Monday, May 31, 2010

Trip to Duluth


I think I will make the move over to blogspot from now on. Xanga, while having been great for many a year has proven itself ineffective in the last year or so (I know, some of you are saying, "Last year? I think you meant last decade."). The latest thing to put me over the edge was spending a considerable amount of time on a post about my trip to Duluth only to have it deleted at the end because of some unknown snafu. So, I will now tell you about my trip to Duluth/Hermantown again.

The highlights included:
1. First and foremost, Luke and Chelsey's wedding. It was wonderful and a great privilege to be able to officiate. I thought it went very well, although half of the compliments had to do with the brevity of the service When you perform a service and give a homily, I don't think the best compliment you can receive is, "Great job keeping it short," but whatever. Here's a picture or two from it. First, Luke and Chels:



And here's a grainy one of Luke and me waiting at the beginning of the service:


So, that was definitely the highlight. Also, they had Chinese food at the reception! Brilliant!

2. Traipsing around Duluth with Elise and Pam. It was Elise's first time in Northern Minnesota, so we hit up Canal Park and my favorite restaurant, the Brewhouse, twice. The second time there was a Bob Dylan cover band playing. What could be more Minnesotan than listening to Dylan in a restaurant on the shores of Lake Superior that brews its own beers and serves wild rice burgers? Here's a picture of the restaurant:

3. Subbing. While Not always a great thing to get called at 6:15 when you didn't plan on it, subbing proved to be a great way to keep busy and make some money. I was all over the board in the Hermantown School District subbing for 2nd grade, 4th and 5th grade (reading and math specialist), 8th grade science, 10th grade P.E. and health, and all-school librarian (including a kindergarten computer class).

4. Being with at least a portion of the family. Stephen was back from Uganda, my grandma, sister, and soon to be brother-in-law are both in Duluth, and my mom came in as well. It was nice just to hang out with them.

5. Going to my sister and brother-in-law's new house. It's a beautiful three-car garage with a two bedroom apartment on top that will give them room to build on when they have a family. It makes you feel very accomplished as a single 26 year-old still in school when you come back to the house your sister and brother-in-law have built.

5. Playing cribbage with my grandma. I think I played more cribbage in Duluth than I had in the last ten years combined. What was really fun was when Elise and Pam came over to play, and my Grandma proceeded to talk trash throughout the game.

6. The weather. You could not have asked for better Duluth weather than that which I was the beneficiary of while I was home. While it may have been a little warm and humid for my taste up over the hill, the lake did it's job down in Duluth.

7. Finishing Lord of the Rings. Okay, I actually finished this the night I got back to Chicago, but I'm counting it as a Duluth experience. While this is my 5th time through the series (I think), I still love reading through it.

So, that's how I spent my time in Duluth. Now on to a Chicago summer filled with Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), church, and many fun outings and adventures undoubtedly.

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