the yantlers

The Yantlers Now Live

rkyantis — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:35:43 +0000

After several months of using WordPress.com to host our blog, we now have TheYantlers.com setup. So in order to get all of our new posts, please go to

www.theyantlers.com

Heading to Chi-town

rkyantis — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:19:49 +0000

We are driving from Michigan, where we got to see our parents, two sisters and four nieces (photos to follow!) and are heading for 6 nights at our condo. I would imagine it will be a bit strange for us to be amongst all of our ‘stuff’ after being away for a few months. I think we are feeling like we have a foot in two camps right now which isn’t the best feeling if you’re a fan of commitment and closure (um, yes – this is Rachel speaking!) I have always found holidays to be a bit challenging in the sense that we all take our expectations and excitment from a year (in some cases) of not being together and then come from our separate worlds and try to connect deeply. Yet so much of most of our realities is the stuff of daily life – where our character is being formed – and that is almost impossible to describe or discuss while sitting next to the tree or over breakfast or chasing one another around the house. But, I think we all desire to know one another and to be known and just aren’t totally sure how to do that or are just realistic enough to know it is impossible so we recreate memories from times gone by. I would imagine living in the same community as your family would erase these challenges and surely create others. But, for us, with family spread out all over the USA, I think this will remain ours-a deep love for one another and a short amount of time together to catch up, almost always peppered with several of us sick and sleeping around the clock making us even less functional or available for deep discussion (yes, I always seem to be one of the sickies!!).

Highlights from this year:
*Christmas dinner with all 4 of our parents!
*Spontaneous coffee date with my sister
*Unusual amount of time talking with Kris + Jeff (macdaddy, I mean!) *Great movie w/the fam (Blind Side-go see it!)
*Grabbing a treat with Abby
*Watching an insane amount of a movie series w/Em + Ab
*Watching Mike + Jen play in the snow with Addie + Ellie
*Cuddling Ellie (and then Addie) while watching Princess Diaries *Being grateful at the end of any event that I get to go home with Mike!

As we head to Chicago, we have many details to sort out and hope to be focused and sharp about it while also looking forward to seeing good friends and processing life together. Here we come in our rental car which isn’t loving the ‘uneven pavement’ on the skyway!

warehouse scenes

rkyantis — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:48:28 +0000

thoughts on friendship

rkyantis — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:40:54 +0000

The days are really zooming past and I am always surprised at how many days pass between posts since I am thinking of blogging so much more than I actually do. I hope to become a little more regular in the new year when I believe we will have more down time. I approach Christmas with continued gratitude that feels different than I have experienced before. Last weekend, fairly last minute, we ended up having an event in Rockford, IL at Heartland Community Church. Due to the time of year, it didn’t make sense for Mike to travel along which was disappointing and yet prudent. But, I knew a larger event without him would be taxing for me as we have quite the routine in who does what and since we have always made a good team, very little communication is needed. I found myself thinking (and saying) several times that I felt like I was missing half of myself. While perhaps that sounds codependent, I think ultimately it is a good sign for us! But, the most amazing thing for me was sending out a “help” email and getting quick responses from our friends who showed up and really ran the event. I have always prided myself (yes, that’s the right word and hence the problem) on being competent and organized and able to manage things. While this may even be partly true, I feel like God has me on a journey right now that is almost all about humility. We find ourselves in an unknown place with unknown people doing new things and yet most days I find myself amazingly in the present experiencing joy in simple, small ways. So, going from that back “home” which is how Chicago feels to me and being met with so many wonderful friends was again, humbling. Jackie met Nathan and I at the airport which was perfect as she and I have had several airport runs together over the years. She took me to run some errands for the event (i.e. getting cash for our cash boxes), drove me by our house (super strange and I was glad she was with me) and then to Morseland for dinner (yum!). Then, she dropped me at Brooke and Brendan’s where I got to hang out with them and baby Frances who much to my surprise (and joy) didn’t experience stranger anxiety with me. WOO HOO! It felt so good to sleep in a comfy bed and be loved on by all of them. Brookie took me the next morning at the crack of dawn out to Barrington to Karen’s (who wins the major award for sticking with me the entire weekend!) and then we drove out to Rockford. Chad and his dad showed up not long after and along with the volunteers from Heartland, we got the place set up in several hours. Jodi came later that day and then Lynn came to help that night and we three girls got to have a yummy Mexican dinner at a local place. Karen and I crashed in Rockford and she didn’t even bat an eye when I ran credit card machines in our room half the night. The next morning, we rolled out and went at it again. Chad, Chuck and Jodi were trooper and I got to see my little friends Levi and Judah (who again weren’t too shy – what a relief – aren’t we all just afraid of being forgotten?). Kat and Luke came later in the morning which was perfect. The thing I was most apprehensive about was getting all of the financial stuff handled and all of the boxes palleted up before we flew out. Nathan’s back ended up giving him major fits which was scary so I seriously saw God show up when we were able to get it mostly wrapped up as a group and then Karen and I just had a few boxes left to deal with separately. I think she and I both felt like it was somewhat ironic that we would be the two left since we are both better with words than physical stuff like hauling boxes and the like but seriously, it all happened! She drove me to OHare and I fell asleep in the terminal before being completely uncomfortable on the flight home! But the big thing is that I see God show up in places that seem mundane but are personally significant. So, packing up boxes isn’t a big deal to Mike, perhaps, but it is for me and so to experience God’s presence in a very basic way is cool to me. And, I am overwhelmed that I had to ask for help, recognizing there was a ton I couldn’t do alone and that people respond and don’t complain and genuinely are just “in it” with me. Seriously, super humbling – beyond words.

current musings

rkyantis — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:09:21 +0000

So, I am at a funky coffee shop that we have drive by but never stopped at before. It is nice to just be able to wander aimlessly on the web and blog a bit and just think. I feel like I haven’t had much time for contemplation in the past year or so (for various reasons along the way). But, I find the current question in my soul to be – what does it really look like to follow Jesus? Not the most unusual questions and for sure, I am not the first person asking or the the only person pondering it now, but I feel like it is both the simplest and most complex question all at once. I find myself fascinated and repelled by people who feel sure about the exact call God has on their lives. Part of me admires the sense of direction this must provide and part of me wonders if that sureness actually prevents being open to truly responding to the Spirit’s movements in our lives. Also within this, I feel caught between thinking “calling” is about who we are – what our character is – and yet seeing that we are all strangely able to do things that other people can’t and frankly, there are some things we should just stay away from. Coming out of years at Willow, where talking about “gifting” and “unique wiring”, it has been a relief to spend a few months thus far being part of a mission while not being so hung up on my specific “gifting”. But, at the same time, I know there are things that have been put in me that are not of me, but of God, that surely need to be used for His Kingdom. And, are they? A very tricky question to answer. I think there is something very self-focused about spending too much time thinking about your own story and yet without doing that work, you could very well wander aimlessly throughout life. But, then I think – well, if I wander aimlessly (or so it may seem outwardly) but my attention is fixed on God, then aren’t I just reflecting Jesus? I doubt people thought he had a super clear idea about what He was doing on earth and yet He fulfilled the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Well, that is a bunch of questions without answers but that is what is on my mind in between normal everyday happenings.

snow

rkyantis — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:01:59 +0000

I have been getting reports from many of you about the snow in Chicago but I wanted you to know that we also have snow here (I mean it is in the mountains and is beautiful from far away, but still!). It has been chilly here (people say unusually so but I have no idea if that is true) and it does get into the 30s at night. I am still in some sort of denial about that so am sticking with a vest instead of a winter coat but I have moved into wearing socks now. I guess year-round flip flops may not be viable.

Look at this beautiful shot on the way into work on Monday! Yes, that is me in the mirror – sort of hard to take shots while in the car!

This morning, I am spending a few coveted hours out of the warehouse, just to get some down time. We have had a busy run of events – here’s a shot from this weekend’s event at Hillside Covenant in Walnut Creek. We had a great time and enjoyed working with Judith and Mae. Mike was helping with another event, so he helped me get set up and came back the next day to tear down (I was so grateful) but it was a little hairy running the event and then saying a few words during the 3 services especially since one started at 8 a.m. and Walnut Creek is a good hike from where we live! Mae used to work at Willow, so we connected on that and she was sweet to take a very weary Mike and Rachel out for a wonderful dinner after. Mae has written a fabulously useful book called Social Justice Handbook which I am anxious to begin reading! Here is one shot from the event.

We’re still kicking!

rkyantis — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:20:57 +0000

I had gotten in the habit of including photos with my posts and Mike’s camera on his phone stopped about the time we moved so the process got more complicated and I can’t just do it all from our phones in the car!

We are starting to really look forward to a midwestern Christmas and that keeps us going through long hours here. I’ve never been on my feet so much and sleep is the most welcome thing each night! The positive thing about running around a warehouse all day is that you can eat like a guy and still seemingly fit into your clothes so I am grateful with each doughnut, buffalo wing and bbq sandwich that I eat. Even Mike, dubbed ‘the bird” even here has gotten into the spirit of the hearty meals!

We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend and it is interesting that gratitude is more poignant when you have less and are away from familiar things, people and experiences. It was wonderful to be able to watch the sunset over the water and realize how big God is and how small we are. At a time when our anxiety increases over an un-sold house and realities of settling into a new place, I need the sunset to speak to be about who God is. We met a neat couple at an event we did in early November and spent last Friday with them-going to lunch and to the ocean. She’s from Wisconsin so we agreed that a strange bond was in place right away! Funny how those midwestern values/roots really end up mattering.

We are in high shipping season at work and each day feels packed full with more work than could ever get done. December has always been a crazy month for me-in school, for paper girl, at church and now with Trade as One. Sort of a blur really! This weekend we have two local events and one in soCal so we will all be spread out. I get to do an event at a Covenant church whose pastor went to sem with Erik Strom and I think she may have worked at Willow, so that should be fun!

We just passed a snow farm and I can’t help but always wonder why someone in CA would have a tree. I realize this is irrational but my brain completely thinks a Christmas tree should be shopped for in a snowstorm and since there’s not a chance of that happening, I can’t totally embrace the concept. Then again, we have only had 2 trees, I think, in 11 years so what do I know?

friends

rkyantis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:32:49 +0000

Jodi and Chad were out for a visit – some work for Chad plus some time with us – a wonderful 24 hours! It was so good to be with people who know us and who we know – such a deep need we all have for that and it is easy to take it for granted when you have it all the time and appreciate it when being in a new space. So, it was so great to process life with them! We had yummy Indian dinner last night followed by an ice cream sundae (and shakes for the guys) in a diner (maybe Indian and ice cream NOT the best combo, but whatever) and this morning we had a super yummy meal at Mama’s on Washington Square. Soooo good. And, yes I am realizing that most of my happiness revolves around food.

Vintage Faith

rkyantis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:25:03 +0000

So, we had a great event at Vintage Faith Church last Sunday. I think the coolest part about it was seeing such a huge percentage of people from the church get involved. I believe the attendance is under 500 but we had 60ish volunteers helping us out with the boutique. The organizers were these amazing women who put their entire hearts and souls into it! This is also Nathan and Cath’s church so it was really neat to get to see people so engaged. Nathan was out of town at another event but we got the fun of being able to do an event with Cath and the most amazing volunteers!

Several cool things.

1. I met another midwesterner – a gal from Chicago who just moved here in April. We had a great conversation. This is not the third event we have done and the third time I have met someone from home. We are having dinner tonight with a couple we met two weekends ago and she’s from Milwaukee. YAY.

2. This church has the coolest coffee shop EVER called the Abbey. It is for the community not the church and it packed out and just so funky and cool. At the end of the night, they made me a ‘bowl of soul’ which was velvet tea, soy milk and honey and was basically the yummiest thing I’ve ever had and it was free and a treat and I was jumping around like a 3 year old with superman ice cream -yiippppeee!

3. Jodi and Chad were in town and stopped by to see us (more on that in the next post) so it was super fun.

4. Cath graciously folded our laundry which we did while staying at their house for the weekend and greeted us both nights with a glass of red wine.

Dan Kimball, the pastor of VF blogged about the event here.

And, the local paper wrote an article both before the event here.

and after the event here.

yummmmmmmmm

rkyantis — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:21:07 +0000

Just a little something I call LUNCH.

Pizza bagel from posh bagels in our neighborhood.