Laura Writes Stuff

Dr. King: A Christian Social Worker At Heart?

2012-01-16T19:06:00.000-05:00

Last week, I began my second semester as an MSW student, and the first class on my schedule was an "Advanced Seminar in Culture, Ethnicity, and Institutionalized Inequality in Social Work Practice" class. Basically, what I've been learning through and since one lecture in this course thus far, is that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was pretty much one of the most B.A. Christian social workers/missionaries that has ever lived.

Today, many Christian social workers believe that social work is God's work. After all, the entire social work profession did evolve from 19th century missionaries, and workers known as "friendly visitors," who were often provided a stipend by the church in order to serve as direct relief to those in need throughout the United States.

As outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers have an ethical responsibility to help people in need and to address social problems. Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships. Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. As Christians, there is also the loving and challenging instruction through scripture to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:37-39).

Do all social workers live out the above ethical responsibilities perfectly? HECK NO. Do all Christians live out all biblical principles perfectly? NO WAY. Did MLK perfectly reflect the above paragraph at all times? As I'm fairly certain he was a human, I'm assuming not even he did everything perfectly. However, I am encouraged by the life and the teachings of Dr. King, as he was and is an honorable model for Christians and social workers alike, as most documentation of his life points to a God, who led him as a man, to strive towards an achievement of living a life of the Christian social worker described above. Dr. King was moving forward in faith through his non-violent mission to change policies and legislation while advocating for diversity and for the equality of all people.

Today, I spent some time listening to one of MLK's most famous speeches, given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington:

I also spent some time reading through the speech he gave at the 11th Annual Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Georgia on August 16th, 1967:

"...So, I conclude by saying again today that we have a task and let us go out with a 'divine dissatisfaction.' Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.

Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort and the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. Let us be dissatisfied until those that live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.

Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home. Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality, integrated education.

Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.

Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character and not on the basis of the color of their skin. Let us be dissatisfied.

Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol houses a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy and who will walk humbly with his God.

Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. Let us be dissatisfied. And men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth."

-- Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 26 years old when he began leading The Montgomery Improvement Association in December of 1955. That little known fact hits me in a big way at the age of 26.

Happy yesterday birthday, Dr. King. Your faithful, communal campaign towards non-violent justice has gifted us all. I strive to live out my faith and convictions through my role as a wife, daughter, sister, grand-daughter, cousin, niece, friend, and social worker, as modeled so well by your divinely dissatisfied life. My prayer today is that I may "go out with a divine dissatisfaction."

Jesus, God's Chosen Servant

2012-01-12T10:08:00.001-05:00

Matthew Ch. 12:

17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: 18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen.
He is my Beloved, who pleases me.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not fight or shout
or raise his voice in public. 20 He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. 21 And his name will be the hope
of all the world.” (NLT)

Loving this 30 day study of the gospels. Good words.

Not Apologizing for 2011

2012-01-09T20:56:00.001-05:00

January often annoys me. Not because everyone is making a new year's resolution, but because people often attack themselves with the many ways they have let themselves down during the year that has passed, labeling their previous resolutions as failures. I used to be one of these people- until now. This is why:

In 2011 (though not in January), my friend, Allie, and I made a commitment to read the bible together chronologically, in one year. The study started off great! We were on track, catching up on the weekends if a day was missed, and talking with one another about what we were reading and what God was showing us through the scriptures. However, I think around the time we hit the book of Numbers- we hit some major walls (and not the walls of Jericho- bahahahahaha! What? Who said that?).

With a turn towards 2012, Allie and I were discussing general goals along with our mutual disappointment that we did not finish up our 2011 study. I was telling Allie that I am aiming my focus more simply on the gospels this year. I'm beginning with a 30-day study along with many other people via a Facebook invite (yes I'm serious). In response, she shared a simple encouragement someone had shared with her recently:

"Had you never set the goal, chances are you wouldn't have gotten as far as you did by setting the goal."

This is by no means an excuse to be cool with setting goals and not following through. I HUGELY value consistency and the growth that comes from spiritual discipline. However, I refuse to dwell on what I did not accomplish in 2011, as if I had accomplished nothing, especially as it is now 2012.

For some of you, you may be in a place where you need to be challenged in the area of following through- if you're too much, say, on the careless side of life? Although I have been there, at this point in my life, I need to be challenged in the area of not beating myself up and caring about the goal more than the point of it. Right now, for me, IT'S ABOUT BALANCE.

Instead of not making it through the entire bible chronologically, in reflection, WE MADE IT THROUGH THE BOOK OF NUMBERS CHRONOLOGICALLY, AND WHAT A FRUITFUL TIME IT WAS! Had we not set our goal, we probably wouldn't have made it that far, and I know we would have missed out on the rich fellowship that was gained during that time.

Point: I'm all about realistic, healthy, refreshing, positive goals, and I'm all about following through. I'm not all about discouraging reflection and continuous complaining. I'm about balance.

So, look for the good in 2011, and thank God for it. Learn from the bad, but let's not complain and allow our past to discourage us.

In 2012, my main goal will be to remember that the point of my focus on the gospels is to engage with The Father through His word as well as with community in discussion. With it, I'm striving to continuously grow in the discipline of study, but I am also hoping to grow in the area of not beating myself up when I don't do this (or anything else) "perfectly."

Join me?

Other 2012 Laura goals include:

1. Getting back on a weekly date schedule (that nobody can touch) with my hottie husband.

2. Incorporating music into my daily life again. I just purchased the new iPod Nano to run with. Whoohoo!

3. At dinnertime, praying for a family member or friend of ours from our new prayer photo album I just made (as modeled by a beautiful family I greatly admire in Detroit).

4. Blogging between midterms and the beginning of the following semester.

Peace!

I like coffee, I like tea (and I also like blogs).

2011-11-05T12:20:00.003-04:00

So, MIDTERMS ARE OVER. For the past 2 weeks I have not done much other than read, prepare for exams, complete my first graduate level research paper (CHECK), and submit reports for my internship. Proof:

I get realllllly attractive when my life is monopolized by studying, I know.

My most stressful class right now is Policy. My professor can be somewhat unpredictable, emotionally, which is somewhat challenging for me. There is no way to guess what grade one will receive in his class. Although he did outline his grading method in his syllabus, it's almost as if each grade will depend on what mood he is in as he submits it. So, I decided to play it safe with my research paper and did not sway away from how he presented the material in class. I simply found professional literature to back up what he had already taught- mostly out of fear he would not appreciate any additional material. I overcompensated with my resources too, as you can see above.

Also, just so you know, reading about The Great Depression is in fact depressing. Especially since our country is currently in a recession. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, but that's enough of that.

In celebration of the conclusion of midterms, I have spent about 2 hours relaxing on the couch this morning- sipping coffee, and reading through some devotionals and blogs. IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL. Now, John and I are going to go check out the Kalamazoo Farmers' Market for the first time since our relocation. We miss our beloved Eastern Market in Detroit, but we are excited for this local Kalamazoo adventure!

I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks as my work load shouldn't be as intense. I have 1 developmental and 1 psychosocial due to my internship by Monday, and then I will be merely managing my reading for some classes with the exception of one presentation until finals.

Yahoo!

Trusting Me With His Silence? Hmm.

2011-10-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite devotionals of all time is My Utmost for His Highest. It's simply a classic, must-have in my opinion! The devotional is written by Oswald Chambers, a man who did not experience any amount of documented fame within his lifetime, but whose complied writings inspire many daily- thanks to his beloved wife, Gertrude, who published his teachings after his passing.

Today's devotion (October 11th) is entitled "God's Silence- Then What?" In an email I recently sent to a past supervisor of mine, I had mentioned that, although I believe I had been led by God to attend graduate school for a specific purpose, I haven't heard from Him much since having done so. Knowing my love for this devotional, I received an email from my past supervisor today- stating that today's devotion made her think of me. Just a little proof God often uses people in my life.

I hadn't yet read today's devotion, but I went to it immediately, and I'm so glad I did. I am seeing God's silence in an entirely new light. When we are seeking after the Father, and we are experiencing silence, it does not automatically mean He is further from us, us whom He calls His beloved. Is it possible He could be trusting us with his silence?

My friends and I alike often discuss our frustration when we are choosing to believe that God's silence is connected to something negative. It is easier to be mad at Him or frustrated with ourselves when we are not hearing. It makes sense in our minds to equate God's silence to negativity- perhaps to the negative silence we have experienced from others in our lives at certain times.

Starting today, I want to see the silence of our Father- not only as something other than despair- but as pleasure. I want to learn to praise Him in His silence- because He is trusting me with it- and showing me an intimacy in Him that is not often a way of the world. Then, "the actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty."

"A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, 'I know that God has heard me.' His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence."

You can follow My Utmost for His Highest devotionals by clicking here, daily. Or, you can purchase the book, as well as many other writings of Mr. Chambers, here.

You Know a Break From Learning is Majorly Needed When...

2011-10-08T17:25:00.000-04:00

You seriously can't stop laughing over all the Oprahfying occurring within your household:

My 26th

2011-10-02T18:41:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm officially closer to 30 than 20.

My birthday celebration started early this year. Some girls from my MSW program planned a little lunch celebration in my honor last Wednesday. There were cupcakes, chips, and cards! Who says I'm too old for cupcake celebrations at school?

Thursday was a busy school day, but I felt as though the celebration continued as I received many wonderful gifts and cards in the mail. Our keyboard displays the cards very nicely. I feel very loved each time I walk by.

My mom included a few scratch-off lotto cards in her gift to me, and I actually won $10! Whoohoo!

Also, and most importantly, NIECE #2 WAS BORN on Thursday (09/29/2011)!! My step-brother, Mike, has yet another gorgeous daughter, beautiful Grace. I don't know why she couldn't have waited one more day so she could have the same b-day as her Auntie, but whatever. Ready? Here she is!:

Friday (my actual birthday) I worked a 10 hour day at my internship, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME: I GOT TO DO MY VERY FIRST PSYCHOSOCIAL!! I know, that's a weird thing to be excited about. I will NEVER forget my 26th for this reason. My field instructor and professional mentor had led me to believe that I wouldn't be doing any psychosocials until at least my second semester. So, I was shocked upon being told that Friday was the day. I was sooo nervous, because I felt so unprepared, but now my first psychosocial assessment is behind me, and I can continue on in learning!

When I got home from my long day, there were a few more lovely birthday cards in my mailbox. There was also a lovely gift from Miss Mary Sweet aka my BFF (Best Frickin' Friend). Why is she my Best Frickin' Friend? Because she can read my mind.

What's in this cute little box you might ask? MAGNETS!! What Mary didn't know is that I have been wanting some cute magnets that aren't random advertisements for lawn services!! I had no idea where to find them. I seriously loved this gift so much, and now some of the cute faces on my fridge are held up in style:

John has accurately assessed that I am pretty tired on Fridays following my internship. So, he went to pick up a pepperoni and pineapple pizza (my favorite) to aide us in achieving a relaxing night at home. In his absence, I noticed this sign on his office door:

This could only mean one thing. Something present-related. I was right:

Yellow Hunter rain boots from my baybay!!

Downside: they are awkwardly loose in the ankles, and super tight in the calves. If I had abnormally large calves, I would be fine with this. However, I don't feel that I do. They're even tight with leggings. John looked up this issue on Google and many are with me and my annoyance. Apparently, they were designed this way to "keep the rain out." Don't these people know I just think they're really cute? I'm not actually going to travel through a rain forest here. We discovered there are "Huntress" boots that are wider in the calves, but the colors they come in are not nearly as exciting. Soo, I'm a little sad regarding the fact that I will have to return my b-day gift from the Mister. I asked John if we could keep them and just display them in our house. He wasn't fond of that idea. Upside: I do have the b-day card below from John's Aunt Lynne. She said this is how she pictures I would have been when I was little. She has no idea how much this is how I am right now. I mean, John did pretty much just buy me this outfit:

Saturday morning we slept in and prepared for a 26th birthday celebration adventure (since Friday night was a "low key pizza night," which I still thought was pretty rockin'). October 1st was a perfect Fall day. The leaves had already begun changing colors, which I considered to be an additional birthday gift from God. We took a little drive to South Haven as John had envisioned cider and donuts on the beach:

It was really windy, but well worth it (in my opinion anyway- John's face in picture #2 tells me he was questioning his idea for a moment):

Gorgeous, gorgeous:

It's weird to think that this same weekend- 2 years ago- we were at Grand Haven celebrating our engagement. Ahh, the memories.

After our beach adventure, we checked out some local shops around town, like The Blueberry Store:

Yes, we had to do that.

I loved my South Haven birthday adventure, and it wouldn't have been half as fun without this guy:

All that to say, turning 26 was pretty dang wonderful. I am very blessed, and I know it. If I ever doubt it in the future, please feel free to shake me from believing mere lies.

BAM! 26.

Now, off to yoga. Yes, I'm being healthy in my old age.

Last Week & the Grandparents' 60th

2011-09-27T13:07:00.002-04:00

Last week was my most stressful week of school yet. Good 'ol week 3. I think John loved me extra last week. I'm sure there are more stressful weeks to come, but for the first time I had to back-burner some of my reading because of how many assignments I had.

We are learning how to administer and score various assessments at my internship. We were expected to be prepared with 3 sets of index cards- guiding us through the administering and scoring of 3 different assessments- by last Friday. I pulled 2 very late nights in order to have these cards completed, and I still have only 2 out of the 3 sets done. I plan on finishing the last set of cards this week. It made me feel better that some people hadn't started any of their cards yet. I know it shouldn't have, but it did.

Last weekend we drove back to the Detroit area for my grandparents 60th Anniversary Celebration. The collaborative gift I had worked on the weekend before unfortunately did not arrive in time for the party. It of course arrived the very next business day. Grr, Fed Ex. Why did I give you extra money for 2 day shipping?

Regardless, the gift turned out LOVELY, and it is now officially in the hands of the beautiful couple. I'm so proud to be their grandchild. The hard-covered, printed book format is much cooler than the digital version, but you can click here to catch a general view of the book of memories.

My cousins, Amanda and Nicole, and Nicole's fiance, Ray, showed an incredible picture slide-show at the party for everyone to see. It was so great. Thanks to them for the pictures I was able to use from their collection- in order to break up the text in the book!

My Aunt Liz had her friend photograph the entire shindig, so hopefully there will be more pictures of the party to come. Until then, my dear siblings and cousins, just know that our treasured times of playing with the wheel chair from Grandma and Grandpa's basement have officially been passed on (She did not want to pause for the documentation):

First 2 Weeks of Classes

2011-09-19T01:13:00.006-04:00

The first 2 weeks of classes have come and gone, and I can hardly believe it. I have had so much HOMEWORK. Additionally, there is an UNBELIEVABLE amount of READING.

I'm currently enrolled in the following courses:

SWRK 6100: Foundations of Social Welfare Policy

SWRK 6310: Human Behavior and Social Environment

SWRK 6400: Research and Evaluation Methods in Social Work

SWRK 6610: Social Work Practice: Individuals and Families

SWRK 6710: Field Education and Social Work Practice I

I additionally have to complete 16 hours per week (minimally) at my field placement, which is at the Child Trauma Assessment Center (CTAC). Aka, my reason for applying to Western. I have had 2 classes in each course listed above as well as 2 full days at CTAC as an official MSW intern. I am absolutely loving graduate school so far!

However, attending courses that are appropriately challenging while utilizing my gifts is really making me realize how much time I wasted in my undergraduate studies- working towards a field that involved mostly math and science. What was I thinking? Social Work is way more me. I guess it just took the agony of 1 Physics course and 2 rounds of the same Anatomy and Physiology course to help me learn to lean towards my gifts. Either way, I'm glad God has brought me to this MSW program. I need to honor His timing.

My Social Welfare Policy class was initially the most intimidating to me. It doesn't seem like it's going to be extremely difficult, material-wise, but my professor seems a little moody. Someone has already received a negative stare-down for using the restroom during class. I understand we are professionals, and I do believe we should be prioritizing class time, but A: if she wants to use the restroom, it's her money and time, and B: SHE MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO. Apart from the professor, political issues, although important, aren't issues I have previously chosen to spend hours discussing. However, I am surprisingly finding the history of how our society's perspective on "caring for the poor" has drastically (and sadly) changed over the years. So, we'll see how my initial perspective of this course changes over the semester. I believe I have a couple lengthy papers due at some point.

My Human Behavior class is wonderful so far. It is my only evening/night class, and the professor is pretty rad. No tests. She wants us to complete the readings, be prepared to discuss and engage, and be PRESENT. If you miss one class, that's 5% off your entire grade. If you miss 2 classes, that's 10% off your entire grade. If you miss 3 classes, you fail. Other than that- you pretty much get an "A," but you must participate. My kind of professor. Like her a lot.

My Research Methods professor is nothing like my Human Behavior professor (nor any professor I have ever had), but he is also anti-tests, which I of course LOVE- especially since I have diagnosed myself with test anxiety. He is a very interesting character. Very passionate about evidence, and basically hates anything that there isn't measurable evidence for. He will even bad mouth other faculty members if he doesn't agree with their professional careers- which may or may not involve evaluations/ measurable outcomes/ evidence. This was appalling to me, but I understand his overall point. He gets frustrated with organizations that continue to use programs, which haven't been proven to work, when there are many programs out there that do have evidence proving their positive outcomes. In his teaching, he says a lot for shock value, but I must admit it definitely keeps everyone perked up- and shocked. He assigns a great deal of homework and activities in this class, but he too cares most about participation. He wants you to show up prepared, and at the end of the course, he would like you to write him a 1 paragraph paper indicating what grade you believe you deserve. Crazy. Apparently, next week after class, he's going to get a beer at some local bar, and whoever tags along- he buys their first beer. I don't know how I feel about this.

My Individuals and Families professor seems like a tough grader, but seems to have had a lot of interesting experiences. He's currently working mostly with convicts, but he has a lot of experience working with children in residential treatment facilities as well. No lap tops allowed in his class (grr), and there are tests- including pop quizzes (grr again), but if I have to take tests in any of my classes, I think I would do best doing so in this course. So, bring it, test anxiety! :/

My Field Education course only meets through the month of October. The professor serves as a liaison between the graduate program and our field placements. We have to submit these forms (that are way more complicated than they need to be) to him, indicating how many hours we have been in the field and our field goals, etc. He also comes to observe us in the field. He seems like he really wants to see us succeed and would really be there for us every step of the way- which is very encouraging.

I love my field placement so far. We have been completing history reports regarding the children who are being assessed at the center, and we have been doing a lot of observing. In addition, we are receiving training from the Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, and other Social Workers on staff. There are 4 MSW students, including myself, and there are also Occupational Therapist students, Speech Pathology students, and Nursing students interning alongside us. We are all vigorously working on preparing index cards to guide us through the administering and scoring of various assessments. The preparation is VERY time consuming. It is really overwhelming in addition to managing our classes, but I'm hoping once my cards are complete I won't be as stressed. We start administering assessments this Friday, so we were told feeling overwhelmed is to be expected.

This week I'm expecting to be very busy. I spent all weekend putting a gift together for my grandparents, as next weekend is their 60th Anniversary Celebration. It's a lovely, collaborative tear-jerker gift, and it will be totally worth it, but now I have to really step up my studying game to make up for lost time.

Thanks to all my people who care about my school side of life. I know the school stuff can be somewhat dry, but it's probably what will be consuming me until April of 2013. I'll try to discuss my Pinterest obsession once in a while- just so you don't question whether or not I've completely lost my cool card.

Peace!

The Melon Festival

2011-09-06T11:56:00.006-04:00

After the 2009 Fluke Family Reunion, John and I had decided to take our time driving back to Michigan, so we could be open to adventure along the way. In scoping out adventure, we obviously had to stop at the Milan Melon Festival as we came across it.

Our route home following the 2011 reunion was no different. We now have an "after the reunion tradition" of going to the Melon Festival. Why, you might ask? Because it is freaking AWESOME. These people are for real.

Here are the top 5 things you need to know about the Melon Festival:

1. There are melons. Lots and lots of melons. Many people carve out a melon and use it as bowl for melon ice cream. We have yet to experience the melon ice cream.

2. Do not let your dog- especially your small dog- attend the festival unprepared!

3. Melon Festival attenders love them some baton twirling. You better love it too.

4. Following the Melon Festival Parade, you should grab some pizza from the local Jim's Pizza, after catching a football from State Farm.

You will receive a pizza punch card like the one pictured below. John and I will only have the chance to order pizza from Jim's once every 2 years at the Melon Festival, following the reunion, but we calculated that in 40 YEARS we could get a free pizza!

5. At the conclusion of the weekend, if you are struggling in departing from the joys of the festivities, you are able to purchase these melon lights in order to create a romantic, melon-lit terrace at home- where you can reflect over all of the melon excitement until next year's Labor Day Weekend Melon Festival, where you will get your fix.

Mark my words: The Melon Festival, following the reunion, will never be missed.

Fluke Family Reunion 2011

2011-09-05T17:50:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite "while dating John" memories was attending his family reunion about one month before we were engaged. On John's mom's side of the family, there is a reunion every 2 years over Labor Day Weekend at the historic Fluke Family Farm in Ohio.

Many of our family members had a work day on Friday- preparing some last minute things for the Saturday festivities. We met up with our sweaty family members for a BBQ in the evening, at the lovely home of Margaret. Yes, our family members had showered after working away, BUT IT WAS STILL SO HOT OUTSIDE!!

Saturday's happenings began bright & early at 10:00am with a tour of the John Fluke Home. The property had been out of the family for quite some time and was now owned and RESTORED by the family. The house and the land was one of the most gorgeous homes I have ever seen.

I adored the front stairs:

Following the sentimental morning, experiencing the restoration, everyone partook in many afternoon activities such as the Gator Obstacle Course, indulging in a yummy catered reunion meal, family photos with Stephanie McFrederick, a Corn Hole Tournament, Hay Rides, and a Farm Scavenger Hunt (that we caused a hand-full of kiddos to miss because we were on a 'secret adventure' with the Gator in the corn fields- whoops!).

Next came my favorite part: The Corn Roast. At the last reunion, I swear John and I each ate 4 roasted ears of corn. This year, we only sucked down 2 each. How did this happen? Either way- there is no corn like the Fluke Family Reunion corn. Fun perk for the kids (aka us): when you're done eating the corn, you may just throw what's left in the field for the cows! Who doesn't like that?

Following the corn roast, the auction results were revealed. John put all 12 of our tickets in the bucket auction for his Grand Uncle Donald's pipe.

Next was the Music and Talent Show on the front porch. It was so fun to see the many talents of our family across the generations! The best part was the family dance party that immediately evolved at the talent show's conclusion. OUR FAMILY CAN GET DOWN (Go Aunt Louise!!):

Following the dancing, the family took a hay ride down to the pond for a memorial service. A torch is lit in honor of everyone in the family who has gone to be with Jesus. Aunt Lynne read a beautiful poem, after each torch was lit, and John and I sang "It Is Well With My Soul" to the strumming of his guitar.

While torches around the pond were lit in honor of specific loved ones, everyone is encouraged to place a lit candle in the pond in honor of someone they love. For the second time, I chose to honor my Aunt Diane, through a lovely little candle in the pond. Little cousin Jacob placed his boat next to mine, in honor of his Grandpa Smith.

It was an beautiful time for many, and I was blessed to be a part of the honoring and healing that took place.

Sunday morning, everyone came together for a conclusion brunch on the farm. John's mom and step dad served breakfast casseroles, bacon, sausage, fruit, coffee, and juice. Yum. Everyone gathered around in a circle under a tent (it was raining- and finally cooling down in temperature).

It was a huge gift to be able to hear many stories and much laughter from different generations. I love that I am now officially part of a family (even on the family tree!) that puts work into sticking together, that remembers the histories of relatives who have gone before, and that is excited about the present as well as the future that is to come.

Thank you, Glenn and Molly, for more cherished memories on the farm!

Thursday Night on the Town

2011-09-05T16:19:00.002-04:00

Thursday night, before leaving for the Fluke Family Reunion, we decided to experience the sights of downtown Kalamazoo. We started with the not-so-happening (yet) night life. Although, we liked that it was not-so-happening. My lovely sister, Michelle, suggested we check out a piano bar downtown (since she spent 4 years in Kalamazoo and is pretty much an expert- on the city, and on what her sister would think is fun).

Since we now live in a college town (yes- it is, overall, a college town- even though we are living in an adult community), we were expecting downtown to be a little rowdy. However, we're guessing it was dead because there is fun stuff going on closer to campus for 'welcome week?' Who knows. Either way- we were out, and about, and there were pianos.

We thought these seats were pretty sweet, but they were outside and not close to the music:

So, we sat close to these guys instead:

They were pretty entertaining. They guy on the right switched between the piano and the drums behind the pianos, and he was hilarious to us. Very animated. I'm trying to forget the fact that he ignored my submitted song request TWICE. The guy on the left was more serious and a little hard to hear. All in all, pretty fun.

However, even though we love each other, it would have been more fun with friends. Here are our 'sad we have no local friends yet' faces:

ANYONE WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH US? WE ARE REALLY, REALLY, COOL!!!

Looking forward to checking out some churches in the next couple of weeks and meeting some people through my classes, etc.

Supportive Family & Friends (Wha! Wha!)

2011-08-31T11:35:00.011-04:00

Well, we made it through packing! The fact that my mom spent an entire day packing up our attic with me last week helped immensely. I don't know what I would have done without her. Probably would have cried until John got home from work. I think my mom and I were definitely more effective packing up the attic than we would have been if she hadn't shown up wearing a Western Michigan University t-shirt like she did (for extra support). I wish I got a picture. What was I thinking? Gotta love it.

We were originally going to move on Saturday (08/27), but John had an opportunity to film a wedding that day, so we pushed moving day back to Monday (08/29) since that was the only day a U-Haul truck was available. And what makes loading up a U-Haul and cleaning the home your leaving actually fun? Family and friends who amazingly and willingly come alongside you to help you do so. WITH LOTS OF SMILES.

This could not have happened IN 2 FREAKING HOURS without the marvelous muscular abilities of our friends Eric, Nick, Beau, and Carmel, and my madre, Sharon, John's sister, Lauren, John's mom, Liz, and John's step dad, David. WE ARE SO BLESSED. Look what they did:

Additionally, our friend Nick surprised us by offering to go with us to Kalamazoo to help us unload, and he then offered to drive the U-Haul truck back THE SAME DAY so we could save $100. UNBELIEVABLY GIVING. WE LOVE HIM.

John's mom came with us too to help us unload and spent the entire next day (Tuesday aka yesterday) unpacking and organizing our new home with me. John had to work after putting our bed together (his manly duty of the day). Mom Liz bought a train ticket back to the Detroit area and reportedly had some exciting experiences along the way- including being stranded in Battle Creek for 2 hours and also getting locked in a bathroom at the train station. THAT IS LOVE.

Today John and I were woken up (extremely) early by confirmation calls that our couch was being delivered and our internet was being installed at some point between 8am and 11am. Guess what? Both companies were freakishly on time!! We now have a new couch & internet. Hence the blog post:)

Thank you to everyone who has supported us in many different ways throughout this move (and processing this move). I always view myself as relatively independent and adventurous, but I forget how much initial change is a challenge for me. Throughout this process, I have been reminded what a true GIFT community is, and how we are intended to live alongside others. What would people do without friends and family? Seriously. I am very grateful we are loved and have many to love in return. Peace.

I. Hate. Packing.

2011-08-25T17:08:00.004-04:00

On 04/10/10, John and I exchanged vows as husband and wife. Additionally, we tend to make random/additional/general vows to one another in our day-to-day discussions as husband and wife. One of our commitments is to strive to live simply. Today, I realize we have failed in the midst of year two.

This is our garage currently, & I'm not done. Grr.

I. Hate. Packing.

I swear I have made a trip to Regeneration AND a trip to Salvation Army with a car full of giveaways too!

Positive note: We will have much more storage in our new home:)

Scary (to us) note: We don't know many people to help us unload our U-haul of stuff once we hit Kalamazoo! Eek!

Any Kalamazoo readers? What? No readers yet at all? Shoot.

This should be interesting.

A Little Getaway Before The Chaos

2011-08-16T20:42:00.016-04:00

Well, it's official! We found a place in Kalamazoo! More on that later.

We decided that we would set aside time for a peaceful weekend together before throwing ourselves into relocation mode. Luckily, John's dad and stepmom have a place in Suttons Bay that is perfect for relaxation. We are blessed. Below is a re-cap of our 2 days away in pictures.

Day one, partly cloudy:

John and I went to Leland (a town about 15 minutes away from Suttons Bay).

John had to ask me if I "had any cheese" in the best Steve Urkle voice he had, prior to checking this place out.

& that Dam Candy Store almost got us, but we ended up just looking. Whew. This kid got sucked in, however.

I LOVE the beach. So, in the midst of exploring the historic fishtown, we still ended up relaxing on the water.

John loves the beach too, so he skipped stones for a second.

Then he got bored.

So, he left the touristy water to find a secluded space to paint.

I eventually joined him in semi-seclusion and enjoyed my time reading The Help, which I highly recommend you read BEFORE seeing the movie.

John ended up painting the view in an hour. Then, John's step mom loved and bought the painting upon our return. So, John actually ended up having worked on day one. Not bad.

Day Two, still cloudy, even slightly chilly, some might say FALLish:

John's sister, Lauren, her man-friend, Nathan, John and I went to Traverse City for the day. My friend's family owns a coffee shop in town and we were treated to a VIP gift card. So, I very importantly treated everyone. GREAT coffee.

There was a weird foamy fountain surrounded by knitted tree and drinking fountain covers. Artsy?

The foamy fountain took John back to his bubble bath days.

We then indulged in some not-so-awesome food (except for John's wings and Nathan's sweet potato fries) and enjoyed our double date bonding.

It was a good day. Also, just so you know,

I wanted this clock,

Lauren wanted this telescope,

I wanted this watering can,

& Lauren wanted this treasure chest.

I also thought I would look great in this hat

& that John would look great walking around like this all the time.

Nathan dreamed about winning a cycling race in his no-school-newly-found free time.

Like I said, great day.

I'm very thankful to have a fun family we can hang with, and relax with, even in the midst of relocating transition- which has every potential to be stressful.