The Riley's Visit!

Last weekend, our friends Mike and Sarah came for their second visit to our home. If you don't already know, we met Mike and Sarah at our church. They came to Korea a little after Christmas and came to G3 in January and soon after we became good friends. We even took our summer vacation together to Sokcho (see blog link). We really missed them when we left Korea and are really thankful that we have seen them twice since they got back in December. And even better, this weekend was a long one, so we had an extra day to spend with them. All four of us were pretty tired and we ended up hanging around home and relaxing. But, we did get out to play some Frisbee and go to Buffalo Grove Days, a local festival. Below, are some pictures of our fun weekend! We miss them already and hope to visit them in Ohio before too long.

Jon's pretty good at playing Frisbee; I am horrible at it. My throws never go straight or horizontal, but rather vertical and veer to the right at a 45 degree angle. oops. Being a good husband (and not acting embarrassed by me), he gave me some tips and I began to improve...slightly.
We brought the Pocket with us to the field and she had a fun time running around and chasing after the Frisbee, but then she got tired. I made her a makeshift bowl using a large leaf, what a good mother I am.

I love my baby Molly and she loves having the freedom to run around in the grassy field!

I love Sarah!

This was at Buffalo Grove Days, it was quite uninteresting (as Sarah's face shows), especially Randy's Magic Show. I'm still wondering, where are the greasy cheese curds? Do they not know that there is no festival unless there is some sort of grease covered cheese? Oh, Illinois.

I had made a double batch of Nona's zucchini muffins before Mike and Sarah came and they all got devoured (mostly by Mike). So, I decided I better teach Sarah how to make them for her hubby and we made another double batch, woo-hoo! That morning, I also made blackberry muffins for breakfast, they were very yummy as well.

Jon and I had a great weekend with the Riley's and miss
them a lot! But, we look forward to seeing them again soon!

Seven of Nine

Jon and I have had a fun and relaxing day of hanging out, talking, and a little shopping. We've been having some pretty interesting chats, but one of them was on Star Trek. I was telling Jon that a friend teased me today about being from Star Trek because of my name, Anika Borg. I had to explain that it really was a family name and my parents didn't spend all their time watching Star Trek. After telling Jon about this, he told me that he used to stay up late while he was in high school to watch old Star Trek. And....Anika Hansen of the Borgs was his favorite character. I thought that this was hilarious. I don't remember if he told me this before, but I thought it was pretty funny. Well, now he has his own Anika of the Borgs and doesn't need to watch Star Trek!
I am his very own, Seven of Nine.

Nona's Zucchini Muffins

I saw my parents almost two weeks ago and they brought many things, some of which being two blocks of aged cheddar and two zucchinis from their garden. I grew up loving tasty food because my family are wonderful Italian cooks and bakers. One of my favorite things to eat are zucchini muffins, but not just any zucchini muffins, Nona's zucchini muffins. I even tried to look up decent muffin recipes online and I could tell that they were not close at all, I mean, who wants to put carrots, walnuts, or raisins in their zucchini muffins? Really.

So, I finally grated the zucchinis last night and prepped to bake the next day after work. I started baking and remembering when I would stand by Nona or my mother's side while we made muffins. I was the one always sneaking a finger in the bowl to "test" it. Nona would always reply in a loud, Italian way, "You'll get salmonellae!" (Well, with all the recent egg recalls, she could surely say that now and be sure of it!) But, I never did get salmonellae and didn't risk it this time either. I also remember my mom teaching what the right consistency should be and once you have it, don't stir it too much (but I had to stir it just right so a big plop would fall on my finger while my mom looked away). I am so glad I have my mom to learn things from, but greatly miss my Nona especially at these times when I'm baking or have something I'd like to tell her. I've been missing her a lot lately and I'm glad I can at least use her recipes, remember her, and feel close to her in that way.



Jon loved the muffins and after eating two, he said, "I could eat two dozen of those, I need to be stopped!" So, I guess they were a success!
p.s. Mom, thanks for the extra muffin tins, I was very happy to
find another container in the cupboard!

Meatloaf Man

Jon was pretty proud of himself tonight and so we thought we'd put it on the blog to share.

Tonight, I came home from another busy day at work to find Jon having made dinner and it finishing in the cooking. To top it off, while he waited he washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen! What a good guy I have! He wanted to keep the dinner a surprise, so he made me go away and not help at all. I usually come home at 6:30 and cook dinner soon after that, so it was a nice change to not have to rush and cook over a hot stove on a hot and muggy day. Anyways, Jon made something that is his favorite without knowing I also really enjoy it: meatloaf and mashed potatoes! I don't think I've made meatloaf since we've been married, which is just silly. Jon used potatoes that his dad gave us last weekend, from his garden. He mashed them with a serving fork and he probably felt like we were back in Korea, there I mashed potatoes with a very unstable spatula. We decided that I might need a potato masher and that we no longer need to live like we are in a country that doesn't mash potatoes like 'real' Americans. After setting the table himself, we were able to enjoy a meal together which was very rare during his Greek class. Now that he's in his regular semester with 5 classes, I feel spoiled to get quality time with him almost whenever I want!

I'm thankful that my boy can cook, likes to try out new things, and is willing to give me a break. Thanks baby boy, I'm proud of your cooking and helping me out!

Trinity Wives Fellowship

Today was a crazy day for me. My previous class of kids moved on to Kindergarten on Friday and Monday, I started a whole new class (with no prep time to get ready, mind you). But, we managed to get things together and the first day went better than I thought it would with a bunch of new 4 year olds! Then, after my full and crazy day at work, I had my first Bible study at Trinity. I have a great co-leader that I have been getting to know better and we seem to be a great fit! We met our group of 8 women, but were missing a few, so it'll be nice to meet them in two weeks. We have a nice group of women that are international, national, newly married, those with more married years under their belt with kids, as well as those new to trinity and returning wives. The three small groups will meet as a large group in one room on campus for worship (which was led by Kate and I), treats, and announcements. Then, we break into our small groups and have our Bible study and prayer time. Tonight I planned an ice breaker called Shared & Unique and it helped us to see our similarities and unique traits within the group. After the ice breaker, Kate led an Ephesians overview and we closed with prayer requests and prayer for one another. A Trinity professor's wife will be going back and forth between our group and another, so it's nice to have an experienced wife in the group and she said that things went really well tonight, which was wonderful to hear! Anyways, I will keep you updated on the Bible study and what I've been learning from these women as we go through this crazy time as Trinity Wives!

Pocket Pictures

Here are some cute Molly Pocket pictures from Jon to tide you all over.

Working on my Bible study with me!

Friday night relaxation. Ahhhh...

Molly's life with Jon while I'm at school.

And...this is her life while Jon's studying.

In her heart, she's really a Honda kind of girl.

My adorable, cuddly Pocket!

We're Free!

This post is probably the most important post because, Jon (we) are done with Greek! Yay! Today was Jon's last day of Greek, where he took his final exam. He feels pretty good about it and how he finished up the class, so let's hope he will get placed in the proper class for next semester. When Jon called me on the phone to tell me how the test went, I think I was almost more excited than he was to be done. He didn't display too much excitement, but maybe he will when we go out for a celebratory dinner tonight! This has been a long five and a half weeks, for sure and we're both glad to have it done with. I know Jon is looking forward to going to sleep before 3 am and not waking up before 7:30am. And I know I am looking forward to getting more than ten minutes of quality time together each day-what a luxury!
So, thank you for your prayers during this time for Jon as a faithful student and me as a Greek widow.

Anika

"Street Fightin' Dawg"

I have taken a little summer break from the world of blogging, but will hopefully be jumping back into writing! I will soon have to update some of our summer activities over the last month and a half since I last wrote.

To start off my make-up work, I'll tell you about a crazy even that happened today with Molly and Jon. Late this afternoon, Jon took Molly on a walk around our neighborhood. As they were walking past a bigger dog going potty, the dog suddenly bolted at Molly, breaking its leash and jumping on Molly. Jon was so caught off guard, but somehow lifted Molly up by her leash so she would be safe while he held off the other dog. The owner ran up apologizing and said that her dog was attacked by a small dog when it was a puppy, so that's maybe why it did it...Jon called to tell me this at work as I was going into a meeting, so I was pretty worried both about my Boy and my baby Pocket. I felt like a momma bear. I wanted to know who this woman and her dog was and where to find them! Jon has never seen them before and unfortunately didn't get any information. Molly was not injured that we can see, just a small scratch on her tummy. I guess it's a good thing we didn't get her hair cut last week like we were thinking! Also, very thankful that my Boy is so nice and tall and could protect the baby-what a man! I told him he really should never get in between two dogs because he could get hurt, but he said he would do anything to protect her and he did a great job! (Can you just imagine how he'll be with our kids someday? What a good Papa!) I guess Molly was not too fazed by the whole thing because after the dog was gone, Jon put her down and she went on her merry little way going potty as she went. It's kind of funny because my mom and I joke about Molly being a "street dog" in Korea and we sometimes call her a "Street Fightin' Dawg" and make up our own versions of her past life. But today, Molly was the victim in the street fight and showed that maybe street fighting was a normal part of her life and therefore, didn't faze her.

But, my poor baby! I'm so thankful that she's okay and that dumb dog didn't hurt or scare her anymore than he did. But if I ever see that dog, I'll give it a "what for" and roar my momma bear roar!

p.s. Oh, Molly told me (with sad puppy eyes) to tell you that any treats such as Milkbones, bacon, cheese, or bananas, can be sent to her home address to speed up her "recovery".

A Minnesota Wedding Weekend!

This weekend, Jon and I drove to Minnesota for a wedding of a friend, Jessica, from college band. I was in the wedding as a bridesmaid and was very excited about being able to support her and Chris. Friday night, we made it to Rochester, then Saturday morning, I drove up to Stillwater to stay with my friend Betsy from Korea! We haven't seen each other since we left Korea and it was wonderful to finally see each other in the U.S. Betsy and I have kept up by talking on the phone every other week or so. It was nice to visit her and her family even though it was a quick visit with me running to the cities for wedding reasons. Jon then came up on Sunday for the wedding and we again had to say good-bye as he was going to stay in Rochester until Thursday. Good-byes are always so tough! He also kept Molly Pocket in Rochester from Friday night til' this Thursday, so I am missing her as well. On Sunday night, I drove to Eau Claire to get a start on my long drive and stayed with Anders and Emily at their new house. Even though it was a fast trip, it was nice to see them and see what they've done with their new home! Monday, I drove the rest of the way to Chicago and made good time with no problems! I am really looking forward to seeing Jon on Thursday and our home being more normal. I am really not used to the quiet, but at least I have the pigs to talk to! Last night, I also realized I have no one to cook for, which is sad to me, so I've begun to plan my next week's meals to get ahead. I have also been investigating more about making homemade pasta and might try my hand at that sometime soon since I have Nona's original Italian pasta dough roller. Look for an update on that later!

Below, I wanted to share some pictures from the wedding, unfortunately, we just had my point and shoot camera, but it gives you an idea at least.

The beautiful Jessica and her dad!


After they lit the unity candle, they had the wedding
part pray over them, I really loved that idea!

Mac n' Cheese Pocket

We really try to only give Molly her food or healthy people food that will give her extra fiber. But every once in awhile, she gets a little treat. Molly prefers that her special treat either be bacon (specifically maple) or cheese, she also enjoys eating the ends of my banana as I have never eaten the end. These three foods are probably her favorite and would eat them all the time if she could! Here's an example of her being so obedient to get a bit of "cheese".

Mummit Visits!

About two weeks ago, my mom came to visit us for several days. It was good timing for her to come and distract me, since Jon was busy with his class and I was trying not to distract him from all of his work. I was happy to have some mom-time, though since it had been a few months since she had come to visit. She stayed at home while Jon was at school and I went to work, because of this, I didn't have to use my break to run home and let Molly outside, which gave me more planning time. While at home, mom helped out with some cleaning as well as cooking bread and meals for us to have that week and freeze for later; what a great help! For some of the nights, mom and I got to make dinner together. One of the dinners was homemade Fettuccine Alfredo, yum yum garlic! On the weekend, we did a little grocery shopping as well as a stop by Puppy Palace! Puppy Palace seems to be a regular stop of ours whenever she is in town, it is always fun to see all the cute pups and wish they were our own. Sunday morning we went to Harvest for church and enjoyed a nice brunch before mom had to take the train back home. :( But, it was wonderful having her here for a visit and have someone to hang out and talk to while Jon was busy with his studies. Below are some pictures of mom and I on a walk on the grounds of our complex. The Pocket came along for the walk as well. She had fun running freely in the field, but got scared by the vines of the Willow trees...weird dog.

We have a little creek running through the back property!

Scary Willow trees!

First Game of the Season!

Two weekends ago, Jon and I went to our first Brewer's game of the season! Two of Jon's cousins, Michael and Brian, also came with. It was good timing for a carefree and fun family outing since that week we had a rough week, learning about a college and band friend passing away. It was very shocking and Jon and I spent many hours discussing it. (On a side note, I am so thankful to have a husband that is always there for me and seems to have some sort of an answer for anything I ask. He was wonderful in answering questions about heaven and God's will.) But, again, it was a good change in that week to go to a wonderful Brewer's baseball game! I have been attending Brewer's games with my family since before I could remember. But, I do remember sitting outside of our old Volvo in the County Stadium parking lot with my parents, brother, and grandpa tailgating and growing in excitement for the upcoming game. Although I have never remembered any stats or many names of players, I love baseball! I have always loved being with family and going to games and yelling out the players names (those that I remembered, that is) and eating Twizzlers and Starburst. After County Stadium was torn down and Miller Park was built, I was sad that those early life memories were gone, but there has been so many wonderful new memories made at Miller Park!

I was really excited to show Brian and Michael, who are Twins fans...Miller Park and show off the Brewers. Even though the Brewer's had such a horrible home record, I was hoping they would pull off a win against the Mets while we were there. Well, not only did they pull off a win, but we saw a grand slam as well as a double home run. Before the game, we tailgated as usual grilling ballpark franks and Johnsonville Cheddarwursts with Ruffles chips, grapes and soda. Soon after, we went inside the stadium and walked around it exploring and watching warm-ups. Then, we took our seats a level up from the Mets dugout. From the beginning of the game, we were in the hot seat because we had about 5 foul balls come whizzing at us. I jumped for just about all of them to no avail. Apparently I've become braver as the years have gone on because Anders or my dad would always save me from those crazy balls in County Stadium. But we were lucky, Jon had been eating peanuts like it was going out style and he had a substantial peanut shell pile between his feet. Well, wouldn't you know, a ball came flying at us, I jumped, Jon ducked, and when he sat back up, he had the ball in his hand! The ball had bounced off the guys behind us and somehow landed in his peanut pile! I did not know this but was rather scrambling on the ground trying to find the ball that I knew was nearby. Jon was so cool, he just lifted his hand and said, "Oh, don't worry, I've got it," in the smoothest and calmest voice you could imagine as if it was no big deal. I love it! I excitedly hugged him and kissed his cheek, so maybe we kissed on TV...we'll never know. But, Jon now has his own Brewer's ball that he has by his desk with his ticket.
The Brewer's ended up winning the game and it was a great night! But, it wasn't all over yet. On our way home, we stopped at a favorite restaurant/custard place of my family's and Jon's called Kopp's Frozen Custard. I shared some custard Tiramisu custard with my Boy. He really enjoyed it and so did Michael and Brian. I have to turn these Norwegians into Italians anyway I can, you know...
Jon and I look forward to going to two games in mid-July with my parents and Anders and Emily! So excited to have some more family and Brewer time together!

You Know You're a Graduate Student When...

Jon's been very busy with his first summer class. Theology II started two weeks ago and went for 8 hours of class every day for 5 days straight. Since then, he has been reading, testing, and finishing up the rest of the assignments for the class. He is so diligent and I'm proud of him for pressing on! But, as we were talking, Jon and I came up with some hints of how you can tell if you or someone else in your life is truly a graduate student.

You know you're a grad student when....

• You grow a beard without realizing it
  
• You brew a pot of coffee at 9pm
• The couch has an indentation of your bottom from sitting there and studying for days
  
• You count the days by how many hundreds of pages you've read (or have yet to read)
• The only large amount of quality time you get with your spouse is silently reading in the same room together.
  

And on and on the list could go... But, only a little while longer and then he gets a little break until Greek starts up for a month and I become a "Greek Widow". I surely am thankful for the time we have together whether it's dinner, or chatting between reading breaks. So proud of my boy and his hard work!

Molly Pocket's Mornings

Taking the Pocket outside right away after getting up has not been enjoyable, mainly for one reason: Molly's lack of actually wanting to go. She is so spoiled and particular. She seems to dislike the morning dew on the grass and does not like to get her fluffy, yet dainty feet, wet. She's usually very good about going potty and is excited after 8-10 hours of sleeping on our bed (go figure, I'd be happy to go potty after that long, too). Looking around right now, ummm, I just realized we left her in the bathroom for the last 45 minutes or so by accident (after me spilling a large amount of sugar on the kitchen floor, Jon put her in there for what was supposed to be temporary). I was wondering where my little blog inspiration was, she seems to be forgiving even after leaving her to hang out in her cubby. Okay, now that she is cuddling by my side, I can continue....When I take her outside, she's usually very good about finding her regular spots and going potty. But, in the mornings, she tries so hard to keep her feet dry, that she avoids the grass and trees completely! So, as you can imagine, it's been difficult to get her to go potty. I usually end up halfway dragging and picking her up by her harness to bring her to some grass while I yell, "Molly, go potty! Go potty! Will you just go potty?" Anyone who might happen to be around might look at me oddly, but oh well, telling her to go helps...I think. But, after all the pleading, she will finally go. Then, she's off on her merry way back to the house where she will promptly run upstairs, to our bedroom, and wait for one of us to put her back on her throne. So, this has been my regular mornings since it has been warming up, hopefully she will become used to having her little piggy-toes damp until I clean them with her very own towel. What a little Princess Pocket!

Harvest Members!

Jon and I usually attend church on Saturday nights, but today we went to the earlier service. We changed our routine because after the service, we had our Harvest membership interviews. This last week, we completed a membership class called Peak Performance and the interview was our next step. Jon and I were able to have our interview together with a very sweet-hearted man. First, we each told our testimony and how God has changed our lives. It was wonderful to listen to Jon and hear how God has changed him and how he has grown. Of course I know his story, but had never really heard it in that sort of setting. Isn't it wonderful how God saves us? I told my story and soon began to cry; I didn't think I would get emotional, but I surely did. Just looking back at how I strayed and how Satan lied to me makes me so thankful for God rescuing me and giving me Jon to help me along in this path. I was also so thankful for my wonderful mother who was a steadfast prayer warrior, praying on my behalf when I couldn't see and didn't understand who God really was and what He had in store for me. I am so thankful for all the people who prayed for me and showed me that God is real and He cares for me and doesn't want me to be away from Him. Isn't our God so loving and amazing? So those are some of the reasons that came in like a flood over me and made me realize how God has brought my husband and I out and to His path of life. After talking about our believer's baptism and how God has brought us to Illinois, the man prayed for us. I felt so blessed to be prayed over and encouraged by what he said. We are so glad that we belong to such a wonderful church and we look forward to continuing our worship there as well as working for Christ through the many opportunities at Harvest.
I know I have posted the website before, but thought I would do it again so you an check it out if you would like. This week's sermon was on forgiveness and what happens when we do not forgive: grieving God, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice (Ephesians 4:31-32). It was so practical and hit me in my own state of bitterness. So, I encourage you to listen to the sermon and check out the Harvest page.

Now, off to clean the house in our 90 degree (whoa) weather! Have a wonderful Sunday and start to your week!

Anika

First BBQ of the Season!

My Trinity woman's Bible study has now ended for the summer until I begin mine in the fall. To end the year's session, we had a BBQ at Trinity, where we also brought our husbands! I was so excited to finally BBQ, as I've been smelling our neighbors wonderful grilling. I was also happy for Jon to meet the women I have been with this last semester and get some "boy" time with the other husbands as well. We arrived, but unfortunately it started raining soon after we began to eat. We pressed on continuing to eat our burgers, brats, salads and chips, even as the drizzle became heavier. But, as it drug on, enough was enough and we went inside to one of the couple's apartments. We were only planning on staying a little while longer, but ended up talking with the others for another two hours! It was so wonderful to have fellowship with other seminarians and their spouses. There was also a woman from Korea who came to the dinner. She is learning more English as she tries to apply for Trinity. I was able to talk to her for awhile about Korea; it was nice to reminisce as well as welcome a new person to our country. But, both Jon and I spent time with a lot of nice couples and had a wonderful time! We look forward to getting together with some of the couples we met this summer.

The last two weeks, I have been blessed to have Jon home all day and all night while he has a break from school. Although, he is getting tired of being "stuck" at home so much, I love it! He has the days to study up on Greek as well as get started with his second theology class, oh and doing some cleaning around the house (thanks babe!). I love coming home to Jon and Molly greeting me and then having the whole night to be with my boy. For the last five months, it has been a wonderful greeting, but usually back to studying for a good part of the night. So, as you can imagine, I am very thankful for this break to get to spend some extra time together. Although I love my job, I definitely look forward to leaving and going home. I better cherish this time before he starts school in another week. He will have a pretty busy summer, especially towards the end where he will be taking two semesters of Greek crammed into one month...fun. I sure am thankful that he is the one taking the class and not me; he is very good at languages and will do well with Greek. I look forward to seeing him grow as he did throughout this semester.

Thank you for your patience in my lack of blog posts; I hope to write more frequently!

Anika

April Update

I don't know why, but I haven't felt much like writing this month. It's not that I didn't have anything to write about, I just didn't want to sit down at the computer to do it. Don't know where that came from, but I'm going to slowly move back into blogging by just doing some bullet points of our life as of late.

• I had a great birthday (almost three weeks ago). Jon was very thoughtful and generous; he even made me a little scavenger hunt over the house to find my gifts. Jon knows I love scavenger hunts and surprises, so it was perfect!
  
• The weekend after my birthday, Jon and I went separately to our parents houses. He had a really nice weekend with Kari, his mom, and dad. It was good for him to be at home with just his family and me to be with mine as well. I met my mom north of Birchwood for a woman's retreat. I've gone with her in years before, but obviously couldn't go last year, so it was nice to be able to spend the time with her. We had a lot of great laughs and great talks.
  
• Jon has been working really hard at school and doing a great job. He finished giving his second and last sermon of the semester. I know that he put them on Youtube, but I don't know the address off hand. If you want an invite to it, let me know. Now, he is starting the last two weeks of the semester and finals. He will be glad to be done with this time, as will I, so we will have more time together. I've realized that the most common complaint by seminary wives is that they don't get enough time with their husband and one of the hardest things we have to do is let our husbands alone to study. Jon is taking three summer classes and so he will be busy, but at least there will be gaps in between!
  
• We rearranged our living room and the room now appears to have more space. We feel much more at home and invite guests who want to visit!
  
• Last week, I was invited to consider leading a Trinity woman's bible study next school year. I went to a retreat for the leaders on Saturday and we had a fun time brainstorming ideas for the next season, learning more about God, and having fellowship with other ladies. Anyways, after praying and discussing it with family, I accepted the offer and I look forward to having the study at our house.
  
• I miss Nona. A lot. I must miss other people as well because I've been in a big baking mode lately. Using the same tools that Nona used and gave me, is both wonderful and sad. I miss the baking and cooking times with her and calling her to ask what to do in a certain situation. I also miss our sleepovers and telling "Booger and Eyeball" stories (yes, that was our secret 'thing'). I miss reading the Bible to her and hearing her speak and sing. Anyways, I miss other people too, my dear family and friends. I do look forward to seeing you throughout the summer when possible!
  
• To go on with my baking theme. Today, Jon made his parents' split pea/ham soup. I made from scratch blackberry muffins and Chinese five spice carrot cupcakes for Bible study as well as a loaf for my co-teachers. I have also spent time looking up more recipes and found some tasty treats that I'm sure I'll be trying out in the near future.
  
• Molly is doing well. She is currently sprawled out on the couch with Jonathon. Her haircut is starting to grow out a bit and her ears are as fluffy as ever. Oh, her new activity at home is watching the guinea pigs. We finally brought our guinea pigs here as they were vacationing in Birchwood the last year. Some of you may not even have known that we own such fine pigs such as Pipsqueak and Mutton Chop. She was so interested in them when we came home from Korea and so it's nice for her to have a hobby and entertainment throughout the day.
  

Anyways, sorry for the hiatus, but hopefully I will be more consistent in updates. I hope these updates helped you catch up on The Engers!

Molly Cinema

I feel like it's been a little while since I've had some videos of Molly up, so I wanted to share some recent ones with you. These are obviously before her nice, new haircut. But, you can see how desperately she needed it, especially since she looks like a mop in the Easter video.

Jon and Molly after Easter brunch. I don't know why, but
Jon likes to cuddle Molly like this; maybe she's warm...

Jon and Molly looking for Easter eggs.

I hope PETA doesn't see this, they might find that Jon is cruel!

Earthworm Hunting!

Spring Cleaning

Today ended up being a great day for cleaning, even though it was a nice day out. Jon was busy planning and writing his next sermon, so I took advantage of the separate time from each other and cleaned the house. One of the things I cleaned out was some empty boxes. Yesterday, Jon and I finally bought a TV stand. We had looked since December and had not found one that fit the small space, would be used for a flat screen in the future, as well as one that we actually liked. We went to IKEA yesterday to get one that we both agreed on for the most part. But, when we got there, we just didn't feel good about it so we looked around a bit more. Then, we both saw one that apparently just came out, would fit against our little wall, and we both instantly liked it! So, we got it! Jon was great and put it together, while I cooked dinner. The TV stand was the last piece of furniture that we wanted to complete our home. Anyway, because of that and some other things around the house, there was some cleaning to do. Here are some pictures of our living room since I haven't yet posted any pictures of our home. (Hopefully I'll have some pictures of the rest of our house later on).

You can see the Pocket loves our, I mean her, new furniture.

Stairs on the right goes up to the two bedrooms and a full bathroom.

The Pocket also had some spring cleaning done to her, she got a haircut! This is her first official haircut in the U.S. and we are very pleased with the results. You might remember the "3 millimeter okay?" incident; thankfully, this did not happen this time. Jon did a wonderful job of researching prices and good reviews to find South Paw Groomers. Apparently, Molly was very happy there and the workers loved her and said she was adorable (as we already know!). After getting her haircut, Molly excitedly greeted me in the car when Jon picked me up from work; I was so happy to see her! So without anymore adieu, here is the Spring pup!
Did you know that she has eyes?

Jon loves how nice she smells and that she's so soft. Molly
is his shadow and cuddle buddy on the days that
he's home with her and I'm at work.

"Ms. Helpful"

I had kind of a nice surprise on my way out of school today. A parent stopped me on my way out to tell me what their son's dream was last night. She started explaining that another student in my class was putting up a force field to protect him from meteorites falling from the sky. Then, he mentioned that "Ms. Anika was there." The mom asked what I was doing there and the son said, "Ms. Anika was helping with the force field and protecting me from the meteorites." The mom asked, "Why was Ms. Anika there helping?" He replied, "Because that's what Ms. Anika does! She helps!" Awwwww! That was so nice to hear as I left work for the weekend. When I was still 'Helquist' my preschoolers used to call me "Ms. Helpful, Ms. Helpless, and Ms. Help-a-Kiss." So, I guess that I am still being a "Ms. Helpful" even though I am an Enger. ;)

Now, off to play the board game Ticket To Ride with my boy to start
off the weekend (Anders and Em should be happy).

Okay, update. The game has been done for awhile, now. I wanted you to see the results of the unfortunate game.
This is how the game ended. Jon is red and I am blue.

If you take a close look at the pieces at the bottom, Jon won
by four points...ugh. But, good job, honey!

Jon overtaking me...ugh.

During the beginning of the game (when we were both civil), Jon said, "I'm glad that I have a competitive wife." I replied in saying, "I haven't even gotten upset this game; I'm trying not to show my competitiveness." Well, this soon changed when he blocked me from a city my train needed to get to. Things got harsh. Without saying anything, I stared the board and him down. Then, I made some minor threats such as not being nice to him. Jon proceeded to whine and complain that he had a competitive wife; oh how things change. But, apparently my drive was not enough to win the game. I mean, look at how close those pieces are, ugh! In the end, I feel like I was a good sport and he even was awarded a hug and some cuddles. It's tough being a loser. :)

Pesach

Yesterday, Jon and I had our Passover Seder meal. This is the first year that I have performed the meal on my own, of course with the help of my husband! We didn't celebrate it in Korea and I really missed having the Seder. But, this Seder was also special because my mom gave me my own Seder-ware. I received a Seder plate, candlesticks, matzoh plate, Elijah cup, as well as a menorah. They are all really pretty and have grape vines on them and focus on the verse 1 Corinthians 11:25 as well as some specific ones such as "I am the Vine" and "I am the Bread of Life". The set looked great with the rest of the things I used on our table. This was Jon's second Seder meal with me and it was fun that he helped me lead it, since it was only the two of us. Next year, we hope to have some friends over to help us celebrate it. We already started planning on adding the coffee table into the meal so that we can properly "recline" as the Haggadah says to. Plus, with the coffee table and dinner table, we can have even more people! I won't explain the entire meal here, but you can always ask me any questions about it!

Here's our Seder table setting. Jon and I across from
each other and Elijah's place at the head, in between us.

Seder plate: roasted egg, lamb shank, parsley, charoset, and horseradish.

Molly was very good the whole meal, sleeping on the couch
or at our feet. So, Jon decided after the Seder was done,
the Passover Puppy should be cuddled.

Good Friday Remembrance

The days leading up to Good Friday and the actual day is so full of varied emotions. I dread going to the service, yet look forward to getting a better and refreshing understanding of Jesus' death and sacrifice. If it's such a difficult day (only emotionally), how hard was it for Jesus (emotionally, mentally, and physically)! Wow. We just really don't know. But, yesterday, Jon and I went to Harvest for their Good Friday service where we were able to get a better idea of what really happened. Harvest did a good job with the service and made it interactive. We first entered the church and almost all of the seats were out, so we were standing in a large group. Also, almost everyone was dressed in black and the lights were of course off except for some back lights. The projection screens had questions of why Jesus died for us and below was a verse answer in reply. We read these before the worship portion started. After worshiping, we were told that they had set up five centers for us to visit, worship, learn, and mourn before coming back again for communion and worship. The five areas that we could visit were: God's Word, Suffering of Christ, Roman Crucifixion A Medical Perspective, Art Gallery, and Jesus in ____'s Place. In "God's Word", we could sit and reflect on God's Word and spend time meditating on the account of Christ's death for us. At the Suffering of Christ center, we could look at and feel historically-accurate recreations of the components of a first century Roman scourging and crucifixion. Therefore, we could reflect on the suffering that Jesus experienced instead of us. Here, they had nails, hammers, a crown of thorns, and a cat of nine tails. While we were standing here, some of the workers at the service joined the crowd and they basically acted out the scene where Pilate asked who the people wanted. Since we were in a crowd, it felt like we were in that crowd as people shouted, "Crucify Him!" It was very disturbing and real to me that even though I wasn't shouting at that time, I really was one of them who crucified Him with my sin. In the Medical Perspective area, we learned about the physiological effects of a first century Roman crucifixion on a human body through five short videos. In the Art Gallery, we viewed art created by adults and children in the congregation. There was also a live artist painting a picture of Jesus on the cross from a side perspective looking at us. In the Jesus in ____'s Place, we walked into a separate place and received a stamp on our wrists that said "guilty" in red. Then, we came to a white cross where we could write our names in red on it to symbolize that it was "His blood instead of ours". After this, we returned to the center of the auditorium to worship and take communion. Although this service was very different than any other Good Friday service I have been to, but it was really nice and fresh. I realized even more that not only Jesus died for us to save us, but I was one who 'made' Him have to do that, by my sin. He is the spotless Lamb without blemish. But, the sin in my life required Christ to die in my place. I am so thankful for this and glad that Jon and I were able to attend such a nice Good Friday service. I am also thankful that we can look forward to Sunday, when we know that Jesus will be alive. I can't imagine the depression of the disciples as they saw their friend and Lord die, thinking that they would not see Him again (even after they were told that they would).

I hope my friends, you were able to go to a Good Friday service or at least to an Easter Sunday service. Enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend, whether it is with friends or family!

Goodbye Squirrels!

Two days ago, Jon gave me some great news. Our neighbor had been complaining to our landlords about the squirrels in our shared attic. She told Jon that she called the apartment office several times and nothing was done. So, she did what I was too scared to do, call corporate. Corporate called her back several times to work out the retched squirrel problem. Well, they had people come out immediately and go to every building and patch up the holes in the roofs. They also put out more "friendly" animal traps. I did feel a little bad when Friday morning, I saw two squirrels caught in live traps next to each other, but then I remembered how annoying they were. But, then I felt even worse when I saw them the next day after sitting in the heat with no water or food. I almost threw some bread up there...almost. But, they were taken down and set free (hopefully far away) or something later that day. But anyways, I was so excited to hear that the squirrel problem was being taken care of! I was even more excited when I didn't hear any scratching or rolling around of objects above my head for three days now! Let's hope this continues and we will have a peaceful awake time as well as a peaceful sleepy time!

I Hate Squirrels!

My hatred for squirrels, I believe, really started with a discovery by my dad: our childhood/family camper was completely ruined by squirrels over the winter. Ahhhhhhhh! Makes me want to scream. I'm sure my parents actually did scream. But, my hatred for them has become even worse in the last few weeks. I first noticed the problem awhile after we moved in. We heard lots of running around above our heads on the second floor. Jon called maintenance and they said they would set out squirrel traps. Well, nothing's changed. A few weeks ago, I saw raccoons running across our roof as I entered our place. But lately, it's been a lot worse. During all times of the day, we have heard them scratching and rolling things around and running and what not above my side of the bed. I just can't stand that sound! Apparently, they have their little home above our bedroom. Fun. And during all times of the day, I mean all times. Nightime, dawn, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon, evening, well, you get the picture. So, the last few nights, I have been kept up and awoken by these annoying little creatures. These are the times I wish I had my pellet gun here. I'm also starting to think that this guy has the right idea. The only thing stopping me is, how would I retrieve their nasty little bodies. I sound gross, don't I? But, this is how I feel! I hate being awoken and kept up by them rolling around above my head. What makes it worse is that unless it is causing a health problem or is unsafe, our landlords won't do anything about it. I also can't just call pest control and give them the bill, darn. So, I'm hoping that maybe they'll pee so much that it'll leak through the ceiling. Gross, right? I must sound desperate. Well, as in an effort not to be that desperate, I looked up some options online. The best option I came up with was setting up a strobe light to make their living arrangements so uncomfortable, that they vacate them. Well, I'm assuming we don't have an outlet up there to plug one into. Jon did find some battery operated ones on Amazon. But, who would've thought in your online budget that they don't have a heading by the name of Evacuation/Termination of Squirrels. We'll see if this acorn rolling game continues or not, but after a few days of less sleep, I'm already ready to put money down on that light! Stay tuned for what happens in our crazy squirrel adventures, and if you have any ideas on how to safely and cheaply remove these little guys, by all means--HELP!

Game Works

Jon and I had a great weekend, and it's still not over! Friday night was an excellent night of relaxation, but Saturday was a bit more eventful. A few months ago, Jon offered to take me to Chuck-E-Cheese. We were planning on going Saturday night, but I decided I didn't feel like having running and screaming kids all around me, so Jon thought we could go to Gameworks: the adult version of Chuck-E-Cheese. We started off with some Margherita pizza before going to play any games. Then, we played games for 2.5-3 hours, it was a blast. We brought a coupon with us, so we got some free credit put on our pay card, which gave us a little extra time. Mostly, we played racing and other sports games. But, Jon enjoyed playing some games of luck, which just annoy me! One of the games I really enjoyed was a soccer goal kicking one. Even though it was a ball attached to a rope, it made me realize that I really miss playing that game. Maybe I'll just have to visit that game more often, at least it won't make me have an asthma attack! We also played a lot of basketball games. I think Jon was a little surprised when I kept beating him by twenty points. We played it a lot, though, and had a ton of fun competing against each other. Another game that I beat him at was at Big Game Hunting. I don't know why, but Jon thought he would beat me, ha! At heart, he thinks he is a country boy and I love him for that. It was fun to show off my "sharpshooter" skills. Jon did beat me in air hockey, though. I think my hand-eye coordination is not very strong when a puck is moving so fast towards me. He even sent a few whizzing past me as they hopped the edge of the table-slow down please! Jon did play a football throwing game, I figured I wouldn't even attempt it, but he did pretty good, I was proud! We also played some motorcycle racing, Mario Kart, and Hummer Racing. Well, the Hummer Racing made me feel nauseous because the ride was bumping all over the place and going up and down, plus we drove off a cliff and lost the race. So much for that. Mario Kart, Jon beat me by a ton! Anders would have been laughing because he teases me about how I swerve my body to turn in a car game, well I did the same thing for the bigger version as well. The motorcycle racing, we each one a game against the other, that is, once I figured out that you have to turn the gas backwards and not forwards (just a little hint).

YUM!

Keep your eyes on the road.

Pod racing, we were both pretty bad at it.

GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!

We had such a fun time, enjoying being with each other with some friendly competition and child-like fun! We haven't done anything like that together before, so it was a fun date!

A Little Pocket Flashback

I meant to post these pictures about six months ago, but I did not have them until now. This is one of my favorite stories about Molly and I really wish I had witnessed it for myself. But, you will have to take the second-hand version from me.

When Jon and I took our little trip to Japan in October, we left Molly with her Aunt Betsy. Betsy was my co-teacher from POLY that went to the shelter with me when we brought Molly home. Therefore, she is Molly's aunt. I knew Molly would have a great time with Aunt Betsy and that she would take great care of Molly. Betsy even began the beginnings of Molly's house training, which helped greatly as we transitioned to the States and we were no longer living on the 12th floor or 1/4 mile away from any bit of grass. Betsy was so faithful in letting Molly go out and do her thing. And poor Molly, the only place she could do her business in the different neighborhood, was in this little 4x4 patch of grass. But Betsy was a great aunt and took her to a park to get some exercise and outside time as well. Another teacher came with on the park adventure and had a great time. While they were at the park, a little Korean girl ran up to Molly and was really intrigued by her, I guess. I can only imagine how Molly greeted the little girl. The little girl continued to watch and follow her. Then, the girl picked up a leaf and tried to feed Molly, she kept saying, "Meogeureo!" the Korean word for "eat". But, Molly just stood there, not opening her mouth and instead trying to look away. Well, the girl kept telling her, "Meogeureo!" So finally, as to not be rude, Molly took a bite of the leaf to appease the girl. She was very happy, the girl that is. I just love it when Betsy tells this story, so here are some pictures that narrate it. Also, you can see her short hair cut, although this is long compared to what it had looked like two months prior to this day! Her haircut does not make me miss Korea, but the pictures, friends, and funny Korean stories make me miss it a lot!
Janis and Molly. Molly is distracted. Pretty park!

Notice the girl's face, of course she's fascinated and in love!

Aunt Betsy with Molly while she is fed a leaf.

"Mommy, How Was I Made?..."

Well, one of my four year olds, had a pretty good answer to the question. Somehow while eating Ritz crackers, oranges, and carrots, a few of my kids were talking about how they/people were made. I'm not entirely sure how it started, but I know that at the end, the little Chinese girl said, "God made us out of mud and then he blew in our nose." Ohhh, I laughed! But, I took awhile to think about it and although we are no longer made out of "mud", God did "make man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being," Genesis 2:7. The other kids thought it weird that we were possibly made out of mud, but I tried to clear up, in basic terms, that we are now made differently.
This also came from the same girl who will randomly start belting out Amazing Grace in a high pitched song. I remember one of the first times she did it was when Nona was sick and how it is Nona's favorite song, it was very special to me. This little girl makes me smile quite often throughout the day for various reasons and it's wonderful! Oh, I love what little ones say!

TWF!

I just returned from my Trinity Wives' Fellowship bible study. We have been working on the book Lord, I Want To Know You by Kay Arthur. I started attending the Bible study around mid-February, so I've still been adjusting and getting to know the women. But tonight, I really began to feel connected to the women and feeling more like a Trinity Wife! I found out one other woman has only been in IL as long as Jon and I have and they are far from family, so we are kind of in the same type of adjustment period as well as the same age. But, a big difference is she has a young, baby boy. We both realized us and our spouses are looking for some friends and so I got to talk more with her. Hopefully we will be able to get together with our hubbies in the next few weeks. I was happy to have found a friend and also found out that her husband shares the same Monday night class with Jon, that occurs during Bible study. So, that's also fun!
Anyways, my adjustment here has been pretty slow. But I think that it's starting to be better as I've been more connected and feel more comfortable with other Trinity Women, who are going through the same things as I am.

Not-so-Spring

This last week, I heard that we might be getting snow this weekend. In Chicago, it got up to 65 degrees this week and I think I was hoping that this forecast prediction would not come true. But, I awoke this morning to find out that did not happen. When I woke up, Pocket was very excited to be able to go outside. She did her usual spinning around in circles while hopping and breathing a bit like a pig. Last night, she went outside to grass and warmth, little did she know, she was going to be hit with cold air and an inch of snow and more falling as she stood there. I decided to capture her reaction of the snow on video to show you. If you have ever taken Molly outside, you know that this is not her typical reaction to getting to go outside.

Poor Pocket, so shocked.

A Visit From Mom!

It seems to be that I was on a bit of a blogging hiatus, but at least it was not a too terribly long one. In this time, we have had another visitor: my mom! My mom volunteered to take the train down here to visit during her spring break. I was so happy to have my mom here as I have been missing my family and missing Nona a lot. So, I guess I just needed some good "mommy" time.
She came down on the train last Saturday and was able to stay until Tuesday afternoon. Jon and I picked her up at the station, stopped at home briefly to let the Pocket out and then went straight to Saturday night church. Mom has been to Harvest one other time and really enjoyed it, so we were happy to share our church with her again. When we got home, I had a little surprise of early birthday presents! I didn't know why mom wanted to give them to me early, but after opening them, I understood. Almost all of my presents were Passover Seder dishes and pieces to accompany the meal. I was so excited because Jon and I were just talking about having our Seder meal in a few weeks! I also get to share about Passover at school, so now I have some of my own dishware to bring in. Thanks again mom; what a great surprise, they are very special gifts to me!
On Sunday, mom and I had lots of things planned, but only made one of those things happen: Puppy Palace. Oh, we saw lots of cute dogs! I think Jon was proud of me when I came home with nothing and said "no" to the sales woman on a very nice doggy! Look how good I've become, tada! But, that doesn't mean I don't want a playmate for Pocket... It was fine that we didn't get much done on Sunday, because we just needed some rest and relaxation. We ended up hanging around the house a bit and watching some older shows that we like.
Monday, though, was our busy day. I surprised mom by taking the day off from work, so I could spend more time with her. I was also planning on taking her to my Trinity woman's bible study, but unfortunately, it was canceled. First, we went to IKEA and wondered around a bit and of course, ate some Swedish meatballs and lingonberries! After that, we were able to run a few other errands and then returned home. It was so wonderful, mom offered to cook us some beef barley soup and Nona's pasta sauce so we could freeze some and have it ready to eat. So, she spent time making that on Monday night and Tuesday. Jon and I have been scarfing the refrigerated ones and look forward to thawing the rest in the future.
Mom and Jon brought me to work on Tuesday and mom got to see my classroom again and meet some of my kids as well as my co teacher. But, it was really sad to say goodbye and see her go. I really enjoyed my time and was definitely more relaxed and feeling better after getting to be with my mom. I am grateful that I get to see her in a month at a woman's retreat in WI!
Thank you so much for coming, hoodie! Love you lots!

A Spring Walk=A Bath for Pocket

Yesterday was a gorgeous day! I have been really missing the sun; I don't think I have had cabin fever as bad as I have the last few weeks. It's really quite sad, when I take the kids outside, I face the sun trying to catch some Vitamin D on my only exposed skin: my cheeks. So when the sun came out yesterday and warmed us up to a nice 45 degrees, it felt like a heat wave! I took advantage of the nice weather and took Molly on a nice, long walk around our complex. We had a lot of fun looking around at birds and other such things. I'm sure Molly had fun sniffing new things and seeing new people and dogs, as she felt the need to bark at some other little dogs, just to show who was boss, I suppose. Because of the sun, the snow was obviously starting to melt and form wonderful puddles. Unfortunately, I didn't have my puddle jumping boots on, but Molly certainly didn't care if she had hers on! Molly rarely jumps or goes around a puddle. So, you can imagine what her fluffy white feet looked like by the end of our walk. Yeah, yucky. When we got back to the house, she wasn't even allowed to put one little paw down, she went right into the tub.

I really don't mind bath time, I think it's pretty fun. Most of all, it's funny to see Molly's fluffy fur be wet down and her to look like a drowning rat. Jon and I are always amazed at how big and fluffy she looks, especially her legs, and when they're wet, they are just little sticks. I called Jon upstairs to partake in laughing at Molly. The poor thing, just was patient and took it; you'll be able to see that in her pictures.
Notice her stick legs.
Good baby!

Clean baby!

Now, she is so soft, fluffy, clean, and smells wonderful!
Good Pocket! Now, the next task is brushing her...her least favorite task.

Happy Birthday Jon!

Yesterday was my Boy's birthday! I was so excited about it, I accidentally woke up an hour and a half before my alarm was to go off. oops. So, I made use of my time and made some somewhat healthy banana muffins for him to eat while he was skiing that day. Yes, Jon went skiing on his birthday. I was actually considering going with him, this might be a surprise to those of you who know me from high school, as I have injured myself many a time while skiing. But, I thought since he loves it so much, I would be willing to give it another try, but it will have to wait until next year since I had to work on his birthday. Jon had a wonderful day of skiing, it was a little warm, so the snow was getting a bit soft. But, he had a lot of fun going through the terrain park and enjoying the outdoors. After the full day of skiing, Jon picked me up from work and we later went out for a birthday dinner at T.G.I.F. Jon was so excited to get three of his favorite foods right on one plate: salmon, steak, and cheesy potatoes! I had Parmesan crusted chicken with tortellini and a mini tomato mozzarella salad, yum!

After dinner, we came home and Jon got to open some presents from both sides of the family. My mom even sent me some surprise gifts inside his birthday box, I was extremely excited. I only wished she had been there to share in my happiness! Oh, this is about Jon's birthday, isn't it...well, he also loved his surprises and is very excited to enjoy them.
I told Jon that we could do whatever else he wanted for the night and he chose to cuddle on our new comfy couches while watching Lord of the Rings. It's such a long movie, but I lasted through the first half before falling asleep, so I thought that was decent. Even though our tummies were full with our great dinner, we ate his birthday chocolate peanut butter cream pie! I got the recipe from Betsy, my friend from Korea and a wonderful baker! It's so rich and full of wonderful peanut buttery goodness. I just have to say, I pity the peanut allergy kids because they sure are missing out, seriously!

Anyways, happy birthday baby boy! Love you
and so glad you were born!