thepopeswife

For the trivial record, I did shovel last week. Well, both Trevor and I shoveled. Well, he did most of the shoveling, but I helped. Kind of like how Trevor helped cook dinner tonight; it was a lovely sight to see him stir-frying onions and peppers and cutting up the bounty of his hunting (pheasant).

I'm sitting here, wondering if caffeine kills brain cells and hoping that if so, said lost cells will regenerate with quiet time and writing. I worked at Caribou this morning, and had a "mistake" latte, with 3 shots of regular espresso. As an almost fully decaffeinated girl, this is no small event (what was I thinking?!?), and I spent the remainder of the day in a flustered tizzy of wheel spinning productivity. Now it is evening, and we're NOT watching a movie and are not substituting with TV (that was Trevor's idea, and I'm glad for his restraint or I might be tempted to fill the time with some other media that, while inherently harmless, would not serve the point of the movie fast). After listening to the Dan in Real Life soundtrack about three times--because I'm shamelessly obsessed with everything Dan and refuse to give up the movie AND the music!-- we're now listening to a mix of tunes put together my dear pen-pal, Julie (thanks, Julie!). I am relaxed. I am decaffeinated. The brain cells are bound to grow back.

The past week has been a wonderful whirlwind of visitors. My brother didn't get stuck here on his way TO WI, but I was thrilled that he ended up staying here on his way back! He endured quite a blizzard-filled adventure on his way here, and we were thankful to welcome him to Hopkins not much before midnite on Wednesday evening. I could think of no better reason to take the morning off than to enjoy breakfast with my bro, so off we went to the Good Day Cafe for beniegts (New Orleans style donuts, i.e. a taste of heaven) and coffee. This restaurant is a must visit for any passers-through of Minneapolis, with the bright colors and cheerful staff, you can not help but believe it is indeed a good day. My bro engaged me with thoughtful questions concerning faith and politics as we soaked in the atmosphere and dined on the delicious donuts. It was bliss!

This past weekend Trevor's family was here, and the whirlwind time was filled with memorable moments. Meals were times to savor, as well as games of Mexican Train Dominoes. Trevor and I enjoyed talking "The Office" with our brothers, recounting all our favorite catch phrases and scenes throughout the seasons. . . . and we were thrilled when they went to see Dan in Real Life on Saturday (sans us, of course--no movies!), and spent much of the rest of the evening quoting the movie and listening to the soundtrack. A close second to actually seeing the movie is getting to talk about it with others who have! Perhaps the most momentous occasion of the weekend was when the "girls"--Trev's mom, aunt, niece, and myself-- converged at the Mall of America and partook in what may seem to be a childlike craze: BUILD-A-BEAR. Oh my gosh, I am sold on this idea, which seems like it's for kids, but I'm now convinced is also for adults who want to feel like kids. The two hours we spent in the "workshop" flew by, and at the end we held our creations (which we chose, heard, stuffed, fluffed, stitched, dressed, & named), already planning the next time we could visit and continue to accessorize our respective animals. Courtney made a pink bear and named her Princess, and dressed her in a pop-diva sparkly outfit; I made a female moose, named her Mavis, and outfitted her in leopard-print-bordered denim jacket and skirt. Oh, and red "bloomers" and red bows on her antlers (whether or not female moose actually have antlers is irrelevant in this activity). I really can't wait to go back, and I think everyone should build a bear--it is a refreshing way to feel like a kid, to be around kids, and to create anything you want. Keep putting those coins in the piggy bank and save your allowance! I'll gladly bring one and all to the MOA so they can go back to their childhood.

I recently realized that I forget much of what I read. For this reason and no other, I'm going to start listing the books I'm reading here in this journal, because it is after all, a journal--as much for me as for any one else who finds anything worthy of reading here. So, last week I finished Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point--a phenomenal book about what makes fads spread--what the "tipping point" is for something relatively unknown to become a wild must-have craze. His theories were worth studying, I especially enjoyed his observations about word of mouth and the stickiness factor of different things (he used such examples as Airwalk shoes, Sesame Street, Blues Clues, and teenage smoking). I am now in the middle of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, an enthralling fictional story of a Dr. who delivers and then gives up his Downs Syndrome daughter. . . .

And as I write about all these things, bigger things are happening always. A dear friend's grandfather just passed away and her family is grieving the loss of a beloved man. Also, I am thinking about and constantly checking a dear friend's blog. "R" and her husband have been struggling with infertility and have been blogfully documenting their journey through medicine and adoption--such circumstances are heartbreaking and makes everything I write here seem trite and trivial. God bless you, my family and friends, as you so vulnerably share your hearts and joys and struggles. Life is so often not easy and is marked with struggles amidst the joys--I am thankful for abundant examples in my life of people who so gracefully and faithfully respond to the unfortunate bumps in life's journey. . . . thank you, all.