Glimmer of Spring

Claryce Stohle shows off her blooming amaryllis. It is certainly a glimmer of spring in these below zero temperatures!

Chili Contest

Today was our first annual Chili Contest hosted by our auxiliary group, the SAL's GALS! The group includes family and friends of those residing at Serenity. These ladies hope to raise money to make the lives of their loved ones more fulfilling, ranging from medical equipment to books and movies.

People of all ages are entered in this competition, ranging from age 10 to age 90. Official judges for the contest were Mayor Keith Coalwell, Dilworth’s Chief of Police Dave Miller and Judge Lisa Borgen. Our moderators donned sombreros and official Chili Judge T-shirts. Categories and winners for this competition were as follows:

Best Chili = Serenity Specialty by John Westphal & Claryce Stohle

People’s Choice = Anonymous by Joan Pake

Best Name = Burn Your Butt Chili by Lois Seifert & Robbie Martin

Best Bribe = Ronald Dick from Design 7 P.C. Architecture & Planning

Best Sponsorship = Miles’ Mosaic Blend by Miles Watson & Sponsored by Mosaic Foods

Hottest Chili = Underwater Fire by Tom Pence and the Korsmo Team

Most Bizarre. = Underwater Fire by Tom Pence and the Korsmo Team

Prizes of all sorts were given out to our winners. The event was a great success for its inaugural year and the SALS GALS look forward to another competitive chili contest next year!

Mother of the Bride

Cleo Havlis is all gussied up for her daughter's wedding tonight! The mother of the bride looked ravishing in her new outfit and fresh perm!

Happy New Year!

Evelyn Johnson along with the other ladies and gentlemen of Serenity celebrated New Year's Eve at Serenity. We all had fun finger foods. After lunch, there was a DVD slideshow of pictures from the past year.

Cheers!

Miss Midwest

Royalty was amongst the ladies and gentlemen of Serenity Assisted Living on December 29th. Miss Quinn Nystrom crowned Miss Midwest 2008 and diabetes advocate graced the halls of Serenity, bringing her talents and words to many. Her dream isn’t to win the title of Miss Minnesota in June...it’s to find a cure for diabetes. Her platform is Educate to Alleviate—Curing Diabetes One Step at a Time.’
Quinn was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes at the age of 13 and her younger brother Will was diagnosed with the disease at the age of four. She has dedicated her life to doing everything in her power to help find a cure for diabetes. She believes that by educating the community you can not only help ease ignorance but gain more volunteers who can help raise money to find a cure. She has partnered with the American Diabetes Association for the last 11 years to work towards the common goal of a cure. Quinn competes in the Miss Minnesota competition in Eden Prairie on June 19th & 20th.
Quinn’s appearance taught us all a little more about this devastating disease. She shared her musical talents with us that day with two piano pieces. The ladies and gentlemen donned crowns for the event. Muriel Kaercher celebrated her 100th birthday with Quinn’s tiara...a true princess of wisdom. A fun lunch followed Quinn’s appearance and everyone was able to ask their unanswered questions.

Up do

Simone Rector sported a new hair do' around Serenity this afternoon! Cheers to goofy faces!

Spirit of Christmas

Spreading Christmas cheer, youth from the Dilworth Lutheran Church and St. Elizabeth teamed up with Serenity Assisted Living to collect, sort and pack donations for Operation Christmas Child.
This particular charitable event is the biggest holiday charity event in the world. Since 1993, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been packed, shipped and delivered across the globe. People of all ages can be involved while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ.

Boxes brimming with toys, hygiene items, school supplies and more were collected by the very generous parishioners of Dilworth’s local church.
Not only were boxes packed with goodies for children across the world, but each youth and individual wrote a letter to the possible recipient of the box!
After an evening of packing, the boxes were ready to load into Charles Borgen’s truck to be delivered to Triumph Lutheran Church in Moorhead. Charles just happens to be a member of this particular church!
This has truly been a full circle, generational project. Starting at the churches, families of all ages brought in donations. Geriatrics and youth alike, teamed together to pack boxes. Finally, longtime church member makes a delivery of 141 boxes to an organization that returns the gift to thousands of children each year!

Portraits of a Geisha

Tonight at Serenity, there was the smell of Chinese in the air. That's because Danielle Hendrickx (Concordia Intern) planned an oriental theme dinner for the ladies and gentlemen of Serenity.

We all learned a lot about oriental culture; the number 4 is considered unlucky and that the Great Wall of China is over 1,500 feet long!

On the menue this evening was homemade cream cheese wontons, mini egg rolls, pineapple stir fry and sweet walnuts for dessert. Yum!

Taters

Hubert 'Sonny' Asplin took charge in the kitchen this afternoon. Her insisted that he had more experience in peeling potatoes than everyone in the building combined. He wasn't lieing. Hubert was peeling potatoes faster than anyone had ever seen!

Vote!

Abbie Moe sported her "I Voted" sticker this evening for Serenity's Election Party. Everyone competed in Presidential Trivia while dining on patriotic foods.

Concordia intern, Erin Johnson, planned the evening's event which hailed much enjoyment. Claryce Stohle won the trivia game, beating everyone with her knowledge of American History. Way to Go!