happy tape.

21 Mar
I love happy tape.  It makes me happy.
Funny how that works.
If you’re a long time blog reader here, I’ve written love letters to happy tape before.  Happy tape on my laptop keyboard.  Happy tape to seal envelopes.  Happy tape wherever regular tape could use a makeover.
The unfortunate truth is that happy tape [japenese washi paper tape] is expensive.  We’re talking at least $3/roll plus shipping.
Enter Target.  [Or as Paige calls it: the bulls-eye bodega.] 
Target has happy tape copy tape in their stationary/office supply aisle.  $4/pack of four.  It seems like good stuff; at least it has the same general impact on my mood.  It makes me happy.  It’s like retail therapy on uppers.

my cup.

20 Mar
There are likely people much more articulate on the subject, but sometimes we can think about our life as a cup.  There are things and people and tasks that fill our cups which lend to energy and joy, and there are things and people and tasks that take more energy and drain our cups.  At times, our cup is overflowing.  Other times, we run on empty.  It’s an exchange of energy and resources, and the only constant in my cup these days is wine.  [see what I did there?]

My cup is running pretty low.  It’s seems work these days is filled with more tasks that drain instead of fill my cup.  I worked every night last week and it’s looking like tonight will be my only free evening this week.  [Last night, I was at an annual meeting for the nursing home on whose board I serve.  Unbeknownst to me prior to the meeting, I was nominated and elected to serve a full three year term.  Here I thought I was just filling the chair for this year.  Wrong.]  Writing two sermons a week drains me; I’ve lost all creativity and must locate it again pronto.  Holy Week is fast approaching and so are services that need to be planned, bulletins that need to be made, and more sermons need to be written.  I have promised myself lately that I will stop complaining as much as I do so I’ll stop there.  It’s for the best.
There certainly are things that are filling my cup too.  If there weren’t, I’d be a complete walking void at this point.  I had a sleepover with my synod and Stillwater friend, Karen, as she bunked at the Mabel Manor because of late-night and early-morning work commitments nearby.  I had a sleepover at Paige’s with Mabel; we ate fish and roasted veggies while watching the entire first season of Downton Abbey.  I’m sewing my way along on a quilt, learning how to free form quilt with my latest new presser foot, and drinking delicious iced coffee.  And, after the dose of rain we got yesterday, the grass is green.   I’ve check out many gardening books from the library to learn about growing broccoli and herbs.  Happy first day of spring. 
And though my sermon on Sunday was pretty much the worst ever, the children’s time during worship was redeeming and awesome.  We’ve been collecting food for local food shelves during this MN FoodShare month.  There is a shopping cart in the narthex and by golly gee, it’s pretty full with still one Sunday in the month to go.  During the children’s time, we measured how much food was in the cart but not in terms of pounds.  We measured with the local ROG unit of measure – aisles.  We lined the food up and down the center aisle in the church and determined we have one and half aisles of food.  The challenge this Sunday is to bring in another half aisle.  It was super fun.
So that’s that and why the blog has been sparse the last week.  An empty cup means few stories and little energy.  I’m hoping to find time to rejuvenate and rest and fill my cup this weekend.  The dream [as always and yet to be realized] is to have the sermon written by Thursday, though this weekend isn’t completely free with a pesky board meeting on Friday afternoon and a First Communion class on Friday evening.  sigh.  Lent is busy.  Who would have guessed?
[As my friend, Megan, said: Only every pastor.  Ever.]

ninja pastor.

15 Mar
One of my confirmation students – we shall call her E. – likes ninjas.  She was a ninja for Halloween and knocked on my door with her siblings this past October.  She says her friends like to play ninja games and pretend that they are ninjas.  [I don’t even know what this means.]
E. often sticks around a bit later than other confirmation students and somehow, last week, we started talking about ninjas.  Just by chance, I snapped this photo of ninja facts from a bathroom wall back in the fall.  I thought it was humorous.  And a bit odd to be hanging in a high school ladies’ bathroom.
I pulled the photo up on my phone and started reading them off.  E. and I bonded over ninja facts.  Can you email that to me? she asked.  Sure.  Email it to my mom.  Okay … but I made E. promise to tell her mom that it would be arriving in her inbox and that it was E. who requested it.  Yeah, I’ll tell her.

I emailed it to E.’s mom the next morning.  I received a response saying that she would pass it on and that E. had told her it would be coming.  Good.
I saw and chatted with E. last night after the Lenten service and meal.  I asked her about the ninja email.  I printed off like three copies and gave them to my friends.  I told them it was from my pastor.  They didn’t believe me.
I don’t blame them.  Pastor Lindsay: the pastor who knows as much about ninjas as she does about Noah.  Rightfully weird and unbelievable to the average seventh grader.  [but secretly proud of it.]
13 Mar

 Every creative story is different.  And yet every creative story is the same: There was nothing, now there is something.  It’s almost like magic.

[How to Be Creative]

I’m in love with those words.  It’s almost like magic.

iced deliciousness.

12 Mar
At the slightest hint of warmer temperatures, I’m all about coffee that’s iced.  There is something so delicious about cold brew coffee over ice with a splash of almond milk.  The only downfall is that it’s so easy to drink and I drink way too much of it on some days.
My new system won’t help this at all.  I received this nifty glass drink container from Lynn-baby in the fall  and it’s perfect to keep cold coffee in the fridge.  My brew is based on a recipe by my dream woman [yeah.  I said it.] – Pioneer Woman’s perfect iced coffee.
I don’t have a container large enough to make it like she does so I break it down and make 2 quarts at a time mixed with 4 oz. coffee grounds.  I also don’t have a strainer [noted.  can you tell I rarely eat pasta? it’s on my to-purchase list.] but a couple sheets of paper towel do the trick.  
Make your own or come visit.  I promise to share.

tales of a college crush.

12 Mar
Jake was a college classmate of mine.  We were both in the religion department at Luther and we actually went abroad during Jterm together on a school-sponsored trip.  We had fun in Greece and Turkey* with other awesome students and he borrowed my Maroon Five cd.  [It was 2005 – we traveled with personal cd players and lots of batteries.  AND my camera had film.] 
Truth is I thought Jake was the bee’s knees in college and I had a bit of a crush on him.  I still remember the day he walked into a religion class we had together with Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre [the most awesome prof and travel guide ever] and he came to where I was sitting.  “Is anyone sitting here?” he asked about the desk next to me.  “No.”  “Can it be me?” was his slick reply.  I think I blushed all day.  
Anyways, that crush is long in the past and so I figured, well, why not tell the interweb?  If it ever gets back to Jake, maybe he’ll just be flattered.  Or he’ll think it’s really awkward.  Either way, I promise I’m not a stalker, nor was I ever.  pinky swear  I just thought he was adorable and awesome.  [And I’m sure his wife agrees.]
What’s the point of all this?  Jake was recently diagnosed with hodgkin lymphoma.  [whoa.]  Jake is an avid blogger, tweeter, and now he aims to create a documentary of this journey through treatment and recovery.  Check out the kickstarter page here which explains the project and also links to his blog.  Send prayers and happy thoughts his way and add his blog to your feed reader.  [Not that he needs me to promote his blog.  He doesn’t.  He’s like Mr.Blogger with lots more klout than I’ll ever have.  But add his blog to your reader for your own sake.]  I admire the way in which he is facing this challenge, inviting other to come alongside, and sharing his experience for the benefit of others.  Admirable and couragous for sure.  
* Want to know a bit more about this Jterm trip?  We went to a soccer game at the Olympic stadium in Athens, saw so many impressive monoliths and columns, roamed the grand bazaar in Istanbul, went to the springs at Pamukkale, smoked a hookah, and – wait for it – were flipped off by Dave Chapelle outside the Blue Mosque.  It’s true – you can’t make that up.

stolen wedding.

10 Mar
I met with a couple for the first time this morning.  They are getting married this summer and thus far we had only spoken on the phone.  [They currently live over an hour away but are both from the area and are getting married just down the road.]  We got together just to meet, get a few more details from one another, and chit chat about next steps.
They begin describing a bit of their wedding.  Sentences like, “It’s going to be really simple.”  “… on the farm.”  “The guests will sit on hay bales.”  “Very country.” 
Through the conversation, I’m nodding, adding in an occasional “oh for cute,” and smiling at how happy they do seem as a couple.
On the inside, all I can think in an angry tone is how they stole my wedding.
Have you not seen my if I ever get married pinterest board?  [Oh, you haven’t?  Click here.]

I guess I’ll have to go to my wedding as the preacher first.

merry march.

9 Mar
Today was a super merry day.  
Laundry.
I cleaned. 
p90x cardio. 
The sun was shining. 
I sewed a blue curtain.
Mabel and I took a walk.
We ran errands in Austin.  Mabel drove.

All day, I kept thinking about everything that makes me super happy.  Here’s a merry march list:

. a clean bedroom.
. season five of HIMYM. [maybe this is why I like it so much?]
. an organized recycling station in my garage.
. hard-boiled or oven-cooked eggs.  [updated post on the matter here.]
. warmer weather.
. horse apples [horse apples, you say?  an expression of disbelief, guilt, or calling bluff.   I first was exposed to the delightful phrase while in Dawson and Ted on HIMYM just said it!]
. chocolate almond milk rediscovered.
. a subscription to Time magazine.
. thoughts of chairs and a small table on the balcony with warmer weather.  I will drink my coffee and read whilst there.
. wearing my matchbox twenty tour tshirt, knowing another album from my favorites is in the works.
. this song.
. the idea of sewing books.

It was a good day off.  Back to work with a premarital meeting, a small graveside service, Bible study prep, and a sermon to write tomorrow.  Each week my sanity remains in check if I have at least one day filled with non-work-related tasks and fun.

Check.  

this was my day. [updated]

8 Mar
[updated: I grew up going to Farm & Fleet and even though the Fleet Farms of Minnesota seem a bit backwards to me, they make me extremely nostalgic and happy.  Lots of nuts.  I used to go with my dad.  We would buy orange slices.  As for the communion visit with a 90 year old who loves his iPad, there is no more awesome to say about that.]
[updated: Finding this pin on pinterest and eating lots of hard boiled eggs these days, I tried my hand at the oven method.  It worked!] 
[updated: Nothing much more to say here but that I spent over $60 on this pup at Fleet Farm between new toys – since she ate her old ones – and 40# of dog food.  Uffda.]
[return to merry march post]

gnomepreacher, we have a problem. or five.

8 Mar
I have a problem.  [well, really, one of many]

I can’t say no.
I’m like Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses like that.  [The similarities end there.  I only have four bridesmaid dresses.]  I need James Marsden to teach me to say no at a bar.  And then afterwards we will sing along to a rousing classic 80s tune while standing on the bar.

A woman called me last week.  She’s not a member but she’s looking for a pastor to marry her and her fiance.  On July 4th weekend.  In a town 45 minutes away.  They want a religious ceremony but her finace’s pastor will not do the marriage because they have a son.  [*cough* Missouri synod *cough*]  So what did I do?  I said sure, let’s have more conversation about it … even though I really just wanted to say no.  Even if I don’t know the person, I want them to like me and not disappoint them … curse it.  Hello wedding #5 for the summer.

A follow-up problem: I don’t ask for help and I have perfectionist tendencies towards things that really are inconsequential.  [Does the new bulletin board need to be covered in fabric?  No.  But I’ll make sure it is.]
But that one is for another day.  
One problem at a time.
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