I am Still Here

It has been a while since I checked in and since today was my first day of my yearlong residency at Children’s Medical Center. First things first I still LOVE my new apartment. Me and my roommate are doing well and once everything finds a home everything will be perfect. Frankie is still not sure about all the noises outside but he is generally happy wherever Mom (that’s me) is. Tonight we have a welcome to the Village dinner at the Country club. (a side – I honestly never thought that I would be a person who belongs to a country club so I fill like I need to explain, they call it the village country club but really it is more like a community center. They have a workout room, tennis, pool and stuff like that. There is no golf course and membership is a benefit of being a resident.) So that should be cool. At lest it is free food.

As for my first day at Children’s. It was long, It was boring, and I am tired. I will be back to Wednesday after orientation is over and the “real” work begins. I still have moment of “OMG what have I gotten myself into” but I think that feeling will lessen but I am not sure it will ever go away. I will let you kow.

It Takes a Village . . .

The REALLY big news is I have an apartment but the story is so cool I have to share. Friday, July 13 around 3:30 pm I get a call from my good friend Trisha. Trisha knew I wanted to get an apartment and would prefer to have a roommate but the share was not going well. Anyway Trisha call me and said that she there was a women that she worked with that was looking for a roommate and she felt that we would get along.


Trisha “Are you free tonight?”
Me “Yes”
Trisha “Would you mind being set up on a blind date?”
Me “Sounds great, what’s the plan?”


So the three of us, Trisha, Vicki, and me meet that evening for Tapas. We talked about what we wanted in an apartment, our habits, the fact that I have dog, all things you discuss when thinking about living with someone. And as you can imagine we also had the religion discussion me being (well in the process of) Minster. Vickie assured me she had no problem with that as long as I didn’t mind that she was Hindu. This was my response “your Hindu that is SSSOOOO cool.” Could I be any more of a religion nerd?


Moving forward, after a few hours of food and good conversation Vikkie and I made plans to meet the next day to look at some apartments that we, individual had been looking at. So the next morning we meet, looked at three apartments, and by 2 pm we where filling out the lease paperwork.


It’s a brand new complex so we will be the first people to ever live in our apartment. It has a great location to shopping, grocery, there is a HUGE bookstore practically across the street which is right next to a drive thru Starbucks, hello caffeine. The complex is part of what they call an apartment community knows as "The Village" that is made up of something like 40,000 people. As members of this community we get free membership in “The Country Club”, which has a tennis courts, sports ledges as well as a restaurant and a bar. We also get access to a concierge service, which does everything from maid service, to gift wrapping, dry cleaning, and flower delivery. Of course you have to pay for that stuff. Kind of cool right.


Vickie has to be out of her old apartment by the end of the month and once we got all of our stuff together (proof that I will be working at Children so that can get a discount, insurance, electricity, ect.) we meet today (Wednesday) during Vickie’s lunch hour and signed our lease and got our keys and remotes to the gate (sound of keys being shook and laughter of excitement).


We plan to start moving some stuff in this weekend. There proble will be very little moving for me since I have to preach (poutie face) . (Whiny) “I want to play with my new toy and I write a stupid sermon. Boo, Hiss.” My guess is that we will probably move the big stuff (bed, dresser, TV, ect.) out of the storage unit, there home for the past two years, maybe the last weekend of the month but I don’t think that I (and Frankie) will move in permanently until the middle of August. Me “you are so sweet, thank you for offering, I would love your help moving. Do you have pickup truck or access to one?

RevGal Friday Five . . . Hot Town, Summer in the City...

...or town, or suburb, or hamlet, or burg, or unincorporated zone, or rural area of your choice---pretty much anywhere but the southern hemisphere, it's summer. (Australians and others, consider this an invitation to take a break from winter for a while.)

1. Favorite summer food(s) and beverage(s)
   I find it difficult ranking things but here are the first things that come to my head (1) summer salad [bell peppers, green onion, lemon juice, and cottage cheese, thing my family invented] (2) lemon chills at an amusement park (3) push-ups, (4) cherry lemonaid, (5) I have to stop now because I SO VERY hungry and this isn’t helping
   
2. Song that "says" summer to you. (Need not be about summer explicitly.)
   Once again difficult to rank (1) Summertime, Porgy and Bess, (2) Summertime, DJ Jazzy Smith and the Fresh Prince, (3) the theme song to Cadyshake, (4) the theme song to National Lampoons Vacations, (5) The Boys of Summer, Don Henley, (6) Low Rider, War, (7) Summer Nights, Grease, (8) just about anything you can snag to (somehow I managed to live in South Carolina and never learn, (9) and of course the afor referenced Lovin' Spoonfulf song of summer, which I have always thought was "hot time, summer in the city", (10) I could go on but I will stop now . . .
   
3. A childhood summer memory
   If you consider the teens year childhood, it would have to the Mission Trip that my youth group took to Wyoming. I just felt like everything I had always wanted was finally falling in place and that’s all I going to say about that.
   
4. An adult summer memory
   The summer I spent working for a church Myrtle Beach. I would spending time with my friend Stacy M. tanning on the beach on a fairly regular basis. I miss Stacy M. and I also miss the beach but I really miss my friend (she now lives in the Northeast). Now I am sad . . .
   
5. Describe a wonderful summer day you'd like to have in the near future. (weather, location, activities)
   Three words beach, beach, and that right the beach. It would be before the oppressive heat takes over. As for a specific beach, as long at it connects to the ocean and has sand I am a happy girl. Finally, I have to be miles away from anything that resembles a schedule. Lying on the beach for hours preferable with an adult beverage with a little umbel or tropical fruit protruding from the top, swimming, body surfing, mid-afternoon naps, dress for casual dinners. This how ever is very unlikely to happen in my near future.

Optional: Does your place of worship do anything differently in the summer? (Fewer services, casual dress, etc.)
Not really . . . the youth and children generally dress more casually but that is about it. Our head of staff usually goes out of town for a major portion of the summer as well. Which is good for me because it has created an opening in the worship leadership schedule for everyone’s favorite fascicle preacher (I refer you to the two posts proceeding this one). However we have decided to permanently change a few this summer. We just start workshop rotation for the children Sunday school (it about time) and we changed the timing of the 9:35.9:45 service and classes. I still haven’t figured out what that’s all about. We are also having only one adult Sunday School this summer. I am teaching the class on the Presbyterian Church's understanding of Gal 3:28 with regard to women in the church. (with sense of sincere excitement) I can't wait, I am SO excited. We also add two new staff members (yeah Kristin & Jeremy). So far they have my stamp of approval, not that that in anyway matters to anyone but me.

The break of "I will never . . . "

I am currently doing something that I said I would NEVER do. Something that you can do for free at hundreds of thousands other place in the world. (Sheepishly) I am currently using, and paying for, an Internet connection at Starbucks (hang my head in shame), please don't tell anyone. (with disgust) I just don't understand why I have to pay $10 for only a one time 24 hours connection, when I can go to Atlanta Bread Co. or thousands of other eateries, bars, shops, and cafes where its free. But this is close to my house and . . . well . . . its not my house therefor it make a great place to write. I have been here for almost 5 & 1/2 hours (plus 3 or 4 hours yesterday) and I need a break from sermon-world. I am to lazy to get in my car and drive the mile to my house just so I can check my email. Maybe this will motivate me to come back tonight or even tomorrow because lets face it I get a lot more done than I do at home. I wouldn't leave until the sermon was done (what ever that looks like) but alas I must, at some point leave my sermon writing haven for need of a printer because I can't edit on a computer screen.

As for the sermon its a little wried because I have a feeling about this that I don't frequently have. I think this one might be good (which is a very forgien feeling for me because they usually feel terrible to me). But I have miles of words to go before I sleep, and miles of words to go before I sleep.

Back to the world of pay internet.

Oh Where, Oh Where, Could Miranda Have Gone

I promise I haven’t dropped of the face of the earth. Since it has been a month since I shared, I thought I would give the every popular bullet point run down of my life

• My trip to LA was AMAZING. We had so much fun. I can’t wait until our next trip.
• No the airline has yet to find my luggage & yes I have turned in all the appropriate paperwork to be compensated for its lost. (Even thought I know that it is at DFW under a counter somewhere, and no one is bothering to look at.)
• It is so cool to say I know where that is when I see LA stuff on TV. It’s sad how excited I was when Paris Hilton was taken back to jail how excited I was because I had driven by her house. Yes, I am aware that is very sad.
• My home church has hired a new youth minister and I am totally excited. First he went to Columbia, you don’t even know how amazing it is that they even looked at someone who went to Columbia. I haven’t done the exact math but if I had to guess I would say that 85% of the ministers we have EVER had went to Princeton. Second, he and I overlapped by one year. Even thought we didn’t hang out with the same group Columbia is so small that it’s hard to know just about everyone on campus. Much to my relief he did recognize me when he and his wife came for their on site interview. Finally, because we graduated from the same program I know that he has had a VERY good education and will have SO MUCH to offer our church. His first day is this Sunday.
• Today was the last day of VBS, thank God (oh did I type that out loud). It was a great week. Our theme was hot air balloons, which was kind of cool since that is a rather unique theme. I taught the discovery time which was a sciencie thing where we did very simple experiments that reinforced the message of the day. I had varying degrees of success but the kids seemed to like enjoy it and that is all that matters. Today we had local Ballooning group come out to the church and they were supposed to put up their balloons but alas the weather would not cooperate but they still set up the baskets and light the burners and the kids where able to look inside the baskets and touch part of the envelope which they would have not been able to do if they has been full of hot air. But it is now over and I am very, very, very tired.
• For the first time I have been extended an invitation to preach at my home church. You don’t even know what a big deal this is. I am and TOTALLY FREACKED OUT. I have preached for classmates and professors, strangers, most of my family, and church where I have done internships but there is something about this that makes its so much scarier. Between wanting to make my church family proud and the rarity receiving an invitation I haven’t been this anxious about preaching since my first sermon at seminary. So your prayers would be greatly appeared on June 24 and July 22.
• Since Crossroads (youth groupie thing for 4th & 5th grade) does not meet during the summer I have been hanging out with the youth and having a total fun time. I will return to my 4th and 5th graders in the fall but I have really enjoying the change.
• Today they aired the Bob Barkers last Price is Right and that makes me very sad. I am so glad that Terri and I had the opportunity to see him before he retired. He has had a lasting impact on most people born in the last 35 years and there is a little part of my child that is now gone.
• Still a little freaked about my residence at Children’s but that won’t change until I actually walk in the doors my first day on August 27.
• The Tour de France is almost here and it is going to be interesting with no clear front runner. July would not be July without the Tour.
• I have officially decided that Facebook is SO much better than My Space and it has become my new obsession.

I know there is more but that is all I can think for now.

RevGal Friday Five . . . Books, Books, and More Books

1. Fiction what kind, detective novels, historical stuff, thrillers, romance????
   the best answer I have at this moment is children’s literature. I am still recovering from seminary and have to struggle a persistent need to only read “work” related material.
   
2. When you get a really good book do you read it all in one chunk or savor it slowly?
   If I am a bored enough and the book is good enough I can read a book in one sitting but for the most part I stop and start.
   
3. Is there a book you keep returning to and why?
   There are several that read (or had read to me) when I was a child (refer to answer #1). I am not entirely sure why I like to reread them.
   
4. Apart from the Bible which non-fiction book has influenced you the most?
   Thought I know that they exist but after a week of VBS they have temporally been removed them from my brain.
   
5. Describe a perfect place to read. (could be anywhere!!!)
   Somewhere quiet (but not library quiet), with a variety of comfy places to sit, well light, blankets if it is cold, well air-conditioned if it is hot, and completely devoid of televisions (sadly I find it very hard to resist them).

Checking in on the Adventures on the Trip to LA

Terri and I have started a Travelblog to record our adventures on our quest to get on The Price is Right. We are going to try to give daily updates with pictures and maybe a video or two. So starting Sunday, May 20th look for me on:

Come On Down . . . The Trip of a Life Time

Say Hello to my Purple Friend

I once again feel like a whole person. My new phone arrived today and it is soooo cool. All I have to say is it's a limited addition PURPLE phone.

All I can Say is Gross

I am sorry but that is just not natural
A Sweet So Sour: Kool-Aid Dills

It Getting Harder and Harder to Breath . . .

Our tickets to Jay Leno (going not by my choice) arrived today in the mail. We got tickets for Monday and Wednesday. Well Wednesday is Price is Right Day so we can't possible go that day so Monday it is. I really like the group Maroon 5 and their new CD drops the week we are in LA and I thought the was a pretty good chance that they might be on Jay Leno when we are there. I know that schedule can change but right now Maroon 5 is scheduled to be on the day that we have tickets (I am not sure the onomatopoeia for screeching like a little girl at the top of my lungs but I am sure you can imagine.)

OMG, 9 days until we leave, 10 days until Maroon 5, and 12 days until The Price is Right. If next week doesn't come fast enough, I think I might die of over excitement.

RevGal Friday Five . . . Potato, Po-tah-to Edition

1. Mac? or PC?
   PC
2. Pizza: Chicago style, or New York?
   I am not sure if I have every had real Chicago (have never been there) or New York style pizza so I am not sure if I have enough information to make that call.
3. Brownies/fudge containing nuts: a) Good. I like the variation in texture. b) An abomination unto the Lord. The nuts take up valuable chocolate space.[or a response of your choosing]
   I don't might and will happily consume brownies with nuts but I would prefer they not be their.
4. Do you hang your toilet paper so that the "tail" hangs flush with the wall, or over the top?
   I am an over the top kind of girl because I have been told that you are less wasteful that way.
5. Toothpaste: Do you squeeze the tube wantonly in the middle, or squeeze from the bottom and flatten as you go?
   I don't use toothpaste in a tube.
   
   Bonus: Share your favorite either/or.
   Paper? or Plastic? When it comes to grocery bags paper, I like how they stand up by themselves. When it comes to money plastic because I never have have cash.
   Cat? or Dog? Yes, please. They are so different, they have very different thing that I love about them but they both provide unconditional love.