Nothing to see here. Not much at least.

It has been a while since I wrote for you. I'm sorry. I have not been that busy and I think it's for that reason I have not written because there is not anything to write about. Nothing new has occurred except that it is now officially "autumn" which I love and hate all at the same time. I love the changing colors of the leaves and the cool, crisp air. I do not like the fact that it will only get colder and colder and I also have to figure out what the heck I'm going to be for halloween. I think since I'll be answering the door and passing out candy this year I probably shouldn't be Lady GaGa. Unless of course I'm invited to a grown-up Halloween party, then perhaps I'll try to pull off GaGa.

My little nephew has taken a liking to the piano. He bangs away for a few seconds hitting any keys that come in his way, then he changes the dynamic and quietly plays one key, dun, dun, dun, dun, then a short pause and back to banging any and all keys in his path. It's quite adorable. He also loves drumming things so I'd like to get him some sort of drum for his birthday coming up this weekend.

After we had our huge garage sale this last weekend, I thought I'd spend a little on me for once and so I bought this pretty sweet top. You can't really get a feel for how cool it is in this picture, but it's so cool. The hat is from my Dad and it's a little too big for my head which is why I LOVE it and will wear it as often as I can even back in India. Now I have an excuse to not wash my hair!

So, like I said, we had a garage sale and did not get as much traffic as we had hoped, but who can complain about getting rid of extra junk and gaining $200 out of the process? Not me. It was cold sitting out in that garage for two days straight and even though I live in India, the land of bargaining and heckling, I was nervous to bargain with people for prices. Luckily, no one even asked to pay less than what we had marked for anything! It was also wonderful to meet some of the neighbors who I never see since I don't live here. Also sad to meet them because they would ask where my Grandmother is and we'd have to tell them that she moved to a nursing home and has alzheimer's. Getting older can really suck in my opinion. 

Being home is getting better, but I rarely spend time outside of the house still and do not have any contact with friends. I never see any friends. I don't go and hang out on a Friday or Saturday night. I don't even have a desire to! I remember a few years ago I couldn't even sit still on the weekends because I just knew people were hanging out somewhere and I had to be a part of it! I would literally go through my contact list on my phone calling people to see if they wanted to do something or already had plans I could be a part of. Now I could care less, or maybe it's that now people are not hanging out as much as they used to. I guess we are older and people are engaged or married or in a relationship or busy with church stuff. 

Walking, Trekking, Moving.

I would highly recommend clicking on the photos to see a larger version. Especially when it gets to the BALD EAGLE. Yes, I said "BALD EAGLE."

First of all, I bought this most excellent sweatshirt at a garage sale last weekend.

On September 11th, just two days ago, there was a man in Osseo handing out flags for your car window. He had a giant box full of them and was giving them away to every single car that drove by if they so desired! Way to go American citizen! It was refreshing and wonderful to see a man in this country doing something not for himself, but for others and so that we would remember that fateful day and all those beautiful lives lost unexpectedly.

Secondly, my beautiful friend Mel and I have decided we are going to go on a walk every weekday morning and so far we've done it twice and it has been beautiful outside! I decided to bring a camera with me today and so here is evidence of me actually getting out of the house and doing something!

Mom's Sketcher Toning-something-or-other shoes and Target Dress. Trying to catch a little sun.

Definitely realized I need a different type of lens to get close-ups.

Quirky new signs on the path? Awesome.

I saw a bald eagle!

chuckle.

"Minnesota Nice"

 And now for the wildlife portion of the trip (also remember the bald eagle above).

This guy was my favorite. He was gathering grass for so long and it looks like he has a giant grassy mustache. I love it.

I missed Maple trees.

It has begun. The leaves they are a'changin.

I hope you are getting outside and making the most of the little time we have left of amazing weather!

Bling Blingin' yo.

I was at Target the other day just getting a drink at Starbucks and this couple came up to order while I was waiting for my drink. They were the epitome of how I think Indians stereotypically picture Americans in their mind. I don't know if they were married, but they were engaged at least and her ring looked like this:

No joke. She had bleach blonde hair and was very skinny, wearing heels with jeans and a heavier application of make-up. Her purse was most likely designer. Her man was wearing a tight T-shirt, you know those ones with all the graphics on it like this:

And some sort of designer jeans with leather shoes and a blingin' wristwatch with his arm around his girl's waist. I almost wanted to thank them for keeping the stereotype alive. I wondered how much money they had collectively and if they'd ever consider giving any to me. Mostly, I just thought how many much-needed things they could have bought for an Indian family with the money they spent on their collective outfits that day.

I was able to Skype with the Fiancée on Saturday night and it was truly wonderful. Here are some screenshots. These were both taken after I told him, "I'm taking a picture of you so do something."

I am beginning a life of more healthy living today. Which means no more fast food and less sugar (if possible!!) I also will be doing INSANITY every day with Shaun T. Or at least I hope to. I figure if I write it on here for all to read then I'd be more likely to follow through this time. 

Good-bye Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

And now, me wearing a dress I wouldn't normally be caught dead in. I never was one for the thin-strapped tank tops (or vest tops if you're Indian) but thought I'd be a little risque today. Which isn't at all "risque" by American standards, but those reading this blog in India should avert their eyes now.

I also dyed my hair today which you can't really tell by this picture, but you should see it soon enough if you are coming to my Bible Study beginning TOMORROW NIGHT!! It's at my parent's house and starts at 7:00PM so please be there if you are able! Tomorrow will just be a little introduction and next week will be the first teaching, so it's okay if you miss tomorrow's (I guess, if you haaaaaave to) but you CANNOT miss next Tuesday's if you want to be a part of this. It's the foundation for the whole rest of the study!

I'm also having a garage sale this weekend at my parents to raise funds for Indian stuff. Mostly I need money to file a form for my Fiancée's next attempt at a visa and also money to get my passport renewed since it expires in March. If you have any stuff you would be willing to give me to sell let me know! I'll try to come pick it up before Friday! Preferable pricey things, but anything will do! If you're interested we'll be selling a lot of books. Tons of books. Mostly Science Fiction and Christianish, but seriously, a ton of books.

The SALE will go on Friday-Sunday 9-4 PM each day! Come on out and chill or peruse or bring some refreshments or anything!

I can't get enough of this song. Not a usual choice for me. Eminem? But I am growing to like him, especially his latest stuff. Keep in mind, the f-bomb is dropped frequently in this song, but if you like Bruno Mars and Eminem then have a listen, or if you're up for something you wouldn't normally listen to. It's a rather nice beat and piano sound.

Heaven

When I'm in heaven,
tell me there'll be kites to fly;
the kind they say you can control
although I never did for long
the kind that spin, and spin, and spin, and spin
then sulk, and dive, and die, and rise again and spin again
and dive and die and rise up yet again.
I love those kites


When I'm in heaven,
tell me there'll be friends to meet
in ancient oak-beamed Sussex pubs enfolded by the wanton downs
and summer evenings lapping lazily against the shore of sweet familiar little lands
inhabited by silence or by nonsenses;
the things you cannot safely say in any other place.
I love those times.


When I'm in heaven,
tell me there'll be seasons when the colors fly
poppies splashing, flaying through dying yellow, living green
and autumn's burning sadness that has always made me cry.
The things that have to end.
For winter fires that blaze like captive suns
but look so cold when the morning comes.
I do love the way the seasons change


When I'm in heaven,
tell me there will be peace at last.
That in some meadow filled with sunshine, 
filled with buttercups and filled with friends,
You will chew a straw, and fill us in on how things really are;
and if there is some harm in laying earthly hope at heaven's door
or in this saying so;
well, have mercy on my foolishness, dear Lord,
I love this world you made,
it's all I know.


I struggle more than anyone I know with the idea of heaven. What it will be like. There is no way to tell for sure, and as I think about eternity I begin to get scared and it is hard for me to fix my mind on alternate things so that I do not scare myself anymore. It's exactly as the poet, Phil Baggaley says, "I love this world you made, it's all I know."

The Twins

I was 15 years old and it was probably just a week or so after my first year of high school started. I was sitting in my Biology class which I already hated. You know, I used to dream and hope that I would become a Marine Biologist when I grew up...until I took high school biology class. Why should I have to learn about all that boring stuff in order to play with dolphins and manatees in the ocean?

As I was sitting in Biology class that day I remember class was almost over. There was maybe 20 minutes left and the teacher was in the middle of some important lecture about biological things such as genes or something. Suddenly a woman came on the PA system and announced that all teachers should turn on the television in their classroom because there was some breaking news happening in New York. She did not specify what was happening and then my Biology teacher just kept on talking and I think we were all looking at him like, "are you going to stop and turn on the TV or what?" So he said, "I'm not going to turn the TV on, class is almost over and I am going to finish this." He continued with whatever he was teaching us and the bell rang and we all left to go to our next class.

I walked through the hallways and heard other students talking about bombs and as I walked into my next class, American History, the television was already on and I sat and watched the screen. Now, at the time I had heard of the World Trade Center, but never saw what it looked like or anything, at least not that I'm aware of. I saw that one of the two identical buildings was smoking and it said a plane crashed into it at the bottom of the screen. I figured it was a small plane and the rumors in the hallway were wrong; there were no bombs involved. We continued watching the television for a while after class started and then I watched a second plane fly into the other building, and then the world knew it was deliberate and a lot bigger than small planes. 

I don't remember much of my day after that. I remember walking home from school and I think my mom was home already and CNN was on when I walked in the door of my house. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the TV for most of the day watching the replay of the planes hitting and the buildings collapsing over and over again. I remember not really feeling anything. At the time I didn't know anyone in New York City. I had no one to be worried or concerned about. I wasn't threatened in my small town in Minnesota. I did not cry or anything. I was 15, what can you expect?

I do remember my Biology teacher apologizing to us the next morning in class for not turning on the television.

Sunday is the 10th year anniversary of this devastating terrorist attack and so there are television specials on every single night interviewing witnesses, people who were there, people who escaped, people who did not get out, ordinary people becoming heroes, even a show highlighting all the events leading up to the attack and profiling all the men involved with the hijacking and flying the planes into the buildings. As I am watching these shows it's like seeing it for the first time all over again, only this time I am old enough to really realize what happened and I am crying during every single special. I understand it better and could actually tell people what happened that day if they ask. Ten years ago I did not cry, but this year I am full of emotion over it. I still can't believe it actually happened. I wonder what it would be like to have been there. To have those two buildings be such a huge part of the identity of my city and suddenly be gone. Or to have been inside the buildings when it happened. Would I ever go into another sky scraper again? Are the people who had offices in the WTC going to have offices in the new building that's going up? 

I was telling the Fiancée about the anniversary coming up and thought I should ask him if he really knew what happened that day and he said he did not. He knows planes flew into two buildings, but nothing about hijacking or that there were two other planes that crashed in two other places. It felt good to be able to explain it to him.

This Sunday, don't forget to pray for the families that have lost loved ones and the nation that has had to figure out how to go on in the face of terror. 

To end on a completely different note, here's some pictures of my excitement over eating Strawberries again! It's a rare thing in India to eat them but we've always seemed to have them in our fridge here since I've been home.

What were you doing on September 11th, 2001?

Do You Know Him?

Why would someone who is a "Christian" have an entire blog that is only putting up hateful words and arguments that another church is completely wrong?

Why would a church put so much concern on volunteering only within the church and bringing the "lost souls" in to hear the gospel when the early church was so keen on sending people away to spread the gospel?

How can two people who say they love God and are obeying His will be so sure the other is completely wrong? I thought we were all on the same side here.

What's the difference between a church spending millions of dollars to make the building bigger, have more seats, cooler, and have a super awesome bookstore and coffee shop and huge auditorium with lights and stage and recording equipment...what's the difference between that church and the old cathedrals in Europe covered in gold from all the money given as indulgences?

What's wrong with thinking worship should never be a performance?

Is it okay to not take sides? Is it okay to take the alternate route? I'm pretty sure that's what Jesus did. Jew? Gentile? Actually, what about this instead? Catholic? Protestant? Actually, there might be something more. Isn't God more than labels and rules and regulations and volunteers and accusations and boxes and shelves and music and projector screens? Isn't He more than ideas and opinions and discussions and dissections? Isn't he more than money and fame and books and numbers?

He is bigger than any of my feelings.
He's bigger than my mistakes.
He is bigger than my shame.
He's more than just my opinions.
He is greater than my "wisdom."
He is bigger than my depression.
He's bigger than my love and bigger than my hate.
He is greater than all my habits.

That's my King.

Corn Dogs and Cosby Sweaters.

This is the meal I have been looking forward to for the last six months. I know it might be weird, but I love corn dogs. It's a little weird, but what can be tastier than a hot dog wrapped in the best type of batter imaginable, dipped in ketchup and mustard? Oh yeah, I know what's better than that, only if macaroni and cheese is included. That's the best meal on the planet in my opinion, and is always what we've eaten on my birthday if we don't go out. These State Fair brand corn dogs are delicious, but even they pale in comparison to the pronto pups of any and all local carnival/fairs. SO, watch out Lions Roar of 2011, I'm coming for you. This is the event a few years ago my bro and I met Al Franken.

I am not sure why, but I just can't get enough sweaters. Leave it to me to crave colorful sweaters when I'm about to make India my home for good. I mean I can only wear sweaters in India for like 1 month. What the dirt? I'll get a lot of use out of them though when I meet my fiancée's family in December since he lives in a pretty cold part of India during the winter. No snow there, but it gets quite cold I hear.

This is where he is from, the little reddish/orange part of India in the Northeast. The state is called Nagaland, read about it if you want! I have yet to meet a Naga I don't like.

 In other news, being home is great because I get to spend a lot of time with this little guy:

I babysat him yesterday and usually it goes well, but yesterday he was screaming like crazy and nothing would stop him until he got some cheese. It's weird, but he loves cheese. He wouldn't eat anything else but cheese.

It is also wonderful spending a lot of time with the rest of my family. In fact right now I feel a bit empty because my littlest brother who doubles as my BFF is at a friends house tonight and will be sleeping over and I feel alone and depressed when he's not around.

Beginning Monday I'm going to start being more active. I need to get outside and walk or ride a bike or swim in the pool. Seriously.