It has not been since I was a little girl that I actually felt deep down pride in  this country. The swelling of the heart that makes tears come to the eyes. But, with the election of Barack Obama, I feel that sense of deep pride again. We are again the beacon of hope in the world. We have overcome the petty

I wrote to my friend Barbie about my upbringing and she suggested that this type of history might interest others. So here goes:

My last name? It is Finnish. I grew up in Astoria Oregon, the oldest settlement west of The Rocky Mountains! It has so much history that other places that claim history or try to build that up make me chuckle. My father spoke fluent Finnish..and it was settled by Finns mainly..but also Swedes etc. Growing up I was surrounded by Finns but because it was so normal to me, I didn’t really notice it.