This past week I was with my church, Winnetka Covenant, building a church in Juarez, Mexico. I have been on this Missions trip one other year but we built a small home so this was a different experience especially because we have 40+ people working on the same project. The weather was perfect, as far as rain is concerned anyway because heat is a different story. However, I am definitely on board with any place that allows you to take a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Otherwise known as a siesta. I am a big fan of those. It was a lot of hard work but we were able to finish Thursday early afternoon and without a single complaint from anyone the entire week!

It is so amazing that these people, who have a considerable amount less than their U.S. neighbors, can be so happy. You can just feel and see their faith and trust in God as they live out their lives for Him. If only we were able to live our lives with that much trust and faith.

There are many stories or thoughts I could say but I don't have enough space to write so my pictures will tell the story.

Juarez, Mexico

July 16-20 2007

The Danskin Women's Triathlon was this past Sunday and me, Linnea and my mom participated in it. I just want to thank everyone who prayed for us as we trained and throughout the coarse of the actual race day. It was a great event and something that all 3 of us feel very proud of.

I had set 2 goals for myself. The first was to finish without stopping and the second was to finish in under 2 hours. I am very happy to say that I accomplished both goals! I was not so sure about being able to do the whole thing without stopping after the biking leg because the wind made it difficult to go even downhill. That was definitely a challenge but we all got through it and finished!

The swim start
Looking at the swim start from the other direction

The run start
Mom starting the biking leg

Me finishing the bike leg

Linnea finishing the biking leg

After I finished

Gwen playing with my finishing medal

Linnea at the finish line
Mom coming into the finish line


We did it!

So Scott, my boyfriend for those who don't know, and I went to the Cubs game last night against the Colorado Rockies. Most of the game was not very close (Cubs had a big lead) until the end when the Cubs allowed 6 runs in the 9th inning with no outs!!! Typical. So in the end Soriano saved the day and we won 10-9. Very exciting ending. We had a great time.

Can you tell the sun is in our eyes???

So I have yet to see a cicada in Chicago (Thank God!), however, there are plenty to go around at my parents house in Winnetka and other surrounding suburbs. I have said it once and I will say it again....Sick! I will not be shedding a single tear when they disappear for another 17 years.

This is a little belated but it was my dad's birthday this past Sunday (the 27th) and I just wanted to say how great he is. When it comes to my dad I really could not have been more blessed. He is someone who has been a part of shaping me into the person I am today through his unconditional love that he has for me. He has shown me what it looks like to live your live for God and how his love for Jesus shines through him like a light. He is someone who has shown me faith, love, kindness, patience, loyalty, perseverance, humility, care, humor, generosity, leadership, and the list could go on on and on. My dad is amazing and I love him so much. I am truly blessed to be able to call him my father.
At the Bears game with Cam
At the driving range with the family on a Sunday afternoon

Mariachi band anyone??

Cicadas....they are so gross they deserve 2 posts before they have even emerged! Any day now, any day now.

So in honor May 22 (the predicted doom day) Stacy, Annie and I had a "coming out" welcome party. Let's be honest, life is just not as much fun if you can't be silly once in a while.

Cicadas seem to be a very hot topic these days especially with their arrival day looming in the near future. I, for one, am extremely NOT excited for the cicadas to come. Here are some pictures that I found to just help us get into the mindset of when they come, which is supposedly May 22, next Tuesday!

I heard on the radio that there is 1.5 million cicadas per acre! That seems to be a ridiculously huge amount for such a small area. We'll see if that really is the case. I hope not.

My mom told me a story of the last time they were here when I was 8. We were going into town together and I happened to be holding a cicada in my open palm. She asked me what I was doing with it and I told her I was taking it for a walk. I highly doubt I am going to be taking cicadas on a stroll this time around. I am pretty sure I will just be freaking out because flying insects scare me. I have joked about tying a piece of string around the leg of one and having it fly over my head in circles but that seems a bit cruel and I would have to hold it. Yuck! Clearly, I'm am not excited. Can you tell? Just thought I would share.

Anyone have any stories that they can remember of the last time they were here 17 years ago?

More sad news...this past weekend Tomte died. That is 3 cats in 2 weeks! Unlike the other cats, I was ready for this one. We have been watching him dramatically lose weight for the past couple months so we figured this was coming. He died in his favorite place, on my mom's lap. If you ask me that's kind of gross but sweet at the same time. Way to be a trooper mom! So here are some pictures I shot of him several weeks ago. And then there was one...but stay tuned because my mom believes in having cats in two's!

To my surprise, my parents got last minute tickets to the Cubs game last night. It was a fun game to go to and we won! The score was 1-0. Of course, since it was last minute we missed their only scoring run in the first inning because we got there late. Oh well. It was a fun game spent with great people and nice weather. You can't ask for anything more.

You won't be seeing many posts from me about my family pets unless there is news to share. Unfortunately, what I am about to tell you is not good but sorrowful. You will also probably not find a post like this on Linnea's blog because she never cared much about our cats so I stand alone in the blog world posting this tribute to 2 of our cats, Mia and Pojke.

This past Sunday I learned that 2 of our beloved cats were missing. Mia, our part Siamese, too good for the other cats and owners besides my mom, has been missing for over a week. While Mia was a very beautiful cat, I can't say that I am terribly upset about her disappearance. While she will be missed, she has always only been affectionate with my mom so I have never had much of a connection with her. We have had her since I was a Junior in High school.

The other cat that is missing is Pojke. He has been gone for the last several days. He is the sweetest cat that loved to curl up in your lap during the day or snuggle with you at night. I can still remember the day I came home from school when I was in 5th grade and the first time I saw him. He was underneath the shelf where our microwave sits trying to hide in the dark corner. It was difficult to see him since he was all black but I remember pulling him out and holding him for the first time. Pojke has been in my life for a long time and is one of those pets that I will truly miss seeing every time I am home.

While I would not be surprised if Mia just took off and never returned, it is a missing Pojke that makes me think that we are never going to be seeing them again. He is too old to be wondering off and just not coming back. That's just not like him. Not to mention, my mom said that she head noises that could have been coming from a cat that was being attacked the other night.

So this is my tribute to Mia and Pojke (2), may they rest in peace. I will post some pictures if I can find some in the near future. I hope they have a great time in kitty heaven and say hi to Elsie, Tily, Flicka 1, Flicka 2, Flicka 3 and Pojke 1.

Side note: If you are worried about my parents being lonely in their house without Mia and Pojke you don't have to worry. Tompte and Bjorn are still there to keep them company but don't be too surprised if you read another post soon regarding Tompte. He's not doing so well. Long live Bjorn!

So our mother volunteered us (she is really good at that) to make manicotti for our church dinner that we have every Wednesday night. We cooked for about 150 people which is a LOT of manicotti. Fortunately, this is our second time doing this so we had our assembly line ready to go. Linnea was directing of course :) This time it only took 3 hours to make 225 noodles. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and some enough to take seconds!

I have not posted pictures of Gwen lately so here you go. The first one is of me, Gwen and my Grandpa "The Great One" at church and the last 3 are of us just hanging out with Linnea. Can you believe she is going to be 1 on May 2nd! She is just so cute! I am definitely the definition of a proud aunt :)

Lisa, Leah, Annie and Me
Lisa and Kenny

Me, Joel and Annie

Lisa and Joel Russell were in town on Thursday and we went to Andies for dinner in Andersonville. It is a great place for Mediterranean food. I had the Almond crusted tilapia on garlic mashed potatoes and it was so so yummy. It was so great to see them.

The Shamrock Shuffle was this past Sunday and I accomplished the goal that I had set for myself!!! I wanted to run the entire thing and I did!!! I honestly never thought I could run 5 miles so this is a great feeling. I almost died when I saw a hill during one of the last parts of the run. Are you kidding me? What are they trying to do to us??? Fortunately I overcame my exhaustion and finished the run. It was a gorgeous day and an overall great experience.
The top two pictures are me crossing the finish line. Sorry the pictures look so digital. I am just happy to have them :)

Leah and I after the race enjoying the beautiful Chicago day.

Just wanted to write a quick update that Curt and Roger returned home safely yesterday around 2 pm. This was a couple days earlier than expected and is truly a miracle. This really shows the power of prayer.

Thanks be to God for his protection over them!

Please pray for the situation in Congo right now. If you don't know much about it you can read articles on CNN.com, the Covenant Website http://www.covchurch.org/or any other world news website. Roger Thorpe, a retired Covenant missionary, and Curt Peterson, the executive director of World Missions are stuck there.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THEIR SAFETY!!!!!