I had the best weekend...

I had the best weekend - I left for the Twin Cities on Thursday afternoon and arrived at Kris' house at 4:30. We had lovely sandwiches at Panera for dinner, cruised the Half Price bookstore and Target, and rented two movies: Shop Girl and Pride and Prejudice. Shop Girl was horrible - it was basically Steve Martin's sick fantasy of screwing a girl 30+ years younger than him. Pride and Prejudice was okay, but the latest version will never come close to the A&E version with Colin Firth.
Friday I got up early and headed to Woodbury (from Blaine...) for supervision. I had to make the mandatory Starbucks stop before hopping on 35W. My grande iced nonfat sugar free vanilla latte was absolutely perfect, and the cinnamon chip scone was delightful. Bravo to the Blaine Starbucks. Supervision was wonderful - I picked up many very usable tips to help aid the progress of my clients.
Friday night was dinner at TGI Fridays in Roseville, accompanied by a blended margarita (me) and a Honeyweis Beer (Kris). This alcoholic indulgence was attributed to the fact that she did not get the job she had applied for in Wisconsin. We stopped at Barnes and Noble by the Northtown Mall where I found two books I was looking for, and also the glorious Har Mar B & N, which is the Mecca of all B & N's. I found a third book there - it has the largest selection of psychology books that I've ever run across in a bookstore.
Saturday was another lovely breakfast at Starbucks, where I partook of a second grande iced nonfat sugar free vanilla latte and a reduced fat cinnamon coffee cake. The coffee cake was a little dry on top, but otherwise a fabulous breakfast. Then it was off to GRAND AVENUE! My favorite place in the Twin Cities. Our first stop was the Bibelot store, where I found a Mother's Day cared, and a box of really wonderful conversation cards for Hubby and myself. (Will probably be used in couple's therapy as well - for my clients.) Next stop, My Sister's Closet, a Christian-owned second hand store, where I bought a $15 lime green linen dress for Kelly's wedding this summer. Kris bought a purse, which we discovered as she was at the check-out that it was from Lillian Vernon (hee hee) and had a woman's initials on it - MJR. We decided it belonged to a Mary Jane Rutherford. Kris is convinved she's dead and that she is now toting around a dead-woman's purse, with her intials on it! Then it was on to J Crew, where we discovered that we do not like J Crew anymore. Then the Ten Thousand Villages store that Kris ADORES - I found the MOST BEAUTIFUL Vietnamese tea set in the known world. It's indescribable - a beautiful deep magenta and brown stone. Very lovely, but upon calling Hubby to ask for permission to buy it, he ultimately determined we do not have an extra $60 to spend on a beautiful Vietnamese tea set. I knew this, but I had to ask anyway.
Our next stop, and the primary reason for the trip to Grand Avenue was lunch...at CAFE LATTE! WOO HOO! I had a cup of delectible butternut squash and basil soup, accompanied by St. Paul Sourdough bread, a diet Coke, and for dessert, you guessed it...Classic Vanilla Cheesecake with a strawberry on top. YUM.
Then we went to a store across from Cafe Latte called "Quince," where I found some very fun and exciting items that I am not able to mention now, but will post a picture of sometime after Monday night....hee hee...I love being coy.
Then, after Kris was almost killed in the middle of the street running back for her keys, which she dropped while we were running across, we made our way up to Har Mar, to TJ Maxx and the Home Goods store and Marshall's. We ran into Nate Stenholz in the mall, which must have been a God Thing, because Kris and I had been having a discussion about church, and I suggested she and Brian look into Nate's church that he's planting with another friend of ours, Beth Moon. So they got connected and we went on our merry way.
We went back to Kris' house, got our knitting equipment and ran to a coffee shop to knit before I had to leave.
Then I had to drive home 3.5 hours in the rain!
It was a great weekend.s
This morning Husband and I were church skippers. It was one of those mornings where I just couldn't wake up, and it was dreary outside, and Hubby wasn't getting out of bed, so I went back to bed and got up at 11:00. It was beautiful. Then I made myself a latte. We also went to see "RV" this afternoon, with Robin Williams - very funny.
Now, we are vegging until small group starts at 7:00.
I hope all of your weekends were as wonderful as mine!

The creative juices are dry

There have been long gaps in my postings as of late. I'm trying to analyze this and see if it means anything...like, I lack creativity....or I have a boring life...or...hmmm... I'm not sure yet! But I thought I would post a little something before I leave for the weekend. Yes, I'm leaving town for the next two and a half days! I'm going to the Cities! I'm very excited about this. I'm going to eat at Cafe Latte with my best friend, and we're going to go to all the wonderful shops on Grand Avenue, one of the things I miss most about not living there anymore.
It makes me wonder, am I ever going to not miss the Cities? I suppose not. I'd still move back there tomorrow if someone made it possible. But Husband does not wish to live there, so, alas, I shall stay in Fargo. And I'll try to do my part to make Fargo as interesting as possible.
Like sometimes I think I'll start the next marriage center in the country here. A place where people can come to work on their marriages. A place where good research is conducted and solid results are found. A place based on Biblical principles. I know it's already been done, but not in this area of the country.
Then some days I think I'll just sell furniture.
Okay, maybe not.
So, I have a 3.5 hour drive in front of me today. I need to arm myself with some good CD's. I've been particularly enthralled as of late with the Robbie Seay Band. They have an authentic worship style that is especially appealing to me. I hope it leads me to prayer - I love praying in the car cause I can pray out loud and nobody hears me but God.
I'm having a hard time motivating myself this morning - I overslept by accident, and the phone woke me up, thankfully. But I think I have a lack of espresso in my blood stream. I need to go do something about this. Then I have a morning of errands and packing ahead of me. And I also must iron my khakis. I hate ironing with a PASSION. It's a necessary evil. Husband does not agree - he'll wear his clothes wrinkled just so he doesn't have to iron. *eyeball rolling from Heather*
Latte, here I come...

Quips, Quotes, and Men in Skirts....Again....

The weekend was a mix of fun and, you guessed it, in-laws. But I'll save them for later.
Saturday morning I hosted brunch for my girlfriends, Erin, Dana, and Kiersten. We had fresh fruit, mini-cinnamon muffins, little quiches, homemade granola, and yogurt. I made coffee and lattes for those desiring them. It was fabulous. Erin brought me tulips from her flowerbed - and she didn't even know they're my favorite flower! They're still going strong today. They're yellow, red, and yellow and red, if that makes sense! I love mornings with good friends, good food, and flowers - you can't beat it!
Then Husband and I went garage saling, where he found a holster type thing to hang on the garage wall to support his fishing poles. I found nothing. I have yet to discover the thrill of buying other people's crap. I also had to go to Savers on Sunday with my mother in law - she loves that place. I can't stand it. I refuse to buy people's old clothes and ugly nick-nacks! GROSS! Anyway, after the garage saling, it was so beautiful outside, we went for a walk, and ended up at Barnes and Noble. Husband wanted to read the rest of the Louis L'Amour book he'd started last week. So I sat and read magazines. And, much to my disbelief, Old Man in Skirt was there again! He was having a political conversation about Canadian politics with two Canadian women sitting close to him. This time his garb consisted of a light blue turtleneck, with one of those long, wrinkle skirts, of all shades - red, black, white, orange. He had a small woman's bag over his shoulder, and was wearing Birkenstock-type sandals with black socks. Let me just say one word: SEXY! I also overheard him say that for the past 9 years, he's come to B & N everyday - it's his "hangout!"
Then Sunday we were driving home from our brother and sister-in-law's house and as we approached our corner, there was a large billboard in the yard of one of the other apartment buildings. In large, neon letters, it read: "WOAH! YOU JUST PASTED PRAIRIE WOODS APARTMENTS!" PASTED!?!?!?!?! Are you kidding me?! Now, if I believed in reincarnation, I would have to believe that I was a book editor in a former life. I love grammar and spelling and punctuation. I found great humor in this sign, and burst out laughing. Husband wasn't quite as enthralled.
And finally, I will leave you with this:
Just as my mother in law was leaving Sunday night, she turns to my sister-in-law and says: "Oh, Liz, I was going to tell you - I already told these guys" (Meaning Husband and myself), "We were sitting in our pew at the wedding on Saturday and suddenly 5 or 6 people came and sat behind us and I just smelled this awful moldy, musty smell. That's all I smelled for the rest of the wedding. They must have been used to it or something." Good story, Mom. Liz just winked at me. Yes, this is typical Mother-in-law conversation, thank you very much. Lord, help us all.

It's a Good Thing

Like Martha Stewart...

So far my Good Things today have been my Bible Study this morning, which taught me about how to go through suffering in a godly way, by examining the life of Joseph. He had a lot of suffering in his life, and it was all for following God, and God allowed it to happen to him, but God also never left him and prospered him the whole time he was suffering. One thing that really stuck out at me that my leader mentioned was this thought: "Wasted suffering is the worst place to be." Meaning, letting a bad attitude, doubt, anger, depression, misery, and any other wrongful emotion take the place of letting God transform your life. What a good lesson for me to learn. I think this week's study was written specifically for me.

The second Good Thing that happened today was that I went to Starbucks and had one of their Light Frappuccino's and it was very good. Hee hee.

The third Good Thing was that I had leftover chicken stirfry from last night for lunch, and it was tasty. It had broccoli, onions, red peppers, snow peas, and almonds in it. Scrumptious.

A Good Thing happened last night, too. My husband and I had a good, sincere discussion about our relationship. It was LONG overdue. It's amazing how you can let the days slip away without having one meaningful conversation...yeah, and I'm a marriage therapist... Go figure.

I'm also starting a new project. Ever since I became a Christian, I've wanted to go out there and "change the world." Well, so far, I've not done this. At least not in the capacity I have in mind. I've always wanted to write a book, or go on the speaking circuit, or write curriculum for schools or something. I've decided that it's time to figure out what to do. God has gifted me with time and an excellent education, and I'm wasting it by doing very little with it. So here are some of my ideas:

Sex education curriculum
A book entitled, "Christians, it's time to grow up!"
Some sort of material focused on the sacredness of sex in marriage and why so many people have affairs
Intentional Living
Children's books about the purpose/meaning of being alive
Premarital Remarital resources

So, we'll see what happens. It's going to take some time to figure out where my input is needed most. I just see such despair and depravity in the world, and in Christian lives. It's really sad. We're not living by the Bible and secular culture is invading our brains like never before and we don't have a Biblical foot to stand on. Reading and studying the Bible is SO important! It's a Good Thing, too!

I hate everything

This has been my mantra today: I hate everything. I'm not sure why this is, but I hate my job, I hate my apartment, I hate the stage of life I'm in right now, I hate the fact that my husband can't find a different job, I hate gas prices, I hate wind, I hate it when I go to Starbucks and my latte isn't very good, I hate that I have no money, I hate that I can't buy a house, I hate that I can't buy a dog, I hate everything.

When did life get this way?!!? Is this just how life is when you're an adult? I didn't think it would be like this. I thought educated people had good lives, with good jobs, and were productive members of society. This is not the case for us. At least not right now. I'm damn sick of it, too.

The sad part is that I've resigned myself to not caring anymore. That's not good. I'm not going to get depressed...I've already done that. I'm not going to get mad....I've done that, too. As the Marxists would say, "It's time for reform!!!" I'm not a Marxist, but I think some reformation is needed in my life. It's time to kick some butt.

What butt shall I kick, though?

Maybe it's my own?!?!

I know husband could use a good butt kicking right about now, but that may not be my job.

I shall ponder this.

Woes of the barely employed

So, I'm in a strange place in life. I work anywhere from 2-10 hours per week. I don't have to get up in the morning, except for Wednesday when I go to Bible Study Fellowship at 9:10am. This fact I greatly enjoy. But, it makes me feel worthless. So, here's the catch: when I was working full time, I wanted to be home. Now that I'm home, I wish I was working full time. It's a useless dichotomy. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I hate this fact! I know that working full time is really draining, unless you really love your job, and I know that staying home is not really satisfying because I'm not earning much money, and feel very unproductive. I'm actually afraid that I've become lazy. I pray that's not the case.

So, what does one do with oneself? Well, I email a lot, which I realize is a waste of time. I write in my blog, which is fun, but ultimately also a waste of time. I watch a little TV, but I'm sick of morning television, and afternoon television is even worse. I have been reading a lot lately (if you need a new book to read, I HIGHLY recommend "How Now Shall We Live" by Chuck Colson - it's excellent to the 10th power). Reading is rewarding. I go to Starbucks a lot, which is very nice, but also ultimately a waste of time and money. I do my Bible Study Fellowship lessons, which is very good, and when I do them at Starbucks, I can justify the $3.62 I spend on my grande iced non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte....

My mentor told me last week that I need to do some volunteer work. She's right, but I haven't taken any steps toward that yet.

I'm actually waiting for a job to happen, see, I've applied, with my current bosses, to be a licensed child placing agency with the State of North Dakota. This could be the best job in the world, I believe. But, it's taking FOREVER to get licensed! I sent our first application the first week of January, and it took six weeks for the State to return it for corrections. Now they've had it for another 5 or 6 weeks and we haven't heard anything yet. I must say this is very ridiculous and trying. However, I believe this will be highly worth the wait, so I'm trying to remember that. This fact is why I haven't sought out full time employment. The only problem would be if we're denied licensure, which I suppose is a possibility as well. I don't want to think about that!

So, here I sit, typing away. I think it's time to go be somewhat productive. Wish me luck.

In-laws

My in-laws are staying with us this weekend. And next weekend. And two weeks after that.

I think I'm going to rent a hotel room.

Now, before you start jumping to conclusions, let me just say that my in laws are good people, with good hearts, and who love their children and their children's spouses. They've been very good to us, so truly I can't complain.

Now you can jump to conclusions.

I don't have a "meddling mother in law," I have a mother in law who gives us a play-by-play of her inner thought life. Sometimes she talks and truly no one is listening. It's almost amusing. Then there's her sister, who is always with them, who is older, and starting to show her age. Between the two of them they complain more than a whole nursing home full of old people!

Then there's my dear father in law, who gets to haul these two decrepit women around. He just does his job, the silent partner, so to speak. When he gets a chance to talk he tells hunting stories, most of which are quite entertaining. He's a good ol' boy.

Now, since I get to complain about my in laws, I'll give voice to my husband's thoughts about my parents. My parents have one child - me. They love me more than life itself, and they go out of their way to please me and make me happy, which is very suspect to my husband, the middle child. My mother is a people pleaser and has low self esteem, and husband blames this on my father, who is constantly picking on my mother. It's their own special banter. Husband does not appreciate this. I can understand.

So, when all is said and done, we both have our share of woes with our inlaws, but isn't that how it goes? I think there are few people who actually enjoy the other side of the family. I do think we need to get over this before there are children in the picture, however. I grew up with my father always badmouthing my maternal grandfather, so much that to this day, I still call him "your dad" when I'm talking to my mom about him. He's never been a grandfather to me, although he did teach me how to throw a softball correctly. That was our one bonding moment in life, I guess.

So, if you're out there, and you have really super great inlaws, I want to hear about it! What's your secret!?!?!
And husband, if you're reading this, I love you.

The Dentist

So today was a surprise visit to the dentist. I say "surprise" because my actual appointment was for a week from tomorrow, but they called (at 1:35) to say they had a cancellation at 2:00. Of course, I was still in my pajamas and was busy doing housework and hadn't bothered to do my hair or makeup! So, I made a mad dash to get ready and headed to the dentist's office!
When I got there, the first thing I noticed was that they'd done a nice job painting and the receptionist's area was purple with metallic gold overlay! Pretty funky. Then I was in for all sorts of new experiences - a panoramic x-ray of my whole mouth, ultrasonic teeth cleaner gadget, and strawberry flavored flouride!
My new dentist's first name is Byron, which I find amusing. But, he's a very nice older gentleman who took the time to explain to me that the last dentist I had, who told me my front teeth looked like a 65-year-old's teeth because of the wear, was a little off his rocker, thank goodness!
All in all, it was a good visit. I'm weird, I like going to the dentist. And, the good news is that even though it's been 3 years since I've been to the dentist (I know, I know) I only had one tiny cavity!
All this made me think of how lucky we are in our sophisticated society to have all this technology available to help us have good oral hygiene. Just think back to only 100 years ago, or even back to biblical times. None of this stuff existed, and people probably had mouth rot! Wouldn't that be horrible to live with?!!? We are spoiled!
On to bigger and better subjects...
It is 74 degrees outside in the grand city of Fargo today! It's absolutely fabulous. I had the windows open in the car with the radio on and my hair blowing in the breeze. Heaven. It could stay like this for the rest of the year and I'd be just fine with it.
And in other news...
My mother-in-law called to ask if I wanted her to bring store bought pies to Easter Sunday. I politely declined. I have issues with store bought pies. See, I have the world's best pie crust recipe, thanks to my mother's first job in Des Moines where she met a little cleaning lady who gave her this recipe, and if we're going to have pie, we're going to have GOOD pie, homemade pie. And, of course, all this said, I've decided to go with a pie that takes a graham cracker crust. Go figure.

Going to Iowa

So I had the distinct pleasure of going home to Iowa this weekend. It's always somewhat of a question mark for me...meaning trips home are difficult in many ways. The first difficulty is the fact that it takes me a day and a half to acclimate to my parents. I love my parents. They would lay down in the road for me. Sometimes they're just a little tricky to navigate. So, by the time I'm ready to engage in quality conversation, it's about time to go home. This fact makes me a little sad. The second difficulty is that there's always the chance that I might run into my ex-husband. I do not want to do this. Spending six precious years of my young life with him was enough punishment. I do not wish to spend another nanosecond in his presence. The third difficulty is that I might run into people I went to school with. Now, this really shouldn't be an issue, but I have made it into one. See, I was a snob in high school. I was also a band nerd. I'm somewhat embarassed of my behavior back then, as I would spout my mouth off to just about anyone who came across my path, including my shop teacher, but that's another story. Anyway, I'm a totally different person than I was back then, and I don't want to be judged for what I was. That's what I fear.
The other interesting thing that is happening in our family dynamics is that my parents are uber-excited to move to Fargo, or wherever Chris and I end up living after this last course of job interviews. It's pretty much all they talk about. And even though it was I who brought up the whole idea, I'm starting to wonder if it's the best thing. And then there's Chris. He's not wild about the thought of his inlaws living so close to him. Frankly, I don't blame him. I wouldn't want his parents to live that close to us, either! There's one thing you have to consider, though. I am my parents' only child, whereas Chris has a brother and a sister. This means that when it comes time to take care of old parents, I'm the only one there to do the job! Chris's family has other options if need be. It's insane to think of taking care of old parents.
The other thing my parents are uber-excited about is grandchildren. Since we've been talking about this over the past few months, they seem to think having grandchildren would be the best thing since sliced bread. Chris has the funny idea that my parents will spoil the grandchildren so much that we won't be able to control them! I think that might be blowing it a little out of proporation...
All this said, I spent a fair amount of time in my 2002 Dodge Stratus this weekend, with my husband. I'm trying to figure out if sitting in the car with your spouse, and not having much to talk about is a lack of communication, a lack of creativity, or a lack of something else, of which I'm not aware of yet. Or, maybe it speaks to the level of comfort a couple feels with one another. I'd like to think it's that, and none of the others.
Maybe I need to make a book of "things to talk about in the car while driving long distances with your spouse." I could include deer skulls filled with ketchup. :)

Home

I spoke with my parents on the phone yesterday. They're planning on moving to Fargo, or wherever we end up, in the next year or two. You might be thinking they're forcing themselves on us, but it was actually my idea. I'm very close to my parents, as an only child, and since they're getting older, I just hate the idea of being far away if they ever needed help. Plus, since we're planning on having a baby in the next year or two, I'd also hate for them to be such a long way away from their grandchild(ren). Actually the idea went more like this: I'd hate for them to be such a long way away when my in-laws are much closer. I know, it's kind of an evil little thought I had, but I had it none the less. I don't want my kid growing up with one set of grandparents so much closer than the other, especially when it would be MY parents that are far away!
Anyway, all this has led me to imagine what it would be like to not go "home" to Iowa, to the old, rickety farm house that I grew up in. I love that place, and I never knew it before I contemplated never seeing it again. I just know that when it gets sold, I'll take my children back there to see the house that mom grew up in, and I'll still think of it as mine. I'll be so weird. Knowing I roamed that yard as a kid, played with our dogs and cats, raised bunnies, drove the lawn mower around with my best friend Bradi sitting next to me, learned to ride a bike, made homemade ice cream in the driveway on the 4th of July, had treasure hunts, and so many other things, it'll always be mine. I guess I have to remember that I can take the memories with me wherever I go. At least I know my kids will have great memories with their grandparents now, and honestly, I think that's what counts. (For the grandparents, too!)