What a blessing Thanksgiving was and not to mention MUCH needed! This semester has been a little rough on me so it was just nice to get away. There is just something about holding and feeding a newborn baby that just tugs at your heart strings so matter how old u get! For me, it was just what the doctor ordered. There was one day when Alexis was laying on a blanket on the floor and I laid next to her just staring at her for at least an hour. Looking at the details of her face, the tiny hairs on her ears and the curvature of her little face. It was like witnessing God's miracle of life just then and there in that moment. (Julie of course caught me and had to take some pictures!) She is a truly a beautiful baby!
I LOVE not limping around when I walk because of my new knee, but MAN what a HASSLE when i have to fly, because I will now ALWAYS set off all their alarms thanks to the metal components in my knee now. Then of course, even though I TELL them it will go off, having to go through all the excessive screening! Especially NOW with all the NEW GROPING the TSA agents do! I almost missed my flight coming back today because DFW wouldn't let me take my small little toiletry bag on the plane. I ended up transferring a whole lot of stuff and leaving my little bag to the terminal with security! I asked Roxanne to see if she could get it for me and she agreed, so perhaps I will see it again.
Julie and Darrell are now in their new home and I love it. It is so much more spacious than their previous home. The kids have a play room. There is a separate area of the house where the cat cannot go and a much roomier guest room - my favorite feature. 3 full baths, so the guest even has their own bathroom- also something I liked and their neighborhood is awesome, with a park just a 5 minute walk from their home, which Chloe loves.
On the bad news side, my grandmother Anna, had multiple mini strokes this week and has been hospitalized. She is 96 years old, and has a long history of heart issues, but it has been a long week for my family. I was feeling a little guilty about not being home, but then I remembered how much time I spent with her when I was home this past Summer and saying my last goodbyes, since it looks like I won't be home again to NC until the end of the school year. Quite frankly, that is how I want to remember her if she were to pass. I sincerely hope she doesn't pass just yet, but I know she has lived a good long life. Monday she will go into a skilled nursing facility for a while. I just hope my mom will get some reprieve now; she's been running herself ragged for a while.
So...6 more ASSIGNMENTS and the semester is over. I can't wait! As I said before, been a long semester and I can't wait to be back in Texas. I actually HAVE to go back for my Candidacy Retreat. I didn't go last year because of my knee surgery, but this year, I will be meeting with the Bishop just to chit chat with him before I go on Internship next year. I'll be finding out where I am going on March 9th- Ash Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it, but a little nervous too of course!
My J-Term project has been approved, so I will be working with Pastor Jill (my former Associate Pastor) and 2 other Pastors for 3 weeks in January in Rural ministry. I'm looking forward to it, but first have to get past this semester!
Many blessings to all reading. Peace, love, happiness and laughter!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
I think I see a light at the end of my tunnel.....
Yup. I can't believe it. Celebrated by 40th birthday, celebrated 40 years of being baptized, was in my first photo shoot ever PLUS I hope to be officially endorsed or at least recommended for endorsement by this Friday!
It has been a LOOOONNNGGGG semester, but we are finally in the home stretch! I still can't believe it. I've finally after weeks and weeks of struggling finally getting in the groove of things! Yeah...I've been a bit slow this semester. Not sure why. I think I have spent more time trying to stay organized than I have in getting stuff done! But this semester has proved to be quite another "shift" for me spiritually. I think it's a combination of all the classes. Everything I believe is being constantly challenged and countered by the deepest parts of Lutheran Theology and I love it! Several of my classes seem to overlap each other this semester, which is proving quite helpful in aiding my understanding of certain things...so that's a good thing.
So I am writing my own J-Term proposal for 2011. It will hopefully count as my J-Term requirement and my Rural Ministry requirement, then all I'll have left t do is a cross cultural requirement which I will do my Senior year. Man, that sounds so far off, but will be here before I can blink! My J-Term, if approved, I'd be doing working with Jill, my former Associate Pastor in Brehnham, TX area. They have several rural congregations down there and I hope to be working in 3. I figure this is gonna give me a little head start in my internship. I figure with me being single, no kids, no home....I will probably be in the most rural location they can stick me in! I just feel that coming. I requested Southeast, but we'll see how that flies!
No relationship stuff anywhere on the radar for now. Not for lack of trying, just no takers as of yet. I think I may be trying too hard, so I've decided to just let it be for now. God knows what he's doing and the way my schedule is looking these days, its probably best don't add something or someone else to it! It's been a little tough with me turning 40 and the constant wondering if someone is truly out there for me. It was pretty lonely not having those I love the most not here to share my birthday but I know its all temporary.
Been doing a lot of pulpit supply. I'm booked for the rest of this month and probably in December too. I've been preaching at 2 different congregations. One in Monroe, WI and the other in Waterloo, IA. Both are small congregations who can't afford Pastors, but I guess like the way I preach cause they keep inviting me back! It's been good practice for me too...not to mention the extra cash has been a HUGE help! Especially with more medical issues rising...more on that later.
I'm going back to Dallas for Thanksgiving. Darrell & Julie had already bought me a ticket for Christmas break, but with the change in my J-Term, it made more sense for me to have my car for Christmas break. So I switched my ticket for Thanksgiving (after paying a fee of course!) and now I'll be there when Lexi is born! I think they could REALLY use some help with the new baby coming. I hadn't originally planned on being there, but I could just hear in Julie's voice when I told her I was coming, how relieved she felt. That made me even more sure that it was the right thing to do. I did have to juggle around my school schedule and make some request to several professors. Overall, they are all OK with it, so I'm just trying to stay ahead and get about 4 projects/papers done before I leave. As far as not seeing my family...well, it won't be the first time I hadn't been home for Thanksgiving. Besides, depending when and where my Internship site is, I'm likely to go visit after classes in the Spring. We'll see. Once again it's past my bedtime, but I felt I needed to blog since I hadn't in a while.
Blessings and Peace to all reading....
It has been a LOOOONNNGGGG semester, but we are finally in the home stretch! I still can't believe it. I've finally after weeks and weeks of struggling finally getting in the groove of things! Yeah...I've been a bit slow this semester. Not sure why. I think I have spent more time trying to stay organized than I have in getting stuff done! But this semester has proved to be quite another "shift" for me spiritually. I think it's a combination of all the classes. Everything I believe is being constantly challenged and countered by the deepest parts of Lutheran Theology and I love it! Several of my classes seem to overlap each other this semester, which is proving quite helpful in aiding my understanding of certain things...so that's a good thing.
So I am writing my own J-Term proposal for 2011. It will hopefully count as my J-Term requirement and my Rural Ministry requirement, then all I'll have left t do is a cross cultural requirement which I will do my Senior year. Man, that sounds so far off, but will be here before I can blink! My J-Term, if approved, I'd be doing working with Jill, my former Associate Pastor in Brehnham, TX area. They have several rural congregations down there and I hope to be working in 3. I figure this is gonna give me a little head start in my internship. I figure with me being single, no kids, no home....I will probably be in the most rural location they can stick me in! I just feel that coming. I requested Southeast, but we'll see how that flies!
No relationship stuff anywhere on the radar for now. Not for lack of trying, just no takers as of yet. I think I may be trying too hard, so I've decided to just let it be for now. God knows what he's doing and the way my schedule is looking these days, its probably best don't add something or someone else to it! It's been a little tough with me turning 40 and the constant wondering if someone is truly out there for me. It was pretty lonely not having those I love the most not here to share my birthday but I know its all temporary.
Been doing a lot of pulpit supply. I'm booked for the rest of this month and probably in December too. I've been preaching at 2 different congregations. One in Monroe, WI and the other in Waterloo, IA. Both are small congregations who can't afford Pastors, but I guess like the way I preach cause they keep inviting me back! It's been good practice for me too...not to mention the extra cash has been a HUGE help! Especially with more medical issues rising...more on that later.
I'm going back to Dallas for Thanksgiving. Darrell & Julie had already bought me a ticket for Christmas break, but with the change in my J-Term, it made more sense for me to have my car for Christmas break. So I switched my ticket for Thanksgiving (after paying a fee of course!) and now I'll be there when Lexi is born! I think they could REALLY use some help with the new baby coming. I hadn't originally planned on being there, but I could just hear in Julie's voice when I told her I was coming, how relieved she felt. That made me even more sure that it was the right thing to do. I did have to juggle around my school schedule and make some request to several professors. Overall, they are all OK with it, so I'm just trying to stay ahead and get about 4 projects/papers done before I leave. As far as not seeing my family...well, it won't be the first time I hadn't been home for Thanksgiving. Besides, depending when and where my Internship site is, I'm likely to go visit after classes in the Spring. We'll see. Once again it's past my bedtime, but I felt I needed to blog since I hadn't in a while.
Blessings and Peace to all reading....
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