City Girl/Country World

I’m pretty bad at being grateful, at least openly. To be honest, I complain a lot. But I truly am thankful for so many things…way too many things to list here. Alas, here’s what makes my short list this year.

My husband. Truly my best friend and a really, really good cook.

Mississippi Market. My neighborhood co-op grocery, which has fueled my passion for real, whole foods.

Church of the Cross. We owe a lot to these people — they are our life blood, our best friends.

buythechange. One of my clients this year, and run by three of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. They have a vision for strengthening communities through online classifieds.

Gmail & Facebook. Seriously, where would any of us be without these guys? I’m thankful for Facebook’s powerful ability to reconnect us.

Frugal Granola. For me, a truly life-changing blog that inspires me to live a simple life, though I’m still trying to figure out what that means.

Danskos. I bought my second pair this year and am not quite sure how I ever survived without these wonder shoes.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I connect with this ridiculous movie on so many levels. It never gets old, and we watch parts of it nearly every single night before bed.

St. Paul Public Library. It allows me to check out all kinds of books and movies…for free! (Yes, even at 26 years old, I am still amazed.) We even gave up our Netflix subscription in lieu of the library this fall.

Cooqi. I went gluten free for almost a month this fall to see if it would help my headaches (it didn’t). In that month, though, I learned how difficult living with a wheat allergy can be. This St. Paul bakery makes living a gluten-free diet somewhat easier, and definitely more fun.

Dixie Chicks. I didn’t even start listening to this trio until I saw their documentary, Shut Up & Sing. Then I bought Not Ready to Make Nice, and I swear some of those songs were written just for me.

Dog Days. Yes, we are THOSE people. We send Annie to doggie daycare once a week in the winter months. She gets a workout, and we feel like good, responsible dog parents whose pup gets as much exercise as she needs.

The intangibles. Our families, our jobs, our friends.

We’re truly blessed. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop complaining in 2009.

Several years ago, Ben and I were home for Christmas and breakfasted with our good, old friend, Elyce. Amidst the pancakes, we poured our hearts out about being homesick for Indiana and about wanting to move back. This talk came just after Ben had entered seminary, I had decided to change my profession, and we had moved two or three times (between different apartments) in the course of a year. Elyce, in her great wisdom, told us — very gently — that we were CRAZY. All that life change in one year? We were bound to burn out. She said, and I’ll never forget this, “I want you two to have a year of nothing. A year of good mental health.”

At the time, we laughed this off. Sure, good mental health. We were fine! But a year or so later, when we up and moved to Oregon, leaving a great community behind, we found out the hard way what she meant by “burn out.” And thus began a year-and-a-half of very bad mental health.

One year ago yesterday we moved into our home in St. Paul — which truly began a year of healing. A year of Ben and I both having good, stable, full-time jobs. A year getting to know once again a wonderful church community who welcomed us back with open arms. A year of exploring our new neighborhood, joining a local co-op, and getting to know neighbors. We had hiccups, for sure. A few minor freak-out-what-the-heck-are-we-doing-with-our-lives moments, but we’ve settled down again nicely. We’ve settled into a new life that feels good. And I finally understand the “good mental health” that Elyce wished upon us.

While we’ve been in our house a year, we’re still trying to put things on the walls (paint is next). It’s a process with me, though, I want my wall hangings to mean something — at least to Ben and I if no one else. I came across three posters today that I’m going to order, and that truly sum up where I am right now:

To me, this means community. I need it — I’m nothing without it.

To me, this means emerging myself into wherever I am in life. And always returning “home.”

To me, this means take a deep breath. Don’t make any rash decisions but continue forging ahead.

(BTW, these posters are all available via ReformSchoolRules)

So…here’s to another good year!

We’ve been back in Minnesota six months now, and I’ve been to Haupt five times. It’s not that impressive until you take into account that Haupt opens only once a month! Located in a lovely old house, guest house, and carriage house, Haupt is overflowing with vintage and reproduction goods. With the guest house they added a few months ago, it’s almost overwhelming.

I visited this past weekend with a few girlfriends, just a short jaunt down Hwy 52 in bucolic Rosemount. The donut truck wasn’t there (must be a summer-only thing) but we had warm cups of Starbucks (chai soy latte) to fuel our hunt. With some encouragement, I ended up purchasing four dog figurines – which sound a lot dorkier than they actually are. I have a thing for dogs, I won’t lie, and I also needed some “trinkets” for our hutch. I need to take pics, but they look like this:

I also bought some garland made out of fake pears. I also have a thing for decorating with fruit.

Ben thinks the dogs are a little strange. I think they walk the line between kitsch and antique, which in this case is just fine with me. I draw the line at porcelain dolls – I do NOT do dolls. Or clowns.

Back to Haupt – it’s wonderful. One of the very best antique markets in the Twin Cities. Here are its vitals:

14690 South Robert Trail

Rosemount, MN 55068

www.hauptantiek.com