thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was, in short, a very full weekend. I spent the first part with Kathy, my co-worker, and her family in Appleton. With all the parents, siblings, spouses, grandchildren, and myself there were 18 people in the house, which meant zero privacy but tons of fun.

One of my favorite people to bug that weekend was the youngest, Phillip

Babies are adorable, but they're even cuter when they like you back. With 14+ aunts and uncles in the house, there's always more than enough attention to shower on the youngest, which he totally didn't mind. Since leaving Baby JUMP at Coast in June I haven't had too many opportunities to cuddle with babies, so I was a very happy "auntie" this weekend.
Food is a big deal in Thanksgiving; holiday cooking for a family of 18 is another matter all together. I think the women talked about the menu for the weekend for at least 2 hours on the night Kathy and I arrived in Appleton.

Crazy action in the kitchen

Kathy's mom is amazing. She was always the first one to wake up to prepare food and worked non-stop the whole day. Yet she never complained; if anything she was always making sure that her kids (including myself) were well fed and taken care of. The love and strength that radiated from her 4'10" frame are some of the most memorable things I'll take away from this weekend.

Yay for men who work in the kitchen!

Kathy's younger brothers are pretty awesome. They were really helpful, and probably much more useful than I was in the kitchen. Kevin (the guy in blue) totally kicked my butt in de-boning chicken thighs. I was the shameless (or shameful, if you're my mom) guest who took naps on the couch in the family room. But I did mash 3 gallons of potatoes, which I was extremely proud of. :)

Kathy on drugs (she was sick the whole weekend) and me after my afternoon nap

Saturday morning I drove down to Chicago to hang out with Alex & Co. from Ann Arbor. I was really excited to see him, since I only get to see him about once or twice a year. Of the 5 of us he was the only one who was familiar with the city, so he was the tour guide of the day.

Alex and me in front of The Bean

CNN bus by Millenium Park! Could it be Anderson Cooper inside??? I'll never know...
Alex and Joaquin, the "superior Argentinian with a hot accent" who also ended up saving a boy from getting run over

View of downtown from Hancock Observatory
City lights

We had Brazilian BBQ for dinner. All I can say is...it was definitely worth it :)

Fogo de Chao
("Fiery Ground"...or something like that)

My 6th? 7th? serving of meat
I could've had at least 2 more of these fried bananas if I wasn't so stuffed with the meat

Another memorable part of the trip was seeing the Chicago skyline at night. It was oddly peaceful and comforting, not to mention breathtakingly beautiful. It was almost as good as watching the crashing waves from La Jolla cliffs at 2am...almost. I wish I could've captured what I saw on camera, but some things are best left experienced in person.

seasons change

I won't even try to update all that's happened the last couple months...for now. But I do want to share something cool I've seen/experienced :)

This was my neighborhood about 6 weeks ago

I had fun watching my co-worker dive in the piles of leaves (I refused to jump in because it's bug-infested)

About a month ago: first day of snow/flurries! See the colorful trees in the back?
Proof of snow (it's not dandruff, I promise)
This was last week
And then...yesterday morning!!!
My very first time using my ice scraper/weapon-in-times-of-necessity

Everyone here loves telling me that I won't be this giddy in February. But for now, I'm going to enjoy every bit of this new experience. :)

trip to st. louis

On Thursday a couple of guys on Urbana Operations Team and I drove down to St. Louis to "research" Edward Jones Dome at the America's Center and check out the Joyce Meyer Conference (JM) that took place in the same venue. It was my first business trip, and as you can imagine, I was pretty excited. When we arrived they were setting up and doing sound checks for the first session.
Since Urbana is a pretty big event, they have an events manager in charge of the IV/Urbana account who handles all the convention side of the conference. She was also working on the JM Conference that weekend, but was gracious enough to be our "tour guide" for a few hours. One of the most helpful part of the trip was going back of the house (i.e., the Dome) to check out how the JM Conference people distributed the space for green rooms. I'm still figuring out what my job description exactly entails (I have a feeling that I'm going to be in this position for a while), but I think one of them might be allocating the space for speaker, worship and arts teams green rooms, prayer rooms, etc. The walk-through of the back of the house was relatively short, and while I wish I could've stayed there longer, we didn't want to intrude too much on the people preparing for the JM Conference.

All-access tour :)
I think this was the visiting team's locker room (the Rams play here)
The sign on one of the green rooms. No, I did not meet Darlene. But more about that later.

The JM Conference planners decided to use only half of the Dome, which sits about 25,000 people.

The other half of the Dome

I'm always amazed to see how much work goes into putting on a conference like this. The lighting, sound, projections, stage set up, wiring...not to mention the logistics that go along with it. I love it!

Backstage

The JM Conference is for women only, so the sign below was supposed to remedy the inevitably long girl's restroom lines. I guess someone forgot the side panels...or maybe it was intentional.
I think the JM Conference people were expecting somewhere around 20,000 that weekend. The first night probably had about 18,000 attendees.

The stage design was quite fitting for a women's conference.

I have never been a huge fan of Hillsong, but after this conference I have to say that they are great at what they do. It's always a blessing to see worship teams worshipping while they lead worship.

This was the closest I got to Darlene.

Which (sort of) leads me to the topic of worship at Urbana. One of the questions that popped up in the car on our way to St. Louis was why we don't invite famous worship leaders like Darlene to Urbana. It was a question that stayed with me throughout the conference, though I didn't expect to come to my own conclusions at the end.

I fully admit that I got a bit starstruck at the conference. Granted, Darlene & Co. aren't the Jonas Brothers, but heck, they're Hillsong! So after the end of the second plenary session I went to a signing by another well-known worship leader, and asked him, "Why did you decide to lead worship here at Joyce Meyer Conference?" His answer was, "I was asked to." I guess I looked confused, so he explained that his agent booked him and that's why he was here.

After letting it sit for a couple days, his response makes perfect sense. It's the most logical answer. But I guess I was hoping for something more...that he came because he wants to affirm and worship alongside women who are being healed and empowered, etc. Maybe it's a bit naive, but I believed that worship leaders participated in conferences because they believed in the vision of the gatherings. I'm sure (or I sure hope) that this isn't the case for all worship leaders in all cases, but I didn't realize that sometimes the answer is as simple as a booking and a paycheck.

This is where I think the vision of Urbana calls for something more than a one-time booking with a famous worship leader. Even though I've been on the job for only a few weeks, one of the things that has really stood out is how every component of the program is prayed for and planned in a way that reflects its vision and mission. Over the next 14 months the Urbana worship team will not only be rehearsing, bonding, and performing at various conferences, but they will play an integral part of creating a gathering place that is "an eye-opening, life-transforming, commitment-producing call to join God's Mission" (Jim Tebbe, Director of Missions). I don't think this is a role that we can contract out to a famous worship leader; not because they won't buy into what we stand for, but because the kind of commitment that is required most likely isn't possible with those who also have concert tours and such.

With that said, I was incredibly blessed during the worship at Urbana06, and I know that the team we have for 09 is also an extremely talented and anointed bunch. I am so excited to work alongside them. :) I would also like to mention that the thoughts above are 100% mine. IV might have an entirely different set of reasons on why we don't ask David Crowder to come lead worship at Urbana. Finally, I don't want the leave the impression that I think all worship leaders that only do what their agent tells them to do suck. I think that there are conferences and events where inviting well-known worship leaders is appropriate and (hopefully) worshipful. But I realize now that it's not the best option for all Christian conferences.

So that's my first business trip in a nutshell. More than anything, seeing this

got me super pumped for all the possibilities that could happen 14 months from now.

farmers' market

Yesterday Kathy, LeAnn and I went to the farmer's market in downtown Madison. It's held every Saturday around the state capitol square and the vendors sell the freshest produce of the season. I didn't have any cash with me (I found out yesterday that the nearest Bank of America was in Illinois, 56.4 miles away!!!) so I didn't get anything, but I'm planning to come back within the next couple weeks for some gooood food! I was on sensory overload as we were walking around the square...so much to see, so many kinds of cheese to sample! I wish I took more pictures, but I had to soak in the experience and I'm horrible at multi-tasking. Besides, pictures can never take place of the experience...so ya'll should come and visit Madison. :)

The crowds and the vendors reminded me of outdoor markets in Korea...minus the yelling and bargaining
FRESH produce! The peppers were so red that they looked plastic
So many kinds of garlic!
There was a vendor that sold ostrich eggs/meat/bones. I think next time I'm going to try some of that ostrich jerky
Flowers!
Honey & beeswax vendor :)

After visiting the market we strolled down State Street in downtown Madison. Even after being here for a couple weeks, I'm still surprised that I'm not in California. It's the small things, like the different scent that greets me when I come to my new home, the constant talks of the coming winter, and the changing colors of the season. The leaves are turning yellower, and I'm so excited to experience a "real" autumn.

mirror lake & lemon bars

Last weekend some of the "younger" folks at NSC camped at Mirror Lake

I haven't gone camping in a while, so being in the wilderness was really refreshing. Brian set up a ginormous tent (supposedly for 12 people, but you could probably fit in about 20) for the girls.

We hiked to the lake and saw this huge tree that fell flat on the shores. Dave and Kathy were brave enough to venture out...

This plaque was so beautiful that I almost teared up. Almost.

It was a great time spent with great people. :)

This week we had a potluck at my small group, and I volunteered to bring a dessert. I felt sort of lame baking out of a box, so I asked input from my favorite chef, Chris! She suggested lemon bars, so I followed the directions as posted on allrecipes.com. It was tart-y and pretty delicious, if I do say so myself. I am proud of myself for being able to follow directions so well. Unfortunately my lemon bars did not quite end up looking like ones on the website...so the presentation was mediocre, but that's okay.

Thanks Chris!

first week at nsc

I started working at the National Service Center (or NSC; what we call the IV headquarters) this Monday. So far it's been great! People are pretty awesome, except when they scare me about the upcoming winter. I think they get a kick out of frightening a person who has never experienced a snowstorm. The most reassuring thing they told me was, "It's okay, you'll survive. We did." I guess they meant well, but somehow it still doesn't bring me any comfort. Especially when they talk about driving in the snow...but more about that later. Besides that, I feel so welcomed and supported by everyone here. I guess it's sort of expected that we follow God's example of loving others in the office, but it still makes me happy to see that people genuinely care about their co-workers.

My very first cubicle!

I'm still going through a lot of "firsts," some of them being my first work laptop, first personal phone extension, etc. They're small things, but they make me realize how far I've come. I hope I don't take them for granted.

These are some of the things I noticed/learned about Madison this week:

1. They lock up the alcohol aisle after 9pm

I'm not sure if there are a lot of cities in the US that follow this model, but I was surprised when I first heard the announcement while grocery shopping after small group. I dare say that Madison might not be the city to live in for some of you...you know who you are. ;)

2. Madison is a liberal city

I saw this sign on my neighborhood's lawn when I first got here last week, and I must say that a part of me felt some comfort. I saw McCain signs staked on a couple lawns as well, but Madison sure isn't as fond of the Republican candidate as Albuquerque:

3. Madison drivers are, for the most part, not very considerate

They aren't nearly as neurotic and lacking in driving skills as some in SoCal, but they're definitely not like the gracious and laid back drivers in Arizona. Everyone sort of goes at their own pace, which ranges from about 55-80mph on the highway. You end up having to match the pace of whoever's around, so sometimes I feel sort of schizophrenic when I'm driving.
Yesterday I stopped right before an intersection, and a lady honked at me 3 times so that she can make a right turn...even though it was clear that if I went ahead I would've blocked the intersection. Forget safety, obviously her turning 3 seconds faster is more important. I love stopping juuust a bit longer than necessary in front of drivers like that. Patience is a virtue, you know.
It also doesn't help when people tell me that everyone forgets how to drive in the snow in the first few weeks of winter/first snowfall. Jill, the lady that I'm staying with, told me that years ago Rick (her husband) made her practice skidding before her first snowstorm so that she'll know how to recover when it happens. Rick then told me that I "should be fine" since cars these days have fancy gadgets like anti-lock braking systems...so much for reassurance.

4. Madisonians respect the environment

You can tell that it's not just a fad that they jumped on board recently. You can see from the way the people live that it's completely integrated in their lifestyle and culture. For example, it's cool to see that the recycling bin in the garage is double the size of the trash bin....stuff like that makes me happy. :)

That's about it for now. I'll be updating soon on my camping trip coming up this weekend!

arrival in madison, wisconsin

On Friday (I know, it's somewhat belated) Chris and I arrived in Madison, WI.

The drive from Omaha to Madison was gloomy. Crossing the state of Iowa meant crossing fields and fields corn and continuous gloom.

After we arrived in Madison we went to downtown and had dinner at The Old Fashioned. It was super crowded (wait time was 45 minutes), but it was well worth the wait. The food there was delicious!

While walking down State Street after dinner, two fire trucks came and parked right in front of us. Though I hope nobody was hurt or anything, I was very happy to see the firefighters. :)

The next day I drove Chris to the shuttle station in downtown so that she can fly back to SD from Chicago. It was sad to say good-bye, but I was so thankful for her companionship throughout the trip. :)

I'm almost all unpacked and settled now, though I'm sure it'll take much longer to adjust completely in other ways...check back for updates on my first week in Madison!