Gabrielsen Heritage Dinner, 2013

A Gathering to Honor Our Ancestors and A Great Excuse to Get Together

Three years ago, we had our first Heritage Dinner at our home in St. George. 

Joan's coming for her annual trek to St. George for Spring Break this year to stay with Kay 

prompted plans for another one. 

 Patty and Hal and Cindy and John said, "We're on," so plans were made!

Tuesday, Kay and Joan picked me up and we went to the Santa Clara Town Hall and Museum, then went shopping in a couple of the cute stores.

Wednesday, Kay's Keynotes sang at a couple of assisted living centers, and John, Cindy and I met Shonna, Caleb, Lily, and Joan to cheer them on.  They sounded beautiful, but, then, what's new?

They always sound so good!

We then went to Mad Pita Express for a yummy lunch and happy, We're so tickled to be together again! conversation.

Roger golfed with John that afternoon at St. George Golf Club and Cindy and I talked, catching up and revisiting the past. 

That evening, we drove to Los Lupes in Mesquite for a yummy Mexican meal.

Thursday, we went for a springtime walk to the waterfalls in Santa Maria neighborhood, Roger went to work, John went golfing with Tom, and Cindy and I talked some more. 

How I love this beautiful, classy, witty, smart and deeply-layered sister-in-law. 

We decided years ago to drop the in-law part.

Cindy is our sister, in the truest sense of the word!

Friday morning, Patty and Hal arrived at our home at 10:02 AM. They had said they would be here at 10, and John yelled out to them as they were walking up, "Where have you been?"

The men, Roger, Hal, John, Ken and Tom, golfed in the Gabrielsen Open at Sunbrook, vying for the coveted Duck Trophy. Ken and Tom tied, so I'm not sure who gets to keep the Duck for a year.

While they golfed, the women worked like maniacs to prepare the Scandinavian meal. Patty prepared Swedish meatballs and Swedish orange cake at her home and brought them with her.  Patty, Cindy and I set the tables, decorating them with family pictures and family heirlooms.  We pulled out and washed all of the serving pieces for the evening meal, using collected serving trays, bowls, ramekins, our decorated drink dispenser, a covered cheese server we bought in London so many years ago and a soup tureen I purchased many years ago in Williamsburg. It's so fun to use treasured dish ware; each piece brings back happy memories.

Grandma Libby Fox Peterson as a young pretty thing

 Patty brought little booklets that had been with Grandma's things and we put them in the pewter Viking ship Roger and I brought home from Bergen, Norway.

We ate a quick lunch of chicken pasta salad I had made for when John and Cindy arrived, then prepared the Norwegian pickled cucumbers and the makings for the shrimp and avocado open-faced sandwiches.

We took a quick break about 3 in the afternoon to go to The Nook, a cute boutique, then hurried back to get the potatoes peeled and gravy for the meatballs made, the punch mixed and the sandwiches made.

Shrimp and avocado open-faced sandwiches on rye bread with horseradish cream sauce

This Norwegian pickled cucumber recipe is to die for!

For appetizers, we had pickled herring in sour cream sauce and Danish bleu cheese and crackers along with the open-faced sandwiches.

Kay had made wonderful labels, identifying each food item.

Joan brought over the fresh salmon, all ready for Roger to put on the grill.

Kay made the most delicious fresh asparagus in brown butter and nutmeg sauce.

Patty's Swedish meatballs were a hit!  She made a wonderful sour cream gravy and we had lignonberry preserves on the side.

We had oodles of buttered mashed potatoes.

Lignonberry Grog was a sweet and tart accompaniment.

Kay made delicious homemade rolls, which we had with butter, fresh raspberry jam or Swedish orange marmalade.

A Scandinavian feast on a plate!

Whitney and a friend drove up for Easter at Kay and Ken's, arriving just in time for dinner.

Plates are pretty much empty by the time we take pics!

Patty's Swedish orange cake

I have no idea how it happened, but there is no pic of Kay's and Shonna's butter cookies, 

which were a huge hit!

Joan's Swedish rice cream pudding with berry sauce

We played a Getting to Know You - Better! Game after dinner. 

 I think we learned some new things about each other.

Sister Pics

We managed to talk about some of our ancestors throughout the evening, and I think we all feel proud

and so very grateful for our hard-working, faithful and good ancestors.

We have truly inherited fine lineage!

Roger and I spent a quiet Easter together.
Our branch had 952 in the Sacrament meeting congregation!  Joyce Webb had asked me to substitute leading the music, and it was really kind of a thrill singing Easter songs praising Christ with so many voices.  My heart swelled with gratitude for our Savior!