What we've been up to lately...

We celebrated our 6 month anniversary by putting up our Christmas tree! Now our big bay window has a tree shining brightly in it. Our favorite room just got more warm and inviting!

I got to experience a Schmerse family tradition: Thanksgiving at "the farm." Mark's dad grew up on a dairy farm in southern wisconsin, and his grandparents are finally moving into an apartment in the spring. It was so special for me to be a part of this tradition of theirs that has played a big part in Mark's family's history. I also got to ride a 1950's John Deere tractor, and in the process of getting it started, we rear-ended his dad [on another tractor] and almost went head-first into a cement silo. Woops!

Mark and I don't have a TV, so we have to be creative with our time. One night we didn't know what to do with ourselves, so we drew pictures of one another. There is nothing in our frames yet, so they made the cut :).

This is Mark making a smore...bonfire style :). Hey...we live in the city...we have to make do with what we have!

How Old Are You??

This is actually pretty amazing. If you haven't read anything on this yet, check it out. An 18 year old--a senior in high school--just got elected Mayor of Hillsdale, MI. So he goes to school until 2:30pm and then to work from 3-6pm.

Don't ever say you're too young to do something! He won on a write-in vote!

Read the Article Here

Snow Nostalgia

Fall is over. Winter has finally shown it's face. I woke up this morning to discover my windshield dusted with white flakes and flurries rushing past my window in a dizzied pattern, as if they were chasing each other like kids playing tag. The first few snowfalls of the year always bring a smile to my face. It seems to call up memories of coming in after a few hours of sledding or playing in the snow and finding a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows waiting for me; of crackling fires and cuddling under blankets while watching a movie; of curling up and reading a good book, cozy and safe on my living room couch; of fun times with friends--skiing, having a snowball fight, or going on walks late into the night with Mark, all bundled up with nowhere in particular to go--content to walk and talk for hours even though our fingers are freezing and our toes went numb thirty-five minutes ago.

So this morning, even though I'm at work and don't actually get to do any of the above things, I still find myself with a smile on my face. Maybe after work I'll go home, throw a snowball as I walk to my car, curl up with a good book on my couch, while drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate, and pretend there is a fire crackling in the fireplace I don't have. Who wants to join me?

Dodgeball

In honor of the Dodgeball tournament that is being hosted at Heritage on December 2, Mark and I decided to watch the movie that has emulated a game that is normally only enjoyed by those in elementary school. A few unnecessary scenes aside, it really was a funny movie. My favorite quote from the whole movie was said by a man named Patches O'Houlihan:

"You're about as useless as a poopy-flavored lollipop!"

Now if that's not worth two hours of my time, I don't know what is.

RENT

What is RENT? "It's a modern day version of the opera La Boheme. Set in NYC's East Village, it's an emotionally stirring story of a community of young artists struggling to live and celebrate life" [www.siteforrent.com]. It's been about eight years since I first saw this broadway musical--shown in downtown Chicago. It was the craze amidst my music-savvy, music-obsessed high school, and many of us had parts of the sound-track memorized before we even saw the show. I remember walking away from the show having loved it--and it's been deemed my favorite musical ever since.

It was just a month or so ago that I was sitting through the previews of a movie I can't even remember now, and a preview popped up for RENT--and to my great surprise and great joy, they've decided to make it into a movie! This is a movie I've searched stores for, hoping that it had been made into a rentable [or buyable] version. But to my extreme disappointment, the answer had always been no. However, on November 23 my search will be over. My only fear is that I will sit through this movie and that it won't be as good as I remember it to be [my other fear is that no one will want to go with me because I will sing the whole thing straight through--I've still got 95% of the soundtrack memorized].

The point that the whole show is trying to communicate is that “love is all and there is ‘no day but today.’” It features a character lineup which includes several homosexuals, a “dancer”, a starving musician, a movie artist, a transvestite, and many others who would be a lot less controversial. Many of the characters are HIV+, and their driving question, “how do you measure a year in the life of friends?” Their answer? “Measure in Love.” If I remember correctly, it will prove to be a truly thought-provoking film. It’s always interesting for me to watch something that I saw and loved before I was a follower of Christ. What usually happens is that I watch it again and don’t like it as much [hence the fear that I won’t enjoy this production as much]—however, ever since my theology and philosophy of film class my senior year of college, I’ve been challenged to watch all movies through a different—critical—set of lenses. There is Truth of some sort in every film/production out there, and even now, without viewing it again, I can already see some of the threads emerging—many of them values that Christians claim to hold in the highest regard:

1. Love
2. Community
3. Passion
4. Dreams [having them and following them]
5. Justice [especially in regards to the poor]
6. Loyalty/faithfulness
7. Honestly
8. Being Real/Authentic/Honest

…to name a few. I’m sure there are more. If anyone has seen the musical, I'd love to know your thoughts. If not, and you see the film version....I'd love to hear from you in about a month :). So, until [if] my idealism is dashed upon seeing it again, I'm still a big fan. There's something so powerful about anticipation...but that's a post for another day. Ciao!

Baby Amnesia

For anyone who wants a good laugh, check out David Drury's article called "Baby Amnesia." I've been laughing about this for a few days now :). Good writing is always preceded by great observation...this is funny because it's probably true!

::Inspired and Refreshed::

I got to spend this past weekend with amazing people. We first had Adam and Christin Jones visiting from Ft. Wayne, IN. Christin was my roommate for 2 years at school, and has been a faithful friend since we graduated. We got to spend two wonderful days with them, and then we all hopped in our cars and caravaned back to Indiana, where Mark and I spent two more wonderful days at IWU. Mark spoke in a chapel, and we spent the rest of our time hanging out. I recruited some of my best friends to make the trek to IWU as well...so it was good times had by all. So refreshing. There's just something rejuvinating about spending time with people who know you and love you and who are just simply familiar.

It was during one conversation that someone said, "People don't energize me, but they inspire me." My first thought was, "YES!" I claim to be an introvert that truly does love to be around people. However, being married to an extreme extrovert makes me realize how much of an introvert I really am. I love people, but after spending all day being around tons of people [especially people I don't know well], I feel drained. All I want to do is go and close myself in a room and recoup. It's always been a funny thing for me to pin-point, but I think she said it best. I often leave people and feel inspired, but not energized.

So here I am--back in Rock Island, back to work as usual. Lots to do...lots to think about...yet strangely not the same. I definitely don't feel energized after a long weekend with people, but I do feel inspired. I do feel refreshed.

And I can't wait for 4:30 when I can go home and take a nap :).