Clinger Family Christmas Greeting

Memories

Today Jeff and I went back up to Garrett with a member of Ridge Church. She is looking at starting either there or Asbury in the fall. It was great to be back. We don't think we've been back to campus since graduation. It's crazy how those two and a half years have passed so quickly! Many of the offices have moved, the apartments have been renovated, and they'll be doing more renovations in the fall. But many of the people are still there, and we got a warm welcome. It kind of felt like a home-coming of sorts.

It made me realize that although there has been change, it is still the same place with lots of the same faces. It's kind of like going home. For Jeff and I, going "home" isn't back to the houses where we grew up, but it's going back to the place where the people are, no matter where that is. It's the people that make home "home." And yet, there are so many memories wrapped up in the places.

"That's where our friend Sara used to live."
"And that's Joey's old apartment."
"Lisa used to walk her rabbit Claude in the courtyard on a leash."
"Remember ......?"
"Kim's Kitchen has the best scones...so good!"

I don't miss the work that came with seminary. Many times I struggled with not needing to put myself through some of the agony of grad school in order to do the job and be the person I felt I was called to do and be. I know I'm better at my job (at least I have resources I wouldn't have had) and I know I'm a better person because of the relationships I had and the people I know because of my time there. I miss that tight-knit community and the people who were such a part of our lives and who still are, no matter how long it has been since we've seen each other or talked last.

New "Twelve Days"

This is probably the best version of the song I have ever heard. It is a group from Indiana University in 1996, "Straight No Chaser." The group still exists, with different members, of course.

I tried to make it appear as the video within my blog, but it was taking forever to load. So follow the link below and enjoy. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

three Wise Women

Someone sent this to me and I just had to share...


Oh goodness, it's funny cuz it's true!! Happy Advent.

Funny Jesus videos

I was looking for videos to use in church during Advent, and I came across these. I don't think I'll suggest using them in church, but I wanted to share, so here ya go.

Dog-sitting

Below are some pictures I took of Kayla and Bailey. This one couldn't have been better if I had tried to pose them like this myself, although it is a little blurry....

Here is Kayla helping herself to Bailey's bed.

Share and share alike...Bailey helping herself to Kayla's toys.

We're getting to the point where the dogs are comfortable with the other one being around. Kayla is seeming less like a puppy (hard to believe she's almost 5!) in comparison to 2-ish Bailey.

Two dog house (night)

Yesterday afternoon Jeff and I drove across to Tinley Park, IL, to pick up Bailey. She is my cousin Kellie and Dustin's dog. Bailey is also a beagle, but she and Kayla look very different. I have pictures at home I'll post of the two of them this morning. Anyway, we are dog-sitting for Bailey while her people house-hunt in Texas. We took Kayla with us to Tinley since she typically does better meeting other dogs on their turf instead of hers. The initial meeting went pretty well, and we got to have a nice visit with Kellie and Dustin. We both also got some good hold time with 7-month-old Maisie. So big! But I digress.

So we got the two of them home, pretty much both of them worn out in the back seat. After leaving for part of youth group, I attempted what I thought was the impossible while Jeff finished up youth group: taking the two dogs outside at the same time. Really, it went pretty well. I thought with all the pulling and switching directions that Kayla does that either they or I would be tangled in the leashes, but not so! I think we'll both be on "duty duty" at the same time for the week, though.

Bed time last night was interesting. Pretty much, Kayla usually sleeps curled against me, between Jeff and I, but Bailey thought she wanted to be there. So there was a little time for establishing who was curling up where. It ended up that I had a dog on either side of me, and I pretty much didn't move the whole night, for fear of shifting the balance of the universe. (Really, it wasn't that bad.)

Although Kayla has been around other dogs before, this is her first experience with a younger dog. It's fun to watch. Kayla plays with Bailey the same way we play with Kayla when she wants to play and we don't: taking a couple lunging steps toward her, watching her run off expecting to be followed, returning to what you were already doing, and repeating when the dog comes back. Not a great description, it would be better in video but we don't have one.

It's been fun, and we're glad to help out family!

Early Advent

This month, Jeff and Steve are focusing their sermons on Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. It's a kind of early Advent. Last week Steve preached on Hope, and yesterday Jeff preached on Joy. I think today I experienced my own early Advent....

I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, doing some thinking about and planning for Advent, I picked up the book "Searching for Shalom: Resources for Creative Worship" by Ann Weems. I have used poems from "Kneeling in Bethlehem" for Advent candle lightings the past few years, and again this year. I'm not entirely sure why I picked up the book. Maybe I felt like I needed some inspiration. In any case, I read the first poem, "Searching for Shalom" and started wondering what exactly shalom means. I started with the Preface and I guess you could say I found myself in it.

"Shalom is much more than my own personal prosperity...It's much more than a sense of well-being. It's much more than quiet and calmness, much more than the absence of stress. It's much more than the 'peace' you and I wish each other, much more than no war, no conflict, no violence, no arguing, no loud voices and no red faces. It certainly is a peace that passes my own understanding. Shalom is something that won't come from wishing on a star or keeping the rules. It's nothing I can buy with wealth or power or prestige. It's a gift, a gift that was promised. It's something I keep searching for and hoping for, but something I know I can't have if you don't have it, you and all the yous out there in the world."

For a while in college and seminary I struggled with depression. The thing that made it hard was that I felt like my life really had been pretty good, and I didn't understand why I was feeling depressed, that I should be more joyful. And that led to a downward spiral of guilt and bad feelings. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way I didn't feel depressed anymore. I still struggle with feelings of guilt and depression, but it doesn't get in the way of other things like before. But I still felt like I was "this close" to happiness...close, but not quite there. It was like I knew there was this feeling, but I wasn't quite feeling it. Sometimes in this time of year when the dark part of the day gets longer, I get this almost restless feeling, like I'm waiting for something, or waiting to get something that isn't coming soon.

Yesterday, Jeff preached about Joy. He talked about how Joy isn't a feeling of perpetual happiness. He said Joy isn't putting on a smiley face for the person who asks how you are when you're really struggling and in agony inside.

I think hearing what Jeff had to say yesterday and reading the Preface to this book today, I realize that maybe Joy isn't those fleeting, happy moments, or trying to preserve those feelings. Maybe it's knowing that we're all searching for, trying to create, and trying to hold onto those joy-filled moments, hoping for a time when they don't go away, when everyone experiences the same Shalom. And until then, we have to experience those low times to appreciate and long for and truly yearn for the true Peace and Joy.

Dial-a-story

Jeff has an entry on his blog about Dial-a-story, which you should read. You should also call the number, just so you get some perspective. It's definitely one of those things that will make you go "hmmm......"

Changes

It seems I have done it again. Somehow I get on these dry spells of blogging. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about...workshops in Kansas City and ideas from that, the Clinger 5k, Christmas in September (what!?!), Chicago Marathon, blah blah blah. I just haven't found a good way to share about it all.

So I'm thinking today about fall. It very much looks like fall outside my window, but it didn't so much feel like fall when I left the house this morning. It looks like I should wear pants and a light sweater, but it feels like I should wear capris and a short-sleeved shirt. So today I wear what feels right.

When Jeff and I ran yesterday, I saw a tree right across the street from our house that has turned a beautiful shade of dark dark red. It was the first time I had seen the tree, not because it changed all of a sudden, but because we have had our blinds closed to the gray of outside. Many times at work, I find myself gazing out the window, and have noticed the brown, orange, and yellow leaves on the ground all of a sudden this week.

It's almost as if fall is playing hide and seek, showing some glimpses of itself every now and then, and quickly ducking back behind summer. It makes me think about how we need those times in our lives of transition, when we are aware that things are changing, but we can't yet see the change or what is to come. It's not quite the heat of summer, and it is not yet the cold of winter. May you find comfort in the midst of your changing season, however you find yourself.

This Day in History

...or happy 22nd birthday Super Mario Brothers. It was "one of the first side-scrolling platform games" and is the best-selling video game of all time according to The Guiness Book of World Records.

Now, I am not what a person might call a video game afficianado-- I don't know what the alternatives were are or to side-scrolling video games. But I did take a few turns at SMB at my cousins' house every now and then. I much preferred Duck Hunt, I was way better at shooting fake ducks and discs than rescuing princesses. And now I have a thing about not liking guns, but for some reason that game didn't seem to count.

I've lately been very interested in the "This Day in History" stuff. I'm of the mind that you have to know where you've been to know where you're going. Not a great mantra for driving, but I think it works most other times. While I believe that very strongly, I didn't enjoy history in school until a class I took in college. No offense, but maybe it was the teachers and the way it was taught. I didn't even retain much from my music history class. I think I just like knowing the stories and the way things connect rather than having to remember when specifically something happened. So if you ask me at some point in the future what day Super Mario Brothers was released I won't know. But I can remember it and appreciate how far video gaming has come since then.

Is it really this bad?

This is another post about a blog I read, worshipideas.blogspot.com. Don Chapman is the blogger, and he has several websites that are really fantastic resources. You can read his latest blog at the kink above. Basically, he is bemoaning the fact that "good worship leaders are hard to find." It sounds to me like he has had a run-in with a person who leads worship and has fallen from the wagon on some issue or another. He sites some examples of folks who have been fired from their position, mostly for reasons pertaining to their personal life, and then hired by another church who knows about their checkered past.

My issue with his post has several layers.
#1--What about grace and forgiveness? Hate the sin, love the sinner; forgive 70x7 times, and all that.

#2--Are "good" worship leaders really that rare? And if so, what does that say for the worship of the people they are charged with leading?

#3--Am I one of the good ones, or the unknowing bad ones? I'm not looking for compliments or patting myself on the back here, I'm really curious. It's a soul-searching question.

#4--How can the Church raise up and encourage good worship leaders?

Unfortunately, more often that not I "hear" leaders in the church moaning about the fact that "their" worship is losing ground. Traditionalists are scared that many schools are cutting organ programs and so organists are harder and harder to find, especially good, trained ones who are sensitive to worship needs instead of a recital each week. Contemporary (what I would venture to call "boomer") worship folks like Don are scared of the same thing for worship and music leaders in their services. Choir directors continue to see numbers shrink as the average age increases.

Many folks see the worship pendulum swinging back toward traditional worship, especially with the interest in ancient-future worship and the emerging/emergent church and worship movements. No one knows where we are headed. My hope is that no matter what "style" our worship ends up looking like, I just hope that we can continue to have integrity in our worship and continue to reach out to the "least, lost, and last" in our churches and communities.

Praying the Psalms

One of the blogs I subscribe to is a daily devotional based on a Psalm. It starts at one and cycles through them numerically, then starts again on one. Today's reading was Psalm 42. It is one of the Psalms of lament, in which the author cries out to God, this time feeling deserted by God. As I was reading this, it really resonated with me. It speaks to my frustration in leading worship when I don't feel like worshiping myself--how in the world am I supposed to lead other people in worship when I am not in a "worship mood" yourself? Those days when there were sound issues caused by the gremlins that no one knows how it happened or why, or when I'm just plain in a bad mood? In a more broad sense, how, as a leader in any context, do you lead during the times you feel more like following someone else's lead?

For me, it's those days when I'm tempted to just shut up and sing, which is different from the days when I don't know what to say so I don't say much. It's a challenge for me, but I'm learning that it is those same days when "my soul wants to sing the blues" that I have to trust that God can still use me.

That's what I love about the Psalms--the ones singing God's praise are right next to the ones crying out to God in anger, frustration, sadness, worry, you name it. They are both healthy reactions as they balance each other out. How do you find balance in your relationship with God?

St. Louis pictures

Below is a slide show of pictures from our trip to see my sister, Erin, and her boyfriend, Jay, last weekend in St. Louis.

Re-centering

Today I did something I'm ashamed to say I haven't done for a while. I spent some time in devotion with The Upper Room Devotional Guide. Usually, I come in to work and start checking email or doing things on my to-do list. Today, however, I read a passage in Proverbs about seeking Wisdom in God, read the short devotion for today in the guide, then I spent some time praying. It was really refreshing, and I forget how centering and focusing it is. I think sometimes that I should have this fabulously strong faith and belief since I work in a church and lead worship, that I should be the example for the congregation and the world. Most of the time, it seems it is the other way around for me. I know that places a lot of guilt and expectation on me, some of which is unreasonable and self-centered. But the reality is, I can't lead or plan worship well when I am not seeking a deeper relationship with God. No matter if your belief about the Bible, whether it is literal or not, it is still full of time-tested truths that help us in our search for the Truth, and connecting with God is vital to connecting with others in worship. And that's something I want to do more and better.

Copyright

I belong to an email list called "Methodist Musicians." As the name suggests, it is for musicians, but is not limited to Methodists. There are always a variety of discussion threads, some of which have a habit of recurring every now and then. Today (or maybe yesterday) it was copyright law. Now, this is pretty much the bane of any musician's existence. It is so convoluted that not even publishing companies can/will give you a straight, correct answer that would not be contradicted by the same company in the future. We're talking about not letting couples record their wedding, not allowing parents to record their child's first solo, not recording the service to take to shut-ins, buying at least two copies of anything for a soloist to play, and buying one copy per notebook for the band. All of this on a limited budget in a church that currently is existing in a deficit situation, but wants new, fresh music for worship.

The thing is, I know why the copyright law exists--it is, in the best sense, to protect the composer/artists who write the songs and to provide them with fair compensation for their work. No one is arguing that this is a bad thing. But we have gotten ourselves into a whole stinking mess, and some of it has to do with new technologies. Probably before the advent of computers or copiers this was less of a problem, but I can't know that for sure. And stuff on the internet is its own mess and a half.

All I know is that if I find a song I want the band to play, for instance, and it is not in a "comfortable" singing or playing key, I can't just change the chords and move on with my life. So the bottom line is, I will try to comply and understand why it is the way it is, and still curse its existence. :-)

Happy 18th!

No, it's not my 18th birthday. I reached a new low in my weight-loss! I suppose one could argue that technically since I had previously surpassed this weight, that it is not in fact a new low, but that's how I'm looking at it. Yesterday when I weighed myself I was down 18 pounds since January 1! Woo hoo! That's pretty exciting! I'm wearing clothes in sizes I haven't worn since high school, and that's fun! I feel really good, have more energy, and although I wouldn't say I lacked confidence, I feel a renewed sense of self-confidence.

So, that's about it, but I'm pretty excited about that! :-D

Cubs game

Yesterday, Trish and I went to the Cubs game. Jeff and I were offered tickets but he couldn't go since he's on the mission trip. They were great seats! Trish took tons of pictures. You can see some of them below. Dennis Miller sang at the 7th inning stretch, and little boy behind us got a foul ball that was hit toward us. After the game we headed back to catch the SouthShore train and found we had an hour and a half to kill before the next train, so we walked around Millennium Park, played at the bean for a while, and watched the kids at the face fountains. Fun times!! It was really great to have some girl time!

VBS pics

New Car

This is our new car. I think Jeff has named it "Baby Jay" (short for Jayhawk....)

planes, cars, and hot air balloons

Cars
After much searching, waiting, phone calls, and emails, last night Jeff and I purchased a new car. It is a Nissan Versa, sapphire blue. It's pretty cute and zippy! I don't have pictures yet, but if I can remember I'll take some tonight and post.

Planes and Hot Air Balloons
This week is VBS week at the church. Our theme is "Lift off!" and I'm in charge of "Sky Songs" along with my fabulous youth helpers. Lindsey, Michelle, and Amanda are absolutely fantastic. Their energy keeps me going. Wednesday is usually the hardest day...I really felt like I was dragging myself in this morning. There are a lot of motions to the songs this year, lots of jumping (as we "lift off," get it?), so it is pretty much like three hours of aerobics every day this week! It is so much fun to watch the kids and to see their enthusiasm. It's neat to see the "vbs kids," the ones who don't regularly come to our church, but we see them every year at VBS. I hope that we truly help build a foundation for them that lasts for years beyond.

And now I'm going home to take a nap. :-D

Anniversary pics

Here are some pictures from our anniversary celebration.

At the top of the first crest of the trail at Indiana Dunes.




Relaxing after hiking through the sand dunes.




At the Round Barn vineyard in Michigan.




Putting our feet in Lake Michigan at New Buffalo, MI.

Sold!

Last night Jeff and I sold our 1995 Honda Accord to Carmax. I found myself being strangely emotional about it as I drove behind him, thinking back to when we were a one-car, just-married couple. We took that car on our honeymoon, where we were hit in a post office parking lot. It took several trips between Evanston and Kansas, then Whiting and Kansas. Probably there is still some of Kayla's hair in it--that was the car we used to transport her. Good times.

It felt like such an "adult" thing to do, selling the car. Neither of us had sold a car before last night. I find myself having more and more of these "adult" moments and I think that must mean that I'm an adult, and I know I am, but it sometimes feels weird to call myself an adult. And I feel oh-so-cliche that it does.

Tomorrow we will test-drive Nissan Versas and Mazda 3, both hatchback--excuse me, 5 door.

I would be willing to bet that as long as we can find what we want, we will have a new car before the weekend is over. That's kind of how Jeff works. He gets fixated (he used the word "obsessed") and focused on something until it sometimes gets to the point when I want to say, look, just do it and get on with things. Not that it frustrates me, I just don't get that wrapped up in decisions. Ok, well, I like to mull over decisions for a while, but he can take it to a whole other level. And that's one of the things that I like about him. So my prediction is that we'll be a two-car couple again before the weekend is over, or at least by the time he leaves for Louisiana next Saturday.

Anniversary Celebration

Sunday and Monday Jeff and I went away to celebrate our fifth anniversary. Sometimes it feels like more, sometimes less, but always an adventure. It truly is a gift to be able to share life's adventures, ups and downs, with my best buddy! Lots of times I think I got the better end of the deal, but don't let on that I know. :-D

We started our time away by going to the Indiana Dunes and hiking a couple of the trails there. If you haven't been there, this is like huge piles of fine sand near Lake Michigan. I'm sure it's more than that, but that's what I saw. It was really neat to be in nature. Sometimes it felt like we were really out in the middle of nowhere and then we would pass other people. It was a nice change of pace! We decided to take the 1.5 mile "rugged" trail, and let me tell you, there were points on the trail that kicked my butt. Walking almost vertical up a hill of sand is not easy! These last couple of months of walking, biking, and running were really helpful in not having to stop as much on our way up the hills. Once we got to the Lake, we took a "moderate" trail, which was a good thing, because I'm not sure my knees could have finished the rugged trail.

We had a nice dinner and stayed at a lovely B&B in Valparaiso. Then Monday we headed up to Michigan to do some wine tasting! We did winery tours and wine tastings in Missouri for our honeymoon, so it brought back good memories. We went to a couple places we had found online, and a couple that were recommended by friends.

Between this weekend and our stop at Oliver on our way to Bloomington a few weeks ago, our wine rack is stocked to the point that we don't have room for all of our wine! Some of our friends helped us remedy that a little last night as we celebrated the 4th of July, but that is for another post.

short again

I did it. I guess to be completely accurate, I had Christopher do it. My hair is short again. Not as short as it was two years ago at my seminary graduation, but much shorter than it was yesterday. It's fun! But I do have a few post-haircut regrets, just from the change. Now when I start to doubt my decision, I have to remind myself that I can't undo it, and that I've been wanting to do it for a while now. So I'm learning again what it means to have short hair. Thinking differently about how to keep it out of my face since I can't pull it into a ponytail or clip (very well). I did adjust the amount of shampoo and conditioner I used, which I was proud of myself for doing in an odd way.

Here is me with my new short haircut....

Reinvigorating Singing

I seem to blog in spurts. Oh well. Here I go again.

I recently purchased and watched a dvd by Paul Baloche, who wrote the song "Open the Eyes of My Heart." It is an instructional workshop on worship vocals. They covered everything from microphone use and selection to blending, harmony, style, and warm-ups. The warm-up they recommended is the same one I use with my kids choir! It's fun. Anyway, I digress. It is fabulously done and I intend to share it with each of the vocalists in our worship band. I am also thinking alternatively of having a "showing" at my house for our vocalists along with popcorn and drinks.

After watching it, I also purchased the worship band workshop dvd. I plan on sharing this with the instrumentalists in the band.

I hope that watching these workshops will help to help us take the band to the next level in a way that I by myself cannot explain, incorporating ideas from everyone in the band.

I'm so proud of her!

This weekend I had the privilege to return to Kansas to watch and participate in my mom's ordination. This is the capstone to an 8-year adventure for her through seminary and the long, drawn out UMC ordination process.

I flew out Friday morning and stayed through Saturday evening. Got to watch her do her techie thing at annual conference, share just "us" time (which we don't get a lot of), and reconnect with some extended family at the ceremony and reception afterwards. Going home is fun, but the short trips like this make me wish we were closer. ah well....

North Indiana UMC Annual Conference

Long time, no post. I wouldn't say I've been too busy, but I just haven't really found anything to blog about.

I spent last week at North Indiana Annual Conference, the annual gathering of 1,000 United Methodist clergy and laity (the people in the pews) in the north half of Indiana. I was a candidate for representing the Conference at General Conference (once every 4 years the global UMC gathers) or Jurisdictional Conference (a gathering of north central US UMCs every 4 years, in the summer after General Conference). There was 1 young adult clergy and 1 lay youth elected to fill two of the 22 slots (10 clergy with 2 alternates, 10 laity with 2 alternates). Don't get me wrong, that's good, but it doesn't say much for raising up leaders from youth and young adults within north Indiana. There were also decisions passed and conversations about youth and youth adult ministries at Annual Conference that leave me feeling the neglect of my generation by the conference.

I'm not really one to talk about God "tugging on my heart strings." But if I were, I would think that was happening this week. I did a lot of complaining last week. It got to the point where I was asking myself why I continue to go to Annual Conference if I apparently don't like going. And I came to the conclusion that I want to be a part of the leadership of the conference, and I want to see the best of the conference. I want to see the ministry of the Young Adult council thrive, but I honestly don't see myself leading that. (I know, I know, every pastor and leader's nightmare--someone else who has ideas but doesn't want to carry them out.) But it's not that I don't want to carry them out, it's that I don't see my gifts in that area. I want to see the ministry thrive, so I'll be a part of the ministry, but I think others would be better at leading it. A cop out?....maybe, but that's where I am. So, I need to spend some time discerning how I want to get involved to a deeper level. Some prayers for that would be fantastic.

Hi-larious commercial

...once you forget the grossness of it.

I saw this commercial for Travelers Insurance last night while I was watching a Saturday Night Live special, and I laughed so hard I cried! I haven't laughed that hard in a looong time.

Seriously weird

I got this from my grandmother this morning. And as one who doesn't really relish forwarding forwards but still wanting to share it, here it is. It is crazy!

YOUR AGE BY EATING OUT

Don't cheat! It takes less than a minute. Work it out as you read. Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to eat out. (More than one but less than 10)


2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold.)


3. Add 5.


4. Multiply it by 50.


5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1757...
If you haven't, add 1756.


6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.






You should have a three digit number.








The first digit was your original number (i.e. how many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)

The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE!



This kind of stuff is absolutely crazy to me. I don't get it, but it fascinates me...I know, simple minds and all...but the part of me that almost wanted to be a math major in college really loves this stuff.

Miracles

The first of the next generation of my extended family arrived yesterday. My cousin, Kellie, gave birth to a baby girl, Maisie Ann. My uncle sent pictures, and they both look great! I'm looking forward to going over to Tinley this weekend to see them, if they're ready for visitors. (This means I'm horribly behind on the blanket I was working on for her, but don't tell her, because it's a secret.)

It's interesting to me. I've recently become very interested in the whole pregnancy-birth process. I just really don't understand how we come to be. And I also don't see how people can not believe in God or a higher power when looking at the miracle of life. Even as I look at my window at the grass that seems to have suddenly gone from brown to green, life is all around us. I can't believe it all came to be spontaneously. I just can't.

Sometimes I have a hard time really seeing God working in my life, especially as I'm looking at the present. But as I look at my life up to this point in retrospect, I can see so many ways that God has set my way for me. I'm not one to say God actively shapes my life, but that God knows me so intimately well that he already knows the decisions I will make. It's sort of a pre-destined free will, if that makes any sense. Some might argue it doesn't, but it definitely shows my Presbyterian upbringing coming out.

It is completely amazing to me that the God who made the universe in its vastness made even the gnat and all of intricacies of our ecosystem, and made sure that all of the different systems in our body to do the jobs they do that keep up moving and functioning in this world.

Slowing Down

This weekend I am playing bachelorette. (can I say that? well, I just did.) Jeff is in Phoenix for a friend's wedding. I was originally going to go with him, but it turns out that I would have only had two vacation days left for the rest of 2007 (since we went to NOLA). He did a really good job of not rubbing it in that he would be in gorgeous weather for the weekend. I think it's supposed to get warmer here, too, so I'm looking forward to maybe riding my bike this afternoon!

This week has been nice, especially compared to the craziness of last week. (I like Holy Week, but I'm glad it just comes once a year.) I've allowed myself some time away from work by taking Wednesday off. And although I went to work early after dropping Jeff off at the airport yesterday, I took some time in the middle of the day instead of being at the church for 10 hours straight. It feels really good to stray a little bit from my normal schedule. I even started the PowerPoint for Sunday early this week and actually finished it yesterday! That really is a rare thing. It almost feels weird to not have it hanging over my head. Weird, but still really nice.

It's nice every once in a while to set a schedule and not really have to worry about what someone else is doing or what we should be doing together. I'm not complaining, just enjoying the temporary change.

Easter doin's

In some ways, I am still trying to get my bearings after Easter Sunday and Holy Week. The worship committee and a few helpers hosted (I guess that's the word) a Seder drama. It was a lot of coordinating to make sure the various people had what they needed, and I'm thankful it's over. On Good Friday, Jeff preached at our tenebrae service, and I sang part of "Lord of the Dance." (Jeff had me stop at the Good Friday part of the song and not go to the Easter verse.) We had our normal three services on Easter, and I only had to worry about "my" service. I had two handbell ringers at the other two services, but they are pros who were fantastic on their own! After having a lovely Easter lunch at Applebee's, Jeff and I went home to watch some movies and relax.

We first watched Man of the Year (starring Robin Williams). It was ok and somewhat predictable, but a good mindless movie.

The next movie we watched was Fast Food Nation. Now, I have read the book, and when I saw they were making a movie based on it, I couldn't figure out how they would do that with any kind of a plot. I assumed it would be a documentary. Wrong. It was really good. They used all the information that Eric Schlosser included in the book, even showing the kill floor at the meat packaging plant. It had me thinking a lot about this high protein/low carbohydrate lifestyle that Jeff and I have been living for the last three months. Really what it boils down to is that it made me feel guilty. Which sucks because I really have been feeling healthy these last few months with paying attention to what I put in my body and exercising. I really hate feeling guilty.

The final movie we watched was An Inconvenient Truth. I don't really recommend watching the last two movies in the same day. I'm on a bit of a conscience overload. It's really a lot to process. Jeff and I went to the website for An Inconvenient Truth after we watched the movie, and there is a link to a place that you can buy carbon offsets. Unfortunately, we found that we produce more than the average American household in tons of carbon. Really, this surprised me. We drive together to work, we don't really travel all that much (except for trips back to Kansas). Our gas and electric bills were calculated in, and I suppose that if we were a three or four person household that we might not use that much more but that what we use would be divided between more people. But we figured up through the website how much we could pay to offset, and while it isn't as good as not having the output in the first place, it is a start for us while we continue to educate ourselves.

So our Easter was nice and relaxing, but not really what I would call mental "down time." At the same time, maybe in the midst of my winding down from the craziness of Easter, I experienced my own resurrection of conscience that afternoon.

Changed a Tire

After more than 11 years of having my driver's license, today I learned how to change a tire for the first time. Sad? Possibly, but better that I learn today than not at all. And here I thought we were done having car issues. We finally got both cars to pass the emissions tests so we can now get our license plates (which expired March 15th, so we have temporary permits) and here we have a flat tire. In the grand scheme of things, I know this is not major, and I know that we are blessed to be able to afford a car for each of us. However, I'm done with messing with cars for a while.

Peace out.

New Orleans

Last week Jeff and I took a vacation with our sisters down to the New Orleans area. We worked Tuesday through Thursday and then headed down to the French Quarter to play for the weekend. We spent St. Patrick's Day down there, and even got to be in a "parade!" (Ok, so we joined a wedding party processing down the street, but whatever!) Below is the family we worked for in Slidell, the Atlows (minus Brandon and Erica, who were working).

We were blessed to work with Carl Bauer, a man from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who was in week three of the six weeks he planned to be in Slidell helping with hurricane recovery. In the picture, he's holding up the baby he found in the King Cake that Megan brought for us. That means he's throwing the next Mardi Gras party!

There is still so much clean up and restoration to be done that it truly is overwhelming, even a year and a half after the hurricane. The good news is that the two women whose houses we worked on in September had been moved back into their houses before Christmas! There are moments of hope in the midst of the devastation. It makes me proud to be a part of an organization that has promised to be there for the 10-12 years predicted to recover. (UMCOR, the disaster recovery agency of The United Methodist Church, has made the commitment.)

I'm so glad we made the trip with our sisters, truly one we will talk about and remember for years to come. We made some good memories!

Jeff and I have been on Atkins for a little over two months now. Jeff has lost about 26 pounds, and I have lost 10. Woo hoo! Even though I had read the book and can see and feel the results, there was still that guilty part of me that thought "most of the world thinks this is bad for me." But then, deet-de-de-dee (imagine a trumpet), lo and behold yesterday a study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that says women like me achieved better weight loss and health results while on Atkins. Not that I doubted before, but it was just nice to see more support. Dr. Mary Vernon, a family friend, is kind of the new Dr. Atkins and you can read her blog here. Also, you can read the report from her blog here.

On an unrelated note, Jeff and I are getting ready to be on vacation, which means that we have bunches of things to get done before we leave (which I am currently not doing). We're going on a trip with our sisters, and this will be the first trip that the four of us have taken together. I'm really excited! Kayla will have a live-in buddy for the week, so that's a plus since we won't have to feel guilty about her being in the kennel. In the meantime, trying to cram two weeks of work into one is exhausting. Makes me really long for the vacation!

Why?

Why do you do what you do?

Monday I led Dalit. I was originally going to lead last Monday, but we had technical difficulties and no one to lead this week, so we postponed me. So Monday we watched Nooma 004--"Sunday." It asks the question why we do the things we do--what are our intentions? Rob Bell, who leads the series, uses the example of bringing flowers to his wife. If he acted like it was no big deal and it was his duty as husband, she no longer wants th flowers. He equated this with God. If we only give to God because we're suppose to, it isn't genuine, and God doesn't want it. If we only do things, at home or anywhere, because we have to, where is the joy? Don't get me wrong--we have to do some things, we don't have a choice, and we don't like them. But can you find joy in them?


Why do you go to church (if you do)? Why do you go to your church? For all the things that bug you, why do you keep doing them? Are there empty rituals in your life? How can you bring meaning back to these routines and rituals?

A seminary professor of mine had one suggestions. Several of us were talking about how we didn't feel like we had time to pray and fulfill our spiritual needs. He suggested reclaiming time for daily prayer or devotions in other ways. He suggested using your time in the shower as a personal renewal time--renewal of baptism or some other form. As you're washing, you can think of giving yourself that rejuvination for your soul as well as your skin.

I don't think it is bad to have routines and rituals--we need them as humans. It is when we have lost the meaning in them that becomes dangerous. There is a certain comfort in not having to think about what it means when we say the Lord's Prayer--you just say it. But we also need to be reminded of what we really are saying and what it means.

Why do you do what you do?

Youth Sunday

Yesterday was Youth Sunday at Ridge Church. The youth read scripture, led prayers and music, and preached. They did a great job! Of course, nerves were an issue, but that's to be expected. I was a nervous wreck because I played piano for a violin duet, and I think that was the first time I have ever accompanied instruments. Plus, the whole youth group sang a song for Offering at all three services. For all of the struggling I've done to get youth at choir and bell rehearsals, it was really neat to have so many voices!

Again tonight I will be stepping out of my comfort zone to lead at Dalit tonight. We'll be watching a Nooma video from Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan. They're short videos, each on a different topic. This week is the fourth time we have used them for Dalit. Tonight I plan on giving us enough time to get out of our back room at Rodney's and play pool, GoldenTee, darts, or whatever.

I don't really like leading discussions. I feel like, if I had wanted to do that, I would have been a teacher or pastor, or something other than a musician. I like using other people's words--it's less work and less intimidating. Maybe it's lazy, too, but whatever, it works for me.

On an unrelated note, my weatherbug says its 39.7 degrees outside! That's warmer than it's been here in forever! I hope some of this snow melts.

Snow Day

Today was a snow day for Highland (our town), Munster (where we work), and pretty much everywhere else. Word from folks who have spent lots of years in Da Region is that Highland and Munster never close, so this was a monumental day. Yesterday we got a lot of snow, possibly the most snow I've ever seen in one day. This was our street this morning when we walked the dog.....



Not plowed yet because all the other more major roads were worse. And this is the pile of snow moved from between rows of garages.....



Between our house and garage is a small patio, about 12' square or so (I'm bad at guessing distances). Anyway, when we walked the dog this morning we had to go out the front door because there was so much snow piled against our back door that we couldn't open it. The next picture is from the garage looking into the patio, (not really a drift here) and then our grill, which lives on the patio....

For some people, that might not be a lot of snow, but it is for this city-girl from Kansas.

The great thing about it being a snow day was that today is also Jeff's birthday! So we got to be at home for his birthday together! We did some work, ate lunch, then I dropped him off at Border's while I went to the grocery store for a top-secret surprise. I made him a flourless chocolate cake since we're watching sugar and carbs. He was on to me a little bit, but he started doubting toward the end! It's pretty hard to surprise your loved one with a chocolate cake when he's in the house as you're baking it. But he stayed out of eye range and was surprised after all! We had a lovely dinner of rosemary salmon and green beans, with the cake for dessert. I'm so excited about being able to use the internet for low-carb or carb-free recipes! It was such a great day, and the end is great, too, cuz the Jayhawks are playing the Buffalos right now!

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm sure all the snow ruined some people's plans for Valentine's Day whether they were stuck at an airport or whatever, but I have to say that I loved it!!

Back in the saddle

Well, here I go again. I think this is officially the fourth time I have established a website in my lifetime for getting my thoughts out to the world. Yep, it's the fourth.

Right now it's snowing outside. Isn't it interesting how we have insulated ourselves from the elements? I'm so thankful for the walls, windows, and roof that is currently keeping me from becoming a part of the snow drifts outside my window. Makes me think about people who aren't so lucky. But I don't always think about them during the nice weather, just when it's convenient for me. On the news I heard this morning about all of the accidents and slow-going on Chicago-land roadways, but not so much about the people trying to find shelter. Admittedly, there has been some coverage since it has been so blasted cold recently, but what action happens when the news station interviews a shelter worker? Are people coaxed into action? I'm inclined to think no. We hunker down and think "I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that."

Which brings me randomly to another question: why do we build cities in places where the weather gets to crappy? Not that it's perfect anywhere, but seriously, why build where snow, volcanoes, whatever other weather-ness can bring life to a halt, literally and figuratively? Is there anywhere with really perfect conditions? I don't know. Weather fascinates me. If I could stomach it, I would love to be a storm tracker, but really thunderstorms, and tornadoes freak me out waaay too much to be actively putting myself in their paths.

Welcome to my blog, my corner of the www. :-)