February 2, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 Things You Don’t Know about me Nikki Setterdahl

For years, Nikki Setterdahl and her daughter Whitney have been bringing joy to teens at Barnes-Jewish Hospital through their project Stocking for Strength. Read more about Nikki in our 10 Things You Don’t Know About Me feature. Then read about their project here. Thanks to the St. Joseph Dairy Queen for sponsoring this post!

You can also still donate- contact Nikki on Facebook.

My favorite childhood memories are from family vacations, whether it was my first visit to Disneyland in California or one of the many trips to DisneyWorld or a roadtrip to upstate New York to visit family..from the the anticipation to the hours on the road or to the time in the final destination, I loved get aways with my parents and brother!

When we were faced with Whit’s diagnosis so many people reached out and brought meals, sent cards, gave hugs, etc and that made such a huge impact on me. I never really understood how such a small act can mean so much until I was on the receiving end and I just want to be sure to pay it forward.

I am in the middle of a very cheesy, yet cute series Love in Holiday Junction on my kindle. It has been a sweet distraction from the chaos lately.

Seinfeld is my weakness, I can’t turn the channel, no matter how many times I’ve seen an episode.

I think I will remember the “extra’s” I got in 2020. While I missed a lot of things, I gained some too…things I probably never would have had without Covid. I got so much extra time with my kids, with college shut down and sports on hold and working remotely becoming an option we made some pretty good memories around here. We all learned to slow down a little and appreciate our time together.

I am looking forward to so many small things in 2020. Things like visiting my grandma who turned 99 this August and hugging her, sitting in the bleachers watching my kiddo play sports, visiting Ben down in Clemson,going out to dinner with friends…just the regular things we used to do without even thinking about it.

I love all of the traditions that come with the holidays. Things like using the same plate for Santa’s cookies that we have used since Whit was born, watching the same holiday movies we always watch, the taste of Christmas cookies, all those things that stir up the feelings that you get this time of year.

I have to say Disney World is my favorite place to travel to. I just love the mix of the old from my childhood and the excitement of all of the new.

To be honest I never seem to have much with consistently, but my phone and hand sanitizer have become common staples now.

I had the sweetest dalmatian ever named Bugsy as my first ever pet.

in Life, People
Banner
Related Posts

10 things you don’t know about me… Jennifer Wayland

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Jennifer Wayland is the owner of the Island Travel Group. She is also co-chairing the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce...

‘No one believed in our kids and our teams more than he did’

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Dan Wright loved life.  He loved his family. He loved his community.  Wright passed away on March 19 in Florida. ...

Booker inspires community to serve

March 10, 2022

March 10, 2022

Ross Booker was always helping people. The community he called home is stepping up in order to honor the fallen...

10 things you don’t know about me… Stacey Livingston

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting things about themselves. This week we spoke to...

‘He was the kind of person everyone was happy to see’

July 19, 2025

July 19, 2025

Sam Shonkwiler was full of life. He would walk in a room and people would call his name. He had...

Senior Spotlight… Joey Acton

July 9, 2019

July 9, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we talked to Joey Acton. This post is sponsored...

Get to know SJO Senior Marching Band member Mallory Wagner

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

The competitions, going and spending the evening with my band family and meeting and befriending other bands is just such...

Eye clinic aiming for March opening

January 9, 2020

January 9, 2020

2020 is the perfect year for an eye care service to open. And St. Joseph is the perfect location for...

U of I names December 2020 graduates

May 14, 2021

May 14, 2021

The University of Illinois has released their list of 2020 December graduates.These area students graduated in December. ST. JOSEPHLauren GhernaKohlten...

Work continuing on Rail Trail

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022

Ogden, IL – The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is poised to construct 1.5 miles of the Kickapoo Rail Trail...

Remembering B.J. Hackler: ‘He made people smile’

September 10, 2021

September 10, 2021

B.J. Hackler liked to stay busy. He belonged to the St. Joseph Tea-Totalers, a group of residents who meet in...

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

Proposal would expand Sports Complex

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

Jim Page has a vision for the Sports Complex. The St. Joseph resident feels Woodard Family Park is under utilized...

10 Things You Don’t Know about me… Casey Phillips

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Casey Phillips is active in the St. Joseph Women’s Club, a mom to two girls, a dental assistant and helps...

Kids say… what does a farmer do?

December 22, 2019

December 22, 2019

This week we asked students at St. Joseph Grade School to tell us what they think a farmer does. What...

Comments
Leave a Reply