update

Shortbread is soooo wondermous....
And I made a batch yesterday.  With espresso.  I have to say, morning coffee and paper-writing has never been so good.
Mid-terms and deadlines are creeping in, and it's definately playing a part in how I am in everything right now.  Theology is tough, and this seems to be the year of inquiry with many things... mostly me doing the inquiring about hospitals as CPE sites, about what the future will bring...And how I'll do it.

On the horizon are lots of fun things, though!

CPE, Clinical Pastoral Education, will let me see what it's like to be a chaplain.
Becoming a dual-degree student will allow me to learn more in the way of pastoral care and counseling.

Midterms?  Well... There's nothing like getting to the top of a hill.

I'm learning balance here, friends... so it's time for some more shortbread.  And a bike ride in the fall loveliness that's happening.

ETA:
Nana is doing really well.  She's home and as spitfire as ever- thanks for your prayers!

Okay friends.

I need for y'all to do me a favor and pray, if you do, for my Nana.  She's in the hospital and gave us all quite a scare earlier this week.
For the most part, we've lucked out... Not many major illnesses to worry about, and no long term stuff-- until now.  She's stable and doing well, giving orders and praying for all kinds of things, but it was scary for a few days.  I drove home and have spent the past couple of days sitting with Nana at the hospital so that her daughters wouldn't be stuck with the whole burden.
I'm driving home today to kick my butt into high gear tonight... Gotta catch up on everything.

Look for a real post soon.

I really want to clean.  To organize. 
I think it's because it's fall.  Martha's got a checklist, and so do many others.  

Oh my goodness… The Daily Ditch is catching, but I think it’s more of the starts that are happening.  School has started.  Trees have started to change.  I’ve started to want to entertain, and that means putting life and home together enough to do it.  Heck, it could just be nesting.  There's stuff on my walls now, and I've spent enough time procrastinating on Apartment Therapy looking at pretty ways to organize that it's not even funny.   Let's face it, my first apartment is thisclose to being fully furnished, short of an ottoman with storage and maybe 2 or 3 chairs, which would have to fold. Because y’all, my apartment is tiny.  But it means speed-cleaning a la Organized Home can happen.  

But, before I acquire more things, I would really, REALLY like to organize what’s there, and finish this stuff properly.  So.  Upholstering.  Building a shelf.  Maybe building or finding a sewing table. Painting all of those things. 

Making some cloth bins.  Painting a headboard- I have a neat idea involving 3 canvasses that would be one painting... kind of exciting.  

But… I really want to be kind to my home these days. My  plan of attack- 15-30 minutes a day and an afternoon this weekend- are going to make it happen, friends. 

• Monday was the closet. 
• Today will be the bookshelves.  Ohhh Boy.
• Wednesday? Living space.
• Thursday will be the bathroom.  And closet, round 2.
• Friday’s going to be the big one… Fabric. 
• Fabric’s going to take more than a day.  I’m hoping to set some goals and group some things for the future, and I’d like to also get the rest of my crafty things all set too.

Hope you fall clean too, friends!

I ran 2 miles today.

Now I have no excuse not to... because I can do it.
Getting back into a routine where fitness is a part of it is one of those things that I hate every time I fall out of one, but making it a part of my life as the new semester begins really will make me a happier person.  Endorphins are good for your soul, and the fitness you get while getting them?  Great for self-confidence.
On that note, I am picking goals for October even if it is a little early:

• Sew once a week
• Run once a week, spin once a week
• Pray intentionally every day

Revisiting Resolutions

For some reason, back-to-school always makes me think of resolutions... It just seems like one of the times when we resolve things, I dunno... I decided to take a look back and see what I did and how far... or not... I've come. I've copied the resolutions from that post, and if my formatting works, you'll see new thoughts indented below the original resolution.


        Grow close again to God. Encourage the relationship, have a deeper prayer life.

• I feel, in some ways, much closer to God.  But I also feel like the intentionality has slipped some.  A relationship with God is like most others in that it takes conscious effort to maintain.  When you slip onto a place of comfort, it’s easy to forget to attend to the relationship, so I need to be more conscious of it again.  Maybe I’ll try to have 15 quiet/silent minutes a day.  My lifegroup is helpful too. 

           Get healthy. What I eat, what I drink, and workin’ on my fitness.

• Greek made fitness go down the drainhole.  A combination of Greek and stress made me drop about 10 pounds… I suspect some of it is muscle, and that I will regain it.  But it’s never good for someone my size to lose that much weight that quickly.

          Sew 3 things a month.

• Nope.  Hasn’t happened.  Not even close.  Is it going to happen?  Probably not… But I think I will be leaving my machine more accessible and less in-a-corner so that I can sew when I want to.  And I have ideas.  And things I’d like to do and work on, which are all good things. 

   Clothing Fast.  Don’t buy more than one thing a month.  Buy as little new as possible.

• Well, I went crazy for a bit, but I did well with this one for a good long while, and it made my bank account pretty happy.  I replaced some basics last month and got some hand-me-downs and free things to boost a professional wardrobe, but I should be in good shape to not buy things for a while now.

 This is partially a matter of making a budget and sticking to it... I'm a grown-up and I should start addressing my finances as such.

• Mint.com is a lifesaver here, folks.  I’ve made a budget and I’ve gotten closer and closer to sticking to it, month by month.  Undoing lots of bad habits is taking work, but I’m getting closer to having more go in than out.

 Be good to my home...

• I’m in nesting mode currently.  New apartment.  New wall art.  New furniture. I just need to be intentional about picking up after myself.

  Be better in my relationships. There are friends I owe letters and phone calls- thank you notes long overdue. I have lost touch with more people than I care to admit, and I want to rectify some of that. I also need to appreciate my friends and family now- have dedicated time with them in any way I can. Life and the people you live it with are precious.

• I left the commentary from last time to say I’ve gotten an bit better on that score, and need to do more of the same.  Where it’s happened I’ve loved it!

  Be good to my education. Short version: Less time on facebook, more time hitting the books. This is treasured time. I need to embrace that.

• Yes.  Doing well.  Greek gave me some tools.  And Stayfocused, the Google Chrome app, is awesome.

     Be an asset to my church. This new position is a Seminary dream job, and I need to live up to that.

• They say you can’t make changes for a while, and I’m learning lots and starting to change things bit-by-bit.  It’s going well!

Long post, but I think you get the drift.  Time to be intentional again, friends.

in a skirt?

Aren’t I cute?

You know, there’s nothing remarkable about this outfit except for the fact that I rode a bike in it…

There’s a new movement to make biking a part of regular life, and I have to say, I really like it.

I love how quick and self- sufficient it makes me feel, and I got to get my bike out in the middle of the week and make it a part of my routine. Traffic is a bit scary, but the idea of getting my bike out is the best thing that I can find with it… Being able to make my own breeze and be active outdoors in the middle of the week is just… wow. I love to go on longer rides, and I really need to train up for the longer rides, but nice, short, quick things would be really great too.

So… what do I think of the whole thing?

Riding in a skirt is okay. I think you have to have the right skirt, and I think that if it’s a part of your life, it should be a part of your life on the bike. So fun. So great. I love the idea. And I think I’ll do it again.

I am oficially a cyclist.

Why, you ask?

Oh, because I bought a road bike yesterday.

Friends, this is the 2012 Dolce Compact, an entry-level road bike by Specialized geared specifically toward women.

This is not a picture of my specific bike, but one just like it. I am looking at the real thing right now though... It happens to be sitting against my living room wall right now because I am not going to store it outdoors... I just can't quite bring myself to. And I can't imagine what I would do if it were stolen.

So yeah... I'm hoping I'll be able to ride every weekend there is good weather and I'm sure I'll learn lots more about my surroundings... and push myself on the distances. It's going to be exciting- and I think it'll be a purchase I'll be glad I made. It wasn't on a whim and it felt SOOO good to ride this bike. Yay for pushing myself more in the near future.

In the near future:

the beach

the chaplaincy progress

a "book report"

more Greek

But there has been fun, too.

Like, oh, reading for fun... When I take breaks I have been picking up the books in Megan McCafferty's series about a girl I've kinda grown up with... Jessica Darling. The books are witty and angsty and I have discovered and re-discovered them over the years, and it was good to revisit them.

Next?

Oh, some visitors.

And maybe a re-read of Harry Potter with a friend who hasn't read them...

But really, I want a clean, sewn-for apartment so I can show you the big girl, self-furnished place I am living this year, and hopefully for all of Seminary. And to catch up from being sick for the past 2 days.

Alright. HW time so I can eat and lifegroup and dance.

GREEEEEEEK

I'm screaming that title, by the way... and I should be working on flashcards and memorizing things and relocating to coffee shops where I can study out of visual range of my bed... I have a vocab quiz at 9, tutoring at 8:30, breakfast and study time at 8, and spin at 6... oy.

But, to end on a positive note,

My sermon went well. Would you like to see/hear pieces? I'll pass it on. Comment!

Spin class with bike shoes... clipped in? AMAZING.

And I danced yesterday. SO good to see friends.

I met with my new lifegroup today. Being prayed for in that way... wow. And reading scripture in a group? More wow.

Alright. Greek, here I come.

MIA, That's meee!

No better reason though...

CYF conference had 68 youth from June 5-11, and I was privileged to be one of their 10 counselors... High school was one time when church camp was the best place on the planet.

Then, I moved apartments the next week and planned for...

Yup. I directed camp for Chi Rho... Middle School. Oh boy. 43 Campers and 7 counselors kinda make all that work worth it. SO worth it. Oh well... back in Spin, back on the bike as much as I can be... Life returns.