minnesota... dontchya know

Brooke and I just returned from about four days in Rochester, MN. We drove up last Thursday and stayed with our friends Denis and Margie. It was a great weekend away that started off with dinner and a movie. We went to see Stardust which ended up being a movie that only I liked. My rating for it, based on genre, is about a B- give or take. Friday night I gave a lecture on tattooing at the L'Abri branch in Rochester. The talk was titled "Art for Living or Living Art: Tattoos and Tattooing in a Post-Everything World" and was a variation of a talk that Margie and I did together last March in St. Louis. On Sunday I also had the opportunity to preach at the local PCA church. The Minnesota shaped paper weight in the picture was given to me after the worship service by a little girl in the congregation. She very sheepishly told me that it was a present to me as a thank you for teaching the church. She also confidently informed me that the stones in the paperweight were Lake Superior Agates. The whole interaction was incredibly touching and adorable.

The best part of the weekend was being able to catch up with several friends. We were encouraged by many of the folks in Rochester who are excited about our eventual return to New Zealand. However, it was also nice just to get away from the St. Louis heat for a few days even if it meant experiencing record breaking rainfall in Minnesota.