Tater Tots

They make an absolutely fabulous 10:30 dinner.

I love potatoes and fried food. Both at the same time is awesome.

I've still never had the entirely potato meal i dream of, i'll have to work on that.

Here's to Not Sucking

Tomorrow night I teach my first message since being hired with the young adults.

Here is to hoping I don't suck.

It wasn't that when I taught during the interview I knew I'd teach some great message or something, but I know enough about my teaching style to know what kinds of messages tend to go over better and had chosen one of those.

Tomorrow's message is highly exciting for me as far as our teaching series goes, and isn't necessarily difficult in its content, but also isn't in my wheelhouse when it comes to sermon style.

Again, here is to hoping I don't suck it up real bad.

HOA Benefits

This week has been another good week to be part of our Home Owners Association.

New mulch put down in all our landscaping areas while we were at work/in bed/doing whatever it was we would normally be doing.

It isn't all bad.

Results of a Random Evening

While watching t.v. and randomly exploring different hardware options on this laptop, I randomly opened a program that had the video of my sermon in Texas two months ago loaded into it.

I clicked around for a little bit looking for a good picture, but Jenny temporarily took over looking for the random funny expressions, as you can pause it on every 1/100 of a second. Faces make weird contortions as we speak.

I didn't capture any of those in picture form, though here is one from the sermon that was more appealing to me.

A Full Team

We actually started with 11 people for soccer tonight.

We even had a sub show up 10 minutes into the game.

Those things make a big difference, so we won our game 4-0.

That makes things more enjoyable. Just two weeks left of soccer.

I Don't Belong

I spent a considerable amount of time at Joann Fabrics today. It was the second visit this week.

I don't belong in a Joann Fabrics store.

It is highly uncomfortable for me there.

The Bar is Too High

Have you ever let things get to the point where people have expectations of you that scare you?

Within my time interviewing and working at Grace Fellowship, I have come to realize that people who have seen me speak in front of a crowd noticed that I didn't use notes.

It gets a little scary that people who haven't seen me speak to a crowd, but are on staff, have heard from others that I have a good memory.

I feel the bar has been set too high. The thing is, most of the time, I won't need/use notes when I speak, but there will be times I know they'll be necessary.

I'm already scared of those times. I feel like people have this expectation, after just a short period, that I won't have the necessity of notes.

I hope my memory can keep pace for a while, but I think the bar has been set too high.

Closing in on a Millenium

I'm within 15 posts of my 1,000th ever blog post.

I'm getting anxious about making sure I celebrate it properly.

Anyone have any ideas?

Craigslist Adventures

Jenny called me from work today so I could take a measurement for her.

She called me again an hour later to tell me my plans for the evening would include driving to Saint Paul to pick up a table with her that she had purchased for our yet to be finished Master Suite.

It wasn't my ideal way to spend an evening, as I didn't even know we were furniture shopping yet, but alas, we went.

That meant I got to stop for a dinner of my choosing and she couldn't put up much of an argument, so I had a great teriyaki chicken sandwich, fries and split a shake.

That part of the adventure was awesome.

Sports Day

Today was sports day.

I got home from church, watched the end of the British Open and then left.

I drove 5 miles to watch a couple of international youth teams play soccer in a local tournament and spent 3 and a half hours there.

Came home, picked up Jenny and went to play in my own soccer game.

I'm out of energy.

14 Hour Work Days

They are long.

I actually was at the same Caribou Coffee two different times today, but the lady wasn't there to remember my name from the previous week's meetings.

I had Chipotle in the middle of the two coffee meetings, at a third meeting, Pizza for dinner (though I didn't eat any) as part of another meeting, and an Applebee's get together after all the meetings were done.

At least all those meetings make a long day feel like it is going by faster.

Maybe She'll Learn My Name Now

In the two weeks I've worked at the church, i've found myself at the same Caribou coffee 3 different times.

Tomorrow morning's meeting will make #4.

One of the employees already learned what I will be ordering, and where it is I work, doing what particular job.

Maybe tomorrow she'll learn my name to make our small talk easier.

Exciting Projects

Its nice when some of the work projects become very exciting, not work exciting, but life exciting.

Brian (my supervisor) and I had a meeting today to discuss how we wanted to plan (the big picture) our series through the book of Acts.

I'm extremely excited about some of the things we've decided to try and do. If we pull them off well, It will be on of the coolest series I have ever been involved in helping plan/teach. Not that it is the coolest series ever, but I like some of the things we are going to try to do with it.

Now we just have to hope that the details end up working the big picture out in the cool way that we hope it can.

Oh So Giggly

Randomly, near the end of a night, Jenny may find herself with random fidgety energy.

She does the quirkiest things, that always seem to make me giggle.

I've been trying to read articles on the internet for the last 15 minutes, but my smirky giggles are causing my mind not to focus.

Instead I'm typing this and then giving in to her.

Giggles abound.

Wins all Around

Friday started with family, the best meal on earth, an always hilarious game of trivial pursuit, in which my team won (something that rarely happens).

Saturday featured a day tubing on the lake, grilling food, and sitting by a pool, capped off with a bonfire at a different house.

Sunday had two movies, and a soccer game in which we were also victorious.

All in all, wins all around this weekend.

1 Week Under the Belt

Got my first week of work under the belt. Since I'm not full-time, I won't be going in tomorrow, and since it is the summer, Jenny only has to work a half day.

It will be nice to see some family we haven't seen for a while tomorrow.

It will be capped off by the best dinner in the world, mom's homemade swedish meatballs.

I'm salivating now.

Finding a Stapler

The first week at a new job always requires the learning curve of finding your way around.

Today I had to ask the "where is a stapler" question when near a copy machine to find it half a step from where I stood.

My esteem yesterday caused me to wander when looking for a bathroom instead of asking, i'm not that comfortable with asking for help. Apparently that boundary falls somewhere between bathroom and stapler.

Benefits of an HOA

I've had my share of frustrations with being part of a Home Owners Association, but can't argue that it doesn't have its benefits as well.

The days where I've been watching t.v. while the lawn got mowed, or the miniscule number of times we have actually used our snow shovel occasionally warm my heart.

Today, while I was at the office (Yay for a job) we managed to have our porch power washed in preparation for the trimwork of the house getting painted later this week.

Not to mention that our driveway was recoated this summer as well.

It does have its benefits.

"... to be a blessing"

It sticks out vividly in my mind. I had one particular teacher at the Seminary that I hold in greater esteem than the rest, and while this story will be one that comes from the 3 classes I had with him, it isn't even the beginning of why he was such a good teacher, it was just one of his personal convictions.

I start my new job tomorrow. I am blessed to have it. Dr. Vogt used to always demand of his students, and of others (like churches and friends and family) in the stories he told that no one ever say that they are blessed without adding the phrase "...to be a blessing" at the end.

It all stems from Abraham's calling in Genesis 12 to be the father of the nations. God tells Abraham that he will be made great, blessed, that those who bless Abraham God will bless and those who curse Abraham God will curse, so that all people on the earth my be blessed through Abraham.

God blesses us not to reward us, but so that we can bless others.

This job truly is a blessing to me and Jenny. A blessing I hope that isn't taken for granted, or as something I deserve, but instead something I use to be a blessing to others.

I am being blessed by God through Grace Fellowship Church and their young adult community, hopefully so that I may be a blessing to them and the world around them.

I'm excited to start journeying together with them. They are on my heart.

The Strong Grip

This afternoon we went to the zoo with Jenny's sister and nephew.

As time has passed, Luke has grown excited when he sees and then plays with me. Often to the point where he ignores Jenny. She's convinced he won't smile for her unless I'm not around.

As he was pulled out of the stroller to be held instead of pushed, he immediately threw his arms out towards me so that Jenny would pass him off.

Then his recent strategy started. He just latches on. Strong grip with two hands, one on my back and one on my chest, making sure he gets to stay where he is.

Here is a picture of said "strong grip" as we were looking at the giraffes.

Celebrate w/ Explosions

Holiday weekends are fun.

Celebrate somehow this weekend, preferably with explosions.