YOU MIGHT BE A MINNESOTAN IF ...

You might be a Minnesotan if ...

• If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through l8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by . NO WAY but I know people who do!
• If you're proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year, because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation. I know this is true but am not proud of it at all!
• If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too Spendy". Hate this word -- have yet to use it.
• If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March. Yes! Can you believe it? All THREE of the shut down.
• If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time. John has -- no joke!
• If your town has an equal number of bars and churches. It does ashamed to say
• If you know how to say Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Edina, Shakopee, Winton and Ely. Oh my, I only missed one of these!
• If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy. Well, not with my husband the spicy man doing the cooking
• If "Vacation" means going up north past Virginia for the weekend. Oh wow this is so true!
• If you know several people who have hit deer more than once. Does me hitting 2 at the same time count?
• If you often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again Oh boy -- all the time in the car.
• If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching . No, this still really stressed me out, but you should see how fast people will go by past me (although they are often in the ditch a few minutes later :)
• If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. Well I don't have kids, but I can see how this would be important.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow. This is a good point!
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction. Holy crap! Did I write that? How did they READ my mind!
• If you can identify a southern or eastern accent. I am improving in this area daily.
• If you consider Minneapolis exotic. Well, I don't but people around here do!
• If down south to you means Iowa. Oh my! It does mean Iowa. I need to get out of here!
• If a brat is something you eat. It is I am sorry to say.
• If you find 0 degrees a little chilly. Believe it or not, I do feel this way. Last night it was 32 and I thought it felt great.
• If you actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Minnesota friends. I think that's what I am doing right now.

Little tid bits

Nothing BIG going on but lots of small things going on. So I thought I would give you some bullet points of our lives.

• My eyelid issue: Well, Jb finally talked me into letting him fix my eye next time. This little snip at the dermatologist cost us $110. If he can't convince me through guilt trips, he can convince me through money. Am I Dutch or what? So next time, I'll let JB cut open my eye on the kitchen counter.
• Buh Bye Kristi & Logan: Well, I took Kristi and Logan back to the airport on Monday. We had a wonderful time. Jb cooked some awesome food over the long weekend and even babysat for us once so that we could do some shopping. It rained a lot while they were here, but I was so blessed to spend time with Kristi and get to know my awesome little goddaughter better. Logan is so much fun. The day after she left, both Jb and I agreed that we missed her cute little "hi" and farm animal noises. She has an awesome personality and is so fun to be around.
• Buh Bye OBGYN: Jb is done with his OBGYN rotation. While he enjoyed this, the hours were tough (about 80 hours a week). He now has a one week endocrine rotation before he starts his research rotation on Monday.
• Weather: The weather right now is wonderful. It has been in the 60's nearly every day. Today it was a little cold (50's) but overall, just wonderful weather. The leaves are changing and JB and I have been going out each evening and either biking or running.
• TV Shows: The start of Jb onto the beloved research rotation has encouraged us to watch more TV than usual. In the past, we've had time for Survivor and that's about it. However, we now have a few more favorites. Two of our interests are Lost and Prison Break. (I really like Prison Break but don't pass that around -- it's very unlike me.)
• Thanksgiving: We plan to go to Chicago for Thanksgiving. We are excited about this as Jason & Kathleen and Josh & Sarah will be with the Huisman side this year. We plan to spend Thursday and Friday with them and then Saturday and part of Sunday with the Kotynskis who are home from Indonesia!
• Christmas Break: Today I got up the guts to ask my boss at Mayo to give me two weeks off for Christmas Break. I was dreading this. He is very good to me, but really prefers that I don't miss more than a few days at a time. But I asked, and even though he gulped, he said yes (with my promise to do some work from Florida). This means that we are going to take the longest Christmas Break that we have ever had. We plan to be gone from the 16th to the 31st or so. Of course, included in this is our cruise to Mexico which we are looking forward to.
• Kits Koming: Well it's about to be Kit-Mania in Rochester. Ray, Gabbi and Grace arrive on Saturday and stay until the following Sunday. Mom and Dad come in the next weekend for a four day visit. We are so excited to see our families and have them in town. JB has been busy planning what he wants to cook during their visit. I can't wait to hug GRACIE!
• Meet & Greet: On Monday evening, JB and I went to a little social for the 2nd floor of our condominium. This was initiated by Susan George and her husband Tom. They are probably in their 70's or 80's and Susan can talk more than any woman I have ever met -- seriously. Her husband just lets her go. They are so cute! Well, we officially met all of our new neighbors as we have had 2 new condo owners in the last 3 or 4 months. Jb and I are by far the youngest. Everyone is in their 70's and 80's and little "Kit" is 90! The next youngest is a divorced woman in her late 40's who just moved in across from us. This was a really fun time.
• Jb's Hobbies: Jb has some recent interests including his 2 love birds (they have a new cage), his fish (he is cleaning out their tank as we speak), Harry Potter, (he finally decided he needed to see what all the fuss and arguments were about), and of course, cooking. He cooks new things everyday. He has also been reading a book about composting toilets. I have no idea what this is about and have decided not to ask.
• Wendi's Work: Things are going well for me at the Foundation, Mayo, and at Rochester Women. Tomorrow evening I am actually going to meet with my Editor from RW about another free lance opportunity. We will see what comes of this. I enjoy the writing but it is a little stressful trying to write what someone else wants. However, my dream since I was young was to be a writer. I was unable to do Newspaper Journalism in college becuase of basketball, but maybe I will eventually be just a writer again.
• My hubby Rocks: I just wanted to take a moment to tell everyone that I am married to the best husband in the world. We've been through a rough few years, but he has stood by my side and been my best friend every step of the way. I truly know that whatever life holds for our future, we will move through it together. I have been to the doctor more times than I like to think about since coming to Rochester, and he has only missed one appointment! He has willingly gotten up with me at all hours of the night and administered daily shots without blinking. I truly am in love. We went through a very rough stretch but have come out on the other side with shining colors. I LOVE YOU Jb!

More pics of the Hunts

Well Kristi and I had a bunch of fun today. It was still rainy, but we did major shopping. We took Logan with us the first part of the day, and when we stopped home for lunch, she was tired, and Jb volunteered to babysat while she slept. By the time Kristi and I got home, Logan was up and playing and having a great time with John. She also blessed him with 2 dirty diapers in 1 hour! GO LOGAN!

Kristi found Logan's Halloween costume while we were out -- A LADYBUG! Too cute. So here are some pics of the new costume. The third picture is Logan with the hat and gloves and sweater that Kristi helped me pick out for her birthday.

I have been so blessed to have Kristi and Logan visiting and will miss them when they leave tomorrow. But we are already planning my trip out there this time next year!

LEE HUNT WINS REDMAN TRIATHALON

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! Lee won the triathalon. You can view the race he was in at: http://www.redmantriathlon.com/! He actually won the whole thing! He just called Kristi, and we just found out. Apparently it was unseasonably warm and a very difficult day but he won despite a 20 minute "recovery crash time" when a cop waved a van on and Lee hit the van! Anyways, I'll post details tomorrow after the award ceremony. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU LEE!

Kristi & Logan arrive!

Well Kristi and Logan have arrived and I am so excited! For those of you who don't know Kristi, she was my college roommate for three years (until I get married at WKU). Kristi is one of my bestest friends in the whole world, and it is so wonderful to have her and Logan (my goddaughter!) here. What is even more awesome is that even though it has been almost a year since I have seen her last, it feels like just yesterday that we saw each other. We are able to pick right up where we left off, and it feels like we haven't been 6 years out of college. I am so blessed to have met Kristi and have a friend like her. She is the type of buddy that I could call at any moment with any problem and she is right there with me.

Her daughter Logan is such a blessing and a wonderful, precious little girl who is a fantastic eater (she'll try anything!) and a big smiler. She loves to play peek-a-book with JB too. Her "da-da" Lee is currently running an Ironman (HE IS THE MAN!) in Oklahama City. We are anxious to here how he did in the extreme heat of Oklahoma today. Logan's favorite toy is a ball and she also likes to make barnyard noises (definitely the daughter of a cowgirl!) She can say "hi" as well.

Kristi and Logan actually got here on Thursday nite, but their 10:40 flight turned into 12:30 so I suppose that means they got in on Friday morning. We didn't get to bed until after 2 on Friday morning and I was at work by 7:15 so definitley needed a nap on Friday.

Friday evening we had the Jones', Tara, and Ajit over as Tara is leaving for Arizona for a 6 week rotation on Sunday. Sam and Nick came over afterwards, and we all watched The Longest Yard -- which isn't the greatest movie in my opinion. However, the guys seemed to really enjoy it.

This morning we took a tour of Mayo and went to the Farmer's Market and Jb is getting some Indian ready for dinner. I wil try to put up more pictures over the course of the weekend. I think their departure Monday afternoon is going to come a lot sooner than I would like.

ahhhh-choooo

Well, on Monday morning at 7 a.m., JB completed his 24 hour on-call rotation in OB. He actually delievered two babies on his own which was very exciting! And the wonderful husband that he is met me at the allergist at 7:45 after being up for nearly two days.

My allergies have been a huge issue for me this year. I really didn't struggle with them much at all the first two summers/fall in Minnesota, but this year, if I am outside for more than an hour, I become infested with sneezing and a runny nose and want to tear off my head! (At this point Jb the realist would ask me if this is really what I want to do. It is! I mean it. I want to tear off my head!)

The only way I can describe it is someone torturing you by putting a feather up your nose and twisting it around. (It makes me want to sneeze just thinking about it!) What makes it worse is that, if I go outside, I pay for it for another day, I am so exhausted. With one month of nice weather and a lot of family coming in, I don't want to be stuck keeping the air on and not going outside.

Anyways, our friend Miguel from Bible Study (who does not want me to call him "Doctor Parks" I found out), got me in yesterday morning. He took a detailed history and smerked when I told him I made an annoying noise with my throat (JB completely agreed -- he hates when I do this). But Miguel said that 99% of people who make this noise, have bad allergies.

So they did a detailed allergy test where they poke your arm with about 45 different needles for all the common things you are allergic to. Turns out I was a little allergic to dust mites and white ash. However, my arm practically blew up by the ragweed prick. It was huge! Miguel said I am very allergic to ragweed. He also said that this year had been particarly bad for this weed.

So, he gave me stuff to treat this and said next year he would have me treat preventively beforehand. I also got in a study while I was there for people who have what I have and made $25 by giving some blood. They also asked to put me on the list for people to call when they have studies. Miguel said I'd be getting called a lot so I am not sure I am glad I did that or not.

After taking the meds yesterday, I feel a lot better. The other good news: at first freeze, the allergy will be gone. So I guess I have something to look forward to about winter this year.

JB has off today and then goes in tonite from 7 p.m. until tomorrow at 7 a.m. Also, Thursday nite Kristi comes into town!!! I canNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!

Housewarming for the Ittys

Well, today I thought I would let the pictures tell the story. Last night we went to a housewarming for our friends Ajit and his brother Sujit. John's on overnight rotation today so I have a little time on my hands. I am waiting for Melissa to come over later for some long overdue scrapbooking. Enjoy!

Is he my husband or a doctor?

Well, this has been a very busy week. I have been trying to do some extra hours at RLS -- I have a ton of work to do AND I am a little behind on hours from doctors appointments. Yesterday, I had to go to the dermatologist and get a little cyst removed from my eyelid.

This cyst created a funny exchange between Jb and I. Jason and Kathleen were here to witness the beginnings of this exchange. Jb was convinced that he could remove this cyst himself! He looked at it and said he was pretty sure of what it was and that he could take it off. So, we tried this. We went in the kitchen, I laid back on the counter, and he got out some good light and started poking and prodding. That's about the time that I FREAKED!!!! He said that I didn't trust him, and I denied this, but then I thought some more, and I realized, that he was absolutely right. It's my eye! He's just my hubby John who pierced my ear when I was 16! How can regular old John be a doctor! ?

So, yesterday, I went to the doctor, and he told me it was, well, exactly what Jb told me it was, and he told me he wanted to, well, do exactly what Jb wanted to do. So I let him. It hurt a little but nothing bad.

So I emailed Jb who was inbetween two cesarian deliveries. He immediately said "I KNEW IT! I knew I could have done it!" Then he asked me if I will ever trust him, even after he gets his M.D. I am honestly not sure. he's my husband. He's not a doctor!!! I mean, he will be a doctor, but isn't he still my husband? Oh alas -- I don't know this if this is going to work out at all. At what point will I shift from seeing him as John to seeing him as someone who can remove this little cyst?

Anyways, Jb has been busy all week delivering babies. I am including a picture of how I find him after his rotations. Here he is, in his chair, recooping from his busy day of babies. This week he is doing close to 90 hours so he is a little "pooped".

Going for a bike ride now and then going to have a low-key evening at home tonite and office-cleaning day tomorrow before he returns for a 24 hour rotation on Sunday.

A few Photos of Jb & Me

Well, I have realized that I dont' really have any decent pictures of John and me (and it is "me" in this instance, not "I" -- I can give a grammar lesson later if you would like). So I thought I would post 2 of our favorites on my page. One of the pictures is from last summer when Jb graduated from Commissioned Officer Training. The other is from one of my favorite places on this Earth -- Mt Pilatus in Switzerland. I loved it there. It is absolutely one of th e most beautiful places on this earth.

In other news, as I told some of you, I got some good news in our infertility issues as the Metformin drug I have been on for nearly six months, worked for a second time. Last night we celebrated with a Dairy Queen blizzard (what else!?) We ask for your prayers as we follow the Lord's leading.

John has off today but then he is on Wednesday thru Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 24 hours. We will watch Karuna tonite and spend some quality time together. In case you don't know, I really love Jb! He is the greaest husband in the world.

Other famous blogs -- Including CALVIN'S

So I thought I would take some time here to link you to other people's websites that deserve minor recognition.

The first is Calvin's blog. You can visit his blog at: www.cowfunone.blogspot.com . Calvin is a Cardiac Surgeon. He and his new wife Karen who just went on their honeymoon after being married for over a year have become good friend's of our's in Rochester. They are from Canada and plan to return as soon as they are humany able. In church this morning, right before the sermon started, we swapped Blog addresses and he promised to include a post regarding his tall friends. Now, Calvin is fairly sarcastic -- WAY more sarcastic than me and close to as sarcastic as my mom. But he really did it! He really included me in his blog with a link to my blog. I was honored. He told it pretty straight too. Our faith does bridge some of the differences we see about society, politics, medicine etc. They are really fun people and Karen is a great cook! Anyways, even though he makes fun of me a lot for being tall, we like Calvin well enough to include a link to his blog. (Calvin knows how to hyperlink the addresses -- I can't figure that out so I am just including the whole thing. Can you explain Calvin?) Calvin and Karen were actually the people who got me started in blogging so this is another reason why posting about their site is appropriate.

The next site I should link you to, is that of my cousin Jason, who started a blog after visiting MY blog when he was here visiting. His address is: www.huisofamily.blogspot.com. You can see some great pics of my second cousin, Cullen. What a "little man".

I also thought I would link you the site of Erica Van Zuidam at: http://www2.caringbridge.org/il/ericavz/index.htm. If you haven't visited this site before, please do. Erica is my cousin Sarah's cousin (not related to me) who lost both hands and legs to Bacterial Meningtis. Her spirit is amazing, and I look forward to continuing to follow her story.

Okay, so I think that's it for now. Right now it is Sunday night. We are getting ready to walk over to our friend Ajit's house and catch a movie.

Congratulations Matt!

I just wanted to write a real quick blog and say congratulations to John's brother Matt who enlisted in the ARMY yesterday. It's been a long time in coming for Matt, who's wanted to be in the ARMY for as long as he can remember. I have told you some of his story to overcome huge obstacles to achieve this. Even though it is difficult with the state of our world today, we are very happy for Matt. The only thing that could have made this day better would have been if he had decided on the AIR FORCE instead.

Good job Matt! We are proud of you. I must however, include an Air Force picture on this page as well being as I love my husband slightly more than I love Matt.

OB Rotation and Favorite Movies

Well, it's been a long week in the Kit. house. JB is on his OB rotation. This has proved more emotional for both of us then we were originally planning. Not only because of the infertility issues for both of us, but also because there are a lot of miscarriages and stillborns during this rotation. There are also some happy moments which are mixed with other emotions for both of us because our own journey has just reached the 2 year mark.

But on top of the emotional sides, his schedule has also been tough. Monday he was off for Labor Day. Tuesday and Wednesday he worked from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday morning he went in at 7 a.m. and just got home at 7 a.m. on Friday morning. So basically he did 48 hours in just 4 days. He slept about five hours and then last night we watched Sahara and I went to sleep at 8:00. Today we went for a bike ride and right now I am watching the U.S. Open's Super Saturday while he is at the library.

Speaking of movies, Sahara is a good one, which made me think: what are my all-time favorite movies. So here they are in order of my favorites. I only have 9. If I think of a 10th, I'll let you know. I will also try to get John's favorites on here too.

Also, feel free to post your favorites in the "comments" section. Just click on "comments" below this post and post away.

1. Return to Me
2. Counte of Monte Cristo
3. Armageddon
4. Apollo 13
5. Remember the Titans
6. Knight's Tale
7. While you were Sleeping
8. The Notebook
9. Princess Bride

Kathleen' Info

So Kathleen sent me an email the other day -- it was one of those chain emails that asks you to answer questions. They are pretty interesting, and I NEVER do these. So I thought this time I will do it and do it on my blog.

1. First name? Wendi
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes, the restaurant. I was supposed to be Timothy because they thought I was going to be a boy. When I wasn't they got desperate I assume. But then they wanted it to be different so they added an 'i". My mother also says that the name Wendi doesn't sound like an old-lady's name.
3. Do you wish on stars? No.
4. When did you last cry? Can't remember so that means awhile ago.
5. Do you like your handwriting? It's okay. My students always said I had teacher's handwriting.
6. What is your favorite lunchmeat? I really like peanut butter and jelly, banana, or honey. We buy lunchmeat, but I really don't ever eat it.
7. What is your birthday? May 22
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? I honestly don't think I have ever bought a CD. JB does it for me. This is kind of pitiful isn't it?
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Well this is a dumb question. If you say yes, what does that say about you? If you say no, what does that say about you?
10. D o you have a journal? I have had many. I do have one for writing, but I don't use it much anymore. I have one on my computer I use periodically and now I have my blog.
11. What are your nicknames? Wen (close friends and family), Wendicles or cles (WKU teammates -- mainly Shea and Kristi), Wendamoose (the VanWycks), and Wendinator (the Rays -- mostly Ronnie)
12. Would you bungee jump? For money or a competition -- not for fun. This is not fun. Things that you can die doing, are not meant to be done for enjoyment. Like skydiving -- what the heck?
13. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No unless I was running or playing ball. They are too tight to pull off then. Every time I get a new pair I say that I should not do this because I know it is not good for the shoes but I am too lazy.
14. Do you think that you are strong? Ummm, I don't know. Another dumb question I think.
15. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? DUH! CHOCOLATE!!!!
16. Shoe size? This is one of those questions I get from people curious about my height along with how tall are you, do you play basketball, how tall is your husband, and where do you find clothes. So I am not going to answer.
17. Red or Pink? Red I guess -- well, shoot, this question is dumb too.
18. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I'm selfish and I can't wear funky shoes.
19. Who do you miss most? Everyone -- all my old friends and family live everywhere but here.
20. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back? Another dumb question
21. What color pants and shoes are you wearing right now? Grey sweatpants and pink t-shirt; okay so I guess it's pink, eh? Did I just say "eh". Before you know it I will be saying "out and about" and drinking "pop". Well I don't drink "pop" at all, but if I did, I would call it soda. If you don't know what you say for those caffeinated drinks fill in the blank ____ machine. If you say soda machine, you are normal, if you say coke machine you are from the south, and if you say pop machine, you are a northerner.
20. What are you listening to right now? Hubby's fish tank
23. Last thing you ate? A bowl of honey nut cheerios
24. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue but can I say this question is dumb too.
25. What is the weather like right now? Beautiful! Couldn't it look like this all the time!? It's about 60 degrees outside right now.
26. Last person you talked to on the phone? The nurse
27. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Umm, I have no idea, seriously. I've been with JB since I was 16.
28. Do you like the person who sent this to you? What am I going to say no? It's Kathleen!!!! Of course I do.
29. Favorite drink? Water really or ice cream (is that a drink?)
30. Favorite Sport? Volleyball
31. Hair Color? Blonde (darker the farther north I move)
32. Eye Color? Blue
33. Do you wear contacts? Yes and glasses. I wish I could wear my contacts more, but they dry my eyes out.
34. Favorite Food? Indian food
35. Last Movie You Watched? Carrie Grant in "My Girl Friday" & then "Hitch" with Jason and Kathleen
36. Favorite Day Of The Year? Another dumb question. I'll say Christmas, but this is really a dumb question.
37. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? Happy endings! HATE scary movies!
38. Summer or winter? I refuse to answer this question!!!! If you don't know the answer you aren't close enough to me to deserve to read my blog.
39. Hugs OR Kisses? Hugs
40. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Chocolate ice cream with oreo cookies in blizzard fashion from Dairy Queen or in Marble Slab/Cold Stone creamery fashion. We are on a sweet fast right now -- can you tell?
41. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? I'm not sending this to anyone -- I am posting it on my blog.
42. Who lives in your house? Wendi, John, Twaine and Monet (our birds) and some fish (not sure how many and I am refusing to get emotionally attached to fish so I am not going to name them.
43. What book are you reading? Water from the Rock.
44. Favorite Music? Christian and country
45. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Ummm, that new Prison Break TV show. JB likes it. I am tolerating it. No, actually it is pretty good.
46. Favorite Smells? Chocolate ice cream. Does that smell? Well, any kind of chocolate smell then.
47. Favorite Sounds? The ocean. Oh geezie peezie I miss the ocean!
48. Rolling Stones or Beatles? I really don't like either of these groups. If I HAD to pick, I'd say the Beatles only because I know some of their songs. I don't have a clue what the Rolling Stones sing.
49. What's the furthermost you have been from home? Europe -- Switzerland, England, France and Italy. Which one is the farthest? Not sure.

So did you learn a lot about me? Oh and hey -- you readers can share too by posting in the comments section. Our friend Bara from Syria has that down -- what' s up with the rest of you? Good job Bara! Keep it up! Your American friends love you!

hangin' with family

Tuesday morning, Jason and Kathleen, left our Polar North home to return to good ol' Illinois. It was their first visit to Minnesota since we got here in 2003, and while Jason had been to Rochester to visit Josh & Justin when they played baseball for the Rochester Honkers once upon a time, Kathleen had never been to Rochester before.

The second part of the trip was filled with a visit to a local orchard where event hough we forget to bring cash or check, the wonderful owner said we could do what we liked and just "send him a check" later. We also spent the evening with the Rays for a fun Labor Day Cookout.

Long weekends like this make me so thankful for the wonderful family the Lord has blessed us with. I am also so thankful that Jason (who in Kentucky would evoke the locals to whisper "bless his heart") married such a wonderful woman like Kathleen. She definitely "completes him" and we are glad to have her as part of our family. I am sure that right now, Jason is sitting at his home six hours a way, with adorable Cullen on his knee, thinking something very sarcastic that he would say if he was sitting here next to me. But sine he isn't, I can write anything I want.

I look forward to November when we get to join the Huismans in Chicago for Thanksgiving.

Jason & Kathleen come to visit

Well, my cousin Jason and his wife Kathleen came in town to visit. They got here on Friday right after I got off of work. Friday evening Jb made Indian food. Saturday we walked to the Farmer's Market, then Jb made a great big breakfast, then we all took a nap, then we went to Chipotle, although I only had a few bites of Jason's ... I was still too full from breakfast to eat. We also got Jb some fish, picked me up some more allergy pills (I am wanting a good frost to come in and kill this pollen!) and picked up two movies. Then at 6:00 last night, Jb and I went over to my boss' house, Dr. K, where his wife made an all-out Indian meal! It was AMAZING! He has three kids and our friend Deola (who I connected with them to be their nanny) and her husband Tunde was there as well as a few other people. We had a wonderful time. At 10:00 we were going to have tea but we took off to go and watch "Guess Who?" It was pretty cute.


We are now on our way to the Mall of America. I will take a few pictures and post them up here tonite.

Okay, we just got back from the Mall of America. We got home, stopped at a new store in Rochester called "World Market" and then went for a run. We are now eating a ton of leftovers.

Enjoy the photos!

Hurricane Katrina

Next to 9-11, nothing in our country that I can be remember has been more traumatic than hurricane Katrina's devastation in New Orleans this past week. It has been breathtaking to say the least. There really isn't much I can say about it that all of you reading this haven't heard.

This catastrophe has made me realize that in America, we often rely on ... well, America. I think that I am not alone in the fact that I always thought we couldn't have a "tsunami" type occurrence in the United States. This is America! Land of the free; home of the brave! But here, in New Orleans, we realize again, we still need the Lord. We cannot do it without the Lord. We can't rely on our government or the Red Cross or people or weatherman. We can only rely on God. He is the stabilizing force.

If anything, this reminded me that "people need the Lord". Sometimes, in America, we are so blessed, we forget that.

Praying for The Big Easy tonite.