New Member of the Family

Leah and Kelly have a new Cousin: Andrew Gerald Athmann was born on Saturday, April 15, 2006 to Anne's brother Ken, and his wife, Jen. Congratulations!!

Andrew Gerald Athmann

Baby Andrew gets a whiff of my armpit.

Interesting Link

This guy is crazier than I am...

Hot Wheels Fanatic

Leah's Birthday Party

Leah's 3rd birthday is April 2. Today we had a party for Leah at the Eagle's Nest, a local gathering place for youngsters.

Opening presents

Leah's friend, Soyung, and her parents Hyun Ah and Seok Hwan.

Cousin Christian

Leah and Ruth

Ruth

Leah and Soyung

Happy Birthday Leah!

Misc Pics

Kelly and Aunt Lisa

Uncle Tim, your hat is on...well...if you look in the....oh... never mind...

Having fun with Grandma Joyce

Having fun with Grandma Dorothy

Guaranteed not to stain

girls have cooties

Dancing

See no evil, hear no evil, say no evil

No New Info on First Call

As of last week, I've not heard anything about our new call in Eastern Washington/Idaho synod. In a way that's okay because I have school work to focus on. But I'd also like to know what's going on behind the scenes. The bishop had suggested flying me out for an interview with the synod staff, but that didn't materialize. At any rate, I will try to enjoy these last months of school and our life here. Things will change dramatically soon enough. I don't look forward to the process of moving, but I do hope we can throw some things out along the way to make the load lighter.

The Falling Man

Please read this article about the picture of the man falling upside down from the World Trade Center on 9/11. Caution: It contains a graphic picture that may not be suitable for all viewers.

The Falling Man

Snow

We got some today...and it was great!

Pics

Talkin' on the phone

Expressing the dancer within

The Park at MOA

Formerly, Camp Snoopy, we visited The Park at MOA today so Anne could do some mystery shopping. She couldn't tell me what she was doing because it was all a mystery. Anyway, Leah and Kelly and Mommy and Daddy got to ride some rides for free.

This one time, at Band Camp...

The Rev. Manz

Not me, The Rev. John Manz, Lutheran pastor in St. Paul, MN. I knew about him but finally met him on Friday. He led a seminar for senior seminary students that I attended. I introduced myself and he couldn't believe I was a Manz. He said he'd never met another one. He was interested in my background and where my family came from, etc. He is the son of the world famous Lutheran organist, Paul Manz, who lives in Minneapolis with his wife. Pr. Manz asked me to visit his church sometime and let him know I was coming so he could have his dad there to meet me! Pretty exciting stuff! I would love to have my parents meet him, too. Though I'd never met him, he seemed very much like a kindred spirit. He had a soft, calming voice and a very personable way about him. He was teaching a seminar on Prepare/Enrich, the tool used with engaged and married couples to strengthen their relationships. We must be related somehow with all that we have in common.

Eastern Washington/Idaho

This is the synod where we're going! We're excited, although sad to leave our loved ones and IKEA. I guess there's always the catalog. But, um, yea! We finally heard the news. Please keep us in your prayers as we gear up for a move out west. I'm hoping for Yakima, myself....God's Peace

Barney's Dead

Collage

To enlarge, please click on any picture.

Mexico

Hail to the Chef (Boyardee)

Leah and Daddy's friend, Paul.

Saying goodbye to the old house.

I can sit in a regular chair just like all the big people.

Leah and Daddy's friend, Bruce, (aka Greg from The Wiggles) at the Train Show.

Sailing the S.S. Feathersword.

Leah and Kelly's new 3rd or 4th cousin, Kate, born in Grand Forks recently. Congrats Paul and Julie!

SOLD!

We signed a purchase agreement last night for our house on Talisman Curve. We are very excited. The buyer is a single guy who we know little about. We got 6K less than we were asking, but obviously it was still enough. Deal should be done by April 3.

House For Sale

We finally have our house on the market in Roseville, MN. See this link:

Matthew and Anne's House

We are hoping for a quick sale, of course. Though it was hard, it was fun getting it ready for market. Any offers?

North by Northwest

We found out that we are going to the Pacific Northwest. That means Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon or Alaska! We're very excited to see what this new adventure brings. We are sad to be leaving family and friends. We feel very strongly about serving God where the church needs us. Apparently, it's out West. We find out on March 2 where we will be assigned more specifically within that region. I was excited when I saw Region 1 written on my letter inside my special envelope on Tuesday. It means going to live somewhere where neither of us have lived before. It means all kinds of new experiences. It means leaving the comfortable and familiar. It means truly following our calling. Thank You, God.

Mexico

Whale watching off the Pacific....and


Los Cabos...."the Capes"....on the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. Anne and I were there for a week for a vacation recently. It was great! We did nothing upon nothing. We enjoyed the break as a pre-celebration of my finishing school and our five-year anniversary. The girls were fine without us but seemed glad to have us back. It was a much-needed break. It's back to reality now.

We are currently getting our house in Roseville ready to sell....we've been renting it out for the last couple of years and it needed some new paint, etc. We will be sad to see it go. We look forward to our next adventure, though, as we find out at the end of February what part of the U.S. we've been assigned to. Please keep us in your prayers. God Bless.

The Focus

The focus of our lives is reflected in how we live. If we live with concern for others and the greater good, it shows. If I claim to be a Christian, my life should reflect that fact. The greatest way to live is to be focused inside AND outside of yourself. To have the most complete sense of happiness and purpose, you cannot be only inwardly focused. This is certainly true for those of us who are Christians, it is also true for everyone else. It is who we are as God's Creation.

Approved, Part II

My synod approved me for ordination. I had to meet with them twice, but the second time was the charm. It was a good meeting. They quizzed me on my senior paper, my theology and my personal well-being. It was stressful but good. Mostly, I'm just glad it's done. Now on to assignment. On February 20th, the bishops get together and decide what region each graduate gets assigned to. From there, we are notified a few weeks later about synods within each region. I look forward to the adventure of ministry.

Christmas

This is a fun time of year. Leah helped her mommy decorate the tree the other day. We're trying not to spend too much on presents for the girls but it's hard. There are so many cool things to buy. Anne and I are going to Mexico in January as a celebration of the end of seminary. I hope, therefore, that I indeed finish school. We are leaving the kids with Grandmas and Grandpas for the week. I think the kids will love it. I'll love it, too. Should be a good time all around.

I like perusing ebay for old Lincolns from the 60's and 70's. Someday I'll get another.


Also, Johnny Lightning has some new mid-60's Lincoln diecasts out and they are awesome. It's about time, my friend.

All for now...

Waiting to blog

I like this blog. I sometimes feel pressured to write, but when I think about it there's no need to feel pressure. I write when I want. It doesn't cost me anything to have this blog. I can write or I don't have to. No pressure at all, really, other than what I put myself through. I don't always have a lot to write about. Lots of things go on in my head but I don't need to write them all down. I wouldn't want to. So, there it is. A paragraph on nothing.

I am looking forward to getting done with school. I am ready. Anne is ready. We're all ready. I filled out my First Call paperwork last week and I feel good about it. We can go anywhere the church wants us to. That's what I've been trying to be able to do all along. Now it's all in God's hands.

I'm enjoying the winter season this year. Seems like it's different for me than other years...I never seemed to enjoy it that much before, but this is different. I appreciate the new look of our surroundings since it snowed. And Christmas is coming and it seems like it should be cold out. So it is.

Approved

My faculty at seminary approved me for proceeding to be ordained. Now I must pass the Candidacy committee of my synod and then finish school. Each step gets me that much closer. They grilled me during the faculty interview....my advisor and another professor. They wanted to see where I'm coming from and most of the time I don't even know that. But they said I passed. That's what really matters, I guess. I look forward to Dec 16, when I meet with the committee for their approval. Should be another boatload of fun. Actually, I understand this is all necessary and really, I'm glad it's in place. It just seems to drag on and on, this school thing, and I get tired of it. I know that May will come soon enough, but I am ready now.

God forgets our sins. Isn't that awesome? We remember, but God forgets. So we ourselves are truly our own worst enemies. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Maybe it's our attempts to be perfect, a trait which permeates our culture. In my case, maybe it's from my Scandinavian and European heritages. Moving from the mother countries probably made this compulsion even worse. My ancestors had to prove themselves in a new land. And here I am today.

$500

What can I say, Carlson Companies are a great place to work. Anne and I recently attended the Valley Fair Day hosted by said employer and my name was drawn to win $500! Curtis Nelson himself, President and COO, shook my hand. It was a good day.

My family of origin

I was just thinking about what a great time we had at the 50th Anniversary party of my parents this summer. My brother Jeff, who rarely has been at family gatherings, was there. Some of my nephews and neices hung out. It was nice.

Tagged

A while back, Kelly Flanigan, a friend from Luther Crest Bible Camp days, Tagged me. She asked me to list the last five books I've read and to answer some other questions. I don't remember the questions, but here are some books I've read recently:

Ethics, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer....it's a heavy tome written by the Lutheran pastor Bonhoeffer during WWII in Nazi Germany. Very good but slow reading. Powerful messages throughout his writings and deep theological issues discussed at length.

Prep, by Curtiss Sittenfeld....it's about a teenage girl at a private boarding school out. It's fiction. I don't usually read fiction, but this was good. It grabbed my attention and I may have to refer back to it when my girls become teenagers. Funny and fun. Painful at times.

Red River Rising, by Shelby...about the Red River flooding in Grand Forks 1997. It may be considered fiction as well. Lots of technical data about the river flooding, etc. but a lot of interesting stories told by those who experienced the flood firsthand.

Night, by Elie Wiesel.....about a survivor of the Holocaust and his father being sent to the concentration camps. So powerful. I couldn't put it down. I read it for God, Evil and Suffering, a class I'm taking right now. It fits the theme of the class.

The Pulse of Creation, by Paul Sponheim...one of my professors at Luther, Sponheim is a Systematics Theologian. It means a he has framework for looking at the Bible, Creation and life in general. Very good book. I can't read too much at a time. I have to let it sink in and then go back and read some more. Thought provoking.

That's all for now.