Friday!

I am amazed that it is Friday already! This week off went sooo fast. I'm finishing it up by scrapbooking (still) and watching rent. Mike and I are heading to his parents for dinner tonight (pizza) and then back home to watch the Bourne Supremacy (we watched Identity last night) and then to bed. Tomorrow we are up for brunch for LaVerle at Ken and Linda's then I am taking a cooking class with mom and megan. Then we are going to watch see Boune Ultimatum in the theaters!

Okay, I want to get through Ann's wedding and the pictures that I have before 5 pm.

vacation?

So I am on vacation this week. From Friday the 12th at around 4 pm through Sunday the 21 at around 4 pm, I am off completely. I am trying to take it easy and relax. How is that going you may wonder? If you know me, you know not well.
Thus far I have:
done serious laundry.
attended 5 year reunion party at the Local.
attended 5 year homecoming football game at Gustavus.
attended post party at Patricks, caught up with old boss Jesse.
went to church at TLC.
went to brunch with Mom, Dad, Mike, Megan, and Taylor.
spent Mike's money at Baker.
made cookies.
scrapbooked (really).
worked on contracts for extrava.
cleaned out file drawer.
cleaned out refridgerator (ick),
went to the brand new Target. may have to consider switching target allegience.
read 3 books.
watched Phantom of the Opera. am stunned that phantom is also lead guy in 300.
scrapbooked some more (yup, still on the trip to DC. I'm slow. And kinda plain.)
sent birthday card to Holly.
washed sheets, mattress pad. added electric blanket to bed (yippee).
attended Mike's basketball game.

and now, tonight, going out for Holly's birthday, going to association meeting, going to wayzata - edina football game.
tomorrow all day with Taylor. Meeting Christina and Ella, meeting mom, G and G, shopping with Mom and Taylor.
Friday having lunch with Angie and hanging out with Tiffany and the boys
Saturday brunch with Wilkens, cooking class with Mom and Megan.
Sunday back to work.

I am feeling relaxed, but also really wanting to go somewhere. Really anywhere would be fine!

Irish Soda Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup raisins
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan. Sift together the dry ingredients. Using a food processor with the steel blade or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Blen in the raisins. Beat the egg, buttermilk, and sour cream togetheri until blended. Stir the egg mixture into the dry mixture until just blended. Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

From The Cereal Murders

The Religion

I just finished a great book titled The Religion by Tim Willocks. It was an intense, violent, romantic, sweeping book, a historical fiction journey through the siege of Malta in the 1580s.

A much better book than I had expected. By the first chapter I was hooked.

Supposedly it is part of a trilogy, which would excited me!

Taco Bell

So I have been craving Taco Bell for about 3 weeks now, it just never fit into my schedule/plans to grab some. I thought I was going to a networking lunch today but am just not in the mood to spend $8 of my own money (for a work function nonetheless) for a tasteless pizza buffet. So I am killing a little time at the library, then heading to the bank, and then I'm going to Taco Bell on my way to work. Kind of sad that I am killing time just for a meal, but I am really excited about it.

What can I say, you can't beat lunch for under $3.


Speaking of the library, have I mentioned how much I enjoy the library? We get all of our movies from the library for free, I read a ton of great books, plus they have museum passes where you and up to 3 other get in for free! Taylor, Deb and I are going to the Russian Museum tomorrow, of which I know nothing about. We'll have to see how that goes, if Taylor will stay in her stroller or want to run around, etc. I'm hoping to take her to a museum at least every other week, so this is the test run.

There are a ton of kids here right now! I love to see it busy.

Okay, perhaps I have killed enough time so that it is closer to lunch than breakfast!

facebook really is a time sucker...

So now that I am on facebook, I realize that it really is a time sucker. I'm trying to just log in twice a day, but those darn update emails get me every time.

Well, I guess it kind of counts as work, and personal, so it's not a huge waste of time!

Got-A-Hot-Date Bars

These are yummy, from Diane Mott Davidson's book Sweet Revenge

1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Heath Toffee Chips

preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9x13 pan.

In a small saucepan, place the dates, raisins, and buttermilk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then romce and put mixture into shallow bowl to cool.

Beat butter till creamy, add brown sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, date mixture, chocolate chips, and heath chips with spatula. Place into buttered pan and smooth over.

Bake at 325 for 40 minutes. Cool and cut.

Peg's Corn Pudding

Mix together: 1 15 oz can corn, 1 15 oz can creamed corn, 1 beaten egg, 1/4 c. of margarine or butter, melted, 1 box of the "jiffy" corn bread mix, and 1 8 oz carton of plain non-fat yogurt.

Cook in a casserole or 9 in. pan coated with cooking spray at 350.... I did it for 1 hour, even though it said 45 min., since i used more corn.

The return of taylor!

Support Tim

Please help support our friend Tim who is walking for PFD.
Click here to go to his website.

Children of Men

Just watched Children of Men, interesting movie. A little violent for my taste, but an interesting story. Sometimes I worry what will happen in the future and have to stop and think about why we want to bring children into this world (not that that is happening anytime soon, sheesh). Still, I do fear for the future.

catching up again...

still trying to catch up on old stuff. here are the notes from one of the hour long things at the NPG.

Why does there even have to be a women's day?
because women are inferior to men (j)
maybe we are superior and that is why we get a day and men don't

what percentage bring suitcases to class with them? (j)

How can I personally as well as the YM network forge better relationship with Lutheran colleges including church relations, admissions, and campus pastors?
Are campus pastors actively doing youth ministry? If so, how can I help? If not, why not?
What can i do to make life better for the young women in my congregation?
How do I best talk about God?
How do we encourage young women to enter ministry and speak boldly about the word?
Nearer the promises of God...what are the promises?
That women will be senior pastors? (j)

are transgendered people represented by the rainbow as well?
do you know Jaime at Luther? (j)
our age? how does "the church" feel about that?

are there models of family and gender roles?
do we fit the mold?

overspiritualized the gospel - to take out the politics

how do we teach/model active gospel?

is the scriptual agenda the same as the liberal agenda?

God images as female images - is God gender neutral? how about Jesus? and the trinity?

Why can't you use the trinity with female images?

How does Sophia fit into all of this?

Gathering as a mother hen -

How does the grace of God as evident through Jesus not be gender specific?

Is it a positive male image with God?

REDEMPTION

How does your spouse fit into your call?
Do other jobs find childcare for conferences? Is that not part of real life?

So I cocktailed and bartended for more than three years. I know sexual harrasement and discrimination. What I learned is that it only happens if you let it happen. I believe that women are strong enough and intelligent enough to stand up for themselves. If not, maybe they shouldn't be leading a church. Scandalous, huh?

Do we still even have a traditional family?
I am a feminist in that i believe that women can do anything, but they have to want it bad enough.
Is there a healthy family modle in the entire Bible?

3rd grade rules!(j)
Isn't there a draft for a reason? So that all of God's people have equal chance for a good pastor.

I love that the bishop came in just after that comment that the draft is fucked up.
Do you think she goes to Augsburg for free.
"Continue to ask and ponder provacative questions"

What does negativity solve?

Can we raise a generation that wants to work with Jesus?

Do attractive people become pastors?

Would it be cool if I just chucked my apple at her at top speed? (j)

Often times our breathing gets us in trouble.



So you can tell that it was an interesting 4 days, if just one of the hours spawned all that.

Managing Sideways

So I'm attempting to get caught up on life - including laundry, grocery shopping, reading, and all that good stuff. I'm also trying to get caught up at work, with reading and the like. I'm plowing through Managing Sideways by Price Pritchett. I thought I might as well blog as I read, so that I can get it all down that I want to remember. I'm trying to think of how this will apply to work for me as I'm reading it. So here are the important parts I have picked up on:

Change is 30 percent logical, but it is 70 percent emotional.

It is reported that customers are five times more likely to leave because our business processes are poor than because we have poor products. (I think our processes are pretty poor)

As Kenneth Blanchard puts it, "Feedback is the breakfast of campions." ( I like feedback, I need more of it. Are we getting good and accurate feedback on the programs from the kids?? What if we did a followup survey 5 years later on how AWOL really affected their life?).

Okay, here is a chapter that is tricky in the current situation. It says,
"Instead of supervising people, manage the white space. keep your focus on...results. ... Here we are looking for horizontal management, and that means you don't want people raising issues through the chain of command. You want them to resolve the problems at their level. You want them to be self directed, finding solutions on their own, operation with a high degree of personal autonomy."
I think that applies to issues with a process or product, but can it apply to issues with co-workers? or ethics??

Communication is the oxygen that change needs to survive.

interesting quick read. i'm curious as to if we ar going to use this as a youth staff.

Cabin

We spent last weekend at Holly's cabin with Holly, Joe, Angie, Shawn, and Ashley. It was lovely and rainy. So we stayed in most of the time and played mexican train and phase 10. Great to get away for weekend without high school youth!

Mike's Birthday Dinner!

the big 28!

Still not done with the slideshow

So I'm almost done, but we are heading out to dinner for Mike's birthday. Anyway, wanted to post this where I would remember it. It is from the first church we stayed in our on way to Charleston and I really like it.

Thank God for today
This is the beginning of a new day.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever-leaving in its place something I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss; good, not evil; success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for today.

Chicago

Here are some photos from Chicago. I didn't bring my good camera, so they are a little fuzzy. The first is the view from my hotel room. Not too bad! These are from the walk home from Gino's East for pizza. Notice the snazzy bright green shirt! Auggh.

The rest are all from the night we went out a boat cruise. I'm bummed that you can't see the skyline in the background. Anyway, this is me with Susan, then Nathan, then Leslie.

Off the boat now with Susan, John and Beht (another AIM!)

With Jason, my travel buddy and deep conversationalist. Tell me again why I can't serve communion?
Lastly, with Colleen and John, from my discipleship group at Sem.

Bridge Collapse

What a shock this was. Here are some pictures that I was emailed. Check out the pictures here.

I feel like I have a ton of stuff to write about since I have been traveling for the past 4 weeks. I'll try and get some stuff down about the Navy Pier Gathering tomorrow or when I finish the Charleston slideshow.

traveling...

So I have been traveling a ton for work. I was in the South Carolina July 13-24, now I am in Iowa July 29 through August 5. I leave for Chicago August 6 and return on August 9. Up to the cabin on the 10th for one night, than Saints game on Saturday the 11th.

So I am busy...but I do have a ton to post about eventually.

One of the kiddos took this picture with my camera. It is a good summary of how I am starting to feel.

But really, I have been working. I taught some gals how to use a saw.

Anyway, for more photos and updates you can check out www.lordoflifeyouth.org

AWOL