Snow Day, Running Update, Artsy Craftsy Friday Five

Another snow day has come to Minnesota - YAY! The weather guy in the Cities says that this has been the snowiest week in 25 years, and I can believe it. We have been missed by the worst of the storm and we still have a good foot of white stuff on the ground again today. I heard that Duluth got two feet of snow yesterday - this is why I would love to live in Duluth someday...

The only thing that rots about all this snow is my training for the Lincoln Marathon. With the combination of a newborn keeping us up at night and the snow preventing outdoor training, I don't think I'm going to meet my 4 hour goal - I'm just too far behind in my training. I'll still finish, I think, and hopefully if Ainsley starts sleeping through the night soon I'll be able to better my PB of 4:35. But I've only gotten one 10-miler in so far and my legs just don't have the energy to put the miles in on a treadmill right now, so the extensive training I'd hoped to get done this spring has been pretty much laid to waste thus far. But that's okay - I get to be a daddy and that's far more enjoyable training (most of the time).

So - on to the Friday Five!

From RevGalBlogPals: During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is "A Beautiful Thing," inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that "She has done a beautiful thing for me." (Mark 14, NIV)

We are working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing--a creative offering to God--whether it's gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so:

1. Would you call yourself "creative"? Why or why not?
I think I'm fairly creative, especially when it comes to writing - as a preacher that is something of a must in the job requirement area. I'm no visual artist: can't paint or draw or sculpt with anything more than the most utilitarian artistry, but I can write.

2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you'd like to develop further.
I've always wanted to do more photography. I got hooked on photography during my two summers shooting pictures as the Tipi Village Site Manager at Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, NE. I took some pretty good shots, some of which my ex-wife got blown up and framed as a Christmas present one year; they're still on my wall today. I bought a Canon Rebel SLR a few years ago, and I've taken some good shots since then, but I don't have a good zoom lens or the money to really invest as I'd like to do. Maybe someday that can happen.

3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.
I would really like to take classes on two creative hobbies: woodworking and pottery. Both have intrigued me for years. I actually have some decent woodshop tools but very little knowledge as to how to use them properly - help!

4. Complete this sentence: "I am in awe of people who can _____________."
Quilt/Knit/Crochet/Needlepoint/etc. I know everyone says it's not that difficult, but I'm not a detailed enough person to be able to see both the larger picture and the stitches at the same time. I either focus on the small needs of the moment or step back to do the conceptualizing and lose the threads, so to speak. What a gift!

5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has "called you to your best self." (I'm pretty sure that's from the Gospel of Oprah.
I think the person who first saw artistic talent in me was Mrs. Whipple, my band & choir director when I was in 9th & 10th grade. She encouraged me to be bold and use the musical gifts God has given me, and anyone who knows anything about 14 year-old boys in rural schools knows that it's not an easy thing to encourage. But she was insistent and I finally gave in. Thanks to her I have a gift in music that I treasure and hope to pass on to my children and grandchildren someday.