Another Monday - and some gripes about my wife's job!

I had work today until 1pm - then had a quick lunch quick consisted of string cheese, an apple, and some carrots! Next was Dr. Green's class in Theology of the Gospels. I'm really enjoying this class so far.
Lauren picked me up after work so we could take something back to Target and pick up a few things for our taco dinner tonight!
That's about it.
I'm getting more disappointed with Lauren's work (I'll post the name of the work after she quits in December - just so she doesn't get in trouble). For one thing, Lauren had a PERFECT review not too long ago, but it seems like the investors and powers-that-be like to take advantage of their "perfect" employees (and everyone else working there as well). Here is a critical review of this company (which I still do admire for their "eco-friendly" focus).

"Lauren's Job" gripes:
1. No can can get raises until they reach a 95% capacity. Since they are probably already profiting (big-time I would guess) this is ridiculous. I've never heard of a job that would do something like that! Are these investors money hungry or what?!

2. Lauren was granted vacation for this Friday (a long time ago) - YET, they are holding a mandatory meeting Thursday night - 2 hours AFTER work! They just announced this meeting 2 weeks ago when Lauren has had permission for MONTHS!
This means that their workers have to PUNCH OUT, then COME BACK to work for a mandatory meeting! What in the world?! Is this high-school?! It's one thing to have a quick briefing immediately following work, but to have a meeting 2 hours AFTER work is just insane! It's basically wasting 2 hours of everyone's time as they hang out in the area waiting for the meeting to happen! PLUS, the director is fully aware of Lauren's vacation the following day. They also know that Lauren and I are DRIVING back that NIGHT - so where is the sensitivity?! Do they want our baby to get hurt in some late-night accident?!

3. There is only a 10% discount for employees who want to have their children taken care of here! TEN PERCENT! So it would cost Lauren 20,000 dollars to take our child there! Um - so Lauren works full-time and that would pay just for 1 child?! HA! Can we say "PATHETIC"!

Conclusion: Obviously "Lauren's job" in Chicago is not a Christian-based organization, and therefore sets no standards that would cater to the needs of others instead of themselves. Of course we shouldn't be surprised when we see companies with potential act as greedy, selfish, worldly, and power-hungry as "Lauren's Job". It gives me joy to think that even though I don't make very much at Moody Bible Institute, the entire institute's goal is to serve Christ. This involves constantly putting others first, seeking to educate their students with tuition-free education, and ministering to thousands of people world-wide through various means.
Tell me how many places get together 10 minutes a day to thank the Lord for our students, employees, and institute!
Ok - I'm done! This is all my personal griping - not Lauren's :)
Love,
Micah
p.s. BIG congrats to my mom who started her new job today as Observatory Coordinator! WOW! God is AWESOME! For those of you who don't know, my mom left Meadow Creek Christian School (now Legacy Christian Academy) for some sad reasons (mostly because they took away her classes and gave her ones that she is not qualified in). Oh yeah - there are also some other sad things going on there too... :(
SO - all that to say, God blessed her with TWO amazing jobs! Both are flexible, allowing my mom to teach students with the gifts that God has given her, AND they pay better than Meadow Creek (probably not by much, but hey it reminds me of God having vindication from Psalms you know)?! what a BLESSING!

Table Built! MC (mission completed)!

We went to church today and enjoyed worshiping God with our church family. The pastor today was Victor - he spoke about Christ becoming sin for us ("The Monster Christ")

After church Lauren and I hung out w/ Michael and Britt for a while, met Pastor Victor, then looked at our possible future apartment next to First Free! Please keep us in your prayers as we wait to hear if we can move into this apartment before year's end, and that the rent will be affordable for us!

The weather was SO warm today! We went to Menards, bought a piece of lumber, went to Aldi to buy a bunch of frozen fruit, then went home to make smoothies and a table! Check out the pictures!

I have a lot of homework this week. PLEASE keep us in your prayers, for health, sleep, homework completed, gracious professors, and to follow the Lord's calling in all that we do!
Love,
M&L

First Saturday 2010!

Today was a LONG but glorious day!
This was Moody's annual grad student retreat - but this time it was a one-day event, and it was hosted....that's right...on campus! Not really a "get-away" retreat, but a one-day event that was designed for students to meet the new ones, rekindle old friendships, and interact with our energetic professors and faculty! This year's theme is "Holy...Expectant...Zealous" based off of Titus 2.
The morning started with the Student Council (aka StuCo) showing up to the Solheim gym - which was LOCKED! It took a while for public safety to finally get over there to open up, so we had to get moving as soon as we got in! I was hoping and praying that this was the only "glitch" in the day!
The breakfast food was quickly arranged, the worship team started practicing, and the registration table started getting organized as well. Lauren came with and helped us get ready! She was really an incredible asset!
Finally the time came! Many students arrived early so they were anxious to get checked in! We handed out colored bandannas to classify each group (organized by major/focus). We also had a professor assigned to each group as well!
The breakfast was a big hit! Way to go team! The worship team had a great set of songs and it was awesome just coming together to corporately worship the Lord as one body of students.
Lauren ended up providing the child-care (sorry sweetheart)! She was so good about it too! Even though she does this for her full-time job, she totally went in there and took care of the kiddos! She was well-loved!
Dr. Nyquist and our new provost spoke, as well as our very own Dean Jelinek!
Next came an introduction to our international students - 40 countries! Students came down and lined up carrying their country's flag!
Prayers were given in thanks, and then a rotation of sports and games commenced for the afternoon!
We were supposed to have Edwardo's pizza for lunch, but we found out last minute that Events and Guest Services never placed the order!!!! So - praise God Dominoes down the street made 33 pizzas in less than an hour (with only one man on the job)! So - what could have been a major disaster was averted! Praise the Lord!
After lunch, more games took place, then later on, the students took a walk to the old water tower downtown to sing praises together. Then they made their way up to Lincoln Park where a dinner was waiting for them, as well as a time for worship, prayer, and communion (done in the small groups by the professors). It was an amazing day and I was blessed to be a part of it! See the slideshow and video to follow!

NAE Chaplain's Conference - Day 01

I have been blessed with an opportunity to attend a chaplain's conference, hosted by my endorser (the NAE) and fellow endorsers under the NAE umbrella (C&MA and EFCA). The conference is being held in Colorado Springs, CO from Thursday-Sunday. I packed early this morning for the trip :)
I took the el to downtown, and from there I took the Orange to Midway. The flight was smooth with no issues. I only brought carry-ons so check-in wasn't an issue. I forgot I had my little Army toiletry kit with me, but it went through without a hitch!
I was blessed to have a USO at Midway that I could relax in for a while before my flight. Everyone was very friendly and accommodating!
The flight went to Denver, so while I waited for my connecting flight to CO Springs, I noticed a USO in Denver as well! This one was SWEET! Plenty of recliners, snacks, and amazing hospitality by the volunteers.
The flight to CO Springs took all of FIFTEEN MINUTES! It was hilarious! I was up and down before I knew it!
When we arrived I met our van driver (John) - he gave me the "chaplain sign" to hold for the other arrivals so that he could stay with the van. The ride to the hotel was pretty quick, and it was fun to finally meet my endorser Paul Vicalvi in person! The ice cream social in the evening was great, and I made a lot of new connections, and also saw some guys that I met while at CH-BOLC last month. It was a really great evening to connect! Jeremy Quigley and his wife Julia, along with their daughter Zoey, were able to attend the conference as well! The Quigley's are from Moody, so that was a fun connection to have!
The bed in my hotel room is awesome! There is a dial on both side of the bed to adjust the firmness/softness! Pretty sweet! I'm looking forward to what this weekend brings!

Dinner with friends!

I had a StuCo meeting over lunch today to try to hash out a few more details for this upcoming retreat. I feel like there are a LOT more kinks that need to be worked out before I'll feel comfortable putting my "stamp of approval" on this event! But I am confident that God will be with us in our planning, and that this will be very successful.
Lauren and I were both excited to see our friends Nicolas and Lindsey for dinner in the evening. Nicolas just got married to his bride the weekend I returned from basic. They just finished getting settled into their new apartment in Chicago, so we were honored to be their first official guests! Boy did we have a great time! Nicolas cooked a very tasty French meal for us all. The appetizers were tasty too, and we really enjoyed their company and fellowship. We played Balderdash for a while after dinner and also enjoyed a tasty treat that Lindsey whipped up! We are very blessed to have friends like Nicolas and Lindsey - and we are thankful for their hospitality and fun we had that night! Thanks guys!!! :)
Tomorrow morning I leave for a chaplain conference in CO Springs, hosted by the NAE, the Missionary Alliance, and the EFCA! I'm super stoked to go, to meet new people, connect with old friends, and get some nuggets to assist me in my growth as a CC!

Working and cleaning

I spent most of today working (like normal), but also trying to continue cleaning up the apartment. There were still a couple boxes just sitting around, but I was able to finally take care of those! Now my next project is to built a table for the kitchen. I think I'll work on that next weekend (after my trip to CO Springs this coming weekend).

Back to work...without Brittney...

It was a sad day - the first day without Brittney at DRM. We mourned her loss silently as we pressed forward in our daily duties. The happy news is that I chatted with her online - just like old times!
I'm also not scanning much anymore...which is interesting. I suppose they're trying to get me back into doing other mail processing stuff again for this upcoming semester.

But - it was a good day overall - nothing crazy!

The trip back to Chicago

Lauren and I left in the morning to head back to Chicago. But before we left her parents and sister hooked us up with some good food to take along for our kitchen! We got some awesome veggies from Dad's garden, and Dani's leftovers from before she moves off to Mexico, and some other odds and ends as well!
On the way home we also stopped at Ft. McCoy to shop at the Commissary. We got some great deals there on food, and stocked up a big more - gotta love tax free and cheap food!
We had lunch just outside the base at a little pizza place which was a lot of fun as well! We might even make that a regular stop every time we drive by!
Lauren also called ahead to her aunt Tammy and we were able to stop over there for dinner as we got closer to home! It was fun to catch up with her and Dayton, see the dogs, and take a break from the driving!
Before the day was over, we had arrived back home. Of course the humidity wasn't very much fun in an apartment with no A/C, but we are surviving (and saving money)! Please pray though that God opens up a door for us to live somewhere a little bigger by the time our baby arrives! :) Though - I personally am content knowing that He will in His own time - and I am enjoying our place as long as we have it! :)
PS. If you click on the car picture, notice the dog sleeping on the top of the back seat!

Reunion, Family, Friends, and Ice Cream!

It was a long, but very fun and enjoyable day!
Lauren and I stayed over last night at Uncle Roger's house in Osseo, WI. It was really good to see him again, and we enjoyed spending some extra time with him. In the morning, Doug (my first cousin, once removed), and his son Sam (my 2nd cousin) came to see Uncle Roger as well. Lauren and I stuck around a little while longer before driving a mile down the road to help get ready for the big Olson Family Reunion at Forrest and Ramona's! We had a really great time there, seeing people that we haven't seen in quite a while! It was also a blessing to spend more time with Grandma Sonia and Auntie Pam as well!
Around 2pm, Lauren and I left the reunion to drive to Minneapolis. We stopped at Arthur's Jewelers to get Lauren's ring cleaned and inspected, then met my family at the Green Mill at Rosedale for dinner. We celebrated Grandma Mc's birthday there and had a joyous time of fellowship with the family!
After dinner we checked out Ariel's new apartment and visited Penny as well! She has a really great place! We really enjoyed it! Next, we drove to Jacob's apartment by the UofMN. He and Kristen also have a nice place! They were still unpacking a lot of stuff, so it will be fun to see when everything is unpacked and organized as well!
Our daylight was running out and we still wanted to spend some time with Lauren's family, so we called to meet them in Stillwater at Nelson's ice cream! They are known for their famous Lumberjack!
As we were on our way out of the UofMN, we saw JB's Mustang driving by!!!! What in the world?!!! So we called them, and it turns out they were on their way to find Jacob's apartment to say hi! BUT, my siblings all decided that they wanted to join us at Nelson's, so they already left the apartment - so JB and Katie decided to come along for the fun! It was GREAT! So now all of my siblings and our best friends in the area came with us to an ICE CREAM place (one of the best things to eat while fellowshipping)! We met the Johnson family in Stillwater and ordered the famous LUMBERJACK! We were determined to conquer it (like I had last year)!
The ice cream was great! But, as it starting getting melty, and people started playing with their food, I got grossed out towards the end and couldn't finish the mission! But it's alright - we had a great time!
Thanks to everyone who joined us that evening to spend some more time with us! We wish we could have spent even longer with you all!
Lauren and I ended up spending the night in Hudson since it was already "that much closer" to Chicago in the morning!

Chick-Fil-A and Brittney's Last Day

I ended up going to work this morning - even though I didn't have to. I had to see Brittney on her last day! Over the past several months (and longer - basically since Loren Rugen worked here), we have been collecting stamps from the envelopes we get, and Brittney put them all in a sweet, handmade, stamp book! It was certainly a bittersweet day. Lauren made a cake a few days ago, and when we realized that we couldn't finish it - we gave it to Tyrome to take off our hands! Thanks bro!

I left after the morning work was over. The rest of the employees celebrated "Employee Appreciation Day" - but I already maxed out my hours! So I decided to appreciate the rest of my Friday morning/afternoon running errands and cleaning the apartment!

After Lauren was done with work - we met my DRM friends (sorry - we're more than just "DRM friends" - that sounds so "professional-like"!) and we drove up to WISCONSIN to get some righteous chicken sandwiches! In case you didn't know, Chick-Fil-A is a Christian-owned chicken fast food joint, who closes their doors on Sundays. The food is actually really tasty too! I had my first experience at CH-BOLC (if you remember that blog)! The drive was crazy during rush-hour, but TOTALLY worth it! It was a great way to end the week - though it was tough to finally say the word "goodbye" to Brittney. But, as MWS put it best, "Friends are friends forever" :)
To top things off though - as we stood outside the mall, one of the employees from Chick-Fil-A came out and gave us ALL FREE CHICKEN SANDWICH COUPONS! So we HAVE to go back!!!! Enjoy the slideshow!