Just need to get it out there in cyberspace

I thought "I Am Legend" was a powerful powerful movie. It is filled with beautiful metaphors that humbled me and filled my heart with gratitude in the end. I'm not going to say any more than that because I don't want to give anything away. But I do recommend seeing it. Yes its suspenseful but I'm a wuss when it comes to scary movies and I could handle it so I'm sure you can too. If you see it, and are inspired as well, let me know and we'll chat.

Springbreak vacation BOOKED!

The last time Mark and I were on a bonafide vacation was, well, our honeymoon. Thanks to my parents who had a timeshare they weren't using, we've now got a springbreak trip planned to...



San Francisco!!











Lake Tahoe!!












and Yosemite National Park!!!





We are so freaking pumped!! Only 6 months to go. West Coast here we come!!!

addiction

Well I am officially INTO the counseling program. My life and time is FILLED with self-reflection. Between my mentor, my therapist, my supervisor, and my spiritual formation group, Denver Seminary is not gonna let me out of here the same. It was fun at first but at times can be just plain exhausting.

One of the classes I'm taking right now is called "Addictions." Basically it just addresses counseling individuals dealing with addictions. The class has been really really good so far. Part of the class entails weekly journaling about what we are reading or the lectures or whatever else we've been thinking about...yes, more self-reflection. I wanted to share one journal entry...

I've never experienced the addictiveness of drugs or alcohol and yet, this past Friday, when my husband and I were sitting at a middle eastern restaurant I found myself connecting with the unwelcomed alcoholic making a scene, more so than the middle-aged couple sitting next to us. As I watched the man staggering, with his eyes glazed over, talking too loudly, I felt a piece of me getting kicked out of that restaurant as the manager escorted him to the door with threats of calling the police. It was really weird. I was sitting there, watching this man, shamed, disgraced, and making a scene in the restaurant. After he left, I looked down at my food with this moment of odd realization that I am one of the respected paying customers and not the “loser addict”. I needed grace at that moment. A lot of it. A helping bigger than the falafel on the plate in front of me. I could hear the name calling and snickering at the tables around me and found my own face turning red. Throughout life there have been seasons, some short, some long, where I have been entrapped by my own addictions, many too personal to share here. They consumed my thoughts and my heart at various times. I felt trapped. Imprisoned. There are journals sitting in a closet, filled with my prayers to God to release me, to make this day a new day, to make me different.

As I write this, I feel like I would normally feel proud of my exceptional empathy and the heart I had for this man. But see, that’s not really what it was. That’s not really what I was feeling. Through that man, I was experiencing my own shame, exposure, and vulnerability. I felt deserving of the same callous and harsh treatment from the manager as he was receiving. But I don’t receive it. Why? Because I go to work and class sober, dress well, shower regularly, and say and do socially appropriate things. My addictions aren’t as evident to the world and therefore I am treated with dignity and respect.
Its funny. Every person in that restaurant had vices and/or some kind of addiction that they’ve probably been trying to kick for months, years, maybe even decades. But this man was chosen to take upon himself our shame and disgrace on Friday. Anything to take the attention off of ourselves and our own shame. And as an added bonus, everyone got to feel a little better about themselves for not being a drunk and a beggar. Well, at least not on Friday.

out of my league

Here's a pic of the little guy.








Today was the first full day that I nannied for my new little family. Elise is 3, Sophia is 1 1/2, and Gavin is 4 months old (shown above at 5 months). There have been a lot of anxieties churning in my head over the past week in anticipation of my first day with such young kids.

What if I don't know enough about babies?
What if, half way through the day, I realize I've only got two with me?
What if the baby never gets used to me?
What if...while Elise is washing her hands, I hear Sophia choking on her hot dog, to get there just in time to hear elise fall off her bathroom stool and crack her head open, just in time to hear a huge thud from Gavin falling off the bed?

Morbid I know. But my mind can tend to go there.

So yeah, after the first day was over, I am happy (and even a little bit proud) to say,



everything went well.



I mean don't get me wrong, there were of course a few face plants, a finger shut in a dresser drawer (sorry elise), a wet bed, some digested wood chips and playdoh, and a floor covered in cream of wheat but that's all very typical...right? But outside of those things, there were a few small victories and sweet sweet moments that made the day so fun. Like when Sophia face planted for the third time and actually raised her hands in the air to me...ME! And when Gavin finally fell asleep tucked in my arms after finishing all 5 oz. of his formula. Love that. I'm looking forward to more sweet moments.

Eva Rae

My grandma recently celebrated her 83rd birthday.

I didn't get to be with her on her birthday. This picture is from about a month ago when I was in the Chicago area for a wedding and went down to visit her for the day. Its hard to say what it is about Eva Rae that is so endearing. The best phrase I can use to describe her is to comment on her

"heart of gold".

She is a beautiful woman who has loved deeply in her life. This past year has been an especially difficult one for her as my grandpa passed away in February, her husband of nearly 60 years. The commitment and tenderness that she provided grandpa was something truly supernatural. I wish you could have seen the way that my grandpa used to brag about my grandma, calling her his bride and his honey up to the very last days of his life.

Eva Rae Dietrich's deepest loves in life are her family and her Father. In her younger years she was an incredibly gifted singer and pianist. She could still out-play and out-sing most who are reading this. She once recalled that as a young lady in her teens and twenties, parties were known as times to "swing and sway with Eva Rae".

It certainly has a ring to it:)

This Post is an opportunity for me to reflect on the sweet, caring, dynamic, beautiful person that she is. I will never forget at my grandpa's wake, as she greeted each person that walked in with such enthusiasm and sincerity reminiscing on old times with them. She is and has always been a vibrant and self-giving woman.

An inspiration.

I hope you get to meet her sometime.

therapy for the soul

Well, once again, the posts are few and far between. So I guess I'm going to just stop apologizing about it and accept that Lindsey the student just doesn't mix well with Lindsey the blogger. But for now, I am only taking 5 credits and and working 16 hours so the enemy time appears to have lightened his oppressive hand if even for just a few moments.

The Meyers' just returned from a memorial day weekend of camping in the Spanish Peaks. We would like to consider the weekend a sort of marriage therapy...minus the therapy.

To Those Who Didn't Believe America was crazy

With having so many friends involved internationally I've heard the insanity that exists in other countries. Whether it's two dozen time tables and fees required to get out of the country, or the absolute lack licensing laws for doctors and other professionals. Let this story be a testimony to the insanity that exists inside the state of the Union known as Colorado.

To obtain a driver's license. By Mark Meyers

It all started when for the first time in my entire life I permanently lost my wallet. It was at that fateful moment I lost my Illinois driver's license that would lead me down an indescribable path. A path of anger, pain, parents, humor and lots of money and time.

So after driving for a month without any license I decided it would be prudent to get a new one in case, God forbid, I was ever pulled over (plus I wanted to get a part-time job as a shuttle bus driver). So I did my research on the internet. What I found was that I needed my home state driving record. This led me the Illinois Secretary of State's website. I mailed in my signed request along with a $12 check.... and I waited.

$12

3 weeks later it arrives in the mail. "Typical for bureaucracy", I thought. I waited another week. I left early for work on Tuesday morning, pulled a number and waited. Once called up I turned over all relevant documents. After examining the driving record she pointed out to me that the record needed to be generated within 30 days. The record was printed 1/20/07 and the day was 2/23/07. I was 3 bloody days late! I needed a new one. They simply would not budge on this issue.

After calling the Illinois secretary of state's office I discovered a parent could get a driving record at an actual DMV site. My dad paid the appropriate fees, $12, and faxed to me.

$12+$12

I walked in Wednesday morning, pulled my number and waited. My number was called called, showed them my documents and was then informed that faxes are unacceptable. They needed the original. "You mean the original printed from the printer from 1988?! The 'original' that I could have typed up Word?!"
"Yes that one", they replied. Well a quick phone call to my dad and I had it priority mailed to me.

$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning, fully armed and ready. "Suck it Colorado"... so I thought. I walked in and took my number and went through the well ingrained ritual. I showed them my documents.
"Wait, what's this? Is this birth certificate authentic."
"Well, it's the one used to get my social security card and passport. Plus the multi-colored stamp that says 'This multi-color stamp authenticates this birth certificate. Any birth certificate without a colored stamp is a copy'. So I would say that it's authentic."

::wait 2 minutes::

"This is a city birth certificate."
"Yeah, so."
"Well Colorado requires state or county certificate. Any city clerk could have signed off on this. This authentic birth certificate that was used to obtain your social security card and passport is invalid!"
"This was the one I was born with. Where else am I going to get one?!"
So after discussing the logistics of it with her and having my mom do some research with a social worker, my mom went to a Cook county court house, paid the appropriate fees and priority mailed it to me.

$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Today: I walked in victoriously knowing that nothing can stand in my way between me and my licenses. I eagerly pulled a number and couldn't wait to shove all the documents in their faces and tell them "suck it" because I was getting my license. My number was called and I did just what I pictured, shoved the documents in their faces and told to "suck it". The man behind the desk had no choice but to give me the vision test and then my license. I stick my head in the machine and was told, "Read the first line"
"ZRHTP OECDQ"
"Ah sir, there are 15 letters"
"What do you mean?! There are only two columns of letters, the left column is just a column of dull yellow."
"No son, there's a whole column of letters on the left-hand side"
Convinced he was lying I pulled my head out and stuck it back in and focused like I've never focused before. I focused like I did when I was a little kid trying to catch the sexual innuendos in the Disney movies.
Nothing! Freaking nothing! I kept thinking my eyes would come into focus. So I gave myself five minutes. Still nothing. "FINE YOU WIN!" America's Best here I come, home of the free exam with two glasses for $69.

$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12

Monday morning I will walk into the Colorado DMV and humble myself before them, cleanse my lips with a burning coal, bring an unblemished slaughtered kid, my corrected vision and the $16 fee and perhaps I will be deemed worthy enough for a Colorado license.

$16+$69(plus taxes)+$4.05+$13+$4.05+$12+$12= One legal driver and the new part-time shuttle bus drive for the Children's Hospital!

welcome back :)

I realize that a lot of people (and by that I mean the 6 that were reading it…hi mom:) have probably given up on our blog. There were those few weeks after our last post that you checked in to see if anything new had been posted…nope. And after about a month and a half you probably just stopped checking. A small part of me experiences a certain kind of freedom in that realization. I could probably write almost anything and chances are no ones gonna read it for a very long time. A lot has happened over the past 5 months since I have stopped posting. Nothing monumental…just some growing pains, some funny stories, and some special moments. As I reflect on the pictures that rush to my mind, these are some key memories that emerge:

Making a coffee table with dad.
Lots of time in airports.
Snow.
Skiing with my new favorite ski buddy Shmem.
Mid-day chats with mom.
Sitting on the couch reading for hours upon hours.
Bears football.
Watching my sister live in a world that I remember so well, and making it her own.
Class.
Forming new friendships w/ Whitney, Nicole, Brent, Jen and others.
Resurging old friendships.
Snow.
Make-your-own-pizza night.
Loving Dallas (the girl not the city) even more than I already did.
Facebook.
Midterms and Finals.
Snow.
Being forced to redefine “home”.
Doing life in a very beautiful place.
Saying hello and goodbye to my grandpa for what felt like the last time.
Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.
Discovering that Rocky is so much more than a boxer with a low IQ.
Snow.
Being played the fool and forced to dig into a part of me that was uncharted territory.
J. Crew.
A new found phone date with Monica.
Learning a little more about what community is and what it takes.
Becoming more and more ok with myself.
Mark never ceasing to amaze me with his patience, humility, and kindness.

They’re just snapshots but they represent a life. A life that, by the grace of God, is being lived. I look 5 years ahead and the uncertainty is so scary. I look 5 months behind and I see the growth, the friends, and the experiences that I deeply long for but don’t even know how to pray for. And for that, in this moment, at this second, I am very thankful. Period.

ok, back to studying…

more pics

Here's the other pics I was taking about...

the sissy and the mama!!

My mom and little hottsie tots sister were here last week. Don't tell them I told you but I'm pretty sure that they fell in love with the state and will be moving out here shortly...Here's some pics from our time together...



our best angle in my opinion.




my favorite girls:) :)








I don't have a picture from one of the coolest sights of the whole time they were here. We were up in Estes Park one day and as we were driving we saw LITERALLY at least a hundred elk crossing through a small neighborhood. Now normally I don't do well with infestations of this magnitude but this time it was just plain incredible. I'm gonna try to get the pic from my mom that she took.

Mom and Steany Beany, I just can't explain how wonderful it was to see you both. I love and miss you so much. I will see you in two weeks!!

The Collective Sacrifice

Isa 58:6-14 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness. And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell. If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

The Mile High Crew was sitting in Brent and Jon's apartment with our newly established Community Night this last week. Jon was sharing and asking for our thoughts on this passage. The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that this passage was talking about fasting as a collective sacrifice.

Let me elaborate more. Fasting is the giving up of a very necessary resource... food, life... bread. The thing that keeps our minds working properly, the thing that keeps our muscles from atropheeing. The substance that keeps us from becoming sick. I then thought about the statistics you hear in Sociology 101. How America possesses 1/10 of the world's population, yet we consume 50% of the world's energy (this may not be completely accurate, but the truth has the same thrust).

People tend to ask where God is when they see evil: oppression, hunger, marginalization. And people who would like to blame God (and I know have wanted to) would demand that we have more resources. But I sincerely believe that we have enough to go around. If we were to have more, the people who hoard now would have even more. Yet when do we look at ourselves in relation to this truth? Freedom and opression rely on a collective awareness and sacrifice. I really need to look at myself and my lifestyle right now.

I think one way Lindsey and I would want to be challenged is going dry for a period of time. When I think about the quantity of drinks we consume in a month is by no means extravigent or over-indulgant by the West's standards. But drinks (whether it be alcohol or soda) can be so expensive, all one has to do is turn around turn on the faucet and we're hydrated. How many people are oppressed and become ill because they can't do that. Yet we call it a sacrifice when that's our only choice we have at the moment.

I know this sounds cliche. But some problems that can get us so down, and pesimistic can be found by looking at ourselves. What about the collective sacrifice of going dry or skipping 6 meals a month? I'm sure the 100+ who've viewed our profile/ blog have the luxury of skipping out on a few things in order to fight for the freedom of the oppressed.

Save Darfur

I think this is the first time we posted anything of this nature on here. This post is unfortunately very long overdue. In case there are readers that are unaware of the current situation in western Sudan, here is the 411. There are literally millions of displaced people who live in refugee camps in Darfur (western Sudan). They have been forced to move there for a multitude of reasons, one of them being that an Arab militia has been killing and demoralizing the people through raping the women and children and killing the men. The little physical support that is keeping the region semi-stable is because of the African Union peacekeeping force of 7,000. They are being made by the Sudanese government to leave at the end of the month. Please stand up for this under-publicized tragedy and urge our country to speak up in the UN; and lead the UN in bringing in UN peacekeepers into Darufr. Sign this petition below and seriously let everyone know.

http://action.ajws.org/campaign/UN

Also if you would like a clearer article about what is going on read this CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/09/16/un.darfur.ap/index.html

Also if you would like to read the stories of an aid worker in Darfur click on the link: Scottpants. He's been in Darfur since this summer assisting however he can.

An end of an era

On Sunday September 10, 2006 the Meyers had a beloved family member move on. Our dear friend Jon Watson moved from our cozy little apartment with his two new friends, Callie Carpenter and Emily Kreis. We had some great times living at 6409 S. Vinewood, and Jon will be greatly missed.


Jon isn't sad in this picture, the prissy boy was just pissed that he hadn't got to take a shower yet.

The Joys and Adventures of the Uninsured

It was a magical Saturday afternoon. The smell roasting cumin, garlic and oregano were wafting through the air. The light sizzle and crackle of onions and mushrooms provided the perfect soundtrack to the magical chili that was being concocted. There I stood in the corner of our kitchen in between the stove and the crock pot. There I was chopping away at the fresh vegetables and then throwing them into the pot. Then suddenly my phone started blowin up with Snoopy... "Nutin but a G thang". It was our highly anticipated new roomy. He was in the parking lot.

We ran down to greet our road-weary traveler, Jon Wat-son. We helped with his few possessions up to our third floor home: 6409 S. Vinewood St in the quaint and slightly industrial yet affluent Littleton, Colorado. With joy and excitement we showed him our abode and his current residence. Then we gather in the kitchen to partake on some seasoned game hens.

In a frenzy of excitement Jon began to call his friends and family reported his safe journey. While Lindsey and I continued to partake in the game hens and imbibe on some sweetened lemon-ade. After our celebratory break I continued to prepare our delightful dish.

There I was ::chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop chop:: ::scoop ofarley:: ::chop chop chop chop chop:: ::thump:: ::clank::.

Lindsey: "DEAR MOTHER OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND HOLY... YOUR FOOT!!!!"

I looked down on my wounded appendage. There was a vibrant pool of red around my right foot. Behold, there was more and more and more and more and MORE blood. I fell to the floor. Not because of a loss of blood rather to elevate my foot above my heart. I grabbed the Bounty on the counter and made Lindsey apply pressure. Lindsey was delighted to the stand surrounded by blood while touching my bloody foot.

At about this point Jon peered over the breakfast bar/ counter and noted "wow, that's a lotta blood. I need to go." And thus he hung up the phone with Brent Mueller relieved Lindsey of her duties.

So the next step: to find a clinic and seek medical assistance... or so we thought. After calling several people unable to locate a clinic. Jon went in to inspect. To our joy and amazement a tiny 1/8" incision on the top of my foot from our Honeymoon bottle-opener which struck my foot.

Jon continued to put pressure on my foot while Lindsey sopped up the pools of blood on the tile floor. During that time I assured Jon that I was indeed not infected with Hep B or C and that I was in no way compromising his mission to avoid those strains of Hep.

After Lindsey mended my wound with a Batman band-aid. I elevated and iced my foot for the remainder of the day. The next day Jon and I climbed to Saint Mary's Glacier.

All three of us are still in utter astonishment on how much blood initially poured from my foot. Lindsey still gets queasy to this day to think about the blood. So in the meantime I have been eating my red meat to replenish my red blood cells.

We will have pictures in due time. We took pictures with a traditional camera and it was only the 2nd picture on that roll. Please continue to be checking for updates for the next several months as to not miss the pictures. I will also make link when I post the pictures.

Striving

I think I heard almost all there is to hear about Christianity by the time I was like 20 years old. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to say that I lived it, I had just heard it. I think that if at this point on in my life if I didn't learn one more new thing but instead just began to know with my heart the things that I have already learned, I would be 10 times the woman I am now.

The first "biblical concept" that I probably ever learned was God's unconditional, unrelenting, and pure love for me. But for an individual who has never performed those three adjectives in their rawest and truest form once in her life, its really hard to wrap an understanding around that love of God's.

I just finished reading "searching for God Know's What" by Donald Miller. He talks about how he thinks the thing that defines human personalities is that we are constantly comparing ourselves to one another. Ha. Now a few people that know me well, would know that I would strongly agree with this statement. He talks about how before the fall, our one and only source of rich and fulfilling love came from our Creator. But then came the betrayal. And that direct source was broken. When we turned our backs on God the way an adulterous spouse turns his/her back on their one true lover, we lost that perfect line of communication. And for the rest of history we have been trying to restore this Perfect Source of Love. So we find it in any source we can. And the easiest way is to prove to ourselves and the world how deserving we are of love. So we place a number value on everything we say and think and do, and on everything everyone else says and thinks and does. And then we strive. We strive and strive to improve our worthiness of love and value. So then when someone cuts us off on the highway, we get really pissed off because they just implied that they have more value than us. Or when someone owns up on us in basketball we either get frustrated at our shortcomings or rationalize in our mind something that we can do better than our competitor and then we feel better about ourselves again.

Its a tiring game isn't it? And yet, before us, is this source of perfect and fulfilling love that can bring the game to an end. Hmmm...this is where my thoughts and prayers continue to go. How do I finally know and experience that Perfect Source of Love? Because only at that point can I minister purely and wholy to my neighbor.

Donald points out the Disciples. They saw and experienced the righteous love of Christ, in His eyes, His words, His embraces. And many of them, because of knowing and experiencing that love, were able to go on to die for Him. Why? Because of their belief that He really existed? No. Because it made them feel better than the guy persecuting them? No. Because they knew His love. First-hand.

Hmm, the day my eyes are opened to His love in its fullness, is gonna be a good day.

So anyways, those are just a few of the thoughts from the book and that have been rolling around in my head. The book was a good one. Especially the last chapter. And just in case Donald Miller happens to fall across this blogspot (fat chance): Thanks for your thoughts Mr. Miller.

Lindsey's newest place of employment.

our new home

Our good friends Dave and Caroline spent the week out here Aug. 7-14. What a phenomenal week. Here's the week in pics



These first two pics were from a hike we took the first day. While hiking, we ran into a snake on the path. Just as Marky assured us that this was in fact NOT venemous, the little critter started to rattle its tail assuring that it in fact WAS venemous. After we all soiled ourselves, Mark and Dave gathered rocks and sticks in an attempt to startle the snake (well aware that we had a 50/50 chance that the rocks would just piss the snake off and send it slithering our way). But when we got back to the snake siting-location, it was gone.


Red Rocks Ampitheater


The Garden of the Gods

More from "The Garden"

Our first CD cover

And one more from The Garden

The Chipmunk Whisperer himself. In Estes Park.


This pic was taken at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. After our visit there, we have determined our new calling in life to consist of letting everyone we meet know what a CROCK these were. After a little research online, we came to discover that they were totally fake...which was what we all suspected when they were trying to tell us that the paintings on the walls in the cliff dwellings were authentic from 1100 AD. Save your $9.25 and spend more time at the Garden of the Gods, which was free.


gorgeous sunrise in Estes Park



Rocky Mountain National Park

On Friday night we went to an outdoor Matt Costa concert. Caroline and Dave love his music and introduced us to him. He's kinda Jack Johnson meets the Beetles. Check him out! Marky swore that Matt was checking him out all evening...maybe he was right judging from this pic that Marky took.


On Saturday we checked out a local winery. They let us taste every wine they produced there, which was 15! It was a blast, except for our dear little Caroline who tasted her way into a drunken stooper:)


A mama and baby moose at Rocky Mountain National Park.




Elk are hella huge.

Dave and Caroline-
What an incredible week! Marky and I can't express what a blast we had. God bless with school starting. Keep us updated when you pick a wedding date!!

Thank you

We just wanted to say thank you to the many who were so thoughtful and loving in their goodbyes as we prepared to leave Chicago. Thanks for taking a sincere interest in our lives. For helping us move. for generous gifts and thoughtful notes. For whatever kind gesture you showed, thank you. We have so much gratitude. We will miss (and are already missing) many of you. So come visit soon! We've got this spare bedroom that is just begging to be used!!