The Adventure

Well, I think I've finally lost count of which day of the adventure we're on, but lets catch up on the last few days, shall we?
*We've been having lots of fun with music, dancing and silliness...

*Its beginning to look like all we've done on my trip is cooking! The past few days we've made another batch of pretzels (they were such a hit), biscuits, brownies, pancakes (s'more, chocolate and peanut butter), sweet potato quesedillas, guacamole, and leftsa. I think we might make some homemade marshmallows this afternoon too, once everyone gets back from cross-country skiing. *We went ice skating last night which was tons of fun and then went to see a movie afterward. Hopefully I can get some of the skating pictures from Dawn since I left my camera in the car :(

The Adveture Day 3

Wow, is it already day 3? It seems like much longer than that (in a good way ;) ) Today sped by, I'm not sure where it went to so quickly, but here are a few moments to share with you(plus a few from yesterday)...

{Dawn and Mrs. Gehlhar}
{a walk in the snow}

{this morning on a whim we decided to make pretzels, and they were delicious! I'm definitely going to have to take the recipe home with me}

{while the pretzel dough was rising, Dawn, Michael and I went to pick up a few things at Target. It was nice to ride in Emmett again, although I promised them I'm not helping with the driving until there is no more snow in sight!}
{home again to finish the pretzels...we had fun experimenting a bit to discover if boling them was really necessary in the middle of baking...the consensus was that it made the butter stay on the outside, rather than just being absorbed into the dough during the baking process - just in case any one was interested in knowing that...}
{as soon as the pretzels came out of the oven, we headed down to Red Wing, the town the Gehlhar clan grew up in. We dropped Dawn off to visit an old friend and then I got to go see their old house etc. Afterwards we all went and had dinner with their aunt, uncle and cousins}
{the cousins joined us for games with some other close friends of both families. I discovered a new game that I really like..."In a Pickle" I think its definitely one I'll have to find when I get home. By way of explaining the picture...as we came up to the front door there was a box filled with all kinds of Christmas hats and elf shoes, along with a welcome sign requesting that everyone pick a hat before coming it ;) }

The Adventure Day 2

WARNING: Before the following picture surprises you too much, check for any new information on facebook ;)

The Adventure Day 1

*Dawny-girl getting ready to play in the snow :)

*Phase 10

The Little One

I am so going to miss this little darling while I'm on my adventure! She's already grown so much in the short time I've had her - I can't imagine how much she'll have changed in the ten days I'll be gone.

Meowy Christmas!!!

{"This whole Christmas thing is lots of fun..."}
{"Where's my gift???"}
{"Muhaha, little kitty with big scissors, you better watch out..."}

Christmas Pt. 4 - Views from a Tuesday Evening

{Matthew, Mrs. Malcolm and I}

{hot chocolate and a warm fire are never to be turned down ;) }{Hana}

My first violin teacher, Lisa Malcolm, has always held a special place in my heart. Between Matthew and I, one or other of us was taking lessons from her for about twelve years, so she has known us as we've grown up alongside her own girls. This year she invited many of her old students to return for a chili supper, Christmas music, visiting and playing at a nursing home together. There were only a few there who we knew (and many of Mrs. Malcolm's "old" students who came and left after we did - that makes me feel old), but by far the most exciting to see was Hana. We had a wonderful time chatting, reliving old jokes and favorite memories as well as catching up on our current lives.

Christmas Pt. 3

{gingerbread cake...it ended up getting slightly burned in the end :( Can you see our tree in the background? We're making progress - Mom and Dad ended up deciding to put it mere feet away from the spot I've been lobbying for it to go for the past four years...maybe next year ;)}
Wow, and I thought that somehow things would slow down before Christmas once I was done with school and teaching??? Of course they haven't, instead I've been busy with lots of fun things - half of which I realized I can't post the pictures of yet because they have Christmas gifts in the background! Despite that, my posts for the next few weeks will probably mostly consist of pictures, for you see, the day after Christmas I will be heading out on an adventure to Minnesota, which should last a good ten days if all goes as planned. Just so yall can be sure that this Southerner is surviving the cold, and so you can all share a bit in the adventure, I'm intending to try to post pictures while I'm away. :) (Hmm, maybe that needs to be my new year's goal: following through on my intentions. The amount of teasing I've endured for it recently makes me wonder if its become more of a problem than my rather preoccupied brain is capable of observing ;) )

Ponderings and a small lecture to myself...

--- How can one thing throw your internal rhythm so far off kilter? Intellectually I know that this is nothing unusual. If it were not this, it would be something else. Every time in life that you finally reach some place of equilibrium, something will come along for you to struggle with, adjust to or accept. And this is okay - its what keeps life interesting. The key is all in perspective. If you look at it as a bother and an interruption then it will be one. If you choose to see it as an adventure - one of the many small "detours" that make up our lives - and relax, letting the current carry you along, then you will be able to embrace life. It's your choice. What will you do with it? ---

"Whatever you do is what shall be."

Christmas Pt. 2

{peppermint mocha is my favorite Christmas drink from Starbucks}

And on a random note, this picture was taken as part of something I've been working on over the past few weeks - a daily self portrait. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them or if anyone else will ever even see them, but it has helped me to be aware of the little moments that make up my day.

Christmas season in my world

Several weeks ago I read a blog post by a young mom about what makes up the Christmas season in their home and it got me thinking about what things make it feel like December to me. There are certain things that are tradition in our family for this time of year and some of these are included in my idea of quintessential Christmas, but other things seem to be important only to myself and therefore will probably not happen unless I make an effort to work them into the busy days of December. With this in mind, I thought that over the next few weeks I would share some snippets with you of the Christmas season in my world.
{candles create the perfect Christmas ambiance in my mind, especially when combined with one of my new favorite Christmas CDs - Christmas from the Heart (David Archuleta) and Christmas in New England}

I drove past Starbucks today, a fairly common happening, but this particular one brought back a lot of memories since I don't often pass it. The only time I have ever stopped there was on my way home from my interview at the library. I had just discovered my favorite summer drink - raspberry mocha frappuccino - and decided to stop and get some to celebrate getting the job. Looking back now its amazing to see how that day altered the course of my life. Not only have the people I've met by working at the library made a profound difference in who I am, but the conversations that have taken place in the work room and all the thinking time that has come to me with shelving have had a huge impact on the decisions I have made and the steps I have taken in life. I guess its all a reminder that you can never tell where your path will turn and what is at the end of it. That alone would have scared me in the past, but I'm learning to see it as an adventure and to enjoy the process of discovery along the way.

The rest of my weekend

So it turns out there was no reason for a stomach with butterflies this weekend ;) It was a wonderful few days filled with cooking, friends old and new, late nights, lots of talking, and music, not to mention getting my kitten! Now its back to normal life - teaching, homework, studying for finals and more sleep :)

My Weekend

'nough said.

I'd forgotten...

• that knitting calms me down
• about "teacher mode" and how easily I slip into it
• to take conscious alone time (us introverts and our need for solitude...)
• how relaxing it is to read blogs only at night
• the enthusiasm of a friend newly infected by the knitting bug ;)
• what an affluent society I live in

But I promise I didn't forget about blogging! Its been a crazy week preparing for and having a recital for my students, being sick, going to a friend's concert etc. but I'm back now.

Things You Need to Know Pt. 1

Life has certainly changed since I went to EXCEL in 2003. I remember being very discouraged during Mr. Bell's talks, even though they were my favorite sessions, because I didn't know what I was supposed to do with my life. I had no idea what my life calling was, I couldn't see where the forks in the road were taking me. As I look back over my notes from those sessions this morning, I am amazed at how much more clarity I have been given in life. This list no longer scares me:

Things You Need to Know

• Where you want to go - life purpose
• What you wish to accomplish - goals
• How you're going to get there - plans
• What you need to take with you - abilities
• What we need to overcome - obstacles and detours
• Who will be your guides - teachers
• Who will travel with you - companions

Over the next few days I'd like to share more with you about this list and tell you about some of the answers God has given me over the past few years. More to come... :)

You just have to love little kids - they say the funniest things! I should write a book someday of all my funny experiences with my students.

Last night one of my five year olds said to me, "You know what kind of cats I like? Feline cats. They're white and fluffy." ;)

Random Fact of the Day

Here's a little something I learned in a little blurb about PLU codes (the 4-5 digit code on fruits and veggies at the store) from a Mary Jane magazine that mom just brought home from the quilt shop.

*A four digit code means the produce has been grown with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
*A five digit code beginning with an eight means the produce has been genetically modified
*A five digit code starting with a nine means its organic

Just thought I'd share that with you in case you find it as interesting as I did. Now I want to go check out all the PLU codes of things we typically buy ;) I'm looking forward to gardening and hopefully growing more of my own food in the coming years (I have a plan up my sleeve for bartering with mom and dad for garden space after I move to the apartment, not to mention lots of container gardening). But even so, the produce section can never be avoided completely so I'd like to at least be informed about what I'm buying.

I've been up to my ears in apples - Lindsey and I brought so many back from the mountains! Most of them are for drying, but I've also really been wanting to make applesauce again like we did with Gampa when we were little. And of course apple pies are a must ;)

Life is good

Life is good, right now, just the way it is. Despite all the hard things that have happened over the past four months, life is good, right now. Things will never again be exactly as they are right now. Dawn and I will not always teach at Atlas together. I will not always be in college, able to take different classes and study so many things. I will not always live with James and my parents. I will not always teach these same little children, having such an opportunity for influence in their lives. This is a time to be enjoyed, to be treasured. What a shame it would be to let it all slip away without truly appreciating every moment of it. To live like this, that is what it is to be truly alive - vibrant, thankful, aware of every blessing - because life is good, right now.

Whew! I've finally gotten through a grueling week, filled with several big homework assignments, a last minute crisis, and lots of lessons on trusting God. I finally sat down tonight to think back over the last few weeks and get my brain organized for the next few (can you believe Christmas will be upon us in a mere six weeks?!!!).


Armed with lists, calendars, and planner, I'm hoping I can stay on top of things more and be back here more often. I have so many things to share with you all...pictures of lots of fall goodness, thoughts, what I've been learning. Until then, Happy November!

On Mending

One of the reasons I love "The Tale of Despereaux" so much is because of the many meanings found within its pages. Yes, it is a children's book, but I still find myself learning from it. Even some of the smallest phrases in the story carry huge implications and life lessons for those who take the time to see them.

And so it is from Despereaux that I feel I have truly come to grasp why God sometimes sends hardship and suffering. About midway through the book, it says of Roscuro, "...these things helped him to put his heart together again, but, alas, it mended wrong." As I thought about this statement, I pictured a clay heart shape that has been shattered. Someone has tried to mend it, but many of the pieces are out of order, such that it no longer even looks like a heart. This is exactly what happens when we try to put our own broken hearts back together using false, though perhaps comforting, assumptions, and half truths. It is inevitable that things will get mixed up, perhaps with some pieces being left out all together, and we will not end up with a whole heart. Now, if God's plan for us is that we be made whole and holy,* then the only way for these wrongly mended hearts to be made whole again is, sadly, for them to be broken again. Broken, so that One far wiser can help us mend them properly, with everything in its place and no pieces left out. Grounded in truth, rooted in love, whole and holy.



*"How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love." Eph. 1:3-4 MSG

Dreaming

I must confess, I discovered a magical spot yesterday. I'm dreaming of a violin recital here, or perhaps a woodland wedding...or perhaps just a picnic lunch on my way home from class ;)