Part Lumberjack, Part Caveman

In loving honor of my new husband, this post is all about Matt and what he loves.  Before you read the following statements, be sure to practice saying the word "love" with much emphasis on the "uh" part.  And then a big pause after the noun/verb while you contemplate just how much you "louuuuhve" the said noun/verb.  Because that is how Matt says it.

Matt:
I love food.

I love fire.
 
I love this pan.

Me:  Do you love chopping wood?
Matt:  YESSSSS.  I love Cutting AND Chopping.

And finally, last night, the statement that stole my Wisconsin heart:

I love cheese.

Of course you do dear, because you love all foods minus melons and coleslaw and that one thing you told me yesterday at the grocery store that I can't remember.  And to think that I get on your case for forgetting stuff!

Since half of his list involves fire and wood, it's only fitting for a little glimpse into our bedroom lately...

 

....because it's really cold and our house is really drafty, our bedroom is now the living room!  Matt gets up every few hours to grab the wood that he chopped and throw it into the fire he crafted.  I'm enjoying the warmth and Mia is enjoying the free snuggles.  Matt is just enjoying all of it, because he loves so much, which is one reason we louuuuuuhve him so much!

Expectations

(This posting was originally themed 'Expectations and Entitlement' but by the time I got around to entitlement, the expectations had brought me too much joy and I decided to quit right there.  Lesson learned.) 

Last week brought my friends Katie and Dave a beautiful little gift in the form of wrinkly skin, poopy diapers, and a pretty face with TWO! dimples.  After months of anticipating her arrival, Sophie showed up exactly when she was expected.  I watched as Sophie's new parents stared at her with awe, amazement, and of course love as she yawned, wiggled, and enjoyed her 1st-day-of-life-out-of-the-womb slumber.  Oh!  How an itty bitty person can carve such a gargantuan mark on our souls.

 
Later that week, Matt and I got our own little unexpected bundle of joy to the tune of sloppy water drinking, destruction prone, loves to chase squirrels doggie, Mia.  She is needy, skinny, scared, and FULL of love.  She hasn't left my 5 foot personal space bubble since Saturday.  At the first feeling of abandonment, Mia attempts to flee, victimizing anything in her way (including but not limited to: vases, plants, picture frames, window blinds, window screens). So we bought a crate.  At any rate, loving Mia means being patient, forgiving, and learning how to fix psychological issues within a dog.  But she isn't just a dog; she is MY dog, my buddy, my Mama Mia.

Feels something like an Alien

When you get married, things change.  Some people choose to change their names as a symbol of unity, becoming one flesh, one family.  I did it to prevent my kids from having to endure cheering at their basketball games..."Yeah!  Put it in the bucket, Bird-Pfister!"  "Bird-Pfister, Bird-Pfister, defense, defense!"  It was just the nice thing to do.

I had to change my name on my bank account, credit card, drivers license, social security card, and other important accounts, like my Facebook profile.  Surprisingly, most name-change applications inquired about employment.  The bank lady actually asked me TWICE about my job.  Usually, the painful exchange goes something like this:

"Where are you working?"
"I'm currently unemployed."
"Oh, I'm sorry." (said with much empathy/pity)
"No, really it's ok.  I'm unemployed by choice for now."
"Oh.  So, what do you...do?"

As in, how can you possibly contribute to society by NOT working?!  What do you...do?  It cracks me up.  And then it makes me feel bad.  So, in keeping with relishing and appreciating the time allowed by my unemployment, this post is dedicated to stuff I do, did, or have done lately that I would have not otherwise been able to do during a teacher's workday.

-gave moral support to a friend at 11:00am while she was applying for jobs

-baked bread for the neighbor who just lost her husband

-drove to Houston to see new nugget

-made applesauce

-found cheap couches on craigslist at 1:00pm

-carried couches into house at 1:30pm

-got couch cushions refoamed

-wrote a zillion thank you notes

-gchatted with a friend at work in crisis

-finished these projects:

Matt's arm warmers and 3 pairs of wrist warmers, goes well with unemployed status.

  Sophie's sweater...she should be coming any day now!

I am dually proud and ashamed of this sweater.  Proud because I finished it, ashamed because there are a lot of unexplained bumps and holes.

Things I will do in the future:

-complete job application.

If Bruno says it, it must be True.

My good friend, Bruno, often tells mini-stories that are kind of unbelievable and then ends his statement with, "No, really.  It's true."  He is from Brazil and I think they like to tell the truth in Brazil.  While chatting with him online today, he wrote:  If a good cook is too thin, you can't trust her food.  In my quest to be a good, respectable cook, I will NOT go jogging today.  Baaaaaah!  The idea of me being 'too thin' has never entered my mind before today, but he is my friend and I must heed his advice. 


Thanks, Bruno.  I think I'll go start cooking dinner!

note: Bruno is my very first Brazilian friend, and the only blue eyed Brazilian I know.  I assumed he was Scandinavian when we first met, and thought he was lying to me.  I should have known better.


Me - "What?  You're Brazilian?"  
Bruno - "No, really.  It's true.  I am from Brazil."  

See?  They always tell the truth!

Jog Blog

Since jogging alone is not a social activity, mentally stimulating, or plain entertaining for me, I like to have some company; my little green second hand iPod.  Today was a little different.  While running jogging around my newly discovered lake route, I took out the ear piece closest to the lake, as if to try and hear what the lake was saying.  "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?  My iPod was turned up too loud."  I think it said something like, "You should get out more." 

Talking to Rosa is now an hourly occurance.  Frankly, I think she understands me, which also means she is learning the full extent of just how nutso her Human is.  Case in point; when the Hershey's squeezy bottle refuses to give up it's last tablespoon of chocolate, I open it up and stick my finger in it and pretend it's a bowl of brownie mix.  I HAVE GOT TO GET OUT AND SEE SOME NORMAL PEOPLE. The real problem?   Matt just laughs when I talk to my cat or shamefully lick the last bit of chocolate from the bottle.  And I laugh at him when he rounds the kitchen corner looking like this:

It makes me laugh so hard whenever I see it.  He was training for the Northern Blizzard Smog Jog.  OR He was working on our fireplace and didn't want stuff in his lungs or his eyes.  The result?

 

No wait, that's my applesauce...which was also very enjoyable.

 

The fruit of his hard labor was this:

So maybe my days of solitude aren't so bad; a warm fire, knitting goodies, and eating applesauce.  I'll see what the lake has to say tomorrow.  

Falling for Fall and Color

Autumn always brings out feelings of nostalgia for me; the smell of freshly fallen leaves takes me back to treasured trips to the "Patch" with Mom to pick out the best pumpkins, weirdest looking gourds, and witness the projectiles of the pumpkin cannon.  And we mustn't forget the caramel apple stuck between your last 2 molars that kept the memory of the visit alive for weeks.

Ah, the Pumpkin Patch.  It's like a form of (dare I say it?) worship for me.  It is a recognition that summer is Over.  Days of grilling out with friends late into the night, laughing around the bonfire, drinking cold fruity refreshments, and warm breezy bike rides are Gone. To visit the Pumpkin Patch is to acknowledge this End, and to welcome the Beginning; backyard football games before the light fades, homemade soup and bread, and laughing around the fireplace, drinking hot chocolaty beverages.  While at the Patch, I give thanks for the beauty surrounding the End and wonder if our End will look as brilliant and beautiful.

After a 2 year absence from the Patch, I was back to a new one without Mom but with a new husband and 2 neighbors.  We picked pumpkins and apples and welcomed (tasty) Autumn. 

 The Copper Street Brass Quintet also gave some respite from a cold day of transitions (changing my name-gasp!)  Their Color Project Tour concert was warm, refreshing, and full of beauty.  Matt even commented afterwards, "Wow, that was really different!"  (I think he expected to be bored at a brass concert!)

It may not have cured my transitional blues, but it certainly helped me give up hope for one more day in flip flops.  The sweaters are being unpacked, the arm warmers are being knit, and the soup's on. 

Words from People I Love

In place of my words and pictures (half of these photos are taken by Souba or Court) here a few snippets of recent funnies and lovies* from some of my favorite girls...

Dedication
I really need you guys to all make lots of noise and clap during our encore. Al

I pulled my bull horn out of storage to blast along to the beat...and I have my pleated mini-skirt. Courtney

Peace

I hope your newly wedded bum is enjoying every single second of it! Jen

Obsessed Fun

Where are you??? I'll admit I'm been stalking your page and blog a little bit... call me! I want to be phone friends!!! Call me!!! Emily

Sunshine

You make my days bright!! Love you MOM

*Posted without permission. :) Love you too.

Love, love, love...Bum bah bum...love, love, love...

As a result of Two People Falling in Love, a few things recently came to fruition. After a year long cross-cultural, cross-sea engagement, surrounded by friends and family on a beautiful September day, Matt and I exchanged our vows. It was perfect, with one exception; one of my brothers could not be there because of a different "fruit."


After a great honeymoon in Mexico, I hopped into the car with Mom for a long drive to Texas. Waiting for us was a warm bundle of gurgles and grunts that kept Adam from walking me down the aisle. At first glance, I decided Collin was probably worth missing the wedding, and I fell in love, again.


At a friend's baby shower, her mother shared her thoughts from when she was pregnant with her 2nd baby (which turned out to be be TWO babies!). I will paraphrase..."I couldn't imagine how I could love ANOTHER baby, when I already loved my little family so much! But I did!" She went on to express her amazement at how we never really run out of love; the more people in our life in need of love, the more we have to give. I thought that after spending so much time with and loving my family, my already existing nuggets, and my new husband, there was NO WAY I would feel strongly about another nephew. Oh Young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn.

I love him, so much. With a (gas-induced) grin like that, how could you NOT love him?

Oktoberfest in September

An evening with friends is only bettered by Oktoberfest beer! Friends Al and Tim hosted the 1st Annual Oktoberfest Tasting and not being a big beer girl, it was better than expected. Grading is usually easy for me since I'm a teacher, but it was hard to rank each one, especially the first one, and I got a new appreciation for the judges at music festivals. If you're the poor student who has to play first for the judges, know it's not your lack of talent that got you that middle-of-the-road score, it's because you're first.

productivity; a product of laziness

I did not run today and since I failed to throw out my mirrors yesterday, it is definitely both a 'fat' and 'bad hair' day.

The bright side, and YES! there is a bright side, is that the wedding programs are finally being printed aaaaaaaaaaand the guest book is also on it's way to the 'almost presentable' category. Procrastination really does suit me.

The other bright side is that there is still time to run, fix my hair, and enjoy this beautiful day. Yay!

blog request

I posted this on my facebook status today and Greg, my former boss from Luther College requested I start a blog with my 'thoughts from running'. OK. :)

saw an albino squirrel on my run today and wondered if he knows he is different from the other squirrels. unless he has a little squirrely mirror in his nest, probably not. then i figured we should all throw out our mirrors and we'd never have 'bad hair' or 'fat' days.

There ya go, Greg. Let's just hope tomorrow there is running in which I will wonder some more. I'm feeling kinda lazy.

Rosa never has a fat day and every day is a good hair day. She doesn't need a mirror to KNOW she is pretty. She also knows the window is dirty. Like I said, feeling lazy...

Stealing from an old Lady

I feel like I just robbed a bank, or a yarn store, more appropriately. After a pretty terrible 2 days, the weekend outlook is brightening, thanks to a lady who loved to knit, craft, and create. Details of my crappy days are not important to this story; this is a story of unexpected gifts.

In the midst of a pathetic and undeserved pity party for myself, I thanked God for my friend who gave me extra napkins at lunch (because soup after a load of Novocaine is just a bad idea) and only laughed a little. Is the root of the word and main ingredients of Novocaine related to cocaine? Because I don't see why anyone would EVER do cocaine if they had been to the dentist. She also taught me how to "M1R" and "M1L" (insert knitter gang sign here ____) and then assured me that although "St st" did not, in fact, mean "Stuper Stitch" I could call it that if I wanted to.

At the end of the party, Rosa jumped on my face and poked me in the eye with her wet nose so I thanked her, too. "Get over it," she says. "Let's play. Meow." So, before I could sit down to type, we had to play Rosa's throw-the-toys-and-I'll-chase-them-but-won't-bring-them-back game, which might be more fun for her.

This morning I was gifted with a man who asked me to watch his computer while he went to the bathroom. The end. Just kidding. We chatted and I was able to share with him some experiences from Korea and the mission trips in Boracay and Bangalore. A photographer recently interviewed on NPR described photo opportunities falling into her lap as "gifts from God" and I felt the same way about this man. A special conversation in an ordinary setting and crappy week. Thanks.

I was starving for perspective this week, and as it turns out, I did not get it. However, I did get a box from a garage sale. Craigslist has never failed me, and the promise of "knitting and crocheting items" sounded like a good idea. A box of yarn stuffs, a ton of needles, and packet of 1985 knitting patterns later, my soul felt mended. The woman who's crafting empire I was taking over had died earlier this year. Her nephew was selling her life in increments of $1 and 75cents stickers. Proudly hauling my box out of the sale, I asked her name; "Avis," he said. "Hmm, ok, I'll think of her when I knit."

So thank you, Avis for your passion for creating pieces of love for your family. Thanks for keeping some of it for me, too.

Minnesota Pride, sort of

I guess I'm a Minnesotan. Or am I? Do I really have to claim a state? My driver's license says I'm a resident of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. My birth certificate says I was born here. I drive around a vehicle that has a Minnesota license plate. Ew.

Despite the relief of coming home to a place that smells likes Christmas rather than trash, it has been harder to embrace my new home than I imagined. Some people in my new neighborhood could use a lesson in manners and a time-out..."Don't even think about coming out of your room until you have picked up all of the trash you threw in my yard and you have something to say that doesn't involve the f-bomb." I feel the same way about some people in this country, but that is for another blog.

As I'm getting ready to move into this place, to be someone's wife, to really dig in the ground and plant some roots, there are things that I am beginning to appreciate; my new neighbor, Mike, always stops to ask about wedding plans and our bike rides, give me advice about living in an urban area, and always accepts our invitations for some beer and conversation. My friends are making it easier too; Emily from high school has quietly forced me into some new knitting projects, and Emily from college helps me dream about home improvements. My newest Emily in Korea sends emails and facebook messages to let me know she misses me. And MY Emily, related by blood, had her first day of school last week. She can tell me all about it in person in one month, when she walks down the aisle as the flower girl at our wedding. (The 'in-person' part is the most exciting for me.)

This summer contained birth, death, marriage, and divorce. Some of these things are by choice, others are not. I choose to be a part of this neighborhood, to plant flowers and my heart in this state. It will take some patience (like when I have to explain to a nice lady that Korea, is in fact, a developed country and comfortable to live in) but I am committed. Watch out North Minneapolis, Meredith Bird chooses to love you.

Levi, the smallest and newest nugget

Brandon's bride

Nuggets

The oldest nugget

Rest before the Rush

Christine and Dah Hae in Myeondong

In times of transition, times such as now, I'm not sure what to do. I want to spend time with people who are important to me here because it's uncertain if/when our paths will cross again. At the same time, there is a need to foster relationships back home in preparation for my old "new life." My coping mechanism is this; laugh with friends for as long as possible, then retreat to my couch for some TV. Unfortunately, this is not conducive to packing or grading. Surely those things will find their way in the schedule in the next few weeks. Needless to say, I'm in the midst of a whirlwind of exams, events, and emotions.

Retreating to my TV has recently involved overindulging in a series called "Men in Trees" about Marin, a New York writer who finds herself in a small town (full of men) in Alaska. At first she is overwhelmed by the simplicity of life in a village, but then she discovers she can breathe better, think better, and write better. It is unexpectedly inspiring to watch Marin's journey to find herself and what is most important. Cheesy, I know. I LOVE it.

Annette walking in the mountains

Maybe it's the lack of quality English television in Korea that pulls me in to Marin's story. But maybe, just maybe, it's because my hope for returning home to the beautiful Midwest will mean simplicity, and simplicity might bring clarity. When you've been somewhere long enough, normal daily events slowly complicate things. The yellow dust is no longer an exotic phenomenon but rather a real annoyance that poisons the lungs and causes you to sputter, cough, and stumble around with watery, itchy eyes. Simply said, nothing is clear in a yellow dust storm.

Lots of people clean and organize their life's spaces for clarity. Maybe I'm in need of a spring cleaning of countries. I think I will put this one away for a bit; maybe for good, maybe for another season, and pull out my old one. It may be rusty and a little unfamiliar for awhile, but we'll get used to each other again. That is when we see most clearly; when our eyes fall upon what once was familiar, but with new, recovering-from-the-dust lenses.

Enjoying a springy, smoggy day in Seoul

I love...

I love my mom.

Mom recently came to visit and other than our important coffee breaks and much needed catching up, I am most grateful for her new experiences in "my" country. She may not have caught the travel bug, but I found that she responds to unexpected adventures the same way I do. After she left for home, an email arrived in my inbox; Mom was stuck in Japan due to the FedEx crash. When she finally got home, after 36+ hours of travel, she informed me that she had a fun time with her new friend Lucy from New York, stayed in a swanky hotel, and ate some great Japanese food. I'm happy to have inherited her "go-with-the-flow, adventure awaits!" gene.

I love these brownies and the friends who appreciated the method of their delivery (carefully placed in ziplock bags and then in recycled granola bar boxes so as not to get squashed on the bike ride to the party).
I love Thai soup (and winning the cooking game with myself.)

I tried something new today and it (sort of) worked out. I have a weird tendency to ignore ingredients and instructions in recipes and usually end up eating something that is more purple, crunchy, or _______(insert descriptive food word here) than it is supposed to be. But today...fish sauce, prawns, and lime juice were not as important as one might think! My first attempt at Tom Yum Goong, minus the goong, turned out to be quite tasty. Yay for me!

I love this soup because: 1. It tastes like nothing else. It's SOOO good that while in Thailand, I ate it at least once a day 2. The broth is made from lemongrass, garamond, and prawn heads and shells, which you have to pick out meticulously before eating. My ritual was to pick out all the pieces of crap before I could eat the soup (this was also to save my tongue, as they serve it scorching hot).

I love her.

Rosa always finds a way to love me during the day, usually while I'm on the computer. I've tried to capture her snuggling because I'm really the only one that ever sees it and today she finally let me take her picture. She nestles her head on my shoulder and purrs, just enough to let me know she's happy. It doesn't matter that she's a cat; love is love and everyone needs it.

Particle Physics or Providence?

I'm currently debating whether to start my new bible study homework or work on tomorrow's lesson plans; both promise to unveil the origins of the universe. One would be learning about providence and the other an act of trusting that providence.

I've recently been inspired by a new city, a new blog, and a new bible study. I like them because they inspire me to learn more. A friend of a friend has a tattoo on his ankle that says in Latin, I am still learning. It reminds me that its ok to take time to process information, to make connections years later, and to continue to learn about yourself and the world. Maybe this is why I'm still learning about particle physics; I didn't quite get it the first time. Maybe this is why I'm still learning about God's providence; I didn't fully understand the first time, or the second time, or any of the times...but that's ok. After all, I am still learning.

For Lunar New Year, 8 of us went to Hiroshima where the first atomic bomb used in warfare was dropped. It was a place of great sadness, greif, destruction, and hope. Usually when a city or country is attacked brutally and seemingly unfairly (a large percent of the casualties were children, no warning, etc) the natural reaction is to "Get 'em back! Revenge!" The response from the Japanese people was much different. Of course they surrendered, I'm sure they didn't have much of a choice. But they did have a choice to change their hearts and make something good out of something really really crappy. They could have vowed to get back at the US, could have fostered feelings of hate...there are a lot of things they could have done in the aftermath of evil. Instead they chose to turn the other cheek; they chose peace. They strongly felt and still feel that evil repayed with more evil is not OK. There is no political point or pointing fingers here, I simply feel a miracle present when people can take their personal pain and grief and turn it into hope for the rest of the world. Amazing.

The museum and monuments were hard to digest and the trip could have easily been overwhelming, but 7 of my girlfriends were present. It was chaotic and fun and most of our time was spent eating, laughing, or trying to make sure no one wandered off...you can see in the picture above how focused we were....

Particle physics won tonight. I am ready to teach about leptons and quarks and even a few bosons and ferimons. It may have taught me a lesson in providence though. I've recently been plagued with the nesting urge, now stronger than usual. Many thoughts run through my head like, How great would it be to quit my job, have some babies and spend my days knitting and cooking! Then I read a chapter about force carrier particles and antimatter and my heart skips a beat...maybe God wants me to teach awhile longer. Maybe I have more purpose to fulfill in this role...Rosa, on the other hand, doesn't care much about these things and thinks it's time to go to bed and uses all methods to convince me to stop, at least for tonight.


Particle physics and providence will both be on my mind this week. Maybe they shouldn't be looked upon as completely seperate ideas in my life. Rosa has no comment. It's bedtime.