4:30 pm, Thursday, talking to my niece, Alessandra, on the phone
Ale: What are you doing?
Me: Working
Ale: Why are you working?
Me: So I can make money
Ale: Oh. [long pause] Do you make popcorn at work?
Me: Um, no.
Ale: Well then what do you make?
Me: I make books at work.
Ale: Oh. I’m making cookies right now. [another long pause] Well I kind of have to go. Bye Libby Auntie
With the Office on hiatus for a month or so, Libby and I decided to give some new shows a shot to compete for a spot on the highly coveted Howe DVR List. The winner hands down is 30 Rock.
This show is smart, sassy, and just flat out hillarious. It’s all star cast is the the perfect blend of clever Saturday Night Live alums, big shots like Alec Baldwin and a few witty upstart comedians. Great stuff. This show is a pop culture enthusiast’s dream. The show is shot in real time and it takes jabs at everyone and everything.
30 Rock-welcome to a permanent spot on the Howe DVR list…
Last summer our neighbors got a puppy - the cutest Cavalier King Charles Spaniel you’ve ever seen. On Saturday they needed a dog-sitter and we had the privilege of hanging out with Chloe while we spent the day at home after the storm. She spent the majority of the day sleeping, either in Brian’s lap or, oddly enough, curled up in a pair of sweatpants he’d left on the floor in the foyer after shoveling! I only had my cell phone but check out a few pictures here.
This morning I decided to treat myself with a large coffee from McDonalds. About a year ago they switched to an organic Newman’s Own coffee and I pretty much love it. It’s even fair trade. And, like the reigning drive-thru coffee competitors, they started to add cream and sugar for you. What more could I ask? I have a special appreciation for this coffee, since about the time I discovered it I was visiting my mom, a fellow drive-thru coffee splurger, in Syracuse and, much to my disappointment, their “new coffee” was a different version…some “premium roast” crap. Anyways, further research shows that the Newman’s Own Green Mountain Coffee is exclusively a New England thing, and Albany is the western most point to offer it. I feel an obligation to patronize McDonalds, even if it is only to buy coffee, in order to show my appreciation for their decision to include Albany on the awesomeness. Since McDonalds is about 100 yards from my office, it’s hard not to splurge every day, so today was kind of a special occasion.
When I ordered, she said “that’ll be forty-three.” I responded”one forty-three?” (recalling that it’s usually close to two dollars) and she said “no, forty-three cents.” I looked at her kind of perplexed and, acknowledging my confusion, she replied with impeccable customer service and patience with, “What, do you want to pay more?” I was looking more for an explanation, like “You are the 43rd person to buy a large coffee at this location today! Your coffee will only be 43 cents!” (accompanied of course by balloons and confetti). Alas, her snooty comment was all I got. But who cares! I got coffee for 43 cents! I mean, it’s no Starbucks (dare I say it’s actually better?) but it does the job. Now I have to know…was this just a fluke or a permanent change?
“And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green”
I know that my excitement is a little bit premature, but I am getting really antsy about spring…for more than the obvious reasons. Usually I just like spring because it signifies the end of winter (which true Upstate New Yorkers know is actually a myth), but this year I’m actually looking forward to what spring brings with it. We got home from Elevate (winter camp) on Sunday afternoon and were greeted by 50 degree temperatures and sunshine.
I was initially pleased to come home and realize that we actually had 3-4 inches of margin when pulling in and out of the driveway since the snowbanks had started to melt back, widening the narrow entryway we’d been wiggling in and out of for almost a month. I was also pleased to see that most of the snow that had been worrying us up on the roof was gone, and there didn’t seem to be any leaking or damage to the gutters (eeeew, I sound like such a boring homeowner). Ok now on to the more exciting stuff.
This morning I heard birds chirping on my way into work, and noticed buds on the trees. Then when I got home, I smelled the most wonderful smell…a grill. One of my awesome neighbors who I have never met was grilling. If there weren’t still 2 feet of snow (which may or may not be around and on top of the patio furniture we had no place to store over the winter) on my deck I would have done the same…but just looking forward to it is good enough for me.
Oh, and I totally forgot to mention how much I love this early daylight savings thing. Although it’s a little odd on the days I go to the gym in the morning, because it’s still pitch black out at 6am, it is wonderful on the days that I don’t make it to the gym in the morning b/c I can still catch a run after work in the daylight without my lungs freezing. Oddly enough, this even makes my day better if I don’t actually take advantage of that run…at least I can make myself think that I might run instead of spending the day regretting the fact that I slept through my morning workout. Beautiful.
This list is getting long but I must mention that I listened to a CD in my car for the first time in a long time today, which means 2 things. One, it is warm enough for my very temperamental and extraordinarily picky CD player (in my increasingly ghetto car, which is another post for another day). Two, it was one of those “grab your favorite CD and roll the windows down” days, which you can of course cannot enjoy in the winter.
Oh and last year I planted stuff (do I call them flowers or plants? I’m not sure) in what I hope will resemble some sort of garden or landscaping (can you tell I am new to this) in our backyard. So I’m pretty pumped to see how/if/when I get to enjoy the fruits, or blooms, of that labor…while sitting on my back porch, in the sun, at 8pm, after a nice jog, eating something off of the grill…aaaaaaaaaaah.
No that is not an oxymoron. Check this out. One of my favorite places on the planet has decided that we all deserve a free pick me up. I dig Starbucks…not just because I love the coffee, but i dig everything about it.
I am a creature who dissects environments. One of my roles at Northway Church is to help create environments and experiences and you better believe we are always watching and learning from Starbucks. I love everything about the place…from their creative and thoughtful design and decor to the eclectic and not so eclectic patrons that fill the tables, couches, and oversized chairs. You always know what to expect when walking through the doors of one of their hundreds of locations, you will feel valued. You will feel like you are a part of something bigger. And for all of you who wonder why some people will pay 4 bucks for coffee…you aren’t paying for the coffee. You are paying for the experience…and it’s worth every penny.
This was hands down the best winter camp in our 4 year tenure with Northway Student Ministries. This can be largely attributed to those factors previously noted (although I didn’t end up tubing, all of the others came through with flying colors as anticipated) and some others.
I think what was most enjoyable for me was taking off the administrative hat, since everything was extremely well-planned before we arrived and I had no responsibilities other than “youth leader” (which translates loosely as “hang out with teenagers, try to have as much fun as them, bond in the meantime”.) And guess what - I did! The girls in my room were awesome, as were a lot of the girls in other rooms I didn’t know very well before. I also participated in WAY more activities than I usually do, since it took me 4 years to realize you can “supervise” stuff and do it at the same time. Thanks to my newfound appreciation for and participation in such activities, namely ice skating (with a doubles routine), rock wall climbing (with a few boosts from the guy with the pulley) and swimming (two ridiculously easy games of sharks and minnows), I am incredibly sore this morning. But with many fond memories 
The weekend was not incident free but we all got home and are either healthy or healing. Overall it was a great success and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually wish the weekend had been a little longer! Friday evening to Sunday morning trips fly by - especially when they fall on Spring Forward weekend (a cruel combination, really).
Elevate 2006 gave way to some serious bonding within our student ministry; students with students and students with leaders. A lot of our students made decisions that lasted and a lot them have since emerged as leaders within NSM. It’s cool to look back one year later and see how those students have changed, and how a new group of students are beginning down the same road. Can’t wait to see how far they will have come by next year’s Elevate!
It’s weekends like this that make me realize how much I love student ministry. When you get to step back from all the busy-ness, from setting up and tearing down tables and chairs, from striving to create environments that students will feel comfortable in, from eating Chinese food every wednesday (or thursday) night for 4 years… Weekends like this are what it’s all about, reaping the rewards of all of that madness because those kids did feel comfortable in the environment you created, and decided to register for Elevate. It’s worth it when you get to sit and melt chocolate with a hairdryer and giggle incessantly with four teenagers…when you hear them talk about their lives and how much they love having a place they can come to refuel and learn how to navigate through the trials that come their way…it’s hard to pinpoint specific things but very few people leave weekends like this the same way they came, youth leaders included.
This one word can pretty much summarize the past few days…at work, at home…and right now, as I am setting myself up to be late for “the bus” that will take me to Elevate winter camp for the weekend (it’s a real bus, not sure why I used quotes). I love Elevate. I don’t have enough time off every year to go with the students of Northway church to either of our Summer Camps, but Elevate is on a weekend - yay for me. There’s something about a group of people huddling in from the cold (and occasionally playing outside in the cold) for a weekend that is inherently fun and somehow, after the fact, unifying. I always have a blast acting like a kid with few responsibilities (except for the students I am responsible for) for 2 whole days, and I love getting to know the students better.
I’m especially excited for Elevate 2007 year for the following reasons:
Ok, bus leaves at 4:30, gotta run!
Though I have become accustomed to the news coverage, I was still a little shaken when I was greeted by the following headlines on Yahoo!:
Just to clarify - I’m innocent!
