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| Tricia's lungs - wait and prayThe lungs my friend Tricia was prepped to receive last night weren't a fit, so please continue to pray for her and her husband and 4 month old baby, as well as the family of last night's organ donor. See http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com for up to date information. God is faithful, and it's been amazing to see his loving care in the Lawrensons lives.
And hello again, by the way. :)
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| Rolle Polse, Dedham Bologna, and a Sandi Patti CasetteLeah's relatives from western Iowa visited on Sunday, bringing with them some delightful processed meats native to their hometown. (I know, I know, processed meats aren't technically native to anywhere, but the way these folks went on about them....) Yummy. My carnivorous self was pleased to discover the perfect non-dairy triscuit topping. Kind of like summer sausage, but way better.
Tomorrow we'll be going to chop down a Christmas tree, and I plan to listen to Liz's Sandi Patti tape while we decorate it - way too many childhood memories to not indulge a bit, despite what Leah may say. We've planned our tree adventure tomorrow in antipication of yet another busy weekend - again, duties mixed with fun. Last weekend was cooking, cooking, baking, eating, and sipping drinks over conversation (while trying to ward off sickness). This weekend will be more musical, if all goes as planned, but between concerts I've got a mound of lesson planning and corresponding to do... ah, such is life.
Disturbing quote for the day, from a Kenny Roger's song I heard while eating and grading in a coffee shop earlier this evening: "Christmas and America, goodwill and peace on earth.... Alleluia, Alleluia, America." Somehow that made my stomach hurt.
Well, I'm off to eat some bologna and plan tomorrow's US History class.
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| there and back againAnd so I will commence the story of this last half a year....
I know it's been awhile, and my communication with all you my far-flung friends has been patchy, at best, so I guess I'll start up where I left off and see where that gets me. Last school year seemed to get busier to the very end, when suddenly the campus was empty and calm. (Soccer had a way of filling days and weekends, but it was worth it to see some individual and team growth in the girls. By the end of the season we had lost every game and scored a grand total of one goal in the process... it was a learning process all around, and quite a few girls are looking forward to another go 'round this year.) I hung around here for a few weeks after school in an attempt to refocus and reorganize after the whirlwind that was last school year, and that was lovely and restful.
Sometime in early June Liz and I went to Chicago for a day.
The only flaw in the trip was that I locked my suitcase inside my uncle's house -- the type of thing that happens occasionally when my brain wanders off. Despite being a bit of a hassle, my thoughtlessness gave me a great excuse to drive across Wisconsin to Milwaukee for my cousin Karl's graduation party (to which said uncle would bring my suitcase) the following weekend and see a whole mess of family I hadn't seen in eons.
While in was there, my nephew was born, two weeks early, so on our way to Chattanooga the next weekend my roomate Leah kindly let me linger in St. Louis for a few extra hours to visit Nathaniel, Joy and Erik.
For all of late June into July I worked as hard as I know how at spending time with my family and friends in the vicinity of Chattanooga, and had a marvelous time doing so. Such hard work, catching up with so many people... coffee, movies, games, and hours of conversation... so good to see them all again!
So then I reserved a flight to Berlin. The short of the long -- after the preliminaries this spring, I went to Berlin for almost a week to check out an opportunity to go there as an English teacher through MTW, and after a few weeks prayer and consideration, the team invited me to come. There's much to do, now, between being invited and actually heading over there, but my hope is to be in Berlin by next summer/fall.
(and for Rachel, though I know it isn't quite right)
On the way back to Iowa from Berlin, I stopped in Philadelphia to celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversay. Amazing. And lots more friends and family.
Meanwhile, my position at Cono has changed a bit. I left for Chattanooga thinking I'd be teaching four social studies classses this year, and am back teaching two (World History and Junior High Social Studies) and cooking dinner three nights a week for the school. I think this will be an awfully fun year once I get adjusted to it. Cooking is a great mental/physical change from teaching (and paperwork and sitting involved with it). It's been oddly refreshing to be working hard again, and so good to get to know new staff and students while reconnecting with the returners.
One final bit: the last weekend, I made it to St. Louis for Nathaniel's baptism - a short but wonderful visit.
I love my mom.
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| shorn
The deed is done. I am happy.
Classes start on Friday. I am preparing.
Girls soccer also starts on Friday. I am the coach. I am praying.
I want pizza for dinner. I will go make pizza dough.
What are some causal realities in your life at the moment?
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| practicing "Jesus" at the dinner tableWell, it's Spring break here at Cono. Greetings, friends. Sorry I've been so unpredictable - or perhaps so predictably silent here on my small plot of xangaland. Life, as you all know, has been rushing on. This past week was full of wrapping up the quarter, sending off the choir for their annual tour, watching movies (three in one week; a rare occurence), and non-grocery shopping.
On Monday we late night folk on campus went to see Blood Diamond. (I reccomend it. Unvarnished depravity makes powerful showing, but its polished and concealed forms turn the stomach even more. Literally.) Wednesday I gave three tests. I'm sure my students love me. Oh well. That evening the choir gave us an abbreviated concert to get warmed-up for the trip, which was quite enjoyable, and I made rice krispie treats for the bus's bottomless snack box. Actually, I'm sure they'll decimate it fairly quickly, if the kids are anything like I am. Thursday, after rolling out of bed, bundling up, and going outside to give them a good sending off, we (the remaining students and some staff) had an all day outing. We drove to DuBuque, got lunch, wandered around at the River museum, went shopping, got dinner, and went to see Amazing Grace. I'm not too sure how much many of the students got out of it, but it's a quality film. Sometime this week, and I'm really not sure when it was, Leah and I watched The Weeping Camel. Ah yes, Wednesday night... anyhow, if you ever are in the mood for a slow paced, quiet film revealing the life of Mongolian herders (Camels, goats, sheep, extreme wind and dust, yurts, beautiful people, gorgeous fabrics, and colorful interiors), this is the film for you. If you like, you may borrow it. Friday, I'm pretty sure, was a non-day: sleep, munch, "work," drink coffee, drowse, eat. Hmm. Saturday brouhgt errands, such as accompanying two minors to the airport and spending the afternoon couch-and-running-shoe shopping . Nothing was bought, though much was priced, poked, tried on, sat upon, and generally assessed. Well, that's not entirely true. We stopped at various grocery stores for staple goods and items for the upcoming dinner party.
Since that almost brings me to the present, I think I'll stop. A question, though: haircut?
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