This One's for Stuart:

Bono Honored by Chile's President:

"President Ricardo Lagos gave U2 front man Bono the country's highest award for the arts on Sunday and told him he should learn to play the traditional Andean instrument known as the 'charango.'

The arts medal is named after late Chilean Nobel Prize laureate Pablo Neruda, a poet Bono said he greatly admired.

"He moved me very much," Bono said of Neruda, who died in 1973.

During the ceremony at the La Moneda presidential palace, Lagos also presented Bono with a charango, a small lute-like Andean folk instrument.

"When we were talking before, Bono told me that one must study throughout one's life," Lagos said. "So for his next concert here, I hope he's learned how to play the charango."
It was not the only distinction for Bono during U2's stop in Chile for a concert Sunday night before a crowd of nearly 80,000 people expected in Santiago's main soccer stadium.

Shortly before the concert, Bono received Amnesty International's 2005 "Ambassador of Conscience" award, which was also granted to the other members of U2 - Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton and manager Paul McGuinness.

The ceremony was attended by President-elect Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first female leader, who is to be inaugurated on March 11.

"You are a reminder to all of us that the world is not changed only by politicians and governments," Bachelet told the musicians. "The world is changed by all of us."

After the ceremony, Bono met with relatives of political dissidents who disappeared during the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Bono has met with leaders and received gifts during other stops on the band's swing through Latin America. While in Brazil he discussed the government's anti-poverty program with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and received a packet of condoms and anti-AIDS information from the Health Ministry."

A Quiz for You

Just because I'm bored, here's a quiz. See how well you know me. Just post your answers as a comment, then I'll reveal the real answers later.

1.) What is my middle name?
a.) Lynn
b.) Marie
c.) Lynette
d.) Leigh

2.) What color eyes do I have?
a.) Blue
b.) Brown
c.) Hazel
d.) Green

3.) What do my husband's initials (J.P.) stand for?
a.) John Paul
b.) James Patrick
c.) Jacob Paul
d.) John Patrick

4.) What is my favorite color?
a.) Pink
b.) Brown
c.) Blue
d.) Green

5.) Which TV station do I work for?
a.) WCCO 4
b.) KARE 11
c.) KSTP 5
d.) FOX 9

6.) What is my favorite music band / musician?
a.) Delirious
b.) Fake It
c.) Phil Keaggy
d.) Jars of Clay

7.) When is my birthday?
a.) 5/26/1981
b.) 6/25/1982
c.) 6/25/1981
d.) 5/25/1982

8.) How many brothers and sisters do I have?
a.) 1 brother, 3 sisters
b.) 2 brothers, 1 sister
c.) 2 brotheres, 2 sisters
d.) 3 brothers, 1 sister

9.) How many nieces / nephews do I have?
a.) one, and two in the oven
b.) one, and one in the oven
c.) none, but two in the oven
d.) two, and one in the oven

10.) What is my favorite book other than the Bible?
a.) Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl
b.) Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
c.) The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
d.) Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Answers to come...

David & Mac

This weekend I went with my husband and his cousins Pete & Erin to the Third Day / David Crowder Band concert at the Target Center. It was a pretty good time. I've never been a "huge" fan of the David Crowder Band, but after seeing them in concert, I've changed my mind about a lot of their music. They have a song on their new CD "A Collision" called "You are my Joy." That song rocks my face off.
I also want to give a "holla" out to Chris & Joelle Sanny who tied the knot on Friday and are now camping on the beaches of Hawaii. Congrats, guys, and get a tan for me.

Let's hear it for the UP

JP and I just got back from a weekend of snowboarding in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We went with a gal I used to go to high school with and her husband. What a fun time - if you're into skiing or snowboarding and you haven't been out to Michigan, I would encourage you to go. It's only 4.5 hours away (WAY better than the 16 it takes to get to Colorado), and there are three great resorts right next to each other, Big Powderhorn, Blackjack, and Indianhead. You can even buy a "hopper" pass that lets you go from resort to resort without having to purchase a new lift ticket.
We rented a chalet that rocked - it was fully stocked with everything you would have forgotten to bring, had Candian cable TV (which is fun to watch, if you never have), and a HUGE hot tub!
We had a couple adventures. Saturday was freezing cold, so we had to bundle up tight. We all looked like a bunch of bank robbers, no skin showing anywhere, not even on our faces. Sunday the weather was much better. I even successfully landed my first "jumps" on a snowboard! But then, on what became the last run of the day, I landed a jump and was on my way to the lift when for no reason I took a nasty tumble and landed smack on my tailbone/left hip. It hurt so much - they had to call ski patrol to come pick me up on a snowmobile and take me up to the lodge. Needless to say, I'm experiencing a fair amount of agony until that heals. :)
We're safe and sound at home now. Thanks to Jim and Margie for watching little Caleb for us while we were away.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is kind of fun to watch

Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida has created a very interesting page. It begins as a view of the Milky Way Galaxy viewed from a distance of 10 million light years, and then zooms in toward Earth in powers of ten. Ten million, to one million, to 100,000 light years until you finally reach a large Oak tree in Florida. If ever there was a witness to creation, these folks have captured it for our viewing pleasure!
Click here for the show.

Per Stephanie's Request...

...Here are some more pics taken over the last couple of days. What a cutie!

And the Puppy Name Winner Is...

...Caleb.

There was an overwhelming majority of you who voted for "Charley," but we like Caleb better...so na na na na na na.

We picked him up last night - so cute and cuddly, very affectionate. I have to be honest though - I barely got ANY sleep last night. Caleb was whining and whining and whining from the kitchen where we had him penned up. He finally stopped, then started back up at about 4:00am. When I got up to see if he needed to go potty, he already had - poopy and potty all over the kitchen, and he was standing in it. Praise God for Mr. Clean at 4:00am.

So...I can see this is going to be a learning experience, and I'm happy and willing to go through it. Once he gets accustomed to his surroundings and the new routine, I hope things will get a bit easier.

Special thanks to Margie for making the last-minute decision to travel with me on the eight hour treck through the snow and back to pick him up.

Did I mention how cute he is?

Young, Hip, Reverent

Interesting article in the Star Tribune today.
Click here to read.

Marriage Question

Okay, here is a question for all of you - something I've been hashing over lately - and I need feedback from both men and women.
We all know that within marriage, men and women have different needs. For a woman, the need is to be loved, cherished, and adored. For a man, the need is to be respected, honored, and admired.
Of course, its far easier to understand the concept than it is to actually live out love and respect in a marriage. Things happen, frustration creeps in, and what's known as the "crazy cycle" begins: She becomes frustrated with him (or vice versa), which causes her to disrespect him, which causes him to fail to show her love, which causes her to disrespect him more, and on and on and on. It's not easy to love and respect when you're feeling disappointment.

My question is this:

Is it possible for a woman to respect her husband and, at the same time, be disappointed in him...or do the two go hand in hand - if you're disappointed in him, you're not showing him respect?

I think I've come to a conclusion, but I'm wondering about the rest of you. Please comment - I want to hear your thoughts.

Our New Little Bundle of Joy

After six beautiful months of marriage, JP and I are happy to announce our first little bundle of joy! Yes, that's right, we are adding a new member to the family. It's a boy, but we haven't decided on a name yet. The due date? Thursday, February 9th, 2006.

***WHAT??? THAT'S THREE DAYS FROM NOW!!!***

Yes, I know...

***SO, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT IT TAKES 9 MONTHS FOR A BABY TO DEVELOP?***

Yes, of COURSE I know that. Sheesh! Who do you think I am?

*** WELL, THEN DO THE MATH, SILLY.***

Thanks for your input, but the reason its not taking us quite as long is because we're adopting. He's already 12 weeks old.

***WHAT? ADOPTION'S GREAT, BUT ANYBODY WHO'S EVER BEEN THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS KNOWS THAT IT CAN TAKE YEARS TO WORK THROUGH ALL THE MUMBO-JUMBO.***

Not in our case. That's because our new little addition isn't coming via stork...because he's a puppy!!!! :)


Here he is! Ain't he cute? He's a soft-coated wheaten terrier. 12.5 pounds. His fur starts out this color and then changes to more of a lighter "wheat" color as he gets older. We're picking him up on Thursday and we're so very excited! Today I went out and bought all sort of stuff that we'll need, like food and water dishes, puppy food, some toys and some treats. I wanted to get him one of those big pillow beds, but they're so expensive!!! Have you ever priced one of those?

Like I said, we haven't come up with a name yet. So here's the deal - we could use some help. I'd like to take a vote out of our three top options and see what you all think would be the best name.

The nominees are:

1.) Boomer - the name of JP's dog that he had growing up, also a soft-coated wheaten terrier

2.) Charley Boy - a play on words, since our last name "Charlebois" is often mispronounced "Charley-Boys"

3.) Caleb - Hebrew for "dog"

So please, cast your votes (by Thursday if possible!) and we promise to take your input into consideration!

Now that its official...

MY SISTER IS HAVING A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Ezra Nazareth Knoblauch

Congratulations to our dear friends James and Alyssa on the birth of their brand new baby boy, Ezra Nazareth Knoblauch!!! What a cutie...Ezra was born on Friday, January 27th around 7:30 am and weighed 6 lbs 9 oz. He sleeps all day long, and when he's awake he always has this great look on his face that seems to say "who are you and why are you talking to me so goofy?" :)
As for the name...
Ezra - Hebrew for "Help" (ha ha...that can be taken two ways: 1.) "Help" as in God is our help or 2.) "Help" as in....HELP!!!! :)
Nazareth - In Biblical times, a Nazarene was a Jew who was bound by a vow to be radical for God. They left their hair uncut, abstained from all wine and strong drink, and practiced extraordinary purity of life and devotion.
Knoblauch - German for "garlic"...seriously! :)

We love you, Ezra, and are so happy to have you in this world!