On the Other Side

Tonight, as I was thinking, I realized how different my life is from last year at this time and in so many ways. I know that seems like a "duh" statement, but I am talking "different" in more ways than geography. I am no longer working with individuals who are financially poor. My department at work decided to sponsor a child from Chinatown this Christmas. We bought items to give this girl as presents. I was so happy to participate in this. Picking out items to give to Jenny was so much fun. In my last job the families that I worked with were sponsored every Christmas and I had the joy of delivering the gifts to the families. From my experience, sponsor programs are meaningful and bring so much joy to the individuals. While I do not want to demean sponsor programs in any way, I was convicted in my own heart that this isn't enough.

I was thinking back to last year and the fact that my interactions with needy (needy in the physical sense) didn't come only once a year. At points my daily interaction with my clients drove me to feeling calloused and numb. I know that response was wrong, but I also know that giving one child Christmas, a child whom I will never even see or meet also feels inadequate. I am not working in the human service field right at the moment, and reaching out to needy people will take more work...but I don't think that means I am off the hook in any way. This is just a thought that has been floating around in my mind. I am hopeful that it will lead me to loving the less fortunate around me on a consistent basis.

I'm so full.

Here we are, back in Chicago. We had a great weekend with both of our families. Lots of time with all of our nephews and niece. It was a blast, but definitely good birth control... if you know what I mean. This may be the first time that our tiny dorm room/apartment has seemed quiet.

Though our stomachs are distending, the self-inflicted proof of another year of celebratory gluttony, Abe and I pressed on in holiday fashion. Tonight we set up our meager tree. This place still doesn't feel totally like home, but throw up a fake fir and you are one step closer.

In no particular order.

Family.
Lucy.
Squirrel-friend.
Nephews.
Niece.
Turkey.
Beef stroganoff.
Stuffing.
Mashed potatoes.
Pumpkin pie.
Coffee.
Laughter.
Killer Bunnies.
Rope Swing.
Brandon the wedding singer.
Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Savage.
Tony & Katie.
1 Christmas down.
Undershirts and coasters.
New shoes.
Sleeping in.
Early mornings.

... more to come, I'm sure, the weekend is not over. We'll see you back here on Monday.

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

You be the judge.

Brandon and I are at an impasse. We cannot seem to come to an agreement on his new facial hair. So, we decided to take a vote. Please weigh in on whether or not the mustache, yes that is a mustache, should stay. I am sure you can guess which way I am leaning.

Pumpkin Pie Attempt #1

This is a picture of my first attempt making pumpkin pie. Brandon and I were grocery shopping yesterday and I walked past a display of all the necessary items for a complete Thanksgiving dinner. As I walked by I had a craving for pumpkin pie and did not want to wait until Thursday. I decided to make one myself. Who knew that you had to bake pumpkin pie for an hour, and then let it cool for two?! So much for immediate gratification. The end result was a very sub-par pie. It was burned around the edge and mushy in the middle. I now know after discussing this with a friend that there are ways to prevent this.

In other news, I have one more day of work before we leave town. I am very excited for family time, good food, and to see my little dog Lucy!

Muffinssssss! (Actually my wife told me they were...Cupcakesssss!)

Can you guess how boring my life has become? This is what I did today, how about all you other men out there? What?!? I'm confident enough in my manhood to admit this...I think.

The city of wind will put hair on your chest.

Many of you who know me, know that I am sometimes referred to as "the Great Hairless Wonder." I am called this, for those who are too cretinous to infer, for my general lack of body hair. Today I was flexing, shirtless, in front of the mirror (as I am wont to do from time to time), and behold! My gaze fell upon a small group of infinitesimal hairs burgeoning forth from and around a mole. Now, I recognize that mole-hairs should not count as genuine body hair, but there was one, solitary hair germinating, not from a mole, but from my bare chest. I have a chest hair! I did take a picture, but to capture the microscopic scene I had to use the macro setting on my camera. A macro picture of a mole and surrounding hairs, I assume, would be much to revolting for a respectable blog.

Busy Weekend!

I had a really fun, busy weekend. Friday I took my 11 RA's on a retreat. The idea was to get away from the city and relax. We headed to a hotel in Naperville, IL. It was a really fun night of eating, laughing, playing games, and watching movies. It was so nice to have down-time with some of my favorite ladies.

Saturday night I had the joy of hanging out with my dear friend Sarah. It was so much fun to have Sarah in Chicago, show her my apartment, eat good food, and talk. There is something so refreshing about a good friend. I was so encouraged by her and only wish we had more time together! The one sour note of the whole weekend was that it took me 45 minutes to pick her up at Union Station. That is absolutely ridiculous as Union Station is 1 mile from us. I was completely lost! I think that is proof that I need to take Brandon's advice and study a map!


*abbey

My sister came to town.

It seems like we've had so few opportunities to spend with family in the past few years. But for the last few days we've had the privilege of having my sister and her family stay with us here in Chicago. They said that they came to visit the Brazilian consulate and a school south of Chicago, but I like to think that they came to spend time in the girls' dorm. One of the greatest things is that we've got to spend time with our nephew Sam Jr.. It has been a blast getting to know the little guy. He has got to be one of the most ridiculously, jovial children I've come across, but of course, who wouldn't laugh their head off if they had an uncle like me. A few notes to make about their visit:

1. We ate some of the best pizza in town.
2. We played Killer Bunnies.
3. We visited a new church, which we incidentally loved and plan on going back (this is good news if you are familiar with our woes of finding a church).
4. We drank a lot of Starbucks.
5. Sam and I had hours of discussion on theology, church, and Christianity, which I'm pretty sure was a ton-o-fun for both of us.
6. We ate Thai food, which didn't give us diarrhea. Sam Jr. didn't have the Thai food but had diarrhea all the way up to his chubby, little shoulders and had to have a bath in our kitchen sink.

*brandon

Booyah!

Please pray.

Please pray for my grandparents. My grandmother, yesterday, underwent a second surgery in under a week, dealing with her bout with colon cancer. There was much infection in her abdomen, so a second surgery was necessary to clean it up. She is struggling now and on life support. This is also very hard on my grandfather as he is watching his wife of 58 years struggle so.

A challenge has been issued.

If you are a nerd, you may want to take up my challenge here.

*brandon

Marathon!

Today was the Chicago Marathon. The above pictures are of us cheering for the runners. My sister's husband ran and did awesome. Joe finished in 3:29...I think that is really amazing! We started the morning right at 8 waiting to cheer for Joe with our signs and cowbells. If you will notice in the picture, we were basically the first people out there to cheer on the runners. It was freezing, very windy, but tons of fun. Watching the race at the beginning was so exciting, it was contagious. I was thinking "Wow, I really want to do this next year." But, at mile 25 it was a different story... it just looked painful at that point. I am really not sure it is something that I could ever do. Here's to Joe! Way to go!

*abbey

Yes!

I know, I know, it's my second post of the day. But, come on....

I'm in.

Brunneous.

Today was a good day.

It seems that days like today are few and far between for me in this city. It's not that the days are necessarily bad, they are just...boring. So what made today good? What made it less boring than most others?

1. Good Coffee - I got a new brew from Trader Joe's. It hit the spot this morning, and shook loose the cobwebs of another night of showers and toilets.

2. Good God - I've struggled spiritually since moving to Chicago. I can't hide it. I've struggled. I've been very focused on me, and without full-time work or school to date; I've had a lot of time to do so. I decided not to today. I got the guitar and Bible out and spent some time this morning focused on Him. It was good.

3. Good Lunch - We're kind of sick of the food here at Moody. But the food tasted better today, since I got to eat with my beautiful bride and chat in her lovely office (yeah, I am a little bit jealous that she has an office).

4. Good Friend - I got to have a brief conversation with a good friend. The update sounded good. I'm happy for him and awaiting more news.

5. Good Cider and UEFA - I watched Manchester United beat up on København while enjoying a hot cider on this cold, wet October day. Perfect.

6. Good Job - I work tonight. I am a janitor/doorman at an apartment building on the "Gold Coast" of Chicago. It's humbling, servile labor. But I thank God for the job. The lessons He's taught through it are priceless. The little money that I earn helps.

I hope you all had notable days.

Shalom.

*brandon

We love Joe Barrett!

Sorry, you haven't heard from us in a while. My life has been consumed with preparation for the GRE. But, that's all over now, as I took the test on Wednesday. It wasn't much fun, but I did alright. We are now just waiting for Wheaton's reply.

This weekend Abbey's parents are in town. The boys went golfing today and the girls shopped. Tonight we went to, what I believe to be known as, "Little Italy." My brother-in-law's boss, Joe Barrett, took us to a little hole in the wall Italian spot. Mama Mia, it was a-good! After dinner we went back to Joe Barrett's apartment for dessert and coffee. Before we did that though, we went 62 stories up to the top of his building to check out a beautiful view of Chicago.

Besides having great taste in Italian restaurants and a phenomenal apartment directly above the House of Blues, Joe Barrett is one of the greatest guys I've ever met. If you're ever in Chicago, you should meet Joe.

Thought I would include a couple pictures of our evening as well.

-brandon

(Abe and I)

(Joe, Andrea, Chuck, Sue and Joe Barrett)

(a view from the top)

Ahhh, the beautiful North East...of Iowa.

Abe and I are leaving in a little while to spend some time with my parents in Guttenberg, IA. We are really looking forward to playing with Lucy and taking a much needed respite from the city. Much of my time will be spent studying, however; as I will be taking the GRE in just under 1 week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Oh, and by the way, I'm loving this weather :). (I just wanted to say something that I could put a ":)" behind. I've recently come to the conclusion that I don't use enough ":)'s" or even ";)'s". So from now on, you will see more ":)'s" or ";)'s" from me. On second thought, ":)'s" and ";)'s" take far too long to type. I'll just use the traditional method of ending my sentences with a ".".)

Who said it?

"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it."

Name the accidental theologian behind those words. I dare you.