Caption Contest!

I have this funny, great picture from Mandy's house and would like to invite you all to come up with the best caption for it! :)

Thank you Breanna for being the peace-keeper in our midst. Clearly, we need you for playing air piano as well.

Thank you Mandy for putting wieners and my bday greeting all in the same post, it really touched my heart.

he he he :)

Ah yes...back to school

Today it really hit home that I was back at school.  This afternoon, while teaching two kindergarten classes whom my long-term sub obviously let run the show, a young man told me, "Mrs. S! When my brother and I are being sassy, we pull on each other's wieners!"

Enough said.

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!  :)

The Peacekeeper...

Yes, I will play the role of the peacekeeper, especially since Elizabeth is arguing with Sarah...otherwise, I may find myself arguing against Sarah just because it is fun :). I have to agree with Sarah that the snow the other day was nothing of accumulation, therefore, it was not "a lot of snow" as stated by Ms. Damico. However, I do also agree that it is a matter of interpretation, especially if one is not a fan of February snow.

Sarah, you just may see some more snow today/tonight. So, enjoy. Elizabeth, I am sorry for the news about snow.

Life is good here....I am getting rather large. But, I guess this happens.
Enjoy the weekend!
Love,
Breanna

Treatise on the freedom of exaggeration.

"continued efforts to speak the truth"
"as in my nature, I seek to report what is accurate"

As I am sure my fellow Lighthouse occupiers will concur, the above statements are heresy! We know the true nature of Sarah C. Anderson, and while you do truthfully communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ through words and deeds, that is where the truth ends. Our years of co-habitation in the Lighthouse yield countless accounts of lies, fibs, story-telling coming from Sarah, a.k.a, Scanders. The way in which one may measure the amount of snow outside, is a matter of interpretation. I would describe the snow as "a lot of snow" by its mere existence alone, no matter how small the amount. I would like spring to come and therefore, would like all of the snow to go to hell. I do appreciate the art of exaggeration in the spoken word and will continue to use it freely, however, I do not allow this creative gift to muddle my message or truth-telling, but simply enhance my foundational point. Here I stand, I can do none other, God help me.

Let me clarify

I would like to challenge Elizabeth on her statement that we received a lot of snow today. Put frankly, that is simply not true. The exaggeration bug has gotten to Elizabeth, and it needs to be exposed. There is barely enough snow to cover the ground and my wish has NOT come true because there is NOT enough for me to go skiing. In my continued efforts to speak the truth, I wanted to bring to your attention the differing opinions and what is meant by "lots of snow." However, I do agree that the wind continues to blow mightily and make my cheeks hurt when I walk home from the library. Let it not be confused that I am disgruntled with Elizabeth and her weather accounts. But, as is in my nature, I seek to report what is accurate.

winter, again?

I'm sitting here with Micaela in my lap to write hello to you all.

E: Micaela, what would you like to say to our friends?

M: that we want to spend time with you and have music with you and sing and then Hi to them and have dancing music and we have a treat for you! Can we watch the "Julia Show" again (which is what Micaela calls the dancing queen video)

E: No, we're writing to our friends, silly!

Anyways, Sarah got what she wished for...there is lots of snow today and LOTS of wind to go with it, its not very fun to walk around campus today. We are also feeling the busy-ness of a new semester. I have an extra class this time around, so I have to be really disciplined with my time (we all know how good at THAT I am). Otherwise, we're doing ok. Micaela is re-adjusting to full time daycare, so with that comes the full time guilt of being a mom. yuck. The next few months look pretty boring and full of routine--work/school/mommy/work/school/mommy...until May that will be our story. I did decide to just take classes this summer instead of doing the CPE (practical educational piece of the program). So, I'm kind of looking forward to being on campus this summer again and hopefully having lots of weekends away camping/travelling/visiting you fun folk.

Here are 2 pictures...one from Micaela's first skating experience and another from a very early morning with the girls (hence, my beautiful look) at Mandy's house. I was covered in precious pink.

E: Micaela, would you like to say good-bye to our friends?

M: Good-bye to our friends!

E: Do you want to say anything else?

M: No! That's all I get.

We love you all! Hugs!

I want more snow

I want more snow so that I can go cross-country skiing once again. With the recent high temperatures all the good stuff has melted and what is left is greenish-brown grass surrounded by sheets of ice. However, if the snow doesn't fall, I won't be that disappointed because I'm not sure I'll have the time to ski anyway. Second semester started last week with a bang! In addition to getting a feel for all the new classes and I had a couple of interviews for internship and will have three more this week.

Last weekend the community chorus, of which I am part of, gave their concerts in order to raise money for Compatible Technology International. With three concerts we raised $16,500 which will all go directly to the organization. I like this choir because it's a low-key commitment, the musical repertoire is good, the people are friendly, and the hospitality of the church we practice in is remarkable!

I don't have much else to say I guess - I just wanted to say hello to all my blogging friends. I hope you are all doing well.

I love playing the air piano

So, I just watched the video from DePere...how lovely that five wonderful girls got to dance together to a great song and ATTEMPT to play the air piano as well. Looks like fun!

All is going well on the baby front, I think I have a little person who likes to dance too, because it is moving A LOT lately! I hear this is a good thing, so I am happy, but it is getting to be a major pain in the ass as well. This baby is getting big and there is not a lot of room in my belly. In fact, I have to get another ultrasound next week to measure the rate of growth because I am measuring at 36 weeks instead of 34 like I should be. My mom just says, "My babies all cooked faster too...it is probably very normal." Wow, my mom the nurse talking about cooking babies...weird.

Also, my brain is not doing well. Numerous times this week I have forgotten passwords and codes that I normally know like the back of my hand...school login on the computer, cell phone voicemail code, etc. Wow. Scary.

But, we need to find something to eat at our house before we go to some more baby classes...fun, fun, fun.

Love you all!
Breanna

Dancing Queens

What fun!

Elizabeth and Micaela are on their way home from the frozen tundra of Green Bay, but they were here for the past two days and we had such a great time!!   It was wonderful to have someone else here to talk to.  And, I took a shower without any worries about what my girls were doing!  Nice! :)

We hope that you all are having a nice time in the "warm" weather!  Have a splendid weekend!

On Whining

So Mandy - I just read your post about Julia's new interest in whining, and I had to share a little advice. I'm NOT AN EXPERT - this sort of works for us thoug - it was actually super dad Kevin's idea....and so far so good. My Marie is the whiner in the family - and it's terribly ANNOYING! To the point where you want to hit your head against the wall....for fun.

Say she wants milk, and instead of asking "milk please mommy?" It's more like.....MMMIIILLLKKK!!!!!!! ...at the top of a whiny icky voice. Kevin started saying - Marie, stop whining and ask nicely. So she would start by just saying "please" - thinking that would do the trick. But he makes her ask word for word in a nice way. It used to take two or three tries to get her to ask nicely - bot now we've got it down to a look and maybe a "please don't whine". Then she composes her cute little self, holds the tears for just one second and nicely says "milk please, mommy?"

Like I said, I'm not an expert - this works for that one child. Who knows how it will go with Grace....they're all different - and it IS a phase! Ella did it - and now she's got "being nice to get what you want" down to a T!!! Good luck!!

P.S.S....No, I suck!

So the funniest little thing happened on Saturday. Schreier was at my house and she said "the other day I was reading the blog...." and I went - OMG! I seriously haven't checked this thing out for like 6 months - and I'm not sure why! I think I forgot about it completely - need to have my head examined! Yikes!

Anyhow - life in the Backstrom house is good. Kevin is keeping busy with his "truck building" - he's taking 4 junk pickups and making it into 1 junk pickup - yes, we live East of Erhard in Redneck Township! He enjoys getting greasy and can't wait to have a "custom" truck he can give to Ella when she's old enough to drive! He says she's already old enough to "rap the pipes", a good little pasttime they shared together last summer! I'm busy with work and homelife - sometimes wondering what exactly my purpose is besides work and cleaning this house. I'm ready to go on strike - hey, if your clothes don't quite make it to the hamper, they might not quite make it to the washer. Two can play this game!! : )

Ella, she is getting so big! She's proudle "five and one quarter" right now, in preschool and loving it! She loves art projects, she's a little mathmetician and the biggest drama queen I've met! It may have something to do with having two little sisters who only need to open they screamers to get what they want! I may be a little guilty! : )

Marie is the talker in the family - and the story teller! Two and a half years old now! The other day she told Kevin she lost a tooth and when he asked her where it was, she opened her mouth, pointed inside and told him she put it back. Today she told me a dog bit her - which I'm 900% sure didn't happen. (I actually was bit by a dog today - scary thing! My right arm is numb from the thumb to my elbow - a little weird feeling and i'm hoping it will be better by morn!! - it wasn't our dog "black dog Merle Mason backstrom" blackie for short - it was our friends dog.)

Ok, back on track....Gracie (1 1/2) - whoa - where did she come from! she's got this personality that I can't quite get a grip on. She's so funny - but the funniest thing about her is how funny she THINKS she is - and the way she laughs at herself. She's talking up a storm and can tell us all sorts of things with the 20 words she does say. She likes to scream at the top of her lungs to get her point across and when I give her "the look" she says .... "please?" Huh,.....

Anyway - I've attached some pictures of the girs - they were taken back in September - so they've changed just a bit since then!

but anyway - I'm glad I checked this out - I learned all sorts of things- like all the babies that are here and on the way! I'm so out of touch with everyone - and it's no-ones fault but my own! It sounds though like everyone is well, and for that I am glad! Things here are great too - may this greeting find you well and best wishes for a Fabulous February! WE SURVIVED JANUARY!!!!

Love you all - miss you too!!

Amanda

P.S. I suck

I'm sorry that I couldn't for the LIFE of me figure out how to get that link to post as a link!! I could post links 'til I'm blue in the face at work every day..but apparently not on here! Maybe it's just that by this time of the day, my brain has already shut off. :) So..sorry that you'll have to copy and paste my link (unlike Scanders, who is apparently WWWAAYYY smarter than me! ;) Love you.

Day by Day

Hi girls. I absolutely LOVE being able to jump on here and read everyone else's stories..it makes me jealous that I don't really have any to tell! :) My days are much the same..go to work (where at least I enjoy my job now - so THAT's a good thing!), come home, and try to find something to do with my "alone" time. I am in such a different place in my life than I was before..and sometimes that just brings me down. Not that things are bad..not at all..in all actuality, they're just fine...I just know that I can also tell you girls how I am TRULY feeling, and that even if that isn't always good, it's still ok because you all love me no matter what. That is a very nice feeling. I find myself trying to put on the strong face most of the time (and for the most part succeeding)..sometimes I just get tired of it and I just want to be sad. Not that I have any more right to be sad than anyone else..it is sometimes just therapeutic for me. Wow..this is turning out to be a really depressing post and I didn't mean for it to be that way at all!! Please know that I really am doing ok..I'm just lonely sometimes.

Work itself is going well..if you check out this link, you can find an interview that the Argus Leader (Sioux Falls' newspaper) did with me recently..for some reason they picked ME of all people to feature on the front page of their Business section. Crazy!
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090119/BUSINESS/901190304/1003/business
It was also very nerve-racking because I had to be prepped and coached before the interview about things I could say, things I couldn't talk about, etc. Ahh..corporate America. :)


Anywho...
EDam - I am so damn proud of you for changing your and Micaela's last name...and you know what? It's ok that you didn't do it during the divorce settlement - if you weren't ready, you weren't ready. And that's OK. Now you know for sure that you are and you won't have any regrets about it or wonder how things might have been if you'd kept his last name. Mandola - goodness gracious, you ARE a crazy lady..but such a WONDERFUL crazy lady..I admire you soo much for what you're doing with those girls. Thanks for making me laugh with your pee/puke stories! :) Breanna - I'm totally up for margaritas with you whenever you are!! Or, Elizabeth and I can babysit while YOU drink enough margaritas for all of us! And Scanders, I am expecting you to join in on the margarita drinking, even if you aren't using affect and effect correctly. lol Seriously that cracked me up.

Does anyone feel like heading to Sioux Falls anytime soon? Or having a visitor? I have a couple of busy weekends coming up, but would LOVE to be able to make some visits in the next few weekends following..let me know if you are available!!

I will talk to you all soon. Thanks so much for letting me vent on here and for letting me be honest about the way I am feeling. I love you all very much.

SS

activities

It's fun to hear about people's different activities...growing bellies, growing smells, growing ideas, etc. The last couple of days I've spent thinking about the choices we make in our lives and how that effects not only our lives but the lives of others. At this point I'm not ready to give you the particulars on what has made me be a bit more introspective in this manner, but it's been food for thought. On a generic level, how does my tone of voice affect my niece's response, how do my food choices affect my global neighbors, how does my vote in an election matter, how does sharing part of myself affect someone else, and the list could go on and on. Clearly Hollywood directors have capitalized on this similar notion and made it into best-selling movies like "Pay It Forward." However, I think Hollywood has some of the same downfalls as the Bible. People go to movies in order to enjoy themselves, escape reality, or something of the like but frequently leave knowing that the couple doesn't live happily ever after and that what they just saw on the screen is not applicable to their lives. Unfortunately people think of the Bible the same way. For instance, tomorrow's assigned reading for my class is 1 Corinthians 11 where Paul is speaking about the necessity of women being veiled and all these other rules which don't seem to apply today. In looking at the social context in the first century (when the letter was written) it makes more sense, but does it translate to 21st United States? I clarify by saying the United States because there are two students in my class from different countries in Africa and they add invaluable stories from their home countries which simply don't translate to the lives most of us experience. For instance, Barson works in several churches in Madagascar which are at least 25 miles apart and his mode of transportation are his legs. He doesn't have a car or a bike; he walks. If he were to expect a United States person to do the same thing, he would simply be met with strange looks. How do his choices affect him and the people around him?

Overall my month of January has been the least eventful of the latest posts. I've been to several movies (highly unusual for me), read some good and not-so-good books, hung out with Katherine, gone cross-country skiing, enjoyed some beer with a professor, started rehearsing with my new favorite choir (www.globalharmonychorus.org), and have enjoyed taking one class focusing on the apostle Paul.

Hopefully some of my ramblings have made sense - like the rest of the posts, it's a glimpse of what's going in our lives. And Breanna (or anyone else) if I have misused the word affect/effect, too bad! There was a string of days I was sick in the 5th grade and that probably when I missed that grammatical lesson, just like in the 8th grade when I missed the first day on clouds in science class and was confused since that day forward.

One more thing: I have a musical recommendation for all of you, it's MPR's Radio Heartland. Here's the website in order to listen online (free!)http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/radio_heartland/ Or if you have a digital radio you can go that route too, but I absolutely love this mix of music!

sorry Breanna, my pictures are not a true representation of the trip since we were only allowed to use our cameras during personal times (so to not exploit the people we were visiting). That was really the only fun drink I consumed on the trip, although there were a few cervezas fria had en la noche.

We did have an appointed photographer at each site, so I hope to get those pics soon to share with you. And then yes, I will hold your baby and tell you all about Mexico while you have a yummy drink! :) Hang in there dear!

Yummy margarita...

Why must you post pictures of such delicious, alcoholic beverages? That looks too tasty.
Maybe in a couple months we can talk more about Mexico over margaritas.

January...

We're back home! And so happy about that! When I signed up for the trip I thought 2 weeks was so short, but add to it travelling to a different country, 12 strangers, intense learning topics, 1 Mexico roommate that I would have like to leave in Mexico and 2 weeks begins to feel like a VERY long time! Micaela had a great time with Grandma Andrea and Grandpa Greggie in EGF. She refused to talk to me on the phone, which I understand, it maybe made it easier to just not even hear her voice. And Andrea emailed me lots of pictures and updates with what they were doing each day. Micaela even got to go to an UND Hockey game, and as you know, hockey isn't my favorite sport in the world (especially UND hockey) so I've endured listening to all sorts of stories about the game like, "Souix that don't listen go to the penalty box." We've had a lovely long weekend to get re-aquainted and do our favorite things at home like cook, read, play "I'm the mama and you're the honey (she means baby, but its too cute to correct).

I'm not totally ready to process what I learned and took from the time in Mexico-how its shaped the way I think about my personal path of ministry, how I view the role of the church, the role of government, how change is brought about....so I won't just yet :)

So, 3 weeks until school starts up again! I have a few projects to complete
1) Change mine and Micaela's last name to Damico. I've been thinking about it for awhile and took the first big step today. Its really $$, but I think its worth it. I'm such an idiot for not doing it in the divorce settlement, I just wasn't ready yet.
2) I'm looking into becoming a car-less household. Since the accident I haven't felt any peace about getting this new car. The seminary is on a bunch of great bus lines so I'm thinking of no car for the next year and a half. We'll see...
3) Setting up CPE (the pastoral care practical piece of seminary) to hopefully be done this summer.
And other random things like working out, planning ahead for church, maybe finding ways to spend more time with a very kind guitarist....:)

Today at Micaela's daycare they watched the swearing in of Obama and Biden (what a GREAT day!) and Micaela's interpretation was that Barack Obama is going to give us a present (then I explained he is going to BE President...she didn't like that translation as much).

I agree with Breanna-Mandy you must demand a break for coffee, shopping, pedicure...whatever! I often wonder how people with more than one do it, you are strong and amazing, even when you smell like puke and pee!

Much love to you all!

Elizabeth and Micaela

Big Belly...

Hello ladies!
Mandy...your post makes me nervous. But, I am glad to hear that things are starting to settle into normal life again. If I lived by you, I would bring you over a cup of hot chocolate (that is what I am drinking instead of coffee these days) and give you a little break. Or, I would ask David to let me steal you away for an hour or two to just hang out. You deserve a break.
Did the rest of you know how nice Mandy is??? She mailed me some maternity shirts that made my day, because now I don't have to wear the same outfits each week. I started to feel like Monday was always the black shirt with the wool-looking pants, Tuesday was the green shirt with black pants, you get the picture. So, I was VERY thankful!
School has been fine. Last week we did not have one normal day of school...one snow day, one too cold to survive day, and three late starts! Woo Hoo! That made me happy. However, this week it has been very hard to get up and get back to normal.
Happy Inauguration Day!
Love you all!
Breanna
p.s. Mandy wanted to see these pics...the rest of you have probably already seen them, but I suppose I can add them to the blog for posterity.

Thoughts on being a mom of two kids

Well, I have been spending the past 7 weeks at home with my newly expanded family.  These weeks have by far been the most challenging and interesting of my life.  In some ways, the weeks have gone by rather quickly; sleep deprivation makes things go by in a fog. :)  In other ways, the weeks have gone very slowly.  I feel as if I am starting to come out of the abyss, however, which feels good!  Lauren is starting to have a sort of schedule, and finally is getting up only one and sometimes two times a night.  Just two weeks ago, she was greeting me and my boobs three times a night!  This makes for a crabby wife and mom, which made me feel sad!  :(

So, it turns out life is pretty easy with only one child, especially when they can feed themself, pee and poop on their own, and sleep through the night.  Adding a new child into this mix certainly makes things a lot more CRAZY!!!  Things that were previously easy, like bedtime, making meals, going to the grocery store, and dealing with tantrums are now 10 times more complicated.   For example, last week, I attempted to bring both girls on a shopping trip to Target and Joann Fabrics.  As we are getting ready to leave, Julia is mysteriously quiet, and as I find her, she is standing on the stairs, looking guilty, and standing in a puddle of pee.  (so, ignore previously stated claim that my child could pee on her own).  So, we head up the stairs to get cleaned up and changed.  Then, the carpet needs to be sprayed and cleaned up.  All while Lauren is hysterically crying because she is HUNGRY!  FEED ME!  After that mess, Lauren was fed, and I started the car (because it of course, is not going to get above zero on this day, but I NEED to get out of the house, so we're dealing).  As I am getting Lauren in her carseat, she decides to projectile spit-up all over me and herself and the carpet and her carseat.  Car is on, gas is wasting away... Okay.  I'm getting the hint that we should not leave the house.  After cleaning all of THAT up, and resigning myself to that fact that, yes, I will go out in public smelling like rotten milk and pee, without make-up and in the same sweats I wore yesterday because my jeans don't fit yet, we made it in the car.  After arriving at Target, I learn that it is not easy to have a toddler and a baby in an infant seat and a cart to push.  Fun little riding places hooked to carts for toddlers are great, but do not accommodate an infant seat.  So, we navigated Target with Julia where she usually sits, and Lauren in the cart, with the things we needed stuffed in every little cranny we could find.  At Joann Fabrics, the seating order is switched, with Julia in the cart, of course digging through and exploring every thing that is put into the cart, so that when we check out, some things are missing.  As in, they must have fallen out of the cart various places around the store.  At this point I don't care.  I'll go back another day BY MYSELF to get this job done.  Holy cow.

Today I attempted the grocery store with both kids, and got well designed cart with a car in the front, and the place for the infant seat my me.  Perfect.  EXCEPT ITS LIKE DRIVING A FREAKING SEMI!  It does not turn well, and I feel like I have to turn every corner extremely carefully as to not knock down the wonderfully placed wine displays the Piggly Wiggly seems to have all over.  

Okay, granted that these are the first trips of both kind that I've made, and things are bound to get better, but wow.  This is a bit more complex than I imagined.

On the fun side of things, Lauren is starting to smile!  If you go to our blog (severtsons.blogspot.com), you can watch a little video of her smiling.  It might not seem that great to you, but man, once that smile hits, this thing that has been taking up all of your sleep and making you feel like a greasy, saggy lady suddenly seems like a person that loves you!  It is miraculous and comes at a much needed time. :)  Julia is doing a great job being a big sister, but has unfortunately entered a very unattractive and extremely annoying whining phase.  It is really making us crazy.  Any ideas?  :)

I hope that all of you are doing well!!  I can't believe this is the first post of the new year on this wonderful little blog.  Where is everyone?  :)  Elizabeth, are you back??  We need to hear about your trip!!  How is Sioux Falls, Sarah?  Breanna, how is the belly?  Everyone else--how are you? 

Thanks for letting me vent my craziness to you all.  I do feel like I'm coming out of a funk, which I think is due to getting more sleep.  Thank God for that.  Literally. :)

I love you guys!!

If you get to see the Inagural Parade tomorrow, look for Scott K.'s band!  Yeah! :)

Love,

  The crazy lady Mandy

  

Bring in the new year!

Good-bye 2008, its been quite the year! I've been thinking back on 2008 all day and what I dream about for 2009...honestly, for the first time in a long time, I would like the coming year to resemble the year we're leaving! Here is my highlight list...

1)We had the big adventure of coming to Seminary, which has been a very insightful-God led-exhausting-inspiring adventure and I'd like to stay on it for awhile.

2)Micaela has been mostly healthy, except for the recent behavioral-pattern of arguing with EVERYTHING I say...that must be a virus, hope she gets over it quickly.

3)I've had lots of mini-adventures with my rock-star friends (camping, road-trips, train-trips, theatre, church music)

4) gained a really fantastic sister-in-law

5) Have 2 jobs that I really enjoy, one of which has brought us a new and loving church community and the other brings the funniest damn group of people I've ever (that's the music studio)

6) Through some very significant conversations and experiences at the seminary I've learned A LOT about myself and how to process my past experiences and hopefully stay on a healthy path for myself and my daughter

I don't really like just doing high-lights, because I don't think that's very sincere...so,

1) Lost 2 great-aunts who left quite the legacy of loving thier families

2) Lost an infant niece, Abigail, born too soon

3) Still have days when single-mother hood and the lonliness that comes with it is enough to make me want to jump out the window (don't worry, I live on the ground floor)

2009 is starting off with a grand adventure to mexico city! I leave Friday and will gone for 14 days. Right now I feel really nervous about leaving Micaela and not really sure what to expect once I'm in Mexico, but I know once I'm on the plane, I'll be excited. I'm praying for more self-discovery, another year of good health of all my loved ones, many many many more adventures and opportunities to see all of you! Much love and peace to us all in 2009!

Fun Day

Hello all!
I hope you all had great holiday celebrations with friends and family. I have had a pretty laid back break so far, which has been really nice. Today I had some visitors up here in Lake Crystal- Elizabeth, Micaela, and Sarah came to see me. We had some lunch, chatted, walked around outside for like 5 minutes, played with Play-Doh, and played some Yahtzee. We documented some of the days events with my new digital camera (a Christmas present from the in-laws). Enjoy!

Christmas

One week of vacation is already passed, but I find myself pleased without the amount of relaxation I've been able to maintain throughout the break. I spent all of Christmas with Katherine and the rest of my family. Even though she's gets in her fussy stages, she was a lot of fun to play with. I think I even taught her how to say the word, 'dog.' Here are some photos from Christmas Eve.

It doesn't seem to end

I am so antsy; I just want to be done with the semester, but my paper doesn't seem to allow me to claim that desire. When will the invention be invented that takes all the good thoughts in my brain, organizes them, and them puts them down on paper? Maybe that's what I should be devoting myself to rather than this seminary thing. :)

New job, new location, new life...? :)

Hello lovely ladies! I have to admit that the majority of my "free" internet time has been spent these past few weeks on Facebook, to which I have become COMPLETELY addicted. (Thank you SO much, Elizabeth and Scanders!!:)) As I had shared with all of you at our lovely get-together, I was able to get a new job with Wells Fargo in Sioux Falls and now find myself having been a South Dakota resident for nearly a month. Holy moly! The new job is going well..it is COMPLETELY different from what I was doing previously - I spend a lot more time at the computer (for now, anyway) and working more on the developmental aspect of hiring than the technical. I don't think I'll really feel totally comfortable for at least another couple of months..but that's ok..the new challenges/stresses are definitely a good thing!

Sioux Falls itself is fine - I am already quite comfortable here, having spent a considerable amount of time here in recent years for training, shopping, etc., so that is nice. I really enjoy the people I work with here in the office as well - they have had more positive things to say about me than I think I heard in the past five years I was at Wells in Marshall. I appreciate honesty and openness SO MUCH!!

Things on the divorce front are fine. Or should I say final? :) I am officially Sarah Schreier again (which reminds me - I wonder if I can change my name on here to something other than "SarahB"..) There are soo many things to go along with changing my name back (emotional and otherwise), with moving, with starting a new job and a new life..I feel completely and utterly overwhelmed most days. Our house in Marshall is still up for sale (so THAT's not a strain on my pocketbook AT ALL - paying half a mortgage AND rent!!! AAGGHH!!)..we actually had an offer on it the other day, but the guy refused our counter offer and said he's not budging from his original offer. Nice. Jerk. :) So..if any of you know anyone wanting to move to the wonderful town of Marshall..just let me know!! :)

I am so thankful that I have all of you wonderful ladies in my life. And so thankful that Elizabeth and Micaela are ok..that Mandola added another beautiful little girl to our group..that Scanders has given us the Last Hoorah..that Lindsey and Breanna will now BOTH be contributing to the overall size of our group of friends..I am just thankful for all of you..period.

I promise to check this thing out more often as time goes on..but also know that most evenings you will be able to find me checking Facebook! :)

Oh..one more thing. I have a boy in my life. Crazy. I know. Don't worry - not a serious relationship boy or anything like that (pretty sure it's going to take me YEARS to want to get married again..!!!!) His name is Dan..he's originally from Detroit Lakes, MN..and he is wonderful. Right now we're just hanging out when we can and enjoying each other's company..very low-key. It's just nice. He is someone I can talk to and someone I already feel very comfortable with. Who knows..it may never turn into anything more..but it is nice to have him in my life right now.

Seriously..I may have exceeded my word limit for the day...I should stop. Just know I love you all!!! You are always in my heart!!!

Love,
Sarah SCHREIER :)

swf looking for...hot date. :)

Hi friends! Its an exciting Saturday night here for Elizabeth and Micaela! Winnie-the-Pooh is showing and we've decided dinner is overrated...popcorn munching is much more fun! I am actually very thankful for a quiet day/evening with no plans and a chance to relax and regroup from a crazy, busy week!

Somehow, I said I would help with the Sunday school Christmas service at church-so I spent the afternoon writing that! :) Starting a new job at a church in November is not a great time-I'm still figuring out the systems there and somehow have to organize Christmas Eve worship and now the children too. Ug. We have one more full week of classes and then the semester is OVER! Holy Crap, how did that happen?!?! I have one major paper, portfolio and 2 take home tests. I am also getting excited about travelling to Mexico City for 2 weeks in January to study liberation theology! Please say a prayer that the funds needed for this travel to actually happen come through. Thanks!

So, last night Micaela and I were driving home from White Bear Lake and I lost control of the car, crossed over traffic in the left land (I cannot believe we didn't get hit by the truck that was just a ways behind us) spun--hit the wall with the back end, spun---hit the wall with the front end. I called my Uncle who was nearby right away-I was just so scared to be sitting on the left side of 5-land traffic!!! I was sure we were going to get hit. A sheriff pulled up within 2 minutes and turned on his lights--whew. Micaela was so brave as we sat for over an hour waiting for state patrol and the tow truck. So, I'll find out Tuesday the fate of "rocket" (Our car)...no matter what I now have an insurance deductible to pay and no $$ to pay it. Adulthood blows!
But I am thankful we (and other travellers around us) are fine, I have hugged my baby 5 million times today, and if you ask, she'll give you a very entertaining account of the evening.

That's the update from here! Any chance of a holiday gathering? We are headed to the north shore Dec. 25-27, otherwise I am very much here. Hope you all are doing fun, exciting Saturday night activities! Love to you all!

~Elizabeth

She's Here!

Hi ladies!  

    Sorry for not getting this info. out sooner.  It is hard work being the mom of two.  It is finally Wednesday morning, and I am alone with a computer for the first time and I just got our pictures loaded.  Whew!  :)  

    So, Lauren Elizabeth was born at 11:35 on Sunday.  She was 7 lbs, 8 oz, and 20 inches long.  We got to the hospital at 7:00 a.m.  I will now say that epidurals are my best friend as the 21 hours of laboring at the hospital with Julia was cut to a mere 4 1/2 hours, 2 of which I couldn't feel a thing.  Wow.  :)  

    Other than being a little frustrated with nursing, and trying to figure out how exactly it works to tame a precocious 3-year old while trying to calm a crying newborn, things here are okay.  I am tired, but I guess that is normal?  :)  

    I have to get the pics out to lots of others, but I just wanted to check in and say hi.  :)  If only we had a laptop, camera phone, or something else like that I could have gotten these pics to you sooner! :)

    Have a nice rest of the week!

Love,

    Mandy

Baby!

I just read on Anne's facebook that she has a new niece....Lauren Elizabeth Severtson who was 7 lbs. 11 oz. Fun!

I'm just bloggin' to say that I got a message from Mandy at 11am this morning saying they are at the hospital and she is 5cmn dialated! YAY!

Yay for Lindsey and Ryan!!!

Thanksgiving

Hi, ladies! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's been so fun to catch up by reading everyone's posts, since I only get to check the blog like once a month. However, we have decided to joint the 21st century, and we are going to be getting internet at our home so I can blog more often. Yeah!

Here are just a few things I am thankful for:
-good friends that no matter how rarely you get to talk, you still feel as close to them as when you got to talk every day.
-my healthy, active 8 month old daughter.
-the health of the rest of my friends and family.
-new babies that are expected any day now and within the next few months.
-love of God, family, and friends
-the new baby that our family is expecting in July (Yes, Addyson is going to be a big sister. This was quite a pleasant surprise for us!)

I hope all of you have a very joyous and blessed holiday season, and I'm looking forward to blogging more often!
Lindsey :)

una lista de gracias

Como cada persona en nuestro grupo tengo muchas cosas estar agradecido como...

• mis amigos
• mi familia
• el amor de Dios
• my roommate
• hearty, fall vegetables
• professors who take the time to listen
• good health
• opportunities to explore
• good smells like pumpkin spice and cinnamon candles

Happy Thanksgiving, my wonderful friends!

good idea!

Good idea Breanna, I need to change my attitude to one of gratitude. For some reason November has always been a funky month for me. I think its the holidays, and my Mom's birthday...Christmas hasn't ever been a problem, maybe its just the gearing up part of it that is hard. Anyways, counting our blessings is a great way to climb up out of the fog so here I go...

I am thankful for...
This blog and all its contributors
A visit up to GF and all the people there who love and support us
the opportunity to learn and grow at Seminary
Micaela's fantastic health (sans the occasional nose bleed)
My sisters-in-law (I like my brothers too, but have recently felt abundantly thankful for these additional females to the family)
Lattes
Spell check
The freedom of forgiveness

We have this entire week off from classes and WOW has it felt great to get ahead in school work, get my hair cut, do some shopping, clean the car, cook dinner ALL BY MYSELF (Micaela has gone to school yesterday and today) and now I'm ready for a few days with my daughter and family!

***Everyone should go rent "The Visitor" its a beautiful movie! Might leave you feeling a little unsettled, but that's okay! *****

Love you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

~Elizabeth

Thankfulness

Hello friends,
Maybe to up our number of posts, we should post things that we are thankful for this Thanksgiving season. When we have Thanksgiving with my family, we all have to list something, so I need to get ready for it anyway!

I'll start!

I am thankful for:
-friends who will always be there no matter how busy they are with their own lives (that is all of you)
-family and being able to see them more often this year because Laryssa is in the cities
-a job
-the baby in my belly
-short weeks of school
-the election results
-my cup of half decaf, half regular coffee this morning
-our health
-music
-school lunch (when I am too lazy to pack my own)
-banana popsicles (that taste soooo good lately)
-books and words

Ok, that is all for now. I hope you are all doing well. Mandy, I hope that you are hanging in there. I can't wait to hear about the new baby! But, you can spare me any scary details. I am already nervous about that part of being pregnant!

Happy Thanksgiving! Safe travels to all!
Love,
Breanna

Waiting...

Okay, Sarah.  I will try to do my part before our time runs out here.  I agree, 17 more posts is possible.  Come on people! :)

We are still just WAITING here for a baby.  I am getting antsy.  This baby decided its fun to kick me in places that should NEVER be kicked, making me walk strangely suddenly in places like choir rehearsal and the grocery store.  This makes me feel great.  I have also had the fun experience of being "checked" at my last two doctors appointments, only to be told that there is nothing exciting happening.  This is very encouraging to a tired, waddling lady.  :)  This last week at school, I got observed, had my two subs "shadow" me, and had conferences.  This weekend, David has his recital and his parents are coming.  None of this causes stress at all!  I am a carefree mother with nothing to do. 

Okay, I'm done being sarcastic and crabby. :)  Julia actually is taking a nap today, which rarely happens, AND I finally got to watch 27 Dresses last night, so I am really doing fine.  I am excited for Thanksgiving!  My parents and sister are coming here and we are going to cook away!  Maybe I'll learn something.  Today I actually bought a turkey for the first time ever.  Then when I got home, I had to clean out the freezer and the fridge, both of which will house the massive thing in the next few days.  This was good for my soul except for the completely liquified cottage cheese that I found.  It actually smelled like diarrhea.  I'm not lying.  I nearly lost it.  How disgusting!!  But now I have a clean refrigerator full of room for a thawing turkey and other yummy things.  

My brother is spending the entire next week in Mexico for a friend's wedding.  He is going with a lot of his college pals.  He may need a new liver when he returns, but I think he'll have fun.  His "girlfriend?" Lydia is going to be there, so that will be nice for them.  She lives in Chicago, so they don't see each other much.  Lydia got to go to Grant Park the night Barack Obama won the election.  Wouldn't that have been a fun place to be?   That was such an exciting night!   Speaking of elections, my dad was one of the "watchers" for the DFL in Renville county when they did their Coleman/Franken recount this week.  He had fun, and there were only 2 challenged ballots, so it wasn't scary.  No fights broke out. :)  

Well, I don't know much else.  We'll let you know if any news pops up around here.  (or pops out I guess). :)   Have a great Thanksgiving!!!  

Love you all,

  Mandy

p.s.  Enjoy the Halloween pictures.  I know it was a while ago, but that's okay, right?

the last hoorah

Without fail, every semester at Concordia - all eight of them, my mom would always give me "the last hoorah" talk. I'd be bemoaning all of the work I had to complete before the end of the semester and wonder how I would get it all done in the midst of holidays and especially during this time of year with Christmas concert rehearsals and performances.

Well I'm giving us a 'last hoorah' speech ladies! I was looking at the number of posts during this calendar versus last year and we need at least another 17 to tie with last year. I think this is an achievable goal and encourage each of you to participate. Remember, even though you're busy, your friends want to hear about you in all capacities of your life.

Two random sidenotes:
1.) Have you ever wondered how many random people stumble across this on accident, just perusing through cyberspace?
2.) Tonight I made butternut squash for the first time in my life. As a child, I was forced to eat acorn squash and would gag every time thus making me believe I would never eat squash as an adult. For many reasons I decided to make a squash tonight and am pleased to report that I am mildly enjoying this fall vegetable that is filled with Vitamin A and is supposed to be good for you.

Take care and remember to push to the end of the year with our posts...it's the last hoorah!

Oh Thanksgiving

I want what Michaela is having for Thanksgiving. I am not a fan of the traditional turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes...BLAND. I want some spice in my life...and maybe some icy cold refreshments. I did tell Michaela I would share my popsicles with her when she came to my house, maybe she thinks that is where we are going to have Thanksgiving? I even have banana popsicles now, and they are delicious. YUM.

I am trying to get through my last class of the day, they are now reading The Outsiders, which I happen to think is just as violent as the book that was challenged. Oh well. My job while they are reading is to keep my eyes on them while my fingers are typing. Then, when they look up and realize that I am still watching them, they put their faces back down in their books. If I am being a lazy typer and try to watch my fingers, then I start hearing whispering, paper being shuffled to each other, and the occasional giggle. Each day some kid comments about my amazing typing skills. I feel cool. I also had a kid guess that my age was 20 today. That was sweet.

My random thoughts today are courtesy of my plans this weekend. I am very excited, because as soon as this class is over, I am heading to the cities. Laryssa and I are going to see Wicked tonight. YAY! She has had a rough week. She went home for the first extended period of time last weekend to watch the Walker musical, and she has now started to feel homesick. She is so cute though, she says, "I think if I wasn't ever homesick, I would be a bad person. It is good to miss things you love. But it is also good to experience new things." Oh what wisdom for a girl of her age.

That is where I will leave you. I always start to miss you all this time of year, thinking about Christmas concert rehearsals, the hustle and bustle around The Lighthouse, and sharing stories about our adventures. I am thankful for all of you!

Have a great weekend!
Love,
Breanna

popsicles aren't a traditional thanksgiving food???

Friends! I just finished chatting with our very-expecting-expanding Mandy and that inspired me to log on to the blog where I was laughed out loud (but didn't wake Micaela, whew!) at Scander's post. We are jetting up to GF for a quick visit with friends, church, Grandma Andrea and then we'll spend our whole week off here in the Cities. I have to work Sunday/Monday...but am excited because Micaeala is going to go to school 2 days that week and I will be FREE to do things like cut my hair, and put in some hours at church! Yipee!

Life has been filled with many lofty, life lessons lately (that alliteration is dedicated to Breanna)...here's what I know:

--Before the snow falls, one should be equipped with snow pants and boots so they can avoid 7am trips to Target, so the girl can play outside at school.
--When one has a question rolling inside one's head for 3 months and they finally bring it to the professor, they can expect to be pleasantly, yet powerfully blown away. (If you're curious-I asked how a person can be a servant to all and still care for themselves so they don't run around earth being abused and generally shit upon, the professor respond with helping me to clarify my neighbor's wants from my neighbors needs, we do not have to serve every want our neighbor has)
--God is good and faithful, in surprising and fantastic ways.
--Long phone conversations with good friends are good for the soul.
--Standing one's ground while one's toddler throws the world's LOUDEST temper-tantrum is hard, exhausting and totally necessary (it was over a stupid bag of crackers)
--The new job at the church could be a bit more challenging then I thought, but still good.
--The new job at the piano studio ROCKS!
--When one has to write an in-class essay in 9 hours, one should get their butts reading and to bed.

Good night!

~Elizabeth

Gobble, Gobble

What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving? Yesterday I ate lunch with Elizabeth and Micaela and I asked Micaela what she would be having for Thanksgiving. She told me they would be dining on broccoli, potatoes, popsicles, and spaghetti. While less traditional than many would have for Thanksgiving, I commend her commitment to eating a well-balanced meal. Undoubtedly my meal will consist of eating more carbohydrates than I should, but I will rest assured that my friend, Micaela, will be eating a well-balanced, several-food-group meal. We have the whole week off from school and I'm looking forward to having a bit of a break, even though I should spend much of the week doing my homework. I'm going to spend a little bit of time in Alexandria as well as in Duluth. Undoubtedly I will also spend some time at Katherine's house as well. Things have been a little dormant on the blog front...don't let this busy holiday season keep you from staying connected with your nearest and dearest friends!

Relief and anticipation

I am sooooooo happy that I actually got to stay up late enough to see the results of the election. I thought John McCain gave a GREAT concession speech...he actually inspired me to believe that we can be a bi-partisan nation and can begin to change if we do it together. And, of course, I loved Obama's acceptance speech. I am so happy for not only our nation, but the world. I think this will help our standing amongst the world.
HOORAY!!

WOOHOO!!!

It's a fun night of celebration (at least for my politcal party)! I hope the momentum and enthusiasm continues throughout the next four years because I really do think we can change the world as long as there is colloboration among people. Yea for change!

Election Day continues

I think it's going to be a nail-biting night.....ughhhh......

This is when I wish I maybe had a TV.

Happy Election Day!

Hi Friends!
Just wanted to say hello and I hope we have great news to talk about tomorrow!
How is everyone doing?

I am just gearing up for the rest of a long, but exciting week. Tomorrow we have our 20 week ultrasound, so that will be exciting. Thursday we have conferences (BOO). And then we have travel plans this weekend to go to IOWA...(BOO).

Talk to you tomorrow!
Breanna

Breanna-I would love to go to the choir concert-I've never been to the orchestra hall (as an audience member). I just looked up the info-is it really a 9pm concert? That seems insane and like we'd probably sleep through it...but I'd be game for either time!

Anyone else?!?!

Concordia Christmas Concert

Hey,
IS anyone going to the concert? I am trying to decide if I should take that day off again, or what....
Let me know!

A great weekend

It was wonderful to see those of you who made the trek to St. Paul. I particularly enjoyed our Cranium game and playing outside. Today was another gorgeous day, but I already banned myself indoors in an attempt to complete some homework. There was success along that front, but not as much as I would have liked. On the other hand, my Endorsement interview with my candidacy committee went well and they will give me their decision tomorrow. I'm not too concerned as they said they will be recommending me to the committee; I think it's more of a formality tomorrow. I hope everyone's week is starting out well. Lots of love!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here is the recipe for the soup!

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken (to really cheat, used canned)
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-10 oz. enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped (I don't use that much)
1 can chopped green chile peppers
2 cups water
1-14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 bay leaf
1-1o oz. package frozen corn
1 TB. garlic

cook together 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. top with cheese and tortilla chips

PICTURES