Dante had Virgil as a guide. Before he had younger siblings, my oldest child had an imaginary friend named Patrick. Betsy had Tacy. Laura Ingalls depended on her brindle bulldog, Jack. All of them were companions on the way.As we take the beginning steps of our journey through Lent, who would we take as a companion? Name five people, real or imaginary, you might like to have with you as guide or guardian or simply good friend.

1. Well for starters, Id have to say my crew from the Mothership (for those of you that dont know that is the term we lovingly call our seminary). We used to hang out together all the time and just enjoyed each others company. Even though the miles still seperate us, I still consider them my dearest friends. Its funny because I remember a conversation we had way back when about how we probably wouldnt be friends if we had met on any other circumstances. These dear friends have been there for me and we’ve had some delightful times together.

2. My sister. We used to fight like cats and dogs when we were younger but we’ve really grown closer to each other over the years. And since my sister and I love cats, I would definetely have to bring along her cat Oreo. We would all have so much fun together.

3. Of course Jesus. I havent done anything without him. I know that he is always here and has always been here for me so I think I definetely would like to have him along. I think we could have some interesting conversations together. Im sure Id ask lots of questions.

4. Musician Friend from Super Awesome Bible Camp. This gentlemen is someone Im so glad to have met. In so many ways, he is like the brother I never had. He also is a very talented musician that I enjoy listening to perform. There is this one song that I make him sing every time I see him. Im not even sure that this man knows how much he means to me! He is a guy who has been there for me during some rather difficult times.

5. Last but not least is definetely all the wonderful friends I made at Super Awesome Bible Camp specifically Sonflower Child. Sonflower Child is a dear friend who I treasure dearly. Her and I are so much alike…its kind of scary. She is someone who I will always count on and I know she expects the same of me. Besides Sonflower Child, there are many others from Super Awesome Bible Camp that Im glad are my friends. That place brought so many people into my life and I treasure each and every one of those friendships. Also since we worked at Bible Camp, I think it definetely would be fun to travel with all of them. It could be quite an adventure!

Well the other shoe dropped! So you’re probably all wondering what I mean…lets just say that my job isnt always the easiest and sometimes it can be so frustrating. This job though has been good because it has taught me to deal with conflict better. I just got back from a meeting and lets just say there was a little tension in the air. I dont want to go into too much details but lets just say sometimes my job can be frustrating. But enough about that…today at seminary the seniors got there regional assignments. I hope everyone got assigned to the regions they were hoping for. Good night all! I need some sleep….Im spent!

1. What is one place you make sure to take out-of-town guests when they visit? (you can be vague to preserve your anonymity if you like). Since I havent had many guests yet, I hadnt really thought about this until now. I would definetely take them to Super Awesome Bible Camp which is situated right off Lake Sakakawea. I also would probably take my guests to Quaint Tourist Town that has a summer outdoor musical, a bunch of neat little shops, wonderful biking and hiking trails, and also has a lot of history about Teddy Roosevelt. Also I probably would take you on a tour of the enchanted highway. The enchanted highway is composed of numerous wire sculpures that this man made.

2. When visiting another city or town, do you try to cram as much in as possible, or take it slow and easy? It depends on where Im at. I try to take it slow and easy but a lot of the times I find myself trying to get in as much as I can since I dont know when Ill make it back again.

3. When traveling, where are we most likely to find you: strolling through a museum, checking out the local shopping, or _________________? You’d probably find me everywhere. I like the little shops. I like to learn the history. Its fun to do a little of everything.

4. Do you like organized tours and/or carefully planned itineraries, or would you rather strike out and just see what happens? Im one that actually likes to see what happens. Its nice to be on my own time and to take in a place at my own pace.

5. After an extended trip, what do you find yourself craving most about home? Usually my bed! And also my friends and family!

Just a quick note to say Happy Valentines Day to everyone. This holiday is hard being a single woman but Ive found ways to make it through the day. I love to send kiddie Valentines or whatever to let my friends know how much they mean to me. Im at a time in my life when Im so ready for God to bring Mr. Right into my life but obviously God doesnt think Im ready yet so I just need to learn to be patient and to pray. So today I say Happy Valentines Day to everyone but especially to all my single cohorts. As a single person, how do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Im curious! I just heard about a cool idea where you write a love letter to God, put in a balloon or on a balloon, and release it to God. Happy Valentines Day!

Today has truly been a good day. I went to church this morning and did my usual gig with Sunday School etc. After Sunday School, I had a Jr and Sr League meeting. The meetings were earlier in the day than they usually are because the local Bible camp was having their annual meeting so in order for me to go, I had to move the meetings earlier in the day. I must say I was quite pleased. The numbers havent been that great but today I was feeling good and optimistic. There were 6 youth there which put a smile on my face. Six isnt a huge number but it is definetely 3X what it has been in the past. We enjoyed our time together. We ate pizza, played a board game and laughed. After those meetings I quick ran home and changed and waited for my ride. Two other individuals from church were going out to camp for their annual meeting. We got out to camp and had the annual meeting. I toured a few of the new cabins that I hadnt seen etc. It amazes me how much that camp has grown and changed since I began working there about 10 years ago. That place is such a big part of who I am that its always such a delight to go out there. But in the midst of all of this, there was a small piece of sadness that came about and perhaps Ill blog about that later once Ive got it wrapped around in my head. After the meeting, we enjoyed a meal and then headed home. As we were heading home, I was visiting with K and G (members of my congregation). I told them the story about when I was hired and that the camp director hired me thinking I wasnt going to make it. The next summer the camp director told me the story about how he didnt think I was going to make it but he now he couldnt get rid of me. I said to K and G, “God obviously showed him something in me to make him hire me.” At which point G said, “I look forward to reading your church newsletter articles every month. They are straight from your heart and I think we have a wonderful person in this family and youth position.” After hearing those words, I simply said “Thank you” and thought to myself that is exactly what Ive been needing to hear. So Im going to close and just bask in the glow of a good day!

Y.1) If I could sing like anyone, it would be ________. If I could sing like anyone, I would love to be able to sing like Jewel. I was listening to her on Nashville Star last night and thought boy I wish I could sing like her and also write like her. She is amazing!

2) I would love to sing the song _________________. Hmmm…that’s a good question. I think I would love to sing the song “American Pie” I think it’s just a fun song and think it would be fun to sing it.

3) It would be really cool to sing at ____________. It would be really cool to sing at a music festival probably a music festival like SonShine or LifeLight. I just think it would be fun to play in front of all those christian people. I also think it would be fun to just play in the nice summer sun.

4) If I could sing a dream duet it would be with ___________. This one is so easy. I would love to sing with “Jars of Clay” They are my all time fave christian band and I would love to just get up on stage and jam with them singing preferably my fave song of theirs “Love Song for a Savior.” That song is the first christian song I listened too and I think it would be fun to sing it with Jars!

5) If I could sing on a TV or radio show, it would be __________________. Im not sure. I think it would be fun to sing on one of my fave soaps like”Young and the Restless” or something like that. I also think it would be fun to sing on any of the morning talk shows like “Good Morning America.”

Here it is 25 mins before I go home and I am not feeling motivated to do anything. 🙁 I actually got a lot done today but sometimes Mondays are just so hard to get through if you know what I mean. But enough about that, I hope everyone is doing well these days. Every time I turn around something seems to be going around the schools and stuff. I’ve actually been pretty healthy but this weekend came down with a stomach bug or something. I had a temp of 99.2, nausea, chills, etc. It was definetely no fun but at least Im doing good now. It’s like one of my friends and I were saying sometimes you dont even want to breath because you are afraid you are going to catch something. I know exactly what she means. But enough about that, hope everyone is well. But one of the main reasons I wanted to post was to tell you all about the two awesome cds I bought this past weekend. I decided to splurge and bought Katherine McPhees cd and Josh Groban’s cd Awake. They both are definetely worth their moneys worth. I love them both. Groban’s cd does make me wish I were in a relationship because it definetely is very romantic but I guess I’ll just have to wait until GOd brings Mr Right into my life. So what did you all think of this years Super Bowl’s commercials? For some reason, they didnt stand out to me in years past. Got any faves? Let me know!

1. Share, if you wish, the biggest change you experienced this past year. The biggest change was probably finally getting my first call, moving into my own place , and learning how to survive on my own.

2. Talk about a time you changed your mind about something, important or not. That would probably be when I decided to go to seminary. I always said that I would never do that but after touring Wartburg, I fell in love and realized that God was calling me there. So needless to say, I changed my mind and ended up at seminary.

3. Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote a controversial book called “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” Setting aside his ideas–what kind of changes would you like to see in the Church? Hmmm…that is a good question. I’ll have to think about this one a little more. Im sure there are things Id like to see changed but its a little too early in the am for me to be thinking so hard.

4. Have you changed your hairstyle/hair color in the last five years? If so, how many times? Yes, I change my hairstyle pretty often. Im always trying to look for something new, fun, different, easy to take care of etc. I also got highlights for the first time about a year ago and I love them so I probably will get them again.

5. What WERE they thinking with that New Coke thing? Ok since I was only 7 when the New Coke came out, I dont remember much. I was probably too busy playing with my barbie dolls or cabbage patch dolls or something. But seriously what were they thinking?!?!

Im not feeling so great. I think Ive come down with some kind of stomach bug! ICK!