Modern Life With Gabby and Beau-(Guest Post)

Hi! This is Modern Life with Gabby and Beau!

Gabby:What should our topic be?

Beau: um.....why do they make oversized objects...

Gabby: haha we did that last time.

Beau: I know! Is a muffin a bald cupcake?

Gabby: Yes it is. But that's a stupid topic. Let's do something on DDR!

Beau: Gabby, you're always so critical of me... do you hate me?

Gabby: Beau, i'm just trying to boost your self confidence...

Beau: You just de-boosted it.

Gabby: Well sorry, i'm not setting out to be Oprah with her feel-good, you-can-do-it gospel of self-centered self.....ness... Besides, I look better when you look bad.

Beau: Wow, that was a lot of adjectives...

Gabby: Okay....whatever. Now on to our real topic for Modern Life for today. Ellie so kindly brought to our attention, that nowadays, people never have raingear. Why is that? Has the weather changed since the 1950s? Where have the Indian Rubbers gone?

Beau: hmmm... soggy cupcake..

Gabby: *gives Beau a sidelong glance* Probably something to do with global warming.

Beau: *Gasp* melted cupcake? Ok... enough cupcakes... PIE!!!

Gabby: I like apple pie...

Beau: Chickens go in... pies come out...

Gabby: CHICKEN RUN! (I actually didn't know that reference...) Anyway, raingear.

Beau: Ah yes, raingear. I believe, my dear Gabby, that the lack of water proof apparel is due to the fact that people just don't care about being soaked to the bone anymore.. they just... don't.

Gabby: *sings* "Belice nabida..."

Beau: That's Feliz navidad....

Gabby: I think it's due to the fact that outer appearance doesn't have as much social importance as it did back then....

Beau: I OBJECT!!!

Gabby: Why?

Beau: I don't know.. but it was fun to say.

Gabby: Like marriage!

Beau: I don't get the married thing...

Gabby: You know when people get married at weddings (Steph gets it).

Beau: *sings* I'm ssiinnggiinngg in the rain... just ssiinnggiinngg in the rain!

Gabby: I think it's because shiny, rubbering garments don't really bring out anyone's eyecolor or soften anyone's complexion. Rain coats just don't look good on anyone.

Beau: YOU don't look good anymore. HA!

Steph interrupts: Beau can I ask you a personal question?

Beau: *stammering*: I-I guess....

Steph: Do guys wash their faces?

Beau: Michael does. *shrugs*

Gabby and Andrea: *outbursts of laughter*

Steph: Does Trey wash his face...I think Trey does...

*laughter seems to be raining from the ceiling. Like a tornado of sillyness; floating around the room.*

Beau: For the record, Beau washes his face too... much... lots... once an hour.. very much so..

*New Paragraph*

Hi! Welcome to modern life with Gabby and Beau!!

Gabby: um... we're past that...

Beau: oh... well then I have nothing else to say.

Gabby: Yeah, and apparently Steph is ready to "hit the hay".

Andrea: The moment past Gabby...

Beau: Ok steph, you can hit the hay but just don't hurt it... it has feelings.

Gabby: That's a horrible joke....Steph doesn't get it.

Steph: What? Like straw-hay? What? What hay? I don't get it....Andrea...explain...OFF THE RECORD!!! No!! I want to know!! This hay I....I haven't heard it before! No! I'm 25! Wait! No! Wait! This is really embarrassing...! What hay...?

Andrea: No you said " I'm going to hit the hay!"

Steph: No you know you mean like "Hey! Hey!"?

Andrea: No you said that!

Steph: What hay are YOU talking about?

Beau: Whatever hay you're talking about!

Andrea: Are you making this up?

Steph: No! I'm not trying to be funny!

Andrea: What part don't you get!!!!

Steph: NEvermind i'm done....







5 minutes of this later.....



Steph: oooooohhhhh........

Beau: It doesn't matter what kind of hay....

Steph: I think I get it....I'm so confused....

Gabby: After this enlightening conversation....THIS HAS BEEN *ahem* WITH GABBY AND BEAU (and Andrea and Steph). Thanks for tuning in and until next time....


Gabby, Beau, Steph, Andrea: GOODBYE!

Beau: P.S.- And God bless us, everyone!

Operation Take Down DOG!!

This is the note we received from the post office with our mail today....after not receiving any mail yesterday! (I corrected a misspelling and left out the supervisor's name, but the middle bolded text is merely a replication of the original format!)

Dear Postal Customer,

Your letter carrier takes pride in delivering your mail promptly and efficiently. That means being able to approach your mailbox without interference from any pet.

Although the dog may not be known to bite, or otherwise be dangerous to people, your carrier has expressed concern about its behavior. I believe you will agree that this concern is understandable since each year thousands of letter carriers are bitten or physically harmed by dogs.

On August 14, 2007 your neighbors' dog obstructed the carrier from delivering your mail.

In order to provide you uninterrupted mail delivery while protecting our letter carrier, the postal service is requesting your assistance. Please communicate with your neighbor that their pet is causing your mail not being delivered. If there are any further instances of the mail not being able to be delivered because of the dog you will be required to either move the mailbox to the front of the yard where the dog cannot obstruct the carrier from delivering your mail or you may rent a post office box. If you have any questions, myself or any of the supervisors here will be able to assist you. Unfortunately, although it is not your dog we must protect the letter carrier against animal attacks.

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.


Sincerely,

xxxxxxxxx

Supervisor


Our neighbors have an American Pitbull Terrier, also known as simply a Pitbull. Any suggestions on how to "deal with it"?

boo radley

so, the house next door, literally five feet away from us has such a scariness factor that we call it the boo radley house. in our year of living here, we have only seen a resident once (and pretty much just a shadow). we were informed that there was an elderly lady living there. there was some activity. i.e. lights on late at night and a dog who mysteriously would appear late at night in the back yard. and sometimes a pick-up truck was parked in the back yard. however, in the past few months there has been nobody living there. we think she may have died or moved elsewhere.

this became the radley house. a few months ago, one of my friends and i daringly entered the front gate and touched the front door. whoa. and tonight, two of us at 2520 were standing outside and we had an idea of "touring" the house. great idea. right?

we thought we would ask any of our brave blog readers if they would like to tour with us. however, we are not sure if it is very ethical, so it may just remain as an idea. we might have to wait to scare ourselves until the haunted house at the state fair is open. but, if anyone is willing to do it and will help us not feel guilty about entering, let us know.

anonymous quote: "i would poop and swear."

why we are excited for natcon

we are super pumped for the NATCON. are you? you should be. some reasons why we are excited for the conference:

1. gabe and julia are coming :)
2. we may have a chance to see pug again (please read post from last year to find out the full scoop).
3. overtime pay
4. hearing great accents from wales.
5. once again seeing our bff, c.j. mahaney and joshua (once again please refer to previous blog post).
6. candy at the registration table (and again previous post).
7. worship
8. randy alcorn - author of safely home!
9. lunch at chipotle
10. being around christians from around the world - amazing fellowship

the funniness factor

i have a theory that i am not going to disclose at this point. last night i discussed it with my roommates and it resulted in slight controversy. so, we thought we would take a poll on the blog. in general, who do you think is funnier? males or females?

some objective factors to consider:
-funniness is subjective
-there are MANY different types of funny
-tiredness plays a big part
-you may just think someone is funnier because you like them
-some are funny without trying and others force it
-some (no names mentioned) are boastful about being funny
-i know a lot of funny people
-some people are so funny that it can cause tears or other accidents (i.e. peeing your pants, missing your exit, needing to pull over while driving, etc.)
-when people laugh at people being funny - that can be funny
-there seems to be more male comedians than female
-laughter is good medicine

Hey Katie!!

We have a new roommate moving in with us! Katie!!!!!

Please PRAY!!!!!

This is written from the family waiting room of St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, MN. Please pray for Nick, Andrea's sister Kayla's boyfriend and dear friend of the Froehlich family. He was in a serious car accident yesterday evening and was airlifted to the hospital immediately afterwards. He suffered major internal injuries and the family spent the whole night waiting and praying, fearing that he would not survive. He has been through at least two surgeries thus far and will face more in the future after his condition has stabilized. The internal bleeding seems to be subsiding and his condition is slowly stabilizing. The concern now is that his aorta is torn and could rupture if it is under too much stress. If this happens it is very unlikely that he would survive. He also has broken ribs and several fractures in his vertebrae....we don't really even know the full extent of his injuries at this point.

Pray for the families and for Nick.

some random quotes and one really good one.

"There is more to life than getting tan." Two weeks later: "Yes, there is more to life than getting tan, but that's all that matters to me right now."

Next door neighbor guy: "C'mon white people, DANCE!"

"I couldn't marry him because he loves the environment."

"When someone tells you he is going to kick your...behind...believe him!"

Girl to a guy moving into the neighborhood: "Well, when we are roommates, I'm sure we will see each other more often."

"Don't you know that Johny Cash is a legend? It makes me really mad when people don't like Johnny Cash."

"Oh yeah, I square-danced. It was a home-school activity."

"I can't move to Louisville because I would have big hair."

"I'm here to do the modesty check." (3 mornings in a row between 6-7AM).

Talking about a recently married woman: "I want to ask if I can be her understudy. I mean..."

"My friends call me puffy."

"Did you guys know that Steven Spielberg is the most acclimated director?"

"I don't have a chin hair, I have a whisker. And it grows faster than all my other hairs."

"People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, 'If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing.' I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other." - C.S. Lewis

shout out to m. pipes

we just want to give a shout out to our biggest fan, molly piper. she is our most faithful commenter (except for those of us who live here). molly, have a good vacation!!




p.s. for the rest of you, do not be disheartened. you too can win the prize...

love, the 2520 girls

the courtney marathon

courtney is moving to louisville still having never run a mile in her life. so, she and i want to run a mile together before she moves. parentheses: courtney wants y'all to know that by 'she and i' it really means 'i' want her to run a mile. end of parentheses. let us know if you want to run with us! also, cdt wants a prize for running the mile. any ideas for a good prize?

okay. and a lot of people have told us they want us to know who writes each post so here it goes...andrea

66 hotdogs: beyond all grossness

the other day while shopping at super target, i just happened to notice the hotdogs. they have so many. and it's disgusting. they even have hotdogs ready made in a bun. plus, read the story below.





New York Region. July 4, 2007 23-Year-Old Eats His Way to Hot Dog Title. By Ken Belson. Joey Chestnut ate a world-record 66 hot dogs to unseat the six-time champ, Takeru Kobayashi, at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island.



p.s. i hadn't eaten a single hotdog since 7th grade, but a couple weeks ago i tried one bite. i'm pretty sure that one bite will be the last. thought i was going to die.

i want it that way

one highlight from camp. michael, erik, josh, scotty, jeremy and beau singing in the boy's bathroom at junior high camp.

FAT

Our good friend, Joseph, was hanging out at our house one night and told us that he thinks women should be fat. We were taken back by this comment because we thought he was referring to a girls' size.

Last weekend he was teaching in the youth group and one of the students asked what the 'fat' in Proverbs 28:25 means. JR didn't tell the student what he really thinks it means.

F - Faithful
A - Available
T - Teachable

Proverbs 28:25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

(King James Version).

did someone pass gas?

Okay okay, this picture isn't a result of someone accidently passing gas. We were riding on the bus up to camp and the smell of the farm animals hit us a couple of times!

Aloha...well, almost!

Ok, so I'm not actually in that state, but I am in California! I'm here for missions training with the BGC missions organization. It has been a LONG week so far and the annual conference is just beginning! That means I have to be on my best behavior and meet lots of new people who might be interested in supporting my work on the mission field. I'm thrilled! (that last comment was slightly sarcastic if you didn't catch on)

Anyway, I am writing this post because we were told that for the commissioning on Friday night we need to each think up 3 words that describe our spouse....well, for me that means 3 words that describe ME! I am at a loss and would like some help...I realize this is an open invitation for all sorts of, uh, creativity, but bring it on because I really don't know what to say!

So 3 words that describe me....oh, this is Ellie if you didn't already know that.

p.s. be NICE!

we can't think of a title

Paul?

¿Todo piensas que esto parece Paul Poteat?

BBC Directory Photos

We all received our FREE 8x10 photo in the mail. Courtney and Steph got the photos they picked, but Andrea received quite a surprise today! Maybe this is what Andrea will look like in a few years? Any guys think that they will look like this in a few years?

Basketball skills

This is a picture of Andrea practicing her vertical at the Steller's house in Minneapolis. Growing up, Andrea was obsessed with basketball. She video-taped (for those who are too young to know what that means, they were the predecessors to DVDs. Ask your parents for more of an explanation, maybe they even have a copy of these near extinct, pre-historic items, also known as VHS) the Timberwolves playoff games against the Sonics from back in 1998. She hasn't watched the tapes in some time, but still has them to this day. The main reason she taped the games, aside from her obsession, is because she is an avid basketball player herself and is always looking to improve her game by learning from the pros. In this picture, Andrea is working towards improving her vertical jump. You can see by her facial expression that she is VERY serious about and concentrated on accomplishing this goal. She will NOT give up until she has "mad skills" like Stephon Marbury, also called "Starbury" (who even though he was traded away from the Wolves, is still an all-time favorite of Andrea's).

my mother's letter

Here is a letter that my parents received from our social worker about my adoption. This letter was written on July 15, 1987.

Though I referred to the records of the above child, I couldn't find any special information except those you already had. So I traced the place where the child had been found as an abandoned child. Fortunately, Mr. Jin Nam Kang who had found the child was still living there. And I could have a conversation with his wife by the telephone. She still remembered the child vividly.

According to her, one day she opened the front door in order to greet her husband who was coming back home from his store late at night. At the very time she and her husband heard of a baby crying. The baby was crying in front of the front door of their house, wrapped in swaddling clothes. In the swaddling clothes a memo written by the birth parents and a milk bottle which was still warm were found.

Though she wanted to raise the baby as her daughter because the couple only had two sons, it was impossible due to financial reasons. So a night guard took the baby to a police near by. The very next day she telephoned the police in order to inquire about the baby. But the police side told her that the baby was already transferred to another agency.

Since then she had been anxious about the baby, sometimes feeling guilty. For she thought that the baby might live in a bad circumstance because she also abandoned the baby as the birth parents did.

However, through a contact with me, she could hear that the baby had been adopted to a good family and brought up in more desirable circumstances than her house. She was very pleased at such good news.

Since the baby was transferred to the police, she has never met a woman considered as the birth mother of the baby. But sometimes when someone peeks around her house, she thinks that the person may be the baby's birth parent. She promised that she would inform me that if she could contact the birth mother or get any information on her.

This is a copy of my birth mother's letter that she left with me on the doorstep. It translates as:

Birth Date: May 10,1982

We can not but do this because it is impossible for us to raise this baby due to financial difficulties. I hope you would bring up the baby well.

picture for june 15.

I'm sure my roommates will agree that the last couple weeks my heart has not been one of thankfulness, but rather one that is more prone to complaining. There are a few things going on in my life that I wouldn’t choose for myself, but rather than trusting God and his sovereignty and goodness over it, I have leaned towards self-pity. My head knows so many of my Savior's promises, but many times my heart does not fully believe that these promises are true for me.

Yesterday, I listened to a sermon called "For God's Sake, Let Grace be Grace!" I remember listening to Pastor John preach this sermon at Bethlehem's Northwestern College campus about three and a half years ago. The sermon was good for me then and again yesterday when I listened on my ipod.

There are many great things about the sermon, but one that stood out yesterday was the greatness of God’s grace and the fact that I deserve none of it. Piper talked about how great it would be to have a church filled with a people who are broken and humble. And he said:

"A church for whom grace has sunk down at the emotional level of your life and made you feel. Not just know, feel, I don't deserve anything good from God. I deserve only bad things to happen to me from God. Therefore everything bad that happens to me is expected and not grumbled about and everything good that happens to me is a surprise and fills me with thanksgiving and joy…We are sooo critical. We are so murmuring and grumbling and demanding of our rights. Anything that crosses us; we get in people's face and we get in God's face and we, we, we. You know why? Grace hasn't gone very deep. It hasn't gone very deep…my demanding-ness, my expectations that I deserve something good. We don't deserve anything – if we understand grace” (I think this is almost exactly word for word. I typed it as he spoke…I hope this is okay to do ☺).

I want to understand the grace of Jesus more fully. Not just intellectually, but feel it in my heart. Grace that makes me know and feel that I don't deserve anything good from him. I want to understand grace at a deep level like that.

oh boy.

Last week my mom called and said that she and my dad had to go out of town AND that they were going to miss my brother’s birthday party. She needed an ‘adult’ to be there. I thought, “Sure, I can do that!” “No problem. Right?” Wrong.

I had no idea what it took to “man” a birthday party with 10 boys who were 14 and 15 years old and I found out it was not a piece of cake (ha!). I’m pretty sure I could write a book about just that one day. It was constant action – making more pizzas, cooking a hotdog for the boy who was allergic to cheese, continually mixing up lemonade (over 8 quarts), and much more including putting a smile on my face while one of the boys pounded on the table and yelled, “Servant, we want more lemonade.” I’m thinking, “are you kidding me?” This same boy had no shame when he got me wet on three separate occasions. Where was the respect?

Thankfully my grandparents and little sister were there to help. Couldn’t have done it without them. We talked and played games while the boys played outside.



One of the boys came in to use the bathroom, which is right next to the dining room where my grandparents, sister and I were playing a card game called hand and foot. I could tell the boy was already a little sheepish and he said, “Isn’t there a fan in here?” My grandma immediately responded, “Oh, are you hot?” I quickly added, “You can use the bathroom upstairs.” As he went upstairs, my grandma and I laughed for about three minutes straight. Oh, the poor boy.

I found out later that while we were hanging out in the house, the boys were actually jumping from the bridge on the road into our creek. Had my grandma known, she probably would have had a heart attack.



Then there was the bonfire. We didn’t have a garbage can outside, so I told one of the boys to throw his plastic in the fire. This definitely resulted in conflict. One of the boys informed us that plastic was not good to burn and that nobody should throw anymore plastic into the fire. Two of the boys continued arguing for a good 10 minutes.

At 6pm the parents were supposed to arrive to pick up the children. At 6:09pm my grandma told me I should call the parents and remind them that their kids were here and make sure they remembered. Oh, my grandma is really funny. My grandparents left and I decided against doing that, but probably should have because one of the parent’s did not arrive until after 8pm. Oh, well. And, to tell you the truth, the birthday party was fun and the boys were fun to get to know...and for the most part very well behaved.

But, let me tell you. When I woke up on Monday morning, I was SO tired. I can’t believe my mom and other moms do these birthday parties multiple times a year. I never knew.

welcome abraham

We asked our friend, Abraham to guest post on our blog. He said yes, and this is what he came up with. Honest, it is unsolicited. Hope you enjoy. If it's a hit we may make guest posting a regular occurrence around here.


I keep an eye on about 100 blogs. This is one of them. I read Philomath because they are amusing and they are friends. That's probably why most of you read it, too.

Here's a suspicion of mine, though.

I bet there are a few male readers out there who are reading, not just because they're friends of the bloggers, but because this is a blog by four, nay five, single women. Jackpot. That's why I'd be reading it, too, except that I already followed the advice I'm about to give.

If it's even somewhat true that you read this blog because it is an anonymous, risk-free way to flirt—or, more kindly, an anonymous, risk-free way to "get to know her"—you need to do something about it offline in real life. Even if you make a fool of yourself. The second time I hung out with Molly, I stuck my foot in my mouth and told her I thought it would be easy to get married whenever I felt like it. She promptly categorized me as an arrogant jerk.

True enough. But she was out with me, and that was the beginning.

There has to be a beginning.

The rest of the story...

There was a disagreement between two co-workers (who will remain nameless) over who was "cuter", Pee-Wee Herman or Brad Pitt. Andrea was merely informing "2520" of this disagreement to get their opinion. The co-workers thought the choice was obvious...you be the judge!

and that's the rest of the story! (well, almost)

Homeschooler!

Just in case our faithful readers were inquiring about what exactly we meant by labeling a housemate as "homeschooler," here is a little taste of a conversation we all had last night...

Andrea (in an earnest voice): "Do you guys know who Pee-Wee Herman is?"
2520: "Um, yes. We knew that 10 years ago."
Sarah: Oh, that's funny. That's really funny.

Oblivious to pop culture, I think yes. She moved to the top of the homeschool list.

Modesty at its finest

Look how skinny this cow is!

first base coach!

last week we watched eric hedstrom's baseball game. after each inning, the first base coach came over to the stands and gave an update on the inning. he was very entertaining! as you can see in the video, after the game jared gave us some tips on how to be the first base coach.



by the way - good home run eric!!

AND, please pray for the hedstroms. they are adopting four children from columbia and are in columbia now!! the kids names are jessica, erika, diego, and bryan. you can see thier caringbridge website at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/thehedstromfamily




p.s. courtney wants me to mention that it is roasting in our house. because it is.

benefits of the phillips

we don't even have to leave our house to have all the excitement we could ask for.

if you are an extravert, you never have to leave because there are always those sauntering around the neighborhood or people sitting on their porches during all hours of day and night.

no need to download any more music from itunes when you can always hear the next door neighbor's perfectly fine.

you don't need to call 911 because the police are either on their way or already here.

when 4th of july rolls around, just stay here for all your firework entertainment. but come early, because they don't wait until the 4th to start. it's a weekend full of festivities. we thought perhaps we had moved to a war zone and were afraid our cars were going to blow up.

cats and squirrels are of endless supply.

if you want an excuse to buy new tires, come on by and drive the alley. they are sure to be popped, thanks to all the glass.

if you are planning to travel to a foreign country anytime soon, spend a week here first. it will help you adapt to another culture.

afraid you are losing touch with culture and trapped in your christian bubble? just come and listen to some of the words spoken on the streets.

even if you own a house, no need to do your own yard maintenance. the neighbors are quick to offer their lawn mowing and snow shoveling services - for a charge in order to pay for "school." hmm.

come here for your relaxing vacation. the distinct smell of burning "plants" may bring you to your happy place.

you don't have worry about recycling because the pop cans are absconded by unkown individuals. recycle day is everyday.

throw the alarm clock away. we don't have roosters, but we do have neighbors who are sure to do the job.

if you like the sounds of beethoven, come to the area and listen for the ice cream man. he drives up and down our street at least 20 times per day. and it's only may.

if you want a "compliment," go for a walk or run, and you are sure to receive many.

we are happy to be here. really, we are. even in the midst of all the craziness, we love it. every superstar needs a little bit of ghetto.

pray with us for our neighborhood. and that we would be a shining light and salt to them.

just some fun pictures!

purchase of the day = $2.99 = frisbee = hours of fun.

Going to the chapel BABY!!!

We received this e-mail late Tuesday night. Don't even think about asking who it was from. We don't know. Honestly.

Girls,
I know we've agree it would never go here, but please, listen to me now:
Will ya'll marry me? I'm dead serious. I've decided to become a
polygamist. Now, don't get me wrong, I won't be movin' to Salt Lake
City any time soon, and certainly don't be thinkin' that I've
converted to that Latter Day Saints church. No way! The Lord Jesus
is indeed God! But with that said, I see some advantages. I mean,
how could I possibly pick just ONE of ya'll! You're ALL so beautiful
and talented and smart and funny and full of the joy of the Lord! I
could never choose just ONE of ya'll! So, I've just decided: If I
can't pick one, then I'll hafta pick 'em ALL! I hope you gals are
down with this. And don't worry, Jesus said that in the resurrection
none of ya'll will be any specialer to me than any other one of ya'll.
But boy we can have a lot of fun together til then, can't we?! I'm
sure ya'll will agree. Let me know what dates work for ya'll, I'll
let you fight among yourselves for picking gowns and so forth. I'm
gonna buy a used cargo van that we can all take on down to Cali in the
fall.

Much love,

grody tore (for you, orison)

Ok, where do I even start?


I love the grocery store! The grocery store is a guaranteed adventure. So much of an adventure that I feel tired after I leave the store. Long lines, interesting people, awkward moments, bargain shopping...

I'll give you a brief snapshot of what my day-to-day adventures are like in the grocery store.

My most recent awkward moment happened today with Andrea. We walked into the store and grabbed a cart. We then proceeded to the produce section, where Andrea hiccuped really loud. Right after the first one came out, the hiccup surfaced again (quite the horn)! A random guy turned around and started to laugh right in front of us! We burst out laughing! I immediately ran towards the apples and could not hold it in! I looked up and there he was, that random guy, STILL laughing at us. Ok, awkward.

One of the most memorable moments was when Andrea and I walked over to the self-serve section of the store. Or we thought it was self-serve. We quickly started sampling left and right the many different options before us. There were gummy bears, licorice, almonds, trail mix, and peanut butter covered pretzels. The grocery store lady walked over, yelled at us (as if we were back in the 3rd grade), and told us not to "sample" again. Apparently, sampling equals stealing. Oh gosh.

The last experience that I'll note was probably the most uncomfortable moment of them all. I was standing next to the grapes and Andrea had a question. She asked me what day of the week it was, and I replied with a hearty WED-NES-DAY! A random guy then piped in and affirmed my answer. He then cornered us and wanted to shake our hands. I shook his hand first, and then Andrea felt obligated to shake as well. Great. (Notice uncomfortable, awkwardness). I felt horrible that I shook his hand. Not only did I shake his hand, but it probably was the worst, limp, handshake that I had ever given out. I broke my handshake policy. Seriously.

All uncomfortable.
All awkward.
All with Andrea.

I love you, ANDRRREEEA!

(this post took me 2 hours to write.)

kron, sarah

sarah has bbeen in florida for the past couple of days. that means sleeping in her bed. you may think that is weird, but it's not. she has such a comfortable bed. and just last night i figured out her pillows make you feel like you're lying on a cloud.

as you can see in the picture below, sarah left a special treat - a note and chocolate. just like a hotel. okay. i need to go to bed because tonight is the last night sleeping in her bed because she is coming back tomorrow. i mean, i am happy she's coming back. welcome back, sarah. missed you!

Googling-a brave new world

The inception of the internet has provided us with many avenues for information gathering, and we are all greatly indebted to the creators of this great thing that we call the “world wide web”. I mean, you wouldn’t be blessed with the privilege of reading our profound blog without it. But, I digress.

With the rise of the internet another great tool has been gifted to us—googling. Ah, yes. Googling. Have you ever been dying to know something about a certain person, but were too scared to ask? No longer do you have to be in the dark. Googling is here to provide you with much needed answers and information. Some may call it stalking—we like to call it well-informed. It’s all a matter of semantics, really.

Our recent discoveries in googling have opened our eyes to new truths. Like, our worlds really are much, much smaller than we think, or sometimes you find out some much needed information a little bit too late (minor detail), or you find out specific details that allow you to further understand the inner-workings of things (eb), or you might even find out that a person is more famous than you ever thought (sermon audio).

There is a plethora of information waiting to be discovered if only you would open up your computer, pull up Google, and let the words take you where they may.

So, next time there is a burning question in your mind, come to us. We can help. But you better come quick—we might start charging.

to my friend.

Your birthday today, Steph, has caused me to think about how much of a blessing you have been to me. I am so thankful for you. And I love you. In just the two and a half years I have known you, there have been so many great memories.

Steph, it's a blessing to see God's sovereignty displayed in the past and present and I know that he has a wonderful plan for the rest of your life. He formed you and knitted you together in your mother's womb...in Korea. And he choose you to be adopted into the Johnson family. Before any person knew you, God's thoughts towards you were precious and your frame was not hidden from the Lord. Oh, how precious are God's thoughts towards you.

I am also so glad that in God's sovereignty, he allowed us to become friends. There are so many great memories with you. Too many to list, but remember playing football in the skyways, and throwing a whole garlic clove in the mashed potatoes, and dressing up as swimmers, memorizing fighter verses, and giving 'Derrel' a pie instead of calling the police, and laughing all the time, and staying up late talking and praying, and making videos, and taking pictures, and remember when it was just the two of us who always sat in the second row at church every sunday, and starbucks, and taking a road-trip to indiana, and you making everyone laugh, and talking with a lisp while whitening your teeth, and starting a blog with me, and getting soaked in the rain, and hiding in a certain apt. wondering what to do next, and playing dutch blitz, and youth group, and teaching me life truths, conversations about being gassy, and, and, and...

Love you booger.

ha-ha-ha

tonight we played a fun, new game. the way you play it is demonstrated in the videos. you try to fake laugh for as long as possible, but your time is up once you begin your 'real' laughter. it's fun. try it. it's a good way to build fellowship. oh, think of the possibilities this game can bring.

dinner party '07 anyone?

Below you will find photos from a dinner party that we (Steph & Andrea)threw. We were teased by many for not being able to cook so we decided to prove to our friends that we could cook. By ourselves. NO HELP. Little did we know that we needed a lot of help. We searched the internet to find recipes and planned many different options. Just in case one failed, the guests could move onto the next. We liked to diversify our cooking. We made chicken, meatloaf, green beans, carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, fruit pizza and special k bars. Whoa.

The problem lied most specifically in the garlic mashed potato efforts. The recipe called for 1-2 cloves of garlic. After mincing the entire bulb, we realized we needed more garlic because we had made a few extra potatoes. We didn't have much time, but knew that we must go to the grocery to purchase more garlic. As we arrived back at the apt. we realized it had an overwhelming smell that permeated the room. It was not pretty. The mashed potatoes were tasted and it was immediately realized that they didn't need any more garlic. I guess the whole bulb was enough.







This picture is a little description of how we felt after spending an entire afternoon cooking (5 hours to be exact). When the people started arriving, we just wanted to leave and go to Chipotle.

maybe it's maybelline...

When I was sitting in the bathroom the other day, I made an amazing discovery that has really gotten my brain thinking! I found out that Courtney, Andrea and I wear the same brand of mascara. We love Maybelline! Here are the reasons why we share the same affection for our mascara...

"In my rebellious days, I used to read Glamour magazine and they said that Maybelline was the number one mascara to use." -Courtney (notice past tense)

"When I was standing in the store, I thought that it looked kind-of old ladyish, but I bought it because it was on sale." -Andrea (notice smart-buyer)

"It looks 80's." -Sarah Heefner (notice she uses Loreal)

I use Maybelline because it's cost effective!

welcome to the blog, our new bff, c.j.

Ah, Yes, there indeed had been much excited talk about a certain bald headed preacher coming to Mpls. As many are well aware, we all love C.J., but at the CDG conference we were reminded why we love him. It’s not just because he is funny. Or because he has a great laugh. Or just because he loves basketball. Or because he is so joyful. Or even just because he is humble. The biggest reason we love and respect him so much is because God uses him to make us want to know and trust in our Savior more. C.J. makes Jesus look so precious and beautiful. And that is why we love him so much.

We should add that we did in fact stand in line for about 45 minutes waiting to talk to him. It was worth it. We also got our picture taken with him, but had to promise that we would never delete it. Oh, he is such a great guy.




Courtney would like all to know that her eyes are closed.

Bet #1 (of many)

This video takes place at the Metrodome during the Twins home opener. Stephanie dared Courtney to stand up and yell at the top of her lungs "I LOVE Michael Cuddyer!!" She said she would give Courtney $5 if she did it....well, Courtney did it, but I'm not sure if Steph ever paid up!!!

travesty averted.

Wednesday, 7:52 pm. The living room at 2520 has been restored to order. Sarah has been at her wits end for the past 23 minutes because the Twins game was blacked off our TV. She couldn't figure out what was going on. Katie S. and Sarah promptly got on their cell phones to find out who in the metro area was able to get the game on their TV. Katie talked to Pastor Steller and Erik Holst. Neither were of much help. Sarah called her father, but he was not home. She then called her sister and was miffed because the Twins game came through on her parent's television in White Bear Lake. Sarah decided that this game was supposed to be on our television and something was wrong. We scrambled to find the Direct TV bill so she could call customer service and find out the problem. In the meantime, she continued fiddling with the remote and all of a sudden the Twins game appeared and the Hallelujah chorus rang forth.

The three of us are relieved, because as you can see, Sarah is again calm and happy. Listen to some of her soundbites:

"I am beyond relieved."

"This is what I'm talking about, Twins games on TV!"

"I was about to have a hernia"

"This is what summer is about"

"Justin Morneausee is going to hit a homerunsee"

"I gotta email some of my friends in Baltimore and tell them their team stinks."


OH, THIS IS RIDICULOUS... now about 8 minutes after the game appears on the TV, Sarah says, "You guys I'm tired, I think I'm going to go to bed."


AHHHHHH...the Twins just scored again and are up 4-0. Boo-ya.

rumination of a periphrastic mind....

Here I am lounging on the couch on Sunday evening. I'm not quite sure where the day has gone! I was supposed to have done some homework this afternoon but all that I can honestly say I've done is...well, "not much" would be an overstatement! I don't know exactly why I'm in such tired state, or funk, but I am! I don't feel like doing much of anything that requires any amount of rationality, apperception, or coherence.

Do you ever have those days where you don't want to do anything? This is odd for me and especially since I don't want to be around people either! I know this is a phenomenon....trust me it is a rarity one that will likely not occur again before the next solar eclipse. (actually this is not too far off as the next annular solar eclipse will occur on September 11, 2007 and the next total solar eclipse will occur on August 1, 2008) Actually, I think that the above statement (you know the one that said that I didn't want to be around people, yeah that's the one) wasn't entirely true. I do want to be around people, just not ones that I have to impress. (I apologize to my roommates, but I don't feel like I have to impress them anymore....yep definitely past that stage in our "ship")

Oh, that reference to "ship" reminded me of a funny story that I'm not sure if I should even try to articulate presently as I'm sure I'd utterly and completely destroy it...but WHY NOT! So I have had an internet relationship in the past (don't worry it was nothing serious, just a prank) which led to some pretty hillarious emails between myself and this, uh, gentleman. Anyway, in one email that I guess could be called a DTR (Define The Relationship...those are generally fun for everyone involved and should be had as often as possible) this, uh, gentleman said (and I quote) "I'm interested in pursuing a "ship" as well, whether we ride on a friendship or a relationship. Either one would be enjoyable, and if we're careful (like you say), neither one of us should get seasick." Now, I'm curious as to your responses to this statement...I personally thought it was ingenious, but my roommates criticized him harshly for this comment and said that it was tacky to say the least! Let me tell you, that was the LAST time I share any sentimental comments with them!!


Okay, so I'm sorry to say that that is the extent of my capacity for this evening...I am utterly spent by this exertion and cannot formulate any other thoughts for this post.

Recycling: Fact or Fiction?

Hmmm. It has come to my attention that there is a distinct possibility that we have been duped for far too long. So, in my quest for knowledge, I hope to enlighten you to the myth that is--recycling.

Recycling is a hot commodity in elementary schools and the Pacific Northwest, and in occasional hippie communes in the mountains of Colorado, and a couple of weeks ago I was informed that all of our recycling efforts are actually in vain. Recycling is a product of the "man", feeding propaganda to our youngest members of society. We are told that if we do not recycle, the earth will implode due to global warming and excess of trash. But I was told, by a high ranking government recycling official (actually it was an informant, speaking on behalf of the official) that recycling is really a myth that was propagated in the 90's--starting with the elementary schools (I mean do you remember recycling before first grade?).

So, as Earth Day is quickly approaching, I urge you, fellow Americans, to say "no" to the myth of recycling--and seek the truth so the world may know.

continued...

the last minutes of the game!

11:20pm (game clock- 2:41)
SJ "yes! good turnover"
SK "fabulous!"
JP "I'm freed up in the gospel to not be bummed about that"

11:22pm
AF 10 fouls for TN
JP 79 up, that's what they say in sports, 79 all they're synonymous
SJ that was a great shot
JP WHOA! I'm getting into this, ANdrea aren't you happy
(meanwhile Pete puts on Ellie's former blonde locks, about to be donated to some cancer patient, and he now has a giant blonde mullet, as in a pro NASCAR driver, or Jeff Foxworthy or something)
AF Oh...my gosh!
EL Ohhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh!
(hilarious laughter abounds...and much rejoicing)
(but the game continues...)
Announcer: 68 seconds to go

11:27 pm
Announcer: Rebound, Tennesse...REJECTED!
AF Do you know how many points ohio state was down by? You guys have no idea. You guys don't understand the significance of this!
Ellie: OH NO!
Andrea: Yes!
(Ohio State wins in the last second, 85 to 84)
Andrea: This is the first game where a team I wanted to win won.
Pete, will you take a picture of the TV with the score on there?
CT (coming up from basement groggy eyed) Will you guys please stop screaming?
SJ Alright. It's time for beddy-bye. This chicken needs to go poddy...er...to the bathroom...er to bed.

live blogging....

we are live blogging the NCAA tournament, in that we are sitting in our living room, watching the games and blogging about what is going on.

10:53pm
AF "c'mon Othella!"
10:54pm
AF "YES!! you guys this is awesome!"
JP "wait were they behind?"
SJ "this is awesome"
AF "you guys...OH NO! you've got to be kidding me"
PM "the key to sports is you make a guess"
AF "no you don't make a guess you pick a team and get behind them...you're passionate"
JP "yeah, you're passionate"
AF "yeah you don't always pick the team that you think will win...like for example I didn't think that Indiana would win but I really wanted them to"
JP "in other words its an inclination of the heart not the mind"
AF "Pete, what team makes your heart flutter?"
PM "is that what this is about?"
10:58pm
AF "you guys 2pts!"
SK "let me go finish reading Jeremiah, then I'll come up"
PM "That's what I should be doing...let's go. yeah, none of these teams make my heart flutter"
SJ (to PM)"I'll tell you what make my heart flutter...your hair!"
11:00pm
AF "Ohio state is going ahead!"
AF "Mark this moment! OHIO STATE is AHEAD! They're ahead by 2!"
PM "this is too exciting I don't know what to do with myself"
JP "okay you can't make it too long otherwise..Ellie you don't want to be like my little niece"
SJ "she's Tim Challies"
11:02pm
AF "you know who you remind me of Antone Appollo Ono wait what is his name....?"

ohhhh dr. johnson...

I e-mailed my dad today to ask him about the 'danger zone'. Knowing my dad, he gave a prompt response to my questions. Here's what I found out. I love my dad.

The "danger triangle" is an anatomical area defined by the brow of your nose as the top of the triangle, down each side of your nose to the corners of your upper lips for the base of the triangle. This area is peculiar anatomically because it has veins that have no valves to prevent backflow. The venous drainage for that area goes upward to the apex of the triangle and then backwards to the base of the brain in an area called the cavernous sinus. Most other veins in the body have veins to prevent backflow. This area doesn't. If you pinch a pimple in this area. The pimple has tons of bacteria in it. These bacteria can gain access to this venous drainage system. They can then multiply and create what is called cavernous sinus thrombosis. Basically this is pus at the base of the brain, lots of it, and a very serious, life threatening infection. One of my patients pinched a pimple on her sons upper lip while theywere on vacation in Florida. He got the dreaded infection and was in the hospital for a month. He was lucky to have survived. Moral of the story: don't even think about touching a pimple in that area, and be very careful not to get an infection there. I bet you can find more information on Cavernous sinus thrombosis on the internet. I hope that answers your question. Love, Dad

things to know.

the following are basic life truths that steph learned from her father and has now passed onto me and my roomates. i never knew these truths before meeting steph. so, thank you stephanie for passing them onto me. because i care, i would now like to pass them onto you.

- never pinch pimples in the danger zone on your face because that will cause brain damage. If you want to know where the danger zone is just ask someone who lives at 2520. we know.

- pumping gas and talking on your cell phone at the same time will put you in grave danger. and is not worth taking the chance. ever. you also do not want to get in and out of the vehicle because the opening and the closing of the vehicle door may bring danger to you. in fact. it's better to pretty much best to just pick one spot to stand and stay there until your gas tank is full.

- swiss cheese is gross and should not be eaten by anyone. touching it is going too far.

- bras may cause cancer if they are worn to bed.

- do not sit directly on public toilet seats because you may become pregnant.

- chewing gum kills brain cells.

- do not stop at rest stops because they are very dangerous. anytime you hear that one of your friends is going on a road-trip, please inform them of this danger.

- do not sit too close to the television or stand to close to the microwave because you may get radiated.

- it is a universal truth that horses celebrate their birthdays on january 1st.


i never knew.

TOO much time on our hands.

When you live with others and spend long periods of time with one another, you begin to notice tendencies and quirks. Some of us were getting teased by other members of the household about our "so-called" quirks, so we decided to make a chart of these qualities to document our own personalities in order to encourage more self-realization. If you have any objections or opinions, be freed up in the Gospel to comment.


1. Granola: Trader Joe's, organic food, chacos, long leg hair, Pacific Northwest, hiking, enjoying the outdoors, soy milk

2. Home School: frumpy clothes, very conservative, socially awkward, oblivious to pop culture, long and unkept hair

3. Blonde: ditzy, slow to catch on, blonde hair is optional, inability to articulate, "Whatever?!"

4. Chef Morimoto (domestic): cooks, cleans, hospitable, bakes cookies, "mother hen", and cuts coupons

5. ASIAN: eats rice, takes pictures, good at math, likes computers, ddr, "hello kitty", peace sign while posing for pictures

6. Groupie: reads blogs daily, likes "24", Southern Sem, downloads podcasts, Mohler, unnecessary devotion to a particular thing

7. DrAmA QuEeN: "Oh my gosh!", overreacts, spastic, dramatic hand motions, facial expressions

8. Flippin' Genius: "Albert Einstein" of the day, Mindtrap

P.S. if you want to know which catergory Ellie fits in, contact the other members of the household. note: she is still single. C'mon fellas. Here's your chance. (wink wink)

Haircut!

Ellie got her hair "lopped off"....but all for a good cause. Her hair is going to be donated to an organization called Locks of Love. This organization makes wigs for cancer patients who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

Here are some pictures that document the occasion.

The old Ellie (actually this is from October of 2006, so this isn't a good depiction of how long my hair really was).
The new Ellie with the 10"+ of hair that was "lopped off"

Sarah with Ellie extensions!

Guess WHAT?!?!?

Sarah Heefner is ENGAGED!!!

The Truth

well, there comes a time in every womans life when they must find another soul to spend the rest of there lives with, and our household has been realizing this more and more as of late. i will now give you an update on each of our love-lives. we will start with our dear friend andrea who has found the man of her dreams and will be announcing her engagement to him in a few days (so this is kind of like a preview! isnt that intense??). next we will go to ellie who has so many guys after her that she doesnt know what to do, so she has decided to move to africa where she can marry multiple men legally. stephanie, on the other hand, has decided to start the very first baptist convent and become a nun. i would give you an update on courtney but im pretty sure she would highly object. so yes, to all those fellows out there who are madly in love with the girls of 2520, BACK OFF! they are ALL TAKEN!!! so sorry, sucks for you, you should've gotten over your immature boy nerves and been the first to declare your love, now its too late. way to go. we will be holding a party for all you losers who failed on february 14th, where we will have live music and cheetos. well, that is all, i hope you can go about your lives as close to normal as possible, and if any of you find you are suffering from any type of depression please find help. we care about you.
- this is written by there dear friend Katie S (also known as the all-knowing love counselor)

NATCON Top 10 (from October 2006)

Meeting Joshua Harris was one of the most memorable experiences of the DG Conference. All the readers of our blog are probably aware of the rivoting, stimulating and theologically sound book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." And you are most likely aware that this book was written by a guy named Joshua Harris. We were helping people check in. Steph and I were at the table that included the 'H's.' We were busily checking people in and making sure they received all the materials. A good looking, dark haired and rather short guy walked up to the table and said "Harris. Joshua." We thought nothing of it other than noticing that he was a very gracious and thankful. When he said he was from Maryland the bells suddenly started ringing, the lights went on and the gears started turning in my head. And I knew this was not just any Josh Harris, but it was THE Joshua Harris. Without thinking, I blurted out loud, "Are you Joshua Harris?" And Stephanie quickly caught on and said, "Oh, The Book! The Book!" Neither of us said anything about the book. Come to think of it we probably didn't say much of anything at all. Our faces turned bright red and laughed. He was still very gracious. Oh, it was embarressing and it was worse knowing that Ellie was at the next table watching. Like always. (JK). When he left the table we were still laughing. And we had to explain to the poor guy behind him that we were not laughing at him. Duh. He had been watching the entire interaction unfold.

During one of the breaks, we spotted C.J. Mahaney wearing a Nike baseball cap and sitting in the upper balcony. We made our way up the stairs to introduce ourselves. We had been very encouraged by his sermons at Bethlehem earlier this summer and wanted to thank him. The first thing he said to us was, "Hi, how can I serve you?" We were floored by his humility and kindness. (Oh, hang on for a second...we just spilled Steph's Diet Berries & Cream Dr Pepper. I think we've almost got it under control). He was so gracious to us and after we told him that we attended Bethlehem, he was so excited. He told us he's been given the opportunity to speak at both a past DG Conference and Bethlehem and that he loves Bethlehem and prefers the honor of speaking there. We told him how much his sermons (this last summer when he spoke at church) had impacted our hearts. Then, in the most humbling attitude and tone he asked, "You guys came all the way up here to tell me that?" C.J. told us he felt like we had brought a dump truck of encouragement and unloaded it on him :) We walked away encouraged and humbled. Worship. The singing was amazing. We sang so many great songs. One of our favorites was 'We Will Dance.' Wes, we thought of you. I sure hope you read this blog post. And Comment.

Piper saying "smart ass." No further explanation is needed.

David Wells saying "I want to be hip, man." It made people laugh. We laughed. He's funny. (By the way. I really hope the guy I marry makes me laugh. If not, I will be really sad. Sometimes theological people are just not that funny.). Plus. We saw David Wells, Alex Kirk and some other unknown men on the street in front of the Piper's house on Sunday afternoon. We seriously almost ran over them.

Mark Driscoll. He was our favorite speaker at the conference. Good job, Mark. Way to be you. You really are up on your pop culture. For real. I really liked listening to him. Totally different than J. Pipes.

Getting candy from the info booth. Well, some of us enjoyed this pleasure more than others. Stephanie took the most advantage of the free candy. Andrea came in a close second. And Ellie just informed us that she didn't take any! What a waste. Our favorite was the mint/chocolate combo candies. Man. I would go for one right now, but we don't have any. Dang it.

Seeing friends/missing friends/hanging out in the bookstore/looking for Pug. So last year at the conference we decided to eat at Chipotle. We=Ellie, Stephanie, Andrew Lundquist and Andrea. We were laughing about something. I don't remember what we were laughing about, but it was funny. REally. It was. You would have been laughing too if you had been there. One of us was laughing harder than the rest. A nice, young (and eligible) bachelor (from the south) approached our booth and said (to the one who was laughing the loudest) "You have the best laugh I've ever heard." This of course made us laugh more. We soon left Chipotle and returned to the conf. The next day we were walking in the hallway and the one who was laughing the loudest was laughing again. Who do you think we passed in the hall? Yep. It was Pug. He made eye contact and said, "I'm still listening." Gosh. How embarressing.

Learning more about Christ's Supremacy. Christ is greater than anything. The conference this year was a little harder to understand than last year's. It was very intellectual. I mean. We did like it because we are lovers of knowledge. It caused you to think about Christ's reigns over all, even in the post-modern culture.

Meeting people from around the world/helping check-in/being able to serve/watching ellie with the guy from wales. Yeah. It was pretty funny watching Ellie's flirtatious behavior with some. Oh gosh. Let's be done.

E-mailing frenzy!

Welcome to 2006. A year where we have all tasted a little bit of everything. Facebook, monkey greetings, attachments, pictures, month-long dissertations on proper gifts, [ie: chalkboards.], and skype. The list goes on and on.

BUT...

Have you ever wondered how the heck do e-mails work? And, how are they sent from across the world to your very own computer at home? How does the system work? Am I the only one that doesn't know how e-mails work and the madness behind them? This type of correspondence is absolute craziness. I am about to embark upon a new quest to find the very answers to my thought-provoking questions.


Seeking answers with you,
Steph