So here it is, a Wednesday night, the only night I have in during this particular work week, and I'm waiting for bread dough to rise and drinking a glass of merlot. A perfect time to update my blog!
I can hardly believe I've already been here for a month. I've been settling in well, getting used to work, getting settled in my yoga studio, figuring out the best times to go to the grocery store in my new schedule, all sorts of things like that.
I preached my first sermon here a couple of weeks ago. At the Saturday night service I was wearing an alb, and I was a little warm, but once I was done preaching, I had been so anxious that I was literally dripping sweat off my nose. I took a moment to duck out of the sanctuary during the hymn right after the sermon and wipe off my face. My sermon was pretty good. At the beginning of the week I was writing it I was okay with it, then by the end of the week I hated it, but once I put it down for a day and practiced it on Saturday before worship I thought it might actually be something worth saying again. I can only hope that my preaching will improve now that I'll have a chance to practice so regularly.
This past weekend was a different experience all together, because Dan was gone for the weekend getting married. That meant that I was running the show and making sure things went smoothly during worship. We had a guest preacher, but I had the chance to give the announcements and lead worship. I find I'm getting more comfortable, and I always find that leading worship makes me feel such joy, so it's always something I look forward to.
I've begun visiting members of the congregation in their homes so that I can get to know them better. I know it's a good idea to get to know people I'll be working with over the year, but part of me is terrified every time I drive to a new person's house to spend an hour with them. They are all incredibly kind, and my first visit lasted twice as long as I had intended! Even though I'll probably be scared as I walk into each house in the next couple of months, I'm glad it's something I'm doing.
This week has been quiet at work, but I think that's because everything starts up next week. Starting next Wednesday I'll probably be at the church from 5 to 9 in the evening. Just like I grew up doing. It'll be busy, but it will be good too. I'll get to sing Holden Evening Prayer every week and I'll get a chance to teach confirmation and high school, two places I think I have a lot of learning to do. My first lesson for the confirmation class in a few weeks is "Is the Bible True?" Should be a great way to get started.
A couple of weeks ago I went to the Iowa state fair. I ate food on a stick - my favorite being a peanut butter ice cream sandwich covered in chocolate on a stick - and I had deep fried cheese curds, which seemed appropriately Midwestern. It was a great day, especially because I got to meet several baby animals and several larger ones. It was great, and we walked five miles! I was certainly tired the day after that.
I've also been getting more involved in the yoga studio across the street from me. I love it there, because it has a very personal feel. The owner teaches most of the classes I take and she learned my name after my first visit. I've taken a couple of private lessons with her, and they have been amazing, because I get to know my body so well. I've been playing around with backbends, because they can be really helpful for lifting the spirits when I'm dealing with depression. They won't ever replace my antidepressants, but they're a wonderful addition, and they make me feel great joy. It's amazing, now that I'm working at a regular job, rather than being a student, I actually have time to work out in a way that I haven't before, I think I'll manage to exercise four times this week!
The best news is that this weekend is Labor Day weekend, and Silas is coming up for a visit! We have plans to cook dinner for a friend who lives in town, to go try out a corn maze, and of course I'll bring him to church where all the wonderful church ladies can fawn over him. I'm so excited to have him come, I've been missing him since I moved up here. It's going to be a good Labor Day weekend.
I have more I could share, but my bread is just about done rising, and this is already pretty long, so there will be more soon!
May the peace of God be with you all.
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
One Week In
So I've been working for a week now, I've been to several services, meetings, lunches, and even a wedding. Every day last week I walked into work fairly certain that I had absolutely nothing to do, but I found myself keeping busy and learning new things.
I am not yet entirely settled into my new apartment, because I took my time last week getting over my cold. That means this week hopefully I'll actually manage to make my apartment look presentable to me, much less anyone else with higher standards than I have. For now, I'm using a box as a footstool, and I keep pulling things I need out of boxes and bags as I need them.
At the church I'm getting to know people well. I have always said I'm terrible with names, but I've been actually practicing this time, and I'm surprised to say that it's going well. I'm still learning a lot about the church and finding my place, but I'm beginning to feel settled too. I am working on my first sermon (which is two weeks away, of course) and I'm exciting about getting a chance to preach at St. Stephen soon.
This weekend, I attended a wedding rehearsal and ceremony so I could learn about the pastor's role in a wedding. It was really nice to attend, even though I didn't know the couple. It's nice to see a couple so happy to be getting married. I got to work with our wedding coordinator at the service, and get an idea of how the behind the scenes things work.
Today, I was finally feeling well enough to get back to working out, so I decided to check out the yoga studio that is conveniently located directly across the street from my apartment complex. I went in for a class, and it was fantastic. The class was made up of people of all ages, sizes, strength, and flexibility. The teacher was great at emphasizing that we all do what was best for our bodies, an attitude important in yoga practice, but not always seen in classes. I'm definitely going to keep going, because it felt so good to get back on my mat again.
I'm also finally settled in to my kitchen at least, so I could actually do some proper cooking. I brought a few cookbooks with me to Iowa, and tonight I made a bean and potato hash as well as homemade granola for breakfast in the mornings. Having a kitchen and George insisting on cuddles makes me feel pretty much at home, and I think it's going to be good here this year.
I am not yet entirely settled into my new apartment, because I took my time last week getting over my cold. That means this week hopefully I'll actually manage to make my apartment look presentable to me, much less anyone else with higher standards than I have. For now, I'm using a box as a footstool, and I keep pulling things I need out of boxes and bags as I need them.
At the church I'm getting to know people well. I have always said I'm terrible with names, but I've been actually practicing this time, and I'm surprised to say that it's going well. I'm still learning a lot about the church and finding my place, but I'm beginning to feel settled too. I am working on my first sermon (which is two weeks away, of course) and I'm exciting about getting a chance to preach at St. Stephen soon.
This weekend, I attended a wedding rehearsal and ceremony so I could learn about the pastor's role in a wedding. It was really nice to attend, even though I didn't know the couple. It's nice to see a couple so happy to be getting married. I got to work with our wedding coordinator at the service, and get an idea of how the behind the scenes things work.
Today, I was finally feeling well enough to get back to working out, so I decided to check out the yoga studio that is conveniently located directly across the street from my apartment complex. I went in for a class, and it was fantastic. The class was made up of people of all ages, sizes, strength, and flexibility. The teacher was great at emphasizing that we all do what was best for our bodies, an attitude important in yoga practice, but not always seen in classes. I'm definitely going to keep going, because it felt so good to get back on my mat again.
I'm also finally settled in to my kitchen at least, so I could actually do some proper cooking. I brought a few cookbooks with me to Iowa, and tonight I made a bean and potato hash as well as homemade granola for breakfast in the mornings. Having a kitchen and George insisting on cuddles makes me feel pretty much at home, and I think it's going to be good here this year.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Reading and the Cold
So I may or may not be writing this to put off reading for school just a little bit longer. However, that reading will get done in plenty of time too - it is Friday after all!
It has been a good past couple of weeks. And about half the time I even don't feel incredibly behind. Two weeks ago I did preach my first sermon at a church that wasn't my home church, and I preached it three times in a row! That was a decidedly interesting experience, because the sermon changed somewhat form time to time, and I'm pretty sure the people who came to the late service got the best rendition. After my full day I came home and ended up passing out until evening.
That evening, a couple of my friends who graduated from Trinity last year, Russ and Sarah, came into town, so I was pleased that I was able to wake up from my long nap in time to go to dinner with them. I got to spend time with them on Monday night too, and it was great to see them again and catch up with everything going on in their lives beyond seminary.
I finally attended my final first class, which was Church and Sacraments. It is a systematic theology option, where I'll learn both about what it means to be the church, and what we believe about the sacraments. We only meet once a week, which means I have a lot of reading to do in between every week, but I love the class already, and I'm excited to see what comes of it. My week after that went quite smoothly, getting into the swing of my classes, and trying to sort out exactly how much time I'm going to have to spend reading every day (it's a lot).
Then this past weekend, Silas came into town to visit and celebrate valentines day with me! Of course a wicked winter decided to join him, which was a bit of a shame. I drove in near white-out conditions to pick him up from the airport, which is an experience I'd be okay never having again in my life. Saturday night we went out for a lovely dinner and all was well until I slipped and fell in the skating rink that was the parking lot on our way back to my car. I wasn't hurt badly, so it was mostly comical, especially when I nearly brought Silas down with me while he was trying to help me up!
Sunday we spent most of the day cooking proper Texas chili to share with my friends from the north who don't understand why I'm always a little disappointed when I try chili here. We made it with ancho chilies, dark beer, stew beef, and bacon, and it turned out amazingly. When I tried it, I kissed Silas and told him I loved him even more than I had before. We had a great dinner and evening with my friends, and it was lovely to eat something so warm when it was so cold outside.
On Monday we did venture out a bit, but the cold kept us from taking any long walks. That day it snowed more, so after going to see a movie, Silas introduced me to snow ice cream, which is something I had never heard of before. It was a fun thing to do with all the snow we were getting.
My weekend with Silas was absolutely wonderful, and during his visit I had another interesting experience. There was one internship supervisor in town early this week, and I had not intended on interviewing with him. However, he read my information and asked to have a meeting with me. We talked for an hour and I found I was really pleasantly surprised by the supervisor and the church. It's now a place that I think I might be happy at for internship and that I'm keeping in mind. All of the rest of the interviews will take place this next week, and I have nine more to go! I'm really excited about the whole process and excited and anxious about where God will send me.
This week I also got to spend some time babysitting an infant for the first time, and it was her first time having a babysitter! We had a good time together, and it's nice to take a break from school to spend time with a baby every once and awhile. I did read her a few psalms out loud, which she seemed to enjoy. Being the daughter of two pastors to be, I'm sure she'll be hearing things like that plenty.
Finally, this morning I had my first ever experience with a dead car battery. Luckily, my entire apartment complex is full of people I know, so I was able to get a jump and my car came right back to life. You know it's too cold out when the cold is draining your car battery! I'm planning on staying inside as much as possible until it warms up again!
This weekend my plan is to spend my time reading and working on a text critical study and translation of the Bible passage I'm working on in New Testament. I think this semester is going to keep me plenty busy! I still love all my classes though, and I think I'm getting quite good at reading quickly, so that I understand enough without having to take in every word deeply. It's the only way to get through.
Now off to read Who is the Church? and a book about Hermenutics!
Peace be with you all.
Monday, April 28, 2014
A Week of Learning, Cooking, and Crafting
It has been a busy week and weekend, which is why I'm so late writing this, but it has certainly been a good one.
Last week was my week of Sacristan training, beginning Monday morning. It went fantastically, and despite the frequent busy-ness of the job, I absolutely loved it. For instance, when I was running from one end of the seminary to another to get a stole out of a locked cabinet three minutes before the service, I was happy as a clam. I am so much looking forward to doing this all the time next year, now that I've experienced a week of it here. My next step in sacristan training is to help with the commencement worship, so those who are graduating won't have to be sacristans for that worship. That process should start next week.
Last week I also helped with Russ and Sarah to cook Common Meal on Thursday. We had made scones in advance, and on Thursday we were making breakfast casseroles, fruit salad, and bacon. My job was the bacon, which meant spending a couple of hours cooking seven pounds of it! And of course, every bit of that bacon was gone by the end of the night. It was really fun, if a bit exhausting, to do common meal and it made me happy to be able to serve it for once, since I eat it every week.
But after Thursday I wasn't quite done cooking. I also worked a retreat this weekend, which meant cooking dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning for a group of kids and their chaperons. It was fun work, and I got to eat too, which was definitely nice. One of the best things about working on the retreat team is that you're paid in food as well as money.
I finished and showed my Luther quilt in class last Wednesday, and I will have pictures to post up here next week, hopefully on Instagram and Facebook sooner. It was a fair bit of work, but I'm impressed with how much I was able to create in just a couple of weeks while I was at school. I probably won't expect to do a project of that scale in that short of a time here again, but it definitely inspired me to keep working on my projects when I can. I'm still making granny squares in classes, which will come together as something in the future, potentially a pretty stole. This weekend I worked on a scarf/wrap that I started awhile ago and got to the halfway point on it on Saturday. On Sunday I cleaned my house and cooked for the week, which may not seem exciting, but it is amazing how nice it is to wake up to a clean house every day. I keep trying to keep it up during the week, and maybe one day I'll get there.
This weekend was pretty exciting for several reasons beyond cleaning and cooking as well. On Saturday evening I came to the realization that I had left my phone in my locker here at the seminary, which was closed and locked until this morning. So I had to make do without for the weekend, but I had enough other ways of connecting with the people I love that it wasn't too bad. On Saturday evening, my mom as well as several other people from Abiding Grace were attending a dinner at the NT-NL Mission Assembly, and my mom accepted a pretty fantastic scholarship for me. I was nominated for a Fund for Leaders scholarship for my synod by my candidacy committee. I feel very honored to be thought of, and it was wonderful to see pictures of my church family back home cheering me on.
The other exciting thing this weekend was working at All Saints. I assisted at the earliest service and read at the late service, which was also the confirmation service. I wore a clerical collar for the first time this Sunday, and it was a certainly interesting experience. For one, everybody at All Saints recognized me as the MIC student more easily - it's a big church so there are lots of faces. Also, I went out to Starbucks between services, because I hadn't had time to eat breakfast, and it was interesting to see how people out and about responded to the collar. I'm going to continue wearing it for the time being and see how it fits with my own forming pastoral identity.
The end of the semester is only a month away, which is just crazy. I have a few projects left to get done, but my end of semester isn't too bad this year. I'm getting ready to do my CPE this summer, and I am excited for it, even though I know it will be a tough experience. I've grown a lot over this first year of seminary, and I think that growth will be helpful to me come this summer. For now though, I just need to get ready for my Old Testament class tomorrow - we're learning about the Judges!
Peace,
Kathryn
Last week was my week of Sacristan training, beginning Monday morning. It went fantastically, and despite the frequent busy-ness of the job, I absolutely loved it. For instance, when I was running from one end of the seminary to another to get a stole out of a locked cabinet three minutes before the service, I was happy as a clam. I am so much looking forward to doing this all the time next year, now that I've experienced a week of it here. My next step in sacristan training is to help with the commencement worship, so those who are graduating won't have to be sacristans for that worship. That process should start next week.
Last week I also helped with Russ and Sarah to cook Common Meal on Thursday. We had made scones in advance, and on Thursday we were making breakfast casseroles, fruit salad, and bacon. My job was the bacon, which meant spending a couple of hours cooking seven pounds of it! And of course, every bit of that bacon was gone by the end of the night. It was really fun, if a bit exhausting, to do common meal and it made me happy to be able to serve it for once, since I eat it every week.
But after Thursday I wasn't quite done cooking. I also worked a retreat this weekend, which meant cooking dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning for a group of kids and their chaperons. It was fun work, and I got to eat too, which was definitely nice. One of the best things about working on the retreat team is that you're paid in food as well as money.
I finished and showed my Luther quilt in class last Wednesday, and I will have pictures to post up here next week, hopefully on Instagram and Facebook sooner. It was a fair bit of work, but I'm impressed with how much I was able to create in just a couple of weeks while I was at school. I probably won't expect to do a project of that scale in that short of a time here again, but it definitely inspired me to keep working on my projects when I can. I'm still making granny squares in classes, which will come together as something in the future, potentially a pretty stole. This weekend I worked on a scarf/wrap that I started awhile ago and got to the halfway point on it on Saturday. On Sunday I cleaned my house and cooked for the week, which may not seem exciting, but it is amazing how nice it is to wake up to a clean house every day. I keep trying to keep it up during the week, and maybe one day I'll get there.
This weekend was pretty exciting for several reasons beyond cleaning and cooking as well. On Saturday evening I came to the realization that I had left my phone in my locker here at the seminary, which was closed and locked until this morning. So I had to make do without for the weekend, but I had enough other ways of connecting with the people I love that it wasn't too bad. On Saturday evening, my mom as well as several other people from Abiding Grace were attending a dinner at the NT-NL Mission Assembly, and my mom accepted a pretty fantastic scholarship for me. I was nominated for a Fund for Leaders scholarship for my synod by my candidacy committee. I feel very honored to be thought of, and it was wonderful to see pictures of my church family back home cheering me on.
The other exciting thing this weekend was working at All Saints. I assisted at the earliest service and read at the late service, which was also the confirmation service. I wore a clerical collar for the first time this Sunday, and it was a certainly interesting experience. For one, everybody at All Saints recognized me as the MIC student more easily - it's a big church so there are lots of faces. Also, I went out to Starbucks between services, because I hadn't had time to eat breakfast, and it was interesting to see how people out and about responded to the collar. I'm going to continue wearing it for the time being and see how it fits with my own forming pastoral identity.
The end of the semester is only a month away, which is just crazy. I have a few projects left to get done, but my end of semester isn't too bad this year. I'm getting ready to do my CPE this summer, and I am excited for it, even though I know it will be a tough experience. I've grown a lot over this first year of seminary, and I think that growth will be helpful to me come this summer. For now though, I just need to get ready for my Old Testament class tomorrow - we're learning about the Judges!
Peace,
Kathryn
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Catching Up
I am attempting to write this blog with a cat sound asleep on my lap. It makes things tricky.
So I finished my J-term class and came back to Ohio, and I was glad to be able to sleep in my own bed. And to unpack and not live out of suitcases anymore. I've spent the whole last week living wihtout a schedule and getting set up for a new semester of seminary.
On Thursday I finally went through with a plan I had had for quite awhile to adopt a cat. My friend Sarah and I went to a shelter together, and all the cats were out and about in thier various rooms. The woman working at the shelter showed me several cats who were cuddly, which is what I asked for, and then left us to meet several cats and decide who I wanted to take home. I picked up one, named George, and he immediately hugged me and started nuzzling my face. I picked up a few other cats who were all quite nice, but I kept coming back to George. I'm pretty sure he picked me out. I brought him home, and we have had a great time getting to know eachother and getting settled into living together. I'm very happy to have a cat in my life again.
The rest of my time has mainly been spent cooking, cleaning, crafting, and catching up with friends I haven't seen in awhile. I'm trying to get my apartment into good shape before I start school, so that I can keep it nice while I'm busy with classes. I'm also working on several crafting projects and I may have three new skirts in short order.
I've got another week off, which I'm going to use to keep working on my projects and to get my ministry in context set up, and then I start classes. I'm really looking forward to this semester, I think some of the classes will be more interesting than last semester were. I've bought all my books and I'm already looking forward to reading most of them.
Silas is also coming in right after classes start, which will be a wonderful way to begin my semester. I'll start writing here more regularly then too. I really have issues getting things done when I'm schedule-less - I've barely been on my computer this week.
Hoping everyone reading this is staying warm.
Kathryn
P.S. This is George
So I finished my J-term class and came back to Ohio, and I was glad to be able to sleep in my own bed. And to unpack and not live out of suitcases anymore. I've spent the whole last week living wihtout a schedule and getting set up for a new semester of seminary.
On Thursday I finally went through with a plan I had had for quite awhile to adopt a cat. My friend Sarah and I went to a shelter together, and all the cats were out and about in thier various rooms. The woman working at the shelter showed me several cats who were cuddly, which is what I asked for, and then left us to meet several cats and decide who I wanted to take home. I picked up one, named George, and he immediately hugged me and started nuzzling my face. I picked up a few other cats who were all quite nice, but I kept coming back to George. I'm pretty sure he picked me out. I brought him home, and we have had a great time getting to know eachother and getting settled into living together. I'm very happy to have a cat in my life again.
The rest of my time has mainly been spent cooking, cleaning, crafting, and catching up with friends I haven't seen in awhile. I'm trying to get my apartment into good shape before I start school, so that I can keep it nice while I'm busy with classes. I'm also working on several crafting projects and I may have three new skirts in short order.
I've got another week off, which I'm going to use to keep working on my projects and to get my ministry in context set up, and then I start classes. I'm really looking forward to this semester, I think some of the classes will be more interesting than last semester were. I've bought all my books and I'm already looking forward to reading most of them.
Silas is also coming in right after classes start, which will be a wonderful way to begin my semester. I'll start writing here more regularly then too. I really have issues getting things done when I'm schedule-less - I've barely been on my computer this week.
Hoping everyone reading this is staying warm.
Kathryn
P.S. This is George
Friday, January 3, 2014
Christmas Break
So I was right about being sporadic in my blog writing over Christmas break. I've been quite busy, and I've had a cold, so I spent a solid week mainly laying on my couch feeling like a lazy bum.
It's been a busy Christmas with much traveling and family. I went with my parents to visit all of my family on my mom's side in Tulsa the weekend before Christmas. Tulsa had had an ice storm, but the roads were fine. It was actually fascinating to look at the trees and all the icicles. I know it's bad for the trees, but they were beautiful encased in ice. I had a very good time with my family. We exchanged small gifts and had a big Christmas dinner. It was nice to see cousins that I don't see very often and catch up with them. I also hand washed all the dishes from the sixteen person dinner, which I actually enjoyed doing and catching up with my aunts and cousins while I did it. I was also able to read on the way there and back by listening to a book on tape, since I can't actually read a book in the car without getting nauseous.
When we got back I celebrated my parents 32nd anniversary with them. I've always loved that their anniversary is two days before Christmas, so it's always been part of my Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, right after that is when I came down with my cold. It hit me pretty quickly and pretty hard, and I was sad that it happened just before Christmas Eve when my mom and I were planning on some Christmas cooking. I was basically kicked out of the kitchen, so I just had to talk with my mom while she baked cookies and got Christmas breakfast ready.
On Christmas Eve we went to church for a service at 6, and I was sad that I wasn't able to sing along with all the hymns. But it was still a lovely service, and I managed to sing Silent Night at about a tenor to finish the service. Then my brother came in and we decorated Christmas cookies. I had my own plate of cookies that I decorated and ate over the next few days in an attempt to not get my family sick.
Christmas was fantastic. I got up first and came downstairs and sat on the couch by the lit Christmas tree and read for awhile before everyone else woke up. Then as my family got up and came out to the living room, we ate our traditional breakfast and Kevin and I opened our stockings. Santa brought me a duck shaped tea infuser this year, which floats on top of my teacup while it makes tea. It is adorable, and I can't wait to use it on cold Ohio nights.
I have always sat by the tree on Christmas and passed out gifts, and this year was no exception, despite my cold. Usually I also reorganize the gifts under the tree leading up to Christmas so there will be a nice order to passing out gifts. I hadn't done that this year, but I was still trying to be even in passing out gifts to my parents, Kevin, and myself. But then I quickly realized that Kevin had many more gifts than me. Of course, that was because he didn't want anything big and I had asked for a tablet this year. I finally got to open a Samsung Galaxy Note, which I really enjoy and I'll use a lot while I'm in grad school. We spent the rest of the day playing a couple of board games that Kevin had gotten and then going to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner. Then we sent Kevin back, because he had to work, and I went to bed shortly afterward.
Last Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas I preached my second sermon ever, to my home church. I was nervous, but I also felt more prepared than before, and when it came to actually delivering the sermon, I felt really good about it. I'm pleased that I've been able to improve over my last sermon and I'm looking forward to getting even more practice this next year.
I have also interviewed at both Children's hospital and Parkland hospital here in Dallas for my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education this summer. I will be working as a hospital chaplain for ten weeks this summer, and I'm sure it'll be an experience. Especially at one of these hospitals. The interviews went great, though, and I am actually looking forward to what I'll learn over the summer.
Other than that, I've been running around with my mom and having a good time in Grapevine, and now I am getting ready to head back to Ohio. I'll fly back tomorrow, and then leave on Sunday for a class in Iowa. It should be a great class, all about parish ministry, which I think I will love. Then I'll have a couple of weeks off in Ohio before I start my second full semester at Trinity!
Wish me luck.
It's been a busy Christmas with much traveling and family. I went with my parents to visit all of my family on my mom's side in Tulsa the weekend before Christmas. Tulsa had had an ice storm, but the roads were fine. It was actually fascinating to look at the trees and all the icicles. I know it's bad for the trees, but they were beautiful encased in ice. I had a very good time with my family. We exchanged small gifts and had a big Christmas dinner. It was nice to see cousins that I don't see very often and catch up with them. I also hand washed all the dishes from the sixteen person dinner, which I actually enjoyed doing and catching up with my aunts and cousins while I did it. I was also able to read on the way there and back by listening to a book on tape, since I can't actually read a book in the car without getting nauseous.
When we got back I celebrated my parents 32nd anniversary with them. I've always loved that their anniversary is two days before Christmas, so it's always been part of my Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, right after that is when I came down with my cold. It hit me pretty quickly and pretty hard, and I was sad that it happened just before Christmas Eve when my mom and I were planning on some Christmas cooking. I was basically kicked out of the kitchen, so I just had to talk with my mom while she baked cookies and got Christmas breakfast ready.
On Christmas Eve we went to church for a service at 6, and I was sad that I wasn't able to sing along with all the hymns. But it was still a lovely service, and I managed to sing Silent Night at about a tenor to finish the service. Then my brother came in and we decorated Christmas cookies. I had my own plate of cookies that I decorated and ate over the next few days in an attempt to not get my family sick.
Christmas was fantastic. I got up first and came downstairs and sat on the couch by the lit Christmas tree and read for awhile before everyone else woke up. Then as my family got up and came out to the living room, we ate our traditional breakfast and Kevin and I opened our stockings. Santa brought me a duck shaped tea infuser this year, which floats on top of my teacup while it makes tea. It is adorable, and I can't wait to use it on cold Ohio nights.
I have always sat by the tree on Christmas and passed out gifts, and this year was no exception, despite my cold. Usually I also reorganize the gifts under the tree leading up to Christmas so there will be a nice order to passing out gifts. I hadn't done that this year, but I was still trying to be even in passing out gifts to my parents, Kevin, and myself. But then I quickly realized that Kevin had many more gifts than me. Of course, that was because he didn't want anything big and I had asked for a tablet this year. I finally got to open a Samsung Galaxy Note, which I really enjoy and I'll use a lot while I'm in grad school. We spent the rest of the day playing a couple of board games that Kevin had gotten and then going to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner. Then we sent Kevin back, because he had to work, and I went to bed shortly afterward.
Last Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas I preached my second sermon ever, to my home church. I was nervous, but I also felt more prepared than before, and when it came to actually delivering the sermon, I felt really good about it. I'm pleased that I've been able to improve over my last sermon and I'm looking forward to getting even more practice this next year.
I have also interviewed at both Children's hospital and Parkland hospital here in Dallas for my summer of Clinical Pastoral Education this summer. I will be working as a hospital chaplain for ten weeks this summer, and I'm sure it'll be an experience. Especially at one of these hospitals. The interviews went great, though, and I am actually looking forward to what I'll learn over the summer.
Other than that, I've been running around with my mom and having a good time in Grapevine, and now I am getting ready to head back to Ohio. I'll fly back tomorrow, and then leave on Sunday for a class in Iowa. It should be a great class, all about parish ministry, which I think I will love. Then I'll have a couple of weeks off in Ohio before I start my second full semester at Trinity!
Wish me luck.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Dinner
Tonight I cooked again. I made hazelnut crusted chicken with a creamy gorgonzola sauce, but I couldn't find hazelnuts when I was shopping, so mine was really walnut crusted chicken. It turned out well, but I'd recommend being careful if making this in a small apartment - the chicken was getting smoky when I was cooking it and my smoke alarm started going off.
Ingredients
- 2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts, available on baking aisle
- 4 (6-ounce) pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup Gorgonzola
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, plus extra for garnish – substitute 1 teaspoon dried sage and stir into sauce, if fresh is not available
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix flour, poultry seasoning and garlic powder in a dish. Beat egg whites in a shallow plate or bowl. Place hazelnuts on a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on a cutting board or work surface.
Preheat a nonstick skillet with oven safe handle over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn in flour to dust the breasts, then turn in egg whites, then press breasts into nuts on both sides. Wash hands. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and add chicken. Brown the nuts and chicken 2 minutes on each side then transfer to the oven and finish cooking the chicken through, about 8 minutes.
In a small pot, warm milk over medium heat. Add cheese and melt it into the milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped sage and simmer 5 minutes.
To serve, place chicken on plates and pour a couple of spoons of the Gorgonzola sauce over the center of each piece. Garnish with chopped sage.
-Kat
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Mac and Cheese
Today I realized that I may not actually have time to cook all week, so I decided to make a decent sized batch of my favorite macaroni and cheese with chicken and broccoli so I can have leftovers later.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
- 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar
- 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
Directions
Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.
Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.
To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.
While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.
Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.
Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.
-Kat
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Hobo Pack
I have not had the chance to cook for myself lately, but tonight I decided to whip up one of my favorite healthy meals - all wrapped up in foil.
The recipe is easy. Put chicken, lots of fresh veg, and a bit of olive oil into two layers of foil; wrap up tightly and cook for an hour or so, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken can be cut with a fork. Voila!
-Kat
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Orange Beef
Tonight I cooked again. The recipe for this week was orange beef, and it turned out fantastically. But the sauce doesn't really thicken up, so I might use some corn starch next time I make it. I also could not find snap peas at the store, so I had to substitute regular peas instead.
prep time:25 min |
start to finish:25 min |
makes:2 servings |
| 1/2 | lb beef boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips |
| 1 | cup reduced-sodium beef broth |
| 2 | tablespoons teriyaki stir-fry sauce |
| 1 | tablespoon orange marmalade |
| Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne) | |
| 1 | box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen sugar snap peas |
| 3/4 | cup uncooked fine egg noodles (1 1/2 oz) |
| 1. | Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in skillet 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Remove beef from skillet; keep warm. |
| 2. | Add broth, stir-fry sauce, marmalade and red pepper to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pea pods and noodles; reduce heat to medium. Cover; cook about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender. |
| 3. | Stir in beef. Cook uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. -Kat |
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
For a Cold Day
I have a cold at the moment, so tonight I needed something hot and spicy to eat. I made chili for the first time in my life!
-Kat
It turned out quite well and, at least for awhile, it cleared up my sinuses. All in all a good recipe, and in case you want to make it yourself, here it is!
Ingredients
Directions
-Kat
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