When I was looking at colleges, I only considered two schools: University of South Dakota and a small junior college called Bethany Lutheran College. When our pastor heard we were heading to Minnesota to visit Bethany, he encouraged me to stop at Martin Luther College too simply because it was so close by. Truthfully, I never had any intention of attending MLC because I was certain I did not want to become a teacher, which is pretty funny considering I have now spent nearly twenty-five years doing exactly that.

During my visit to Bethany, Steve Jaeger mentioned that the choir would be traveling to Norway the following year.

That single conversation changed everything.

Until that point, I had honestly never thought about traveling to Norway, despite the fact that I had a great-grandparent who had immigrated from there. Growing up on a dairy farm, travel simply was not part of our world. My family only traveled if it involved cattle and could be done in a single day. In fact, it was a pretty big ordeal just to come to Minnesota to look at colleges. But something about hearing that I could sing in another country suddenly made the world feel bigger than I had ever imagined.

From that moment on, I was determined to attend Bethany Lutheran College, join the choir, and somehow make it to Norway. I remember asking Dad on the long drive home if he thought I should go there. His simple response was, “I think you will.” Somehow, he already understood it was the place for me.

I still remember auditioning for choir and being absolutely terrified. Looking back, I probably should not have worried as much as I did, but at the time it felt monumental. Some friends did not make it in, so when the list was posted and I saw my name, I cried. I remember calling home, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude.

Then came the question of how to pay for the trip.

As I have shared before, we did not have much money growing up. I remember telling my dad that I wanted to sell my cow, Kokomo, so I could afford to go because I wanted it that badly. Strangely enough, when I came home after my trip, Kokomo was still there. To this day, I honestly do not know where the money for Norway came from. My parents never told me.

Apparently, that was simply how things were handled at the time because I also did not learn until after I landed back at MSP that my dad was in the hospital in Sioux Falls because his cancer had worsened, and he had nearly not survived while I was gone. Thankfully, he did for a few more weeks.