Pop

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=1&emc=na Wow! I think I'm for this!! (I wonder how free refills play into this?..)

whew!

Well. This "summer" is off to a flying start. I had my first week at my internship and it went really well, overall. I did a lot of research on both Farm to Fork (or Institution) and SNAP acceptance at Farmers Markets. My preceptor is really nice, and I got to meet some interesting people. And everyone in my office is -really- nice.  It's a little bit awkward living in someone else's house... but it's okay. 

I came home this weekend to spend time with Charlie. We had a date night Saturday night!

Thai Food!! Charlie always gets a Thai tea.

And I always get Pad Sai Eiu (I don't think I spelled that right.) 

We even had leftovers!

It's been pretty rainy here lately. On our way home we saw this beautiful view of Minneapolis... You can barely see it above the tree-line

Yesterday after church we took the poochies to the park... Rufus isn't a very good play partner for dogs he doesn't know, so we left Punkin with a lab and mutt and took Rufus down to the marsh to swim. I think we wore him out good. After their bath when we got home, they snuggled on the couch :) He hasn't moved yet today!

Last night we went to a concert at Como Park. Charlie and I were the two youngest people there besides a few kids. It was raining outside the Pavilion and just such a nice, relaxing night. We even brought ice-cream along like my family used to do when we would visit Minnesota.

It was just a beautiful, rainy, summer night

The Pavilion and Como Park waterfall in the distance

I missed their umbrellas, but the rain doesn't stop people from fishing!

I'm so thankful I am interning close enough to come home on weekends. It'd be a long summer, otherwise.  I need my little family.

Fergy Part 2

Main Street

Looooooooon

Fergy

sooooo.... I'm up here. In Fergy (Fergus Falls) (I'm actually probably the only one who calls it that.) (And I may or may not have made it up just now.)

I think I'm going to enjoy my summer here! It was a rocky start, but I know it will all work out. Besides. I'm waking up at 5:30 just as spry and awake as can be. THAT HAS GOT to mean something.

And my advisor is me in 20 years. At least I hope I'll look and be like her in 20 years! (She's my height and blonde).

Yep. I'll try to take more pictures soon!

Goodbyes

She's all packed and ready to go

Geese

Look who I saw walking down the street!!

I think there's at least 20 babies!!

Melissa

Happy Birthday, dear Melissa!!

Can you believe we've been friends for so long? I'm so thankful to have a friend like you with so much history together... it's such a beautiful thing to share so many of life's experiences with someone. Look at that Fresca.

Brookhill, our Cinderella project in Mrs. Squyres' class, Quiz Bowl, Chess club, Band (band field trips--did you know my aunt lives in Alma?), visiting JBU, being roomies at JBU (me being the worst roomie ever and waking you up because I thought you looked like a gopher) (yeah.), Twirp dates, MICE dates, bean burritos, entire chocolate cakes. We've shared so much life together, Melissa! I'm so thankful for you!

We really are like a bunch of sisters! :)

You are such a smart, beautiful, talented person! I pray this year is the best, yet for you! May you find fulfillment in your work, relationships, and life!

...like a Norwegian

Miami Beach

pretty pretty

We had a Louisiana bird in our room!

Along with... Hawaiian fish...? 

Private beach (Great Stirrup Cay Day 1)

It was beautiful!! 

Aaaaaand I'm a terrible picture-taker. But what good rest and fellowship we had :)

Happy happy days

I'm going to miss several important celebrations while I'm out of town (and completely disconnected) the rest of this week. So I hope you don't mind if I celebrate you important people early and in one blog post :)

Happppppy Birthday, Risi!!

You are one of the most beautiful people I know. 

I love to watch you with the boys... it really brings out such a beautiful, caring side to you! You're a very nurturing person... I think that's also why you make such a good therapist.

I know you're going to be a great mommy because you're ALREADY a great mommy :) You even took in a poor helpless Moomoo when she wasn't even your responsibility to take in and love! 

 I love you so much and am so thankful to have you as a sister! I pray this is one of the best years of your life so far!



Aaaaand! Haapppppy Mother's Day, Mama!!

I couldn't be more grateful for you being my mom... to be raised by you and loved by you.

All the books you read us growing up about missionaries and the world definitely gave us all a bigger picture of God and what loving others can mean. Thank you for matching every dollar I earned and saved to go on Missions Trips.

You are a constant encourager to me, and I so appreciate how you -always- make time to listen to me!  Thank you for all the soup when I got sick. Thank you for the help with projects for school. Thank you for all the the Friday trips to the Donut shop to celebrate the weekend. Thank you for eating so healthy when you were pregnant with all of us girls. Thank you for your patience throughout my teen years. Thank you for teaching me the importance of being kind to others. Thank you for being silly :)  Thank you for going back to work so I could go to JBU. Thank you for the countless backrubs. You're such an amazing woman, Mama. I love you so much!

And Happy Mother's day to some of the other mamas I love!

Mamas are such beautiful, beautiful people! :) Hope you feel fully loved and appreciated today!

I'm not positive Saint Francis said this, but I really like the quote.

Good words to live by.

I'm very disappointed. We didn't get the house/duplex.

I'm mad that we even went to see it because now I'm worried we won't find anything that perfect again! I wish I had never seen it? Why did we have to go see it?

And it feels like there's nothing out there. Padmapper is empty. Where are all the houses/duplexes/cute apartments?

:(

After Charlie and I let our landlords know we would be moving out, they offered us a duplex they have in Minneapolis. They were having an open-house today, so we went to see it.

AND LOVED IT.

It's tiny. But it's also CHEAP and in a fun neighborhood that also looks safe. Next to a bakery (that also serves gluten-free breads). It was so perfect. Really the cutest little house I've ever seen.

So we applied. And then the girl who lives in the other half of the duplex said her boyfriend wanted it! So they feel like they need to give it to him if his background check checks out (I'm sure it will). 

I'm so sad. Like really, really sad.  I don't have the capacity to house-hunt with the other 2,937,234 things I have to do.

Seriously. Will you please pray that he realizes it's a really dumb idea to rent the duplex right next door to his girlfriend? Or something...? Please? 

It even had a fenced in yard.

Ps I'm also just extremely stressed with finals this week. And my RA stuff that isn't going to end. The semester ending apparently doesn't mean anything.

God is the best scientist...

I should have been reading my Medical Nutrition textbook more often...

Thoughts?

what does this verse MEAN?!


1 John 4:18

 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. (NLT)


There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV)


God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. (The message with verse 17)


There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love ^[a]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear ^[b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]. (Amplified)

I do NOT understand how fear and love are connected. Maybe it's my brain... but I want to apply this principle in my life so badly, and yet have NO IDEA what it's actually saying!

apartment hunting

Good times. Fortunately, this will (maybe?) be the last place we have to rent ever! That's a good feeling.

Charlie wants chicken soup for supper. I don't know how to make chicken soup! Carrots. Onions. Celery. Chicken stock. Chicken. Cilantro? (I think cilantro is good in anything.) We'll see how this goes.

I'm almost ...

...With the biggest project of my life.

All 40 pages of it. (Please don't laugh at me if you're fancy and write 900 page papers.)

Here was one of my contributions to the project:

Neat, huh? It's a word-frequency cloud... with more-used words larger than less-used words. Fortunately, this reflects the project since it is an intervention to increase iron consumption among pregnant teenagers. 

It's been a neat learning experience. 

I have plans for the summer! I have housing. I know what I'm going to be doing now, too... which is interviewing people (institutions) in the community about their interest in using more local foods. I'm going to see what kind of barriers are there preventing groups from doing so... then I'm going to meet local farmers, see what kind of products they have available, and create a system to connect the two! Farm to Fork! :)

Charlie's obviously excited since I'm going to learn about what he loves. He's always been an advocate for local over organic... and then trend is finally catching on!