A good year

Yesterday was Mark and I's one year anniversary. To celebrate we took a much needed day off of our house renovations. It was nice... we just relaxed all day and basically did nothing.

We did the whole traditional "eating of top of the wedding cake" thing. I must say that I was shocked at how good it tasted after being in my grandma's deep freeze for a year. There was minimal freezer burn...amazing really.

Anyways, it was a perfect way to celebrate a wonderful first year of marriage.

Oh...and just so you know my next post will have photos of our house.

I'm an Escrow!!!

The title of this post is for all those Gilmore Girls fanatics. It just makes me chuckle. Also it is my way of say that Mark and I are now home owners! That's right today we closed on a house. It seems strange to think that I will now have a house of my own. One that Mark and I need to do all the up keep on, and that we have creative control over! Yippee! We now have monstrous amounts of debt! But that is okay because we will no longer be paying rent. Hooray! Photos and more about the new house will be forthcoming...so stay tuned.

Willmar Weekend #4

This weekend Mark and I had our last scheduled trip to Willmar for the summer. It was time to celebrate my Grandma Harriet's 90th Birthday. Her real birthday is not until September but we decided to celebrate early so that some of our out-of-state family could join us while they were visiting for the summer.

My grandma is a pretty popular lady. It was an open house and during the four hour period of time about 150 people came to help her celebrate. It was fun and Grandma had a blast. I am afraid that after this celebration her real birthday is going to seem a little boring. With that being said Happy early 90th Birthday Grandma!

Willmar Weekend #3

This past weekend Mark had the opportunity to take part in one of my childhood summer traditions when we went to Willmar to attend Sonshine 2007. It was Mark's first time to Sonshine and we had a lot of fun. I even introduced him to my favorite Sonshine Cuisine, the Walk-n-Taco! Look how much he is enjoying it!

For those of you who have not yet been introduced to the Walk-n-Taco let me tell you about it. You take a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and cut the long side of the bag open. Then you put taco meat, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream in the bag...and voila a taco treat you can eat on the go! It is one of the things I look forward to each year at Sonshine. This year, I am proud to say, I had a Walk-n-Taco everyday we were there!

The food was not the only fun thing about Sonshine. Mark and I also enjoyed a lot of great concerts. I am proud to say that Mark is now a fan of TobyMac and Relient K (two bands I have liked for a while but who Mark kinda mocked), and he introduced me to Cool Hand Luke who I thoroughly enjoyed, and we both discovered Jackson Waters. We highly recommend you check out that CD. One concert that Mark and I knew we would enjoy was Switchfoot. It had been a while since either of us had seen them live, so I think we forgot how great of a live band they are. By the time the concert was over we were reminded of why we like them so much. So in conclusion I hereby dub Willmar Weekend #3 as a success.

Willmar Weekend #2

This weekend Mark and I traveled to Willmar for my 10 year reunion! In some ways high school seems forever ago...but in others it seems like a just a few years. My junior year of high school I transferred to Central MN Christian School, where I was part of a class of 30. This past weekend about 15 of us attended the reunion. It was fun getting to hear what everyone has been up to. There were quite a few classmates that I have had at least some contact with since graduation. But there were a few I hadn't seen since graduation, and others I lost track of after college so it was good to catch up with them again.

There was only one activity during the course of the evening and it was fun. Prior to the reunion we all answered the question, " What is one thing you have done in the past 10 years that no one would have expected you to do?" Then we were all given a sheet with every one's answer and had to guess who did what. I am proud to announce that no one...not even my friend Krystal who I have been in contact with during all 10 post graduation years...answered correctly when my response was read.

So here is the answer I gave to that question. "I got a tattoo and I got it done at the same parlor that the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Shaq got some of theirs done."

Would you have known that was me?

Willmar Weekend #1

Starting this past weekend, Mark and I will be in Willmar 4 out of the next 5 weekends for special events. The first event was the US Wedding Reception for Kristin and Piergiorgio. Here are a couple of fun photos from the day.

The Reunion of Heather and Kristin Doll. (They were in charge of the gift/card table.)

Mark and I with the happy couple. Other highlights included catching up with old friends, Kristin's dad informing me that he had purchased a bottle of Meijers Cold Duck just for me to drink that afternoon, the fun musical stylings of the local band "Potluck", and having the opportunity to teach Piergiorgio the chicken dance. All in all, I am happy to report that Willmar Weekend1 of 4 was a success.

Adieu, Adieu to You, and You, and You

Tonight I said good-bye to my beloved Gilmore Girls. For the past seven years they have been a part of my life...even during the first four seasons when I didn't have TV, my mom and dad taped the episodes for me and sent them to me in the mail.

Watching the series finale was strange for me... surreal even. All I can say is thank goodness for DVD box sets. They are not quite the same as having new episodes every week...but they still make me laugh.

So good-bye Stars Hollow...farewell Lorelai and Rory. You will be missed!

Movin' on Up

Good-bye worlds-most-uncomfortable futon. So long, so-sat-it-is-nearly-impossible-to-get-up-out-of couch. We no longer have a use for you. That's right, Mark and I are now the proud owners of a matching couch and loveseat.

They provide us comfort, while offering us a style and color that compliments our other decor.

Now I am looking forward to when we geta place of our own and can paint the walls...then it will really look even more homey. And although merely propping the painting up against the wall has worked thus far, I think we will now concentrate on actually hanging it on the wall over the couch.

That's Amore

This week one of my best friends is getting married....in Italy....and I will not be there (I couldn't get the time off because last week I was off for spring break). I am sad. I would never had thought I would miss such an event. She is one of the people who knows me best and who I can always count on even though we spend most of our time on separate contintents. She is the only person who has a doll of me that she brings with her on various occasions for fun photo ops, and the only person that i have a doll of that I take on adventures with me as well.

So this blog entry is for Kristin and Piergiorgio. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys. Since you (Kristin) are a big fan of "Roses are Red" poems I thought it would only be appropriate to write one for your special day. (Sorry there will be no strange dough person to accompany this one.)

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
You guys are super
Happy wedding to you!

I am looking forward to celebrating with you in June, and even more excited for when we get to come visit you in Italy. Congratulations you guys, I love you!

Job Perks

So I have decided that my favorite perk about my new job is that whenever District 287 (the district I work the most in) is out of school...I have the day off (except in the summer when I am part-time). This past week they were on spring break, so I was too. It was great. Mark took a few days off of work and we went to Red Wing and stayed at the historic St. James Hotel, and enjoyed the cute novelty stores, the fun art scene, and the antique shops. It was so fun just relaxing and doing nothing. Then today I was able to just go out for coffee with a friend, and discuss how the arts, social justice, and the Chistian community can blend together to form something beautiful, and life impacting. I love spring break.

Me, Melanie, God, and Snow

It all started in 2001 when Melanie and I were working as Resident Counselors at a group home in California. When you live at the group home with your clients it is difficult to get time off...because even on the holidays someone needs to be at the house with your clients. So when I got to fly to MN just after Thanksgiving, I was excited. I was only going to be there for a long weekend though, and that just didn't seem like a long enough time. So Melanie and I decided that we would pray for a snow storm so I could be with my family longer. I told my family about our plan, and they agreed it would be great...but I don't think they actually believed it would happen. Then the day before I was scheduled to fly back to California it started to snow....and snow....and snow....in fact it snowed 29.9 inches over night! The crazy thing was it was only in Willmar. If you went 10-20 miles out of Willmar they got about 12 inches. I remember watching the "Today Show" and hearing them mention Willmar by name. It was crazy! Needless to say, I got was stranded for a couple of more days. It was fantastic.

Next it was Melanie's turn to go home to Michigan. She was going to get to be home for Christmas but would only be there for a few days. Once again we prayed that there would be a snow storm which would allow her to have more time with her family. I know it seems crazy...but it worked! On the day of her return flight all planes were grounded due to snow and ice, so she got to stay an extra day.

After these occasions we would often joke with others about how if they have a weather related issue they would like prayer about they should come to us. So when Mark and I decided on an outdoor wedding in the middle of August we prayed for no rain, and for cooler than average temperatures....and once again it worked!

Now some people would could say that we could have just been lucky those three times, but I don't think so because just last weekend I had yet another prayer answered in the form of a snow storm. You see, last week Melanie was in Michigan for her job and she purposefully got a 2 hour lay over in Minneapolis so that we could see each other (it is worth it even if I we can only hang out at the airport). So when the storm came in I was sad because I knew that there wasbe a chance I wouldn't get to see her. Then the night before she was suppose to come Melanie found out her flight was cancelled. They found her another flight but the lay over in Minneapolis was only going to be 40 minutes so I wouldn't get to see her. I was bummed. So I prayed. Then the next morning she called me and told me she just landed in Minneapolis and they informed her that her next flight was cancelled and she would now have a 7 hour layover. This not only meant that i would get to see her, but it gave us enough time so she could hang out at our house (which she hadn't seen yet). Granted it was difficult getting out of our parking lot to pick her up from the airport, and we got stuck multiple times in our parking lot after we dropped her off...but it was all worth it. It was so fun to see her again. So once again I find myself saying....Thank You, God!

Welcome to my Subconscious

At the beginning of February Mark and I joined a fitness club. We have known for sometime that we need to be more proactive in living a healthy lifestyle (get more exercise, eat smaller portions, eat less processed foods, etc.) and so we have slowly been making some changes. I've been feeling pretty good about how we have been doing so far but I have noticed a strange thing happening ever since we started going to the gym to work out.

You see, after the first night we worked out I came home and went to sleep and dreamt that I (along with members of Bluer's all-star band) was going all around the twin cities in the search for the perfect donut. During the course of the dream we would go to different bakeries and I (and I alone) would take a bite or two out of random donuts.Then after discovering it was not all I had hoped it would be I would get in the car and go to the next place. Through out the dream the task at hand (finding the perfect donut) was of the utmost importance. Every one involved in the search understood the seriousness of the matter.

Now, if that dream was not strange enough for you...the story gets better. Last night Mark and I went and worked out again. Then when I went to sleep I found myself having a very similar dream. This time it involved Mark and I on a search for the greatest chocolate malt in the metro-area. Once again we would go place to place, sampling their chocolate malt. Then we would move on, when it didn't meet our standards of excellence.

Coincidence...I think not. If I had to guess, I would think that the next time we work out in the evening I will be having a dream about the quest for the perfect piece of cake...no, I take the back the perfect french silk pie....no, no, no the perfect chai ...or maybe creme brulee...mmmm cheese cake...

Turtle Time

The public libraries in the twin cities have started to do a really cool thing and have passes to local museums and/places of interest that you can "check out". My friend Anne made the most of this opportunity and got tickets to the Minnesota Zoo. So this morning I got to go with her and her daughter to look at all the different animals. I haven't been to the Minnesota Zoo since I was in grade school, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. One would think that it wouldn't be too impressive since it is winter (which means many closed outdoor exhibits) but I was very impressed by the indoor exhibits (the Tropic Trail & Discovery Bay) . They had tons of beautiful fish, cool monkeys, and a bunch really strange animals that I had never even heard of. I am definitely going back again in the summer to check out the whole zoo.

The picture you see above is of Anne's daughter, Emma, next to a turtle statue (which she loved). I told her to smile and at first she just did a fake smile with no teeth, so Anne told her to show her teeth and this was the result. I think it is hilarious.

Celebrations & Traditions

Last week, marked the two year anniversary of the first date Mark and I ever had. To celebrate, Mark got us tickets to the Ordway where we saw a production of Chicago. It was fantastic. I may even go as far as to say it was S'marvelous. Last year on our anniversary Mark surprised me with tickets to my favorite musical of all time Les Miserables when it was at the Ordway. He said it was not intentional that we went to the same place to celebrate...but it just worked out that way. Now however we have decided that it is a great tradition for us to carry on. So now we just have to hope they continue to have good shows at the Ordway every January 21st!

Good Stuff

These are two things I recently experienced for myself and enjoyed thoroughly. I knew I would like them both, but was surprised by how much. So if you get the chance I highly recommend that you check them out for yourself.

Tradition!

As some of you know, every Christmas my mom puts up an elaborate nativity scene that sits over their fireplace. Sometime either at the end of my high school career or during my early Dordt years a tradition began where my brother, Cam, and I would put something in the nativity scene. The first year it was a rather obnoxious teddy bear that was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses, and a straw hat. We put it on top of the stable, my mom was clueless. We took family photos in front of the fireplace and it wasn't until much later when she got the photos developed that she saw the bear. Since that time Cam and I have put something different in the nativity each year, and every year everyone but mom sees it right away. So I thought I would share with you what we have put in there over the last three years...starting with Christmas 2006.


Yes that is a Jar-Jar Koosh.


That is a pig I made in my 8th grade art class. Impressive I know.



Last, but not least the Arby's oven mitt.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

My friend Cristina made me aware of way I could really bless my friends and family this holiday season.

Rather then explain to you how I am going to do this. I thought I would just let you see for yourself. Click here to see my gift to all my friends.

I just can't hide it

How sad, even the computer can tell I am Minnesotan!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
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Nick & Amy Ciske

This weekend, we attended the last of our summer/fall weddings. Nick and Amy got married saturday. The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was relaxed and fun. Every part of the day reflected their personalities. It was such a great day.

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Don Groen

Well, last weekend Mark and I took our first road trip together to Allendale, MI for the wedding of Don and Melanie Groen. It was a lot of fun. Shortly after we got there I was off to Melanie's parents house to throw her bachelorette party. Here are a couple pictures of the festivities.


Friday was spent hanging out with the bride, helping her get things ready for the main event. Here is a picture of her and Don at the Groom's Dinner.

Saturday was the wedding. She looked so beautiful. I, however, was kinda weirded out by being called the Matron of Honor. Matron is such a strange word, that sounds so old...I don't feel that I should be a matron...not that Maid of Honor sounds cool or anything...but still it just felt weird. Thankfully I was able to rise above it, and the wedding was a great celebration of Melanie and Don. Yeah to best friends, and celebrations!

Stay tuned for next week, when this blog will feature the wedding of Nick and Amy.