Happy Easter

Cozy

This is one of the first pictures we ever received.  My heart melted.  How could it not right?  I mean this is the cuteness. 

I want you to pay attention to his hands.  Fists.  Here's the thing....you think that he's worried or upset because of the first right?  Wrong.  Just the opposite.  He's comfy.  He's cozy. 

How do I know?  Let me show you a different picture.

This is Tobiah sitting on my lap last week reading books.  We were snuggling.  He still loves cozy.  This is his cozy hand.

When he goes to get dressed in the morning he asks for cozy pants.  Jeans won't do.  Normal kahki's won't do.  He wants sweatpants, lined pants, flannel.  Cozy. 

Guest Blog Monday: Hair

Guest Blog Monday is a feature for 2013 where a friend writes a post for Monday morning so I don't have to.  March's theme is COLD.  

Ecclesiastes 4:11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

“Are you a boy or a girl?” That question was directed at me my first week of junior high by a bratty classmate (I’m looking at YOU, Steve M.). I was a skinny tomboy with bad hair- feathered and mullet-esque. People still remind me that I had that haircut. Dude, I KNOW. I was mortified by that question and decided to start growing out my hair immediately. 

Fast forward to the summer before my senior year of high school. My younger sister is diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease a.k.a. lymphoma a.k.a cancer. Chemo ensues, hair falls out, sister spends her sophomore year of high school wearing my Quiksilver baseball hat. Nobody wants to lose their hair. Not men, not women. I should have cut my hair back then as a sign of support and solidarity so my sister wouldn’t feel alone. I was 17 and I was vain and cowardly. Bratty Steve’s taunting question was still rattling around in my head. 

Fast forward (or rewind?) to two weeks ago. My sister who has been cancer-free for 15+ years is once again diagnosed with cancer. Two kinds this time- breast and lymphoma. Tomorrow she gets surgery to put in a port for her chemo treatments that will start next week. Today she’s getting her hard-earned long hair cut short in anticipation of it falling out again. I’m cutting my hair today too because you know what? I love my sister and I hate what I wuss I was when I was 17. I’m not gonna lie, there’s still plenty of vanity in me these days. There’s also a whole lot of “You can kiss my backside.” in me…I mean that with the utmost of Christian love of course. 

So where does Aaron’s March theme of “cold” come in? The chemo treatments my sister will get are going to make her cold. Not having hair on your head makes you cold. Feeling alone can make you feel even colder. I’m hoping my haircut will help her feel less alone this time. And Bratty Steve, wherever you are, I hope your cold, cold 13 year old heart has warmed up a bit. Peace.

 Tammy Opalka and her incredibly good looking mad scientist husband, dave, live in perkasie, pa. she spends most of her days holed up in her workroom making chalk bags for her business, practical climbing. the rest of her time is spent squishing her adorable niece and nephew, dreaming of warm climates with abundant rocks to climb and trying to figure out how to get mark hamill to adopt her as his little sister.

sick

i had every intention of posting real material this week. I'm sick. Like in bed sick. Soon. Seriously.

Guest Blog Monday: It's A Matter of Perspective

Guest Blog Monday is a feature for 2013 where a friend writes a post for Monday morning so I don't have to.  March's theme is COLD.  

I love Colorado, all things Colorado. I have lived 40 0f my God given years on this earth in Colorado, and figured that I would never move away from the homeland. There are the mountains, the trees in the mountains, fly-fishing cool mountain streams, mountain hiking, biking and climbing the mountains. Colorado boasts some of the best world class skiing, and amazing scenic backcountry views.

One of my favorite things about my beloved state is the weather. Yeah, it can get hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but change is never far off, this is especially true in (you guessed it) the mountains. I have experienced 80 degrees and a blizzard in a matter of hours on the high peaks in July. I have also experienced blizzards in Denver, and 60’s within a few days in January.

Recently the Lord has called me and my family away from paradise to somewhere completely different, that place is Minnesota. It has been a good experience for the year that we have been here. We have enjoyed the small towns, Mall of America, hours at the lake(s) boating, fishing and swimming. We’ve gotten to ice-skate on the river behind our house, and enjoy several snow/severe cold days off of school. Yes, the mosquitos are as big as they say they are, and yes, the snow that falls in November is still on the ground in March. Oh Yeah, there is also the humidity.

One of the strangest things I have encountered is that I kind of enjoy the sub-zero temps that we experience. Don’t get me wrong, I am not like a few Minnesotans who enjoy wearing shorts all year, or partake in the Polar Plunge. The cold has caused me to slow down a bit, split wood, build a fire, read, and enjoy my family. It has also given me a new perspective on what “warm” is. I remember a long stretch of those insanely cold temperatures, and then one day, the sun appeared and our thermometer peaked to 25 degrees. I was in short sleeves soaking in the warmth of the day. Any other day I would have been in a hat and coat, trying to limit my time outside. But this day was different. Perspective.

It reminds me that sometimes things in life are not as bad as I think they are, and that I should be celebrating the little things, like 25 degree weather. God places us in the midst of beauty if we choose to open our eyes to the blessings around us.

Rob Rogers freezes and thaws in New London Minnesota with his wife Debbie, daughter Catherine, and two boys Christian and Toby who have been affectionately named "the sons of thunder" (Mk. 3:17).  He is the Youth & Young Adult pastor at New London Evangelical Covenant Church and enjoy's strumming his lefty Larrivee and Fender Srat.

I know I know, I haven't posted real content of my own for awhile. It's been a busy couple of weeks. I'll get on it, I promise....this will tide you over a little

My Beard Was Cut Open

Remember that asteroid that hit Russia not so long ago.  I realize I'm behind the times in reporting on this.....but apparently there was a serious casualty.....a man's beard.

Marat Lobkovsky said that the meteor cut open his beard, but relax....they patched him up.  I don't know what that means, but I feel for the guy.

Musical Multitasking

Tuesday Coffee

Guest Blog Monday: Ice Sculpture

Guest Blog Monday is a feature for 2013 where a friend writes a post for Monday morning so I don't have to.  March's theme is COLD. 

…I must admit, the theme of cold, has not been an easy one. I have known this was my topic for a while now and have really struggled. Cold is not a witty topic, it is not a sappy topic, and it is not even an emotional topic. It is just cold…cold is cold.

So how do you translate cold into something amazing? Well, we are going to talk about ice sculptures. They are amazing and they are cold!

Have you ever seen someone create an ice sculpture? Or even seen an ice sculpture up close. Now, I am not talking about the one you saw at your cousin’s wedding last summer. I am talking a real, honest, to goodness ice sculpture.

In a town near to my home, they have an ice sculpture festival every winter. And there have been several occasions in which I have found myself wandering amongst these cold pieces of art. It doesn’t matter the subject, you always find yourself saying, “Wow” or “How did they do that”. However, each time I see an ice sculpture, there are two things that strike me. One, how can someone create beauty out of a solid block of ice? And two, how can someone put so much time into something you know is not going to last?

Let’s tackle the first question, first. How can someone create beauty out of a solid block of ice? I believe it is about how the artist prepares. They begin with seeing something in the ice. They are able to see beyond the cold, hard, block of ice to something greater. As a teacher, this is something that we are faced with all the time. Each year there are students you see, and you know inside there is greatness. But often there is not an “artist” to help bring out the beauty. They are stuck, not knowing that there is something down deep, something that might be hidden from view. It is hard. It is heartbreaking.

I feel it is my responsibility as a teacher to seek out that beauty inside them. More importantly, as a Christian it is my job to help people understand they were created with the same loving care as someone who creates an ice sculpture. However, God has put more thought and time into creating His creations than any artist. Each one of us has been perfectly and wonderfully made. That is a promise we should be standing on. But how often do we forget how special we are to God. We are His greatest pieces of “art”.

Now, question two. How can someone put so much time into something you know is not going to last? I think this is about human nature. We as people are always trying to make the fleeting last. We put so much time into our careers, our reputations, our bank accounts, things that are well, earthly. Often we spend so much time focused on the temporal that we miss the eternal. I am completely guilty of this. I find ways to fill my time with everything I think is important. Things which feel important “right now”.

One of my favorite parables is of the ten bridesmaids. It is all about preparedness. Matthew recorded the story that Jesus told of the five bridesmaids who were ready, with enough oil to last them the night. The others were unprepared and then tried to scam oil off of the others.

Matthew 25: 1-13  -

“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

“All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’

“But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’

“But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”

God calls us to be ready at a moments notice. We can’t be worried about the ice melting. That is going to happen no matter what. We need to be focused on our preparations for the future. So get up and get focused!

So how did I do? Did I make cold relevant?

Anneliese/Wheeze

Anneliese is a history teacher in Titusville, PA.  When she's not trying to keep Aaron out of trouble, she dreams of Vikings and Thor.