Early Halloween!

Surprise! We celebrated Halloween a week early at PTS, complete with a costume party and all! My two friends Noah and Victoria...

Can you tell who we are? (besides my friend/pseudo roomie Katie and me)

My dorm building looks really stately...I promise, we really do just live here!


This is the side view of our Chapel...beautiful on a gorgeous fall day!



Our classroom building (stuart hall)...looking mighty fine with all the pretty leaves!


Katie, Karen and I one Sunday, all dressed for church!


Oh, and my favorite- a container of apples- in a school bus!!!! Now, how can I be positive they didn't even know I drove a school bus before making this so perfectly accessible to me!!! :):)

Hello Fantastic Followers!

Today I learned about Twitter....and today I decided Twitter might be a bit too overwhelming of a phenomenon for me, at least for right now. :)

So I will stick to the blogs. :) Ah, once again (a week later) I sit typing this with my leg propped up. You guessed it! My ankle is still sprained! :) I have to say, the reality of being injured didn't hit me full force until this weekend as I began getting antzy and wanted to move! (I headed to the gym and lifted weights- mostly upper body.)...and it wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had, but sometimes that antzy bug gets the best of me!

Today I can officially say that I've enjoyed some improvement in my pain level...and I bought a brace, so I'm much more optimistic. Now if I could only jump again! :):) (My VB friends keep asking how soon I will be back out on the court- and much to my concerned friends' approval, I say- in time, in time). But please, if you're at all capable of exercising, do so for me! :)

Wow, this week has felt like an eternity- mostly because of being limited to wherever my little crutch and bum ankle could take me...not to mention fairly immense study intentions. (I use intentions to suggest that my actual performance never quite meets expectations within a given amount of time)... With that said, I should perhaps be studying for my Old Testament midterm, but when I could write to you fine people instead? OT can wait. :)

Yes, that's right- I am preparing this reading week for my two midterms next week, in addition to a paper I have due- and leading a precept for theology. It is quite a packed coming week, which correlates well with a week off work! Today I found out that I don't have to work next week...what wonderful timing! Oh yes, and I've gotten one response about taking the midterm OT exam for me- and I'm still waiting for the best offer.... 605.203.... Just Kidding.

I have been blessed in so many ways since coming here, and last night I found myself reading past journal entries, marveling at the years of preparation (I now understand) I experienced before arriving here, ready for whatever good work the Lord has in store. Also, my social networks here are really encouraging. Like I said, I have great friends- some of whom you have met in the above photos!

Before I end my typing for this week, I would like to say- that more than anything else which has resonated true in my life the past few days- I have realized how constantly present and available God is! And what a privilege it has been, tuning into the power of God in moments of silence and calm....ahhhhh......deep breaths...... :):) (trust me, seminary isn't making me weird, I've always been like this). Randomly related- we had a Taize prayer service today. SO GOOD!

Alright my beautiful friends, I hope all is swell for you and yours! Until the next random posting from a slightly-eccentric girl in Princeton,

Emily

Painful & Beautiful...

Hello my Faithful Friends,

I am writing today with my leg propped up on a pillow beside my computer, and despite the fact that I would love to simply be lounging around, it's mainly because I sprained my ankle on Monday at vb... Yes, it's quite the picture (me spending my days with a propped up leg!), not to mention that I have become a popular girl on campus now...let me explain.

So we have volleyball every Monday evening. It's a great time, we have some regulars who are quite good players, actually- and I always enjoy myself (perhaps getting a little more intense than necessary...I AM the only one wearing knee pads!). On my way to VB I spoke with a few people who said something to the effect of: 'So, I hear you're quite the player' to which I respond with: "What? who's saying that!" "Oh!" they said, "Everyone's talking about your skills! I should be afraid of you!" I simply laugh and say- "well, you can be the judge tonight..."

This particular week we had several new people join us, and during one of our last games, I go for a ball near the net- and evidently so do a few other players from my team. We all collide, and I come out with a sprained ankle. It's fairly routine for me by now, this being my 7th or 8th sprained ankle, but that doesn't diminish the pain... AND the irony of the statements floating around campus about my VB skills. Ha! Bet I surprised everyone as I hobbled into class on Tuesday! I say it's painful and beautiful though, and here's why....

I find that being in a vulnerable state can evoke the most beautiful compassion from others. My fellow vb players took great care of me, one of the guys drove me back, got ice for me (actually, he 'broke' into the kitchen and partially filled a garbage bag with ice!) what a hero! Yes, plenty of my friends have become heroes this week, and that's the beauty of being hurt....I am exposed to the kindest gestures which are not necessarily present in normal life...

For example, my friends Katie, Achitha, and Karen all made sure I got to where I needed to be yesterday, Henry offered his shoulder to prop my ankle during class (I politely declined) :), Ron lent me his crutches (I politely accepted), David, Joel, and Joe all dumped my tray for me at various meals, random people hold doors, a few fellow crutch bearers nod in understanding as they pass by, Brian keeps telling me how sorry he is about my ankle- and routinely offers to carry me places, a few other guys have offered to carry me (I'm quite capable of walking, btw), and the guy who brought me home continues to check on me every once in awhile. I'm sure I'm missing several beautiful gestures of kindness, but when there's a flood of attention, it's hard to retain it all! Hence, I've become noticed on campus because of my crutches- NOT b/c of my vb skills. :)

Whew, with all that said, I am also trying to focus on a paper about Augustine. I would make a rather non-chalant mention of it, except for it's my FIRST paper for my Masters degree. For whatever reason I feel as if anything I say isn't good enough. My first page I re-wrote about 4 times, seriously....and finally I have a direction, but it's still not extremely solid. I should be working on it right now, and I will soon enough, but blogging is so much easier than typing a paper! I will share with you my thesis- are you ready? (and you can offer critique if you'd like, as long as you send it before tomorrow night!) :):)

Confessions contains significant material to suggest that Augustine’s quest for the truth, journeying through various philosophical beliefs and finding his heart moved most strongly by Christianity, was highly influenced and supported by his continual bond with his faithful and loving mother Monica.

Alright, you can go ahead and tell me its a bit simplistic, but please know I have approximately 3 pages to argue this, with a page on either end to share additional historical detail. That's all. 3 pages, and I have that amount alone as quotes (I might cut that down a bit, after all, it should be MY paper) :):) But there's a sample of my work here- and I find Augustine's life quite fascinating, actually- he's a pretty cool dude, minus the fact that he sent his common-law wife away after 15 years out of aspiration for a higher political position. Gross!

Okay, I need to be re-inspired by Monica and Augustine. I look forward to hearing from you all whenever you happen to read/respond...I know a few of you read this, and I always appreciate hearing your voices as well.

Love you with all the joy this little sprained heart (I don't even know what that means!) can muster,

Emily

My New Home!

Hello to all God's children,

I am finally feeling at home a bit here in Princeton- and I have also experienced a few culturally-diverse activities this past week. Perhaps there's a correlation?

I'm nearing the end of my 4th week of studies, and that means only one more week until this semester is 1/2 over. What? Yep. I only got here 5 weeks ago and it's almost 1/2 over! Am I crazy? Well, not exactly (although some people would say studying theology 24/7 does make a person crazy) :) The deal is, PTS has cut their semesters down to 10 weeks for a long-term, and 3 weeks post-Christmas break for the fall short-term...which leaves us beginning our spring long-term in February. Ha, a little different, but I'm liking it!

Okay, I have so many good stories for you, I must begin. Last Friday night, a group of friends and I (btw- my friends here are really great!) decided to attend the campus "salsa dancing lessons" night. We (meaning another girl and a couple of guys) show up to a fairly sparse room- and before you know it, we are dancing the salsa, meeting people (more guys came than girls, which was a first in my 'dance lesson' experiences)....so we kept trading partners, working on our moves. I had a blast, even though I happened to be wearing negative-heel sandals (go brand Earth!) :) which gave me an extra calf workout! We then came back to the dorm, watched a movie, and at midnight celebrated Aaron's birthday! It was fun to feel like I was back in college (or on the rez)- and having a group of great guys and girls to hang out!

So, Saturday I tried studying, didn't do too much, but that's okay, since in retrospect, I seem to be doing fine on keeping up with everything. Ah, here's another tangent- I've realized that if I read too much (i.e. all the reading) :):) I simply cannot digest it all, so now my goal is to read MOST of it :) and to really process everything I'm reading. Good goal, right? :) Anyway...back on track...Saturday evening a couple who is originally from SD and currently lives in Princeton took me to their church and out to dinner, which was really great...and their most generous act of the night involved hanging out in the parking lot trying to jump my car for an hour. Okay, the jumping process actually didn't take that long (it was the re-charging that dragged on), but who knew how DEAD a battery could be after leaving the dome light on for...oh...an undisclosed period of time. :)

Sunday I enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL day outside, so sunny and brilliant! I need to take pictures for you all, because since we actually have lots of trees here, it makes for good scenery with all the colors! I will skip ahead to today. Not that the weather correlates at all, since it was miserable and rainy today- but still, I have another ethnic story...so it's alright, yeah? :) I'm sitting with my groupies (don't worry, I'm not clique-e at all) at dinner, and they suggested that I go with them to the Asian Social night (several of the guys are originally from South Korea). I'm all about learning new things (and trying new foods, in theory) :) so I agree. What I did not realize, is that I was about to take part in a form of Asian speed dating! That's right- in about 10 minutes time I met at least ten people! My only blooper happened to be while sitting across the aisle from this woman- to whom I casually mention that this is fun, since I've always wanted to try speed dating! Haha- well, I think she misinterpreted my statement, because her look resembled that of someone getting hit-on and not enjoying it! :):) I didn't bother to explain- it was on to the next person!

Oh, and the "bubble tea" or something to that effect was the "favor" of the night. I didn't particularly like it (remember my "in theory" statement above)...but my friend Joe kindly drank mine for me. Oh, I should give you a visual, right? It's like milk tea with big chunks of black tapioca at the bottom. It was all I could to not gag...but I smiled and slyly handed it off to Joe.

Anyway- my classes are going well- (I've gone to every single one, much to the disappointment of my fiance- who thinks I should at least feel the liberation of skipping ONE class)- we received our study guide for our Old Testament class...and if anyone would like to trade places with me that day, I'd much appreciate that! (preferably someone who has a pretty good grasp of the themes within several OT books!) Jackie Smallbones? :)

I have more to say (obviously, when have you known me to be done talking) :) but this is long, and in tribute to those with weary eyes, I shall sign off for now. I hope you all sense the presence of our good Lord as you go about your days and weeks. I am thankful for so much, as I continue to reflect on my passions and gifts while here, seeking God at PTS!

Much love,

Em

Transition...again!

Why Hello beautiful people!!!

I am sharing with you a few lovely photos to begin today's excitement! :)

AJ and I received our engagement photos this weekend- and I love them!

(more to come on facebook)

Here you see me displaying my yoga-induced posture! AJ's amused, I'm sure!

My brother-in-law and sister (the photographers!) with my adorable niece Alexis (the subject of many photos!)...

AJ and I at Emily's wedding...looking fine, might I say!

The Emily's!!! Awe, she made a BEAUTIFUL bride, and so elegant!

Now, on to the text which will be muddled together because of the photos. If anyone has advice concerning this aforementioned issue, please contact me ASAP :) (or at least before I post photos again).

I will try to type using centered alignment. That oughta help, right? So... this week has been splendid- as you can tell from the photos, I thoroughly enjoyed my time back in SD with family, friends, and fiance! It was encouraging to go back, for sure, yet it made studying here more difficult than I expected the past three days. I feel as if I am in the transition period again, embracing the reality of being a student. For example, I am typing a blog right now instead of reading one of my 7 books for theology this week... (I smile).

Yet I have some exciting news to share with everyone, so how could I procrastinate from blogging, right? :) I HAVE A JOB!!!

That's right, yours truly, unemployed for over 3 months is back in the money baby! (and how could I not become rich quickly with the work study pay! Yeah! :) Okay, so the pay isn't super, but all I must do is remind myself that I worked for two years with less pay that I'm getting now- this is hardly a sacrifice! :) And I believe I will really enjoy the work...I am an assistant at the Institute for Youth Ministry...which is the coolest work study ever! Today was my first day of work, and in addition to emailing great leaders for the youth ministry forum, I called several cab and bus services at the Asheville airport! That's right, giving me the important tasks so soon. That's how I roll...

Speaking of rolling, I find it difficult to roll out of bed these mornings- could be catching up from the busy weekend, or could be that my brain is constantly on overload, so I require more rest. In fact, I've taken probably close to 1/2 dozen naps already this week- some in the library, some in my room, some in the cafeteria! (I'm joking about the caf...but it does bring to mind my hypothesis that perhaps I'm narcoleptic.) doctor, anyone?

It's fun being a student. My schedule is more free than I realized it might be, yet there's always that feeling of something (okay, papers and tests) looming in the near future....and I dislike that feeling. Mostly because it doesn't inspire me to work as much as it pesters me and prevents me from truly enjoying all that I'm learning. I do think I'm better about this now after 2 years off school, though- at least it seems easier to ignore that feeling every once in awhile!

Okay, fun story before I wrap this up. So today I had a conference to review the speech I had video-taped in class a few weeks ago. I wasn't nervous going in, but it does weird me out a bit to see myself on video. Thankfully I met with a nice woman TA instead of my nice (albeit intense) theatre professor. Anyway, the funny is coming, I promise- we spend the first few minutes reviewing my tape (and my first honest response was, "wow, I look muscular!"), she asks for my feedback regarding the speaking, not my physique (okay, so I didn't actually audible the muscles thing) and self-critique. I'm fairly used to this, from oral interpretation days and such, so it's no big deal...I tell her I could work on volume, etc... and she proceeds to tell me that perhaps I should try reducing my arm gestures (I'm a little flaily I guess) and smiling less! In fact, she challenged me to read an entire passage without smiling! :) Who knew my happy demeanor would get me in trouble during my 1 credit pass/fail speech class!

Okay, that's all for now, folks. I do enjoy reading other's of your blogs, so keep those lives coming! Thanks for tuning in, I wish I had more intriguing theological thoughts this week, but my heads not been in the game. Perhaps next week...

until then, I'm cordially yours,

Emily

Classroom Comic Relief

You know...

I really appreciate hearing that a few of you enjoy this blog. See, it gives me a chance to let the web-world know about my happenings (and strangely enough, very few others but you, my friends, desire to know these silly anecdotes and seminary jargon). :) I suppose I'm saying thank you for reading this, because I delight in writing.

Today has been a blur of a day. Thursdays tend to be like that, since I have a majority of my lectures on Thursday, plus all the readings for Friday precepts (oh yes, explanation: "precept" a time when we meet in small groups to verbalize our learning). This week was special, however, since I will be leaving for SD tomorrow morning, I made up my precept today with a different group!

Since I cannot exactly give you even a summary of what I read- (and trust me, many of the words are foreign to me as well!)... I shall give you a synopsis of what today's precept looked like... So I came into the room (in the basement of our lecture hall/class building) to greet mostly familiar faces. Our jovial PhD student-preceptor (yes, it sounds official, I know) takes roll and begins to ask about the themes we encountered in Genesis 3-36 (one of our readings)... we come up with a well-rounded list...(okay, think intense bible study!) and he affirms us. I even contribute a few ideas. Wanna know what they were? Great!!! :) "blessing" and "only ONE God." Thanks Jackie Smallbones!

As the class continues on, we come to the part where we engage in role-play for the Sarah/Hagar story. It presents really difficult questions, actually, about the roles of each person...Sarah being a bit bitter about the seeming absense of God's promise to her (to have a son, proliferate the Abraham line, be a great nation....you know, minor details like that); and Hagar, poor Hagar, basically gets abused the whole time (it's obvious when you read the story, go ahead)...and then Abraham's passive-aggressive decision making...geesh! You'd think they were human or something!

To summarise my contribution to the class (okay, and I was going for a little comic relief here)...I ended class by suggesting that the physiological effects of having a child so late in the game (Sarah was 90) must have presented tremendous hormonal challenges (I believe I said, "hormones can do CRAZY things to women!"), which is perhaps why she acted so horribly to Hagar. :):) Funny, aren't I! :)

Trust me, I take this education very seriously, but hour after hour of intensity? Come on! I've gotta find outlets for my energy...and laughing is one of them....working out is another! I played volleyball on Monday, Yoga on Tuesday, ab routine on Wednesday, and running/lifting today! I'm going to fit into that wedding dress come June, mark my words! :)

This is all for now. I shall go to bed, since the sooner I sleep, the sooner I leave for the train station tomorrow morning! And I want to give a shout out to Ms. Emily Hoekema and Mr. Tim Thompson on their wedding this weekend! Two beautiful people, one beautiful God, plenty of great times!

Much love- and laughter,

Emily