Serendipity

So, my weekend started with a great morning running errands with John.  He had some work to do at Athene and I went grocery shopping.  Before he was ready to be picked up, I thought I would stop and use Isabelle's Starbucks gift card I had gotten for Christmas.  I got into the drive though line to wait.  I watched the young couple (in their older style mini-van) in front of me place their order, mulling over the menu intently.  No problem, I was in no rush.  John wasn't ready to be picked up, and despite the cold, it was a bright and sunny day.  As, they moved forward, I had decided that I would keep my order to a minimum.  I wanted to make this gift go as far as possible and so I ordered a tall Caramel Machiotto~$3.90.  Very proud of myself.  My order placed, I moved forward to the pay window.  As, I was handing the nice lady Isabelle's gift card, she leaned out the window and kindly said, "the people in front of paid for your beverage."  Wow, how nice!  Before I was able to even respond she said, "would you like to keep it going...." Well, how could I say no.  I would look like a miser.  "Of, course! Sure." Watching as my card slide through the card reader.  "UM, how much is their bill?. Just wondering."  As, I look in my rear-view mirror and see the Infinity QX80. Remembering I'm sitting in my 2009 Murano w/ cracked front window, dented front bumper and a gas gauge that doesn't work. "$8.96," she said.  What? So, much for conserving my gift. So, much for being frugal today.  She handed me my coffee and card back and sweetly said, "you have 6 dollars and 4 cents left on your card."  I said thank you and drove away, feeling very uncharitable.  This feeling lingered for quite a while.  Sunday morning was uneventful.  I ushered at church and John, Isabelle and I went to lunch in Valley Junction.  Lutheran Church of Hope has a yearly food drive for the food pantries of central Iowa and we wanted to pick some thing up to donate.  John and I went to Hy-Vee to get our donations. When we finished gathering the peanut butter and diapers, we walked through the stationary section.  Just as we were out of that section and heading toward the registers, John said, "when we are 80 years old, we should come up to the store and go to the greeting card section and pick out cards and give them to each other right then, and then put them back." I smiled. Then I said, "let's do that now."  He hesitated, said something like we've got stuff to do...I pushed the issue and then we headed back to where we came from.  We combed the cards he in the wife section, me in the husband, just to find the right card.  The images above are the cards we picked out for each other.  Read closely....they are essentially the same card only "wife/husband" changed.  We laughed and realized we really don't need to buy cards for each other after 31 yrs of marriage.  I did say I would still take diamonds though.  Isabelle and I took sometime to shop a bit on Sunday afternoon.  We drove up to Ankeny, to drop off a small gift to Anna and Jessica for Valentine's Day.  On the way home we stopped to get gas, for the a fore said Murano.  Now, the nice thing about shopping at our local Hy-Vee stores is they give cents off of gas for buying certain products at their stores by using your "Perks" card.  Please take a look at the pic above and you will get a chuckle, as you realize I only paid $1.68 to fill my gas tank, using my Hy-Vee gas card.  As, we drove away in amazement and a light-hearted feeling, Isabelle softly said, "well, you got paid back from your coffee drive through yesterday."  We smiled and headed home. 

Living in Des Moines

We moved to Des Moines 18 mo ago.  A cold winter day, after 20 years in a small town we moved to the city.  Never a day goes by that we regret this decision.  Every opportunity I have I walk/jog around Gray's Lake and I'm amazed at the diversity.  I know Iowa is very "white", but Des Moines is not. It is refreshing to head over there on a beautiful day and see families of all backgrounds enjoying the day, as well.  The medical worker taking a walk, still in her scrubs.  Her colleagues up ahead visiting as they walk.  One dark skinned the other not.  The young couple, too.  I'm sure they knew they needed to take baby out on this beautiful day and use the stroller that they bought when they found out they were expecting.  Daddy pushing, admiring this beautiful child.   Iowa is known for it's welcoming spirit and over the years has open homes and communities to refugees of all kinds. The Iowa International Center website has a great PPT by John Wilkens that overviews this issue- http://iowainternationalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/John-Wilkens-powerpoint.pdf.  I love it here and never miss an opportunity to try to convince friends and family alike to join us in moving to this great place.  Not only am I reminded of what a great place Des Moines is by my walks around Gray's Lake, I see it by it's booming economy and great cultural and entertainment spaces. John and I love that we can head up to Jasper Winery on any Thursday evening in the summer and enjoy a concert on the lawn or have several choices of lovely, welcoming restaurant patio's within close proximity to our neighborbood.  In a recent National Journal article @ http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/population-2043/do-the-most-hipster-thing-possible-move-to-des-moines-20141016, it was said "Des Moines is a large living room. There's this homey feel....."  The author also mentioned "there's a T-shirt shop and community staple in East Village called Raygun. It's cushioned between foodie restaurants and basement bars, and provides ironic wear for the otherwise earnest customers who frequent the neighborhood. One of their most popular shirt designs is a perfect expression of the ambition and slight exasperation of the locals here: "Des Moines, Iowa: Let us exceed your already low expectations." I love it!!! Please join us in doing the same.  And if you can't move here, that's ok.  Just take time to come visit and if you do, take a walk around Gray's Lake, I hope you get the same wonderful feelings I do.

Christmas 2014

December, 2014

Greetings,

This has been an eventful year for our family, so hence the update.  On December 13th, 2013 we made our way to Des Moines to start a new chapter in our life.  Both John and I work in West Des Moines and decided that we were ready for city life.  We bought a home in the older neighborhood of SW Des Moines, “West of Fleur” and love it.  I’ve thought about starting a food and activity blog, just to share what a great city Des Moines is and how much we are enjoying it.  John is working as an IT consultant at Athene and I am a utilization review nurse at Telligen.  John finished up his MBA from Iowa in May, after 6 years, and immediately took a volunteer position as head coach for the East High School 7th grade football team, finishing the season 5-1.  I as well, passed my Chronic Care Professional exam in November.  This certification and knowledge is beneficial for healthcare professionals due to the changing health care environment, and needs of our elderly populations. Isabelle is finishing up her senior year at Luther College and will be receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing, December 2015.  Anna completed her prerequisites for the dental hygiene program at DMACC and is working at Bondurant Family Dentistry, waiting for an opening in the program.  Colby, Anna’s boyfriend, lived with us on and off over the year while he started the apprenticeship program at Missouri Valley Electric Cooperative and remodeled a home he bought in Ankeny. It’s beautiful, and Anna has done great job helping decorate it. Jessica is a corporate trainer with Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines and she married Chris Schreier on September 27th.  They live in Ankeny, too.  It was a beautiful day. So, thankful for them!  They are a great couple with a great future. Chris is a business analyst at Nationwide and will finish his Master’s in Business Leadership from Grandview University in the spring. We attend Lutheran Church of Hope.  It is said to be…. “one church, many locations,” and we have attended both the West Des Moines campus and the Downtown Des Moines campus.  We will be starting a small group in January with 2 other couples we met this fall while taking the Alpha course offered there.  After 30 years of marriage, there is one thing we can look back on and know for sure… God has blessed us and we are humbled by his grace.  It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worth it.  Merry Christmas!

Who is in your boat?

John said it was the best sermon he's ever heard.  Mike Householder's message today @ Lutheran Church of Hope.  The passage was from Mark 4.  Jesus is a sleep in the back of a boat in the midst of a storm.  His fellow sailors are fearful and ask, beg, him for his help.  Three words changed their perspective on who God is. "Peace, be still." In that instant those men realized who was in their boat.  He wasn't in an obscure temple, or in heaven as they thought "God" should be, but he was in their humble boat helping them in their daily life.  God is in our boat.  No matter what it is that is causing you to fear, remember that Christ is in your boat. - http://www.hopedesmoines.org/

Good Morning, Saturday! It is a beautiful day and I'm heading for a walk.  But before I do I need to get something off my mind.  In light of the past month's troublesome political climate, I had a thought; not necessarily unique, but a thought just the same.  Why is it that we demonize those we disagree with?  I'm not an innocent.  It is a struggle that I had for many years.  That being said, I am watching the media, activists and political  pundits trash conservatives, not on general disagreements of policy or principle, but by name calling.  Not by normal debate conversations about differing world views, but of divisiveness.  If you examine my early adult life you would see a young woman who was on most topics obdurate, inflexible, uncompromising, disapproving and hypercritical.  Those attributes drove me away from relationships that would have brought joy to my life and maybe to theirs.  Most importantly, I believe, darkened my heart to the voice of God. I thought at the time it was the "right" way to live...a "godly" life style. My way or the hell-way ;). Please understand that I am still a believer in concrete right and wrong.  A follower of Christ.  A supporter of conservative principles.  Adherent to the individual spirit.  But, in a more personal and humble way.  Activism has it's place, but the question is when? I'm still struggling with this question myself.  Now, back to my original thought....civility among those we disagree with.  Ted Cruz no more an evil man disguised as a United States Senator as Barak Obama is an evil man posing as President of the United States.  They are men created in the image of God trying to do the best they can to follow their personal beliefs and world views using the platform that they have been blessed with.  Stop calling them names and dismissing them just because you disagree with them.  As for me activism has reared it's ugly head and I don't like it.
Have a great day!

I spent today with my beautiful daughters and my wonderful husband.  It was a perfect fall day....almost too warm, but the sun was soothing.  It was a day spent tailgating, meeting new people and high-fiving each other (and those around us :).  When we said our goodbye's and all the girls were on there way back to their destinations, I had some time to reflect.  I logged on to my computer and did some soul searching.  Why was I so convinced that "my guy"...they man I wanted to be president, was going to win this year's presidential election?  I read some articles.  Some from conservative sources some from friends, not conservative, and kind enough to stick it to the me, the person who believes in a "Fantasyland Party... an isolated and gated community impervious to any intrusions of reality from the “real America” it solipsistically claims to represent." Ouch... love you, too.  After reading several articles, watching apologetics from Karl Rove, Scott Rasmussen and Frank Luntz and taking a long bubble bath, I realized I had to admit it.  As difficult as it is I have to admit it.  I drank the kool-aid. Yes, my strong belief in a more traditional country with its individual spirit, limited government, and personal responsibility and desire to have someone as president who will govern with those solemn principles got me to follow a line of thought that was greatly flawed. So, what now?  Reflection?  Such a cliche. Blame? Petty. Conversion? Not likely. But, I do know one thing I can do to make sure this doesn't happen again.  Refocus spiritually, socially, familially, and communally.  It has been a long political season. I need a rest.  It's time for a sabbatical. It starts tomorrow....right after we watch the morning news.

I began a new career this week. I am working as a review coordinator @ Telligen, formerly know as Iowa Foundation for Medical Care.  After months of searching for a job that I believed would fit into my life, I was offered this position (Thank You, Cheri). It is a job unlike I have ever had.  I have worked crazy shifts, crazy jobs w/ lots of crazy people.  There may be crazy people here...I haven't met any yet.  It doesn't matter. I have a "normal" job.  The 9-6 normal job. No weekends, No holidays, NO NIGHTS!!! Do you want to get together the second weekend in August? OK, I've got it off!  How about dinner Friday night? Sure, I'm off. I know that sounds shallow and petty.  I am really looking forward to both learning a new genre in nursing/healthcare but also to have a similar schedule as my husband.  Is that so silly?  I hope not, because I have been is such a good mood since I got this job.  I hope it continues. 

In 2004 Barak Obama united the world with a wonderful speech at the Democratic Convention.  I watched live at that time and thought this man is going to be president one day.  The following are excerpts from his speech....
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal... that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is the true genius of America. Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America... the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states."
Who is dividing us, now?  Who peddles negativity? Who is embracing the politics of anything goes in this election?
Ever since his election victory President Obama has divided rich and poor with his policies and his rhetoric.... “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by,” the president warned, “or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share.”  According to a earnings chart @ the Heritage Foundation (http://www.heritage.org/federalbudget/top10-percent-income-earners) the top 10% of earners pay 71% of federal income taxes. I'm OK with rich people being in our society. They pay most of the taxes and reminds me that there still is the opportunity to be rich. He has divided black and white over the course of his presidency. The issue with Henry Gates the professor @ Harvard, who refused to show his I.D. when police found him breaking into his own house because he was locked out.  Obama made a flippant statement about how the "police acted stupidly" without even knowing all of the facts.  He stated later he "regretted" his comment.  His justice department refused to press charges against the New Black Panthers in a case where they obviously, intimidated voters coming to a polling station, choosing to narrow charges in one account and dismissing the other.  On April 26, 2010 in a web video he called out blacks and Hispanics to vote for him. What happened to the "There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America.." sentiment?  Recently, he fueled a made-up "war against women" campaign started by George Stephanopoulos in January, by inappropriately calling a 30 year old women, perfectly capable of taking care of herself and her birth control, apologizing for stupid comments made by another man.  Why is our president making these kind of phone calls anyway?  Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, a national debt of almost 16 trillion and our president is making a phone call to a woman about getting her feelings hurt. A divisive action.  Pitting women against each other, the church and men. Very sad.  Now today.  He is on a bribery tour heading to NC, Iowa and Colorado trying to get college students to vote for him by telling them that the big, bad republicans are going to increase the interest rate on the student loans they hold, when in reality it was the democrats that voted in 2007 to allow the rate increase to take place this year.  I want to believe that women, students, Hispanics and blacks are not so easily duped.  Please, think for yourselves and don't be sucked in by political rhetoric.