updated update...

Hey all, we just wanted to give y'all a little updated update on our lives here at 2520...some of the things include:

1. Getting gym memberships at the yMca...not the yW. We found out from some friends about some great membership deals for people who make little amounts of $ (like us!) They have some awesome new treadmills and elipticals with Cardio Theaters! So running for a half hour goes real fast because we can watch basketball and other stuff...anyways...moving on...

2. Car Wash!! BOOM. We made it through. It was a little scary and dramatic but we did it. We even have a video.

3. Gabe & Julia visited us last weekend and it was so great to just hang out and have really good conversations. They love Jesus so much and it's so encouraging to be with them!!

4. Valentine's Day. Some of our friends invited us to hang out after church at Chipotle and Texas Tex Lanes (or something like that). Bowling rocked!

5. We just returned from Rainbow with a candy stash for the D.A. Carson seminar this weekend. You should come too! Here's some more info! If you go, you can have some of our candy. Ask nicely. We have Sour Skittles, Starburst Jelly Beans, Twizzlers, Chex Mix, Sour Punch Candy Straws. We still have some chocolate left over from our excessive purchases in Cali...actually, to be honest, one of us is out and the other only has a tiny bit left. We should've gotten more.

6. Ellie is leaving tomorrow afternoon for Brazil. Actually she is stopping in Austria to visit her brother. It still hasn't really sunk in that she is moving away. We love you, dear friend!

7. Andrea's taking violin lessons at the U and Stephanie is considering taking them too. Woot woo!! It's the Asian thing to do.

Ellie the cat.

This poor, homeless, kitty has been camped outside our house (either the under the front porch or the back, alternately) and has continued it's campaign for mercy for over a week. I'm convinced that the poor cat has been abandoned by it's owners and is in search of a new home. Who knows how many houses the cat has passed up in search of a house that she was convinced would show her mercy. She undoubtedly watched our house from a distance for many weeks before deciding that, yes, this indeed would be the perfect home. She saw the stream of people who came and went from the house, she heard laughter and singing, she smelled enticing smells and felt love. Yes, this indeed would be home. A place for her to lay her head. A place for her to do her part in the cleaning of crumbs off the floor and protecting from any rodents that might try to enter. She would even do her part in keeping the numerous squirrel population at bay.

Alas, when she arrived at the house, sure of a welcome, she was instead greeted with shrieks of fear, was shooed off the dry (although cold) shelter the deck provided--she was confused. Days went by, cold nights marked time...how long must she wait for a morsel of food, a comforting pat, a warm, dry place to sleep?

If you too feel compassion for this poor cat (whom we decided to call Ellie, since Ellie the person is leaving in 11 days) and are willing to do as the 2520 girls are unwilling to do (namely give Ellie a home)--please let us know! We are pretty sure that she is, or used to be, an indoor cat and for some reason has become separated from her family. She does not have a collar, but is friendly to people and seems comfortable indoors.

Please help her before it's too late!! (WARNING: all blow-gun owners, STAY AWAY from Ellie!!)

do you know what a bar is?

We've recently realized that a lot of our friends are not Minnesotan...i.e...they don't know what bars are. We are not talking about a bar where you get a drink or Quaker Granola bars. We are talking about...bars! They are a sweet treat baked in an 9x13 pan...just like brownies. I don't know how else to explain it. Maybe some pictures will help.

We call this a pumpkin bar:

Rice Krispie bars:

and Special K bars:


The list of bars could go on and on....Seven Layer Bars, Cookie Bars, Almond Bars, Smore Bars...

What would you call them??

my fear...the car wash.

A recent development over at 2520 is the amount of bird poop that has landed on our cars. Seriously, I have never seen so much bird poop on one's car before. Nasty. Andrea went to get her car washed the other day, and came home with a new sparkly, clean car. Mine, on the other hand, still looks disgusting and gross. It's bad.

As we were driving the other day, I told her that I have a fear of going through car washes. I also told her that I have never really driven through a car wash before...only with my parents. Andrea then told me that she has a fear of car washes as well, and has never gone through one by herself until Saturday. What?! I have never known this!!! :)

I don't know what it is about car washes. I think it's the feeling of being confined to a small space and being surrounded by water. Ick! I don't like that feeling. Or the possibility of being stuck in there....not good. I don't know. It's just something silly that I'm afraid of. Andrea can't even explain why she's afraid. She just is.

Is anyone else afraid of going through car washes?