Setting Up the Pins

Yes, it's another Sara Groves titled blog post, and yes it's another Sara Groves video, but as I'm sitting here gearing up to do some housework, I decided I needed to share this video. I hadn't paid all too much attention to this song until I went to that concert last month, and they played this video along with the live performance of the song, and now I just can't get enough of it. It can be discouraging sometimes to think about how many jobs in our lives we have to constantly re-do every single day- making the bed, packing a lunch, cooking dinner, cleaning up dinner, cleaning off the kitchen island (ours is a "stuff" magnet!), not to mention countless recurring tasks at work. In our small group's women's time, Stacy's been talking a lot about not growing weary in doing good, and this song reminds me to choose to "find joy in the fertile ground", to remember that even though it can feel so simple and blah sometimes, it's really profound to live out daily life with a joyful spirit.

So, Stacy, Liz, Jenn, and Michelle, this one's for you!

Twice as Good

Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve been able to spend some sweet time with some dear “old” friends. Two weeks ago, I drove over to eastern Iowa to meet up with some of my dear friends from college, Ann and Mindy (a former roommate of mine). The main event of our weekend together was a trip to Austin, Minnesota to see the one and only Sara Groves in concert. After pancakes at a local diner we were treated to practically front row seats, which made Ann and me, possibly the two most die-hard Sara Groves fans ever, giddy as could be.

This is how close we were to the stage!

The concert was beautiful- songs of friendship and marriage and faith that once again reaffirmed everything I believe to be "worth it" in this life. (Side note, one of Sara's friends that she mentions in the song above, the one who was dancing on the table, was actually sitting next to Mindy...) Anyway... It was a lovely evening.

From there, we drove to Rochester to stay the night, and then Saturday morning we went to the Twin Cities for part two of our winter-in-Minnesota adventure. We started out at this amazing place called The Container Store, and then we went to the Galleria Mall for some more shopping, and lunch at an Asian restaurant called Big Bowl, which has the best ginger ale I’ve ever had. Angie came over from Chaska to meet us for lunch, so it was an added bonus of the trip that I got to see her, even if the visit was brief.

We then did some more shopping at IKEA before we got gussied up to go into Minneapolis to see Shakespeare’s The Winter's Tale at the incomparable Guthrie Theater. Any show there is pretty much amazing, as was the case with this one. It was wonderful.

On Sunday, we headed back to Rochester for a trip to Trader Joe's (thanks to Ann and Mindy, I am now addicted to their strawberry licorice and dark chocolate almonds), and then it was back to Iowa. I got to have lunch with my parents at Bennigan's, and then it was back to Omaha. It was a whirlwind trip, but so much fun! It was great being able to reconnect both with Ann and Mindy. They're fabulous! :-)

And now this weekend, Staci Mae and Greg came to visit us! They arrived Friday night and we had dinner downtown at O! Casual Dining, and then went to see Mary Poppins at the Orpheum. It was a really cool show with some neat effects. The best was when Bert danced up the side of the stage wall and then danced upside down from the ceiling. It was cool stuff.

And then yesterday Staci Mae and I did some shopping while Matthew and Greg played some disc golf. We rendezvoused for lunch at this new BBQ place in Council Bluffs (Hog Stop- soooo good!) before they headed for home. It really meant a lot to have them out here for a visit.

I just love my friends so much, whether they be here in Omaha, in Iowa, in Minnesota or wherever. Life with them is half as hard and twice as good. (to quote Sara!) ;-)