The Outdoor Cat

Angela's Half Marathon!

2011-04-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Angela ran the Whidbey Island half marathon last weekend! She ran with a few other friends on one cold and windy day. All in all it was good though. We went to Dave and Nancy's house after for some food and showers. I drank beer.

Changing My Life.

2011-03-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

"Peter began to say to Him, ’See, we have left all and followed You'" —Mark 10:28

Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.
Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse—”Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke 9:57-62). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ’cannot be My disciple’ ” (see Luke 14:26-33).
True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.

From My Utmost for His Highest

Dan Cole

2010-04-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

One of my customers at Urban Coffee Lounge recently shaved his beard, is a photographer and had a lot of fun doing it. Here is the result, it's pretty awesome!

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Eight

2010-04-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Seven

2010-03-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Twitter me this, Twitter me that

2010-03-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I got a Twitter account. It's a little weird for me but I think I'm getting the hang of it. The only thing I don't understand is the whole @ # * ^ ! and % with words attached. It's weird. Ok I'm tired.

How to Report the News

2010-03-21T15:54:00.003-07:00

How To Report The News - Watch more Funny Videos

The Salvage Yard, Jake Chaya

2010-03-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Salvage Yard, Communion

2010-03-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Six

2010-03-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Melody Came to Visit

2010-03-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Melody came to visit Angela this weekend. It was real great, Ange and Mel did so much together. I worked. That's ok. God really blessed me recently by giving me another job!! I now work at Zoka Greenlake as well as Urban Coffee Lounge.

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Five

2010-02-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Four

2010-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Three

2010-02-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

Beer, Personal Trainer?

2010-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

I was excited to read this in Rogue's newsletter; as you may know I try and workout a fair amount. So I'm told that drinking beer is good for a workout and that makes working out a very great time. Don't get me wrong, I love water, but beer is 98% water anyway. I know in the past few years people have seen an increase in low carb beer. Seeing as how it's the carbs, salts and sugars in beer that replenish valuable resources after a workout I think it's a good idea to stay away from these low carb beer's, or just drink water. I suppose low carb beer and water are probably pretty similar, maybe even the same.
That being said, you probably want to make sure that you have something substantial with a low alcohol content. I'd imagine that if you begin to get too hot as well, beer will help that too. I talked to a friend of mine (Joel) about the cooling effects of beer and why we feel cool drinking this lovely beverage. I think the conclusion we came to was that alcohol evaporates faster than water and so it left the body through skin faster, carrying heat with it. That was our guess anyway.
Go pump some iron and pound those glasses. Bunnies high!!!

The Sermon on the Mount, Part Two

2010-01-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Paul's Roasting!

2010-01-21T22:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've written, and not just posted some other sort of media - though I really love the sermons. Paul wrote in one of his more recent posts about his adventures in home roasting. I did take some pictures of when Paul and I roasted, they're with my phone so they're not the best quality but here they are.

Roasting over fire

Sermon on the Mount, Part One

2010-01-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

Salvage Yard, Brief Overview of the Old Testament Pt. 3

2010-01-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

Originally aired on Novemer 17th 2009.

Jim Gaffigan - Beyond The Pale - Christmas and Easter

2009-12-17T00:30:00.001-08:00

Oh No! More Thomas's on the West Coast!!

2009-12-09T00:18:00.003-08:00

My Dad came to visit over the weekend, it was great! He came in on thursday and we had a couple days before he went to the Gage Art Acadamy's Drawing Jam. I guess the Gage Acadamy is great, but the drawing jam wasn't. Anyway, more time with us eh!? We went to Gas Works Park and drew for a while and had some pretty great time together. I'm really enjoying being here in the Pacific NW, but I really miss my family back in Minnesota.

Layton Howerton

2009-11-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry all, I've been so busy; we - Ange and I, have been so busy. But, here is a little song to satiate you. And I dedicate this post to Paul the Monk.

Coffee Blog

2009-11-11T00:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I know it's been a while since I've written, I have a couple that I'm working on and should be available soon, but I have a small venture I want to show you - it's a new blog. It's about coffee. Why not eh? I am in Seattle... Let me know what you think of it. That means you Ron. (smile)

http://thecatscoffee.blogspot.com/

Stumptown Coffee Roasters Producers Panel

2009-10-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Angela and I were fortunate to attend a presentation of coffee producers that were brought up and asked to discuss with the audience many issues concerning coffee and specialty coffee. I made a small video (my battery began to run out) documenting the panel, and it touched on Fair Trade vs. Direct trade, how Fair Trade, in most cases, doesn't even cover the cost of production and percentage of coffee and specitaly coffee trade world wide. It's a frustration that I think many people share but do little themselves to impact that world.

My Brother Showed Me.

2009-10-10T01:31:00.000-07:00

Seth had a link to this on his website, and I was impressed, here is mine.

Good Don Hunting

2009-10-04T11:30:00.001-07:00

Here's my dad hunting grouse and pheasant in central Wisconsin with a guide. The guide is actually being featured in the Milwaukee Sentinel(I think).

New Camera for a New Town

2009-09-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

I finally have a new camera! I am so excited about this! My last two camera's have been the Nikon CoolPix L19. I've liked those but chose the CoolPix L20 just to stick with the family, plus they're cheap and really great. From what I could tell there's only about a 20 dollar difference and it bumps you up to 10 mega pixels as apposed to 8 with the L19. Otherwise they're the same. This one isn't silver like the last two, it's red. Kinda neat.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and movies that come from me, they should be more frequently coming now, and better quality. In fact I have a new post with a picture taken from my new camera, over in my "Cat Wanderings" blog... it's about time I updated that one!

Hello Scooter.

2009-09-28T10:53:00.001-07:00

My mom's new bunny's name is Scooter. Just thought you'd like to know.

The Trip!

2009-09-27T14:35:00.004-07:00

We are THERE!! Seattle! It's pretty crazy that we made it all the way. Three days of travel, concluding with a fun barista jam at Victrola, where Seattle and L.A. competed against each other. It was a crazy drive.

Day 1: St. Paul MN to Billings MT, 849 miles, at 60 miles per hour equals about fourteen hours of driving. We did it in about fifteen to sixteen hours because of stopping for gas and such. We stayed at the K.O.A. in Billings which was an interesting experience, I've never done K.O.A. before, I've also never slept next to a refinery before either. That wasn't the best, especially hearing them burn off something early in the morning.

Day 2: Billings MT to Spokane WA, 529 miles, also at 60 miles per hour AND THROUGH MOUNTAINS!!! I'm glad that I installed a transmission cooler before we left cause the 6% grades up and down were crazy on my truck! Especially for so long - six miles up at a 6% grade will easily heat up your engine! My truck was easily running at speeds of five to six thousand RPM's for almost the whole time. We stayed at a K.O.A. there too. That one wasn't so bad, oh yeah, except for the freight train barreling through town blowing it's horn at three in the morning. It might as well have been running through our tent it was so loud! In the morning I looked over to see that the rail road tracks were about 50 feet away...

Day 3: Spokane WA to Seattle WA, 305 miles, 60 miles per hour. Some more mountains and desert, actually. A lot of eastern Washington reminded me of North Dakota, I thought that was interesting.
All in all it was a good trip. My "service engine soon" light came on near northern Minnesota, I stopped in a small town and had a guy check what it was for; it was for one of my O2 sensors, first bay second sensor. Really no big deal, maybe a little lower mileage but it wasn't going to hurt the truck. And we also found that Angela was driving on three wheels, basically. One of her tires was inflated to 15 PSI.

Mom's New Bunny

2009-09-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that my mom got a new pet for her classroom, a little bunny. She got it at the State Fair. As far as I know the jury is still out on names for him, so if you have some good ones, send them this way.

My Days in Brainerd

2009-09-09T08:49:00.008-07:00

These days in Brainerd have been fun. Ange and I have had a lot of time to relax and be together and then I've had a lot of time to have some real fun learning time. My second day here I started to learn how to weld! Greg and I did a little MIG welding, some stick welding and some heliarc welding. He had to build an aluminum truck bed, with some bumper and exhaust modification. It was pretty fun!

This area has such a history of mines and quarry's. I drew on a map to show you that all the digging they did remained there and that the lakes near by were actually mines that filled in with ground water.

We also went to an old ghost town that had failed about fifty years ago or so, called Manganese. If you check it out on Google there's not much there to see, but we went and saw some foundations of what used to be a hotel, bank and the post office. Sadly people have been filling these holes with garbage. It's neat to see tree's and plants grow through a concrete foundation.

Yesterday I woke up at six and Greg, Chris and I slaughtered a bull (this picture's kinda graphic and bloody). Besides welding and farming Greg also raises beef cattle, and this bull they kept for themselves.
"That bull's about as organic as they come, he hasn't had a shot in his life." Greg said gathering up tools we would use to slaughter him. "Does he know he's going to die?" "Nope, and I'm not even going to let him on to it."
After we quartered the bull we took him to a neighbor to be processed. This was a hard thing for me, to meet the animal we were going to kill and process. I didn't have a hard time skinning and gutting the animal, it was watching it die that was a little trying. It just goes to show you though just how removed we as a people can be from the foods we eat. Because, yes, I do eat beef occasionally, and this was a good chance for me to see and be thankful even more for the sacrifice that this animal made for me. Albeit it wasn't really his choice, it was still a sacrifice. Greg was reminding me about when Israel would sacrifice a bull on an alter. They must have tied it down or had some super strong guys to hold it, cause that's a big animal.

The NW Awaits

2009-08-26T15:22:00.003-07:00

So, very soon, my wife and I will be taking a journey across country to the gateway to Alaska - Seattle Washington. Our apartment is in shambles from packing, our wardrobe is dwindling to a few boxes, and I'm fighting a cold. How nice.
A lot of people have asked us: "why Seattle, why move?" Our answers somewhat remain the same each time, as we look our disappointed friends in their anxious faces, we say:

When we were dating Ange sat me down and basically said that she didn't want to settle down, she wanted to travel. I was so releived, I was actually thinking just about the same thing - how I wanted to travel and see the world with my bride, not before my bride. We started talking about where we would like to live and pretty quickly we narrowed it down to Germany or Seattle. We decided to start with Seattle.

It's been an interesting time seeing what this adventure could hold. We ask for your prayers, moving isn't easy for me, and it's definatly going to be interesting seeing our friends and making new ones. We really don't see Seattle being a long term place for us... we have to move to Germany anyway... (smile), but I may go to school and get a degree while I'm there. It may happen.
So, the departure date for this duo is September 24th, I hope we get to see you before we leave! If not, well... we'll be back.

Seattle or Bust!

2009-07-23T12:52:00.003-07:00

It's official, there will be a great migration to seattle washington this fall! There will be more details soon!

It's the Rocket Experience

2009-06-27T19:14:00.002-07:00

I'm sorry I keep putting videos on here I just keep find really funny stuff.

Making of Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience w/ Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli from Buzz Aldrin

Jars of Beer

2009-06-25T07:34:00.002-07:00

Why do I sometimes wake up in the morning with these songs in my head? Because it's so funny? I don't know, maybe I'm crazy.

Basil

2009-06-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

I have been very excited about my little garden of Basil. I took two plants that Ange got from Cub and planted seeds for the rest. They are coming in wonderfully!

Christi is like a boss

2009-06-20T21:31:00.004-07:00

This past weekend Angela and I had a visitor, a wonderful guest from Angela's high school and college days, who goes by the name of Christi. Christi came from Oregon to be in a wedding and stayed a little bit longer to be with us. Christi is pretty awesome, though I think I annoyed her with all my questions about the long and dangerous trail she took! She showed me one of her journal entries, and a picture of her and her husband when they moved out there about five years ago, and I was pretty shocked. She then showed me an interactive blog on her blackberry that she made documenting the journey. Sadly her husband Chris died of dysentery along the way... and she had to bury him along the trail... and then she lost an oxen... but, she still made the wedding...

We visited Kopplin's while she was here, also went to crazy cathy's.

Writing on the Wall??

2009-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like this picture is somewhat prophetic, I can't imagine a Caribou coffee that isn't toasted beyond it's limits. I see that their sign is having trouble hiding that fact.

Uh oh, here come the Thomas boys...

2009-06-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Geoff and I got hired whilst traveling through Madison WI on a freight train to cut and till a man's back yard. Huh, wasn't hard. Geoff cut the yard with a sod cutter and I tilled it with a 700 pound ape. There wasn't any gas in the sod cutter so Geoff just had a little tinkle in it and away we went. Meanwhile I had to tame the ape I happened to free from the train we came in on, and tell it to beat the shit out of the ground. Geoff and I had a good time, it was a fun days work.

WTF

2009-06-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Geoff!

2009-06-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Angela baked Geoff a cake. Based on the renowned character "Number Man", Geoff had a shitty cake made as chocolate as chocolate can be.

+ =

April 2nd, 2009

2009-06-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

I turned 27 and my wonderful wife made me a cake, for breakfast ... and dinner. she made me a carrot cake for breakfast, we met Paul and Libby at the Wok for lunch and had awesome wok food and then ... a raspberry cheesecake for dinner! How awesome is that! Also check out that I got a plunger for my birthday!

Here I Go ... Finally!

2009-06-07T13:56:00.002-07:00

Wow, more than two months have passed... Here I go recapping the past two months:

I had a birthday, I am now 27. It's weird to think about but I'm 27.
I went to the Cabin with the Steiger House. It was fun, I basically went to make sure that things were closed up when we left. I had some time to myself and that was nice, though I fell in the river - through the ice. It was cold, and my phone died from the water, but I had my insulated pants on and my insulated boots.
Kira and Craig's Wedding! Angela was in kira's wedding. They've known each other since high school. One of my favorite moments of the weekend was when I caught the bride's maids playing fuseball before the ceremony.
Geoff's Birthday Cake. What a shitty cake!
Got my boots re-soled, that was exciting for me...
Phil and Sari's Wedding, which was awesome.
Geoff and I tilled up our parents back yard, fun stuff with big machines.

I hope to fill in the gaps where your questions of details and pictures lie, soon. Keep watch.

More Than a Month Has Passed!!

2009-05-12T18:59:00.003-07:00

Hello everybody, it's been a long time, I'm sorry. I'm not dead, nor was I close to death, but I have been really busy! This is just a quick note to let you know that I will be back on soon. Thanks everyone.

- Pat

Linea Installed

2009-03-20T07:28:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy for Paul and his crew at Amore, look at him working at the new machine! And with Gibbie's cow no-less.

Culture

2009-03-20T06:21:00.007-07:00

I'm behind in reading, all the books that I've collected in the past couple of weeks are piling up and it's a bit exciting, I have all this to read and no pressure. Surprisingly I've been somewhat busy these past couple weeks. I've been getting more hours at Home Depot, been doing some fun things with Angela, my friend Liz is in town for a little while - she came to visit with Paul and Libby, and most recently Angela, Sam, Marissa and I took a neat little trip to the Walker. It was a good time seeing the art. I have to admit that it's been a while since I've been to a museum so I think I was a little tired afterward. We saw an exhibit about book art, one on a specific artist (Tetsumi Kudo) who had a great deal to do with the topic of metamorphosis, granted it was pretty extreme and somewhat graphic - he used the image of a penis as the form for metamorphosis, a chrysalis as he said. There were lots of penis's there. In a different exhibit there was a cool little video that Ange showed me - turned out one of our friends did the background music to. It was all very intense. I think that my favorite pieces were in the Mythologies exhibition.
We all all got in free with a pass from the library. This is us in the conservatory, next to the sculpture garden. BTW, right now the cherry is gone... I don't know why.

Linea for Amore!!

2009-03-17T14:38:00.003-07:00

I am sure that Paul will blog about this soon, but I am too excited about this!! Amore Coffee just got a new/used LaMarzocco Linea. It'll be so good for them to work on a good machine instead of a crappy Conti. It's still not installed yet but tomorrow it should be up and running.

Thomas Bread Co.

2009-03-07T16:48:00.006-08:00

I almost forgot! I've been baking! Since Angela and I are poor, I've been baking our weekly bread. It's been fun and interesting. Here are the first two loaves that I baked three weeks ago. It's made with 100% stone ground whole wheat and honey as a natural sweetener, otherwise it's got other stuff that bread needs - yeast, egg, water, butter, salt. This was the first time I've made bread in about ten years so it took me a little while, about six hours. It now takes me about four hours, most of the time is letting it rise in a greased bowl (three hours). I highly recomend that you try and make your own, the house will smell so good when you're done.

Rockin' in the Free World

2009-03-07T12:57:00.011-08:00

Dear friends, my apologies for the lack of posts recently, I've been busy. That's funny, seeing as how I have a part time job that doesn't really give me hours, but my mind has been occupied with thoughts of the future and what it really means to be a husband. And wow, how great a luxury it is to have this time to spend on my wife and our marriage! Please allow me to share with you those things in my life that have started to weigh on my mind.

The two books to our left have been helping me see what kind of strengths I have as a person, and looking forward with those things in mind. "What Color is Your Parachute" was a suggestion from Ray Rivera, a career counselor at UW Stout; "Now, Discover Your Strengths" was lent to me by Kevin Hendricks a local freelance writer and friend. Both books have been great to read, though I've felt that the things I'm discovering are well known to the people that know me best. I've gotten some "I told you so's! " When I was at Stout I took two tests, a Myers Briggs personality test and an occupational interest test, which I took in about forty minutes and got the results back in about twenty minutes. I didn't really expect it to be that accurate, but it was, I'm a serial killer... just kidding. Basically it put on paper what I couldn't really express about what I like in a job or how I interact with people. I'm not taking the results from these tests as concrete, rock solid truth, more like a grain of salt but it is interesting, very interesting.

I've also been working on a couple other books, focusing on my marriage. They happen to all be written by the same person, Gary Chapman. I'm happy that the first book here, "The Five Love Languages, Men's Edition" is in an audio book format. I got it from the library. The original book on the five love languages has been a great help, Angela and I definitely speak different languages. It's been a great challenge but so rewarding, I'm really able to see her when I do things or say things in "her language". If I were spoken to in her language it wouldn't mean nearly as much as it does to her.

All of this research into myself and into Angela, has been a wonderful time of taking wisdom and holding it up to God and saying, wha'dya think? Ultimately God is the author of love and life choices, I'm getting excited to see where life could go, I'm getting excited to see where God could take Angela and I. It's all a little exciting, but scary, I suppose that's the risk and adventure when walking with God.

Happy Birthday Gibbie!

2009-02-13T19:51:00.005-08:00

It was Gibbie's birthday today, sooooo much fun at his party, from the popcorn tickets to Ezra wrapping me in a blanket and pulling it off yelling, Pat present! That was pretty cool. The show that Gibbie and his friends put on (not to mention Libby!!!) was so quality! It was great to see them act and play! Here is their performance, Paul was the cinematographer.

One Year and Counting

2009-02-04T08:00:00.002-08:00

A year ago today I met the someone who was going to be my wife, Angela. I've told this story a bunch of times when someone asks, how did you meet? Well I had just moved into a community house associated with the Salvage Yard Church of Jesus Christ, called the Steiger House, and I wanted to see my neighbors who lived down stairs Noah and Wendy. I walked down stairs, and low and behold they had a guest, she was sitting quietly reading her Bible, and her name was Angela. We talked a little and then she had to go to her home for a house meeting, she was in a community house as well. Wendy walked her to the door and I said, "it was nice to meet you", she left, and the first thing that Wendy said was "... why are you smiling Patrick?"
"She seems nice..." I said with a grin from ear to ear.
"She's pretty great, and single." Wendy said with an equally large smile across her face.
"Wendy!" Noah yelled from the back room.
"What?! She is ..." Wendy defending herself, still smiling at me.
Well, the rest is history. She is now Mrs. Thomas, my beautiful flower. It's a little hard to believe that I've only known her one year. Praise God for Angela!

One More Video, Atleast for Now

2009-02-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for your responses on my previous post, here is a little treat that I stumbled upon, it's G rated and funny. And I wish I had one.

Sheep Jumping On Bed

Question for You

2009-02-01T22:45:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to ask if people are getting sick of me posting videos on my blog, do you mind or should I just link to them? For some reason I'm feeling a little self-conscious about the use of large blocks of youtube on my blog, is it too much? Please tell me what you think.

Cutting the Rug

2009-01-31T22:41:00.005-08:00

I just ran across a video from my wedding. Ange and I had left by this point but our coffee friends namely Reed, Sam and Dillon were tearing it up on the dance floor. Thanks Kristen for the video.

Local on the TV !

2009-01-28T15:01:00.002-08:00

I just want to give a shout out to a friend and fellow Minnesotan, Chris Morrissey, who happens to be playing bass on letterman this week!

Twitter = Information Overload

2009-01-22T12:58:00.003-08:00

I've heard Twitter being mentioned a lot and I didn't know anything about it. It sounds like a caffeine overdose or maybe one of those actual instance's where a child is left alone at a coffee shop and actually gets a shot of espresso and a puppy! Whoa, that'd be chaos... and awesome! In looking up what this strange condition is I found that Twitter is not a condition, but a website. Honestly I didn't find it very interesting, but I did find the informational video creative and clearly worded. Which led me to their site commoncraft. So, needless to say, you won't find me on Twitter any time soon.

Ruby

2009-01-22T12:42:00.003-08:00

Angela and I have had a house guest for a few days. She's visiting from Geoff's house, her name is Ruby. Some times Geoff calls her Tubby, as she can roll off of things by mistake. She's been a very good house guest, she talks a lot though, and this morning as she snuggled with Ange suddenly realized she wasn't alone and had a scratching fit. So other than that she's been great.

Home Made Goodness

2009-01-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

Look at what my beautiful wife made! I was surprised to wake today to the wonderful smell of cooking granola. Ange found a recipe for granola in the Joy of Cooking and she made some for breakfast. Such a delightful breakfast - granola, yogurt and blue berries.

What's a Marriage Really Mean? To You.

2009-01-18T21:39:00.009-08:00

Angela and I went to Kopplin's today and continued to read our marriage book, Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts, where I got some funny/uncomfortable looks from a few folks about what we were reading.
"Is this weird? That we're reading a marriage book? I don't feel like it's weird but is it just not the norm for couples to read marriage books together?" I asked Angela, I felt a little confused not really knowing how to interpret the selected looks I just got.
"Sadly, it kind've is. I mean really, a woman will suggest it and get grief from her husband."
Hrmph, this is a sad thing indeed.

There were a couple of things that our marriage counselor's (Mark and Kirsty) told us, as suggested good things to do:

Always be reading a marriage book. It's a great way to start conversation and spur eachother on to a better marriage. Plus, you can always be improving yourselves and the marriage.
Fight for your marriage. The enemy wants to destroy marriages, they are/can be a fantastic image of God to his people and that's the last thing that the enemy wants. Mark and Kirsty reminded us that our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the powers in the spirit (Ephesians 6:12). It was suggested that one of the best ways to battle for your own marriage is "to have sex as much as possible" - direct quote.

Happy Anniversary

2009-01-12T20:57:00.002-08:00

Today is the one month anniversary for Angela and I and our marriage. It has been a great month, doesn't seem real at times and sometimes a little too real, if that makes any sense. We've enjoyed this time and I think the biggest thing that we've learned in this month, and probably the rest of our lives, is how to effectively communicate - and listen. So critical are those moments when we expect something and our partner doesn't even know that we're expecting it; when we're hurt and we're not sure why or when talking is painful but beautiful at the same time. I love my Angela so much.

Snow, snow

2009-01-11T14:05:00.002-08:00

Sie nennen es Wahnsinn, aber ich nenne es Liebe.

Wedding Online

2009-01-08T19:15:00.004-08:00

I finally got the video of the wedding ceremony online on the YouTube. It's cut up into two videos, so don't worry when it cuts out about nine minutes in. There's also a video of my mom and me dancing, you'll have to tip your head for it though, I couldn't figure out how to tip it myself.

The Bachelor Party

2009-01-04T17:26:00.006-08:00

I should have done this a long time ago but here is the picture from my bachelor party that Paul threw for me. It was a great night. Paul got us a room at the Golden Leaf on 7th st in St. Paul. These are the men accounted for: (from left to right) Chris, Paul, Geoff, Don, Me, Noah and Reed.

Otter and Mrs Otter on the YouTube

2009-01-03T06:37:00.004-08:00

I did something for the wedding that I've never done before, I created a video blog, as best I could I suppose. It's a playlist on the YouTube. I've made a link for it - the way it works is you click the playlist on my channel page and it starts to play a series of videos. These videos are of me and Geoff up to and after the wedding. I thought it was kinda fun, hope you like it. Wedding Countdown.

Meet the Mrs

2009-01-02T19:02:00.006-08:00

Hello everyone, it's been a little while since I've blogged last, I've been a little busy. I got married to a wonderful Angela!! The wedding was real fun, the honeymoon was real fun and now we're back to life. I've been learning a lot about this new life style, and am reminded that I am no longer a bachelor, and the kinds of things I should be mindful of is a little different than before. I think the greatest thing that I've learned in these three weeks is that God is faithful and provides. I already know this but the reinforcement of it is sometimes necessary and appreciated, cause I forget sometimes. I love that we both are seeking God and can see Him in each other.
People ask "how's married life?" and I have to respond "Good!" cause really this is such an adventure in uncharted territory everything is good, even when we fight, those times have turned out to be such wonderful times that we can learn about each other and connect in a more intimate way.
The wedding wouldn't be what it was without God's help and the help of a few other awesome people, my shout out's go to: Noah and Wendy, Sam and the amazing helper Dillon, the family that let the Johnson family stay with them in Winona, aunt Mary-Anne and Harrow for letting people stay at their house, Kira's mom for letting us have some pictures taken with her horse and letting us change into our kilts in their room and last but not least Libby - for all her hard work on the Kilts and my hair (giving me a cut right before the wedding). I love you tons Lib.

My Wedding

Awe Man! Life is an Adventure!!

2008-11-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

I am falling more and more in love with this girl named Angela. I'm so glad we're getting married! We've been doing some marriage counseling, seeing our pastor and his wife and spending as much time as we can afford together; sooner or later we start miss understanding each other cause we're so tired and I think she's calling me a pretzel when she's really just saying my name, I think. Just the other day, on our way to an appointment she said: "I'm hungry." later I said we should go get some food before we continued on in our day, she looked at me like I was crazy, "I'm not hungry." "But you said earlier that you were...?" "Did I? I think I meant that I wanted pie... at that moment..." That was a funny realization. It's all fun.
The hard thing is the change, the changing from a single Pat to a married Pat. Even now I don't feel single, but that's not truly the reality. And when all is said and done I am a bride already to my Lord, so how do I love this woman before me? For those of you who know me - and those coming to understand me - I have an interesting relationship with change, not the best relationship.
We started moving in to our new place the other day and I watched her walk down the hall of our new apartment and I thought, dude, you are moving in with this girl! You are going to marry her! Reality can open your eyes real quick, and I feel a little nervous. Those nerves fade though when she says "hey, when we build our own house, can we have trap doors? And maybe a secret room?!" "YES! That's awesome!"
But in all the thoughts and moving, counseling and roller coaster emotional moments we have both seen God do some amazing things in each of our lives. God has brought together two people who strive for a life full of Him, to glorify Him. And as our humanness comes out more fully and we see who we are really, He is there, and it's so amazing and beautiful. Wow, we are both no where near perfect but as we both trust in God, we/I just am continuously amazing at the faithfulness of God. He is so wonderful! I am so happy that God is leading me closer to Himself, and with Angela no less. The life that God gives is not easy, but it is truly LIFE.

Sliders and Japanese TV

2008-11-24T20:33:00.002-08:00

I came home the other night to a night of junk food eating. My house mate Joe and Austin were dining on White Castle, Sweet Tea, Pomegranate 7-up and Cranberry Canada Dry. They were eating this while watching a really weird show called the Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show. If you're going to watch it, take Advil first.

First of Many

2008-11-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am a Real Big Nerd

2008-11-12T23:39:00.004-08:00

I have not posted about this in a long time, but I am excited to see that the new expansion pack for World of Warcraft has come out: Wrath of the Lich King. I haven't played the game in nearly ten months but this is a neat reason to come back to it. Not great timing considering I'm getting married. Yeah Pat that's the best thing for you marriage, a computer game... No need to worry, my attention is to my Lord and my bride. That game was real fun though! Maybe some day...

What's So Special About a Gin and Tonic?

2008-11-11T22:05:00.001-08:00

2 oz gin
5 oz tonic water
1 lime wedge

Pour the gin and the tonic water into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Garnish with the lime wedge. Tastes like pine needles. I love pine needles.

According to tradition, the bitter taste of anti-malarial quinine tonic led British colonials in India to mix it with gin, thus creating the gin-and-tonic cocktail, which is still popular today in many parts of the world, especially the U.K., United States, southern Canada, parts of Australia and even Lhasa, Tibet.
I didn't know that this drink had such a history and an impact on the world. Not nesicarily starting with gin but with tonic water and it's anti-malarial quinine contained within. It's been used as an anti-malarial drug since WWI. Peruvian's would mix the drink with a sweet water - making a tonic water, to help ease the pain of the cold - being so high in the mountains. Quinine acts as a muscle relaxer as well. So interesting.
I started thinking about my wonderful friend down in Argentina, Liz, when I read that quinine is an ingredient in a soft drink down near Argentina, Paso de los Toros, and that maybe it's there to fight against malaria?? Who knows?

I love Google and Wikipedia, they make things so interesting.

Updates from the West...

2008-10-24T14:09:00.005-07:00

I got this photo from Nicole at Kopplin's from when she was in Seattle for Coffee Fest. I miss Milstead! He and I would go out every once in a while and have a few beers, and this generally the face we would have.

Plannin' a Weddin' at Light Speed

2008-10-20T06:56:00.003-07:00

So, here are the updates from last posted/from when I proposed:

We have a place reserved for the ceremony and reception.
We have food picked out for the event.
The wedding cake is planned and accounted for.
Angela's dress and all the bride's maid's dresses are bought, and fit well.
Flowers are ready to go.
Found a wedding photographer.
Had our engagement pictures taken.
We registered at three places.
Blocked out space at a hotel for guests.
Found a Honeymoon spot and got it booked.
Found a place to live and have the deposit on it.
Music is reserved for the wedding and ready to go.

There have been a lot of things falling into place so well, praise God, I don't know why more people don't plan a wedding two months out? The only things we're really working hard on now is the invitations (we're waiting on paper) and my kilt/s. I'm working on finding more of the paper today, and the kilts just have to be made. Well, if my bank would just allow international purchases this would be a lot easier. Then Libby and Abby are so graciously making the kilts for the grooms party. Yeah, so all in all, we've done a ton of work in about four weeks. In truth, I don't think this would have been such a reality if God wasn't so good, Angela wasn't such a good planner, and our parents weren't helping. Yeah, we did all this in four weeks, pretty wild.

River Otters

2008-10-01T11:15:00.003-07:00

Ange and I on a walk, stopping to "look at the river".

Happy News!

2008-10-01T10:24:00.007-07:00

I have some great news for you all! Angela Goede and I are getting married!! We've been real busy with lots of new things to do for this event... because we've never done this sort of thing before. I've already told a few people but I thought it was funny that people I've already told actually started congratulating me once I had my status on Facebook changed. The happy date is December 12th of this year. We're aiming for a small intimate wedding which we're pretty sure will happen. We've registered at Crate and Barrel, Target and at R.E.I.

Thank you to everyone for your support, I'll try and be on here more to update.

Miss America Runs Again!!

2008-09-07T21:57:00.002-07:00

She is back and running!! I finally got a thermostat for my electronic fan and an air filter and she is back and running. A little sluggish cause really, she hasn't been turned on in about two months... Ugh. Once that fan started you can imagine me doing a celebratory dance!! I also had a celebratory Fanta.

Pat, on a Forklift

2008-09-01T19:47:00.003-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am now employed at Home Depot. I will be working in the lumber department. The specific one I'll be working at is the store in the Quarry. I know that some of you know where that is, it's in Minneapolis. Right now I'm sitting in front of a computer learning things from animations and little videos. It's kinda fun, but I haven't had this much screen time since I played WoW, so my eyes hurt a little. But you can bet your bag of gold that these tests are totally pwn'd!

Thanks Milstead!!

2008-08-28T22:53:00.002-07:00

With so many people in one house I turn to a "hand down" from a dear friend of mine, Andrew Milstead. This fridge has now traveled to three different homes, I think. Starting at NCU, then an apartment near the cathedral, then my parents house and now to the Steiger house. I currently have a gallon of whole milk and 36 eggs in there...

149 Years of Fair Fun!!

2008-08-28T22:27:00.007-07:00

This year's fair is almost over, why am I thinking this? Because it drains the life out of me. I should say that it drains me when I work it, when I'm here to enjoy it and have fun it is so much fun. Overall it's attendance has been more than the past two years and I've seen some really shocking trends:

People are looking larger... width wise.
Women love to show off their ... um, chest. To the point where I'm embarrassed for them.
Women are treating their men very poorly, demeaning and patronizing, I don't know what that's about but it's real weird. Maybe they think they're funny. And all these guys just taking it. I don't think it's right.

Working a booth that lets you people watch all the time is kinda eye opening, to say the least. So I see all this in front of me and I can hear the live broadcast of Channel 4, Obama in the background giving a speech, and testimonies of people excited to see a change, something they've been waiting for since a breakthrough was made in the 60's. So I see these people and the possible future of our country and I think, this world still isn't my home. I say this and remember my friend Liz singing a little song about the glory train and how we have so much to look forward to in heaven and that that is where our heart should live. I'm not saying that Obama and all he's doing is futile, but that we must seek first the Kingdom and God will never be false to what He's promised and to who He is.
The fair is fun, but it let's me know that people all over are in need of the one who invented fun, who is fun and who is the great get-togetherer. Ok, I've talked enough, check out these pics and tell me what you think.

Truck and Fair News

2008-08-22T22:10:00.007-07:00

The back half of my truck is pretty much complete, I just need to fine tune the braking otherwise looky here! I have four wheels! And you can also see that I lost patience with my thermal mechanical fan... the one that's attached to the engine, I just sawed it off... Not the best choice, probably the worst choice, but I got it done.
Be sure to check out my mobile blog, in working for the fair I tend to upload things there more.
In working at the fair I hear so many things and see so many kinds of people, I'm surprised at the use of the word "asshole", so colorful isn't it?

STAR MAN !!

2008-08-19T07:52:00.008-07:00

In working for the Star Tribune I get to do some fun and interesting things. Last night I got to don a mascot outfit and throw the first pitch at a Saint Paul Saints game. It was a real sissy throw but Paul got some of the action. Later that night some of my co-workers decided they wanted to wear some outfits, and the wonderful people at the Saints let them use a bear and a freakish looking horse head gorilla thing. It was all fun.

I have become a Rogue Barista...

2008-08-13T14:55:00.004-07:00

So, my time at Kopplin's coffee has come to a close. I've worked there two years and devoted my full time attention to it for about a year and a half, and now it is done. Why? Mainly financial, but there are other reasons. I'm saying goodbye to an amazing staff and customer base. I don't want to leave, but there is no way for me to grow there anymore.
Also, my barista, Andrew Milstead, is moving to Seattle to be closer to his sister and work at another coffee shop there. I will always be his "bar back". I learned a ton from Milstead and I'm sad to see a master move on from the cities here.
Where am I going next? That's a good question. I'm looking for something where I can have fun with customers and work with my hands. Of course working a coffee shop is perfect for that, but there are other things. I also need to look forward to the future, I mean who knows what life could offer? Move to New York? Move to South America? One never knows...

But, just in case you are in need of someone who is excellent at customer service, customer retention and handy things... here is my resume.

PATRICK THOMAS
Minneapolis, MN 55407 ph 651-226-0992
Patrpat@gmail.com
Objective:
To obtain a position where I can exercise my customer service and technical skills. I enjoy close customer relations, helping goals to be met and problems solved. I work well with a variety of people and am able to work in a fast pace environment. I enjoy people, and doing a job well done.

Education:
➢ Minnesota Humanities Commission, Family Literacy Initiatives: Storysharing Family Literacy Training: Spring 2005
➢ Minnesota Humanities Commission, Teacher Institute: Somalian Folktales: Fall 2004
➢ Normandale Community College: Summer / Fall, 2003
➢ North Central University: 1 year, 2001 – 2002
➢ YWAM DTS graduated 2000 – 2001
➢ Central High School graduate Spring 2000

Job History:
Paradise Roasters May 2007 to August 2007
Production Roaster
Roast coffee according to roast master’s specification and environment to make any and all roast types on a production 35 lb roaster, as well as rotate and manage green coffee supply.

Kopplins Coffee August 2006 to Present
Barista
Assist customers in all aspects of service including running the cash register, making coffee, hot drinks, and stocking shelves in a fast pace coffee shop environment.

Nina’s Café May 2006 to August 2006
Night Manager
Assist customers in all aspects of service including running the cash register, making espresso drinks, stocking shelves, managing money, people and food preparation in a fast pace coffee shop environment.

Mill City Electric Inc. May 2006 to February 2007
1st year Apprentice
Assist in all aspects of Electrical work from residential to industrial, remodeling and new build; under the supervision of not less than one Master Electrician and/or one Journeyman Electrician.

Comcast October 2004 to May 2006
Communications Technician 2.
Location St. Paul, MN 1.Perform requested and non-pay disconnects, adhering to Comcast procedures and safe work practices, NEC and NESC requirements, and local ordinances in order to provide requested services. 2.Pre-wire single unit dwellings in order to provide “ready hook-up” capabilities. 3.Clean, maintain and stock vehicle and equipment in order to be prepared to perform required duties. 4.Inspect existing ground or make new ground according to the National Electrical Code (NEC) in order to protect employees, customers, and equipment from electrical shock or damage. 5.Complete associated paperwork with each work order in a timely manner in order to ensure all details of the work are recorded for entry in the customer’s account once the work is checked in. 6.During the course of normal day-to-day activities: a. Properly operate and maintain installation tools and equipment. b. Report need for vehicle repair or service when required and/or prescribed. c. Report any accidents, losses, injuries or property damage to supervisor and customer when appropriate. 7.Apply knowledge and skills of training on the job in order to prepare for transition to higher CommTech levels. 8.Perform other duties as requested by supervisor in order to achieve departmental goals and objectives. 9. Punctual, regular and consistent attendance. 10. Ability to work overtime as needed.

Tracy 1 Stop / Holiday Stationstore December 2002 to October 2004
Cashier / Customer Service Rep.
Assist customers in all aspects of service including running the cash register, stocking shelves, food preparation, and bulk propane distribution in a fast pace convenience store environment. I also have experience with Product ordering and money management.

Great Harvest Bread Co. November – December 2002
Cashier / Customer Service Rep.
Front counter customer service of taking orders during holiday peak season.

New Life Builders August – November 2002
Seasonal Carpentry Work.

Village Lawn Service May – August 2002
Seasonal lawn work / laborer.

Pioneer College Catering School year 2001 - 2002
Part time cook & dishwasher during college school year.

Messiah Episcopal Summer 2001
Summer intern Youth Leader.

YMCA Camp du Nord Summer 1997-2000
Seasonal camp counselor, cook, and full time maintenance staff person.

Now Sports Summer 1996 – Fall 1997
Bike builder & mechanic.

Kowalski’s Market Summer 1995 – Summer 1996
Customer service & Bag boy.

Other Experience:
➢ Storyteller for a private audience (Minneapolis, contact Angela Goede, 651-274-6320)
➢ Storyteller at Jackson Preparatory School (St. Paul, contact Jen Thomas)
➢ Storyteller at Kopplin’s Coffee (St. Paul, contact Andrew Kopplin)
➢ Storyteller at Children’s Hospitals (St. Paul, contact Lori Olsen).
➢ Storyteller at Blondies Café (St. Paul, contact Alice).
➢ Storyteller at Eastern Heights Elementary (St. Paul, contact Peggy Thomas).
➢ Storyteller at Roosevelt Elementary (St. Paul, contact Miguel Luna).
➢ Storyteller at Prosperity Heights grade school, West St. Paul (contact June Berkowitz).
➢ Storyteller at Willow Pond Farm – Center for the Arts and Sciences (home school co-op, contact Jean Minger North Branch, MN 651-674-5891).
➢ Storyteller at St. Olaf College (contact Heather Limanen).
➢ YWAM DTS training (September 2000 – April 2001). Missionary and Cross Cultural training along with storytelling experience at the village of Minto, Alaska.
➢ Allina Hospice, Volunteer training for hospice, bereavement, and palliative care (1999 – 2000).
➢ Como Zoo, volunteering during high school years. Led educational programs for children.

Missy (version 1.99.8)

2008-08-09T16:42:00.010-07:00

I will start to update y'all about my life, beginning with the status of Miss America. These are the things I wanted to fix/change about her:

Change the rear brakes - which sucks by the way!
Take out the rear shocks
Change the air intake
Pull and charge the battery
Pull and test the alternator
Add an electric fan
Change the serpentine belt
Change the oil

So as she stands now, I have most of these things done. I'm still waiting for the air intake and the drums to be delivered, but the brake shoes are in; I need to do the wiring for the fan but it's otherwise installed; and the I need to change the oil. That'll be the last thing I think I'll do. It's been extremely interesting working on Missy, I know so much more now about the brakes and the engine! Here are some pictures of what I've been doing:

I'm still here...

2008-07-21T17:52:00.002-07:00

Hey everybody, I'm not dead, I'm just really busy. Here's a brief list of things that I'm doing, that I'll elaborate on later:

Dating Angela
Doing a Bible Study
Work
Traveling - to Wisconsin and Iowa
Taking public transit and biking everywhere
Fixing my truck, which includes:

Changing the rear brakes - which sucks by the way!
Taking out the rear shocks
Changing the air intake
pulling and charging the battery
pulling and testing the alternator
Adding an electric fan
Changing the serpentine belt

F-Mazing Computer Screens

2008-06-21T20:21:00.002-07:00

So I've been interested in touch screens recently, I found a guy from NYU that's doing an amazing thing with computer touch screens, it's really cool check it out!!

Wow, thats cute.

2008-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

5 Guns

2008-06-14T11:00:00.009-07:00

I had an awesome time this morning with Brian firing handguns!! We managed to fire five different guns in three different calibers. So I fired a 357 Magnum 6 inch barrel, 357 4 inch barrel, 22 revolver 10 shot - 6 inch barrel, a G19 and a G26. It was so awesome!! There were two other guys next to us that had the other four guns, the 357 Magnum is Brian's.

Route 74a via Light Rail

2008-06-13T23:57:00.005-07:00

Life is becoming quite a change for me, and most of those that know me know that I don’t like change but know that it needs to happen. I’m writing this while riding on the bus. I know that the reason for me not taking the bus in the past has been that I need to plan ahead and account for that time but today it’s been so easy. And I’ve found that I feel better about the day because I don’t have to drive and deal with people on that level. I love driving, but I hate drivers. Maybe that’s something I need healing for? I don’t know – just now there was almost an accident.
I don’t think that going the straight and narrow in life means taking public transit, but I think that with me I have enough trouble with patience and pride that I think it’s a good exercise for me. Plus it’s nice to be driven. Maybe that’s why I like it – I’m being pampered… probably not. And I get to pray for people. Just Wednesday after taking the bus home I was able to pray for a man who had a heart attack - right there in the street.

I’m now at the light rail. The bus drove up to the station passing a group of 10 or 15 kids playing in the grass, two old men waiting for the train and two middle eastern women walking towards us. This is a great service, a patient way to travel.
It makes me think of why, really we have cars and the like in the cities here if we have a public transit system that’s so cool!

This makes me laugh so hard !

2008-06-08T20:48:00.009-07:00

The Gathering is coming soon and sadly I am not able to make it, but tonight I was fortunate to sit and hear some of the amazing facts of the worlds greatest human, Chuck Norris. Thank you Lorraine.

When Chuck Norris bleeds, oaks trees sprout up from where the blood fell.

The Great Wall of China was modeled after Chuck Norris's pectoral muscles, this explains the large number of dead Asians buried within the wall.

Chuck Norris's tears can cure cancer, too bad he's never cried.

Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone just by rubbing it against his beard.

Every piece of furniture in Chuck Norris's home is a total gym.

Rainbow's are what happens when Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks Richard Simmons.

Chuck Norris was one of the original members of the Wu Tang Clan but quit because they weren't street enough.

Chuck Norris ends every relationship with: It's not me, it's you.

Chuck Norris's gene's aren't a double helix, they're barbed wire.

If Chuck Norris looks at you and even thinks about Jesus, you're immediately converted to Christianity.

Chuck Norris wipes with 40 grit sand paper.

There's no chin behind Chuck Norris's beard, there's only another fist.

When ever Chuck Norris's wife asks him to do the dishes, he throws them in the garbage and tells her she looks fat.

Chuck Norris can speak braille.

Chuck Norris drives optimus prime to work.

When Chuck Norris breaks wind, it stays broken.

Chuck Norris beat IBM's Deep Blue computer at Chess in three moves, he only had a pawn, a thimble and a checker.

Chuck Norris was baptised with napalm.

Rosa Parks refused to get out of her seat because she was saving it for Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris cleans the wax out of his ears with a shotgun.

Mr. T once beat Chuck Norris in a game of tic tac toe, in retaliation, Chuck Norris invented racism.

When Superman squeezes a lump of coal he makes a diamond. When Chuck Norris squeezes a lump of coal he makes an African child to work in his diamond mines.

Chuck Norris is the only one who can kick you in the back of the face.

Chuck Norris's heart beats once every week.

Chuck Norris just pissed your pants.

Chuck Norris is not a man, he's the culmination of hundreds of years of black oppression.

Captain Mudslinger!!

2008-06-06T11:03:00.001-07:00

I'm so proud of my uncle. Check him out in KSTP's edition of "Get out of town" where they feature him as a potter.

Google Calendar is Awesome

2008-06-05T20:26:00.004-07:00

Writing out a list and thinking on these things for a few weeks now (please refer back to my docs) I've come to a realization that I need to start to blocking out my time for these things, yet at the same time, keeping it free enough so that I don't cramp God's style. If He wants to do something in my life or through me... who am I to say um, yeah ... ok I gotta schedule to keep here so, that whole following your will thing, it's gonna have to wait... yeah... I look forward to this challenge, though I know it's going to be difficult. So here's my goal's so far:

Work out at least twice a week.
I will have a day ( 5 hours ) all to myself with no one else, once a week.
God and I will have breakfast at least three times a week.
Some of my energy each day will be devoted to one of my house mates (30 minutes).
I will keep to the Bible study that Angela and I do and meet with her specifically about the Bible study weekly.

I feel like these things will change some aspects of how I live, I know that it will change my relationship with God, my house mates and it's going to change my relationship with Angela as well, but I look forward to these changes. I think that everyone who knows me knows that I hate change, I hhhaaaaaate it! Unless I'm in charge, and thats my fallen humanity coming to the surface (I'm sorry everybody).
I had a conversation today with my friend from the coffee shop, Dave, and we were talking about patience. He said that he had learned a lot from native Sioux, relatives of his wife, about patience and being a parent. This was before he had his first child, he has two now, and is still amazed about patience with his kids and wife. I had told him that I had experienced some of that knowledge from the Native Americans of Alaska, the Inupiaq Eskimos, and how their values were very present in my interactions with their elders.
In a similar vein, one of the most comforting verses to me is this:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails, -" 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

This is comforting to me because these are all things that God is and will ever be, He will never be false to these values - and the first that is written is that He is patient. His patience is our salvation, and I hope and pray for this in my life that I may glorify Him. This is why I write out a schedule, in hope, that I may train and beat my body into submission, that my body may obey my mind and my mind may obey the Living Christ. Please pray for this for me.

On a side note: I'm really falling for Angela pretty hard. Did I ever tell you that story about when a guy who was siding my parents house dropped a hammer on my head... from the second story of the house? The hook end hit and stuck into the front side of my head. I'm falling harder for Angela now than I did from that hammer.

A New Alice in the World

2008-06-05T20:16:00.005-07:00

I am pleased to post the birth of the first Carlson to come from Erin and Dane Carlson. Her name is Alice, here is the email I received today:

Hello everyone! As most of you know but not all of you, Dane and I are now proud parents! Baby Alice arrived on Sunday June 1st. She was 6 lbs, 9.5 oz but has since dropped her weight to about 6 lbs. She's a tiny little peanut!
She arrived 2 weeks early from her due date and 1 week early from her scheduled c-section date. It was an adventure to say the least. My spinal block ended up not fully working so half way through the surgery I was put completely under. Dane was there the whole time and got to witness her arrival.
Baby & I are both doing well. We came home yesterday and are now adjusting to life as parents. I am still recovering from my surgery but am surprised at how fast my body is recovering.
For those of you who visited us in the hospital and took pictures, can you email me copies of the pictures? Thanks!
I have attached a few pictures for you all to see how gorgeous she is. Thanks to all of you for your prayers, love, support and help during this amazing life transition. We love you all. Take care!!
Love,
Erin, Dane and Baby Alice

Thanks Matt for the Jokes

2008-06-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Yo, them is jokes ...

Not not
who's there
A double negative

- Ha ha !!

What did the 0 say to the 8?
what?
Nice belt

Run People Run!

2008-06-01T16:47:00.005-07:00

As planned, the Go! Race was a go and Angela and I ran the 5k. And yes, I am totally pimping a 420 race number... all about that weed? Anyway, it was fun, there was a drum/dance line and some fun stuff for kids. I learned that this is the only 5k in the country that runs through an impoverished area. Urban Homeworks is a pretty wonderful organization, and this race gave me an idea of what kind of work is being done in the north side of Minneapolis. As we ran I saw lots of community projects happening, children's centers and Habitat for Humanity's "Home Depot" of sorts, it's called ReStore. It was a fantastic run, and when we had finished I realized that all through my training I had never ran more than a mile and a half, now I just finished a little more than three. Huh. That's weird.
"Hey Ange, what do you want to do now?"
"Take a shower, you?"
"Go to Kopplin's ... and, maybe go to the cabin."
"Sounds good."

It was an awesome Saturday.

Hater

2008-05-27T22:35:00.003-07:00

I stumbled upon a crazy website the other day and laughed so hard when I saw this post on the #1 thing that white people like is coffee. I know that this is not true, but reading the rest of their posts just showed how we can stereotype people, it was a funny post though.

There is no doubt that white people love coffee. Yes, it’s true that asians like iced coffee and people of all races enjoy it. But I promise you that the first person at your school to drink coffee was a white person. You could kind of tell they didn’t enjoy it, but they did it anyways until they liked it - like cigarettes.
White people all need Starbucks, Second Cup or Coffee Bean. They are also fond of saying “you do NOT want to see me before I get my morning coffee.” White guys will also call it anything but coffee: “rocket fuel,” “java,” “joe,” “black gold,” and so forth. It’s pretty garbage all around.

If you want to go for extra points - white people really love FAIR TRADE coffee, because paying the extra $2 means they are making a difference.

Yeah, but I like coffee...

Friday Night Lights

2008-05-22T22:37:00.004-07:00

The beginning of the weekend starts with two of my favorite little friends, Speak (with a ridiculous me a couple years ago) and Mazie. Speak is a Pekingese/Poodle mix and Mazie is a Rat Terrier/Corgi mix, so they're both small and ferociously cute. Except when they unexpectedly bark when I'm focusing on, hmm let's see, blogging?
"F*** !!! Sshhhh, quiet!"
They look at me as if to say, "What? Dude, don't tell me you didn't hear that... We totally heard that."
I love looking after these two, teaching them strange things, drinking beer and getting high, ah, oh man, the three of us just party like you can't believe. Speak was just reminding me about the ear wig of doom and how he feels like gangs now a days are nothing like they used to be. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm here, they're showing me around town. Mazie said that ladies night at the Cherokee are awesome, I think we're going tomorrow. Peace out ya'll, yo - who let the dogs out? I did!

Beans for Breakfast Once Again...

2008-05-20T22:49:00.004-07:00

I am so scared sometimes, and then I realize that I'm hungry. I'm so angry sometimes, and then I realize that I'm hungry. I'm realizing that a lot of things in my life revolve around food, and if I've had enough. Everyone, I want you to meet my tape worm. Ok, so I don't have a tape worm as far as I know but I do know that I can eat and I'm always hungry. Really I shouldn't be surprised since I work out a lot and I have a job that makes me run around and I drive to work in a real piece of crap... Just kidding, I'd never call Missy that.
I was talking to Noah today and he was saying that he ate his own re fried beans today. "What does that mean?" I says.
"Well, it means I ate my own re fried beans, ones I made from scratch."
"What do you have to do to make them from scratch?"
Now, let me tell you I was surprised to find out how exactly to make re fried beans, it takes at least a day and a half. Involving soaking for a day, boiling, simmering, mashing and frying.
"It's really satisfying."
I imagine it is, my first time making bread was a simple Milk Bread which turned out wonderfully. It took a lot of time, I thought, but by the end I was encouraged and satisfied that the work I had done was good. I read Paul and Libby's blog once in a while and I see sometimes that they have recipes on there from time to time. I walk downstairs to see my friends and house mates on the first floor and they're almost always cooking or baking or milling wheat or something. I have lunch with Angela and she makes a phenomenal sandwich from scratch from I don't know what but tastes soooo good!
"I think we're, as westerner's, used to or expect food to be fast. And that's just not the way it is my friend. Good food takes time and the rest of the world knows this."
Sometimes I wander over to a blog that makes me laugh, or cringe most of the time, called Waiter Rant, and there's usually a story about this waiter's day to day in a restaurant. For the most part I think of the service industry when I read it, but sometimes I think of the customers and the kind of service they expect - the speed and perfection expected. Yet, they're still customers and not making the food themselves and that makes us quite delusional.
... I just wanted to write delusional... anyway, the point of all this is I think that I'm going to start making a greater effort toward the quality, and quantity, of my food intake.
I don't know, what do you think?
Maybe I'll start with this.

The Announce of a Move

2008-05-17T13:05:00.007-07:00

It's been a crazy week... again. Earlier this week Patty had to go to the hospital because of a seizure and later found out that she has Graves Disease. That was kind've a surprise and a massive shock for her to remember walking down the street and then waking up in the ER with bruises and iv's. So all of us here at Kopplin's coffee have been trying to support Patty and help her with whatever she needs, her mom's in town so thats good too.
Today she told us that she is planning on moving back to Milwaukee as soon as possible. Which is sad. It's going to be a better setup for her in that she's from there and her parents live there, but we'll all miss her. So if you're in Milwaukee and you see an Alterra coffee house, she might just be there.

Belated Sponsor Promo

2008-05-14T14:09:00.002-07:00

Oh dude! I just remembered that Milstead and I had an "official" sponsor...

just kidding

94 East my Friends!!

2008-05-14T11:53:00.013-07:00

I spent a couple days away from the normal world of coffee and community and went to the cabin. Some writing was done (keep in mind that the document I posted earlier updates as I update it, so check it often if you like), some fire building, some worship and early mornings ... This morning I was woken up by a large Tom, kinda cool, but kinda annoying. Last night I saw three deer sleeping in the meadow, that was cool. After the Tom moved on by and I began to wake up a little I cleaned the house and began to pack for the drive home. Oh, but low and behold, I see some cows near the road that start to call out my name. Yes, my name is actually pronounced: Moooaaaahhh. I went for a little walk to see them, they were shy and had three new calf's with them. The largest of the cows walked hesitantly up to my hand, outstretched over the electric fence, and licked me with her big black tongue. She took a step back in surprise and stomped. At the stomp the rest of the cows, who were curious, did a little shutter and stood still. She then shook her big head as if to say: noooo. About that moment two cars pulled up asking if I was getting the calf's back in the fence. "Just saying hi" I said. The farmer was relieved and told me that he's been checking on the new ones just in case one of them got out. And Scene...
(Cheesy musical score fades in as Patrick walks from the cows, waving happily at the farmer, who is equally waving happily back ... birds chirping ... happy sun ... aaahhhhhhh ...)

I drove north to Phillips, where I had breakfast at the freight house restaurant and had awful coffee but great hash browns, eggs, homemade cinnamon raisin bread and steak. I also heard some great one liners and some really interesting conversation, like so:

"I would imagine people throw a lot of things at you bill." (In response to a story about a bar fight that cost him a tooth)
"Sue super glued my dick to my leg once. What? It's true, yeah they had to cut it loose." (...pranks a spouse can play on each other)
"Ya-know what the best part of you is? Seeing you walk out that front door." (Old man to a young woman...)

wow...

I started thinking that if I wanted to I could start roasting here and I'd make a killing, I mean how many of these hoo-ha's have had good coffee? Probably not many if they're used to this brown cigarette water. I was so desperate for a signal that I reverted back to my ghetto comcast days when I would drive slowly through neighborhoods scanning the open wifi networks. I drove past the Library first to see if I could score some good library signal, but no. What's next? The somewhat good homes I saw as I drove past, those were all locked (though I know some codes, those didn't work). Ok, down main street, and YES!! I find one! Thanks Davette! I would think that a CPA's office would have a little more secure network but whatever.

The drive back home was uneventful, but like always, I end up at Kopplin's. So here I am writing this blog from a table at Kopplin's coffee. Where would the world be without it's coffee shops, and Milstead ... and reading ... ma ter iaal ...

Thank Goodness it's done!

2008-05-07T13:25:00.007-07:00

Wow, the SCAA came and went, the championship happened and all that attended I'm sure had too much to drink, I know I did. I have a couple of pics for you to see but the best bloggers out there can do a better job of summing up the weekend than I can (Liz, the official blog, video feeds, the Ghost, and Meister - who has some sweet tats I wish I could show you!). I will reflect a little about what I learned through all this.

The weekend was crazy in that there was so much happening in the coffee world and in my own as well. I feel like a cotton-headed ninny-muggins. Sunday was my one month with Angela and we had a great time spending it in Afton with Captain Mudslinger. Because I was going crazy with the partying, forgetting house things, spending time with Angela and God, learning about things technical and making friends with Synesso; I started something that I tend to do about every two to three years - I reevaluate what matters most to me and how my actions in life right now are showing that or not and what I'm doing to remedy and/or continue those things. It's not a real easy process but I think I make it pretty simple. I first outline the things in my life that matter to me, and then the things that take my time currently. How do they match? Then I just journal and pray about each bullet that I wrote down, and I end up making a massive list of stuff.
Here is the list right now, it's pretty personal but I wanted to share it so that maybe you can be encouraged in whatever you're doing.