love.

source: some of the loveliest flower arrangements i've ever seen!

good morning.

it's monday. most people i know are beginning school this morning. friends who are teachers, brothers who are students, friends who are in college. it's kind of a strange feeling, to know that i'm not among the masses of school-goers anymore. my internal clock tells me that i ought to be packing for germany, pulling out scarves and rainboots, and gearing up for a new semester. the beginning of the semester is so exhilarating. it's incredibly busy and inevitably rainy, but so precious to share in the excitement and life of new people in whom you shall invest over the next few months. it's good to have a goal, a class to teach, a schedule to fill with interesting trips, a whole new group of people to become endeared to, an outreach to plan and prepare for... i do miss it.

nevertheless, here i am! seasons are fearfully and wonderfully appointed by the Lord [genesis 1- amongst other things, He made the seasons.. and declared them good], so we needn't fear or dread them, but Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed [1 Chronicles 22:13b], and go at them with all our might.

this is the first autumn i've been home in 3 years. it tends to be my trend: 05-06 away, 07 home; 08-09 away, 10 home: every 3 years it's good to have a long north-midwestern fall. i'm not going to argue with sunshine and fall colors! it beats wet shoes.

this is also to be my last season at home for a spell- i am planning to move to the london area in february. my excited-to-nervous ratio is very much in favor of the former [i'm thrilled!], having had about a month to process the fact. i'll be serving at calvary chapel leatherhead on the outskirts of london. it's a wonderful church, and i am excited to fellowship with them for a year, and see what the Lord has in store beyond that! i'm looking forward to a different sort of european experience [although i'll dearly miss my beloved deutschland, which shall forever be emblazoned upon my heart!], to living in the vicinity of a very large city, to learning english properly [?], and most of all to see what my faithful God has in store for me as i walk in obedience in the steps He has beforehand prepared for me! [Ephesians 2:10]

i need to send out a newsletter soon. i began it weeks ago.. and haven't worked on it since! this news about london hasn't been made facebook-official yet, in favor of telling friends individually. and, it's still nearly 6 months hence- no need to take all the bang out of it too early.

meanwhile, i've arranged my SPCO concerts for the fall, which i'm greatly anticipating! the first is Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, which shall commence the season on September 10th. it'll be a three-generational delight, in the company of my mother and grandmother, both who are as eager as i to attend.

i've made out a book list for myself as well. i really do read a great deal. but you know, i've realized gradually over the year that while being well-read is important, to be well-thought is likely of greater value. i believe the two complement each other nicely. do we know how to think for ourselves? not to spit out well-rehearsed ideals of popular groups, but to really see the ideas behind what we do, behind what we read, behind what we say; and not only to profess independent thinking whilst collecting a menagerie of everyone else's thoughts, but to know the Truth [the Word of God], and thereby to discern the best means of living and thinking and being. thinking has been high on my list of thoughts recently. strange, perhaps, but most invigorating; it lends itself to thoughtfulness and thinkativeness alike.

back to the book list. i begin books very eagerly and regularly; there are stacks of books around my room, mentally labeled "begun," "half-completed," "must-read," etc. i genuinely love to read. however, i am determined to become a bit more disciplined in the finishing of books. so my list includes some books that have already been begun and some which i've been aching to read. [namely, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn!]

i'm in the midst of refinishing a splendid little thrifted chair; it's been painted a fantastic tiffany/robin's egg blue, and its cushions shall presently be covered in a fresh canvas stripe. too bad my summer chair wasn't finished until near the end of said season! summer has truly taken wings and nearly escaped me. i'll miss my daily tromps out to the garden to find the newest tomatoes and cucumbers, my evening bike rides along the river, and being tan and more-or-less carefree! i won't miss bugs or humidity, really.

speaking of thrifting; i've recently acquired a stack of incredible music, in form of 33 1/2's. i need a record player! badly! i want to march to Sousa, twang along with Cowboy Campfires, thrill within to Finlandia, squawk along with Eliza Doolittle, yodel with Maria, croon Moon River with Holly Golightly, etc, etc. i overflow with excitement about this. the thrift store people have been most helpful along these lines, even letting me sort through stacks upon stacks "back room" of the Auxiliary Thrift last week.

i've a diverting new 12-pan set of watercolors, a stack of letters to write and walk to the post office, some projects to work on, happy music playing a sunny day [currently i'm stuck on Smetana's Ma Vlast, and Ingrid. it's a lovely juxtaposition], a second cup of home-brewed starbucks in hand, and a day off to enjoy!

oh dear, it isn't even morning anymore. here's to fall. to savoring the season you're in. and to a free afternoon in august!

mind your peas and cukes!

all of this vegetabling makes me want to play the game Harvest- did any of you play that as kids??
xo.

idyllic, mundane.

today's exploits were nothing beyond the ordinary.

went bicycling in the cool of the day.

worked at making hungry people happy. "do you feel better now?"

played a great deal of beethoven- his sonatas are my latest fancy.

thought a great deal on thoreau, sailing ships, and traveling.

made an exquisitely large loaf of ciabatta, and snacked on my fair share of yesterday's loaf- with a little butter and a nice layer of homemade raspberry jam. i find it to be a most agreeable enjoyment indeed!

i got to thinking- i could probably survive on ciabatta, raspberry jam, and tea [mit milch, ohne zucker, bitte!].

and that

                               turned into 

                                                                       this.

to far-flung

friends.

a jar of jam

a loaf of bread

a crock of butter

a pot of tea

a spot of milk

a lump of sugar

a shady tree

a breath of wind

a clump of flowers

a grassy knoll

a gingham cloth 

a wicker basket

a tin of cream

a bit of cake

a bag of cherries

a sunny day

a pair of bikes

a peal of laughter

a sky of clouds

a midday nap

a field of clover

a night of stars

a cozy fire

a woolly blanket

a rising moon

a restful sigh

a happy day spent.

common-sense.

there are several things i'd like to blog about, but this seems the most pertinent. it is also the most recent in my mind, so share i shall.

"Our part in intercessory prayer is not to enter into the agony of intercession, 

but to utilize the common-sense circumstances God has placed us in, 

and the common-sense people He has put us amongst by His providence, 

to bring them before God's throne and give the Holy Spirit a chance to intercede for them."

-Oswald Chambers, So Send I You

three red things.

kind of a strange week. the bros were at camp, and came home again tonight- we had fun catching up.

while they were gone, we turned lots of these...

into these...

we also saw this out the window...

tomorrow i'm getting up early to head with friends to the cities to pick up another friend and then up to duluth and the north shore [of lake superior] for the weekend! getting really excited. i love it up there. and i've never gone with friends- just family. it'll be interesting to show them our old haunts.

i'll be taking these along...

been meaning to send out an update letter for a while. big changes coming up in the beginning of the year, Lord willing! stay tuned for updates, or email me and i'll gladly share firsthand.

kram, bisous, ciaoie.

home-made fun.

wild raspberries.

pretty flowers.

8 pints.

20 jars.

baby zukes.

green beans.

world map.

hot ciabatta.

blueberry sherbet.

homemade chai latte.

rejoice always!
pray without ceasing!
in everything give thanks-
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 thessalonians 5:16-18

♥

londontown.

home.

neuschwanstein, bavaria, germany.

well, the crazy month of june has come to pass, and i'm back in my cozy sunlit room in minnesota.

highlights of the last week:

the wedding was beautiful! michelle was absolutely stunning, radiant, gorgeous, and simon was pretty spiffed up too! the church wedding was really nice [i got to play a song during their first communion as a couple], and then we were off to the castle park to take some pictures... then to the reception, where i got to help put on the program. we had the tables write poems for the bride and groom, played a game, played a few songs live [i just called to say i love you!], had some dancing, lots of good food and cake, and i was the supremely blessed female to catch the bouquet. :) it was such a lovely day- we were all exhausted by the time we got home after midnight- but blessed it was indeed.

sunday i had a nice breakfast with the apartment girls, then we headed to church, where david guzik was teaching for his last time while living in germany. what an unexpected blessing! i didn't know if i'd get to hear him teach- it was great. just wish i could have spent more time with dave and inga-lill! they took off for the states today i think.

sunday afternoon i hung out at the church with friends, then headed to sabine's house and then on to agathe's to watch the weltmeister - germany vs england! needless to say... deutschland hat gewonnen! it was a great game. i found it absolutely hilarious that all these chill girls get so into soccer- and joined right in with the best of them. got a german flag tattoo, ate bratwurst and black/red/gold gummy bears, and enjoyed the sounds of car horns honking and church bells ringing after the game. :) it's the real german experience!

monday i had breakfast with the newlyweds, the friedrichs, and the bonners- such a nice time! i so enjoyed spending the last couple weeks in the company of these two families. i felt like an extra adopted sister. later that day i went downtown with my friend djudji [from vienna, and who i've known for 5 years- we started bible college together in 2005 in CA!] , to get a little ice cream and see her off at the train station.

all this month i've been so blown away by the amazing fellowship i have in the fellowship of believers! it's unreal! i have family everywhere i go, and we can immediately connect and be blessed by each other! and then we realize we have mutual friends from all across the world, and it makes it so much sweeter. i saw dozens and dozens of dear friends in the past four weeks- and it felt like i saw about half of europe too!

monday afternoon i came home to chill [traveling and wedding-helping is tiring work!] and ended up recording a little song. you can hear it at my purevolume- it's called "should i". it's pretty much how my mind works- sort of jumbled, pretty happy, lots of questions, but not overly worried. hope you enjoy it.

monday night we had a girls worship night at the apartments- there were 8 of us who spent a couple hours singing, worshiping the Lord together, praying for one another, and sitting at the Lord's feet - it was such a blessed time. i really had it on my heart to do something like that, so i could sing in german again [among other reasons!]... and was so glad it worked out.

tuesday i had breakfast with four sweet german girls at our apartment [breakfast is an occasion in germany, if you didn't figure that out yet!], which lasted until well past noon! then i slowly began packing, and had a restful afternoon. went out for pizza [the last supper!] with friends, and afterwards took my last walk up the hill. i love walking in those hills- it's so peaceful and green and comforting. i've spent many an hour in those woods and hills surrounding siegen, praying and singing and thinking. i'm blessed.

wednesday had one last breakfast at the coffeebar, then took off with katha and bini for the airport. i got my overweight bag in for free, by agreeing to be a volunteer to fly out a day later, if the flight should be overbooked. if that would have happened, i'd have also had a free night's stay at the Sheraton in frankfurt, a couple free meals, and been given an $800 travel voucher! i was all about that! but.. i got on the flight. :) i had a very talkative next door neighbor in the plane, who told me all about the world cup, blenders, immunizations, and various other significant subjects. and after a couple hours in chicago, i was back to sioux falls, and finally into the car with my brother and mother.

WHAT A MONTH. i'm tired, blessed, eager to keep on living and doing meaningful things here, and prayerful concerning the future. and of course, i am happy to see my family.

that is the longest blog i've posted in ages! way to go if you persevered all the way through. :)

going to try to put pictures up soon.
xo,a.