Covenant Relationships

I became a member of Woodland Hills today. Probably about a year ago, I took a class at church called Discovering Woodland Hills with the intention of becoming a member of the church. That class was designed for people who were new to the church (which I wasn't then). The next step was to take a class called Discovering Covenant Relationships. Very cool class, btw.

Tonight, there was a membership meeting (my first) where we got to hear about the annual finances of the church. The meeting was done with videos, mainly, which were very very well done.

After the meeting, Cara, Eric and I went to Applebees for dinner. Good times.

After four years of attending Woodland Hills, I'm finally a member.

Called in sick today

I've fallen into a strange pattern. I think that Monday nights often are restless for me. This one in particular was bad. Robert took me out for dinner, but we went too late and I ordered a greasy breakfast. So, after going to bed, I actually just laid in bed and worried about wedding plans and the Bible study till about 5am when the breakfast finally decided to come up and out. I called in sick and slept most of the day.

The Family Invasion

Cara's parents are in town. Her dad arrived today and her mom has been here since Wednesday. Before her mom arrived, Cara had been busy moving her stuff downstairs, making what was the guest bedroom into her room. And moving Leesha's stuff into what was her bedroom so that she can transform what was Leesha's room back into her parents master bedroom. Leesha was very excited about getting a new room and she moved in fast. Meanwhile, I've been bringing my stuff over from my current house. I imagine Cara is feeling like her living space is being invaded.

What... The... Heck!!??!

Ran into Natalie today!

Cara and I were moving furniture from room to room and going into the evening. We finally went to get groceries at Target down the street. On the way, at a stop light, a truck next to us honks and lurches forward to parallel with us- it was Natalie and her family! They happened to be going to Target as well. So we all met up in the toy section (Leesha wanted to spend her $4.20 in dimes) and introduced and got caught up.

The strange thing is Natalie and Todd and family don't live anywhere near this area and were just killing time after going to a skate park down the street. If we had left any later or earlier, we would've totally missed them!

Makes you wonder how many other times and places we just missed each other like that...

music - LUSH

I'm Your DJ Now, Princey!!!

Last night I woke up from a nightmare. This is the first time in many many years that a dream so freaky actually woke me up. Trying to describe it now certainly doesn't do it justice, but it had something to do with a serial killer setting up their victims to be found as they die- holding their own throats. The dream was left unresolved and I woke up in shivers. As unpleasant as that was, it was kind of a thrill.

music - various mix cds

Dog Walk

I tried organizing people for this Walk for Animals event, but no one wanted to go, except for Cara. So we went by ourselves. Screw them. We had a great time. This is an annual event where people walk their pet to raise money. I've been to this once before- like 6 years ago and loved it. This happened to be the next year I was able to go. We asked a lot of people about their dogs. Sat and let some of them come up to us for a quick petting-stop. Dog-people are really friendly. There are so many different breeds out there. And the breeds are so very different from one another. We even saw some very nervous cats.

I saw one person I knew- Kathy, one of the people I went to this the first time with, but that time there was about 12 of us. And Cara recognized a couple who was in the same pre-engagement class we were in. I have no idea how she recognized them, but it was pretty cool. They didn't have a pet, like us, and were glad to see they weren't the only ones.

I think I got my dog fix for a while.

music - The Cure (because it was a wonderfully overcast day)

The Longest Day

I passed out last night shortly after getting home. This lighting project is exhausting. Woke up around 11pm and went back to bed around 2am.

4:20AM Perry calls me at home- "Trish called in sick! Can you come in early?"

So I roll into work around 5:30AM.

Around 8:15 Jason from 45 comes down and asks if I'm ready to go! So I tell him why I really can't go with him on the 45 shoot and he sort of freaks out. (I was scheduled for promo shoot. but lighting wasn't finished. Monica and I decided that I needed to stay and work on lighting.) I felt bad. Hoped he wasn't really pissed at me.

Burned out on Monday- already!

passed out at home, woke up around 11:30 pm.

there was poop on the operations table, though.

Chutes and Ladders... only without the Chutes, but lots of lights instead!

I haven't had a day off since one week ago and I won't until this Saturday! This weekend was the annual lighting weekend with our lighting consultant, Dan. So Seth (the new guy) and I were scheduled to do the lights with Dan.

The begining of our lighting project looked bleak.

• Our brand new board was shipped without a power supply and Dan (who was already on the phone, trying to find one in town for us) said one wouldn't be here until Monday afternoon.
• Months ago, Monica had me do a tally on the amount of fluoresent bulbs we had on hand for this task. She told me to find out how many we needed total and then figure out how many we had on hand and she would order the difference. Turns out Dan wanted the whole amount ordered.
• We were also going to adjust all the lights in the studio. Its amazing how many lights burn out just before Dan gets here every few months. We were desperatly short on the bulbs we needed. The order had gone out but the shipment hadn't arrived yet. So we were short several bulbs. Monica has scheduled me to be out on a shoot for 45 on Monday. It became clear Sunday evening that we weren't going to be finished, that we would need to do more on Monday, so I called Monica and she agreed that I should be at the station.
• A guy from Engineering (who is very difficult to work with) set up the prompter area how he interpreted the instruction- not how one would set it up logically. Its probably going to be left that way until he has settled down and isn't so mad about the project before its fixed.

One really cool thing did happen, however. We started later today so Dan and I could go to church. Since Dan is from D.C. and just wanted to go to any church, I invited him to mine! And he went!

All this work means not much Cara :(

music - The Long Walk Home - Peter Gabriel (soundtrack to Rabbit Proof Fence)

Where there's a Willis... There Will Be More Willis'

This morning Greg and I met with our uncle Mike and aunt Mary. They stayed the night in the Twin Cities on their way up to a retreat in Alexandria. Last they knew of either of our whereabouts was Brooklyn Center, where Greg moved in with Mandy when they were married. Just so happens that they stayed the night almost directly half way between Greg and I. I guess it took them an hour and a half to find our phone numbers with their old hotel directory (they had us listed in Bloomington- hah! that was ages ago). And finally called us. Great timing, too. I wasn't home too many nights this week and the happen to call when I was- and not long after I got up from a nap.
It was nice to visit with them.

music - Ayreon ( I think I need to give this album a break)

Settlers and Testimonies

Cara and I visited Greg and Mandy tonight. We meeting at sports bar for a nice dinner (I have to say, though I don't agree with it, I do enjoy the smoking ban). While Cara and I were waiting outside with our pager, I held one of the doors open with the host. She gave me greeting tips as we discussed the good and bad about the ban. Greg and Mandy arrived shortly after the paged us in. We had a nice dinner and when we ordered dessert, the staff gave it to us because of all the help I gave them hosting at the door.

After getting in the house and greeting the nice guys we fired up the VCR (which hadn't been used for quite some time) and popped in a video tape my dad sent us to view. The tape was of my dad's testimony he shared in front of their church (it might have something to do with his nomination for church-elder). We watched and it was very nice. My dad is a public speaker. The strange thing is, I've had very few opportunities to see him doing what he is so good at. Seeing him with his speaking mannerisms, I wonder if those of us who know him so well benefit from our relationship with him when subconsciously receiving the body language. With all that mixed with the topic of his talk and the fact that it was just nice to see him- I'm still not sure how I feel about the tape. It was a much higher emotional experience than I expected.

After we finished the tape and talked about it we set up for a Settlers of Catan game. The game went really long, maybe the longest Catan game I've played yet. Mandy was leading everyone and the rest of us kind of plotted against her which bought Greg and I time to be competitive. Poor Cara fell behind because she was the main force competing with Mandy. In the end Greg won- he went before me in the turn and if he hadn't won, I had enough points to win. BLAST! But it was fun.

April Fools Eve

Tonight, Steph and I did a practical joke on our senior pastor. This is quite a nerve wracking task to be in on.

Steph is a friend from Woodland Hills who leads a small group like Cara and I do. I've gotten to know her through different church singles events and retreats and what-nots. I also got to know her improv and acting ability.

About two weeks ago, an associate pastor from my church called me with a plan. He asked if I was interested in helping out with a huge practical joke on Dr. Greg Boyd.

The setting was Boyd was going to go to a bar on the first day of the smoking ban and smoke a fat stogy with a couple of other pastors- just to do it (in St. Paul, establishments that make 70% or more on alcohol can apply for an exemption from the ban, their boys night out was obviously in St. Paul). The joke was to have a media crew come up to him and start asking questions about the ban, and once he was on the hook, start to get into some very controversial topics that would just make him squirm. My media connections made me a prime candidate and Stephanie was the first person I thought of for an assailant. I'd be the camera man, she would ask the questions as the reporter.

The caper went down beautifully. Steph led right in, he protested. Greg was getting upset that this reporter wouldn't leave him/them alone and Steph kept pushing. The other two pastors were totally in on it with us and urged him on till he finally started to share his opinion about the ban. She asked him what kind of work he was in and he answered honestly (which was a funny image. Greg telling the media he was a pastor sitting in a bar with a fat cigar in his hand). From that point Steph started asking more direct and controversial questions that have landed Boyd in trouble before- like about abortion. He still didn't catch on. So she finally asked "what is your opinion on April Fools day?" and he realized.

Just then the other pastors came out of the back and everyone was laughing at how well it went. Greg was duped pretty well. We got him.

Coast to Coast on the Way to Work

This has been a strange week pretty much only because my work schedule is giving me jet lag. I've been on the morning shift all week. 4am to 1pm. All week. My sleep pattern has been fish-tailing inspite of seemingly getting enough each 24 hour period.

Today, after work, Cara and I went to apply for our marriage license! What a simple little task it turned out to be.

Green Light from Before You Say "I Might"

Bobo asked Laura to be his wife in October last year and she said yes. I asked Cara the day after Thanksgiving and Cara said yes. The last couple remain- Eric and Keesha. We all knew Keesha had a communication system with Eric about him asking her to marry him. She wasn't ready and would give him a green light when she was. And he wasn't to ask her until he got the green.
So for weeks we've been praying for him and her to get this green light.

Today he received it.

He got a package in the mail with several printouts of different types of engagement rings from different websites and on the front was a note written on a very bright green post-it. It seems hard to mistake what the message is here. So, congratulations to Eric. Now it will be neat to see how he asks her.

Black Friday

It was not a fun day at work today. There were layoffs. For some time everyone was talking about them under their breath, we seem to know they were coming. Everyone heard they were coming on Monday. But then there was an article about it in the Star Tribune and the Hubbards had to do them earlier.

The production department wasn't hit very hard. Losing one director- Kathy. I heard she found out right away and left immediately after. I feel bad for her. I'm not completely surprised she was let go, she wasn't very good with change and she worked slowly. Its just that she's been working here for over twenty years and, not being good with change, I don't imagine she's taking it well.

Another big change for the production department was for Monica. She gained a whole lot more responsibility- our department was merged with Master Control and renamed Operations. So now she is responsible for twice as many time cards and schedules.

It was not a fun day.

South Dakota and Compatibility

This weekend was all about a road trip to Beresford, South Dakota, for a wedding of David, a friend of Cara's. There is nothing in Beresford. Beresford is what exists when you exit off the highway. It was a few roads intersecting between farmland. Out in the middle of one of the fields was an hot old church. It was a nice wedding- David and Kristin.

Our trip there and back again was pretty good. We've found, once again, that Cara and I are quite compatible. We listened to alot of music, talked about our wedding plans, and just talked with each other about anything. I am looking forward to being married to this girl.

music - lets do a list:

• Life Aquatic soundtrack
• Air - Talkie Walkie
• Beatles - Abbey Road
• Cure - Staring at the Sea
  
• Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
• INXS - Kick
• Donovan - Greatest Hits
• Kula Shaker - K
• Pink Floyd - Final Cut
• Genesis - Invisible Touch

12:30 on a Friday Morning

This may be the most frustrating night of my life. It is the night after one of the longest days of work I've experienced at KSTP, not the first time I've pulled a double shift, but one the few. One would think you'd have no problem finding sleep after a day like that, but one could be wrong about that, as well. As you can see by this post, I was wrong.

I can't believe I'm still awake. I have to be at work in 3 and a half hours and I haven't slept for 21 hours. I simply cannot stop my mind. Every single time I feel sleep creeping over me, my mind pushes it away with some thought about work tomorrow. I can't stand this!

We'll see if George Noory will be boring enough to induce sleep. Please George, you're my only hope.

The Last Jay Day

Today was the last day Jay will work at KSTP. He put his two week notice in about three weeks ago and the time has come. His leaving will result in some major changes in the production department- probably more change than anyone else could have created leaving.

Good luck, Jay. Thank you for your knowledge and friendship.
he left us with this:

Dear Friends,
It has been a good 8 year run for me. I want to thank all of you for teaching this farm boy what it means to be part of the news business and giving me the chance to challenge myself. I will miss all the people that I have grown to know and care so much about. Good luck in the future. I'll be watching from Winona.
Sincerely,
Jay Asfeld
Production Assistant
p.s. I wonder what being able to sleep past 2:30am will feel like?

Jay will be missed here.

All the Young Dudes Carry the News

Today was breaking news day. First we heard stuff about a robbery in Bloomington, then there was an Amber Alert, next was Randy Moss being traded and all hell broke loose with a St. Paul Police Officer getting shot. The energy in the News Room was crackling. Toss all scripts, we're winging it folks! Tempers flair and voices compete. I love this type of newsroom energy.

No TV, Music, Water or Bathroom!

This was a great weekend. Eric, Keesha, Cara and I went up to Keesha's family's cabin and had lazy, cold, roughin'-it weekend. Friday morning I was all packed to go after work. Picked up Cara and we headed off into the Wisconsin north woods. We were supposed to meet Keesha's brother at an intersection and he wasn't there. Just on the edge of cel phone reception, he told us his truck was in the ditch. We found him and gave him a ride to the cabin. From there the boys (Eric, me, Taylor- Keesha's brother, and Bob- Keesha's dad) went back to the truck to get it out. After a greater part of an hour or two we got the truch off the snow back and back on the road (with the help of my bick rack of all things). After we got back to the cabin and sent Bob and Taylor off, it was well into Saturday morning- middle of the night. The cabin was never truly warm. We had a good time anyways. Cooking, playing Settlers and other games and just cuddling to be warm. Two nights without water, electricity, tv, music, etc. It was very relaxing. This morning we had breakfast, launched Eric's rocket off the river (got stuck in a tree) and played a game of settlers, then packed and went home.

music - we didn't have music, but Dreadlock Holiday from 10cc was running through my head quite a bit.

Home, 694, Church, Disco and Polyester

This has been a busy weekend. I figured out that after leaving work on Friday till getting home this afternoon, I have driven between my house and church a total of eight times this weekend. And to think the first nine years of my ten year stay here in Minnesota I may have been able to count the amount of times I drove on 694 on both hands.

Friday night I stopped by the church to finish a video shoot. There is going to be a ministry spotlight on the FOCUS ministry- that is Woodland Hills' singles group (obsolete for some of us, now, isn't it?). They needed some ideas for the video promo for the spotlight and came to me. Well, when you come up with ideas that people like, sometimes you become the idea and I was casted for one of those ideas. We shot it on monday night and finished some of it Friday night. It was in and out- quick and in ten minutes I was on my way to Cara's for dinner and to finish the Firefly series.

Yesterday I was at church to attend the Discover Covenant Relationships class to become a member of the church. I wasn't looking forward to it at all and was going to go through the motions, but the class is lead by Paul Eddy and his teachings turned out to be incredibly interesting. I even sat with him at lunch and asked him a bunch of questions. I also shamelessly promoted our small group to a couple of couples who were also at the class.

Lastnight Cara hosted a 70s themed party. That was pretty fun dressing up in horrible clothes and listening to funk and disco.

Cara and I were supposed to meet with Kevin Johnson today to talk about wedding plans, but he canceled because of the stomach flu. We did see Greg Wollan and received the CDs he was selling me. His music is very good. I've been on a huge 10cc kick and it turns out he loves that band maybe as much as my brother and I do.

music - Reds in My Bed 10cc