An Iowa Wedding

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of going to a wedding of some good friends. John (who has been friends with Gerrit since high school) and Emily got married in northern Iowa on a gorgeous day. The ceremony was lovely, the bride was beautiful (of course!), the groom was handsome and fun was had by all! Here are some pictures of the day:
I took this last picture right outside the church. This is what I remember seeing on road trips to see my extended family. I love Iowa! I really do! I have fond memories of family reunions there. I wish I could have seen everyone this time around. :(

Here he is...

...Champion of my heart.

Coffee Talk

While working as a Caribou Barista, my magnetic force for awkward moments has only gotten stronger. It amazes me what customers tell me when I simply ask, "How is your day going?" For example, today I asked a girl how her job was going (she comes in often before work). Within 30 seconds she had confessed to being harassed by a guy on her work team, but secretly liking him because some things he says are flattering. Though she admitted that nothing would ever happen since she has a boyfriend who she lives with. She also mentioned her disappointment that the harasser was now dating another girl on the team. Wow, she must need someone to listen to her. Don't we all?
I think the appeal of telling a barista one's struggles must be similar to that of talking to a therapist. The listening ear of a stranger...someone you don't know in "real life." I did want to be a therapist at one point in my life. And now, I have my own version of that. The sessions aren't long. I didn't go to years of school. I certainly don't have a psychologist's salary. But I think God can use those "short-comings" of mine and my awkward magnetic force to make those ten minutes of a stranger's day a little brighter.