tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55608789250323263322024-03-13T07:12:44.098-05:00Becoming Pastor MOMJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-48707738796907871272014-04-22T20:53:00.000-05:002014-04-22T20:53:28.292-05:00Feeding my ArtistMy husband and I met with a common passion for the English language. We were both writing majors in college, though he has always been a deeper writer than I. His writing will make your head spin with emotions and new ways of looking at the world. When I first read his poetry I used to think, <i>I must not be smart enough to understand this</i>, but now I know that his poetry is not intended to be understood at the brain-level; it's meant to speak to raw human emotions. You're not supposed to use your <i>smarts </i>to understand; you're supposed to let go of any attempt to understand it with your head and just experience and perceive the way the chain of words make you feel. <div>
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Circumstances have happened which have prevented me from writing like I did when we first met. I still write. Boy, do I write. I write newsletter articles, sermons, prayers, e-mails, cards, grant proposals, more e-mails, Facebook statuses. I don't write poetry anymore. I don't write short stories anymore. I don't even write liturgy anymore, even though it would easily fit into my job description. It just doesn't happen. </div>
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Maic writes every single day. He writes poems and short stories, novellas, fiction and non-fiction, comic strips. <i>He</i> writes liturgy. </div>
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Sometimes it's painful for me to see him write. I'm a tad jealous of him. While he is writing about these deep, raw human experiences in rhythmic and expressive ways, I am struggling to express myself or did deeper into understanding who it is that God called me to be. I don't want that jealousy to be misunderstood-- I am so, so proud of him for the work he puts into his writing; it's hard for me to be disciplined enough to carve out the time for it like he has learned to do. I yearn for that self-discipline. </div>
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I believe that I am an artist. I don't always make the most beautiful art, but through the act of creating, God knows how to speak to my soul. Writing, drawing, crafting, baking, painting, and even music are ways in which I'm able to understand what God wants to say to me and through me. </div>
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So what am I getting at? </div>
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I'm trying to say that it's no wonder that-- when I stopped writing poetry, when I stopped drawing, when I stopped making music, when I stopped baking-- my well ran dry. </div>
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I'm not a very confident person about many aspects of my life but there are two things I can say with confidence: I'm a good mom and I'm a good pastor. Even when my well is running dry, I can manage to find the love to give to my church and to my kids. I can find the words to help them see God. I can find the energy to serve. But you can only serve and serve and serve so long before you pass out in the middle of church. </div>
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That actually happened to me three weeks ago. It was a tremendous wake-up call to realize that the life I was living wasn't going to be a sustainable way of life. I can say that it was about poor nutrition and poor sleep habits and poor hydration, and that's all true and it's all stuff that I'm working on. But there's more to it than that. The root of this is that there is an artist in my soul who is starving. How can I support other peoples' faith journeys when I can't even do what I have to do to facilitate my own relationship with God? </div>
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So it's time for a new, more sustainable way to move forward. It's time to draw and paint and write and express myself. I don't want to make any definite promises about writing in this blog, because obviously my consistency with it comes and goes. But I would like to look to my blog followers to hold me accountable for feeding my artist. Pray for me, that I will make the time to create. When you see me, ask me how my artistic endeavors are going. Ask me what I'm working on. Ask me when was the last time I spent some time expressing myself. I think that's what I need to do to make sure that my marriage, my career, my soul, are able to thrive. </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-91234004837401316862013-10-26T11:34:00.000-05:002013-10-26T11:34:01.427-05:00Kids' Room Transformation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When we bought this house, there were many times when I stood in this room and thought <i>this could be a child's dream room. </i>And then many other times when I thought <i>what on earth am I thinking??? </i></div>
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I knew it had to be the first room that we spent time and money making over, because as it was when we moved in it was neither comfortable nor safe. So we spent my maternity leave painting and painting and painting and painting (that wallboard seriously sucked up paint), we received a beautiful bedroom set from a church member who no longer needed it (and a headboard which will go up when we get a box spring), and the final step* happened yesterday when the carpet was installed. Evelyn completely loves it, and it is so wonderful to be able to put Amos on the floor next to us while Evelyn plays. </div>
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We also got our bedroom carpeted...but I'm not ready to reveal it. It still has cardboard wood paneling...</div>
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*There's a new final step now, because when the carpet was installed the doors wouldn't fit back on the closets. We have to saw them off a bit and put them back on. </div>
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All right, friends. Here it is!</div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-16213519029975540792013-09-19T17:47:00.000-05:002013-09-19T17:47:40.046-05:00Saying Goodbye to the Rental House<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last night was the last night of my parents' visit and with all we've been through the past 3 weeks Maic and I decided to go out to eat on our own and leave the babes with Gramma and Grampa. We went out for pizza at Roadhouse, a local pizza restaurant. We were both so tired and felt so weird being out alone that we probably looked like we were on the saddest date in history. I was drinking a margarita without makeup and without a wedding ring (lost it between swollen fingers and moving; it will turn up). Any unknowing passerby might have thought <i>it looks like that relationship isn't going anywhere...</i>. </div>
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Afterwards we went over to the rental house to do some final cleaning before the carpet cleaners arrived this morning. Our stuff is all moved out, save a couple of things in the basement which we'll get this evening or tomorrow morning. We only lived there for a year, yet I sobbed while I washed Evelyn's fingerprints off the mirrors and windows. I've done the chore dozens of times before, but it was different this time. I felt such a huge rush of emotions standing in her empty room, thinking about the little part of her life that took place there. I choked up standing in our bedroom, remembering pillow-talk and arguments, thinking of all the decisions we've made together. I thought of moving here to Ripon, and how we thought we might try to buy that house because we loved it so much. I remembered the people who have visited and all those who have supported us and cheered us on in my first year of ministry, in Evelyn's second year of life, in anticipation of Amos.</div>
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Time is going so fast now. Evelyn's first year wasn't the whirlwind many new parents describe. I wasn't that mom who said, "I can't believe she's already X months old" every month. If I did say that, I didn't mean it. The year felt slow, because it was so full and uncertain and confusing. Now, there is some certainty in our lives. We know we're here, in Ripon. We know we love this place and we have good friends and we have a home that belongs to us. Life isn't so confusing (well, <i>life</i> is confusing because that's the nature of it, but <i>what we're doing with our lives</i> is not so confusing). This all feels right. And so I guess that this year, as opposed to the first, has flown by. When I see the pictures of Evelyn sitting on the floor in our rental house with her short, straight hair, still not quite certain how to get from one place to the next, I feel like she learned to walk and talk and reason overnight. I wonder if I've paid enough attention to her, if I've soaked up every moment with her, if I'll look back when she's grown and regret anything. </div>
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I guess being in that empty house made me think of all this. I'm certain postpartum hormones make the emotional deluge stronger. But moving is emotional no matter what. A house is never just a house; it's the place where life happens in the most intimate ways. As excited as I am for the future of this new house (<i>our</i> house), there's something about that place where we spent our first year in Ripon that is so hard to say goodbye to. I am hopeful that soon I'll love this house that much, and I know that if good times happened there, then surely they'll happen here. </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-68911499121141658002013-09-13T14:34:00.000-05:002013-09-13T14:48:34.486-05:00Welcome Amos! An update and a birth story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ladies and Gentlemen:</div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_(prophet)" target="_blank">Amos</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke" target="_blank">Rainer</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine" target="_blank">D'Agostino</a></div>
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September 11, 2013 at 2:51 a.m. </div>
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6 lbs 15 oz, 19 inches long</div>
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Amos's birth was absolutely beautiful. Mercy Medical Center has a water birthing tub, which was part of the reason I chose that hospital. So Baby Amos was born into the water, and my own hands were the first to touch him. I went into labor at about 9:00 on Tuesday night, just after lying down for the night after moving into the new house. I had been exhausted the whole day and practically no help to the movers. As soon as I laid down, I felt my first painful contraction and in about two hours we were on our way to the hospital. I knew my labor would go fast, so I wasn't going to wait. </div>
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When I arrived at the hospital, the nurse put me on monitoring and Amos's heartbeat was too low for her liking. I tried to tell her that he has always had a low heart rate (clocking in regularly at 122 throughout his appointments) but she didn't seem to care, so she kept me on the monitoring for an hour and a half. I was getting very frustrated, having to endure contractions (every 2-3 minutes) while lying on my back in the hospital bed, which for me is the most painful way to have a contraction. </div>
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Finally she allowed me off the monitor (around 1:00) and at about 1:15 I said I wanted to be in the birthing tub. It was immediate relief. At one point, I had to get out of the tub to use the restroom, and had a contraction and I could not believe the difference. The buoyancy of the water makes contractions so much more bearable. I labored in the tub for about an hour and the nurse told me I was 8 cm dilated. I told her she needed to call the doctor. She said, "He wants me to call him when you are fully dilated," to which I replied (okay, I'm a<i> know-it-all</i>), "Well then he's gonna miss it." She did go ahead and call him then, and about 15 minutes later my water broke and that very second, in walked the doctor. As soon as my water broke I was fully dilated, and the very next contraction, Amos was crowning. He was born in three pushes-- head, shoulders, and the rest of 'im. My doctor just let me be, watching closely but not interfering, and as soon as he was out he just said, "Joanna, pull your baby up to you!" so I did! The doctor literally did not touch me until after the I got out of the birthing tub. </div>
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I held Amos there in the tub for about 5-10 minutes before Maic cut his cord. He didn't cry much. He still hasn't. He's a super-chill little guy, crying pretty much only when he's being changed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 30 minutes old</td></tr>
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As quick and as beautiful as it was, this birth was harder for me than Evelyn's was. I was so exhausted going into it that it was hard for me to find the energy to make it through. I kept thinking about how badly I wanted to go to sleep. Maic was also extremely tired, so I felt like neither of us was as fully present as we were for Evelyn's birth. I'll tell you this: I plan to never buy a house and have a baby in the same week again. </div>
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We were released from the hospital after 24 hours. Amos is doing really well. He eats well and sleeps a lot. He is slightly jaundiced, but not enough to worry. We go back to the pediatrician on Monday to make sure his jaundice levels have gone down. </div>
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Evelyn is having a hard time with the transitions, but definitely more with the house than with the baby. This was her face for the first half hour of seeing Amos:<br />
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She likes him now, for the most part. Though I have to say that in the process of writing this blog entry, she did throw her stuffed cat "New Kitty" at him while he was sleeping. Her favorite thing to do is brush his hair. </div>
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The harder part is the house. She keeps saying she wants to "go home" which is pretty heartbreaking. The worst part is that I <i>kind of</i> feel the same way. This house doesn't feel like home yet. It just feels like <b>a lot of work</b>. I spent Evelyn's naptime cleaning the living room (see below) so that at least I wasn't tripping on boxes. That has helped with some of the non-homey feelings, and I am feeling much better than I felt this morning. The other rooms, however...and the rental house...well, we have a lot of work ahead of us. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqvfsxZVtPVuxub0Fq3aY8TQCivPfdccburfUlFJ9eTiJJRn5-QGUh2X5vuvwZBqm04upON5hxKcoy6dArLI0tK6SDYNgaCXDRps9iIlxiLtUClFaILJ_vA4Fu5XygMHMG68b0DTpzjy8/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqvfsxZVtPVuxub0Fq3aY8TQCivPfdccburfUlFJ9eTiJJRn5-QGUh2X5vuvwZBqm04upON5hxKcoy6dArLI0tK6SDYNgaCXDRps9iIlxiLtUClFaILJ_vA4Fu5XygMHMG68b0DTpzjy8/s400/102.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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But we also have a lot of this ahead of us:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme716jqHOl8Woc7iXljc7Xrti9P0Kr1n4xKrqC5J6Wqwy3AzIXSciqjUnSPcE7UhI5aLlFvHFUdrfvUdnrU-E7C53FD-wCSwa9x5ExV5rQKQ7Ofe3gMQWHo7mrvfNu9VU0ag21veKm7LV/s1600/095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme716jqHOl8Woc7iXljc7Xrti9P0Kr1n4xKrqC5J6Wqwy3AzIXSciqjUnSPcE7UhI5aLlFvHFUdrfvUdnrU-E7C53FD-wCSwa9x5ExV5rQKQ7Ofe3gMQWHo7mrvfNu9VU0ag21veKm7LV/s400/095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So life is good. </div>
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Thanks for all of your love and support, congratulations and prayers. We have been so blessed. </div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-65699926800028012082013-09-06T21:01:00.000-05:002013-09-06T21:01:49.450-05:00House: Before<div style="text-align: justify;">
One important thing to know about the house that we bought is that while it is in structurally good shape, it is in need of a huge amount of cosmetic work. It took 18 months to sell, and I'm sure a lot of it had to do with the amount of work that needs to be done on the inside. Maic and I have great dreams for it-- dreams of carpet and wallpaper removal, track lighting and the right artwork, and much more! A lot of it will take a while, but we are thrilled by the challenge. </div>
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For now, enjoy some "before" photos. The carpet is already almost all gone.</div>
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<b>Front Room: </b></div>
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<b>Dining Room:</b></div>
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<b>Bedroom #1:</b><br />
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<b>Bedroom #2 (Office):</b></div>
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<b>Upstairs:</b></div>
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<b>Kid's Bedroom:</b><br />
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<b>Bedroom #3</b><br />
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<b>Kitchen:</b><br />
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-28156291467845714032013-09-05T04:42:00.000-05:002013-09-05T04:42:22.842-05:00Thoughts from a state of Pregnancy Insomnia <div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been over a week and a half since my OB doctor told me, "any day now!" which is exactly why no human being should ever try to predict when labor is going to start. I was having early labor with contractions 8-10 minutes apart Monday-Wednesday last week, in which about 1/4 of the contractions I had were borderline painful and I was <i>certain</i> that I would go into active labor any minute. Then Thursday-- nothing. I continued to have Braxton-Hicks contractions fairly often, but not regularly and not intensely. </div>
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When I showed up to see my doctor on Tuesday I learned that I had progressed another centimeter, putting me at three centimeters dilated, but this time he didn't give any kind of "any day now!" statement. This evening (Wednesday) I went back to the pattern I had last week for several hours, but they still never got closer together or stronger. Now, of course, I'm just having trouble sleeping. It's the weirdest place to be when you are completely exhausted but can't sleep. I remember this last time around too. </div>
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I'm wondering, how much does early labor drain someone physically? Sometimes I picture myself with a little energy pack floating in the air next to me (kind of Sims-style) which monitors how much energy I have, and at this point I feel like it can go from being full to completely empty in the course of a few minutes. I wonder if the contractions, however false they may be, deplete my battery pack. </div>
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I am also carrying the baby very low, which makes it difficult for me to sit like a normal person. So I'm stuck in this place where I have not yet started my maternity leave, yet I have neither the energy nor the physical ability to do my work. I also, emotionally, am hardly in the place to counsel and care for people in an effective manner, considering my own hormones are off the hook. </div>
<br />I know this is quite a bit of complaining. I try to remember one of my favorite passages from scripture, the compassionate and sympathetic words of John, a man who regardless of his inexperience is, I think, accurate: <i><br /></i><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. </i></blockquote>
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On to some other happenings:<br />
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1. Tomorrow (today?) is my annual review at the church. I am nervous, but I think there has been good open communication and I'm pretty aware of anything they might say. I actually think I'm mostly nervous that my hormones will get the better of me at this point and I won't be able to handle any critique. I think as long as they don't evaluate my entire year on the last week and a half I'll be just fine.<br />
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2. Tomorrow we close on the house. I am having trouble processing that one; it's like my brain can't physically process all of these changes at once so I just kind of go with the flow. I don't think any of it will feel real until we're standing in there together without the realtor or inspector or seller. We have a plan to order a pizza tomorrow night and just hang out there as a family, show the house to Nos (the dog) for the first time, and just dream about what it will look like someday. There is some work we will do right away-- the carpets need to get out of there ASAP (30 years of smoking, at least), and the drapes will go with them. We're hoping to do this work over the weekend, with the help of some friends. I'll be the anxious pregnant lady pacing around looking for something to do. <br />
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3. My baby nephew Harrison Gene was born just over a week ago. He's perfect. I can't stop looking at pictures of his little face. It is hard to be so far from family in times like this, but I'm not sure I'll see him anytime before Christmas. When that time comes, I'll lay our baby boy next to him on a blanket and probably weep with joy to see them together. An image of them catching salamanders together is one of the places my mind has been drifting off to this past week. We're going to have so many amazing times as our kids grow together.<br />
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4. I've had the chance to spend a lot of time with Evelyn lately, since I haven't been "working" quite as much. Mostly, we've been watching movies together. I can't believe how good her movie attention-span is for her age. We've been watching Totoro and The Cat Returns, but tonight we watched Babe. While we watch movies we talk to each other about what's happening and she says hilarious things (her language is completely exploding). In her mind, her world is intertwined with the characters', so there is no reason why Totoro shouldn't know who Nos is, or why her favorite stuffed companion New Kitty wouldn't be a character in the film. Tonight while watching Babe she kept correcting the narrator whenever he would talk about the duck: "No, s'a goose," she'd say. It was a duck, but I could see where she was coming from. <br />
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She also has such a caring, nurturing soul, and she knows that I'm having trouble. She rubs my arm and says, "it-otay-mommy" when I have a deep sigh. She kisses and hugs my belly and talks to the baby, who she may or may not think is a baby dog. She has also been really into brushing my hair lately, and she is so proud of herself, "I brushin' mommy's hair!!" she exclaims to her daddy whenever he walks into the room. It hurts sometimes, but I don't even care. We also have rough moments-- the ones where she throws a fit and since my last nerve was gone like 3 weeks ago, I just walk out of the room and let daddy deal with it. I feel guilty, but I seriously don't know that there is another option. He is full of forgiveness with me and patience with her.<br />
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When we get some things settled in the house, I will post some photos of the interior of it for you to see. I don't know quite when that will be. Actually, I'm not even sure what I mean by settled... ;-) <br />
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Along with all the complaints, let me just say that not a moment goes by when I am not grateful for the life we're living. I am overwhelmed and I am tired, but I am most certainly blessed. <br />
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-61025678382023151562013-08-18T14:27:00.000-05:002013-08-18T14:27:22.883-05:00Second Birthday Party<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Yesterday Evelyn and Julian had a joint birthday party. They are 3 days apart and have many of the same friends so it just made sense to combine forces. Little did I know when I agreed to do this, Ann is an <i>amazing</i> party planner. To go with our zoo theme, she had wooden signs up that said, "aquarium" by the baby pool, "rainforest" by the water table, "monkey house" by the playground, etc. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Her sister, who teaches science experiments to kids for a living was in town and made adorable oceans in a bottle with the kids and let them touch starfish and sea sponges. </span></div>
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Maic and I made animal tails to pin onto the kids (and some of the adults), and we hung some of Evelyn's stuffed animals in the trees. </div>
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We had brats and burgers and mac and cheese, sweet and salty snacks, salads, and some amazing animal cupcakes. And everyone who said they were going to come came! Always struggling to understand the boundaries between work and friendship, we decided to invite anyone who has babysat for Evelyn and their families. That included several people from the church without having to invite the entire congregation. I think it was a good line to draw. </div>
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Evelyn was very into the concept of presents, and Julian couldn't have cared less. I think she would have opened all of his if he let her. She got a lot of great presents, and among them was this tea party set from Ann, which she supplemented with some amazing handmade felt cookies and cupcakes and embroidered napkins. They are so beautiful and she loves playing with the whole set already! I didn't get pictures of all of the presents she got, but I did take a few. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin (and Casey) made this great magnetic bear and clothing/accessory set for both her and Julian</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She got a new hedgehog family to go in her beautiful hand-me-down dollhouse</td></tr>
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And Maic and I had a great time making a board book for Julian that is about Shakespeare as a child. Maic wrote and illustrated the book, and I constructed it into a board book by using a different board book, cardstock paper, and duct tape. It turned out so cool! I apparently never got a finished picture of it, but I will look into doing that!</div>
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Evelyn was not sure of the candles. She is definitely a "rule-follower" and she was very disappointed that we would put something "hot" by her. While Julian was clapping and excited, Evelyn was going, "Hot, Mommy. Hot." You can see the disapproval in her face. She did not blow out her candles, but she did eat the frosting with her hands. <br />
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Overall it was just an amazing day. I was completely exhausted by the end of it and got rather grumpy around 8:30. As much as I'm aware that I need to take it easy at 9 months pregnant, it is very hard for me to stay sitting when there is stuff to be done and people to converse with, so I was up-down-up-down all day. I am definitely sore today! </div>
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I just cannot express how blessed we are to have found Julian and his family. They have come into our lives at such a perfect time and we look forward to so many more amazing birthdays together. Happy TWO, you two! </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-84031927267901513442013-08-03T17:40:00.002-05:002013-08-03T17:40:28.900-05:00An Accepted Offer; a Timeline<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi Friends, </div>
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Over a week ago we received an accepted offer on a house here in Ripon. It's an adorable home-- barn red with a sweet, fairly private but not-yet-fenced-in backyard and a living room full of real wood paneling and a fireplace. It looks like a little cabin. There's work to be done, but it's the fun kind of work: painting and sanding and redecorating instead of the hard, super expensive kind of work like roofing and replacing major appliances. Eventually it will need some of that, but we're hopeful that we can do a big project each year and bring the house up in adorableness and value. </div>
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I dream about it all the time, but I do so with a small bit of caution. Nothing is certain until the closing day, and the mortgage loan we're getting is a strict one-- one that requires proper working order for most if not all aspects of the house because as first time buyers with a small down payment we are at a high risk for default; they don't want anything expensive to pop up right after we buy it. So we are waiting for the appraiser to come and tell us (and the seller) to fix some outlets and some drips and some paint and bring everything up to code. Any 1936 house has flaws. </div>
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I don't want to post many pictures of it until it's *ours,* but I promise that I will someday, especially after the shag carpeting has gracefully wandered out to the curb. I confess, we will be getting rid of the Packers mailbox. It's not that I don't like the Packers. It's just, well... I like plain mailboxes. </div>
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<i>"So, Joanna, I noticed you were 34 weeks pregnant. Does that have any effect on you purchasing and moving into a house in a month?"</i></div>
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Why, what an interesting question. Actually, I've been amazed by the amount of people who have told me lately that they bought their first home/a home while pregnant. Even our good friends Ann and Ben moved several states over in the last month of pregnancy. I think we can do this. And we have a TON of offers for help (all of them will be accepted!) from church members and community members and family members to the extent that they can from so many miles away. </div>
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Here's the timeline:</div>
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<b>Now:</b> here I am, just waiting. </div>
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<b>The next few weeks: </b>Packing, sorting, taking stuff to the thrift store, cleaning</div>
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<b>August 20th: </b>Evelyn turns two! </div>
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<b>August 27th: </b>Our baby nephew is coming earth-side! (This has nothing to do with our move... but we can't wait!) </div>
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<b>September 4th:</b> Closing date. </div>
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<b>As soon as we close:</b> Ripping up carpet, sanding floors. Hoping to find a couple helpers for this. </div>
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<b>September 14th:</b> Baby is due</div>
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<b>October 1st:</b> Lease is up on our rental house, must be fully moved in to new house. </div>
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There is this weird thing happening in my mind where I almost <i>want</i> the baby to come late (not so late that I need medical intervention, but just...not early). I never thought I'd have that wish. But he will come when he comes, and I am certain that everything will fall into place. </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-45047805101930306082013-07-20T21:51:00.000-05:002013-07-20T21:51:03.014-05:00Well Hello, There!I can't concentrate for anything these days. <br />
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There's a new baby coming in approximately 56 days.<br />
Evelyn turns two exactly a month from today.<br />
I'm coming up on my one year anniversary at the church.<br />
And now, in a surprising turn of events, we're strongly considering putting an offer on a house here in Ripon.<br />
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For a while I had considered shutting down my blog. It was just one more thing on my list of things to do and I thought it would be wise to just let it go. But lately I've been thinking about how nice it would be to write out some thoughts now and then, and right now especially, since I am having so much trouble concentrating on some important Saturday evening to-dos (those are pastor code-words for sermon writing), I thought I'd take some time to write out some thoughts. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QppZj9W0CxUo50M9rz4NMpRsWkbSfkKkvVZ1bEjVSvVl3l2PrBMH5xyI4ahsn5i1Dh0cH7xdz4-Czhjesy-11bapNBwu0Xirnh8EtHKtpbdB0ks6ucKCiffE9ZdBYjoorDsAG141WUm6/s1600/64598_805174961423_1197539234_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QppZj9W0CxUo50M9rz4NMpRsWkbSfkKkvVZ1bEjVSvVl3l2PrBMH5xyI4ahsn5i1Dh0cH7xdz4-Czhjesy-11bapNBwu0Xirnh8EtHKtpbdB0ks6ucKCiffE9ZdBYjoorDsAG141WUm6/s400/64598_805174961423_1197539234_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Appleton Timber Rattlers game</td></tr>
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The last time I wrote, we hadn't announced that we were having another baby yet. We found out just shortly after the new year, and waited until I was 12 weeks along to announce it publicly, which was in late February. In that time, we learned that my brother and sister in law are also expecting their second baby, just two weeks before us. We are both having little boys! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cpLMZdWvJG2ZKtldbe2QnXFsO8SwvOErkS6RQriyZFzDQIKycOHlivSv_uk9HfIO8ohBMnqvT_5mmfs6RpoGiyY3a-QnaczZLpTvRW2nVQ1iZtE0AvFM3qf2pIvErLwljATpkIInI9Zt/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cpLMZdWvJG2ZKtldbe2QnXFsO8SwvOErkS6RQriyZFzDQIKycOHlivSv_uk9HfIO8ohBMnqvT_5mmfs6RpoGiyY3a-QnaczZLpTvRW2nVQ1iZtE0AvFM3qf2pIvErLwljATpkIInI9Zt/s400/IMG_1567.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little boy newborn clothes. Thank God Evelyn's two best friends are boys with late summer/early fall birthdays!</td></tr>
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This pregnancy has been harder than the first time around. I'm sure it's because of chasing Evelyn around and my job is a different kind of physically exhausting than seminary was. But I also feel a different kind of attachment to him. I had a very deep spiritual connection with Evelyn throughout my pregnancy, but I don't have that now. I think perhaps it's because I know what loving a child means now in a different way than I did then, and I worry (I know it's an irrational worry) that I can never love another child. The attachment is growing and changing, though, especially as Evelyn gets more and more excited for him to come and when I see the excitement in her eyes my heart expands in a new way. She doesn't understand the full reality of having a baby brother but she does know that he has things in our house, that he is inside me now and will someday come out, and that he is very, very special. She talks about him all the time, whether it's provoked or not. She likes to draw pictures of him and look at all his stuff. She kisses my belly and sings to him. If I ask her what he's doing she used to say sleeping, but now she says he's playing. When I ask her what she wants to do when he comes out of mommy she says, "Go home." <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxeY2X-GVLA4pjXTccOC-2UGF7F7zL0Qcdq8O2_HaYkVeDr0iSTCsg_Sq4SajhZdNOhK6RP_P6Ovb7fvaC79hIU4La-2RZOz3vFl0QcbF3X6IXQMmv6eBSKqEGf4DzzIoQIIxSMXtjxxV/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxeY2X-GVLA4pjXTccOC-2UGF7F7zL0Qcdq8O2_HaYkVeDr0iSTCsg_Sq4SajhZdNOhK6RP_P6Ovb7fvaC79hIU4La-2RZOz3vFl0QcbF3X6IXQMmv6eBSKqEGf4DzzIoQIIxSMXtjxxV/s400/IMG_1671.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture Evelyn drew of her baby brother. </td></tr>
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Before he is born, Evelyn will turn two. Her language is exploding, especially since she spent a week with her cousin Zoey a month ago. She has her own little personality that blows my mind every day. Some of it is stuff that we taught her, but what's really crazy is the way that she comes up with stuff totally on her own. She even makes jokes. They aren't funny jokes, but she will for example tell us that she sees an elephant in the tree, then start cracking up and say, "NOOOO that's silly!" She also pretends to be different animals, usually a cat, but also dogs, penguins, cows, spiders. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Timber Rattlers game</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkSoN9KuIYOzmL31fyyZJSm3SpEQ6-mOzcRMn5yNdW8oezx-IE874PkoyzL-iWj72q1L6O4wXEleOI3SMrE9lPmDTRZPJ3rq8zAsIKV-fUzcKRwYM1DBXEfUlUJE3j4S7Sed-ry4i1jTm/s1600/IMG_1493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkSoN9KuIYOzmL31fyyZJSm3SpEQ6-mOzcRMn5yNdW8oezx-IE874PkoyzL-iWj72q1L6O4wXEleOI3SMrE9lPmDTRZPJ3rq8zAsIKV-fUzcKRwYM1DBXEfUlUJE3j4S7Sed-ry4i1jTm/s400/IMG_1493.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a fort with Nos. </td></tr>
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Okay, and then finally I want to talk about this house thing. So we had originally thought that buying a house wasn't within our financial ability at this point in our lives. But after talking to a banker and doing a ton, ton, ton of numbers crunching and talking with friends and family, we learned that it is actually a very wise financial decision for us to buy a house now. While we're aware that the unexpected expenses of owning a house can be many, we are also tired of renting a house in a town we plan to continue living in for the foreseeable future. This isn't the right decision for everyone, but here in Ripon the market is in our favor and with the right house, it's a no-brainer. <br />
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There is one that we are strongly considering, and we will have some definite answers on whether or not we will place an offer by early next week. We are hoping that if we decide to do this, we can do it very quickly so that we can be in the house before the baby comes. That is, of course, two months away. So it will be a very stressful couple of months. The banker has offered to do her best to speed the process up. Once I know more, I will share!<br />
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-42215070885933668432013-01-19T13:06:00.001-06:002013-01-19T13:06:58.827-06:00Weekend Love Songs<div style="text-align: justify;">
When we lived in St. Louis, it was so easy to jump in the car and go to a museum or a zoo or some event that was geared towards young families. Here, I find that it's not so easy. Ripon is a good family town, but it's still small. And when something's small it doesn't have quite as many opportunities. That's just the way things go. </div>
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It's hardest to find things to do during the winter, because we can't just go to the park down the street or play for a long time in the backyard (plus I hate-- nay, I detest being cold). So when we reached this weekend and I was feeling a particularly large amount of Cabin Fever I was determined to find something to do other than sit around. So yesterday we went to the Zoo in Madison. It's about an hour and a half away, but it worked out well because I was able to visit a church member in rehab as well. </div>
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The zoo was practically empty because nobody goes to the zoo in the winter, but there are plenty of places to go indoors at the zoo, so that's what we did! And it was a blast. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were little jumpy quails in there. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves alligators. They say, "HHHAAAA-UMP" with a chomping gesture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious little guy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy didn't mind being outdoors. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neither did Evelyn mind being outdoors if it meant seeing a bear walk around!</td></tr>
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Then this morning, we did stay inside but we got a great pots and pans band going with Julian. They loved making lots of noise! Good kids! </div>
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<br />Alright guys, winter is LONG! Get out and do something. Or stay in and do something. Just get goin' on the memory making, because even if winter is long, life is short! </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-16452671245282649362013-01-17T14:35:00.000-06:002013-01-17T14:35:38.971-06:00Keeping Mama Humble <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Days have been good lately, as Evelyn has teamed up with another toddler-fellow, Julian. Julian is three days older than her, and quite a bit more adventurous and jolly. I'm not saying Evelyn isn't a happy baby, but she is and always has had a very serious soul. She can be silly with the best of them, but she didn't crack a smile until she was probably three months old, and we still have to make a pretty good effort to get a good chuckle out of her. She can most often be found analyzing-- a book, a puzzle, a stuffed animal, a piece of furniture-- poking and examining. Julian is a go-getter-- sitting on the coffee table within seconds of entering a house, attempting to drink out of two sippy cups at the same time while playing the toy piano. </div>
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I loved Julian's mom's description comparing the two to Downton Abbey characters-- Evelyn is the Dowager Countess and Julian is the American cousin. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of them yet to put on the blog. I will at some point. Julian has thick, long hair with big round rosy cheeks, and always, except at nap time, a big smile! </div>
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Here is Evelyn just before going to Julian's for the first time. All ready with her purse and her horse, wearing her Hilary Clinton power suit. </div>
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She loves Mommy's scarf fashion. She fits in really well with the Ripon College crowd. </div>
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Lately, we haven't been great about getting out and doing things together as a family, besides going shopping at Target and Pick N Save, so tomorrow we're excited to be making our first journey down to Madison, WI. A church member is in rehab down there and I've wanted to go to the zoo for a long time, so we are going to spend tomorrow in Madison killing two birds with one stone (is there a less violent expression I can use?) I can't wait for her to see the animals in real life. We used to go to the St. Louis Zoo all the time because it was close and free, but we moved before she really reached an age of understanding and being excited to see the animals. Now, she knows about 20 animal sounds (she's seriously obsessed with learning them. She even knows lizard, rhinoceros, and penguins. Three sounds I was quite unsure of before she told me.)</div>
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I have to be honest, here. It's good to catch you all up on my blog and let you know what's going on in our lives over here, but the true reason that I wrote this blog entry was to share these photos of Evelyn wearing Hello Kitty slippers and a diaper. </div>
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She keeps me humble, you know. When I think my job and all the errands I have to run are SOO important and the world would collapse without me, this little girl comes running into the room all excited because she's wearing cats on her feet. And then I remember... <i>Oh yeah, that's what life is for</i>-- loving and living and laughing. </div>
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Good girl. </div>
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-11679232270117440492013-01-04T16:33:00.000-06:002013-01-04T16:39:05.787-06:00Being Fair. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That time has come again for me to apologize for not writing more often...except...I CAN'T! </div>
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Why? Because it would go against my New Year's Resolution. I have just one: <b>To be fair to myself. </b>Many of you know that I'm very hard on myself-- especially when it comes to my job and parenting. So, no more, "That wasn't a very good sermon," and no more, "I don't spend enough time with Evelyn," and no more, "I haven't been a very good wife lately," and the list goes on...</div>
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This year it will be all about, <i>"I do what I can and trust that God will use me." </i></div>
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Sound good? Will you hold me to it?</div>
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We had a beautiful Christmas, both here and in Ohio. The Christmas Eve service at church was well-attended and, for a first run, well-executed! You can listen to my Christmas Eve sermon <a href="http://www.riponcongregationalucc.org/riponucc/pdfs/2012-12-23_Joanna_D'Agostino_~_Christmas_Eve_meditation.mp3" target="_blank">here</a>. I believe God is truly doing something with me here in Ripon. People are coming to church. People want to be a part of the community. People are contacting me for help and support and encouragement. I only hope it will continue; that the novelty won't wear off; that I won't wear out! </div>
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Christmas at home was wonderful too. We are blessed by such amazing families. Maic's siblings are all maturing into such wonderful people and they each lead such interesting lives. Evelyn was really confused at first because she kept thinking everyone was her daddy! But no one quite compares! </div>
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At my parents' house, the biggest joy was seeing Evelyn and her cousin Zoey together. Zoey is </div>
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the best little girl and role model for Evelyn. She is smarter than you would ever believe a two-and-a-half year old could be, and she is so well-behaved. Sometimes she will just look at someone with the most sincere face and say, "(insert name here) you're the best!" One time she went around the whole table, "Gramma, you're the best!...Uncle Maic, you're the best!...Daddy, you're the best!" But the thing is, you get this sense that she really believes it! She's such a lover. </div>
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I do often wish we lived closer, because I miss seeing everyone on a regular basis, but it also makes trips like these so sweet and special. Looking back, I remember I only saw my Grandma and Grandpa Smyres twice a year growing up, but they still meant the world to me, and those trips to see them made my heart explode with excitement. I think that's how it will be for little E, too. </div>
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Welp, I'm back to work now, and so glad I have a job to return to with anticipation and excitement. </div>
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-40728710639982850982012-12-03T11:15:00.000-06:002012-12-03T11:15:20.853-06:00Home-Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like I'm about to start that trend where every blog entry begins with an apology for how long it's been since I last wrote a blog entry. The thing is I'm just SO busy, and now I've jumped into the year 2012 and gotten myself on a Smartphone plan, so I don't get on the computer as often as I used to. I just spend 2 minutes here and there checking Facebook and E-mails and it's both a blessing and a curse-- constantly connected. I love being able to share stuff with my family 500+ miles away, but then sometimes I realize I've said something to the Facebook world that I forgot to clue my husband in on! It's almost like I'm more connected with those who are distant than I am with the one I share a bed with! </div>
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But things are great. I love the season of Advent. As a person with absolutely zero patience, this season teaches me to WAIT, to WATCH, and to LISTEN. In Maic's family tradition, Jesus didn't show up in the manger of the Nativity scenes until Christmas morning. You know, <i>he's not here yet. </i> I like that tradition. It separates Advent from Christmas. Our Nativity Scene, a gift from Maic's priest, will arrive on Friday night with our good friend Stacy from St. Louis. She held onto it for the move, since we had to save room, and as a promise that she would come visit our new home before Christmas. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commonwealthbaptistchurch.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/empty-manger-24-300x246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="empty manger 2" border="0" src="http://commonwealthbaptistchurch.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/empty-manger-24-300x246.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commonwealthbaptistchurch.org/news/advent-2011-from-longing-to-comfort/attachment/empty-manger-2-5/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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As I am now a Real-Live Pastor, I've been asking some very hard questions about what I want Christmas to be like for my children. Where's the balance between secular and religious? How do I make sure my kids get to participate in some of the same traditions as their peers, without giving into the consumerist nature of the holiday? And then, as an obnoxious liberal (more at home than in public) how do I keep from ruining the magic of Christmas with my rants about the sweatshops in which so many of our Christmas decorations were made and the ethnicity of the Christ-child and family in Christmas decorations and, for that matter, Santa. All I want for Christmas is a really well-adjusted Pastor's Kid who doesn't go over to a friend's house for Christmas cookies and say, "I see you already put your Caucasian Jesus in the Manger before the second Sunday in Advent. Did you know the stable was more likely a cave-like rock structure and we don't actually know how many kings arrived on Epiphany?" </div>
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And then, of course, I have my husband who explained to me yesterday that it made sense for us to put our large Noah ornament on the top of the tree instead of the star because in the same way that the star pointed the way to Baby Jesus, so did Noah. For the story of Noah and the Ark is a Covenant with God, just as Christ's birth is a New Covenant. <br />
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Our poor kids. </div>
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Anyway, I started this blog because I wanted to write about some work we are doing to our home. It is a rental home, so we don't want to put too much permanent work into it, but we decided that for Christmas instead of buying each other gifts, we would buy furniture and organize our office. This room has been closed off since we moved in and used exclusively for stacking boxes and throwing piles of laundry. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3PQdrH3aniDusGJQ-nd6C0xJ7mnJnl4akKK5BMlqVb84c6AIREnC8Ob30SAEaJh62TonkDTccXG-rb49j8kv6zDd0eTBkzP0sKi4EngSJporN3RBgZHf73mjHsFsOKVay14-D0avLv7X/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3PQdrH3aniDusGJQ-nd6C0xJ7mnJnl4akKK5BMlqVb84c6AIREnC8Ob30SAEaJh62TonkDTccXG-rb49j8kv6zDd0eTBkzP0sKi4EngSJporN3RBgZHf73mjHsFsOKVay14-D0avLv7X/s400/photo.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, we chose this desk, which we should be able to pick up and assemble by the end of the week:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this <a href="http://www.officemax.com/catalog/promotions.jsp?catId=cat2350696" target="_blank">Collection</a></td></tr>
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It seems like it will be perfect for what we need it for-- crafting and writing and sewing and storing all of our crap. We'll also need some curtains and perhaps another bookshelf. I'm looking forward to it being completed and usable. </div>
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We've also been working on reupholstering a chair. Neither of us has ever reupholstered before, but I read some books and found some tutorials online, and I think we're doing just fine. I bought this chair for $7 at a Rummage Sale. It has great fabric already, but it's wearing out and has a couple of tears, so it's time for a new one. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXXN_kPL4DUuWLvOHHWnCsoqctEa5brTgXgIYfHOMBwxQUCUqrkVfOY5O_D9eTC2G5hs4sksVWF2RqwgwRP0uuXGetGMox5ejVoSTtFQWrlzlmYlTGyraVPvXLNEjo9HaRZtVBRDxJvA6/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXXN_kPL4DUuWLvOHHWnCsoqctEa5brTgXgIYfHOMBwxQUCUqrkVfOY5O_D9eTC2G5hs4sksVWF2RqwgwRP0uuXGetGMox5ejVoSTtFQWrlzlmYlTGyraVPvXLNEjo9HaRZtVBRDxJvA6/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0Nv8qlYuYKOQqcpdZFBJMpf2jw8ZcjKoWOswiZ0pkbhQv5Xu-ik41Gj9jCkHMdD_hEXkaYy9FxJYPDrhOpKUYs_l0YA3rDeRDWjJakdcJmbrXUY-ex4JbxBMfokPPZ2PlNHG4mWNtXJ_/s1600/431708_730391383313_1716206672_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0Nv8qlYuYKOQqcpdZFBJMpf2jw8ZcjKoWOswiZ0pkbhQv5Xu-ik41Gj9jCkHMdD_hEXkaYy9FxJYPDrhOpKUYs_l0YA3rDeRDWjJakdcJmbrXUY-ex4JbxBMfokPPZ2PlNHG4mWNtXJ_/s320/431708_730391383313_1716206672_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new one will have the fabric on the left. <br />The fabric on the right will be for the couch, <br />which I've started but found to be a little out of my league. </td></tr>
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Well, eventually...I dunno if it will be next week or later this week, I will share some photos of our journey to get a Christmas (Advent?) tree. Evelyn loves the tree. She says it's "OOOHHH! Pweeeeeeee!" Which I've taken to mean "Pretty." </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-54001663827602471952012-11-17T10:45:00.000-06:002012-11-17T10:45:19.235-06:00A Family Visit<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last week we had a great visit from Nana and Papa. It's been kind of a nuts week here, so I haven't had time to blog in a while, but did want to share some of these beautiful photos from Nana and Papa's visit. <br />
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And, in a sentence-per-subject, what's going on in our life here:<br />
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<b>Evelyn </b>is learning something new every day, especially the most effective ways to get Mommy's attention.<br />
<b>Maic </b>is working on his grad-school applications and literary magazine submissions and we're both hopeful and hesitant about jumping back into the student-parent life.<br />
<b>Church </b>is great and I continue to love my work, but this week it has been especially challenging and I'm glad that I was able to have a weekend yesterday and today.<br />
We are going to Milwaukee for <b>Thanksgiving </b>to share the feast with Maic's godmother and family.<br />
We won't be <b>Black Friday </b>shopping this year, because as much as I have cherished the tradition my whole life, I can't support the commercialism anymore-- we might do a bit of Small-Business Saturday Christmas shopping, however. <br />
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And now, some photos from a Sunset trip to Green Lake during Nana and Papa's visit:</div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-64610060794787942272012-11-05T13:57:00.000-06:002012-11-05T14:07:09.074-06:00Shopping With a Toddler, the Answers to the Questions You've Been Asking<div style="text-align: justify;">
I just realized that my blog has had over 10,000 views. That blows my mind. I wanted a blog for a long time, but I just never followed through with it. This one has been good for me. I like sharing my life with people. I like the exercise of deciphering what is appropriate to share and what is not. I like writing. </div>
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So thank you, thank you, thank you for reading it. I am so honored. </div>
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Evelyn is basically not a baby anymore. She <i>took off </i>after a little girl with light up shoes at Target the other day and I almost lost her. I mean, I think she was running faster than I can. I'm beginning to understand other parents better. It's not that I was ever the person glaring and saying, "control your kids" in public. I've always thought parenting is an artform and I still do, but now I am beginning to understand things more clearly. For example, questions I didn't understand before, but know the answers to now (for now...I think they change weekly): </div>
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Q: Why don't you just put your toddler in the seat on the cart and buckle her in? Then you won't have to chase her?</div>
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A: She will <i>flip the %&@*! out. </i></div>
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Q: Why did you open that box of goldfish crackers before you paid for it?</div>
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A: At the mere sight of cardboard packaging (food or not), my bottomless pit will say "MUM MUM MUM MUM MUM MUM" until I feed her. So I chose to feed her now. </div>
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Q: Why is your child screaming?</div>
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A1: Because I didn't open the box of goldfish crackers. </div>
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A2: Because I made her sit in the cart. </div>
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A3: Because I won't let her have the motion-sensor fluffy, meowing cat that they had to put on the stupid end-cap instead of hidden down the toy aisle, where we do not go. </div>
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A4: Because I didn't let her chase that little girl's light-up shoes. </div>
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Q: Why is your child crying on the floor? Pick her up!</div>
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A: If I pick her up, she will cry harder. She will also punch and kick me until I put her back down. Therefore, I will wait 10 seconds for her mood to swing back to normal, because a toddler's mood lasts exactly 10 seconds before resetting to better, worse, the same, frantic, silly, or asleep. At that point, I will evaluate whether we should leave or stay. </div>
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Q: If it's so hard to shop with her, why didn't you leave her at home?</div>
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A: You're right. I will just stop shopping. The only place I will go is to work. Then when my child is 14, I will allow her to go to Target. We will all be perfectly well-adjusted. </div>
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Q: Why didn't you change her before you left the house so you didn't have to change her on the changing table in the bathroom?</div>
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A: I did. And then she pooped. </div>
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Q: Why didn't you feed her before you left the house so you didn't have to feed her when she saw the cardboard box that resembled food packaging?</div>
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A: I did. She is bottomless. </div>
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Q: (asked by the cashier) Oh, she is so sweet, does she want a sticker? *hands baby a sticker without waiting for reply*</div>
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A1: She does want that sticker. She wants it in her mouth. She wants it to go through her digestive tract. </div>
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A2: She does want that sticker. She will accidentally wad it up and get it stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Then she will cry hysterically until you give her another sticker. By that time we will be miles away from another sticker. Halfway through the 25 minute commute from our house to Target. </div>
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Anyone else have any to add? </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-86872392580069806822012-10-31T22:32:00.000-05:002012-10-31T22:32:07.731-05:00On My Heart: A Mama Entry<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLyPP-DVEic1LuFgc0NOOyNr7RImkDjrVMXu0Px2SnWRn4MHcZgE1ECtLR6pyp3pl3JVKtDgjT7BhEtlSPX1hqMWSlxQkVo7nOdxwrY2wTPaXTDF3TtTKycHsrEaJM8xRWUCgtxJj3zGg/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLyPP-DVEic1LuFgc0NOOyNr7RImkDjrVMXu0Px2SnWRn4MHcZgE1ECtLR6pyp3pl3JVKtDgjT7BhEtlSPX1hqMWSlxQkVo7nOdxwrY2wTPaXTDF3TtTKycHsrEaJM8xRWUCgtxJj3zGg/s400/052.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing out candy for Trick or Treat-- <br />don't worry, we weren't actually passing out half-eaten peanut butter sandwiches</td></tr>
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Tonight Evelyn fell on her face on a hard tile floor and got a fat, bloody lip. There was a Confirmation event at another local UCC, and because the only chance of me ever being introverted happens when I'm around children/teens between the ages of 11 and 17, I brought Evelyn with me. She's my conversation starter. She was chasing a balloon around their Fellowship Hall with her arms up in the air screaming "YAY! YAY! YAY!" and her socks slipped on the floor and she fell flat on her face. I heard the sound of her mouth hitting the tile, and then the prolonged silence of breath-catching, and then...the wail. </div>
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This isn't the first time Evelyn has fallen. C'mon she's 14 months old and I'm not perfect. There was the first time she fell off the bed, when she was 5 or 6 months old. Then there was the time when she thought she could get off the bed the same way she gets off the couch, without realizing it's a foot taller. There's every single time Nos walks passed her. There are more times. But this one...I don't know what it was...it broke my heart. I felt like the pain was in me. I couldn't stop licking my teeth and biting my lip as if it was my own pain. </div>
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Things have been different lately between Evelyn and I. Now that I work full-time, there have been several nights when she goes to bed and I cry for a minute or two--<i>she doesn't need me now like she used to</i>. And it's not about age (although maybe some of it is connected to her weaning), it's about how 6 months ago I had never been away from her for more than a couple hours. I was with her all but 9 or 10 hours a week. We were like one entity. I didn't know what it felt like to miss her. I hardly knew what it meant to be without her. </div>
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Sometimes, it's hard for me to accept the change in roles-- like that she and her daddy spend all their time together instead of her and I, or that Maic knows her schedule better than I do, or that only he is able to put her to bed successfully. But on the other hand it's nice because I don't take her for granted anymore (not that I ever <i>really</i> did). Now, it's like an event when I come home. She jumps up and down when I'm the one to go get her out of her crib when she wakes up from a nap. She grins from ear to ear when I walk in the door. She wants to sit in my lap and give me kisses when I host Bible Study at our house. </div>
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Nobody will ever have the relationship with her that I have. The deep intimate connection that happens between a mama and her baby has nothing to do with the amount of time we get to spend together. I don't know why I'm writing this all out, except to just express some emotions-- some Pastor Mom identity issues--I'm having. It's nights like this, when I get to spend the evening doing my job while being with my baby, that I realize just how abundantly blessed I am. When she gets hurt and it hurts me physically, I realize the wonder and uniqueness of the relationship we have. I want to just live in this moment, cherish her toddlerhood, and bottle up the pure joy we both have when I walk in the door and she yells to me in excitement (Fully admitting that she still yells "DADDDYYYY"; I take it as a compliment).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKIcrWpF5T0Kj3YKVqsy8u2qmWXchA_owWI8-DQYX6HKeRDxhUxpRSRI79U1qewcSnzbGzIAZOKUw9jJk2sh5A0OT-uQ7ywTlr5iJ1De3GyXkn0quRdSLz43KnMYkDQj8AariFdfQdzty/s1600/Snapshot_20121027_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-l2HYT2YWKJG0tp-CIO748xe1zwlPLV3g94do4Mbbta2dJCFVKyzbU4p3duvRqWqGKrSg7lBZnnswu0wBb1rD9x4-VyrCX-f8r3ObjC8jy55nos0Sl5FZ1QoGN7y2iG-dbkms_AJXlXk-/s400/Snapshot_20121027_3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her "cheeeeeese" face</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a doggie says </td></tr>
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Being a mom sure is an emotional endeavor. I wouldn't recommend it to the fainthearted. Thanks for reading a heart-felt post. Little fat-lip is in bed now. I think she'll be just fine. </div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-14356739246655358532012-10-27T10:47:00.000-05:002012-10-27T10:47:41.410-05:00A Lesson in Sabbath<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't write much right now because every week is so busy. I mean, SO busy. Every week, I think, "next week I'll have time to do this..." and then something comes up. This week, I got to Wednesday evening, counted the hours I'd worked since Monday, and came up with 30. Knowing that I still had a funeral on Saturday (this afternoon) and a worship service on Sunday, and an accompanying sermon/homily for each, I took Thursday and Friday "off." That was a good decision. </div>
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I don't think many people understand all the work that goes into being a pastor. I recently heard a colleague in ministry joke that when people ask her what she does, she says, "I'm a preacher on Sundays and the CEO of a non-profit during the week." I think that's true. I'm not complaining, just trying to explain. The way my congregation volunteers is <i>extraordinary, </i>truly. I couldn't ask for more. But it's such a behind-the-scenes job. So much of it is about presence and trust-building-- being there when people need you, being a role-model, keeping up with what's going on in the community and in the lives of members. I can never <i>really</i> stop working. But that's okay, I love it. And one of the things I'm learning is that if I'm a role-model, then I must display appropriate care of myself and my own family. I want others to take care of themselves and their families, so it's also my job to say, "I've already worked 30 hours this week and have about 15 hours of work that I <i>must do</i> before the week is over, so I <i>will</i> take tomorrow and Friday off," because if I don't, I'm telling everyone else that it's okay to overwork and under-nurture their relationships, and I don't believe that's healthy. </div>
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Anyway, yesterday was a really good <i>day off. </i>We went as a family to Appleton, to the Children's Museum. It was a free day so it was really crowded, but we had a blast. The children were supposed to wear costumes, so Evelyn wore her cowgirl outfit (a costume we didn't think she'd get to wear anywhere, she's already worn twice, and I think we'll do a tiny bit of trick or treating, so that makes three!). She was <i>thrilled</i> that there were some children dressed as animals. Right now she is obsessed-- I mean, <i>obsessed</i>-- with animals, especially cats, dogs, ducks, and lizards. So when she saw a little boy dressed as a dog, she just stood next to him and barked and panted at him for several minutes. She's also been pretending that she is a cat lately, crawling around meowing. We don't have a cat right now and I'm beginning to feel guilty about that. But, to be honest, I'm still on <a href="http://becomingpastormom.blogspot.com/2012/05/reptile-lover.html" target="_blank">team Bearded Dragon</a>, and I think Evelyn is too, but Maic says no. There was actually a Bearded Dragon at the Children's museum and Evelyn was thrilled about it, but Maic said, "She just likes anything with eyes that moves." I think I know what he's getting for Christmas...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The traveling exhibit was a bunch of scenes and activities from Children's books-- <br />The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abuela by Arthur Dorros</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stackable snowmen from the Snowy Day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little cowgirl stacking blocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzf3W43LKfPN9Vel_QrTEpilpMBXJH2BNkh3lW1uP61FsR6-cT19ui6q81Pi29fs3yx3T3CSfmGukODQAKFonPExrO8BVzr6ZTTWjj8hYfTt-9rkQTv8ZbPJxvEYtpaBLC9dwAczehHBik/s1600/095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzf3W43LKfPN9Vel_QrTEpilpMBXJH2BNkh3lW1uP61FsR6-cT19ui6q81Pi29fs3yx3T3CSfmGukODQAKFonPExrO8BVzr6ZTTWjj8hYfTt-9rkQTv8ZbPJxvEYtpaBLC9dwAczehHBik/s400/095.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up a salad. Where do they come up with these things?</td></tr>
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So, here's my lesson in Sabbath for the day. When you work too much, stop working. When there's a free day at the children's museum, go. And when you can put the baby to bed and watch Dancing With the Stars while knitting stuffed animals, do it. <div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-88606479653628775362012-10-06T16:45:00.001-05:002012-10-06T16:45:22.926-05:00Wisconsin Fall<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't say I'm necessarily <i>looking forward</i> to Wisconsin winter, although I am definitely glad to have a short commute. But what I can say for sure is that fall here is at least as beautiful as it was in the town I grew up in. </div>
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I may be about 2-3 days past the peak, and pictures don't do it justice, but we took some photos on our walk today. Breathtaking colors! Enjoy!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrASnUDKd_r0uhbZyJ_seGj0hyphenhyphenRqBeLfBkksTUptByp5Qb3F485CUK0Lqd3VcDf-H63oUTTG1s1XH2m3EEOgfg5PUryR9cdYYmbEeWl1b12Ag5cV32hF5h9WRdSZffbLUmhyTzFzL57XB/s1600/137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrASnUDKd_r0uhbZyJ_seGj0hyphenhyphenRqBeLfBkksTUptByp5Qb3F485CUK0Lqd3VcDf-H63oUTTG1s1XH2m3EEOgfg5PUryR9cdYYmbEeWl1b12Ag5cV32hF5h9WRdSZffbLUmhyTzFzL57XB/s400/137.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is right behind the church. <br />That red tree, while beginning to lose its fullness, <br />has taken my breath away every day this week. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTDC0pQ2F6x2T3WJN563xEkzAMn4F6yfh4f86oh_rt_cDo8MHpIE1eCodfNhgkbuX2sIUj70G6te3oYLkLH-OeNW_rqAywtsUuahkyLfH0fOAtBDVhkaMoCtj-eEirMsx0DOprfnaDKpW/s1600/146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTDC0pQ2F6x2T3WJN563xEkzAMn4F6yfh4f86oh_rt_cDo8MHpIE1eCodfNhgkbuX2sIUj70G6te3oYLkLH-OeNW_rqAywtsUuahkyLfH0fOAtBDVhkaMoCtj-eEirMsx0DOprfnaDKpW/s400/146.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a church member who decorates the church--outside and inside-- every season. <br />This week I'm preaching on Genesis 2. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNJLHKy5vTDm-RpCnx_oAJTyVPTLt9SQSvFwbfdydY0wtRF8aoZP7aj0jQOSBhQsSkp_oO4Yl1bzphsu77NvKZPopvnfsVyFXTRLPPBuchx1dJsiiTsRm3xl5-OxAjLx2rBhqw3S2WP4k/s1600/151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNJLHKy5vTDm-RpCnx_oAJTyVPTLt9SQSvFwbfdydY0wtRF8aoZP7aj0jQOSBhQsSkp_oO4Yl1bzphsu77NvKZPopvnfsVyFXTRLPPBuchx1dJsiiTsRm3xl5-OxAjLx2rBhqw3S2WP4k/s400/151.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiery Ivy </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJRQDxAwwYc_PdATVg122huwrPnKR5F9uP_5Sv59BnyguPFGUhcQZ_Sl74KWceWMPvJY4qUCVK09W5rRoSUCQSaTDJM_clYIaTOQAfKPCj1yL6TedH3WHy6s3Imv6YgAV8se8f16mZC_d/s1600/149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJRQDxAwwYc_PdATVg122huwrPnKR5F9uP_5Sv59BnyguPFGUhcQZ_Sl74KWceWMPvJY4qUCVK09W5rRoSUCQSaTDJM_clYIaTOQAfKPCj1yL6TedH3WHy6s3Imv6YgAV8se8f16mZC_d/s400/149.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, the coat's big but it has to last her all winter. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK6KzfykoIj7Rqvh_NXkERCuGmSiHt1kTgzDchIBf_80fZnrl6j3p6scEIhKnEuA6_TJAdnG5x08-2uQfhy3wq1t1L30fWADRrphxFSR1-Y9qRlGs9xXEv29va9m0-GvHm3CDxslgyhnI/s1600/152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK6KzfykoIj7Rqvh_NXkERCuGmSiHt1kTgzDchIBf_80fZnrl6j3p6scEIhKnEuA6_TJAdnG5x08-2uQfhy3wq1t1L30fWADRrphxFSR1-Y9qRlGs9xXEv29va9m0-GvHm3CDxslgyhnI/s400/152.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone needs to work on their parallel parking skills. <br /> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ir5-LoI8_16IlFq4AmDNEF1NKONPZhMz-aUVdK3lUcKJVWELPeax19OgchGlyKxilP37y6YnQLq16P0OAgjj17XOOnH5cVmqTJKKwL-Pg7aMUVuStauB7NKq4TNfhAHG5KI8FhMIORRz/s1600/162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ir5-LoI8_16IlFq4AmDNEF1NKONPZhMz-aUVdK3lUcKJVWELPeax19OgchGlyKxilP37y6YnQLq16P0OAgjj17XOOnH5cVmqTJKKwL-Pg7aMUVuStauB7NKq4TNfhAHG5KI8FhMIORRz/s400/162.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maic remembered a tradition his family had of filling contact paper <br />with leaves and putting it on the window. I love how it looks. </td></tr>
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Well, this pastor mom is off on a much-needed retreat as soon as church ends tomorrow until Tuesday afternoon. The retreat is for Wisconsin clergy, and while I look forward to meeting many of my colleagues, I look most forward to some time to gather myself and resort my priorities, so that I come back to on Wednesday as a <i>recovering </i>workaholic. It's too soon for me to be this exhausted. </div>
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-1538054569433198062012-10-06T14:24:00.000-05:002012-10-06T14:24:33.755-05:00Star Wars Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It has been with great anticipation that these guys have awaited Star Wars Reads day at the Ripon library. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9Y3FoWhulEmuXEnG12BJHvJ6TWr098_4k6OolkTco-3x9PwHUnbh8E46iWhyH6R4jNMnUcDOw3rHGhuY992QWpTV2odj2_9ULmJgrnca-nANMwAVYCh0mPwUEDLzdv1z1392JgmpryJ6/s1600/079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9Y3FoWhulEmuXEnG12BJHvJ6TWr098_4k6OolkTco-3x9PwHUnbh8E46iWhyH6R4jNMnUcDOw3rHGhuY992QWpTV2odj2_9ULmJgrnca-nANMwAVYCh0mPwUEDLzdv1z1392JgmpryJ6/s400/079.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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For a quaint little town, I love how much there is to do through this library. They have a reading group for little ones once a week that they have been attending. The groups are split into ages 6 months to 2 years and then I think 2-5 and 5+ or something like that. But it sounds like a blast. I love an opportunity for them to get out of the house and for Evelyn to interact with other kids. And it seems like the majority of young families are really on board with the library, so there are always more families there than you'd expect for a small town. They're also doing some great programming for Banned Books Week this week. </div>
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Actually, I know it's silly and I overthink my job, but I think churches have a lot to learn from the way libraries are run-- appealing to all ages, getting people excited about their community, bringing people together, withstanding the test of time, while moving forward with the progression of technology and thought...</div>
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Anyway, enough of all that. Now, I present to you Star Wars Reads day: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sAHND9dnjdxtzt8OlHPOIRjo3VVvJYJVQqekyfNimM4ELUKEWb6De86dWS8aSF-_b7TYzNNbumJCYR5iDbI7G_DinXzXVxzMuEOwlESvVOuoTs3NWdzOqHIm8KT-alyT9pLcQq_i8FvO/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sAHND9dnjdxtzt8OlHPOIRjo3VVvJYJVQqekyfNimM4ELUKEWb6De86dWS8aSF-_b7TYzNNbumJCYR5iDbI7G_DinXzXVxzMuEOwlESvVOuoTs3NWdzOqHIm8KT-alyT9pLcQq_i8FvO/s400/078.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A list of the events of the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFLIa1vnM2XgC4CsVX6aWqZtv4Mn_ue4ARJ_tG622J673coj5qjUIVQ4OqRApRCEih2Qa5WUgabwPVgYUy8t-ZiXlFWX1RCObVVLELl3cvmLLfLZcOgBtQrnPglJ_XyDw89xhNK3pTW7Q/s1600/083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFLIa1vnM2XgC4CsVX6aWqZtv4Mn_ue4ARJ_tG622J673coj5qjUIVQ4OqRApRCEih2Qa5WUgabwPVgYUy8t-ZiXlFWX1RCObVVLELl3cvmLLfLZcOgBtQrnPglJ_XyDw89xhNK3pTW7Q/s400/083.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a kitty?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xrTNKaEXEO9m7ZHkf4pRhxmXfMerTZCr65sM05bempZJB1Rrx7QRUJ1azOI15Vt7sk29VdtWkXElQDXp9vyHW3VM3S81TPXUkyRVScWqf2uWpObgAmIOsKAkk8k2bQ9oS7iy9txlJzeQ/s1600/087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xrTNKaEXEO9m7ZHkf4pRhxmXfMerTZCr65sM05bempZJB1Rrx7QRUJ1azOI15Vt7sk29VdtWkXElQDXp9vyHW3VM3S81TPXUkyRVScWqf2uWpObgAmIOsKAkk8k2bQ9oS7iy9txlJzeQ/s400/087.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a doggie? Shooting me in the head?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S4qPI6Y4nY0vbr4Br8LER6n9Nj6RD2KR_Z5qqwucaE7Pw3aULe1lGtqbDXq2OWNFqPgs217R3kLXr6QCmgR4D2Ev9SvIxB_XnrHz9-YrM1L8vVxicF34C77Wqz1bggylc6j2l1yw4dUr/s1600/095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0S4qPI6Y4nY0vbr4Br8LER6n9Nj6RD2KR_Z5qqwucaE7Pw3aULe1lGtqbDXq2OWNFqPgs217R3kLXr6QCmgR4D2Ev9SvIxB_XnrHz9-YrM1L8vVxicF34C77Wqz1bggylc6j2l1yw4dUr/s400/095.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a Wookiee search throughout the hall...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2QDWUXuFc058kBQ4pL-GzM5jbqaWguMnxwCEFq7Lk0CKECfJt4iWx59MEIpdfFvag6oKu9t2vrw0Npa8dIPU9u4fPzWhh4ZA3Y8SPD9pB8I2HeLB6ZKqe1e9h1GGsxeB5GSxtg5X1Ftm/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2QDWUXuFc058kBQ4pL-GzM5jbqaWguMnxwCEFq7Lk0CKECfJt4iWx59MEIpdfFvag6oKu9t2vrw0Npa8dIPU9u4fPzWhh4ZA3Y8SPD9pB8I2HeLB6ZKqe1e9h1GGsxeB5GSxtg5X1Ftm/s400/096.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found Ballet Wookiee!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxJvVw8caIX8tBXck7jPDBHpCxgdDjOp2p3obk1f8vEOa3wUmFiyas-K5vH8qjYWOwmcFejNQkAn5hKsUlGNkXL_geKlWl6xsWhOkO0Ga7leeikgXLcNIhAE_FqEz98uSQyrlc3bBl1iX/s1600/099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxJvVw8caIX8tBXck7jPDBHpCxgdDjOp2p3obk1f8vEOa3wUmFiyas-K5vH8qjYWOwmcFejNQkAn5hKsUlGNkXL_geKlWl6xsWhOkO0Ga7leeikgXLcNIhAE_FqEz98uSQyrlc3bBl1iX/s400/099.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then we made a Wookiee fortune teller (which horrified Evelyn), Darth Vader Origami (Darth Paper) and colored. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT5VU-dSvn2T_Q-YPr0FRiTDx87dUdi4la0_-SikW4DByB75bu073h1IMGciRo8OmUrxOk8bRnXQtj0R7A2yrJnvXjGpSyEpjIAL3qEqTFJABFTz3loM6yZxspmxCX7Kky4UaowoILX0j/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT5VU-dSvn2T_Q-YPr0FRiTDx87dUdi4la0_-SikW4DByB75bu073h1IMGciRo8OmUrxOk8bRnXQtj0R7A2yrJnvXjGpSyEpjIAL3qEqTFJABFTz3loM6yZxspmxCX7Kky4UaowoILX0j/s400/105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evelyn found a friend, and gave him a kiss. I think she realized he wasn't a cat at this point. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KroUE53Hfz4ERDX5LhHtXlk8F0qxD21dTMYZpk2F9yjfAsoKStD8WuraV2UtTl1kCobZiWaqNrGHKkoctWz8FS8ypEI8SBcfluPYritO3-21RzX8wS91pioRcP3cjzcFSQO7rBkGPBdw/s1600/128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KroUE53Hfz4ERDX5LhHtXlk8F0qxD21dTMYZpk2F9yjfAsoKStD8WuraV2UtTl1kCobZiWaqNrGHKkoctWz8FS8ypEI8SBcfluPYritO3-21RzX8wS91pioRcP3cjzcFSQO7rBkGPBdw/s400/128.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's truly an artist. Look at <strike>Daddy's</strike> her Darth Vader drawing! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisYAEWK9gEP0VNyKVUkraHE-7SrVOf1S_rH6OB3HethlDNKdKyR4AWQAFnVzeRFfQgEL-PM8nNcjVy4sojMpk584p94cpEwSCgSYyoMuAAsDWes9a9a8i8-8AihjsgE45KXe7EsOz-Dhz/s1600/133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisYAEWK9gEP0VNyKVUkraHE-7SrVOf1S_rH6OB3HethlDNKdKyR4AWQAFnVzeRFfQgEL-PM8nNcjVy4sojMpk584p94cpEwSCgSYyoMuAAsDWes9a9a8i8-8AihjsgE45KXe7EsOz-Dhz/s400/133.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing up so fast! Next thing we know she'll be leaving Tatooine. </td></tr>
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-31776073553783027542012-09-29T13:14:00.002-05:002012-10-06T14:26:45.070-05:00Inauguration Benediction<div style="text-align: justify;">
This morning I had the honorable invitation to deliver the benediction at the inauguration of the new president of Ripon College. It was such a delight. I was one of three women on the platform of about 15, along with the female student body president and the mistress of ceremonies. </div>
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They did a live recording of the ceremony, and you can view that recording here. My benediction begins around 2:10:00. The president himself is Jewish, so I tried to make my benediction a little broader theologically, but I also couldn't give up the Trinitarian reference. </div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-57535333557297511042012-09-26T16:43:00.000-05:002012-10-06T14:27:04.114-05:00Coffee Shops<div style="text-align: justify;">
In St. Louis, on the days when our apartment seemed painfully small (gosh, was that every day?) we used to go up to this coffee shop called Cafe Nura (now Abode Coffee Shop) and just hang out and sip coffee. When Evelyn was really little, we'd bring her up in her infant car seat and she would nap while we chatted, and when she got bigger we'd stick her in the high chair and give her a few books and toys. I probably wrote about that coffee shop in about 90% of my pre-move blog entries. </div>
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Well, when we moved it was one of the hardest places to say goodbye to. It was full of so many great memories for us. So many deep-breath moments, study breaks, and finally-some-adult conversations. It seems impossible to replace. </div>
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This morning we woke up early enough to go to a new place in Ripon called <a href="http://palenquecoffeehouse.com/" target="_blank">Palenque (aka Doomsday Donuts)</a> and have some coffee before I had to get to the office. It's no Cafe Nura, but I like the place a lot. Plus they have these CRAZY specialty donuts (last week I had a root beer float donut!) and Evelyn would do a back-flip if it meant she could share a parfait with her Daddy. Who knows, maybe it will become the new Cafe Nura, in time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGnL7qDIO-A8prZcTzh0snCZTucqx1YK8R7WNqfUZkAS6SizAqKHsHdT88Jr_xEzueuMz18Jrm0olLyffxe5FYRdhpUq1dzpHH9P6cyvMVksaYFSvPog3DtTd4AzsNRgMJBSfuzMhEx3Y/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGnL7qDIO-A8prZcTzh0snCZTucqx1YK8R7WNqfUZkAS6SizAqKHsHdT88Jr_xEzueuMz18Jrm0olLyffxe5FYRdhpUq1dzpHH9P6cyvMVksaYFSvPog3DtTd4AzsNRgMJBSfuzMhEx3Y/s400/033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB2rgqmYbZ4y_TES8VKnvcjBX6k1wcOX6AA6xq7EMsUCyfKtKAh93tlQA7omAJl3lGa1Bn4mLDPK-yfjv54cGt1MEim8Phwes0gfSg74FnOwsZB6yK0aFXGQ7__oR_b9kSJVrawvgv_Ke/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB2rgqmYbZ4y_TES8VKnvcjBX6k1wcOX6AA6xq7EMsUCyfKtKAh93tlQA7omAJl3lGa1Bn4mLDPK-yfjv54cGt1MEim8Phwes0gfSg74FnOwsZB6yK0aFXGQ7__oR_b9kSJVrawvgv_Ke/s400/041.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-21707905946012279762012-09-19T15:56:00.001-05:002012-09-19T15:56:35.974-05:00Bible Study <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOu7ridJRCepaqABOOX5fRRTJewZJzdcGBUUYbxVTBk0OhLzk3t6TV9uaBqafTSh2oMan3QHAl2eRTETNVH9F0WFjvLIk-Q89_354TShklXtUhmL0JWdx-C1OYZmNGlOFUq22aZc6N-ja/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOu7ridJRCepaqABOOX5fRRTJewZJzdcGBUUYbxVTBk0OhLzk3t6TV9uaBqafTSh2oMan3QHAl2eRTETNVH9F0WFjvLIk-Q89_354TShklXtUhmL0JWdx-C1OYZmNGlOFUq22aZc6N-ja/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee and Tea ready for the Bible Study group, even though I quickly learned I'm the only coffee drinker. </td></tr>
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I think that every day I have slightly more awe for the professors and pastors who taught me. The minute that something seems easy, it becomes very evident that it is easier to watch than it is to do. This has been particularly obvious to me as I prepare for my Bible Study and Confirmation Class. </div>
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Maybe it's even harder because my theology is so much a "to each their own" approach that I have trouble teaching people something and letting it be. I very often say, "but I could be wrong; what do you think?" and you know, I still think that's the right way to go when teaching people-- especially the very intellectual group that this congregation is-- but it sure is hard to get a lesson plan together with that approach. Or at least it's new. Maybe it's just new. </div>
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Blessed I am that this congregation knows I'm trying on a lot of different hats to find the right one. Bible Study hats? </div>
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Well, the Bible Study is actually going tremendously well in my opinion. We just talk and share stories and asks questions. We don't look for definite answers; we look for ways to live into our questions so that they can be a part of the journey. </div>
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One of my favorite Bible Study moments so far (okay, there have only been two meetings) was today when we read this: </div>
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"Near the end of his life Thomas Jefferson spent a great deal of time editing his own version of the Bible. He took out all of the passages that he found difficult to believe or that offended his sensibilities. When Jefferson was finished, his “Bible” was only forty-six pages long. By contrast, when I encounter such difficult-to-believe passages in the Bible, I have learned not to dismiss them entirely. After all, God is not restrained by the borders of my imagination. But I don't pretend to believe things I don't believe, either. Instead, I try to keep such passages in the kind of place where I will be sure to pick them up again." -- Martin Copenhaver, from <a href="http://www.ucc.org/lcm/Bible-and-the-UCC-FINAL-2.pdf" target="_blank">this document</a>. </blockquote>
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I just love this concept-- we could throw it all out and have almost no book left, or we could realize that our imagination doesn't even begin to be capable of understanding this enormous and complex "book of books," but it sure is fun to try. </div>
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Anyway, I don't know what this entry is for. Maybe to say, "Wow, professors and other Bible Study leaders, you're awesome." Or maybe to say, "Come to my Bible study! You won't be bored!" Or, of course, "Please don't just throw the Bible out the window." But probably all three. </div>
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<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-72318484202793250952012-09-13T20:33:00.000-05:002012-09-13T20:35:53.038-05:00Well Look at That! An Office!<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I got to the church, somehow the walls in the pastor's office had never received the coat of paint that the rest of the office area got, so I'm fairly certain the walls only had primer on them. Maybe it was just really white paint...</div>
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Anyway, I picked out a color that I thought would go nicely with <a href="http://www.becomingpastormom.blogspot.com/2012/05/graduation-photobomb.html" target="_blank">the photograph</a> that Kristi Foster took and the staff at First Congo Webster Groves gave me. The photograph is bold, but I chose a color that complimented it in a calm and warm way-- it's called Natural Wheat (but it's kind of pinker than it sounds). A member of the congregation came painted and did a fabulous job. </div>
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I also ordered a new desk, because the one that was in there already took up approximately half the office, and I really wanted to have space to meet with people without having to sit at the desk. So, with a new desk and new paint, and some furniture that was already there and some that I borrowed from the Christian Ed rooms, we created an office! Voila!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOZkUgIlcWZOuwrLF-4hj2jc_-6uzFNEDg0mqPVcdPHzfA8-8W9Kkxe3tqziphr8NHPlBqOfdusSlGyHcDg7T1rC3PP7VSAHyHp0JSqPQ6YL22vJX4tImDD9HFlSa57ng8yXVHKCwULW_/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOZkUgIlcWZOuwrLF-4hj2jc_-6uzFNEDg0mqPVcdPHzfA8-8W9Kkxe3tqziphr8NHPlBqOfdusSlGyHcDg7T1rC3PP7VSAHyHp0JSqPQ6YL22vJX4tImDD9HFlSa57ng8yXVHKCwULW_/s400/011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a built-in closet for my robes and stoles, a whiteboard that I got on clearance at Target, and a bookshelf waiting for more books :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynteHZspOF2wUwxQaFuhgXS4IzARq6HMIXjLgXGLyX0tt0ATDP6P7VdnVEo11Re29Jf0M8c7B5DWTATNBiN9lZAEnULVbvopnYfH5Ptl7-aqtNdAh71h7tbljISsGcdErjFqAhR__Gcs4/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynteHZspOF2wUwxQaFuhgXS4IzARq6HMIXjLgXGLyX0tt0ATDP6P7VdnVEo11Re29Jf0M8c7B5DWTATNBiN9lZAEnULVbvopnYfH5Ptl7-aqtNdAh71h7tbljISsGcdErjFqAhR__Gcs4/s400/012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seating area. Working on getting some pillows or something.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywfrpNftok0CRBp-WfGCO4Tek2bZI6An7ezKvyhXKS88VxbNLRLVqwF5NtZaQH30aPY4_rmwZWxoULu2ZyespN4QOLohmAi5dBC3o3KYwk5-NMFiJ2aAUIRbvsiGdH4w-r1D_7AYOdxpO/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywfrpNftok0CRBp-WfGCO4Tek2bZI6An7ezKvyhXKS88VxbNLRLVqwF5NtZaQH30aPY4_rmwZWxoULu2ZyespN4QOLohmAi5dBC3o3KYwk5-NMFiJ2aAUIRbvsiGdH4w-r1D_7AYOdxpO/s400/034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desk, temporary file cabinet, and a chair the size of Manhattan. The top of the desk is glass and then the underside pulls out all the way with little compartments for organizing office stuff. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuZJyRNEiUZbgNSbi39UloJUm1tUYYvc6hyHjkBTwBDivUfuSB62uGZ4h2Q_7gkvICjHGKRP3uGfPTY7pAWa0AQk2_T4oAtgFDS7RuI6zil7qj4cIaQA_XANo0F4rJZUpZ-CPCLGLCElM/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuZJyRNEiUZbgNSbi39UloJUm1tUYYvc6hyHjkBTwBDivUfuSB62uGZ4h2Q_7gkvICjHGKRP3uGfPTY7pAWa0AQk2_T4oAtgFDS7RuI6zil7qj4cIaQA_XANo0F4rJZUpZ-CPCLGLCElM/s400/023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a giant picture window! It really just shows the back of someone's garage and the parking lot, but I love the natural light it lets in. </td></tr>
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So that's it! I love it. It's definitely a work in progress, but I like it quite a bit. And as for everything else...it's going great here! </div>
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-56612680194372022812012-09-09T20:23:00.001-05:002012-09-09T20:23:30.913-05:00Two Sundays! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
This morning was my second Sunday leading worship (third if you count my candidating service). It's probably not a good idea for me to write an entry about how I feel about these past two Sunday services because I'm painfully overcritical of myself. Really, it's going just fine. </div>
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But anyway, I'm posting because I wanted to share this photo that a member of the congregation took this morning. As you can see, we have a "no one in the front five rows" rule, but we'll be working on that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXQBuJnF7u69GydkVK-fERPXGMc_Fa1rwbWY5ar8-Dn7BVn8HQ70L8uJT28WwvoXaQEIUD8eQYCJ99CIzZkgyAKMdxHW5h81m53749N-ypQt6ycTPMaJoPRl1_ZpLiAz4q3bqD4GCEKKD/s1600/IMG_4829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXQBuJnF7u69GydkVK-fERPXGMc_Fa1rwbWY5ar8-Dn7BVn8HQ70L8uJT28WwvoXaQEIUD8eQYCJ99CIzZkgyAKMdxHW5h81m53749N-ypQt6ycTPMaJoPRl1_ZpLiAz4q3bqD4GCEKKD/s400/IMG_4829.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5560878925032326332.post-18431914982936944932012-09-07T16:04:00.000-05:002012-09-07T16:04:51.228-05:00Lately... First let me say that we <i>love</i> our house, we <i>love </i>our church, and we <i>love</i> Wisconsin. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpk_p4rmkBXnYZC66fOxDx4GyoviskV6zBqYbID7ZME3_WitRYWGUvu03ULtrd18ZonEThEVGkCFh-oVYIckW91BId914pHke1t2MgbMvS8GBv3TxT6xuH-Xv_jVgaEMX66sMF6dfP872e/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpk_p4rmkBXnYZC66fOxDx4GyoviskV6zBqYbID7ZME3_WitRYWGUvu03ULtrd18ZonEThEVGkCFh-oVYIckW91BId914pHke1t2MgbMvS8GBv3TxT6xuH-Xv_jVgaEMX66sMF6dfP872e/s400/003.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">People have been so kind to us. We will be walking down the street and someone will stop us and say, "I haven't met you yet!" The other day, actually, we went to this little diner called Christina's just to have a simple cup of coffee, and afterwards someone stopped us and said, "Welcome to Ripon! Did you know there are other coffee shops in town?" </span><br />
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And then for the house-- having space is AMAZING. I can't even say that enough. I used to have this recurring dream that I would open a door and discover a new room in our apartment that I didn't know about. Now, it's like that's come true. There are TWO rooms that we're not even really using right now (a spare bedroom and an office) that I forget about all the time. And then I'm like, "hmm where can I put this random object that I don't want in the middle of my living room? Ah hah! In the office!" It's great. </div>
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But really, on the downside, we just don't have enough furniture to fill the rooms. I'd love to use the office for sewing and to keep the computer in, but we need more furniture and that's expensive. Also, we hope to have the spare room up and running by October when my mom and Grandma do the Great Gramma Tour to visit Allen and Charis, us, and my Uncle Bob and Aunt Vickie. This morning we went to a bunch of antique stores looking for some furniture and we found six chairs for our dining room table (we'll probably only use 4 in there and then put the other two somewhere else). They need some work, but they work just fine for now!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBRrAWPc_c2BjBDlxcWFH5uRjyobxkMaJTNLI0DHOkw-RFxh2TNl0eIDD8jKyI7OiWTnCdOyK1LN1NcGCIir74PRKbrpskjFnT4Vg1kL8d-qR3h6ZDwpETsQX-uQJbpZWbF8ddEPCdKkK/s1600/090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBRrAWPc_c2BjBDlxcWFH5uRjyobxkMaJTNLI0DHOkw-RFxh2TNl0eIDD8jKyI7OiWTnCdOyK1LN1NcGCIir74PRKbrpskjFnT4Vg1kL8d-qR3h6ZDwpETsQX-uQJbpZWbF8ddEPCdKkK/s400/090.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are two with arms and four without. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also found this little model church at the antique store. <br />I kind of want Evelyn to have a Dollchurch instead of a Dollhouse. <br />But really...I'm kidding. I'm a good mom. </td></tr>
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The real church is...overwhelming to say the least, but I really do feel like I'm handling it well. Nobody expects me to figure everything out right away, and I just have to remind myself that over and over again (like by writing it in my blog). My main goals for the first year or so is to just listen to the congregation and to preach well. I'll be doing other things, like leading the Confirmation and beginning a Bible study with an afternoon session and an evening session, but I'm not going to overdo myself. The Bible study will be based on the scripture for the coming Sunday, so in a way it will be killing two birds with one stone-- studying something with a group that I would be studying by myself anyway. </div>
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I do have my office set up, but it's still a work in progress. I'll post photos sometime next week. </div>
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Not being home as often is weird for me. Sometimes I will get to the end of the evening and realize I haven't changed a diaper all day. That blows my mind. And Evelyn is having a bit of a hard time with me being gone, but mostly I think she just doesn't like change. I think she's also mad because I decided that now that she's one, I'm not going out of my way to nurse her during the day. She doesn't like that idea, and the days that I'm home she still nurses 4 or 5 times. I just don't have the heart to tell her no. Maic is doing a wonderful job staying home with her. She's not a piece of cake anymore (she never was, but it's different now). She's doing toddler-y things, like pulling all of the wipes out of the package, throwing herself on the ground and crying when she doesn't get what she wants, and sitting on Nos's head. </div>
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Speaking of Nos, Evelyn thinks he is the cream of the crop. She also thinks that she is Nos's sole caregiver and therefore believes that he doesn't eat unless she feeds him. She has even-- I kid you not-- learned how to throw his toys for him. She throws them like 8 inches. Nos is the most poorly adjusted to Ripon of the four of us. He's not doing great. He barks while we are gone, and he had a really bad interaction with another dog. We are really trying to get him onto a schedule and give him a lot of exercise, but of course it's difficult when we're all trying to figure out what "schedule" even means. </div>
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Well, there's the novel on our lives. We're doing great. Sometime here in the future I'll be doing another blog overhaul, this time with a name change. I'm still up in the air, trying to decide between a simple change like "Being Pastor Mom" or "Life as Pastor Mom" or if I want to do something more clever (I have zero clever ideas, however, so probably I won't do that.) I'm up for suggestions all around-- from the title, to layout, to subject matter. </div>
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Peace be with you all!</div>
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Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04726396590074699889noreply@blogger.com1