homelife

there's no place like home...

and i really wish i could get home.

home as in my parents' house where i grew up and lived for so many years.

i have a few days this week to try, so here's to hoping that the weather cooperates this time. unlike last week with the massive xmas winter storms.

cause i would like to get back. primarily to get a short break.

and the other homelife update:

the day after christmas my family spent the day in hospital waiting rooms (my parents and a couple of my siblings) or on phones (most of the rest of the family, including me) being updated about my grandpa. his appendix had burst, didn't get taken care of soon enough to prevent gangrene, and even led to a minor heart attack today.

so now he's on his way to the heart hospital in sioux falls. well, by now he should already be there.

let it snow...

we still have some flurries going on here, but from what i understand, the bulk of what snow we are going to get has already fallen to the ground.

this is the first place i've ever lived where the snow simply falls and stays where it fell.

i grew up in south dakota, which is one of those glorious states notorious for wind.

which meant the christmas blizzard of 09 was a blizzard back in south dakota and a few other areas in the midwest, whereas we just had a dumping of snow in bemidji, minnesota since up north in the woods there is not as much wind.

these were taken last evening (it looks really late since it gets dark ridiculously early but it actually was just a little after 5). i love how much the branches are bowed because of the weight of the snow:

and this morning i ventured outside to take some measurements of the snow.

i walked out on my deck.

very far indeed.

and i took a ruler with me. after taking measurements, i realized that my selected ruler has an extra blank spot before the ruler starts. an inch of blank plastic, to be precise.

here are the pictures from my deck:

and i really like how the snow was able to hang over the actual edge. pretty much an awesome sight:

and so, there was still  about 7 inches on the railing

       

and there was variable amounts on the floor of the deck (minor drifts and some fell down through the cracks to the ground below) so it says about 9 inches, which is actually 10 due to the awesome extra inch on the end of the plastic (see above picture for proof of the extra):

and last but not least, the amount sitting on my little table (also 10 inches):

and so, due to my amazing reasoning skills, i estimate a minimum of 10 inches (and i'm willing to bet that it's more like a foot) that fell at my house. of course, a little bit more fell in the front lawn than on the deck on the back of my house since the back is a bit sheltered.

however, i cannot really measure exact amounts since the driveway was cleared off when there was roughly 4 inches when i cleared it off on christmas eve in the afternoon. but i can inform you that another 8 inches fell from shoveling on christmas eve through this afternoon.

and just so everyone knows, that is a lot of snow to shovel off.

oh, and i totally made a snow angel. and learned that it is difficult to move around 12 inches of snow in order to make a recognizable snow angel.

i'm dreaming of a white christmas...

oh, wait. it's a reality. so perhaps it should be "i'm looking at a white christmas"

as i sit here on christmas morning, i am watching snow continue to fall. on top of the several inches already on the ground. i cannot deny that it looks gorgeous.

and here is a picture from my front stoop of what i got to see when i woke up this morning (and yesterday as well):

other highlights/lowlights of the day:

1. waking up all alone in a large house on christmas morning. of course, santa went to the house i was supposed to be at but due to the weather am not able to drive back. also, i noticed that it was weird to not have kids (aka my little sisters the youngest of whom is now 18) being super-excited to open presents that are under the tree. btw: this is a lowlight.

2. calling germany. i finally called my host family after a few months of promising to do so. talked to my host parents, oma and an aunt. always nice to hear from people. highlight.

3. white christmas. the trees are gorgeous. the only times i like trees are during autumn with the changing colors and during winter with the snow on trees. highlight

4. since we had a few inches fall overnight, i decided to check and make sure that my inflatable nativity will be able to be displayed tonight. so i turned it on and this is how it got stuck. so i had to traipse through the snow nad free the sheep, mary and jesus from the confines of a weighty snow. well, primarily the garland attached to the star since that was the main culprit. highlight.

presents!!!!!

since my family is spread out for this season due to the winter storms wreaking havoc across the midwest, we decided to exchange our gifts in a different way. we unwrapped the secret santa presents that we had each purchased and wrapped for the person whose name we had drawn. then we took pictures with our lovely camera phones and sent picture messages to the recipient of our present.


so i unwrapped the present i had purchased for my sister kendra. of course, i like to wrap things so that they are near to impossible to open. she got hot chocolate and ziploc baggies. inside jokes are so much fun!

my dad had my name, and i was stoked to get some new clothes and three angels. when i called mom, she informed me that the angels are ornaments my dad made from a tree i had planted when i was in kindegarten. so cool to have homemade ornaments created from my tree.

i got some presents from people at church: a new scarf, large carton of goldfish crackers, and a nice candle holder.

yesterday was a good day. kept busy with the xmas eve services (two of 'em at bethel), about an hour spent outside shoveling my driveway off (i really needed some time outside being active), a trip to kfc with the kindems as part of the xmas tradition, opening presents with the kindems, watching the first 40 min of LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. of course, since one of the services started at 10, i didn't get out of church until 11:30 pm. late night.


pictures are to come

screaming on the inside

so yeah, not the most uplifting title for a post, but that is basically how i feel today.

this week is crazy. the first 3 1/2 months of internship flew by without any funerals. now we have two this week at church.

and of course, this week also happens to be christmas.

i'm okay with being busy, but what saddens me most right now is that my xmas plans are changing.

let me elaborate.

i decided last week that i was going to leave early friday morning, aka christmas day, to drive home to my parents house so i could see my family, get out of minnesota, retreat to the south, and play with cats. then spend a total of 24 hours in parkston before traipsing back north to bemidji on saturday evening so that i would be back for sunday services.

and i was getting really excited.

but that does not seem like i will be able to do any such trip.

cause the weather predictions are not friendly.

according to the national weather service and meteorologists across the midwest, snow is very, very, very, very likely for christmas.

but not just a nice, pretty dusting.

oh, no.

this morning, predictions for snowfall in bemidji until saturday, december 26: 5-8 inches. as of just a few minutes ago, that estimate was bumped up to 8-12 inches of snow. and the farther south i would drive, the more snow predicted. such as the 12-16 inches for much of eastern south dakota. or the 16+ for the south eastern south central part of south dakota, aka the part between i-90 and nebraska and between the missouri river and 1-29. the exact part of the state in which parkston is located.

that's right. predictions of roughly a foot and a half of snow for my hometown while i would have to traipse through a foot of snow the entire way home.

which means that if these weather people are right with their predictions, there is no way i'm going to be able to travel home on christmas.

which is why i'm screaming in disappointment on the inside (i'm too midwestern to let my emotions show up in vocalized outbursts)

it's been awhile

so yeah, the last couple weeks have included both highlights and lowlights.

nothing quite like freezing to death due to days where the high is below zero. gotta love nothern minnesota (partially sarcasm since it was absolutely cold but at the same time i prefer cold). i was totally jealous of those folks who got the ridiculous amounts of snow while we just got cold. yes, we have some snow on the ground. but only about 2 inches or so.

the really cold temps would have been much better to handle if i were not sick during the cold front. 

being sick was horrible. needing to sleep all the time yet having stuff that needed to be done. spent one day on my couch after waking up at noon with the box of kleenex right by me. never seen so much snot in my life.

then top it all off with coughing attacks that helped me to lose my voice, which is still not fully back.

but i survived.

and that was with two overnights at church when i got little or no sleep. literally little (3 hours on a friday night) or no (0 on a sunday night). and of course such sleep disturbances do not help when getting sick. takes several days to get back to a sleeping rhythm when you have another night to make life difficult.

this past weekend was much better. my dad showed up to help me prepare for an open house i had yesterday. it was fun. i think about 20 or so people from church stopped by for goodies and a chance to chat.

and i still have lots of goodies leftover from it. so i will be munching on caramel corn, toffee, truffles, turtles, chex mix, nacho dip and ham salad for some time.

unless i give it all away.

today was our christmas music and program at church. to sum up my favorite part: kids are funny.

cuttin time

I ordered a full set of knives the other day from Pampered Chef. It cost a pretty penny, but they better be high quality and last my entire life. Of course, all the knives came in their own special individual boxes. Which means a lot of unwrapping for me. But it will be worth it since I like to cook.

Now the only regret I have is that I could have bought a Wii for the same price...

Christmas time is near...

i can just hear the song from charlie brown. and hymns. cause i love the good hymns we only sing at christmas time.

last friday i traveled with a crew from bethel lutheran in bemidji (which, just as a subtle reminder, is the church i work at) to concordia college in moorhead, mn for the christmas concert there. was really good.

and i don't even like choir concerts that much.

my favorite song was the first one. which was performed by their orchestra. a variation of 'o come o come emmanuel.' one of the best hymns for the advent season.

my other favorite was performed by the all-men choir: 'we three kings'. i've always thought that song needed to be sung only by men since i, as a female, cannot be a king. another really good song was sung in an african language (i think nigerian) by the same men.

i'm sensing a theme in my faves. did i mention that i love instrumental music as well as men's voices?

i am really getting into the waiting impatiently for xmas mode.

especially as i watch holiday movies on tv (oh, how i love being spoiled with cable and not fighting over the remote with anyone).

and as i look at my christmas tree. which finally has the ornaments up. like my angel ornament collection courtesy of my godparents (uncle bruce and aunt mary) who sent me angels every year for quite some time. and the ornaments made by my great-grandmother for my parents their first christmas together. and a few others like the new shiny ones i bought this year to finish out the "look".

i have christmas presents wrapped under it since the bottom branches sit about 15 inches above the ground and it looked funny. i think it looks pretty darn good. now if i could just remember to take a picture of it all prettyified so y'all can see it.

some of the boxes i wrapped aren't presents at all.

for example, one box is literally a kleenex box with two jingle bells and some paper. another is all the decorations i took down in order to make room for christmas decorations.

and on the windows, i spent time making pretty ribbon bows to hang and look pretty.

now i just have to figure out what to do in some other rooms. and it may involve boxing up the excess on top of bookshelves or dressers to make some more awesome presents for my tree. :)

which if you stop by my open house on dec 19 in the afternoon, you can view everything with your own eyes...

giggle giggle

Well, this has been a fun week. Fun in both senses of the word, as in both the good and the sarcastic use.

Why am I capitalizing? this must stop now.

sunday morning: church. i was there bright and early for once. which obviously never happens since i hate getting up in the morning, driving over and sitting around with nothing to do. which is what happened.

sunday was a big day. i'm not sure who all knew, but there once was an elderly woman way back in my first week here who told me that she was going to introduce me to her cute, nice grandson. let me be perfectly honest. he's a hottie. and was nice enough to suffer being introduced to me. no matter how awkward it was since his grandma as well as my parents and baby sister were right by us. hovering as good family members do.

after church, my parents and sister had to take off cause kiana had homework to do and it was already going to be a late night for them with the 7.5 hour drive ahead.

monday. a blur since i cannot remember anything i did that. hm. not a good sign. i know i worked and went to band. which reminds me that i need to find an all-black outfit for the concert on monday...

tuesday. work and a concert. middle school band concert that is. i learned that kids dont learn to play musical instruments until 6th grade here. which meant that 6th graders were playing the same music (or at least very similar) to what i played in 4th. and this band o 6th graders had about 120 kids. ginormous.

other highlights of the concert: sleeping through the 7th graders' part of the program (not technically a highlight since i was completely out), freaking out when waking up to the jazz band that was listed last in the program since i was there with the pastor's family cause their son plays in the 8th grade band and i thought i slept right through that only to realize that the jazz band was actually playing before the 8th graders which meant that i had only slept through about 5 total songs, and listening to the 8th graders play quite well. overall a nice concert without too much that would make me cringe.

snow and ice arrived once again. granted, it was the first day of december which meant that there was really no snow at all in november despite the freak snows in october. anyway, the snow arrived and melted on top of the ground and my car then froze cause it was cold. so i actually had to scrape windows and drive on ice. unhighlight (what is the opposite of a good highlight, anyway?) of the evening was driving back from the chruch where my car was parked back home. along said path is a small hill on a short road covered in ice and snow. and of course, my brakes decided to lock up or something and not help me slow down on this lovely patch of ice going downhill. fortunately no one was coming on the road i was turning onto, so i just avoided stopping and instead turned right onto the street i needed to turn onto. no one died. no car accident. success!

wednesday.work. lead second installment of my version of harlots and heroines. the bible study this week covered women through sarai/sarah, although we have yet to finish up sarah's story. next week. advent service. short service of the word with a few songs and message. soup and sandwich lunch. yummy. i like food. confirmation night. set up an obstacle course for them to go through. one with a heavy backpack to symbolize the heavy burdens that need to be lifted through forgiveness.

and i was in a good mood all day. boo-yah!

and now it's thursday and i'm somewhat bored at work. i think i'm going to start cataloging the church's library as a way to avoid working on my 3-month eval of how internship is going. just cause i dont want to think right now.

so i'm not gonna.

lights, lights, and movies

fso the title references three recent activities.

1. lights (the first, not the second) = bemidji's 'night we light' parade. this is a variation of a festival of nights. takes place the friday after thanksgiving. was the 14th annual this year. i sat on bethel lutheran's float and sang with the choir. nothing quite like live music on a float. and it wasn't too horribly cold or anything. which was a pleasant surprise for northern minnesota at the end of november.

2. lights (now the second one) = christmas lights. my parents and sister drove up with some christmas decorations. like my precious gifts from germany. which includes two nativities, one musical, and one ginormous nutcracker. add in the cheese-tastically amazing inflatable nativity that now resides on my front lawn. and some icicle lights. and a christmas tree. i bought my first tree! well, technically my mom paid for it. but it's mine.

3. movies. my baby sis kiana and i went to the latest in the twilight saga/series of movies: 'new moon'. it was a pretty good one. not quite what my sister wanted since she's a jacob fan who's never read the books and so did not know how it was gonna end. i love how upset she was. and i enjoyed giggling like a little schoolgirl during the movie with some of the romance. and all the boys with nice bodies running around without their shirts on. then we came home and watched 'monsters vs aliens' when we got back. it was pretty cute and i'm glad i bought it on black friday.

other highlights recently:

- mom's chicken noodle soup.

- black friday shopping where i purchased several movies ('monsters vs aliens' among others). no, i did not get up for the 4/5/6 am rushes. i slept in and didn't get to walmart until 8 am. which was fine for me. and was happy that there were still a lot left for me to peruse and purchase.

- simply having guests around. slumber party! except we all have our own rooms since i have the space...

- taking a picture with santa and mrs claus at walmart this afternoon. i would like to note that mrs claus (aka lee, a sweet woman who attends the church i intern at) is standing behind us while we all sit on a bench.

turkey time

tis the season for turkey. and lots of it.

of course, it's also the holiday season. which is more than just turkey.

i like the idea of thanksgiving. of getting together with family and friends to celebrate the harvest and bounty that miraculously arrives each year. to rejoice that somehow God always provides for us exactly what we need.

i heart hallmark channel

basically because they are showing christmas movies, which is a great genre.

granted, i am also a fan of chick flicks. and action-adventure. and sci-fi. and serious movies. and sad ones.

okay, so i like watching all movies and tv shows.

much like i love books. picture books, romance, fantasy, and so on.

and music. i like music.

basically i am a sap who likes to escape reality whenever i'm relaxing.

and that is why i am loving my evenings and days off.

so tonight i have been watching christmas movies. despite the fact that the season of advent hasn't actually begun.

which means we are still a month away from the christmas season for the church year.

granted, i have been avoiding playing christmas music so far. just seems a bit wrong at the moment.

but i have no qualms about reading books or watching shows about family, love and other sappy stories that take place in christmas movies.

which leads me to another rant: why is it that the best movies are the holiday ones? seriously, it's so unfair. then no one ever shows them except for during the months of november and december. it's just not right.

cause who doesn't love christmas movies?

let the craziness begin...

oh, how i love the church seasons. and with pentecost almost over, advent is about to begin.

which makes me really glad that i was able to run away last weekend. the last weekend before all hell breaks loose. well, not really hell, but i do like to use that phrase...

sadly enough i had gotten a call on my birthday morning in which my friend megan informed me she had the flu and i could not stay with her as my midway stop on my trek out west. stupid virus. i still love her, and i'm happy that my sister was willing to let me show up a day early.

so after spending a lot of time on the road (11 hours each way, roughly) with a few of those battling snow, i made it to the black hills of sd where my sister, brother-in-law and niece live. i arrived much later than i wanted to, but i was glad to get there. even if i had to drive through snow essentially from dickenson, nd to just south of buffalo, sd. and i'm grateful for those who answered phone calls from me on my long trek since i find one of the best ways to stay awake is to be talking to someone.

i was extremely happy to get to see my immediate family this past weekend. i love them and i love how crazy we all can be. and hickish, much to the dismay of my sister who now lives in new york and is used to a different culture. which does not include wearing camo in airports, mullets on stuffed antelopes, or having wood chips be considered "classier" than kitty litter. oh, how i love south dakota.

we had our thanksgiving meal. i was in charge of manhandling the giant, 23 pound turkey. and the stuffing. and bread (homemade dinner rolls, of course).

saturday night i went out with those over 21 (two sisters and their significant others). we went to piedmont to a saloon. not a bar, a saloon. because bars don't belong in the west with the cowboys and ranchers. this bar was the classy one with the stuffed animal with a mullet. and a fantastic live band. no joke. this band had an amazing singer. and one cute guitar player.

sunday i traveled the distance back to bemidji. and i realized that i drove 1430 miles from my house and back. which is a lot.

then i get up monday morning, report for duty (aka show up at work at the church), and get to business. last minute invitation to go to a women's meeting that had an auction. working on getting an information letter ready for a youth gathering taking place this weekend. intern committee meeting. community symphonic band rehearsal. then finally back to my house for a short break since i also am prepping to lead a bible study tomorrow afternoon as well as reading a book for a book discussion on wednesday. and realizing i need to start working on my sermon for sunday since i am gone much of the weekend at the gathering.

so sunday i preach at three different services (two at church and one at a nursing home/assisted living). of course, this sunday is the last week of pentecost and officially christ the king sunday. then we have thanksgiving next week, and i'll be preaching at a community thanksgiving service at bethel but is a combination of the three elca churches in bemidji. then advent begins. and i start leading adult bible study as well as helping with noontime advent services.

and all this adds up to a craziness that will not be slowing down anytime soon. but i'm okay with that since i prefer busy over bored. as long as i can get everything done that i need to.

a hunting i did go

i have a song in my head: a hunting we will go, a hunting we will go, hi ho the cherry oh, a hunting we will go.

cause a hunting i did go.

today (and a glorious autumn day it twas) was spent in the woods waiting for a deer to stumble near enough for pastor mark to get off a shot. sadly enough, there was no deer. i was happy that i did not watch bambi get killed, but at the same time i like to eat venison.

i took a book with and got in a wee bit o reading this afternoon. but unfortunately the sky became dark early. stupid combination of clouds and early sunsets and trees.

but i did enjoy getting out into nature, drinking hot chocolate, sitting in relative quiet and companionship, even if i did not spend much time basking in the sun.

Birthday Bonaza

my family is in the midst of the craziness of birthday season. this year it began early with my niece at the end of october, whereas it usually starts with my dad's on nov 7, continues through my sister krissa's today (which just so happens to be the same day the berlin wall fell = nov 9, 1989), mine on thursday, sister kayla's on the 22nd, sister kiana's dec 15th, and wraps up jan 5 with sister kendra's. then a short break before the month of may which has more (mom's and brother-in-law's).

and that is just my immediate family. which means grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins whose birthdays fall into this time span are not listed.

i've been getting a few birthday cards already since i'm actually not going to be around bemidji on my birthday. the cards have all had quarters taped in them. i'm surmising (big word, right?) that this is because i will be turning 25. so i get 25 cents for my 25th. i think it's pretty awesome. something small and tangible to put into the card.

but back to the fact that i will be traveling. it has been challenging to stay focused on what is going on with my job since i am prepping for a trip back to south dakota to see my family. we will be officially celebrating my niece's first birthday (since no one had the time to travel in october) and thanksgiving (since at least 4 out of us have to work either the day before, day of or day after thanksgiving). of course, this is all taking place on my birthday weekend. not that i'm being greedy or anything, but i am excited that i am able to share my day with people i love.

so thursday is the first leg of my trip. i will be traveling to watertown, sd from my current location in bemidji, mn. one of my bestest friends ever lives and works there. i'm super excited to see megan that night.

then friday is the second leg of the trip as i travel across the state of south dakota. literally. i will cut from the northeast corner to the far western part to near sturgis where kendra lives with her hubby trevor and daughter libby. i'll pick up krissa from the airport while kayla picks up kiana on her way through parkston from omaha. that day kendra, kayla and i (those over 21) are thinking about going to famous deadwood for the night and leaving krissa and kiana (under 21) home to watch libby. sister bonding time.

saturday will be the day of feasting and festing. i volunteered to cook the turkey. and apple crisp. and bread. cause i like to cook for other people. mom and dad will be driving out that day to join us younguns. and i'm stoked that all the fam will be there.

then, sadly enough, i will be taking off sunday morning to start the trek back to bemidji. it will be at least 10 hours on the road as i head north towards bismark, nd then head east towards minnesota. that's right, scenic trip through north dakota. nothing like having a round trip.

but despite the fact that i will be spending over 24 hours in my car, i'm thinking that it will be a great birthday weekend.

goody-goody

that's me!!!!!! yay for me!!!!!!!! i rock!!!!!!!!!

now that i'm done boasting, perhaps i should share the story.

especially since i'm not really that much of a goody-goody.

after eating lunch out today with people from church, i decided to blip on over to walmart across the street. and so after shopping around and not finding much of anything that i need (plenty that i want but can wait to get). then i venture back outside and into the rain. when i get to my car, there is guy who's got his pickup hood up. he asks me (and he's extremely quiet and hesitant but since i was the only one who was around and parked nearby...) if i would be willing to jump start his truck. of course i said of course.

and that was my good deed for the day.

then i went back home and baked some more bread. i've been experimenting with wheat flour, not just the typical white flour (and i refuse to buy the bleached stuff). tons of fun, let me tell you. and very tasty.

other update: i'm going back to sd this weekend! for the first time since july (since i spent august traveling and have been working far, far up north since early september). so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

now if only i can stay focused on my work and behave myself until i take off thursday for the first leg of my trip...

I forgot the 5th of November

...despite being told to "Remember, remember, the Fifth of November"

So disappointed with myself. Perfect day to watch V for Vendetta (cause I have that movie in my growing collection). But I did not put the DVD on my agenda. Granted, I could be watching it now, but "The Mentalist" is simply too captivating. So intstead of admiring Guy Fawkes, I am watching TV commercials in order to savor the comedy on TV. Which is just fine by me.

Also on this 5th of November I was once again battling a headache and stuffed nose. Cause I always seem to be sick whenever I reside in Minnesota. So not cool. I blame the trees. All those trees. Lots and lots of trees. At least that is what I'm going to claim.

Back the 5th of November thing: WHY would I want to remember the 5th of November? It's not like it's my birthday...or even a real holiday in the USA.

So I forgot cause it seems to be yet another typical day in the neighborhood. And it did not faze me that it was the 5th of November.

So maybe I'll watch V for Vendetta tomorrow on the 6th of November instead. Cause I can.

[Note: I would just like to remind people of the disclaimer of this blog. The title of my blog literally means Kara's nonsense. So this particular post fulfills all unnecessary requirements to be considered an adequate post in my little world.]

slacker betty (note: that is not my name nor am i talking about any betty in particular)

i like to do as little as possible.

except when i like to keep busy.

i am a contradiction, aren't i?

and of course, now that i'm starting my third month as the intern pastor, i suppose i should be working on that.

update: i have to do an internship project and i'm super excited about getting approval from my intern committee and supervisor for this project.

as many know, i have worked many a year at libraries. i love books (unlike capital letters) and i like having them organized and looking pretty on shelves.

so my project is to organize the church library and to hopefully add in some good resources that people will actually use. like devotions, book club suggestions, bible study guides, youth activity books, etc.

and did i mention that i'm super excited to find a software program, pick out new books, and make the library look pretty and useful?

and what a day off it twas...

Well, technically my day off is not over yet. But here's the rundown on a much needed day off thus far:

1. Phone call at 8:34 am. This was a call (and message left since I didnt answer the phone, nor did I actually hear it ring...) from the lady who sadly enough had an encounter with my car last night. Well, technically her car collided into my parked one, but you get the point. So now, on top of having no desire to do anything, I also have to be concerned with having a vehicle that has a cracked headlight lens (at least that's what I am thinking the piece of plastic in front of the headlight lamp is called)

2. Phone call at 8:47. This was from my father. Well meaning as he was updating me on the likely cost of repair for his car. Cause I'm driving his car right now.

3. Went back to sleep, which is what I wanted to do before being disturbed by phone calls on the one day all week I can sleep in (have plans tomorrow morning which will prevent sleeping in). And I've had a long week. Every day I was suffering from either lack of sleep or pain from the four-wheeling expediction that used muscles that have not been worked recently.

4. Another phone call. This was one quarter after 10. And I was somewhat conscious or coherent so I was able to chat a bit with my sister Kayla, who was this round's culprit. I am always willing to talk about shoes.

5. Another phone call. Quarter after 11 from my supervisor. By this time I was up and reading. But not doing anything productive. Cause it's my day off and I don't want to be productive.

6. Ate some lunch, since I was up in time for that but not breakfast. Yummy pizza and ice cream.

7.  Watching the snow fall. Cause it's snowing. Yup, snow once again. Really pretty big fluffy flakes. I had been planning on leaving the house, but I don't think I will. So instead I'm cozy indoors with a big hoodie on, watching TV and movies (newest purchased DVD "Wanted"), appreciating the fact that I finally have a DVD player hooked up to the huge TV in my living room and the fact that my universal remote works to control it since my mother gave me the player without a remote. Although I will have to venture so far into my garage in order to tape up the headlight so that I won't have any more moisture seeping in before I can get it repaired. Cause I hear that would be bad. At least I dont have to go outside since the garage is attached to the hosue and a mere 20 feet from where I am currently sitting on my couch. At least, I don't expect I will have to venture out into the snow. Cause it's not on my agenda.

And that, folks, is the utterly unimportant day I have had thus far. And it is not even 3 pm.

and a long weekend it was

fridays are my days off. which is not bad, especially when i have nothing planned on saturdays.

alas that it was not the case last weekend.

i got a phone call midweek informing me that the real estate company was going to have an open house in my current house on sunday afternoon. and since i was busy/gone all day saturday, i did a lot of cleaning and organizing on friday. plus baking for the bazaar that my congregation has, which was on saturday (yay for apple crisp and banana bread) . needless to say, i spent a good chunk of time being a homemaker. not gonna lie, i enjoyed it.

what i didnt enjoy was being up late and getting up early. i mean, finishing everything up on friday night only to wake up early on saturday morning to get ready for a wedding before dropping off my baked goods at the bazaar.

bonus points for me getting tons of compliments at the bazaar over my outfit, especially the boots and the pigtails i had my hair styled in at the time.

then, after a fiasco of me being afraid of having lost my cell phone (well, one of the two cell phones i carry), i got on the road to drive the four hours to minneapolis for my cousin brian's (aka salsa) wedding later that afternoon. i met up with my mother in a parking lot in one of the suburbs so that we could carpool into the city. and get to the spiritual center where the wedding ceremony would take place. it was interesting to watch this particular ceremony since it was the basics of what is needed to get married: vows were spoken and rings were exchanged in front of a gathering of family and friends. i thought it was very nice. plus i loved the music. and i loved the fact that they brought back the old tradition of binding their right hands together for the ceremony. and it was great to have the vows be spontaneous (since they had written their vows but forgot to bring them, which meant that later at the reception they read them so everyone could hear what they had intended to say earlier).

one interesting fact: i was wearing the most popular color of the day, which was variations of fuscia, along with the most popular shoe, which was the tall black boot.

this is a picture of my cousin denise, my aunt teresa, and i as we pose in matching redish colors. denise and i had the boots (along with at least 5 other women at the wedding) while teresa and i had the skirts and sweaters.

the reception was almost overwhelming with the selections of food since it was a potluck. and people provided a lot of food. i enjoyed the variety of noodle salads in particular. after the reception the dance started. an eclectic and awesome selection of music began. unfortunately i had to leave early since i needed to get back on the road. so at 8:30 pm, i took off so that i could begin my drive back to bemidji since i had to work in the morning, which is the plight of pastors everywhere.

and so i rolled into my driveway and pulled into my garage at 1:15 am.

only to have to clean up what little mess was left.

and then to get up early to get ready for a long day at church since it was confirmation day with open houses in the afternoon. and of course, everything that could go wrong did. the power point did not want to open at church, but i manage to fix that. then somehow the prayer list didnt make it to the lecturn, so i had to "wing it." then for the second service, i specifically put out the lessons and prayer list for me, but by the time i got there in time to read from the list, it had vanished. so of course i had to get the bulletin and read the lessons from the Bible itself. which seldom happens in our culture of having the Scripture printed off in neat and tidy pages. then the service was about 2 hours long as we provided the 14 students opportunities to each read their faith statements. it was a nice service but long.

i really enjoyed going to peoples' houses and spend time with them outside of the church building. even being as exhausted as i was due to lack of sleep (9 hours total over the previous two nights).

so by the time i got back to my house in the evening, i was ready to crash. which i did.

the great outdoors

So today I was fortunate enough to get to spend time in the great outdoors. My supervisor Mark and I (after having a text study which abounded with local pastors and robing up to walk through the Lutheran liturgy for some students who are from an evangelical tradition) set out with four-wheelers. We toured the woods at a parishioner's house and I was able to see the deer stands (two simply ladders up in trees and two stand alone structures that remind me of tree houses). The "sissy stands" were dubbed Spongebob and Patrick. Pretty fancy and I didn't fall out of either of them. Success!

But back to the four-wheelin adventure,

So after a very brief instructional on how to not kill myself on the machine (and how to start it, use brakes, shift), we took off. Through a very, very, very, very bumpy field. It looked nice for the beginner, but those pesky gopher mounds were disguised behind the tall grass. So I was not having fun learning how to control the 4w (as I shall henceforth refer to the four-wheeler). No fun a'tall.

But it got easier with time. And with smoother trails. Even going up and down hills was easier than those pesky gopher mounds.

Oh, and highlight of the day: I jumped a log. And it was the first road block I ever encountered on a 4w.

And I didn't even have to get off the 4w and use my very own two legs to do so. Somehow I managed to get the 4w airborne. Mark thought it was fantastic and one of the coolest things ever, but I just remember being freaked out that I was in the air for a split second and not connected to the ground. Even better was the fact that the log I managed to spring over like a sprightly deer had been an extreme challenge for Mark to get over.

So I just hope that I did not get injured or sustain whiplash or something from this excursion. Cause that would be no fun. No fun a'tall.

I did love being out in the fresh air and doing something more active than I had been while cooped up indoors.

And I get a decent story out of all this.

stress and sweets

I am tired. No, I'm not overworked. But I am definitely exhausted from the stress of always having to defend my personal opinions. There is no fun in always, always feeling belittled simply because I interpret the Bible in a different way. At least my mind no longer feels as though it's going to explode due to being overworked as I seek to use words. Down side is that my back is feeling the pain, especially since I put all my stress in the small of my back.

I am angry, frustrated, irritated, etc. I want to focus on the good that God does in the world, and I most definitely do not enjoy focusing on the law (the stereotypical rules) verses the gospel (hey folks, Jesus died for everyone, not just heterosexuals!) in the Bible. I want all of us to get along, but I know that is not always the case. However, I do expect respect from all sides. Nothing is worse in my opinion (besides lying and hypocrisy) than the unwillingness to listen to others.

Sadly enough, I am not finding my usual comfort in baking for others. Yes, I made some awesome apple crisp and puppy chow for a meeting tonight. But baking didn't work like it usually does. Usually the preparation and cleanup helps me to relax. I like to bake for others. I like to wash dishes. There is just something comforting about this routine. So simple and effective. Maybe I should make some more bread from scratch just so I can take out my emotions while pounding or kneading the poor, defenseless bread dough. Cause that was fun the other day (Saturday, when I was up and moving at 4:30 in the morning to take someone to the doctor then stayed up to bake bread).

Here's to hoping that crocheting will provide a mindnumbing and calming effect.

Or the fact that I will be joining a college community band since, being the band geek that I am, I miss band.

Or the fact that within the next few weeks I will be hanging out with old friends and family.

Oh, and prayer will be essential. Mine and that of others.

Snow!!!!!!!!!!

That's right. In the midst of the freakish October I can recall, we received a slight dusting of snow this past weekend.

Did I mention I like snow?

Did I mention that I'm upset the leaves on the trees are dropping before they change colors?

Did I mention that I'm glad the leaves are falling so that I can see more of the sky and sun?

I love autumn and winter, but I am now realizing that I was not quite ready for snow to fall before October 11th. Which it did. I guess I shouldn't complain too much since I live in northern Minnesota, but still...this isn't Canada...which is even colder than the USA. And a majority of our great country is already freezing. So weird.

Oh, well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the freakish weather. I mean, my first month in Bemidji had numerous record warm days. And now October is the exact opposite.

On a note unrelated to snow, I preached again today. Second time since I've been here.

And I totally rocked it.

I think this is because it was not being recorded. For some reason, I always do much better when there is no video or voice recording. And the self-designated camcorder man was disappointed to have forgotten the video camera since I had a good sermon.

I didn't go all controversial. (which would have been kinda fun to go all hellfire and brimstone on Bethel Lutheran since the passage from Amos 5 is layin the smack on Bethel) I spoke from the heart, which is always a good idea when preaching.

I also had a children's message. I read a gift from my sisters, a book called "Bossy Bear." I still hold to my claim that I have no idea why on earth anyone would choose to give me a book with that name. But it worked out well, and I even made sure to show the congregation the pictures, not just the kids who came forward. :)

Well, I think that I'm going to take a nap to recuperate from getting up at 6 am in order to finish the sermon...

Indeed

I wish I could think of creative titles for these posts.

Anyhoo, I'm tired. So maybe that's part of it. Last night through this afternoon I was with 14 sophomores and juniors on their confirmation retreat. I had spent the entire day shopping and relaxing since Fridays are my day off, then I was the fortunate one who coordinated the retreat. So I was there. After getting lost (and by lost I mean I was miles away from where I should have been...) and arriving late, I was able to put effort into chaos management.

Let me elaborate:
1. 14 teenagers. I should not need to say more, but I will.
2. Crazy ideas. The resort we were at was along a lake and had a pool, hot tub and sauna. The weather was cold. As in, 40s. Which means that someone thought it would be a good idea for them to jump in the lake (and I cannot imagine the water being warmer than 40 degrees), run up the hill and jump in the hot tub. Which means that all but 3 did. Insane, but they found it amusing.
3. Fire. That's right, we had a campfire. Cause that is what should happen at retreats. Of course, it had been raining off and on for the last couple days. Which meant that the wood and firepit were wet, but there were a couple of troopers (and not the kind that works for the state highway department) who were able to get a roaring fire going. Until it started to rain again. Which means that our worship was relocated and ended. Which means that their focus was completely broken and I was sad since it was going so well.

At the same time, I did enforce the bedtime, and was quite surprised that none of them compained since they were all falling asleep by 1 am. Weak. Very weak. Even I had gone to bed the night before at 3. But I admit that I was ready for bed by then.

This morning I made a lot of pancakes and eggs. Which was an experience since I had never made pancakes before. I had eaten a lot of them, but never made them. Sad, I know, but such has been my existence. I went from novice to expert pancake maker in one morning. So not only can I make awesome brownies (which I had brought with yesterday) but I can make breakfast food.

At the end, I did not have one kid say they had a horrible time. None of them complained that I read a picture book to them. Most thanked me and said they had fun.

So in other words, SUCCESS!!!!

Cananadia

This has happened to me twice now: I am watching the Ghost Whisperer on TV. Then the show ends and the news begins. After a few minutes, I began to realize that I was not recognizing any locations or names...And then it hit me that I was watching the news from Winnipeg. Which for those who are geographically challenged, that it is in Canadia.

Yes, I live close enough to Canadia to get Canadian TV channels. The CBC in particular.

No, I have not heard anyone say "eh" on national television.

But I have not really watched much outside of American shows being broadcast on the CBC. Or the news. Which means that they try to sound edumacated when informing Canadians (and the occasional American) about what is happening in Canadia and the rest of the world that lies south of Winnipeg.

Other facts: I live two hours from International Falls. Highway 71 runs straight northwest and eventually ends up in Canadia. There is also an old railroad track that runs up there to Fort Francis (that is the Canadian town across the border). Granted, the train tracks are gone. But that is exciting for avid snowmobilers since the path remains and is straight and mostly level. Unfortunately, it is long. And I would be very cold before I got to Canadia. And I don't think I want to be that cold. So I will not be snowmobiling to Canadia anytime soon.

I keep saying that I am going to go to Canadia just so I can drinksince the drinking age there is 18. I think that is the main reason for anyone to go to Canadia. Even if I am old enough to buy my own alcohol stateside. Cause I cannot think of another reason to visit Canadia.

Outside of visiting distant relatives.

FYI: I can spell. I just choose to not do so. I prefer the name Canadia to Canada. So much more eloquent. And I do not think that TV news can ever be as educational as reading online, which is why the broadcast is edumacational.

Did I ever mention that I am opinionated?

And completely right. And awesome. And modest, of course.

Youth connections

Well, I am slowly recruiting myself to be a quasi-youth director here at Bethel. Which I am fine with since I have never been a youth director anywhere, so I get a different perspective.

The high schoolers here seem to enjoy having me organize times for them to get together and both do something and hang out. One in particular has basically told me that I am their youth director. Something I remember from the good ole days of my youth (which was soooooooo far away...) was the hanging out. The times I enjoyed most were those when I was permitted to simply hang out and enjoy being with my peers away from family. Yes, activities are fun and all, but there is a value to having the activity (be it Bible study or game night or whatever) but also giving up a space to talk, chill, eat food, etc without having a strict agenda.

So last night, for example, I had some games arranged for them. I brought my little bowling set (thanks to Lindsay and her amazing perception that what I needed for my 23rd birthday was a child's plastic bowling set!). There is just something about having a rousing game of hallway bowling where the little bowling balls are too light to do any damage to anything, so even trying to throw them as hard as humanly possible does nothing to walls or floors. Granted, they are impossible to work with unless you stand within 10 feet of the pins. And of course, the pins don't like to stay upright on carpet.

But all that is beside the point.

So I also dig out other games (which no one wanted to play) and decide that a background movie is just the thing to occupy the other kids that are not actively trying to knock down tiny, multi-colored plastic bowling pins. And I was amazed how they got glued to watching "Hook." I love this movie since I remember watching it in jr/sr high school (it came out when I was 11) and almost bought it the other day.

And once again, I get reminded by some that they like how I am willing to let them have fun and that I don't stress out if/when they decide to relax.

But at the end of the evening, I was exhausted from all the unnecessary stressing out over planning and preparation and concern over not having enough for them to do since all they wanted to do was have a time when they can have fun as the youth in the congregation.

It is far easier to visit the elderly at the hospital or in their homes. No need to prepare. And they feed me, instead of me arranging to feed 7 high schoolers. But I guess I'm just a sucker for taking on a challenge...

Quilts and music

I have begun to join various groups to get to know people better. So now, in addition to really long Wednesdays that start with staff meetings and Bible studies in the morning to end with youth activities at night. Then to rise early for a really long Thursday that begins with the quilting and ends with music. I am part of two choirs (bell choir and the run-of-the-mill singing choir) as well as helping out the quilters. Of course, I am on the young end of the age scale among the quilters. But they seem really excited to have me there and helping out since many of their members are no longer around, whether due to the fact they have passed away or moved to another state.

The quilters are fun. They make quilts based on quantity (and the ability to keep people warm) and not so much the quality (since they were asked to not make works of art as a means to prevent the quilts from ending up on the black market or something...). And the last 20 quilts have been all the same colors. I like them, but I can understand how it can become tiresome to always look at the same patterns day after day. Anyway, I am learning different abilities. Like how to cut ridiculously large pieces of fabric or quilting batting. Or to pin together tops, batting and bottoms. Or to tie. Oh wait, I already knew how to tie quilts. But they keep asking if I can sew. As in, use a sewing machine. Which I have not done in about 10 years or so. Not my forte, but perhaps I shall relearn since they are low on sewers.

Bell choir shall be interesting. I have never had to look through music just so I can find one single note to play instead of following a line. In band I always had just my part on the sheet in front of me. In choir, I always looked for the soprano (or alto, depending on what part I would be told to sing since I am so flexible) line to follow. But for bell choir I get assigned to play a specific note or notes. Like being told to play A and A flat (dealing with key changes or accidentals). Which means that I have to look through the music in order to find each instance where an A or an Ab will be played. It is definitely a different way to read music, but I think I can get the hang of it quickly.

Choir will be interesting. I was asked to sing alto since each choir always has an abundance of women who want to sing the soprano part. I don't really mind, but I am noticing that I find the alto part to be far easier. The note range is easy on my voice, which means that I am not feeling pushed or strained to get better with my range. And I find singing the harmony ridiculously easy as well. I guess I am just so good at being able to always sing the part I have been taught time and again with little to know problem. Once I get the notes down, I can sing them. Now the challenge will be to keep my energy and interest in the songs since I have a tendency to get bored once I know the music.

The Pastors' Retreat

Seriously, pastors have such a difficult and stressful job that they need to have a retreat.

So, as the intern pastor, I tagged along with other pastors from the Northwestern Minnesota Synod to head out to a resort along a lake. In order to get an idea of what this place was like, think "Dirty Dancing" and the ritzy camp. Looked pretty but I was hoping for more of the rustic camp settings, since I am a big fan of escaping locations with perfect cell phone reception.

Some of the highlights/low points:
- Shopping. Two of the women pastors in Bemidji took me along with them on our way with a long stayover in Park Rapids in order to shop. I got a new skirt (yay!) as well as some new sweaters (yay!). Cause my goal is to be as stylish as possible.
- Good food. I like fresh fruit, desserts, salads, and tasty meat like chicken and turkey and roast beef. I will have to subtract points for the not-so-tastalicous brown bread.
- Decent view. Lake. Trees. Only thing missing was sunshine. And enough of a breeze so that I could have gone sailing. Which I have never done and had been looking forward to going on a sailboat.
- Good conversations. Always nice to get to know other pastors who have advice to share. And to reconnect with acquaintances from seminary who are either interns like me or are brand-new pastors.
- Not feeling well and needing to take a long nap after falling asleep during a presentation. I did not realize just how tired I was getting after my long trip to Europe and three weeks in a new setting that is extremely stressful. I am at the point where I am not quite sure that I completely ready to deal with the new policies made by the ELCA.
- Rejoicing. Following the decision made by the ELCA last month to find a way for homosexuals in committed relationships to serve as rostered or ordained leaders, it was nice to hear from other people who were also happy about what will be happening. I am proud to be part of a church that has enough courage to stand up and expand our ideas of how the gospel will be preached and experienced. At the same time, I was reminded that nothing will change right away. Such a major change takes time and careful consideration to all the various consequences and possible reactions from opposing parties.
- Being told I seem to be very comfortable with myself. Nothing like a little bit of reassurance for the nervous intern. Well, I have decided that if I can make it through this year while working for a church, I can handle anything. Cause the thing that I fear most about churches is church politics, and what could be better than dealing with the explosive reactions to the homosexuality issue? Which brings up concerns about our culture at large, the sanctity of marriage, the status of families, the ability to dialogue with people you don't agree with...

Then, of course, the retreat ended at noon on Wednesday so that all those present could race back to their respective congregations in order to be present at confirmation classes or youth groups. I was no exception as I arrived back so that I could teach the 3rd grade Bible class (and the kids I had tonight were really good) and then lead a Bible study for the high schoolers. I kept the 8 sophomores and juniors on track for approximately 1 hr and 15 min. Which I think was pretty darn good. Of course, after that, we still had about 30 more min to go...But that is a really long time for anyone to study the Bible.

Sermonizing

Today was the first (and second) sermon(s) while on internship. I say one/two since there are two services (hence two), basically preached the same stuff both times (one), and attempted to not preach the exact same sermon twice (two).

If you understood all of that mumble-jumble, you get an imaginary gold star for you imaginary collection.

Fortunately, I kept it short since I myself hate long sermons. That and the fact that I knew there was enough going on during the service and chose to limit my portion to make room for such things as baptisms, installation of Sunday School teachers and the official welcome of me as intern pastor. And bonus factor is that the sermon was about me. Specifically about how I came to be at the congregation. The intention was for people to get to know me and my journey (aka how I came to be at their congregation as a pastoral figure) a little bit more. So I did just that. I catered to what people would like to hear the first time they hear their new intern pastor preach publicly.

Next time I shall wow them with amazing insights and profound reflections upon God and the Word of God. (Disclaimer: this may or may not come true)

Tomorrow I will start looking at the comment sheets my internship committee members filled out to critique the context and execution of the sermon. Not too worried about presentation since I've already been getting feedback that some were surprised that I don't mumble but instead can articulate my words. Why is it that no one ever assumes that young people (since I'm a young'un at age 24) are unable to speak so that the general population can understand their words?

I must give credit to my mother, who constantly nagged me and my sisters to speak clearly and to not mumble. No matter how annoying at the time, I have to admit that in the end the annoyance was worth it. So...Thanks, Mom!

Internship Quirks

Did I ever mention that I like the letter "Q"? By far the most underrated letter ever...

I feel that everyone should be able to know about some of the amazing events that go on while the intern pastor. And because of this, I will begin listing my faves.

So here goes:

1. I had a flying lesson. Seriously. My supervisor and I flew from Bemidji to Fargo (well, Moorhead really) with me controlling the plane essentially after take off and before landing. And some of the taxi-ing. Be reassured that I did not cause the plane to crash.

2. Back story: the horror/inspirational stories from internship always include stories about how single people are always being set up by the old ladies in the congregation.
Complete story: Well, this happened to me on the third day after starting my internship. While at the senior center preparing to venture out in order to deliver Meals on Wheels, the organist of my congregation told me a little bit about her grandson, who just so happens to be my age. It turns out that she has been plotting and planning ever since she saw my bio in the church newsletter. And so, one of the weeks, if she can manage to convince her grandson to go to church, she will introduce us. As she informed me of this, I did all I could to keep from laughing since I thought it was absolutely fantastic and amazing timing. I held in the laughter until later, then proceeded to make the mistake of letting my supervisor know what had happened. And he likes to tease me about the young man who is "practically engaged" to me.

3. Today, while out on an errand to pick out a gun that will be raffled off in about a week, three of us pile into a pickup truck. This truck has some amazing quirks. Like doors that don't really close and seat belts that are difficult to operate and latch. While attempting to get the seat belt to extend so that she could latch it, the comment was that it was like a lamb that didn't want to come out and needed to be pulled. Not quite a comparison that I would have ever drawn for myself.

4. I tried to teach 3rd graders how to look up Bible verses. Note to self: have them play a running game first since they are all coming straight from school where they have not been active at all. Nothing like trying to control the chaos that is a group of 9-year-olds with energy to spare. At one point, the calmest of the bunch exclaimed that he was frustrated. When I asked him why, he informed me that he was frustrated because the others had too much energy and were all talking at once while not behaving. I love children.

And so it begins...

Well, I can honestly admit that I am an intern pastor. Shocking and scary at times, but also fun. I have been here for over a week and no one has told me to leave yet (despite being somewhat liberal in a very conservative part of the country), which is a good sign in my mind. I settled in quite well and am pleased to say that I am liking the fact that my schedule is not too stressful. Of course, I get to attend a lot of meetings (Bible studies, committees, etc). Which are way better than sitting in classrooms and writing papers.

I have a large house to reside in for the moment. I really do not know what to do with all the space, but I have to admit that I really enjoy having a full kitchen. Last week I got to deal with the telephone, TV and internet set-up. I almost lost the battle with the wireless router, but I am proud to say that I am truly a child of the generation where all technology is a mere toy to be figured out (much like those poor souls who enjoy long mathematical problems or impossible puzzles where you can never release the ring from the post). But the main point of all this is that I can now watch cable TV and surf the net without moving from the couch.

Bemidji is going to be a place for great adventures. I have already had a flying lesson (thanks to my internship supervisor who also happens to be a pilot and flight instructor), gone out to some lakes and have been assured that I will learn how to curl, which has to be the ultimate winter sport EVER! By the end of the year I will probably have gone 4-wheeling, snowmobiling, ice fishing, deer hunting, etc. Nothing like being in a part of the country which is big on outdoor activities.

FYI: "Quatsch" is a German word. This is one of my all-time favorite German words to use. I tend to translate it as "bullshit" although the slightly more correct translation is "nonsense." Either option works since this blog will not usually contain too much that I consider significant.