I wanna talk about me!

OK...I was challenged by Kari to put this post on my blog...I accept!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago this week I probably would have been at Faith Haven enjoying summer camp with Kierstan & Chantel! (And I was growing out an ugly version of the "Rachel" haircut).

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was working with some fabulous people at Our Savior's Lutheran!

Five snacks you enjoy...
1. Ice Cream
2. Chips & Cheese
3. Granola Bars
4. Chips & Dip
5. Popcorn

Five songs you know all the lyrics to...
1. Anything from the movie "Grease"
2. "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
3. "Boondocks" by Little Big Town
4. "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
5. "Phantom Mullet" by Five Iron Frenzy

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire...
1. Pay off all of our loans...mortgage, student, etc. (For me and my family members).
2. Buy a fantastic Mustang...I would love a white '68 with blue racing stripes.
3. Donate to some of my favorite causes...camp, church, environment, schools...
4. Take trips to Europe...and go to Ruth's wedding this summer.
5. Quit my job!

Five bad habits I have...
1. Eating too many sweets.
2. Spending more than I should.
3. Slouching.
4. Waiting too long to get my hair cut.
5. Being forgetful.

Five things you like to do...
1. Spend time with Josh.
2. Spend time with my family & friends.
3. Doing art & collecting art.
4. Learn.
5. Dance.

Five things you would never wear again...
1. Tapered pants
2. Stirrup pants
3. Leggings as pants
4. Outfits made entirely of neon colors
5. Jellies

Five favorite toys...
1. cameras
2. computer
3. blog
4. ipod
5. guitar hero

Well, now you know a bunch of useless information about me. Congratulations.

Girl Power!

Did you hear the latest news? The beloved Spice Girls are having a reunion tour! Wow. That was unexpected. Although, I have been seeing way too much of that Victoria "Posh" Beckham in the news lately....I should have known something was up. Well, although I actually have to admit (or maybe I shouldn't) that I have seen these spicey girls live in concert, I do not plan to make any travel plans to see them this year. (But I might dig up my old worn CD to reminisce....or maybe not...you'll never know the difference.)

I'm Violet

Your Aura is Violet

Idealistic and thoughtful, you have the mind and ideas to change the world. And you have the charisma of a great leader, even if you don't always use it! The purpose of your life: saying truths that other people dare not say Famous purples include: Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony Careers for you to try: Political Activist, Inventor, Life Coach

What Color Is Your Aura?

Planting Cactus

Last weekend Eric gave us a cactus to plant in our garden. I finally planted it today. It seems quite odd to me that a cactus would grow in MN, but apparently it can. (Though I'm sure it will die in my sad excuse for a garden). So I dig up a nice size hole and get ready to plant. The cactus seems pretty fragile, so I try to figure out the best way to grab it and tip the pot upside down, like I do with other plants, to get it out and into the hole I just dug. So I grab the cactus.
Yes, I'm not proud to say it, but I foolishly grabbed onto a spiky cactus with my $1.99 cotton gardening gloves. And now my finger hurts from being stabbed by a prickly plant.
I felt like a dog that just stuck it's face in a porcupine's butt: astounded that I could be so dumb.
So what did I learn? Well I learned not to grab a cactus. But how to plant a cactus? I still don't really know what the proper way is. I just covered it with a big mound of dirt and kind of pushed it into the hole. I don't think that's the right way, but at least it's in there now. So I guess we'll see how that goes.

Sunrise

I return from my weekend with a weird shaped sunburn down my arm. I guess I didn't apply sunscreen as thoroughly as I should have. But, at least I have proof that I spent a weekend having fun outside rather than wasting it inside. Josh and I went to the cabin and had some fun with my brother (and my dad, the driver) on the "Aqua Glide" I think it's called. It's basically like pulling a giant floating mattress behind the boat instead of a little tube. More on that later in the summer, I'm sure.
I woke up this morning to the whines of the dog, and got up and went out on the deck. The sunrise was beautiful, and I was pretty sure that I had never been awake for a sunrise at the cabin before. So I ran in for my camera and took a picture. Of course, I then returned straight to bed. But I was happy to see that the picture actually turned out pretty nice.

Beautiful Tonight

Fridays are pretty fantastic. They're just below Sundays, and a little further below Saturdays, but fantastic none the less. I go to work at 7am during the summer so I can get off work at 1pm on Fridays. Then I have the whole afternoon to do whatever. Today I spent it mostly watering my plants (kind of wishing for some rain to come back...but not quite) hoping that they're not all going to be shriveled up by the time I get back after the weekend. Then I went to the grocery store and spent way too much on food...I've been toying with the idea of getting on some kind of "plan" to get myself in shape, but now I'm on the "plan" to not waste so much money on going out to eat...so on one hand, I want to get healthy foods, but on the other hand, I don't want to punish myself by having nothing that actually tastes good. So I made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. But I think they're already gone. And no, I did NOT eat them all by myself...I had two others to help me. Actually I'm pretty proud that most of them made it to the oven before they were eaten.
And later, Josh and I went on a very nice walk around the neighborhood. I really enjoy walks (him not so much) and I still haven't explored that much of the new neighborhood. We decided to walk by an elementary school and found some kids at the playground there. We saw the most adorable little girl named Julia who wanted to pet Turbo. Then her mom or grandma honked from the car she was sitting in so she said she had to go. I think that mom/grandma should have been playing with that cute little child instead of making her play all by herself at the park.
It is such a beautiful night...it's getting a little buggy, but other than that it is fabulous. I'm hoping for some more beautiful nights this summer!

Was I living under a rock?

So apparently, unbeknownst to me, this whole blogging thing has been going on for quite some time. It makes me wonder if I was living in a cave or something all this time. But, only my very "in-the-know" cousin Kari emailed me with her blog, so maybe I'm not all that far behind the rest of the "out-of-the-loop" type people like me. So...although I may not have anything to say that is remotely interesting to anyone besides myself, I am making my best effort. Still, I am jealous that I don't have a lawn gnome or Fonz to take pictures of in various places...but I don't go anywhere anyway! It would just be pictures taken in different spots of my yard.
Hopefully I'll take more pictures to add soon...even if they don't have any inanimate creatures in the foreground.

Blasted Wind

My hopes to spend some lazy summer nights in my wonderful gazebo have been shattered! Thanks to that blasted North Dakota wind that spills over into my state! I've had quite enough of these incessant storms and rain showers. Enough already! Now I can't even spend the rare dry days lounging in my backyard bug-free. All I have is mangled mess of what used to be my beloved gazebo and some chairs that are open to the mosquitoes, bird poop and elements.

Bigger Winner!

Just as I was giving myself props for winning a little poker game, my husband goes out and outshines me by winning an actual poker tournament this weekend (with real money!) against 20 other people!

Church of the Week!

My home church, Redeemer Lutheran in Fridley, MN, has been named as "Church of the Week" this week on KKMS Radio, so our Senior Pastor, Dave Glesne, was interviewed at the station earlier in the week. This interview will be aired, Friday, June 15 between 4-5pm. Tune into AM980 KKMS to hear him share about Redeemer!

Filler Vegetables

Have you ever noticed how restaurants like to fill your plate with "garnishes" and filler vegetables? Does anyone actually eat the lettuce or parsley garnish? Personally, I think it's ridiculous that every meal you order seems to come with some sort of garnish without a purpose. Yes, I do watch the Food Network, so I know that presentation is important, but come on! Adding a "garnish" doesn't make the food Iron Chef quality. And sometimes, less is more! It's okay to see some of the plate! It doesn't need to be filled up with 5 pieces of lettuce for one hamburger, or a monstrous mound of greasy french fries.
Well, I don't have any where else to go on this subject...this post is dedicated to Jenny and the Douglas Lodge Restaurant that inspired this little rant about too much lettuce.

Rain

The past few weeks have been full of rain, rain, and more rain. I think people are getting a little tired of it. But as I sit here to write, I can still feel the dampness from my little walk around the yard in the misty rain. Although rain can be such an annoyance...like when you want to work on any sort of project that involves going outside...it felt wonderful tonight. (I just ignored the mosquitoes.) I walked around looking at my attempt at a garden and felt the warm mist envelop me. It was calm and peaceful...and if it weren't nearing my bedtime, I would have liked to stay out longer.
Though rain can seem like such a nuisance at times, it is really a welcome gift...when it rains, I don't have to remember to water all of my plants. (My hose just doesn't quite reach every corner of my yard, so I actually rely heavily on rain to keep my transplants alive!) And yes, I do agree that too much rain is a bad thing (just ask anyone who lives on the Red River) but I'm deciding to be thankful for rain, and not gripe about it today. (From what I hear, the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a drought this summer...so roll up those pants and jump in some puddles while you can!)

Winner!

This past weekend Josh and I went to Itasca State Park with some friends of ours. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. We got to spend some time on the water, saw some big trees, learned the tale of Lobo the wolf, and spent a lot of time enjoying food. But...in case it never happens again, I need it to be on the records that I actually won a game of Texas Hold'Em. No money or collateral was involved, but I won the sheer joy of bragging rights. (Though I must admit, it had nothing to do with skill, and everything to do with luck and probably the sleepiness and diminishing interest of my opponents.) Note: Picture at right of Mississippi Headwaters taken by Josh.

New Bishop in Town

Finally some good news in the newspaper! Rev. Larry Wohlrabe was elected the new Bishop of the Northwestern Minnesota ELCA. Larry will make a fantastic bishop! Read about it for yourself here. Congrats Larry!

Jellies

When I was about six years old, I had a pair of purple sparkle jelly shoes. They were my favorite shoes and I wore them all summer long. I went through a couple pairs of jelly shoes, but I remember the purple ones best. (And yes, I believe I probably wore them with bright pink scrunchy socks at one time or another.) They are a sweet memory of childhood.
And it made me smile to see jelly shoes return to the store shelves. Until I found them in the Women's shoe section. I was not sure what to feel...the little girl inside me wanted to try them on, while the rest of me was a little confused at why any grown woman would want to wear them.
Shoes made completely out of plastic would be uncomfortable, probably make squishy sounds when you walk, and can not possibly leave you with clean or dry feet at the end of the day. So why did I see a grown woman wearing jelly shoes out on the street? It is the idea that 80s fashion is back in style? Or are women simply trying to bring back pieces of their childhood?
I can not be sure, but I'll keep smiling at the tiny jelly shoes on the shelf as I am on my way to the big-girl shoes.

Where has summer gone?

It's only the brink of summer, yet I can already feel it slipping through my fingertips, giving way to yet another long and painfully cold winter. Summer time gives the illusion of lazy days and care free nights. But looking at my calendar, I'm already booked every weekend with some event or another, and I spend my week days wearing sweaters inside a ridiculously cold building. How does summer become more hectic than the rest of the year? We all try to cram as many outdoor activities into three short months as humanly possible and run around so much that we forget to take some time to relax!
Lounging on the dock, dipping your feet into the cool water gently lapping on the shore, reading a novel from the summer reading list (after a generous application of sunscreen of course!). Doesn't it sound wonderful? (Or maybe you'd rather be fishing in the water instead of reading...feel free to use your imagination here.) Don't let this summer slip by without taking some moments to enjoy the sunshine and forget about your responsibilities and worries, if only for a few moments. It will be a memory you'll cling to for hope all winter long.

Online Journal?

I've heard of blogs being referred to as "online journals." To me, a journal is basically a diary. I was never any good at keeping diaries, because I didn't trust the flimsy locks and knew if I wrote it, they would read it. (They being my brothers, parents, friends...whomever.) So what's the point of writing down your innermost thoughts if they're going to be read by snooping eyes?
The idea of an online journal is really quite silly if you think about it that way. The internet is the least private place to store your personal thoughts. They should call it an "online (whatever is opposite of journal here)".

Blog? What's a blog?

It was not so long ago that I was clueless as to what a blog is. But I have been enlightened! And I couldn't wait to get my hands on one...so now I finally have. I'm not sure what will become of this adventure...but we shall see. (I was hoping that the first post on my blog was going to be something fantastic...something more creative than the typical, "Hey, this is my first blog...blah blah blah." Maybe my next blog will get to that "fantastic" part.) Stay tuned to be inspired.