Feet Move Forward

I woke up this morning with this thought: I'm going to INDIA today. Whoa.
So I laid in my bed a while and enjoyed my comfy pillows. I spent extra time in the shower, knowing it would be my last time in one for a while. I went to breakfast with two of my sisters.

After breakfast I carefully packed three bags: two carry-ons and one bag to check. Surprisingly my big backpack only weighs 27lbs. The majority of stuff in it are things that I'm bringing for the family that lives over there, including a set of kitchen knives, which makes me a little nervous.


Despite making lists for weeks, I still feel like I may be forgetting something. I have a suspicious amount of space in my two carry-ons, which currently include two outfits, toiletries, shoes and snacks. I probably should just pack more snacks.
The plan for today is to fly out of Minneapolis around 4:00 p.m., arrive in Paris around 8:00 a.m. (their time), have a three hour layover and then fly another nine hours to Bangalore…

In attempt to blend in with the locals during my trip (and because I'm super impulsive), last night I went from this: 


to this:  When I first looked in the mirror after my hair was dry, I thought that I was looking at my sister. So thanks, Jules, for biting the dark hair bullet before me. 

For the record, out of the five people that have come to talk to me today in my office, only one has said ANYTHING about it. 

Despite my best efforts to gloss over my entrance into my late 20's, my birthday actually turned into a weekend extravaganza. It began with an amazing dinner on Friday night (which warrants another post) and concluded Sunday with some quality family time.
Saturday night, though, was the big party with some of my favorite people. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

There were a few pictures in which I appear mid-blink, wrecking many a decent shot, so I devised a way to make sure my eyes stayed open.
This technique got a lot of laughs and eventually progressed into this, which also showcases my ability to touch my tongue to my nose.

And because I have the world's best friends, here's some of the loot I scored as I begin my approach to my thirties as a single woman. 
From my thoughtful friend Robert: 

From my funniest friend Colleen, the

First, can we take a minute to appreciate the fact that I've posted more this month than I did the first three months of 2011? I actually don't know whether to apologize or say you're welcome but I guess you're here so I'll keep writing.
Anyway,  I'm going to Bangalore, India. For two weeks. And I leave in six days. 
I made this decision rather impulsively right before New Years and figured out all the details in a matter of days.  I'm going with a ministry group and there are about 20 of us total (my mom, step-dad, and step-brother are coming, too). We'll be helping with a conference in Bangalore and then traveling to some surrounding villages to work with women and orphans. 
Since this all came about so quickly, I haven't really had much time to think about it. Now that it's closer, I'm pretty nervous, especially after watching this video. While I have traveled internationally before, this is my first trip to Asia and I know it will be mu…

Last night I ran four and a half miles at just under a 9-minute mile pace. That has been my longest run in three months and I felt every step.
There was a time when I wouldn't even bother to lace up my shoes for anything under 6 miles, when I was churning out 15 miles before work and on track to run a pretty fantastic fall marathon. My life revolved aroundwasmy training schedule and my identity was found in that: I was a runner.
It's an understatement to say that I've been a little lost these past three months. At first I was happy to take a break after my freak injury but after a few weeks, I told my body it was time to go and it wouldn't move. So began my mind vs. body battle. I had some good days where I could go for a little jog around the lakes or pound out a few miles on the treadmill but most days even walking up stairs left me gasping for air, like my lungs just wouldn't fill. So I've waited.
I've watched my body get softer and my muscle definition…

I just got this picture of another activity from dinner at my dad's this weekend: A Sammy Sandwich. 


Or at least what started as one, but turned into a huge Schroeder Pile Up.

It began with me laying on the floor after dinner because I had the I just ate too much feeling but didn't want to be too far away from the action in the kitchen. My little brother Sammy (fun fact: his birthday is the day after mine but 18 years separate us) came to snuggle with me. I told Juli to come make a Sammy Sandwich with me. In a matter of seconds, everyone* else somehow ended up on the floor, including Peter (black sweatshirt), Amy (way in back) and my dad, whose head is barely visible behind Sammy. My face is red because I was suffocating from the weight- and laughter. 
Love my family.

*Not quite everyone. My step-mom took the picture and my 14-year old brother Matt is too cool for such family affection.

Get ready for a run-on sentence and a whole lotta links.

My weekend activities kicked off with my first-ever Zumba class with coworkers on Friday afternoon, dinner Friday night at Brasa, "watching" the Olympic Trials Marathon on Twitter (#Houston2012) Saturday morning- and then watching the replay on NBC later that afternoon at Ann's- going to Crashed Ice (overhyped and freezing), a less-than-healthy dinner at The Loon Cafe to warm up, an early bedtime, church and brunch at Good Earth (where I successfully ate eggs!) with my sister on Sunday, dinner at my dad's,  and Upper Room for Kurt's last Sunday night service.

And there you have it.

I don't think my 2012 goals were ambitious enough. Therefore, I'd like to add a new one to my list: Find the best gimlet in the Twin Cities.
For those of you who don't know, a gimlet is a cocktail comprised of vodka or gin and lime juice (and occasionally simple syrup). Those two ingredients are usually shaken over ice and strained into a martini glass. It's a grown-up drink, the kind that your friends will call you an old man for ordering while they sip their Captain Diets through cocktail straws, and your grandpa will tell you makes men think you're easy when you order it . Yes, my grandpa actually said that to me.

However, finding someplace that can make one worth a damn is tough because achieving a balance between two strong ingredients can be tough. One of my horror stories sadly includes Urban Eatery where, after telling the waiter what was in it, brought a shot of vodka and an off-brand lime juice mixer to my table and had me pour it myself. I was left sitt…

While you were all suffering through a brown Christmas in the Twin Cities, I was enjoying ample snow and sun in Lutsen. It is by far my favorite place in all of Minnesota and perhaps the entire world. Here's a little glimpse at what we do in my family.
Photos taken December 24 and December 26.




And if you're wondering why I'm just posting these, it's because I just loaded them onto my computer last night. I have a disease that makes it really difficult to do things in a timely fashion. There is only one known cure.

Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll.
- Donald Miller

All I can do is remind myself... patience, patience, patience.

Today is my brother Andrew's birthday.
Some things you should know:

1.We're almost exactly two years apart. He's older (but acts younger). We weren't super close when we were growing up but have become really close over the past few years. I definitely consider him one of my best friends.  
2.We're neighbors. When I moved back to MN from NC, I pretty much lived on an air mattress in his living room for two months over the summer. He wouldn't get home from work until 11 p.m. and would eat and go out with his buddies. Then he'd come home around 2 a.m., kick the air mattress that I was sleeping on, make a hot pocket and play his guitar before going to pass out in bed. When I landed my full-time gig, I decided to rent in the same complex as him so now he just lives across my parking lot.
He's come a long way since his hot-pocket-eating, late-night-partying days, though. After prying the Doritos bag out of his hands and getting him off the couch, he's tu…

The rain to the wind said,
"You push and I'll pelt."
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged -- though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.

It's been one of those days... Robert Frost said it much better than I ever could.

This is the obligatory 2012 goals/resolutions/to-do list that everyone is doing. I developed mine after my egg throwing episode on New Year’s Eve but had started mentally writing after my yes & no post a few weeks ago. My mental list is much longer and full of intangibles (worry less) but here are twelve of the tangibles.

monthly
1.Do something ridiculously nice for someone. I love random acts of kindness. Love them. Not to brag but I think I’m generally a thoughtful person and try to do nice things for people. I want to take it a step further and do something RIDICULOUSLY nice for someone once a month. It has to be something they wouldn’t (or couldn’t) do for themselves. Strangers, friends and family are all fair game.

2.Make cards and mail them to people who make my life awesome. I used to make funny, creative cards all the time. I’m not really sure why or when I stopped but it’s something that I want to start doing. Reason or no reason, I’m making the goal to make a card and mail i…

One of the things I love about New Year's Eve and welcoming a new year is that it provides a chance to reflect on the year past and look forward to the year ahead. On Saturday night, I was able to do that in a rather extraordinary way.  It started with dinner at Haute Dish (go and eat the Mac & Cheese. Trust.) with a big group, continued with drinks at Urban Eatery and finally returning to my friend Andrea's to ring in the new year.

Andrea had the idea to write things that we wanted to say good-bye to from 2011 on eggs and throw them at midnight, symbolizing letting go of the past and moving forward. After what's transpired the past year, and especially the last few months, this was a really thoughtful exercise for me.

Armed with our eggs, two bottles of champagne and noise makers, we started the two-block trek to Lake Calhoun to say good-bye to 2011 and hello to 2012. The walk to the lake was beautiful (and slippery!) with the streets having been recently blanketed …