these are the days of noah

I love to attend weddings. I happily hopped in the Juicer to begin my long journey south and east to home sweet home. Unbeknownst to me, what lay ahead would seriously test my patience & mental breaking point. I stopped for a little Starbucks and suddently realized I had set my planner & cough drop bag on the roof of my car. I popped out to check, but 3 blocks later and the stuff was long gone. Slightly irritated, but unphased- I retraced my driving steps to discover the rumpled planner and its contents strewn about the neighbors yards. I scurried about retrieving such valuable contents as a gas coupon, father's day card, dental insurance info, father's day card envelope, and pictures of my niece and nephew. Victorious, I got back in my car and drove on with a smug grin knowing I had conquered the wind & my senior moment.

I journeyed on, singing to myself when suddenly *BAM!* the traffic came to a hault. Not to be defeated by the freeway, I quickly exited and grabbed my trusty map. Long story short, it ended up detouring me so far away from my destination that I was still in Western Wisconsin when I was suppose to be pulling into the driveway at home. To make matters worse, I ended up in the middle of flood country- stranded after trying every road. My only option- retrace my steps for the last hour and go back to the original posted detour. Feeling trapped & defeated and after two short panic attacks (hyperventilating included)- and after traversing on a Road Closed road which was missing half the asphalt from flood erosion, I made it to an unflooded road.

9 freakin' hours later & 1 Mountain Dew... I arrived at Ulao Road. (Who knew Minneapolis, MN to Grafton, WI could take the same amount of time as Minneapolis, MN to Grand Rapids, MI?!)

I wrote a new line for the song... *Ahem- clearing throat*
'And these are the days of Noah- the dry ground becoming as river... '

all things target

This Zinc lozenge I'm suckling on is nasty. It tastes like candy coated magnesium. I can feel it seeping into my body as it numbs my mouth in the process. This better make my cold better, sooner as the packaging promises, or I'm sending it right back to where it came from. Yuck.

I did a Target run yesterday to purchase some meds for my cold. As I hopped out of my car, I suddenly noticed 50 strangers staring at me. My face suddenly went flush and I thought, "Oh no, did I forget to put on pants before I left the house?" I glanced down- in a slight panic. Breathed a sigh of relief- just gauchos. That's the problem with gauchos, they are so comfy that you forget you're wearing bottoms at all. Crisis averted.

After purchasing various items, I emerged from the store with a Dove Dark chocolate bar in one hand and the new Radiohead "In Rainbows" cd clutched in my other hand. The cd- Beautifully, harmonious eclectic sounds.... poetry to my ears. :-)

senior discount dollar days

Two short stories.

Story 1-

I was a wedding guest at a beautiful, yet simple ceremony for Miss Sara Wood and Mr Aaron Bosley. As I arrived, I was greeted by happy faces and old friends. Anxious to catch up on life, I began chatting with Caitlin. At that moment, an older lady rollls up in her plush new ride (aka- her wheelchair) and startles us with her abrupt, gruffy voice reminiscient of such animated characters as Roz on Monsters Inc, or certain guidance counselor's named Miss Campbell.
Lady: "Hey, do you girls have chapstick? I really need some."
Me and Caitlin: "Uhh...no, I'm really sorry we don't have any."
Lady: "Are you sure? Because I'd pay you a dollar if I could use some of your chapstick."
Us: "No, sorry, we don't have any."
Lady: "Oh, okay. I guess I'll go ask someone else."--> rolls off

*later*
Me: "Hey Caitlin, you wanna know something? I really do have chapstick, but I wasn't gonna let some stranger who may have mouth herpes use mine."

Story 2-

As I stepped out of my house one warm June morning clutching my coffee mug, I quickly noticed the old neighbor lady tending to her lawn. On second glance, I realized she was cutting her lawn... with a weed wacker.There she was walking back & forth, here then there- chop, chop, choppin' her dandelions away. Dandelion hater.

check 'em off

Some Additions to My Life Aspirations:

*

- Skydiving for my 25th birthday

- Plant a garden (vegetables and flowers)

- Cross both borders (Canada and Mexico)

- See the Southwest US

- Get involved in drama again

- Take another form of dance

- Move.

- Learn mechanic skills

- Refurbish a muscle car

- Discover florist techniques

- Ride my bike more

- Wear high heels for no reason at all

- Go dancing all night

- See Coldplay LIVE

I am lion, hear me ROAR

The Thrifty Tiger. This is a magical place I visited for the first time this week with Angela. It's so wonderful to have a friend who is willing to share her secret treasureland. Apparently the Target downtown Mpls sends all their overstock/last season clothing to this little spot where they sell brand new shirts for $4. I got a whole "kit-an-caboodle" for under $50. Now, I am set for the summer. :-D

I rather enjoyed starting my day by sitting in a park. We decided it would be a good meeting spot, so I sat in Elliot Park- sipping my coffee & people watching until my carpool buddy pulled up. In the midst of this crazy economic chaos (which I apologize for bringing up), I hope the crisis allows for more unexpected moments like this... just to sit and watch and wait. What a breath of fresh air.

I did sit down and have a thought provoking conversation with my pastor this past week. We discussed the direction I'd like to be heading in with life and what his ideas were about my future. Just one thought here, I really like being friends with my pastor. It's pretty amazing how genuine and approachable he is. I like that.

My blog is all over the place. Definitely not one of my better entries....

weekend at Melly's

The Walk for Life went off without a hitch on Saturday. About 90 people attended our Anoka area Walk and many people were surprised by how much we do at First Care/ New Life. It is rather all-encompassing...that's why I believe so strongly in what we do.

Yesterday I enjoyed endless soup and salad with my friends Liz and Brian. They're moving up north for the summer to work as directors for a wilderness program. I will miss them, but I'm happy to see them figuring out the details of life together.

Then I enjoyed a splendid cup of coffee with Angela. We talked of life and love and all sorts of crazy stuff in the middle. We took a moment to dwell on the fact that having children really does change everything and even if you say (and really want to believe) you won't let it change things- it still does.

The pros and cons to being an adult are too numerous to list here, but one thing that's guaranteed is continual c h a n g e .

tri-weekly blogging

It has been sheer chaos around here. No time to update my bloggety blog. Needless to say, much has happened these last few weeks.

My old boss' 18yr old son died suddenly. I went to the memorial this last week...very sad. I have never been in a place so completely void of assurance and hope. It was a learning experience for me. It made me think about the sense of urgency there is when it comes to our spiritual lives. You honestly are not guaranteed tomorrow- so it's best to live your life to the fullest and to the glory of God right now. It made me get on my knees and cry out to God on behalf of some dear friends who are just drifting through life...without a purpose and in a haze of confusion. Having a relationship with the Lord can change your perspective on life REAL FAST. You actually have a good reason to get up and start every day new. You don't have to have everything figured out because you are serving a God who is going to be faithful to bringing about His plan for you whether you have a clue about life or not.

I also finished reading the book Blue Like Jazz... best book ever on a real, personal walk with Jesus. If you haven't read it--> do. It's simply delicious brain food.

I was able to get to know a wonderful young woman from France... here as a teacher at a French immersion school. Marthe was a very sweet girl who I had fun and deep conversations with. I was sad to see her go back to the great nation of France, but I have confidence that I will see her in heaven some day.

Much has happened in these last few weeks. I continue to pray about my future and where and what God has in store for me. I'm still in this crazy waiting room, but I am embracing the wonderful time He has given me to gear up for whatever lies ahead.