Life on the Vine

Absurd Advice

2007-11-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Overall, the internet has been a great resource for our wedding planning - how else could we listen to literally hundreds of songs in one evening to select all of our dances? However, I"ve stumbled on some bad (and really unrealistic) advice. The most recent was about writing thank-you notes. I'm finding it challenging to write a personal note to someone I"ve never met, yet, we've been recieving some gifts, and I'd like the notes to get out before the wedding. Here's the advice: thank you notes must be sent. Take an hour or two one evening or weekend afternoon to complete this task as a couple. You’ll be happy you did.

I don't doubt thank-you notes must be sent. But 'an hour or two'??? Perhaps if only your bridal party shows up. I love writing thank you notes, and love that it will take us an hour or two per day for at least a week.

What a day!!

2007-07-22T23:43:00.000-04:00

Today was just one of those incredible days. I really loved today! Perhaps it was because....
- Derek and I went to a great church service, and had good conversations beforehand
- I had my first bridal shower - and got to connect with lots of family and friends of the family, and introduce them to Derek and his mother!
- our family found cheap flights to Costa Rica to visit little sis Lisa (who is there from August through early November!). A bunch of us are flying out mid-October for a long weekend! YEA!!! I can't wait! The only disappointment is that Derek won't be able to go (not enough vacation time this year...)
- we close on our house WEDNESDAY!!!

Engagement Pictures!!

2007-07-16T14:31:00.000-04:00

What a fun day Saturday!

Check them out.... http://gallery.jvlphotography.com/gallery/3150281

On Wisconsin

2007-07-16T14:22:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was in Madison Wisconsin for some staff training. It was a great time, and I have to say that every time I travel to Madison, I enjoy it more and more. I rivals Ann Arbor, I must admit. Some of the highlights from the city:

- Farmer's Market - right outside of the hotel (and right by the capitol building) is the Farmers Market. Where else can you eat squeaky cheese curds that are a few hours old?

- Land's End Outlet - down the street is a Land's End Outlet - where things that are returned/exchanged are sold pretty cheap. You can get a bag with someone else's initials for a discount (or perhaps find your own if you are lucky). Derek and I both have new pants from here.

- Yummy food - you can also get this in Ann Arbor, but it's fun to have an allowance and eat out for lunch every day. One day it was Indian, the next African....you get the idea.

- Fireworks - there was an amazing fireworks display (set to music) over the lake. Beautiful, and I had never heard fireworks set to the Dixie Chicks before :).

All in all, Madison = good time.

What a couple of weeks!

2007-06-25T13:38:00.000-04:00

What a couple of weeks it has been! I've been amazed at all that God has provided for Derek and I. Most notably is our house! We close in just 30 days on an incredible house - I love it more each time I'm there. It will be a great space for us to live, have people over, and begin our life together.

Things are also coming (slowly but surely) with the wedding and life planning. I'm amazed at the generousity we're experiencing from so many - from people hosting showers to giving us furniture. I've been struggling a bit to know how to respond to so much goodness. Truly, we don't deserve this, and it's not because of anything that we have done, yet we believe that these things are also from the Lord. God is good when things are going well and we're blessed relationally and materially. God is also good when life seems to be falling apart. I hope I can identify with that in difficult times, and not forget it during good times like this.

I'll post pictures of the house soon, but they are also on my Facebook account :).

life is expensive

2007-03-30T10:07:00.000-04:00

I've come to fully realize that life is extremely expensive. Along with the joys of committing to life together with an amazing person comes the full realization of all of the major purchases and decisions for the next year. Things like mortgage rates, reception halls and leases all of a sudden need to work together in a real budget for two real people.

I'm thankful for fellow sojourners in this like Lisa who desire to have similar lifestyle choices of living within one's means. Derek and I made an agreement four days after getting engaged that we could drastically eliminate our eating-out habits. So far, I think we're doing well. One of my favorite evenings with him was a $.53 coffee outing and hours of good conversation. I'm also thankful for the onset of sunny and warm weather, where I'm perfectly content to just walk in the park.

Much to my dismay, Beaner's raised their refill price from $1 to $1.25! Thankfully, they offer a 10% discount for students, and my MTS student card works. So for me, it's $1.12. Sill, a .12 increase over a year amounts to $17.28 a year if I get coffee three times a week!

Currently Reading: A Simply Beautiful Wedding - planning a celebration that is attractively economical, relationally healthy, spiritually enriching, less stressful & more enjoyable

Engaged!!

2007-03-25T14:32:00.000-04:00

The secret's out - I'm engaged! Last Saturday (my birthday) Derek took me to an amazing dinner at the Gandy Dancer. We got dressed up and he had made reservations. Once we got there the waitstaff took us to this little, cozy alcove where there were a dozen red roses. I was shocked! Derek had already given me my birthday present, so I wasn't expecting anything else.

During dinner I asked him, 'Do you have anything else planned?'. I suggested we walk around downtown, or go gaze at the stars. But I could tell he had another surprise, and I had no idea what it was. I also said, 'This has been the best birthday ever. Do you realize what you've done - there's no way that you'll be able to come even close to matching this next year!'

After dinner we decided to get dessert. Derek was pushing me to choose cheesecake (normally my favorite) or Key Lime Pie, but finally we decided on chocolate cake. When the waiter brought it out, there was a ring on top! I was stunned. Derek asked me to marry him and I said YES!

Then we called family and headed to my parent's house. It was a fun celebration. Whew - what a week. It's been great to talk to all of my good friends and share such good news with them. I've been overwhelmed by God's goodness. Derek is such an amazing man - someone who loves God, loves me, and really wants to spend the rest of his life with me.

Derek and I are excited. The question everyone asks is 'When's the wedding?' We don't know [yet], but have decided that it won't be this summer, or in September. So the earliest will be mid-October. And I don't expect him to top this birthday next year!

ah, a pattern

2007-02-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

I've noticed a pattern - I tend to update my blog right before a training conference (the second weekend of MAC is this coming weekend). Why? Probably because there is stuff that I'm supposed to be working on, but am actively procrastinating. It's hard to work on a talk when I haven't checked Facebook. I also received the staffing lists for Chapter FOCUS week tonight and I can update my blog.

So the entry that I've been meaning to write is on 'stupid things that I've done'. Most recently it was vacuuming the power cord to my computer. It got sucked up so quickly, and while I was trying to turn off the vacuum there was smoke coming out of the machine (the vacuum). Now there are bare wires on the cord, but I've covered them over with electrical tape - yea to Meijer for a $1 fix. We'll see how long that lasts.....

My other favorite mistakes of the past year include buying airline tickets for the wrong flight (quickly got that reversed, thankfully) and unintentionally giving Derek the wrong phone number. That led to a slightly awkward first phone conversation. There must be others. You guys know me, feel free to share them!!

well-deserved random update

2007-01-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

It's about time I've updated. My younger siblings did a much better job of getting the pictures out - facebook, xanga, you name it. William Mathew (my nephew) arrived on January 6th.

I haven't had all that much time to hang out with the little guy yet (yesterday was my first real dose), but I trust that will change in the years to come! I've found him to be incredibly sweet and snuggly, and a well-needed boy into the Mathews clan.

So, below are highlights from the past few weeks:

Christmas - Time with family was too short, but it was good to be with them, and Christmas itself was relaxing. I wish I had a picture to post from Christmas, but I don't.

Urbana - I really enjoyed Urbana. Highlights for me were great times with staff friends, meeting Sharon Cohn (IJM) and introducing her seminar about Power and Women, and then hearing her speak in a general session. The strangest thing was running into a number of people who knew me, but I couldn't remember them. This happened every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Sometimes I figured it out, but not always. I'm still racking my brain to remember who the guy was on the street that said 'hi Carole'. I really don't know.

MAC - hard to believe that it's this coming weekend! This morning I had the 'I can't believe the conference is tomorrow' feeling. I have some more prep to do tonight, but overall I'm excited. MAC is my favorite InterVarsity training conference; there's so much to love about it! One fun thing is that Derek (the new guy) is coming as well. That's another highlight from the past few weeks in general (this is a picture of us).

The guy whose office is across Nickels Arcade from mine (both of our desks face the windows so we can see each other, but don't have direct contact) just left. I still wonder what he actually does for his work, what his name is, etc. I do know that they got a new phone in before the holidays and that he often is in the office at strange hours. Maybe I'll start blogging about who I guess this guy is. Probably not.

life is crashing!

2006-12-13T22:59:00.000-05:00

I've never had this happen before - gmail (and i think google talk) are both currently down. That means, I can't get new email or see who is online to chat with (a new habit). Instead of taking it for what it is, an urge from Jesus to go to sleep, I instinctively check all of my other 'google' addictions - google search, google maps and blogger. All of those are working, fyi. Phew! I think I'll choose to rest in hopes that all of these will be fixed by morning. Regardless, Jesus is Lord, and Google isn't.

will you be where i am??

2006-12-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

After being home for a couple weeks, I'm looking forward to some travel.

December 26 - January 1 - the Urbana Missions Conference. Me and 20,000 of my closest friends will be there. Will you??

Weekend in January and February - MAC (Ministering Across Cultures) training. This is my favorite training that InterVarsity offers! Learn practical skills and God's heart for crossing cultures.

February 24 - March 3 - JUMP (Jamaica University Missions Project) - a week in Jamaica doing evangelism with the IFES ministry there. Sound fun? I sure think so!

So, will you be where I am? Let me know, or if you'd like information about these opportunities :). If you've been to one of these IV activities, let me know about your experiences!

The joys of procrastinating on papers....back to work.

studying with my sister!

2006-11-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

A highlight of my Thanksgiving was studying with my sister. Now that I'm back in school, I had a bunch of work to do over the break - a midterm to study for and a number of books to read (I had put off a lot of work the past few weeks). Instead of shopping the day after Thanksgiving, we hit the local library in the morning and a coffee shop in the afternoon (but a little shopping in between :) ). Saturday was similar. I was thankful that she had work to do - she is a great studying partner! The picture below is of Lisa and I a couple of summers ago - I can't wait for a sunny day to hang out when we don't have to study. Miss you, Kidd-o!

neat things about today

2006-11-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize that today is one of my favorite days - the day that they put the Christmas decorations up in the Nickels Arcade (where my office is). I walked through the Arcade to the great smell of pine, and I love seeing the lights out of the window. For the past few weeks each of the stores have transformed their window displays to holiday scenes, complete with frosted window panes. It makes me *almost* want to start listening to Christmas music now, but I must hold off until Friday at least.

Another neat thing about today is that my good friend Jenny has a baby boy! (Well, he came on Saturday.) But they are going home from the hospital today. I can't wait to meet Jonah Oliver, but it will probably be a while because they live in Arizona. This was one of the best surprises during the OSU game. I have to admit that I didn't answer her phone call because I thought she was rubbing in the game (her husband, Chad, is an OSU fan, and she's a MSU alum, so there can be some bantering in the fall). I missed one of the best phone calls ever! But I did listen to her message right away and call her back :).

Another neat thing about today is that I'm meeting up with a lot of students. I'm excited - it's been a while since I've had a day of student after student conversation.

What a great Monday!

Heard on the Radio...

2006-11-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I heard a song requested on the radio. But the DJ said it was an anonomous request. Why? The kid who requested it was cutting school, and didn't want his name on the air. I found this very amusing.

Shoe fast?

2006-10-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

[I realized this morning that most days I have around 5 blog entires swimming in my head. The problem, it seems, is that between those early morning (or mid-morning) thoughts and by the time I get around to having space to actually write them down, they disappear, or perhaps become not as blog-worthy. Perhaps, though, I should blog more regularly.]

This morning I was thinking about shoes. I really like shoes (I have for a while). I'm learning that I have a lot of shoes. Last week in my spiritual formation class we dicussed fasting, and what fasting accomplishes. We're supposed to take a fast as a part of the class, and our instructor challenged those of us who had done food-fasts before to fast in another way. It started me thinking - what do I need to fast from? Immediately, the thought of shoes came into my mind. Shoes? Why do I need to fast from shoes? How do I fast from shoes?

Well, my visit to Cleveland this weekend confirmed my need to fast from shoes. I bought yet another pair of shoes. Perfectly rational in my mind - they're 85% off, I don't have a pair like them, they will be perfect to wear with jeans going out next summer. Yes, they are cute summer shoes. I won't be able to wear them out of the house for at least 7 months. I instinctively bought them because I don't have a pair like them, they fit well, and they are 85% off. I thought about the fact that this is at least the third pair of shoes that I have bought in Cleveland - a city that I don't live in, and only visit several times a year. Just now I realize that I've bought shoes in Washington DC, Florida and in Russia. I went shoe-shopping in China, but couldn't find anything in my size.

Now, I know I don't worship shoes. Yet, there seems to be a disconnect when I'm shoe shopping. A disconnect between what I know will satisfy me and a desire to have a new pair of shoes. I buy (literally) into the lie that I need the shoes, and that they will fulfill some sort of purpose in my life. Lauren Winner talks about fasting from cheese (in her book that I mentioned in my last post). Lauren realized that she had eaten cheese at the last six meals, and decides to take three days off of cheese. She points out that during her fast from cheese, she begins to learn the lesson that she is not captive to this desire. She can pass up the mac and cheese. She can say nope, today I'm fasting from cheese. So, can I pass up the desire for shoes? And what does that look like, really? I mean, it's not like I can give up wearing shoes. So, how do I fast from shoes?

Confession

2006-10-23T12:37:00.001-04:00

Confession: when I was asked to speak at EMU’s InterVarsity chapter a few weeks back one of the things that was most appealing about the invitation was the knowledge that I would be able to ‘hang out’ with Lauren Winner in the days before the talk. For those of you who haven’t heard me rave about Lauren, I’ll spare you the details (but browse through my blog from last January for a little perspective).

My topic for Tuesday is sexuality, so I’ve been skimming Lauren’s book Real Sex: the naked truth about chastity. I’ve been impressed again about Lauren’s insight, truthfulness and the fact that she's a good author! Her challenge to live in community and examine the lies that our culture and the church tell us about sex are still a breath of fresh air, even though I've read them before.

I’m hoping not to give the same-old sex talk on Tuesday. I’m also hoping (and praying) to challenge these eager students to pursue Jesus’ call to live radically as citizens of the Kingdom.

I'm off to work on my talk while Amy studies. I appreciate having a job where work can be done in a variety of contexts, and having good friends in grad school that need to study!

Currently Reading:

Questions

2006-10-17T23:07:00.000-04:00

Today I was able to teach some newer IV staff about questions, specifically writing Bible study questions. In the past year or so, I've been dong more and more thinking about questions. I think one of my favorite quotes is true - "A good question makes all the difference between a lively discussion and an awkward staring contest." I like good questions that make me think critically and examine a text. But I've also been in situations where a bad question (and I believe that there is such a thing as a bad question) kills a lively conversation.

I also like people to ask me a lot of questions. I've found that I generally divulge information only when asked. My perspective is that if people want to know something about me, they'll ask. What I have a hard time remembering is that the opposite can be true of people (if someone wants to talk about themselves, they will). I probably don't realize the many times I think people don't want to know about me because they aren't asking, and that people think I don't want to tell them about me because I'm not revealing. Hmmmmm....

I also like asking questions of others. This summer (while in China) I asked a lot of questions. I made it a point to, but didn't fully realize how many questions I asked until the US students started pointing it out. It turned out to be a helpful way to enter into the cross-cultural relationships, and US students were challenged to continue to engage and ask questions of their language partner. I found out so much about China by asking questions!

Questions are important. And good questions are even better. Any questions?

Sad & Happy

2006-10-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

First, the sad news. My cute purple car is officially gone. This is my last moment with it (on Wednesday). You can see in the background the house I've been staying in for the past two months. I haven't had many of you over, and I'm regretful about that! Thankfully, the staff team has frequented my house, which was a huge blessing to me (and hopefully the team).

And the happy news -snow!! I knew there was snow in the forecast last night, but I didn't think I would actually see it. It took me awhile to notice, but then I looked out the window in delight. I love the first snow. Unfortunately, my 'snow socks' were packed, so I couldn't wear them :(.

(Kat, this announcement is particularly for you. Sorry I forgot to mention the snow on the message I left. And sorry I couldn't chat today - looking forward to next week!)

I've also realized that now that I only have one car, I think I'll be more appreciative of the reliable Malibu. Even if I need to scrape the snow off of it!

Run while you can......

2006-10-08T22:33:00.000-04:00

Already? Yup.
For those of you who know me even moderately well, you're thinking 'already? why? where is she moving to this time?'

So, I'll answer the questions for you know - yes, already (long story, immediate reason is because the people I'm housesitting for are returning more than a month earlier than they originally thought because of the situation in the Middle East), Kristina (from HHBC) and I will be living together. It's cool how that has worked out, and I'm excited to have found a new roommate at this odd time of the year!

So, if you're my friend and still live in Ann Arbor, I'd suggest making other plans for this Saturday, October 14th in the afternoon. Otherwise, I'll be asking for your help soon and you'll be stuck carrying boxes for a few hours. And if you don't live in Ann Arbor, the respose of 'I'd love to if I were in town' is still welcome :).

At least my trusty boxes aren't wearing out yet! I'll probably get another move out of them before they go....

Fall Fell

2006-10-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

Spring has the wonderful phrase 'Spring has Sprung' to accompany its arrival. There's no such counterpart for Fall. It hit me today - probably the first beautiful day of fall, in my opinion - that fall is indeed here. I had a wonderful drive to my class with a beautiful blue sky and glowing yellow trees. I took pictures of the trees (thanks to my new camera phone), and really enjoyed being outside. So, what should we say when fall arrives??

- Fall Fell - Autumn Dropped - Autumn Arrives - Fall has Fallen -

None of the options are quite as catchy as 'Spring has Sprung'.

Regardless, I love fall (what Michigander doesn't?). I love the trees, the smell of leaves (see previous post), good apple cider (I consider myself an apple cider snob) and the crisp air. I'd like to enjoy fall this year.

Senic drive, anyone?

on Change

2006-10-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

I realized (or, rather, God revealed to me) last week that I don't like change, or respond to change very well. I was driving back from a meeting in Ohio when I admitted that the real reason that I don't want to get rid of my car is that I'm not ready for the change. My (beloved) super-Saturn was totaled (rather, I totaled it) a week before leaving for China. The stress and all of the activity before going meant that I didn't deal with it then. I also needed some sort of transportation when I returned. (My car is in this very strange totaled but drivable state). But soon after returning I was given a new car. A car that was better than my old one. A car with half as many miles on it, a CD player, and a drivers side window that rolls down. Honestly, though, I'd rather be driving my purple Saturn. I realized that the Saturn is the only thing that has been consistent in my life in the past five years. I've had so many different roommates, apartments, close friends, small groups, family, students, relationships, even colleagues and the church I've attended. God reminded me that He has been (and will) be consistent, and that dealing with change is a way that I can trust Him more fully. So, these days I'm thinking about getting rid of my Saturn (it's in my driveway right now), and being more aware of how the changes around me affect my daily life. And I'm walking into them with a sense of God's nearness. I also had my hair cut pretty short. I'm liking that change!

I've added more pictures of China. Check them out!

Currently Reading: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Reappearance

2006-09-25T22:50:00.000-04:00

This reappearance is due to several causes (it takes several to make me reappear)
- Kat 'tagged' me (whatever that is) and I'm supposed to write 10 of life's simplest pleasures (I think)
- Hattie told me she reads my blog
- I actually finished my reading for my class tomorrow and I'm waiting for brochures to print in the office, meaning that I have extra 'screen time' right now.

I must get back to the reason for this post - 10 of life simplest pleasures:

- laughing or smiling with one other person in a room full of people when only the two of you know (or are aware) of what is humerous or funny
- the smell of freshly cut grass
- the smell of fall leaves
- a good joke
- a clean desk (I wouldn't know from personal experience)
- going somewhere you've never been before (either around the world or around the block)
- a cute kid
- playing with a puppy
- finishing a good book
- having a good friend call when you have time to talk

hmmm - I think I'm supposed to 'tag' a few others: rachdm, Scharn, the Artist Stares Back, Savoring the Sweet Tea, Lauren Winner (one can only hope!)

grace

2006-05-22T15:02:00.000-04:00

I'm thankful for grace. Yes - in the large-scale, God's acts of grace in the world and of my sin grace, but I'm also thankful for smaller acts of grace.

Like today. I had a library book due last week, but I left town and didn't renew it. I tried to renew it online, but my library card had expired so it wouldn't let me. I was a little frustrated, but then realized that the penalty I would pay to the library ($1 or so) didn't even begin to compare to what I recieve from the library. I borrow books all of the time from them.

So this morning I went to renew my card and pay my fine. I asked the woman helping me if she could renew my book for me (even though it was overdue), and told her that I had tried, but couldn't because of the expiration of my card while I was out of town. She renewed my book and took away the $1 fine. I walked out of there thinking, 'Wow. That was neat.'

Somehow, the smaller acts of human grace remind me of the large-scale grace.

Currently Reading: Some Mitford book (I forget which one I'm on)

A great week

2006-05-21T13:42:00.000-04:00

Last week I was back at Cedar Campus, and probably had my favorite job ever - taking care of little Charlotte. It was the week that Case Western (the school that Laura staffs) was at camp. The great thing was that Laura was still on maternity leave, Rick staffed their exec, and I hung out with them and the baby.

Each day we would hang out, take naps, and read. My favorite times were when Charlotte would sleep and I would get to hold her. So cute. This little girl stole my heart.

Charlotte and Aunt Carole

Her hat makes her ears stick out - a little like Dopey :)

There are those big eyes!

Here she is!

2006-04-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

Sleepy Baby!

About to take a bath...

She doesn't like baths.

But she likes her daddy.

I think she looks like ET here :)

Great Spiller, Terrible Speller

2006-04-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

The other day confirmed that I'm a champion spiller. I managed to spill most of the remains of my coffee onto the handle of my laptop bag, both of which were in my car. How this exactly happened, I'm not so sure. But when I took my bag out of the car, I felt the wet, smelly, shoulder strap and could wring out a handful of coffee. Yuck. Thankully, this all happened on the floor of my car, meaning there isn't a coffee spill on the seat. This weekend I also succeeded at spilling tomatoes and yogurt on my shirt.

While I'm a great spiller, I'm a terrible speller. I'm often amazed at how atrocious my spelling is. (For example, I just stried to spell 'atrocious' as 'actroeous' and 'atrocous'). If it wern't for spell-check, I would be in trouble - mostly because everyone would know just how bad my spelling is!

I'm so excited - Charlotte Goetsch entered the world yesterday! Her mom (my dear friend Laura) is both a great spiller and a great speller. Laura has had some amazing spills, but also can spell some amazing words. I've witnessed both. Dad is a bad spiller - I don't think I've seen him spill anything - and a great speller. I'm sure Charlotte will start out as a great spiller (and a bad speller), but she'll have years to improve in both of these categories. Welcome, little Charlotte. I can't wait to meet you!!

Gentlemen Prefer Potatoes

2006-02-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

"When you collect recipes for vegetable dishes with men guests in mind, start with potatoes. Of all the garden treats, nothing interests the masculine world so much as the humble spud. Since this cookbook features choice foods for country entertaining, we start the vegetable section with potatoes. It's no secret that most women, and this includes hostesses, do a lot of cooking to please men."

- From a cookbook published by 'Farm Journal' in 1968. My cheesy potatoes turned out ok, but I forgot to ask the men what they thought. I guess wasn't trying to please them.

Life is Different

2006-01-24T09:43:00.000-05:00

You know those weeks where you know that after it, your life will be different. This is one of those for me.

Yesterday, was my first day back at school. I loved it! My seminary class was so much fun. We learned....inductive Bible study! Yes, O-I-A. I was refreshed, energized, and ready to jump into a semester of studying Scripture (for the class).

I did wonder, however, how I could enjoy learning something that I've been actively, consciously doing for over 9 years and that I've consistently taught others for the last 5? I think it's partly because I was affirmed that I'm teaching others correctly and well. I can walk away saying 'yup, that's it.' But that's not all of it. I also learned things last night. New things. Fun things that I want to teach others.

This circles back to the MAC training over the weekend and having a posture of a learner. Jesus - may I always be in that state. And when I drift off, put me back in it.

Currently reading: How to Read the Bible for all it's Worth by Fee & Stuart

Life Goal

2006-01-15T23:52:00.000-05:00

One more life goal was met last week - hearing and meeting Lauren Winner! Here's a brief recap of the tour:

9:07pm - leave A2, after picking up mats to sleep on from the Steiner's
11:05pm - arrive in GR, go to the Fick's house
11:11pm - see a black cat dart across the road while driving to the hot dog place (and the next day was Friday the 13th)
11:26pm - eat hot dogs at Yesterdogs
12:37am - watch my first episode of The Office
1:10am - sleep
(3:34am - Emma Liou born in Ann Arbor)
8:05am - wake up (sorry, Hattie, for not getting my alarm right away!)
9:18am - leave the Fick's
10:34am - get in line to get into the auditorium
11:30am - get seats in the auditorium
12:27pm - try to 'wake up' the man sitting next to me, who in turn had to be carried out of the auditorium and rushed to the hospital because he wasn't responding - quite an adventure, and this all happened while Lauren was being introduced and right at the beginning of her talk
12:34pm - Lauren's talk - she talked from her book Real Sex about lies that our culture tells us about sex (that premarital sex will make you feel lousy, and that women don't want sex). She took a few questions from the audience, mostly about singleness in the church.
1:31pm - talk is over :(, dart out of the auditorum super-fast and get in line for book signing
1:37pm - Lauren signs my book
1:45pm - in the car on the way home

Another road trip, anyone?

Lauren Winner

2006-01-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

A dream will come true tomorrow - hearing Lauren Winner give a lecture! Here's the countdown:

8:30pm (tonight) - pick up Hattie and Cat from East Quad, drive to Grand Rapids
10:30ish - arrive in GR, crash at the Fick's
AM - wake up and get in line at Fine Arts Center at Calvin to get seats!
12:30-1:30 - Lauren's Lecture
Afterwards - come back home

I can't wait!! For those of you who can't make it, you can listen to Lauren here. I haven't heard all of this interview, but the first five minutes were good (I especially liked the part about the mermaids).

Milestone

2006-01-05T23:16:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, Super Saturn, for reaching 200,000 miles!

Sledding, Drummer Boy and Milestone

2005-12-21T23:03:00.000-05:00

Three unrelated topics:

Tonight I had the great pleasure to go sledding with my favorite four-year-old. We tackled the hill down the street from his house. I found out that his three older siblings aren't taking too much to sledding this year, and he needs someone to go with him. So I delightfully filled in. My favorite moments were getting on the sled together (the hill is too big for him to go down by himself) - first I would get situated, then he would plunk down on my lap. He would make sure he was holding both sides of the sled, and just when I let go of him to maneuver us down the hill he would say "make sure you hold onto me." So I did, all the way down the hill. Then we'd chat as we hiked back up the hill. Then down, then up....

I'm sick of the song "The Little Drummer Boy". I hear it at least five times a day (seriously-I'm not joking, it was just on when I began this post). What's with an ox and a lamb keeping time when there is a drummer boy? Isn't the whole point of a drummer to keep time?? Nevertheless, I had the realization yesterday that since I hear this song so frequently that there is something that I should learn from it. So, the next time it's on, I won't groan in frustration or turn off the radio for a few minutes. I will listen, and try to learn something. Perhaps God will meet me through the "drummer boy".

Lastly, there's a big milestone coming up. Anyone want to venture a guess as to what it is??

Oh Tannenbaum

2005-12-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

This Advent I've been enjoying (and obsessed with) Christmas music - it's all that I've been listening to for weeks now. Right now the song 'O Tannenbaum' is playing, and it makes me think of our wonderful Christmas Tree :).

My housemates and I had complete intentions of getting a tree, but it wasn't happening (schedule-wise - between finishing up grad school, grad school applications and a yucky virus, each of us have had our tough weeks). But Saturday afternoon I was driving home from a baby shower, and decided to get a tree. An impulse-buy of sorts, but I had bought a tree stand the previous evening.

I quickly found a tree place, and what I thought was a pretty nice tree. The gentleman at the tree place packed it into my tiny Saturn, and off I went. Then I started to think about getting home - once I got there, how would I get the tree into my house, then into its stand? Thankfully, Kat was home and saved the day. With great delight, we put up the tree and arranged it, then Kat went back to work. I've had fun over the past few days adding lights and decorations - all it needs is a star or angel on the top.

In honor of our tree and the wonderful Christmas music:

O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, wie treu sind deine blätter.
Du gr¨nst nicht nur zur sommerzeit, nein auch I’m winter wenn es schneit.
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, wie treu sind deine blätter.
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, du kannst mir sehr gefallen.
Wie oft hat nicht zur winterszeit
Ein baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, du kannst mir sehr gefallen.
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, dein kleid will mich was lehren:
Die hoffnung und bestandigkeit
Gibt trost und kraft zu jeder zeit.
O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, dein kleid will mich was lehren.

Encore

2005-12-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

I went to a great concert last night (Over the Rhine) and at the end there was an encore. Not particularly surprising, and the musicians were expecting it (they didn't introduce the amazing drummer until the encore). After that, there was another encore. This was not as expected for the musicians (one was in the bathroom and didn't have her belt on when she came back). The group didn't have songs planned for the second encore. But they played one of their songs I am more familiar with, which was delightful.

But it got me thinking - when did the encore originate? From where? Does it exist everywhere (I'm assuming probably not. Concerts - as we think of them aren't universal)? If you were from another place, and had never heard of the idea of an encore, imagine how strange it would be. After a live show the performers leave. The audience claps and claps and the performers come out again and play a few more songs. And then they leave again. More clapping. They come back and play more. Very strange.

10 Facts

2005-11-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

More than half of women in the US will not leave their home without makeup on.

The longest one syllable word in the English language is “screeched”.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

‘Stewardesses’ is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.

More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

SNOW!!

2005-11-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

The best day ever - it's snowing (at least it was when I drove to campus a while ago). Soon will come the days of sledding, snowball fights, cross-country skiiing, and drinking hot chocolate by the fire. Delightful! Until then, a few flurries will have to be enough.

I just saw online that it's 74 in Philadelphia. And it's 31 here. Winter - I'm ready for you!!

Thoughts

2005-11-14T16:22:00.000-05:00

So my initial enthusiasm of posting regularly on this new, attractive blog was, well, short-term. But since I don’t know who actually reads this (if anyone), how about a deal, between you and me? If you comment, I’ll post. (I want to say ‘I promise’, but honestly, I can’t promise. So I’ll try really hard).

On Friday I was thinking about books. Specifically, if I ever got married, what books would I make sure my future spouse read before we actually got married? Two books immediately came to my mind – Difficult Conversations and Emotional Intelligence. Those are must-reads. The other thing I’d add is watching several episodes of Supernanny together (I’m serious). That show sparks some serious parenting conversations. Interesting, though, that the 'must-reads' are not theology, and not directly about faith. But they are about life together.

Enough procrastination. Back to working on my talk for Thursday night.

Halloween

2005-10-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

Couldn't have asked for a better Halloween! My favorite part was bringing a friend Trick-or-Treating (guess who!). It was so much fun watching someone experience Halloween for the first time - and a perfect neighborhood to do it. Even I dressed up a bit!

Saving Time

2005-10-29T19:05:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite days...getting that extra hour! Do you ever wonder, like I do:

- Who is the last person to remember daylight savings time?

- Who changes all of the clocks in the clock store?

- How does it work with all of the bus/train/plane schedules? And peoples work schedules? And TV stations?

Actually, I know the answer to the last question. In college I was really curious, so I stayed up and watched the 'What's On' channel at 2am. It was surreal - the top part of the screen read '2am, 2:30am, 2am, 2:30am' and repeated the same shows at both 2am hours....

I love daylight savings time (in the fall, that is). All day I have fun thinking that it's an hour earlier than it actually is. In my mind, it's just after 6pm right now. I just had dinner later because it's not really later, it's on time. I'm able to go to a later movie tonight because of it. I change all of the clocks (including the one in my car) before I go to bed. Now that I think about it, I'm probably the most obsessed person with daylight savings time...

Pumpkin Carving

2005-10-27T20:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I took part in one of my favorite Halloween activities - pumpkin carving. It was great! After dinner I helped Abby design and carve her pumpkin, followed by cutting out Abraham's goulish gourd. A highlight for me was using their new pumpkin-carving tool - a battery operated saw that cut out eyes, ears, noses and mouths so accurately and quickly.

It's so fun to take part in these daily life activities with the kids. Abraham is still at that age where he's not afraid to sit on a grown-up's lap and grab your hand, and tell me about how he cut his hand once with a knife, but that he's also gotten cut with a leaf and that was much, much worse. Nicholas kept adding to his Jack-O-Lantern - I didn't pay close attention to him and all of a sudden Noah's Ark was being blown up by bombs (and this was part of the pumpkin). Thankfully, his parents are ok with his theologically inaccurate creation (well, mom is ok, I wasn't there to see dad's reaction...).

Can't wait till Monday - Trick-Or-Treating with the kids!

On Moving

2005-10-26T22:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've decided to move. Thankfully, this change of address isn't a pack-all-of-my-earthly-possessions-into-boxes-and-haul-them-across-town move, but rather a start blogging at a different address move. Not that I did much blogging at my former (xanga) address. But, I have high hopes for myself here.

So, why the switch? Honestly, it's about asthetics. I'm convinced, blogger is prettier. As a bonus - anyone can post comments.

Comment away.

Currently Reading: Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich