This weekend was interesting (for lack of a better word).
I worked over 14 hours at Noodles and Company. That is normally about how many hours in a week I work over four shifts, not two.
While I greatly appreciate my GMs thoughtfulness of giving me a lot of hours before I am gone for a week, I would have appreciated a few less.
Yesterday, I woke up with searing pain in my right knee. I have had issues with it since high school, and it seems the recurring pain will not likely go away anytime soon. Besides my knee pain, my back was incredibly sore. I was not looking forward to work, but hoped that it would at least be a slow morning.
Boy, was I wrong.
Our opener was a no show. I rolled in at noon, two hours after an opener is supposed to show up. I noticed she was not there and was frustrated, then I noticed the line to the door. The manager quickly had me count a drawer, since I was the only experienced cashier scheduled. I stood for the next 45 minutes to an hour in one position, asking the same questions, "Parmesan or Feta," "Is that for here or to go," "Can I get your name for the order," "Would you like to add a side soup or side salad for a little over a dollar extra?" I imagine this was a little taste of what hell must be like.
The opener shift is always 10am-4pm. I was scheduled 12-3pm, 4-8:30pm. I was supposed to run front from 4-5 by myself, and she was supposed to run it from 3-4. However, since she didn't show another girl and I were asked to cover her time and shift our breaks around so we could be okay up front. My break changed to 3:30-4:15. I am actually quite surprised I got this break, since I figured I'd probably end up working straight through my full shift.
Thankfully, for my shift on Sunday I wore my knee brace. However, I am still sore this morning and have a slight limp. I'm thinking it will probably not be the best day.
As much as I love to rant about my job and write about all of the negative aspects, I really like working at Noodles. Granted, I don't see myself spending forever there, but I have bonded with my coworkers and it has slowly become quite enjoyable being there. (Plus the discount is nice.)
Also...we're hiring! If you live in Saint Paul and need a job, completely disregard the above statements, and apply! :)
3/30/2015
3/26/2015
Witness
With my education program interview on the horizon, I have been doing a lot of thinking.
In my Our Living Faith class, my professor has been stressing that we don't have to scream doctrine at people. We are better witnesses by our actions and showing others love.
I think this is one of the best things I have learned from this course.
Currently, it seems shoved in my face that I need to know everything about Lutheranism. It's kind of freaking me out honestly. It's a rather complex denomination and my exit interview at the end of my student teaching already seems to be looming over me. I fear that I will not get my Lutheran Classroom certification because of not knowing doctrine well enough.
So then why does one of my professors bother making the above point if it's contradictory to what the school seems to tell us?
Because it's the truth.
This article really made me realize it too: Jesus Didn't Care about Correct Doctrine, and Neither Should We
I am a proud Lutheran. I wholeheartedly believe every ounce of my church's doctrine. However, the doctrine was interpreted by man. So I do not doubt that there may be errors in it. I'm not blindly learning this stuff in my theology courses, I am questioning it. I am trying to decipher it on my own. But while I still am making sense of it all, I know that regardless of what I deduct, I can still witness for Christ by reaching out to those who need a friend, just as Jesus did.
In my Our Living Faith class, my professor has been stressing that we don't have to scream doctrine at people. We are better witnesses by our actions and showing others love.
I think this is one of the best things I have learned from this course.
Currently, it seems shoved in my face that I need to know everything about Lutheranism. It's kind of freaking me out honestly. It's a rather complex denomination and my exit interview at the end of my student teaching already seems to be looming over me. I fear that I will not get my Lutheran Classroom certification because of not knowing doctrine well enough.
So then why does one of my professors bother making the above point if it's contradictory to what the school seems to tell us?
Because it's the truth.
This article really made me realize it too: Jesus Didn't Care about Correct Doctrine, and Neither Should We
I am a proud Lutheran. I wholeheartedly believe every ounce of my church's doctrine. However, the doctrine was interpreted by man. So I do not doubt that there may be errors in it. I'm not blindly learning this stuff in my theology courses, I am questioning it. I am trying to decipher it on my own. But while I still am making sense of it all, I know that regardless of what I deduct, I can still witness for Christ by reaching out to those who need a friend, just as Jesus did.
3/24/2015
Wedding Update
I'm sure you've all been wondering how the world of wedding planning is going...
August 2nd is only 131 days away! Wow. We're almost to double digits already.
So before spring break, Trevor and I mailed out both our paper and digital invitations! Such an exciting step to take. Now people can actually show up to the wedding as they know the details.
So far we have had 13 of the 97 guests RSVP.
I think my favorite part about The Knot is that you can set up your entire guest list through there and people can view your "wedding website." Through the website they are able to see your registries, wedding details, and in our case RSVP! This was originally going to be the only method of RSVPing we were going to use. My mom, however, said that most of her family doesn't even have internet so we need another option. That is how my phone number ended up on the invitations. I've only received one call so far-from Trevor's side!
I'm a little concerned about the fact that only 13 people have RSVP'd so far, but there's still over 4 months until the wedding, so I guess some people may not know what their summers are looking like yet.
If you were invited though, and know you are coming, please RSVP for my sanity.
A rather concerning wedding happening occurred over spring break. Our Target registry disappeared. Yes, you read that right. I logged on one day and Target prompted me to start a wedding registry! What?! I had just finished ours through Target a few days prior. I went through all of our possible ways of accessing the registry, and sure enough, it said it was deleted. I contacted Target and told them that we did not delete our registry and asked if they were able to resurrect it somehow. I never got a response. BUT. I checked randomly a few days later, and it was back up! All in all, I am satisfied with how it turned out. But I was quite close to a Bridezilla moment.
Another wedding milestone occurred over spring break, however this one was not negative. We had our first pre-marital counseling session with Pastor Toenjes! It was Trevor's first time meeting him, so the first portion was just giving him a deeper insight into both of our lives and into our relationship. I was super nervous going into it because I didn't know what to expect. But we actually talked for two full hours and I had a really good time. I think we definitely chose the right guy to officiate our wedding. He also gave us the book, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman to read through and work on together. I have read excerpts of it before, but am excited to work on reading all of it with Trevor! The hard part will be getting him to read....
The conversation of late has been honeymoon. Originally we were thinking we would just not go on one due to our financial situation. However, we did some re evaluating and concluded that we could in fact go on something small. Trevor and I narrowed our choices down to Saint Louis, Chicago, or the Wisconsin Dells. I was doing a lot of research on the Saint Louis option, as I would love to visit my birth city again. Nothing was really within our price range unless we were only staying a night or two. So we briefly looked into our Chicago hotel options. Same issue. It then hit me. We can't go on a honeymoon. We just cannot swing it. So instead, we're going to enjoy Saint Paul and Minneapolis. We'll hit up a few restaurants we've been wanting to try out, like Pizza Luce and Punch Pizza (Trevor only eats pizza). I'm sure we'll find a lot of other fun things to try out in town too. Thankfully there is a lot to do here. At the very least we could go on a photo adventure somewhere. Our honeymoon may not be something extravagant to somewhere tropical, but it'll be the two of us relaxing together, finally being married. Even though we won't go to Saint Louis or Chicago, I am excited for our honeymoon.
That's basically the latest news on the wedding front. Planning has been kind of slow as of recent. We're both swamped and stressed with work and school. Come summer, we'll be diving into making decor and getting the details all lined up.
August 2nd is only 131 days away! Wow. We're almost to double digits already.
So before spring break, Trevor and I mailed out both our paper and digital invitations! Such an exciting step to take. Now people can actually show up to the wedding as they know the details.
So far we have had 13 of the 97 guests RSVP.
I think my favorite part about The Knot is that you can set up your entire guest list through there and people can view your "wedding website." Through the website they are able to see your registries, wedding details, and in our case RSVP! This was originally going to be the only method of RSVPing we were going to use. My mom, however, said that most of her family doesn't even have internet so we need another option. That is how my phone number ended up on the invitations. I've only received one call so far-from Trevor's side!
I'm a little concerned about the fact that only 13 people have RSVP'd so far, but there's still over 4 months until the wedding, so I guess some people may not know what their summers are looking like yet.
If you were invited though, and know you are coming, please RSVP for my sanity.
A rather concerning wedding happening occurred over spring break. Our Target registry disappeared. Yes, you read that right. I logged on one day and Target prompted me to start a wedding registry! What?! I had just finished ours through Target a few days prior. I went through all of our possible ways of accessing the registry, and sure enough, it said it was deleted. I contacted Target and told them that we did not delete our registry and asked if they were able to resurrect it somehow. I never got a response. BUT. I checked randomly a few days later, and it was back up! All in all, I am satisfied with how it turned out. But I was quite close to a Bridezilla moment.
Another wedding milestone occurred over spring break, however this one was not negative. We had our first pre-marital counseling session with Pastor Toenjes! It was Trevor's first time meeting him, so the first portion was just giving him a deeper insight into both of our lives and into our relationship. I was super nervous going into it because I didn't know what to expect. But we actually talked for two full hours and I had a really good time. I think we definitely chose the right guy to officiate our wedding. He also gave us the book, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman to read through and work on together. I have read excerpts of it before, but am excited to work on reading all of it with Trevor! The hard part will be getting him to read....
The conversation of late has been honeymoon. Originally we were thinking we would just not go on one due to our financial situation. However, we did some re evaluating and concluded that we could in fact go on something small. Trevor and I narrowed our choices down to Saint Louis, Chicago, or the Wisconsin Dells. I was doing a lot of research on the Saint Louis option, as I would love to visit my birth city again. Nothing was really within our price range unless we were only staying a night or two. So we briefly looked into our Chicago hotel options. Same issue. It then hit me. We can't go on a honeymoon. We just cannot swing it. So instead, we're going to enjoy Saint Paul and Minneapolis. We'll hit up a few restaurants we've been wanting to try out, like Pizza Luce and Punch Pizza (Trevor only eats pizza). I'm sure we'll find a lot of other fun things to try out in town too. Thankfully there is a lot to do here. At the very least we could go on a photo adventure somewhere. Our honeymoon may not be something extravagant to somewhere tropical, but it'll be the two of us relaxing together, finally being married. Even though we won't go to Saint Louis or Chicago, I am excited for our honeymoon.
That's basically the latest news on the wedding front. Planning has been kind of slow as of recent. We're both swamped and stressed with work and school. Come summer, we'll be diving into making decor and getting the details all lined up.
3/23/2015
Spring Break 2015
I realized I never gave the full scoop on what went down Spring Break 2015.
Honestly, most people would probably consider what I did for break boring. I didn't go anywhere cool or exciting. I went home to Green Bay.
This was really nice for me. I had not been home since December 29th, so it was almost three full months since I had last been there. It's crazy realizing next year I'll probably only be back for Christmas during the school year.
Anywho, here's what happened Spring Break 2015:
Friday: March 6
Trevor and I left Saint Paul around 4 pm. I drove for part of the way, but my knees get irritated from long drives, so it was only for about an hour and a half. That gave Trevor time to finish typing up a paper he had to finish for that night.
When we arrived in Green Bay we stopped at Smart Cow. While we're in Saint Paul, we discuss how we need to find a new froyo place to go to. But it always go back to how nothing will ever beat Smart Cow. So we made sure to stop first thing back in town. Then we brought Trevor's things to his place and watched an episode of Bob's Burgers. By the time I got dropped off it was about 10:45.
Saturday: March 7
Originally I was going to see Kammerchor, a choir from CUW, at Pilgrim. But I decided against it. I headed down to CUW around 4 pm and made it down at 5:30. It was so great being greeted by my friends there! We walked to the bluff and went all the way down the stairs and back up.
Then we headed to the Nest for dinner. After dinner we went back to their room and played Quelf and Cards Against Humanity. It was probably one of the weirder groups I have played CAH with..they took out a lot of the really funny cards due to inappropriateness. But we made it fun nonetheless. After games we watched Baby Mama, which is like my all time favorite movie. After that we all went to bed, clocks had to spring forward an hour and I already knew I wasn't going to get enough sleep!
Sunday: March 8
Karlee and I woke up early to go to church. I have missed that beautiful chapel. If you are ever on campus, be sure to visit the chapel because it is breathtaking. The others met us for brunch afterward at the cafeteria. I forgot how delicious CUW's food is. And now they have a waffle maker and iced coffee machine! Why did I leave that place?! After stuffing our bellies full we headed to Lion's Den Nature Preserve. We went there last year and it was fun to take my camera along and get shots now that my photography has improved.
Honestly, most people would probably consider what I did for break boring. I didn't go anywhere cool or exciting. I went home to Green Bay.
This was really nice for me. I had not been home since December 29th, so it was almost three full months since I had last been there. It's crazy realizing next year I'll probably only be back for Christmas during the school year.
Anywho, here's what happened Spring Break 2015:
Friday: March 6
Trevor and I left Saint Paul around 4 pm. I drove for part of the way, but my knees get irritated from long drives, so it was only for about an hour and a half. That gave Trevor time to finish typing up a paper he had to finish for that night.
When we arrived in Green Bay we stopped at Smart Cow. While we're in Saint Paul, we discuss how we need to find a new froyo place to go to. But it always go back to how nothing will ever beat Smart Cow. So we made sure to stop first thing back in town. Then we brought Trevor's things to his place and watched an episode of Bob's Burgers. By the time I got dropped off it was about 10:45.
Saturday: March 7
Originally I was going to see Kammerchor, a choir from CUW, at Pilgrim. But I decided against it. I headed down to CUW around 4 pm and made it down at 5:30. It was so great being greeted by my friends there! We walked to the bluff and went all the way down the stairs and back up.
Sunday: March 8
Karlee and I woke up early to go to church. I have missed that beautiful chapel. If you are ever on campus, be sure to visit the chapel because it is breathtaking. The others met us for brunch afterward at the cafeteria. I forgot how delicious CUW's food is. And now they have a waffle maker and iced coffee machine! Why did I leave that place?! After stuffing our bellies full we headed to Lion's Den Nature Preserve. We went there last year and it was fun to take my camera along and get shots now that my photography has improved.
After some fresh air, we went to Goodwill. I got some good deals! I purchased two new books, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and a Hillsong CD for right around $8! Emma then suggested that we go get shamrock shakes, which I am always game for! After MickeyD's, I headed back to Green Bay.
Monday: March 9
Monday was the day of appointments. I had a dentist appointment and an eye appointment. I hate the dentist. But I love my hygenist. Claudia is the best. And she knows Trevor's family really well, so she was asking me all about the wedding. My eye appointment is enjoyable as well. My eye doctor really cares about his patients and takes time to get to know them well. After finally making it home, my family and I went to Pizza Ranch! We walked in the doors, and Trevor came out from in back and very bluntly asked, "What are you doing here?" Not the sweetest welcoming. At least Alexis was excited to see me!
Tuesday: March 10
Trevor and I treated ourselves to our favorite Mexican place: Margarita's! We then had our first session of pre-marital counseling! It went quite well, at least I would say it did. After leaving Pilgrim, we visited Lambeau field. We explored the newly renovated pro shop. And dang. The Lombardi Trophy statue is quite impressive.
Wednesday: March 11
Wednesday was my free day. I left it open in case I needed to just sit and do homework, which never happened. In the morning, Trevor and I went and shot photos for a band playing at Washington Middle School.
Later in the day I had another dentist appointment.. I tell ya, I hate the dentist.
Thursday: March 12
Thursday was ladies' night! I got to see some old friends from high school again! It's crazy how time flies by. I had a wonderful time with some lovely ladies. If you want more of the details, go to Rae's blog. She's got the inside scoop. But I will add in that I drank two full size Arizona Raspberry Iced Teas and have probably never peed so much in my entire life.
Friday: March 13
Friday was an exciting day! Ana and I went on a photoshoot! We first headed to Josten Park. I wasn't sure what type of shots we'd get, but I was satisfied.
Our photos downtown, however, were even better. These photos are honestly my best work thus far. I love working with Ana. She is so easy to direct and she makes my job so much easier!
After we were done shooting, she dropped me off at Fonferek to help Trevor and his friend Eddi shoot a music video. We were there forever. I was cold and hungry. You can sure bet I complained a lot.
Once they finally finished, Trevor and I met Bekah at Cup O Joy to see Loftland! It was one crazy dance party. They're super good live. Trevor is there newest fan girl ;)
Saturday: March 14
We left Green Bay at a decent time and made it back to Saint Paul with enough time to hit up Mall of America. I have never been so disappointed in my life with Charley's Subs. They let me down. I wanted a chicken california sub, but their grill was broken! However, I did get an adorable top and the comfiest sweatpants in the world from CottonOn.
Sunday: March 15
The final day of Spring Break. Always a sad day. We went to church and then headed to my aunt and uncle's for lunch. We had burgers and good conversation! I love their insight on life and wedding planning. My uncle is hilarious. And Trevor loves their dog Wrigley! I'm so excited to babysit for them April 17&18! The evening concluded with me working a shift at Noodles & Company.
All in all, I had a lovely break. I got to see so many friends and have a lot of laughs.
3/18/2015
Back At It
Coming back from a break from school is always difficult. I'm not the only one, right?
For some reason this bounce back seems even more difficult than usual.
Getting back into the swing of work, having a real schedule, and classes just isn't feeling right.
I recently did a little renovation on my photo blog. And I'm loving it.
Now you can view more of my photo collections-which means more views of my work.
Even better yet-today I noticed a new referrer link- http://exploratorius.us/
My photo is under the "My Faves of Yours" portion toward the end! How awesome, am I right?!
I'm so glad my work is getting out there!
However, it's getting me thinking. Possibly overthinking.
Maybe I want to do more in photography than I am willing to admit right now?
Could I see myself in the future just working part time at a daycare and doing primarily photo work instead of being in a classroom all day? Possibly....
Maybe I'm just stressed about my upcoming interview into the education program....
For some reason this bounce back seems even more difficult than usual.
Getting back into the swing of work, having a real schedule, and classes just isn't feeling right.
I recently did a little renovation on my photo blog. And I'm loving it.
Now you can view more of my photo collections-which means more views of my work.
Even better yet-today I noticed a new referrer link- http://exploratorius.us/
My photo is under the "My Faves of Yours" portion toward the end! How awesome, am I right?!
I'm so glad my work is getting out there!
However, it's getting me thinking. Possibly overthinking.
Maybe I want to do more in photography than I am willing to admit right now?
Could I see myself in the future just working part time at a daycare and doing primarily photo work instead of being in a classroom all day? Possibly....
Maybe I'm just stressed about my upcoming interview into the education program....
3/16/2015
Picture Perfect
So today I spent over an hour and a half working on my photo blog. Yes, procrastination at its finest!
I finished editing pictures last night from my shoot with Ana on Friday. I can honestly say this is my best work yet!
I love how they all turned out!
Here are my top five favorites:
I finished editing pictures last night from my shoot with Ana on Friday. I can honestly say this is my best work yet!
I love how they all turned out!
Here are my top five favorites:
To see the rest of the photos click HERE
3/04/2015
Work Out
In college, I have struggled with having healthy habits. I find it hard to consistently work out and to eat well. Who has time for that?
A week ago, I made a decision.
I am going to work out. Consistently.
I need to look good for my wedding right?
Well, I think even without working out I would look just fine for my wedding. I bought a dress that fits me perfectly. Also, I have not gained any weight in college- I have actually lost 5 lbs from high school.
So why am I working out then?
Why bother?
My current workout regimen is more than just going to the fitness room for 30 minutes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after my 8am class.
My routine is also involving to read my Bible before I go to bed.
This is an area where I need the most improvement. My spiritual fitness.
I need to improve my relationship with my Creator.
So how have I been doing that?
My Our Living Faith professor (who I am not a huge fan of in all honesty) told us one day that he thinks everyone should read Romans 8 and 12 at least once a week, if not more. So that is where I have started. Last week I read Romans 8 early in the week and Romans 12 later on in the week.
This week, however, I read both last night.
I was having a huge personal battle last night and was on the verge of destruction. But something in me made me pick up my Bible. I first read through Ecclesiastes 3 which helped me calm myself. Then I flipped to Romans 8. The first verse made me cry my eyes out.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
I deserve death and suffering. But I am in Christ, so I have that death sentence revoked. How crazy?
Even with all of my sins and mistakes that have been so prevalent lately, I am not condemned.
God's grace astonishes me.
This is why I am working out my spiritual fitness. So I can find verses like Romans 8:1 and feel a connection. To know that God is speaking to me right then and there. He's seeing me in my situation. The Spirit is directing me to the very verses I need the most.
How amazing is our God!
So I encourage you to start working out. If you haven't been to the gym in a while, I don't blame you-it's hard. If you haven't opened your Bible in a while, I understand.
I'm not telling you to go sign up for Planet Fitness and to join a Bible study. However, at the very least, open your Bible once a week and read a chapter.
It's crazy what can happen.
A week ago, I made a decision.
I am going to work out. Consistently.
I need to look good for my wedding right?
Well, I think even without working out I would look just fine for my wedding. I bought a dress that fits me perfectly. Also, I have not gained any weight in college- I have actually lost 5 lbs from high school.
So why am I working out then?
Why bother?
My current workout regimen is more than just going to the fitness room for 30 minutes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after my 8am class.
My routine is also involving to read my Bible before I go to bed.
This is an area where I need the most improvement. My spiritual fitness.
I need to improve my relationship with my Creator.
So how have I been doing that?
My Our Living Faith professor (who I am not a huge fan of in all honesty) told us one day that he thinks everyone should read Romans 8 and 12 at least once a week, if not more. So that is where I have started. Last week I read Romans 8 early in the week and Romans 12 later on in the week.
This week, however, I read both last night.
I was having a huge personal battle last night and was on the verge of destruction. But something in me made me pick up my Bible. I first read through Ecclesiastes 3 which helped me calm myself. Then I flipped to Romans 8. The first verse made me cry my eyes out.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
I deserve death and suffering. But I am in Christ, so I have that death sentence revoked. How crazy?
Even with all of my sins and mistakes that have been so prevalent lately, I am not condemned.
God's grace astonishes me.
This is why I am working out my spiritual fitness. So I can find verses like Romans 8:1 and feel a connection. To know that God is speaking to me right then and there. He's seeing me in my situation. The Spirit is directing me to the very verses I need the most.
How amazing is our God!
So I encourage you to start working out. If you haven't been to the gym in a while, I don't blame you-it's hard. If you haven't opened your Bible in a while, I understand.
I'm not telling you to go sign up for Planet Fitness and to join a Bible study. However, at the very least, open your Bible once a week and read a chapter.
It's crazy what can happen.
3/01/2015
Pre-Spring Break Excitement
I have never been one to have extravagant spring break trips, remove my Europe trip.
This spring break will not be extravagant in the sense of traveling to somewhere warm and getting a nice tan in my bikini, however, I think it will still be quite extravagant.
I am so excited for this spring break because I will be home for a week!
Saturday to Sunday I will be down in Mequon visiting my wenches, who I have not seen since last May (except for Bekah).
This spring break will not be extravagant in the sense of traveling to somewhere warm and getting a nice tan in my bikini, however, I think it will still be quite extravagant.
I am so excited for this spring break because I will be home for a week!
Saturday to Sunday I will be down in Mequon visiting my wenches, who I have not seen since last May (except for Bekah).
I miss these ladies a lot! I will also have a special surprise in tow for them!
Monday I have a dentist and an eye appointment scheduled. I keep getting harassed by both offices, and figure I need to get these appointments done with while I am still on my parents' insurance. I definitely will need to stock up on contacts while I have the chance!
Tuesday, Trevor and I have a meeting with Pastor Toenjes. We did our online questionnaire early January and I am excited for our first official session of marriage counseling. However, I am a little nervous. I'm not sure why though.
Wednesday, I have nothing planned, so maybe I'll surprise Katherine at school with lunch or something.
Thursday is a work in progress. I'm hoping for a good ladies night with some of my high school classmates, but the details are still being worked out. It would be so nice to spend a night with them all again!
Friday I am hopefully taking photos with Ana. If it does happen, I'm going to not only use my Nikon, but also my new film camera, a Pentax K1000! Then later that night, we (Trevor, and hopefully Ana and Bekah) are going to see Loftland at Cup O' Joy. I am really interested to hear their new sound since they have sort of changed their "look" recently.
Saturday Trevor and I will head back to Saint Paul.
I'm thinking that this will be a fantastic time home. It's crazy that I have not been home since late December.
Now to make it through this week of school!
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