happy christmas

so, this year we're having a quiet family christmas at home. and it's kinda weird. we usually hang out with my mom's family on christmas day. but, they're all in the florida keys. it is really nice to have a quiet day... so far, i'm really liking it! but, i do wish we were on cudjoe key laying by the pool. or key west watching the sunset in mallory square. or looe key snorkeling (which they are doing today). or near mile marker 20 plopped in the middle of a side road watching the stars.

i'm a little sad because i miss all of them. however, it is not overshadowing my day. minneapolis is gorgeous today! and i have a super terrific family. and it's was so fun watching pi's excitement when she woke up this morning. best sister ever, i can't believe this is only our third christmas with her! craaazy.

our house is very christmas-y. stockings and twinkly lights. i love it!

piper got a fish for christmas. i think it's a beta... she still hasn't named it. UPDATE: the fish has been named... wait for it... slipper. ha.

i spent my morning buying music on itunes, thanks to taylor for the wonderful gift of music! taylor swift, michael buble, brad paisley, owl city... yum!

hmm, i'm really excited for church tomorrow night. it feels like it's been so long and i only missed one week...

alright, well there are my christmas morning ramblings. merry christmas, friends!

dubrovnik, croatia

I'm missing Croatia today. Dubrovnik is such a cool, ancient city. This was the first glimpse we caught from our ship. Sweeto bridge and orange rooftops.

The pier:

Gorgeous church:

This is a typical view of the street:

There was a group of musicians playing outside of one of the sweeto old buildings.

Looking down another street at another beautiful church:

Neighborhood:

And then, my favorite part of Dubrovnik. We wandered around, following signs that pointed toward cold drinks. We were absolutely parched and the idea of mango juice or coke was irresistible. It was incredible, right on the edge of the cliff.

Eventually, we noticed others coming up from a staircase somewhere below. We decided to adventure... This is Aubrey, about to brave the whimsical looking steps.

When we reached the bottom, we found an awesome cliff. Aubrey and Chelsey were both brave enough to jump off. Gram and I didn't jump, but we did swim... in our clothes.

This day is absolutely in my top favorites. I loved seeing the cool buildings and alleys. I loved swimming in my clothes. I loved walking back through Dubrovnik utterly soaked. I love my Gramma and Aubs and Chels. And I would LOVE to go back!

:)

the past week, i have been in such a happy mood.

almost all my school stress has been relieved. i took one final on tuesday, and i have three next week... not too worried.

piper has been delightful. i've been sleeping in her extra bed because she's afraid to sleep alone. a few nights ago, i was watching a movie on my computer. she woke up around midnight and we decided to have ice cream in bed. it was wonderful:)

oh, and last night, i watched the very first noel. my favorite kid's christmas movie. it's all of 20 minutes long. but, its so great. it features the voice of andy griffith and rhymes through the whole movie! and, it has some pretty funny lines. i quote them all the time:)

the girls downstairs are simply wonderful! they got a christmas tree last week. it's huge and beautiful. a few days ago they were rearranging the furniture, and i went down to hang out. we had a blast trying to place the furniture and singing christmas music. also, last night liz and becca came up and we all flopped onto my bed and laughed at everything and nothing. then piper grabbed a bunch of scarves out of my closet and we wrapped them around our heads and cracked up at our work. those girls are so much fun!

i recently discovered emilie henry, a young singer/songwriter. check her out: http://www.myspace.com/emiliehenry:)

and today, i skipped my morning class. first time ever. i was shocked that mom went along with it. i totally agree with her, that going to class is important. however, this morning, i desperately did not want to step into the shower or brave the cold. (current temperature: -3. windchill: -18. welcome to winter in minnesota!). i feel so naughty. and wonderful. i've been so productive this morning, it feels great!

well, i have another class soon. last class of the semester! and a presentation... so, i'm off.

ciao, friends!

whitney

p.s. i really want to go back to italy/greece lately. oof.

so much on my mind

there is so many things i would love to spend my sunday afternoon doing.

• sunday school today. we're going through a series on biblical manhood and womanhood. i've been excited about this topic for a long time, and i want to spend some serious time thinking about it.
• thinking and praying about my role in missions. i want to go. no idea where and what or when or how... but i want to go. yet, i'm not sure if going is what God has called me to.
• loving and praying for my extended family. so many family members are experiencing really hard trials. but, praise GOD that he is always faithful and good!

there's more but, i have wayyy too much homework to do.

ciao.

every tongue, tribe, people, and nation...

that's right, it's missions week[s] at bethlehem. i've never been so excited about it. this year, i'm totally stoked. possibly because of all the cross-cultural experiences i've had this summer. maybe it's just from being around bbc another year.

not sure.

regardless, tonight at connection, my guatemala team gave a report, as well as two other missionaries sent from bethlehem. i loved remembering guatemala and witnessing the excitement and joy with which the other missionaries shared about their work and lives.

hmm, returning to my first thought:

maybe i'm so thrilled about missions week because i'm not scared of missions anymore. i used to fear that one day God would call me away from my family, friends, church, and life in america. for me, that was the scariest thing in the world. i don't fear that anymore. in fact, i think it would be incredible. now, i haven't sensed a definite call to become a career missionary, but i am totally open and willing.

conviction of the week: i don't pray nearly enough. and when i do, it often is about me. i want to be a woman of prayer. i want to live like i believe it changes things. i want to pray for others, especially our missionaries around the globe.

praise God for his faithfulness in my life and in the lives of so many who have giving their lives for the advancement of the gospel around the world.

oh photbooth...

haha em: no lips!

hahahaha, this one makes me laugh so hard. piper loves choosing the faces we should make for pictures...

basically, the cutest chinese girl in the world is MY sister!

i love my family:)

oh yes.

cute, tay.

whatta cutie!

mhmm.

i love my family. and photobooth keeps us thoroughly entertained!

life lately

• it's mid october and snow has fallen twice so far. if this means that spring comes early, i'm totally cool with it:)
• i'm on fall break. i love fall break. yum.
• emilie brown made a surprise visit to minneapolis last week. she was here for 5 days. it was so great to see her again! lots of laughing and singing!
• i've been able to go to BCS chapel two weeks in a row. it's really great!
• i'm really excited about youth group sunday school this year. the topic is biblical manhood and womanhood. and my small group leader is rachel giesbrecht. she is awesome.
• i'm loving our family's small group. anna and jon have joined, way fun. i'm especially enjoying kristin dearth. what a sweet, wise, funny woman!
• i adore this year's insight students. they are so sweet and hilarious. i love spending time with them!
• a few of my favorite songs right now: put your records on (corrine bailey rae), shadowfeet (brooke fraser), traveling soldier (dixie chicks), need you now (lady antebellum), i'd rather be with you (joshua radin), don't stop believing (journey), the way you make me feel (michael jackson).
• last week, i hung out with last years students at heather's flickinger's house. we played scattergories and laughed a lot.
• anna bramble is in nebraska for a week. she left on tuesday, i cannot wait for her to come back:)

cheesiest lyrics ever? maybe.

so, i love the song "outside my window" by sarah buxton. it always brightens my mood. however, i find the end of the chorus to be terribly laughable.

"no wars, no more, just a big rainbow outside my window!" for real? so cheesy.

anyway, the rest of the song is worth listening to, so check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99U46NAs39c

DG NATCON!!

i'm pretty thrilled. the national conference begins two weeks from today! here are just a few things i'm excited about:

1. I GET A JULIE HUG!! jules, renee, and brad are all coming up! and staying with us, i think. i love kresge's! i'm looking forward to seeing all of them again.

2. INSIGHT 3 mini-reunion. josh, julie, and matt will all be around for the weekend! whoo!

3. bag-stuffing. always a blast! and the other volunteers this year are SO much fun.

4. registration. i love talking to people from all over the world and getting them registered for the conference. and, all day friday there is a pre-conference buzz. so exciting.

5. worship. it's always incredible. can't wait.

6. attending the sessions. i'm especially excited to hear sam storms and pastor john.

7. i now have permission to update my facebook status during the sessions, thanks jeremy:)

8. not gonna lie, i'm pretty excited about the chipotle dinner after bag stuffing on wednesday evening...

i just reread that. i sound a bit giddy. and i guess that's ok, because i am rather giddy at the moment.

INSIGHT 4

wow. i cannot believe this is the fourth year of INSIGHT at bethlehem. i have been incredibly blessed to be apart of it through the years. i have gained so many dear friends. this year is no different. i'm already really attached to the students. i never expected to love them this much or so quickly. but they are all wonderful, and they keep me laughing. they have done a wonderful job and reaching out and involving me in their lives. i'll say it again. i'm SO blessed.

a few weeks ago, mom and i went on the fall retreat. it was a blast! the ride up was hilarious. ryan g. got everyone started on funny/embarrassing stories. andrew and shane engaged in a lengthy and humorous conversation on all things sci-fi. and i got to hear all about katie's family.

the rest of the retreat consisted of sharing testimonies - always a sweet time. several crazies who decided to tube in the cold, rainy weather. many games of dutch blitz.

a community effort to finish a 1000 piece puzzle, marshall, becca, and i stuck it out 'til the end:) lots of food. lots of laughing. the funniest part of the whole weekend was trying to figure out and replicate the stitched artwork in the hallway.

bizarre. i know.

then, the ride home. oh, it was so fun! mom was being really funny. ryan and i quoted brian regan back and forth. and i got to know jeremy so much better, oh man...

all-in-all, good retreat!!

besides the retreat, we've had some really fun times hanging out together: dinner and cut throat mafia at the girl's apartment, bonfire in our backyard, and the BCS scavenger hunt.

becca, katie, beth, kristi, bethany, hannah, jeremy, brandon, brad, shane, sam, devin, andrew, ryan, joe, and luke: i'm thrilled to be able to spend the rest of this year with you! thanks for being wonderful:)

mini update

praise God! i love all my classes this semester. i'm so excited for everything i'm going to learn this year. and i love my homework so far. score.

and it's quizzing season again! first practice this friday!! speaking of, i'm off to memorize. we're working on 1 and 2 corinthians and titus this year. should be pretty great!

oh, and i got a macbook pro this weekend. i'm pretty thrilled. still trying to figure it all out. and trying not to spend too much time on photo booth, as entertaining as it may be...:)

back to real life

so, i feel like a bit of a lame wad, but i'm moving on from the student posts. maybe just postponing them, we'll see... i still love them like crazy, but there are so many things going on that i want to blog about including all my travels this summer, school, and a new year of insight students!

well, i started school again today. i had american novel this morning. so far, i love it. i'm excited to read a bunch of novels, and my teacher is SUPER funny. i'm really looking forward to having a schedule again.

this week, i've been working at sweet martha's cookie jar, a cookie booth at the minnesota state fair. so far, so good. it's hard work and i come home aching and exhausted, but it's a blast!

i'm listening to michael jackson again. he has been my most-listened-to the past month or so. musical genius.

i'm officially loving september in minneapolis. it's beautiful today.

i had the nastiest corn chowder today. i'm still nearly gagging from the taste in my mouth... i'm going to go brush my teeth.
alrighty, i'm back. much better.

well, i have another class in a few minutes, so i'm off and absolutely delighted to be back in real life!

ciao ciao:)
-whit

guess who's going to the airport at 4:30am?

that's right. i'm leaving for guatemala in the morning. and i'm totally stoked. i absolutely cannot wait to get there! but i'm seriously going to miss my family -- especially this girl. i'm not sure i'm ready to miss two weeks of her life...

love you, baby girl! can't wait to see you in two weeks! :)

praying for much-needed grace,

whit

i'm kinda in love with everything about this picture...

anna

man, i love this girl! last year, anna would come up almost daily, just to hang out with mom and me. i LOVED it! it was one of my daily highlights. anna and i have the kind of relationship where we can just look at each other and either know what the other is thinking or crack up because of some inside joke. anna has a great sense of style and lots of cool scarves. she gives the best hugs and she trusts me with styling her hair. we've have experienced a lot together, one of the most noteable being when i drove down the light rail track, mistaking it for the street. and she still loves me - crazy! :) seriously, though, anna has been a huge blessing and a great friend! i'm so excited to see her when i get back from guatemala! love you, anna!!

amy

oh, how i love amy! she is one of the sweetest, most sincere people i have ever met. when i first met amy, she was very quiet, but i knew i was excited to get to know her. i have been so blessed by her friendship! in all of the time i've known her, amy has always been so positive, even through constant trials like back pain. the way she lived with that has really taught me about doing everything without complaining. i've never heard her complain or say anything negative about another person. amy and i have a special bond... over cauliflower. yes. amy, thanks for loving Jesus and me! i miss you, girl!

emily

oh em! the first time i hung out with emily, i was so glad that she was going to be a part of this year! it was august 08 and we were watching the olympics abd cracking up about the awkward huddle of the men's volleyball team. emily is that kind of person who makes Jesus look great and beautiful. i love having deep conversations with her. i also love her silly side. her humor often causes me to burst out laughing with strange, gapsy sounds. so far, she's the only one who can do this to me:) em has a beautiful voice and often plays the piano and sings - i love it! emily is a great friend, i always feel comfortable when i'm with her. also, i've learned many things from watching her deal with various trials this past year. i'm so glad she'll be around for year 2!

julie

jules is the closest thing i've ever had to an older sister. she truly feels like a part of my family. ever since the first INSIGHT retreat last september, she has become close to every one of us! whenever i had a headache, julie would gladly massage my head until it was gone (that is, my headache, not my head:)). everything from her beautiful red curls to her love for others and Jesus, radiates julie's personality. there is something about her that makes me love Jesus more. she also has a special love for her family. it was really sweet to witness that affection. julie lives life with passion. she is athletic and competitive. she applies herself to her responsibilities. she has an incredibly grateful heart. she sings like an angel. she is my sister. i love you, jules anne!

nebraska

that's right, i'm going to nebraska! andrea, steph, katie, sarah, and i are taking a road trip to hastings to see anna and kat! we're leaving tomorrow afternoon! i'm so excited!

anna and kat say that nebraska has the greatest thunderstorms. i'm hoping to experience one while we're there. :)

the doorbell

here's the first of my INISGHT 08-09 memories:

so, the downstairs girls' (anna, kat, emily, amy) doorbell is set to auld lang syne. the past few weeks it was ringing all the time because people were always coming over to hang out.

response #1: josh schneider - "oh, isn't that something about old clementine?"
response #2: anna bramble - "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

the first time josh said that, he was serious. after that, he was just being funny. but seriously, both of them said their phrases every time the doorbell rang. i though it was hilarious. every time.

soon they will be back, celebrating the new year and inquiring about old clementine:)

:)

i'm feeling a bit like a broken record. i am still sad, but i have said that enough.

so, instead of sad 'i miss you' posts, i'm going to write about memories and experiences from this year. they'll be short and sweet, but they'll help me focus on how great the year was:)

about the posts about all of the students, they're coming. but, i want to think through them a bit more. i will never be able to do justice to all of them with my words, but i want to do my best. so, they will likely be coming when i get back from louisville.

by the way, the fam is driving down to louisville, KY on thursday for courtney tarter's wedding! i am thrilled to see her again and be a part of the wedding!

58-41

grief, wonderful friends, and heaven

it's hitting me. slowly but surely. the students are gone. and life in minneapolis is really weird without them here. today was a hard day. i don't want to make it sound like they're dead or something, but i feel like i have lost so many of my closest friends. some of them are coming back, but still... they aren't here now.

i found myself in a pitiful place today. i didn't want to go out and have fun because none of the students would be there. i didn't even want to laugh because it wasn't one of them making me laugh, or because they weren't there to enjoy it with me.

times like these are when i need to remind myself that God has been so gracious to give me a year like this, so full of incredible people and experiences, and thank him for the precious time i had.

also, i continue reminding myself of heaven. [interjection: the idea of heaven is so incredible! sometimes, i can't even believe that i will actually get to spend eternity with God and all of his people. he is so good!!] because these students are lovers of Jesus, i get to spend the rest of eternity with them! [interjection #2: something i have noticed and experienced this year is the sweetness of relationships that have Christ as the foundation. i have never witnessed a more incredible bond than all of the students had with each other this year. this was without doubt because Christ was the foundation and what brought all of them together. this kind of true, sweet fellowship is a wonderful thing!] how cool is that? and this lifetime is so short. so, even though i do miss them now, i won't have to miss them forever!

one thing that helped me get through some of the goodbyes was thinking of it as 'see you later' not 'goodbye.' knowing that the girls downstairs (anna, kat, and emily) would be back in a few weeks made the parting more bearable. in light of heaven, though, every goodbye, for believers is a see you later, whether on earth or in heaven. that is so sweet!

i'm feeling a bit better now. God is so gracious to make a way for us to live with him and his people forever.

wow. so, this is it.

well, all of the out of town students are officially gone, as of this morning. i'm feeling emotionally drained. i can't even cry anymore. that's probably a good thing, i've shed enough tears for one week:) but, i still feel heavy. everyone is gone, and they have all taken some of my heart with them. a part i am so glad to have given them, but it's hard.

this week has been so full of preparations for graduation, hanging out every spare minute, and very little sleep.

i'm finishing up my last class this week! i'm pretty pumped.

anyway, this blog post is all to say, i'll be back soon! and i have a series coming: INSIGHT students. i'm excited to blog about every one of them and remember the incredible year with which the Lord has blessed me!

ok, back to work, whit.

so, i love the sound of music

this is so fun! i loved it!

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=78149734628&h=oL7w_&u=csyKl&ref=nf

aagh!

i'm feeling kinda frustrated today.

there's not one specific thing i can pinpoint as to why i'm feeling the way i am.

but it's yucky.

so, instead of dwelling on my pitiful state, i'm going to make a list of blessings in my life.

1. my room. it's so peaceful. definitely my happy place:)
2. piper chen waldemar. she is such a delight!
3. mommy. she's so wonderful, i can't even explain it! i love you, mom!!
4. INSIGHT. the students are a continual blessing to me and my family. love them.
5. emilie brown. she's coming over tonight! we always have a good time together. she's hilarious. and she can be really deep. we have the greatest conversations!
6. minneapolis. i love this city.
7. culligan water. so yummy!
8. hannah currie. i got to talk with her with her about life on monday night. we haven't done that in SO long. and she's really funny. always makes me laugh:)
9. jon winslow. he's a great listener! especially when i need to vent.
10. the sunshine earlier and now the cool breeze coming through my window.
11. tessa joy. she is so sweet.
12. saturday nights. church - always awesome! then hang out time with the students! definitley my favorite night of the week! [and it's tomorrow! whoo!]

hmm, well, i guess that's a good enough list for now. i'm definitely feeling happier:)

side note: taylor swift is great sad/crabby day music.

something about her sound and stories that is wonderfully therapeutic:)

thursday thoughts

so, it's supposed to be 80 degrees today. yes!

i'm really happy listening to rascal flatts: mayberry

i just took my glasses off. 1 - blast, my eyes hurt; 2 - i have those funny little red marks on the side of my nose. hahaha. for some reason they're making me laugh...

taylor has a baseball game tonight. can't wait!

the word running through my head is "ka-chow!" from cars.

THE STUDENTS WILL BE HOME TOMORROW!! (if i wasn't sitting on my bed with my computer on my lap, i would definitely be doing a happy dance:))

cake wrecks is hilarious. i can't even tell you. http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

i'm wearing shorts. i love wearing shorts.

i want to dance. and no one is around to go tonight. blast.

pi just woke up. we're going to go outside for a while.

enjoy this glorious spring day!

¡estornuda!

it means 'sneeze' in spanish.

i just sneezed. it was cool. i love sneezing. in fact, i used to make myself sneeze by sticking

q-tips up my nose. how gross is that? whatever it takes, i guess...

it made me think of north central. every time someone sneezes at NCU there is always

at least one "bless you!"

i've never seen nor heard so many people being blessed in my life!

i wonder if blessing a person after a sneeze is in the rule book...

michael buble

he's bascially brilliant.

he has an incredibly soothing voice.

he's been the background music in my room the past few days.
his "call me irresponsible" has been on repeat all afternoon:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlePsVrExPo

[photo from michaelbuble.com]

i love windows

they are dang cool.

but i really don't like cleaning them.

:)

update

i'm doing much better today! it may or may not have something to do with the bright sunshine pouring through my window today:)

but, really, the Lord has given me so much joy in being in minneapolis. i still miss the students and wish i could join in on the fun, but i'm really happy to be right where i am. praise God! i can't make myself joyful, but he has given me much joy!

anna posted some pictures of the conference so far - the bus ride and bible stacking. i loved getting a little taste of what's going on in chicago!

oh, and i just realized that jenny rigney's baby shower is this saturday! i'm darn excited!!

Life is hard, but GOD is always good!

Tears are leaking out. My heart is feeling sad.

I think this is going to be one of the hardest weeks so far this year for me. And not because of school. This week, all of the INSIGHT students are at the Gospel Coalition conference in Chicago. They are driving in the BBC van as I write this. I am so glad that they have an opportunity to set up for and attend this incredible conference. But I am so sad I can't be there with them.

There are now three weeks until INSIGHT graduation. One of those weeks, I am not able to spend every precious minute with the students. And that is really hard. Every time I am reminded of the students (and believe me, it is often. Almost everything I see or hear reminds me of something involving INSIGHT) I almost lose it. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach knowing that most of them will be leaving so soon.

If this week is only a taste of what my INSIGHT-less summer will be, I fear that I will be a complete wreck.

The timing of the conference is actually very good. I am starting to feel the pressure of the end of the semester and I need to be studying. So, not having the students as a delightful distraction is helpful. But, oh so sad.

But, praise GOD! He is still good, especially when life is hard and I'm sad. I need to keep reminding myself that I may not see many of the students after this year, but I will see them in heaven. And, not only will I see them, I will get to spend eternity with them, worshipping the LORD! How amazing is that?!

My mantra the past few years has been that life is hard, but God is good. I know that this could hardly be called suffering or a hardship, but I am sad, and God is still good.

So, Anna, Kat, Emily, Amy, Julie, Karissa, Raquel, Celinda, Courtney, Nick, Luke, Jon, Dana, Josh, Matt, TJ, Josh, and Mac...

I miss you all! I hope you have a wonderful time and love Jesus better after this conference. And I can't wait to see you all this weekend!

PS - this song is making me happy. It's one of the songs that was played when we went swing dancing last week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roTE4htKJek

a sign of summer

taylor had a baseball game today. way fun!

i love watching baseball... mainly because it's the only sport i basically understand:)

anyway, yay! i love summer baseball games!

good job, tay!

aaiieee!

lost is most definitely on tomorrow.

hooray!

i think there needs to be an AA or something for lost.
"hello, my name is whitney, and i'm addicted to lost."

:)

it ain't me, babe

it's stuck in my head.

but that's ok, i love johnny cash.

and i love how joaquin phoenix and reese witherspoon sing it in walk the line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P6BIlikDBs

enjoy:)

A Knight's Tale

I watched A Knight's Tale with the students last night. I have seen it before, but I didn't catch much of the humor. (Mainly because I couldn't understand the accents. I couldn't figure out what in the world they were saying! How sad is that?) Anyway, last night, I caught SO much more and it was WAY funny.

So, good movie. But, for the most part, it was fun because I was with the students! They are all so wonderful and I'm SO thankful for them! I only have about four weeks left with them, and I'm grateful for every minute I can spend with them!

26 days

26 days until the last day of class.

The end is so near and I'm feeling the stress. And it's yucky.

A certain amount of stress is healthy and keeps me motivated.

The kind of stress i'm feeling is so not fun.

I feel the pressure of so many papers to write and books to read. It's nearly crippling. So, I decide to escape from it all in music, facebook, talking to mom, playing with piper, etc. Ugh.

I am commanded not to worry or be lazy, yet I continue worring and being lazy. I need to continue reminding myself of this and then turn my stress into productivity.

God is good. Only by his grace will I make it though.

chickens? yes.

so, our neighbors have chickens. they run around in the back yard. it's weird.

so, this morning the doorbell rang. it was the chicken lady asking if she could look for her two missing chickens in our back yard.

just this afternoon, they (they neighbors, not the chickens:)) reassembled their trampoline. mom looked out the window at their back yard and said: "hey look! they put the mattress on the bouncy thing... so the chickens can hop!"

what?

regionals!!

whoo! bible quizzing regionals is this weekend!

Lord willing, i'm going to watch the second half of tomorrow's competition, then hang out with my friends!! i'm really excited! i've loved quizzing for so long and i'm really glad to be able to watch tomorrow and see people i haven't seen since the regular seaon ended!

go sundown!

the sea was angry that day, my friend.

we watched a really great storm come and go over downtown duluth.

it was fabulous.

i heart minneapolis

i LOVE living in minneapolis!

the city is beautiful.

here are a few of my favorite pictures of the downtown skyline:

(taken from the porch at my old house)

at my new house, i can still see some of the downtown skyline, but the view isn't quite this great.

cake wrecks

i love this blog.

it has had me in tears more times than i can count.

the point of the blog is to showcase professional cakes gone wrong.

cool idea. hilarious commentary.

this recent post is one of my favorites:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/03/nah-these-wont-traumatize-kids-at-all.html

enjoy!

3-year-olds are great fun

a few days ago, piper and i were talking. well, actually, she was telling me a story about mom and dad getting lost in the dark. what? anyway, she got this funny look on her face and looked intently into my eyes. “I see piperchingwalemoy* in there! HELLO PIPERCHINGWALEMOY! hallo, hallo, hallo. halalalalo!”

it made my afternoon.

*that’s how pi pronounces her name. all smashed together.

and her middle name is chen, not ching:)