December 9, 2025 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

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...

‘He was one of a kind that can never be replaced’

July 19, 2023

July 19, 2023

Gerald McClendon always wanted to help people. His Facebook page even said, “I enjoy helping as many people as I...

10 things you don’t know about me… Alisyn Franzen

December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021

We asked St. Joseph Middle School Principal Alisyn Franzen to tell us 10 interesting things about herself. Here are her...

‘I love feeling a part of the community’

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

Almost a year ago exactly, The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the naming and grand opening of...

How I get it done… Todd Jacob

September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022

We are asking business owners to tell us about their daily routine and how they accomplish goals for their businesses....

Fine arts student of the month… Kabriel Schuster

August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019

Each month a committee of teachers selects a fine arts student of the month from nominees from the drama, art...

Grindley keeps positive attitude during pandemic

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic that we are all experiencing, it’s just not high school athletes that are being affected. Lucas...

Kids Say… St. Joseph Second Grade

March 22, 2019

March 22, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

Doctor’s love of medicine started at early age

February 18, 2019

February 18, 2019

St. Joseph resident Dr. Jeanelle Murphy fell in love with medicine in the oncology wing at the Children’s Hospital of...

Allen reflects on state pageant

March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

Gracyn Allen has been the Champaign County Fair Queen for almost eight months. Her 2019 has included everything from competing...

Ask the Doctor with Dr. Jeanelle Murphy

April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020

How much screen time should my child have? What are the pros and cons for letting a toddler or grade...

Senior spotlight…. Payton Clements

January 17, 2020

January 17, 2020

What are your post high school plans? After high school, I plan on attending Bradley university and majoring in environmental...

We the People holding one final fundraiser

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

There is one final chance to help the St. Joseph-Ogden We the People Civics Team fund their trip to Nationals...

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...

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...

Comments
Leave a Reply