A fun weekend

We have had an enjoyable visit with my sister, my nephew and his friend Steve. Tim stayed up late playing board games with the boys one night, Cheri and I enjoyed walks with Raven, we all went to the Mall of America (except for Tim), we went to Christina's eighth grade worship service (Cheri and the boys had to leave for a soccer game before the actual graduation ceremony) and the boys enjoyed play "Halo" on the x-box. Time goes by too quickly!

Now Tim is here to pick me up to try to catch them at the soccer field one last time. Steve forgot his pillow. Now Tim is eating my breakfast! Gotta go.........

Till next time,


Suzi

Soccer players here

My sister arrived safe and sound last night about 10 pm. It was a beautiful day yesterday--Christina got sunburned at Valley fair amusement park where her eighth grade class celebrated their last day of school.

Today, however, is a different story. The soccer players (my nephew and a friend) played in the rain, on soaking fields. Cheri (my sister) lucked out and watched the entire game from her van. Now they are headed out to game two. I think the rain has lightened up, but it is still overcast and thunderstorms are threatened.

Well, they only have one more game today (which they are at now) and one tomorrow--unless they compete in the championship round on Monday. Rain is predicted through Tuesday.

Good thing they brought extra cleats.

Till next time,


Suzi

Visitors from the East

Today my sister is coming to visit from Wisconsin--northwoods country. She is coming with her soccer son and friend to play in soccer tournaments. (I won't complain that she isn't just visiting to see me.) Unfortunately, they are forecasting rain for the weekend, so I think the kids might get wet, unless they have an indoor dome for them. Maybe they will cancel all the games and we can hang out at the Mall of America. Or just sit and talk.

Or maybe she can help me get ready for Luke's graduation party. Just kidding, sis.

Till next time,

Suzi

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Another trip to the dentist

Luke is long overdue for a dental visit, and in the midst of graduation preparations, we are going to the dentist today. He's been complaining about his wisdom teeth, so I decided to call and have a check up and referral, if necessary to an oral surgeon. I just hope he doesn't have any cavities (a pipe dream?). Christina had ten cavities two or three months ago, followed a month or so later by Mark who had a root canal and still needs to get his five cavities filled.

I am due for a visit as well, but I can wait another month or two. As for Tim--well, he's not complaining now, so I'll not worry about that.

Luke wanted to be a dentist when he was younger. Perhaps I can encourage him to follow that path (however, there is dental school before that....).

Well, he's thinking about being an accountant instead. Maybe he can help me balance the checkbook.

Till next time,


Suzi

Sunshine!

The sun is finally shining today! I don't think it is going to be a hot day, but at least the sun is out, the birds are singing and it isn't raining!

We got a new awning this week for Mark's west-facing window. It gets so hot in his room in the summer, so this will be perfect for today's sunny day. It is burgundy with scalloped edges and a small floral pattern at the bottom. I fought getting an awning for the longest time, because I thought they looked old fashioned and, frankly, ugly. But this is a fabric, not aluminum awning, and it looks very nice. Tim was right (as usual ;) )

So now, we can enjoy the sunshine in the shade. ???

Till next time,

Suzi

Yearbook time

More reminiscing--

Today Luke got his yearbook--his senior yearbook. It was fun to look at pictures, seeing his friends' pictures--some of them I remember from their elementary school days. They have all grown up! Some had baby pictures in the yearbook with notes from parents, and these were fun to look at (Luke's was in there, too.)

Only 9 days till graduation now.....

Till next time,

Suzi

The Last Week

Seems like I've been writing about a lot of "lasts" lately. May is a month full of good-byes, as I remember from my college and graduate school day. Back then, I hated the good-byes, leaving friends or being left by them, perhaps never to greet them again in this life.

But some good-byes are welcome. Luke is excited to be finishing high school this week--Friday is his last day of class. Christina also finishes school on Friday--celebrating her time at King of Grace with a field trip to Valley Fair. Her eighth grade graduation is Sunday.

Mark will be glad to be finished with school for the summer, but he has finals for a few days next week while his siblings get to loaf (read, help around the house to get ready for Luke's graduation party).

This reminds me of the poem by Ruben Dario--Cancion de Otoño en Primavera (Song of Autumn in Spring):

Juventud, divino tesoro, ya te vas para no volver! Cuando quiero llorar, no lloro, y a veces lloro sin querer...

Loosely translated, it says, Youth, divine treasure, already you are leaving never to return! When I want to cry, I can't cry, and at times I cry without wanting to... (It sounds better in Spanish).

So, I'll probably shed a few tears this May/June as I watch our kids move on to the next stage. But I wouldn't want to hold them back, either.

Till next time,

Suzi

Another blogger!

Finally my sister Cheri has joined the ranks of bloggers! You can link to her site here. I don't know whether to feel insulted or proud that, although I've been blogging regularly for months, it took my husband's blog start to encourage my own sister to begin her writings. Oh well--I say, the more the merrier.

It will be fun to read about her life in Northeastern Wisconsin--not too far from "Yooper" territory. (Don't really know how to spell Yooper--it's a nickname for those who live on the Upper peninsula--UP--of Michigan.

By the way, the recent photo of me on Tim's site doesn't really do me justice....I really should learn to pose better so the camera gets me good side (?) or at least a side that doesn't expose so many chins.....

Till next time,

Suzi

A new look

My wonderful husband Tim surprised me last night with my new look. The type is a little small, but otherwise I like it. And best of all, the new template allows for comments! It may be changing again to accommodate a link list and ability to post photos.

Please comment to tell us how you like it!

Till next time,

Suzi

Trying to re-instate comments.

Testing, testing, anyone commenting out there?

Is it working?

Till next time (hopefully),

Suzi

Cleaning up

With Luke's graduation party coming up, we are rushing around trying to order our home. Yesterday I mustered up my courage to open an old trunk from the days before we were married. I was afraid I would be confronted with memories I didn't want to resurrect. (like my first paper in Literature class as a freshman--I got a "D" on it and mispelled "prairie" throughout--it was about the book "The Prairie. I had received mostly "A's" in English in high school, so this was a definite blow.)

Anyway, I went through some things--found a few letters from old friends, wedding cards, (so I guess it wasn't all pre-marriage stuff), my college transcript, and a bunch of newspapers! It was fun to be able to toss the newspapers guilt-free--why I had saved the Chicago Tribune newspapers from my grad school days I do not know. I guess I have a hard time parting with anything with writing on it, since reading is my favorite pastime (sp?). But, I've gotten better over the years. I only save newspapers for a week--hardly ever more than a month unless there is a special article I'm saving for some reason (I know someone who knows someone mentioned in a news/feature story).

Tossing is a good feeling. I hope by Luke's party, our home will be clutter free.

Or........at least in better shape.

Till next time,

Suzi

Getting ready

The end of the year is wrapping up fast. Yesterday was Christina's final softball game--actually a 2-game tournament. They won the 3rd place trophy, so that was quite exciting. It was also the 13th anniversary of her arrival from Romania! Time really flies!

Now tonight Luke has a senior awards ceremony, and tomorrow night is a music boosters award ceremony. Monday is Christina's athletic banquet, and Christina and Luke will be done with school a week from Friday! (Mark has a few final days after that.)

We are trying to get ready for Luke's graduation party now. We're getting rid of a lot of junk that has been accumulating on the back porch as well as getting invitations addressed. I guess our first born is really grown up now!

Till next time,


Suzi

No comment

Tim was working on my blog last night trying to fix the comments--I could see that people had left comments, but could not open them (except on rare occasions). I did get my sister's Cheri's comment about a picture on Tim's site. You can link there to comment or e-mail me at timman@usfamily.net For the moment the comments on my site are not working. :(

By the way, I thought that was a lovely picture, Cheri.

Till next time,

Suzi

An added note....

Tim has posted a couple of pictures on his site. Maybe I can start posting pictures soon, too.

Till next time,

Suzi

Not finished yet

This weekend as Christina and 11 other 8th grade students were confirmed, the message the pastor sent in three different sermons was clear--God is not finished with you yet.

His first illustration at the Saturday night service was of pancake batter. He mixed several ingredients in front of the kids who sat in the front two rows. Then he invited them to eat the raw batter. Why not? It had all the ingredients needed..... But, it lacked the cooking process--the finishing work.

This is a good reminder that our kids, and we ourselves, are still a work in progress. God isn't finished with us yet, and we are going to fail and stumble along the way. Sometimes I wish my kids were a little further along in the cooking process, but then I am reminded that I'm pretty raw material, too, and I should focus a bit more on my own refining instead of concentrating on faults I see in them.

It's May--a time of reflection on accomplishments in school, in church, in life. Graduation for Luke is just around the corner. The cooking process is just beginning.

Till next time,


Suzi

Working and sleeping

It is a happy time when the teenagers are either working or sleeping. I'm not wondering where they are, if they are getting into trouble, if they may need a ride, etc. This happy Saturday morning Mark and Luke are working with Tim's brother Greg, and Christina is sleeping off her eventful evening--her confirmation banquet last night. After the banquet she went to school, where she had missed the final performance of the school play she was in (she had an understudy) due to the banquet. She wanted to go to Byerly's with friends afterwards to the ice cream bar. Parents discreetly kept their distance (these are junior high kids, after all), while two dozen or more students piled into the store to order their favorite flavors.

I paired up with Christina's friend's mother (and my friend as well) Theresa. Theresa shot some pictures and short videos of the kids from her digital camera, and we sat in her car and observed the antics of the kids for several minutes, before breaking up the party before management came out complaining of loitering.

Tonight Christina will give the opening prayer and greeting at church, and tomorrow morning she will be confirmed. It's a good thing she is resting now.

Till next time,

Suzi

Crazy Friday

It's going to be a busy day. I got a call at 6:30 pm last night to see if I could come in to help at the office this morning--next week they are leaving for Aruba and have some last minute packets to assemble. Christina did a wonderful job in her school play last night, but this morning she has a headache and stomach ache (always on the days I'm working). My mother-in-law called at 7 am to ask if I could bring over some labels (after I make them) and I need to drop something off at Christina's school since she's not going to be there.

Hopefully, she'll be able to go to school this afternoon--which means I'll have to come home and take her there. Plus tonight is her confirmation banquet...tomorrow night she is doing the opening prayer at the Saturday evening service....

Till next time,

Suzi

Rainy days and Thursdays....

We need the rain--it's been pretty dry. Yesterday the sudden rain was welcome, as we woke up to a warm and sticky morning.

This morning it is 40 degrees, and Raven and splashed through the cold misery wordlessly. No one else was out enjoying the weather, unless they were driving.

A storm from the other night knocked down half a neighbor's tree, right onto their trampoline. When I walked by there again, the half-tree and the tramp were both gone. Ut just so happens that this neighbor is also Mark's health teacher--a nice guy who just so happens to also be a former hockey player/friend of Tim's brother.

No trees down today--just a steady rain. Christina's last home softball game may be cancelled--which would give her more time to get ready for her play at school tonight. Then tomorrow night is her confirmation dinner, and she needs to be in attendance at all three confirmation services at church this weekend (she'll be doing the opening and prayer on Saturday evening....)

Sunshine and rain. I'll take both.

Till next time,

Suzi

Last day

Today is our last day of Bible Study Fellowship. Next week we'll meet again--but it will be a different format. Next week is sharing day, so we won't meet in our small discussion groups, except to sit together in the sanctuary and listen as individuals share what God has taught them throughout the year.

I've learned a lot from our study of Israel and the Minor Prophets. Mostly I've learned that God pursues us, as he did his chosen people, in spite of our many failings and sins. Even though I fail him time and time again, he is always ready to take me back and forgive me. There are consequences for sin, and Israel suffered many of them, and I do too.

As a parent, I understand in a remotely small way how God must feel as he parents us. He longs for us to come to him, to confess our sins, to have fellowship with us. I long for this with our teenagers, who often choose their own path--not always the wisest way.

My prayer is that I can stay in fellowship with God throughout the summer and set an example for my teenagers. I want us all to be in fellowship with God and with each other--so we can fully know and enjoy God's love and the relationship he wants with each of us.

Till next time,


Suzi

Lilacs

I love May. It's a busy month--this year filled with the boys' school band concerts, Christina's play, confirmation and 8th grade graduation, but it is such a refreshing time in Minnesota. My very favorite thing about May (besides celebrating our anniversary) is lilacs. I love the smell of lilac bushes.

I'm reminded of my youth in May. During my adolescence, I lived in Lombard, IL, the Lilac Village. Our water tower was painted a lilac color. The third Saturday in May, the city workers sprayed the streets with lilac scents before the beginning of the annual Lilac Parade down Main Street. In junior high, I marched with my flute in the band down the street. I remember one year my parents were on a float of square dances, swinging and do-si-doe-ing as they moved down the street, carried on by the lively music and the sweet fragrance.

Raven and I found a lilac bush near the highway on our walk today. Now I have the fresh scent in our home, in the new vase I got from my parents for our anniversary.

Ahhhhhh, May.....

Till next time,

Suzi

Wow

I went to blog this morning on Tim's computer, as usual. Now I'm back upstairs at mine--right around noon--and see that the template that magically appeared downstairs is on the computer upstairs as well. Here's hoping that I can post from here and thank you blogspot for clearing up this nuisance! Maybe I'll give Tim his computer back again........(but who knows.....)

Till next time,


Suzi

A good weekend

I had a nice Mother's Day. On Saturday, (the day before Mother's Day) my daughter and I went shopping for her graduation and confirmation dresses. We had fun together, momentarily forgetting about raging hormones and petty disagreements. We got home in time to join the extended familiy for Grandpa Jim's birthday party at Old Country Buffet--his favorite haunt.

On Sunday, I got up early to walk Raven and Tim dropped me off at the Well, our new church plant, so I could help set up and work in the nursery. All the ladies and girls at church received roses. After church, we went to Perkins as a family--just the five of us--and had a nice meal together. It seems it is rare to spend time together with my husband and all our kids at one time.

We talked about taking a walk or biking, but the weather looked stormy and I was ready for a nice Sunday Mother's Day nap. Tim and the boys went shopping for frisbees and frisbee disks for frisbee golf. When I got up from my nap, the guys came home and it was time to head out to Solomon's Porch--a Sunday evening church gathering where we like to attend when we can. Afterwards, we learned that Chipolte had free burritos for moms, so we went there for supper. They make your burrito to order, and mine was stuffed so full that I only ate about 1/3 of it, adn brought the rest home for lunch today and tomorrow.

So I can extend Mother's Day for a little bit longer.

Till next time,

Suzi




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Reading

Tim is reading--and this time it is something I would probably easily enjoy and pick up. It's also something that he may finish in another week or two, instead of the several months that he usually puts into books (generally long, non-fiction)--just because he's too busy to read much.

This book is Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt Doug is the pastor of Solomon's Porch, a fairly new church plant in Minneapolis. Their church gathers on Sunday evenings, and it attracts a lot of gen xers as well as families, and it has a strong community feel to it. The setting of their worship is a meeting place in a big room, with couches and overstuffed chairs. The music is original, by a band of 20 something people who are gifted musicians, and have already released at least one of their own CDs.

We have visited Solomon's Porch several times--and our kids really enjoy it. They have communion every week--and use big loaves of bread with pitchers of grape juice. Communion is more like a meal than a quick bite to remember the Lord's sacrifice.

I can't wait to read the book--Tim's read some of it to me already.

Till next time,

Suzi

21 years

Today is our wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been 21 years, but at the same time it's hard to remember a time when we weren't married.

Tim is a wonderful husband--supportive, a good listener, caring, thoughtful and steady. I guess that's what I appreciate the most about him--his steadiness and faithfulness. I never have to doubt that he will be there for me and take care of me and the kids.

He's also a terrific father--able to cope with the trials of teenage life much better than I can. He parents with humor, when I am more likely to rant--he invites the kids into conversation with questions while I'm more likely to lecture.

Thanks, honey for a wonderful life together. Let's go for at least 21 more years! (Maybe 41 more!)

Till next time,

Suzi

A new convert

My husband, Tim, has decided to join the blogging crowd. You can read his blog at this
link. I'm excited as he begins this new venture--he's a good writer, and he takes time to ponder things before putting them to paper (or screen). Maybe blogging will help him get things down more quickly. As you've probably noticed, I just type what's in my head without a lot of pre-ponderance (a word?) and send these thoughts off to cyberspace, not knowing who they may reach (except my faithful parents and sister who humor me by checking in on my blog frequently). Maybe Tim will develop a wide audience.

Till next time,


Suzi

Afternoon blog

Today has been busier than a working day! Even though I've worked at least some every day this past week, I'm rushing around from one thing to the next today. We had our last BSF fellowship/luncheon today, which was 25 miles from home--but it was a lovely afternoon reflecting on what we've learned this year in the study of Israel and the minor prophets--how we've applied what we've learned to our lives--our favorite Old Testament characters--(Nehemiah rated high for his integrity and perseverence amidst adversity). These ladies have been wonderful to share with each week, and I'm going to miss our group. Some will be back next year, but we will be assigned to new groupings at that point.

Tomorrow morning I should be able to blog. Christina has a softball game after school, Luke has a concert in the evening--and our 21st wedding anniversary is Friday (Mother's Day is Sunday--my mom's birthday is Sunday and my father-in-law's birthday is Saturday!)

May is busy, but fun. Now we just need to help Mark finish school work--help him finish assignments so the year ends well.....

Till next time,


Suzi

Work and more work

It's great being able to help out at an office that's close to home--have flexible hours, etc. Except when kids are sick, the groceries are running low--the kids need rides after school....

Sounds like life with younger kids, but today Christina is having a headache and body aches again, but wants to go to school later so she can make it to her softball game after school. The office where I'm working is still busy making phone calls and mailings to get last minute details taken care of before the annual business conference in Aruba.

Luke just came back from his class at Cooper and handed me some stuff he needs for school by the end of the week. I need to gather pictures this week for Christina's graduation--a couple of parents are going to put together a multi-media presentation for the eighth graders.

Tomorrow I have BSF all day--and I have barely started my lesson! We have a lunch/fellowship about a 30-minute drive away, so I won't be able to work at all tomorrow, because Mark may stay after school, and Christina has a 4:30 meeting with the pastor regarding confirmation (which is less than 2 weeks away)!

Help!

Till next time,

Suzi

Blonde again

After a week of purple hair, Christina went back to being blonde. She and Luke picked out a bleach at Walgreens, and she endured over an hour of the stinging color change before she could shampoo and go back to her blonde ways. It is lighter than she had hoped for, but it doesn't look too unnatural--certainly more natural than purple. Now she can stay on the softball team (barring some other unforeseen thing) and let her natural color grow out over the next dozen months or so.

Never a dull moment.

Till next time,

Suzi

Ahhh Aruba

This past week I've been helping out in an office close to home--assembling packets for a mailing. Most of the office staff are going to a business convention in Aruba--an annual business convention headed up by the Carlson Companies here in the Twin Cities, MN. Aruba sounded pretty good after freezing in the wind at Christina's softball game. White sandy beaches, warm sun....a tropical paradise just miles from the coast of Venezuela...

But, they say that they spend all of their time running around making sure all the guests have everything they need, and don't really have time to enjoy the island unless they extend their stay. And it's towards the end of May--Christina's confirmation and graduation are coming up, along with Luke's graduation--and keeping Mark on track for finishing the year well......

There will be other chances to travel. For now, I'm happy to be home.

But I can just feel the sand beneath my toes, the waves lapping against my ankles.....

Till next time,

Suzi