Minnesota Update #4

Holy goodness gracious! It's been well over a month since my last update. Although I'm mostly to blame, some of it has to do with the fact that our internet connection hasn't been working for the last 2 weeks (and won't be going for another week - missed bill payments) Nevertheless, shame on me, indeed (or is it shame on you for not reminding me? :) - don't worry... Serena's been keeping on top of things).

Well. A lot has happened since my last email. Also, since a lot of people replied saying they liked seeing images I thought I'd start putting my updates on the web so that there could be no shortage of images and media.

The day I sent my last update was the day I left my humble abode and went north with the Grimsby Family to Gunflint Lake for a weekend getaway. Gunflint Lake actually straddles the border. As we ate breakfast in the lodge, I could look out across the water and see Canada. Those around me said it didn't look any different, but I could tell. It smelled and sounded like Canada, too.

The Grimsby's rented out this large cabin for all of us. The facilities were incredible! Large bedrooms, 3 showers, plus a hot tub and sauna to boot!

We spent from Saturday to Wednesday up there and had a fantastic time (because we simply just relaxed and did puzzles), not to mention a great chance to get to know the family a bit better (except for one of the brothers, Jonathan, who couldn't make it... they stuck a picture of him on the moose's nose, though).

For those who thought deer were cute and passive, think again. [When Deer Attack]

UPPER ROOM

Most of you may know that I have been offered the job at the Upper Room as Production Director! Both Sarah and I are excited! The flipside, however, is the fact that I can't be an employee until I have legally immigrated. During that time, I've agreed to volunteer Wed, Thurs and Fri until I can become a paid employee.

My volunteering at Upper Room is going really well, and I'm meeting a lot of people. I am currently coordinating the sound and lighting teams Sunday afternoon and ensuring the Sunday night service goes well. CPC (Christ Presbyterian Church) is a great facility to hold services and events. A few weeks ago, Travis' (our roommate) girlfriend Christa organized a large arts showcase at the church. The evening was called Mosaic | Arts in Worship and hosted a wide range of artists from the community (from painters, photographers, to storytellers to dancer). The evening was a great success. For my job, I was asked to create a short promo video to help advertise it. [Mosaic Promo]

Also, just this week, I was invited to a 2-day seminar that looked into the emerging church culture. A lot of what Upper Room does is taken from some of what was outlined in these sessions.

Since I cannot get into the country with a work visa for the Upper Room job, Sarah and I will be pursuing an immigration based on marriage. There's a lot involved here. Sarah and I have just hired a lawyer (actually his paralegal) to go over our documentation to make sure it's filled out properly before filing. We've only just begun.

On Friday, I went to a clinic to get my medical exam (it's a required part of the immigration process). Unfortunately for my left arm, this constituted 3 shots and a blood test. If you had been there, you would have seen my face refuse to flinch. If you were reading into this, you would have known I was sweating bullets and nervous as heck (not to mention that the last needle really hurt and I had no choice but to cry out).

My arm is still a bit stiff. Tomorrow I will be going in to get my results in a sealed envelope (yep. No joke.)

Plans for the wedding are going full swing. Most importantly, the date has been set: October 9th! We're both very excited about slowly moving closer to our wedding day.

Although we're still 5 months away, in wedding-speak it's treated more like 5 days. Reception sites are hard to come by, but we have a few options (one of them being the CPC Fellowship Hall, actually). We should hopefully get our site finalized within a week.

A few weeks ago, Sarah and I did a quick trip to an apartment close to where I'm staying. It's actually the only apartment building we've looked at, but so far it's the nicest :)

Kurt (my 'boss') lives with a guy named Marty. Marty owns a restaurant in town as well as works with Masters on Ice (championship figure skating, I believe). Since the ice skaters (or is it dancers?) are on tour, Marty's truck isn't being used. Kurt talked to him and hooked me up with it! What a blessing. Now I've been able to get to Upper Room without having to ask for rides... Here we see hardcore Sarah and I with our hardcore vehicles:

UPDATE: Last night when I left Upper Room, Sarah and I were met with the realization that the truck was not where I had parked it. My vechicle was missing. It turns out that Marty was home and needed his car back. As of now, I'm not sure if I'll get it back or not. Hey. I can't complain. It was a real blessing to have... (although a gas guzzler)

Make note of this, if you like: I now have a cellular phone. It's amazing. You can carry it around with you anywhere you go and make or get calls from anyone! It's like having a phone without all the cords... Sarah and I are sharing pooled minutes, but those are only in effect until 9pm during the weekdays. Therefore, please feel free to call me at anytime after 7pm PST and anytime during the weekends. I'd love to call Vancouver, but it's 50 cents a minute (don't get excited Dave; we're talking currency here). My number is:

Of course, what would an update from me be without some blatant team spirit:

Here are some other random collection of pictures for you to browse through to give you a good idea of what we've been up to.


Sarah was housesitting for her neighbours. I came over to find that Richie (above) has put regular dishwashing soap in the dishwasher... Very cool (but very sloppy) effect.

No. I didn't meet this woman in person, but wish I had. This was a postcard I saw near Gunflint.		On the other end of the spectrum, yet another beautiful picture of Sarah.

Sarah and I looked at an apartment. This was the kitchen, apparently.		...and this is Sarah and I lounging in the sun while waiting for the apartment rental coordinator to take us on tour.

For Easter, Normandale (Sarah's family's church) brought in a lamb that kept bleating (is that the word) during the end of the service.		This was taken at a big family lunch over the Easter weekend. Here we're celebrating our engagement with glasses of sparkling apple juice.

Sarah's car before I got my anal hands on it.		Sarah's car after.

The moose head in our living room up at Gunflint Lodge (no photo of Jonathan has been attached yet).		Sarah and her new pair of glasses.

		Free tickets to the Twins game (they beat Toronto which was really nice).

Picture 1: The T-Wolves advance to the next playoff round.		Picture 2: Andrew (left) and Travis (right) after the T-Wolves advance to the next playoff round.

Picture 3: Sarah and Michael not really caring about the T-Wolves advancing to the next playoff round.

Thanks for taking the time to look through this update. Again, I'm very sorry for not having been available for internet-communique, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the house will get a connection soon.

Please keep Sarah and I in your prayers. There is a large amount of paper work to be filled (which has to be done in a certain, confusing order). Also, with wedding preparations in full swing, it's hard not to get completely overwhelmed with it. However, despite all the obstacles, Sarah and I are still enjoying the adventure!

PS: A bit of bad news to the update: despite my best efforts in searching, I have come to the conclusion that I have, in fact, lost my digital camera, which really sucks! The most frustrating part is that I can't recall where I had it last. Arghhhh! The next update might be a little slim on the old media side of things :) I'm hoping that someone at CPC found it after the Upper Room (if that's where I left it), but I'm not counting on it. At least I have 4 of the 8 really good rechargable batteries left... and the charger. *shakes head slowly*