Just like that!

Just like that, my trip to Austria ends and I am hit with responsibility back in the States.  Pair that with disorienting jet lag, pictures to download, a trip to process and a bum knee to get checked out, one can imagine why writing here isn't the top priority - though perhaps the healthy one!

The last days of my time in Tirol were just stunning!  More beautiful weather, a church retreat and just oodles of time with friends.  It was literally as if I had never left all of those years ago.  Innsbruck will be my vacation spot in years to come.  I found that it was so easy to get there.  I mean, when I left for Innsbruck the first time, it felt pretty laborious... I was moving physically, emotionally and mentally for a whole year. There was a new language, transportation system, city, and culture. It just seemed like a big task and it was!  All I had to do this time around was pack a bag (full of way too much stuff!) and hop on a plane for a few hours. Yes, some have vacation homes on a lake... my vacation home is in the Austrian Alps with some very dear souls :)

A lot of people have asked me what the highlight of my trip was... It's hard to pick just one experience since they were all so special and varied.  Each could have been my favorite in a different category.  However, a big highlight for me was being able to share a story of God's provision in prayer with the Baptist Church at a retreat, speaking in German!  I was completely terrified by nerves, but I knew that I wouldn't have this opportunity often so I challenged myself to share in German.  There were about 80 native German speakers in front of me as I got up to share about what God had done.  As soon as I got up there, I knew I was among friends and family.  They had to shout out a few words (in unison even!) when I was a little stuck, but honestly, to be able to share in a language of another truly left me... well, speechless, I guess. Language is such a connector!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from my travels.  I hope to write more soon about some family history, life in my now, and the next big adventure for this lady!

On top of the Hafelekarspitze 2234 m

Julia, Lydia and me

In the old city of Innsbruck

On a hike above Rum with Julie

With Judith in Munich

Halltal

Yesterday, I was up on the top of a mountain (2200 m) via cable car.  Today, I was at 1500 m with my feet... and my good friend, Christoph!  We began at about 8a.m. this morning in Absam, maybe 700 m.  As we entered the valley opening to Hall in Tirol, it looked and felt like spring.  The flowers were in blume, the air smelled warm, the trees and everything was alive with energy.  We continued up along the way and as my energy ended quickly, we had to stop for some little breaks.  St. Magdalena was one place we sat and enjoyed the aussicht (view). 
Just above St. Magdalena, we began trudging through snow, and it smelled like fall/winter... the air was cooler too.  The Weißenbach (the creek I "bought" last time I was here becuase I loved it so much!) was running really fast down into Hall/Mils.  There was SO much snow in Tirol this winter, and a lot of it is still there in the upper parts of this valley.

We reached the Herrenhäuser (1500 m) and I was ready for a long break.  It was pretty cool that even though I was tired, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, and then it got easier.  I guess I got my second wind or something.  The Herrenhäuser was a hotel/restuarant that has been closed about 12 years because an avalanche destroyed part of the hotel.  Because it has historical significance when the salt was mined in the valley, there is no possibility to rebuild it.  There is also not really a road that would support all of the machines needed to repair or rebuild... so, there we sat, by the old and dilapidated Herrenhäuser and enjoyed the most wonderful view of the whole valley.


After a bit, we "skied" down the snow with our feet and then walked a long way before we hitched a ride with a government vehicle to get us back down to Absam.  That little hitch hike cut about 1 hour off of our hike.  SWEET deal!  My feet are truly grateful!

Tonight: The Avengers in English!!

Daily.

Normal, daily life has kind of set in here in Tyrol.  I have one or two people that I meet each day.  Today, I am meeting one of the youth (now all grown up and married!) that I knew well when I was here.  In the evening, I will go to the family that I lived with when I was au-pairing.  It will be a sweet reunion, as I am sure that all of the boys have grown so much!


Tomorrow, I will get to ride up the mountain I lived on in a cable car... For all of those months that I saw people going up beside my house, I never had a desire to go up there.  But, this year, I do.  So, my friend from Luxembourg and I will go up to see the Inntal in all of its glory!  I also hope to make it to a special forest tomorrow with Fabian.  It is the National Holiday tomorrow so many people have off.  These next few days will be rather full of meetings, a BBQ, a movie perhaps, and lots of friends.

This update is nothing super special, but I just wanted to let you know what I have been up to.  I have been so enjoying the language and culture again.  I think this might have to be an annual visit in the coming years!  More stories to come!  And hopefully pictures too!

The Valley at Night

Even as the wordsmith that I am, I cannot begin to put into words the beauty of this night in the Inntal. I sat for awhile with Mum Grander as the night crept in. Houses across the valley turned on their lights like we had. The snow-topped mountains shown brightly, even with the dim moon. She with her sudoku and me with my journal, we sat in relative silence for a little while. As twilight hit the mountains, epic-ness ensued. We began a long conversation (spoke primarily in German) about ancestors, letter writing, and the activities of our days. It was during this time that I realized the reason I (and I think many people) get such a rush from language learning. There is some sort of unspoken awesomeness that comes with speaking a different language and being understood. Being able to share thoughts in a way that the other is completely comfortable with... it is truly stunning! Do you know a language that well? One besides English, I mean? I am completely grateful that God gave me to opportunity to undertake this language... because of the people it allows me to know and be known by.


Tomorrow, there is more bopping about Innsbruck. Sunday is church and hopefully more people. more German. Gotta soak it up while I can!

Transplanted from Tyrol

Greetings out of Tirol!

I arrived yesterday in the early afternoon, but I don't remember much about yesterday except for the two Austrian meals I was fed and the wobbly bike I was put on!  Talk about an adventure... it felt like it was going to fall apart at any moment, but it was just a warpped wheel or two.  It will get me around town for sure.

After 15 hours of sleep, I woke up to the most beautiful view...



This is the view I am seeing right now from my computer!  The Bettelwurf in all of his glory.

It is rather strange to me that this does not feel like a vacation to be here... it feels like home... or like, just another day in Tirol.  I do not feel a rush to go out and see a bunch of things or anything... I just like to relax on the veranda, see the mountains and enjoy breakfast (or as it is, lunch!).  I will go out later to meet a friend or two, but I don't see my time here as limited... it is simply a stop of many stops in my life as a transplanted Tyrolean!

The Now

Some of you probably thought that I have been sick or dead or unable to type in these last months, but alas, that is not true.  I've found other outlets for writing, but some big news has prompted me to fire this baby back up!  I'm heading back to Austria for a visit this next Tuesday!!

I'll be spending about 15 days in and about Innsbruck, seeings lots of old friends, visiting old haunts, hiking, traveling with friends, etc... I'm SO excited!  It will be the first time that I'm back in the country since I left it 4.5 years ago!  My hope is to be able to blog some stories of the adventures either while I'm there or very soon afterward.  The plans for the trip are coming together and I'm filling every moment I can with people.

Be praying for me as I go.  My goals are to encourage each person that I see as well as be rejuvenated myself by being back in this place that I've spend a very impacting year of my life.  Thanks! 

Pictures and updates to follow... :)

Summer Days

The days don't get much better than this weekend!  It's treating myself to a cold Starbucks drink, opening the sunroof on my dad's car and listening to my new summery music loudly as I drive through town, the wind swirling about me.  You couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! 

Today was a treat, just how summer, and the 4th of July should be.   I met Amber in town for what promised to be an adventure of epic proportions, no matter what we actually decided to do!  Amber can make microwaving a burrito into an epic adventure!  So, just before we set off on a somewhat lengthy bike trip around Point, with various stops along the way, we decide to give Olson one last chance to hang out with the most delightful women around.  He picks up his phone finally!  Belt's.  Now, you all know that I am a pretty religious ice cream eater... and most of you probably know that I don't consider soft serve actual ice cream... but I go to Belt's on special occasions, when those I am with are not so enlightened. Today was one of those days.  

The three of us caught up quickly and easily, as we always do.  Are you ever with people who you've known forever and even though you feel like you've changed somewhat, they still know exactly what you'll think or say about something?  Those are these friends.... special and deep friends.  Friends I thank God daily for.   

We headed for the river in hopes of finding some great trees for slacklining (Wiki it if you wanna know more.) and fields for frisbee.  The perfect temperature.  The perfect amount of breeze.  The perfect absence in the ability to text (Thanks Element Mobile!).  The perfect company.  Oh, this was a glorious day!  We talked and laughed and I did a pretty good digger as the line flung me off of it. Hilarious.  We missed our NYC contingent for sure!  We left some holes in our pictures for you two!

Jeremy left to begin his actual epic adventure of a year of clinicals in this 3rd year of med school. Fun!  Amber and I biked over and dropped in on Ann and Lee, who just happened to be sitting down to dinner, which they had cooked extra of, which was providential.... score for Amber and me! :)   Their porch is perfect for evening sun, laughter, good food and more special friends.  Could you ask for anything more?

Arriving back at the Perri-base after biking through Point as it said goodbye to the mid-summer holiday weekend, we found ourselves being offered more food and fellowship-y fun.  You just can't beat the cook outs and parties of summer, can you?

It was the perfect day.   And I am perfectly exhausted after this weekend.

Next post will include all of the highlights of SFOOG 2011: We're Back and Better than Ever!  (Our 3rd annual Sherf Family Outdoor Olympic Games.)  Pictures too!

Euchre in the Ice Box

A couple weekends ago, I had the sweet opportunity to spend the weekend in the bitter cold "ice fishing" with some of the men in my family (and Aryn, but we didn't just come to cook!).  I say "ice fishing" because I don't actually fish... I sit in the ice house and play euchre and sometimes pinochle or hearts.  Here's how it works...  

We get out to the fish house at about 8:30am, after waking up with icicles in our noses from sleeping in negative temps.  (Seriously, -20F is a WARM morning!)  In the fish house, I snag a spot by the heater while everyone puts down a line or two.  They check the depth and set the bobber while I make conversation and "consult" on lure choice.  This year, my fun uncle brought two of his three children.  And my older brother, Jeremy, joined Cody, Dad and me... we just had a ball!  Once everyone's lines went down, the table comes out and everyone gets into a position where they can see and attend to at least 2 holes.  We don't fish with tip-ups. So, the dealing begins. Euchre is a quick-handed game so that's nice.  Every time I mix and deal, I call for an ice-house-wide jig and/or bait check.  This year, my uncle began dancing every time I called for a jig.  Hilarious.  We didn't catch much fish, but we did laugh a lot.

The playing goes on until lunch, with occasional interruptions for a bite or re-bait.  We clear the cards for lunch and get out the sandwich fixings.  We eat as if we haven't just had breakfast, second breakfast and 11sies...  It's always good.

After lunch, the perfect, yet opposite, delight occurs.  I leave the fish house... my dad or Cody take me back to the cabin, draw me some water and build a fire and then leave.  I have the whole afternoon with my tea, a blazing fire, a book and my journal.  There is no one near me.  It is bliss... the perfect antithesis to the camaraderie of the fish house.  I love this annual weekend.  Most times, I don't even mind not showering for 4 days!

My dear fishing buddies :)

The evenings are filled with more food and cards until we all venture off to rest, snuggling in under tons of blankets.

I did actually jig just once this year.  It yielded this fish :)

Thanks for a great weekend everyone!  Until next year...

A Daddy Date

I was a cheap date.  Half of a $6 gas station pizza and a $5 State Park pass.  I was eager to spend this time with my dad... & also try out my brand spankin' new snowshoes & boots.  It was even degrees - neither positive nor negative - windless and quiet, as we approached the guard shack.  The attendant took the money and gave us a map of the candlelight loop.  We strapped on our shoes as others finished the loop, beaming at the beauty of the moonlit trail.  We started out, following the luminaries down the trail groomed for cross-country skiing.  

The air was crisp and still.  We clopped.  We chatted and wondered at things as we had done on the 9 hour journey to this tundra.  I love that about my dad... he taught me to wonder well, and to ask questions.  The trail was 1.25 miles, lit intermittently by candles.  God's yard light show with pure luminescence through the trees and along our path.  At times, we'd stop and admire the moon and list to the wind fly betwixt the trees.  We rounded back toward the car.  We were breathless and radiating heat as we finished our little adventure. 

These moments with my dear daddy will always be tucked in my heart.  I know it will not always be like this... but I am so grateful for the time we do have now.  It is a happy little part of my cave of now. 

Memorial Day Pictures

** All Photos in this post are taken by Ann Davidson of Ann Davidson Photography. She has a passion for photography.  She is bookable for weddings, portraits, family events, etc.   Let me hear about how talented she is! **

The three of us, ready to pile into Ann's car.

Pewitt's Nest (outside of Baraboo) is worth your time!

And the token "jumping picture" in fields of green.

Memorial. Day. Adventures.

In an attempt to suck up as much "now" as possible and not freak out about the upcoming "now," I pumped myself up for a Memorial Day ride to remember.  It was time for the 2nd Annual Country Drive-While-Avoiding-All-4-Lane-Or-Busy-2-Lane-Roads Road Trip with Lee and Ann!  There is something just magical about not having any place to be, a tank full of gas, a bottle of Coke (without all that high fructose syrup) and a well-used gazetteer... just sitting three to a front seat and enjoying the day!

We drove south from Amherst on Cty A in search of the "secret road." Apparently, 15th Ave is probably known only to people who live on it and those in love with their gazetteer.  It was revelicious!  The trees hung over the road, hills, curves and all = perfect!  People in Dakota love to wave.  We felt welcome, friends!  We made our way to Montello (pronounced: Mon-TAY-yo) and stopped for some stretching (three people in the front seat is both a blessing and a curse, folks!).  Turns out, there is a granite quarry there  that the granite for Grant's tomb was extracted from.  Remember that for Trivial Pursuit: US Presidents Edition! 

Our general goal was to make it to the Baraboo area for some "natural area exploration." I think it's a bit ridiculous that we have to label our "natural areas" so that we don't end up putting a highway or gas station up on accident there!  Anyway, Abelman's Gorge was slightly over-rated, although this may have been fed by our fright in hearing that a bear had been sighted on the trail just last week.  We were all a little behind on our bear handling skill courses!  Pewitt's Nest (Hwy W west out of Baraboo) was just what we were looking for!  It was a gorgeous gorge!  Shady, beautiful river, stunning structures, and some good light hiking (let's not get carried away - it's a holiday, remember!).   It was definitely a place to which I would and will return!

We headed down to Merrimac and with all our hearts, wanted to ride the free river ferry, but the line was too long and unlike what my opening paragraph suggests, we did have a place to be... so we forwent (word?) that adventure.  Merrimac is magical.  We'd like to come back.

At the end of it all: 268 miles. Tons of gorgeous gorges.  Thoughtful conversation. Sweat. A couple of walking sticks.  A few pictures.  Awesome roads. A knowledgeable navigator. A faithful friend. An attentive driver (well, we did almost throw up all over each other toward the end!). Sun.  And all around bliss.  It was all it was cracked up to be!

Pictures may follow... eventually...

April Fool's Day (Part 1)

April Fool’s Day always creeps up on me rather quickly.  I began conniving this past Wednesday for the perfect trick to play on Cody.  I was restricted to the items I owned or was willing to acquire in the next several hours.  No prank at all is better than one ill-executed.  I settled on random cell phone alarms and a simple mid-hallway fish line web.  I collected a few old cell phones that were lying around (I’m so thankful that we haven’t donated those old phones yet!).  I chose the ring style, volume and set the times in 20-30 minute intervals.  The hurdle in getting this part of the prank set up was in the fact that Cody’s door squeaks and rattles as you open it.  There is no sneaking into his room, sometimes no entry at all if he’s locked it.  I tiptoed toward it.  I turned it, nudged it, thought I was home scot-free, when I hear: What are you doing?  Cody was still awake in his bed!

I announced myself more openly as I reeled inside for a plan B.  A story.  Yes, a story is what I needed.  Cody liked a good story! Cody, I haven’t seen you all day!  I’m glad you are still up (DRAT, he’s still up!)… I wanted to tell you a story about my night at camp tonight.  Sitting down next to his bed, I began to spin a tale of woe while wondering two things.  I wondered firstly if he’d even believe my story, or at least be mildly entertained.  Secondly, I wondered if my story could create enough of diversion so that I could slid a few phones to various places underneath his bed.  I began in.

Now, the story wasn’t particularly exciting, except for the suspenseful inflection and various climatic moments.  In reality, the story was about how I was down at Riverside looking for my Starbuck coffee mug that I’d lost there a couple of months ago.  I rehashed every light switch I turned on, every thought, every fright.  Well, he took it all in, gasping and sighing at all of the right spots.  I left his room with my phones planted in the best spots imaginable, all the while dispelling any suspicion that Cody may have had that I was pranking him.  Good night, Cody.

The fish line: My only comment about the fish line is that it’s hard to work with in the dark.  I had to create the illusion that I was in bed (hence, no lights on) so… well, I lost quite a few strands, to be found in the morning.  That said, it was also pretty easy for Cody to see the fish line early on April 1^st.  The alarms wake him up, flashing, vibrating, ringing, dinging.  And I received a text after the last one (a phone that actually had service attached)…  nice Jaime.   And then a bit later, can you please take down the fish line?  

Over breakfast, we discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the prank and by the end of our conversation, I’d convinced Cody to walk into the fish line net just for posterity’s sake.  So, for the next few minutes, we walked and got tangled in it. 

I left for work on Thursday in a happy mood.  As I walked out, Cody mischievously asks me – so, when are you going to be home tonight, Jaime?  

I knew I was in for something. 

A Social Experiment.

I stepped back in time for a day at the Berntsen Libray last Thursday.  Well, it was present day - new students, new inside jokes (that i'm outside of!), etc... - but being there brings back so many memories!  Mini-golf behind the circulation desk, scooter races, ridiculous requests from faculty... oh, it was good times.

This time, at the libes, it was a social experiment with Pegs.  It hatched out of a large lunch at the mid-town global market.  We sat in Becky's office with our "food baby bellies" and reminisced about the poems we'd written at the library, the concerned customer letters from deceased alumni, the hilarious proposals to supposedly streamline the circulation process.  And, lo and behold, a new scheme... what would people say to a pregnant woman wandering amongst the stacks of the main collection?  At a smallish private Christian college?! Let's try it. By the way, Peggy will make an adorable pregnant woman someday! (She even had the "waddle" down!)  The original plan was to convince one of our old co-workers of her pregnancy, but we got a lot of other great data in the process.  People stared, smiled, did double takes at Peg as we walked about the library.  I don't recognize that girl... oh look, she's pregnant.

How we all giggled and snickered in the confines of Becky's office after those walks!!  And then, we had good conversations about "judgment" and "disappointment."  Is "being disappointed" in someone's behavior a nice way to say that you are "judging" them?

Retreats. Jobs. Adventures. Life.

Whew. It's just been so full of bustle!  I don't want to bombard you with the details of everything, but I do want to uncover some stories and thoughts about my last couple of weeks.  My next several posts may be to that end.

Just one story tonight and then a preview of the next few to come...

Bowling with frozen poultry.  It was a sight to behold!  The winter retreat at Riverside was in full swing.  I had two "talks" under my belt.  I was half-way through the four I had prepared.  It was going well.  I was surprised that the urgency of what I was sharing came out between the shakes and nerves.  Being a first time speaker, I thought that I would come out dry and unfeeling.  Anyway, the bowling.  It was magnificent.  There is nothing quite like holding a smallish frozen turkey and looking across the ice rink at 10 2-liter bottles set up like pins.  The strategies you come up with to knock down the most pins (on the knees, granny-style, side arm) are just hilarious to watch fail or succeed in their turn.  As I heaved the turkey forward in the first frame for my team, I had visions of getting a strike on my first time and impressing everyone.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I missed completely. Not. A. Pin. Down. 

Thankfully, everyone else was having similar luck.  Half-filled  with water and frozen, those bottles were difficult to totter over.  Getting two or more down brought huge hoots and hollers from your team.  Toward the end of the game, Jake gets a brilliant idea.  He begins running from outside of the rink, on the snow, to gain momentum.  He plans to launch himself on the ice and propel the turkey forward from the line.  Anyone else would have biffed it and broken a bone (as someone did that day).   But Jake's middle names are "gracefully athletic" so, of course, he nails the landing and the release.  He knocked down 6 pins.  This guy is my hero.

And then somehow, potentially by a mathematical error, our team (TEAM STRIKE!) went from last to first in the second half of the game.  We don't ask questions at that point.  We just go crazy bananas on the ice, screaming and slapping backs.  This is what I love about camp.  It's a place where you can tell a person about Jesus and then be utterly silly with that person in the very next moment.  What a lovely mix!

Stay tuned for...

A bit of pregnancy in the library at Northwestern (A social experiment)

Fluent in Flatulence (A look inside a fish-house full of Sherfs)

The New Job (on the effects of growing up with only brothers and then working with only women.)

Birthday Week

Monday: Receive 50+ birthday greetings on a day that is not my birthday. I also threw some ice off my roof in a garbage dumpster, like Tom Cavanagh (who was actually born on Monday) did in the hit TV series, Ed (NBC).

Tuesday: Nurse my hurting arm from throwing ice into a garbage dumpster. I felt the sun for the first time in days. Summary of the rest of my day in 11 words: Johnny Depp Chai Good Convos A Long Walk Flashbacks of Austria.

Wednesday: Hasn't happened yet, but anticipated highlights include: Tea with Anna, some solid Greek reading and Hebrew grammar, and a game of Boggle.

Thursday - Tuesday (the actual birthday!): Undecided but anticipated. Ideas welcome.

A New Experience

Do you remember what it was like the first time you saw Brett Favre in purple instead of green? For me, it kinda felt like the Twilight Zone (or an SNL spoof)... like he was going to rip off that Vikings uniform mid-play and become a packer again. Well, I met with a similar experience last night as I entered the *Johnson's house. The fixed structures looked the same. Counters, stairs, the table, but oh... there was a dog and cluttered counters. I have been to the Johnson's many times before and have always enjoyed being able to let myself in and grab something to drink. An unfamiliar small child (a not wholly uncommon sight) poked his head around the corner and then yelled up the stairs that someone was here. The woman that came down was not Mrs. Johnson. Indeed, she was a complete stranger. I had left myself in, unannounced and uninvited, to a total stranger's home. She politely informed me that the Johnson's had moved and gave me their new location. AWKWARD.

This whole experience was so ridiculous that I thought perhaps it was all some sort of joke - that my friends would jump out from somewhere and laugh at my guilibility. They laughed alright - and loudly - but that was in their new home several blocks away. I am glad to be able to provide some much entertainment. On the other front, I have no idea who to cheer for this fall. I was a loyal Viking fan, but cannot cheer for such a willy-nilly "gotta be in the sports news" guy. So, Packers? That seems wrong too. I might wander aimlessly into other teams' cheering sections, as I do homes.

* I changed the name to add an element of mystery :o)

Last Days

The hard thing about being adventurous is that you have to leave a lot and say goodbye. I do not "do goodbyes" well. Today was my last day of work before camp happens and graduate school starts. Yes, I was accepted to the University of Edinburgh for the fall. I'm excited to get back to school... and to explore Scotland!

With all this new adventure, it means saying goodbye to friends, co-workers, and family. And evidently, I'm rather nostalgic. I like to remember all of the experiences I have in a place... to walk the halls one last time... to drink one last cup of good tea... to remember each picture up at my desk... heck, I brought home 10,000 used staples from me desk because I could not say goodbye to them all in one day.

Leaving is such a surreal experience. Sometimes I think it is easier to stay. The same routine. That's nice. But staying means saying no to an incredible adventure!!! I can't believe that God would send me on yet another overseas journey. I am so thankful for His provision. It will build such faith to step out like this again. I guess that's the whole reason I do it.

But first, camp!

Awhile.

It seems like the best thing to do to get blogging again is just write... something or anything.

I was in Florida last week. It was wonderfully warm and sunny. My mom, Codster and I drove down to visit my grandma who is in a nursing home down there. She and my grandpa retired down there at the retirement village for the Mission that they were with in Africa. Anyway, we stayed and the village while we visited grandma. I loved talking with all of the retirees because most of them knew of me through my grandparents and mother. Many of them had taught or lived in Jos with them. It's always so cool to hear the stories and I'm just blown away by their dedication to the Lord.

I have a new project at work. It involves taking the staples out of about 2,500 documents - each averaging 2 staples. It's in an effort to get the documents scanned so that if we lost the paper copy due to flood, fire or terrorism, we'd still be okay. I have cut the time in takes me to do 150 from 2 hours to 1 hour. It's just as boring though. I like to be efficient.

There. I'm fairly certain that more thoughtful thoughts will come soon. I have been writing, just not near my blog. So, tell me how you all have been doing!

oh medical release forms.

This weekend we found our way to Fridley, MN for the 2nd quiz trip of the year. It was my first trip fully in charge, toting the medical release forms for my 9 quizzers. As I packed my bag for the trip, I thought to myself, I'd really like to bring this delicious book [My Name is Asher Lev], but will I really ever have time to read it? I remembered this book, sitting on my bed, as I sat in the emergency room clutching a medical form that I didn't ever want to need.

The quiz morning started out normal enough - except that we were early to the quiz for the first time in history. I registered and found my other Wisconsin coach friends and quiz masters. The morning was full of grueling quizzing. These MN teams are just good! And then, just after lunch, the trajectory of my trip altered drastically as Scott said that Josh had been injured. My focus was no longer on quizzing or the after-party, but on Josh.

I found him in a heap at the bottom of the staircase with Ryan, Danny and Scott hovering about him. His right arm was bent in the wrong places and swelling up fast. Thankfully, Judy and Gary arrived moments later and had more sanity to direct the situation. Plans were made to get Josh to help and keep an eye on the eight others that were roaming around.

Check in. Triage. What's your date of birth? Where are you hurt [duh!]? Please wait. Gee, can we get this guy something for the pain? Are you his mother? [holy cow, do i look that old?!] He'll see the doctor now? What happened? Where are you hurt [double duh!]? I'll be right back. jokes lighten the mood. What am I going to do? Wait. Drugs. Call to cancel. Call to reinstate. Call to update. Wait.

Why didn't I bring Asher to get my mind off of this? Wait. I'm so glad you are here Judy. X-rays. Timetable? Wait. You are doing great Josh. more paperwork. Sign here. Do you consent? Quizzing? Oh yeah, we came to quiz. Wait. Wait alone now.

Where is Asher? Who can I call? Wait. Josh is awake again, after reduction. Joy. Surgery may come, but the pain is lessened. We'll get your prescription. Wait, but not alone. Listen. Take notes on care. Elevate. Ice. Get the swelling down. Move your sausage-y fingers. Got the prescription. Good. Gone.

We reunited with the team and got on our way much later than expected. Thankfully, God kept us safe and awake through the drive. I am amazed at how much God gives... even when I forget to ask. We are home safe and Josh is with his family. Oh, I am thankful. so thankful. I am thankful that God is in control and gives strength for all things. I'm thankful for Judy, Gary and the Heitzmans. I'm thankful to be able to type and write and have the capacity to play a trumpet [though not the skill]. I'm thankful for doctors and mothers. I am especially thankful for morphine [not for me!]. Some bright spots: I am one of very few who now knows Josh's middle name and who has seen inside his stomach [via ultrasound]. Yes, we have bonded over a broken arm.

Be well Josh.

blank.

I have not blogged in a little while. It’s definitely not that nothing note-worthy has happened or that I have not had time to record it. It is simply that my blog has been blank or that my mind has been blocked [or lazy] to write. Well, it ends right here, right now!

You heard about my lovely weekend across the border [in MN], but you’ve missed out on the adventures south of here last weekend. The Plover quiz team trekked down to the bluffs of Prairie du Chien for the first quiz meet of the 08-09 year. Our Luke-filled brains, piled out of the large Mennigan van after 4+ hours of driving. It was my first time coaching and for all of the arm-chair coaching I’d done in the past, I discovered that I was woefully lacking any ability. There are things like momentum, timeouts, scoring and encouragement [not to mention team dynamics and mediatorship!!] to be considered. Yikes. Well, we made it through with minor injury. Literally. Danny whacked his head on a pole during the lunch game of 500, but he was okay and his quizzing even improved! My team is a superstitious one… Things like, I always do well in this chair/side/shirt or maybe I’ll do better without my hat are often thrown about the room. On the way home, we experienced Wisconsin ’s largest corn maze, located in Lodi . It was… cold. Some of us forgot to bring warm clothes and others of us forgot that muddy shoes shouldn’t be put on van seats. We laughed a lot.

Another bit of blankness that broods beneath my surface is this seemingly insurmountable task of contacting people for support raising as I return to Austria . My skills at procrastination and rationalizing said procrastination are truly astounding – something to be praised if they weren’t so stinkin’ wrong! And still again, God’s grace opens my eyes to see His fingerprints on my life and this process. He comes at the just-right moments to give strength and relief and motivation… How motivating the gospel has been for me in these moments! My heart for Austria grows with each thought of the dark hopelessness that exists there now contrasted with the bright hope the gospel brings! I am truly amazed that God would ask me to be apart of this spreading of this burning hope. So, pray for me as I contact and get others onboard with this great work!