This picture does not actually belong to me. I found it on Wikipedia. I know. How weird is that? The reason I’m sharing it is because I was searching for something totally unrelated and stumbled across this photo. It’s a picture of a Bible Study class in 1913 at the first college I went to. (Yes, first of three. Sigh.) It is a local college and actually where I met my husband!

But what’s weird about this picture is that 2 of the last names are well known to me–some maiden names of friends and family. It it totally probable that these are their family memebers!

Also, interesting because this was a Bible Study class. My degree was Christian Ministries. So, these would have been my classmates. Sorta. Also, a funny thing? (Wow, can I string this post along any more?) When I went there I did not remotely consider it a Christian school. But once, during some construction at the school, someone wrote a quote from our president on a wall, “At [our] college, we can pray any *&!# time we want!” Ah, Christian love and devotion!

linked to wordless wednesday & 5minutesformom

Alma Mater is a post from: ohamanda.com

I’m reading a book about 3 Swedish immigrants called Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin. It’s not the best book I’ve ever read (although, I hate to say that because I adore Lynn Austin’s Hidden Places book!) but it’s intriguing to me because my family immigrated to the United States from Sweden.

My mom’s great-grandparents (paternal and maternal) came to America when they were young. So, my mom is 4th generation. I don’t know why, but that is just amazing to me! Mama says she remembers her grandparents speaking Swedish. But she was so little she didn’t realize it was another language–she just thought it was “grown up” talk!

The picture above is my mom’s grandparents in 1963. The children of immigrants. As I listen to this book about the Swedish immigrants and look at the faces of these 1st generation Americans, it makes me shiver at the bravery their families showed and the adventures they encountered. I wish I could read their story!

{I feel like some of my great-greats and other calculations might be off…I always get confused with those!}

Immigrants. 1963. is a post from: ohamanda.com

Staci, me and Mandi. Halloween. 1982ish.

Halloween. A Retro Photo. is a post from: ohamanda.com