2010 and 10 below

2010 finds me looking forward to many things...and very verrrryyy cold.

The month leading up to 2010 found me in a pretty crappy place. I was struggling to find passion with my job. Struggling to share a house with 4 other people (even though I love them...being a roommate is just sort of a challenge). I was struggling to be poor and living in a depressed neighborhood. I was struggling to maintain a relationship from 1000 miles away. I missed the old life I had, and found myself longing for everything I was not going to have this year. December 2009 was a strugglefest to say the least.

Although spending time at home in Chicago and then travelling to West Virginia for the holidays did not make it easier to come back and face the rest of this year, I feel like I am ready to take as much from this year as I can and then move on in my life. I cannot change what my life is going to be for the next eight months...but I can look forward and try to enjoy every experience I have this year. good and bad.

2009 was an epic year for me. I graduated from a college that had become home (whether or not I realized it at time). I fell more in love with someone than I ever thought possible. I realized that some of the people I thought were my best friends weren't and learned who I could truly depend on when everything felt like it was caving in. I moved to a new city to live with total strangers and work in a job I had no business doing in the first place. My grandma passed away and I experienced loss for the first time. I've learned that striving to make money isn't all bad (if done in a moral way) and neither is religion or having faith in something. I realized that I want to be close to my family and I don't want to be a social worker. Although, this year has been intense, I wouldn't change it for a second. I have learned more about myself than I ever thought possible, and am trying to be thankful for the good and bad times I have been given this past year.

I can only hope to experience as much love and learning in 2010 as I have this past year.

So in the spirit of the new year...here are my resolutions:

1. Join a gym. I know this seems stereotypical...but I think it will reduce my stress levels exponentially and help me feel like I am in better shape

2. Get LEED accredited and move back home to Chicago to start working with my dad

3. eventually live in the same zip code as the man I am crazy about (or at least see him more than every 2 months!)

4. start planning my next mountain climb

5. find ways to have fun and be joyful...everyday!

Here's to 2010!

Happy Holidays from the Imani House!!

Dear Readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at the Imani House. We hope this greeting finds you all happy, healthy, and ready to celebrate the holidays. Here are some updates and highlights form each of us.

Brent: This is a check-in from the most nerdy and awkward roommate from the Imani house. This has been a great and challenging year so far! At my placement, I’m in charge of finding people job opportunities, a difficult task in this economy. Consequently, I’ve had a hard time finding hope in this work, but my roommates, work staff, and clients have been incredibly supportive and driven me to maintain at least some on a daily basis. In case anyone is worried about my nerd level going down because of the social nature of my job, you don’t have to worry – other LVCers and myself are starting a dungeons and dragons campaign!

Mary-Eileen: I work at Sojourner Truth Academy Elementary School as a kindergarten assistant, after-school teacher, and . . . lunch lady! Yes, I am the lunchroom monitor at our school, and I’ve started a new lunchtime program called “Bring the White House to Our House!” We are leaning manners and writing letters to President Barack Obama inviting him to come have lunch with us in our new “Banquet Hall.” Outside of work, I’ve been busy crafting, cooking, and curling! My New Year’s resolution is to work less and workout more. I’m looking forward to going home (California) for Christmas—beaches, shorts, and sunshine!

Andi: Howdy to you all. 2009 is on it's way out, but it's been a full and good year for me. After journeying from Berkeley, CA to Mini-apple-lous, I find myself working for Lutheran World Relief and living in the Imani house. Next year I hope to worry less about getting things done - but my other resolutions include: learn the banjo, blog more, facebook less, read more books than there are days, understand the financial crisis of 2008, write more letters, apply to seminary, join a gym, climb a mountain, and (why not) take up birding. So here's to 2010!

Miranda: This year as been pretty great, if I do say so myself. After graduation I moved home to work at a migrant clinic and enjoy some home cooking. After spending most of my summer ensuring that I'd seen every episode of Friends, I moved to Minneapolis to start work at The Advocates for Human Rights through LVC. So far things are going really well, and I have enjoyed the challenge of learning about something completely new to me. In my spare time I have been playing in a local orchestra and rewatching episodes of LOST so I can be prepared for season six. Since my usual goals of working out never seem to pan out, my new year's resolution for 2010 is to sleep eight hours per night (or more!).

Maggie: While work has been slightly less productive than I had hoped for at my placement this year, I am finding creative ways to keep myself busy and fulfilled! I find myself facebook stalking often, helping to launch a progressive spiritual community in the twin cities and making/eating a lot of homemade popcorn. I also enjoy making Andi sing the “happy kitty” song daily. In 2010 I hope to hold myself accountable for sweating to the 80’s with Richard Simmons atleast once a week, taking more pictures of my life this year, and re-teaching myself how to do long division. Hooray for 2010!

Thanks for continuing to follow us through this blog this year. We hope that each of you is blessed this holiday season!

Love,

The Imani House

tis the season

The week before Thanksgiving was probably the low point of my time in LCV thus far. I was burned out of work, cohabitation, and just being in a place that was the polar opposite of my life last year. After a really rough day at work, in the heat of the moment, I woke up at 4:30am and decided to go home a day early for Thanksgiving. What a good choice that was. Over break I was able to watch infinite amounts of trashy TV, eat some gourmet food, spend time with my family and catch up with old friends...without any guilt! Although I wasn't ready to come back to MN, I was feeling much better about my situation and ready to tackle whatever came my way.

Although there are a lot of things I really hate about my job, this week has kind of put everything in perspective. The after school program is off an running...so seeing the kids twice a week has been a joy. I've been signing up residents all week for Toys for Tots...so it has been awesome seeing all the kids who will now have toys (even if they aren't necessarily for Christmas in most cases). We also did move ins this week and we had a family come straight from shelter...so it was really exciting to hand them the keys and give them a place to call home...just in time to beat the snow that came this week! A volunteer also donated a bunch of household things to this family so they could start their new life a little more comfortably. I feel like this week I finally felt needed. I was actually doing work that made a difference...and as selfish as that sounds...it felt really good.

So now we just need an epic dumping of snow on the ground...and the holidays will be in full swing! We are taking our Imani Christmas card pictures this week...so get excited...the blog will be updated later this week with all of our adorable pictures and updates

I'm thankful for healthcare

I'm thankful that with health insurance reform, I won't lose my insurance if I get sick, I won't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, women will no longer have to pay higher premiums for equal coverage, and that I can keep my insurance even if I change or lose my job... I'm hopeful that this reform will go through, because the current health insurance situation isn't cutting it for me!

On Wednesday, we spent some time at the Hennepin County Medical Center (a few blocks from my property) to protest the cuts of General Assistance Medical Care by being part of a never ending emergency room line around the hospital. Poor people don't stop getting sick when you cut off their preventative care, they are just forced to show up at the emergency room where they cannot be turned away by law...thus a really long emergency room line and higher costs than a normal doctor.

Here's the thing...I know we are on a tight budget....but cutting preventative care is only going to create more chaos for Minnesota. Forcing people to go off their psych medication is going to lead to more homelessness, which often leads to more police action and unnecessary jail time. It is going to increase visits to the emergency room dramatically. It is going to make people decide whether to buy food or their medication, which often leads to an increase in petty crime. The bottom line is...our tax dollars are going to pay for people on GAMC whether we cut it or not...so why not treat people with respect and dignity? No one should die because of lack of health care...and I think if these budget cuts go through...it will happen...and it will affect many of our residents a great deal.

Sorry for the rant...but it had to be said.

I'm linking the testimonies St. Stephen's Human Rights (the people who organized the protest) have gathered over the last couple of months....it's pretty powerful stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJbQvK5MlvY

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

sooo I looked at the blog today and realized that my last couple of posts have been super depressing...and that ain't right. For the most part, things in Minneapolis are awesome (except this rainy Saturday morning weather)...so in the spirit of November, the month of Thanksgiving...here is a list of things I am thankful for:

1. coffee and doughnuts (esp when they are free!) on a lazy Saturday morning
2. being able to wear my uggs on the weekend
3. smart wool socks...they keep my toes warm when the heat gets shut off :)
4. having the heat fixed in our house!!! being warm never felt so good
5. snuggies...don't knock em until you live in the equivalent of Siberia like I do :)
6. Hennepin County Library Catalog...and their ability to get all the books my heart desires...and deliver them to the library a block away from me
7. having an amazing support network of family, friends, roommates and co-workers who keep me sane and always know how to cheer me up on a bad day
8. living in a city where I am constantly able to network with other people in the social service sector
9. my car. oh my goodness how would I get around this city without it!?!?
10. change...and the things I am learning from it

Love,
Maggie

Blogging Faster than Miranda

I don't have a lot of time to put thought into this post, because I am blog-racing Miranda Morgan. I hope I win.

Here are some pictures from retreat. I don't have any pictures of all of us in our Halloween contests together, but here are some winners.

I see that I lost the blog race against Miranda. Oh well.

Quotes from today

"Wouldn't it be kind of fun if we all got sick together?" -Maggie

"I'd kind of like to get H1N1 right now" -Andi

These were taken slightly out of context, but, to be honest, I really wouldn't mind if I got H1N1 right now either... I mean, it wouldn't be convenient, and I'm sure it sucks once you have it, but we could all watch Freaks and Geeks all day if we were sick.

Wow, that was a long sentence. I can't really think of much to say, but I will include this:

Yes, this is the Imani House as the Rejected Spice Girls: Retired Spice, Blue Collar Spice, Minnesota Nice Spice, Sweaty Spice, and Angsty Spice!

I'm definitely thinking about wearing my sweater again. I almost want to have an ugly sweater party just to honor it's awesomeness.