have a whole new aspect of what is a long-distance drive...
 
    Something else that I never thought I would do is getting out in the car by 4:00 AM (!) in the morning to get going to Colorado. If someone had suggested this to me before I came to the Holmens, I would have called them insane. I used to think that “the longer in bed, the better”.  Well, I soon enough realized that this wasn’t exactly  the same philosophy the Holmens have about mornings...And they don’t seem to feel sorry for me at all!

         Christine

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