Excitement & Bitter-Sweet

I am really really excited about the recent regional placements! It feels like it is long over due on one hand and on the other it seems like only yesterday that we were summer greekers. This picture is the epitome of bitter-sweet. I am way jazzed that my friend Matthew (pictured) and I both got assignments and that Bishops in our respective regions asked for us to be placed in their regions, I am NOT excited that our regions are not the same nor near one another. I will miss my classmates who have become like family. I will miss seeing them on the day in and day out. I rejoice that some classmates are assigned to the same region as me and that I will join a region with many WTSers. Plus there will be lots of folks to meet in the next stage of life. 

I continue to wait for a Bishop to call. I am told that the region 3 Bishops are meeting Thursday morning and can call us as soon as their meeting is over, although they may not have time to call for a few days. So I wait, with excitement, praying, hoping, and dreaming.

Region!!!

I am headed to region 3!!! The ELCA draft was held the past two days and I found out last night that I am off to region 3, I am excited and nervous and anxious to hear synod assignments. Those of us assigned to region three are suppose to hear on March 3rd or shortly after what synod I am assigned to. I am really a senior and really graduating!!!!

10 Loves Of My Life

1. I love my family. While it is hard to be so far away from them all right now, I have my fingers crossed that I will be moving closer to them in the next six months-ish or so. They are amazing, I am not just talking about my immediate family but my extended family as well.

2. I love my friends. I have the world's best friends. I have met people from so many different aspects of life that I have friends all over the globe. They are absolutely amazing and I am sad that I don't get to see them all as often as I want.

3.I love snow. While I have enjoyed the brief glimpse into spring, I am very exciting about all the snow that they keep warning us may be coming. I love snow, I love the cold crisp air that when you breath through your nose your nostrils stick together. I love the crunch beneath my feet. I love the way it feels when you pick it up. I love watching it fall. I even love shoveling.

4. I love reading. While at the moment I am a little tired of reading required readings that I am having to do for school I am still loving being able to read other books. I look forward to reading next year, yes I will still be the nerd reading theology, but there seems to be a difference between what I chose to read and what I am told I have to read and write papers on and all that jazz. Currently I am reading "Water for Elephants" for fun.  I was given a Kindle for Christmas by my parents and at first I was skeptical because I like to feel books in my hand and to smell the books, but I have fallen in love with my kindle. I promote everyone at least giving them a shot.

5. I love taking pictures. While I am not really all that good at taking photos, I love doing it. I have a Nikon D60, which I am still learning how to use, but am enjoying every second of it. I also enjoy editing photos. There is something to trying to capture the moment in a photo. While there is a point that I do try to take in each moment without wanting to attempt to capture it in a photo, I love capturing the moment so that I can remember it and see it again. Photos help me to remember some of the amazing people, places, and moments in my life.

6. I love shutterfly. I love making photo books and having them printed. I enjoy then looking through all the photo albums to relive a little bit of the past. The books contain memories from many years of fun, but my shutterfly books are primarily only from the past four years, I am half tempted to go back as far as I have digital pictures for and make books for them as well. I also enjoy making Christmas cards and other fun projects on this site. I love shutterfly.

7. I love the outdoors. I love being outside during any season. I can find something fabulous about each and every season and I look forward to them all for different reasons. I cannot get enough time outside.

8. I love random hobbies. I have such a wide variety of hobbies that fulfill my time beyond reading and being outside. The two that are currently filling my time is sewing and crocheting. I like making things and giving them away. When I have the time I also enjoy making cards and writing letters to people. There is something still oh so classic about snail mail.

9. I love cooking and baking. While living in the dorms the lack of a kitchen in my room and my dependence upon the dorm kitchen has been less than ideal. Although I do get down in the kitchen and do a little bit of cooking and baking every once in a while it is not nearly as often as I would want. The difficulty is also compounded by the fact that I only have a little fridge and minimal cooking and baking supplies.

10. I love Apple. I will confess that I love my Macbook, ipod touch, and drool over the iphone.

World's Best Microwave Cake

I have discovered the world’s best microwave cake, which is dangerous to some extent, but I LOVE IT and want to share it. It does take a little bit of prep work, but once it is prepared it is fabulous to have around.

Combine: one box angel food cake mix, one box any other flavor cake mix (seriously any flavor that you want), and one bag chips (chocolate chips, heath chips, peanut butter chips, your choice)

To Make the actual Cake:

1/3 cup of mix

3 tablespoons water

Mix in a bowl with a fork

Microwave for 65-70 seconds

ENJOY!

**My favorite combination is: angel food cake, sugar free yellow cake, and heath pieces**

Back in the swing of things

Back at it again, the semester has now begun its second week. The new is now becoming the familiar once again. Routine is beginning to form again and patterns are arising in the rhythm of my life. This picture is my current background on my computer screen. These were all the medals that were to be handed out as people crossed the finish lines from the half marathon this past month. I love the picture, I know it is off center and it is just a pile of medals. But I can't help but think of all the hours of training and how many miles were run by individuals in order to cross the finish line to have that medal given to them. It is also currently the photo I look at as I begin to get back into running seriously again. It serves several purposes at the moment: to remind me that a half marathon is in fact possible, reminds me of the adrenaline rush I had after finishing, the sense of accomplishment, the sense of being able to set my mind on something and achieve the goal.

These medals also have a funny reminder to me about my seminary journey rounding its final corner, I know there will not be a medal given to me, a diploma yes, but the end is near and the reminder to finish strong. Never again will I have the chance to spend my days studying, I am ready to be done but at that same time I also am attempting to cherish the moments with classmates, faculty, and just the chance to learn, to read, to ask questions in community, and to soak in the last bit of this learning environment while I can.

Milestones

It has been far too long since I have posted, that is for sure. January has been a crazy month to say the least. January held three big milestones for me.

January 8 marked my first half marathon - a personal victory that I must confess I never thought possible. The picture above is me with my medal, I LOVE IT! I HATED running during my college and high school years. I played womens basketball and we lived by the firm model that we did not need to run more than two or three miles at most. After a battle with my knees I had to trust my body to take me the 13.1 miles, I had to trust the training would pay off, I had to trust that I could do it, I had to convince my mind that what I had once thought was impossible was in reality possible. It was an amazing feeling to have finished in my goal time. My finish time would impress no one, but I am proud of myself. I have signed up for my second half marathon (which I swore I would never do more than one) a week after I graduate. I give thanks for my friends who have inspired and encouraged me to keep trying and pushing forward and believe in me when I don't think I believed in myself, I am blessed.

January 12 marked one year - It was a bitter-sweet month of questioning how does one mark a year after a life changing event? How do I celebrate life while recognizing great death and tragedy? And the reality of living in the promise of the resurrection every day is my never ending hope. It was glorious to rejoice in the moment and recognize that it has been a year and only a year at the same time. I am not going to lie and attempt to say that I don't still think about it frequently or that there aren't moments when the floor below me shakes that my heart rate does skyrocket..... I also am not going to say that I see all death and dying, I firmly believe that for some reason I was called to that time and place also that I have grown, learned, and I will never be the same. The memories are still fresh, the wounds still can bring tears, and the hope reigns above all else. I give thanks for the people of Haiti who continue to inspire me today, I give thanks for the people who continue to uphold me and support me in so many ways, I am blessed.

January 31 the first day of my last semester of seminary - it too is bitter sweet. I have spent the last four years looking forward to and counting down to this day, in 18 days I will know my regional assignment. The start of the last day is huge, I remember my first day of summer Greek and thinking about how far away senior year would be and I think in my heart of hearts I questioned if this day would ever come. With each day of classes that pass I rejoice and mourn. I give thanks for all the friends I have met throughout this journey so far, I am blessed.