The Salad Days

Today, as the local weatherman says, "Even the hearitest of Minnesotans will want to stay inside..." It's always funny when you open up the weather page and you are greeted with house cleaning tips!

So...with both kids now sick, we will spend the day inside. I procured a copy of Cinderella for Corrie, and Steph and I will enjoy the calm of staying inside and not having anyplace we have to be. Church is not really on the radar with the kids' condition, so we will spend our sabbath here at home.

I have now taken responsibity for the wine order at work, meaning that I must be sure to always have the coveted "Two Buck Chuck" on hand. (For those who don't know, this is a wine only found at TJ's which gets its name from a 2 dollar price tag in CA-it's 3 dollars here). It adds a bit of new stress to work, but I'm sure that I will adjust. I will admit, however, that it seemed to overshadow other things this week, taking concentration away from some other responsibilties. Oh well...we live and learn.

Life in the Twin Cities continues to be comfortable. We continue to gain affection for our new home. I love the fact that there is a Carnival going on now in St. Paul; that this city (and this part of the world) learns to not only live with the harshness of the weather, but even celebrate it.

If you read the post on my wife's blog last night, this blog may seem a
bit repetitive. In spite of my various macro oriented musings, my
kiddos are indeed ripe with blog entry worthiness. As I face another
work week in a couple of hours, I find myself (as I am most Mondays)
enchanted by these two little ones. I shared a good weekend with them.
We went to the Children's Museum on Saturday, I took Corrie to Lake Nokomis on Sat. to watch some hockey, and yesterday she helped me shovel snow!

It is only on Monday, with the encroaching work week upon me, that the
brevity of this time with them comes so loudly to the forefront. Jack
is, overnight, really starting to talk a lot and put thoughts together.
Last night, as Steph took him to bed, he said "bye bye da da " to me.
Meanwhile, Corrie is busy making her list for their Trader Joe's
shopping trip tonight. They both continue to advance in their own
little ways.

I love my wife, and I miss being alone with her.
But all that quickly vanishes as I realize the wealth of this time in
our life together. Being alone with Steph is necessary for our marriage,
and visits from the parents give us good date time. Further, I do look
forward to being able to look back on our experience as parents. We
hope we can see our kids grown into mature, Godly people who will
follow Christ. But I do not wish to miss the time God has given us now.
As I said, Jack is growing up so quickly, discovering things overnight,
and I am loving watching it again. It is also great to see Corrie watch Jack grow, as that is part of seeing her grow. This is a magical time of life.

One of the interesting things to witness having lived in a few
different cities in my life is local snobbery. Some
places are more provincial than others. Boston and New York are at the
top (having spent more time in Boston than in any other US city in
which I have not lived, I feel I can say that, while NY just emits it),
while a place like LA is on the other end of the spectrum. No one in LA
really cares if you're from there or not, whereas Bostonians count it
as two strikes against you if you are not from there.

But being provinical does not equal beings a snob. Snobbery equals snobbery. Bostonians are snobs because you are not as smart or cultured as them. New Yorkers are similar, but since they feel they are the center not only of our
country, but also the world, everyone is not as good as them. In LA,
there is a general sense of cluelessness . Being the center of the
entertainment industry, it does not know whether it is better than
others, nor does it care. Its inability to care what others thinks
amounts to the snobbery of LA.

So, you may ask, how are Chicago and The Twin Cities snobbish? Fascinating question. They are of the the same genus, but not the same species. They are both affected by the snobbery of the Midwest Mind, but it manifests itself in more subtle
ways. Chicago's hard edge and City of Big Shoulders mentality make it
feel that NY may think its better, heck, it may even be better. But no
one works as hard as us, and no one looks after the little guy like us.


Which brings me to the Twin Cities. It is hardly a flashy,
provincial place. Chicago is, after all, a big city, and one that does
have all of the NY amenities, without being, well, New York. It doesn't
have the same brag about work ethic that Chicago does. But the two
cities share one trait: harsh weather. And that affects everything.
Here, snobbery is found in two ways: selfdeprecation and cold weather.
The charm of self effacing is great, and it greatly endears Minnesota
to me. But that attitude chiefly comes from the weather here, which
makes people think they are tougher (but they would never say they are
tougher here, because that is the opposite of selfdeprecation ). It is
best put by Garrison Keillor, who linked all great thinking in humanity
to cold weather. Only here on the frozen tundra can we be forced to
truly face the vicissitudes of life, for in the harsh winter, we must come to grips with matters of survival! Sound kind of snobbish?

Only in a Minnesota way :)

Well, tomorrow morning we head back to Minnesota. We have had fun here, though I know that the kids will appreciate being back home. I will not look forward to starting back on the grind Tuesday, but that is always part of the home going. Apparently, we have a blanket of snow waiting for us at home, so hopefully that won't affect our travels tomorrow.

It's never easy to close the book on a vacation, but I have a feeling that once the flight is behind us, things will feel quite different. As nice as it is to relax, there is nothing quite like being at home. That's part of what makes travel special. The anticipation and experience of it is great. Then, as the trip draws to a close, and one knows that reality is setting in, the comforts of home come rushing back. Because one cannot return to "vacation" in the everyday harshness of life, one can only return home.

God has put into me a desire for "permanent vacation", a life away from the vicissitudes of work. One day, I am confident that will arrive, be it in this life or the next. Part of that vacation I have experienced for the last week and a half, as I have been able to focus on extended familial relationships. As we return to Minnesota, the other part of that vacation will come back. After all, each day, I have a vacation from work as I say hello to my wife and kids, safe from another day, and ready to bask in the glory of what God has graciously given. It isn't always as glorious as all that, for we see in a glass dimly for now. But I believe that the good in this life is a way that God makes Himself known to us. Though it's all a mixed bag, I am thankful for all the challenges and gifts that God gives that make us know more about who He is.

Hey all!!

For those of you who didn't notice, I have updated my blog, only slightly. I have added links. This is my attempt to stay modern. At my pace (keeping in mind the fact that I just got my first cell phone), I think of myself as quite advanced.

All of the links are good. I will add more. I want to call your attention to the one denoted as "The Spares". This will link you to a great music group based out of Chicago. They have just released a new CD, and it is well worth your time. In fact, both of their discs are great! There is so much music to listen to out there, but be assured that this is some thoughtful, engaging work!

Of course, the finest link in the chain is my wife's blog. What can I say? The girl can write!

Over the last couple of days, we had the privilege of seeing all of my grandparents. We had relatively short visits with them, but they were very good visits. Yesterday, we drove up to Santa Barbara for a visit with my paternal grandparents. We were both refreshed by their contentment with our visit, however brief it needed to be.

I was struck by their contentment in general. None of us is perfectly content I suppose, but I can only hope that I, at their age, can be souls of their type; living life with contentment, and still faithfully following the Lord Jesus.

Our vacation is rapidly passing by, as we have made the transition to Steph's family now. I am still so grateful for the time away, and the time that I can take my focus away from work and put it towards other things of value.

So I am here in Whittier, California on my sister's couch. She says..."I'm sick of this entry!" Referring to my perpetual and outdated December 30 entry.

So, I thought, they have a wireless modem, why not blog right now.

My sister is sassy, but she's definitely worth an entry:)

We are having a great time here...it's always great to see the family again. The weather is nice and mild here, and the comforts of home always come rushing back.

My daughter was joyful upon seeing said sister, as she ran to Faith and jumped into her arms. We proceeded to have a great "Christmas" evening, followed by a morning of pancakes and time at the park. The reunion has been joyful and fun. It is always great to be together again.