Sunday Snippits!

It's Sunday Snippits with

GOOD: A week ago today Z & I graduated from Luther Seminary with our Master of Divinity degrees. We were blessed with many of our family members being able to join us in person & several cards from those who were not able to travel. We really encourage more travel for our Ordination & Consecration service(s). Monday morning we got up bright & early (3am CST) to travel to MI for synod assembly & to meet the Bishop & his staff who help place us in our first calls as ordained pastor & consecrated Diaconal Minister. I even got to catch up with my good friend LK from college! He's doing his pastoral internship in MI this year & it had been nearly 3 years since we had seen each other. Upon our return to MN we've been working. I got to hang out with WOK both Thursday & Friday this week. Friday night some friends came over to hang out & Saturday night we hung out with some other friends to celebrate SS's b-day (one of many people I know born on May 28).

BAD: We still dont know much about our future, but we have hope in what's to come. Our energy is low due to the consistant cloudy skies of MN.

UGLY: The tragedies around the country & world are the ugliest pieces of life right now. Tornados in OK, landslides burying kids on a field trip in St. Paul MN,  & the homelessness of so many people in this unpredictable weather.

COMING UP: Tonight we're celebrating JHM's birthday (also on May 28), Wednesday is my GOLDEN birthday, Thursday is camp day, & J&K WT are getting married over the weekend!

TILL NEXT TIME: So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abby! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and join heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. NRSV Romans 8:12-17

Friday Foto Fun!

Congratulations to the Luther Seminary class of 2013 & their friends & families!

Believe it or not, I don't know every person in this photo, but I know at least most of their names. The two young men in the front are our friend's & classmate's boys who were present to receive an honorary diploma for their dad (see Dec. 2012 posts). You can barely see me standing behind & in-between the two of them. What you can see is celebration. 

I have no doubt that every person in this photo is going to do fantastic things through the Spirit and for the church each & every day of their tomorrows.

How are you celebrating graduation season?

Thirsting for a Thursday Special

You've most likely missed Sunday Snippits & Tuesday Tea Time, those are everybody's favorite pieces of me sharing Life, Spirit, & Sparkle. So here's a Thursday Special to quench your Thursday Thirst!

The topic of the day: ambiguity

As I sit quietly listening to see if WOK will wake up from his nap, the 6 fingered cat Ernie (yes, after Hemingway) is howling from the basement. 

This is not ambiguity, this just is.

Now that graduation has come & gone, Z & I sit in a time of unknowns. Maybe today's topic should be hopeful unknowns. Ambiguity still fits though because we know that we have been assigned to serve in the North/West Lower Michigan synod & we know that the synod staff is working to give us potential placements. We know so much & at the same time, so little. 

Last week we celebrated 4(+) years  with friends & shared how we have been impacted by each other & our time at seminary. The next day family started arriving & Saturday afternoon we had all of our immediate family in our apartment except for my brother (who was camping in PA). At baccalaureate we were reminded to let the Gospel surprise us & at commencement we were given a pep talk to not be boring. Living in ambiguous unknowns is NOT boring.

It is the working of the Spirit that keeps us hopeful in the unknowns & the ambiguous "answers" to our questions of "What's next?!"

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Friday Foto Fun!

Luther Seminary, a place where the Spirit has soared through the walls of education & people, working for and with the church, for years. Together we have enriched each other's lives & together we are sent out to be "Jesus with skin on."

What's sending you out?

Tea Time!

Due to high velocity of social events & work schedules, Juls of Life, Spirit, & Sparkle will return ASAP.

Today was an earl gray kinda day.

What's in your mug?

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.

Tuesday Tea Time!

Tuesday Tea Time!

Except I'm without tea today.

Last night I baked a couple dozen cookies for my final seminary class & barely burned myself. Today while pouring my water into my travel mug I lost my grip & totally scalded two of my fingers on my left hand.

Womp! Womp!

Some days I'm just a little more of a klutz than other days.

I'm in the fun transition of learning how to be me, without a ton of schoolwork. There's still plenty of things to do, but that vacation in June is seeming much more real right now. Life as a student is what I know, but it is time to move on & learn how to not scald my fingers with my tea water.

What's scalding you in the midst?

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." NRSV Hebrews 12:1

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!

Goodmorning! Here we are back again

linking up with Kate & Kati with

the GOOD, the Bad, & the UGLY

GOOD: Last money may have actually been the last snow for a few months! The last three days in a row have been in the high 60's to low 70's & it has been glorious. It's so nice to move some fresh air through our apartment. My second highlight was hanging out with WOK not once, but twice. He even did a jig when I came to the door on Friday morning. Gotta love hanging out with a 2y/o whose worst part of his day is maybe getting his diaper changed. Everything else is peachy! Then Friday night we got to have the first grill out of the year with some good friends. It was good times all around. To top off the week, Saturday I went to the movies with my girl friends AUB & BDL to see The BIG Wedding. BDL is getting married this summer, so it was fun to see it with a bride to be. AUB's wedding was the summer before Z's & mine so that's all pretty fresh too. The movie was a good laugh with a great cast. Z & I also got to FaceTime with our niece EJ & her parents JMN & CDN. EJ will be 1 in June & is quite adventuresome. She maybe tried to eat the camera on the ipad once or twice. To top off the night I finished my first full draft of my defense presentation & Z decided to make brownies from scratch!

BAD: It snowed another 6 inches last Monday evening. It was wet & heavy. People have started to have a pretty great humor about it, but this hoosier girl is not impressed. The end of the school year is slightly stressing several people out.

UGLY: The last part of bad might be the ugly really. Our emotions are up & down & when I say our, I mean Z, me, & our entire community. The weekend of graduation is exciting, but creating a bit of stress because of all that's being crammed into one weekend, with the ultimate knowledge that it might be our last time seeing many of these people ever again.

Coming up:  Today we are going to see KJ get ordained as a pastor in the ELCA! Tomorrow is Word & Service led chapel at Luther Seminary & I'm receiving an award for leadership (with other leaders too). Thursday I will turn in one final assignment & essentially be done with all of my assignments. I'm the student host for a showing of The Evidence of Hope with the producer, Thursday evening. Then Friday & Saturday are spent with final CYF class time & thesis defense.

That's life in the fast lane!

Friday Foto Fun!

Photo courtesy of The Line Media

As we transition with life there are places that I realize I haven't gone to regularly while I've lived here, but I will miss once we're gone. The Finnish Bistro is one of these places. Tonight we were blessed to be able to spend time with a potential student & his family & have dinner at the Finnish Bistro. There's always good food, good baked goods, & it's attached to a Dunn Bro's Coffee - or the Dunn Bro's is attached to the bistro. Dunn Bro's isn't my favorite coffee shop as a non-coffee drinker, but from our good friend PMc, we hear that they have the best coffee around.

When I was in college the place I always visited (often with AJO, MB, or JMDT) was Cup O Joe.

Where's your missing bistro or coffee shop?

Wondering what my next place will be...

Tuesday Tea Time...with the English!

Tuesday Tea Time!

photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

This morning I am drinking English Breakfast Tea,so I'm not really with the English. Though I often like to reminisce about my time in Scotland & England. It's hard to believe that this Fall it will have been 8 years since I ventured across the ocean on my own. The above picture reminds me of several tea rooms that I enjoyed with friends while I studied at Stirling Uni. 

While the snow continues to cover my world, I daydream about being back in one of these places. Shoot, I daydream about being back in IN or OH where they haven't had snow for weeks! However, there is work to be done to finish out my degree & then the sunny shores of warmer weather & iced tea can be a reality. 

What are you daydreaming about being a reality?

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