Snow pics for my Southern viewers

(Abbs and Jess, these are for you)

We got dumped with snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. They had to cancel church both days because there was so much snow.  Cancelling church on Christmas?!  Yes, it was serious snow.  Which led to a few Swanstrom family shoveling parties…always a good time.  Here’s the evidence.

  

Oh, and by the way, I am starting a new job on Monday!  I will be covering an 8 week maternity leave at a middle school.  I’ll be teaching 6th grade ESL.  It will be new in that I haven’t taught middle school before, but, I am up for the challenge and thankful to have work for another couple of months!

huh

So, sweet potato fries have become a popular thing here in the Twin Cities over the past few years.  A lot of local restaurants have them as a staple on their menus.  But, today I was pretty surprised to drive by White Castle and see their sign advertising “Sweet Potato Fries is Here.”  Just, wasn’t expecting it…meaning, I wasn’t surprised by the lack of subject/verb agreement on the sign, but I was surprised that they were offering them as a menu item.   

I’m curious, have sweet potato fries become the rage where you live to?  (If you live outside of the Twin Cities)

Minnesota Christmas

This video is kind of cute…full of inside jokes about Minnesota.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPOP6njlc0s

If I knew how to post the video directly on here I would…alas, my technological skills are well below par.

Give it a go

Oooh, just tried something and need to recommend it.  I was at Target yesterday and wandered down the gum aisle because I saw that the three packs of gum were all on sale.  I noticed a new flavor of Eclipse that caught my eye.  It is called Eclipse Breeze–Exotic Mint.  The “exotic” part comes from the fact that they add cardamom to it.  Cardamom is an unmistakable spice that is used in both Scandinavian pastries as well as Indian tea…and, I’m sure there are other cultures who use it in their dishes, too.  Apparently it naturally kills bad breath.  So, I was intrigued and gave it a try…it was on sale, afterall.  My opinion: thumbs up!  Sometimes minty gum is way too overpowering…this stuff isn’t.  It really strikes a nice balance between minty and spicy.  Sure, like any gum it loses its flavor after a while and you’ll be ready to spit it out, but while the flavor lasts, it really is enjoyable.  So, if you try it, let me know what you think!

I like it

I haven’t really put that much thought into how retired people use their time…let’s be honest, I spend most of my time thinking about how to be hired!  In any case though, I have recently had two experiences in which I have been really impressed by retired folks using their time well. 

The first was a few weeks ago when I toured an organization called Bridging (www.bridging.org).  It is an organization that collects furniture and housewares and then provides them for low-income families moving into new homes after being in a shelter or temporary housing situation.  It is a pretty large operation here in the Twin Cities and the majority of the folks that make things run are volunteers.  And, many of their volunteers are retirees.  Groups come for 3-4 hours in the morning and help fold sheets, assemble furniture, sort through boxes of donations, etc.  I was blown away by the number of men and women there, busy as little bees and looking to be having a lot of fun while enjoying the camaraderie.

The second occasion is currently underway.  The organization that owns the house I live in, Urban Homeworks (www.urbanhomeworks.org), utilizes almost exclusively volunteer support to renovate the homes they own.  And often, their volunteers are retirees. Right now, there are two guys painting our bathroom and making it look about a thousand times better.  Both have been retired for over five years and found out about UH through their churches.  Wanting to give back in their retirement, they decided to get involved because they like painting, sheet-rocking, etc. 

I like this.  As much as the idea of retiring to a beach somewhere sounds enticing, I think the idea of investing in the community and giving back sounds a bit more rewarding.   Again, I’m a far cry from being “retired,” but even now being “unhired” I am challenged to be finding ways to invest more in the community around me.

Come quickly

Lord Jesus, come soon…things aren’t looking so good down here.

1. Shooting

2. Stabbing

3. Drunk Driver

The point

Don’t ask me why, but I went to Target this past Saturday.  No, I didn’t go early looking for any Christmas deals and I didn’t end up buying any gifts, but I was there among the throng who were doing their ”Christmas shopping.”  I think the saddest part of the experience for me was walking by the dvd aisle and seeing copies of the movie Knocked Up on sale for like $3.  I can only guess they were priced that low in the hopes that people would purchase them as gifts.  At that moment, thinking of someone on Christmas morning receiving a copy of a raunchy movie as a gift, I felt really sad.  That’s not the point of Christmas.  Honestly, do we really know what and why we celebrate Christmas anymore?  Or, has it really become just a chance for stores to sell millions in merchandise and for us to get and receive those gifts we want (sometimes out of obligation?)  I hope not. 

Something I have been thinking about is that Christ is in some ways given a raw deal when it comes to Christmas.  What I mean is this: every year, we sing the same Christmas carols about the baby in the manger, the newborn King, etc.  We continually celebrate the Baby Jesus.  What if we really celebrated his birthday by recognizing the fact that he grew and aged and became a man?  What if we focused more on his life than just always focusing on his birth?  I feel like it is easy for us to sing Away In a Manger and forget about who Christ really became and continues to be and the transforming power he can have on our lives, if we let him.  What if instead of only reading the account of the shepherds visiting the manger in Luke 2, we chose to read from Philippians 2:

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:     6Who, being in very nature God,       did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,     7but made himself nothing,       taking the very nature of a servant,       being made in human likeness.     8And being found in appearance as a man,       he humbled himself       and became obedient to death—          even death on a cross!     9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place       and gave him the name that is above every name,     10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,       in heaven and on earth and under the earth,     11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,       to the glory of God the Father.

What if instead of just buying presents, singing carols and eating candy canes we chose to focus on the life, the character and the glory of the person we celebrate each Christmas?  I think if we read the Christmas story, and then keep on reading through the rest of the gospels, we’ll understand why Christ is worth celebrating each year.  This isn’t to say that we can’t give and exchange gifts or enjoy a good plate of Christmas cookies, but, I do challenge us as we enter this season to remember the life we are celebrating…all of it.

Minnesota’s Finest…in every sense of the word

Congratulations to Joe Mauer for being named the American Leauge MVP yesterday.  Here is a little video/article about it.  Got to love the MN accent.  http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4682842

Joe, call me…

 

 

Perk

The one perk of having some extra time on my hands these days is that I get to do random things during the day that I normally wouldn’t be able to.  For example, I get to take walks pretty much everyday.  On Tuesday, I was able to volunteer in a 1st grade classroom and have a 6 year-old boy read to me.  Super fun.  Today, I was able to spend the day with Lisa and Layla as their “entourage.”  Lisa wanted to visit her teaching colleagues at school and asked me to come along as backup.  Layla behaved herself surprisingly well and of course made all of the teachers fall in love with her.  I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with this face?!?  (She was awake for part of the time…just not when these photos were taken, apparently)  Don’t get me wrong: I still want to find a new job sooner than later, but, these little outings are the silver lining right now!

 

“Change is Inevitable…Growth is Optional”

The title of this post comes from a bumper sticker I saw recently.  Many of you have perhaps heard me rant about bumper stickers before.  While they can occasionally be clever and cute, I argue that they often give people just yet another arena in which to promote bitter passive aggressiveness. But, occasionally, I see stickers with worthwhile messages, like this one.  “Change is Inevitable…Growth is Optional.”  True.  Often things happen that we can’t control, but, we can control how we react and move forward from them. 

Along with this, I’ve also been thinking recently how normal it is as people to compare ourselves to others.  For example, I’ll find myself thinking “that girl is cuter/smarter/funnier/more fill in the blank than I am.”  Often, though, I find I also compare myself to myself.  This at times can be a good thing, such as when I say to myself, “Lauren: the Lauren I know doesn’t need to eat 8 chocolate chip cookies at once…she has self-control.”  That kind of comparison is a good thing.  However, there are other times when it can be harmful and depressing to compare myself to myself.  Case in point: now.  I am once again on the brink of unemployment and maintaining a sense of hope in the face of a bleak job market is hard to do.  I desire to find a job that brings fulfillment and enjoyment, but my chances of doing so feel pretty slim.  I find myself comparing my current situation to where I was two years ago: living in Ethiopia, investing in the lives of my students and women from the fistula hospital and feeling like my life had purpose.  Right now, to be completely honest, my purpose meter feels as though it is on the steady decline. 

BUT, I am fighting to believe that this is not the end of the story.  Not every season of life can be fun and glamorous.  There are days in which we are not going to feel like superheroes or wonderwomen.  Ordinary is normal.  I am blessed to have my health, a roof over my head, friends and family who love me. I could be depressed about finding myself jobless again or I could choose to believe that God is doing something through this difficult time of waiting that I can’t yet understand but someday will.  Yes, I am going to fight to believe.  But, I would ask for your prayers through this time.  It isn’t easy.  And, if you know of other people experiencing unemployment, I encourage you to pray for them: they need your support and encouragement…even if they don’t ask for it.  Thank you.