July 15, 2023 • 17 mins
Cecie Suknaic Saulnier (she/her) was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She has been a part of Lutheran faith communities all of her life, and has been deeply impacted by the love, grace, and commitment of the people who have made up church for her. As a youth and young adult, Cecie felt most at home in church communities - from her weeks at summer camp to weekly Wednesday night youth group in high school to almost daily events with her campus ministry in college.
During her time at undergrad, she discerned a call to ministry. She has been studying at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago since 2019, focusing on feminist theology and growing her voice for the importance of young adult ministry. As a young adult leader in the church, she craves spaces for intentional community, creative worship, and deep conversation. Cecie is currently settling into life in Austin, Texas with her husband, Mike. They both enjoy cooking, baking, time spent with friends and family, live music, and travel.
To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact podcast@holdenvillage.org.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:06):
Welcome to the Holden Village Podcast.
Holden is a community ofeducation, programming, and
worship located in the remotewilderness of the Cascade
Mountains.
These snapshots provide aglimpse into the learnings
taking place in our community.
Let's tune in to this week'shighlight.
Dev (00:22):
so, welcome to another edition of the Holden Village
Podcast.
I am your host Dev.
He, him pronouns.
And I'm with one of our Week 10faculty members, Cece Suknane.
Sanye.
Sanye.
Excellent.
Wonderful.
how would you like to introduceyourself and what are you
offering the village this week?
Cecie (00:42):
Yeah.
My name is Cece.
My pronouns are she, her.
Um, this week I'm teaching onyoung adult ministry in the
ELCA.
I'm overviewing what it lookslike for people and ministries
currently happening.
Not a comprehensive list, butthe about 10 that I know about.
Today, we're going to talk aboutsome very positive examples of
(01:03):
ELCA young adult ministry.
And then on Thursday we'll dreamtogether about the future of
young adult ministry, the futureof the church, and how hopefully
what we either learn from somereally cool and some not as good
examples of young adult ministrycan be a part of our yearning
and dreaming for the future.
Dev (01:21):
So what's your favorite part in the work that you do, or
what's the most inspiring
Cecie (01:25):
part Yeah, so, um, I'm not quite yet a pastor.
I'm in the, call process rightnow for my first call.
I just graduated from seminaryin May and, hopefully in the
fall I will be working in acongregation.
I'm sure you will be.
I hope so.
Um, but I...
I had the experience during myinternship year in Austin to,
(01:47):
create a young adult community.
It's called Gather Austin.
It's in the Gather model thatthe ELCA young adults have come
up with.
There are three co facilitatorsof the Gather network who are
from Cincinnati, St.
Paul, Minnesota, and ColoradoSprings that help new young
adult ministries.
Kind of be birthed.
maybe a good word for them.
(02:07):
They're, I think, like a coleader team, but maybe co doulas
would be a fun, a fun name.
And, um, I think it's a veryfulfilling thing for me as a
person, right?
My, my role as a vicar, youknow, pastoral intern, and my
future role as a pastor hasvery, very fulfilling things in
it.
but being a pastor can be veryisolating.
(02:28):
Sure.
Being a young pastor can be veryisolating.
Most of my friends, even that Igrew up with at church, or, um,
in campus ministry don't havechurch homes anymore.
Faith might be a part of theirlife, but not explicitly lived
out in a community of faith.
or our friends are, areatheists, agnostics, somewhere
in between.
So, being able to create GatherAustin as a place for, Young
(02:52):
people of faith who want tocontinue having community with
people in the similar agebracket, similar life stage has
been meaningful for me as aperson first, as Cece.
I do a lot of the work forfacilitation and planning and
whatnot, but I can show up andfeel like I can be myself rather
than be Vicar Cece or, you know,hopefully in the future, Pastor
(03:13):
Cece.
And it's meaningful to be knownand to know.
not that people don't knowthey're pastors, right?
That's, that's not what I'mtrying to say.
But more, it's a job.
It's a role.
It's a call.
And it comes with a lot ofbaggage.
Um, and it comes with a lot ofexpectations.
So sometimes, uh, you have tolive into those.
And then you have to take yourperson in smaller ways, I would
(03:34):
think, in a congregation.
Dev (03:35):
When did you know that you wanted to work more with youth?
Cecie (03:39):
Probably it's because I am a young adult right now.
Right.
I'm 26.
but I think I had such a coreyouth group in high school.
I had such a core campusministry when I was in college.
And then going to seminary, Ihad a really robust set of
friends.
I've sort of like followed inthese life stages.
(03:59):
I feel like life stages arereally important to navigate
what you're going through withpeople who are also going
through it.
in addition to otherrelationships and
intergenerational ones, but.
really when I was in college andcampus ministry, my campus
pastor, her name's Mindy Roll.
Um, she lived up here at Holdenfor, for a year in between when
she left campus ministry andwhen she started in Houston.
(04:21):
She did creative and fun things.
There was always laughter.
There was always a little senseof Holden hilarity.
She, she came to Holden in thesummers when she was in
seminary.
So I think this place probablyrubbed off on, some of that with
our campus group.
And I loved the flexibility ofher work.
I loved the fact that she couldpour so much into this like
(04:43):
laboratory esque space.
Well, let's try something, andif it doesn't work, we're not
gonna just go and berateourselves, but we're gonna learn
from it, and I'm gonna get inputfrom people.
So, I would say that the work Iget to do with young adults, is
more collaborative.
It is more creative.
but I'm hoping to bring thatinto the call that I will be in,
(05:03):
you know, once I'm as a pastor,because that's sort of a core
tenant and who I am and how Ilead.
I don't think it's going to justgo away because I'm ministering
to mostly a community who areretirement age or older or a mix
of all ages.
getting to create Young AdultMinistry in Austin has allowed
for a lot of collaboration, alot of flexibility, and newness.
(05:26):
But I think the same is going tohappen, hopefully, in a church
Dev (05:30):
too.
Absolutely.
I'm glad that you brought upHolden Hilarity.
It's usually the final questionthat I ask people, but since you
brought it up, we will insert ithere.
what makes you laugh?
how are you able to bring levityinto your work?
Cause, as you were saying, thereare some nefarious things that
happen.
how do you allow that to enterinto the, the space?
Cecie (05:49):
Yeah.
I feel like I, I both givepeople a lot of grief and I
receive a lot of grief, but inlike a loving, fun sort of way.
Love grief, yeah.
Uh, love grief, yeah.
Um, I think I'm, I reallyleaned, These past couple of
years into being more playful,and sometimes, you know, I'll
say something and it's someone Idon't know as well.
(06:10):
I'm like, oh gosh, like I can'tjoke with them the same way I
can joke with a good friendfrom, that knows me and knows my
sense of humor.
Um, there's a man in thecongregation I served who is
kind of like the handyman whodoes it all.
And he's such an asset to thechurch and, I, we were joking
one day and, uh, I was laughingand I could see like a little
(06:31):
twinkle in his eye, but I had togo up and be like, you know,
that was all a joke, right?
You understand,
Dev (06:37):
right?
Cecie (06:39):
I'm just trying to, to add a little bit of laughter and
to find things that make otherslaugh.
I think what, I don't know, I, Iwas thinking about this, a
couple years ago when I wasvisiting with my cousins and
their kids.
They were like, Three, four,five, and six, maybe.
And one of them just kept, like,spewing off jokes.
Like, knock knock jokes, and,what did the whatever say to the
(07:00):
whatever, and it's like a funnypun.
and I don't joke like thatanymore.
I feel like sometimes that,like, child like, like, just
knowing random jokes that are...
Easy and light goes away as weget older.
So, I don't know what happened.
I don't know We get boring Soit's not necessarily as much of
(07:23):
like I have a list of jokes inmy head, but I try to create
laughter and I think leaninginto playfulness leaning into A
little bit of sass, if it'sappropriate.
Dev (07:34):
Sass is always appropriate.
Cecie (07:36):
Well...
Dev (07:39):
In my world, it is.
Cecie (07:41):
What about you?
What makes you laugh?
Dev (07:43):
Irony.
Like, juxtaposing things.
Um, I was at this conference along time ago and there is this,
um, this woman talking about,the trickster mythology and how
the tricksters, how they, howthey are the most compassionate
characters in stories becausethey don't follow any rules.
(08:04):
They don't follow the polarityof, you know, right or wrong.
They just want to have fun andmess with things.
And so in that way, like,they're a very ironic sort of
archetype.
And irony takes two, at leasttwo stories, um, to be able to
work.
and compassion is being able to,like, take as many stories as
(08:25):
you can, um, into your ownperspective, um, or lens.
And so, I heard that, and I wasjust like, oh, that's why I love
that.
Like, that's, it just makessense to me.
And, so yeah, I think me, deepdown, like, I like messing with
things, even though I don'talways give myself permission to
do so, because, you know, you'reafraid of being judged, or, or
(08:46):
all those things, but, being inimprov has allowed, has given me
more permission to do that, andalso to facilitate groups where
they can give themselvespermission to play characters
they don't normally play, for meit's a very psychological art
form, um, because I often saythe speed of story is faster
(09:07):
than the speed of thought, andso you can't think.
And if you're not thinking, thenyou no longer have this
protective mechanism, like allyour unconscious language just
comes forth, and it'svulnerable, but always
beautiful.
for all you viewers out there,Cece and I have associations
with the city of Austin, Texas.
Yes.
(09:28):
So, let's just get nerdy withsome Austin vibe.
What's, uh, what's the best tacoshop?
What's, uh...
Breakfast tacos?
Sure.
Why not?
Cecie (09:37):
I'm a big taco joint girl.
Taco joint! And sometimes Iforget the days that they're
closed, and I'll drive up, and,you know, I go run on the trail
in Austin.
Nothing sounds better thanAmiga's taco and a Mexican Coke,
but then they're closed.
And I have to go get something,and it's just, it's not as good.
Right, you know, the day's overat that point.
Dev (09:58):
Yeah.
Truly.
Truly.
I talked about Veracruz earlier.
yeah, their fish tacos like blowme away.
And I know they have like abrick and mortar now.
Are you into like the hipstertaco thing?
Or not as much?
Um,
Cecie (10:12):
do you mean like fusion?
Dev (10:14):
Not like fusion, just more like, more like the, you know,
hipsters just like to makethings more fancy than they need
to be.
Yeah, kind of like bougie?
Bougie.
Yeah, tell a bougie.
There's this place calledNishta.
Um, N I X T A.
That's on 12th, um, and closerto the airport.
Okay.
Um.
it's delicious.
(10:35):
I'm not gonna lie, like, I mean,hipsters are fun to make fun of,
but sometimes they make bougiethings that taste good.
Sometimes.
Cecie (10:42):
Sometimes,
Dev (10:42):
there we go.
Yes, we're on to you, we're onto you.
Um, what else about Austin?
What are your favorite thingsthere?
Cecie (10:49):
so, I think the thing, I grew up in Northwest Hills in
Austin, right?
So, in the hilly part of Austin.
And moving up to Chicago where Iwent to seminary and my husband
went to law school, there wasthis very clear sense of it
being flat.
Dev (11:05):
Right?
What are you talking about?
And so
Cecie (11:09):
even when we, we live now South Austin, it's very flat.
And I dream of being back in thehills.
I think it marked my life.
I listened to this, uh,theologian poet named, uh, John
O'Donoghue on a Krista Tippetton Being podcast.
It was the inner landscape ofbeauty.
And he was Scottish or Irish.
(11:30):
I cannot remember.
Um, he's since passed, but hetalked about how he was marked,
you know, his life was marked bywhere he grew up the landscape.
And I do really feel like I wasmarked by Austin, by lilac
trees, by the rolling hills, bythe river.
I love water.
Um, I've only really startedutilizing the trail around Lady
(11:54):
Bird Lake.
Since I've been in grad schoolbecause that's when I picked up
running It's just somethingabout even in the the heat of
the summer when all of the grassis dead.
Dev (12:05):
Yes, thank God we're not there right now.
It's 105 although yeah rightit's 95 here so it's not much of
a difference but a week agothere's like a 30 degree
difference.
Cecie (12:16):
But in the summer Austin still comes alive.
There's the crepe myrtlesblooming and there's colors all
around.
It's not just a big It's littlepockets of neighborhoods with
trees and parks all around.
Dev (12:31):
The things that I associate with Austin are things that
Austin is not really known for.
So, A, the improv scene.
Very vibrant improv scene that Idon't feel like people really
talk about outside of Austin.
Um, and the table tennis scene.
Oh my god.
The best table tennis in thecountry.
So it's my favorite sport.
(12:51):
And so I was part of the AustinTable Tennis Club.
Um, close to, it's by 183 andum, Yeah.
Okay.
So close to where, uh, there'sthis old English pub.
What was it called?
Sherlock's.
Cecie (13:04):
Uh huh.
I know exactly where this is.
Okay, yeah.
So
Dev (13:06):
it's right behind that.
Cecie (13:07):
Yeah.
By the bowling
Dev (13:08):
alley, kind of.
Yes, kind of by the bowlingalley.
oh man.
I would train there like fourtimes a week.
And it would just be so giddyfor me.
So wait, Was it Austin orPortland that came up with the
phrase first?
Cecie (13:20):
Which one?
The Weird.
Keep Austin Weird.
I grew up with Keep AustinWeird.
Okay.
Dev (13:24):
So you're sticking
Cecie (13:25):
with the Austin?
Tried and true, you know, fiveyear old Cece, Keep Austin Weird
tie dye shirt.
Dev (13:30):
Okay, alright.
I have a lot of friends fromobviously both Austin and
Portland, and they keep, youknow, telling me that they're...
So I was just curious if you hadan opinion.
I, I
Cecie (13:39):
mean, I will, I will keep Austin Weird personally, but I'm
not gonna let Portland not
Dev (13:45):
enjoy the same tagline.
We can be generous.
That's true.
That's true.
Cecie (13:53):
The question is, can Portland be,
Dev (13:55):
right?
Probably not.
No, no, no.
There's, there's a thing calledthe Northwest Freeze.
Yeah, people are chilly.
What's a top memory that youhave in Austin?
Cecie (14:03):
A top memory that I have in Austin, my parents are
divorced and we'd spend sometime with my mom, sometime with
my dad, and, uh, when my dad...
for most of the weekend, wewould go down to the Capitol and
just kind of adventure around,you know, it's free to get in.
It's cool in the summer.
Um, one time we were adventuringin the Capitol and.
(14:25):
Found some corridors that Idon't think we were supposed to
have
Dev (14:28):
found.
Uhhuh.
You found the inner like,
Cecie (14:31):
yeah.
'cause all of a sudden, like weare like, there's no one here
anymore and all.
It's like the
Dev (14:36):
Illuminati corridors.
Yes, exactly.
Cecie (14:38):
housed in the capitol, And we get on this elevator and
it's, you know, like steelplates on the side.
We're like, where are we?
We come up and we are like acouple blocks from the capitol
and like a building that spitsyou out.
Oh wow.
From the elevator.
So, Us and some random guy thatwas delivering packages, but I
think it's it's a memory.
(14:59):
I look back very fondly ofBecause it was kind of absurd
that you know a single dad andhis two Small kids, you know,
maybe 7 and 8 or 8 and 9, mybrother and I are a year apart,
got to find some of the innerweavings of the Capitol, and I'm
sure someone was getting chewedout about it, you know,
Dev (15:16):
on the way there.
Someone's no longer employedIt's, there's this really
beautiful resonance that happensin that building, um, that I
really, really love.
I love chanting, um, it's a bigthing for me, but I love that
you found the, the interweavingsof that space, um, cause it's a,
(15:40):
it's right there, like, in thecity, it's like you, it's like
the most, Iconic
Cecie (15:45):
part.
And they're trying to make itmore now as they're like
building a mall out and theBlanton Museum of Art got a lot
better.
And I would say my second bestAustin memory is when I was a
kid, my mom had her brother, myuncle, come and visit and we
went downtown for an art bazaar.
Um, maybe it was at the PalmerEvents Center because we were
driving along the river rightthere and there's that statue of
(16:07):
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
You know the one I'm talkingabout.
Oh yeah.
And there's a, um.
Oh, the roundabout.
There's a roundabout.
And so, you go on the roundaboutand you can see the statue of
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And my uncle was driving and hegoes, Hey, everyone say hi to
Stevie! And we're like, Hey! Andthen he just goes, Let's do it
again! And pulls us around andwe did it like five times.
You said
Dev (16:27):
hello to Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And
Cecie (16:29):
we were kids, so my brother and I were cracking up.
But it was a very fond memoryof, uh, That's awesome.
We didn't always go downtown.
Sure.
So, it's so fun.
Dev (16:39):
That's wonderful.
I feel like we could talk allday long about Austin.
I know you have an art, uh,thing.
Watercolor.
Watercolor, um, that you'redoing.
So, thank you for taking thetime to have this conversation.
For blessing the village withyour presence.
And, uh, yeah.
I hope we get to talk more aswell.
Before the weekends.
Yeah.
Cecie (16:57):
I would like that.
Beautiful.
Thanks for
Dev (16:58):
having me.
Of course.
Outro (17:00):
Thanks for joining us.
Be sure to view the links in thedescription for more information
or visit our website to find outmore about the village.
We hope you will make apilgrimage to Holden.
Blessings and peace to you.
Welcome to the Holden Village Podcast.
Holden is a community ofeducation, programming, and
worship located in the remotewilderness of the Cascade
Mountains.
These snapshots provide aglimpse into the learnings
taking place in our community.
Let's tune in to this week'shighlight.
Dev (00:22):
so, welcome to another edition of the Holden Village
Podcast.
I am your host Dev.
He, him pronouns.
And I'm with one of our Week 10faculty members, Cece Suknane.
Sanye.
Sanye.
Excellent.
Wonderful.
how would you like to introduceyourself and what are you
offering the village this week?
Cecie (00:42):
Yeah.
My name is Cece.
My pronouns are she, her.
Um, this week I'm teaching onyoung adult ministry in the
ELCA.
I'm overviewing what it lookslike for people and ministries
currently happening.
Not a comprehensive list, butthe about 10 that I know about.
Today, we're going to talk aboutsome very positive examples of
(01:03):
ELCA young adult ministry.
And then on Thursday we'll dreamtogether about the future of
young adult ministry, the futureof the church, and how hopefully
what we either learn from somereally cool and some not as good
examples of young adult ministrycan be a part of our yearning
and dreaming for the future.
Dev (01:21):
So what's your favorite part in the work that you do, or
what's the most inspiring
Cecie (01:25):
part Yeah, so, um, I'm not quite yet a pastor.
I'm in the, call process rightnow for my first call.
I just graduated from seminaryin May and, hopefully in the
fall I will be working in acongregation.
I'm sure you will be.
I hope so.
Um, but I...
I had the experience during myinternship year in Austin to,
(01:47):
create a young adult community.
It's called Gather Austin.
It's in the Gather model thatthe ELCA young adults have come
up with.
There are three co facilitatorsof the Gather network who are
from Cincinnati, St.
Paul, Minnesota, and ColoradoSprings that help new young
adult ministries.
Kind of be birthed.
maybe a good word for them.
(02:07):
They're, I think, like a coleader team, but maybe co doulas
would be a fun, a fun name.
And, um, I think it's a veryfulfilling thing for me as a
person, right?
My, my role as a vicar, youknow, pastoral intern, and my
future role as a pastor hasvery, very fulfilling things in
it.
but being a pastor can be veryisolating.
(02:28):
Sure.
Being a young pastor can be veryisolating.
Most of my friends, even that Igrew up with at church, or, um,
in campus ministry don't havechurch homes anymore.
Faith might be a part of theirlife, but not explicitly lived
out in a community of faith.
or our friends are, areatheists, agnostics, somewhere
in between.
So, being able to create GatherAustin as a place for, Young
(02:52):
people of faith who want tocontinue having community with
people in the similar agebracket, similar life stage has
been meaningful for me as aperson first, as Cece.
I do a lot of the work forfacilitation and planning and
whatnot, but I can show up andfeel like I can be myself rather
than be Vicar Cece or, you know,hopefully in the future, Pastor
(03:13):
Cece.
And it's meaningful to be knownand to know.
not that people don't knowthey're pastors, right?
That's, that's not what I'mtrying to say.
But more, it's a job.
It's a role.
It's a call.
And it comes with a lot ofbaggage.
Um, and it comes with a lot ofexpectations.
So sometimes, uh, you have tolive into those.
And then you have to take yourperson in smaller ways, I would
(03:34):
think, in a congregation.
Dev (03:35):
When did you know that you wanted to work more with youth?
Cecie (03:39):
Probably it's because I am a young adult right now.
Right.
I'm 26.
but I think I had such a coreyouth group in high school.
I had such a core campusministry when I was in college.
And then going to seminary, Ihad a really robust set of
friends.
I've sort of like followed inthese life stages.
(03:59):
I feel like life stages arereally important to navigate
what you're going through withpeople who are also going
through it.
in addition to otherrelationships and
intergenerational ones, but.
really when I was in college andcampus ministry, my campus
pastor, her name's Mindy Roll.
Um, she lived up here at Holdenfor, for a year in between when
she left campus ministry andwhen she started in Houston.
(04:21):
She did creative and fun things.
There was always laughter.
There was always a little senseof Holden hilarity.
She, she came to Holden in thesummers when she was in
seminary.
So I think this place probablyrubbed off on, some of that with
our campus group.
And I loved the flexibility ofher work.
I loved the fact that she couldpour so much into this like
(04:43):
laboratory esque space.
Well, let's try something, andif it doesn't work, we're not
gonna just go and berateourselves, but we're gonna learn
from it, and I'm gonna get inputfrom people.
So, I would say that the work Iget to do with young adults, is
more collaborative.
It is more creative.
but I'm hoping to bring thatinto the call that I will be in,
(05:03):
you know, once I'm as a pastor,because that's sort of a core
tenant and who I am and how Ilead.
I don't think it's going to justgo away because I'm ministering
to mostly a community who areretirement age or older or a mix
of all ages.
getting to create Young AdultMinistry in Austin has allowed
for a lot of collaboration, alot of flexibility, and newness.
(05:26):
But I think the same is going tohappen, hopefully, in a church
Dev (05:30):
too.
Absolutely.
I'm glad that you brought upHolden Hilarity.
It's usually the final questionthat I ask people, but since you
brought it up, we will insert ithere.
what makes you laugh?
how are you able to bring levityinto your work?
Cause, as you were saying, thereare some nefarious things that
happen.
how do you allow that to enterinto the, the space?
Cecie (05:49):
Yeah.
I feel like I, I both givepeople a lot of grief and I
receive a lot of grief, but inlike a loving, fun sort of way.
Love grief, yeah.
Uh, love grief, yeah.
Um, I think I'm, I reallyleaned, These past couple of
years into being more playful,and sometimes, you know, I'll
say something and it's someone Idon't know as well.
(06:10):
I'm like, oh gosh, like I can'tjoke with them the same way I
can joke with a good friendfrom, that knows me and knows my
sense of humor.
Um, there's a man in thecongregation I served who is
kind of like the handyman whodoes it all.
And he's such an asset to thechurch and, I, we were joking
one day and, uh, I was laughingand I could see like a little
(06:31):
twinkle in his eye, but I had togo up and be like, you know,
that was all a joke, right?
You understand,
Dev (06:37):
right?
Cecie (06:39):
I'm just trying to, to add a little bit of laughter and
to find things that make otherslaugh.
I think what, I don't know, I, Iwas thinking about this, a
couple years ago when I wasvisiting with my cousins and
their kids.
They were like, Three, four,five, and six, maybe.
And one of them just kept, like,spewing off jokes.
Like, knock knock jokes, and,what did the whatever say to the
(07:00):
whatever, and it's like a funnypun.
and I don't joke like thatanymore.
I feel like sometimes that,like, child like, like, just
knowing random jokes that are...
Easy and light goes away as weget older.
So, I don't know what happened.
I don't know We get boring Soit's not necessarily as much of
(07:23):
like I have a list of jokes inmy head, but I try to create
laughter and I think leaninginto playfulness leaning into A
little bit of sass, if it'sappropriate.
Dev (07:34):
Sass is always appropriate.
Cecie (07:36):
Well...
Dev (07:39):
In my world, it is.
Cecie (07:41):
What about you?
What makes you laugh?
Dev (07:43):
Irony.
Like, juxtaposing things.
Um, I was at this conference along time ago and there is this,
um, this woman talking about,the trickster mythology and how
the tricksters, how they, howthey are the most compassionate
characters in stories becausethey don't follow any rules.
(08:04):
They don't follow the polarityof, you know, right or wrong.
They just want to have fun andmess with things.
And so in that way, like,they're a very ironic sort of
archetype.
And irony takes two, at leasttwo stories, um, to be able to
work.
and compassion is being able to,like, take as many stories as
(08:25):
you can, um, into your ownperspective, um, or lens.
And so, I heard that, and I wasjust like, oh, that's why I love
that.
Like, that's, it just makessense to me.
And, so yeah, I think me, deepdown, like, I like messing with
things, even though I don'talways give myself permission to
do so, because, you know, you'reafraid of being judged, or, or
(08:46):
all those things, but, being inimprov has allowed, has given me
more permission to do that, andalso to facilitate groups where
they can give themselvespermission to play characters
they don't normally play, for meit's a very psychological art
form, um, because I often saythe speed of story is faster
(09:07):
than the speed of thought, andso you can't think.
And if you're not thinking, thenyou no longer have this
protective mechanism, like allyour unconscious language just
comes forth, and it'svulnerable, but always
beautiful.
for all you viewers out there,Cece and I have associations
with the city of Austin, Texas.
Yes.
(09:28):
So, let's just get nerdy withsome Austin vibe.
What's, uh, what's the best tacoshop?
What's, uh...
Breakfast tacos?
Sure.
Why not?
Cecie (09:37):
I'm a big taco joint girl.
Taco joint! And sometimes Iforget the days that they're
closed, and I'll drive up, and,you know, I go run on the trail
in Austin.
Nothing sounds better thanAmiga's taco and a Mexican Coke,
but then they're closed.
And I have to go get something,and it's just, it's not as good.
Right, you know, the day's overat that point.
Dev (09:58):
Yeah.
Truly.
Truly.
I talked about Veracruz earlier.
yeah, their fish tacos like blowme away.
And I know they have like abrick and mortar now.
Are you into like the hipstertaco thing?
Or not as much?
Um,
Cecie (10:12):
do you mean like fusion?
Dev (10:14):
Not like fusion, just more like, more like the, you know,
hipsters just like to makethings more fancy than they need
to be.
Yeah, kind of like bougie?
Bougie.
Yeah, tell a bougie.
There's this place calledNishta.
Um, N I X T A.
That's on 12th, um, and closerto the airport.
Okay.
Um.
it's delicious.
(10:35):
I'm not gonna lie, like, I mean,hipsters are fun to make fun of,
but sometimes they make bougiethings that taste good.
Sometimes.
Cecie (10:42):
Sometimes,
Dev (10:42):
there we go.
Yes, we're on to you, we're onto you.
Um, what else about Austin?
What are your favorite thingsthere?
Cecie (10:49):
so, I think the thing, I grew up in Northwest Hills in
Austin, right?
So, in the hilly part of Austin.
And moving up to Chicago where Iwent to seminary and my husband
went to law school, there wasthis very clear sense of it
being flat.
Dev (11:05):
Right?
What are you talking about?
And so
Cecie (11:09):
even when we, we live now South Austin, it's very flat.
And I dream of being back in thehills.
I think it marked my life.
I listened to this, uh,theologian poet named, uh, John
O'Donoghue on a Krista Tippetton Being podcast.
It was the inner landscape ofbeauty.
And he was Scottish or Irish.
(11:30):
I cannot remember.
Um, he's since passed, but hetalked about how he was marked,
you know, his life was marked bywhere he grew up the landscape.
And I do really feel like I wasmarked by Austin, by lilac
trees, by the rolling hills, bythe river.
I love water.
Um, I've only really startedutilizing the trail around Lady
(11:54):
Bird Lake.
Since I've been in grad schoolbecause that's when I picked up
running It's just somethingabout even in the the heat of
the summer when all of the grassis dead.
Dev (12:05):
Yes, thank God we're not there right now.
It's 105 although yeah rightit's 95 here so it's not much of
a difference but a week agothere's like a 30 degree
difference.
Cecie (12:16):
But in the summer Austin still comes alive.
There's the crepe myrtlesblooming and there's colors all
around.
It's not just a big It's littlepockets of neighborhoods with
trees and parks all around.
Dev (12:31):
The things that I associate with Austin are things that
Austin is not really known for.
So, A, the improv scene.
Very vibrant improv scene that Idon't feel like people really
talk about outside of Austin.
Um, and the table tennis scene.
Oh my god.
The best table tennis in thecountry.
So it's my favorite sport.
(12:51):
And so I was part of the AustinTable Tennis Club.
Um, close to, it's by 183 andum, Yeah.
Okay.
So close to where, uh, there'sthis old English pub.
What was it called?
Sherlock's.
Cecie (13:04):
Uh huh.
I know exactly where this is.
Okay, yeah.
So
Dev (13:06):
it's right behind that.
Cecie (13:07):
Yeah.
By the bowling
Dev (13:08):
alley, kind of.
Yes, kind of by the bowlingalley.
oh man.
I would train there like fourtimes a week.
And it would just be so giddyfor me.
So wait, Was it Austin orPortland that came up with the
phrase first?
Cecie (13:20):
Which one?
The Weird.
Keep Austin Weird.
I grew up with Keep AustinWeird.
Okay.
Dev (13:24):
So you're sticking
Cecie (13:25):
with the Austin?
Tried and true, you know, fiveyear old Cece, Keep Austin Weird
tie dye shirt.
Dev (13:30):
Okay, alright.
I have a lot of friends fromobviously both Austin and
Portland, and they keep, youknow, telling me that they're...
So I was just curious if you hadan opinion.
I, I
Cecie (13:39):
mean, I will, I will keep Austin Weird personally, but I'm
not gonna let Portland not
Dev (13:45):
enjoy the same tagline.
We can be generous.
That's true.
That's true.
Cecie (13:53):
The question is, can Portland be,
Dev (13:55):
right?
Probably not.
No, no, no.
There's, there's a thing calledthe Northwest Freeze.
Yeah, people are chilly.
What's a top memory that youhave in Austin?
Cecie (14:03):
A top memory that I have in Austin, my parents are
divorced and we'd spend sometime with my mom, sometime with
my dad, and, uh, when my dad...
for most of the weekend, wewould go down to the Capitol and
just kind of adventure around,you know, it's free to get in.
It's cool in the summer.
Um, one time we were adventuringin the Capitol and.
(14:25):
Found some corridors that Idon't think we were supposed to
have
Dev (14:28):
found.
Uhhuh.
You found the inner like,
Cecie (14:31):
yeah.
'cause all of a sudden, like weare like, there's no one here
anymore and all.
It's like the
Dev (14:36):
Illuminati corridors.
Yes, exactly.
Cecie (14:38):
housed in the capitol, And we get on this elevator and
it's, you know, like steelplates on the side.
We're like, where are we?
We come up and we are like acouple blocks from the capitol
and like a building that spitsyou out.
Oh wow.
From the elevator.
So, Us and some random guy thatwas delivering packages, but I
think it's it's a memory.
(14:59):
I look back very fondly ofBecause it was kind of absurd
that you know a single dad andhis two Small kids, you know,
maybe 7 and 8 or 8 and 9, mybrother and I are a year apart,
got to find some of the innerweavings of the Capitol, and I'm
sure someone was getting chewedout about it, you know,
Dev (15:16):
on the way there.
Someone's no longer employedIt's, there's this really
beautiful resonance that happensin that building, um, that I
really, really love.
I love chanting, um, it's a bigthing for me, but I love that
you found the, the interweavingsof that space, um, cause it's a,
(15:40):
it's right there, like, in thecity, it's like you, it's like
the most, Iconic
Cecie (15:45):
part.
And they're trying to make itmore now as they're like
building a mall out and theBlanton Museum of Art got a lot
better.
And I would say my second bestAustin memory is when I was a
kid, my mom had her brother, myuncle, come and visit and we
went downtown for an art bazaar.
Um, maybe it was at the PalmerEvents Center because we were
driving along the river rightthere and there's that statue of
(16:07):
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
You know the one I'm talkingabout.
Oh yeah.
And there's a, um.
Oh, the roundabout.
There's a roundabout.
And so, you go on the roundaboutand you can see the statue of
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And my uncle was driving and hegoes, Hey, everyone say hi to
Stevie! And we're like, Hey! Andthen he just goes, Let's do it
again! And pulls us around andwe did it like five times.
You said
Dev (16:27):
hello to Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And
Cecie (16:29):
we were kids, so my brother and I were cracking up.
But it was a very fond memoryof, uh, That's awesome.
We didn't always go downtown.
Sure.
So, it's so fun.
Dev (16:39):
That's wonderful.
I feel like we could talk allday long about Austin.
I know you have an art, uh,thing.
Watercolor.
Watercolor, um, that you'redoing.
So, thank you for taking thetime to have this conversation.
For blessing the village withyour presence.
And, uh, yeah.
I hope we get to talk more aswell.
Before the weekends.
Yeah.
Cecie (16:57):
I would like that.
Beautiful.
Thanks for
Dev (16:58):
having me.
Of course.
Outro (17:00):
Thanks for joining us.
Be sure to view the links in thedescription for more information
or visit our website to find outmore about the village.
We hope you will make apilgrimage to Holden.
Blessings and peace to you.
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