Dear Christopher Lytle...

On Friday, September 26th at 3:31 p.m., my dear friend Christopher Lytle left the following comment for me:

"I think you guys should blow off Vegas and come to our Harvest party. You know, since you guys don't have fall in Minnesota."

That statement inspired Chris and I to take a drive around our neighborhood on Sunday afternoon to, you know, take pictures of our "non-fall" here in Duluth.

A street in the Woodland area of Duluth (where we live).

The baseball field a block from our house.

More trees.

Lots of color on our street!

We can see this cemetery from our street, also.

Maybe, Christopher, you should have your harvest party HERE...you know,
since concrete doesn't turn pretty colors in the fall.

(P.S. Kidding aside, you know I'd love to be at your party. I miss you guys!)

What If I Actually Believe the Bible?

I subbed for a high school Biology class today. Substitute teaching isn't really "teaching"- rather, "facilitating," usually with worksheets or videos. The latter was true today. So on my fourth screening of "Biological Ecosystems" (don't everyone run out and rent it at once!), I decided to breeze through a biology textbook. What I found was exactly what I expected, but that didn't make it any less disappointing. As a high school student, there is clearly no room for the opinion that God is the origin of all life. How, for example, would you answer the following questions?

Textbook: Biology: An Exploration of Life
Authors: McFadden/Keeton
Page 860

Study Question #1: When and how did the earth & it's atmosphere form?

Failing Answer #1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) ...And God said, "Let there be space between the waters, to separate water from water." And so it was. God made this space to separate the waters above from the waters below. And God called the space "sky." (1:6-8)


Study Question #3: How could small organic molecules have polymerized to form macromolecules such as proteins & nucleic acids?

Failing Answer #2: It's scientifically absurd to believe that such simple organisms can grow to greater complexity. This is supported by numerous laws of science.

Study Question #9: Make a timeline showing the major events in the evolution of life, including mass extinctions.

Failing Answer #3:
The beginning: God creates the heavens and the earth.
Day 1: God creates light (and, consequently, darkness.)
Day 2: God creates sky and water
Day 3: God creates land and seas
Day 4: God commands the sun, moon and stars to govern day, night and seasons.
Day 5: God creates fish and birds.
Day 6: God creates animals, as well as Man and Woman.
A very short time after that: Sin and death enter the world.
Flood of Noah: Massive flooding compromises atmospheric conditions, causing much shorter life spans for all living things. Dinosaurs, lizards who have roamed the earth for centuries growing larger and larger, become extinct in massive form. Two lizards are retained aboard the ark.

My question is,
How do you survive the educational system as a creationist?

(If you are reading this post on a blog reader, you may have to go to my blog to see some of these answers. My formatting is being weird today. Sorry!)

Saturday Schruteness.

Michael Scott: Does anyone have any idea what the number one cause of death is in this country?

Dwight Schute: Shotgun weddings.

Jim Halpert: That's not what that is.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Chris rolled over this morning and said "Happy Five Month Anniversary!" For all of you old married folk, I know this sounds like nothing...and on the scale of a lifetime together, it is. But, I'm again reminded why I have the best husband in the world- before I can even think it, he remembers dates like this.

And ever since he mentioned that, I've been reminded several times of the five-month benchmark today- a call from our officiating pastor, just seeing how things are going, an e-card from family back home, and a dinner gift card from one of the participants in our "Stavenger Hunt" at the reception- and right on time, too! We're so grateful for the love and support of all of our friends and family. Thank you SO much for making the first 5 months so enjoyable!

"I'll Have An Awesome Blossom, Please. Extra Awesome."

It's Thursday, and this is a fabulous Thursday!

First, I didn't substitute today (hence the glee in my writing.) :) And Chris got home early, which is always a nice surprise.

Secondly, our new dining table arrived today! Now, I just have to make sure Chris doesn't get stressed out assembling it...because that could turn "fabulous Thursday" into "terribly tense and frustrating Thursday". No one wants THAT!

And, I know all of you have been holding your breath for the results of our volleyball tournament after this post. Just a recap...we won about 7 of our 48+ games throughout the season. But at Playoff time, something crazy and magical happened...we became this invincible team- going into our final game of the tournament as the ONLY undefeated team. And this Cinderella story has a happy ending- we are officially the 2008 Skyline Volleyball Champions! Today, we're basking in victory, sporting our winning t-shirts, and wondering what the heck happened.

Finally, this entry wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Thursday event we've been looking forward to since May: The return of The Office! That, and Coldstone Creamery's free ice cream tonight makes for a perfect date night!

I hope your day was terrific, too!

Flaunting Our Fungi.

I saw these mushrooms growing in our backyard, and thought they were quite whimsical-looking, in an "Alice in Wonderland" kind of way. Chris, on the other hand, thought they looked disturbing, in a "Sigmund Freud" kind of way. I'll let you decide.

Shhhhhrrrroooom!

Girls, Girls, Girls!

We had a fun time this weekend hanging out with Chris' sister Carrie and her posse- some from Duluth, and some from elsewhere. Chris, as you can see, was happy to be surrounded with so many lovely ladies. As the resident male, we assigned him the job of grill-master. Unfortunately, they didn't turn out as planned (see Carrie's account here). I've assured him that even the most seasoned grillers have a meat mishap from time to time. (By the way, Carrie really IS having a good time in the picture below!)

Later, we were able to celebrate our friend Sarah's 30th birthday! (Another twenty-something bites the dust.) Again, I think Chris is happy to be flanked with ladies. *wink*

I Knew There Was Something Different About You...

Me: Are you a student helper? (said to the high school girl sitting behind me, with the long, black hair and the John Lennon spectacles)

Student: No. I'm in this class.

Me: Really? Why are you sitting back here?

Student: Everyone that hates me is in this class.

Me: Well, that's challenging. But, you know, in life you'll encounter people that dislike you from time to time. It's life. You need to figure out how to step around that so it doesn't affect your ability to get your work done.

Student: They pick on me because I'm half wolf.

Me: Half what?

Student: Half wolf.

Me: Ohhhh.

End of conversation. I don't have any experience in wolf education.
Ummmmmmmm...

Get Used To It!

It's CLEANING day, and this is the list I made this morning. Chris is very proud that it's his first "to-do" list. As you can see, I'm starting him off slowly...so *someone* has no room to complain that he has to clean under the toilet seat.

This is, after all, an equal opportunity household.

Trading Spaces

More like, Trading "Places". I was feeling like our nightstand and dresser made one half of our bedroom look crowded, while the other side had nothing on it. To remedy this problem, I decided to move the nightstand to the opposite side of the bed. it was a brilliant move, if you ask me. But, it meant that Chris' alarm clock would also have to move. Rather than trust me with such a task (I'd be offended if I didn't have such a shifty record with alarm clocks...), we (I) decided we should try switching "sides". Chris has ALWAYS slept on the left, and I've always slept on the right. It was a risky experiment because, as you can probably relate, it's difficult to retrain sleep patterns. So...you can probably see where this is going...as he was rolling over towards what he THOUGHT was the edge of the bed,

instead, he clocked me in the face.

And, though he has apologized profusely for his subconscious behavior, I see no reason to be sorry. It was my idea to try switching sides, so I should have been more proactive in assuring my nighttime safety. A face guard probably would have helped.

I'm pleased to report, now, that since that incident I have not been physically harmed in any way during my slumber.

Question of the Day:
Would you ever give up YOUR side of the bed?

You Never Know What You're Gonna Get.

Yesterday, I walked into the fourth grade classroom I was scheduled to sub in (halfway through the day), and the first words out of the scowling teacher's mouth were "This class is RUDE and IMMATURE. Good luck this afternoon!" Wow. I think she earned the "Beware: Crabby Teacher" sign adorning the front of her desk. It's not a surprise that the class lived up to their reputation. It was one of the most stressful days I've had as a substitute to date.

So, God knew that I needed a day to breathe and regain my optimism about my current employment status. Today I worked at the Juvenile Detention/Resident School near our home, and- I'm not gonna lie- I was VERY apprehensive about what was going to transpire today. However, with the excellent staffing and support they have in place there, it was the BEST day I've had this school year! I even had the opportunity to do some impromptu college advising.

Substitute teaching is like a box of chocolates...

Stupid Kids.

Again, I blog about our apple tree. We have a love/hate relationship with it. We LOVE the yummy apple crisp and snacks it provides for us. However, we HATE the clean-up. And since it hangs over the sidewalk, this creates a whole other problem: serious temptation for children.

I was resting the other day, and heard lots of rustling outside. When I got up to investigate, I found two 5th/6th-ish grade boys running around our yard throwing apples. As I watched from my window, I saw how they had been entertaining themselves for some time...throwing apples up the street. Soon, though, a car drove by and they went into hiding next to our porch. I took the opportunity to surprise them with a little verbal discipline from the homeowner. As you can imagine, they ran...escaping through our backyard and giggling with adrenaline.

I thought this was the conclusion of the apple episode, but here's where it gets shifty. Chris and I were watching T.V. when we heard an apple hit our front window. Within MOMENTS, Chris was outside on the porch scoping the scene of the crime. We found the evidence, but no suspects. This, of course, fueled the "Jack Bauer" instinct in my husband. He threw on black pants and a black top and laid in our grass for nearly half an hour, waiting for a return visit from the culprit (I told him his getup wasn't very effective with his white socks still up to his knees). The suspect never returned, but every once in a while thoughout the evening, Chris would disappear- and I'd find him with the lights out in the guest room, stealthily peering out the window. Being the good wife that I am, I figured it warranted a "good job, honey. Way to protect the house!" and a swift exit from the room.

Sometimes, boys just have to have their capture-the-flag style fun.

Because You Need To Know.

And the award for the most interesting avenue to my blog via the good 'ol Google search goes to:

the person searching for lyrics to Kanye West's "I'm calling out to all my ladies".

I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for here...but that won't happen again! Since it's my intention to please my readers, I've supplied lyrics to the aforementioned song (?) below (minus some special words...this is a sophisticated blog, after all). Enjoy.

I'm...calling ( yeah maybe I'm selfish)
Out to (I want you to myself I can't help it)
All my (yeah maybe I'm selfish)
Y'all my, ladies and I can't (maybe I'm selfish)
(I can't) Let you (let you)
(I want you to myself I can't help it)
Be with no one (yeah) but me (yeah) baby

To my thick chicks down in Texas
All the way to New Orleans where da girls cook catfish
And in LA every chick's an actress
Hollywood status with the shaded glasses
To Detroit, yeah the place that I rest
Where the ladies got a** to sell a lot of (uh..)
And Hot Atlanta y'all is one of the best
Where they speak southern and slang and smoke (um..)
And New York women are way too fresh
Too much on your mind let me ease that stress
I wish you all were mine it's so selfish
Maybe I'm feelin myself too much I guess
But, to my ladies all across the globe
In small towns that I don't even know
To all local international codes
Whether you see me in streets or catch me at shows, I'm
callin...

People, I do this for you. :)

It's Warming Up Around Here!

There's a phrase you're unlikely to hear in Duluth in September! But as an Art substitute today, I spent the better part of my day talking about warm colors and cool colors. Therefore, I am way dialed in to the emerging fall colors around me today. For example, the wreath above is now gracing our door. I've always thought a wreath on the door is the perfect finish to any home. It's very inviting, and it just screams "Fall is here!...at least at OUR house!"

Our tree out front is now ripe with big, red apples. A car pulled up the other day and asked if they could pick a buckets-worth from our tree. Apparently they do this every year, which makes me wonder, is this the only apple tree in Duluth or something? Here's the bad part about apple trees (or any fruit trees, for that matter):

They end up all over our yard as food for all of our furry forest friends. I'd go pick them up, except I don't want to. ;)

Things I Learned as a P.E. Teacher

• Gymnasiums amplify noise by a million.
• There are hundreds of variations for every game...and each of your students will know a different one.
• 8th graders can be really pleasant...or really evil.
• They think all their regular P.E. teachers are "weird".
• P.E. teachers ARE usually kinda weird, you gotta admit.
• "Greg & Steve" CD's are still great teaching tools for the little ones.
• In games of "Freeze", boys will ALWAYS fall on the floor at the last minute.
• A whistle is a necessity.
• I really should have stretched this morning.

Cool Beats and Sweet Treats.

We couldn't really get out of the house for a date night last week, so we stayed in, cranked up some tunes on the stereo and...made caramel rolls! Of course, I made Chris do all the hard work- rolling out the dough. I hate that part. But he was quick to flaunt his adolescent pizza-tossing experience, and seemed to enjoy it. They turned out really well, and there's nothing like eating them right out of the oven. Yummer.

How Did I Not Know This?!

I'm usually the first person to broadcast to the world the official commencement of Autumn: aka, the arrival of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. But I see Sarah already beat me to it! With only 2 Starbucks locations in Duluth, I feel like I have gone from a close friend to a distant acquaintance. I haven't been there in months. But the return of this old friend certainly warrants a special trip on a cloudy, chilly day.

A Little Weekend Vacay.

Ahhhhh, it's so hard to kick-start back into blogger mode after a nice vacation. But here I am, finally. This weekend, Chris and I spent some time at the Lake cabin...likely our last time at the cabin this summer. It was SO great. Beautiful weather, beautiful stars, lots of down-time (mostly spent watching football and checking stats. Oh yes...it's fantasy football season!).

The purpose of our trip was two-fold. Not only were we there to enjoy the lake, but on Saturday, we trekked into Moorhead to celebrate Brian's 30th birthday! It was a well-kept secret, which is amazing because Chris can't keep secrets worth anything. Anyway, ALL of his siblings were there (from various locations in Minnesota). Gotta love a good surprise party. And, I feel a little bit better now that I'm not the only one in my thirties! :)

Chris and I wait for "the surprise".

Not a great shot, but the only one I have of Brian's entry.

Re-u-nit-ed, and it feels so gooood...

Marcus and Brian give the cake a big "thumbs up"!

And Mallory looks like she's having lots of fun, too!

Stopping for a pic with sista-in-law and motha-in-law.

It's About Frickin' Time.

Some of you have been curious to the status of my employment, and I've been hesitant to go into the whole story because it's been a long, frustrating battle with the Dept. of Education here. I must be the first person to ever relocate to MN from California, because they had no idea what to do with me. (They didn't even consider my full CA credentials valid because it didn't say the word "elementary" on it.) Anyway, God prepared me well for this fight, and as a former Credential Analyst, I was able to have "words" with the department in a professional way. Sadly, I've had to do much of the work myself.

The plan *was* to substitute in January until I returned to CA for the wedding, then try to pick up a full-time position for the fall. Unfortunately, it took months to get my substitute license. I received it the day before I was to leave for CA. And, because of a series of errors, my full-time license was also delayed. I FINALLY received it in the mail on Thursday- the first day of school in Duluth. You gotta give 'em credit for being consistent with their inopportune timing. (eye roll)

Since Minnesota has NO reciprocity with California, I have to retake all my exams and enroll for two courses at UMD, completing all within the next year. So THAT'S what I'll be doing with my time!

The end is in sight. Sigh.

From Worst to First

Sets on the Beach

Chris and I, along with some of his colleagues, have been playing in a volleyball league every Wednesday night. I love it...it gets me out of the house, and I've become friends with everyone on the team. There have been some tough nights- we play RAIN or shine, and it has rained ruthlessly on us a few times. My competitive nature, well, I've had to put that aside. We're just not very good. Since May, we've won 7 of 46+ games. The end of the season arrived last Wednesday, and our league standing was last place. (I curl my lip as I write that. It hurts a little.)

BUT, now the game has changed...it's PLAYOFF tournament time, and it's game ON! On Wednesday we won two games back-to-back. And, much like Michael Phelps, we've been saving our energy for when it REALLY counts. So, Duluth Skyline Volleyball league, be prepared for the upset of the century!! Muuuah haha...

Above is one of our raaaainy day games...clearly this is prior to the deluge.

Our powerhouse girls: me, and Sarah, Angie, and Brandy (all nurses at Lakewalk Surgery center)

And the boys (who are dwarfed by tall Tom, who can block the ball without his feet leaving the ground...), Josh, Tom, Dennis and Chris. Chris is a STUD with his diving and eats the sand on a weekly basis.

Jenky is a Word!!

Jenky (j-ayn-key)
(adjective) inferior quality; held in low social regard; old and delapidated; refers almost exclusively to inanimate material objects, not to people. (Urban Dictionary)

I used this word the other day, and Chris had never heard it before. That's weird, because I use it all the time. It must be while talking to my girlfriends. Anyway, I was considering tanning here in Duluth, just to give me a running start for wintertime (it's gotta hold me over till, like, April). There is a video store down the street that is also...a tanning salon. There are 3 small rooms behind the counter. Two of them house tanning beds, and the third contains a selection of adult movies. So to put this word in context for you:

Jamie: I really need to look into some places to tan.
Chris: Why don't you do it at the video store?
Jamie: Yeah right! That place is so jenky! (If I wanted to go TOTALLY Nor-Cal, I'd throw in a "hella" in place of "so".)
Chris: Jenky? You mean junky?
Jamie: No...jenky. It's a word.
Chris: What does THAT mean?
Jamie: It means I'm not tanning at the freaking VIDEO store.

Anybody else drop "jenky" on occasion?


(This post stemmed from a conversation with Beth. Thanks for the idea, BFF.)

Well, Isn't That The Sweetest!

My wonderful husband just called me from work to say hello, and he told me the following story:

"So...the weirdest thing happened...I was thinking about you during one of our cases, and- well, this is kinda morbid and gross- but I looked down at my sponge and the blood was in the shape of a heart!"

Everyone together now...
"Awwww!"

(By the way, really sorry about the totally creepy picture above, but I thought I'd spare you blood-stained hearts during your mid-afternoon reading.)

We'll Take Over The Internet Someday.

It's September, and Stavengers are bustin' out all over!

A couple months ago, Chris and I went down to the photography studio to get his picture taken for the OA website. I even ironed his scrubs for him so he would look extra sharp. Finally, OA updated their website and...let's just say...if I didn't know he was married, I'd break a bone to meet the 3rd P.A. from the top.

And, in addition to starting another school year, my sister-in-law has started a blog. It will be good to keep up with her from afar, and I'm sure college will supply lots of experiences for her to share! If you're a fan of Secondhand Serenade, or just want to see a pretty picture of "our" lake, go stop by Wish You Were Here and show her some love.

Weighing In On "The Shack"

I read it slowly, cover to cover, and thought I'd unleash my two cents on the book. This novel (and I'll reiterate...NOVEL) came by me highly recommended. In fact, I was a little leary reading it BECAUSE of all the hype. Then I had friends calling me and telling me "it's the most AMAZING book you'll ever read!" Still I had other friends telling me it's heretical and theologically unsound. Chris breezed through it before me, but my literary digestive system is much slower in cases such as this.

The first 5 chapters went pretty quickly, as it reads much like any mystery novel. But then chapter 6 happens, and all I could think was "what the...!?" I can't give away the storyline, but let's just say that God is portrayed in a very unconventional way. While I don't think the story is heretical, I do think it needs to be read with discretion. With any novel that is inclusive of religious theology, there are often elements of truth...but those are usually interminged with lots of imagination on the author's part, or how they interpret scripture. It, after all, has no more authority on God's reasoning than Left Behind has on the tribulation.

The objectives of this book are clearly twofold:
1) To answer the question of why God allows suffering, and
2) To give us a tangible, intimate understanding of the Trinity.

It does the first, I think, very well. Then again, will we EVER know the answer to that? All we can do is draw our best conjecture and leave the rest to faith. The second was a little harder for me to swallow. If you've read the book, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And I wasn't a big fan of all the crazy "color" stuff, either. But during the sermon at our church on Sunday on "intimate relationships," I found myself picturing the scenarios in "The Shack". In that way, I suppose it accomplished it's goal.

I'm interested in your opinions...
Fire away.

Thanks for Visiting, Gustav.

Hello, friends! I hope you had a FINE holiday weekend. I'm personally thankful that the weekend is OVER. Chris worked 32 hours in over three days. That's 32 hours alone. Now, I appreciate an evening to myself now and then, but three days with myself is too much (don't get me wrong...I'm lots of fun!). Now things are back to normal.

Today was a new start. Sub calls shouldn't be coming in quite yet (the school year starts on Thursday). So I planned to get OUT of the house (finally) and take a walk by the lake. And then THIS happened to thwart my plans:

Instead, I squealed to Stephanie on the phone while Thunder and massive crashes of lightning rattled the house. Stupid summer monsoons. In addition, it made the weather (and, consequently, our house) terribly muggy and humid. Gross.

So...another day indoors. I did manage to make it over to Barnes & Noble to pick up some new books. Stay tuned for my newest selection! (Perhaps I should start my own book club. If Oprah can do it, I can do it!!)