Run in the Sun B-)

A BEAUTIFUL sunny day today! My mother called me in the morning to set up a lunch date! She took me out to Godfather's Pizza near my work. We talked for a few minutes before I had to head back to work - and if having a lunch date with Mom wasn't crazy random enough, my mom came to SEE WHERE I WORK! After about 8 years of being at DRC, my parents haven't been inside any building where I work! My mom came over to Boone and she saw many of my co-workers from the wedding and met a few others. Then I gave her a tour and we talked for a bit! Crazy Cool!
Ok - so my day has already been fantastic! But it was only half over! After work I was able to spend some time with my BEAUTIFUL and FANTASTIC girlfriend Lauren! We went for a run around the neighborhood! It was so much fun! She is sooo fun to run with and chat! We wore ourselves out, got cleaned up, then I took her to the California Pizza Kitchen for the first time! We had a super neat waitress who just graduated from the UofMN in Psychology and was a blast to chat with! The food was amazing as well (not to mention dessert)! After THAT we went back to CSF where we made a stamp for our letterboxing excursions. We decided on a theme and finished our first stamp in our series that we'll be leaving for others to find! Lauren is super creative! Around 10:30 it was time to say goodnight to Lauren, and time to rent a movie until I fell asleep myself!

The Greatest Deal Ever Told - (maybe not, but it was a good one!)

I picked up Lauren for church this morning! It was a great service - God was really glorified. When singing hymns, my mind almost always goes back to a CSF Bible Study night, led by Rebecca Lehmer, who helped remind us why we sing praises to God in the first place. She also provided some useful tools to help us focus on the songs so our minds don't become distracted and so we can bring God all of the glory when we sing to Him! One of these tools included visualising images that the song brings to mind, then focusing those images on our relationship with God. I also think about what some of the words mean that I don't quite understand and how it fits with the music. Anyway, it was a good service and an excellent music/worship/praise time as well!
After church we had lunch at Davanni's (good stuff), then went home to Andover for a little while. Lauren and I hung out for a bit w/ my family while I helped Mom with some computer things, and helped Jake with purchasing the Prince Caspian Soundtrack!
Later on Lauren and I went to Best Buy to look for a DVD player for her appt! There were several "open boxes" and every time we looked at a different one it seemed we were getting a better deal and saving more money! The last DVD player we looked at 2was $40 and was marked down from $100!!! CRAZY! Lauren's mom gave her a $100 budget to purchase a DVD player so we had 60 left over so far! We just needed to get her a bigger TV next (Amy Brown had a tiny one at home).
Next, we went letterboxing at the UofMN campus! It was our first excursion since dating I think! And it was also our first opportunity to use our newly created stamp! We found the letterbox with great joy! We ended up getting eaten alive again by our state insect, but still had a fabulous time!
After letterboxing we drove to West St. Paul to pick up a TV we found on Craig's List! The owner was really nice and many friendly words were exchanged ("give him our best wishes" or something to that extent, and, "we'll see you later" were just a couple of those wonderful moments)! The 27" TV was also $40!! We just got a HUGE tv and NEW DVD player for $80!! And STILL had $20 left over! How sweet is that?!
After THAT we set up the TV and DVD player, and by then it was getting late, so I decided to retreat to my living quarters and retire for the evening, while falling asleep to reading a good book!

WAR, HUH, YEAH, What is it good for? Absolutely NOTHIN'!

Lauren made breakfast this morning! What a girl! We picked up Amy Brown from the airport and brought her home, then I went to Andover to see Lydia and Charles open wedding gifts while Lauren, Amy, and Taylor went to volunteer with a Simpson Housing picnic! JB gave Lyd and Charles a digital picture frame that plays Mp3s AND video, while also having an analog clock attached to the other side of the frame! Good man!
Later in the afternoon I went to Cossetta's in St. Paul w/ Lauren, her sister, and her extended family! I wish I had pictures to share, but those memories will have to stay intact in my brain (until they figure out some sort of extrapolation method that can convert thoughts to JPEGs)! The food was great! I love Lauren's family as well!! It's also a great place for a date (hint)!
After dinner we all went over to the Science Museum to visit the new Star Wars exhibit! Again...no pictures :( But it was really fun!!! It was cool to see the props up close and learn about real-life robots that exist in the world today (oh my GOODNESS I'm sounding like some sort of freakish tour guide...I'll stop now)!
That's all for now folks!!!!!
- Micah
:-)

Meet the (Extended) Family :-)

Today after work, I met up with Lauren and her extended family in Woodbury, where she nanny's for her cousins! They are a really kind family - with a lot of love and generosity. Her cousins are great! After dinner (which was REALLY good by the way) Lauren and I took a couple of her cousins to see the opening premier of Wall-E at the drive-in! We also saw the Incredible Hulk after that! It was a lot of fun! We stopped at a gas station to pick up a couple snacks, then played frisbee in the drive-in lot until the movie started. I really enjoyed it! Pixar outdid themselves again with another funny, family-friendly movie! I look forward to seeing it again sometime!

Drive-In Movie Frenzy!

This summer has been fun with going to the drive-in from time-to-time! I think the majority of drive-ins I have been to in my life have been from this year alone! I remember as a kid viewing Jurassic Park with my family at the drive-in! Good times!
This year Lauren and I have been to the drive-in probably 4 or 5 times now! Seeing:

* Ironman (usually a triple feature, with a couple B-movies following the main feature)
* Kung Fu Panda, Ironman (yesterday night)!
* Get Smart, Indiana Jones, Jumpers (a fun triple feature that we saw a couple days ago)!
* The Chronicles of Narnia, Speed Racer

* The Forbidden Kingdom, I think 10,000 B.C. and another B-rated film

* Wall-E, Incredible Hulk (tonight, with Lauren and a couple of her cousins)!
So it's been a fun summer! Mosquitoes can definitely be a problem though (my left hand has like 9 bites on it)! Next time I have to remember to bring stuff for that!
Ok - back to work!
Shalom!

Galaxy Quest

"Never Give Up, Never Surrender!"
That's all I have to say :)

Oh - Lydia and Charles return from their honeymoon today! Ariel and Mary cleaned stuff up, bought them food and supplies, and organized the appt for their return! I stopped by a couple times to check up on it, as well as to drop off some more wedding gifts from friends :-)

Later today I plan to maybe go to CSF, then to the drive-in w/ Lauren to see Kung Fu Panda and Ironman! I've only heard good things about the former, and I've already seen Ironman but am very much looking forward to seeing it again!

Jack Johnson Concert!!!

Many things have been happening in my life since I last blogged, but I figured I would start somewhere recent to get things kicked off again on here! I just went to a Jack Johnson concert w/ my girlfriend Lauren! We went last Sunday in a 'middle-of-nowhere' place in Wisconsin (that's what most of WI is like anyway right?!)!
There were massive amounts of people there! Lots of smoking and drinking, but it was still a fun time! We got comfortably close and I took a few pictures and videos to share! Enjoy!
Videos:
Banana Pancakes
Flake Part 1
Flake Part 2
Upside Down
"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" & "Just What I Needed"
Mason Jennings: How Deep Is That River (interesting song)