Maven

My nephew is the cutest kid in the world! These pictures are a couple of months old, but still show just how cute he is!

Quote of the Day

Brandon : You think that that would be ideal.
Amanda: Ideally it WOULD be ideal.

hot drinks, sweaters, garbage disposals, and Jamie Cullum

What a weekend! Saturday night, Tanya and I threw a hot drink and cheesy sweater party. There were a lot of hot drinks, but the favorite was clearly Neil's homemade chai. We had a moment of elation on Sunday afternoon as we discovered how little of the assorted hot chocolates were used. More for us-woo-hoo!!

The sweaters at our party were hilarious! Cliff sported a grey with hot pink zig-zags straight from 80s. Jeremy raided his mother-in-law's closet and came out with a white sweater complete with pink flowers. Add to that the fact Jeremy is bigger than his mother-in-law! (I know, pictures are coming soon.) Kim wore a hot pink sweater that fell below the knees. At the bottom stood two Christmas trees, each with cat wearing a santa hat below it. Jessica, a teacher, found herself wearing exactly what she said she would never wear-a Christmas "teacher" sweater with bells!!

As is the trend in our apartment, we had yet another thing "break." The roller coaster toilet, the closet doors, the shower, the kitchen cabinets, etc. This time the garbage disposal decided to throw up....continuously. Repeatedly. We couldn't use the kitchen sink. The only solution we could think of was to plunge it while calling all of the men we know (that would know something about it). In the end, we left a message for our landlord...mysteriously it worked when we returned home from work the next day.

Neil got me the new Jamie Cullum CD for my birthday. It rocks my face off!! If you don't know Jamie, you need to. Especially the song, Twentysomething, off of the Twentysomething album. Jamie has a very witty way of describing those of us twenty-somethings that feel like we are wondering aimlessly through life. Maybe too many options? OR is it a lack of options?

Tonight I had a really fun birthday dinner with Tanya, Jesse, and George. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant in St. Louis. They make their own chips and salsa! Muy Bueno!! Tanya and I had a very memorable night. George made me a CD which Tanya and I spent the evening listening to and psycho-analyzing and interrpreting through dance. I had an out of body experience (picturing myself doing the dance) which sent me into a fit of uncontrollable laughter which lasted for at least 8 minutes. Tears and all! And for those of you who know my laugh...you understand just how intense that can be!

Thanks to all for a wonderful birthday...my fam, Jen (who decorated my car...yes, I drove around the city with all sorts of stuff written on my windows), Neil, George, Jesse, Christin, J Lo, the mystery person at work who stole my G207, Bec for bringing me a birthday cookie cake, Trish, and last, but certainly not least, my goofy roommate who just laughs at all of the stupid stuff I do.

Delirium

I went home early from work yesterday puking my guts out. After sleeping on the hallway floor just inches away from the toliet for several hours, I managed to pull myself into my bedroom where I drifted in and out of sleep. I spent a few hours in the foggy state...you know the stage where you trip and fall. AT one point I heard screaming all around me, shouting, running in the leaves. My mind raced...a massive game of tag? No, it's too late. World War III? Am I dreaming? Is this real? When I finally convinced my eyes to open, my bedroom was dancing with blue and red lights. The screams that I heard were real, only now could I tell that there were people running all over the yard outside...the leaves krinkling beneath every not-so-delicate step. There was crying, shouting, sirens blaring in the night.

I made my way carefully (as I did not want to puke anymore) to Tanya's room. "Tanya? What's going on?" "I don't know," she answered. Her sleep induced state had prevented her from even hearing the chaos outside. From her window we watched as firemen and policemen ran quickly around the street. Fire trucks and police cars were parked in every spot they could fit in. The kids from the street ran around yelling. There were some ladies crying. The building across the street was on fire. Smoke billowed from every opening. Four families watched as their lives went up in flames.

Strange how something so catistrophic can happen and yet the street be so serene the next morning. I walked to the car this morning as usual. Birds chirrping. Throwing my arm in the air in attempted waves at passing neighbors. Had I not seen for myself what had taken place the night before, I never would have known. I would have walked to my car in the brisk morning air oblivious to the boarded windows of the apartment building.

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.
Frederick Douglass

God must read blogs

I think God read my last entry...we may have had tornados last night, but the temperature has dropped to the 30s and the wind is howling outside. As look at the weather forcast, the coldest day is supposed to be next Monday with a high of 28 degrees. What a great birthday present.

I have more to say, but my bed is beckoning me. I shall write later.

Holidays...ugh is all I have to say...ugh because the weather in St. Louis is the worst holiday weather EVER! It's November 23rd and 60 degrees outside! I want there to be snow on the ground, fires in the place, my cheeks frozen just walking the ten steps from the car to my front door. I want to have to grumble as I get up every morning 10 minutes earlier just to defrost my car. Tanya, who hails from South Dakota, and I were lamenting about this last night as we tried to get into the Christmas spirit. Impossible without the cold!

However, I do like the holidays. Thanksgiving is especially fun with my family. We always eat a big meal (called dinner where I'm from) mid-day. Play cards, during which my grandpa ALWAYS gets accused of cheating. Anyone who is brave enough to be on his team also gets multiple fingers pointed at them. That is usually me. Then we eat turkey sandwiches and ruffles potato chips, and lay around for a while! Of course, we manage to watch a little football, especially if the Huskers are playing. (however they haven't been good enough to get a Turkey day spot for a long time!)

The Friday after t-day is fun as we put our Christmas tree up, celebrate my upcoming birthday, and watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (a tradition started in the recent years by me) The birthday celebration is always an interesting one as my grandpa is usually in charge of the cake. We have this ongoing fight in our family...when making angel food cake, the men prefer to have pink frosting on it. The women prefer it plan. WHAT DO YOU THINK? One year, Grandpa asked me what kind of cake I wanted. I told him nothing with pink frosting. He made a cake, frosted it with chocolate frosting, but put a pink face with tears running down it's cheek on the top of it! I couldn't believe it! Ornery ole man, he is! Last year was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting (my favorite) and a pink blob of frosting right in the middle. Yes, Blob is the correct description.

So my prayer as I travel to small town Missouri is for colder weather (perhaps some snow), and a non-pink birthday cake. Oh, and maybe a Husker victory on Friday.

Nothing to say

People have been complaining that I haven't written anything on here for a while. The truth? I had so little to say that I almost forgot that I had a blog! Crazy, I know! I am now doing a temporary job in West County at a place with name of Fish...can you believe that?! In fact, I answer the phones....but I don't tell them my last name for fear of people thinking its one of those prank answers and hanging up. I'm sure my new boss would love that! So for now, I've joined the traffic jams on the highway and the life of keeping a time sheet. As much as I thought I would dread it, I really don't. The people are fun, the actual work is stuff I'm good at, and really the commute isn't the most horrible thing in the world (as long as you stay away fromthe bad spots).

So for now that is all I have to say. However, there is a poem below. (the darn program wouldn't let me format the poem the correct way) It looks prettier on paper.


earthquakes. tsunamis. hurricanes.
mountains are crumbling.
cities destroyed.
floodwaters rising.
houses flattened.
thousands of lives
gone.
Is the river still bringing joy?
OR is it raging it's wrath upon nations
forsaken
people bowing down before
money.
pride.
fame.
lust.
superficial satisfaction.
all they had to do was wade in that sweet water.
the river
strength.
security.
promise.
redemption.
forgiveness.
grace and mercy.
rest.
be still. be silent. rest in the waters. be renewed.

George

My roommate and I think this picture looks like a personal's ad picture....so we decided to turn it into one...but only on this blog...(no replies please, we aren't in the business of finding George a girlfriend).

Name: George Faithful (yes ladies, that's his REAL name)

Age: Younger than your dad

Occupation: Chef with a specialty in bagged salad and quiche, Closet Novelist, and rising soccer star

Hobbies: Seminary Student, viola player, and board game (Cranium and Lord of the Rings Risk) wizard

Passion: Playing Halo with Jeremy Weese and smoking his pipe

When he grows up: He wants to live in Germany where he can live in a castle and have as many conversations about Deutschland, Wienerschnitzel, and the von Trapp family as he pleases

My attempt at some black and whites-I'm still learning!!

A crocodile in hiding at the zoo.

A butterfly looking for nectar in the butterfly house.

The Rohde Rave

Joel Rohde got married. Jake Rohde is in his final year of college. Jaron Rohde has been in Marine boot camp for two weeks. Jase Rohde has embarked upon his last semester of high school. Where did the time go? My first encounter with the Rohde family was when Joel and Jake, then high school senior and junior, came to visit our mutual friend Russell at Central. A year later, Joel introduced me to the rest of his family by taking me to his Wilton, Iowa home. I was in love instantly-with the whole family, that is. They are such a warm, open, loving, hilarious family who touch the lives of pretty much every one that is lucky enough to cross their paths! I have been blessed to spend a couple of different weekends at the Rohde's, attend college with both Jake and Joel, hang out at Mark and Lisa's super bowl parties (which they drove to campus to host for us!), and ride with Lisa to boy's state to pick up Jase! Joel's wedding was jus a few weeks ago....and so much fun! The pictures on here are of Jake and of Jase and Jaron (who pulled a surprise kiss on the cheek just as the camera clicked)! By the way, Jaron is still in boot camp..please pray for him!

It's 11:22 pm. I'm tired, however I have something to say so this is going to be short and to the point.

1) I am a big Huskers fan. I have been for as long as I can remember. Every time there is a game, the televisions and radios have all been tuned in to listen to the Husker victory for as long as I can remember. However the past couple of years were more like listening FOR a victory.

2) My grandma is a Mizzou fan. Has been for as long as I've known her.

3) Mizzou and the Huskers have a fairly large rivalry. Therefore, my grandma and I have a large rivalry. One year when the Huskers won the orange bowl, I gave her a silver bowl of oranges for Christmas. Another year she wrote me the following note: "You know what will make Big Red go is that Tiger Roaring on its backside!" (I still have the note under the glass on my desk)

4) Yesterday, the Huskers played a wonderful game against Iowa State. ISU played great as well! Two evenly matched teams. I honestly did not know prior to the game what the outcome would be. In a double overtime, the Huskers were victorious, Taylor (the QB) had broken a school record for number of passing yards in one game, and the number one defense in the nation added 6 sacks to the 20 from the first three games of the season. Mizzou however lost to Texas 51-20. I didn't watch the game so I will make no further comment.

5) Today I received the following e-mail from my grandma:

Nebraska looked good yesterday.

Missouri did not look good.

Hope the Chiefs can do well today. I always put my Chiefs flag out on game day and some time I have to sneak out in the dark to bring it in so no one will see me -- you know how cruel neighbors can be.

(That last line is a joke for those of you who don't know my grandma. she actually loves her neighbors.) This is quite the monumental day. My grandma ADMITTED that the Huskers looked good! Woo-hoo! I will cherish this forever!