Ah yes, my one night of guilty pleasure, of tv with no redeeming value! Lil' Princess was exhausted from school, and actually went to bed without a fight, so I was able to watch my shows in peace for once.
Shear Genius - The Finale; it was down to the top three. They had to come up with a story of a life of a woman, and show this story through the hairstyles using an 18 yr old, a 30 yr old, a 45 yr old and a 60 yr old model. For me, the winner was clear. Charlie is an excellant hairstylist, and he had a good story, but his styles made his ladies look old. Nicole did a nice job, but once again showed her inexperience. Dee just did a wonderful job, and I totally agree with the judges choice of her as the winner!
Project Runway - I love these challenges! Tonight's was taking car parts and using them to make an outfit. How hysterical, and what a chance to be innovative and think outside the box! As usual, Blayne annoyed the heck out of me. Most of the designers seemed to have fun with it, and rose to the challenge. I agreed with the top two, they did amazing things with car parts! Leane deserved the win. The bottom two ended up there because they were designing with judges past critiques in mind instead of the present challange. So glad that Kief is finally out, because he showed minimal range. Fringe seemed to be all he was able to do!
Another intriguing week. Now I have to find a show to replace Shear Genius!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Long Road
Things have really picked up. It's been a quiet summer, but now ministry situations are coming out of the wood-work.
A suicidal member who refuses treatment, and his confused and hurting family who don't know how to deal with him (adult children).
It is SO frustrating that we have little to no mental health professionals and support out here. Folks with issues go untreated for years because of ignorance about these kind of issues, and when they finally do recognize they need help, the options are very limited. There are generations of depression and suicide in many families around here, but no professional help. The local pastor is as close as it gets to help, and we're not trained to give what many of these folks really need!
The son of the man who is suicidal doesn't want to talk to dad because of the hurtful things that were said and done in the big episode that happened before the sheriff's deputies hauled the dad away. And I'm trying to talk to him about his father having an illness, and about the son needing to talk about his feelings, so that he stays healthy. And he's looking at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. But by the end, he'd come to an understanding of what I meant, and what was going to be helpful during this tough time.
Oh Lord, be with this man, his two brothers, and their mom! And be with their dad, help him to seek out the help he needs.
It's going to be a long road.
A suicidal member who refuses treatment, and his confused and hurting family who don't know how to deal with him (adult children).
It is SO frustrating that we have little to no mental health professionals and support out here. Folks with issues go untreated for years because of ignorance about these kind of issues, and when they finally do recognize they need help, the options are very limited. There are generations of depression and suicide in many families around here, but no professional help. The local pastor is as close as it gets to help, and we're not trained to give what many of these folks really need!
The son of the man who is suicidal doesn't want to talk to dad because of the hurtful things that were said and done in the big episode that happened before the sheriff's deputies hauled the dad away. And I'm trying to talk to him about his father having an illness, and about the son needing to talk about his feelings, so that he stays healthy. And he's looking at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. But by the end, he'd come to an understanding of what I meant, and what was going to be helpful during this tough time.
Oh Lord, be with this man, his two brothers, and their mom! And be with their dad, help him to seek out the help he needs.
It's going to be a long road.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Some thoughts about the day
It was a GREAT day at kindergarten for Lil' Princess!
And I only cried a little when I left the school. RevDad was fully stoic and tough. My wonderful RevFriend boosted my spirits over Chai tea, and helped put it into persective.
The year of Christian education got launched tonight with the Confirmation program parents' meeting. It went well, and it feels kind of exciting to be diving into the fall schedule.
Here we go!
And I only cried a little when I left the school. RevDad was fully stoic and tough. My wonderful RevFriend boosted my spirits over Chai tea, and helped put it into persective.
The year of Christian education got launched tonight with the Confirmation program parents' meeting. It went well, and it feels kind of exciting to be diving into the fall schedule.
Here we go!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Van Has Landed
We have landed.
Whew!
It was a long trek, a good one, and it's good to be home. We saw our parents, did a quick celebration of our anniversary, did some errands that had to be done back in the "old home country" and then took the long road back.
As always, we wish we had more time, wish we could have seen some friends and more of our family, but we take what we can get. It was a quick respite before the insanity of fall schedules and Lil' Princess going to school begins.
So tonight we settle in, get reacquainted with the home turf, and get ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.
I have several conclusions from our whirlwind trip:
1. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee is obnoxiously fun. And a great way to celebrate our 15 year anniversary!
2. A day and a half with each set of parents is NOT enough time. It was all we had, but still. You need to take the time.
3. Go to St. John University near St. Cloud MN. Ask someone how to get to the swimming beach. Find the walking path that goes around the lake, out to the chapel. It's worth it. Beautiful, life-affirming, God-present, delightful kind of stroll that restores one's soul.
4. A good way to deal with the frustration of road construction while on long trips is to use it as a prayer discipline. While in sight of any orange cone, barrel or sign, be in prayer. When you see road construction workers, pray specifically for them. Many have a tough, thankless job.
5. When the trip home gets long, list all the things you were blessed by during the vacation. Then list all the things you are looking forward to when you get home. You'd be surprised how this can liven up the conversation, and where it can take you. And how it can make the miles fly by for a little while, at least.
6. Be gentle to each other. Everyone's tired and out of sorts to some extent. Wait to deal with BIG stuff until you've slept in your own bed at least one night.
Well, there's my travel-worn wisdom. May your miles fly by, your worries be few, and your happy reunions many. Good Night!
Whew!
It was a long trek, a good one, and it's good to be home. We saw our parents, did a quick celebration of our anniversary, did some errands that had to be done back in the "old home country" and then took the long road back.
As always, we wish we had more time, wish we could have seen some friends and more of our family, but we take what we can get. It was a quick respite before the insanity of fall schedules and Lil' Princess going to school begins.
So tonight we settle in, get reacquainted with the home turf, and get ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.
I have several conclusions from our whirlwind trip:
1. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee is obnoxiously fun. And a great way to celebrate our 15 year anniversary!
2. A day and a half with each set of parents is NOT enough time. It was all we had, but still. You need to take the time.
3. Go to St. John University near St. Cloud MN. Ask someone how to get to the swimming beach. Find the walking path that goes around the lake, out to the chapel. It's worth it. Beautiful, life-affirming, God-present, delightful kind of stroll that restores one's soul.
4. A good way to deal with the frustration of road construction while on long trips is to use it as a prayer discipline. While in sight of any orange cone, barrel or sign, be in prayer. When you see road construction workers, pray specifically for them. Many have a tough, thankless job.
5. When the trip home gets long, list all the things you were blessed by during the vacation. Then list all the things you are looking forward to when you get home. You'd be surprised how this can liven up the conversation, and where it can take you. And how it can make the miles fly by for a little while, at least.
6. Be gentle to each other. Everyone's tired and out of sorts to some extent. Wait to deal with BIG stuff until you've slept in your own bed at least one night.
Well, there's my travel-worn wisdom. May your miles fly by, your worries be few, and your happy reunions many. Good Night!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Wow! Did you see that?!?!
It's been wonderful to watch gymnastics and swimming tonight on the Olympics coverage. We are all in awe of what these athletes are capable of...
We are just glued to these games. It will be challenging on us to be traveling these next few days, since we don't want to miss our nightly viewing!
Sorry, just don't have time to say much now. Don't want to miss a second!
We are just glued to these games. It will be challenging on us to be traveling these next few days, since we don't want to miss our nightly viewing!
Sorry, just don't have time to say much now. Don't want to miss a second!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Guess Who's Coming for Dinner
My aunt and uncle are visiting today through Wednesday morning, which rocks. We haven't gotten to spend much time with them for years, so its so good to have them here. Besides being my godparents, they are also a lot of fun.
My uncle has already charmed Lil' Princess with his goofiness and antics, watching him tease her just like he used to tease me when I was little was priceless. He tried to convince her to call him "Uncle K the Great" but instead she has declared him to be "Uncle K the Silly" much to my aunts delight! We gave them the tour of the church, down town and took them out to eat, then had a nice time chatting the evening away. I'm just so glad to have visitors!!!
Tomorrow I'll take them to see the other two churches and visit the cool odds 'n ends store here in town. After that, we'll just have to wait and see what they are interested in doing. There aren't a whole lot of options, and most of them require alot of driving, so we'll see if they want to travel, or if they'd rather hang out and talk. I'm just so happy to have the time with them, I'm willing to go with the flow.
It's so nice to have something to look forward to as I head to bed and think about tomorrow. Happy dreams!
My uncle has already charmed Lil' Princess with his goofiness and antics, watching him tease her just like he used to tease me when I was little was priceless. He tried to convince her to call him "Uncle K the Great" but instead she has declared him to be "Uncle K the Silly" much to my aunts delight! We gave them the tour of the church, down town and took them out to eat, then had a nice time chatting the evening away. I'm just so glad to have visitors!!!
Tomorrow I'll take them to see the other two churches and visit the cool odds 'n ends store here in town. After that, we'll just have to wait and see what they are interested in doing. There aren't a whole lot of options, and most of them require alot of driving, so we'll see if they want to travel, or if they'd rather hang out and talk. I'm just so happy to have the time with them, I'm willing to go with the flow.
It's so nice to have something to look forward to as I head to bed and think about tomorrow. Happy dreams!
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