Tuesday Tea Time!

 Welcome Back!                   It's Tuesday Tea Time!!!

We are back up & running with internet at home & glad to be connecting our lives to yours!

SO many things could be talked about after the last month and a half of transitioning. But I'll spare you the boring parts. If you're an avid follower, you know that we moved, not once, but twice. 

We are now settled into our new home - our first house - in Northern Michigan - but not the UP - where there is a lake, river, or Great Lake within' a short walk or drive in every direction. This also means it's pretty regularly sweatshirt weather. Today though, it's a balmy 84 degrees.

I'm taking this chance to make sun tea at least one last time before it gets too chilly to put things outside. That is, things that you want to heat up & steep in their own herbal goodness & not keep refrigerated.

While Fall is possibly my favorite time of the year, there are some things that I would keep all year, like sun tea, if I could.

Here's to keeping your favorite summer things around for another few weeks! And shoot, if you live in the southern part of our country or world, share the love of sun tea year round with us Northerners!

Sunday Snippits: GOOD, BAD, UGLY

GOOD: We're moved & settled & Z is building a magnificent Lego castle. We have been blessed over & over again by a variety of people. Our home is lovely & easily 4x larger than our 1st 2 living spaces as JZ Nelson. We were able to pick the paint colors & that made a world of difference in making it ours. Z officially started his pastor job today, which makes him the "pope of Chebooboo." Props to the Verizon for that title! Another fun update is I have officially joined the ZIN (Zumba Instructor Network) & hope to start teaching in October. I'm really excited to get back into a regular routine of Zumba parties!

BAD: We don't have Internet set up yet, so I'm typing this from my smartphone. We also don't know many people yet, so I'm scheming some ways to network & be relational. I also don't have a recognized call yet as a Diaconal Minister, so that discernment & prep is in the works.

UGLY: As usual, check out the news. The Syrian civil war is scary stuff. Our government is facing some messy situations (when aren't they?).

Yes, I just typed a whole blogpost on a small cell phone keyboard. Enjoy!

Slightly Crazed'

Patiently waiting for Internet at home forces me to learn more about my smartphone. I just downloaded the blogger app!

Sunday Snippits!

Heya all, I haven't disappeared from the world of blogging. Life has just been ONE GIANT TRANSITION after another lately.

As of today I'm sitting in Z's new office space, mooching off the church wifi, & admiring our home out the window. Yes, Z will be able to see the whole front of our house outside of his office. We could send smoke signals from my home office to his work office!

Life is good & we're definitely still in a time of settling. Who would've ever thought recycling could be so complicated? We can't figure out where to take all our paper & boxes from moving!

Z officially starts his new job a week from today & I start my networking/building my job title a week from today.

I'll try to be checking back in later this week, but without internet at home, who knows what will happen.

Friday Foto Favorite! (Yep, it's Saturday)

While I love living in the city, I'm a small town girl at heart. Last night I got to take Z to his first experience of Friday Night Pizza's on the Hawkins Family Farm. PJ Hawkins is my childhood pastor & now a colleague, but still my pastor. It's so great to be able to see where ministry has taken him & his family & to be able to share that as Z & I start our journey after seminary.

If you're ever in Northern Indiana during the Summer on a Friday night, be sure to stop & enjoy Friday Night Pizza's on the farm.

Tuesday Tea Time!

It's Tuesday Tea Time!

Where have you been?!

In the last week we have been on the move.

Through much prayer & meditation & discussion we have moved forward with some things & I am proud to say that Z has been unanimously voted on as the "Pope of Chebooboo."

On a more serious note, he will be serving as an Associate Pastor in northern MI. When we went to inquire about coverage & cell phone updates, the VZW salesperson thought I said we were moving to "Chebooboo." I was the only one in my family that was able to keep myself composed to help him spell the actual name of the town.

As a part of our transition, I'm sitting at my parents' dining room table drinking some blood orange tea out of a mug that reads "for the boss" with a ball & chain on it (somebody gifted it to my dad years ago!) & preparing to move again in a week.

Now to come up with ideas of a title for a children, youth, & family minister, zumba instructor, wedding coordinator, & to make it a call recognized by the ELCA. YaY Word & Service ministry!

Sunday Snippits: the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

It's Sunday Funday again! Wow time seems to be flying by lately!

This week is moving week, so in lieu of needing to pack some more, this is going to be short & sweet.

GOOD: In the last week the Holy Spirit worked in some pretty curious & scary, but fun ways in my life. Z & I have gained some much needed clarity on where we are being called into ministry. We will know more about specifics & what we can share in about 2 weeks. So keep hanging in there with me 'cause I have to & need you to do the same! Outside of that hubbub we helped more friends move, enjoyed seeing pictures pop up on FB of friends getting ordained (Congrats DF & WS!) We made some serious progress in our own packing & got rid of around 60 books.

BAD: Locally an elderly woman got killed by a group of teenage boys before she had a chance to go to her weekly volunteering time at her church.

UGLY: One of the boys that killed the elderly lady was her grandson.

WORDs to dwell on: John 20:29 "Jesus said to Thomas, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.'"

Coming up: MOVING & 10 year class reunion

Friday Foto Favorite!

This is our present reality.

In the past three weeks we have helped with 3 separate moves. We have one more this weekend in the midst of our own moving early next week.

While it is exciting to move, it's not always so much fun.

The high of the week was visiting Grandma E yesterday & her sharing her love story with Grandpa L with Z & I  & her journey as a pastor's wife. Of course I forgot to take any photos!
What's your favorite photo of your week?

Tuesday Tea Time!

TUESDAY TEA TIME!

Knowing that I missed posting last Tuesday & next Tuesday we'll be filling up a moving a truck, I couldn't skip out on yall this week.

Since it's our last full week in the Twin Cities, I'm doing a few last time things. Such as, yesterday we went for an afternoon snack at John's Pizza Cafe (LOVE their dill sauce) & today I went to Juut Aveda for one last hair cut from Meg B.

I love the ambiance that Juut has created. It's relaxing once you walk in the door. I also love that they offer you coffee, tea, or fruit infused water. Naturally I almost always go for the tea. It's a refreshing blend that invigorates & soothes the soul.

Up next on our list of things to do last minute is enjoy being with friends & MN family. Oh & finish packing everything.

Stop & breath in the adventure God has you on today & know that you are not alone.

Sunday Snippits: the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

Happy Sunday Snippits! I'm here with 

GOOD: Last week was a whirlwind! Interviews are going well, packing is stacking up in our apartment, & friends seem to be abounding with good news of where life is taking them these days. We have a new niece! Baby L Nelson is doing well, as is mommy, daddy, & big sister C. I can't wait to meet her & see everybody else. Boo to distance! On Wednesday, I had my last info desk shift last , so that was a relief. It was a great student job, but I'm ready to move forward. Z & I also decided we'd be moving in with Pa & Ma P in early August, so that we could attend Fun Fest & my 10 year class reunion. Our GroupLife group from Jacobs Well Minneapolis got together Wednesday as well & caught up, which is always good times. Then Saturday was the end of the year bash celebrating RR's birthday & going away. You can pick up on her story & follow her adventures at One Story Catcher. There was lots of good food, great people, & fun things like tricycle races & using up old firecrackers.

BAD: I'm an emotional eater! Stress & anxiety is high with change, which brings a variety of emotions & occasional tears. Since we're moving to Hoosierland, that means we'll be moving twice in about a month of each other. 

UGLY: MN has been unseasonably cold! It was slightly welcomed after the extreme heat, but still not totally since it's July. Also, clutter is part of moving & I don't do well in clutter.

WORDs to dwell on: Mark 4:35 Jesus Calms a Storm. My friend & colleague MM preached on this scripture this morning. May we cling to the promise that Jesus is with us always.

Coming up: Today we made it to church & then I came home to attend a baby shower for some seminary friends. It was fun & African Safari themed & I won a plant! Now, let's hope I can keep it alive. More packing, helping friends move, a few last time appointments, massages, & Pa N's birthday!

Friday Foto Favorite!

Sorry about the missing Tuesday Tea Time post, but I was without a computer that day & off enjoying some of this

If you live in the Columbus, OH area & have not tried Graeters, you are missing out! Even if you don't live near C-bus, you can order it online, just follow the link.

Mmmm, the tasty peanut-butter covered in chocolate treat mixed with ice cream, cannot be beat!

Sunday Snippits: the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

Heya friends, it's late, so we're gonna keep it short & simple with

GOOD: Life is progressing forward & more boxes are being packed! This weekend we traveled to SD to visit with friends I hadn't seen in 9 Summers & to celebrate the wedding of B&E. It was so great to see the DG family & meet their little ones. It was also really wonderful to celebrate with B&E & enjoy time with good friends that have already moved to their first calls. While they've only been gone for a couple of weeks, it seems much longer. Let' just say there was squealing from multiple people when we all saw each other.

BAD: Life is still up in the air.

UGLY: Negativity is too easy to focus on, so skipping over this topic. Plus, if you haven't noticed, it's hard for me to mention the ugly most weeks.

WORDs to dwell in: Ephesians 4 - we are created & called to be one

Coming up: My final info desk shift is this week on what would have been my Mammaw's 100th b-day. More packing, more figuring out life.

Friday Foto Favorites!

Hiya friends, here's a switch to my Friday Foto Fun. In attempt to always keep things lively, Friday Foto Fun is now fun because I am sharing my favorite thing of the week with yall.

This week's Friday Foto Favorite

photo courtesy of Airliners

Traveling over, to,  & through Lake Michigan. It's beautiful, fresh, & expansive.

What's your Friday Foto Favorite?

Welcome to Tuesday Tea Time! This is my favorite time of the week, so sit back with your beverage of choice & join me in a little "me time."

One thing I believe I've mentioned before, I really enjoy the Today Show. It makes me a little sad to know that I'm hoping for a job that would mean I wouldn't be able to enjoy the show most days. What about Tivo? Is that still a thing?! or is it DVR?

Anyway, this morning it was mentioned that the Royal Baby is due any day. 

 

These people are waiting!

AND so are are 40some other babies for their names! Families are letting their newborn babies go unnamed till they know what the royal baby is named. Talk about country pride! And no doubt they're drinking plenty of tea (caffeine free for Kate of course).

It'd be great if they've chosen Lauren for a girl as that is the next baby Nelson's name - our niece who is due any day.

*Sigh* Today I take my tea plain & medicinal due to my wonky seasonal allergies (echinacea is wonderful!). And sit in waiting for baby announcements & new jobs.

Thanks to Natalie & Today for sharing Tuesday Tea Time!

Sunday Snippits: the good, bad, & ugly

Welcome for a review of the

in the life of Juls of Life, Spirit, & Sparkle

GOOD: We started our week with the joint ordination of our friend B&A. It was a blessing to be able to attend & process with so many other leaders in the church. I do believe I was maybe the only Diaconal Ministry candidate there. I put on my alb & said I really needed a Diaconal Ministry cross & a pastor standing near by said, "A Diaconal cross?!" By george, we're not all pastors! Ha! Our week continued on with working several shifts, packing boxes, & doing a little this or that to enjoy life & not go broke. We finally made it to the Farmer's Market after not going for several weeks. So we've got some yummy produce to consume. We also splurged on lunch at Key's Cafe for lunch & shared a Monte Cristo with onion rings. I had never had a Monte Cristo before & boy was it yummy! The onion rings were great too & we got a piece of their house cake to go. We had been hoping to have this cake on special occasions since our wedding, but when your mom offers to bake, you don't turn her down. We totally suggest Key's Cake for any special event cake. We enjoyed ours by the shores of Lake Josephine.

BAD: We're packing & we don't know where we're going! While it's exciting, it's not fun. Thankfully we had the thought to pack up our office, which is the size of a large walk-in closet, first, so that we could put boxes in there & out of the way.

UGLY: Yet again, I urge you to check your news & then look for signs of hope.

Coming up: This week we'll be packing more boxes, working a few shifts, having a cook-out with friends, visiting camp friends, & celebrating the marriage of B&E. Let the adventures continue!

WORDs to dwell in: Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan. In what ways can & do we show mercy to the oppressed in our community & world?

Friday Foto Fun!

photo courtesy of Kelsli 7/12/13

This summer I have missed having a piece of ground to call my patio. Living on the 3rd floor & without a balcony, it gets pretty small inside our apartment. Today we ventured to Lake Josephine for a little fun in the evening sun. We even made a new friend who really was more interested in our football than us. 

Here's to finding those perfect summer getaways not far from home!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Photo courtesy of The Kristen Project

This morning is gray & wet & I'm enjoying a cup of hot loose leaf tea (using my wooden tea strainer from my bro). No, I do not look all dawled up like the ladies in the picture. After I write this I plan to to embrace my push for Life,Spirit, & Sparkle with a workout.

We have started the move to get rid of things by donation or consuming (food) because we know our annual move will be coming soon. It's exciting & anxiety causing. 

How do you clean out your pantry?

It seems to me there is no consistant way to clean out the food you don't want to move. Sure you can donate some of it, but generally you can't eat all of it (First World Problem!). To use it all, you need to inevitably buy more groceries to make the meals you want.

And this doesn't even touch the books that have accumulated after another 4 year degree! Then there's clothes & kitchen accessories. Have I mentioned that my kitchen is maybe 12 feet long & 2.5 feet wide? It bleeds into our living room or sitting area & to be creative we have a "kitchen" table between the 2.5 feet of tile that is the kitchen floor & the carpet that is the living room.

This is what my tea conjured up because I sit on my couch & look at my apartment & know that it will not be my apartment in a month. Gotta love transition!

Here's to a non-anxiety inducing Tuesday Tea Time!

Sunday Snippits: the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY

Sunday Snippits is here again!

The days of summer, while lingering & wonderful, are also speeding by. Today, as usual we are linking up with Kate & Kati for

the GOOD, BAD, & UGLY!

GOOD: This last week was amazing! I wasn't kidding when I said it was going to be a week filled with birthdays, anniversary, & wedding celebrations. My cousin Lolo's b-day was last Sunday, Tuesday was Z's & my anniversary & my "other mom's" b-day, & Wed-Sat were wedding festivities for the new Mr. & Mrs. CBG. If you didn't check out my Midnight Tea Party last Tuesday Tea Time, it tells you all about the fun adventures Z & I had in honor of our anniversary. The wedding festivities were Brit's Pub Lawn Bowling, a rehearsal & dinner on the 4th of July (with several fireworks shows), & the actual wedding day. It was so fun to be with so many great people celebrating the love formed by God between a couple, their friends, & family. Then today, after recovering from all the social gatherings, we ventured to WI again for two dear friends' ordination service. B&A recently graduated with us & have been such fun & servant hearted people to get to know & call friends.

BAD: Exhaustion is thick, mentally, physically, & somewhat Spiritually. Sitting in the "what's next" period of life after graduation is becoming a little restless. However, it is giving me more freedom to explore in my creative world of cooking or letter writing.

UGLY: Turn on the news, you'll find something ugly. In my personal life, I'm wondering how a first call might lead me to ministry for & with homeless, hungry, abused, lonely, enslaved, or simply oppressed people.

Coming up: This week is back to work. Oh & the joyous thing called packing. The boxes are gonna have to come out sooner or later & the first thing to be packed is most likely books & the office.

WORDs to chew on: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20. Specially focusing in on what it means to be sent out as a lamb amongst wolves & purposely bring peace to each place you enter.

Saturday Spirit

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Romans 8:14

Sorry, I missed Friday Foto Fun! It's been a busy couple of days celebrating my dear friends, B&C's wedding. BMG & I met at seminary & were immediate friends & when she met CG, B & I were housemates. It's been a true blessing to be friends with both of them & venture through the questions of what God is up to in our lives & where the Spirit is moving us.

One passion of mine is learning to be the church with the priesthood of all believers. Romans 8 has become one of my favorite scriptures to dwell in, so today I pick this piece.

Where is the Spirit leading you today?

Where is the Spirit leading me today?

Today the Spirit is leading me to my couch. This sounds silly, but a) it was a day of recovery from being constantly on the go & b) I can only plan so much of my life out. So today I sit on the couch, watching episodes of different Netflix shows, napping, & dwelling in the scripture of Romans 8 to see where the Spirit shakes my knowledge.

Tomorrow will be a whole new adventure!

Tuesday Tea Time! It's a Midnight Tea Party!

It's Tuesday Tea Time! Sorta...it's after midnight, which means it's Wednesday.

Z & I were out celebrating our 2 year anniversary today & I didn't sit at my computer long enough this morning to share tea with yall. My Tuesday Tea was on the go & then enjoyed on the way to our adventuresome full day date.

We ventured across the river to explore the history of Mill City at the Mill City Museum. This was a great museum with experiential learning opportunities for all ages. Something that Z & I didn't realize before today is the large fire that burnt down a significant portion of the mill, just burnt down in 1991. The mill had been closed since the 1960's, but it had been left vacant & when a person escaped into the mill to get out of the cold (the frozen tundra) they lit up their cigarette & boom! Flour is highly flammable!

We spent our evening at the theater enjoying the action, thrill, & comedy of The Lone Ranger & then happy hour at Granite City Brewery.

It was a joyous day filled with fun memories of our wedding & dreams of our future.

May you look into your day (or night) & find the same joy in memories past & dreams yet to be revealed.

& check out the website for the Midnight Tea Party!