7 for 700

This is my 700th post on Blogger! I kept a blog at LiveJournal for a while, but I've since lost track of the number and dates of those posts, so I'm starting from post #1 here at Blogger. By way of celebration, I invited readers to ask me seven questions to be answered here. Here are the questions and my answers.


1. From Lorna: Where do the names of your daughters come from?
Ainsley's name comes from this television moment:



We fell in love with the name "Ainsley" when we both realized we remembered this character from the West Wing, a show both Kristin and I loved long before we even knew each other. When she was born, we had two names: Ainsley and Madeline, and we thought we'd just see which one suited her best. It wasn't even close: she was Ainsley from the start.

Alanna's name comes from my sojourn through The Irish Century series by Morgan Llywelyn, which I read voraciously in the space of about a month earlier this year. The series is historical fiction, following a family from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 through the peace accords of 1999. As I was reading, someone called their child "Alanna," and then explained that it means "dear one" in Gaelic, and I was hooked. Kristin loved it, too, and this time we really never had a "second" name - she was Alanna even before she was born. The funny thing is that "Alanna" is the feminine form of "Alan," my dad's name, though we didn't know this until after she was born. Alanna's full name is Alanna Sophia Faye, and Faye is my mother's middle name, so she is named for both her paternal grandparents, completely by accident.


2. From p.s. (a.k.a. purple): I am a Big 12 Alumna and enjoy the sports, but here is my question: please explain Huskermania?
The state religion of Nebraska? It's hard to explain. Do you mention the fact that there are no other Division I colleges in Nebraska? No top-level professional teams, either? A small population base, in a state often referred to in derogatory tones, unified behind one of the few characteristics almost everyone agrees is a superior element of said state? A history of excellence few football programs can rival, which supports other excellent teams (like the Nebraska volleyball team, which might be the only program in the country with an even more unlikely rate of success)?
Do I also mention the Cornhuskers were the only team to defeat the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s, and we did it twice? That we've sold out 295 straight home games, a streak extending to 1962?
Oops, you said explain Huskermania, not display it. Sorry. :-)

3. From Shalom: What three books have been most important in your life?
1. The Bible (natch)
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Ooooh, now it gets tough. I think I'm going to say Cujo by Stephen King. Not because it's his best work - it isn't, not by a long shot, though it is very good. I'll choose it because I was in 4th grade when I picked it out of a bin at a garage sale, completely on a whim. It was the first "grownup" book I ever read, and I never went back to children's literature, though I have enjoyed some of the better stuff, like the Harry Potter series, Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence, and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

4. From my lovely wife: What makes your heart smile these days?

Hearing both my girls laugh. Wow, that's pretty incredible. Also, the night I kissed Ainsley good night after coming home from Evening Prayer and she smiled in her sleep. That was a good moment. Finally, date night with my lovely wife. Which reminds me: are we still on for Saturday? :-)

5. From "a faithful reader from Minnesota": If you weren't a pastor, what could you imagine your occupation/calling might otherwise be?

On my "I could be a guy in another profession that requires advanced education" days, I think I'd be interested in teaching English at the university level.
On my "this job sucks like an Electrolux" days, I'd do just about anything to work for a landscaping or lawn care company. Ride a mower all day, outdoors, or plant the occasional flower/bush? You betcha.
Thankfully, I don't have many of the Electrolux days.

6: From Erik, one of my college roommates: On a more serious note, something I was going to ask you about is, how did you decide to go into campus ministry? You have mentioned several times that you are enjoying this assignment. I always had you pegged as one who would want to work with high school youth, so this is a bit older of a crowd than I thought you would enjoy. Thanks to Him, I think you are exactly where you ought to be.

I've felt a calling to campus ministry for quite a long time, but I should note that when Erik and I were sharing a dorm room, I was coming off two summers of church camp and really starting to think that maybe the ministry, not music education, would be my calling. At that time, I wasn't particularly involved in campus ministry; that came later, though Erik and I of course stayed close for quite a long time after we lived together.

I'm not opposed to the thought of doing youth ministry, but it seems as though it wouldn't be the best fit for me these days. I'm married to a youth & family ministry professional, and she has forgotten more good youth ministry stuff than I'll ever know or put to good use; it's a calling that requires some incredible gifts and a LOT of patience. I don't have a lot of the latter, so perhaps it's for the best that I'm in a slightly different place now.

6a: Another couple of questions: Did you ever think you would find true happiness in Iowa, of all places?

No.

6b. After all of the bad things we said about those Iowa football and basketball teams, do you find your allegiance strained a bit?

No. :-)

7. And from my brother, Brian: How do you approach your role as developing future leaders of the church (and I'm not talking about the ones with M-Div's)?

I'm still figuring it out, truth be told. It's one thing to tell our college students they'll be "out there" in churches someday; it's another thing to sit down and help them find those churches and take up leadership there. I think a first step is to delegate, delegate, delegate: get people on board with projects and let them loose to make it work. A micro-managing pastor is a terrible blow to any ministry, but I think in campus ministry it can be a death knell. We do a piss-poor job of involving youth in our denomination: if campus ministry continues the trend, it dies - pure and simple. Beyond that, I think, it's a matter of opening eyes and expanding awareness. That's why I like our national campus ministry mission statement: "Expanding Minds, Deepening Faith, Inspiring Service." Three elements of growth in a ministry where growth is the primary currency? Brilliant - and we need to emphasize it even more than we've already done.

And for the adults in the room:

Bonus question from Shalom: I'm tempted to ask my favorite James Lipton question: What's your favorite swear word?
The F word. By far. Nothing compares to dropping an F-bomb when you just gotta let loose. But boy, you gotta be careful; it's like playing with gasoline in the wrong company.

Music Meme!

1. Of all the bands/artists in your record collection, which one do you own the most albums by?
I think it's a tie between Storyhill, Jars of Clay, Rich Mullins and Neil Young. Ainsley has completely destroyed any sense of order in the ol' CD case, so it might be a few years before I can answer this one definitively.

2. What was the last song you listened to? “Madeline's Song” by Rich Mullins

3. What’s in your record/CD player right now? A mix CD created by a good friend from the last call in Minnesota. Includes some really good tunes (40 by U2 being one of the best) and some "wtf?" songs.

4. What song would you say sums you up? "Calling Out Your Name" by Rich Mullins or "Scatter-brained People" by Peter Mayer

5. What’s your favorite local band? Storyhill, followed closely by The Wild Clover Band.

6. What was the last show you attended? The Wild Clover Band at The Brazen Head Pub in Omaha.

7. What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to? I've not seen a lot of 'big' concerts, especially in the last ten years, so I'd say Storyhill at Pioneer Place on Fifth in St. Cloud, MN.

8. What’s the worst band you’ve ever seen in concert? I hate to say this, but the woeful praise band that played a youth gathering I was at a few years ago. 90 minutes of pure sonic hell.

9. What band do you love musically but hate the members of? It's kind of a package deal for me - if they're assholes it usually shows in the music. That having been said, for some reason Poison comes to mind for a band with exceptionally poor music AND manners.

11. What show are you looking forward to? The next time I see Storyhill or TWCB. Oh, and Stomp will be in Ames next spring.

12. What is your favorite band shirt? Don't have any. I don't wanna be "that guy."

13. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day? Johnny Hermanson OR Chris Cunningham, Storyhill. Harry Connick, Jr. Wynton Marsalis. Too many to choose!

14. What musician would you like to be in love with for a day? Hmmm - KT Tunstall or Joss Stone? Sheryl Crow? Natalie Imbruglia? Since it's all a dream, who knows?

15. Commodores or solo Lionel Ritchie? oooh - I just threw up a little bit in my mouth there.

16. Punk rock, hip hop or heavy metal? First or last - just please, no hip hop.

17. Name 4 flawless albums:
Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom Prison
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (okay, it's a compilation, but COME ON - the man's the greatest guitarist EVER)
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle
Green Day - Dookie

17b. Name one almost-flawless album:
Green Day - American Idiot. I just don't see how "What's Her Name" fits. Everything else is just incredible; "Jesus of Suburbia" might be the best rock song ever.

18. Did you know that filling out this survey makes you a music geek? Your point?

19. What was the greatest decade for music? 1990-2000; Cobain, Pearl Jam, Metallica's best, DMB and Chili Peppers get their props, R.E.M. doing some good stuff. BUT u2 was down and BNL hadn't hit the bigtime yet. Hard to pick a decade, imho. You could say 1964-1974: British Invasion and the best 70s rock, pre-disco days.

20. How many music-related videos/dvds do you own? Two or three.

21. What is your favorite movie soundtrack? "The Commitments" or "Once"

27. What was your last musical ‘phase’ before you wised up? Gangsta rap in 9th grade - don't ask.

28. What’s the crappiest CD/record/etc. you’ve ever bought? Whitney Houston, don't remember the album, I was really young, 'nuff said. Hey - my brother bought the Crash Test Dummies album, so I wasn't THAT bad.

29. Do you prefer vinyl or CDs? Considering how hard it is to purchase, play and maintain vinyl, I'll take CDs, though I'm usually a bit of a sucker for throwback stuff like that.

Monday Meme: 7 Random Things

I've already given up on the 365 Project with Alanna. This is NOT due to Second Child Syndrome (at least, I keep telling myself it isn't); I just don't have enough mental space for a daily reminder to take a picture and post it. But I'll get some pics up pretty regularly anyway, especially as Kristin continues to regain her strength post-C-section and can take up more of the kid-wrangling duties. Right now MIL and I have it covered, but it takes a lot of our time.



HotCup and Cheesehead did a Random Seven meme in the last week, and I thought it looked fun. So, here goes:



Thing the 1st: I sweat. A LOT. I've been trying to ride my bike to work more often as a conservation thing, but when it's in the 90s with that thick, thick humidity as it is now, it's just awful because I'm a sweaty mess by the time I arrive. At the gym, I'm the guy who's through his shirt in the first five minutes on the treadmill and needs to just soak the thing in disinfectant spray after a good long run. Being summer, I'm even worse than normal at the moment. That guy way down on the end of the treadmill line? Yeah, that's me. Don't get too close - you might get splashed. Sorry about that.


Thing the 2nd: I'm totally addicted to the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series. It's awesome - righteously fireplacing awesome storytelling. Forget the bloviating, ponderous crap George Lucas foisted on the Star Wars universe with the prequels (it's sad how good those movies could have been if someone else had written the dialogue): this series, written by Aaron Allston, Karen Traviss and Troy Denning is where the best Star Wars work is happening. In addition to their excellent work here, I'd add anything written by Timothy Zahn; these are the best writers out there currently in the Star Wars universe, IMHO.


Thing the 3rd: I think my beloved Huskers will win nine games this year and push for the Big 12 North division title. I know last year's record doesn't indicate this type of reversal is in the cards, but I think most of the predictions I've seen thus far this summer are woefully wrong due to a) an underestimation of the talent Bill Callahan's staff recruited to Nebraska and b) the potential that the new staff under Coach Pelini can tap from said underestimated team. Frankly, though, I don't care if they win any games so long as they show up and play hard, physical, balls-to-the-wall football. I think Nebraska is in for a return to glory, and I haven't been this excited for a season to get started since 1997.

Thing the 4th: I've gained about five pounds since Alanna was born, but I don't care. What with mid-night feedings interrupting my sleep (studies show that a lack of sleep contributes to weight gain) and the corresponding lack of energy sapping my workouts, it's a wonder I can still get into any of my clothes, to be honest. I'm going to give myself about a month to just not worry about training too much; being a good daddy is much more important right now.

Thing the 5th: I LOVE our minivan, even though it gets about half the mileage our Passat gave us and it's a Ford. Yep, you read that right: I love our Ford minivan, crappy quality reputation and all. It's just nice to be able to get the girls in and out of the vehicle so quickly, and to have room for a double stroller, two child seats, a mother-in-law, and me & the wifey, plus our luggage, all of which we'll be taking to Nebraska later this week.

Thing the 6th: My aunt sent me some information about hypermiling that I thought was intriguing. Some of these practices I've been using for years: coasting onto exit ramps and up to stoplights in neutral (recommended only if you drive a manual transmission like I do), using cruise control as often as possible, etc. But some of it seems pretty crazy. No air conditioning? Drafting as often as possible? No-brake corners? There's some safety concerns there that I wouldn't care to risk.

Thing the 7th: I really miss our massage therapist from Minnesota (not to mention the extra cash it took to take advantage of her skills). Getting older really sucks sometimes. As I've been working out over the past few weeks, and working outside as well, I've had a lot of muscle soreness and pain, especially in the mornings. Man, I'm tired of getting up in the morning with everything aching like it does. I need a good, 90 minute, full-body massage, and financially it's not in the cards for a while yet. Ouch.

Well, that's the random stuff for the day. If you've read this far, consider yourself tagged.

Page 123 Tag

Thanks, Tripp!

The Rules:-
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

I'm going to look so much smarter than reality by happy coincidence (what Tolkien would have called eucatastrophe). Here's my play:

Contempt for others makes worship dishonest and deprives it of any divine promise. Individuals as well as church communities who intend to enter God's presence with contemptuous or unreconciled hearts are playing games with an idol. As long as we withhold service and love from a sister or brother, as long as he or she remains a target of our contempt, as long as a sister or brother has something against me or Jesus' community, our offerings will remain unaccepted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship (from which the title of this blog is taken: the German title is Nachfolge or "following after"). The only reason this was the nearest book is that I took the new Stephen King novel, Duma Key, upstairs with me last night. Discipleship then became the nearest book because it was in my backpack when we moved - everything else is still in boxes.

I tag Matt, LutherPunk, Hot Cup, Songbird and Church Nerd. Have at it, folks.

C-c-c-c-lasssss M-m-m-eem-m-me (Sorry, But It's Frigging Cold!)

As in 0 degrees all finking day. The draft from the leaky old windows that flows directly under my desk at the office drove me out into the lounge area for an hour over lunch, just so I could feel my feet again. Now I'm home and it's still pissing cold around here - I can't imagine how bad it must be for my friends back in northwestern Minnesota. Uff da, indeed.

Anyway, LutherPunk posted an interesting meme - not the fun, "gee, isn't this funny" type of meme, but a thought-provoking one. Consider yourself tagged: here we go.

Later addition: From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

Bold the statements that are true.

Bold the statements that are true.

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
I'm not sure what program my dad took, but I think it was more of an agriculture certification program, not a degree program.

5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
Mom & Dad both love to read, and they were in a B00k-of-the-Month club for a while. Lots of Time/Life collections, too.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home. Don't like to read THAT much.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent. All the time.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18. Piano, guitar, trombone, singing - you name it, it happened, at least for a while.
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed
Not sure what that one's supposed to mean, so we'll leave it alone.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp Five summers - but not East Coast, "gonna be there ALL summer camp, just one week in a sleeping bag in a tent/bunkhouse/covered wagon (yes, that last bit is true; ask any Carol Joy Holling camper from the mid-80s and they can remember the wagons.)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them. BOUGHT me a car? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.
25. You had your own room as a child. Well, sort of - we were short one bedroom, so for a year or so I had my own, but Baby Brother and Middle Brother didn't always get along so well, so we switched back after a while.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school. Carting up the portable black-and-white from the kitchen doesn't count as "your own TV."
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college. Shoot, I STILL don't have "my own" IRA - Beloved and I share one that she started after college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16. Once, back home to Nebraska from Seattle, and my grandparents flew standby on the way out and drove our car back a few days later. Had an aunt who worked for Northwest in Seattle. We had a layover in Vegas and I remember the slot machines in the airport, like we had entered some bizarre parallel dimension or something.
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. My dad LOVES museums. We went to the Harry Truman museum in Kansas. When I was 12. B.O.R.I.N.G.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. But I knew that heating the house cost money - because every winter I had to help dad stack straw bales around the foundation to keep the house warmer in the wintertime.

I dunno if I'm supposed to learn anything from this, but it does make you think a little more clearly about where you come from. Ainsley will answer this lots differently than I did, and for that I think that I, my parents and our whole family will be grateful.

Monday Meme: The Year In Review

If it's been going around my friends, is it a viral meme? I dunno. Anyway, the idea is this: go back and find the first sentence of the first blog post of each month for the past year. Consider yourself tagged if you've stayed with me this far.

January
When the song of the angels is stilled...

February
Okay, I'll beat that dead horse again...

March
One of the casualties of having a one-month-old in the house has been writing.

April
This will be a quick & nasty report on yesterday's big run.

May
No, we don't let her sleep like this - I propped her up in our comforter so I could get dressed quickly Monday morning.

June
Checking in from Swampscott, MA while Beloved and Child sleep next to me (typing. very. quietly).

July
You all know very well that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Nebraska Cornhusker.

August
I think my trip to Wittenberg, Germany would definitely qualify as a pilgrimage, though of course dear Martin would cringe at the thought

September
Gilead by Maryilynne Robinson. It is such a heart-rending book about the life of a pastor; it made me realize what a lifetime of this work might do to me, and yet it helped me realize that it's worth the cost.

October
I stopped growing up
some time ago.

November
I'd like to begin this morning with a piercing statement about the patently obvious: life changes constantly.

December
Every once in a while you read (or, in this case, listen to) a book that stimulates your mind in a new and exciting way.

New Year's Meme

Thanks to LutherPunk for submitting his own meme and planting the suggestion in my mind!

1. Will you be looking for a new job?

Nope - but I will be starting one soon.

2. Will you be looking for a new relationship?

Yes - with a running group in Ames, IA. Other than that, I'm all set for relationships. Oops! I forgot one important new relationship: the fourth member of our household, currently "under construction."

3. New house?

Nope - but we will be moving into one soon!

4. What will you do different in 08?

Umm, not being psychic, I can't say for sure, but I think I'll do a lot more weddings and a lot fewer funerals.

5. New Years resolution?

Run more, sleep faster, eat less, worry less, blog better.

6. What will you not be doing in 08?

Sleeping more - with a 2 year-old and an infant I don't really think sleeping more will be possible.

7. Any trips planned?

To my birthplace for my home congregation's 125th anniversary celebration.

8. Wedding plans?

Thanks, but I'm all set.

9. Major thing on your calendar?

The due date of our new baby.

10. What can’t you wait for?

The due date of our new baby. [Thanks, LP, couldn't have said it better myself

11. What would you like to see happen differently?

I would like to see an increase of substantial discourse in our political process. I'd like to see us paying far less attention to fundraising and commercials and far more to actual debate about policy matters that could actually change lives for the better in our country.

12. What about yourself will you be changing?

I want to live more purposefully. Not Rick-Warren-purpose, mind you, but the kind of life where I do what I love, love what I do, and let the rest go hang. I want to keep my journal better, blog in ways that actually make people think (all two of you), spend less time fruitlessly wandering around waiting for stuff to happen to me.

13. What happened in 07 that you didn’t think would ever happen?

I got my first three pieces of "hate" mail: one unsigned and left at our church, the other two via email from folks I knew. Not a lot of fun, but I suppose I should have known it was going to happen eventually.

14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about?

I really despise the word "nice;" I'll say instead that I will strive to love better in 2008.

15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in 07?

Not at all - I like where I'm at clothes-wise.

16. Will you start or quit drinking?

"I am pretty sure that if I quit drinking beer I get my Lutheran card taken away." LP

Yeah, that pretty well covers it.

17. Will you better your relationship with your family?

I hope so, but things are already very good. Let's just hope nothing goes south this year.

18. Will you do charity work?

YES! I hope to get involved with Habitat for Humanity this year once we're moved.

19. Will you go to bars?

Not often, unless we do resurrect the "Beer and Theology" group at the Lutheran Center. If so, then there might be a bar in my future.

20. Will you be nice to people you don’t know?

I always try to be polite and kindly toward strangers. And if it were up to me, we'd strike the word "nice" from our vocabulary.

21. Do you expect 08 to be a good year for you?

I try to have as few expectations as possible (they have this annoying tendency to turn false).

22. How much did you change from this time last year till now?

Well, I've certainly become a different person since I added "Daddy" to the list of titles I currently hold. Need I say more?

23. Do you plan on having a child?

No, but I'm hoping Beloved will deliver a healthy baby sometime in mid-July.

24. Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now?

You know, if I were to answer that question in the negative, do you think I'd be stupid enough to broadcast it here?

25. Major lifestyle changes?

Let's see: mortgage, one income, one additional child. We might have to give up something, I guess: maybe the weekly visit to John Edwards' hairstylist?

26. Will you be moving?

Yes, on January 10th.

27. What will you make sure doesn’t happen in 08 that happened in 07?

I can only wish I had that much power...

28. What are your New Years Eve plans?

So far today I've watched two bowl games come up at odds with my predictions, bought three cheap paperback classics at Barnes & Noble (Frankenstein, Bleak House and a book of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson), eaten homemade tacos & drank some beer with my in-laws, played a really lousy rip-off of Trivial Pursuit and now I'm blogging while everyone else goes to sleep at 11:00. Huzzah!

29. Will you have someone to kiss at midnight?

Yes, but I'm sure she's going to grumble because she'll be asleep when I do it. I mean my Beloved, of course - who did you think I meant?

30. One wish for 08?

That the church I love might better live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we could spend less time worrying about members and policies and budgets and spend more time finding ways to give ourselves away for the sake of the world.

A blessed New Year to you all - here's hoping we can do it all over again next year.

Pax,

Scott

Monday Meme +1

My sister-in-law sent me one of those "curious facts" emails last week - maybe it'll do for a meme this morning:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? : The song “Watching Scotty Grow” was popular when my folks were expecting me.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I think it was at my Grandma Johnson’s funeral

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yup.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? One – a baby girl
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Given that I often prefer my own company to that of others, I suppose the answer would be yes.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Does the Pope wear Prada?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS ? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I'd rather go sky-diving.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Wheat Chex
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Always.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not as strong as I once was (300 lb. bench press)
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mmmmm: Phish Food…
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Huh? There’s people? J
15. RED OR PINK? Definitely red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My beer belly – but not enough to stop drinking beer, of course.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Larry Meyer – my mentor and good friend.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure – why not?
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Olive green camping pants and black slippers.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Celtic music
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Forest Green.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Fresh-baked bread.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you. Muuaahahahahahah… Actually, it’s one of three different people and I honestly can’t remember which one it is!
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS? No, but she’s family (kidding!)
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football & Hockey
27. HAIR COLOR? Mostly blonde these days, when I’ve left enough to be seen.
28. EYE COLOR? Blue.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Every day.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? A good rib eye steak, cooked medium to medium well on a charcoal grill.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scary movies – definitely more real.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? We Are Marshall
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Red.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Autumn, please!
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Butterfinger dessert.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Being a blog, this question and the next are sort of, well, moot.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ??
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
40. What's ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Ummm, my mouse?
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Last week’s episode of Heroes so I can watch this week’s episode while running on the treadmill tonight.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? My daughter’s laughter, followed closely by The Cornhusker Marching Band playing “Hail, Varsity!”
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Can I say U2?
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Wittenberg, Germany
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can crack nearly any joint in my body whenever I want.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Wakefield, Nebraska.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone else who wants to play
48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? 8:31 AM

Seven True Things

I've been tagged by LutherLiz to tell you Seven True Things about myself. Cool!

1. I love to both stay up late and get up early. (Thus two blog posts after 10:00 tonight) In college, I'd often be up until midnight or later, but would sleep late. After delivering papers for a couple of years, I grew to love the quiet of 6:00 am (or even earlier) and since then I've been a morning person of sorts. This is a bit of a problem, since I lose motivation to run when I wake up tired, and heaven knows with an infant we're waking up tired a lot this year.

2. Like a lot of pastors, I'm an introvert in an extrovert's profession. I enjoy Sunday mornings, but they are absolutely exhausting for me: I generally come home, make a pot of coffee, grab the Sunday paper and disappear from society for the rest of the day.

3. I have a serious problem with fast food restaurants. Whenever I'm driving to or from cities where the golden arches and the like are convenient I have to force myself to not take the drive-thru for a burger, fries and a chocolate shake. This would explain how I once weighed 270 pounds; in college I ate nothing but burgers and fries and the like for nearly four years straight.

4. One of the reasons I like being a runner so much is the gear. I'm a total REI/Road Runner Sports junkie. Beloved sent me to REI for a new nalgene bottle today and I spent 30 minutes looking at waterproof running jackets and trying to figure out how I could save for one for next winter.

5. I was in the marching band at the University of Nebraska, and I had to sit out one game my third year due to injury. I pulled a groin muscle when one of my friends and I were horsing around before practice on game day, but it didn't stiffen up until I was in uniform and getting ready to march to the stadium. But it hurt so bad I couldn't even walk, so they carted me to and from the stadium - in uniform - and I spent most of the game sitting in the band section icing my groin. To make matters worse, my high school football coach saw me going out of the stadium on the cart and laughed his fool head off.

6. I have tried to read The Brothers Karamazov three times and have failed in each attempt.

7. I haven't smoked a cigarette in over three years. Woo hoo!

So, now I have to tag seven people. I tag LutheranHusker, Mark, RuthRE, HotCup, David, MoSup and Skdo. Have fun!

Monday Meme

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Well, DUH.

Monday Meme +1: 4 Things

Yesterday was GREAT. We had a day at home with no commitments, the first such day in nearly a month. Oh, the list of stuff that got done! I know that Mondays are supposed to be my Sabbath rest, but sometimes a fella's just gotta get stuff done. I went for my run, washed the laundry, cleaned the litter boxes, cleaned the basement, bagged the recycling and trash for pickup, tidied up the shop, then cut and sanded the legs of the adirondack chair I'm building, a project which might actually get done sometime this millenium. I found a Makita belt sander in our neighbor's garage (yes, I have their permission to snoop) and that will cut prep time immensely - I've offered to take the sander off their hands if they don't use it much.

But boy, am I tired tonight. I slept in this morning until 7:00 thanks to Beloved, who only woke me to take the Child so B could head off to teach water aerobics. She even made coffee for me before she left. The Child and I played until about 8:30, then we got ready for the day and headed off to the office. Ainsley was awesome at the office today - just crawled around and explored most of the time we were there, and I got caught up on a lot of desk work that needed catching up. We were at the church until 12:30, then returned home for lunch. After I got the Child down for her nap, I read the latest Newsweek until Beloved got home, then went back to the office for the afternoon to do Bible study prep and some other stuff. Had a long phone conversation with a friend who needed a sympathetic ear - it was good to feel like I could help a bit. Got home again around 4:30, went for a completely unremarkable 3 mile run (Yay!), showered, ate supper, then headed back to the office for Genesis to Revelation. No one came for G2R, so I spent about 90 minutes planning worship for October, then came back home. Now I'm going to blog a bit and head off to some well-deserved rest.

The run was really nice today. It was cool and windy in Barrett today, but even with the wind I set a nice easy 10:00/mile pace and didn't really have to push to maintain it. Feet and knees are feeling better and I swear I could have turned around and done it again when I was done, which the folks at Runner's World say is the best indicator of a good "easy" day. Tomorrow Beloved and I will work out at the gym, then Thursday morning will be a hard day: 4 miles at 8:30 with a mile warm up and mile cooldown. Hopefully we can keep the tendinitis/back problems to a minimum from now until the Siouxland Half on 20 October.

Anyway, that was the day. Now, here's a fun little meme, courtesy of LutherPunk.

4 Crushes:
1. Kelly E: told my whole family when I was 5 that we’d get married and have six kids.
2. Heidi P: my first ‘girlfriend.’ We walked to confirmation together a couple of times in 7^th grade, and couple-skated together at the Halloween & Valentine’s Day skating parties. That’s as far as anything went.
3. Lizz C: trumpet player from the next town over who was at all the honor bands with me. We were at music camp together and I could have sworn I was actually in love with her – head over heels. She wasn’t, and tried to let me down easy; quite possibly the nicest rejection I’ve ever had. What a girl.
4. Karen H: worked at church camp with me for a couple of summers. Total sweetheart with the most incredible eyes. I think I actually made her a friendo as an attempted flirt. Yeesh – what a dork!

4 Pieces of Clothing I wish I still owned (and/or that still fit):
1. any of my marching band t-shirts (the only one left is the “Big Johnsen Baritones” from 1994)
2. The electric blue parachute pants my mom bought me in sixth grade – just for comic value
3. More of the clothes I wore in high school, since they’d probably fit again now that I’ve lost so much weight.
4. My old Carol Joy Holling sweatshirt, because it had reached that so-wonderful stage where the cuffs are frayed and it is so comfortable it feels like a down comforter you wear.

4 Names I’ve been called at one time or another:
1. Putzy (high school)
2. Long-haired Hippie Phreak (college – marching band, mostly)
3. Scotty J (first by Larry Meyer, then camp friends)
4. Bubba (Beloved’s pet name for me – she tried to say “Baby on the phone one night and it came out “Bubba” and stuck)

4 Professions I secretly Want to Try:
1. English Professor
2. Folk Musician
3. Charter Bus Driver
4. Coffee Shop Owner

4 Musicians I’d most want to go on a date with:
1. Sheryl Crow
2. Jewel
3. KT Tunstall
4. Harry Connick, Jr. and his wife (‘cause hey, I’d be double dating with a cool guy and a Victoria’s Secret model!)

4 Foods I’d rather Throw than Eat
1. Squash
2. Lutefisk (can you throw it? I suppose so)
3. Tofu
4. Soft Corn Tortillas (cause they fly like ninja stars…)

4 Things I Like to Sniff
1. Whatever I’m cooking
2. My baby’s head
3. Freshly ground coffee
4. New shoes

Feel free to play - leave a comment if you do.

My Inner European

I know, I know - I promised more content, fewer junk memes, but I got this one from Skdo's blog and just thought it looked like fun.

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous! You drink everyone under the table.

Who's Your Inner European?

Monday Meme: The Cheesehead Interview

Cheesehead is interviewing folks at her blog: I volunteered. So, here's the Monday meme, interview style!

1. What (already published) book do you wish you had written, and why?
Gilead by Maryilynne Robinson. It is such a heart-rending book about the life of a pastor; it made me realize what a lifetime of this work might do to me, and yet it helped me realize that it's worth the cost.

2. Who gets to play you in the movie version of your life?
Back when I was much heavier and hairier, the kids at camp thought I looked just like Dusty from the movie Twister. So, Philip Seymour Hoffman it is. You be the judge:















3. When was the last time you were really, truly frightened?
Every two or three months I have a recurring nightmare where Beloved tells me she's leaving me; it happened again last night. There's no present cause for this nightmare; I'm sure it rises out of my divorce. Nevertheless, I always wake up terrified that I wasn't dreaming. Last night's version was a doozy. We watched the movie Driving Lessons last night (brilliant flick by the way), and so for some reason Beloved and I were in London when this happened. I lost my bicycle off the car, drove through a fossil dig in the middle of a busy London street, and had to get through a comedy club performance in the bar below our flat to get Ainsley away from Beloved. Like I said, bizarre, and nothing in our life right now even remotely suggests that such things would ever happen (London? Really?). But I woke up in a cold sweat nonetheless. The awesome thing is that Beloved knows just what to do when I lurch upright after these dreams: she wraps me up in a big hug, tells me she loves me and orders me to go back to sleep. With a big sigh of relief, I lovingly comply.

4. Where do you hope you take your final (earthly) trip?
I'd hate to choose something specifically for a final trip: we love to travel and I'd like to think that we'll still love to travel to all sorts of new places until one of us isn't able to do so anymore. We do have two big trips we'd like to take sometime, though: a long trip in Ireland and England and a trip to Berlin and Lutherstadt-Wittenberg.

5. Why do fools fall in love?
Because we love being in love: love is the domain of fools, singers and poets.


Now, here's the rest of the deal:
1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by posting five questions for you. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Monday Meme: Slainte!

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Monday Muppet Meme - Wocka Wocka Wocka!

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

So a priest, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Hey, what is this, a joke?"

Monday Meme + 1

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

Monday Meme: Personality and Intelligences

Funny - I took one of these a few months ago and scored an INFP. I remember when our camp staff used to do these every summer; it always seemed like we were more likely to use the test as an excuse for excessive behavior, as in, "I can do this because I'm a XXXX and that's just who I am."

But it's still kinda cool to think about.

Monday Meme: Five Things I Dig About Jesus

Church Nerd tagged me for this one. Beloved and Ainsley are both napping, so hopefully I won't be interrupted for a bit.

1. Jesus, the Son of God, cried when his friend died. Knowing he would raise him from the dead did not lessen the pain of watching his friends grieve. That is empathy of the highest degree.
2. Jesus got angry with religious leaders who used their position and the Temple for profit. Our denomination has a mission investment fund, where people can invest money that churches use to borrow on for building projects - the investors receive the majority of the interest on those loans. I'm not so sure Jesus wouldn't have a serious problem with this kind of business in the church.
3. Jesus knew that there simply is no excuse for drinking lousy wine (or beer, if he'd known about it).
4. Jesus didn't care about position or lack of it - he treated people according to the grace and love within their hearts. Would that I could do the same.

Long interruption as Ainsley wakes with great wailing and gnashing of gums (she doesn't have teeth yet) and I forget to come and finish this meme. Resumed Tuesday afternoon while I'm reading the newspaper.

5. Jesus did all that he did out of great love and selfless giving. We know so little about how to live in this way that we trust the Spirit to call, gather, enlighten and sanctify us into the way of Jesus. In other words, Christian life is a gift in and of itself - it is not something we can own or possess. The only reason any of us gets to do what we do as Christians is because God the Creator loves us - and Jesus came to show us that love.

There you have it - five things I dig about Jesus. No tags today - this one's gone around most of the blogs I read already. Those of you who haven't been tagged may consider yourselves tagged if you wish. Blessings.

Eight Random Facts

Now my computer at the office ist defekt as well. At least the zip functions - I can't get to work on Sunday's order of service until I can unzip the fireplaceing zip file that contains the music. Grrr.

So, while I'm trying to get this done I'll play a meme for which Quaker Pastor tagged me yesterday. Here's the rule:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3.At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, here goes:

1. I love meatloaf, in all its many manifestations. But I never make it because Beloved can't handle overly greasy food. I really want meatloaf for supper tonight...
2. Until my senior year of college, I thought that pastors did some sort of prayer over water used for baptisms to "holify" it or something. When I was the ministry assistant at the Lutheran Student Center at Nebraska, Pastor Larry Meyer asked me to get the water ready for a baptism we were having one morning. I asked him if I needed to do anything special for the water, and he said, "No. Wait! There is one thing!" Ooooh, here it comes, I thought. "Make it warm water - if you use cold water the baby tends to get fussy." Yup - that's the secret.
3. I developed a HUGE crush on one of my counselors at church camp one summer, and wrote her at least two long letters telling her how much I missed her after I got home.
4. Speaking of church camp, I kissed a girl for the first time at church camp. I can still go to the exact spot where it happened, too.
5. I had disgustingly smelly feet from the time I was 13 or so until my late 20s. I mean rancid, peel-the-paint-off-the-walls odor.

Later note: while this is, of course, funny (now), I meant to emphasize more heavily the bizarre fact that I don't have nearly as much problem with foot odor today as I did so many years ago. It's not like I have different feet or fewer sweat glands or something bizarre like that - sometime in my mid- to late-20s my feet just stopped being so malodorous. How does that happen?

6. The song "Silver Medals And Sweet Memories" by the Statler Brothers still brings a lump to my throat

and the war still ain't over for Momma - every night in her dreams she still sees -
the young face of someone who left her - silver medals and sweet memories...

7. I'd like to try skydiving someday, but I'll never bungee-jump or go on one of those rides where they hook you to a cable, pull you up a tower and let you swing - they're too scary.
8. I'd like to own a VW bus someday, like the one in Little Miss Sunshine (minus the screwed up transmission and the broken horn, of course.)

I tag LutheranHusker, Brian, MoSup, Nate S, ThirdFuerst, Lutherpunk, LutherLiz and Church Nerd. Have at it, y'all!

Monday Meme: 100 Things

The 100 Things meme was going around a few weeks ago and I started working on it. When I've had a minute or two, I've been answering a question or two. Finally finished it today. Here it is.

I have lived
1. in the same house on the same farm for the first 18 years of my life, a mile away from where my great-grandfather was raised.
2. with a pre-med major who flunked out of college in six weeks. (Pre-med? Really?)
3. in four states: Nebraska, Minnesota, Florida and California.
4. in a canvas tipi for two summers.
5. in a farmhouse, three different dorm rooms, various tents and cabins at church camp, a second story apartment, a brick duplex, two studio apartments and my present house just off Barrett Lake.
6. in Minnesota for almost eight years.
7. within sight of Kennedy Space Center.
8. without a dishwasher for ten years.
9. within walking distance of Monterey Bay.
10. in a house with electric hurricane shutters that came down like the window armor on the Urban Assault Vehicle in "Stripes."

I have witnessed
1. my wife's intestines being moved aside so our baby could be born.
2. three Nebraska NCAA national championship game victories (well, they only gave us the two - Free Shoes University "won" the 1994 Oranga Bowl).
3. the birth of puppies, calves and pigs (not all at the same time)
4. Larry Meyer, my late mentor, smash a table tennis forehand so hard it bounce off the table for the point, off the wall, back on the table, over the net & off Larry's side of the table into his hand.
5. beautiful sunsets on two continents.
6. an attempted bank robbery (in Dublin, while trying to cash some travelers' checks with my roommate).
7. our local high school quarterback pump-fake, drop the ball, catch it on the bounce and throw a 55 yard touchdown pass.
8. an 80 year-old woman finish a marathon.
9. Scott Frost winning the all-class shot put and 110 high hurdles at the same Nebraska State Track Meet.
10. an entire band bus breaking into four-part harmony while singing the "alternate" lyrics to the Colorado fight song (said lyrics not to be printed here due to pervasive obscenity).

I have heard
1. my favorite seminary professor compare the death of a beloved colleague to an eschatological premature ejaculation - causing most of his students to simultaneously think, "what the f$%@?"
2. Storyhill in concert three times, which is not nearly enough.
3. my daughter laugh for the first time (just yesterday!)
4. "Hail, Varsity!," the fight song for the University of Nebraska, so many times I think it's now hardwired into my DNA and my daughter will likely be able to hum it from memory once she develops the ability to hear music.
5. Garrison Keillor in person - the only man alive who actually LOOKS like he SOUNDS on the radio.
6. the sound of nothing but wind blowing through prairie grass.
7. the church bells of Munchen, Germany (Munich) come alive on a Sunday morning.
8. the roaring water of Niagara Falls.
9. the Minnesota Orchestra play Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection." It brought me to tears.
10. the beautiful sound of my daughter's first cries - I listened for an hour and fell completely in love.

I have lost
1. my one and only opportunity to score a touchdown because I couldn't hang on to the screen pass I intercepted.
2. lots of sleep lately.
3. my patience with a three month-old child.
4. a lot of respect for Senator John McCain.
5. any respect whatsoever for Pat Robertson (YOU SUCK, PAT!!!)
6. a 48-disc CD case on an airplane in Amsterdam.
7. pairs of sunglasses beyond number.
8. about seventy pounds from my heaviest weight.
9. some of my hair (but still less than my younger brothers - insert Nelson laugh from the Simpsons here: HA-HA!)
10. my Caribou Coffee card, only to find it again and rejoice.

I have found
1. a perfectly good filing cabinet offered for free in Bockman Hall at Luther Seminary.
2. that good pizza and good beer makes Scott a happy man.
3. that no TV and no beer makes Homer go crazy...
4. that running can help me solve a lot of problems.
5. that nagging injuries from not running properly can cause a lot of problems.
6. that life is really NEVER black and white, but always comes in shades of grey.
7. that European traffic engineers kick the collective asses of their American counterparts and we're just too stupid and stubborn to admit it and do what works (hello, roundabouts work WAY better than four-way stops and the rest of the world uses kilometers - why don't we?).
8. that if it weren't for the distance from my family and friends I'd be perfectly happy living in Europe.
9. that simple treasures like my daughter's smile, holding my wife's hand and enjoying time as a family give me far more joy than 'stuff.'
10. that music makes life far more bearable and if I had to sacrifice my senses, my hearing would be the last to go.

I love
1. my wife.
2. my child.
3. the Cornhuskers and, slightly behind, the Ducks.
4. my iPod.
5. my Jetta.
6. my guitar.
7. cooking.
8. running.
9. reading.
10. BEER! (as Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.")

I can
1. sing the "Fifty Nifty United States"song.
2. find a movie quote to fit nearly any occasion or occurrence (example: "You gonna do somethin' or just sit there and bleed." Name the movie, character who spoke and object of the insult. Bonus points if you can identify the actor playing the character who receives the insult).
3. affect a fairly decent British accent.
4. crack all the knuckles on both hands in less than three seconds.
5. "tell you her favorite stores and where she likes to park / and why to this very day she's scared of the dark...I'm the official historian on Shirley Jean Burrell."
6. Tell you just about anything you'd like to know about the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbitt, the Silmarillion and many other Tolkien-related tidbits.
7. run a mile in less than seven minutes (possibly six - I haven't done a mile time trial lately).
8. change a diaper faster than my daughter can spit up (sometimes).
9. cook all sorts of fun, interesting foods.
10. bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan... :-)

I loathe
1. sanctimonious, holier-than-God Christians.
2. Terrell Owens, Joe Horn, Chad Johnson, Randy Moss and all other overpaid, egomaniacal jocks.
3. Donald Trump. There is no "the" Donald - just another sad egomaniac multi-millionaire.
4. dropping definite articles from Twin Cities sports venues. What the hell is "Metrodome" or "Target Center?"
5. the grammatical gerrymandering that comes with singular team names in sports, as in: "the Wild is on their way to Vancouver for a series this weekend." It just sounds stupid. Stop it, please.
6. Pat Robertson (YOU SUCK, PAT!)
7. pretty much EVERYTHING on MTV and VH1 at the present. I can't remember the last time I actually watched anything on either network.
8. gore-nography flicks like "Saw" or "Hostel." At least "Reservoir Dogs" had a plot of sorts, though Tarantino is not what he used to be. Yeah, building suspense like Hitchcock is way harder, but it's also less soul-deadening than watching this crap. Seriously, you people are messed up.
9. the sheer amount of crap I get in the mail, at home and at church. Don't matter if you sign up for "no solicitation" lists or not; somehow it still gets through. Frankly, I'm more offended at the waste of resources than I am swayed by the whopping thirty cents I can get off fabric softener at your store. STOP SENDING ME CRAP.
10. people who drop the f-bomb at least once in ever sentence they utter. Folks, you're sapping the strength out of a wonderful profanity - stop stealing from those of us who still use the f-bomb for emphasis!

I hope
1. my daughter loves me as much when she's 32 as I do today.
2. my wife and I enjoy a long, life-giving marriage sharing the burdens and blessings of life.
3. that I can finish this meme before the two previous items take place.
4. that my beloved Huskers win a fifth national championship in the next ten years.
5. that said national championship comes at the end of a Division 1-A playoff (this might more properly fit under "I'm dreaming for...)
6. that the Chicago Cubs win one World Series in my lifetime (but only one - we need the Bums to keep hope alive!).
7. that my dream call becomes a reality someday (and no, I'm not telling you what it is).
8. to run in the Boston Marathon by the time I'm 40.
9. I get to travel in Ireland, Scotland and Germany someday, and also to backpack the John Muir Trail in California.
10. my next car is either a Mini Cooper or something even cooler that hasn't been developed yet.

I am trying
1. TO FINISH THIS FREAKING MEME!
2. to get my daughter to sleep through the night.
3. to watch a movie with my wife without interruptions.
4. not to worry too much about being a parent.
5. to rein in spending money on stuff I don't need.
6. to lose 20 pounds.
7. to sleep more and watch TV less.
8. to plan a summer of outdoor activities that our whole family can enjoy.
9. to keep my sanity when things don't go as I think they should.
10. to remember that until Jesus comes back, I will always be simul iustus et peccator, but also that I am baptized and God's child forever.