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DC.

22 Jan

[DC.] Did you watch the inauguration?  It was probably the first time I’ve sat and really watched and listened to the inauguration of a president.  It was wonderful.  I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a little bit during the POTUS’ speech.  And love FLOTUS’ haircut.

And it made me want to go to DC.

I’ve been twice.  First for senior class trip in high school.  My classmates and I boarded coach buses and drove thru the night to the city filled with history and culture.  We stayed through the week, filling our days with historical monuments, museums, and flying kites on the national mall.  [We had a free afternoon to explore the Smithsonian buildings but we were so tired of playing the tourist.  So we played the weirdos who flew kites on the mall.]  It was a wonderful trip.  My friends and I made memories we still talk about today.

The second time I was a junior? senior? in college.  Being at the liberal arts college I was, I joined the Student Global Aids Campaign.  We were all about AIDS awareness and advocating for available treatment and prevention.  In one weekend, we road tripped – again in a coach bus – to DC to march in an AIDS march.  It was an incredible whirlwind trip of which we spent 40 hours on a bus and only 10 hours actually in DC.  It was crazy and a great college experience.  March in DC for a cause dear to my heart?  Check.  [Above is the only photo I could find on my current computer.  Proof that I was there, along with my friends Kara and Deb.  Also proof my hair used to be really long and kinda gross.]

DC.  I’m ready to go back, explore it again, and immerse myself in the history again.  Add it to the travel list.

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vacation.

23 Sep
And so Kate and I escaped to the woods.  I purchased a deal through Living Social for the Heartwood Conference Center.  Two nights in one of their hotel rooms just outside of Trego, WI.  We hiked, played bocce ball, and wooed the snack shack guy into giving us free hot chocolate.  [Okay.  We didn’t woo.  He just told us not to pay for it.  I think he liked our charm.]  It was a bit too chilly and windy to get out on the water [boo] but we had fun exploring by other means.  It was the perfect escape and as vacations normally go, one or two more nights would have been wonderful.

the drive.

a walk thru the woods.

this is what nighttime looked like.

a short hike along the st.croix on the way home.

wildness of the wilderness.

20 Sep
I ran away to the wilderness.  My friend, Kate, and I have been enjoying the resort, our vacation and the wilderness that is a part of it.  We hiked morning and afternoon today, a total of over eight miles.    Henry David Thoreau reminds us why it’s so important –

We need the tonic of wildness:To wade sometimes in the meadows
where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk,
and hear the booming of the snipe;
To smell the whispering sedge where only
some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest,
and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground.
At the same time we are earnest to explore and learn,
we require that all things be mysterious unexplorable,
that land and sea be infinitely wild,
unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable.
We can never have enough of nature,
We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor,
vast and titanic features:
The sea-coast with its wrecks,
the wilderness with its living and decaying trees,
the thunder cloud, the rain that lasts three weeks
and produces freshets.
We need to witness our own limits transgressed,
and some life pasturing freely where we never wander.

Closing my laptop now.  More about this retreat and my time away later. 

NOLA: a summary.

24 Jul
I’ve returned to good old Austin, MN.  phew.  What a trip.  There is more info on the ROG site, which maybe you read.  Maybe you didn’t.  Either way, here’s my summary in true list form. 
The awesome:
— The speakers each night.  My favorite was Nadia Bolz-Weber.  You can watch her talk here.  It is totally worth your 20 minutes.  Not all pastors are stuffy and old and pious.  Amen.
— beignets at Cafe du Monde were pretty delicious.
— walking a mile while carrying a 40 lb. container of water.  It was a part of the 100 Wells Challenge education.  The ELCA is currently raising money to bring clean drinking water closer to people living in Africa.  It’s not uncommon for women and children to walk four miles each day just to get water.  The Red Oak Grove youth and I waited in line to carry 40 lbs. around ten times [which equaled one mile] in an air-conditioned building.  It was only a taste of what people in Africa must do.  And it was hard!  I did one lap and wondered how in the world I would ever do nine more.  Somehow, with a combination of breaks and pushing the jug on the smooth concrete floor for little bits, I made it.  All the youth did too.  [Two of the ladies admitted they cheated a little bit; they coerced a boy into carrying theirs for a segment of a lap.  Oh, girls.]
— bonding with the ROG youth.
— seeing seminary and synod friends!
— flashlight hellos.  I never did run into the Dawson group but twice they gestured hello across the superdome by waving their flashlights and phones in my general direction.  I waved my bright orange hat in return.  For cute.
— worshipping with no leadership role.
— a service project day that took us to a local Boy’s and Girl’s club to read with them.  What a great experience.
— It’s estimated that 38,000 Lutherans each doing four hours of service will be of value to the city of New Orleans worth more than $2million.  How awesome is that?
— a ride in a streetcar through the garden district.  [with crabby kids.  but we’ll forget that detail.]
— great music.  dancing.
— the openness with which sexual orientation and bullying topics were addressed.  It needed to be said; I’m glad they took the opportunity.
The not-so-awesome:
— the bus ride home.  We were part of three buses which caravanned together.  Basically our group and a group from Mankato.  Note to self: If ever a large trip like this is organized again, go with one bus and only one bus.  Three was not so much fun.  Whenever we stopped – be it bathroom or meal stops – the lines were long.  Communication between leaders was not great.  I will say – with my nose in the air – that our group was so well behaved.  It was the other group that, well, had attitude.  The other group also had a child that decided not to eat anything all week and only drink Mt. Dew and Red Bull, which led to a four hour layover in the middle of Sunday night at a hosptial in Memphis.  Our trip home went from an expected 22 hours to a horribly long 29 hours.  It was miserable.
— little sleep.
— having a diet consisting of Subway and fast food for a week.  I went to the store tonight and my cart was mostly fruits and veggies.
— little to no Lindsay time.  Things were tense there for a day or two.
— swollen ankles.  Last night, they looked like they were drawn by a cartoonist.  Swelling is going down but they’ll be elevated again tonight as I go to bed.  
— we depart from the First Lutheran parking lot and we wave to all the family gathered.  One of my youth says to me, Aww.  You have no one here to say goodbye to you.  Thanks for reminding me I’m all alone.
Trust me when I say the awesome outweigh the not-so-awesome, even if the lists seems pretty even at first glance.  It was a good trip.  And now I can say I’ve been to New Orleans and – if I’m honest – I can say that I don’t ever need to go back.  [Unless it were to be to a b&b in the garden district.]  Bourbon Street has no appeal for this girl.  No thank you.  The next gathering: Detroit in 2015.  I’m thankful it won’t require an overnight bus trip!

And I’m off!

16 Jul
To New Orleans!

We board the bus at 4:30 this afternoon and will drive through the night.  The five youth from Red Oak Grove are pretty psyched.  I am too; once I get past the whole sleeping-on-the-bus thing.  [I’m bringing drugs.  In the form of dramamine.  It always used to knock me out.  We’ll see about tonight.]
I’m not taking my computer but will try to do a blog update now and again via the iphone.  [so please excuse any typos, grammatical errors, and the fact that I can’t align it justified via phone … though that will likely bother me more than you.]  I will for sure be blogging [nearly/hopefully] everyday at roglutheran.org/our-stories.  It’s the church website and I promised updates.  Those will be entirely PC and upbeat.  If at any point I feel otherwise, it’s here I will turn.  That is your warning/invitation.
Happy week to all of you!  I’ll feed the alligators a marshmallow or two for you.  [swamp tour!]

saturday adventures.

15 Jul
It was a weekend of gnome chew toys, caves, dining cars, and ice cream.  
The occasion was visiting seminary friends.  Justin and James arrived Friday evening and stayed through church on Sunday morning.  Justin, my favorite person who used to always wear one black sock and one white sock, was visiting from Pennsylvania for the week, and it had been over two years since we had seen each other.  Two years!  Far too long.  James is still on campus at Luther but is also connected to Pennsylvania – a state he will hopefully be moving to soon for first call.  Pennsylvania is far away from Minnesota, she pouts.
They came and brought housewarming gifts.  One for me and one for Mabel.  For me?  Ninja cookie cutters.  [My confirmation kids will go crazy with excitement and envy.]  For Mabel?  A gnome chew toy which she destroyed within the first hour.  It was fun while it lasted.  Maybe I can patch up what isn’t chewed through; it could be a one-legged gnome.
Can you see Mr.Gnome’s red head?  And belt?  And entrails?
Saturday we were off for adventure.  Somehow we decided on Lanesboro, MN as our initial destination.  [The SPAM museum was vetoed.  They don’t know what they’re missing.]  We walked the tourist main street, scouring for the perfect lunch locale.  We stumbled upon this dining car, sandwiched between two tall brick buildings.  Luckily, there were three stools open at the counter so we squeezed ourselves in for some grilled cheese and fresh cut french fries.  
It seats about fifteen people between the counter and two tiny booths.
Do you know what Lanesboro is known for?  First, it’s spot on the Root River biking trail.  Second, it’s the rhubarb capital of the world.  [Did you hear that?!]  They even have their own soda flavor – Rhu-berry from the Spring Grove soda company.  They plant rhubarb in gardens like we plant hostas.  The festival is in June.  I know where I’ll be next year.
From Lanesboro, we were our typical indecisive selves.  We explored the town of Whalen.  Population: 63.  [It didn’t take long.]  Then we decided we needed to find ourselves a cave.  There were two options and we went for Niagra Cave in Harmony, MN.  [32 miles from Decorah.  I remember going to the cave while a student at Luther … but actually remembered nothing about the actual tour.]  We went 200 feet below ground in a series of tunnels, cathedral-like cave rooms, and up and down lots of stairs.  It was pretty cold and pretty cool.
And, then, I mean, how can you be only 32 miles from Decorah and not go?  Not possible.  We drove through the Luther campus and ate peanut butter cheeseburgers at T-Bock’s.  We took in the sight from Phelp’s Park of the Upper Iowa River and then had to stop at the Whippy Dip.  I mean, how can you be in Decorah and not stop at the Whippy Dip?  Not possible.  Justin had never been to the Whippy Dip and never to Decorah.  Done and done.  Check that off your midwest bucket list.
obligatory whippy dip photo.
We arrived back at the parsonage around 9pm.  James went night-night early; Justin and I stayed up.  We talked [I value deep and honest conversations with this friend. Thank you to Justin for being a great listener and conversationalist.], watched a movie, and Lindsay did not finish her Sunday morning sermon.  How was I supposed to write my sermon when I had a long-lost friend to be with?  Not possible.  I will take no grief; I know I made the right decision.  I eventually got to it.  It’s just been a long time since I’ve only gotten four hours of sleep.  [worth it.]
They left after church today and I don’t know who is more sad – Mabel or I.

Boo.

a weekend away.

30 Jun
I ran away from Red Oak Grove this weekend.  I ran away to Stillwater.  Mabel came too.  She stayed at a kennel and made many new friends.

It wasn’t an impromptu decision – a girls’ weekend had been on the calendar for many weeks.  Karen, Jenna, and I had plans to go out to eat, explore fun places in the cities, and shop.  Check, check, and check.

I was greeted at the Gieseke B&B by my very own olives.
Karen and I met Jenna at the seminary and I ran into a couple old friends.  [Adam!  So good to see you!]  We went to a giant fabric outlet warehouse and ate at Big Bowl [one of my favorites].  We saw a movie and settled in for the night.  Then today there was a trip to Hunt and Gather, a fabric shop, and an estate sale.  It’s like all of Lindsay’s favorite things crammed into one day!  I bought a crazy yellow wire thing on wheels [how’s that for a description], a really great Spanish bull fighting velvet print [which I bought for the frame and the frame only], and some polka dotted fabric from the outlet warehouse.  It was great fun and full of wonderful, caring conversation.  I’m sad to be back at the parsonage, with Sunday morning looming over my head, but such is life.  boo.
But a small taste of Hunt and Gather.
Babies, anyone?

I wanted every single one of these.  Love me some polka dots.

vacation: it’s over.

9 Jun
Cry for me, Argentina.  The vacation is over.  Over and back at it with a funeral this morning and a Sunday sermon to write this afternoon.  [The children of the deceased are British and totally have that beautiful European look.  I wanted to be their friend.  I wanted to listen to them talk all day long.  #anglophile.]
But before I can face that second sermon, let me show you the rest of my vacation.  
After breakfast conversation with Alex from Zurich, I hit the road.  I walked the breakwater on the harbor in Grand Marais before driving reluctantly south on Hwy 61. I made two state park stops on the way home – Cascade River State Park and Gooseberry Falls.  I think Cascade was my favorite because it was a bit off the beaten path and I didn’t have to wade through people like I did at Gooseberry Falls.  I was bummed I couldn’t spend longer hiking the trails but also learned that, hey, I really like hiking.  Mabel and I will have to get some solid use out of the park pass that now sticks to my windshield.  
rock art on the breakaway.

the harbor.
Cascade River State Park

Gooseberry Falls
And then I drove home.  Boo.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t start to sob the minute I hit the southern edge of the cities.  It was like a switch flipped.  I didn’t want to go home.  I didn’t want to have to work again.  I realized that I’m really kinda sorta unhappy here.  Or maybe the end of vacation cued a flair of dramatics.  Because while I would much rather be hiking or kayaking or exploring a new town, the last two days haven’t been terrible.  No tears since that initial night of return.  As Pastor Heidi told me, it’s all about finding the recreation and joy in everyday and not just vacation.  But oh how nice another couple nights of vacation would have been.
le sigh.  To Sunday sermon prep we go … and then it’s Strawberry Festival week, people.  [The annual festival of Red Oak Grove is Tuesday.  Approx. 800 people are fed meals of barbecues and any kind of strawberry dessert you may desire.  It will be my first experience of it all.  I anticipate chaos and long prep days ahead.]

vacation: post three.

5 Jun
I write while watching television and laying on the bed in this room –

I feel relaxed already.
I arrived in Grand Marais and to the destination bed and breakfast in early evening.  Since arriving, I had a colloquial chat with the couple that owns the b&b and walked to a very nice restaurant for a very delicious dinner.  I wondered how eating alone at a toursit-y restaurant would be so I went prepared with a book.  Cliche to read a book about introverts while sitting alone and talking to no one?
The drive to the north shore was quite nice.  I stopped little but for a quick lunch break at a rest stop and an hour exploring Split Rock Lighthouse State Park.  There were many places I wanted to stop [a crazy roadside flea market which – from what I could tell – had tables upon tables of only fiestaware pitchers] but was on a schedule to arrive at my final destination.  Hopefully on the way home, I’ll have more room to stop and browse rivers and waterfalls, wayside rests, and random flea markets.  For now, I relax and be gradually more and more nervous about kayaking tomorrow afternoon.  
lunch.
this cold water makes me fearful for my kayaking adventure.
split rock lighthouse.

vacation: post one.

3 Jun
Vacation is here and it’s wonderful.  [I’m choosing to temporarily not address the fact that a member passed away last night and I have funeral details to figure out for a Saturday funeral.  Eventually, I will have to address it … but it can wait until Monday.] Here’s the play-by-play so far –

I dropped Mabel off at her favorite home-away-from-home and home for the next week – Camp Canine Kennels – and headed for Golden Valley to the wedding of Frank and Kate.  It was super fun to reconnect with seminary friends I hadn’t seen lately both at the church and at the reception that followed at a local park.  Super low key and chill.  [I’m taking notes if I ever get married.  Low key = great.]
Following the wedding and reception, I spent the evening with gal pal, Sara, and her boyfriend, Josh, at their new house.  We ate at a local malt shop in Chaska, chatted with the neighbors, and introduced Josh to Carcassonne, the dorky German boardgame.  [During which he called his meeples “meatballs.”  We let it pass; it was mildly humorous.]  An episode of The Office, overnight oatmeal in the crockpot, and a little local antiquing was all part of the fun and frolic too.  [I bought a window for $12.  Don’t laugh; it’s cool.]  A little shopping at Gander Mountain and Punch pizza rounded out our time together.  It was lovely.

I left Chaska and drove west in lovely weather to the town near and dear to my heart.  I always tear up a little bit when I drive into Dawson; this town and its people have been so good to me.  Two sons of coworkers from my year of internship are graduating from high school and it made a perfect excuse to visit.  The first party was this evening and it was super fun to catch up with so many people. I’m going to attend worship at Grace tomorrow morning and stick around for the second of the two graduation parties.  It’s so great to be here.  I’m spoiled by all the hugs.  [Seriously.  I love seeing these people for so many reasons but one of the big ones is the hugs.  Love it.  Love them.]
We’ll round out leg one of the vacation with an overnight in Sioux Falls tomorrow night [a two hour drive from Dawson] with Joe and Amanda.  They always know how to keep things interesting and keep me laughing; I’m looking forward to it!  It will lead to three different beds in three nights.  One could say some pretty crude jokes about that but really what it means is that I’m blessed to have so many friends in so many different places … and they’re willing to let me sleep over.  Grateful this girl is.
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