The End of the Semester

It is officially my last week of the semester.

I came back to Ohio last week to finish up  my semester with just a week and a half left of school. It's been a relatively easy semester, especially compared to my classmates who are middlers or seniors, and I have appreciated the chance to get used to the seminary with a semester that is not awful. I'm already looking forward to my next semester, except for the fact that I have classes literally all day Tuesday - 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.!

On Monday last week, we had a yoga teacher come in and teach a restorative yoga class in our smaller chapel. It was absolutely wonderful, except for the fact that I had to go to class afterward. I am trying to add more yoga into my life, because as a graduate student I spend the vast amount of my time sitting, and I am nearly desperate for activity and some time to get out of my head. Yoga offers both of those, and I don't have to wear shoes to do it!

The rest of the week went perfectly smoothly, and it is interesting to be wrapping up each class. I am so excited that next semester my only evening class will be Spanish, which is not a traditional class. I have such a hard time engaging in evening classes, especially during winter when the sun is already set, and I am looking forward to that change next semester.

This weekend was full of snow and time with friends. At common meal on Thursday, those of us who were sitting around the table got into a lively conversation about the merits of various Doctor Who companions. The fact that this is the kind of conversation I can engage in here makes me very happy, this place is full of the best kinds of nerds, me included. Saturday, I went out to watch the OSU v. MSU game with a few people from the seminary. It was great fun, partially because I didn't really care about the game. I rooted for MSU with my table, of one actual MSU fan, and two people who cared even less than I did. We had a good time being one of the odd groups out in the bar, which was of course full of buckeyes.

It snowed quite a bit this weekend, which I have found probably much more exciting than most others here. It's beautiful, and has given me great reasons to wear my cloak. It's getting a lot more use up here than it did in Texas or Oklahoma. I went to work and a faculty meeting on Friday and had a great time watching the snow come down from the windows, and then I stayed inside most of the day Saturday. I have spent a large part of my weekend working on Christmas gifts, which have to remain secret for now, but maybe I'll post a picture later.

Sunday I also went to my official Ministry in Context site for the first time, which was really great. I like the church and I really like the pastor, so I think it'll be a good place to spend the next year and a half. It's a shame I got assigned so close to the end of the semester and I'm leaving town, but I'll get properly settled there as the MIC student in January.

Now as I finish my last two days of the semester, I am getting ready to go home and spend a lovely Christmas there. I can hardly wait to spend a bit longer at home and have a proper rest between semesters. My blog might be a bit more sporadic, but I'll try to check in. I hope everyone is staying warm!

Thanksgiving Week

Sorry I missed a blog last week, but of course I'm getting to an odd schedule for the time being as the holidays are approaching.

The week before my Thanksgiving break was a good one, mainly filled with trying to finish things so that I wouldn't have to take any work home with me on this visit. I ended up cutting it close, but I only had to do a bit of studying while I was back in Texas, and it's didn't interfere with my time with my family. I also managed several evenings out, so all in all it was a good week. However, by the end of it I was itching to be home. Do you know that feeling when you're nearly home and your anticipation and homesickness amps up? I had that in spades the Thursday before I left. I was supposed to have a direct flight from here, which would have gotten me home in the morning, but unfortunately I got a call the night before saying my flight had changed to one with a layover in La Guardia and I wouldn't be home until the afternoon.

So, I got to see New York for the first time. For a bit, anyway, but my layover was tight and I didn't spend much time there. The six hours I had in a plane were well spent reading, and I actually finished a book. Then finally I was home and my mom was waiting for me at the baggage claim. It was great to be back in Texas, even though I brought some Ohio weather down with me. Mom and I went out to several different Grapevine places, including Cassie's, our favorite frozen yogurt spot. That night Silas drove down, and it was wonderful to see him too. It had been far too long.

The next day, Silas and I drove down a little ways past Austin to go to a wedding of friends of his. It was a lovely wedding, although it was supposed to be outside and that Ohio weather kept following me. However, the bride and groom were ecstatic and obviously meant to be together, and it was a wonderful thing to be a part of. There was good Texas beer, Texas barbecue, and delicious Texas pie. It made me happy to be back in my home state. There was also dancing and smores, so all in all, it was a great night.

The rest of my week I spent with my parents and Kevin and Amy, who we went down to spend Thanksgiving with. And Felicity, their cat, of course. We had a great time with Kevin and Amy, and I love getting a chance to spend time with them since we don't see each other nearly often enough. We had plenty of delicious food, and on Thanksgiving we watched the parade, the dog show, and the Lady Gaga and Muppets Christmas spectacular. We also played games, including one about trains which was really fun. All told, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Then back to Grapevine to set up Christmas at home and see my friend Lauren before I flew back here. It has been a very busy week, but one full of family, friends, love, and joy. Now I only have a week and a half left of school before I head home for Christmas. Christmas is my absolute favorite season of the year, so I can hardly wait. I have a few things up in my apartment, including mistletoe and my beautiful nativity scene, but Christmas is best spent with my family. My blogs might be a bit more erratic over the next month or so, but I will try to keep up, then you can hear about things in my life other than school!

For now, I'm off to set up my school things for tomorrow and to pack my lunch! Send me prayers for my last bit of my first semester here.

A Quick Update (I'm tired tonight)

Another week gone by, and I'm feeling like everything is going rather well at the moment.

My classes are still going quite well, although I'm getting toward crunch time with the end of the semester coming up so soon. However, I know it'll be more work in the future, as I look at my older friends and see what assignments they're working on. We're almost done with the Gospels, Acts, and the John letters in New Testament, and I'm actually almost keeping up with my reading there. It's really interesting to read through these and see them as a whole, which is different than how we typically look at them. In Faith Seeking Understanding this week we went to a local Islamic Center, which was a nice trip. I've learned quite a bit about the Islamic faith already, but it was nice to see another mosque and learn about the faith from a different person. I also received an English translation of the Qur'an, which was  very nice gift.

This week I also finally got my stove replaced, after it exploded a little bit about a month ago. Some very nice guys came in early yesterday afternoon, took out my broken stove and put in a shiny new one. I've broken it in quite well today making split pea soup, beans, and rice for my lunches and dinner this week. I'll be making applesauce tomorrow too, but I have run out of energy for today.

Today I went to church twice, so that I could begin to complete some other requirements for my contextual education here. We are required to visit four churches, one rural, one urban, one emergent, and one from another faith tradition. This morning I drove thirty minutes out of town to go to a rural church, and it was really quite wonderful. The church was very welcoming, and they had a children's sermon for the two little girls who obviously attended regularly. The woman doing the sermon just sat between them on a pew and had a little conversation and it really just lifted my heart. I was also able to kneel at communion again, which is a practice I love and find I miss. The whole service was just lovely.

This evening, after spending a few hours crafting with a couple of friends, a couple of guys and I went to the Lutheran student ministry for OSU to have an emergent church experience. This setting was really more exhausting than nourishing for me, because this style of church is very much not what I am comfortable with. There were quite a few college students there, and they seemed really close. Just before the service, there was a tornado warning, so we all had to go crowd into the basement. After that we did a service, which culminated in a Eucharist dance party. This seemed great for most of the people gathered there, but God was talking to me in a different way tonight, and I actually took a moment to go off on my own and have my own quiet talk with God. It was an interesting experience, for sure, and I'm happy to see that the student ministry is thriving, but I'm definitely still learning a lot about myself and my relationship with God while I'm here.

I can hardly believe that I only have one more week of classes before Thanksgiving break, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be flying home on Friday, and then Silas and I are driving to a wedding on Saturday. Then I'll get to see Kevin and Amy for Thanksgiving. It should be a wonderful, restful week, especially since I won't be doing any of the driving.

For now, I'm going to go finish cooking my beans and get myself to bed - I'm officiating morning prayer tomorrow.

Has a week gone by already?

It feels like this whole week has been a catch up week. There are several times I've gotten up in the morning and said to myself, "what is due today? I guess I'll work on that." However, all told, it was another good week.

Monday was CPE day, which meant that I spent some time talking with various CPE supervisors from around here about what my experience this summer might be like. While I knew going in that I would not be at any of these sites, since I'm applying in Texas, it was really interesting to talk to the supervisors about what i would encounter in CPE and what my concerns and fears about it are. I've been working on my application, which includes a reasonably long essay, and I think I'll actually be able to get them in the mail on Monday. While I'm certain that I will have a difficult time doing CPE this summer, I also think it will be a wonderful experience and I'll be learning a lot. I'm glad I'll be going home where I have a lot of social support while I go though it.

I registered for classes for next semester this week, and I am excited about it. I will be taking a class about the life of a parish in my J-term, and then I will be taking a few interesting classes in the spring, including Intro to Worship. I'm looking forward to that because after I love worship and after I take it, I'll be able to take a larger part in worship services here. I also decided I'll be taking Spanish for Ministry next semester. I'm actually really excited about it, now that Greek has reminded me that I like languages. Given my past background in Spanish and how much comes back when I spend a little time with it, I'll probably be in Spanish 2. This will also give me a good footing for doing CPE in Texas, where I very well may meet people who speak Spanish as a first language. Hopefully this will help me connect better.

On Wednesday, I turned in my context assignment about Abiding Grace. I actually really enjoyed it and enjoyed going over everything the church has gone through in such a short time. I made a big poster-board with a map and demographics on it and it was interesting to see where the church was situated. I love that I've been a part of Abiding Grace, and it's nice to still have a home church back in Texas, especially since I still don't have one here.

On Thursday, I taught for the first time in my Teaching Adults class. I decided to teach about spirituality, and I led the class through a guided meditation to begin with. I love doing meditations, and I think I did this one really well. I still had a few things to work on in the whole lesson, but it was nice to begin to pracitce. Now I am trying to find a place to teach at later this semester (which is unfortunately only a few weeks) so that I can complete this class as a Teaching option. I think I've found a place at the church just down the street, so we'll see how that works out.

The other exciting thing this Thursday was putting together Ikea furniture. We had unloaded my car on Tuesday, and we wanted everything put together by Friday so our board of directors could use it. For the first while, there were several of us putting together the many chairs, but we did not finish, and I went back after common meal to finish off. I actually enjoyed the work, because it was quiet and didn't require much thinking. I finished all the chairs by 10 p.m., when the building closes, and I had the other girls put the room together the next morning. I loved how it turned out, and I am very excited that the room is coming together. I'm glad I've had a chance to be a part of it.

Yesterday I went thrift shopping with Lecia again, and managed to find several lovely things. I've been stocking up on sweaters, which are beginning to come in handy, and I'm loving going to thrift stores so that I can update my wardrobe without actually spending a ton of money.

My other exciting thing on Friday was going to see Alton Brown live. Silas had asked me if I'd like to go earlier in the week, and he bought me a ticket. It was a really fun and funny show, and I thoroughly enjoyed going. It was also a sweet gift from Silas, even though he could not go with me. I had a blast, and now I am excited about cooking for the next week - I'm going to be trying out something new.

Definitely a full week, but now it's only two weeks until I come home for Thanksgiving break!

Busy, But With a Puppy!

It's been another busy week, and I am working hard to keep up with everything, but Thanksgiving break will be here before I know it. Eighteen days, to be exact, but whose counting?

Still, despite my busy-ness, I am enjoying my time here and everything I'm learning. This week I went to an orthodox synagogue down the street with one of my classes and it was a very interesting experience. I've had some experience with synagogues before at OSU, but this was the first orthodox one I'd been to and it was interesting to learn about what was different and important to them. It was also interesting to hear the rabbi talk about "why we aren't Christians" because it was a chance to see Christianity from an entirely different point of view.

I've already covered two gospels in my New Testament class since fall break, and we're moving on to medieval Christianity in Church History. This is actually one of the parts of Church History I'm more interested in, simply because I haven't learned much about it before. I think it should continue to be fascinating for me through the rest of the semester.

Outside of classes I have been plenty busy with other things. Last Friday was our Choral Evensong, which is an evensong service in which I sang a mass by Mozart with my choir. It made for a long Friday, but it was a beautiful service and I was happy to be a part of it. I love having a chance to sing in a choir here, because I love to sing and I don't know how many opportunities for singing in a choir I'll have after I graduate.

Also on Friday (besides working five hours) I went to my first financial counseling appointment, which went really well. It's nice to be able to talk with someone about my finances, since I am brand new to being in charge of all my money. Apparently I really am turning into an adult.

On Saturday I had a bit of an adventure, as Erica and I drove down to Cincinnati to go to Ikea. We were buying furniture for a room in the seminary which we are helping to redecorate and make more used. I also brought a puppy along, because I was dog-sitting for someone who was going to LutherBowl, and I didn't want to leave her crated the whole morning and early afternoon. Having the puppy, Susie, was fine on the drive down because she just ran around in my backseat and had a great time. However, we ended up buying more than I expected at Ikea, and my car was absolutely stuffed full. So, Susie had to sit up front with us, and she ended up curled up in the crook of my left arm and slept most of the drive. And that means I had to drive all the way from Cincinnati to Columbus one-handed. We made it just fine though, and now we have a ton of furniture to put into this room. It should be lovely when it is done.

I have had a bit of time for rest, with my regular craft afternoon yesterday. On Sundays a few people in the seminary who like to craft get together and just spend some time not working. It's our way of making sure we actually do take some rest time. Yesterday I began a pink teddy bear as a gift for Silas' niece who will be born in January. I am hoping she will like it.

Now I am starting a new week, and today we have CPE day, in which we talk to different CPE supervisors and get a feel for what we'll be doing this summer. I am nearly done with my applications and should be sending them in by the end of the week, and if all goes well I'll be coming home for the summer! I'm looking forward to being there and having the support of all my family and friends back home as I go through this potentially difficult learning process.

Keep me in your prayers this week,
Kathryn

Rough Week

This has been a very long week, leaving me exhausted by the end of it, but it definitely had some good times too.

Now that we are in the second half of the semester, I only have one class on Mondays, which does not start until 6:30 at night (I'm looking forward to not having night classes next semester). However, I still go to morning prayer at 7:30 and work at 8 in the morning, so it makes for a long day. I got a lot done in my in-between time on Monday, though, which is good because I didn't have much time after that.

Actually the school portion of my life has been running quite smoothly, which is good, given what else I'm working on. The one big change was that I started a class called Teaching Adults on Thursday, and I'm really excited about that. It's a class where I actually get to practice some of the things I'll be doing as a pastor, and I think it will be a really good class.

A lot of my week has actually been taken up with the installation service for our new president, Dr. Barger, which was. I have been working with the worship team and have been trying to track down banners for processing as well as helping with the seating arrangements. This was tricky, because besides a large worship team, we also had a 100 or so person procession and all of those people had to have a place to sit. It's been a bit of a headache at times, but I really love worship planning in general and I'm glad I had a chance to be a part of this, since we won't have another installation while I'm here.

The service went well, with just about as much chaos and confusion as one might expect. It was once again a reminder for me that I can in fact deal with things being imperfect. For instance, I had to McGyver some banner stands for the banners we were processing with, and my banner ended up standing in the back crooked for the entire service, and there was nothing I could do about it. By the end of the service when the procession was not going exactly as planned, I just stood behind my banner where nobody could see me and I laughed.

The service was good, though, and it was lovely to see Gloria Dei full to the brim. I love being there when I am in the Shalom room (the room just off Gloria Dei) and it is nearly empty, and I love being there when it is full to the brim and the new Presiding Bishop is preaching. I also loved being a part of the service, and I feel good about the part I was able to play.

I have had another good reminder about the importance of self-care again this week. I went out almost every night, and by Friday night I was exhausted and could not really handle being around people any more. And you know it's a sign of bad self-care when you don't have time to refill your antidepressants when they run out. I didn't even have time to do my dishes this week, and when I washed them yesterday morning, I immediately felt better. I keep having to learn to take care of myself the hard way, but I'm going to keep trying. This week will be quite a bit easier, as I'll be back to a normal schedule, and in less than a month, I'll be flying back to Texas for Thanksgiving!

Peace,
Kathryn

Full Fall Break

I've certainly had a full fall break. And I've been able to read several books.

This week I attended the Healthy Congregations national gathering, which was an interesting couple of days. I have been learning a lot about family systems theory in the past few weeks, and this conference was a continuation of that learning for me. The theory is interesting and I think it is helpful for me now and will be helpful for working in a congregation in the future. However, it was a couple of days of a lot of introspection, which left me rather tired by the end of it.

I also worked with a few other students today to pick out furniture for a room that we are remodeling so that we will have a new gathering space for relaxing as well as group studying. It should be a very nice room by the time it's finished, and I am excited to be a part of it. Picking out the furniture was fun, and I'm proud of us for coming up with a design that worked well together.

On Friday I had a long meeting about the installation service for our new president, which will take place next week. I am the leader of the banner people, and we will be helping with a procession of about 100 people. This service will be huge, and I am pleased that I will be able to help with it. It's neat to be here when something important like the installation of a president happens.

All around these meetings, I was working in the library this week. They gave me a key last week, which was good because I needed to open it up two different days this week. It was even quieter than usual, which made for some great reading time. I read a biography of Saint Augustine of Hippo, which was really interesting. I actually enjoyed my reading this week, and I feel like I've been able to catch up and even get ahead a bit for the rest of the semester.

This Friday was Silas and my second anniversary, and Friday morning I got a call saying that someone had sent me flowers. They were beautiful and it was great to talk to him that day, but I am definitely looking forward to being able to see him again in about a month.

Yesterday, after my rather busy fall break, I slept in and decided to have an introvert day. I only went out to get groceries, and in between cleaning my apartment I stayed in bed relaxing. I'm still trying to make sure I make time for myself and take care of myself. I'm trying to practice yoga regularly, and I am also trying to have a small personal devotion time every day so that I can get out of my head when it comes to my faith on occasion. Talking about theology all day is different than actually practicing faith, I have found.

Today I had a bit of an adventure, as the girls I was picking out furniture with for the room, Dr. Ott, and I drove up to northern Ohio to attend the church which gave us the money for the furniture. We left at 5:30 this morning, and had a really nice time at the church. It was nice to see others and be able to thank them for the money. They have a large mission endowment fund that they spread out every year and it was interesting to see the other mission programs they gave money to as well. We went out to lunch after the service, and then I crocheted on the long drive home. It was a full day, but it was a nice way to spend the morning and early afternoon.

I also decided this afternoon that I needed to rearrange my living room so that I would be able to keep my sewing table out permanently. I moved some things around, and now I have my sewing table out as well as room to lay out my yoga mat whenever I need to. Both are good practices for me for my own mental well being. I also made hummus and black bean burgers for my lunches this week, and decided that I may have to invest in a food processor soon.

Now I'm off to have dinner and a movie date, before I  begin the second half of my semester. I can't believe how far I've come already.

Midterms and Clothes

There has been a surprising amount of clothes in my week, as well as midterms.

At the beginning of the week I tried on the new clergy shirts I had bought at the Augsburg warehouse sale. None of them fit well at all. They were too tight around the body and way too loose in the neck. This made me rather annoyed, as I began looking at women's clergy shirts online and realized that the sizing would be difficult for me no matter what. For one thing, apparently makers of women's clericals think that neck size is relative to bust size, so any shirt that will fit me will be too large in the neck. However, after some searching I did buy one shirt which is made out of a different fabric and has a different fit, so we'll see if that works. I think the makers of women's clergy shirts need to take another look at how women are actually shaped and adjust their sizing appropriately.

Of course another, probably more important part of the week this week was midterms. I only had these in New Testament and Church History, but they did take up a rather large part of my week. I had a seven hour shift at the library on Tuesday night and I used that to do my Church History midterm, which was two essay questions. It was actually rather fun to do. Thursday morning was our New Testament midterm, which was a 100 question, objective test. Just as with every other objective test I've taken in recent years, I finished it in fifteen minutes and left. I heard about that from my classmates for awhile after that.

I'm also still working on my job with the contextual education office going over all our internship sites for the past year. It's certainly interesting so far, and now that I've gathered all the data I'm going to be going through and highlighting the interesting bits in the trend reports. This kind of work reminds me why I actually liked my statistics class in college so much.

This weekend was actually rather full. On Friday, most of the junior class had to go to boundary training, which none of us were really looking forward to. It was better than I expected it to be, mainly because it wasn't just an all day event saying not to have sex with your congregants. It actually gave some good advice and made me think about how I will want to conduct myself as a pastor in the future.

Afterward, and as a reward for going though boundary training, Lecia and I went thrift shopping. It was really fun. We tried on tons of clothes, and I found some really great things. I found a couple of pairs of pants (which is good because I was down to one pair that hadn't worn out), a skirt, three shirts, and a blazer, all for around twenty dollars. After that, I had dinner with Lecia and her husband Bill and then went to watch a bad horror movie with my friend Paul. We're watching bad horror to keep in the spirit of upcoming Halloween, and it is pretty hilarious.

Today, I went out for a girls day with Mary Anne and Erica. We went shopping and they got me to try on clothes I normally wouldn't buy. I've been trying to expand my wardrobe a bit, and they certainly helped. We had a great time shopping and all found new clothes we're really excited about. I should be pretty well set for  the rest of the season now. After dealing with poorly fitting clergy shirts earlier this week, finding clothes that fit well and that I look good in really made my week.

This next week is fall break, which will be nice, but I'll be keeping busy too. I'll be working at the library most days, as well as going to the Healthy Congregations National Gathering, which should be really interesting. However, having the week off will be nice, and I can use the time to get recharged for the next half of the semester. I'm still having a hard time believing how long I've been here. I feel like everything is going really well, though, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the semester.

Wishing y'all all the best,
Kathryn

Cheap books and Endings

Hello again. I've just had a very busy week followed by a lot of laying in bed.

This week my exegetical paper was due, and I ended up writing most of it the day before it was due while I was working in the library. However, I think it turned out quite well, and I actually really enjoyed writing it. Shortly after that I got my assignment for my take home essay final for Church History, which is due next Friday, so I'll have something to keep me busy.

I also had my last assignment for Race Ethnicity and Religion, which I was happy about, because that has been an interesting, but difficult class. Tomorrow all I have to do is attend and participate in our last class and it will be done! Next session I will be taking Teaching Adults, and I'm interested to see how it will turn out. So classes are still definitely keeping me busy, but they're good and I'm managing to fit everything in.

I've also been working quite a bit this week. I am still working at the library, of course, and I absolutely love that job. I love being there and seeing everyone come by and I love seeing the books as they come through or as I wander through the stacks and I always seem to find another book I want to take home and read. I am also working in our Contextual Education office on a project to gather data on all of our internship sites for the past ten years. I spend a lot of time going through files, but I actually enjoy seeing the data and learning more about where we send interns.

Finally, this weekend I was working on a high-school retreat that was in. I went grocery shopping and I led a small group for a workshop on vocation. It was interesting to talk with the high school kids about what they were thinking about for the rest of their lives and sharing my own story of finding my call and my vocation.

On top of all of that, this weekend was the Augsburg Fortress warehouse sale, so a couple of friends and I left early in the morning to be at the sale plenty early, and it was quite an experience. I ended up with four clerical shirts, twenty books, and an alb, for an incredibly little amount of money. The books were only a dollar a piece! It makes me happy to have an alb and a clerical collar of my own, because it feels like I'm moving more firmly into my new path.

I also made my last Ministry in Context visit today, and I've written a reflection paper to turn in tomorrow. The process of visiting was really interesting, because it made me begin to realize what was really important to me in a church. I'm very intuitive, so I would leave a church with a gut feeling of whether I liked it or not, but then I would consider where that feeling was coming from and realize why I liked or disliked each church in turn. However, I am really looking forward to being assigned to my site, because it will be nice to have a regular place to go which will hopefully be welcoming here.

Now, despite all of that excitement this week, I actually realized I was getting a cold on Wednesday. I'm usually awful at taking care of myself when I'm sick and I just keep going at the same pace I normally would trying to pretend like I'm not ill. This time I took a entirely different tack. Both Thursday and Friday afternoon, after I finished the things that had to be done for the day at Trinity, I came home and promptly got into bed to rest for the entire afternoon. I ate a lot of soup and drank a lot of fluids and by now with all that rest I am actually feeling really good and ready to go for the next week. I'm proud of myself for taking the time for actually resting and taking care of myself and I think I've proven to myself that I should do this every time I get sick.

That left me a little behind on my schoolwork, but I'm catching up now, and at the same time I'm making yogurt! It should be a good evening.

Wishing for your prayers,
Kathryn

I Can't Believe it's Almost Fall Break

This week was definitely a full one.

On Monday last week, I had a full 13 hour day, with only time for meals as rest. I officiated my first morning prayer service, which I really enjoyed because I was able to practice chanting in front of a small group, so I knew if I screwed up they wouldn't care. Then I worked at the library, had a lovely lunch with a few of my classmates, worked for the contextual education office and then I had my first spiritual direction meeting on Monday afternoon.

I'm really excited about doing spiritual direction, as well as the counseling I've begun, because I think both are really helpful on teaching me how to deal with transitions, such as this one to seminary. Spiritual direction is nice because it's time where I can really focus on my spiritual life instead of just my classes. I love everything I'm learning, but sometimes I can spend too much time in my head.

After that I had class, dinner, and then another class at which point I realized that my day had been too long and I had to check out a bit. Finally I went to choir, which actually made me feel much better. We're singing a Mozart mass, and it is absolutely gorgeous. However, that meant I left the seminary at 8:30, and I had arrived a little before 7 in the morning. I was going in when the sun was coming up and leaving as the sun was going down. If a day like that happens again, I'll need to schedule in a walk just to get out and move a little.

And that was just one day. Thankfully, my busiest one.

Tuesday was a little calmer, and I had a skype date at the end of the day, which always makes for a wonderful evening. Wednesday was pretty busy again, so I was pretty pleased that this week was Trinity Days and I didn't have to focus on classes on Thursday.

I did get to participate in the eucharist service on Thursday as a torch-bearer, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I haven't been able to help with a worship service for awhile, and I do like being involved in that way.The rest of Thursday and Friday were rather quiet, which I definitely needed. Today I made my second to last MIC visit, and then I spent a fair bit of the afternoon crocheting. Taking time to do that with friends on Sunday afternoons is a wonderful way to enjoy a bit of sabbath rest.

Now I'm getting ready for next week, which includes a group presentation and a ten-page exegetical paper.

Wish me luck!

Kathryn

Busy Week and Many Churches

So another successful week has past.

I'm still keeping quite busy, and this week I've been working on my Exegetical paper for New Testament. I'm studying the story of Jesus walking on water in Matthew, and it is fascinating what I've been able to learn so far. I like that in my New Testament class we will be studying each book individually, and we can better understand the picture each of the gospel writers were giving of Jesus. I am enjoying getting to know the Bible better in this way. In Church History I am also quite enjoying myself as we discuss Constantine and monasticism. I love history, and learning the history of our Church is like learning all the family stories. The class is wonderful and I'm always excited about going to it.

I'm still keeping busy with work and being out with my friends. I'm also still working on balancing all of that out, but it is nice to have the problem of too many social engagements rather than too few. I have successfully become a crocheter as well as a knitter, and I get together with several women on Sunday afternoons to craft and enjoy each other's company.

Some of my most interesting adventures lately have been in visiting churches as I search for my Ministry in Context site. As I visit several different churches, I am finding I can more easily say what kind of church I want to serve in, both now and in the future. Many churches are not very good at welcoming strangers in their midst, which is not to say they are bad churches, but it can get easy to stick with talking to the people you're comfortable with in a church and not notice the new faces passing you by. I also really would like to be involved with a church that is focused on outward ministry. A church that looks at the world at its doorstep and finds ways to work in their neighborhood and show God's love to all the people they encounter. I would like to work in a church like that now so that I can learn how to better lead a church like that in the future.

In other church adventures, I went to a Spanish service this evening. It was really interesting, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much Spanish I have retained since I took it last several years ago. I was even able to understand the majority of the sermon, which pleased me. I am going to eventually take a Spanish for ministry class here, and Trinity is building a bigger focus on it so that it will be more available. Learning Greek has made me realize that I actually do like languages, so I am looking forward to taking that another semester.

For now I have to get ready for a rather full and long Monday coming up.

Kathryn

Trying New Things

It's been another full week here at the seminary, and more things have happened than I expected.

This week I decided to volunteer to take a more active role in the Morning Prayer service put on by Bexley Hall. I will be officiating in a couple of weeks and will both officiate and read the lessons several times this semester. I'm looking forward to it because I really love going to Morning Prayer, as I find it to be a good way to start any day, and I will have the opportunity to practice leading and chanting in front of a small, supportive group of people.

I also ended up volunteering and being selected for a role I wasn't expecting to take on. We have a campus group called Life Together which works on creating a rich community life for the entire campus. I am one of the Junior class representatives to Life Together, and I think it will be an interesting experience. I hope that we come up with ways to keep this community going, because I love the community here so much. That role also meant that I attended a faculty meeting on Friday with other representatives, which was certainly interesting.

Classes are continuing to keep me busy, although the workload is not awful this semester. I'm fairly certain it will be more difficult in coming semesters. I am enjoying most of the reading I'm doing, but of course there is always some classwork I will find more enjoyable than others. One of the more interesting things I am doing is working on an exegetical paper about the story in Matthew in which Jesus walks on water. It's fascinating to read the studies that have been done on the text, and next week I'll be pulling that all together into a paper of my own.

I am also working on a contextual assignment for my Faith Seeking Understanding class, and I am actually going to ask for help with it from those who read this and are members of Abiding Grace Lutheran Church. I am going to be doing my assignment on Abiding Grace, and that includes a timeline of important events and memories from the life of the church. If anybody wishes to let me know something that they think was important in the history of the church, please let me know. My project will be better if I'm not only relying on my own memory. I think that should be an interesting project, especially since I so much love Abiding Grace and I think it has been going through a wonderful journey since its conception.

Other than school things, I am keeping pretty busy exploring Columbus and seeing what it has to offer. This month I am visiting churches to attempt to find what will fit well for me for a Ministry in Context site, and visiting a different church every week is interesting so far. My friend Erica is going with me to many of them, because she does not have a MIC requirement, so we are having a good time finding out what is offered around Columbus. I'm hoping to find a place that will be a good fit for me and will offer a lot of opportunity for me to learn and grow.

This morning I went out thrift store shopping with Erica, and I have found that that may be how I buy clothes for quite awhile. We had a great time, and I bought several things for very little. I love adding new clothes to my wardrobe, but of course since I'm trying to only take out what I need in loans while I'm here, I don't have a lot of extra money floating around.

I'm also still working at the library and on the hospitality team, and both are jobs I really enjoy. I love both libraries and hospitality, so the jobs fit my personality well and getting paid to do my homework in the library is not half bad either.

Now I'm off to do a bit more reading for the weekend, and then tomorrow I'm going to rest and learn how to crochet!

Kathryn

A quick update

I have had a good, but rather busy week, and I'm already well into my next.

Silas and I had a great time last weekend, going to German Village to explore food and books, going to the Columbus Art Museum, and going to a local Greek festival. We also cooked, had friends over and went out to a labor day cookout. It was a very full weekend.

Since then I have had my second week of class and I am getting settled in to a new routine. I'm not too worried about my schoolwork this semester because it seems to match pretty well with my last few semesters at my undergraduate. I am enjoying most of my classes this semester, and I think I'll be able to learn a lot from them. I'm deciding what other groups I want to be involved in, and that can be tough when it means starting with one group and then choosing to leave it.

Yesterday, I went to visit a church in town as I am beginning my visits to find a Ministry in Context site. This will be the church I work at for the next two years, and will hopefully be a good growing experience for me. I liked the church I visited, which was a large suburban church that seems very alive and relaxed. They also seem like they do a lot with community, and it actually reminded me of Abiding Grace a bit.

Now I have to get re-used to Mondays at seminary since we skipped last Monday. I've already worked and I came home to cook up my dinner - fish and spanakorizo (a Greek spinach and rice dish) - which should be delicious. Soon enough my classes actually start, and then I've got choir tonight. Should be a good day, and a good week, but I'm certainly keeping busy.

I'll write more next weekend.

Kathryn

First Full Week of Classes

So I'm writing this blog a little earlier than normal, because the reward for my first week of classes is a visit from Silas! Because of that I intend on being a bit busy this weekend.

I've officially finished my first week of classes here at Trinity, and it has been a bit of a roller-coaster. My Mondays are long, as I try to get here for morning prayer at 7:30, then I work, have class, and then choir, which ends at 8:15. My classes that day are Race Ethnicity and Religion and Person in Ministry. I think Race Ethnicity and Religion is going to be a fascinating class as we discuss what race and racism looks like in our world today and how religious institutions should respond to it. I still haven't decided as much about Person in Ministry. I think it will be a useful class in beginning to teach me basic skills I'll need as a pastor, and the reading should be interesting, but so far we've mainly only gone over the syllabus, so we haven't delved much into the actual subject.

On Tuesdays I have my two favorite classes - New Testament 1 and Church History 1. Both of my teachers are fantastic and I thoroughly enjoy the subjects. Our books for those classes are really interesting too, so I won't mind getting the reading done. The New Testament course will only cover the Gospels and Acts, and I'll learn the rest of the New Testament in the spring of my Middler year (quite a ways from now, it seems). Church History 1 covers the beginnings of the church to just before the Reformation, and while I know a fair bit about the first couple of centuries from a religion class I took at OSU, I'm looking forward to learning more about the rest of the intervening time.

My one other class this session is Faith Seeking Understanding, and I think it will be an interesting course that will have me better understand both my own faith and other views on faith. Then during Session 2 I will take teaching adults, because I think I could learn a lot from that class.

I'm now working regularly at the library (I'm writing this from the circulation desk computer) which is great because I have some time to work on my reading or homework, but I also love being around the books and roaming through the stacks. And it's a good place to meet people, because I see everyone who comes in while I'm working, and unlike my undergrad the library is a place nearly everybody goes and most people do not try to avoid.

Along with my school and work things, I have been working on bringing all the other aspects in my life into balance this week. That is not always easy, and I've had some emotional highs and lows, but I'm beginning to find time for what's important and not give too much time or energy to any one thing. I'm still finding time to hang out with friends, and also trying to find time to be active, which is one of the more difficult things. This afternoon I'm mixing the two - my friend Erica and I are going to do some yoga together, because we both love it. Then there are also plenty of opportunities to gather with the community, including the Common Meal at Bexley Hall on Thursday nights and a bonfire in the seminary courtyard on Friday nights.

All told, I am keeping plenty busy and I haven't even quite finished adding everything to my schedule. I am going to start doing some spiritual direction here. This is a good place for it because it's quite cheap and this is a good time in my life to do spiritual direction. I'm trying to find one more job to add just a few hours onto my work schedule and then I think I'll be busy enough. I also officially took out my year loan this week, and it ended up being less than I expected, which was nice. That was due in part to a Munderloh scholarship I just found out I received. I'm hoping to have even more scholarships next year, leading to fewer loans. The less debt I accumulate the better.

Now for the rest of the morning, I am going to start on my readings and assignments. I've made up my calendar for the semester, and the workload doesn't look too bad, but better to be ahead of things than behind.

Kathryn

Orientation Week

I've officially been orientated, and now I'm ready to begin my first week of the regular semester of classes here at seminary.

I had a slow start to the week, because orientation didn't begin until Wednesday. I spent my Monday and Tuesday working on cleaning and organizing my apartment. I am almost entirely unpacked now and I'm beginning to put up artwork. All I have left to do is organize my closet and I will be officially unpacked. About two months after I moved here. My dad was working in Cleveland this weekend, and he drove down Tuesday night just to take me out to dinner. We had a  nice evening, but I did not envy him the drive.

Orientation was a busy and exhausting experience. On Wednesday, after a tour which was not much of a surprise, we were split up into groups to go out to different mission areas in the community. My group ended up at Saint John's Episcopal church in Franklinton, which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The pastor there, LeAnn, took us out into the community to show us more about it and what the church does there. They work with a community garden and an elementary school, and they have a street worship service every week to reach those who wouldn't be comfortable going into a church building for whatever reason. LeAnn also simply knows many of the people in the neighborhood and is friendly and welcoming to all of them. It was a really eye-opening experience.

The next day of orientation, we met in small groups to discuss what we'd done on Wednesday, and we had lunch with the Junior portion of our I-Groups. I think my I-Group will be interesting, and it'll be nice to meet the rest of them later this week. After orientation on Thursday, several of us from the Greek class went out for drinks and dinner and we had a great evening. Unfortunately by the time I got home, I was so exhausted I couldn't make myself do anything but lie on the couch.

Friday was one more busy day, as we received all the information we need to actually function as students at the Seminary, which meant near information overload. I learned about my contextual education, both working at a church here regularly, as well as my Clinical Pastoral Education, which I'll do this summer, working as a chaplain in a hospital. They both sound really interesting, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from them. By the end of the day of taking in all that information, I just watched a movie with a friend and then crashed at home. Silas and I had a date that night, which was a good way to wind down. I've gotten him interested in Doctor Who, which is fun for me as I get to watch it all again.

This weekend was a lovely, and even restful time. I went out with my friend Erica and taught her to knit. It's nice that there are more people who knit up here, mainly because it actually gets cold in the winter. I also got started on an exciting new project, that I can't say anything more about until next weekend. On Sunday I visited my first potential ministry in context site, which was very nice, and after a bit of shopping and working in my apartment, I went out to dinner with a couple of friends. That's why this blog is late - I had a busier Sunday than I expected.

Today I start working at the library, and I start my classes. I will also put in the paperwork for my big loan for the year, which is a little scary. I think it will be a good day, though.

Wish me luck!

Ending and Beginning

This has been a productive week. I've successfully finished Greek as well as my open water scuba diving license. 

The last week of Greek was interesting as we were all mainly working on our final projects. I spent a lot of time in the library, which made me remember how much I love looking up things in libraries. I explored all the reference books looking up the just two Greek words, and I had a great time doing so. It was also nice to get to know Hamma library, especially since I'll be spending a lot of time there both studying and working. 

My project went really well. It really did help me come to terms with the Mary and Martha story which I've often struggled with, and it made me excited about other exegesis projects I'll have throughout my time here at seminary. It was also interesting to see everyone else's projects and see the different ways they would approach the same problem. We had several interesting discussions the last few days of class, and then ice cream at the end to celebrate. 

Then this weekend I spent two full mornings at a nearby quarry completing my diving certification. This was the first time I was diving outside a pool, and it was really interesting. Visibility is not good in quarries, so as we would swim around the area we would come up on various interesting things rather suddenly. I saw a school bus, a Cesna plane, an ambulance, and several boats down there. Also tons of bluegill and one catfish. Along with simply practicing diving we had to do a few skills that we learn throughout the training which will come in handy if anything goes wrong whilst diving. I was pleased to realize that I'd improved on these, and other than taking a wrong heading on a compass everything went fine the first time around. 

The rest of my long weekend (my orientation doesn't start until Wednesday) I'll be unpacking and organizing my apartment. I worked on my vanity area (which is the top of my dresser) all afternoon, and I even got some art up. I'll continue the next few days and hopefully I'll have my apartment looking reasonable. 

I've enjoyed the last six weeks of Greek, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next two weeks when I get to start my regular schedule and get to take more than one class. Hopefully it will be an interesting semester. Another reason to look forward to the next two weeks is that Silas will be visiting over the next weekend! I'm looking forward to showing him around Columbus, and we have a lot of things planned already (my blog might show up at an odd time then). 

Now I'm off to walk the adorable corgi I am dog sitting over the weekend.

I'll write again soon!

Busy Week

This has been such a busy week that I keep forgetting that today is Sunday and I have to go to class tomorrow.

In Greek we learned about participles this week. Since I didn't know what a participle was in English before we started, it was quite a bit to learn. But it went well enough, and we just have one more week before we've successfully completed the class.

This week I also began another job and spent quite a bit of time on my first. I have been trained for working at the library and I'll start working there regularly at the beginning of the semester. I love libraries, so I think I'll enjoy the job. Plus I have incredibly free Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, so I'll have plenty of time to work. I spent a lot of this weekend working on my job as part of the hospitality team for a retreat. They came in on Friday night and left this afternoon after lunch. I was there to help cook and serve three meals, as well as getting their rooms ready earlier. It was hard work and I am sore all over, but I still found it really rewarding. I love cooking, so cooking for people and being able to share that with them is lovely. Doing all the dishes by hand is less so, but necessary.

I am continuing to feel more at home here and more part of the Trinity community. I've also had the rather new problem of having to pay attention to my own social limits and making sure I take introverting time. Especially since I was busy much of this weekend, I've had to take extra evening times to sit alone and recharge. It's not a terrible problem to have, but I'm glad I know myself enough to be aware of those needs.

I'm really looking forward to the regular semester beginning, since I'll be taking several classes and more people will be here, including the whole of my class. I also might have slightly more free time, at least for the first week or so, than I do right now with near-constant Greek.

I'm also managing to keep up with Silas through judicious use of Skype dates. It's tough, but things like Skype are wonderful for staying close with people. It's interesting to see how I'm creating an extended family here while maintaining my close ties back home as well.

Finally, I finished cataloging all my yarn, and I have plenty to keep me busy for awhile. I'm still settling in, but as I work on organizing my hobbies and keeping them well stored and available I'm feeling more at home in my apartment. Cooking is good too, although I do have to work nearly constantly to keep my kitchen clean. Tonight my slow-cooker will be working all night turning a bunch of produce I've chopped up into a rather healthy potato soup. My apartment should smell delicious when I wake up.

Tomorrow I move on to verbs that are describing non-real action, so we'll see how that goes. I'm also finishing up my project on Jesus' rebuke of Martha, which is turning out quite interestingly. I'll present it on Thursday, and I think it, as well as all my classmates' presentations of their own verses, will be a very interesting end to the week and Greek class.

Well that's all for now, I'm off to turn my slow-cooker on!

I Got a Job!

I can't believe I've been living in Ohio for a month now.

Time is going by fast, mainly still because of Greek. We only have two weeks left and I've begun my final, which is an in-depth analysis of Luke 10:41-42, Jesus' rebuke of Martha. I chose these verses to study mainly because they are the culmination of a story I always struggle with, due to my strong identification with Martha. We'll see if I turn up any new understanding in the next two weeks.

I also started my first job this week. We have several retreats come to Trinity throughout the year and I am on the hospitality team for a retreat this next weekend. This includes cleaning, but also cooking for the retreat and making the visitors feel welcome while they are here. It's really similar to my old job at the Canterbury Center in Stillwater, and I love hospitality, so I think I'll enjoy this job. And making some money I didn't expect to make this month doesn't hurt either.

I did a couple more things to feel settled in this weekend. On Friday I went to a dive shop to get fitted for a wetsuit and gear for my open water training scuba dive in a couple of weeks. I'm excited to be finishing up my certification finally. After the slight discomfort of getting myself into a wetsuit, I was able to spend about an hour in the pool at the dive shop working on a few of my skills and remembering how much I really do enjoy being able to breathe underwater. I'm really looking forward to finally getting to practice in an open body of water rather than a pool.

On Saturday I took a trip to the Book Loft in the German Village, which is a house absolutely crammed full of books, many of which are on sale. I ended up leaving with a mystery and a knitting book about organizing and using yarn stash. I got inspired and now my couch is covered with yarn as I sort and catalog all my yarn. Having it in a organized, well stored place rather than just floating around in walmart sacks will make me feel more moved in and help me to use what I have rather than just buying more. My knitting skills will come in handy this winter, I think.

I'm continuing to meet new people here and get to know better the people I've already met. The sense of community I got when I visited here last year was spot on, and I find that I would have to try hard to not spend time with these people. My quiet weekends are nice for my introverted self as they give me a chance to re-charge from spending a week almost constantly with people. The only downside to my social life combined with my schoolwork is that my apartment may not be completely unpacked and settled into until fall break when I have more time off.

In a final bit of exciting news, today was the first time I was able to walk down the stairs in a normal manner rather than stepping on each step with both feet. A major milestone in the healing of my ankles! I've been avoiding yoga to keep from hurting them worse, and I can't wait until I can start again - I think it will be an especially helpful practice in the midst of my busy seminary life. That and my back and hips get sore with all the sitting hunched over Greek translations.

Tomorrow I'm leading morning prayer, learning about participles, and getting paid to clean an apartment that isn't mine. Should be a good day.

Kathryn

Half-way Through Greek

I am officially half-way through Greek. This is amazing to me because it doesn't feel like three weeks have passed.

However, it's going well, and yesterday we learned how to use a software which we bought that allows you to really delve into the original language of the Bible as well as the many translations that have been made, in order to better understand it. I'm actually really excited about owning this software and I have realized that I and several of my fellow students are seminary nerds. We're okay with that though.

I have apparently decided that the whiskey bar next door is a good place to go at happy hour and a few of us ended up there twice this week. Mainly because we're working on verbs and verbs are hard. But we're also getting to know each other better, which is lovely. I had an instance of homesickness for the first time this week as I realized just how far away from Texas I am here. Being able to talk with new friends about it helped me accept that I'm creating a new family here and I will be okay. I do have to say, that for the most part, I prefer the weather here to the weather in Texas. We'll see if that changes come winter.

We had a group from Holden Village here this week with a program called Holden on the Road. We worshiped with them several times, and it was really lovely to learn a bit about Holden Village, and it made me want to go spend some time there one day. I also went to a compline service with the Episcopalians, which was also lovely, but ended up being my third worship service in one day on Monday. It was a long, but good day.

This was the Summer Samplarians' last week here, but I had dinner with a couple of them at the cookout in our apartment complex this Wednesday. They're good kids and I was pleased that I got to spend a bit of time with them this summer. I've seen the Summer Sampler program twice now, and I think it is a really great program for us to have here.

As we're getting closer to the end of Summer Greek, the seminary is beginning to get ready for the start of the regular year. I've received some information about orientation and I am learning form other students what my classes may be like. I'm looking forward to most of them and I'm looking forward to the experience of being here for the next few years. The one thing I'm not particularly looking forward to is the debt I am going to start accruing. I deposited my first loan check earlier this week, and it was an odd feeling to go into debt for the first time. I'm looking for work here, though, and working with Melissa, our financial aid director, makes me feel confident I will graduate with as little debt as possible.

I am spending my weekend working on my apartment as well as my Greek, so my apartment is still not fully unpacked or organized, but I am working on it a little at a time. Living, working, cooking, etc. in my apartment helps to make me feel at home here, and I think that working in my apartment helps me to feel settled.

Then next week I am off to learn more verbs, because Greek is practically the only thing I do right now.

Kathryn S.

Continued Settling In

Another busy week is over, and apparently I know everything I need to know about Greek nouns.

This week has been good, as my classmates and I have been getting into the swing of Greek. Class every morning, studying every afternoon, and occasional trips to the whiskey bar across the street to do something together that doesn't involve Greek at all. I'm still enjoying the class most of the time, and as I learn more, what I'm able to translate seems more exciting. I'm working on a ten verse passage from 1 John this weekend, and as I work on it I am surprised by how much I have managed to learn in the time I've been here.

Earlier this week I volunteered to be a lector for chapel, but I was later than my classmates, so I wasn't needed as a lector. Instead I was invited to lead morning chapel on Monday. I was nervous to do something like that in front of so many new people, including professors, but I really enjoyed leading it and I'm looking forward to being involved in many more chapel services while I'm here.

I also finally got the internet in my apartment after several misadventures. Last week they sent my internet to the wrong apartment, and this week they were two days late because they had to fix some outside wiring before they could begin my service. I was so excited when a technician finally showed up on Wednesday, and now I am writing from the comfort of my own apartment.

I also ended up spending a bit more time with the Summer Sampler kids this week, which turned out quite nicely. We do a cookout in the apartment courtyard on Wednesday night and I ended up sitting and chatting with a couple of them. Then on Thursday night several of us went to their Gospel Slam, which was actually quite good. Several of these kids are really excited about their futures, many in ministry, and it's easy to see how good this program is for them.

I'm still settling into my apartment, and still rather hindered by the difficulty I have standing or walking for long periods of time. It's getting a bit better every day though, and soon I'll start putting up artwork and pictures, which will really help to make it feel like home. In fact, yesterday I took a whole day break from Greek, mainly for working in my apartment. Today, however, I have to get back to it so that I can finish my translation and take two quizzes before Monday. Then we'll start on verbs.

I'm really feeling settled here in the town and in the seminary, and I'm so happy that I chose to come here for this stage of my life. I like the people and the area, and I think I'll really enjoy several of my classes once I start the full semester in a few weeks.

That's all that's going on in my life now,
Kathryn

Getting Settled and Learning Greek

My first week of Greek ended yesterday, and I have to say I've learned a lot already.

It turns out that I really rather enjoy Greek, I think mainly because I love learning and this is something entirely new to me, but also within my capabilities. Every day we have class from 9 to 12:30, with a break for chapel, then several of us take a half hour break for lunch and get together to work on our homework together, which usually ends up taking around three hours. So, almost my entire life is Greek right now.

Luckily, I rather like my classmates, and I am enjoying getting to know them between translations. Spending so much time working on Greek with these other people this week is forcing me to settle in, which is a good thing, I think. I'm already feeling more comfortable at the seminary and my apartment and I'm getting used to living here.

Things have been made slightly more difficult for me this week through a large act of clumsiness on my part. I have a storage unit in the basement, and I am keeping my moving boxes there (I know I'll need them again). So as I unpack boxes, I take them down three flights of stairs. Well on Sunday afternoon I was carrying a rather large box and I couldn't see my feet. This became a problem when I missed the very last step I needed to take and fell, rolling both of my ankles.

Luckily, a man who lives on the first floor heard me fall and my moans of pain and came to offer assistance. I managed to get myself back on my feet and hauled myself back upstairs where I stayed off them and iced them for the rest of the evening. The next morning I was rather pleased that I did not have to walk too far to get to class, as I still was in a lot of pain and my ankles were both considerably larger than they should be. I usually only roll one ankle if I do that, and it's been an adjustment dealing with pain in both of them.

I'm healing rather well, however, and every morning I wake up feeling a little better. In a week or two they should be entirely back to normal again. I might start practicing some ankle strengthening exercises though, when I can, because this kind of thing happens to me more often than I'd like.

One thing I'm really enjoying here is the fact that my faith is really part of my daily life at seminary. It's different to pray together before every class and to go to chapel every day, but I really love it. And another reason Greek is fascinating to me is the way it brings insight into the reading of the Bible. My class had a discussion about the translation of Ephesians 2:10 yesterday that hinged on one simple preposition, and could have very different meanings for our understanding of faith and good works. While in some ways, understanding the intricacies of the language the Bible was written in just bring up more things to disagree about, it also provides a deeper understanding of the writers who were helping to form our religion and understanding the intricacies gives me a lot of respect for translators as well as a better understanding of the mysteries of our faith. And it makes me excited for the learning ahead of me while I'm here.

I did do one thing this week that had nothing to do with Greek, at least. Last night, when I was taking a decided break from any Greek at all, I was invited to dinner and the Clippers game with the Summer Samplarians. The Seminary Sampler program is one they do here every summer which introduces high school students to the seminary and allows them to explore their own faith, and I met last year's group when I was visiting last summer. We went  out to dinner and then to the game and I had a lovely time getting to know the students, as well as several of the counselors who are students of the seminary. It was a nice break  and it was a great evening to spend outside, because the rain finally stopped and it was just beautiful weather.

This weekend I will still be working, although I'll have a fair bit of time for rest as well. I have to do a translation of I John 4:1-6 for a review of all the Greek I've already learned, and I have to finish making myself a budget so I know how much money I need to borrow to get myself through the Greek session. I'm about to make my first step into debt and paying for school myself, which is a little scary, but I've got some people here who can advise me well and I think I'll be able to do well with it.

Then I just have five more weeks of Greek and I am curious to see how they go. Dr. Bryant, our teacher, is very good trying to make sure everyone has a way of learning that will work for them as well as making it exciting to see what every translation has in store.

Wish me luck and send up prayers,

Kathryn

The Beginning of this Leg of the Journey

So, I have been in Columbus Ohio, my current stopping place, since Monday now. This week has been a good one as my parents and I got me settled and explored Columbus a bit. It may seem weird, coming from someone who grew up in the middle of the metroplex, but for some reason living just a stone's throw away from downtown of a major city feels very different to me. It's especially different from Stillwater, where I spent most of my past four years. I'm also having to get used to being in a different time zone. I've learned to just do a quick calculation if I'm texting or calling anyone back in Central time, which is still most of the people I text or call right now.

My apartment is still in a bit of a state, but it's quite livable already. I have a lovely bed and I saved my favorite chair from my Stillwater apartment, so my parents and I put that together already. I won't have the internet or the rest of my furniture until Tuesday afternoon, but I'm trying to spend the weekend unpacking my boxes. Not a fun activity, by any means, but I have a ton of DVDs I can watch without the internet, so I'm using those to keep me entertained.

I've also met most of my neighbors already, although I did not meet one of them here in Ohio. The current intern at Calvary Lutheran, Ethan, is one of my neighbors as well as three other nice guys. I'm sure I'll be meeting some more people on Monday as my first class starts - and they will likely be as lost and confused as I am!

It's always weird moving and starting something new, and I am in the age where that happens more often than not. New classes every semester, a move every year for me, relationships beginning and ending, and it looks like I'm still up for a few more years of it. There's a big part of me that really just wants to feel settled, rather than in constant transition. It would feel like a miracle to me if I moved somewhere and stayed for five years. However, I do my best to settle as much as I can in each new place and I'm getting better at it. I'm also beginning to form at least a few relationships which I intend on keeping despite distance, which makes me very grateful for the many forms of communication we have handy now.

My first step of settling here, other than hauling all my stuff up three flights of stairs (thanks for the help Mom and Dad!), is to spend a bit of time at the sandwich/coffee shop just next door to my apartment. They have great sandwiches and free wifi, which is rather handy at the moment. This place might see a lot more of me in the future. Today has involved a couple of naps, due to odd bed and waking times, but tomorrow I expect to have more energy and I'm going to go check out some yarn shops and maybe some yoga studios. Because these are two of my favorite hobbies, it will make me feel more at home if I have places around here. There's also a fabric shop just down the street, which I'll probably have to stop in to as well. There are a couple of presents I need to sew in July.

I'm sure once my classwork starts I'll have to make dedicated time for my hobbies, but they are worth it. Also, I have already begun studying Greek a bit, and I have a good handle on the alphabet and the first chapter's vocabulary, which I think is a good place to begin. And I have an offer of help from one of my neighbors who was a Greek major in college and likes to help to keep himself sharp.

So, despite the initial loneliness and small amount of fear that usually accompanies a move and a new start, I have high hopes for the next few weeks and the next few years. I'm already looking forward to being done with school as I start a new four-year program, but the end goals are all worth the temporary unsettledness. I'm sure these four years will pass quickly, and I'll try to keep up this blog while I can go through them, so I can share my experiences with whomever might be reading.

Wish me luck and send up prayers,
Kat

P.S. This is a blog I've started and stopped several times before, so posts before this one will be rather different in nature.