Sweden in the Fall

I know, it's not as famous as The Netherlands or Paris in the Spring; but it's what's going to work for us!
So... then you ask, Sweden? That's a logical destination location for folks of Germanic and English ancestory... everyone flocks to Sweden. It's the #1 Vacation spot for US Americans. I know... my sarcasm is oozing.
So... here's why... Spring of '97, C was working in Chicago at the Lutheran Seminary (LSTC), when a group of 30 Swedish pastors came over to see how the ELCA was run and how the Lutheran tradition had evolved from its Swedish roots. The Church of Sweden would be separating from the government in 2000; and they wanted to see how a church functions, not being controlled by the government. And C, not native in Swedish dialect, history or anything of sort more than visiting Lindsborg, KS; was given the task to be the group's tour guide for 10 days.
Now, as many of you know, C is known for "meet you once, friend for life" kind of person. She has maintained contact with the leader of the group, A; and the coordinator for the '97 trip, L. Coincidentally, A has become the ArchBishop of Sweden in that time and currently lives in Uppsala. L is still in the region of Vaxjo.
C also had a dear friend during her Washington Semester, P, who is a upper-grades teacher in Karlstad. So... hopefully, we'll make those three main area stops and spend time with them all.
10 Days in Sweden (plus or minus a few hours of travel!)
We're very excited, as we told ourselves that we do need to get a trip in before we have children, that requires passports. And this one definitely fits the bill!

Cat Needing Therapy For Bad Habit

Tucker is our cat... he's 7 now. And he's a Maine Coon, which doesn't mean a whole lot to many people, but those who own Maines know of their idiosyncracies... and Tucker is right there in the mix. We've adapted to his need to paw his water, rather than lap at it... and his need to soak up sun on his belly, sleep in odd and bizarre locations/positions... but the kitten inside of him, has one other piece that continues to make us laugh.
He's a kleptomaniac. While he's not curled up with us in the dark of night sleeping; he's ravaging through the house trying to find something to steal, and get only as far as his food bowl, with his find. That's where he puts his prizes... in his food.
The usual suspects are his plastic milk jug ring toys, ponytail holders, rubber bands, pens and pencils. But the unusual suspects have been: C's sport watch (out of a bathroom drawer), a people thermometer (from a bedside table), highlighters (a bit big, don't you think?), pedometer, outlet plug covers (which he steals even if you're watching) and today's find, which I got a huge laugh out of, a Werther's Original candy.
S brought it home yesterday, and it was on a counter. Here's the conversation this morning.
"S, did you want to eat your Werther's?"
"Eventually, I would. Did you already have it?"
"NO..." (insert VERY LONG pause).
"Ah... well, I guess, not anymore. Nice one."

Funny how few words need to be said for us to know what EXACTLY occured.

We love Tucker. And the advantage to being the first one up in the morning, is the humor of finding SOMETHING interesting in his food bowl.

Cake Mix Cookies

Quick and Easy Recipe for You!

1 Box Cake Mix (Any flavor)
2 Eggs
1/3 C Oil

Mix well, and drop onto UNGREASED cookie sheets in 1 inch balls.
Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes (watch your oven) until cookies have cracked and are slightly brown on top.

You could ice them, I suppose... but then again... they don't always last long enough!

21st Anniversary... or "Quite Possibly the Worst Trouble of Kari and Courtney"

Come back with me to March 29, 1988... you are at Grace Lutheran Church, Round Rock... and you are sitting near the pew of Barb and Kari Roy and Patti and Courtney Luebben. It is the pew of two VERY NEWLY confirmed young ladies and their dashing mothers... and it's Good Friday worship service. Otherwise known as, "The Day the Wrath of the Mothers Came Uponeth"...
Kari and Courtney were known for a law-abiding trouble making, all within safe boundaries of getting in trouble with their mothers, but nothing so terrible that any law enforcement would be included in the punishments. But on this particular occasion, as the worship service was nearing an end... a wild hair came upon the young ladies...
The altar was stripped, the lights were dimmed, the symbolism of the closing of the tomb had occured, and the piano began playing Hymn 92 in the Lutheran Book of Worship, "Were You There," which might I add is an old African Spiritual. Which, in the Lutheran world is song rather reverently, and DEFINITELY not in the original context to which it was written. No swaying, no hands, no praying, no harmonizing... just standing still, following the tune and singing the words, AS PRINTED! We, Lutherans, do not deviate from the black ink on the page.
EXCEPT this particular Good Friday, in that third pew, in the two seats containing Kari and Courtney.
The song begins, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, oh, oh, oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"
The song continues through a beautiful journey of Christ, as he is nailed to the cross, laid in the tomb and risen from the grave. Each piece of the journey taking on it's own verse and amazement.
But, as I continue to allude, this day, the song was different. Kari and Courtney belted out with grace the song, adding in motions of swaying and trembling (shaking what our Mothers gave us), and singing backup with each other and off beat "WERE YOU THERE" at the most appropriate times... times in which, we predicted, the writers of the song had originally intended.
Now... this was going along just fine, until our mothers caught us in the swaying and praying act. And it was going fine, until we found ourselves OUT OF CONTROL in laughter!!! I'm not a quiet laugher; nor do I do well to calm myself down...
(i'm one of those that's been known to fall out of a chair in laughter!)

And so... every year, on Good Friday, Kari and Courtney connect through phone, email, fax, smoke signals or whatever, to join together in singing "Were You There" with the utmost reverence and care for our favorite song (oh, and we graduated in '92, so the hymn number has always been VERY easy to remember.)

So... on this anniversary, I send my voice across the miles and across the pond to the suburbs of Amsterdam, Holland to my best friend's home and sing with a smile and a laugh, "Were You There When they crucified my Lord?" Happy Good Friday My Very Best Friend!