A long while...

It has been an eternity since I last posted (Ok, not quite that long but it has been a long time). Last school year was a long, hard and busy year. I was working, schooling and doing Field Education at a local church. I was busy, busy, busy. When school ended in May my being busy didn't. I went from school straight into Clinical Pastoral Education at a local New Jersey Hospital. It was an experience that forced me to grow in amazing ways. Hopefully soon I will post more in depth about my summer experience because it definitely can't be summed up in a few sentences. After CPE was over I studied for my Ordination exams which I took in August. I am also proud to announce I passed all those exams! I also survived my first Hurricane (I spent the time being crafty, see above). Then before I knew it I was back at September again with the start of my third and final year of seminary looming before me (Prof. Kenda Creasey Dean preached at convocation). Needless to say it has been a packed year. Along with all the things mentioned above my mom also came and visited, I got to spend an awesome week in South Carolina, I became a candidate for ministry in the PCUSA and most recently I turned 24! So to inaugurate my return to the blog I found the best way to share what I have been up to is through pictures. Enjoy!

New Year With A Chance Of Snow

Happy New Year!!!

I am not a big New Years person. It seems like a fine holiday but not one that really excites me all that much. I feel like 2011 just kinda appeared. 2010 was not all that exciting for me, frankly it was just another year. I am hoping that 2011 brings some fun adventures and good times, and perhaps turns out to be a little more memorable.

I spent the holidays in P-town. While I was chilling on the West Coast the East Coast got blanketed with snow. By the time I got back it was mostly mush. I was worried that I had missed out on the winter snow, but lucky me the East saved some snow for me. Since I have been back we have had three snowstorms with the latest one bringing a good six to eight inches of snow. It has brought me to conclude that God does answer prayers, just in God's own time. See, I spent the greater part of my childhood praying for snow. I remember promising I would do all my homework if only God would let it snow so we could have a snow day. Growing up where an inch of snow was enough to shut down the city my prayers dripped with the desperate hope of a child longing for a single day of snow fun. Well, I can say that more often than not my prayers were met with nothing more than the dribble,dribble of rain drops. As the winter has progressed here this year I have come to realize that it is not that God was refusing to answer my prayers God was just waiting to answer them when God decided it was a good time. My prayers for snow have been answered. I am surrounded by more snow than any native Pacific Northwestern kid could possible know what to do with.

I think I also know why God waited. When I was a kid I told myself I would never turn into one of those adults that despised snow because rather than seeing it as an opportunity to take a break they saw it as a frustrating obstacle. I think this year I have come close to becoming one of those adults, so focused on getting things done that I forget to stop every once in a while and take a break. So God gave me snow.

Happily snow stuck,

Amanda

Busy, and a roasted pig...

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted! Since then Alumni week came and went, and with that brought a visit from my good friend Ms. K.P. That was followed by a conference on Emerging Adulthood which brought a visit from my good friend Ms. J.M. It was great to get to spend time with some friends from the Pacific Northwest to give me a taste of all that I miss.

The picture I posted is from alumni week. They really stepped up the dining experience for the week the Alumni were here and that included whole roasted pigs at lunch one day. I couldn't resist having my picture taken next to one of them.

Halloween has come and gone as well. The Youth Group wanted to go trick-or-treating so I took six of them. We had quite the variety of costumes from a teletubby to superman. The kids had a good time and of course went home with a good share of candy.

I am excited for Thanksgiving break, despite not getting to go home I do get a few days off work and will be enjoying the opportunity to relax.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! May it be filled with lots of good food and friends.

Peace,

Amanda

Fall

Fall is definitely here. All the tree's are changing to all sorts of shades of gorgeous red's, yellow's and orange's. The leaves are sprinkling the ground getting nice and crunchy. I love to go walk across the Princeton Campus stomping on the leaves as I go. The two kids that I watch are enjoying the Fall weather as well. The other day we were playing in the back yard and they were enjoying catapulting the bounty of colorful leaves off their slide. It looked like a colorful waterfall!

Living in a dorm, I miss getting to carve pumpkins. I think carving pumpkins is probably one of my favorite Fall activities. I also miss getting to bake the pumpkin seeds and eat them as a snack. I also miss buying apples from the apple man. When I was growing up down the street from my house just before my birthday there was a house that would sell apples. I would always get to go down there and buy all sorts of apples. I particularly liked going to buy apples from the "apple man" as he was so named because he had these tiny miniature apples. I loved to take them in my lunch!

Well, despite not getting to visit the apple man and not being able to carve pumpkins I am still enjoying Fall. My new tradition has been afternoon walks with warm apple cider.

Hope Fall is treating you well,

Amanda

Small World

My picture for today is of the local coffee shop where I spend a great deal of my time studying. It is called Small World Coffee, it is a small family owned business. I like going there because it has a little flavor of Portland to it.

The first few weeks of school have flown by which I am grateful for. You see I am not very good with middle times. Seminary is three years long and the first year is exciting simply because it is new, and the last year is exciting and terrifying because it is the end and you have to start looking towards what you are called to do next. But the middle year that I am currently endeavoring is not exciting or particularly interesting for any of those reasons. It is somewhat exciting being that you get thrown into interning at a church, but other then that it is the same old thing as the year before. I am not saying I am bored. I have plenty to keep me busy things are just a little more mundane. I understand though that you have to learn to walk before you can run, and this year particularly thanks to field ed. I am learning to walk before I hopefully run.

Peace,

Amanda

Youth Group

I have done field ed. for two whole Sundays thus far. This last Sunday I took the high school youth group canoeing. It was an adventure to say the least. I had difficulty getting adults to help me drive and then I couldn't get a straight answer about how many youth were planning on going. It all worked out ok in the end I had 9 youth go and found an adult to help.

By the time we got to the canoeing place it started to sprinkle, and the first question i got when we got out of the car after driving 45 minutes to the canoeing place was, "Amanda, its raining! Are we still going to go?" My response was a tame version of a maniacal laugh and the reassurance that "Indeed, we were still going".

All the kids ended up enjoying it and no one drowned so I figure I am not going to be kicked to the curb yet.

No picture for today, hopefully one tomorrow.

peace,

Amanda

New room!

I am starting off my second year of seminary on the same floor in the same dorm, but I have a different room. It is a suite which means there are two rooms that share a common room. Lucky me there is no one in the other room so I get a small room and the common room all to myself. There are brief moments that I almost forget I am in grad school and still living in a dorm. The other thing which excites me about having this room is that it comes with extra windows which allows for ample viewing of the changing seasons.

Here is a glimpse of the new space, I am still settling in.