Today was the first day that my husband has actually
been "owned" by the army.
Today was the first day I spent a whole Saturday here
by myself without a car since...a long time ago.
Today was the first day in a good long while
that my husband was more tired than me at 10:00 p.m.
Today was the first day John got to interact with the people
he is going to help through this chaplaincy program.
Today was the first day that my husband got to see
the evidence of the clearest reason God brought us here.
Today was the first day of many where I'll listen to my
husband tell as many stories in such an enthusiastic way
as he did today.
Today
was a good day.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Only we could have expected change happen so unexpectedly.
Saturday starts the chapter for us
that we've been trying to write for quite some time.
The main issue was that we had the pen, but
the delivery man had yet to bring us some paper.
Well, take that metaphor and apply it to
the army, and guess what -
that's our life.
Saturday is officially Day 1 of this army life we're
going to be living. John starts drill in T-minus
7 hours, and he found out about said drill weekend
T-plus 36 hours ago.
Oh, and we found out about where and with whom
John would be drilling T-plus 48 hours ago.
But wait - John was supposed to be told this information
about 3 months ago. You know - T-plus 3 months ago.
And wait - this was a process we started 14 months ago (no "T-plus" there).
That, my friends, is how you learn patience and grace.
That, my friends, is how you hone your sense of humor.
And that, my friends, is the definition of
hurry up and wait.
Welcome [back] to the military to us.
Welcome [back].
that we've been trying to write for quite some time.
The main issue was that we had the pen, but
the delivery man had yet to bring us some paper.
Well, take that metaphor and apply it to
the army, and guess what -
that's our life.
Saturday is officially Day 1 of this army life we're
going to be living. John starts drill in T-minus
7 hours, and he found out about said drill weekend
T-plus 36 hours ago.
Oh, and we found out about where and with whom
John would be drilling T-plus 48 hours ago.
But wait - John was supposed to be told this information
about 3 months ago. You know - T-plus 3 months ago.
And wait - this was a process we started 14 months ago (no "T-plus" there).
That, my friends, is how you learn patience and grace.
That, my friends, is how you hone your sense of humor.
And that, my friends, is the definition of
hurry up and wait.
Welcome [back] to the military to us.
Welcome [back].
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Stories about my dad, #2
Something my dad always liked to do was tell stories.
After multiple brain surgeries and a reconstructive one on
the area where the surgeries took place,
he ended up having a hard time telling stories that weren't
what we had heard many times before.
I think that it was
a. the way he rebuilt relationship with people after he hadn't seen
them in a while,
b. the way he emphasized what was important to him,
and/or
c. the way he got through the effects the surgeries had on his
short term memory so that he could get to new stories or
thoughts that he had that day.
Also, he would forget a lot of things as his time on earth winded down,
and he was known for randomly switching conversation topics,
particularly when he got tired.
While this was difficult and frustrating for all of us at times,
it definitely also provided for some laughs - a necessary thing
when going through tragedy like this.
One of those times he did a topic switch-er-roo happened when
John asked Dad for my hand in marriage.
John drove down to PI from the cities one Monday afternoon.
He happened to pull in the same time as my sister. She looked
at John with two seconds of confusion, then started freaking out (of course).
She knew what was coming, and, apparently, so did my dad.
Ashley walked into the house and yelled, "Dad, John's here to talk to you!"
John headed upstairs where my dad was. They started shaking hands, and
my dad started "smiling like a fool" as soon as he got it. He didn't
quit shaking John's hand.
John asked dad, "So Gary, do you know why I'm here?"
Dad said "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" with his classic chuckle during
excitable situations.
"Well, I'd like to ask permission to marry your daughter," John told my dad.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Dad replied, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, Gary, what do you think about that? Is that ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Still happy, still shaking John's hand.
As they have this exchange, Ashley tells John to come downstairs
to talk about all the details of the proposal (she had to know!).
After a little while, Dad yells down, "Ashley, tell John to come up here when he's done."
John went upstairs, and Dad said, "You know, you didn't have to ask my permission."
"I know," John said, "but I felt it was the right thing to do, and I wanted to do it."
"Ok. Say - I need to show you something."
So at that point John was thinking that Dad was going to give him some kind of
advice about marriage or what Dad did to propose to my mom.
Instead, Dad proceeded to go to the kitchen,
open the freezer,
and say
"Check out these walleye I caught!"
Classic Dad. You never knew when a moment like that was going to happen next.
After multiple brain surgeries and a reconstructive one on
the area where the surgeries took place,
he ended up having a hard time telling stories that weren't
what we had heard many times before.
I think that it was
a. the way he rebuilt relationship with people after he hadn't seen
them in a while,
b. the way he emphasized what was important to him,
and/or
c. the way he got through the effects the surgeries had on his
short term memory so that he could get to new stories or
thoughts that he had that day.
Also, he would forget a lot of things as his time on earth winded down,
and he was known for randomly switching conversation topics,
particularly when he got tired.
While this was difficult and frustrating for all of us at times,
it definitely also provided for some laughs - a necessary thing
when going through tragedy like this.
One of those times he did a topic switch-er-roo happened when
John asked Dad for my hand in marriage.
John drove down to PI from the cities one Monday afternoon.
He happened to pull in the same time as my sister. She looked
at John with two seconds of confusion, then started freaking out (of course).
She knew what was coming, and, apparently, so did my dad.
Ashley walked into the house and yelled, "Dad, John's here to talk to you!"
John headed upstairs where my dad was. They started shaking hands, and
my dad started "smiling like a fool" as soon as he got it. He didn't
quit shaking John's hand.
John asked dad, "So Gary, do you know why I'm here?"
Dad said "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" with his classic chuckle during
excitable situations.
"Well, I'd like to ask permission to marry your daughter," John told my dad.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Dad replied, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Well, Gary, what do you think about that? Is that ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Still happy, still shaking John's hand.
As they have this exchange, Ashley tells John to come downstairs
to talk about all the details of the proposal (she had to know!).
After a little while, Dad yells down, "Ashley, tell John to come up here when he's done."
John went upstairs, and Dad said, "You know, you didn't have to ask my permission."
"I know," John said, "but I felt it was the right thing to do, and I wanted to do it."
"Ok. Say - I need to show you something."
So at that point John was thinking that Dad was going to give him some kind of
advice about marriage or what Dad did to propose to my mom.
Instead, Dad proceeded to go to the kitchen,
open the freezer,
and say
"Check out these walleye I caught!"
Classic Dad. You never knew when a moment like that was going to happen next.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Work it out
So tonight I went to Zumba.
It was the first class of the semester at the new
fitness center at TIU.
Let's just say that when you see the Zumba FB photo pop up on your news feed
and it's a split screen of what you feel like and what you actually look like
when doing this hour-long-
who-can-shake-it-the-longest-
class,
what you see will be 100% accurate.
After a while, or at least
when you still have energy,
you feel great,
you know:
Having fun,
feeling the beat,
and all that.
The catch, however,
is when you haven't worked out hard in YEARS
and it's been almost 5 years since you
did any form of dancing regularly,
well - you will look like this:
Well, actually you look significantly
less
amazing than that guy, but you get my point.
So, I thought that maybe you who have 8 minutes and 13 seconds
on your hands to watch a fantastic example of when I
actually was coordinated and in-shape,
here you go.
Greek Week 2007
1st Place Lip Sync
ΚΑΘ ΒΣΨ ΦΒΧ
If you have only 1 or 2 minutes and
yearn to see me dazzle the stage
(including a big misstep I took at 4:15),
I'm the one wearing purple in the first act.
Purple is a dazzling color, people.
It was the first class of the semester at the new
fitness center at TIU.
Let's just say that when you see the Zumba FB photo pop up on your news feed
and it's a split screen of what you feel like and what you actually look like
when doing this hour-long-
who-can-shake-it-the-longest-
class,
what you see will be 100% accurate.
After a while, or at least
when you still have energy,
you feel great,
you know:
Having fun,
feeling the beat,
and all that.
The catch, however,
is when you haven't worked out hard in YEARS
and it's been almost 5 years since you
did any form of dancing regularly,
well - you will look like this:
 | |||
| "This submission comes all the way from Romania, proving that yes, they are all gymnasts." From Awkward Family Photos [source] |
Well, actually you look significantly
less
amazing than that guy, but you get my point.
So, I thought that maybe you who have 8 minutes and 13 seconds
on your hands to watch a fantastic example of when I
actually was coordinated and in-shape,
here you go.
Greek Week 2007
1st Place Lip Sync
ΚΑΘ ΒΣΨ ΦΒΧ
If you have only 1 or 2 minutes and
yearn to see me dazzle the stage
(including a big misstep I took at 4:15),
I'm the one wearing purple in the first act.
Purple is a dazzling color, people.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What Infertility Feels Like
It feels like a bully.
Not that one that says crap to you at your locker every day.
You can take care of him (or her) with a smart phrase or two.
No, this bully is a tormentor,
devious,
dark,
and - perfect.
It makes you believe that everything is perfectly wrong at just the worst time.
It gets you right after you think you finally did it.
Yes, you finally did it!
No...you actually didn't.
Fool.
It feels like discouragement.
It makes you believe that you're
impaired,
defective,
incomplete,
discardable.
It tells you that you've got something wrong with you.
It tells you that you can keep trying,
but it's probably not worth it.
It feels like a thief.
It robs you of your joy.
It robs you of your hope.
It robs you of your future.
It makes you question proven solutions,
question any alternatives,
question everything you do.
It makes you question your past.
Why did you wait to try at all?
Why didn't you try as soon as you could?
What's the purpose of doing "what's wise" when
you don't even have the self-experienced wisdom
to know what the...what you are doing?
It makes you feel like you've been a disappointment.
Why didn't you give your dad a grandchild?
You know, your grandpa will never know your kids now that his memory is going.
Will your sister ever get to be an aunt?
It makes you doubt your whole future.
You were supposed to be a great mom.
Will you even be a mom?
What says you can get pregnant?
Who says you could ever afford (or achieve!!) adoption?
Why do you think you're special enough to have a family?
Why do you think you're special enough to do...anything?
It feels like you've lost a part of you:
-An arm
-a leg
-your hearing
-your sight
-your heart.
... ... ... ... ...
It'd be great never to have to deal with these things,
but this is my lot in life right now.
Nothing is impossible with God,
nothing at all.
Yet, even He knows that this pain is insufferable.
I love, love, love kids.
It's amazing to be there for them,
to play with them,
to imagine with them,
to help them understand life on earth.
But with as much joy as I get from kids,
-and trust me, there is plenty of it-
I can't ignore this hurt,
this...infertility.
It's been 2 long years,
including these last 6 particularly long months.
Insufferable as it may be,
I still have hope:
hope that there is still a chance,
hope that it's just a matter of time,
hope that somehow, this blessing will happen.
Here's to hope - in God - that things start looking up -
hopefully soon.
hope!
Not that one that says crap to you at your locker every day.
You can take care of him (or her) with a smart phrase or two.
No, this bully is a tormentor,
devious,
dark,
and - perfect.
It makes you believe that everything is perfectly wrong at just the worst time.
It gets you right after you think you finally did it.
Yes, you finally did it!
No...you actually didn't.
Fool.
It feels like discouragement.
It makes you believe that you're
impaired,
defective,
incomplete,
discardable.
It tells you that you've got something wrong with you.
It tells you that you can keep trying,
but it's probably not worth it.
It feels like a thief.
It robs you of your joy.
It robs you of your hope.
It robs you of your future.
It makes you question proven solutions,
question any alternatives,
question everything you do.
It makes you question your past.
Why did you wait to try at all?
Why didn't you try as soon as you could?
What's the purpose of doing "what's wise" when
you don't even have the self-experienced wisdom
to know what the...what you are doing?
It makes you feel like you've been a disappointment.
Why didn't you give your dad a grandchild?
You know, your grandpa will never know your kids now that his memory is going.
Will your sister ever get to be an aunt?
It makes you doubt your whole future.
You were supposed to be a great mom.
Will you even be a mom?
What says you can get pregnant?
Who says you could ever afford (or achieve!!) adoption?
Why do you think you're special enough to have a family?
Why do you think you're special enough to do...anything?
It feels like you've lost a part of you:
-An arm
-a leg
-your hearing
-your sight
-your heart.
... ... ... ... ...
It'd be great never to have to deal with these things,
but this is my lot in life right now.
Nothing is impossible with God,
nothing at all.
Yet, even He knows that this pain is insufferable.
Proverbs 30:15b-16
“There are three things that are never satisfied,
four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
16 the grave, the barren womb,
land, which is never satisfied with water,
and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’
I love, love, love kids.
It's amazing to be there for them,
to play with them,
to imagine with them,
to help them understand life on earth.
But with as much joy as I get from kids,
-and trust me, there is plenty of it-
I can't ignore this hurt,
this...infertility.
It's been 2 long years,
including these last 6 particularly long months.
Insufferable as it may be,
I still have hope:
hope that there is still a chance,
hope that it's just a matter of time,
hope that somehow, this blessing will happen.
Here's to hope - in God - that things start looking up -
hopefully soon.
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
hope!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
thanks
Tomorrow I'll be publishing a post about what infertility feels like.
It's something I've googled before, and why?
Well, infertility - the feeling of enduring it - is hard to put into words.
So I want to write this post beforehand to let anyone know who wants to know
that there are plenty of things for which I am thankful despite
the very difficult experience of trying to conceive.
I am so thankful for the kids who live on campus here and in our community.
There are just some precious little ones who light up my day,
and they are the cutest things.
When my friend Heather's girl, Rachel (2 years old) remembered
my name after not seeing me for almost a month,
well, that just lit up my day.
Not only that, but it really lit up my day when she then
proceeded to tell me where babies come from:
"My baby brother will come out of my mommy's tummy!
And you - when you were a baby, you came out of your mommy's tummy!"
What a cutie!
I'm thankful for the blessing of John's brother and his wife being pregnant
and due this summer. We are excited to be aunt and uncle, and
it's nothing but surreal for us. This little one will be smart as a whip
and tall as a bean stalk. The doctors already have him or her measuring about
a week ahead of schedule.
I'm thankful that I have my husband.
He's been more than encouraging these last several months.
He also does great at putting up with me and my...crap.
Crap is the easiest way to say it.
Anyway, he's a winner, that's for sure. I'm so glad he's my husband.
I got to talk to my sister twice last week.
That's getting into record-breaking territory!
I'm thankful that we are able to talk more now that
her college schedule is winding down.
That, or I was thankful to talk to her because she was
still on break!
I'm thankful for my mom. She has been
really compassionate throughout this whole infertility ordeal,
and she is patient with me when I talk about the same things
for the 200,786th time.
I'm thankful that we're here at TIU.
It's hard to imagine a more encouraging environment,
and it's incredible to feel that after a difficult start last year.
I have a distinct feeling that, as challenging as this place can be,
it also has a "cradling" effect; once we're back
out in the real world completely, it will be
quite the transition!
I'm thankful for God,
that, no matter how far away I get,
He's there. He's there
all
the
time,
and I'm pretty sure He's just waiting for me
to take some kind of leap of faith into his will for me.
Don't ask me what that would be; I don't know.
I just feel it.
So those are some things I'm thankful for.
It's good to write this down when it's hard to see the silver lining at times.
It's something I've googled before, and why?
Well, infertility - the feeling of enduring it - is hard to put into words.
So I want to write this post beforehand to let anyone know who wants to know
that there are plenty of things for which I am thankful despite
the very difficult experience of trying to conceive.
I am so thankful for the kids who live on campus here and in our community.
There are just some precious little ones who light up my day,
and they are the cutest things.
When my friend Heather's girl, Rachel (2 years old) remembered
my name after not seeing me for almost a month,
well, that just lit up my day.
Not only that, but it really lit up my day when she then
proceeded to tell me where babies come from:
"My baby brother will come out of my mommy's tummy!
And you - when you were a baby, you came out of your mommy's tummy!"
What a cutie!
I'm thankful for the blessing of John's brother and his wife being pregnant
and due this summer. We are excited to be aunt and uncle, and
it's nothing but surreal for us. This little one will be smart as a whip
and tall as a bean stalk. The doctors already have him or her measuring about
a week ahead of schedule.
I'm thankful that I have my husband.
He's been more than encouraging these last several months.
He also does great at putting up with me and my...crap.
Crap is the easiest way to say it.
Anyway, he's a winner, that's for sure. I'm so glad he's my husband.
I got to talk to my sister twice last week.
That's getting into record-breaking territory!
I'm thankful that we are able to talk more now that
her college schedule is winding down.
That, or I was thankful to talk to her because she was
still on break!
I'm thankful for my mom. She has been
really compassionate throughout this whole infertility ordeal,
and she is patient with me when I talk about the same things
for the 200,786th time.
I'm thankful that we're here at TIU.
It's hard to imagine a more encouraging environment,
and it's incredible to feel that after a difficult start last year.
I have a distinct feeling that, as challenging as this place can be,
it also has a "cradling" effect; once we're back
out in the real world completely, it will be
quite the transition!
I'm thankful for God,
that, no matter how far away I get,
He's there. He's there
all
the
time,
and I'm pretty sure He's just waiting for me
to take some kind of leap of faith into his will for me.
Don't ask me what that would be; I don't know.
I just feel it.
So those are some things I'm thankful for.
It's good to write this down when it's hard to see the silver lining at times.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
a first!
Hello!!!!
Four exclamation points worth of excitement is welling up in me, and why?
We have lived in this same one-bedroom apartment
at Trinity International University
in Deerfield (really, Bannockburn), IL
for OVER A YEAR!
...
...
[crickets?!]
Ok, for most people, that's no big deal.
For us, it's a first. We've never lived in one place for over
a year since we were married just under 3.5 years ago, and
today we realized we had moved here a year ago
after we remembered it's Saturday, not Friday, and
that we moved here a year ago this past Thursday.
Yes, that's almost a run-on sentence,
and no, I'm not fixing it.
So, after we exchanged high-fives and I said "I'm going to blog about this!",
John came up with the good idea to highlight the places we have lived so far.
No pictures of our apartments for now, although I am
sure I can add some some other time,
but here's a little run-down of all the places we have lived since the summer of 2008.
Twin Cities, MN (our engagement)
I lived in Chaska, MN, and John lived
in Dinky Town of the University of MN campus in Minneapolis.
Chaska highlights: I lived by a nice little lake that had some good trails around it, although way to many bugs. That's a lake for you, though, so no big deal. The old part of the town was historic and pretty, and I should have spent more time there and explored around their old buildings and parks near the MN River. Also, I only lived about a quarter mile from where I worked, but was still far enough away that I didn't run into students every minute.
Dinky Town highlights: Lots of restaurants, close to everything you need to see in Minneapolis, and right near a bunch of other cultural highlights. What I liked best is that John lived in a legal fraternity (he was in law school) that was in an old historic mansion. It had nice architecture and was a welcome escape from suburbia (I needed it!). Once you got over the frequent gun shots heard from not-at-all far away, you began to appreciate the awesome music scene and tasty hole-in-the-wall cafes that were just a block or two away.
NW Wisconsin
John worked at a boy scout camp and a chaplain and an instructor.
Camp highlights: this city boy with a country boy heart got his fill of manliness that summer before we got married. He also had an awesome time working with kids and preaching God's Word. This place had plenty of bugs, no air conditioning, and the same food every single week, but John loved it to bits. I got to visit him that summer, and it restored my faith that teenage boys could be acceptable citizens in society. John talks about going back from time to time, and he usually is smiling when he does it.
Ames, IA
Our first apartment
Ames highlights: We got hitched in August '08 and settled in to a two-bed, one bath, galley kitchen apartment. This was the biggest place, save "The Center" - see below, that we have yet to live in. We packed everything we have ever owned and wasn't still at our parents into this place and still had room to spare. The kitchen was tight, and I'll admit that I hardly cooked in it compared to what I do now, but the place came with every amenity we could have possibly wanted: new carpet, new paint, free internet, free cable, all utilities included except for electric, a deck, a nice bathroom, and a stones throw from a Walmart. Yes, this MN girl would have never conceived having a Walmart in her backyard as a good thing, but I'll tell you - it provided for great late-night entertainment and wallet-friendly purchase. Plus, we didn't waste gas driving there, even in the winter.
Newton, IA
"The Center"
Newton highlights: Without firm employment in Ames and a new 12-month lease waving in front of our faces, John wisely decided that we should live in Newton. Living with his parents was a little daunting conceptually, but that's not what he had in mind. We ended up living in his grandpa's office building/warehouse, which housed his old electrical contracting business when it was still operating. Meisner Center, which has the creepiest shadows I've ever had to live with, was set up for four months as our apartment. How did we do it? Well, pictures from that I do have somewhere, but we used a conference room as our living room, the main office as our bedroom, the break room as our kitchen, and the secondary entryway as our computer room. The last one was because it was the only place with a window close enough to the WiFi one of the center's renters let us use for free. The bathroom had a shower (for mid-day golf outings by the boss - used once, ever), and we did laundry at John's parents house. We also watched TV, cooked, were ate dinner, and played games at John's parent's house. We basically lived there and slept at "The Center." It was a good place to live, save a few break-ins that happened while we were asleep in a different part of the building. I only found out about the second one this past Thanksgiving because John and his Dad didn't want to freak me out anymore than I already was. Overall, though, it was a safe, fun place to live for the fall.
Des Moines, IA
Sherman Hill
DSM Highlights: I'll try to make this shorter than "The Center," but it will be hard. We LOVED Des Moines! We lived the oldest historic neighborhood in DSM, Sherman Hill. The houses there are amazingly beautiful, and it was a pleasure just to take a walk whenever we were able. We lived in an apartment complex with great neighbors and an incredibly nice landlord named Dan. Dan would do a great job attending our needs, and he also helped facility a nice community! Oh, and we got to paint our 2 bed, 1 bath apartment, too. It was fun, but made us never want to paint an apartment again! :) In addition to a nice apartment experience, we were walking-distance from Downtown DSM, as well as some awesome restaurants and a fancy schmancy grocery store. Finally, we had a community garden here at the local elementary school, from which we learned what to do and not to do when it comes to growing your own things. SO fun and such a great experience overall. We'd suggest this neighborhood to anyone. Finally, we attended a wonderful church. Grace Church in East Des Moines, where we met awesome people in and out of our small group, were a part of Awana, and grew more in our faith than we had in a long time.
Newton, IA
John's parent's house
Newton, again!: Well, due to several events all colliding at once, we ended up deciding to attend seminary here in Chicagoland. The trick with that was that we had a month in between when our lease ended in DSM and when we'd be moving to IL. Thankfully, John's parents are great, and we got to stay with them in their 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath house for that month. Now, we'd be heading up to MN for Christmas anyway, so we weren't there the whole time. That being said, we were in tight quarters for a while, but we got used to it. It was fun spending time with them, particularly when you compare that to purging through every single item you own in order to downsize for a big move. Lots of games, food, and good memories came from that month. His parents are very generous and hospitable, that's for sure!
---- A little aside: this past summer we lived at my parents house, too, until my dad passed away.
While it was definitely difficult considering the circumstances, it was a great experience doing life
with my mom and sister. I deffintely miss seeing them every day, and I don't take it for granted
when I get to. In addition to spending great time with my mom, dad, and sister, I also got to see
my friend and her husband bring their son home from Ethopia, another friend's little one-year-old
boy, have coffee and late-night walks with my best friend from HS, and see many family
members throughout those weeks. Plus, my dad affirmed his faith in Christ - praise God!
Deerfield, IL
Seminary
And that leads us to our little apartment in Bannockburn, IL, with a Deerfield mailing address and an incredibly expensive overall price tag. We've met great people here - great, GREAT people who have awesome hearts for God. We're still figuring this area out, but these 12 months haven't been without some fun discoveries of what the North Shore has to offer. Hopefully we'll be able to get to know more people, both on-campus and off, and we'll continue to appreciate this place as our home more and more.
So there you have it - everywhere we've lived in the last 3.5 years. It's been good training for the potential future of living as an army wife, I'd have to say!
Four exclamation points worth of excitement is welling up in me, and why?
We have lived in this same one-bedroom apartment
at Trinity International University
in Deerfield (really, Bannockburn), IL
for OVER A YEAR!
...
...
[crickets?!]
Ok, for most people, that's no big deal.
For us, it's a first. We've never lived in one place for over
a year since we were married just under 3.5 years ago, and
today we realized we had moved here a year ago
after we remembered it's Saturday, not Friday, and
that we moved here a year ago this past Thursday.
Yes, that's almost a run-on sentence,
and no, I'm not fixing it.
So, after we exchanged high-fives and I said "I'm going to blog about this!",
John came up with the good idea to highlight the places we have lived so far.
No pictures of our apartments for now, although I am
sure I can add some some other time,
but here's a little run-down of all the places we have lived since the summer of 2008.
Twin Cities, MN (our engagement)
I lived in Chaska, MN, and John lived
in Dinky Town of the University of MN campus in Minneapolis.
Chaska highlights: I lived by a nice little lake that had some good trails around it, although way to many bugs. That's a lake for you, though, so no big deal. The old part of the town was historic and pretty, and I should have spent more time there and explored around their old buildings and parks near the MN River. Also, I only lived about a quarter mile from where I worked, but was still far enough away that I didn't run into students every minute.
Dinky Town highlights: Lots of restaurants, close to everything you need to see in Minneapolis, and right near a bunch of other cultural highlights. What I liked best is that John lived in a legal fraternity (he was in law school) that was in an old historic mansion. It had nice architecture and was a welcome escape from suburbia (I needed it!). Once you got over the frequent gun shots heard from not-at-all far away, you began to appreciate the awesome music scene and tasty hole-in-the-wall cafes that were just a block or two away.
NW Wisconsin
John worked at a boy scout camp and a chaplain and an instructor.
Camp highlights: this city boy with a country boy heart got his fill of manliness that summer before we got married. He also had an awesome time working with kids and preaching God's Word. This place had plenty of bugs, no air conditioning, and the same food every single week, but John loved it to bits. I got to visit him that summer, and it restored my faith that teenage boys could be acceptable citizens in society. John talks about going back from time to time, and he usually is smiling when he does it.
Ames, IA
Our first apartment
Ames highlights: We got hitched in August '08 and settled in to a two-bed, one bath, galley kitchen apartment. This was the biggest place, save "The Center" - see below, that we have yet to live in. We packed everything we have ever owned and wasn't still at our parents into this place and still had room to spare. The kitchen was tight, and I'll admit that I hardly cooked in it compared to what I do now, but the place came with every amenity we could have possibly wanted: new carpet, new paint, free internet, free cable, all utilities included except for electric, a deck, a nice bathroom, and a stones throw from a Walmart. Yes, this MN girl would have never conceived having a Walmart in her backyard as a good thing, but I'll tell you - it provided for great late-night entertainment and wallet-friendly purchase. Plus, we didn't waste gas driving there, even in the winter.
Newton, IA
"The Center"
Newton highlights: Without firm employment in Ames and a new 12-month lease waving in front of our faces, John wisely decided that we should live in Newton. Living with his parents was a little daunting conceptually, but that's not what he had in mind. We ended up living in his grandpa's office building/warehouse, which housed his old electrical contracting business when it was still operating. Meisner Center, which has the creepiest shadows I've ever had to live with, was set up for four months as our apartment. How did we do it? Well, pictures from that I do have somewhere, but we used a conference room as our living room, the main office as our bedroom, the break room as our kitchen, and the secondary entryway as our computer room. The last one was because it was the only place with a window close enough to the WiFi one of the center's renters let us use for free. The bathroom had a shower (for mid-day golf outings by the boss - used once, ever), and we did laundry at John's parents house. We also watched TV, cooked, were ate dinner, and played games at John's parent's house. We basically lived there and slept at "The Center." It was a good place to live, save a few break-ins that happened while we were asleep in a different part of the building. I only found out about the second one this past Thanksgiving because John and his Dad didn't want to freak me out anymore than I already was. Overall, though, it was a safe, fun place to live for the fall.
Des Moines, IA
Sherman Hill
DSM Highlights: I'll try to make this shorter than "The Center," but it will be hard. We LOVED Des Moines! We lived the oldest historic neighborhood in DSM, Sherman Hill. The houses there are amazingly beautiful, and it was a pleasure just to take a walk whenever we were able. We lived in an apartment complex with great neighbors and an incredibly nice landlord named Dan. Dan would do a great job attending our needs, and he also helped facility a nice community! Oh, and we got to paint our 2 bed, 1 bath apartment, too. It was fun, but made us never want to paint an apartment again! :) In addition to a nice apartment experience, we were walking-distance from Downtown DSM, as well as some awesome restaurants and a fancy schmancy grocery store. Finally, we had a community garden here at the local elementary school, from which we learned what to do and not to do when it comes to growing your own things. SO fun and such a great experience overall. We'd suggest this neighborhood to anyone. Finally, we attended a wonderful church. Grace Church in East Des Moines, where we met awesome people in and out of our small group, were a part of Awana, and grew more in our faith than we had in a long time.
Newton, IA
John's parent's house
Newton, again!: Well, due to several events all colliding at once, we ended up deciding to attend seminary here in Chicagoland. The trick with that was that we had a month in between when our lease ended in DSM and when we'd be moving to IL. Thankfully, John's parents are great, and we got to stay with them in their 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath house for that month. Now, we'd be heading up to MN for Christmas anyway, so we weren't there the whole time. That being said, we were in tight quarters for a while, but we got used to it. It was fun spending time with them, particularly when you compare that to purging through every single item you own in order to downsize for a big move. Lots of games, food, and good memories came from that month. His parents are very generous and hospitable, that's for sure!
---- A little aside: this past summer we lived at my parents house, too, until my dad passed away.
While it was definitely difficult considering the circumstances, it was a great experience doing life
with my mom and sister. I deffintely miss seeing them every day, and I don't take it for granted
when I get to. In addition to spending great time with my mom, dad, and sister, I also got to see
my friend and her husband bring their son home from Ethopia, another friend's little one-year-old
boy, have coffee and late-night walks with my best friend from HS, and see many family
members throughout those weeks. Plus, my dad affirmed his faith in Christ - praise God!
Deerfield, IL
Seminary
And that leads us to our little apartment in Bannockburn, IL, with a Deerfield mailing address and an incredibly expensive overall price tag. We've met great people here - great, GREAT people who have awesome hearts for God. We're still figuring this area out, but these 12 months haven't been without some fun discoveries of what the North Shore has to offer. Hopefully we'll be able to get to know more people, both on-campus and off, and we'll continue to appreciate this place as our home more and more.
So there you have it - everywhere we've lived in the last 3.5 years. It's been good training for the potential future of living as an army wife, I'd have to say!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
20112012
2011 is over one second past 11:59:59 tonight.
I'm glad it's done, but I'm cautious about what
2012 will bring.
The Mayan calendar means nothing to me,
but I don't feel right about expecting 2012 to be glorious for any reason.
I do, however, hope -
I also, somehow, thank.
From 2011:
I'm thankful we moved to Chicagoland, as hard as it's been to be here,
and I hope we can continue to appreciate a place we know just isn't our home.
I'm thankful we made such good friends this year, and I hope
we can stay in contact with our many old, good friends and meet more new, good friends.
I'm thankful we got the chance to see family as much as we did this past year,
and I hope we can still seem them often next year.
I'm thankful I got to spend as much time with my Dad before he died, and
I'm hopeful (and SO thankful) that I'll get to see him in Heaven again.
I'm thankful for the new babies that came into the world for many of my friends this year
(I just met Cade - WHAT a cutie! but I have some catching up to do with Mollie, et. al. in the future),
and I'm hopeful that my many other friends will bring healthy babies into the world when
they have theirs this year.
I'm thankful for the friends of mine who brought babies home from other families
or countries via adoption,
and I'm hopeful that, in some way or another, God will bring us children sometime soon.
I'm thankful for the job I've had here at the school, and I'm
hopeful that God will continue to provide for us.
I'm thankful that God has been providing John the ability to join the U.S. Army,
and I'm hopeful that He will also provide me with the crazy amount of patience I'll need to deal with that fine, monstrously huge institution.
I'm thankful God has provided me with so much comfort, and
I hope He instills in me his perfect joy.
I'm thankful for all that was good in 2011,
and I'm hopeful for much good to happen in 2012.
I'm glad it's done, but I'm cautious about what
2012 will bring.
The Mayan calendar means nothing to me,
but I don't feel right about expecting 2012 to be glorious for any reason.
I do, however, hope -
I also, somehow, thank.
From 2011:
I'm thankful we moved to Chicagoland, as hard as it's been to be here,
and I hope we can continue to appreciate a place we know just isn't our home.
I'm thankful we made such good friends this year, and I hope
we can stay in contact with our many old, good friends and meet more new, good friends.
I'm thankful we got the chance to see family as much as we did this past year,
and I hope we can still seem them often next year.
I'm thankful I got to spend as much time with my Dad before he died, and
I'm hopeful (and SO thankful) that I'll get to see him in Heaven again.
I'm thankful for the new babies that came into the world for many of my friends this year
(I just met Cade - WHAT a cutie! but I have some catching up to do with Mollie, et. al. in the future),
and I'm hopeful that my many other friends will bring healthy babies into the world when
they have theirs this year.
I'm thankful for the friends of mine who brought babies home from other families
or countries via adoption,
and I'm hopeful that, in some way or another, God will bring us children sometime soon.
I'm thankful for the job I've had here at the school, and I'm
hopeful that God will continue to provide for us.
I'm thankful that God has been providing John the ability to join the U.S. Army,
and I'm hopeful that He will also provide me with the crazy amount of patience I'll need to deal with that fine, monstrously huge institution.
I'm thankful God has provided me with so much comfort, and
I hope He instills in me his perfect joy.
I'm thankful for all that was good in 2011,
and I'm hopeful for much good to happen in 2012.
christmas.
2011 - what a year.
I knew this year would be different, but I hadn't more than a hint exactly how different it would be.
One thing was obvious: Chicagoland.
Moving again - the fifth time in 2.5 years of marriage -
was on the docket this time last January, but
something else inside me told me about what would be happening this past summer.
That something was Christmas last year; we sang carols in the car, and
it was something my family had NEVER done before all-together.
Something about that said "last christmas" to me -
I remember thinking that in that car ride on the way to mass
that Christmas Eve.
It was the last Christmas with my dad, and it was a great one.
We got to see all my family,
we had a ton of fun with our family-friends,
and we made a ton of wonderful memories.
So, with only the memory of him around,
this Christmas was different.
There weren't many pictures,
and there were as many smiles as there were tears,
but we made it.
We - John and I -
made the trek from IL to PI, MN, then
St. Martin, MN, then
Newton, IA, then
back to IL.
We saw and spent good time with family,
we had a ton of fun with friends,
and we had the first Christmas with us on earth and Dad in Heaven.
I'm thankful so many of you who have posted have
had a good Christmas. Ours was as good as it could be,
and for that I am thankful.
So, with that all being said,
I hope you all have a very wonderful last day of 2011
and a very, very joyful 2012.
p.s. the dark chocolate pistachio fudge
was kind of meh. I'm still undecided
on how that turned out.
I knew this year would be different, but I hadn't more than a hint exactly how different it would be.
One thing was obvious: Chicagoland.
Moving again - the fifth time in 2.5 years of marriage -
was on the docket this time last January, but
something else inside me told me about what would be happening this past summer.
That something was Christmas last year; we sang carols in the car, and
it was something my family had NEVER done before all-together.
Something about that said "last christmas" to me -
I remember thinking that in that car ride on the way to mass
that Christmas Eve.
It was the last Christmas with my dad, and it was a great one.
We got to see all my family,
we had a ton of fun with our family-friends,
and we made a ton of wonderful memories.
So, with only the memory of him around,
this Christmas was different.
There weren't many pictures,
and there were as many smiles as there were tears,
but we made it.
We - John and I -
made the trek from IL to PI, MN, then
St. Martin, MN, then
Newton, IA, then
back to IL.
We saw and spent good time with family,
we had a ton of fun with friends,
and we had the first Christmas with us on earth and Dad in Heaven.
I'm thankful so many of you who have posted have
had a good Christmas. Ours was as good as it could be,
and for that I am thankful.
So, with that all being said,
I hope you all have a very wonderful last day of 2011
and a very, very joyful 2012.
p.s. the dark chocolate pistachio fudge
was kind of meh. I'm still undecided
on how that turned out.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Treats
Did you know I like to make lots of treats for Christmas?
It all started in my senior year of HS - ten years ago to this week, probably -
when Mrs. Arel handed us a packet of recipes full of
candies!
Lots and lots of
candies!
Hard rock candy,
toffee,
fudge,
divinities,
etc. etc. etc.
Just in time for Christmas,
these recipes were exciting for all of us,
and I do believe that this was the food unit
where Mrs. Arel finally deemed us to be "Good Eaters."
2nd period always had that title over us;
I think we were more picky.
Unfortunately, my recipes got lost in our last move.
I have no idea where they are, and
my best guess would be that they are
decomposed into dirt by now.
Sigh...
So, I've been looking at other recipes this year,
and here's the first one I'm going to try:
Fudge! (photo from the Eagle Brand website)
I've made this before and have done a lot of different
variations with it. It's the easiest treat ever, but I will
say that you need to know your stuff when
it comes to cooking chocolate before you go at it.
Let's just say one year my burnt white chocolate chips
miraculously tasted like s'mores.
Anyway, check out the recipe for yourself - it's super easy.
I'm going to change it up a bit and make
dark chocolate-pistachio fudge.
I'll let you know how it turns out!
More recipe adventures to come.
Promise!
It all started in my senior year of HS - ten years ago to this week, probably -
when Mrs. Arel handed us a packet of recipes full of
candies!
Lots and lots of
candies!
Hard rock candy,
toffee,
fudge,
divinities,
etc. etc. etc.
Just in time for Christmas,
these recipes were exciting for all of us,
and I do believe that this was the food unit
where Mrs. Arel finally deemed us to be "Good Eaters."
2nd period always had that title over us;
I think we were more picky.
Unfortunately, my recipes got lost in our last move.
I have no idea where they are, and
my best guess would be that they are
decomposed into dirt by now.
Sigh...
So, I've been looking at other recipes this year,
and here's the first one I'm going to try:
Fudge! (photo from the Eagle Brand website)
I've made this before and have done a lot of different
variations with it. It's the easiest treat ever, but I will
say that you need to know your stuff when
it comes to cooking chocolate before you go at it.
Let's just say one year my burnt white chocolate chips
miraculously tasted like s'mores.
Anyway, check out the recipe for yourself - it's super easy.
I'm going to change it up a bit and make
dark chocolate-pistachio fudge.
I'll let you know how it turns out!
More recipe adventures to come.
Promise!
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