Christmas Card 2009

December 2009

Merry Christmas to you and yours from the Paulsons!

Quoted from newspaper, “From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.” It got me feeling inspired to write a Christmas greetings from the newlyweds. However, this new bride of Jared’s has been trying to figure out how to write the very first Christmas letter as a Mrs. Paulson. Here goes…

A Christmas letter is quite the tedious task,

But, nothing this new bride can do,

After all, she burned a meatloaf,

Couldn’t boil eggs decently,

Yet, her husband still appreciates her.

As they have years yet to come,

To master cooking, of make choices together,

It is quite the tedious task.

As you may notice, this impromptu poem does not rhyme. Please don’t show this to my fifth graders, as we were discussing poetry everyday during reading period. I teach seventeen fifth graders at Hawthrone Elementary in Sioux Falls at the time of this writing as a part of my internship from Augustana College. I also taught at Metro Deaf School-Minnesota North Star Academy in St. Paul for the first part of the Fall semester. I will complete my student teaching on January 22^nd, then the job searching begins! Jared has been keeping busy with being technical support representative at Knology full time, and picking up part time at Best Buy in Sioux Falls. During some of our downtime, we enjoy meeting up with our friends, reading books, and watching movies (courtesy of Netflix and RedBox).

This Christmas season has come and we send our prayers and thoughts to our family and friends across the country.

Blessings,

Jared & Chelsea Paulson

Jared: paulsja@gmail.com, 605-929-9650 (cell)

Chelsea: chelsea.paulson@gmail.com, 605-370-8264 (cell/text)

English... have anyone been befuddled by English before?

Me... I have.

Just see my IEP goal while I was in high school, the goal that remained written until I graduated.

"Chelsea needs to improve her English grammar."

Folks, take a look below, of what Mrs. Blair Petersen has sent me:

Download the original attachment

SO, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE TOUGH ENOUGH TO TRY TO LEARN ENGLISH?

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.

That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

I rest my case.

Please excuse me, I need to mind my p and q's, whatever that was.

Made for Heaven

...I heard the news that my sister, Rachel is baptized today. :)

...My roommate's sister-in-law just had a baby girl this morning at 2am.

...A family's friend's mother just passed away last Wednesday evening.

All that makes this person reflect on Isaiah 5 & 6.

My grandmother, Ethel Chell, who passed away in July of 2006, she wrote a note several years ago, inspired by Isaiah 5 & 6, and I still kept the note, "When Jesus comes, then shall the eyes of the blind be open. And the ears of [deaf] Chelsea shall be unstopped. Then shall Ruth and Lila leap as the deer and the dumb shall sing. Isaiah 5 and 6."

I was inspired by that, and I recall the quote I saw last year, "I find in myself desires which nothing in this earth can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." - C.S. Lewis.

Oddly, on the back of the note from Grandma Ethel, she scribbled, "another time."

With baptism, Rachel is proclaiming her faith right now, a newborn baby will demand all her parents' attention right now, the grieving family and friends will gather right now to remember their loved one, and make memories with each other right now.

Make memories right now, avoid the phrase, "another time".

Teacher-To-Be in Comatose State

You see no brain activity in this picture?

See. Since August 25th, I slipped in comatose state on weekends while teaching for ten weeks in Minnesota.

An actual blog post will follow shortly.

Thank you for tuning in.

Room on the southwest of the Tobins' residence

This bedroom at the farmhouse was there for quite few generations. It used to be Grandpa Jennings' and Great-Uncle Harvey's bedroom. (Of course, it wasn't all yellow and green with flowers back then.) Then, it was Dad's bedroom while he was growing up. Now, it was my bedroom for about 22 years (15 if you want to be exact, it was guest bedroom when Rachel and I slept in Charolette's bedroom, then Shauna came along, so I moved into this bedroom).

The reason why I posted this blog up. It was the only time that my bedroom was actually very clean for 22 years! :)

Armor of God

Just on August 1st and 2nd, Sign Grace for the Deaf Church hosted a Children's Conference. I assisted with Juliet A. Lone's adventure with five kids. These pictures gives you a glimpse of what happened. The entire Saturday consisted of learning about being God's solider with the children.

It was pleasure doing this with the kids earlier this month. :)

2 months and 9 days as a newlywed...

I am getting carried away with creating collages.

I'll find a life.... it's just right around the corner. Just give me a moment.

Good friends of ours just gave birth to their daughter, MacKenzie Faith Jackson. It's thrilling to visit a newborn. And I found this a good opportunity to twiddle around with Picasa's photo collage. :)

You can see Sherry munching on a treat from DQ, it was chocolate milkshake that her sister, April gave her after her shift at DQ. Pictures were taken with few visitors who visited the newborn; David Hoffman, Paul and Marie Fosheim, Jared, and Jessica Goglio. :)

Pardon my overlapping of pictures, I'm playing with the collage feature on Picasa. :)

Monster Oreo Cookies (thanks to Blair Petersen)

Inspired by Blair Petersen, I've decided to make some monster Oreo cookies when I got home on the farm (cue the tune, "Home on the Range").

Mom was sweet to buy some ingredients that we needed to make the cookies.

Step one is to make the cookies themselves.



Mastered that, with a Cherise grin.

Step two, make "sandwiches" with the frosting.



Mastered that, and the food critic (my mother) has acclaimed it delicious! :)

(("Home on the Range" fades in the background.))

Blogging....

The funny thing?

....I can relate.

FAQs

"How is your married life going?"

Just allow me to use one comic strip to demonstrate how I have been gladly putting up with:



That is my husband. I feel *tap tap tap tap* whenever I try to fall asleep (we haven't have synced sleep schedule where we fall asleep at the same time). Or when he was waiting for me to get myself ready to go out.

*tap tap tap tap tap tap*

Testing from Blackberry

Test blog from blackberry

Newlywed Wife Baking-a-glore!

Dear Ann Laders,

As a newlywed wife, I am experimenting with my new kitchen toys, and I decided to make brownies from stratch with my buddy, Zippy, the KitchenAid mixer.

BROWNIES
2 c. white sugar
1 1/2 c. shortening
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
1/2 c. cocoa
2 c. flour
1 c. chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in order given. Beat well and spread in a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes.
(By Juliet Healy, Langford)


The picture of the final verdict of the brownies.

However, I'm not entirely too satisfied with this recipe. It is very delicious, but the texture is pretty dry. I had to drink a glassful of cold milk to enjoy a little piece of brownie.

Any insights how to make a moist brownie will be appreciated.

-Domestic Godness-wannabe in South Dakota

Cake! Oh yeah, it's my husband's birthday!

What a better first post being a Mrs. Paulson is to tell about her husband's 23rd birthday? :)

Yeah. I thought so, too!

I was pretty proud of myself as I made a cake from scratch. It was my great-grandmother Inger Tobin's recipe, Chocolate Cake with a dollop of coffee in it. So delish with homemade frosting.

It turned out decently when I baked it. I was pretty excited about the cake.

I know, I know, I know. It's absolutely cheesy, but hey... we were just married for three weeks now!

Here's one with the birthday boy!


:) I just had to have Jared to strike the classic birthday pose with the cake.

Here's to the first birthday as a husband!

CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know about you... but I'm a freak for brownies or chocolate chip cookies or ANY kind of cookies!!!!!! (Yes, I had to use six exclamatory points to emphasize my point!)

I just stumbled across this blog: http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/05/fudgy-brownie-cookies-recipe.html

.....can we all say this....

YUM!!!

The Clock is Ticking...

Time is approaching closer to when we get married.

Since when Jared proposed to me, it was 235 days from July 18 to May 30.

Now, it's merely 15 days until we become Mr. and Mrs. Paulson!

Couldn't you tell that I like countdowns? :)

"In-betweens"

Growing up on a wonderful farm in northeastern corner of South Dakota.

I memorized my address when I was in kindergarten.

The only confusion was how my mailing address is with Pierpont while my phone number at home is with Langford.

Now, when I went to college. That's a whole new chapter.

College address for 9 months, or home address for 2-3 months?

....just wait. It gets more complicated.

Now... Jared and I are very nomadic.

I have my college address for the past four years. But Jared has moved like 5 times in four years.

I got a cell phone. Jared got a cell phone.

He changed his number once.

I changed my number once.

....and we are getting married.

Therefore, I am in "between" Chelsea Tobin and Chelsea Paulson.

From now until May 29, I'm Chelsea Tobin. If anything happens after May 30, it's Chelsea Paulson.

But, my credit card bills won't change until I get married. Therefore, I'm Chelsea Tobin even when it's June 1st. Yes, I'm booking places to do and stay in Colorado, and I realized that I will still be Chelsea Tobin when I arrive there, and I will just become Mrs. Paulson.

Transitions! :)

Seniorities

Ever heard the phase, "Life isn't fair"?

Allow me to show you something:




vs





The fiance' goes out fishing while the fiancee' is stressing out with finals.

Life isn't fair, indeed.

Evidence of H1N1 Fear in Sioux Falls, SD

Good afternoon. My name is Chelsea Tobin, I am reporting for 198.7 CMT. Here is a human interest story that I wanted to share with you, my viewers, about the evident H1N1 scare in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

I went to Family Clinic this morning because I kept waking up with sore throat and clogged nose with green snot (too much information, I realize)- so this beckons for a doctor visit.

I showed up at 10am after my class and the receptionist acknowledged my presence and handed me a N95 replica mask (or was it AN actual N95 mask, I do not know) to wear in the waiting room until nurse calls for my name.

Yeah. Awkward. Nobody else was wearing a mask in the waiting room. Just me.

Then, the nurse called for my name, and I followed her to the room. The doctor came in and asked questions.

My only complaint is that I have issues with my sinuses, and I don't want it to become worse during finals week. The doctor did the procedure of asking more questions. Then when he was ready to leave, he told me that he will send a nurse in to do a blood drawing for white blood count.

I have history with needles. I don't react well. My well-intentions with needles when I donated blood.... and I did it three times. First time, I became pale, nearly fainted. Second time, I actually fainted and had to have a smelling salt to bring me around. Last time I donated was during my junior year of college, and I ended up throwing up in my dorm room after donating blood.

So, drawing blood shouldn't be TOO bad.

Have faith. God is BIGGER than needles...

Oh dear Jesus, please keep an eye on me and help the nurse to find my veins immediately so I don't have to suffer. Amen.

That was the aftermath. The nurse couldn't help but the chuckle at my dilemma. I think I actually emitted a whining sound when I saw the needle.

Anyways, my PUNCH line is, Sioux Falls is INDEED on the watch for H1N1 virus.

Just remember what you learned during your primary years, wash your hands often and cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough.

The teacher in me thanks you.

Hugmous Hips

Last Saturday, I had a quick trip to home for dress fitting for my bridesmaid (just think, a pregnant bridesmaid +dress too small=alternations needed!!!). My bridesmaid just took PLTs (teaching certification exam), and we stopped at Watertown on way home at Starbucks for a reward and for a drink on go.

When we entered Starbucks, I ordered my usual apple chai and waited for Sherry to order. As the bartisa were making our drinks, she asked us where we were from.

"I'm from Sioux Falls, but I'm from Langford... I'm torn."

Sherry replied, "I'm from Huron, but I go to Dakota State and I live in Sioux Falls."

Don't you just love in-betweens trasition for our lives?! We aren't entirely settled yet... so we are everywhere.

As I turned to go over to pick up my beloved apple chai, I bumped into a side table that was displaying different mugs on clearance.

20+ mugs fell...

Imagine this TIMES twenty!!!

...and shattered everywhere!

I felt so horrible about this situation. The lady immediately said, "Don't worry about it, just come again." I thought to myself, "Well, I sure do buy plenty of Starbucks to make up for the loss."


...Starbucks anyone? :)

Flat Tire!

While driving home for my bridal shower last weekend, just 30 minutes north of Brookings, I felt the car's steering wheel acting up funny. I pulled over, and sure enough, the tire was flat.

Fortunately, Jared came with for the weekend, so he was the recuser of the trip, changing the tire quickly (within 10 minutes).

There was one gentleman in small pickup, pulling up and stated, "A guy does the work while three ladies are watching? Typical." Jared laughed, "Yes, very!"
So, Marie and Alicia attempted to help by LOOKING helpful. I was just a giggly photographer. I tried to take a picture with my camera, but it wasn't working right, so I whipped out my trusty blackberry to take a picture. Then I later figured that my camera wasn't working right because the battery wasn't inserted properly.

Just had to take the picture with the girls while Jared was finishing up the tire change.

Marie found the verdict, the tiny hole that caused the flat. Jensen Auto in Langford later told Jared that it probably is caused by a screw or a nail. Little things can cause a turmoil! (And $17 patch-up job... which will eventually result in $100ish new tire... life is good isn't it?)

Don't let mishap ruin your evening, allow it to be the highlight of the evening! :)

T-minus 44 days!!!

44 days until the wedding! May 30th.

Needless to say, life has been hectic for me for the past few months from the beginning of Spring semester '09!

....which is why I don't blog all that often as I would like! I did mention several "bloggable" moments to Jared to get a rolled eyes reaction from him....and I never followed up on that.

....Mom has been the greatest wedding secretary at home for us, pulling details together, the pictures for the sideshow during the reception, invitations.... any other wedding details you can dream up... it is probably covered by the wedding coordinator, my mother.

So, what this bride-to-be/teacher-to-be is doing to prepare for the wedding?

Well, I am pleased to state that I just took up a COOKING CLASS offered by Augustana for four weeks on Wednesdays at 8pm to 10pm.

Yesterday, I just learned few things.

How to chop up vegetables.

....for as long as I can remember, I've used paring knife.
The chef who was teaching the class raised his eyebrows at me.

"And your hands feel OK after using paring knife on vegetables? French knife is the way to go, as you are able to chop up plenty of vegetables in no time. Rock and chop, rock and chop." He walked away, talking to other students in my class. "Rock and chop!"

AND. I also learned how to hold a knife. (Being a lefty, it's pretty interesting, as I attempted to follow the right-handed chef... awkward.)

...It will take time and practice for me to master the "rock and chop" skill with my lack of enterprise in hand coordination.

I also even learned this factoid during cooking class, margarine is just one molecule away from being a plastic! Eck!

Chelsea Tobin's Blurbs

http://keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,82633

I just wanted to share something about this link above. The drugstore owner felt compelled to go ahead and use his resources to inform the public about the current weather conditions.

...in all honestly, I depended on facebook on my pager with the status updates, twitter when applicable, and weather on my pager...

...It is very nice to see that someone is thinking about using something visual to broadcast the current weather updates.

Especially for those who does not listen to radio.

A glimmer of hope in the mankind! :)

A glimpse into my Jared's memory...

As you, my readers, may know, my fiance' is an avid musician- drummer, guitarist, vocalist, bongos, you name it... he can play it! It's one of his God-given talents through his family. It is a precious thing.

On the way to my farm last weekend for my Praxis (teaching certification test) and our engagement pictures, we were chatting in the car, rolling along the interestate, enjoying the spring in South Dakota scenery.

As you know, Jared has the full control of the car radio whenever we go on roadtrips - and he took out a CD.

It was his very first CD when he was about 6-7 years old. His parents are very into music, that they remained updated with the music technology, and they were one of the first few people that got CD player that is compatible with their stereo and started buying CDs.

One day, Misty (his mother) told Steven, Jared & Julian that they can pick ONE CD they wanted.

Jared picked his CD: Counting Crows

Julian picked his CD: Garth Brooks. (It is a paradox because Jared absolutely HATED country music...and again, my intials (before marriage!) is CMT = Country Music TV!)

My rationale of posting this blog is seeing what kind of things that parents did for their children when they are younger, they still have it to this day, and it is an encouragment of their passions, their dreams, and what they might be interested in when they are an adult.

Counting Crows were that such thing for Jared.

Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law
 
–noun
the facetious proposition that if something can go wrong, it will.
Also called Murphy's First Law.

Mur·phy's Law (mûr'fēz)
n. Any of certain humorous axioms stating that anything that can possibly go wrong, will go wrong.

No matter how you will attempt to put it. It means the same thing.

I'm having those days today... or better yet- this week.

Allow me to clarify myself and explain to you in details:

First of all, I took a course, and I completed with a pass/fail, and I got a fail (plenty of kicking myself, wishing that I could have done better, despite the fact that I gave it my all)... the punch line?

That fail was a D+. If I just left it as a letter grade. I could have "passed" the course. My definition of passing a course is to NOT to take it again. I petitioned for it. It got declined.

So. I used my first pass/fail. It backfired at me.

On a less severe note... weather. It's a such neutral topic, the subject that we constantly go back after finding ourselves discussing about awkward topic... a person (98 3/4% guaranteed that person will be me) will say, "So.... how's the weather?"

In Sioux Falls, we are greeted with beautiful weather for the past few days... high 40s, low 30s. I had my winter jacket with me in my car, in case and I never used it this week.

This morning, in my usual morning rush, I paused to think if I should bring my winter jacket with me to school.

I decided against it.

At 7:30am, I walked out in the brisk 23 degrees weather that "feels like" 14 degrees. I left for my class- realizing more and more that I should have just taken my jacket.
Needless to say, I'm not the guy in thick red jacket.

Happy Thursday!

-Miss Tobin

Mello Yello

As I sip on Mello Yello today, I was reminded of a story that I decided to write about:

For my readers who have known me from high school to college will know that I have a liking for Mello Yello.

I remember one summer, perhaps the summer of 2001, Dad asked me to do a odd job for him, haying. This was the first and the last time I ever done haying for Dad.

Dad showed me how to work with the John Deere tractor (Dad is loyal to John Deere tractors like I am loyal to Mello Yello).

The engine speediness (that stick that goes toward the rabbit makes the engine run faster, hence the rabbit- the other way is toward the turtle, makes the engine die slowly); the shifting from gear 1 to 2 to 3 to Neutral to 4… something like that. It is now vague to me as I type this.

After repeated instructions, I finally grasped the concept of driving the big machine. Dad nervously let me go and I was haying the field.

While haying, I remembered how growing up that I would see Dad talk on the radio, and within matter of minutes, he got a candy bar and a Diet Coke.

You see how I was inspired by that, after few rounds, I decided to try it out myself. I picked up the farm radio in the tractor and said (at least that’s what I thought I said), “Mello Yello please!”

Sure enough, within minutes, I saw Dad’s blue pickup coming flying down the road with dust billowing behind the truck…

He is coming a little too fast.

The pickup pulled up in the field, and Dad jumped out of the pickup and ran up to the tractor.

Oh boy, now I have to stop this big machine. How do I stop it? The frail skinny farmer’s daughter self tried to bring the machine to stop by putting all her body weight on the two pedals (crutch and the brake, I think?).

Tractor stopped.

Dad climbed up, panting, “ARE YOU OK?”

I smiled sweetly, “Yes, I am OK” while searching Dad’s hands, pockets… “Where is my Mello Yello?”

Dad was taken aback, “Mello Yello? Mom thought you called for help, so did Grandma, so they both radioed me and told me to go and help you!”

Needless to say, I got a good laugh out of it, and clarified Dad’s misconceptions, and told him that I remember him getting pop within matter of minutes after asking for it on the radio.

Dad sighed and left, no dust clouds this time behind his blue pickup.

20 minutes later, Rachel came in four-wheeler and gave me Mello Yello.