Sunday Snippits: good, bad, & awesome!

GOOD: This last week was FULL with good! It started out with a lovely mother's day & getting to chat with both Ma P & Ma N. A few days of work at home & catch up with a good seminary friend. Plus a brief & surprising quick video chat with Z's & my friend (yes, I'm learning to share) AJO & a phone convo with my "soul mate" JMDT. We finished our week by sending our furbaby to "camp" for a few days while we took another trip, this time work related. At the assembly we got to catch up with many colleagues & friends & meet many more. It was a busy & full few days that still has my my mind moving rather quickly. We completed our trip to the Detroit area with a quick trip to Ikea for a few small things & of course came away with more than what was on our list. And of course came away with picture frames that are too small for what we wanted to use them for. I fully accept the challenge to be creative with these frames!

BAD: Living too far away to make it to everything celebratory for those you love. In the midst of many long time planned travels it's next to impossible to make to all the other things that pop up.

AWESOME: Knowing & acknowledging the wonderful people in life that are doing really great things in the world. Just yesterday Patricia Lull was elected the new ELCA St. Paul Area Synod bishop. You can read more about it here. Patricia was the Dean of Students when I started my seminary career & while our time at Luther Seminary only overlapped by a few months, she has continued to be a role model of a woman in ministry for my life in ministry leadership. I wish her all the best in this new call & may God grant her many blessings & grace as she learns her way as a bishop.

WORD: SO much scripture & I'm working on a Bible study. One of these days I will finish the two fun books I'm reading. I've got a few news people I want to look into too. Oh the options!

coming up: Another trip! Yep, that's right, we're on the go. This coming week we will celebrate with both of our families for two great occassions & then we will celebrate my birthday with some of my closest friends from Capital University!

Friday Favorites & Merry Holiday Cheer!

This bitstrip comic is very true.

While my home looks nothing like this picture - & probably never will - & my friend JM said I looked like I was about to go crazy on those reindeer, I haven't totally felt this excitement this year.

I attribute this lack of holiday love to being busy. I preached on Psalm 46 at the end of November & I shared then that we - all of us - are SO good at being busy.

In fact, Advent/Christmas is often figured to be the busiest time of the year. And really, this is nobody's fault, but our own. We pick & choose what we say yes to & no to & what we actually accomplish.

I'm a people person. I come from a very social family & we like to talk & visit & we are filled with the holiday joy by spending quality time with people. However, when that time is limited, it becomes a stressor of how we will spend that time together.

Sometimes its hard to enjoy all the things that go along with Advent/Christmas. But I urge you - as I'm urging myself - enjoy the time, take in the lights, play a game or in the snow, bake some cookies - or buy them from the store - & indulge. For this is a holy celebration time of the year.

No matter what you believe, there is something for everybody in Christmas. Sweets, lights, butter, cheesy tv shows, cold weather, hot weather if you live in or near the Southern hemisphere, songs, angels, crazy decorations, & a more focused vision of giving to & being with others.

Tuesday Tea Time!

Happy Tuesday Tea Time!

While life is blurring past me, I cling to the things, & the people, that I love.

This photo taken by the fun app known as #picstitch is from my parents' visit a few weeks ago.

I haven't always loved tea, but I've always loved tea parties. Nor have I had much experience with ballet, but out of my 16 years of dance classes, I did take one year of ballet. Flexibility is my game, not gracefulness.

What do you cling to when life flashes by making you dizzy?

I LOVE to dance. My friend AE & I used to dance while brushing our teeth when we lived together. Now Z just thinks I'm crazy. Don't let him fool you, he enjoys dancing too.

I also LOVE to sit with a warm mug of tea in my hands & breath deep the steam & smell of my tea. Todays blend is coconut chai. My life-long bestie BEG & her mom & sister used to throw annual mother-daughter Valentine's Day teas. In honor of these parties, they even threw me a tea party themed bridal shower 2.5 years ago. Now, not only do I enjoy tea & parties, it is my main reason I blog. Tea creates community.

Tea, dancing, & whatever & whoever you need. May they be there for you to cling to as life whirls you forward.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, & know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Sunday Snippits!

Happy Mother's Day!

The last week has been no less busy than any other. Life in the fast lane is my style, I just choose to fill it differently depending on where I am each day. After finishing my last class of graduate school last week I was able to sleep in a little extra & catch up on lost beauty rest. That brings us to Sunday Snippits with

and so that I don't forget here is the link to watch my thesis defense presentation on Spirit-led Hospitality Leadership for and with First/Third Ministries.

GOOD: Last week was a release of energy after the busyness of finishing my final semester at Luther Seminary. Monday I enjoyed baking cookies for my final class on Tuesday morning. I'm not much of a baker, but chocolate chip cookies are a sinch & I especially enjoyed the gluten free cookies (1 cup overnight oats, 2 ripe bananas, & whatever add-ins - I chose chocolate chips - you want, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15min & voila!) Wednesday started the end of the year festivities with an outting to the Wild Roast Cafe with my Grouplife friends from Jacob's Well Minneapolis. Thursday was the annual Blessings Banquet where we honor, thank, & meet our donors. Then we went to Mannings Cafe (aka the Seminary pub of many decades) to celebrate a friend's birthday. Friday we enjoyed a cheese & wine party with friends, Saturday we served at Feed My Starving Children with other graduating classmates & their significant others. Then we ended the week with food & games at Dave & Buster's with more classmates.

BAD: Wednesday was supposed to be the annual staff & faculty vs. students & their families baseball game. The darn weather didn't cooperate though & it was canceled. It didn't start raining heavily till 7pm, but the weather is so unpredictable.

UGLY: I'm really stretching to say that anything from last week was ugly. I'm sure there were things in the news, but nothing that directly affected me. The Lord has blessed me abundantly. G'byes have started & that is never fun, so we'll say that is ugly. I'm in denial that I have seen snow coming from the sky in the last week.

Coming up: Today we celebrated Mother's Day at the St. Paul Grill with Dad & Mom N & naturally we talked about all the excitement happening this last week & in the weeks to come. Due to such excitement, I may not be blogging for Friday Foto Fun, Sunday Snippits, or Tuesday Tea Time starting at the end of this week. This week we have more celebrations & family coming in for graduation weekend next week. ONE WEEK from today we will officially be graduated with our Master of Divinity degrees! Then off to synod assembly to network.

Friday Foto Fun!

photo courtesy of Shutterstock 5/10/13

Have you ever been waiting & waiting for something & then it arrives?

I'm guessing we all have been here. Maybe you were waiting for a birthday, graduation, wedding, or vacation. I've been waiting for the green leaves to return. This morning, they're back! They're small, but they're there.

It's a little piece of promise for a changing tomorrow.

Sunday Snippits: Resuming Life

Sunday Snippts!

I missed Friday Foto Fun due to finishing up all my work for grad-school. But the good news is, I am done! I do have to attend class tomorrow & Tuesday, but my assignments are done.

So we'll resume with the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly to get us back on track.

GOOD: Last Sunday KJ got ordained as a pastor in the ELCA. It was quite the celebration! Monday I helped lead chapel with other Word & Service leaders of the ELCA. It was a great way to show our presence on campus. I was also awarded, along with 3 other classmates, a student leadership award. It was fun & made me feel like I had something to show mom. So I sent her a picture on her phone since we don't live even down the street from each other. Thursday I was the student host for The Evidence of Hope documentary at Luther Sem. It's a great documentary with some profound statements of how we should approach our lives. Definitely worth checking out. Saturday I was up bright & early to be ready to defend my thesis at 8am. Then I got to spend the whole day with my classmates & listen to their thesis defense. The week came to a close with a fun bachelorette outing for BLF to Shamrock's Irish Nook. We rocked out with the Brat Pack Radio Supershow. Check 'em out if you're into '80's cover music.

BAD: I missed the coffee shop open mic night that I was supposed to read a few pieces of my poetry at. Yes, I write poetry on occasion, but seriously, the Spirit has to move me. I got stuck in traffic going to get groceries & couldn't be everywhere I wanted to be. I also missed my Friday Foto blog.

UGLY: While hanging with WOK, he wiped out & got a big bloody lip. Thankfully he is alright & so is my shirt that he pressed his bloody lip against. This was all while it was snowing Friday morning, later that day it was sleeting, then it rained & melted all the snow. Crazy Spring weather!

Coming up: This week is busy with 2 more classes, some meetings, & some fun. Graduation is 2 weeks from today! Happy May!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Tuesday Tea Time!

photo courtesy of Center Church

I didn't know what I was going to talk about other than this adorable Tea Time photo I found today, until I saw a Kays Jewelers commercial. 

I know they're selling love & think that every kiss begins with 'K,' but c'mon! Really? This is how you promote love between two people? You have the guy propose in your store? That's weird & public & not at all creative. So I clearly like some creativity & I was thankful that my engagement with Z was not public. 

DEEP BREATH

How do you promote love between two people?

and shoot, look at that cute icon I found from an event at a UCC church in MA!

Sunday Snippits!

Sunday Snippits

with the GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY

linking up with Kate at Classy Living & Kati at Incorporating Color!

the GOOD: In the last week I spent several days & many hours on my computer editing & re-editing my Children, Youth, & Family Ministry (aka CYF) thesis. I seriously have not edited with such significant changes maybe ever. However, I turned it in Friday night & look forward to defending it in a couple of weeks. I reworked my Diaconal project & my work from my Holy Spirit course to make a new paper & feel like I have something of quality compared to the pieces it came from. It really was a matter of refining. Tomorrow is my final group presentation for another course, so a lot of time was spent on preparation for that as well. One of my favorite times of the week was of course hanging with WOK. It's so fun to have a 2 y/o excited to see you :-) Saturday Z & I went to Fuji Ya for a celebration dinner thanks to Groupon. It was SO much wonderful Japanese food! Then we celebrated being a month away from graduation & being done with writing another thesis with some friends at Station 280. All in all it was a hectic, productive, & celebratory week.

the BAD: I am lacking sleep. It's the end of the semester & I am trying to have all of my assignments done by Thursday May 2nd because they're really all due by Monday May 6th. However, the weekend is filled with CYF Defense & a friend's Bachelorette party. My recovery from the auto accident I was in last month is taking longer because my backpack is so heavy. However, now that I have my thesis writing done, it might not be as heavy. Here's to hoping!

the UGLY: There was a lot of ugly last week :-( The first thing was the Boston Marathon bombings. I heard about it while at work & didn't realize how serious it was. Then I found out later that my best friend from college & maid of honor was actually at the marathon cheering on a friend who was running. They are both thankfully alright & doing what they can to continue on with their day-to-day schedules. Then there was the explosion of the fertilizer plant in West, TX that killed & injured several people. Finally there was severe flooding in my home town & a bomb scare that created a stir there too. Oh, & did I mention there was more snow & there's more coming?

Coming up: MORE finalizing assignments. I have to put together a 10min defense presentation, write 10 pages for another course (between 3 assignments) & do some exegetical work for a sermon for another course. Tomorrow night is a fun girls' night with some friends for KW's upcoming wedding, Thursday is another fun girls' night with some of my senior classmates, & then hanging out with WOK again. It should be a pretty good week & it's actually looking hopeful that it might be above fifty degrees next week!

Hebrews 12:1-2

New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Friday Foto Fun!

photo courtesy of The UQ Psyc Blog

When you google the word 'thesis' you get some funny comics. I suppose they're only funny if you've lived through, or with somebody, writing a thesis. 

Your thesis becomes your life. It is something you truly believe in, no matter the length that you are asked to produce on your topic. The topic essentially is your life. You lose sleep due to research & editing. You eat whatever is put in front of you just to get a meal. You start wearing nothing but workout clothes & don't worry about your hygiene. You find relief in daily household things like washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, or doing the laundry. And when you get near the due date you have a feeling that you need to scrap the whole thing & start over. It's not good enough, but for who or what?! 

How do you describe your life in 3 minutes?

I'll let you know my answers after the readers have seen it & the defense day has come & gone (so in a few weeks!)

Sunday Snippits

We're back for another week life in the fast-lane!

Because I find it easy to highlight the past week we're gonna keep going with

the GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY

& linking up with Classy Living Kate & Incorporating Color Kati

the GOOD: This last week was busy, but fairly mild. I completed a full draft of my thesis. The light is a little brighter! I also got to hang with WOK, a pretty cool 2 y/o that have been privileged to kid-sit for over the past several months.

the BAD: the snow...in April

the UGLY: more snow...in April

up & coming: MORE THESIS! It's due in next weekend. Rain pellets & today's Twins vs. the Mets game postponed till August! Hang time with WOK & a sushi date with Z.

Tuesday Tea Time!

photo courtesy of Defective Compositions (another BLOG!)

Do you ever yearn for a day with nothing to do?

While I do not believe the yearning is counter-cultural, the day with actually nothing to do is counter-cultural. Even if we have a day with no appointments or agenda, we most likely will come up with things to get done. 

UNFINISHED PROJECTS! AHHHHHH!

Holy Week was intended to be a holiday break from school, but other than some intentional choosing of social & church events to partake in, I don't feel like I got the break I was so badly wanting. Maybe this is partially my own fault, but it is also due to my desire to get some school work done & some of my thesis written. I don't even want to think about all the unfinished projects I've started over the years or even ones that I've intended to start, but haven't gotten there yet.

The funny little icon in the photo is supposed to be laundry. It's a format for making a free weekly laundry schedule. When I googled "a day with nothing" or "a day without a schedule" I got images such as 

 or  

How to make a schedule & how to fill a schedule with consumption!

AWESOME!

This made me chuckle as it wasn't surprising. My curiosity made me wonder what images might come up.

This was one of my favorites. Place a few of my closest friends scattered around the globe in those seats & it would be a slice of heaven.

What does a day without agenda look like for you?

Here's to a day or two without an agenda or "to do" list!

Mine will get here roughly by the end of May.

Enjoy what's in your mug!

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?

Friday Foto Fun!

photo courtesy of LuLuSoSo 3/22/13

Did you ever loose something & just knew that it was magically taken from you? 

I have had this happen a few times in life & genrally it reappears within a year or two tops. The problem is, if it has a mate (like a sock) I move housing often enough (at least once a year since 2003) I have typically thrown the other half away. 

This morning I was in the trunk of our car, getting out my bag chair (aka camping chair for some) for a friend to borrow & lo & behold the individually wrapped piece of salmon that we thought we were shorted of back in at least November, was hiding under the bag chair at the very back of the trunk. In the last couple of months we have smelled something funny once or twice, but nothing so horrible that we had to investigate. SO THANKFUL we found this before it really warmed up outside!

Tuesday Tea Time

photo courtesy of Eco-Artware 3/11/13

This is a tea strainer in a tea cup with some loose leave tea in it. You might be thinking "duh Julia!" Prior to the holiday season of 2012 I had never seen one like this. Then much to my surprise I received one very similar to this as a gift from my brother EWP.

My little confession, I haven't used it yet. My loose leaf that would work very nice with this strainer is more of a spring or summer-time tea. I have some older loose leaf tea from Hong Kong that I mentioned a few weeks ago. However, when not mixed with other tea bags & heavily watered down it is very strongly caffeinated tea. If you read my Tuesday Tea Time last week, you'll know that caffeine is not my friend. In fact the tea that I believe would work nicely in this strainer is also caffeinated. 

Can I get a womp, womp?!

I write all this to say that I've been straining through fun activities like hot water strains through loose leaf tea. There's such an urgency to be with one another as a graduating class and I love get togethers. I'm a social butterfly. However, I have my limits & while I am 75% extroverted, there is that other 25% that needs a little peace, quiet, & me time.

What should I be straining out of my day-to-day life?

Maybe the straining is more like a refining fire... quick who can tell me that scripture reference!

A little Tuesday Tea Time for your thoughts

Friday Photo Reminder

Photo Courtesy of: Southwest Florida Waterfront Properties 3/7/13

Daydreaming is a new hobby of mine. Two years ago when I was working on the plans for Z's & my wedding day (with Z & others) I often drifted off to wonder what "that day" would actually be like. Now, with life in the continuous fast lane, I find myself wondering what life will be like after we graduate. 

We don't have jobs yet, but we know that we are more than well taken care of. The fact that we don't have jobs yet is what makes it more fun to daydream. Our whole future is in front of us wildly staring us back taunting us to want to know more.

What we do know is that we'll be taking a vacation to Ft. Myers Beach, FL in just a few short months!

What do you daydream about?

Thought is the labor of the intellect, reverie (daydreaming) is its pleasure.  ~Victor Hugo

Sunday Snippets

Life is currently in the fast lane.

This last week was mostly centered around our regional assignment within the ELCA. We received our first choice region (which is my home region) & will find out more specific assignment information within the next week or two. There's 6 synods we could be assigned - IN&KY are one, there's 3 in OH, & 2 in the mitten of MI.

Any bets on where we'll land?

Outside of that big news, there was more classes, more work, & more getting used to our Spring semester schedules. I had a great sushi date with one of my bridesmaids who's preparing to head over to Malaysia in August for her pastoral internship & later that day I had a splendid time with some other friends over a flight of wine & apps. Then to top it off I called my good friend LMac for the first time in months & we talked for just over an hour. Plus friends came over for a classic movie showing of 101 Dalmatians - the live version.

Today Z surprised me & swept me away to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for something different & then took me for fro yo at Freestyle (my new favorite treat).

Ahead this week: The Oscars tonight! Trying to make Quinoa Pizza Bites from this new blog I pinned, class, work, Zumba, meetings, the end of February, a showing of my friends new documentary The Evidence of Hope & hopefully finding out our ELCA synodical assignment.

What's happening in your fast lane?