Good-bye March?

I don't know how it happened, but March is pretty much gone. I have no idea where the last month went! All of a sudden it was here and now it's not. Oh well, on to April I guess!

This past month was a busy one - definitely the busiest month I've had in a long time! Not that I'm complaining at all! It's good to be really busy sometimes - especially if you know you get some breaks in there! The first couple of weeks were spent doing more high school visits and some college fairs. Then in the third week of March, I spent a week up in the Cities at College Fairs with a co-worker. It was a pretty good week - just busy enough. And we even had some time on our last day to spend at the Mall of America before our last fair and then heading home. I loved being at the MOA! I got to have a pretzel from the PretzelMaker (the best in soft pretzels) and some DippinDots! YUM! I did pick up some chocolate to bring home to AJ to because I missed him so darn much! :)

That Friday I took off from work since I got home at midnight on Thursday. It was nice to have a relaxing day and catch up on my TV shows that I had missed earlier in the week! That night, AJ and I went to our first Fish Fry. A group of my co-workers and a bunch of other people started sometime called the Cod Damn Fish Fry Team. Basically, during Lent, they go around to area churches in Omaha and go to a different Fish Fry every week. Now, I gotta tell you, these Fish Fries are quite the event. The first one we went to was probably one of the biggest in the area. They told us at the church that they serve about 2,000 people each Friday night! They even had a take-out service! Insane, right? Another thing about these events is that because the line for food is so long (3 hours long, in fact!) they serve beer and wine while you wait! Along with some boys selling popcorn and some Girl Scouts selling Girl Scout cookies - you could manage the three hours no problem. :) It was a lot of fun and we met some really nice people too! Unfortunately we haven't been able to get to another Fish Fry yet, but we've still got some time to get another one in!

This past week I was once again back up in Minnesota but by myself this time. It was a little more of an adventure this time... especially since I found myself in a snow storm with no boots and no ice scrapper. So I was out in the parking lot mid-day (after my first fair had - thankfully - been canceled) standing in a drift of snow in heels and trying to bang the ice off the car with my hand... I told myself I had obviously been living out of Minnesota for too long because I was no prepared for this weather! Luckily the day warmed up fairly well so that helped with the ice on the car and I made it to the fair that night no problem. It was another late night when I finally got home on Friday but I was so happy to be there!

Yesterday (Sunday, March 27th) was AJ's birthday! The big 2-4! ;-) On Saturday, we went to return my rental car and stopped in at the library for some new books on CD and a new book for me to read. That night, AJ decided he wanted to go out to eat for his birthday so we caught an early dinner at Red Lobster. It was at the restaurant that I presented AJ with his card and a gift card to none other than Red Lobster. AJ was pretty speechless but I just told him that I knew my husband well. ;-) That night we rented some movies and on Sunday we slept in - which was very nice! Then we ended up going out to eat again for the birthday boy! All in all, it was a very good birthday weekend for AJ.

This week will be pretty slow as we say good-bye to March but at the end of the week, we are heading out of town for a wedding! My cousin is getting married and so it's off to Ohio we go! I'm pretty excited about the wedding and being able to see my family! I will admit though it'll be a busy and long weekend with a lot of driving, but totally worth it!

Other than all of that, AJ and I are looking forward to April that will hopefully bring with it some warmer weather, some thunderstorms and some visits by some good friends and family!

Giving Something Up for Lent

For Lent this year, I've decided to give up pop. This is a pretty big thing for me considering I was drinking at least one can of pop every day. But as I was deciding on what to give up, I'm not sure I made my decision on the correct reasons. For me, I wanted to give up pop because I know I drink it too much and I want to be healthier. But is it right for me to use Lent as the vehicle to give up pop? I'm not sure...

I could reason it out if I really wanted to... every time I want to reach for a pop, I remember I can't and I then remember to focus upon my sacrifice compared to Jesus' sacrifice. And that then I can be thankful for His sacrifice and that He gave His life so that I could have eternal life. But do I go through that thought process every time I want to drink pop? No. I think about how much I just want one drink of pop! 

So, I decided I needed to do a little bit of research on why people give things up for Lent... and this is what I found...

(from this page)

The tradition to give something up for Lent is actually derived from fasting (following Christ's example of fasting for 40 days in the desert) and it's generally something that we either do a lot of or that we find pleasure in. There are a couple of different reasons why this is done:

• as a disciple for learning self-control, to free our minds from the chase after material things, to tell ourselves "no" and make it stick
• to identify with Christ's sufferings and remember what the true pleasures are for followers of Christ
• as an act of sorrow over our wrongdoings and our state of sin

 This website also says that "sometimes we don't notice how certain things we do have gained power over us and dictate our actions. In Lent fasts, we discover these things and give them up so that God can be in charge. Franciscans use the term 'detachment': the less that 'stuff' preoccupies your life, the more room there is for God, as well as for yourself and for other people."

I really like these explanations. They're easy to understand and simple. And that's what Lent is - about simplifying life and allowing room for God. The more room we have for God, the greater relationship we can have with God, with ourselves and with others. I think that these reasons get lost in the midst of everything else in life. So it's good to be reminded of them. 

It's also common for people to start doing something for Lent. I've also decided to try doing just that this year by reading a devotional or the Bible everyday. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, I get a Lenten devotional emailed to me daily but I've also gotten some new books to start reading. I'm really hoping to start diving in my relationship with God and learning how to strengthen it. And I'm also hoping to dive into my marriage and how God can be a bigger part of that. 

These are my hopes for Lent. Giving up pop may not seem like a huge life difference, and maybe it's not. But I hope that I will think about all the reasons behind Lent every time I want a drink of pop. And maybe it'll help me simplify my life in other ways. And most importantly, I hope it will allow more room for God. Because above all else, He is what matters the most.

Lent

It may seem weird, but Lent is my all time favorite season of the church. I know that Lent is a time of darkness and suffering, but I think that's why I like it so much. Because through all the pain, the darkness, the sadness - there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is Easter! For me, Lent is a time to reflect back on those dark times in my life, to talk to God about them, to seek for forgiveness and then to be able to rejoice in the Resurrection! For me, Lent is a reminder that no matter how bad things might be, God is still there. 

I receive these email devotionals everyday including Lent devotionals. This year's devotionals actually talk about the "battle" between darkness and light. The one for Ash Wednesday talked about this verse:

"The light shines in the darkness, & the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

 I love knowing that light will always overcome the darkness and not the other way around. It means that God is always going to be there, He is always going to make sure we pull through. The devotional also said this:

All of us struggle with the power of darkness in our lives, the darkness of fear, doubt, dread and anxiety. We see it in our health problems, financial struggles and our strained relationships. We see it in the darkness of our own struggles within.

This is so true in all of our lives. AJ and I have seen our fair share of darkness over the past year. But the devotional goes on to say that God will shine his light into the "darkest corners of our sin-filled hearts and minds." God is going to continue to shine that light for us so we can see the light battle and overcome the darkness for us.

I was unable to make it to an Ash Wednesday service this year, but this is always one of the services I enjoy the most. The ashes that get placed on our heads remind us of the death and darkness in our lives. But they also remind us that Jesus died so that we can have His life and forgiveness. For me, Ash Wednesday services are a powerful event. 

I actually had a very moving experience at the Ash Wednesday service at Wartburg my freshmen year there. I remember writing it all down in a journal and even talking to one of my high school friends about it. I looked and looked to see if I could find that journal entry and even though I couldn't, I did find the conversation I had with my good friend about it. During the service, we each wrote down a sin or a list of sins that were weighing down our hearts. And then we took turns going to the front of the chapel and nailing those sins to the cross. 

In the conversation, I say to my friend that after nailing my slip of paper to that cross, I felt free. I felt lighter. I felt forgiven. For me, that is what Lent is about. It's about letting go of your sins, of your struggles, of your darkness and handing them all over to God. Jesus long ago paid the ultimate price for us. We have been given life and forgiveness because of Him. 

I've ordered a couple of devotional books that I hope to start reading on a daily basis during Lent (and of course after Lent as well!). I hope to share my journey with you in this blog. I hope to strengthen my relationship with God and at the same time hopefully strengthen my relationship with my husband. I've started these devotionals and will be reading from the Couples Devotional Bible that AJ and I got at our wedding (pictured). I was actually going through and was going to underline the verses that we had during the readings at our wedding when I stumbled upon a devotional about some specific struggles that AJ and I are currently dealing with. I knew that was God telling me that it was going to be okay and that He is going to see us through. 

So as this Lenten season begins, I'm excited to start my journey. I'm excited to see how my relationships grow. I'm excited about the idea of being reminded that God is always there in the darkness, shining His light through.

A month of updates

For many of these posts, I tend to talk in riddles about thoughts and feelings. I don't always explain myself fully. Nor do I really tell you what's actually been going on in our lives. And as I was thinking about this the other day, I thought, "You know, that's not really fair Liz - to leave all those poor people and your many followers of your incredible blog feeling empty." (Okay, so I really didn't talk to myself those exact words, but you get the point) So this blog entry will be used to update you on the current life of Liz and AJ. Enjoy! :) 

The last time I did any sort of "update" blog was a while ago. I actually have my calendar in front of me so I can figure out what all I need to tell you! So let's go back to the beginning of February.... 

Work was definitely starting to pick up for me at UNO in February. I went on my first high school visit with a co-worker so I could see how they are done. I also worked my first Saturday event. It was an early morning, but I was done by noon which was nice. That same day, AJ and I went to see the Broadway musical 'Mary Poppins' in downtown Omaha at the Orpheum Theater. Although our seats were pretty far back, it was a great show and the theater is absolutely gorgeous!

A little bit of a funny story to go along with that... after the show was done, we were walking out of the theater with the huge mass of people. About halfway down I realized my gloves weren't in my coat pockets. AJ kindly went back up to see if they had fallen out under our seats - which meant he had to fight the crowd coming down on his way back up - bless his heart! But, there were no gloves and the staff told him they hadn't picked any up. I could have sworn I had brought them along and was sad to learn that I would have to go buy some new gloves. As we walked back to our car, it had started to snow again. As we reached our car I suddenly cried out, "My gloves!" I must have put them on my lap and they had fallen out when I got out of the car. AJ was impressed that no one had taken them while we were at the show. I was impressed by the glove outlines left on the ground. haha Obviously we're easily entertained. 

After the show we went to this very cute little Italian restaurant in the Old Market area called Vincenzo's. And I kid you not, they have the best garlic cheese bread I've ever had. We ordered two appetizers of it. OMG - LOVED IT! haha 

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday and we spend the day laying around being lazy, eating food and watching football and commercials. Nothing too exciting. :)

The next week at work wasn't too busy. I did have one evening event that I worked but other than that, a pretty normal week. I also did my first Information Session that week. UNO schedules two visits a day and at each visit the counselors take turns giving a 45 minute presentation (aka Information Session). I think my first one went very well and it was nice to finally have one under my belt. I'm still learning more about UNO every day but I think I've got the basics down. That weekend AJ and I ventured up to Minnesota. We were able to stop in Estherville on our way up and see my BFF while she was still pregnant. :) We spent the rest of the weekend seeing other friends and hanging out with my family. I also learned how to cross-stitch from my mom - something I'm quickly becoming addicted to!

The next week was Valentine's Day. AJ and I were fortunate enough to be able to have lunch together that day. We ate at Jones Bros Cupcakes - which has amazing food and even more amazing cupcakes. :) He even surprised me with flowers at work. That night however, AJ had parent-teacher conferences. He also had conferences on Wednesday night. But on both night, AJ heard only good things from parents and he also learned how he especially has touched the life of one of his students. And it makes you realize how amazing his job and profession actually is and how much he can make a difference. Right now AJ is busy working with his choir and students for solo and large group contest. It's a lot of work but I'm sure that the kids and him are going to do great.


The last full week in February was a very busy one. But believe me, I'm not complaining. I'm honestly loving every minute of my job! I am so blessed to have this opportunity! On Monday of that week, we had an Open House on campus - it was another early start and a long day but a lot of fun. It's great when you get a lot of perspective students on campus and allow them to ask current students questions without their parents around. :) I also started my own high school visits in the MAP Iowa counties. Again, I can't even explain why I love this so much but it's just great. I remember that time in my life when I was deciding on college and how much fun and exciting it was. And I just want to make sure that these kids have those same opportunities. I also had my first college fair - although it was a transfer fair which I've been told is different from other college fairs. But still, a good experience. 

Saturday was another work day for me. We had a housing showcase on campus where students could come visit all five resident halls. And immediately after that we had a hockey event for dual enrollment students and students from the MAP schools. It was a great time - we had a tailgate before the game with free gifts, food and had different departments there for students to ask questions and then free tickets to the hockey game! It was a long long day but AJ and I had a lot of fun at our first UNO hockey game! Hopefully we'll be able to go to many more! 


And on Sunday... Sunday was a great day. A very special day. On Sunday, my best friend and former college roommate had her first baby! This is the first baby from any of my close circles of friends, so it was an exciting day! AJ and I were lucky enough to be able to drive up to Spirit Lake to see Amanda & Taylor and their baby son, Thor. This was the first time for us seeing a baby that was less than 12 hours old - unless, for me, you count seeing my new baby brother when he was  born, but I was too young to really remember that. It was just amazing to have been able to watch Amanda through her pregnancy and now seeing the end result. And let me tell you - that baby is the cutest baby! :) We had a great time visiting them and we're really looking forward to the next time we get to see them so we can get some more one-on-one baby time! 

All in all, February was a good and fairly busy month. Now it is March and, at least for me, things are only going to get busier. I'll be up in Minnesota for a couple of weeks at some college fairs and I'm looking forward to being back in my homeland but also very sad that it'll take me away from AJ for a while. However, we have discussed that since we were apart for so long last year, these shorter times apart will be a piece of cake! So it's a good thing we had that practice!