Sunday Snippits

photo courtesy of Pete Cabera Jr. accessed 3/30/13

JESUS IS RISEN!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Back with the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly linking up with 

Kati at Incorporating Color & Kate at Classy Living

GOOD: We had a bit of a holiday break, which is always appreciated. It's a good time to get some extra Zzzz's & to catch up on a few assignments & personal things. We attended several worship services all at Humble Walk Church & a dose of a home congregation at St. Philips. We also enjoyed a fun evening of having a few friends over & enjoyed some 

3 Buck Chuck!

We enjoyed receiving some fun Easter cards & a care-package we weren't expecting (Thanks to AJO & Momma P). We made it a point to get out & enjoy the warm weather at Como Zoo & Conservatory. We enjoyed Easter brunch at the Afton House Inn with Dad & Mom N. And most of all, I worked on my thesis & resume & Z played a lot of Mario Kart. 

BAD: Our energy is low because it's break, but we still have lots to do to finish out the semester. One classmate and friend said that her goal is to have all her assignments done by the end of April & I think that might be my goal too. I don't like to put it in writing, but there ya have it.

UGLY: Because of low energy & stress of the unknown, we've been a tad grumpy. Other than that, I can't complain.

COMING UP: More chiropractor & massage appoints (though doing much better), lots of writing, dinner with my girlfriends & some of the women faculty (in honor of our classmate Tony who passed away in December, this was something auctioned off at the annual variety show), & a few wedding celebrations.

HAPPY EASTER!

Sunday Snippits...the good, the bad, & the ugly

It's Palm Sunday! The church nerd inside me is fully soaking up all the Holy Week festivities this week.

photo courtesy of Bliss Street Studios 3/24/13

Today I'm linking up again with Kate & Kati for the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY to cover the last week & move into the week ahead. If you didn't check out their blogs last week, take a few minutes & enjoy life with some other bloggers at Incorporating Color & Classy Living.

the GOOD: Life is good, though crazy busy as I thrive living in the fast lane. Remembering back more than a day ago is challenging though when you live in the fast lane. I know I had lots of meetings & appointments this last week. So I thrived in networking & collaborating with others. I also participated in Humble Walk's monthly Beer & Hymns finally! It was splendid, good times & I finally got to officially meet the talented Rachel Kurtz & reunite with a few other youth & family ministry folk that I don't see too often like Tay Wilson. Tuesday Z & I went to Anchor Fish & Chips to meet up with some friends that I hadn't seen in years. We got our food & headed over to Dangerous Man Brewery for some beer & soda. Friday night was the first of several SENIOR FUN events & this one just happened to be my event. We focused on a family friendly event with the movie Happy Feet, popcorn, root-beer floats, & photos with me in a penguin suit (thanks to AButler!). Saturday I spent all day being certified, with about 50 others, as Zumba Basic 1 Instructors. I'll let yall know when I'm able to join the ZIN program & start teaching! This morning we went to worship at St. Anthony Park Lutheran & I was reunited with a friend from working @ Camp Wapo & then came home to clean up our drying laundry for Rikki from Thirsty, Nerdy, Cats & Justin to visit. A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway that Rikki did on her blog & it gave us a reason to see each other for the first time since 2008. We originally met through Spoke Folk years ago & have kept in touch through blogging & facebook. Here's some photos of the good stuff!

3 Spoke Folkers & their spouses

Z kissing his penguin wife!

RR, Me, J (our instructor), & SB at Zumba Instructor Training

Rikki & I! So blessed by friendships that withstand time & distance

the BAD: My thesis is a thesis & a word that I have dreaded for years now. I have a cover sheet, but that's about it. Thankfully I have till April 20th & the research work is pretty much done since I'm taking my Diaconal Ministry project & editing it. It's a good thing I'm passionate about Children, Youth, & Family Ministry & Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit)

the UGLY: Two chiropractor appointments, a massage therapy session, some kenesio tape, & two slips that ended me scooting across the ground till I could find dry ground to stabilize myself on have all been helping to better or worsen my wacky muscle & joint issues. I have two more chiro & 2 more massage appointments this week & I am really hopeful that will do magic because insurance won't cover these treatments for long. Z told me I'm not allowed to talk about being old till I'm 65, so I have a few years to go!

coming up this week: I WILL WRITE 10 PAGES OF MY THESIS! This is my pledge in front of yall, to myself. A few meetings of this or that, classes through Wednesday, Holy Week festivities with the communities of Humble Walk & St. Philip's Lutheran (Z's home congregation) & Easter brunch with Dad & Mom N. Here's to productivity & a piece of holiday break!

What was GOOD, BAD, &/or UGLY about your week?

Sunday Snippits

Whew! I can't believe it's Sunday again already!

This last week was truly the first week of the Spring semester, so it was odd & busy. It was odd because though Z & I are both addicted to our e-mails & calendars, we weren't familiar with our own or each other's schedules yet. It was busy because there was class & meetings & work & social life all mixed together. Oh yeah, & Ash Wednesday & Valentines happened too!

So outside of starting classes the real fun & neat stuff was Ash Wednesday services & Valentine's Day outing  Plus, a fun little road trip with our friends B&A H to Gustavus College for a choir concert.

At the Ash Wednesday service at Luther Sem, our new campus pastor turned the typical phrase of "From dust you are and to dust you will return" into "You are dead to sin and alive in Christ forever." The power of these words coming from Romans 6:8 overwhelmed me & brought me tears of joy & uncertainty about all that is life right now. Ash Wednesday service at Humble Walk was about smashing the things that we want to get rid. We were given a piece of tile to write down our burdens & then given a hammer to smash it into pieces. It was exhilarating! We then were marked with the ashes (again) & told "From ashes you came, and to ashes you will return." Overall, a very beautiful day & start to Lent.

Valentine's Day was SO much more exciting when I was a kid. No offense to Z, but Momma P always made it special & I was being goofy & nostalgic for a classroom party & all the love you receive from everybody. Z got me a beautiful bouquet of pink roses a few days before Valentine's & then we exchanged cards at dinner on Valentine's Day. We had a fun dinner at the The Happy Gnome where I tried poutine for the very first time & we shared ribs. Then we headed over to Cafe Latté to share a "Swedish Moo" (aka steamed milk with cardamom & maple syrup) & a piece of blueberry peach tart. Only to return home & watch the Charlie Brown Valentine Special on Netflix.

Coming this week: More classes, more work, AND REGIONAL ASSIGNMENT IN the ELCA

Sunday Snippits

It's a cold, icy Sunday in the Twin Cities! We tried to go to church & got on the highway only to get off at the next exit.

Last week in review:
SuperBowl party was great (though the blackout was dumb)
 *Thanks A&T!
I successfully came down with a head cold & slept a LOT.
I got to visit my college professor at Pub Theology with the community of Humble Walk Church
 *This was great discussion of where we find hope in our every day
Tuesday we spent the WHOLE day doing laundry & I watched the first 3 episodes of season 2 of Downton Abbey
 *Now I'm stuck because I don't have a blue-ray player & it's not on Netflix yet! Help!
We prepped for the Spring semester, which started Thursday
 and then learned that we didn't have classes till tomorrow Morning
I was reunited with another CAP friend who was two years behind me & is considering seminary
 *Shout out to the wonderful MD for her enthusiasm towards life
We went to a lovely graduate dinner at the hotel where we had our wedding reception - and hadn't been there since our wedding reception
 *This really helped set in the multitude of emotions of being a senior.
We celebrated our friend's ordination to be a pastor in the LCMC
 *Congrats B&A on your new journey
Then we had an impromptu date night to the MoA where we enjoyed dinner at Tucci Benucch & a walk around the Ice Castles

There was a lot of fun & good life moments this last week & all that I'm certain of this week is classes, work, meetings, & the Grammys.