Hallo-weenie with the sore throat

Sitting here at my keyboard, I'm glad the day is coming to an end. Not because it was so terrible, but because so much went on that I think my brain may implode. Now, I've never experienced this before... but it's not a good mental picture. I'm just going to share a few scrumpits, so your head won't begin the same journey down that path.

Oh hey, did you notice my blog looks different? I had some complaints from some complaining complainers that the background wasn't loading properly and all that remained was light yellow words. Well we can't have that, can we? So Matthew and I sat down and designed a new background. You like? It's got a lot of depth if you think about it. Try to figure it out the meaning, then let me know what you think.

Today at work I helped our town's 'Resident Crazy Person' pick out a mattress set. Every other sales person bolts when they see Janice walk in the door (because it's usually very uncomfortable), but I find it really interesting when she comes in to visit. She talks very loud and uses big gestures. To any bystander, she would appear to be very angry because of the gruff tone she uses... and she can't keep her thoughts straight so she trails off after each sentence. This summer I saw her downtown yelling at a grouping of flowers- she was VERY angry that they were planted where they were. She is also very angry at Radio Shack's keyboards because 'you can only use 5 fingers... I want to use ALL 6!'

Now I was helping her pick out a bed. She actually came in last week and picked out a set, but then decided she couldn't get that set because the cover of it was this grayish-blue color and she said (quite loudly) it was the color of her boyfriend's face when she found him dead. That's not something you hear everyday! Yikes. So she picked out a new set today, and we discussed her knitting projects and why her brother won't ever allow her to leave Willmar. I wonder what Janice was like before she' snapped' so to speak. She used to be married and had children... what is it that keeps a person on the right side of the sanity line?

Thankfully it was slow at work tonight, so the manager let me off early to go help out at our church's Fall Festival aka kids shoving candy into their faces all night. Every year thousands of kids come all dressed up in their cute little costumes. Every available space has a game to play and an opportunity to win tons of candy (instead of going to strangers' homes and begging for it). Our new children's pastor did an amazing illusion show, there were caramel apples, cookies, etc. It was stupendous!

The other wonderful thing that happened today- I just found out that my good friends Dave and Laura Gutierrez had a baby boy! Hooray for you guys! Elijah David- great pick for the name I think. If you two read this post, your baby boy is beautiful (and I mean that in the most masculine sense of the word). We are so excited for you- you will be great parents for that little guy. Hip Hip Hooraaaaaay...

One last interesting tidbit- a friend of mine stopped in to Slumberland tonight, which was great because I hadn't seen her in forever. She may have blown my cover on the whole 'I'm moving to Oregon' though, which we have been trying to keep on the down low in this town of much gossip. She ran up to me, (at the front counter, with my boss standing not 5 feet away, mind you) and blurts out, "I haven't seen you in soooo long and...(I tried to stop her, really I did)...I HEARD YOU'RE MOVING!" Doh. I tried to play it off best I could and did the corner of eye glance to see if Mr. Manager was looking. He wasn't. Oh man do I ever hope he didn't hear. In this line of work, if they hear you're on your way out, you get replaced. In this case, maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing... but I'm still torn about leaving before we move. I want to show the Lord that I am thankful for what He has provided... and that I can toil with the best of them.

"Empty Room" - Marjorie Fair

This video is really...... real. It is my heart at this moment.

is it all a big joke... on us?

If I turn around fast enough, will I see people hiding around corners with hidden cameras? Should I be looking for wires in all of our houseplants? As we're (Matthew and I) going about our life together, we're taking steps forward, but being forced to take steps back. Confined.

Ever seen the 'Truman Show'?

Here it is. I'm surprised Matthew hasn't posted anything about this. A lot has happened in the past couple of days.

Monday. Matthew was finally allowed a meeting with an officer at the INS building in the twin cities (2 hours from home). It has been 90 days since they started processing the renewal of his work permit. 90 days since they forced him to quit his job. After 90 days they legally have to give someone in processing a temorary card while their other one is processing.

Sidenote: since Matthew was forced to quit his job, he's tried to call the INS more than 15 times and checked (2-3 times weekly) the website they have set up so one can check their processing status. During this time, we have not heard from them once.

So Matthew sits down with the immigration officer, who quickly pulls up his information. "It looks like you were approved 2 and a half months ago. We were just waiting for you to come and get your immigration picture and finger prints done."

Of course Matthew is dumbfounded. He tells the guy how many times he called and was told 'NO', how many times he checked the website (which STILL says, 'application pending'), how many times he tried to set up early interviews to plead his case and was told, "You must wait past the 90 days", how we were NEVER contacted in ANY way.

The guy's only response, "Hmm... 'they' were supposed to contact you."

Matthew's response, "But they didn't."

Guy: "They were supposed to contact you."

So Matthew proceeds to ask him about all the other forms we've filed that are way over a year late (on their end). "Are those approved as well and we just haven't been contacted?" These forms make it so Matthew will not be forced out of employment, so we can move wherever we want, so we can have kids and I won't have to make a certain amount of money each year- because I am his 'sponsor'. Wife doesn't count for much where the government is concerned.

Guy: "You'll have to wait until they contact you."

Matthew: "Because that's working out so well for us?"

He then tells Matthew that those papers are being processed in Chicago. We are not allowed to call that office, letter writing doesn't help, the congressman 'at bat' for Matthew that emailed them... doesn't help (although the INS officer said it would).

Matthew: "So can I get my picture and fingerprints done and be on my way with my work permit?"

Guy: "No, they're closed today." Of course!

Tuesday. Matthew drives all the way back to the twin cities for his 10 minute appointment for pictures and fingerprints.

Do you see why it feels like there is a big joke being played on us? Everyone is telling us different things... someone is lying to us, and in this case I think it is many someones. We feel cheated/robbed and there is nothing we can do about it but take it and be happy Matthew can go back to work (today was his first day back). How do they get away with messing with so many people's lives.

I feel so badly for the millions of people that try to come to this country for a fresh start. How can they possibly wade through this crazy, mixed up system... and come out as legal citizens? The naturalization process is set up for people to fail. It is set up to starve out the poor people that have families to support. It is set up to boot people out, before they even have a chance at becoming a productive member of society.

Please think about these things the next time you meet someone, or hear of someone, that is forced into the position of choosing between, "starve and be legal" or "be productive and constantly look over my shoulder for INS officers". You know, those people that are 'ruining it for the rest of us'. I am not condoning stealing social security numbers or living illegally.... but I understand the desparation that it leads to. Matthew and I are blessed that I am a US citizen, that I have a job to provide for us with everything that's happened.

Most are not so fortunate.

much craziness

Sorry for my absense. Life seemed to go in fast forward this week.

Last Thursday Matthew and I went as youth leaders with 4 coach buses full of students to Rochester for MN Assembly of God youth convention. It's hard to sum it up in a few words... lots of interesting stories! Mostly about one girl, Crystal. Amazing, really, that she was even on this trip at all.

About a year ago, she became our 'pranker'. Out of the blue, she started calling 2-3 times a week. We had no idea who she was, or she us. She literally picked our name out of the phone book and started calling. We sat and talked to her about all sorts of things after she got over the initial 'your fridge is running' calls. It was obvious she needed to have adults in her life she could look up to (her mom would sometimes get on the phone and openly flirt with Mathew, knowing he's married). After 5-6 months, the calls stopped. We had no idea where she went until she called us a couple of months later. She called us on a weekend visit away from the girls group home she now lives at (she ran away from home and was caught shoplifting). It seems like she's been pretty low since then. Phone calls are not allowed, but they are letting her come to our youth group (amazing!). Now we're discovering, though, that she is a different person face to face. She won't look you in the eye or answer with more than 1 or 2 words. She's confused and seems to have little to no trust for anyone. But she still comes... and somehow got permission to go to youth convention!

Since I was the only girl she would really respond to, I was her room leader. It was hard to see her closed off from everyone. She literally curled up in a ball and stared at the wall while the rest of the girls and I were joking around. We tried to engage her, but she was clearly not interested... or didn't know how to show it. I hurt for her.

It was humbling that I could not crack her hardened shell. Even if she didn't want to talk much, she made it clear that she didn't want to go anywhere without me. I was to be her 'safety'. By the end of the trip, though, she started answering with longer sentences to a few of us. Hopefully a lot was going on in her heart, even if she didn't want to talk about it openly.

Patience is a hard thing to grasp when you want to fix someone else's hurts.

This is Crystal. She has such a sweet heart- I wish we could see more of these smiles!

Our bus driver had a tootsie roll addiction... maybe because it was all Matthew and I fed him.

A candid, totally unplanned shot- we were actually sleeping when this was taken.

This is Carrie. She bought crutches at a thrift store because, "they were only 3 dollars!" What a crazy. She used them all weekend, just because she could.

5,000 to 6,000 students packed into the Rochester convention center

for a weekend of powerful worship and the challenge,

"One Life. One Chance."

on a positive note...

My last couple of posts have had a negative spin to them. I apologize to anyone who may have been saddened by them. In this post, I have assembled my Top 10 List of jobs I have worked at, and something positive about each.

10. Corn Pollinating (age 15)- We got to work in knee high mud after a really amazing storm ripped through our town. Most of the corn was flattened, but we pollinated it anyhow!

9. Pet Locker (16)- I couldn't bear the thought of leaving the animals in cages, so I took most of them home and kept them (at one time I had:2 cats, 2 hamsters, an iguana, a tree frog, newts, african cichlid fish, and a few other stragglers).

8. Taco Bell(18)- Hello! I got to eat nachos everyday... why do you think I got a job there in the first place!?!

7. Good News Bookstore-I worked there with my friend Kathryn for 2 years. We would make up choreographed dances with baskets as hats and yards of fabric as togas (when it was slow of course).

6. Dordt Rec Center-Gymnastics room. Need I say more.

5. Country Kitchen,Green Mill,All Aboard- Waitressing is hard work, but I did really like meeting new people. I am a much better tipper after being in those shoes.

4. Temp Jobs (in between ELIC&YWAM trips), including:
-Hearing Aid Center-I cleaned ear waxy hearing aids while answering phones!?
-Radio Station-It was pretty cool putting faces to the voices on the radio- while answering phones.
-Highway Flagger-The only positive thing I can do regarding this job is to warn you, never be a flag person.
-BiPhase- I assembled propane fuel injected engines for trucks (even one for Pres.Bush).

3. Maracom-I had my own cubicle! I suddenly understood and identified with anything Dilbert related. I took phone orders for calendars. When it was slow, I read books and crocheted. I read more than 10 books and made 6 or 7 scarves... and got paid for it!

2. Northern Grounds- Yeah, so what if I don't like to drink coffee... I had a great time mixing up concoctions for customers and coming up with new daily specials. I also got to do all of the chalk board drawings/murals.

1. Slumberland- My favorite part of this job, is the thank you notes that I've received in the mail from customers, thanking me for not being a pushy salesperson and for making their shopping experience fun. A few months ago, I received a card from a woman dying of cancer thanking me for helping her find the 'perfect' lamp for her bedroom. I have one of those letters taped to our bathroom mirror to remind me why I go to work everyday.

"Go toil or something."

Work

I have decided to take a self-appointed position to survey every person I meet. My question... and I also direct this to you out there...

"Do you like your job? I mean, really like your job? "

God said waaaaaaay back when Eve was a moronic, stupid girl, that we would forever have to work the land. I believe the word 'toil' was used (depending on if he was speaking in King James version or was feeling New International that day). Doesn't it seem odd, though, that we spend our days (precious days we will NEVER get back) working in jobs we hate going to, to get money to buy things we don't need?

I've been pondering this for awhile now... and I would honestly like to hear your input. My job is making me a sad, miserable human being. At the same time, though, I am so thankful to God for providing this job so we could pay our bills (and save to leave for Oregon). So I am torn. Do I continue to simply exist at this place for the next 10 months... or do I leave? This is not just a case of little concerns I need to voice to 'the Man'. I'm not even sure what weekends look like anymore- it's been 6 or 7 weeks since I've seen one. I constantly am expected to work extra hours, without extra pay (100% commision). If I bring up anything wrong, I am told that I should work on my negative attitude (anyone who knows me knows this is not my personality).

Am I just being a weenie?

Home again, home again...

Matthew and I got to take a sweet little road trip down to Dordt College (Sioux Center, IA). I was invited to attend 'The Dinner Party' as an alumni guest. It was all about women in the arts, and art as a career. As soon as the invitation came in the mail, I told Matthew we needed to get away and do this- for my sanity if nothing else.

A few highlights:
-It inspired me to do more art, and to actually set aside a room to do so
(and a seperate blog to post pictures of it on)
-Saw some old friends (Sam G, Emily Hutten, Kari, Teresa)
-Visited with my favorite art professors (Alberda, Van Wyk, Van Geest)
-Met some new faces (and my clothing twin)
-...and someone born in the same town I was... quite ironic, Brielle!
(Thanks for the apple cider and handmade paper)
-Ate some nachos and great homemade Japanese- thankfully not at the same time
-Lectio (Thank you, Sam)
-I had my husband there to share it with me

A few things we'd like to have omited:
-Got pulled over on the way there. In an amazing twist of events, the patrolman gave us the option of a ticket or warning. We opted for the ticket. I mean warning.
-Saw a horrific accident. Tractors are not a forgiving thing to run into with a Jeep.
-My cell phone had ZERO service in the black hole of Iowa. We actually had no idea if our neighbors were looking after our dog while we were gone for 2 days.
-Got a flat tire on the way back... late at night. Quickly found out our tire jack was busted. Nearly had to head back to Sioux Center (we almost got to join the sleepover afterall, Brielle) because this guy convinced us we would never make it home on a donut tire. Finally found SOMEONE who could help us. Paid that someone a LOT of money to come into town and put a new one on. -Got home after 2am to sleep a few hours and head back to Slumberland for the "ULTIMATE ONE DAY ONLY, BUT WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER THE NEXT THREE WEEKENDS IN A ROW, SALE"

Aside from the accident, the other things really did make our trip entertaining. As frustrating as it should've been to get stranded with a hole in our tire the size of my fist, we weren't really frustrated at all. We played 'Name that tropical Skittle flavor' and raced each other to the gas station. Besides, we have car trouble nearly every time we road trip. On the way back from Illinois one time, we had to rent a hotel and pay over $500 to get timing gears replaced. That's not to mention the barbed wire fences, the police car, and weird run-in with a van full of amish people.

the cooolest dog ever!

I taught our dog, Bertie, how to play dead. Want to see?
Go to Matthew's blog: www.cherrybombstudios.blogspot.com and click play for the first video. Let me know if you would like to see this one turned into a series. I'll create the videos, then post them on my blog.
She will surprise you, astound you, make you gasp, "How could one dog do so many tricks!?"

1000!!!

I'd like to take this time to thank you, my readers, I made it over the 1000 hits on the counter I set up a couple months ago. Sweet!

I'm curious as to who actually reads this. If you are a silent reader (or a 'vocal' one), will you do me a favor and leave a comment on this post? I'd just like to know who's out there.

Thanks!

In honor of watching Bono's sweet interview/U2 concert on Conan tonight. Walk On. Please enjoy.(you'll want to hit 'stop' on the autoplay song before hitting 'play' on this one)

Love Will Come Through

Everyone needs their own theme song, right? This song has been on my brain for the last few days... and now it's on yours.
Hope you love it too.

The princess has arrived!

Jesse and Soar McCall are the proud parents of a 7lb 4 oz little girl! Jessica Faith was born a few days ago in Bangkok, Thailand... and Jesse said Soar did great in the delivery. They are planning to return to Cambodia October 10th with their little girl.

Please, if the Lord reminds you tomorrow (Wednesday), pray for Jesse and Soar as they try to get Jessica's citizenship and passport from the U.S. Embassy there in Thailand. It's not as easy as it sounds, so please pray this goes smoothly.

Here are a couple of pictures Jesse emailed me:

Shortly after delivery, the happy family.

Jessica a few days old

Mystery Men

Today was extremely long. It was truly a Manic Monday, and at 12 hours long, I felt stuck in a time warp of sorts. The sad part, I was the only person that made any commission today- if we were paid day by day, several people I work with would actually have had to pay the store money to work today. Very sad indeed. That usually is not the case, though, so it's okay to have those days every once in awhile.

After work, Matthew and I decided to treat ourselves- we ordered the Pizza Hut family deal and filled our bellies while we watched Mystery Men. Mostly corny humor, yeah, but what's wrong with that!? Ever wonder what your secret superhero power would be? If I had to fight supervillians, I'm pretty sure I'd be 'The Screacher'. You wouldn't know it talking to me, but I can scream like a siren... or a loud whistle... or something really, really loud. Then I'd maybe do a round house kick at the same time- all while giving my enemy the 'Stink Eye' (you know, the really mean, squinty look).

Matthew is a superhero in training right now. For his birthday this year, I enrolled him in a martial arts class (Ching Sai Doe) that he takes twice a week now. He loves it! He keeps coming home trying to teach me all these tricks like how to knock guns/knives out of peoples hands. Creepy. I'm not a big fan of guns... or knives.

I spose if I'm going to fight supervillians, I better get over that.

Mystery Men (part 2)

I nearly forgot! I'm pretty sure The Splien came in to Slumberland tonight. I didn't see him... unless he was dressed like my irony customers (you know, the ones that come in two minutes to 9 and are 'just looking'). Here I was, explaining something about a massage chair, or a hutch maybe. I really can't remember. All I can remember is the stench. The gagging reflex kicked in mid sentence, and I felt trapped. This was no 'fluff', folks! How these people pretended they didn't smell anything was beyond me. Maybe they were used to it? In any case, I tried my best to finish the explanation then had to 'excuse myself'.

Then to add more irony to the situation, the Cranberries , "Do you have to let it linger?" song came on over the satellite radio in the store.

It feels good to laugh at a day that would not stop taunting. It feels good to write about something meaningless and *ahem* passing.