Oh what a night

March 21, 2006
The first day of spring
The day that Mark and I got engaged.
It is a GOOD day!

Mark had planned something for our 14 month anniversary. So I was at home watching TV when I saw this going on outside my house.



That's my room mate Amy carrying balloons and a bag. She along with photographer Nick are in on the whole plot.

They get inside and I open the gift.

And in the bag are three CD's and a clue that is written on a piece of paper that looks like the Road Blocks on the TV show the Amazing Race.

The clue lets me know that I will now be embarking upon my own Amazing Race scavenger hunt, and that the CDs are to help pass the time between the destination. The first clue was:
The information superhighway if you first destination. Where I parlay my thoughts into a loud declamation, you will find your first clue. I ran upstairs and got on the computer to go to Mark's Blog where you can read the clue.

I then had to pop the balloons (he had gotten 14-one for each month we've been dating)to find the next clue. Here is a video clip of that fiasco. Which led me to go to his sister's house.

Where I was met by the whole family.

Jack gave me a bag filled with all my favorite chocolates,and another rhyming clue that sent me to our church.

When I got there I found our most holy of reverends, John Musick.
After pretending that he had know idea as to what I was doing there. He presented me with a bag full of books which included "Rocking the Roles" by Lewis & Hendricks, "Through Painted Deserts" by Donald Miller, and "Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot" By Cara Davis. And of course a clue that rhymed which led me to go to the restaurant in St Paul where we had our first date.

When I arrived I saw Mark sitting at a table. He had gotten me flowers from the flower shop that I work at.

I sat down, and he informed me that I still had one more clue to look for. The previous clue had mentioned something about finding it below my head and above my feet. So I looked underneath our table, and taped to the bottom was an envelope that had a clue that looked like this.

and said this:

"OK, This isn't a clue; rather it is a small token of my love for you. And with this token comes a question too. A question that only requires an 'I will' or 'I do'. The truth of the matter cannot be denied Heather, I'm asking you to please be my bride."

To this I of course said yes. The restaurant started cheering. Our waitress came over and congratulated us, let us know that we caused a bunch of tears, and told us that her husband proposed to her at this restaurant as well, because it was also the place of their first date.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying each others company, and calling friends and family to tell them the good news.

Oh what a night.

Spring Break?

Well starting yesterday I was officially on Spring Break. However if you look at these pictures I took from my house...you would think it is winter break.


Just a couple of days ago there was no snow...now there is plenty to go around. It took me 30 minutes just to dig my car out this morning as I attempted to go to my internship. In the end I didn't end up going because I wasn't feeling good. But not to worry I think I am on the mend.


Yesterday was a fun day. Since it was so snowy, Mark, Amy, and Nick took a snow day. That is the beauty of living in "Bluer South Campus" we all got to hang out and watch movies (Kingdom of Heaven, In Her Shoes), play Rook (Mark and I won), and eat together. It was great, especiall since I thought my first day of spring break was going to consist of me sitting in front of my computer typing papers (which I did today instead).


The rest of spring break is sure to be fun as Kristin is flying in Thursday and staying with me for a couple days before she heads to Willmar.

You know...even with the snowy weather. I like spring break.

I saw my childhood flash before my eyes

So the words Heather and Sports have never been synonymous. Even though I played tennis in college, I always felt strange owning a Dordt jacket which was usually meant for the jocks.

However tonight when I heard the news of the passing on of Kirby Puckett, I was greatly saddened. Growing up I was not a girl with posters of the New Kids on the Block in her room. Instead I had a giant poster of Kirby. It was 1986 when I started to go to the store with my brother to buy baseball cards, I would trade anyone for a Kirby card...which explains why I have 7 of the exact same card.

In 1987 I dressed up as a Homer Hanky for Halloween.

On my golden birthday we went to a twins game. I was ten years old, and my parents bought me a Kirby Puckett bear, a Kirby t-shirt, and two goldfish one of which I named Kirby. Then when Kirby (the fish) died two weeks later I went and got another one and named him Kirby 2.

Every year, we would go to multiple twins games. I think we went to 10 games one season. We would sit in the upper deck and would try to get as close to center field as possible. We would make sure to get their early enough so we could see the Twins warm up and we'd yell to Kirby. Sometimes he would turn and wave.

My dad was at the 6th game of the world series when Kirby hit that infamous homerun.

When Kirby's number was retired, I was a senior in high school. My family and I actually were at the Metrodome for Kirby Puckett day.The lights went out, and suddenly strobe lights were going on, and then a spot light hit just off of where we were sitting. There was Kirby. It was a great night.

A few years later I was one of the fans who was at the Metrodome by 6 AM so that I could get the original Kirby Pucket bobble head doll.

So now years later. I am still an avid Twins fan. I have moved on to the new center fielder with my Torii Hunter t-shirt, but I felt the need to post about Kirby and the role he played in my childhood.

Bueller?

In an attempt to relive the 80's,tomorrow is going to be my own personal version of Farris Bueller's Day off.

Well...maybe comparing myself to Farris is a bit much since instead of taking my friend's parents car, swiming in my underwear, and singing in a parade I will be doing laundry, cleaning my room, and doing other mindless activities. But I can say that just like Farris I am claiming a day to take as a personal holiday from anything and everything school related!

Yeah, for March 2nd!

Whirlwind

Well the last week and a half have flown by. I seriously am in shock that today is Friday. Crazy.

Well last week I ended up skipping the class that I wrote about last time. Kristin was visiting and I was in a good mood, and did not want that to be squelched due to class...so I didn't go. I ended up staying home and getting lots of homework done. So it was not in vain.

Then the next day I went to class and my friend told me that I had not missed anything except that a classmate had gone to talk to our prof about the frustration that is occurring in the class so they began a discussion about what we were all feeling. So that was a step in the write direction. Then yesterday I went to the class and the first hour was a survey about our feelings on the class, and a discussion about how things could change. So I am hopeful that I will soon no longer dread going to school on Thursdays.

This semester I am taking a class outside of the school of Social Work as well. As some of you know, last year especially I struggled with how the school of social work talks so much about the inclusivity of cultures/beliefs that it excludes people like monotheists. Anyways, the class that I am taking outside of the school of social work deals with the role of culture in health practices. We somehow started to talk about faith, and the role that plays in culture. I was expecting history to repeat itself and for Christianity to be generalized into "all things George W stands for" and to be portrayed as the enemy of all things loving. Thankfully however,it did not go that way. I walked away from that class excited about what I had just experienced. After our discussion the group debriefed about our conversation and what we found was that for most of us it was the first time we had all been in a conversation with people from all different faith backgrounds where no one felt attacked, no one was getting defensive,and people genuinely really wanted to gain more understanding from each other and were respectful while doing it. It was such a rewarding experience for me...I can not really put into words what it was like.

But I think that it was by far the biggest "Surprise me God" moment that I have experienced so far in my 11 day experiment.

Life is full of surprises

Yesterday my small group read the first chapter in "Surprise Me: A 30-Day Faith Experiment" by Terry Esau. The purpose of the experiement is to just be intentional in looking for God, or what God may be saying to you in every day life. I'm starting this experiement today, and part of what I will be doing is jotting down what I have been learning along the way. Now sadly I will not be able to journal/blog daily but I will do my best to write semi-regularly.

So today was day one. I must say that when I started to look back upon my day nothing was really standing out. But then it hit me. The last three weeks I have been struggling with this one class I have. It is a horrible class. I struggle to find one positive thing about it, and I find that when I talk, think, or go to this class I get a terrible unattractive attitude. I really don't like it at all. So last night I came to my small group and asked them to pray about it with me. Then today I went on with my day, and was at my internship when someone asked me about my classes. Soon I found myself going off about this horrible class, and suddenly I felt this heaviness coming over me...if I were a cartoon character there would have been a dark rain cloud directly over my head.

Anyways, it was shortly after that that I realized I needed to stop obsessing over this class (primarily because I don't like obsessive Heather). So I think what I learned from the day was another lesson on trusting God...becase last night I, along with a group of friends, casted my burden of this class to God and I need to trust that he has it all under control.

The End.

Beady Little Eyes

Last year, there was a coffee shop in Minneapolis that we would often frequent on our study group nights that often showcases photography or painting by local artists. There was one photographer who took all these pictures of squirrels. Some were close ups...others were a little further away. None the less I couldn't sit directly under or across from the photos because the squirrels really freaked me out with their beady little eyes.

Then in August, Amy and I moved to Minneapolis. The townhome complex that we live in has a large squirrel population. I think it has something to do with the fact that some of our neighbors have squirrel feeders and such. These squirrels didn't seem to bother me when we first moved in. I actually found myself intrigued by this one albino squirrel that is always around. This changed however Wednesday morning when I was leaving for work and was nearly attacked by a squirrel (not the albino one).

He was standing outside my back door eating some food off a wrapper. When I opened the door I was startled because he was sitting so close to where I was standing. But then I just figured he would go away. But he didn't. Instead he got closer...and closer...and even closer. He was mere inches from my foot. I told him to go away but that just spurred him on, and he started to move his hand closer to my foot. I was so flustered at this point that I was struggling to lock my door, and was trying to decide if I should go back inside and wait for him to leave. But then I thought...what if he got inside? That would be even worse. So I finshed locking the door and ran (literally sprinted) to my car. I threw my stuff into the car and looked outside and he wasn't there. So I got out to scrape my windsheild and a few seconds later I looked over and there the squirrel was again. I verbally told him to not even think about coming closer...and this time he listened. But I am still kinda freaked out.

The Sun Will Come Out...

Tomorrow I start class.

That about sums it up.

Almost Famous

On Friday night my church, Bluer, was featured on ABC Nightline as part of a segment looking at the Emergent Church movement. There were a few comments that made me chuckle, as I didn't really agree with them, however overall I would say it was a success. The clip is able to be seen on Bluer's website or by simply clicking here.

I am embarrassed all over again

So many have requested that I share the car wash story with you. I am willing to do so, however, please realize that while I am typing this I am once again experiencing the "sick to my stomach" feeling that I experienced when the incident first occurred.

It was 2001. I had lived in Morgan Hill, CA for a little over a month. I was 22 years old. It was the first time I lived so far away from my parents, that I had to be the one to do the responsible thing and bring my car through the car wash. So that is what I did.

I went to the local Shell Station. It was located in a very busy parking lot. Across the parking lot was Target, and Albertsons (grocery store chain), to the right of the Shell Station car wash was the blockbuster. So as you may be able to picture this was a very busy place.

I had filled up with gas, and after I swiped my credit card it asked me if I wanted a car wash for 4 extra dollars. I thought it sounded like the responsible thing to do...so I pushed yes. I then took my receipt and got in my car and headed to the car wash. There were curbs on either sides of the drive way that led up to the car wash, and there was a rather sharp curve in the drive way as well. I had just taken this curve and was noticing that the car wash entrance door was down and that there was no attendant outside to open the door (there always had been at the local car wash my parents went to in Willmar) so I started to wonder, "How do I get the door open, no one knows I bought the car wash, was I suppose to go inside and tell someone?" I decided that yes, I should go inside and tell someone. So I started to back up.

Now anyone who knows my driving ability, knows that backing up has never been my strong suit. So when I started to take the curve backing up, I was not surprised that I went up the curb. I was however surprised that my passenger side back wheel was stuck in this nicely landscaped median. So much so that my car was tilting, which we all know is not good. So I went inside and told the person working there. He of course had no clue what to do. So after some discussion I decided that I would call AAA..and they assured me that they would send a tow truck.

However when I got to my car I soon realized that there was now a long line of people who were waiting to get their cars washed but they were unable to due to the fact that my car was blocking the narrow driveway. There were also people coming over from blockbuster and people going to and from Target/Albertsons driving really slowly so that they could assess the situation. A rather large man wearing steel toed boots was yelling at me...other people were shaking their heads..and well I just wanted to disappear. The steel toed guy then asked for my keys...I gladly gave them to him. He rolled down my windows, and then the large angry mob of men who were waiting to get their cars washed lifted my car out of the median.

It was then that the steel toed ring leader gruffly pointed out a silver box by the car wash entrance that I had not seen before. He then said...now punch in your code you have on your receipt and go through the wash. I was pretty much in panic mode at this point, so I got in my car and did just as he said.

Only I soon realized that I was getting wet. You see, I was in such a frantic mindset that I forgot to roll up the windows. So I finally got those closed and decided that their was no time to wait for the blow-drying of the vehicle so I sped away and vowed never to bring my car their again. As I was pulling away I saw the AAA tow truck turning the corner. Oops.

The sad thing was that I had no choice but to go to that gas station. The group home I was working at had a shell card, so that is where I had to go to fill up our van. I however like to think that the gas station attendant never recognized me because I never went back there with my car.

So there you have it.

It's been a while since I've played tag

I (and my blog) have been tagged by my friend Cristina. Not tagged as in graffiti (although she is an artist who could do graffiti)but tagged as in "you're it" kind of way. Since she has tagged me I must share 5 things that you may not know about me...and then I get to tag 5 other people. So here I go.

1. In grade school my friend Anne and I would schedule time in our days to get together and write songs. The first song that I remember us completing and then performing was a children's praise and worship song entitled "The Birds are Singing in the Morning". It required both of us to sing solos...and we still remember it and sing it to her 14 month old baby. Here are the lyrics...be ready to be amazed.

Anne (A): The birds are singing in the morning
Heather (H): Morning
Repeat 1 time

H: The crickets are singing in the night
A: Night
Repeat 1 time

Together: God made them so we should appreciate them. Appreciate them...Yeah!

They just don't write songs like that anymore.

2. As a child I refused to eat pizza. I hated it. In Jr. High I soon realized that eating pizza was imperative if I was going to belong to any social circle so I learned to eat it. I now have no problem eating it, but it still isn't something that I love, crave, or order at a restaurant (unless we are at an all pizza place or I am at home and am too lazy to cook so I need something to be delivered to my door).

3. The first play I was ever in was a reenactment of the first Christmas. I was in second grade so we did not audition for parts, instead our parts were chosen by having our names drawn from a hat. I played the part of the donkey that Mary rode on her way to Bethlehem. I wore an old tanish-brown velour sweatshirt that used to be my dads and my brother made donkey ears out of construction paper and then we glued them to a headband for me to wear. I played the part convincingly.

4. Due to a horrendous car wash incident in Morgan Hill, California I no longer go through car washes by myself.

5. I have recurring dreams where I find myself walking into the unlocked homes of people I don't know. Once I am in there, I am nervous that someone is going to find me and I am going to get in trouble. Inevitably at least one person is home, and I spend the rest of the dream trying to get out of their home without them seeing me. I then wake up all anxious. It should be noted that the majority of my dreams have soundtracks.

So that is it..now I get to tag 5 people

-Amy
-Anna
-Bridget
-Melody
and
-Kandi

You're it!

Celebrate good times, Come on!

Well my annual night of wearing a sparkley shirt and drinking cold duck has passed, and it was a success. I spent New Years enjoying the company of many friends, and playing with my new digital camera.

Then on the first my blog celebrated its 100th visit. The fact that I even figured out how to add the counter to my blog is reason enough to celebrate, but now that I have rendered 100 hits it is even more fun!

Another event to celebrate occurred today. I successfully led my first poetry lab group for 5 Emotional/Behavioral Disordered (EBD) middle school youth. Last semester I co-lead a group with my field instructor so I saw first hand what the group was about, earned about group dynamics, and the group formation process. However I had never facilitated a group all by myself with kids I had never met before. So I was really nervous for today, especially since it was going to be their first day back from winter break, and I lead my group first period. But the kids were great. They jumped right in, I couldn't have asked for better behavior, and when we did our final check in at the end of the group they all said that they had fun, and wanted to come back next week. So yeah! Last semester we had a wonderful first group too, but then the second group was crazy...so hopefully history won't repeat itself.

There's no place like home for the holidays

About a week ago my Grandma fell and has had excruciating pain in her hip ever since. She refused to go to the doctor because her doctor is on vacation until after Christmas. However the day before Christmas Eve the pain was so bad that she finally relented and let my brother and mom bring her to the ER where they found out she just had a really bad bruise and put her on Vicadin.

Christmas Eve morning Mark and I drove to Willmar. My parents were both working; my brother was at their home when we arrived but he was not looking very good. He told me that he hasn't been able to keep anything down all morning and had this unbearable pain in his stomach. A few minutes later he and I took a little trip to the ER. Mark stayed home to wrap the presents my brother hadn't been able to wrap for himself.

When my dad got off work he came to the ER, he then told me that mom had just heard from Grandma and she thinks she is having an allergic reaction to the Vicadin because she too can't keep any food down, and is shaking uncontrollably. We then decided that dad should stay with Cam, and I should go help grandma since she needed some water and couldn't move from her bed.

It is at this point that it should be noted that I never once even considered being a nurse...not even as a child. If I see people throwing up I feel the need to do the same, blood makes me queasy, and seeing a needle pushes me over the edge of sanity. I did make some improvement in this area a couple of years ago when my dad was battling cancer. I took some time off of work to be his in home nurse...and so I have become a little more comfortable with the medical field and caregiving. I was not however prepared for the situation that I walked into next.

My Grandma is 87. She lives on her own in an independent living facility which is basically like a college dorm for the elderly. She still cooks and bakes her award winning cuisine, she entertains, and goes and visits the elderly in nursing homes (even though many of the people she is visiting are younger then her). She has a quick wit that takes so many people off guard. For example when she was in the ER the other night the nurse asked her if she was taking any illegal substances, grandma quipped back with "No, I only sell them". When I walked in her apartment on Christmas Eve however, I saw my grandma how I never had before. She was shaking so violently that when I got her a glass of water she couldn't hold it, I needed to try to control the shaking of her head long enough so that she could get the water in her mouth. Thankfully a few minutes later my mom called to say she was on her way over and that she had talked to the on-call physician who told her that Grandma was indeed showing symptoms of an allergic reaction to the Vicadin. So we gave her some benadryl and after she got sick a couple more times she was able to rest comfortably and was feeling much better the next day.

Meanwhile my brother was still in the ER. He was having blood work done, had x-rays of his abdomen taken, and then finally a CAT scan. In the end it appears that he had a kidney stone that he passed. So he was able to some home and rest/celebrate with us after all.

So now the day after Christmas I am glad to report that everyone is on the mend. Christmas was a little more eventful then I had initially thought it would be, however it was not ruined. I had time with loved ones. We had a lot of laughs, and now we have some great stories to reminisce about at a later date.

The Falleness of Dream World

So I have come to the realization that I have an over-active imagination. I create these romanticized ideas of how my life, or events I am going to experience will play out. History has shown me that because of this I often set myself up for disappointment. However for some reason this consequence does not prevent me from participating in dream world again.

This scenario has most recently occurred in my thinking about winter break. In my mind it would be a time filled with one activity after another. Through this menagerie of activities two main goals would be accomplished:
A) I would do things I wouldn't usually be able to participate in because of school and
B) I would thoroughly enjoy these activities because I am not thinking about the 101 other things I should be doing for class.

Now realistically I know that my friends have lives. They work during the day. And believe it or not...they aren't out EVERY night doing fun and exciting things. Sometimes they are just watching TV, going grocery shopping, or doing laundry. However when I imagined what this Christmas break would look like for me,those things weren't really part of the equation. I found myself totally unprepared for all the alone/down time I am experiencing during break. Realistically I should have been prepared for it, but my mind was seeing a completely different scenario playing out.

Although my break has not really taken the whimsical and fancy free form I had initially imagined it has been very relaxing and I have managed to meet my two goals without the wall to wall activities. I mean I have enjoyed being able to hang out with my friends without having to think about the list of school related things I should be doing instead, and I have been able to participate in all of the activities that have been planned which I likely wouldn't be able to do if school was in session. So to update you on what I have been doing so far on my Christmas break I have complied a list of some of the highlights thus far which include seeing Narnia, baking cookies with my small group, caroling with with my small group, attending my first ever Holidazzle followed by strolling through the Cinderella exhibit with Jess and my new fav neighbor, eating delicious food while in the company of my church family at our annual Christmas feast, and going to the Y with Anna for my first work out in months.

Now I'm Free... to do what I want...any old time

Okay so maybe the title isn't 100% accurate as I still have a job..but from now until January 3rd I am free from the burden of homework. I even finished my internship for the semester earlier today. Then on January 3 I start my internship again, only this time I am no longer co-leading a poetry group for 6 Emotional/Behavioral Disordered youth...instead I will be leading the group. So that will be a very fun and exciting new adventure. Then mid-january I will begin my final semester of graduate school. Yippee!!! Let the fun begin!

How Well Do You Know Me?

Hey, Melody and Jen created tests to see how well we know them...so I thought I would do the same. Check it out.
Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

I saw the light

I know, I know I am posting like a fiend these days. But I have actually been venturing out into the world these past few days so I have things to write about. Like tonight for instance.

I have now attended David Crowder Band concerts in 3 states. In 2001 I saw them in Santa Cruz California..that is where my love for them began. Then in 2003 I saw them in Michigan...that is where I actually met David and had him take a picture with me and Kristin Doll. Then Tonight I saw him in MN..and I must say I think it was the best concert of them all here are the reasons why.

1) Wonderful seats...Mark got us ones that were in the 5th row.

2)Wonderful seats...we were right in front of my fav non-David band member Jason Solley. A rockstar if I have ever seen one. I was a big fan of his silver glitter Guitar. I have always been a firm believer that glitter makes you pretty and it worked for him.

3)Prior to the show I had mentioned to Mark about how I hoped he (David) was wearing Melanie and my fav shirt of his. It is a yellow vintage Santa Cruz polo-esque shirt. Melanie once met him in 2002 and mentioned how wonderful we thought the shirt was, and he informed her that it was his favorite as well..so when he did indeed walk out sporting the shirt I smiled.

4)Musically it was by far the best I have heard them, they were full of energy, and were having so much fun on stage and it radiated into the audience. So much so that I found myself dancing and singing to the blue grass tunes they did during there encore. Now for any of you who know me well...you know that it had to be an amazing concert in order for me to do such a thing...especially all while smiling:).

Yes, it was indeed a good night.

Couple Skate

So this past Saturday a bunch of us went roller skating. This wasn't just any old roller skating either...it was Christian Contemporary Music Night. I had built up this wonderful mental picture of dancing around the rink to Amy Grant singing "Baby, Baby" and then slowing it down a bit with a little "Place in this world" by MWS. I even brought some body glitter to put on my eyes for the special occasion.

When we were walking in they were playing Carmen...so I knew it was going to be a night to remember. Sadly however, the songs came and went and there was not a single flash back to my Jr. High years. They did however play Jesus Freak...so I was able to get down with the DC Talk...d.d.down with the DC Talk and believe me I was flowin'like a bottle of Drain-O.

So although the night did not play out exactly how I had imagined. It was lots of fun...and I am sure it will be repeated again sometime. And when it does happen again I will ask them if they happen to have my favorite roller Skating themed song done by a Christian Artist....Couple Skate by Joe Christmas. I love thinking back to the songs of yester year.

The downward spiral

I have begun the downward spiral of complacency when it comes to my schooling. Last year I never missed a class, and was all about straight A's.
This year I am taking one class pass fail, in another class I have chosen not to do an optional paper that is required if you want an "A".
And today I am skipping not one...but two classes.
Downward spiral here I come.

The act of swaddling

It has been almost a year since my pseudo-niece Emma was born. I remember visiting her in the hospital and Anne telling me that Paul had mastered the art of swaddling emma tightly in her blanket. I remember thinking that being swaddled tightly in a blanket did not seem really appealing to me, I would feel far too cloistered.

Last night I was transported back to that day in the hospital. I was at church and we sang, "Arms of Love". A song that I have sang so many times, a song that we don't usually sing at Bluer, but a song that suddenly impacted me greatly. I was singing the part of the chorus that says, "In your arms of love, holding me still, holding me near" when it suddenly made sense why Emma would like the feeling of being swaddled by her father.

In my child development class we talked about how babies can easily get overwhelmed by what is going on in the environment around. And since they do not have the ability to look away, or to remove themselves from the distraction one way in which a parent can help sooth them is to swaddle them in a blanket, or to hold them closely to themselves so that the child can feel their limbs close to their body. This act of being held tightly soothes the child and they are able to relax.

Like babies, I sometimes find myself so overwhelmed by what is going on in my environment. My attention is split between a myriad of things. I find myself getting stressed as I am distracted by both positive and negative events in my life..school, financial issues, car issues, obligations, social activities. I am literally in sensory overload, however unlike Emma there are times when I don't let my father swaddle me. He is there ready to "hold me still, and hold me near" so that all the distractions can be whisked away as I rest in his arms and allow Him to be my refuge.
Thankfully, I can change that at any time. My father is there ready to swaddle me, and ready to let me rest in his arms of love.