Ana

I'm glad someone's talking about this.

Duluth.

Charlie and I took the most fantastic day-trip yesterday. a while back, we heard about this "tall ships" festival in Duluth, and marked the weekend off on our calendar as the weekend we would travel up north.

Here's Charlie at the start of the drive telling his parents it was 60 degrees and raining! (We didn't know it was going to rain).

In my long-sleeves and scarf! It was probably the coldest July day I'll ever experience. 

Here we are just north of Duluth on Lake Superior 

That's where Duluth is. That star that is at the very tip of Lake Superior.

We had a great trip. Charlie was really excited because Lake Superior looks just like an ocean!

We continued up through the rain to Gooseberry falls, which is on the north shore of the lake. It was raining pretty hard when we got there, but there were TONS of cars and people--we were surprised we weren't the only people there! But everyone looked determined to see the falls!

We picnicked in our car, and then headed out in the rain ourselves. It was just beautiful.

We hiked below the falls and went on every little trail we could find around them. Charlie looked for crawfish (of course) but only came up with a frog. I hoped to see a porcupine, but no such luck. Apparently, they're the number one danger to dogs out there. Those and wolves!

So after our fun time there, we headed back toward Duluth. We stopped in a little town called Two Harbors and stopped in a couple of gift-shoppy places. I got a cafe au lait and some no-sugar-added-blueberry spread. It's pretty good!

When we got back to Duluth, we took a drive around for a bit. There's this huge hill that butts-up to the lake. Charlie and I were a little more than baffled at how anyone gets around in the winter, but then again, we aren't Minnesotans. It was a gorgeous view. Since we had decided we were having enough fun without the tall ships, it was fun to see them from way above the lake.

The wind was blowing 100 mph and it was COLD and raining! 

We eventually found a place to park, and walked into town and looked around at shops--Charlie even got some smoked white fish! I don't think he's tried it yet... Oh. And we played a game of checkers in a toy store. Charlie let me win. I think he was bored. :)

We finished off the day eating at a place that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It looked very Diner-ish to us when we pulled up, but it was local and organic food with gluten free and vegan options. I has smoked salmon (yum!) and Charlie finally got to try hash! We were stuffed and pleased.

I know every relationship is different and there isn't a "right" way... but I sure love that Charlie and I are best friends and can just enjoy hanging out together like we did yesterday. It was fun, refreshing, and memorable. I just love him.


Oh. And we only have 29 days left. (omg!)

Hippity Hop. Jumpity Jump.

I am more than half-way through with my internship. Crazy, huh? We move back in just over 4 weeks. It's really gone by quickly. And I have loved it here. Probably in part because it was the right thing. I pray that feeling sticks with me. I think it will.

I'm getting nervous about finding a job. I know I said that already. I just feel like I have to get the perfect job right away to justify all of this to everyone who thought we shouldn't do this. Those people may or may not mostly be in my head. Which is an entirely different issue.

All that to say. I know we were supposed to come here and do this. I know we are supposed to go back. That's probably all I need to "worry" about right now. Everything else will work itself out. And fortunately I have moms and sisters who can help us settle into the "pastle" (palace + castle = pastle.) (I know. Too much. That's what Punkin calls it, okay?) But I'm glad I'll have lovely ladies to help us figure out where to put stuff and how to keep our kitchen stuff "safe" from gluten. And how to make our room homey. Without much of our stuff in it.

I know every phase and every stage of life should be lived with intentionality--but i'm really looking forward to getting more settled into our life and just becoming a bit more established.

job.

Can I just say that searching for and applying to jobs in and around the baton rouge area is bringing back really strange, nostalgic deja vu?

i'm remembering back to 2008 when ALL SUMMER i searched from Arkansas and applied to jobs. tons and tons and tons of jobs.

and then i moved to louisiana because i was in love and went door to door begging for jobs and applying for jobs and watching entire seasons and series of TV shows because there's only so much job hunting you can do per day.

and now i'm looking at the same hospitals for jobs. and submitting my little resumes and cover letters (although, I will say my resume is MUCH more filled out these days).

it's just weird. i knowknowknow that i didn't come up here for nothing. i know there's a good job for me. something i'll love and that i'll be good at. successful, even. gain some experience before i start poppin out babiessssss.

(i want babiessssssss)





sorry. side-tracked. and i'm craaaaaaazy.

i need a job! job. job. job.

Spirit of the Living God

I used to sing a song (similar) to this at summer camp. I had it stuck in my head tonight, and can't find the exact version I'm looking for. I think I might like it better when I sing it to myself :)

"Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me! Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Creator of the Universe, you formed my inmost parts. You are Lord of everything, and yet you know my heart! Lord, you created all I see.... Creator of the Universe, come create yourself in me!"

That's my prayer tonight. I need Him fresh and close and real and palpable. palpable? I need Him thick in the air. Thick in my breath and in my lungs. I need Him to speak, and not me. I need Him to lay His otter-fur mantle on my shoulders and look on me with purpose and destiny.

I'm being silly about the otter fur. Mrs. Annie just reminded me that I have an otter fur in their freezer because we're making Punkin a fur coat. AND I just learned that that's what a mantle is. A fur "coat"/cape thing prophets used to put on someone when God called them. Elijah put one on Elisha when he was out in a field plowing with his oxen.

The biggest otter in the world.

I believe God fell afresh on Charlie last night. Now I need it, too. A calling. A destiny. A direction. Not me, Him. I want it all to be Him.

update

what's been up with me lately?

well. i was asked to put my gluten free, home made meal away at an un-gluten-free-friendly restaurant. that was cool. fortunately through this process, i learned that that is illegal! so i wrote them a letter to inform them of that.

i'm working on the rehab (stroke) and icu units this week at the hospital. i'm really enjoying my work there. i think i was definitely made to be an RD. God's given me a lot of joy in it.

it's hot here. we don't have AC. BUT i am taking this all as an opportunity to re-acclimate. really, that's probably a good thing. i "worked" with charlie for a bit yesterday picking strawberries and raspberries, and i almost melted into a puddle. sooooo it's probably good we sweat all evening long :)  and it's nice because i have to wear a lab-coat all day at the hospital to keep warm!

what else? i had a fun friend in town this weekend! it was really great to see her. also since she was in town, charlie and i did more twin cities stuff than we ever do. we went to the lake nokomis beach which was very fun. we may have to go back there or to another lake before we move.

we've started trying to list and sell stuff for our move home. i hope we can sell it all. it feels kind of freeing!

my little sister is moving to LOUISIANA! i probably am definitely way too excited about this. i LOVE my Loup family, and having a galbo-cusper to share my life with (at least for a little while) will make it all the more sweet. phase 1. now i just have to get two parents and a sister and brother and kids to follow..... *myplanisworking*