Monday, September 24, 2007

Oh Etsy...

My current obsession is Etsy. It's fabulous and if you've never checked it out ,DO it! Mind you, only if you're willing to give up lots of time looking at all the amazing things and money to buy those said things.

I'm in Broad Street Cafe, where I usually am on Monday mornings. I come here to try and get some work done, but today has not been so successful. Last week, I somehow managed to knock out a paper before noon, but today's time has been eaten away by music, checking email and the black hole that is Facebook. Don't get me wrong, I love knowing about my friends' and classmates' personal life in a pseudo-stalkerish way, but I think I might need to limit my Facebook involvement. It creeps me out how much I care about what is going on in that world.

I'll leave you with a few things that I desperately want from Etsy right now:




Friday, September 21, 2007

Even though our guest speaker is Scottish...

I am in class and supposed to be paying attention, but alas, I am not. By Friday, I am so saturated with information and have given so much rapt attention, that I cannot even pretend to be a good student.
This weekend is my Spiritual Formation retreat in Chapel Hill. Apparently, the whole retreat is supposed to be silent: no cell phones, no computers, no Ipods, no schoolwork, no talking. I can deal (obviously) with the no schoolwork and technology rules, but I think it will be quite difficult to refrain from speaking. I know that the point is to silence our selves and the world and to focus wholly on God. I know that I need this. It’s just that there are really only two things that can result from that kind of silence; either you rest or you wrestle. I crave rest. I want to rest in God’s goodness and blessing and attempt to calm my soul in the midst of this busy new life. What I fear is that God will take this time to reveal something in me or to me. It’s not that I don’t want to listen to God and to know His heart; I would just really like to rest. Perhaps this is selfish. I just feel as if this has been a season of revelation, and I need some processing time.

Travis began his new job this week at the North Carolina Center for Death Penalty Litigation. It’s quite random that this job just fell into his lap. But then again, was it really random? I mean, what a unique experience. I have to say, I’m a little jealous. Here I am, going to school to eventually work at a place like that, and Travis already is. I am excited to hear the stories that he will come home with and to be challenged by this process and how God’s justice is working.

Well, it’s come to that time again; I want more tattoos! Well, I at least want to add something to the heart on my right forearm. I got the outline with the intention that I would add something soon after, but that was a year and a half ago and it remains just an outline. Ideally, I would love to add text in or around it, but I don’t know if it will work because it’s pretty small.

I also feel like I am in the mood for all new clothes. I don’t feel particularly attached to any of the things I own. Of course, that requires money, which I don’t have. So I want to buy pieces slowly. I am torn between my various tastes and styles. Some days I feel like dressing classically, RL oxford or polo, nice jeans or khakis, you know, J. Crew and such. Other days I love the trendy look: drapey shirts and chunky jewelry and loud patterns. Basically, I don’t know what to invest in. I was watching the Today show this morning and they had a segment on the particular pieces that every woman should shell out the big bucks for bc they never go out of style. They chose a nice brown leather bag, a tailored blazer, fitted designer jeans, a classy cardigan and charcoal gray trousers. I loved all the pieces they chose, so I think I’m going to take their advice. Several of the things were from J. Crew and Banana Republic, two of my favorites. Bahhhh, I'm such a girl.

Got to go pretend to pay attention.
Peace.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The end is like the beginning

So yet again, I begin. Blogs and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. I want to be faithful to writing. I want to write thoughtful, witty posts. But I also want to try to get two masters degrees in 4 years. We'll see if either of these two goals actually happen.
It's mid-September and I am in the fourth (i think?) week of my first year of divinity school at Duke. If anyone is unfamiliar with div school, it's helpful to know that my husband, Travis, calls it Jesus Academy. It's where you go to learn how/why to do ministry. Or to read and write about it, at least. Most people there want to pastor a church. I don't because a) that scares me and b) I think I'm supposed to do something else. Don't ask me what that something else is, cause I sure as hell don't know. My hope is that I'll be accepted to a dual-degree program that includes two years at Duke (for a Masters of Divinity) and then two years at UNC-Chapel Hill (for a Masters of Social Work). At the end of four years, I'll either be dead, or be equipped to serve as a counselor, at a non-profit, etc.
One of the best parts of going to Duke is living in North Carolina. Seriously, it makes every day so much better. The greenery, the weather, the way people here care about recycling, the way that it doesn't take 6 hours to get out of the state: all wonderful. Living in a house also really rocks. It's quiet and cozy and I don't have to climb any stairs with groceries and we have a backyard. Simply amazing. I want to start a garden it the backyard. Just some flowers, herbs and things that can survive no matter what. You know, to boost my gardening confidence a little bit. We'd like to put a grill and some patio furniture on the deck, but to buy any of those things would mean not eating or paying rent. Alas.

I want community. For some reason, I had this picture in my head that we would move here and automatically have close friends and we would hang out at each other's places all the time and go to flea markets and on roadtrips. While I've met some really cool people, even clicked with a few, I don't feel like we get to see each other, or really have even gotten to know each other better. I want to foster that community, but I don't know what the next natural step is. I know that I can't create community by my own actions, but I want to be proactive. I feel like Travis and I have alot to offer. I know that sounds funny, but we do! We'd love to have people to pour into and to be challenged by. And we have a great house for hanging out, a fun dog and great tastes in music, movies, books, food :)
So potential friends, step right up.

I like my classes. But writing papers still sucks. My scottie dog is napping and I want to join her. Booooo.