Some new news...

Hey, ladies! I love reading about what's been going on in everyone's lives. Sarah B., congrats on the move! Sarah A., congrats on the niece! Breanna, I was very sad to read about your student; it is so tragic when someone dies so young. Mandy, I recal a Friends episode where VapoRub was used to spice things up. :) Sorry I haven't posted in a while; we live in the land of no high speed internet, and apparently my employer has decided this should be a "blocked site", so I haven't been able to catch up lately. As far as a gathering, yes! We should do that! And I would definitely love to volunteer my house, if people don't mind driving to Lake Park. However, I would be equally happy to travel anywhere else as well.

Ryan and I had our first ultrasound yesterday. Our baby is a healthy, normally developing little girl! I kind of had a feeling she would be a girl, but I'm super excited to know for sure.

Hope all is well with everyone. Take care!
Lindsey

Help!

Hello dears!

I am writing to request your assistance! I am sitting as we speak at Amanda Backstrom's home, east of Erhard, MN, and we were just discussing the fun details of the blog. Our dear friend, however, does not have access to our wonderful blog, and I am COMPLETELY unfamiliar with how to get someone else added as a user/author. Is there someone out there who may be able to help us in this matter??? Please? PRETTY please?! :) Manda is VERY excited about the idea of joining and I know we would all LOVE to have her join us! Her email address is akbackstrom@yahoo.com, if that helps at all.

Ok, we are heading out to Robbie's birthday party (remember freshman year, Scanders or Elizabeth?!)...so either email Manda or let me know what I can do to help! Thanks so much, lovely ladies!

Love you!
SB
P.S. Grace is BEAUTIFUL! :) (just like her mom and big sisters!) :):):)

Grandma Vonnie

Yes, that is right. The world's coolest Grandma has given me permission to use her house sometime to have a get together. I think this area is a good location. Let me know your thoughts!

November

Do you know that last November there were several days above 60 and even one above 70. I can't help but feel that this year will be the same. While I don't want to complain about this because when I walk around campus I enjoy not having a bulky coat, I can't help but think of global warming. How can any one deny what is happening to our environment?
This weekend my dad is turning 60 so I'm coing to Alexandria. Sometimes I think it's strange to think of my parents growing older - especially now that they're grandparents. Here's a photo of when Katherine was here a couple of weeks ago.

sad day

Hello everyone,
I am sorry, but I am going to use this as a place to vent my frustrations and sadness today. I know that it will be good to get my thoughts out and also I know I have some wonderful friends who love me and for that I am sooooo happy.
On Friday night, a student from St. James was killed in a car accident. He was a junior who moved here last year. So, he wasn't known by everyone, but it is a small school. He had a big group of friends who are devestated. They are not the popular kids, they are not the kids who are overly involved in school, but they are sweet kids who have been good to each other because they don't have the strongest families. In a time of immense hurt, the one place they have to look towards for guidance has let them down- the school.
Although the school had counselors and pastors available to them, they did nothing else. They did not dismiss school for the funeral today. It was at 2:00. This did not make it easy for anyone to attend. I never had Jake as a student, but I have had all of these grieving teenagers who need a support system more than anything right now. I could not believe that they did not dismiss school this afternoon. This meant that unless most of our class was going to be gone for the funeral, we were not encouraged to go. I do not think that is right. I think those kids needed to know that people care about them and care that their friend died. So, I found my own substitutes and went to the funeral.
I don't care what the circumstances are, if a student dies, it is traumatic. I had 8th graders who had no idea who Jake was, but who need help dealing with this. However, we were told to keep things as normal as possible in our classrooms. Are you kidding me?
You can't tell me that if this were a student who grew up in St. James and lived here their whole life that they wouldn't deal with it differently. The way that they have approached this has made me feel like an insensitive person when these kids really need to see that teachers are having a hard time with this too. I am sooooooo frustrated and sooooooooooo sad.
Today was a hard day.

I miss mi amigas!

Hello my sassy sistahs,

So, I've had the privilege of chatting with a few of you and I'm hearing a theme of "We need a get together!!" So, I'm starting the conversation...

What about a gathering sometime in November? The first or second weekend? And then there is location-but maybe we can wait and see who is interested to find good spot.

I could also start a Christmas time festival chat....but I'm too tired, so feel free to comment on that too if you'd like.

Scanders those shoes are hot!

e

mis zapatos nuevos

El fin de semana pasado yo compre zapatos nuevos. Necesite los nuevos mucho. Pero el tiempo pasado no satisfice con los zapatos a Kohl's o Sportmart o una otra tienda. Entonces, mi mama me dijo que debo a ir la tienda, New Balance. Yo fui, pero los zapatos tan expensivos pero compre y tenia este zapatos por mas que un ano. Pero ahora los no funcianada, entonces yo fui a a la tienda otra vez. A New Balance, no hay muchos zapatas tenis. Trate mucho parajes y decidi en un paraje para mujeres viejas. Cuando yo lleve los zapatas para la primera vez hoy, me senti un poco foolish.



So I bought a new pair of shoes this past weekend. I'm been disappointed with the previous pairs bought at Kohls or some other store and my mom suggested New Balance. The shoes are good, but they're expensive. Over a year ago a put out the dough for some good shoes and they've lasted all this time. When working at World Market I would wear them everytime and they worked well on the concrete floors. Well, I decided to go back this weekend for another pair. At New Balance, there is not a lot of selection and I tried on several pairs, looking for some that are somewhat stylish, but highly comfortable as well.

I was at the store at closing time and finally decided to make a decision, because I did not want to be 'that person' who stays late and make the poor employees have to wait to go home on a Saturday evening. (I've been on that side of the counter plenty.) The best shoe I tried on looks straight out of pair that you would envision elderly women wearing. All white, thick soled shoes are what I put on today to take a walk. I felt a little foolish because I felt like I was saying to the world, "LOOK AT ME, I BOUGHT NEW SHOES!" And while they don't have fancy colors and aren't stylish in the least, they are comfortable. Perhaps I will start a trend of wearing comfort over style. (Yes, I know comfort can also be stylish, but since I'm cheap, I want shoes that will be comfortable for at least another year.) And just so you can see my shoes, I've included a photo for you. I know, I know, I might as well put 'SAS' on the side and get myself a pair of gray polyester, elastic-waist pants and a nice 'blouse' to go with them. Take care, friends!

(Please note: the English is not a direct translation from the Spanish text. You'll have to figure that out on your own. Have fun!)

Katherine's getting ready for Halloween

I'm an auntie

Hello all!

Tonight at 6:10 p.m. Sarah delivered a little girl who weighs 7 lbs 10 oz and is 20 inches long. They gave her the name of Katherine Lucille. She has to spend tonight in some special care unit because her skin isn't pink enough and her oxygen saturation level isn't where it should be, but in talking to Matt tonight, he didn't seem too concerned. I'm really excited. Matt said he was going to try and send out pictures tonight so I'm going to wait up for awhile and see if they appear in my inbox. For now, I'll envision her as this cooky looky cartoon character. I wish they lived closer so I could go see her, but they will be visiting right after MEA, so I look forward to seeing them at that time.

sorry

I apologize. I should not have only offered such priceless pieces of literature to Mandy. Anyone can use some spice in your life.
Happy ALMOST Friday!

agreed...

Mandy lou you are the funniest person I know. I agree with Breanna a little spice might be all ya need (I don't think I've ever felt the way you currently do...)

Boerboom-that was just cruel...got my hopes all up. Do you have any pics of the Backstrom clan?

Love to all the ladies :)

TMI....yep

Wow. That was a little much Mandy.
But, I could borrow you some books that illustrate new and different ways to enjoy the task.

The Blaahs in De Pere

Hi all!
I agree that it is fun to see so many entries! :) I am gulity of being a lazy dude and not posting for reasons of pure exhaustion at the end of the day. But I still love to read the postings! I guess I can't have it both ways. :)
Bre- My phone number is 920-264-4307 David's is the same, but -4764 at the end in case you ever want to call him. he he.
Things here are okay. My job is okay. Definitely not exciting like elementary school is. I don't think I'm meant to be a middle school teacher, but that's okay. I just need to learn how to have fun and not feel sad that I can't sing "You Are My Sunshine" every day or dance around and have it be totally joyful and not embarrassing. :) Whatever.
Julia turns 2 on Friday. Holy crap. She is getting so big. Sentences are coming out of her mouth, as well as the ABC's and counting to 10. She also knows how to push every button that we have, and has learned how to throw her head back and look way up into the tops of her eyes when David or I are getting after her. nice. MOST of the time, though, she's really fun. :)
In other news (perhaps this is TMI, but I don't care, I need to "vent"), we are trying to have another baby, and I am sooooo sick of having sex, I could vomit. :) One should never say that, but David feels the same way. :) I guess next time we'll think twice before we feel deprived. :) Okay, I feel better. Please block that from your mind if you need to.
Not much else to report from here. I'd love to hear more about your rock star hymnody class, Lutherites. :) Sounds like a blast. :) Could it even be as fun as Music History or Counterpoint?
Okay, I need to go relax. I seriously felt sort of like I might have a stress attack today--I think I need to start thinking positive thoughts. :)

Miss all of you very much,
Love ya,
Mandola

Hi again!

How are all of you? I am doing well. I took Monday off of school to enjoy a really stuffy nose and allergies like you wouldn't believe. Today, I barely have a voice, but it is all good.
Mandy, what is your phone number? I was going to call you awhile ago, but didn't have your number.
Sarah, woo hoo. It is FUN to move. It is even more fun to have more space than just an apartment.
Updates from the rest of you?
Love you!
Breanna

News for the Boerbooms!

Greetings all! I am writing to tell of some exciting news for the Boerbooms...Seth and I are......






HAHA...did I get ya?! (See, Sarah, TWO can play at this game!) NO NO NO, we are NOT pregnant. We are, though, moving to Cottonwood! Ok, so not a single one of you (other than Miss Mandy) probably even has a CLUE about where Cottonwood is, so I shall explain it to you. Cottonwood is a small town (about the size of Minneota) approximately 12 miles from Marshall, located right on Hwy 23. We have decided to give up our rental townhouse for a rental HOUSE. I can't begin to tell you how exciting this is for the two of us, who have only lived in rentals since we got married 2.5 years ago. Not that rentals are a bad thing..it's just that we're both ready to move into a place where we're not sharing walls with neighbors or waking up to garage doors opening below our bedroom at 600am on a Monday morning. On top of this, the rent is MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper ($175 less, to be exact!!!!) than what we're paying right now, so that is very exciting. We're hoping to use the extra money to save up to PURCHASE a house...sometime in the near future anyway. Other than that, my life is much the same...work is stressful..I dream of better jobs and better days...Seth is doing well with the insurance thing, which of course I knew he would...and we're just kinda doin' our thing down here in Marshall. I think of all of you often...I do have to admit that it is fun to sign on here and see postings from EVERYONE! :)

Well, that's what's new in my life..nothing obviously as exciting as the classes that Sarah and Lizabeth are taking (hahaha), but exciting for us SW Minnesotans anyway! :)

Love you all!
SarahB

The autumn leaves....

Sarah, do you really think threatening your friends is the way to get what you want? Well, it worked...so maybe there's something to it! I agree-this hymnody class leaves something to be desired, and a few Luther alum have told me how lucky I am not to be taking it on campus...ha ha ha!! :)

We've entered the fall schedule here-and while I'm enjoying everything, it is a serious bump up in the intensity of my days. Church is good, we're doing a "Why Church?" series that has been wonderful!

Micaela and I are taking swimming lessons! It is so fun! She loves it (except when the teacher touches her feet, she freaks out), there are a few things she can't do because of the tubes in her ears...but we're kicking, jumping, splashing...and its nice to talk with some other young moms. We are approaching the "2s" for sure! Temper tantrums come more often that I would like...especially at 3:30am when "APPLE JUICE" is yelled for 10 minutes straight. I'm praying this too shall pass...quickly.

I think that's all I know-I miss you all! It was this time last year we had our Homecoming bash...maybe we should figure out a weekend we could spend a day together?

Much love to all the ladies! :)

Hello everyone. Sarah, it is not nice to lie to your friends. How is everyone doing? It is Homecoming here this week and as always, that is CRAZY! Especially when you are one of the Student Council advisors. Yikes. I can't wait until the dance is over tonight so I can sleep and relax. Other than that. Not much is new around here.

Where's the excitement?

I look at the blog daily and am disappointed that the posting is sparce. Lack of posting makes me less likely to post myself. Therefore I'm making an executive decision to pull the blog. That way I will not be tempted to check it multiple times a day.




Okay, I really wasn't thinking that I would banish the blog from the internet. But did it get a reaction out of you? Hopefully it wasn't the sort of reaction that made you curse my name; that wouldn't be good.
School is well into the second week. I have five classes and four of them are good. My ecumenical hymnody class, which Elizabeth is also taking, is a poor. However, there are only five more times left and tomorrow we get to see the rare book collection which is bound to be exciting. All right, back to reading, which is bound to put me to sleep, so that's good. Take care, friends!

More cleaning, more findings

I write to you from my new place of residence for this upcoming academic year. I successfully procrasinated and orientation starts tomorrow, and I'm not completely moved in yet. But, luckily for me, my former landlord is understanding.

My room is spacious and I have a bay window which directly faces the president's house. There are several big trees that shade my room when sun beats in. Hopefully soon I will take pictures and post them for you to see.
What I really wanted to share was a poem written on September 17, 2002 by someone who lived in the Lighthouse that year. I found it when I was going through old boxes of Concordia stuff. It is written in my handwriting, but I'm not sure if I can take full accountability for the well-versed poem, or if others assisted as well. Enjoy!

Ode to the Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is a place where six females live,
And have hearts always willing to give. (except Mandy)
There are always many jokes flying around,
Especially when prairie dogs are found. (in Breanna’s room!)
The Lighthouse is a busy place,
And filled with lots of girlie things like lace. (especially in Sarah’s room)
Many holiday such as “talk like a pirrrate for a day” are celebrated,
And many men dated are top rated. (right Edam?)
The women at the house are buff and fit,
They could beat any sort of Viking hit. (especially Jesse)
The brains at the place are to be desired,
In fact we could get any Concordia prof fired! (especially Lerohl)
So there you have it, the great gals from 1101,
Always willing to have fun!

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm especially curious to hear about those first days of school for Mandy and Breanna. Take care!

Fabulous!

Wow, I am glad that we all had great summers and were able to see each other at the beginning of it before we all got busy (yeah, apparently some people got busy...Lindsey....congrats!). Sarah B., you are not the only one without a little one. There is Sarah A. (Oh yeah, and me too). However, it turns out that when boys get sick, they turn into GIANT babies. Funny.
Oh my, where did the summer go? I went to Duluth, went to New York, went to Walker twice and have spent a lot of time hanging out and painting, decorating, putting wedding gifts away, etc. Also, one week this summer Laryssa came to stay with us and it was great. I was a little nervous because she is sort of high maintenance, but we had a fabulous time. She was sad to leave and told us that she wanted to live with us. Chris's response: "You will need to start doing some chores. But, that would be OK." Funny guy. Laryssa does not like chores or working in general, so that maybe made leaving easier. She was so funny, she kept saying: "You have a dog, you cook, and you have a house? This is SO weird."
I started school on Monday and I am not moving too quickly.
It is GREAT to hear from you all.
Love you!!

I can't take credit for the pirate joke-its from the show I just did! That means it came from my Dad's sick-o brain.

These Prairie Dogs are from the Red River Valley Zoo where Micaela and I went with Daniel, Katie and Isaiah last week. I thought of you all and had to put up this pic.

Julia looks so GROWN UP! She has really changed in the last couple of months. Micaela hasn't gotten out of her crib, but tried to swing a leg over a couple of times. I'm looking into toddler beds for the very near future!

GREAT to hear from everyone!
e

Am I the only one LEFT?!

HaHaHaHaHa!! Ok, so SERIOUSLY, ladies..am I the ONLY ONE LEFT without any beautiful children?!?! Yes, yes, I know I am not the only one...but WHOA! How Exciting! Besides which, all of your children are FAR more beautiful than mine will EVER be...which also brings me to ONE more detail...Amanda Shulstad/Backstrom had her baby TODAY!!!! Let's all take the time to guess....Yep, that's right.....ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I can't even begin to tell you how much time I've spent giggling about this in the last few hours since I found out...WAY TOO MUCH!!!!! :):):):) Her name is Grace Esther..she was born at about 2pm this afternoon..weighed 8lbs1oz (if you'll remember, Amanda's due date wasn't actually until Sept. 9th, but her doctor recommended she be induced early because of the size of her last baby -- Marie was 10lbs2oz -- and so she was induced this morning and here we are!!!)...and was 21" long. I, on the other hand, still have no children and have no plans to have children any time soon!!

My summer has been very busy as well...Grease was one of the most amazing and fun things I've ever been a part of...it was SO MUCH FUN and I wouldn't trade the experiences I had for anything in the world. I made some new friends and realized how much I had truly missed being involved in music/theatre since I've been done with college. It was the BEST!!! (Yes, maybe the BESTEST part was kissing the 17-year old playing Danny Zuko...OR, it could have just been the show itself..!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!! :))

Anyway, other than that...not a whole lot new here..I must say, though, that I am truly grateful to be able to keep up with all of you on this wonderful blog..it is great to hear everything going on in everyone's lives!

Love you all!
SB

Hi ladies!
So good to see some more postings. I miss all of you! :)
Today I had my first "official" day of work. We were thrown a plethora of information that I will never remember; from 403b plans to what to do if you're sick. Fun times!! I did meet a few nice people, though, so that was fun. :)
Things here are fine otherwise. Julia is still keeping us busy. She figured out one day (in a fit of rage) that she could get out of her crib. Hmmm.. Fun times for us! So far she hasn't succeeded again, but I am constantly listening for her now when I'm sleeping. I'm fairly certain I woke up about 6 times last night. Nice. What if she falls on her head? It makes me too nervous. I need to relax. I know.
David is at his first day of school today too. I am hoping that he meets some fun, nice people. He's been driving me a little nuts. He's worried and doesn't know exactly how to get started, all of which I'm sure is normal, but its a little annoying after a few days. I think he just needs to get going to he can actually do something instead of just thinking about it. He is probably driving me nuts because I fear I'm exactly the same. Hard to admit, but true. :)
I wish I had some funny jokes like the other funny pre/current Lutherites. That pirate joke was a serious hit with me. Ha ha ha ha ha
So, I've nothing of interest to say. I miss you all terribly. If you're ever in the neighborhood (its only a quick 5 hours from the cities--I'd say that's in the neighborhood, right?:) we'd love to see you. Otherwise, I am thankful for this blog. I am so blog addicted that I set one up for our families about Julia. My Mom is especially sad about not being able to see Julia, so I try... I set it up at: severtsons@blogspot.com Lots of cute pics, and too much information about Julia, but that's what the grandparents want.
Okay, I'm blabbling. I would love to hear from more of you--Becca? Amy? Breanna?? (are you hooked up yet? Come on newlywed--we miss you!!) Anyone? Bueller?

Love
MJ

ha ha ha ha ha....

A pirate comes walking a bar with a steering wheel stuffed down his pants. Bartender looks at him and says,

"Excuse me mister pirate sir, why do you have a steering wheel stuffed down the front of your pants??"

The pirate says, “Aargh! It’s driven me nuts!!”

Welcome baby Laux! YAY! Any news on Manda's baby?

one more guest for the F'ing festival

Hi, ladies! I've really enjoyed the jokes and the recent pictures! Keep em coming!

Also, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm brining an extra guest to the F'ing festival next year. Ryan and I are having a baby! We are due March 10 (I think, I haven't been to the doctor yet). We're super excited (and nervous, anxious, scared and feeling a little crazy all at the same time!).

Take care, everyone!
Lindsey

Laugh with me

I've been doing a little bit of cleaning today and came across a few good jokes that I wanted to share with you.

1. Why do men like BMWs? They can spell it
2. What do you say to a hitchhiker with one leg? Hop in
3. Why was the tomato red? Because it saw the salad dressing.
4. Aardvark – Aardvark a million miles for one of your smiles (I tried that pick-up line the other night…it didn’t go so well ;)
5. Diploma – Diploma is here to fix the sink
6. Omelet – Omelet smarter than I look!

7. Knock Knock
Who’s there?
Isabel
Isabel not working

8. Knock knock
Who’s there?
Amos
Amos behavin’ – saving all my love for you

9. Dewey – Dewey have to do these jokes all night?

Which one is your favorite? Or, if you think you have anything better, please post.

One day left

Tomorrow is our last day of Greek. Right now I'm trying to finish the rest of our final, but am running out of steam. Perhaps if the sun decided to show itself that would make things a little easier. Don't get me wrong, the moisture is needed and I'm thankful it's not detrimental in my area, but if could wish, I would wish to have the rainy days a little more spread out and not concentrated into one week of summer.

There was a sense of giddyness and accomplishment at class today when our professor reminded us of the end being right around the corner and when a classmate handed out t-shirts that read: Behold, it's no longer Greek to me. Of course, it's written in Greek so that's extra sassy.

I spoke with Mandy and Julia (yes, she said Hi Sarah and bye which was pretty darn cute) and that was quite fun. It made me wish that I would have been able to visit you while you were in Maine...sounded like you had a good time.

Okay, I suppose I shouldn't put it off any longer. Afterall, if I want to enjoy happy hour at 9 pm tonight, it would be a lot happier with my final ready to turn in.

Leaks, Spills and Drainage

Hello everyone-I echo Mandy's sentiments. We've had a nice summer off, but its time to get blogging people!

I am very sad summer is coming to an end-I know its not totally gone, but still! What am I going to do with a very active child when winter comes? She is currently OBSESSED with Finding Nemo, so if we're in the house I hear "wanna watch? wanna watch" 800 times until I give in or we leave the house.

July was all consumed by the dinner theater production I did. I loved being on stage again and the cast and pit was so talented, it was very fun! However, paying for nightly babysitters was less than fun. I'll have to weigh my circumstances better next time.

August has been pretty chill-yay! We go for bike rides a lot, go to the park, or mall playland if its raining. Like I said, being at our house in not an option-so we've gotten creative. I'm going camping Labor Day weekend with some High School friends, and really looking forward to that.

I've finished by Luther online class-whew! And, I've decided to attend Luther Seminary full time next fall! I'm SO EXCITED about this! I'm going to do through their Sacred Music program and live on campus-which means we'll be with Scanders for a whole year! I'm sad to leave my church-but that's about it. Being in GF has been healing, and easy...now I feel strong enough for another adventure! So, here we go. In order to save some serious $$ for our seminary years, I will live in my Dad's basement for 10 months before we move down to the cities. He is so gracious to offer, I'm a littler nervous, but I'm sure we'll all survive.

Here is a list of the spills, leaks or drainage that have happened today-after reading you'll all be jealous of my glamorous lifestyle-I know it.
1. Juice on love seat
2. Micaela's nose
3. Q-tips all over the bathroom.
4. Micaela was at work with me for a few hours and colored marker all over a table cloth in the choir room...yet to be cleaned.
5. I deliver groceries for an organization in town to people that need that service-I had a leaky carton of milk all over my car...down the apt. hallway...into this lady's kitchen!
6. Micaela's nose
7. Leaky diaper on love seat (even though I had JUST changed her)
8. As I'm changing her leaky diaper Micaela puked all over herself and my bed.
9. Micaela's nose (this was really an all week occurance).

come on peeps

Just got hooked up--have moved, unpacked more, done LOTS of stuff...no posts yet!! Where is everyone??

I'm baaaacckkk!

Hi dudes-
How is everyone doing? What a slow summer on the blog, my goodness!! I thought I'd really be missing out and here there wasn't much to read. Well, we better get back to business now, okay? So, seriously, HOW IS EVERYONE? :)

Jules and I flew back from Maine on Monday. After a holy mess of a plane trip out there, we had a wonderfully uneventful trip home. Julia did puke one time, but it wasn't so bad. :) David is driving home with our friend, Micah, and will be here around Sat. or Sun. And then, finally, we can figure out our new place!

Right now, we are still in Granite Falls with the 'rents. We're going to make the trip to Green Bay tomorrow, though. I hope that it goes okay... 7 hours in a car might be a little much for Julia. Maybe I should buy some ear plugs. Ha.

While getting ready to land in Minneapolis, we flew over the collapsed bridge. Man, what a mess. It was hard being away from tv and Internet when that happened. I'm glad to hear that you are okay, Sarah. What a freak accident! I hope that they find those missing people soon. What a sad thing to have to wait for!

Maine was so beautiful. You would all love it. If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend a trip to Acadia National Park. It is incredible. For those camping enthusiasts among you, a week or so hiking and camping there would be like chocolate for your soul. It is soooo beautiful. The coast is great, too. We got to visit a few really nice beaches, saw some great lighthouses, and also saw some cute towns. All in all, it was a fun place to be.

I think Julia is going to be a little mixed up for awhile about where her home is. Poor thing; she's been jostled around to three different homes this summer! Hopefully she'll be okay--I'm sure that we'll go through some adjustment tantrums... fun times. :)

I'm not sure when we'll be getting hooked up to the internet in DePere, but as soon as we have it I'll check back and I EXPECT to see lots of entries from you all!! Seriously!!! :)

Miss you all lots!

Mandy

I'm okay

I was working tonight when the bridge collapsed so I am thankful that I'm okay. Also, all of my family is accounted for. It's pretty surreal...I drive that road a couple times a week at least.

new home

Hi, everyone! Hope all is well. Ryan and I have some exciting news. We've just accepted a counter-offer on a home in Audubon, MN, and we will be closing August 15th. If you are not familiar with Audubon, it is a town of about 586 people about 7 miles west of Detroit Lakes. We bought a hobby farm with about 10 acres. The funny thing is -- our farm is in city limits! Once we get settled, everyone is welcome to come visit!

I've been working at St. Mary's hospital in Detroit Lakes for about 3 weeks now, and I really love my job. I did two things I've never done before this past week (a home health evaluation and a wound care treatment), so that was pretty exciting. I'm taking my physical therapy licensure exam on Monday, and I'm pretty nervous and anxious to be done with that. As soon as that test is done, I can join the rest of the world again instead of shutting myself in a closet to study every spare minute that I have.

Take care, everyone!
Lindsey

Mary Kay

Hey ladies...
Do any of you use Mark Kay? Just curious because I am thinking of being a consultant to make a little extra cash and first I need to see if I would have a good client base.
What??? Isn't life crazy!
Hope all is well!
Breanna

Kairte

I don't know how to download the greek fonts, but the title means greetings! (Incidentally, it also means goodbye among a host of other things.) I have successfully made it through the first week and a half of greek and the tests I took last week prove that I am on the right track. Not that I necessarily feel competent; our professor told us that we will always feel like we are treading water. Our comprehension won't get any better or worse. But thus far, I think it's kind of fun to be so anal about something; I'm glad that I'm usually particular about small details. I think it helps in learning this language.
Last weekend I went camping with all of my dad's family to Itasca State Park. It was a wonderful time filled with biking, fires, rain, volleyball, food, and card playing. Matt is here this week which is fun and Sarah will join us for the weekend when we go to my dad's wedding.
Well that's all you get for now..back to more translation and decoding!

Seriously!

Weak effort people! It has been a month since the last post...what is going on? I know y'll have lots to share, there are people starting school, moving, being a newlywed, making out with minors...come one!

The update from GF is: I'm on stage this year for my Dad's dinner theater, so every night Micaela and Isaiah (Daniel's son) stay with babysitters while we rehearse. The long days of kid-work-rehearse-kid are getting old. But 2 weeks and its all over. We perform July 23,24,25,26 if anyone is looking for a reason to drive really far north!

Micaela is doing well, repeating everything I say...which is actually pretty darn funny. She asks for popcorn (pronounced pah-key) 100 times a day. But she is really sweet with Isaiah (pronounced yah-yah) and we've been taking frequent bike rides early in the morning for some excercise and bonding time.

Latest adventure includes meeting Scanders in Buffalo to celebrate with Jesse and Ian...so great to see them! And then staying at the Anderson household for a night! Yahoo!

I'm avoiding Luther homework right now, so I must go and begin my reading so I'm not up all night.

I'm looking forward to your frequent, forth-coming posts!

Love,
Elizabeth

Still recovering...

Hello friends, it was so nice to see you all! So, whose planning next year? :) Mandy and I were chatting and next year we'll have some "kid free" time next year...doesn't that sound good?

We made it back to Grand Forks after our get-a-way to Chicago. The Arts conference was incredible, the hour-long commute to Jess' house was less than incredible. But, the Chicago traffic was really the only down side. Micaela was great, she spent 2 days playing with a woman and her 2 year old daughter (they are from Costa Rica) while I was at the conference. Then we just hung out with Jess, the days were long so we didn't do any sightseeing or crazying outings.

So, we're back and I'm feeling motivated and full of ideas for church! I haven't figured out if we're doing Jesse and Ian's party or Elizabeth's wedding...I'm thinking the wedding will be easier to get to. Other senior year ladies...what are your thoughts?

Okay, my Old testament homework is calling me!

Lata ladies!

Elizabeth

Thanks!!

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for a wonderfully fun weekend! You made me remember what awesome friends I have. Not that I forget that, but its nice to be in your presence to be reminded once in awhile. :)

I hope that you all are having a nice start to the week! Congrats on the last day of school, Sarah!! Breanna and Elizabeth, I hope that you have arrived safely in your trips around the US. Lindsey--have fun with your LAST weeks of school!!! :) Everyone else, have a great week, too. I love you all!!!

Mandola

How grand!

What a fun weekend in New London and Litchfield, MN! When I tell people I hung out with 8 college friends with six girls under the age of 4, they look at me like I was crazy. Perhaps that is the case, but it was a grand time. I particularily enjoyed watching the munchikins play in the kiddie pool. Thanks for a great time!

Ps. Today is the last day of school!!!! Yippee!!!!

forecast

In today's Star Tribune, the forecast for tomorrow says a high of 79, sunny, and "lakeworthy." This makes me very happy and glad that I talked with my meteorologist friends last week.

This morning I saw lots of people out and about walking, biking, and such on my way to work. It made me wish that I had enough discipline to get up earlier and take advantage of the early morning hours outdoors. But, I did enjoy my sleep until 7.

See you tomorrow!

Mundane routine

There are days when I don't mind being part of a routine that isn't all that exciting. In fact, I often relish in the predictability of it all. I enjoy listening to the morning show on MPR with Jim Ed Poole and Dale Connelly. I also like having a cold lunch everyday with vegetables, a banana, and some sort of sandwich on nutty bread. But today was a today I wish hadn't been so predictable. I could predict that my ELL class wouldn't settle in and do their work and when given the opportunity to work in groups, would not use their time effectively. I also know that my 6th hour is often uncontrollable because of 8 students that are in there and many will fail because they're refusing to complete their work and won't respect assignment deadlines. When I went to World Market tonight I knew I would be putting away stock, having to deal with customer questions, and eating chocolate. All these I know, but I wish there was more. Of course I didn't know that today a girl in one of my classes would attack a boy, pinning up against the door with her hand around his neck saying her brother, who is in a gang, would beat up him up. I didn't know that a girl in 6th hour would yell so loudly and use such profanity that it could be heard all the way down the hall.

Right now, I look forward to the say when my routine isn't so predicable and the unpredictability comes when I decide that instead of cold lunch I will be taken out to lunch. (Which of course can never happen as a teacher.) Of course I know that unpredictability is part of the excitement and I will not always be in control. And perhaps I should enjoy my routine right now because there are a lot of changes about to take place in the next few months for me and my family...I'm helping Matt and Sarah move to MO, I'm starting seminary, my dad's getting married, and I will have a niece in Oct.

All right, enough ramblings...just like bad talk-show hosts I can go on and on without making any sense. Which could be another topic. Why are Dr. Phil, The View, and Montel Williams still on the air? Do people watch because they think they actually have something good to say, or only because they need comic relief?

See you Saturday!

Ps. Mandy, is this what your parent's lake lot looks like?

Festival Time!

Just 6 days until we're all in the same place, pretty unbelievable right?!? Well, I'm about to delve into theater camp for the next 5 days, so this is my night to get all the Festival details secured. Here is what you need to know...

We will meet at Holm Park (in honor of Amy's pre-married self) at 11am. It is located on the west side of the New London pond, if you go to mapquest and get directions to 100-114 Norwood Street, New London MN you should be able to find Holm Park. If you find yourself lost or confused, call my cell 218.230.5188. We'll have lunch here, bring something to share! We'll hit all the hot spots of New London :) before heading to Mandy's cabin.

The rest of the day is pretty much: chill at cabin and enjoy one another (that's the official itinerary). Dinner is taken care of...but if you have favorite snacks, drinks, campfire goodies you'd like to bring, please do!

Just a reminder: if you can bring some sleeping gear (pillows, sleeping bags), a towel if you'd like to shower, a swim suit, I think that's about it!

If you have any questions, email me. Phone is a little tricky this week...I'm spending my evenings choreographing (its almost like a Lighthouse dance party, minus the curling iron)!!!

Can't wait to see you all!

Elizabeth

A new countdown

I have had a countdown of the numbers of days left of school, but there are still too many, so I have made a better countdown. I now countdown the number of days (8) until the 2nd annual Festival commences. I'm pretty darn excited....I even purchased a couple alcoholic beverages...one that is particularily special to the west coast. Let's hope I don't get cared away and drink it prior to next weekend. I also spoke with Paul Douglas, Belinda Jensen, and Mike Fairbourne about good weather. They're pretty good friends of mine; I think they will try their hardest to ensure a perfect weekend for outdoor fun. Should I bring my croquet set?

SarahA

Running.....

Elizabeth, I would LOVE to run the half-marathon with you next year! Let's plan on it. Any one else care to join us? :)

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.....
Lindsey

All tubed up!

Hello friends! Both Micaela and I have survived two major-May-events! First, on May 20th my church had an end of the year celebration. Usually we worship at 5 different services on a Sunday, and we wanted to do one big worship...so we moved the "church" to downtown Grand Forks and worship in the Pavillion there. I headed up this beast of an event with worship, a BBQ and then service opportunities to the social agencies downtown. Everyone thought I was being overly opptimisitc to think 450 people would be there...we had 600+!!!! It was awesome to see the church get out of our cozy walls and serve the community....I love my job!

Secondly, Micaela had tubes put in her ears this morning. We were up at 5am and home by 9am! Crazy! She was great, the only hard moment was when she woke up she was PISSED! But, I guess that's normal. She's home and acting normal...I have noticed she hasn't stopped singing or talking all day...I wonder how much her hearing was effected by that damn fluid.

So, that's the latest from here...I'm looking forward to June, I'm directing the K-2 theatre camp again and getting ready for our 2 weeks of travel (which includes the F'n festival)!

Oh yeah! Lindsey isn't really the bragging type...so I'm going to do it for her: LINDSEY LAUX RAN THE FARGO MARATHON! Isn't she amazing?!?!? It makes me want to aim for the 1/2 marathon next year...maybe we can do that together Linds?

Just for Sarah, I'll consider myself a cowgirl (save a horse, ride a cowboy is my favorite song) he he he

Love to all!

Elizabeth

cowgirl?

Hey Homies....
Sarah, I think that is hilarious. I call my kids funny things all the times. Hosebeast is a term I like. He he he.
Just thought I should check in. I do not consider myself a cowgirl, if that is what you were implying Sarah. Although, Chris calls our house the farm. So, I might be a farm girl now. How weird.
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Only 3 more days for me!!!!
See you so soon!
Love,
Breanna

Where have all the cowgirls gone?

Today I used the word "homies" in class. I'm not so sure that's too professional, or standard English, but it was said. Obviously the students looked at me like I was from a different planet. Yesterday we had to be in tornado-ready position for 30 minutes because of bad weather...that's always exciting.

Donde esta mis chicasvacas? (Where are my cowgirls?)

A few photos

Atop of Cerra de la Cruz (cross on the hill) overlooking the city of Antigua


La Iglesia Luterana - this church is run by the Missouri Synod church. When first built, it was also a hospital, but now it is only used as a church.


una camioneta (a bus) I rode a bus like this frequently to Alba's house. However, I took this picture when I was coming back from Lago Atitilan where we took a camioneta for 3.5 hours


This is a common site of how wood or other items would be transported. I couldn't get my camera out quick enough to get a front view, but this man is carrying this load by a band that is resting against his forehead. I can't imagine how heavy it would be.


La iglesia de San Fransico. This church was built by a priest, Hermano Pedro, in the 1500s. Of course he was from Spain, but felt the need to built a church and a school for the Guatemalans. Unfortunately, the school was destroyed in the 1700s by an earthquake. People still pray to Hermano Pedro and believe that he can help them with a variety of problems they might be experiencing.


There are literally of hundreds of photos I wish to share with you, but I know they don't mean quite as much to you as they do to me. Tonight when I was working on my Guatemala PowerPoint I wanted to go back. Basically, I was thinking I should move there. It's so beautiful and the people are wonderful. However, it would make it a lot harder to make it to the annual Festival, which I am extremely excited for and can't believe that it is coming up so quickly.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm excited. Most of my students will be gone because they're going rollerskating. Oh, guess the latest scuttle-butt among the students today? A lot of students were upset because they say a 7th grade girl was poisoned by school food and now she has amensia. Her boyfriend was so mad that today he stormed into the cafeteria this morning, dumping all the silverware and food on the floor and charging the head lunch lady. He was hauled in handcuffs and the alleged amnesia girl continued her day. Where do they get these ideas? Clearly they are not from this planet and lack the ability to use basic logic. After all, what parent would send their child to school if they had amnesia? Oh, I can't wait until June 12th.
Okay, these are my random thoughts for tonight.

Whew!

After all that fretting of how Micaela would do on such a long trip...I am pleased to announce my daughter is a rock star. She was great! So, great! She slept from Monticello to Hillsboro (20 miles from GF)...all that partying really wore her out. It was a great wedding Breanna, I've told everyone I see how ingenious the Happy Meals were! Wow.

So, hopefully you've seen your official F'n festival invitation...if not, here is the link

http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=JEKZMYZCDZEPFGKDLSPU

I think it'll be really fun and baby/toddler friendly, so don't hesitate if you've got kids! You can do it!

And of those of you hardcore bloggers, make sure to nag our less-frequently-involved friends to make sure we get the word out.

Much love to all the ladies!

Elizabeth

many thanks

Saturday was a blast...(the days leading up to it were great as well). Music was GORGEOUS, my bridesmaids were GORGEOUS, and my new hubby looked so cute. We had a great time.
Um, Sunday was a little different. We did not feel as perky when we woke up and then found out that Charlie got some bad news that morning. His friend (one that was supposed to be at the wedding) was hit by a train walking home from Mick's in Moorhead. SAD. So, the mood was a little subdued. I am thinking of him these days as he was very upset by this. Him and his friends have seen a lot of death throughout their college careers.
So, I am very thankful for all of you and the life that we are given to LIVE! Live it up!
Love, Breanna BECTHOLD

What a fun weekend

It was so wonderful seeing many of you this past weekend. Fue una gran fiesta y muy divertida! Those Schoeck's know how to throw a good party. How was the rest of your Sunday, Breanna? You and Chris looked pretty out of it when Steph and I saw you en la manana.

Today I am thankful because two of the girls that have the biggest attitudes were nice to me today. Sometimes it's hard to remember that even the ones that give you the hardest time need praise as well. Of course, merited praise, none of that fluffy stuff.

the photos....

are taking forever. I'll try again soon. I'm too tired to sit here and wait! :)

xoxoxox
Mandy

graduations and weddings

Hello everyone-
It is with sadness that I write tonight as I have just watched the last episode ever of possibly my favorite tv show, "Gilmore Girls." It is over, I am sad, and that is that. I think I'll make it. I cried. Shocker.
Thought you all might enjoy these photos of our weekend. First, David graduated on Friday!! Despite the fact that Julia got carsick on the way, we had a really fun day. I wouldn't say I'm exactly a fan of the whole academic garb, but its a great accomplishment, don't you think? :) David's parents treated us to a meal at Red Lobster (YUM!) and a night at a hotel where we got to go swimming with the Julia, which was fun, too. :)
Saturday a.m., we made it to the majestic town of St. James without an puking. Score! We had a great time watching the famous Breanna Schoeck transform into the now fabuloso Breanna Bechtold. (did I spell it right?) What a fun time to see everyone! :)
Elizabeth, Julia saw Micaela's picture on our fridge on Sunday and said, "Hayla!" And then today--this morning actually--she was looking through a photo album as I was getting ready, and saw YOU and said VERY excitedly, "Hayla!" I don't know if she's a little mixed up or what, but she was definitely excited. :) I think they'll be pals. How was the long trip home?
Today I had my last concert here in Litchfield. I wasn't feeling very emotional at all, but the waterworks came on BADLY, like I can't talk badly. Totally embarrassing in front of the audience. Whatever. I think I'll quit now before I have to endure the last few weeks of school. There are only embarrassing possibilites left! I could probably bottle up my tears and wather my plants there will be so many of them! What is wrong with me? :)
Anyway, I'm feeling a little drained right now. Too much to think about with all of the changes coming! I'm not sure what will be better, waiting for the move, or being there and feeling far away. I guess we'll see. On the upside, I came away from the concerts with 3 bouquets of flowers. Fun!
Well, I hope that we can see more fun pictures on here soon. Lindsey--any house yet? any buyers yet? Sarah-- how are the Spanish speakers? Breanna- HOw does it feel to be MARRIED!!!??? Did you have fun??? We need details people!!

Love ya dudes,
MJ

o.k. the photos aren't working. I'll try in a new entry. :)

No penises allowed.

Its decided, thanks for the feedback. I'm not really a big fan of the male species these days anyways!

I think the best location for the Festival is the Twin Cities-so I will send out further information...but not too much...considering I was TOTALLY in the dark about last year, I think its only fair that ya'll have no idea whats going on.

PS-Sarah I just bought a laptop computer too! Yay tax returns! It won't be here for another week, but then I'll feel ready to tackle 2 Luther classes this summer.

See ya'll real soon!

Elizabeth

A new toy

I'm sitting on my couch with my toy...a new notebook that just came from Dell. One great thing about it is that I can use somebody's else's wireless without paying. That's not such a bad deal. Here's my vote for the Festival - no boys! Okay, I have to get ready for the day tomorrow. Today was my 7th day straight working and I've put in 70 hours these past 7 days. I'm certainly looking forward to Friday....seeing all of you, a wedding, and a few days off! Buenas noches mis amigas!

picnic anyone?

You must think I am crazy since I have nothing better to do than blog twice in one day. Just wanted to show you one of my favorite parts of my new place....we can have picnics! YAY!

No scrubs

Remember that song by TLC? Well, that is what I think should be the theme of the F-ing festival this year. Chris will not be able to come anyway, he is on call that weekend. We are actually going to be returning from out mystery camping trip on Friday, June 8 and he goes on call June 9. So, he would not be able to come anyway. I am sure that I will be up for it though. I will need some girl time after being around him for an entire week. :) So, where is this going to be this year? Because actually, I am leaving again the following Tuesday, June 12 for New York with a group from school....good times. I will be busy. If it is a reasonable distance away from me, I will be there.
This week is going fast...good. Bring it on! Don't worry y'all. I am doing wonderfully. Sarah, I completely agree with your advice of forgetting about the small stuff, the problem is that the small stuff keeps contacting me, especially via my mother. Can't wait!
Love,
Breanna

Perhaps no boys?

I appear to be as indecisive as Lizabeth and Mandy, but as much as my husband would LOVE to see you girls for the second time in a month (WOOHOO!), he has already committed to playing in a golf tournament that weekend (unbeknownst to me until tonight, of course!). Apparently our communication could use some work. Ah well, such is life, huh?! So I guess that makes my vote "No boys." Anyway, I am PUMPED to see all of your smiling and beautiful faces this weekend! Breanna, last minute details don't matter anyway - enjoy this time while it lasts! :)

Love,
Sarah

boys or whatever

I really don't have an opinion either way here...it would be fun to have the boys around, but maybe we could arrange some just girl time too. Like maybe the boys could cook/grill for us while we go and do something frolicking. :) Or we could do all together! :) Whatever!

Can't wait to see the beautiful bride this weekend!!

Love you guys--
MJ

Boys or no boys?

That is the question. Are we inviting boys to the F'n festival? The answer to this question seriously impacts the event planning...so let me know. Boys or no??!? Since I have no boys, I have no opinon.

I'm excited to see you all in a few days...Breanna, breathe deeply.

Love you all!

Elizabeth

Muchas divertidas INDEED! Es la verdad.

Felicitaciones a tu Sarah! Pienso que la enseñanza del español será maravillosa para usted después de devolver de Guatamala! Estoy muy excitado a usted. Puede usta mi flash cards (if you want to).
Hasta Luego,
Breanna

Here is the Ingles:

Congratulations to you Sarah! I think that teaching Spanish will be wonderful for you after returning from Guatamala! I am very excited for you. You can use my flash cards!
See ya later,
Breanna

Sometimes I can say no.....

and sometimes I can't. I write to you with very up-to-date news about my life. About a half hour ago I became the Spanish teacher at Northeast Middle School in Minneapolis. Yep, you read it right, I will be teaching spanish for the remainder of the school year (until June 12th). It's all a little surreal to me right now. I was asked by the principal this morning and told her that I would get back to her in the afternoon. It will be a difficult thing to walk into (I was in the classroom on Monday and the kids were atrocious), but I think it can also be really fun. The previous spanish teacher has been out since the end of March (rumor has it she's suffering from cancer) and will not return this year. In addition to spanish I will have one intermediate ELL classroom as well. But tomorrow I will jump in feet first hablando espanol. Estoy emocionado porque pienso hay muchas cosas divertidas hacer en espanol. Comoquiera, no vamos a hacer las pinatas. Deseo que podemos cocinar comida especial y aprender mucho. Saben que a mi me gusta espanol mucho y quiero hablar mucho. Pienso que la principal assistante estaba sopredo cuando le dije que no hablo espanol fluentemente. Pero, tambien pienso ella esta contenta porque ahora tienen una maestra de espanol para los estudiantes. (Do you want a translation? After all, I do need to practice. I am excited because I think there are many fun things to do in spanish. However, we are not going to make pinatas. I hope that we can cook special food and learn a lot. You know that I like spanish a lot and I want to talk a lot. I think that the assistant principal was suprised when I told her that I don't speak spanish fluently. But, I also think she is happy to have a spanish teacher for the students.)

About June 9th: Bring it on! We can't let the FFF Festival die out after one year? Where should we have it? Got to go for now...students are coming.

Can't Wait to SEE YOU!!!

HELLO!!!

I am attempting for the VERY FIRST TIME to upload some pictures onto this blog - we shall have to see if it worked! These pics are of my friend Joey and me from my most recent vacation to Arizona - just a couple of weeks ago! It was a WONDERFUL and relaxing time down in Phoenix - I went all by myself and did lots of fun things! These particular pictures are of a Saturday evening out on the town - perhaps you can tell this from the looks in our eyes! :) hehe! Anyway - not a whole lot else is new here in Marshall - I am just very excited to see you people next weekend at Breanna's wedding - how fun! Oh, and just so you know, Lizabeth, I am TOTALLY planning on coming to the F-ing Festival on June 9th. Thank you for taking charge and beginning the planning for this wonderful get-together -- it is very good and also brave of you! :) Ok, I am tired and going to bed (no, not QUITE as early as Mandy)...

Love you all mucho,

SarahB

Keep on bloggin'

Hey friends...
I like this activity on the blog. I think we should keep it up. To start that tradition, I will write even though I just wrote the other day. It is just an exciting time in life right now. I am having a great time ripping down ugly things and making our house look sooooooo much better already. Attached I have a picture of our bathroom BEFORE I tore the shiny wallpaper down...check out the pretty window treatment too. Also, there is our tile floor that TJ (Chris's bro) decided he HAD to install right away. The linoleum you see is yellowish/orangish...ISH. Oh, and there is a picture of the dog (Stormy) who ran away and went swimming in the creek outside the house. She is nice most of the time. She loves me because I go for walks with her. I bet you never thought you would hear me talk so affectionately about an animal :). Okay, that is all for now. Hope Wednesday is treating everyone well.
Love,
Breanna

Thank GOD its May

While Breanna is panicking about the coming of May, I am celebrating! May means that musical is over, Lent is well behind me, Micaela is healthy (so far, ear surgery on May 25th) and spring is here! Thank God!

Mandy, you should seriously start preparing yourself for the reality that Julia will one day also attend prom...we'll all start saving the tissues!

So, this past weekend my family and I went down to Edina to attend and provide music for the funeral of Sarah Eckhoff, she was married to my dear friend Brent (he read at my wedding). Sarah lost her battle with brain cancer on April 24th. It was all too surreal, we're supposed to reuniting a weddings, not funerals! I will never get the image of Brent standing as strong as can be and leading the processional at the funeral out of my mind. Its all a good reminder, we have life! We should be living it! Its also a good reminder of what kind of people we surround ourselves with, get involved with, Brent could have reacted so many ways in the past few years with all their struggles, he stayed right by her side, never flinching, never complaining...not for a moment.

So, as I told Breanna last night, I'm anxious to see you all at a joyful occasion...like a wedding! And then again on June 9th for the Festival...right? I never did hear any responses from you people about the Festival! Honestly...its not like I'm taking a random survey about your favorite cake! This is important...get your input in NOW!

Okay, I should really get to work, just having trouble being focused! See you all soon,

Elizabeth

Is it really May tomorrow?

Um, I have been just fine until I realized that tomorrow is May. WOWZER!
I think we have most things ready. The nice thing is that we have this house to keep us occupied and busy and we can't think about the things I might be forgetting. I painted the UGLIEST bathroom ever this weekend. The color was not the one on the paint swatch. What a waste of time because now I need to paint it all over again. Oh well, it is fun.
Gotta get ready to go to a shower tonight...again! Good times!
Love you all!
Breanna

I don't like using air-conditioning in April

Of course I don't want to complain about the lovely weather that is taking place. However, I don't like having to use my air-conditioning in the car when it's technically not summer. Yes I know, the obvious thing would be to roll the windows down. However, this was not an option when I was wearing fancy-dancy clothes driving 75 mph Friday on Interstate 94 from Minneapolis to Moorhead. It doesn't look too impressive when you show up for an interview with extremely wind-blown hair and a gritty looking face. I visited the wonderful city of Moorhead this past Friday for a few brief hours to complete the last step in my entrance for the seminary. I met with my candidacy committee (4 white, middle-aged professionals) who told me to fill in the blanks from all the information they had on paper. The interview was about 1.5 hours and at the end they sent me out to talk about the decision. When I was called back in they told me they were recommending for admission at Luther. So, I'm all set. Yesterday I started packing my bags. Okay, not really, but it's exciting. It's a good place to be in right now.

beautiful girls

Hi ladies-

How are all of you? As usual, things here have been CRAZY, but: DAVID FINISHED HIS THESIS!! MY SPRING CONCERT IS DONE!! NOW WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK TO DO ABOUT NEXT YEAR. :)

Annie went to prom this weekend. Doesn't she look nice? Julia was pretty impressed, and kept yelling "Annie!" at every girl she saw with a blue dress. :) I did actually cry a little when she drove up at the school for prom--she looked so pretty and was so grown up! What a dork I am. :)

There isn't much else that is exciting to report from Litchfield. Julia is talking soooo much. This is good and bad. She does call kitties "titties" and a clock a "cock" and this weekend, she looked down my mom's shirt twice and said "yucky" Hmmm. ITs fun though. :) We packed her snacks for the long prom afternoon in this lunchbox she got from a friend, and she just loved carrying it around! ;) Pretty cute stuff. She is also in a new "helper" mode, and wants to help with everything. Cute, but a little in the way at times. I try to let her do things, though, like clean the toilet. she has to learn sometime. Joking.

What is new with all of you? Breanna, are you sane yet? I hope that school and wedding things are'nt getting too overwhelming. Let us know if you need any help!

Well, I 'm going to get ready for bed. Yep. Its 8:55. shut up. I know I'm lame.

I miss all of you and can't wait to see you sometime soon!!

Love Mandy

such a cutie!

Hi ladies!
Oh my gosh, Elizabeth, those pictures of Micaela are SOOOO cute!! You'll keep those forever, I'm sure. :)
And Sarah, the picture of that church is sooooo beautiful! :) I hope that the adjustment continues to go okay...I'm sure its a bit of a shock to come back here. Aren't you so glad that you went?!!
Nothing much is new here. I am feeling a little frazzeled by my schedule lately, but it will soon be better. I have a concert here in two weeks, and it is a time-consuming thing!! I am excited about it though. My 4th and 5th graders are singing America (with sign-language even), Rock ARound the Clock, New York, NewYork, Fifty Nifty United STates, Simple Gifts, Take Me OUt to the Ballgame, Surfin USA, God Bless the USA, and I'd Like to Teach the world to sing, all at one concert! I hope they remember all the words! I'm a lunatic, but its so fun I can't help it. :) Anyway, the details to get this thing ready are crazy, and I feel like that's all I think about. Soon I will be able to breathe. :)
Easter was interesting here; we moved my parents into their "new" house! It turned out so well, except that the sewer froze shut due to limited use this winter, and they couldn't use any water! Finally it thawed out on Monday, which was nice because they had all of their stuff at the new house but had to shower/pee/etc. :) at the old house. Not fun. My mom is much better now that she can wash things.
ON Wednesday morning, as David and I were getting ready for the morning, Julia walked into our room and said, "Bye guys." :) It was so funny! She is just a talker! Fun times. :)
Well, I wish I had interesting things to talk about, but I don't. I hope that you are all well. Have a great Bachelorette Party, Breanna!! Sorry I'm missing the fun. :( I hope you get lots of sassy clothing for the night time activities. :)

Love you all,
MJ

Adjusting

La Merced Catholic Church, Antigua

I've been back just over a week and finally got rid of whatever intestinal friends I was hosting in my GI tract. Yesterday was my first day back subbing and it was okay; I'm glad there's only two more months of school. The nice thing about my assignment yesterday was that I was able to speak Spanish with the students. They said, "You speak spanish now?" When I said, "un poco." they startled rattling everything off to which I replied, "Si, hablo espanol ahora, pero solamente un poco. Si quieres para mi entender, necessitas hablar lentemente." Fue divertido. (Translation: Yes, I speak spanish now, but only a little. If you want me to understand you need to speak slowly. it was fun.) Also, today I spoke with a native spanish speaking woman at the club and told her I just came back and would like to practice my spanish some. She seemed up for it. That interaction, however, made me miss Alba, my teacher, even more. I'm still brainstorming on how I can help her out a little bit with her economic situation while she's finishing up her degree. There is not system in Guatemala for student loans let alone grants. If you can pay, you can go...can't pay? can't go. This afternoon I was missing the Guatemalan food so I prepared a typical lunch/dinner. I had black beans, corn tortillas, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and fruit for dessert. It was delicioso.

He is Risen!

Happy Easter one and all! I hope you all are feeling uplifted and spring-like (we're currently in a winter storm watch...but I'm trying). I survived Holy week, but I had a horrible cold all week...so it was a lot harder than it should have been. The musical I'm directing is over in 2 1/2 weeks...I can't wait.

So, I'm writing to share these pictures with you and also to volunteer myself...since I had NOTHING to do with the planning of the F-n festival last year, I would gladly take on the coordinator position this year! Here is my main question-we had talked about alternating years with letting boys come to our event...so would this be a boy year? There has also been conversation about taking this year to honor those that have graduated...and that includes a couple males.

So, let me know about that...I have some ideas tucked away...not to be brought to fruition until after this lovely theatrical experience.

I got a job!!!

Hi ladies-
How are all of you this wonderful Holy Week? I hope well except that is so freakin' cold outside. Whatever. I love to wear my WOOL coat in APRIL, don't you?
Anyway, as usual, I'm pressed for time, and fighting for computer time with my superhero husband, "Thesisboy," so this will be short.
I had an interview yesterday in Green Bay for a 5-8 Choir job that is only 60% (yeah!). They called today, and as long as my background check comes out okay, and my application for a Wisconsin license works out, the job is mine!! :) I hope that they don't find out about the Grand Theft Auto charge that I have on my record. Oops. :)
Anyway, just wanted to share the good new with my favorite peeps. Sarah--are you back?? Let us know!! :)

Love you guys. Sorry this is so short.
Mandy