Hotel Info

There is a block of rooms reserved at the Doubletree Arlington/Crystal City. The number to call and reserve individually is:
1-800-HILTONS (445-8667)

The room block is on hold with the reduced rate until December 3, 2007. That is this coming Monday. So call now to reserve. If you call after the 3rd you are subject to availability and higher rates.

When calling to make the reservations the code is Skoglund Funeral.

The luncheon will be held at the Doubletree at 12:30 on December 12, 2007.

It makes it convenient to have them both in the same location.

Thanks,
Liz

Details

Details is what my life is all about right now. I am posting to get out info to the masses.

December 8- Memorial Service in Racine at Racine Bible Church

December 11- Visitation and Service at Murphy's from 6-8 pm in Arlington VA
http://www.murphyfuneralhomes.com/html/about_us.html

December 12- Burial at Arlington National Cemetery at 11am

Luncheon to follow the burial to be determined.

If you are planning to come to DC could you please, please let me know so we can have a semi accurate number to plan for in terms of lunch on the 12th.

And finally.... my husband was an extremely practical person. In lieu of flowers we have set up a fund in Christian's name if people would like to give in some way. Many of you may know that Christian was very involved at Fort Wilderness as he was growing up. Please see the attached link for more details about the camp. We are not sure at the moment how the money will be used but it will either be for scholarships for kids who need financial assistance or if there is a need for a building project.
http://www.fortwilderness.com/index.html

The account name is: Christian Skoglund Memorial Fund. Money can be sent to...
Educators Credit Union
PO Box 080918
Racine, WI 53408-0918

Thanks.

Video

I took this video the last weekend in September. It was the weekend of the bazaar and it was crazy trying to get to a wedding on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. My points of stress and contention was the fact that we had no gas in the car, no euro and no idea where we were going. Otherwise it was a great day. The reception site was amazingly beautiful. It is fun to see Christian and how crazy he was. Hair standing straigh up, ready to go into the reception for some good food and dancing.

Dates

Here the dates that we have so far:

December 8 in Racine- Memorial Service for Christian

December 12- Service and Burial For Christian at Arlington National Cemetery

More details to follow when we figure them out

Memorial Service

The service was amazing. The gospel was presented many different ways. What Phil said was absolutely perfect. I just wanted to share it with everyone because it really captured who Christian was and what he lived for.


Remarks at Memorial Service: Aviano Air Base, Italy, Hangar 1
November 14, 2007 10:30 A.M. Phil Skoglund


When Captain Skoglund was born on August 2, 1976, we named him Christian. That was our highest hope for him – that he would become one of Christ’s men. We have watched that happen to a greater and greater degree as the years have passed.

Christian loved what God loves – His amazing creation - the earth, the sky, the awesome experience of mountains and water; but even more – he has loved and enjoyed the people the Lord has brought into his life. My wife Kay and I and his three siblings – Maja, Erik and Lars, his wife Liz, and many, many friends and family, have enjoyed him for 31 years. He has brought incredible warmth and always unpredictable excitement to our life in lots and lots and lots of ways. The last, and best of all, was this time in Italy with his wonderful wife Liz as they loved life and each other for these last 16 months.

We are very thankful for Christian’s opportunities in the military. He loved flying and he loved his fellow soldiers. We have been so impressed by the “military family” and their love and support. But there’s a bigger reason for my thanks. In this environment, everyone knows what it means to be under orders. It’s not just a specific responsibility but being in a state of accountability. Because of his army life, Christian has learned in recent years what it means to be under orders, not just from his military superiors, but also under orders from his loving Lord. The joy and winsomeness that you have seen in him are due to the fact that Christian embraced His command heartily.

We have heard from lots of people: military both here and around the world, many rugby players, fellow students from schools that Christian has attended, extended family,and they all say that he was a person “who was comfortable in his own skin, that he was able to stand alone in a crowd while still loving people and enjoying the situation.”

Here’s why. Scripture is clear that God makes each of us uniquely and carefully according to His design. We are never complete and truly fruitful until we cooperate with that design, and we never know that design until we relate in humility and submission to the Lord of life. We are created by Him and for Him. Christian understood that, and his actions and commitments in life were all part of his commitment to being the man that God wanted him to be.

For some time now, since Christian has been assigned around the world, our times together have ended with a hearty, “See you later!” Sometimes “later” is months or more, sometimes just tomorrow morning, but we never say “Good-bye,” it’s always “See you later!” That is no different now. It’s just that Christian has left this life, so “See you later!” may take a little longer. Christian has been so many places around the world where I still have not been, and may never be. Now he’s gone ahead to one more new place but this time I know I will join him someday. We are convinced that for those who “believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord,” this is our future. In fact, eternal life, the gift of God, is an abundant life that begins at the moment the soul awakens and acknowledges the Savior. Christian has shown us all a little taste of what it means to live abundantly!

We grieve because much of what we anticipated in this life can never happen. We grieve because there is a tremendous hole in so many lives where Christian lived. We grieve because we know that our path to the next “See you later!” may be longer and more difficult than any so far, BUT we do not grieve because we are without hope, or that we have lost him forever. God’s grace will be sufficient for this life, and God’s promise will carry believing hearts into great joy. Praise God for His manifold gifts to us that have come to us in and through Christian Skoglund.

To all of you, I want to say thank you for all that you have meant to Christian and to us…

and to Christian, I want to say – SEE YOU LATER!!

Ramp Ceremony

It has been a few days since I posted and a million things have happened and decisions have been made. If you have called me or emailed I just want to assure you that I am not ignoring you. I am just overwhelmed with everything that I have to do here.

The military ramp ceremony was sad, horrible but so well done and so honorable for all the men who lost their lives. I was so proud of the Army guys. They did Christian and Dave right.

I just wanted to share some pictures from yesterday. I miss him so much. My heart aches to hear his voice and to feel his touch. But I do not sorrow as one who has no hope.

Nov 10

Today begins the second day of my life without Christian. I cannot that believe that this is my life, that this is my portion. It feels so unfair. Everything here reminds me of him and I mean everything. Almost all of my pictures and wall hanging, he did the framing. There are little things everywhere that he has given me our the years as gifts. He loved doing that kind of stuff. he was so artistic and creative and loved being into the details even around the house. I was looking at all the stuff that we registered for and received for our wedding and he helped me pick out everything right down to the towels and bed linens. I loved that about him. He wanted to be in on everything. He was always so present and interested in every aspect of life. He brought so much fun and joy into my life I feel listless without him. People have been telling me for days now that I have to go on but I just don't want to. There seems to be nothing good to live for. People have been telling me it is just one day at a time but each day just drags on with sorrow and sadness.

I am sure most of you are wondering about the specifics of the funeral and burial. This is what I know so far. There is going to be a memorial service on Thursday for the base. It will be joint army and airforce since both lost men. When Christian is released by the Italians to the military there will be a ramp ceremony and his body will be taken back to Dover. From there I think they have so things to do but then he will be transported to where he will be buried. It is Christian's wishes to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery and I am going to honor that. I am sure that there will also be a service in Racine since that is his home town. I will discuss that more with his parents when they arrive later today. I will keep everyone posted when more firm dates are available.

Please keep me/us in your prayers. I really have no desire to continue on. It is just too devastating.

Nov 9

there is no happy place to be found ever again. My husband of 16 months was killed in a helicopter accident yesterday. There are no words to describe it. I am hollow, empty, my insides have been ripped out and life is just not worth living without him. He was the love of my life and I can't believe that our time together is all over. That is it, all we had together. I am laying here in bed mourning the thoughts that he will never be beside me ever again. He will never hold me or lay here and talk with me before we drift off to sleep. We will never wrestle for my side of the bed again. We will never have children together or go hiking with the dogs. We will never get to visit all the cool places that we had planned and we will never grow old together. I want a do over. I want to take november 8th back and start afresh and tell him to cancel his flight for the morning. he would be here with me now but I can't. Death is final. The small comfort that I have is that he is home with the lord, not in pain, not suffering and in a completely restored body. That is my only comfort that he was saved and he is home in eternity with our Lord and Savior. But it is horrible for me here on earth. I want to go and be with him. Why did this happen to us? Not only me but his family has lost a son and his siblings have lost a brother. He was so full of life. So active and strong. Always doing the right thing. Eternally patient and kind. Hardly ever a harsh word spoken. I miss him so much. I am broken.

A happy place

I awoke this morning feeling like I had been eating glass all night long. Christian comes in and tells me he found Grady walking along the top of our hedges. Great! How did he get up there and why does he suddenly think he is part mountain goat? I then check the mail to make sure the package with the tickets hasn't been found and then I headed off to the airport again to finally get the tickets. But along the way I was getting nervous about getting new tickets because there was supposed to be a country wide transportation strike affecting air, train and water transport starting tomorrow. I feel somewhat like I am living in a b rated, made for TV movie at present. But I got to the airport and back and got my tickets and found out there was no strike all in 2 hours. That was a positive. I then sit down to have the last of the chili I made earlier this week when the phone rang and I ended up spilling the entire contents on myself, my chair with a very white seat cushion (not so white anymore) and all over the floor. Hummmmm.....I need to find my happy place and go there for awhile. But where is my happy place?

If you can help it...

Don't ever lose airline tickets. I know this seems like a random thing to post on but it has consumed my day and apparently it will do the same again tomorrow. It all started with Travelocity and the trip that I booked for Malta. Apparently, Air One does not use etickets. Why, I have no idea. They are stuck in the dark ages along with most of Italy I have found. Anyway, Travelocity calls me and tells me back in October that they have to send me our airline tickets. Ok- fine. But they won't ship to an APO address. Unfair! It has to be a physical address. I was like, no, I receive nothing at the house. It made me nervous to think of the tickets being delivered here so I had them send them to my mom. They arrived safe and sound and being the wonderful, devoted mom that she is sent them via USPS that very same day. That day was 3 weeks ago and they still have not shown up. They have some how entered the black hole the the USPS. Lesson learned- don't trust the postal service.
So, I call Travelocity and they tell me to go to the airport and file a lost ticket claim and they will reissue me tickets. So I go today and try to do just that. The key word being I tried to resolve the situation. First I had to go to the police station in the airport and file an official lost ticket form. At least the cop was nice to me and spoke English. He made me laugh- there were some questionable characters hanging out in the containment cell and he called them stinky. So I finished with the report and brought my copy back to the ticket counter and after many phone calls, extremely rude customer service and getting no where, I was told that I would have to repurchase the tickets for the mere price of 450 euros. What! I already have paid for the tickets. So I left, further away from an answer then before and when I got home I called Travelocity and they told me to go ahead and purchase the tickets and I will be reimbursed. That means I have to go back again in the morning. Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....So, don't lose your airline tickets if at all possible.

Surprises

It has been a bit but I really didn't feel like blogging when Christian was away. He finally arrived home for good last night. Mission complete and home for awhile anyway. But I have to tell of the awesome surprise that I received on Sunday for my birthday.
Christian and the guys that were with him finally finished their mission on Saturday morning but one of the birds was broken in another country so this prevented Christian from coming straight home. Well, I had already decided that I would be ok if he missed my birthday. I mean, what could either of us do about it. No sense in getting upset. So, Sunday morning I went to the antique market in one of the local villages with one of my good friends followed by church and then brunch. I was having a great time talking with all my friends, enjoying my breakfast when all of the sudden- there he was. I was so surprised that I couldn't even react for a minute. Christian had got up, rented a car and driven 4 hours to be with me on my birthday. Granted he had to go back but we spent the rest of the day together opening presents, taking the dogs for a walk and finally we met some friends at our favorite restaurant for dinner. It was a great day. The best surprise ever. Some of his guy friends were giving him a hard time that he was setting the bar way to high for everyone else. It was great.
And now he is home and we will be departing soon for Malta. It will be great to get away just the two of us for a few days.
The crazy hooded jacket was one of my new presents. It is great, so warm and it zips up to my nose for added warmth if needed.

Dyllan was really breathing hard.