Merry Late Christmas.
I would have written sooner, but obviously, as the youngest of 6 kids (all of the siblings being married with kids) Christmas around here was insane. I drove home last Tuesday for the holiday. It should have taken an hour and a half but ended up taking 3 hours due to the fact that I couldn't go above 40 mph because of the condition of the roads. Not good.
Mark and Jill got here the next day with Alden and Micah (2 year old girls, you will be eating your hearts out in 10 years...). It was awesome to see all of them. Everyone else rolled into the house at will, as per the usual. Christmas always whirls by me and before I knew it, I was driving back on Friday afternoon to be at work by 3pm.
I worked Friday and Saturday nights and then on Sunday had a much more enjoyable ride back home to my parent's house. I talked to Rob, my eldest brother for a good chunk of the trip, which was nice since he didn't make it home for Christmas this year. It had been a while since I had sat and had a good conversation with him, so there was a lot of catching up to do. Not to mention, the cross-generation translating that has to take place! (I love you, brother Robby :P )
I hung up with him as I was coming over the last hill into Burlington, the land where people older than you are still referred to as "Mr./Mrs. SoandSo." Every time I drive home on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I get a little bit nostalgic and somewhat swept away with the romanticism of the moments. I was driving southeast into town so the warm hues of the 5 o'clock setting sun were hitting me through my review mirror and reflecting off of the golden cut fields of corn. I passed Mormon Road and that little white house on the right that seems to grow more and more dilapidated every time I drive past it. I'm never really sure if the house is getting older or if everything else around it is getting newer. It's probably both. I passed the bridge that Carolyn and I got stuck under in a canoe when the water was too high. I passed the church I grew up in and remembered the oppressive heat of summer sermons on my mom's lap, chewing old sticks of Extra bubble gum from the man in front of me and playing with my dad's dove tie pin. Every once in a while, she would get out her nail file and let me push her cuticles back to keep me occupied. I drove past the old library, where I used to go with Cassie from the house across the street to Book Night. We would come home after dark on those first nights in October when the sky is slightly covered by spindling clouds that chase each other past the moon and my imagination would run away with me to the thoughts of scary stories and the cemetery behind our neighborhood.
And then I pulled into our driveway. And mom and dad were there to greet me like they always are. And I was home. And the thousands of thoughts that had attacked me driving in left themselves rest on the doorstep so that I could just relax and slink down into the warmth of a blanket and our deep purple couch.
Carolyn's 25th birthday was today and so I headed over to her parent's house for the Annual Fondue dinner. Every year, her parents have family and me over for Carolyn's favorite meal...fondue. I have been participating in this since her 12th birthday. We joked about her cat. Filled her inlaws in on old stories. And then, a newer addition to the evening, sat outside in their hot tub and talked and watched the stars. Jean and Larry joked about how I would still drop everything on her 40th birthday to come back for the dinner...and he's right. Carolyn is the friend that I will always have no matter what happens, where I go or who she marries. :P She's like the 7th child in my family. I'm their other daughter. Everyone should have that 2nd family. It teaches you about your own.
Anyway, it's back to Madison for me tomorrow and back to the reality of Freeze Week. I have this theory about the week in between Christmas and New Years that it is sort of the black hole week. In the midst of it, I realize it's happening but it always seems like it doesn't happen. Sort of like Vegas...what happens in Freeze Week stays in Freeze Week.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Snow Frisbee
Yesterday I played a game of Ultimate Frisbee --tackle style in the 10 inches of snow that we got up here. I think I am better when we play in the snow. And actually, it makes sense--I'm not afraid of the lay out process because there is something soft and pillowy there to catch me. All in all, it was a good time.
I got to see Dunkin while we were playing though. It was so good to see him. I didn't know he was going to be in town, so the surprise was excellent. We sat in the snow for a bit and chatted about his TFA experience thus far. He seems to be in a completely different world. Well, he IS in a completely different world, I guess. But it's odd--when he's bad, it doesn't seem like it's actually happening. I'm not sure if this happens with all of my friends that move away and then come back to visit or what, but it's an odd little feeling. But we got to talk about the difficulty of being a friend to students and a figure of authority, which was interesting because it's something that I've been thinking about also with tutoring. It's a hard line to walk and very often, I don't know which side to default to. But I think, more often than not, I want to drop on the authority side, which is good to know if I get into TFA. (I really should be working on that essay instead of writing this.)
Whoops...I had to leave to go to Christi's graduation dinner and forgot about this so I'll just throw this up now and come back to another post later.
I got to see Dunkin while we were playing though. It was so good to see him. I didn't know he was going to be in town, so the surprise was excellent. We sat in the snow for a bit and chatted about his TFA experience thus far. He seems to be in a completely different world. Well, he IS in a completely different world, I guess. But it's odd--when he's bad, it doesn't seem like it's actually happening. I'm not sure if this happens with all of my friends that move away and then come back to visit or what, but it's an odd little feeling. But we got to talk about the difficulty of being a friend to students and a figure of authority, which was interesting because it's something that I've been thinking about also with tutoring. It's a hard line to walk and very often, I don't know which side to default to. But I think, more often than not, I want to drop on the authority side, which is good to know if I get into TFA. (I really should be working on that essay instead of writing this.)
Whoops...I had to leave to go to Christi's graduation dinner and forgot about this so I'll just throw this up now and come back to another post later.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Appalling
So another blog that I read brought this video to my attention. It's from a church in Kansas.
So much for Advent Conspiracy, eh?
I am not even sure what to do with this. I know that it makes me incredibly sad. It would be easy for me to say that these people are the reason why so many people hate the Church. But I know better. This doesn't help, but when push comes to shove, we're all at fault for the way people view the Church today.
I guess some are just a little more public about it...
Also, it's a snow day so look for more posts from me today :P
So much for Advent Conspiracy, eh?
I am not even sure what to do with this. I know that it makes me incredibly sad. It would be easy for me to say that these people are the reason why so many people hate the Church. But I know better. This doesn't help, but when push comes to shove, we're all at fault for the way people view the Church today.
I guess some are just a little more public about it...
Also, it's a snow day so look for more posts from me today :P
Friday, December 12, 2008
Escape
I'm not sure if it's just the fact that winter is closing in on me (despite loving the change in seasons) or what but I am feeling continually more and more like I am being backed into a corner and need to escape from it. I'm not sure where it's stemming from yet. I guess I'll have to figure that out more as I go.
We had our annual Holiday Family dinner tonight. It was good to be with friends, though it was entirely different from last year. And that's fine. I don't mind change. In fact, I welcome change.
I just wish I felt like I was changing with it.
We had our annual Holiday Family dinner tonight. It was good to be with friends, though it was entirely different from last year. And that's fine. I don't mind change. In fact, I welcome change.
I just wish I felt like I was changing with it.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
This could potentially get me in some trouble
Ok. I am about to rant about something that could potentially get me into a lot of trouble, but I really want some feedback on it, so here it goes.
So relationships are tough. We meet people, we like people, we date people, and we inevitable break up or get married. Right?
So there is a view out there (and this may carry over for guys in specific ways, but I'm not sure, so for the sake of argument, I'm going to stick with the feminine view) that we deserve this and that out of a guy. I am thoroughly bothered by this view. When did we gain such entitlement?
There is so much wrong with this view! I can't even stand it sometimes. I've succumbed to this so many times and I'm fairly certain that it has created what people now call "Peter Pan syndrome" which is basically that men don't want to grow up and become men, along with all of the responsibility that it carries.
The idea that I deserve someone who will be good to me, love me, desire me, etc. is one that flirts with a dangerous line.
It sets girls up with the idea that there is a "perfect" guy out there for you. This idea is trite and inaccurate.
And it sets guys up for failure. The day that they don't do a good job loving me or being good to me, they fail.
I'm not saying that we should up and be with guys that are awful to us. This is not at all what I am saying. There is a small but HUGE difference, though, in saying the previous area of entitlement and saying "I deserve someone who is right for me." This we, as all people, do deserve if we chose to go the marriage route.
Saying that someone doesn't live up to your standards puts a label on them that doesn't neccessarily hold true for the next girl. Maybe the next girl brings out different characteristics in him that are better for her, innately creating in him the ability to be the right one for her.
Not to mention, the idea that we deserve this can carry over into our attitudes toward grace. We deserve nothing that we are given. It all flows from the source of all good things. And not just good things...but good things that are right for us.
I realize this last paragraph is a little vague but I'm not sure I feel like delving into the correlation's right now. Maybe I'll come back to it later.
Ok, feel free to rip me a new one now if I am wrong on this.
So relationships are tough. We meet people, we like people, we date people, and we inevitable break up or get married. Right?
So there is a view out there (and this may carry over for guys in specific ways, but I'm not sure, so for the sake of argument, I'm going to stick with the feminine view) that we deserve this and that out of a guy. I am thoroughly bothered by this view. When did we gain such entitlement?
There is so much wrong with this view! I can't even stand it sometimes. I've succumbed to this so many times and I'm fairly certain that it has created what people now call "Peter Pan syndrome" which is basically that men don't want to grow up and become men, along with all of the responsibility that it carries.
The idea that I deserve someone who will be good to me, love me, desire me, etc. is one that flirts with a dangerous line.
It sets girls up with the idea that there is a "perfect" guy out there for you. This idea is trite and inaccurate.
And it sets guys up for failure. The day that they don't do a good job loving me or being good to me, they fail.
I'm not saying that we should up and be with guys that are awful to us. This is not at all what I am saying. There is a small but HUGE difference, though, in saying the previous area of entitlement and saying "I deserve someone who is right for me." This we, as all people, do deserve if we chose to go the marriage route.
Saying that someone doesn't live up to your standards puts a label on them that doesn't neccessarily hold true for the next girl. Maybe the next girl brings out different characteristics in him that are better for her, innately creating in him the ability to be the right one for her.
Not to mention, the idea that we deserve this can carry over into our attitudes toward grace. We deserve nothing that we are given. It all flows from the source of all good things. And not just good things...but good things that are right for us.
I realize this last paragraph is a little vague but I'm not sure I feel like delving into the correlation's right now. Maybe I'll come back to it later.
Ok, feel free to rip me a new one now if I am wrong on this.
Friday, December 5, 2008
i love this
http://www.tomsshoes.com/
For every pair of shoes bought, they donate a pair to a child who needs shoes. How awesome is that??!
Shoes.
How ridiculous is that? How often do you put on one of your 4839208 pairs of shoes and think about the fact that you have them? How often do you look at where your clothing was made and wondering if it came from a factory in China that tried to organize a union only to have the union director taken outside and his knees broken? How often do we look at our fruit and wonder if it came from a sustaining community in Honduras (Dole...grr...) and wonder if the people in the field for 14 hours a day are making enough to feed their own family. Ironic, right?
I sure don't think about it enough. And it makes me mad that I don't.
For every pair of shoes bought, they donate a pair to a child who needs shoes. How awesome is that??!
Shoes.
How ridiculous is that? How often do you put on one of your 4839208 pairs of shoes and think about the fact that you have them? How often do you look at where your clothing was made and wondering if it came from a factory in China that tried to organize a union only to have the union director taken outside and his knees broken? How often do we look at our fruit and wonder if it came from a sustaining community in Honduras (Dole...grr...) and wonder if the people in the field for 14 hours a day are making enough to feed their own family. Ironic, right?
I sure don't think about it enough. And it makes me mad that I don't.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
7 degrees of separation
I feel like everyone I have met for the last year has been from the Fox Valley area. Some of them have been connected but for the vast majority, they have been separate from one another.
Are you all multiplying or was there just a mass exodus?
Are you all multiplying or was there just a mass exodus?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Written for Advent Conspiracy
Grow Pregnant with God
I've been pondering the 4 aspects of the Advent Conspiracy fairly consistently over the last week or so, as it seems to be coming up a lot (go figure) and seem to be caught in the mud on one in particular. "Spend less" and "Give more" are fairly easy to grasp. "Love all" will always be one of those lofty concepts to me. But "Worship fully" is another story.
Around this time every year, a discussion inevitably arises about how exactly Mary became pregnant. I'm not sure why this continually comes up around me, but it's lead to some rather humorous discussions at times. And still, at other times, it has lead to some of the greatest, most thought-provoking ideas.
In Luke 1, we hear the story of Mary finding out the news that she is going to give birth to the Son of God. What is so special about this account, though, is that it is the only place where we hear Mary's reaction to the news. And what does she do? She worships God. She glorifies and rejoices in the Lord. She is not facing easy circumstances, but she reflects on the joy of Him.
Thomas Hoffman writes much better about this than I ever could in A Child in Winter:
"Standing at the threshold of another Advent we begin our season of growth and expectation - a time to secret ourselves with Mary, to join our hearts with hers, and to grow pregnant with God together. God invites us to a quiet place of reflection and bounty. This Advent, choose some time for silence. Make space within yourself to grow large with the abundance of God's favor. Make this a time to fill your lungs deeply with God so that you can breathe Christ into the world."
May we take time to reflect on Him this Advent and learn what it is to worship fully.
I've been pondering the 4 aspects of the Advent Conspiracy fairly consistently over the last week or so, as it seems to be coming up a lot (go figure) and seem to be caught in the mud on one in particular. "Spend less" and "Give more" are fairly easy to grasp. "Love all" will always be one of those lofty concepts to me. But "Worship fully" is another story.
Around this time every year, a discussion inevitably arises about how exactly Mary became pregnant. I'm not sure why this continually comes up around me, but it's lead to some rather humorous discussions at times. And still, at other times, it has lead to some of the greatest, most thought-provoking ideas.
In Luke 1, we hear the story of Mary finding out the news that she is going to give birth to the Son of God. What is so special about this account, though, is that it is the only place where we hear Mary's reaction to the news. And what does she do? She worships God. She glorifies and rejoices in the Lord. She is not facing easy circumstances, but she reflects on the joy of Him.
Thomas Hoffman writes much better about this than I ever could in A Child in Winter:
"Standing at the threshold of another Advent we begin our season of growth and expectation - a time to secret ourselves with Mary, to join our hearts with hers, and to grow pregnant with God together. God invites us to a quiet place of reflection and bounty. This Advent, choose some time for silence. Make space within yourself to grow large with the abundance of God's favor. Make this a time to fill your lungs deeply with God so that you can breathe Christ into the world."
May we take time to reflect on Him this Advent and learn what it is to worship fully.
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