Wedding Bells and Belles

My good friend Tonia got married this weekend.

You can check out her awesome blog on greenin' up your life here.

She was pretty much my third sister growing up, so both of my sisters and I got to be in her wedding! It was so fun to be bridesmaids together, though we couldn't help continually cracking this joke:

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe we showed up in the same dress! How embarrassing!"

And then laughing like ninnies.

It was an amazing, beautiful wedding, and one we'll never forget. Here are some of the photos from the big shindig:

My awesome cake-making sister Caroline made them a Packers vs. Vikings cake. Tonia (the Packers fan) fed Mike a Packers piece and Mike (the Vikings fan) fed Tonia a Vikings piece. That's true love, that is.

Almost all of the decorations were handmade, green, and gorgeous.

Aleah was adorable and hilarious, as usual...

We danced and danced, but stopped long enough for a few photos. We don't look this good that often!

I hear that this is called "photo diving." I call it super fun!

Thanks for the party, Tonia and Mike! Many, many, many blessings on your marriage as you begin this wonderful journey together.

Fluffy

During my time (9+ years!) away from the northwoods of Wisconsin, I'd forgotten how much it is Animal Planet-esque up here. There are raccoons and foxes, fish and ducks, salamanders, toads, and even the occasional black bear. It's entertaining and exciting, to say the least. Sometimes it's even a little bit crazy.

Case in point: Two weeks ago there was a nest of tiny baby sparrows in a hanging plant on my parents' front porch. We peeked in on them almost every day and watched them go from tiny, featherless pink babies to slightly larger, featherless pink babies. Their mom fed them and watched over them, and we felt privileged to have a peek into their cute little world.

Then my parents' cat, Roxy, a former stray who my father refers to as a "cold-blooded killer" (you see where this is going?) found the nest and ate the babies. Lovely.

Deer wander through our front yard every day. Yesterday they went all the way up to the front porch and ate all of the flowers out of my mom's flower pots.

Twice last week raccoons were in the compost bin.

See what I mean?

Meet Fluffy:

While my sisters, mom, and niece were on the front porch a few days ago, they saw a bluejay get in a fight with some nuthatches and then steal a nuthatch baby and bite its head off. It was pretty traumatizing. Honestly, whoever thinks that nature is just cute and cuddly is out of his or her mind...

After the bluejay cannibalism, there was one little fledgling nuthatch left on the ground, shaken and scared. What to do? We waited a bit for the parents, but they didn't come back.

He was so pitiful and cute and helpless, so we tried to put him back in his tree. He jumped out. We put him back. He jumped out again. Not wanting him to hurt himself, we put him in a nest my brother-in-law found in the woods awhile ago, and put that nest in a box to keep him safe.

Seriously, how cute is he?

After doing some research, we learned that fledglings hang out on the ground as they learn to fly (hence, why putting him back in a tree resulted in him catapulting himself out of the tree...). Usually their parents stick around to care for them, but in this case we didn't see them.

We fed Fluffy some soggy cat food and hamburger, and watched him for a few hours. My mom figured out that if we tapped on the front of the nest, he would open his mouth and search for food. If we didn't tap on it, he would clamp his little beak shut and we couldn't get any food in at all. There was much tapping. I squashed over a dozen ants, which he loved.

My two-year old niece, Aleah, fell in love with him.

"Fuffy birdie! Fuffy birdy! Poor birdy." She has trouble with her l's.

Since Roxy is a proven cold-blooded killer, we fed Fluffy some bedtime hamburger and put him in his nest in a box in the closet for the night.

It might sound silly, but I found myself praying for this little tiny bird that night. That he'd be okay. That we'd find his parents. After all the animal drama we've had this summer, it's incredible to me that God cares for every sparrow and knows what is happening to each tiny bird. In our front yard alone there must be three dozen birds with nests and eggs and little bird lives. God knows every one. And God knows Fluffy.

I need to remember this when I'm in the midst of a crisis (read: job search). It's so easy to be anxious about things in life, particularly in such a transitory phase as that which my husband and I find ourselves in these days. Where will we we end up? Will my calling to the church result in an official position, and if so, when? Will there be a teaching job for Daryl, a pastoring job, or both? Or (gulp) neither?

Then I remember: how much more will God care for me than for a tiny bird?

I woke up at dawn, fed Fluffy breakfast, and then put him back under the tree where his parents had last taken care of him.

Then I waited. It was a misty, foggy, chilly morning. I didn't want him to be cold or to starve, but I also knew that we couldn't feed a bird twenty times a day for long, especially with Roxy in the house. His parents had to come through.

I waited some more.

Then, praise be, the mommy bird came back. Then, the daddy bird came back. They preened Fluffy's feathers. He chirped with happiness. They fed him a caterpillar. He spread his tiny fledgling feathers with joy.

My family made one more trip out to say goodbye.

"Bye, fuffy birdie!" said Aleah.

Who knew a nature channel story could end so well?

New Baby Pics

Welcome to Sophia Joy!

Here is my mom (aka, Grandma!) with Aleah and her new little sister.

 

New Niece

I have a new niece!

My sister Caitlyn and brother-in-law Jared welcomed their second little girl, Sophia Joy, at 4:45 this morning in Minneapolis.

Their first (Aleah) has bright, bright red hair. Sophia is a dark brunette.

Pictures to follow!

Ten on Tuesday (Thanks, Megan!)

Yes, I know it's Wednesday. But it's 4:21am on Wednesday, so I'm calling it Tuesday. Sometimes when one is on-call at the hospital, one does not sleep so well and must spend portions of the early morning hours updating one's blog. And watching "About Schmidt" at the hospital's on-call apartment. And speaking of oneself in the abstract.

My friend Megan (hi!) sometimes does a Ten on Tuesday list. Since I've been a bit dry in the well of ideas lately (an intensive short-term course plus a husband far away can do that to a person), I thought I'd borrow this one from her. So...

1. What accomplishment are you most proud of? 
I used to say running the Chicago marathon in 2002 was my proudest accomplishment. I kinda still can't believe I ran that far (especially since I haven't run over three miles in a stretch in the seven+ years since). It was cool to see that I could push my body that hard and it would actually do what I trained it to do. I'd like to do another one at some point, but I think a half-marathon may be all I have in me from now on, particularly because running gets really boring after about five miles.

Now, though, I'm proudest of pursuing a life of ministry. It's still a scary thing to me for many reasons, from a life of fairly low income, to the ways that it is possible to burn out or just plain get burned in ministry, to my own occasional battles with self-doubt (who am I to serve God's people in the church?), so I'm proud that I've kept going on the path to ministry, even when it's been tough. Even when it means that sometimes I'm awake all night long with a hospital pager. Even when it means spending this year apart from Daryl. Even when it means a more uncertain future.

2. How much did you weigh when you were born?
Around eight pounds, I think. Maybe just under.

3. What is your favorite perfume?
I've never worn perfume. I'm not really sure why. I usually use lotion or body spray from Bath & Body Works and they just discontinued my favorite (Juniper Breeze), so I'm going to have to find a substitute pretty soon. I think I'd like perfume. I definitely like the idea of it - it sounds professional and sophisticated and grown-up-ish. Maybe I'll have to find a good scent sometime soon.

4. How many siblings do you have?
Two younger sisters. And they rock. And they both live in Minnesota, which is just too darned far away from where I live. One is a college senior, studying art and making brilliant and beautiful things. The other is a waitress, wife, and mommy to the cutest 1 1/2 year old girl ever. They're incredible sisters and I love hanging out with them more than almost anything in the world.

As a side note, it's continually astonishing to me how many of my friends in graduate programs are firstborn children. Wheaton was packed full of first-borns. It's a wonder we don't all boss each other around to the point of violence...

I also have a brother-in-law. When I was five or six I was fixated on having an older brother. It's what I wanted most in the world. Needless to say, that was a tall order for my parents, who kept trying to tell me that it was pretty impossible at that point to get me an older sibling. Well - now I finally got one. And he rocks. And when Daryl and I visit, he always punches Daryl in the leg and makes him fall over. And it cracks me up every time.

5. How many children would you like to have? (Or how many do you have?)
Probably two. I used to tell people that Daryl and I want two kids because we don't want to be outnumbered, but then a friend of mine who has one kid told me that when you have one baby, you're already outnumbered. Good point. Still, at some point down the road we'll start with one, add another one, and then see how things are going.

6. What’s the best class you took in college?
I took so many incredible classes in college I can't name just one... All of the writing courses I took with David Wright and Kent Gramm changed my life. Jeff Thompson's Creativity Practicum (which really does defy description) was an experience unto itself. I loved Em Griffen's Communication Theory, which was really hard, but always began with a short reading from Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. Also, he wrote the Comm. Theory book that most programs are still using today. And the book rocks. Dave Reifsnyder (who incidentally used to be a roadie for my Uncle Del's college band) taught Intro to Theater and Performance of Literature, both of which I loved.

And all of my tutorials in Oxford, which now seem kind of like a mysterious and wonderful dream (especially the writing course I took with the poet Kieron Winn. We met at his flat - which seems sketchy to me now, but was fairly commonplace in Oxford - and he used to throw books at his cat and serve me tea in flowered porcelain teacups). I can't believe I used to walk the streets of Oxford and drink tea and go to classes there. What a good time.

7. What was your favorite game to play when you were a child?
I grew up in the land of Capture the Flag. Loved it. I was never very good at it, but I loved it. As far as board games, I loved Candyland. Loved it.

8. What character on Friends are you most like?
I want to be Rachel, but I'm more Phoebe, especially in my more flustered moments. I like to think that as I get older I have more Rachel moments. In my nerdy moments I'm totally Ross.

Ross is my favorite. Luckily, Daryl is quite a bit Ross. He's part Ross, part Josh Lyman from the West Wing, and part George Clooney from Ocean's 11 (minus the felony part). Yeah, I'm just totally in love with the guy.

9. Are you a phone person? (ie: Do you like talking on the phone?)
I HATE being on the phone. I really hate it. I think my long-distance friendships suffer because I am so bad on the phone... My friend Sarah (hi!) and I really get each other this way. Often we'll call each other, get voicemail, and then just send an email instead. I think we're both happier that way.

I'm learning to be better on the phone. It helps that I'm forced to talk on the phone with Daryl and my family so far away... And whenever Inga calls me from Iraq it feels like an incredible privilege and not a chore to talk on the phone. I'm also always a little bit amazed to hear someone loud and clear who is not only halfway across the world but living in a war zone.

But so much is lost over the phone... I'd always rather talk in person.

10. What was the best vacation you ever took?
I'm with Megan on this one - can you ever beat a honeymoon? The honeymoon rocked. Daryl and I went to Cabo San Lucas (in January! and it was WARM!) where we walked on the beach, snorkeled, slept in until 11am every single day, and ordered loads of room service. It was blissful. Cabo was beautiful and the weather was amazing, but mostly I was just thrilled to spend so much uninterrupted time with the man I love.

Other than that, I loved all my travels from Oxford while I studied there (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Wales, London, Penzance). I will always be in love with all things Britain. Trains and tea and rainy weather and cultural politeness and biscuits and umbrellas and raincoats and hardback novels. I will always be miffed at why tea tastes so much better over there, even when I buy the same brand here... Their water must be magical.

I loved the trips my parents took me on (and sometimes still take me on!). My favorite two were Canada (Banff, Jasper, hiking, camping) and Germany and Austria (skiing, pastries, museums, driving on the Autobahn). The best moment of the Canada trip was when we checked into our campsite. We went to the Ranger's station to pay, and he suggested we go to the Visitor's Center to get information about the hiking trails in the area. We took his advice, and noticed that there was a free documentary playing at the center about the wildlife in the area. How educational! We sat down to watch the film. About five minutes in it became clear that it was not an educational documentary so much as a "When Animals Attack" film about grizzles. And we were going to go camping. In grizzly territory. Caroline (who was about twelve years old at the time) spent the entire trip jumping six feet straight into the air every time anyone within half a mile stepped on a twig. It was hilarious. It was also the gnat infestation of the century up there. My father also left the poles necessary for setting up our camper back in Wisconsin... And we had one small tent for five people. Oddly enough, I think the vacations where things go wrong often make the best memories. It was quite a memorable time.

Home for the Holidays

Hello, friends,

Forgive the lengthy hiatus - I intended to update more while I was on winter break, but alas, I spent the majority of my time eating, sleeping, and playing the Settlers of Catan. So no updates, but I have returned to New Jersey a very rested Courtney.

Here are some photos from the trip home (with accompanying explanations):

It was Christmas. Santa came to our house, in the form of a small, 1 1/2 year old girl who had a serious fascination with cats.

 

Christmas Eve I sang in alto for our church service with my dad singing tenor and Caroline playing her viola. This was our whole crew, including Eric, our worship leader and pianist, who broke his hip only a few weeks earlier playing broomball. He played the whole service and all of the rehearsals - that's dedication!

Christmas morning! Matching pajamas are a family Christmas tradition. Cait and I each got a sewing basket from mom and dad to help us as we continue to learn how to sew.

 

Jared, Cait, and Aleah outside playing. Aleah LOVES the snow, even though she can't even put her arms down when she's all bundled up...

 

Christmas night we always drive up to the Simeones for an amazing dinner and games. We look forward to this all year long. This is me, Daryl, and Danny (who is so crazy grown up now I can hardly believe he used to spend hours building cardboard spaceships with my youngest sister, Caroline...) awaiting the feast.  The sign on the back wall reads "Sit Long. Talk Much. Laugh Often." That about summed up our wonderful night here.

 

The whole crew (minus my dad, who was taking the photo), including classic Simeone salad.

 

We also had an ugly sweater competition.  Ugly Sweater parties seem to be rising in popularity, as this was my second one of the season. Luckily Mom and Caroline had some to spare for Daryl and me. Aren't we a classy bunch? My mom's sweater won. It's hard to see in this photo, but it shows an entire mantle with stockings hanging from it. And it has shoulder pads. Rockin'.

 

The cutest little niece ever.

 

Yellow Birch Lake in winter. Didn't I grow up in a crazy-beautiful place?

 

Caroline is a budding photographer, and she took some photos of Daryl and I for our anniversary. We didn't have many good pictures of us since the wedding (three years ago! eep!), so this was a huge blessing. She's really talented!

 

 

 

That's all for now! More photos to follow when I get them. We also had a few great meals with Grandma and Grandpa, and my aunt, uncle, and cousins came up to visit from Chicago. All in all it was a really wonderful, fun, restful holiday.

What about you? How was your Christmas?

Happy Things

Today Daryl and I begin our trek north to Wisconsin. Hooray! We are frantically packing and cleaning and showering and loading all of our clothing and Christmas presents into the car. But I thought I'd pause here for a list of happiness at the end of another long, hard season of finals. In no particular order, this is what I'm happy about today:

Happy Things

10. I have wonderful friends in Princeton who are watching our cats. This is huge. Eliot and Kenny will have fresh food, water, and litter, and someone to scratch them behind the ears now and then. This is the kind of thing I will really miss after I leave Princeton and move to some random Nashville neighborhood without 100 other seminary students...

9. I have finished my Christmas shopping! And it was really fun this year. When a budget is tight, and a person doesn't do much shopping, Christmas shopping is way fun. And I love giving presents. Love it.

8. Friend visits. We are on our way to see several good friends in Chicago on our drive up. While I'm always sad we can't see everyone (and we want to, all you Chicago peeps!), it's great to reconnect with those we love in our favorite city.

7. Chicago foods... Yes, we are hoping to stop at Los Burritos. Yes, that's the place where you can get a $4 burrito that's bigger than your head. Yes, Daryl can occasionally eat two of those. Yes, it's both disgusting and impressive.

6. Driving. I'm not a huge fan of driving, really. But when I've been a) separated from my husband for the past four months, and b) turned into a brain-dead zombie by my final exams, driving is great. We'll get a good chance to reconnect, listen to bad Christmas music on the radio (see my earlier post...), and eat gas-station candy. Love it.

5. I am DONE with finals. Praise God. Just... really. Praise God.

4. I am on my way to see my family! I haven't seen the whole family together in quite awhile. And my little niece Aleah is getting BIG and hilarious. And I miss my sisters. And my parents. And my grandparents. And home.

3. I am on my way to Wisconsin! I can't wait to be in Wisconsin. Can't wait. My soul can breathe better up there.

2. It's almost Christmas. 

1. It's almost CHRISTMAS!!! I'm super excited about this. I love Christmas. Love, love, love Christmas. Love it.

Merry early Christmas, friends! What are you happy about?

Cutest Niece and First Sermon

I was so busy with my dentist rant that I forgot the most important family event that has occurred in who knows how long...

My sister had her baby! Alethea was born during the last week of June, and she is healthy and happy and incredibly cute. Some pics from my short (but sweet!) visit to see her in Minneapolis:


Caitie and me and baby (and burping cloth... mmm...).


I love that she looks like a little koala bear here, all round eyes and cute little face and tiny hands...


Cait, Allie, and me.

Baby, mom, and dad are all doing well. My brave sister even had the baby sans epidural... Don't know if I'll follow in her footsteps on that one, but I sure am proud of her!

I never used to understand why people showed baby pictures to everyone they knew... I thought all babies kind of looked the same. But not this one! This one is the world's cutest baby. And I promise I am not biased. At all. ;)

Also, the online link to my sermon isn't really working, so here's the audio file, for anyone who is interested... If it doesn't work for you, let me know and I can email it out.

file:///Users/courtney/Desktop/Sermon_%20Courtney%20-%20Do%20Not%20Fear.mp3