The Tommerdahls

Friday, March 31, 2023

Jamaica

This year for Spring Break, our family headed to sunny Jamaica! It was Paul's grandma's 80th birthday, and her wish was for the whole family to travel someplace warm. After a year of talking and planning, we were able to make Grandma's wish come true, gathering people from 5 different cities all in one house in beautiful Jamaica! We enjoyed lots of pool and beach time, delicious Jamaican food prepared by a chef that was employed by the house we stayed at, playing with cousins Owen and Elton, and lots of adventures being in a new country! Some of our adventures included hiking up a waterfall, swimming with dolphins, visiting a Jamaican church, driving on the other side of the road, learning how to "grocery" shop, trying to find a cash station that had cash (there was a strike on filling cash machines due to recent violence in one of the cities), and trying new foods like Ackee (grows on trees, poisonous until flower opens, tastes like scrambled eggs), and conquering a floating obstacle course on the ocean. It was such a fun and memory filled trip, and we are so grateful for the time we got to spend with family in such a gorgeous tropical location in the middle of Minnesota winter!

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Pinocchio

The kids' school put on a version of Pinocchio written by two teachers from their school. It was absolutely fantastic! The story-line followed Pinocchio, who from teh moment he was "created" wanted to "detach" himself from his Father's will by cutting his puppet strings. As the story unfolds, Pinocchio follows after many things that he thinks will make him happy including fame, money, and pleasure while Jiminy Cricket, acting as the Holy Spirit, tries to draw him back to his Father. All the while, his Father keeps loving and keeps searching for him. In the end, Pinocchio's cross-bar/puppet string shaped as a "cross" was what ultimately saved him from himself and drew him back to his Father. Ms. Chant and Ms. Strand did an amazing job writing the script, and choosing songs for each class to sing throughout the play that added to the story. The play was live-streamed the first night at this link. I will include pictures and videos of some portions where our kiddos played a role. Summer played the part of Jiminy Cricket, and did a fabulous job making the part fun in her green vest and bowtie, top hat, and cane. Colton sang a solo as part of his class's part in the production and Larkyn loved performing her dance with the third graders. We are so grateful for all the family and friends that supported our kiddos both online and in person!