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!)

Tuesday Tea Time! ...a piece of stress relief

TUESDAY TEA TIME!

Apparently today is National Stress Awareness Day. I say apparently because other than a friend's post on Facebook, I couldn't find anything officially declaring this. The closest I got to a clear declaration was that it is a national day of awareness in the UK. This is quite fitting after yesterdays's events at the Boston Marathon, finishing my graduate school thesis (due Saturday), & figuring what comes with life after graduation in less than 5 weeks.

STRESS!

It is part of our daily lives, part of our being. It is often translated into levels of anxiety. Because both stress & anxiety are active parts of our life, they do not need to be negative pieces of our life.

How do you manage your stress?

If it's not obvious, I manage my stress by drinking tea. I don't believe I've ever had Kava Tea, but it is labeled as a stress reliever. Is anybody familiar with Kava Tea? I also participate in things that lift my energy & increase my endorphins, bringing a smile to my face. One of my favorite things is dance & another is travel. Ultimately, I find peace in dwelling in scripture. While there is plenty of intense & graphic scripture, I make sure to dwell in that on days that I am not as stressed.

What lifts your energy to a smile?

And I must admit, I also am a stress eater & cleaner. When I feel like I cannot control other outside forces of my life, I do what I can to control the tangible things in my home. A clean kitchen is an accomplishment that helps me to breath easier. This may also be because my kitchen is also my dining room & my living room.

Where is your stress today? 

Prayers for your stress, whatever level it may be, & that a deep breath, an encouraging word, & mug of relaxation be part of your day!

Photo Courtesy of Kava World

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.

Friday Foto Fun!

Photo Courtesy of T0M & Jerry's Wordpress Blog

While everything seemed to be melting & letting Spring come up, the Ice Queen reared her ugly head (with awesome dreads) & graced us with more ice & snow. The only place I've seen flowers like this are in church or the grocery store. In Minnesnowda, they really haven't had a chance to start to bud yet.

No, not the most uplifting reality of Spring, but a piece of beauty in the gray winter weather.

Where do you find beauty amidst the gray?

Tuesday Tea Time!

Do you have a favorite travel mug?

I ask this because there are dozens of styles of travel mugs these days. I know we have some even in storage either in IN or MN (at either of our parents' homes) that I am eager to use eventually. However, at the same time, a good travel mug is not something that I lack. Last year for my birthday my friend M gave a nice new travel mug & a matching floral thermos. She knows how much I love my tea!

A couple of years ago, when Z & I first started dating, I bought him a Contigo travel mug. Naturally, he has misplaced it several times, but thankfully always been able to find it. I was so impressed with his, that I got one for myself shortly after. Naturally it had to be purple, as I'm slightly in love with the color purple.

It looks something like this, but not this because this is the new style:

This is purple & shiny!

There's only one problem.

I attract leaky travel mugs!

I kid you not, I had a travel mug that I bought freshmen year at CAP & when I lived in a van doing traveling ministry with Youth Encounter, it rolled to the back one day & I never saw it again. Van 78 - if it was on my New Dawn year - ate my travel mug. It was all down hill from here. My life-long bff bought me a beautiful gold sparkly one for Christmas, before the van ate my other one, & I had a brain fart & tried to microwave it one day. BAD IDEA! So I bought a new one & it is nice, but small. 

How hot does your tea kettle get?

I believe my problem is patience. Tea kettles of all sorts make water incredibly hot. I think I put such hot water in my contigo travel mug, & others, SO many times, that I have melted some of the seals that help keep it warm & with Contigo, the seals that help keep it from being spill proof.

If I turn my purple Contigo upside down full of hot water, it sprays out horizontally from the mug like a garden hose when you put your thumb over the end.

What's leaking out of your mug today?

Sunday Snippits

Sunday Snippits with the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Props to Kati & Kate!

GOOD: Easter Sunday was a fun & eventful day spent with family. Then the week sped by with class, assignments, appointments, & meetings. Last Monday two of my friends & I enjoyed dinner together at Shish. I met both friends in seminary, but one actually started at CAP after I had graduated. The Bible finished it's series & is now on the shelves at Target. It's an alright depiction of the stories. Thursday some of my senior girl friends & I had dinner with a group of the women faculty of Luther. It was a blast! We bid on this dinner at the annual variety show a few weeks back. The weekend has been filled with Spring cleaning, thesis writing, & weddings. Yesterday we attended the wedding of two of Z's high school friends & today we celebrated with my friend AWC & her new husband. They just happen to live in MI, so we'll be reconnecting again in the near future!

BAD: My great Uncle Roy passed away last weekend. I didn't really know him, but he was the last of my Grandpa Harold's brothers to pass away. Grandpa Harold passed away back in Oct. '94.

UGLY: Feeling suffocated as the weather gets nicer & the school work still exists. SENIORITIS

UP NEXT: more thesis work, meetings, class, & other homework. Depending on how all that goes, maybe a service project & maybe a party. Next Sunday we'll be at the Twins game vs the NY Mets!

Friday Foto Fun!

photo courtesy of Camp Watcha Wanna Do

Do you have a place that you can go & simply escape? 

When I was 7 years old I was the poster child (literally, the only bald kid who was willing to be on camera) for the new camp for kids with cancer in Northern Indiana. Camp Watcha Wanna-Do (Be Watcha Wanna-Be) is a memory of the past. A past part of me that is scary to look back on because it is easy to forget the scary things in life. A past part of me that is wonderful to be reminded of because I met one of my life-long best friends there & dealt with things in life that we didn't know how to talk about with other friends. I got to go up in a hot air balloon & try high ropes course challenges. One of my favorite memories is that I used to pack my clothes for camp up to two weeks early. I LOVED camp!

Where is your camp?

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!

Friday Foto Fun...Jelly Beans & Jesus

 &

photos courtesy of Candy Warehouse & Prague Guide accessed 3/29/13

Jelly beans & Jesus ...  does this confuse anybody else? 

One memory that I left out of Tuesday Tea Time was eating green spiced jelly beans with my Mammaw. They're still my favorite, I just don't have traditional jelly beans around very often. Z really likes Jelly Bellies & there's nothing traditional about those!

So what's the connection between jelly beans & Jesus being hung on a cross (like dozens of other heretics of his time)? The only answer I got was a Jelly Bean Prayer that you can read here! It's pretty hoky, but could be a ministry tool for something.

Maundy-Thursday meals start with joy & end in confusion, so maybe that's what all this commercialized Easter stuff is about. We know how the story ends, we know what's coming in 3 days (or 2 depending on how you count it). It's pretty miraculously incredible & pretty mind blowing.

Is Holy Week supposed to be confusing?

Tuesday Tea Time

photo courtesy of Blogs Babble & Etsy 3/25/13

It's Tuesday Tea Time!

I heard on the news last night that at on average, a person spends $150.00 on Easter between food, candy, & clothes.

This shouldn't surprise me as Momma P's love language is gifting others & I had some lavish Easter baskets. 

What I remember most is the excitement of driving home from church knowing the Easter Bunny would have visited & left vibrant candy filled eggs throughout the house or yard (depending on the weather). I also remember the Easter tree, which was really just a big branch spray painted white & mounted on a piece of plywood as a stand. Then there was the Easter Bunny cake that my Mammaw would always make for the family. The best part about all of this was having the whole family together. And by whole family I mean my Dad, Mom, brother, Mammaw, Pappaw, Aunts, Uncles, & cousins. There were likely some neighbors & close family friends there too.

What makes Easter special for you & your family?

Z & I haven't been married or stable in our residence long enough to create such Easter festivities. Maybe next year when we're some place we might be for more than a year at a time, we'll attempt to make our own Easter bunny cake. Momma N did make one for us 3 years ago when I first joined the Nelson family for a holiday (Z & I had been dating for a total of 2&1/2 months).

This year I'm not only excited because it truly is my favorite Christian holiday, but because I am ready for Lent to be over. The remorse, the waiting, the heaviness can all loosen & lighten up already! 

Enjoy your tea or other delightful beverage & soak up the warming Spring days & the fact that our Lord & Redeemer is incredible in this week we call Holy & always.

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

Tuesday Tea Time! Anybody wanna write a theme song for that?! I think it'd be fun & quirky.....

First I want to say thanks to my followers. Yall don't comment very often, but it means something to see the stats provided by Blogger & even something extra special when you tell me in person that you like reading my blog.

 Mission Blog Makeover Success!

While I sit here sipping on my Tuesday Tea, I wonder when the snow will actually stop falling for the season. Here in the great white North, it just keeps dumping on us! It'll occasionally warm up to around 40 degree fahrenheit & then drop just low enough for another half foot of snow. I have to believe that in a month there will be significantly less snow & even better yet, would be no snow. It has snowed on my birthday in WI, not too far away from here, on my birthday before. Please, Lord, no more snow past March!

What will Spring bring for you?

For me it'll bring many walks & hopefully bike rides. It'll bring deadlines that will mean graduation is just around the corner. Graduation is 9 weeks from this past Sunday! It'll bring knowledge of future work and networking opportunities. It'll bring green grass & pretty flowers.

Spring will bring lighter, fruity flavored teas!

Sunday Snippits

Today I'm linking up with Kati & Kate for the GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY

THE GOOD: I was jazzed & filled with good energy to start off last week, thus I was uber productive at the beginning of the week. I was amazed at how fast the Catholic conclave went and happy to see that everybody sincerely seems to adore Pope Francis I. Thursday night the annual Luther Seminary variety show was incredible and all for a good cause. I participated in the Zumba skit with Agape, who just happens to be a long-time friend, colleague, & classmate at Luther Sem. And lastly, time with friends is always appreciated. We went out Thursday night to celebrate a multitude of things, Friday night to celebrate AUB's b-day, and Saturday night with good friends who are going to Slovakia for his pastoral internship next year.

THE BAD: My motivation started to waiver by the end of the week & I haven't taken some prime opportunities to work on my senior thesis. I need to lock myself in a room & get it moving!

THE UGLY: I was in my first ever car accident as a passenger. Thankfully we are both okay and the car barely was scratched. However, the guy that hit us was a sad case of trippin' on something & didn't have car insurance or a driver's license. As the police officer said, the good news is the guy wasn't lying, his license had been revoked. We were able to get his license plate info and he gave his name, but ultimately he fled the scene.

coming up: I will sit down & start writing my thesis, getting to see a couple of Spoke Folk friends that I haven't seen in years, one of two group presentations will be done by Monday at 10:50am, and on Saturday I will be certified as a Basic 1 Zumba Instructor!

Friday Foto Fun

photo courtesy of Fox News 3/13/13

What a mighty job this man has been called to. May the Lord guide him and empower him in all that he does for the Church. May the Lord guide us and empower us in all that we do for the church as people of God's creation.

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

Sunday Snippits

This last week is another blur.

Mainly because I slept a LOT this last week with a darn head-cold that Z had the week before. As our professor said, "Ah, the dangers of cohabitation!"

What sticks out in my blurry memory is: Lunch with long-time friend RB. Starbucks treat to celebrate my good friend AUB. Lunch with a mentor & friend LRK. An afternoon & evening learning about resumes, interviewing, negotiating salaries, & planning a consecration service. Starbucks again to catch up with my New Dawn teammate (see Youth Encounter) for the first time in over a year & a half. Good friends' wedding & some Zumba prep for the Variety Show on campus next Thursday.

Pretty blurry & but seemingly eventful!

The wedding was a really nice service at Mercy Seat & the reception was phenomenally mostly handmade decor. We got sent home with plantable seed paper which will be fun to use when we're settled somewhere more permanently some day. It looks something like this:

photo courtesy of Gracious Rain 3/9/13

or 

photo courtesy of Back Space 3/9/13

Coming up next week: Watching The Bible mini-series on the History Channel with B & her kitties, more class, lots of homework, some sleep, Zumba, variety show, & celebrating a friends birthday at the end of the week.

What are you looking forward to in your week ahead?

If you are interested in hearing my Lenten message about how I learned to Live Christ, here's a link to that too! Servant of Christ Lutheran Church

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

Tuesday Tea Time

This week I find myself telling myself to embrace my inner 9 year old, who would be very excited that there's new snow on the ground, & to enjoy the beauty of snow. It does make for perfect hot tea drinking.

Lately I have been very easily distracted. Part of this is due to the fact that Z & I & our community has had a lot of exciting news in the past two weeks. Aside from finding out our regional & synodical assignments we also have friends having babies. NJB - our next door neighbor - was born last week & today JWS - friends of ours from seminary - was born yesterday & just a few weeks earlier AGH was born to some seminary friends of ours. Plus there's more babies, & hopefully more exciting news about our futures, on the way in the next couple of months!

So I wonder, how do you stay focused?

I believe it's partially just choice, but there's got to be some practice to being focused & on task too, right? Today I'm drinking chamomile tea with a splash of half & half & a bit of honey to help ease my mind & sooth my head cold symptoms. Maybe this will help me stay focused? Maybe not though, since I'm blogging about it.

As winter weather falls from the skies & I spring fever heats up next to a good case of senioritis, how do I keep from going stir crazy? 

What are some of the things you do? 

Help me stay focused!

Sunday Snippits

The fact that the Oscars was simply a week ago, seems hard to believe!

Yet again, we're livin' life in the fast lane & not always sure which end is up.

Last week: Sunday we enjoyed the Oscars with good friends. Monday - Friday is a bit of a blur with classes, meetings, & a few extra things. I preached at Servant of Christ Lutheran Church on Wednesday & I spent much of Monday & Tuesday preparing my message. The podcast isn't available yet, but should be sometime soon, so I'll be sure to post it on here. The topic was LIVE CHRIST.

How have you learned to Live Christ?

The rest of the week was filled with a movie premier & a night & a night in with some good friends. The Evidence of Hope by C. Amour is definitely worth checking out. C was on a Youth Encounter team in the mid-'90s & my family was a host family to his team, so we've known each other since I was roughly 10 years old. Through the ministry world we've managed to stay in touch all these years & it's great to see how God is using him & his talents to serve the larger church.

Where do you find evidence of hope?

THE BIG NEWS! Z & I have been assigned to North/West Lower Michigan Synod  for first calls as Diaconal Minister & Pastor in the ELCA. We'll learn more about job interviews & potentially moving in the coming weeks & months.

Coming up: A few lunch dates with long time friends that I also happened to meet through Youth Encounter's ministries. A meeting with A. Root, to hopefully better hone in on my thesis topic for Children, Youth, & Family ministry. Card night with friends, prepping for the variety show on March 14th, & Last Chance Seniors (an afternoon & evening of workshops to help us better prepare for job applications & transition into life after graduate school). We'll close up the week by celebrating with our  friend B&R in their marriage! It should be a splendid week.

Friday Photo Reminder

Photo courtesy of: Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area Visitors Bureau 3/1/13

As a child I loved going camping with my family at Silver Lake, MI. We went for several summers in a row. Growing up I didn't realize how unique the sand dunes were though. The campground is on one side of the lake & the other side is the dunes. Today I want to look around - you can do this too - and breath in something truly unique to its location. 

"God looked over everything he had made; it was good, so very good!"

Genesis 1:31a The Message Bible

Tuesday Tea Time

Full speed ahead!

I do believe I've potentially crossed over to the dark side. No, not coffee, psh! Gross! However, with the melting snow & the weather transitioning to a coming Spring, I have been getting minor headaches. Some of them I'm sure are because of lack of sleep or dehydration. However, for Christmas Momma N got me some of her favorite holiday tea (Nutcracker Sweet by Celestial Seasonings) & it is BLACK & caffeinated.

Caffeine is the dark side!

When I was in junior high (or middle school if you prefer) I was told by medical physicians to hold off on caffeine. I was instructed to either not have any at all or none after 3pm. You're maybe wondering why? Well, I have a crazy health history & one of the little things is that I'm slightly intolerant to caffeine. It makes me nauseas & my motor skills slow down. Some times I even get crazy shaky so my teeth chatter.

Telling a 14 year old (or there abouts) that she's not allowed to have caffeine is sort of crazy. Thus, I still push the limits to this day & occasionally find myself with the shakes. I never thought I'd have a caffeine headache though.

This leaves me wondering: What are you addicted to?

I know, big & bold question, but going big like my headaches & bold like my caffeinated tea.

Be big & bold & share your addictions! Together we can help each other be healthy about them, even if we don't stop taking them in.

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?

Friday Photo Reminder

First, a shout out to my friend Rikki & her fabulous new blog site. 

Check her out over at Thirsty, Nerdy, Cats !

Photo Courtesy of The ELCA

This map potentially defines Z's & my future in ministry. Wednesday night we received envelopes as part of a lovely worship service with our classmates and supports of staff and faculty. The information inside the envelope was that we have been assigned to Region 6 of the ELCA for our first calls as seminary graduates (come May 19). We will learn what synod (which you see by the lines & different number/letters) late next week or early the following week.  For now we wait. Yes, we wait some more. It is truly a lesson in patience and trust.

May the Spirit overwhelm us with patience & trust & peace in this time of unknowns.

Tuesday Tea Time

It's Tuesday Tea Time!

I've noticed since starting this part of my blog, I have been drinking a LOT more tea. It's great b/c I have several teas that I've had for quite some time. In fact, I'm a little embarrassed to admit I have some loose leaf leftover from my time in Hong Kong in 2009.

My wondering today is why do we have edible or useful things and then hold on to them as a precious gem, knowing that they will eventually go bad?

Just the other day I made some tea on the stove to turn into iced tea. I did what I often do when boiling water for tea, I forgot about it. I was trying to update my blog for Sunday Snippits & then Mom P called & then I had to hang up from her suddenly to answer another phone call of a friend who wanted to walk to our staff meeting together.

Lesson: Multi-tasking DOESN'T work well.

I won't say that multi-tasking doesn't work, but we definitely aren't able to give our full selves into multiple things at the same time.

Maybe this is why we buy multiple things (I even ask for tea for gifts most holidays) that we know will eventually spoil, but hold onto them like precious gems. This is definitely a first-world problem.

To close, I haven't tasted the tea I made on Sunday, but it turned a funny color. Almost as if there is lemonade mixed in to make an Arnold Palmer. Anybody else ever over-boil  or over-steep their tea & have it turn a funny color?

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

Friday Photo Reminder

Life is strange & sometimes we feel trapped or stuck, but the incredible sight of life happening around us in other people, animals, & creations such as Ice Castles gives us hope for a free mind & the peace that surpasses all understanding

Photo taken inside the Mall of America Ice Castle

Tuesday Tea Time...On the Go

My second class of the semester starts on the opposite side of campus in 20min. With my short legs I should've left 5min ago!

I don't have any great insights this week. I've gone through almost 3 boxes of puffs with lotion in the last week & drank a LOT of tea. This morning I'm enjoying a nice herbal mint to sooth my tummy from the antibiotics I just finished taking. (Gotta love having old leftover meds from 2008)

What's in your mug today?

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.

Friday Photo Reminder

The best of winter 2013: fresh white snow, blue skies, a blinding sun, crisp air, & a weekend away with 5 fabulous friends.

"When you are in tune with the unknown, the known is peaceful." - Yogi Tea Tag Quote

Tuesday Tea Time...even though it's Wednesday

Yesterday was laundry day. You might wonder why this would prohibit me from updating with Tuesday Tea Time. Well one reason is because I did not have internet access on my devices because we were at our family's home & another reason is because I took the day to vege out, in between the mass amounts of laundry (at least 6 loads), & watch Downton Abbey.

Tea Time was rushed though as I woke up groggy from a head cold I've been fighting & had to run errands to get our car to the shop for an oil change. Yesterday I had a nice English Breakfast blend from the Kurig at Mom & Dad N's house & today, as I write, I'm enjoying the second squeeze of a my Tazo decaf chai with a splash of milk & honey.

Tea Time make me take a a few moments in each day to breath deep & sort out my too often cluttered brain.

Tea Time is a time to be thankful for the hopeful moments amidst the despair of life's everyday news.

Boosted by Pub Theology ( with Humble Walk church ) & the discussion of Hope led by a college professor from my time at CAP I ask this week:

Where do you find Hope in your life & what are some ways to cultivate Hope for our communities?

This blog prompted by Capital University pride & ministers now located in MN

Sunday Snippits

Week 2!

Before I head to bead I leave you with a few snippits from the past week...

Last week was crazy busy catching up with emails & preparing for Spring semester to start this week. Z & I spent the week scrambling through meetings & other appointments & trying not to get the head cold that seemed to get concocted by our long day in the sub-zero temps when we were in Boston (pictures of this trip coming soon!).

Aside from the business of senior event planning & our last semester of grad school prep, there was the girls weekend away. It was a beautiful two days in SE MN by the Mississippi River Valley with 5 of my girlfriends from seminary. We ate a LOT of chocolate, drank some wine, played some card games, read some fair tales, & pampered ourselves. It was glorious!

Coming up: Reading through syllabis, starting classes on Thursday, visiting with a college professor, & a friend's ordination in the LCMC

Cheers to the week ahead!

Friday Photo Reminder

This is a reminder to remember the beauty of your day & basque in the warmth of the Spirit that fills your lungs time & time again.

Photo credit to On3 Wedding Photography 

Description: 4 foot peacock feather that lined the "aisle" I walked "down" with my Dad & into my best friend's arms to become his wife.

Tuesday Tea Time

It's Tuesday, have you had your tea today?

I don't know that I ever thought I would become such a tea drinker, but I typically start my day with a cup, travel mug, or some sort of container of tea. This time of year I like to drink more stout teas and in the warmer months I enjoy fruity or flowery teas.

So here we are, Tuesday Tea Time.

This morning I left the apartment around 8:30 & trekked the icy paths to get to my friend who I was meeting at a local coffee shop. This friend & I met roughly 10 years ago through youth ministry work & hadn't had the chance to catch up in quite some time. I ordered my tea (organic morning mint...or something like that) & he ordered his latte & we caught up on where the Spirit is working in our lives these days.

What I was reminded about during Tuesday Tea Time is how life giving networking is. If you're an introvert, you might think I'm crazy, but I'm definitely an extrovert. I thrive off of networking & peoples' stories. Networking is important for both introverts & extroverts, not only for human relationship & connectivity, but for sharing the gifts of life with one another through vocation.

We are all part of a large world & called as people in creation with other people & creations, to be with each other where we are, to be networking in relationship, vocation, & humanity.

What's your tea telling you today?

Sunday Snippits

In lieu of wanting to change things up with my blog I'm going to simply try a few new things. I'm not very good with coming here to blog multiple times a week, but I keep having these ideas for weekly posts, such as "Sunday Snippits" or "Tuesday Tea & Travels"

So here's a Sunday Snippit:

Today was a Nelson day "off." We cleaned, we cooked, we ran an errand or two, & have rested. We returned from our trip to Boston just in time to welcome in the ice, sleet, & snow. It's nice to have some white on the ground again since it is January.

Boston was cold, but fun! We walked the entire Freedom Trail in sub-zero temps & enjoyed the history & the chowda & the cannolis. The next day we toured the Sam Adam's Brewery, Harvard square & AJO's school area. We also toured the Taza chocolate factory & then hung out with our cousins.

All in all, it's been a good last week.

In the week ahead, expect lots of reading, maybe some writing, & stories from a weekend away with the girls.

Blessings!

New Year's Blog

Happy 2013!

As I start this year (though already half way through the first month) I am trying to give this blog more of a point. It might simply be to share in life with anybody that cares to read it, but currently I only have roughly ten readers & if I'm going to take the time blog, I want to inspire more people than that. While I am still sorta "Globe Trotting with God," the title does quite seem to fit my life currently.

So I officially declare this blog under surgery. You may not see major changes, but I can guarantee a few.

A brief update for the faithful readers:

The holidays went quickly. We welcomed the New Year in with friends in St. Paul & have been living the strange life of the coldest month of the year. I say strange b/c J-term is a time that campus turns inside out. The Distributive-Learners come from across the country & several of the residential students head off campus & out of the state or country for a break or some sort of cross-cultural experience.

More to come soon!

Advent: life with a little hope

Another semester of seminary is over & the holidays are buzzing around us. It has been a unique time of transition & change this semester. As seniors we've transitioned into our last year as graduate level students at Luther Seminary & started looking towards the future after graduation. As a community, we've changed faculty, staff, & students. As a world we've lived through many tragedies & many celebrations of new life & hope for a better today.

On Sunday the pastor, of Jacob's Well Minneapolis, asked us, "Where do we find hope in these times?" This is hard to answer in light of recent school shootings, stabbings, natural disasters, sudden changes & death in a community. However, in light of my recent final paper for my Holy Spirit course, I was able to share, with the community, that I find hope at the foot of the cross. The Holy Spirit that is in each breathing thing, is the same Spirit that is in Christ. The same Spirit that is in Christ, our resurrected Lord & Redeemer, is in you & me. This is Good News (this is Gospel). Just by our gathering together as community there is hope. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you...But if Christ is in you, through the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (NRSV 8:9&10).

In this time of Advent we are waiting for the celebration of Christ's birth. We are waiting in Hope that our Redeemer is near. We are waiting for our realization of righteousness in the world. We are waiting with heavy hearts of the world around us. Today, I am sad because of death. Death of the children in CT, death of the children in China, death of the people in the Philippines, death of the people in NY, death of a friend & loved ones. We are still waiting for Christ. I have hope. Paul also wrote:

For in hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (NRSV 8:24-25)

The tragedies of 2012 do not make since. Life is confusing & humanity constantly fails itself (& our creator God). So amidst the mud of today's struggles & sadness, we wait in hope of a better tomorrow & are affirmed that through the death & resurrection of Christ, there is new life in each breath we are given. Sometimes we need to sit in the dirt & sadness of life, with the the Spirit who breaths new life in & out of us, that leads us to hope for a better tomorrow. Cling to this hope & the foot of the cross...it will get us to tomorrow.