Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sister of the Groom

My brother, Stephen, got married this weekend! That's right, he is now the proud husband to Kirstin Bengtson (yes, there can never be too many Kirsti/en Bengtsons in this world:). It was a beautiful weekend celebrating Kirstin and Stephen. We got to see cousins/aunts/uncles from all over the country (and Canada), and we only wish it could have been longer. It is so wonderful to be able to see everyone and catch up. The weekend began with Chicago style pizza, which has been a family tradition (for both of our families) for years. The wedding day involved the gorgeous ceremony at North Park Covenant (where generations of each of our families have attended college and seminary) and reception at an Italian restaurant. Needless to say we ate a lot:)

In light of my last post, I suppose when your little brother gets married, it means you are an adult, right? Congrats Stephen and Kirstin, we love you!!!























































Monday, May 17, 2010

Adult?

Okay, so we don't have any fun new pictures, but I'm sure we will have a lot after Stephen's wedding this weekend. I don't want you to give up on our blog due to lack of posts, so I will have to get creative and think of something interesting (even though we all know pictures are the most fun).

I was giving a guest lecture the other day on the transition to adulthood (my research area) and one of the students asked me if I thought I was an adult. Despite working in this area for years, I hadn't thought about it lately. I realized that over the last year, I have started to feel more like an adult. So here are some signs that I'm approaching adulthood:

1) I like routine. Yes, it's true. I now like having a schedule, where I know what I have each day. I also dream of not moving every few years.

2) Going out on Friday nights is laughable. Saturdays, sure! Fridays I just want to crash on the couch and watch a movie after a long week. By Fridays, we have trouble even staying awake through a movie, even if we go to a theater! If we do muster up the energy for Friday night, then Saturday night=home. Don't get me wrong, we always enjoy ourselves seeing friends, whatever the night, the week just takes it out of us now.

3) I feel emotions much more deeply. I don't know if it's because I can relate to experiences more (now that I've had a little more life experience), or if it's because I roomed with Michelle in college who taught me it was okay to cry, but I just feel others' pain and joy a lot more lately. Seriously, put on Extreme home makeover or read a blog about God's love, a parent's love, or about someone who gives to others, and hello waterworks!

4) I like to cook. I think learning to cook from scratch was the key. I love fresh ingredients. There is also such a sense of accomplishment when you are done.

5) I feel like my students are really young. Hearing that they were in elementary school when a song or a movie came out that you remember from COLLEGE, makes you feel old.

6) My parents are some of my favorite people in the world to hang out with. They are incredible and am realizing I took their incredibleness a little for granted as a kid, and want to soak as much of it up as I can now. While some people may experience a littel disillusionment when they realize that their parents are human, the more I learn about them as people, the more I am amazed by them. I think our relationship is becoming more of a two way street and I hope I can be there for them as they have been there for me.

8) I love civic events. Pretty much anything free or educational that the city offers, I am down! This is a far cry from the cable-loving adolecent I once was. I also so wish I would have taken advantage of all of the great lectures SPU and the U of M had to offer!

9) We (Will and I) feel a strong desire to be vital parts of our community. Serving and giving back is really important to us. We feel that we have been so blessed by incredible role models that we want to give back and be that for others.

Okay, so these are just a few. I promise, pictures will be coming soon from the wedding!

Until next time,
Kirsten