February 26, 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

‘I’m so thankful and grateful for this opportunity’

February 11, 2022

February 11, 2022

Amy Gibbons is celebrating a birthday. Salon 192 opened two years ago today. “The past two years have definitely been...

Wagle reaches out of her comfort zone

April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

Alayna Wagle loves Halloween. So the Addams Family spooky motif is right up her alley. “I was pretty familiar with...

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...

‘The first one to tell you how important you were to him’

September 5, 2022

September 5, 2022

Connor Wienke made sure people knew how he felt about them. Whether it was a smile, a friendly comment or...

10 things you don’t know about me… Dina Fox

June 5, 2019

June 5, 2019

My husband, Kerry, and I met when I was 18 years old in the middle of a snow storm.  We’ve...

Spartan Spotlight… Kendall Ayers

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Kendall Ayers has plans to travel after graduating from high school. The St. Joseph-Ogden senior plans to take a vacation...

Graduation speakers thank parents, teachers and look to the future

May 20, 2019

May 20, 2019

The theme of Hannah Lewis’ welcome address at St. Joseph-Ogden’s graduation on Sunday could be summed up as thank you....

10 things you don’t know about me… Tonya Yeazel

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph area resident to tell us 10 things we don’t know about them. This...

SJO community mourns death of Chris Knipfer: ‘He truly had a heart of gold’

November 22, 2019

November 22, 2019

Chris Knipfer always wanted to help. “He would do anything for anyone,” said Jason Retz, the cross-country coach at St....

Learning lessons: Hilton gives back through teaching and village trustee role

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Timbra Hilton moved back to Royal in 2016. She and her husband, Paul, both grew up the small town and...

“It couldn’t be done” read by Erica Guelfi

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

It Couldn’t Be DoneBY EDGAR ALBERT GUESTSomebody said that it couldn’t be done      But he with a chuckle repliedThat “maybe it couldn’t,”...

A familiar face to lead PVO

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

Jeffrey Isenhower will start a new job on July 1, 2020. He will take over the Prairieview-Ogden superintendent for Vic...

Talk of the Town with Superintendent Todd Pence

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, trustee, school administrator or board of education member three questions. This week is...

‘I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it’

December 28, 2022

December 28, 2022

Girl Scout Emily Elsbernd knew what she wanted to learn while working on her Gold Award. “I knew all along...

Treatment for the common cold

December 23, 2021

December 23, 2021

By Jeanelle Murphy, DO The common cold is caused by a virus. There are over 200 common cold viruses but...

Comments
Leave a Reply