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Scandinavian Saturday.

14 Nov
It can’t be denied – I’m surrounded by Scandinavians. First of all, it’s Minnesota. Second, there are gnomes in a park on the edge of Dawson. No doubt Norwegians and Swedes are a plenty. Thus begins my Scandinavian Saturday …
First, lefse instruction, rolling practice and eating at church. Margaret, a congregation member, volunteered to teach the art of lefse this morning at church. The same tutorial was given last year and was well received. This year, I gathered with perhaps 15 -20 others of all ages in Grace Hall to learn from the expert. (I, of course, have already had lefse learning from THE expert, Aunt Peggy; Margaret’s tutorial was simply a nice refresher course.)
Then, for my afternoon activities, there was a nordic festival of sorts in nearby Madison. My coworker, Karen (seen above as my lefse partner in crime) invited me along to the craft sales there. We browsed the sales in Madison and then ended up shopping our way back to Dawson. We stopped at Loopy’s dollar store in Madison where I believe some good gag gifts are to be found and then a little boutique here in Dawson. It was a fabulous little afternoon of casual shopping and chatting.
Unfortunately, my Scandinavian Saturday ends with there with the nordic festival and lefse. I have no lutefisk to eat for dinner or Norwegian sweater to wear for the evening. Despite the quick end to the Scandinavian activities, it was a good day. Good Saturday.

wmls #1

8 Nov
What Maintains Lindsay’s Sanity #1

I am currently in the beginning stages of my third month on internship in Dawson. It has been a great experience thus far but I would be lying if I said there haven’t been difficult and trying moments on my sanity while in this gnome village. (Today being one of those days – I left my apt. only to go to the gym and didn’t vocally talk to anyone. It was a lonely day.) Thus begins a series of ‘what maintains Lindsay’s sanity.’ Not particularly in any order –
#1: Friends on dvd.
The wisest $125 I have spent on Amazon is buying a used copy of the complete ten seasons of Friends on dvd.
Joey, Chandler, Monica, Rachel, Ross and Phoebe have become my closest friends in Dawson. I eat lunch and dinner with them nearly every day. We share time together before bed. On my weekends – today in particular – when I may have no where to go or nothing to do, we spent a lot of time together. A whole disc’s worth of time. Monica and Chandler got engaged today. I’m pretty excited for them.
The danger here is that now everything in real life relates to a Friends episode I have watched. I struggle to not become that annoying girl who has a Friends story to go with every conversation. However, if anyone is up for a game of Friends trivia, I have the game at home and would be willing to play now. I received the game years ago but found it to be extremely difficult … I’m thinking it will be easier at this point, now that I’m so tight with the Central Perk gang.
Other friends I have kept and visit with frequently: Aragorn, Gandolf, Frodo, and Sam. Pretty sure I’ve watched all three extended versions of LOTR at least twice in the last two months. Marty McFly. I like to travel with him. I have also watched Elizabeth Bennet and Mr.Darcy fall in love many a-time; “You have captured me body and soul and I lo – I lo – I love you.”

a ha. (pause) a ha. (pause) a ha.

8 Nov
I have developed a fake laugh. I’m not sure what this says about me, my setting, or my ministry but I have a fake laugh. It goes like this: a ha. (pause) a ha. (pause) a ha.
It’s disgusting and not funny at all.
I’m not proud of it. I find myself doing it and then immediately scold myself silently. “Lindsay, why are you laughing like that? Don’t fake laugh!” But I keep doing it. It seems I can’t help it – it just comes out.
And it’s not that is comes out when a real laugh isn’t warranted or when I feel a laugh is required for the other person’s sake; sometimes I find something funny and the fake laugh happens.
I’m trying to stop, honestly, and dearly hope none of you are ever subject to the a ha. (pause) a ha. (pause) I apologize in advance if that be the case.

a new chill.

4 Nov

Brr. The wind has a new chill to it the past few days and it is cold. The rain continues to fall on and off, preventing farmers from getting the last of their crops from the fields. The leaves that were clinging to branches have for the most part made their way to the ground.
The people of Dawson have been educating me in a frightening way about the winters in this area. Roads close. Winds blow. If there are white-out conditions, they tell me, don’t venture out. Apparently white-out conditions aren’t hard to come by here with the violent character of the wind. I tell them that they are scaring me and then they try and cover their tracks – well, it’s not really that bad, they will say. You will get used to it. Just make sure you can entertain yourself for a few days if the weather won’t allow you to leave.
For fun. Can’t wait.

transient.

31 Oct
adjective.
lasting only for a short time; impermanent.
I drove two hours south to Shalom Hill Farm last Tuesday for an intern cluster meeting. All of the interns and their respective supervisors from the area gather together to discuss internship and how the year has began. As the interns came together to discuss the joys and stress of internship, this word surfaced – transient.
I have been a transient person for the last eight years. I have never lived in the same location for more than a calendar year. Sure, I spent four years at Luther in Decorah but those four academic years were spent living in four different locations on campus with a summer of moving home in between. From Luther I moved home and then continued onto Stillwater. Stillwater to St.Paul, back to Stillwater, return to St.Paul and now onto Dawson. My life has been transient.
At internship cluster, we focused on the negative aspects of being a transient person, of not being in one place longer than a year, of being new and unaccustomed to the places we live so often as we start somewhere new. I agree. There are certainly negatives of a transient lifestyle. No deep roots are allowed to grow and the beginnings of settlement are uprooted in the early stages of growth.
But then this weekend I drove to St.Paul and in a way, it felt like I was going home. It was familiar. I have spent the last two academic years as a city dweller in the eastern-most Twin City. There were friends, hugs, and the familiar place that I have grown to love of Luther Seminary. Even as I drove on 94 past the Minneapolis skyline, I felt welcomed back to a place I knew well, a place of good memories and lots of growth. I never dreamt that I would enjoy living in a city, especially one as large at Minneapolis/St.Paul, but have proven myself wrong.
I took a side trip to Stillwater to visit former coworkers on Friday. As I drove on Myrtle Street, down the hill towards the scenic St.Croix, I had another moment of peace, of familiarity. Stillwater feels a bit like home too. The people that welcomed me, people with whom I spent two and half years in partnered ministry, reminded me why I love Stillwater, why it felt so good to return, even if only for a short visit.
Then today I returned to Dawson. My visit to the cities was short but I was able to see so many people who are important to me in my life. It was a wonderful trip. I drove past the gnomes at the city limits and dropped my bags in the middle of my living room. I realized that Dawson is quickly becoming a home too. I enjoy my time here, the place where I lay my head at night and cook my meals, and the people of the congregation I am serving.
I also realize that in just over twenty days, I will be traveling home home. Edgerton is my first home. Whenever someone asks me where home is, the answer is Edgerton. It’s the place of my family, my childhood, and I will be counting the days until I make the trip, anxious to see family, friends and Jetta, the family dog.
Though I am transient, never in one place for too long, I have found value in the moving, traveling, and non-sedentary lifestyle that has been my own for the past eight years. I find myself at home in many places. As we discussed at internship cluster, it most certainly has its struggles and challenges, but right now, I am able to focus on the positives and hope to make the most of my time in Dawson, before my transient lifestyle forces my uprooting again.

just starting.

24 Oct
October is apparently Pastor’s Appreciation month so the lay committee at Grace held a coffee hour in our honor and encouraged congregation members to write notes thanking us for the work we do. I had a stack of cards from people to read and enjoy, which is unbelievable to me – I’ve only been here for two months. One short note made me feel infinitely better on a day that I was stressed, tired, and crabby —
Pastor Lindsay,
Just starting your journey with us and we love you already.
Thank you.

sweet pea.

14 Oct
Harry is the usher extraordinaire at Grace. Nearly every Sunday and for almost all funerals, Harry can be found in the back of the church, greeting, handing out bulletins, and no doubt giving people a hard time.
One Tuesday afternoon, Harry was working at the Dawson area food shelf, which happens to be housed in the room across the hall from my office. I stopped in to chat with Harry as he sat at the desk, listening to the radio, available for any community members who would stop.
We talked for a few minutes and then he said to me,
“What’s your name again?”
“Lindsay.”
“Oh,” he replied. “I won’t remember that. I’ll call you sweet pea.”
And it has stuck ever since. How he can remember sweet pea and not Lindsay I do not know. When my family visited a few weeks ago, he was sure to introduce himself and enlighten them as to my new nickname. Yesterday, Pastor Lori called Harry to find a good time to come visit him and his wife at home. He told Lori, “Make sure you bring sweet pea.”
So today, as Pastor Lori and I walked into Harry’s home, we were greeted as he said, “Oh, good. You brought sweet pea.” As long as it’s coming from Harry, I think it has grown on me. I can be his sweet pea for the next year.
Another Harry conversation:
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Nope. No boyfriend.”
“Oh.” (pause) “So that’s why you’re so happy.”
Ha.

in approx. six weeks –

6 Oct
I will be home! I’ve just been given the clearance from my supervisor/lead pastor that I can indeed go home for Thanksgiving. Of course at that point in the year, I probably need to add ‘weather pending’ to that sentence but it is still a wonderful thought to entertain.
You know what this means, Connor Robert Reilly … fourth annual Thanksgiving Day Bake-Off. Bring it.

A weekend of –

13 Sep
– Vegetable races?  For fun.  I went to the Lac Qui Parle County fair just up the road in Madison, MN and planned my visit specifically for this event.  

Gardeners brought in their produce and kids of all ages picked their vegetable of choice, grabbed a wheel kit, and using toothpicks, flowers, and any vegetable available, created their mode of transportation.  They then raced their vegetable down a track to compete for the longest run.  

Some of the veggie mobiles were quite plain, built for distance with proper weight distribution and the like, while others were quite creative works of art or a way of cheering on a certain football player.

As a spectator, this girl was my favorite to watch.  So darn cute and so darn ready to race her eggplant!

– The installation of me.  I was officially installed as the intern pastor at Grace Lutheran Church this morning during the service.  Then following the service, the congregation and I played a game show to better get to know Pastor Lindsay.  They learned that I have have no tattoos and believe in extraterrestrial beings only on rare occasions.  People seem to love the fact that I drink coffee and I’m a “good Lutheran” because of it.  For my love of coffee, they gave me a gift of a coffee mug and coffee.  The mug reads: Coffee.  Chocolate.  Men.  Some things are just better rich.  True?
– I made applesauce and dare I say, it’s not only edible but tastes pretty good.  I remember my Grandma Vera, a grandma of so many treats and homemade deliciousness, used to make applesauce all the time,
sometimes with lots of cinnamon and red hot candies.  I made a very simple recipe and can foresee myself making more as the season of fall and apples aplenty surround us.  
– I was invited over to the interim pastor’s house to have lunch with her and her family.  It was wonderful to eat somewhere other than my apartment and with other people.  The food of choice was pizza and the preferred television station was the one with the Vikings.  (I am in MN after all but still so strange to see Farve wearing purple!)  Lori and her family live on a farm so I was also privy to see the baby calves.  For cute.  I left with the invitation to come back anytime, perhaps specifically at 5:30 pm to help milk!  I’ve never actually milked cows before so I’m game to learn.  Milking cows – another skill to add to my internship final evaluation!

Week One: Check.

7 Sep
I have officially been in Dawson for one week, though technically I write this post from Watertown, SD. It’s Labor Day, the offices are closed, and I could think of nothing to do within the limits of Dawson or my apartment and thus I traveled to Watertown, one of the largest cities nearby. (Nearby = one hour.) I also do not have internet currently in my apartment and so I drove seeking wireless to connect with the world outside of myself. Well, and not to mention, I had never been to South Dakota before! (Below is proof – proof that I had just taken a shower, it was windy, my sunglasses are large, and I was going to South Dakota!)
The past week went well and didn’t seem as overwhelming as it could have easily been. I followed Lori, the interim pastor, around as she did visits, led worship services at the care center/assisted living facility in town, attended staff meetings, and met lots of people who’s names I now have forgotten. The pastor of the church, Kendall, is on sabbatical for the months of September and October, which puts me in an interesting position, spending the first two months of my internship with the interim pastor (who happens to be the intern pastor from last year). Confused? Me too.
I participated in leading small parts of the worship service yesterday. I was a bit nervous, not necessarily for speaking in front of the congregation but I hate those pocket mics that you have to switch on and off. I always think I’ll mess that up but not yesterday. Phew. I will be leading worship in some sense every Sunday; I will either but leading the service or preaching. Never both off the bat but always one or the other. After church I drank some coffee with some sweet old ladies who invited me to join their table and was introduced to more people I can’t quite remember.
After church, I came home to my apartment and then shrugged my shoulders, wondering what the heck I would do with the day. I was bored out of my mind. No internet. No sewing machine as of yet. Totally unpacked and unloaded. I took a two hour nap … watched That 70s Show … read a bit … and that pretty much sums it up. Yesterday I think I came to the realization that this will be a very lonely year for me though I know that busy-ness at church will help a lot when I don’t have time to feel alone.
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