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dawn and mr.darcy.

24 Oct
The corn in my backyard was harvested yesterday evening.  With the corn gone, my morning view has improved.  I woke up to this scene this morning:

Which couldn’t help but remind me of this scene from Pride & Prejudice.  I kept waiting for my Mr.Darcy to walk across the field towards me.  [No luck.]  As gal pal, Sara, commented on my facebook post about the photo [profanity warning]: … did your secret love interest’s bitchy aunt just come and try to forbid you from accepting a marriage proposal?  Is that why you were up that early and wandering through a foggy field?  [if you know the movie as well as Sara and I – or really just at all – that should make perfect sense]

a fall festival.

17 Oct
About 25 Red Oak Grovers [I’m coining a new term.  Grovers is to be those of Red Oak Grove.  Not multiples of the blue dude from Sesame Street.] celebrated and dwelled in fall weather yesterday.  We began with a scavenger hunt for the kid grovers that included decorating a gourd pumpkin as they went.  From there, we hopped on hay wagon racks and traveled where Tom the Tractor Man [not his official title] drove us.  
We ended on Tom the Tractor Man’s property by the river where Tom the Tractor Man’s wife had attempted to build a fire.  It was no fire-starting disability of her own but terribly windy out today.  [I’m sensing a fall theme in SE MN.]  There was enough heat for s’mores to go along with our hot cocoa and cider and that’s all we needed.
It was a fun afternoon and a great chance for me to get to know a few more people on deeper levels.  The kids are great and I think the families are excited for more opportunities like this one.  But note to self: Be a better planner.  Invite other people to plan with me.  Don’t be forced to scramble last minute.  That was not cool, PL [Pastor Lindsay].  Not cool.

weed.

29 Sep
[Picking up on the previous post about drugs, here’s one on weed.]
It’s kind of exciting.  I have a house and with a house comes a yard.  I have a yard and with a yard come maintenance.  I do my best but so far that best is pretty mediocre.
It was a gorgeous day yesterday so as I went home, I decided to do a few outside chores before settling into the hammock with my Kindle.  [Current read: The Girl who Played with Fire.]  I swept all the nasty dead beetles from the front and back stoop and as I walked around the side of the house, I decided to pull weeds.  I started with this one:
Does anyone know what this is?  My knowledge of weeds is quite pathetic.  I obviously didn’t know enough NOT to touch it …
Mistake.  I reached my hand down and grabbed this nasty green thing only to draw my hand back quickly.  It was like a thistle and its tiny prickers poked me.  Screw you, weed.  I walked away and my hand absolutely stung.  It stung terribly.  I walked in the house, washed my hands, and still dealt with the burn.  I did the next logical thing.
I called my mom.  She’s a nurse.  I told her it hurt and stung and burned and was kinda sorta starting to blister.  She told me to take benadryl and put hydrocortisone cream on it.  I had neither at the house.  Instead of driving into town, I did nothing and went to the hammock to read.
The burning eventually subsided.  I went about my night.  Then it started to tingle.  Much like when your leg wakes up from being asleep, there were pins and needles in my hand that would not go away.  All night.  And again this morning.  You’re mean, weed.
It has finally went away but believe me, that weed is going to die and I will pull it’s life from the dirt while wearing long sleeves and gloves.  What did I ever do to you, weed?  [Besides try and kill you?  Touche.]  

[AAA] Rain, ice, and bergs.

19 Aug
When I left you last, I met up with Ben following his work at Prince William Sound Community College [he’s the electrician on staff and they love him] and we went over to his co-worker’s house.  They were having a bunch of people over for dinner and board games [my kind of people] and they were a ton of fun.  The staff at the college [or at least those there] are super young and funny and awesome and the salmon was delicious.  We journeyed ten miles out of town to Ben’s “house” [I use that term lightly.] and settled in for the night.  
The next day was wide open for me, as Ben headed off to work.  I met Kim, Ben’s girlfriend, for breakfast and then I wandered the town [there’s not a whole lot to it], thankful Ben had lent me a rain jacket.  [Kim: You didn’t bring any rain gear?  Me: I don’t own rain gear!]  I went to one of the local museums and there saw the one and only moose of the trip.  It was stuffed.  The museum is part of the college that Ben works for and he gave me a tour of the campus.  From there, I said screw it to all my hesitation about the rest of the day’s plans – I got on a boat.
A glacier cruise to be exact.  It wasn’t an entirely clear day out and the waters were a little choppy.  I’m not one for too much water adventure – I recall getting sick on a boat ferry when I was younger.  I couldn’t decide if it was worth the money to get on a boat and potentially get sick and be miserable for the six hour trip.  But I said screw it.  I’m in Alaska and I’m going to go.  And it was pretty worth it.

Let’s talk about how darn cute sea otters are!

Valdez is essentially surrounded by mountains.
holy bright blue.
We rounded the day out with Mexican food, a movie, and strawberry shortcake before calling it a night.  It’s been a ton of fun visiting Ben and seeing this place he now calls home.  More about that follow.

[AAA] Arrival.

17 Aug
I drive all the way to Alaska and don’t see one moose.  [“I have your car towed all the way to your house and all you have for me is light beer?”  Name that movie and ten fictitious points could be yours.]  My wildlife viewing [other than the typical cattle, horses, etc.] ended with one bear, a few mountain goats and a couple deer.  Moose mourning aside, I arrived!  I’m in the Valdez public library, waiting for Ben to get done with work for the day.  [We’re three hours behind you folks in the central time zone.]  It’s rainy and I figure I have all day tomorrow to explore the town; right now I’m thrilled to simply not be in the car.
I drove to Alaska.  It’s nearly exhilarating and bit unbelievable to think – I drove to Alaska.  I can do anything!  [That’s how the saying goes, right?  If you can drive to Alaska, you can do anything?]  That’s how I feel anyways.  It was a smooth trip, I did it by myself, and I feel proud that I pushed fear aside and tackled this adventure.  I never considered myself one for adventure but this – this was good.  Very good for me.  [And I’m beginning to think I’m more adventurous than I ever thought I was …]
I slept in this morning and got ready in the room I rented that was originally designed with hobbits in mind.  Loaded up Betty and then we set off.  I stopped a few times – for fuel, to snap photos, to make a pb&j, and to wait for the pilot car.  Lots of construction slowed me down today.  So much that in the line of people waiting for the pilot car to guide us, engines were turned off and people milled about, knowing it would be a bit of a wait.  Gravel roads and lots of rollercoaster-like dips in the roads from frost heaving was all a part of today’s journey.

It’s an icky picture, but I promise its the Worthington glacier. 
 As I neared Prince William Sound and Valdez, there was also a glacier.  and a canyon.  and mountains.  and lots of fog.  and rivers.  and waterfalls from the rocks.  Highway Four is not a road I would want to drive in the winter.  Like the descriptions of my other days of driving, it was just crazy.  I’d take a corner in the road and then find myself with some new natural wonder in front of me.  I literally said to myself, “You’re kidding me!” more than once as these awesome things appeared.  I’d seen mountains and glaciers in my drive previously but what I hadn’t yet seen – nor did I expect – was a winding road cut through a canyon with water falling from the rocks high above the highway.  Crazy.  Simply crazy.

I’m happy to not have a full day of driving ahead of me tomorrow.  I, in fact, am not sure at all what I will do tomorrow and the next day.  I’ll see what Ben and his girlfriend, Kim, [who is also living in Valdez right now] have to suggest.  I’d like to think I’d be perfectly content just hanging out with Jetta at Ben’s cabin too, relaxing and doing those things I brought that I still haven’t touched [and totally didn’t touch last night either, after I said I would].  Two days in Valdez, a ride to Anchorage [with Ben and Kim who are running a marathon there on Sunday], and a red-eye flight out of Alaska on Friday night/Saturday morning.  That’s what’s left of the August Alaskan Adventure.  Stay tuned.

[AAA] Almost and a surprise.

17 Aug
I just checked into a hotel in Beaver Creek in the Yukon Territory.  Beaver Creek is a few miles short of the Alaska border which means only six and a half hours of driving tomorrow.  I felt up to putting in a few extra hours on the road tonight [I’ll explain below.] before I checked into a hotel.  Before I checked into my closet.  Seriously.  It’s the tiniest room you could ever fit two twin beds into – smaller than a dorm room.  There is a bathroom for tiny people – everything seems to be in miniature.  The hotel, in general, makes me feel far more comfortable than the sketchy dive I stayed in last night despite that it was built for leprechauns.  Much more comfortable.
I set off extra early this morning [wanting to leave the sketchiness behind me] and did more mountain driving.  It was rainy and cloudy and lent more fog to the mountains and lakes as I drove on.  In my current tired state and the 55 hours of driving behind me, the rest of the day is running together.  I can’t remember if I drove through any cute towns or saw anything out of the ordinary.  [If I can’t remember, I’m guess not.  Still no moose!]  I do recall pulling into a rest area and refusing to go to the bathroom in the pit toilets that make the outhouse at our cabin seem like a throne.  It was mostly overcast through the morning and early afternoon, leading me to yawn and grow sick of driving.
This was the first time in the last week that I’ve really felt tired of driving.  In the days prior, the scenery was new and different and kept my attention.  Today, the scenery seemed old hat.  I’ll give this the fictional diagnosis of safari syndrome.  I remember while on safari in Tanzania a few years ago we grew so excited at the sight of new animals from our land rover.  But then, even though we were a part of this incredible experience in Africa, elephants almost grew to be … eh.  No big deal.  Elephants were everywhere.  It was the new animals – the lions, the cheetahs, and the ostriches that we then got excited about.  Elephants?  Eh.  Been there, done that.
That happened to me today.  The same mountain range?  Eh.  Awesome dense forests?  No big deal.  Winding roads through incredible landscape?  Been there.  I got the safari syndrome and just grew tired. Until these babies came out of nowhere –
It seemed I suddenly turned a corner and there were these huge, snow-capped mountains looming in front of me.  I found energy, excitement, and wanted to drive closer to find a better angle for a picture.  I found my new animal.  I was going to stop in Haines Junction for the night, which rests at the feet of these mountains [the icerange – the highest mountains in canada] but found no vacancies.  Driving along the mountains gave me the extra energy to travel another three hours [making it a 14.5 hour drive today] to Beaver Creek.  
But then there weren’t only these mountains but then this lake which the road wound around.  Too much beauty.  Too many perfect pictures I couldn’t take for lack of a road shoulder.  Too much.
There will be more photos, stories, and other surprises to come, my blog friends.  But now I must make myself a pb&j for a very late dinner and settle into my closet.  [I’m in the lobby right now to use the internet; once I go to my closet, I’m in the interweb darkness.  Time to read, craft, or write – the other projects I brought along with me but haven’t touched.]  I may find myself with more time in the next few days to update and educate you to the journeys and thoughts of this gnomepreacher.  More time when I arrive at my brother’s and can see my Jetta [the dog] and not drive for half a day.  Joy.

a wedding & a werewolf.

7 Aug
The day had arrived.  Friends Krissy and Matt were to be married and I was the one doing the ceremony.  It was my first official wedding I had officiated and the first time I’d ever signed a marriage license.  It was a full day leading up to the wedding at 6pm.  We had rehearsal in the backyard of Krissy’s parent’s house [where the wedding would take place – a beautiful yard with a pond] in the late morning and from that point on, it seemed I was on child duty.  There were seven [yes.  seven.] children under the age of eight in the ceremony and they needed lunch, naps, tuxes, and guidance for pictures.  There is just something about small short children in tuxes – they look like such little men.  Oh for cute.
three of the seven.
The wedding began only a few minutes late, complicated by a processional song that was not quite the one the bride had picked out and a few issues with the aisle runner.  Krissy and Matt stood before me and in front of one hundred family and friends who had gathered for the occasion.  Things were going well.
Except one of the bride’s sons walked up the aisle with a major attitude attached.  I’m not sure what had happened and I was too focused on Krissy and Matt to see what he was doing during the ceremony.  Crouched on the ground between the best man and the groom, he dug in the dirt with a stick and apparently, at one point, shoved grass down his brother’s shirt.  There was something more about dirt and throwing.  It didn’t much matter because, as if that didn’t distract the bride and groom and assembly enough, there was more.
Right around the time of the vows and rings, a mangy old Husky dog wandered into the ceremony and right up to where the bridal party stood.  This thrilled the children who were standing up front – they went right to petting the questionable dog and scratching his stomach.  I see this happening – as does everyone else present – and I can’t hold it together.  There’s a flippin’ dog to my left who just appeared and is now enjoying the attention.  And I’m almost worried the dog might hurt the kids.  What do I do?!  I stare at my papers and try to focus.  Laughter exploded once more when Evan, always a Twilight fan [thanks to his mother’s influence], asks, in reference to the dog, “Is it a werewolf?!”  I can’t even look at the bride and the groom because they are stifling laughter.  This was a point when ad-libbing and throwing a joke in would be good – but I’m just horrid on my feet.  Something to learn and grow.

But the wedding happened, surprise guest and all.  [It’s a neighbor’s dog, I guess.  He heard the party happening and wanted to see what was up.]  The wedding happened, Krissy and Matt are legally married, and the reception was fun.  The dinner and dance was held in a tent right next to where we had the ceremony.  I’ll admit I was skeptical when she said they were having their reception in a tent but it was  an awesome tent.  A Harry Potter tent, as Allen would call it.  There was dancing, a fireworks display, and bubble blowing.  The combination of champagne and the bouncy house only caused one bridesmaid to get sick.  [Just one!  Victory.]  A party rock anthem, sweet caroline, and both nsync and lady gaga.  I had a great time with Banana Lynn and Kyle, Allen, Timmy, and David – friends I don’t see all too often.  I am never opposed to the attention and affection my protective male friends from high school give me including dances aplenty, a “lover’s stroll” around the pond [with five others], and a few “sweetheart” and “darling” pet names; it was good and fun and I love them all.  
Next Banana wedding: Lynn and Kyle’s in September.  This is one where I’m joining pastoral forces with another pastor and will be delivering the message.  Wooten!  Can’t wait!

Hello.

9 Jun
Hello.  You’ve reached the voicemail of Lindsay. 
I’ll be out of the office until Monday morning.* 
Please leave a message** and I’ll return to blogging as soon as possible. 
Have a happy day and a great forever!***
* Where am I off to until Monday morning?  Two nights at the cabin [no wireless there – no electricity!] with Joel and Melissa, perhaps a day trip to Wisconsin Dells [though perhaps a bit chilly for a waterpark day?], and then onto the Cities where the main attraction is Paige’s ordination at Luther on Sunday evening! 
** Comment.
*** I designed and ordered tshirts for a senior week activity at seminary.  I was put into contact with the tshirt point person for Luther at a specific company.  I left this specific person a few messages as we played phone tag back and forth.  How did his personal voicemail message end?  In an overly enthusiastic voice, “Have a great forrr-ever!”  It made me giggle every time.  What else about him made me giggle?  His name was Rocky.  Exactly.

proof that I play.

12 Apr
You guys know me, right?  I don’t think for one second you could be convinced that all I do is work with no play and thus am a dull boy like Jack.  Right?  Allow me to give you substantial evidence.
Maybe you’ll remember my posts about Kevin, aka Joel.  I’ve been hanging out with Joel and his Pinterest pinning wife, Melissa, a lot of late.  They’re a lot of fun.  Often, Joel will lean over in our 8am Friday morning class and ask me, “So what are we doing tonight?”  Then we make plans.  Last Friday, we went out for dinner at the Wild Onion on Grand and then they came over to play Just Dance on the Wii.  How intensely did we dance?  Just know this – Joel sweat on me.

The last two nights, we’ve been celebrating half birthdays – Melissa’s, Joel’s, and my roommate, Jeanette’s.  (Why? you ask.  Because the school year is drawing to a close and we will take any excuse to hang out together.  What better reason do we need than that?)  Thanks to a Groupon given to me by one friend James, we also ventured into south Minneapolis to the Pumphouse Creamery for organic, fair trade ice cream in interesting homemade cones.  [Ignore my horrid hair.  It was not a good day.]  Granite City last night, Cafe Latte tonight, and I promised my confirmation ladies a dinner out tomorrow night.  Ugh.  I need to eat at home one of these nights.
All work and no play make Lindsay a dull girl but a happy combination of the two make Lindsay a happy and accomplished girl.  I finally cleaned off my bed of clothes and this afternoon, soaking in the sun outside of Starbucks, I was quite productive. A couple one-page papers written and the finding of the perfect quote/chapter from a theologian that I needed to jump start my thesis.  Want to hear it?
Theologically, in the eyes of God you, the person, are worth 
more than anything you can ever achieve.  (James Loder)
Boom.  Done.  There’s my thesis.  [In relation to fourth and fifth graders.  With a little discourse on the effects of body image/bullying.  A bit of child development.  Some doctrine on creation.  And throw in a twist regarding creativity and imagination.]
Remember when we went to the library as little kids in elementary school and we had a three book limit?  I had to be strategic about that book limit as I pulled books from the shelves and dreamed about taking them home.  I always wished it was five books and not three.  It’s quite fortunate that the Luther Seminary library trusts students enough to not impose a limit of books that can be checked out.  Here’s the current stack, that seems to only grow by the day:

spring.

8 Apr
I love spring.  But don’t tell fall.  
The sunshine, the melting snow, and the warmer temperatures of the last couple days have been refreshing and an excellent way to stock up on the missing vitamin D in the body.  Rumor has it there may be a thunderstorm this weekend.  Oh, to cuddle up with a mug of coffee, a quilt, and a book while it rains and thunders outside.  [Excuse me.  Let me rephrase that.  Oh, to cuddle up with a mug of coffee, a quilt, and my thesis resources and notecards as it rains and thunders outside.]
I have wonderful spring memories of growing up on the farm.  My brothers and I would slip on our mud boots (theirs were black; mine were red), our farm clothes, and disappear for the afternoon.  We’d explore the barns, the pastures, and build makeshift bridges across the creeks.  I don’t quite know how this kept us occupied for hours upon hours, but I do remember how awesome it was.  There is something about growing up on a farm, especially in the springtime, that is simply wonderful.
Your favorite thing to do in the season of spring?  A favorite spring memory?  Here are a few more of mine.
I remember visiting home one spring.  Cousins Sam and Molly came out to my house to hang out with me.  I wanted to fly my kite, and the day before would have been perfect.  Suddenly, as spring tends to do, the weather changed drastically the next day.  It was freezing and terribly windy.  [Though, really, it’s constantly windy at our house on top of a hill.]  We went about our kite-flying anyways.  We had little success and even more so, because of Jetta, my brother’s then puppy.  Jetta thought it was a grand time to chase our kite, grab it, and run about the yard, Sam chasing her the whole time.  The kite-flying didn’t last long that spring day.
Puddle jumping.  M. and I used to go puddle jumping.  These photos are from two different years, the years when babysitting for her consisted of walking up and down the sidewalk, up and down the sidewalk.  Oh for cute.

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