Hope Valley

Come to Hope Valley with me.

Hope Valley doesn't exist, but if it did exist, it would be up in the Skagit county of Washington State.

It's--I'll talk of it as though it really existed--off a little-taken exit off I-5. You take the exit and find yourself on a winding, forgotten road--soon you'll come to a few houses clumped together--and that's Hope Valley.

The first house when you come in on the right is the Berghans'. Alexis and Johannes and their six children: Katarina, Dorthea, Johann, Ana, Magdalena, and Grete. Everyone (except baby Grete) is fluent in both English and German--Alexis is Irish and Johannes is German and they immigrated to America as young adults. They are still somewhat of a young couple--their kids are very small (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1). The kids are a lot of work. Alexis is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools Katarina and Dorthea and will homeschool the rest. She is very friendly--come to her house.

The first house on the left is the Erikssons'. Erik and Erika live there with their three children: Henry, Isadora, and Dora. They call Isadora Dizzy. They are of Scandanavian descent, but they have lived in America all their life. Erika runs a profitable "baby-sitting service" which takes in Hope Valley kids on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and then she goes to Everett or Mount Vernon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She babysits for free on emergency weekends. She always takes Henry, Dizzy and Dora with her. Erik mows lawns all over town as a hobby, and then he works at the electrical plant.

The second house on the right is the Andersons'--Ingrid and Henrik. They are also of Scandanavian descent. They have no children. They have a big field where they attempt to grow things--but between snowmen in the occasional winter snow, Erik's lawn mowing fever, and annoying kids, they don't grow much. Ingrid used to wear glasses, but now she wears contacts because they can't break when the dog pulls a crazy shenanigan. She almost got killed one afternoon, right before Easter, when she accidentally landed on a roller skate and their maniacal dog took off. She is a math teacher. Henrik is a chiropracter, but he can do his own back out wrestling with the dog, who hates them with a vengeance.

The second house on the left is the Jenkins'--Abby and Ralph and their baby daughter Natalie. They are from Tennessee, and don't really like the weather here at all--but they're nice people. Abby and Ingrid Anderson are great cronies.

The third house on the right is Nancy's. She's a young single woman who adopted a baby from Ukraine, Noël. Noël is a fussy little one, but she and Nancy are happy.

The third house on the left is the O'Haras--Tim and Louise and their daughters Katy and Becca. Tim is a computer geek and works with them as his job. Louise is a stay at home mom and homeschools Katy and Becca.

The fourth house on the right is Fran Wang's. Fran is a widow with two kids, Diana and Eva. Eva and Katy O'Hara are best friends.

The fourth house on the left is the Nelsons'--Dan and Lucinda and their four daughters Carol, Beth, Adelheid and Leah. Leah and Eva and Katy are a threesome.

There are a few more people in Hope Valley, but these are all the important folks. Come visit them some time!

Saro