Thursday, December 30, 2010

Talk to Me Wendesday into Thursday (i'm sure), Christmas novel entry.



Q: What are you hopeful for in 2011? 


A: a baby.  




That was intentionally quick!  :)  
No need to really elaborate on that right now - I've got Christmas to talk about!  
Also, I've been uncharacteristically tired lately, and I'm not sure why.  
 There has been some sickness going around here lately,
but it also could be an elongated 
need for recovery from driving 13 hours
in one weekend, 
not including travel within one location.  
Why did I inform you of my tiredness? 
Because when I'm tired, 
I tend to ramble if I'm talking. 
When I ramble, 
you get every detail.  
So if you want to read about my Christmas, go ahead!  
If you don't, I don't blame you 
                               - this is long, but fun!




Some of you
         (Katie E., Kate T., etc.)
know those kind of drives 
I'm talking about.  
It's those really long ones where a book on CD 
(not as fun as saying "book on tape," which I still do) 
is way better than the radio because you know you'll hear the same songs at least once and there's no certainty there will be any good music in that one spot on the road where your favorite stations fade out.  
- that was a long sentence - 


Anyways, these long drives brought us to my family as well as back to John's.  
It all started with us waking up and packing up on Tuesday,
as well as waiting for our Christmas cards to arrive from a certain company who has a little too much of my money for expedited shipping.  No hard feelings...


Tuesday night brought us home to PI, MN.  
We had not at all enough time there,
in my opinion, 
because we had only a little time with my sister (at home) and 
didn't get to see any of my friends - next time, right??  I hope! 


PI consisted of cookie-making (sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms), 
gift-opening (which was pretty fun!), 
and fun times talking with 
my parents and my sister when she arrived home on Wednesday. 
Actually, shortly after my sister arrived on Wednesday evening,
                                                                     - no, Wednesday night -
my mom put me, John, and my sister to work 
decorating the sugar cookies.  
It's been something my sister, mom, and I have done for years,
but no John got in on the act.  
His cookies were intentionally interesting and fun, and my mom got a kick out of it!




Thursday and Friday were spent up North.
Well, Thursday morning was spent opening our gifts, 
packing up our things, 
turning on John's car,
realizing John's car had a gas leak, 
taking the car to a shop at the end of town,
getting the fastest and least expensive service I've ever experienced,
and driving north with my sister in tow, which was a lot of fun.  
She's going to Australia at the end of the month, and 
I'm a little devastated/excited about it. 


Thursday: we had an awesome time at a family-friends'* house Thursday evening.  
A few drinks, lots of snack food, and funny, FUNNY story times! 
We also got to have a great chat with my Grandpa Otto, 
who is always up for talking about life big-and-small, 
and enjoyed my Grandma Jean's cookies and treats.  

*How do you describe people who aren't family but are closer than friends?

On Friday the rest of my mom's side came over to our Grandparents house, 

which always makes for interesting sleeping arrangements.  
We opened some gifts, 
ate lots of food, 
and had more chats and some naps.  
That evening was spent with my dad's side.  
It included a rousing sing-a-long in the car, 
which has never,
ever
happened with my family before.
Not at Christmastime,
not in the summertime,
not at anytime.  
It
was
awesome. 
Especially when my sister was embarrassed about it, yet joined in.  
We went to the Catholic church attached to my Grandpa's nursing home.
All I have to say about that is 
"Thank you, God, for creating satellite rooms so we don't have to kneel,"
and canned-sermons need to be illegalized by the Vatican.  
 
I was glad to see my cousins that night as well as my Grandpa Jerry and aunts/uncles.  
We listened to some rousing Toby Keith carols 
(some people shouldn't make Christmas music),
ate some shredded-beef sandwiches (easy to take to the nursing home),
and talked some more.  
That night, back at my grandparents' house, 
several of my family members and I played "The Game of Things." 
You basically write down the answers to questions on the cards you flip over.
Example: Write down something that would spice up your love life. 
The answers are often hilarious, as this question suggests,
and it was great fun!


That next morning, John and I woke up bright...
                                                                   ...no, not bright at all...DARK!
we woke up dark and very, very early to make the 6 hour drive back to IA (including gas and breaks).
It was really nice to talk to my mom, grandpa and grandma one more time,
and the drive back was so easy and open that I didn't recognize some stretches of land without the traffic. 


We had a traditional lobster dinner that night with John's family.
It was delicious personified, and 
John's mom made the best-ever twice-baked potato with bacon and cheese. 


We later opened gifts and played a couple of games, then 
slept like a rock that night.  


So, that's about it for the holiday round-up.  
Let me know if you made it to the end -
you'll get a shout-out in my next blog post! :)  
I'm not kidding. 
I'll say something nice!  :) 






I hope you all had a Merry Christmas
and have a great New Year!


God Bless!





Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Talk to me Tuesday


Here we go!

This Week's Talk To Me:
Fill in the blank with a food item: "It wouldn't be Christmas without _______." (recipes welcome!)
 
 
I don't have a recipe here, but peanut butter cookies with chocolate stars are my FAVORITE.  Yes, yes, yes...and yes.  I don't now if I'll get them when we go up north (beyond my hometown), so I might have to make them in time for our arrival. 



Betty Crocker!!!


Feel free to share your own! 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

what i can respect

I can respect an individual's dissidence against an organization because if his or her own personal experiences.


Yet to condemn that organization, belittle its members, and mock its ideals because you simply disagree
is
overtly
bigoted. 


I know that in end-times there will be plenty of nay-sayers and fools* who
speak out against
God and his plan. 


It makes me irate, however, when people who have never understood nor 
tried to understand
His character,
His power,
His plan,
nor His love,
nor all the reasons why people choose to follow Him, 
make demeaning and offensive comments. 


I don't mind opposing opinions, really,
and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, 
but really, 
belittling others does not a single favor for anyone's argument. 


Oops, 
I think I may have given those people some tips...




Anyway, what I can respect, 
is when people who disagree can at least view 
each other as humans and 
have sensible discussion. 






And please, don't get me wrong-
I've been on both sides of many different opinion and belief "fences"
and have received ridicule for it.  
The statement I made above 
               is not without an understanding of those 
                                        with an sensible - not sensational - opposing point of view. 















Thursday, December 16, 2010

Talk to me Thursday



For crying out loud,
I'm late again!




And it's late at night, too.  


With all this free time I thought I was going to have 
while living in Newton, 
I sure am (apparently!) too busy to post anything 
in the daylight!


Anyways, here we be:


This week's Talk To Me:
What is your favorite craft project? (tutorials welcome- hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge)





Well, I'll let you know what I've been "crafting" lately,
which isn't really crafting, persay.  
I've been photo-editing like crazy the last several days.


The difference between me and a professional, 
most likely,
is that, by golly, this stuff takes me 
for-
eh-
ver!
It's for our christmas card, which is also 
a letter, which is also
a heads-up to whomever does not know 
about our move to the windy (but realistically, not the windiest) city.


The only hints I can give that don't involve a whole extra post are:
1. Get a good editing program, but
2. If you can't afford the fancy Lightroom or PhotoShop programs (I really need to ask for better bday/xmas gifts), then Gimp is a great free one to use.  
3. MS Paint actually can do a lot of good tricks, too, so don't be afraid to use it. 
and 
4. Always make back-up copies. 


The end!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

seven secrets, aka truths...that you may not have known before!

I was tagged  -
again! -
by Mrs. Heidi. 

You'd think we see each other a ton and have lots of fun times together based on our blog-to-blog interaction!  Well, when I subbed in Ames that was the case.  Now, well...I'm too far away!  
(hint, hint, H! :) )


Anyways, here we go.


1. I have met and interacted with over a thousand people at a depth well beyond small talk.  
I sometimes wonder if I some (or many) of those people actually remember who I am.  


2. I've lost 30 lb. since the end of my freshman year.  
I have to tell some people that when 
they say that I don't know what it's like to be out of shape.
It's not my favorite thing in the world to explain, 
                                   but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...right?


3. I wish I were a runner.  
                         I really disdain long-distance running, 
                                                                          but I want to like it.  


4. Sometimes I'm a little claustrophobic, particularly 
when I'm in the middle of large groups of people who 
are moving slowly in one direction (think tour group or crowded hallways).  
I figured that out when I studied abroad. 


5. My sister and I are a lot alike,
although neither one of us could honestly pin-point what all those likenesses are. 



6. I think I've seen an angel once, and no, not a baby flying around with wings.  


7. The last levels/accomplishments on at least three Wii games are waiting for me to finish them.  
Yes, I have a hard time finishing what I start.  
No, this is nothing new.
And yes, this is something I've been working on.  :)



Thursday, December 9, 2010

TTmT on Wednesday...rolling into Thursday!

Talk to Me Tuesday is, roughly put What are your favorite things (think Oprah)?


Well, I don't like Oprah really,
but I do like Heidi,
so I'll stick to this topic!


Like I said yesterday, some of these are my favorites currently, and some are things I just like a lot that I might not have now!


But right now, I'm just going to say God is my favorite.  He's amazing.  I'd be nothing without Him.  Nothing.  So I can't really put a number on that because He is bigger than anything else on this list (from TV to my husband...you understand, John. :) ).  He provides everything, including his Son.  So he's my innumerable favorite, and that's not really saying anything in comparison to who He is.






And now on to important...and not important things!






1. Chocolate-covered hazelnuts.  Particularly those from Spruengli Chocolates in Switzerland.  So, so good.  Especially when they are dusted with cocoa powder. 


2. Germany. I could go on and on and on and on.  Just ask my husband. 


3. Speaking of which, my husband (of course!) is on of my favorites, and I placed him on my favorite number!  Double wammy! 


4. Minnesota.  I am about to enter into/am currently in a lifestyle where I'll be constantly moving every few years.  No matter where I go, however, I'll always be checking the Twins scores, reminiscing about working at the ol' beaten-down PI pool, and living in the best state in the U.S. 


5. These shoes, called Tieks.  So cute - and they come in my size!!!!!   If you have $135 lying around, feel free to get a pair for me.  Well, when they actually get a decent supply in stock. 


6. Vintage things.  I just got a necklace from a local vintage store called Dorathea's Closet (well, was local for me, now a little bit away), and they have all sorts of really cool things there.


7. Eden and all it's pretty-smelling things!!!!! 


8. Grace Church.  We've had some of the best fellowship and teaching here that I've ever received from a church since I became a Christian. 


9. Journals.  I especially like this particular journaling idea! It's just cool to look back at things that might have stood out to you at some point.  I need to do this more regularly.


10. The Office.  I love ironic comedy that is based heavily on verbal humor as well as the episodic nature of the story-telling .  Man, it's so, so funny, and YES, nay-sayers, it HAS gotten better since the second and third seasons!  However, I'm so bummed that Steve Carell is leaving. 


11. Google Reader!


12.  Babies and little kids.  Oh, I love 'em!  Give me a dozen. Or 20.  20 + a dozen.  Or one...I'll take one! 


13.  Lastly (because I need to stop somewhere), my friends and family - of course!!!


14.  Lastly (for real!)  Spring and summer and all the flowers and balmy evenings that go with them!  Sans mosquitoes, though. 


Ok - goodnight!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

talk to me tuesday...no - a stream of conscience!


This TtMT is going to be written on Wednesday, 
because my day was pretty busy and 
I didn't follow Heidi's suggestion of pre-writing this out.  


Oh well, 
but just so you know, 
I'll be talking about what my favorite things are (and you can do the same!).  

Realistically, 
it's going to be half of my favorite things, 
half what I would love to have, 
and a smidgeon of something else mixed in.  

there you go.  :)

But as for now, we're at my in-laws, 
doing what we typically do best at the moment 
                            (avoiding going to bed like a snot-flinging first grader), 
and keeping very busy.

God's blessed us, and 
we've been able to get rid of a lot of stuff 
as well as save a lot of money, too. 


It also doesn't hurt that John's parents have a 
wood burning fireplace (!!!!!!!!!!!!!), which should
come really in handy once we get snow 
dumped on us this weekend
          (and once we move our sorted-through clothes bins out of the living room!).  

70% chance of snow, Iowa.  70% chance = BAM! 


Oh well - Christmas needs snow anyway!!  
it's the law.  The MN law.  MN is the best.  Also, 
snow will help my husband and dad-in-law find that 30-pt buck a tad bit easier.  


I guess I'd better stack up on baking supplies.  It will be a good weekend for that!


Ok, I think that this is it:
your evidence of how my brain works once I'm too tired to be awake but still am awake.  

So goodnight, all.  
Sleep well, 
or have a great day, 
depending on when you read this.