Author Archive

Available NOW! 25 Words/25 Bucks – an automated calendar submission system!

Calendar time is always an exciting time at Inspire(d) Headquarters. “Just how much can we fit on there this month?!?” Up to this point, what we’ve chosen for these lovely pages has been entirely editorial and subjective. We figure, hey, you like our magazine, so you’ll probably like the fun stuff to do that we pick out from around our region. But we’re running out of space and want you, our lovely readers, friends, and fellow event-planners, to be able to tell us a little more about your fun.

Thus we’ve implemented a simple, expandable list of events for the pages following our regular calendars. Those who are planning “fun stuff to do” get a guaranteed spot on the calendar and in the event listing by purchasing “25 Words/$25 Bucks.” We know it’s a tough racket to put on live music, activities, and special events, so we want to give you a chance to get the word out without breaking the bank.

See – we told you about our amazing fictional party in just 25 words! On the visual calendar (like the one at left), your event will be listed along with a number that corresponds. People can just scan on over to the following pages to get the details!

First things first: 25 Words/$25 Bucks is available for only events. Sorry, folks: no exceptions.

Here’s how you submit your event:

1. Click this link. It will open a form in a new window.

CLICK HERE FOR FORM

2. Enter your information – I suggest you submit it like this:

       Choose the appropriate start date (ongoing dates, write “through [insert date]” first in the form).

       In the form, write: Event name! Fun extra details, location, price, website.

Then follow the link (it appears after you type more than six words) to Pay Pal to settle up.

Thanks! We can’t wait to hear more about the fun stuff you’re planning!

Having trouble? Here are a few more submission tips/information:

Type or paste in your words in the form. Once you get past six words the “pay now” button shows up (so people don’t accidentally pay before they start typing), but if you go over 25 words, the “pay now” button will disappear (so people don’t go over the word limit).

After you’ve entered your words, you’ll hit the pay now button and be directed to our PayPal page.

You can either sign in to your PayPal account or click the line that says “Don’t have a PayPal account?” This will take you to a page where you can enter your credit card info and submit!

Inspire(d) Magazine 25W/$25B Schedule:

Summer – June, July, August. 25W/$25B deadline April 25, 2012.

Fall – September, October, November. 25W/$25B deadline July 6, 2012.

Winter – December, January (2013), February (2013). 25W/$25B deadline October 26, 2012.

Spring 2013 – March, April, May. 25W/$25B deadline January 25, 2013

Any questions email aryn@theinspiredmedia.com

Catch Cantus in live in concert March 11, 7:30 at the Center for Faith and Life. For ticket pricing and information contact the Luther College Ticket Box office at 563-387-1536.

By Susie Clark

“It all started at St. Olaf College,” says tenor (and ‘99 Luther graduate) Eric (Hopkins) Ellingsen. “In lieu of flipping burgers or mowing lawns, the founding members of Cantus spent their college summers traveling cross-country, giving concerts for free-will offerings.” After graduation, the group thought it was a gig too good to retire, and so Cantus was made in to a professional non-profit ensemble. 2011 marks their eleventh season.

Cantus is now celebrated as the premiere all-male vocal ensemble in the country. Based out of Minneapolis/St. Paul, the nine-member group performs nationally – nearly 80 concerts and 40 education outreach seminars every season. Through the Luther College Center Stage Series, Cantus will present “Before Us”. a musical exploration of American composers and choral tradition.

If the group’s name, Cantus, is pronounced correctly, it’s Latin for melody or song. But for some reason, it’s stumbled over by many.

“It’s really quite amusing,” says Ellingsen. “We’ve had people announce our name (Cantus) as ‘sanctus,’’”conscience,’ and even ‘cactus!’”

Believe it or not, Cantus’ artistic work is NOT inspired by a spiky desert plant; their goal is simple: Instill in its audiences a love for choral music.

Through their position as Artists in Residence for Classical Minnesota Public Radio, Cantus will be doing just that.

In its second year of existence, Classical MPR’s Artist in Residence Program is a one-year contract bringing some of the world’s greatest classical musicians to Minnesota. The residency includes performances across the state of Minnesota, as well as an educational component- sharing their musical knowledge and expertise with high school and college students.

“We kind of act like ‘musical ambassadors,’” says Ellingsen. “Our job will be to give concerts to out-of-state communities that would otherwise not have access to a live performance of Cantus,” he explains. The ensemble will also be featured through on-air performances, and programs such as “Performance Today,” a showcasing of some of the world’s greatest classical musicians.

One would think there would be room for plenty of ego, but ever-living up to the “Minnesota Nice” reputation, it’s not the case with Cantus. (There’s even a member named Aaron Humble.) The group relies on its members for direction – a kind of musical democracy when it comes to performance and interpretation.

“Each member of Cantus has an equal responsibility and investment in the artistic product,” Ellingsen says. “We get together and choose the theme and the music of our concerts. After that, each song is assigned a ‘producer,’ who then acts as the director for the individual piece.” Through individual artistic leadership, Cantus achieves a different blend and feel for each song, treating audiences to a one-of-a-kind choral experience.

Being host to some of the nation’s best choral groups and educators, Midwest standards for choral music are high. Cantus shares Minneapolis’ choral spotlight with other greats such the Dale Warland Singers and the National Lutheran Choir. “Having the rich, Lutheran college choral tradition here in the Midwest has a great deal with making our music scene unique from those of New York or elsewhere,” Ellingsen says. “Over half of the current members of Cantus come from the Midwestern choral tradition and were mentored by Weston Noble and Anton Armstrong.” Each member’s background gives the educational component of Cantus’ mission even more impact. Visiting over 50 schools and colleges every year, Cantus works with over 5,000 students, performing master classes, school concerts, and festivals.

“Choral music, and all other arts programs in schools, teaches so much more than just music. It teaches you math, reading, comprehension, confidence, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills,” says Ellingsen. “We in Cantus find it very important to advocate for arts education.”

Luckily, it’s not difficult for Cantus to find ways to inspire students. Midwestern winters, however, are less than inspiring. “On a tour to Aberdeen, South Dakota, we got stuck in a ditch,” Ellingsen says. But despite frigid temps, snow, and ice, these men are never without a sense of humor – and a pitch pipe. “While we were being pulled out, we all broke into song, singing a barber shop tag!” Proof that, for the nine members of Cantus, there is always something to sing about.

Inspire(d) Intern, Susie Clark, (most commonly known as “Suz”) is proudly writing for her fourth issue of Inspire(d) Magazine (Holler!). Her spare time this winter has been devoted to cross-country skiing, reading, and shoveling snow. As a native Minnesotan and devoted baseball fan, Suz is “amped” for the kick-off of Twins season.

Interview and foreword by Karen Kerndt

I met Mary Henry in 1988 when I started working with Winneshiek County Public Health. She has been a wonderful co-worker and friend ever since. At the time I met Mary she was working as a home care aide, taking care of clients who were younger than her! The funny thing about this was that Mary had to have a physical signed by an MD every year to make sure she was in good enough health to work. She retired when she was 77. Since that time Mary has been very busy helping family, friends and her neighbors where she lives. Mary is now 92, still active, drives daily, cooks daily, and makes Sunday dinner for several of her neighbors in her apartment complex – every Sunday!

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
My mother told me when I married Jim, “You can’t come back.” Mary laughs and told me she knew she had to stick with him.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A nurse

What did you do?
I was born on a farm near Jackson Junction and graduated from Waucoma high school in 1936. I married Jim Henry in 1938 and raised four children – two boys and two girls. I went back to school to be a nurse, a LPN in 1970, and worked at Aase Haugen and then Winneshiek Public Health until I retired in 1977. I still go out daily and to church three to four times per week. I enjoy helping others.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
My family picture (with her husband and her four children), my Rosary, and of course my medicine! (Spoken like a true nurse).

Try to describe yourself in one sentence:
“Old,” she laughs, “but I have a good attitude and I’m happy!”

If you could eat anything everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Goulash

Name one thing that you could not live without?
Money

Tell us about your wedding day:
“I wore a blue dress, my Aunt was my maid of honor and she wore a pink dress. We had flowers in our hair. We were married at St. Mary’s in Waucoma at 9 am by Father Falin. My mom served a brunch for about 30 people – close family and friends. That night we had a wedding dance at Breezy Corners and lots of people attended. Our honeymoon was in a motel in Waukon, we wanted to go to La Crosse but we were too tired to drive so we stayed there. We did spend a week in Wisconsin, but came back to this little hotel in La Crosse every night.

What is your favorite memory:
“I have so many,” but she does tell me, “When we picked up our four children (Mary and Jim adopted their four kids). I can still remember how happy we were and how glad we were to have them. We were only supposed to go and see them, and I always took them home the same day.”

Gale Ludeking, 84, is an army veteran with a lot of great tales and a great memory to store them!

Interview and foreword by Ron Henning (Aryn’s dad)

I volunteer to drive the VA van to Iowa City and back on a fairly regular basis, and I meet and talk to a lot of wonderful veterans in the process. So when my daughter, Aryn, asked if I wanted to interview one of them for Inspire(d), I said, “Yes, I’d love to.” I was impressed with Gale – he has a very good memory and is interesting to talk to. He seems like a content guy, and has a lot of good life stories that he’ll talk to you about if you ask.

What the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Don’t run up big debts.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a good farmer/cattle man.

What did you do?
I was born in Waukon and was raised on a farm in the Frankville area until 1943, when I joined the army. I had basic training at Camp Dodge in Des Moines and after was sent to the Philippines. Later I was a part of the Occupational Forces of Japan. When I returned home in 1946, I became a buyer for Oscar Meyer Meat Packing in Viola, Wisconsin. They wanted me to move to Illinois, but my wife didn’t want to, so I began working for Fairbanks Morris building locomotives until 1954, when I bought a farm in Iowa. I raised tobacco and milked – after a fire in 1964, I switched to tobacco and sheep, then started also selling Mormon’s Feed, and finally I went full-time raising beef, hogs, and grain. I retired in 1992 and moved back to Waukon.

What meant the most to you as a veteran?
I helped save the country in a time of need, and am now a lifetime member of the VFW. We were welcomed home as heroes.

What was the worst thing about being a veteran?
Losing friends and seeing what you see.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
Water, food, and books.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.
Happy and content with what I have.

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Good fish.

Name one thing you could not live without.
A warm house.

Tell us about…your wedding day.
We had been going together for quite awhile, so we decided to get married over a long weekend. We couldn’t get married in the church because it was such short notice.

I married Helen over the Christmas holiday vacation in 1948  – it was New Year’s Eve and a long weekend and they were visiting their families. Our parents came and we got married at East Salem Church Parsonage with a small party at my parents’ house, then we went back to Wisconsin to live. (the same church Ron’s parents and grandparents attended).

Tell us about…your favorite memory.
When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my grandpa gave me a pony – which was a pretty big deal for someone my age to get. It was an older horse, but I just really loved to ride it!

Interviewed by Dorothy (Alberts) Sunday – Foreword by Aryn Henning Nichols

Anna (Rohm) Iverson lived her whole life on Oak Street in Decorah, Iowa, up until her recent move to Wellington Place in nearby Freeport, Iowa. Up until that point, she was Inspire(d)’s across-the-street neighbor. The 92-year-old is smart and practical and has a memory like a safe-deposit box. She can recall the name of every family that lived in every house on Oak, Sunday community concerts at Phelps Park, and a time when gypsies rolled through town.

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Mother gave us all good advice. She said we needed to learn how to take care of ourselves. We learned to work together.

What did you want to be when you grew up?I thought I wanted to be a seamstress. I even made one woman a suit out of a man’s suit. My mother sewed as well. We had mother/daughter bunads that even won honorable mention at a contest. Mother’s bunad is at Vesterheim now.

What did you do?
Well, my first job was at the Creamery. I did the butter slips, figuring how much it costs. Eventually I did bookkeeping. Next I worked at the hospital right after my daughter Lois was born. I worked 5-9 every night doing bookkeeping and answering the phone for emergencies. At that time a hospital room was only $10. Then I worked at Anthony’s Clothing Store downtown.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
Bible, water, shade tree.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.
I hope I’m friendly…I try to get along with others.
(Dorothy’s note: I would say historian, very intelligent.)

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I don’t know if I could care for anything that long. (“Not even lefse?” Dorothy asks.) Not even lefse.

Name one thing you could not live without.
Water.

Tell us about…
…your wedding day.
Leonard and I met working at the Creamery together. He asked me out, of course, but I can’t seem to remember what we did on our first date. We got married May 16, 1947 out at Big Canoe Church. It was a cold spring day and a simple, small wedding.

…your favorite memory.
Arnold’s (her twin – there are two sets in her immediate family!) and my 90th birthday at Aase Haugen Home. It was just beautiful.

Verne Koenig, a long time resident of Decorah, started his career in radio at KFJB in Marshalltown, IA. Eventually, he settled in Decorah and became co-owner of KDEC radio along with Ken Bjerke. He still lives in Decorah with his wife Ardith. They’ve been married for 68 years.

Interview by Sarah Cisco, granddaughter of Verne and Ardith

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
My Dad said, “Be your self. Do the best you can with what you’ve got and you’ll turn out okay.” So, I’ve tried to follow that and I believe it works.

How about the worst?
If anybody did give me terrible advice, I don’t remember it.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A Country and Western cowboy singer on radio.

What do/did you do?
I did become a Country and Western singer and it grew into my career of a radio station personality, entertainer, newscaster, announcer, emcee, and so forth. And that eventually lead to my owning and operating a radio station in Decorah.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
My guitar, my stamp collection, and my recordings.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.
I’m someone who cares deeply for humanity. I hate brutality and wars.

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Any kind of pie.

Name one thing you could not live without.
The love of my wife & family, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Tell us about your favorite memory.
Meeting and announcing with Ronald “Dutch” Reagan during a high school football game over KFJB. Reagan came from WHO radio in Des Moines to fill in for our sportscaster who was ill.

Paul Hexom lives a life of service, laughter, and passion.

Interview and foreword by Sondra Carver

I’ve lived in Decorah long enough to know that everywhere I go, Paul is there volunteering. He is still a cowboy at heart and farms a 40 acre tree farm.

I thought he was an excellent person for this honor

What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My father said,”don’t worry, but be concerned.” Trust in God and take one day at a time. You can’t change yesterday, tomorrow will be whatever, and we can do our best today.

How about the worst?
Somebody said get a new car for better mileage. I did and the mileage was the same as before.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Because of Roy Rogers, I wanted to be a cowboy. I also wanted to be a farmer. My first job was selling garden seeds door-to-door in elementary school for which I earned a guitar. After graduating from high school in 1957, I graduated from Luther College in 1961, then I spent 21/2 years in seminary. After hearing Bob Hope talk about the Peace Corps, I joined and spent 1964-1966 in India.

What was your career?
I was in sales and management for World Book Encyclopedia for 46 years. I’ve also been president of Nordic Fest, chairman of the United Way, president and vice-president of the Winneshiek County Historical Society, and president of Decorah JayCees. Presently I am vice-president of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum Board, vice-chairman of the Decorah Historic Preservation Commission, and chairman of the Locust School Museum. I also volunteer at the the food pantry.

Try to describe yourself in one sentence.
I am well-organized, honest, calm, thoughtful, can work with all ages, and have a “long fuse.”

Do you have some favorite quotes?
Yes, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people,” by Victor Borge, and “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face,” by Victor Hugo. If everyone would hug someone everyday, it would be a more peaceful world.

If you could eat anything every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Lefse

Name one thing you could not live without?
Sunshine

What is your favorite memory?
A trip to Norway in 2005

By Aryn Henning Nichols

In my adult life I’ve often found myself grateful to my crafty mother for teaching me her crafty ways. While my siblings and I complained during 4-H Fair Time as we cut out patterns and sewed our own dresses, skirts, etc., re-covered old chairs and learned to use cameras, I’ve found these things to be incredibly useful – and fun – in real life. (Thanks, Mom!) There’s another crafty thing my mom taught me that I’ve also used again and again to impress friends and hosts: the homemade paper bow. For the Spring 2011issue of Inspire(d), I adapted it to be a paper flower for May Day Baskets. I find it is charming like this, but remember – as you’re wrapping your next present, don’t forget your scrap paper bits! You can make a super cool bow too! Leave it as one layer (like the flowers shown), or make more bow “flowers” to stick on top of the first (starting with smaller and smaller squares) to add more dimension.

Whatever your plan, here’s how you start!

Supplies:
Wrapping (or any other) paper
Scissors
Tape
Straw or stick (only needed if you’re making a flower)

1. Cut your piece of paper into a square .

2. Fold the bottom corner up to the top, making a triangle.

3. Fold the left corner to the right, making a smaller triangle (imagine you’re making a paper snowflake…)

4. Fold one more time. Keep the inside tip down (this is the center of the flower).

5. Cut the end of the triangle, rounding it off.

6. Cut all the seams up to about half an inch to an inch from the center. Do not cut all the way or your flower will fall apart.

7. Open the flower – it should look like this!

8. Get eight pieces of tape ready to go.

9. Flip over the flower and bring each petal’s ends together. Tape.

10. Cut a small strip of paper and make into a roll. Tape, then roll a piece of tape, sticky side out, and attach it to the paper roll.

11. Attach to your flower (or bow).

12. If you’re using as a flower, attach a stick or a straw, like we did here. Enjoy and Happy May Day!

By Aryn Henning Nichols

Originally published in the very first Inspire(d) Magazine, October 2007

Things are born. Life cycles. You live. You die.

But somewhere in between you meet people who make you feel like you’re not just living; you’re alive.

Those people can be anyone, anywhere. They are children, teenagers, peers, co-workers, grandparents, neighbors. They make inspiring acts look so completely effortless that you think, “Hey, I could do that. I could.”

This story begins with birth – the most literal start possible – and a person who has always made me feel like I could do anything. This story begins with my sister, Beth Knudsvig.

April 26, 2007, 4 a.m.
Beth was in labor. There were two doctors and three nurses in the room, plus my sister, of course, and her husband, Dan, manning one of Beth’s epidural-numbed legs. Then there was me. I didn’t want to get in the way. But when they told Beth to push, she also had to grab hold of her unmanned left leg. Multitasking is not something a woman in labor should have to undertake. I saw an opportunity to be useful.

“Should I get on a leg?” I asked the doctor at home plate.

“Sure, get in there,” he responded. So there I was. “In there,” unabashedly watching the tiny head of my newest nephew push through a portal between my sister’s legs. I was witnessing the reproduction plan in motion: two people, creating another person who will hopefully someday create another person.

That day, Wyatt was born. He is the second son of Beth and Dan, but the third child to whom Beth has given birth. A little less than a year before, my brave sister pushed a baby into this world who had not one piece of her DNA – the final duty in her term as a surrogate mother.
Pregnancy is something that women are supposed to be able to do. Not all can, unfortunately, and some are better at it than others. Beth should have plaques and ribbons for her pregnancy ability. She’s good at it, and she likes it.

When the first Knudsvig child, Henry, who’s now three, was just six months old, Beth read an article in Parents magazine about surrogate mothers. In the story, a woman was talking to her hair stylist about her problems conceiving. By the time the haircut was finished, she said, “I want to be your surrogate.” A fire was lit in Beth. She wanted to do more with her life, make a difference. She could do this.

“Nine months is a short time to give such a gift,” Beth said.

June, 2004.
The resourceful then 28-year-old began researching how to become a surrogate herself.

The process was interesting. Like online dating, sort of. On the Internet, Beth created an ad for herself to answer questions for agencies that arrange surrogate mothers. Why should she be the one to have your baby? How was she most qualified to have your baby? And Beth had stipulations: she would only allow them to implant two embryos and she wouldn’t selectively reduce or abort because of problems.

“It was my choice, not the parents,” she said. “It’s my body.”

Because of this, Beth was denied by the first agency to which she applied. But she listened to her intuition and moved forward.

“If I wasn’t supposed to do it, I’d feel it was over,” she said, gesturing with her hands.

So she applied to a different agency, IARC, which represents the couple who eventually chose Beth to carry their child.
It wasn’t until after she decided to go for it that she had some reservations.

“I finally started to worry about how unusual it was and what people would think,” she said.

When our family found out what she was going to do, they weren’t terribly supportive. But one can understand a level of awkwardness related to this idea. This is not something that happened in the era of our parents – at least not in this scientific way. The fact that technology allows us to put an egg from another couple into a woman who is no way related seems like a wild idea. Their reactions were normal, and Beth expected them.

“It’s not that they weren’t supportive,” she said. “They have always been supportive of me. They just weren’t supportive of this idea.”

December, 2004.
Beth interviewed with a couple but they wanted to abort if the baby had Down syndrome. Beth refused.

March 2005
An Australian couple came on board, and they were in a hurry. A trip to America was already scheduled, so they added some extra time to meet Beth. In Australia, surrogacy isn’t illegal, but it’s illegal to compensate for it, so it’s more difficult to locate women who are willing, and who match each other’s requirements. The couple had to look to other countries.

IARC, the surrogate agency they were working with, signs a lot of international couples. In America, many surrogate agencies are in California because it’s the most surrogate-friendly state. California is just that much further for international couples, so IARC uses this as their niche.

Australia isn’t the only place that makes it hard to arrange surrogates. Beth had to travel to Canada for all of the exchanges involved in the process because there are no clinics in Minnesota that will work with surrogates. And in some places, omission was easier than explanation.

“Canada is also not surro-friendly. When I went there I was not to tell customs I was a surrogate. I also was not to tell the reproductive clinic that I was a surrogate on anything I signed,” Beth said. “I didn’t believe in telling a lie for this, I just never went beyond explaining too much.”

June 2005
The couple and Beth interviewed each other on the phone, and, once they were matched, the whole process went very fast. Eleni’s Greek, her husband, Darko, Croatian, and they had been married for 18 years. The couple got pregnant early in their marriage with triplets, but each embryo died at 19/20/21 weeks. They got pregnant again. And miscarried again. After years and years of trying, they had a successful pregnancy – a daughter. Eleni had seven miscarries in total. When she finally carried to term again, the middle-aged Australian was on bed rest the entire time until her second child, a son, was born.

At first, Beth didn’t want to work with a couple that had kids. It seemed like they already had a family. But then she thought some more about it.

“Who am I to decide who gets to have kids or not?” Beth remembers asking herself. In the end, her reservations about this became gratitude.

“She was already a mother, so she wasn’t going to be freaked out about motherhood or if there were problems in pregnancy,” Beth said. “She knew about kids and was more experienced.”

May, 2005
Beth had to take a Lupron shot, a drug used to suppress her cycle for about three weeks, three weeks before the transfer and she was on suspension from sex for six weeks before they inserted the fertilized eggs the first time. The eggs didn’t survive, so a second procedure was scheduled. This time, no sex for eight weeks and Beth also had to take progesterone to boost her uterine lining. And for the second try, the reproductive clinic decided not to have Beth take Lupron.

“The suppressed cycles just felt so unhealthy,” she said.

She also decided that if it didn’t work, she was not going to try again. She wasn’t going to be a surrogate.

“August would be the last month I wanted to get pregnant so when we were trying to have our next child, the ages between our children wouldn’t be too spread apart,” Beth said. “Eleni talked me into early September, for both of us – the last try.”

September, 2005
They kept Eleni’s fertilized eggs invitro for five days for the second procedure instead of three, as they did the previous time. When Beth took a pregnancy test after, she had a feeling it was going to say negative, but she was wrong. One egg survived: the future baby Aaron, “Ari.”

“I wasn’t that excited,” the bright-eyed woman said. “I had in my mind that it wasn’t going to work, so then we’d concentrate on our family.”

Ever optimistic, Beth got more excited as the pregnancy continued, but it was very unlike her own.

“I knew he wasn’t mine, so I treated him differently,” she said.

She of course took good care of him, sort of like an incredibly early kind of childcare, but the usually very belly-involved pregnant woman didn’t spend a lot of time talking to the growing baby or touching her stomach as she did with her own sons. She felt a little sad for baby Ari because of this – when he came into the world, he wasn’t going to have the familiar voice of the woman who had been carrying him for the last 40 weeks cooing to him – it would be a completely new mother.

When Beth’s pregnancy started to show, she, of course, wasn’t stamped with a surrogate sign, so people assumed she was carrying her future son or daughter. She didn’t bother correcting the strangers.

“Yep, yep. I’m pregnant. It wasn’t worth going into,” she said with a laugh.

It was with family that she made sure to clarify. And they seemed to be getting it, and even being supportive. “At Thanksgiving it was cool – siblings and wives there, excited about it, thinking it’s a great thing,” she said.

Health risks were the main concern of family members. And there were some: the medications she was taking could have permanently restricted her cycle (which was not the case, as she has already given birth to her second son), and there could have been uterus scarring. Also, she felt the medications were unnatural and unhealthy, including the hormone booster she was supposed to take every three days. She stopped doing this when she was 12 weeks pregnant. And, as with every pregnancy, there are risks with delivery, but Ari’s went well.

May, 2006
It was an amiable delivery room, with a mélange of people just like the birth I witnessed. Dan was holding a leg, a nurse the other, and Eleni was holding Beth’s hand.

“She said, ‘You have the right to scream,’ but I said, ‘I’m not that kind of girl,’” Beth said with a smile.

Beth talked with the nurses before the birth and made sure they would take the baby to his biological mother, not the woman who just pushed him into the world.

“I wanted her to cut the cord too,” she said. “He wasn’t my baby.”

After Ari was born, Eleni said something to Beth that she’ll remember forever: “Now I feel my family’s complete.” This statement validated the whole experience for Beth.

A connection was solidified between the two that day, but they weren’t best friends. Beth knew they weren’t going to be and had heard some surrogate mothers look for that and expect too much. Wisely, my sister established her frame of mind early on.

“I’m doing this for myself and helping their family,” she said. “It wasn’t business, but we were realistic and practical.”

Details were ironed out in the weeks before the birth. The hospital saw Beth as the birth mother, so she technically had to give him up for adoption. But it was fairly easy – they just went to court and had the paperwork amended so Darko and Eleni were listed as the parents. It took only two weeks to finalize everything and get Ari a passport so he could return to Australia with his parents. When they said goodbye at the hotel, Beth had her first sad moment.

“The relationship would be changing. He wouldn’t be accessible. They said they were going to maintain contact, but I didn’t know if they really would. I didn’t know if I would be able to see him at different ages,” she said.

When she began this process, she convinced herself that it would be okay if they didn’t keep in touch. But they have been in contact, sending photos and updates from Australia as Ari grows. And Beth feels that what was such a huge gift for this family was not such a big deal in her own life.

“I want this to be a testimony for others. I don’t want people to think this is something great that I did,” she said. “I just found a way to make a difference in someone else’s life that was so insignificant in my life. Nine months is nothing. You too could do it.”

She’s currently doing it again by donating breast milk for newborns and cancer patients and is also volunteering at a local hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. She likes feeling that she’s affecting the world in a positive manner and doing something important with her life.
“I just feel really happy,” she paused. “Yeah. I feel really happy. I can’t think of any other way to describe it.”

While she was pregnant with Ari, she said no way would she do this again, but now, in retrospect, she says maybe. The biggest drawback was that it took two years instead of one as a result of a poorly organized surrogate agency and failed egg implantations.

“It was a longer journey than I expected,” she said. “But still, if you think about it, it’s really not that much time.” No matter how you look at it, the negative aspects don’t outweigh the positive.

“Now we have a little baby in the world that wasn’t gong to be there any other way,” she said. “I feel silly that people act like it’s a big deal. It wasn’t a super hardship. I want people to think, ‘I could do that.’”

Aryn Henning Nichols likes feeling happy and motivated, and tries to find inspiration in as many places as possible. She hopes others will do the same, and perhaps even find it in this magazine.

By Jim McCaffrey

My brother, Pete, loves a good party. Especially on May 5th, his birthday. Coincidentally, it’s also the date of the Mexican holiday Cinco De Mayo. Primarily a regional holiday in the Mexican state of Puebla, it celebrates the unlikely 1862 victory of an under-armed Mexican militia of just 4000 troops over a French army that was double its size and vastly more equipped. Significant for the United States, the defeat stopped Napoleon III from supplying arms and money to Confederate rebels engaged in the Civil War against the Union Army. That helped the Union defeat the Confederates in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Worldwide, Cinco De Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Beyond the flamenco dancing and mariachi bands, it is a wonderful opportunity to experience local cuisines from different regions of our southern neighbors. Brenda and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to Mexico several times. Our first trip was to Mazatlan on the Pacific coast. We stayed at the Riviera Beach Resort otherwise known as “Party Central.” An ice-cold bucket of beers (8) was $6. Every other hour was Happy Hour and you got TWO buckets of beer for $6. No extra charge for slices of lime. Having not studied Spanish, we felt that it was of immediate importance to immerse ourselves in the language. Hector Cortez, the head bartender, graciously accepted the role of teacher. The two phrases of greatest significance he taught us were, “Dos cervesas, por favor” (Two beers, please) and “Donde este el bano?” (Where is the bathroom?). A wise man, that Hector.

All joking aside, Brenda and I have found the people we met in Mexico to be warm, gracious, and very giving. Family and friends always seem to be at the core of life there. When a party happens, everyone is invited. Aunts and uncles, matriarchs and patriarchs, siblings, nieces and nephews, etc., etc., etc. People dress up in their Sunday best to pay respect to the family putting on the extravaganza. Food is always the star attraction, shared by one and all. I think one of the reasons that Cinco De Mayo is so popular in the United States is that it affords Mexican immigrants and descendants an opportunity to remember and carry on their family cultural heritage. And lucky for all the rest of us, we can participate too.

Since Napoleon III and future French attempts failed to colonize Mexico and turn the Gulf of Mexico into The New World French Riviera complete with little bistros serving baguettes and lattes, Spanish and Portuguese influences on local cuisine were more predominant. One of these influences was the introduction of limes in the mid 1600s. Limes could be used for many purposes but one of the most significant was the ability to pickle fresh fish and other seafood with their acidic juices. A combination of lime juice and local indigenous ingredients such as chiles, tomatoes and avocado produced the Mexican version of ceviche. Ceviche is a wonderful appetizer served up and down both coasts of Mexico as well as Central and South America. I like to serve it in footed sundae glasses accompanied by tortilla chips. Throw in a few Corona or Dos Equis beers complete with wedges of lime and you will have a great beginning for a Cinco De Mayo party of your own. And don’t forget to invite my brother, Pete.

The daily bread of Mexican cuisine is the tortilla. It has provided sustenance for hundreds of years. Actually, evidence has been produced that a basic version of the tortilla dated back to 10,000 B.C. The versatility of the tortilla is seemingly endless. It is the backbone for tacos, tostadas, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and more. The primary ingredient is corn but in Northern Mexico wheat has been introduced as an alternative ingredient. The age-old dilemma of what to do with leftover bread, in this instance, tortillas, exists in Mexico also. In French cuisine, day-old crusty baguettes are sliced, put in a rich hot sautéed onion beef broth, and covered with gruyere cheese that is then placed under a broiler. French Onion soup becomes a fantastic venue for leftover bread. Lesser known – but equally fantastic – is Mexico’s favorite son, Tortilla Soup. When Brenda and I stayed at the Riviera Beach Resort for the first time, we found it necessary after a couple hours of “Happy Hour” festivities to head over to the resort restaurant, El Ancla. Proper nourishment was in order. Brenda chose soup and salad, her custom request. I opted for chicken fajitas. When our food came, Brenda had a spoonful of her soup and said, “Jim, you have to try this.” I did. I felt I had just grabbed the brass ring on the merry-go-round at the county fair. It was Tortilla Soup and the taste was out of this world. I had to have the recipe. I asked our waiter if I could speak to the chef. “Si, Si.” The head chef, Ignacio, came out. He could speak about as much English as I could speak Spanish. I eventually went out and corralled Hector, who was able to convey my request. A couple of days later, when we went down for breakfast, Ignacio slipped me a piece of paper handwritten in Spanish. The Holy Grail of soup. It took me a couple of years to get it translated correctly but it is certainly worthy to adorn your Cinco De Mayo table.

Hasta la vista! Time for me to round up a few Coronas and a Mariachi band for Pete’s birthday. Anybody know any flamenco dancers? Have a great Cinco De Mayo!

Jim McCaffrey is a chef, author, and co-owner with his family of McCaffrey’s Dolce Vita restaurant and Twin Springs Bakery just outside Decorah.  He is author of a humorous cookbook titled “Midwest Cornfusion”.  He has been in the food industry in one way or another for 40 years.

Seafood Ceviche
8 oz. precooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small red onion, sliced thin 2 ripe avocados
8 oz. bay scallops
2 tsp. Mexican oregano 8 oz. fresh or thawed haddock or cod cut in ½ inch cubes
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
10-12 limes
Fresh parsley or cilantro sprigs
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Tortilla chips

In a 9 x 13 non-metallic baking dish, combine seafood, tomatoes and onion. Cover completely with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours. Drain. Place in large bowl. Cut avocados in half lengthwise. Twist sides and remove pit. Scoop out avocado meat and dice into ½ inch pieces. Add with oregano to seafood mixture.

Salt and pepper to taste. Plate up, garnish with sprigs and pass the tortilla chips. Serves 6.

Ignacio’s Tortilla Soup
3 T olive oil
32 oz chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
white pepper
1 medium onion, diced fine
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 lb shredded Chihuahua cheese
1oz.fresh basil, shredded small
1- 28 oz tomato sauce (fresh or canned)
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
24 tortilla chips

Saute garlic and onion until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, oregano, basil and white pepper to taste. Simmer twenty minutes. Place 3 tortilla chips in the bottom of a soup bowl. Add some milk and cheese. Pour soup over top. Garnish with avocado. Serves 8.