Midterms!

hard to believe that it's midterms already, but here they are.

Over the weekend I've been working on the Hebrew quiz-that-passes-for-a-midterm take home, and writing up an outline for my one-hour take home essay for Church History. Then we've got reading week break from Wednesday, Oct. 22nd until Tuesday, October 28th! Unfortunately, I'll need to write a paper for Old Testament and get at least the first half or so done on my Ministry Studies uber-paper, all before or after our brief jaunt back to Staunton. We'll only be there for Saturday, unfortunately, as James has rehearsals he has to be back for on Sunday. Pity.

At the moment I'm updating because I just don't want to go back and finish the last page of my Hebrew homework, as I understand personal possessive pronouns pretty well, and constructs get old after awhile. Mostly I need to just start memorizing vocabulary again...add that to my list for next week.

Actually, this weekend was a nice break; Aunt Sarah came to visit and so do Christine/Aunt Bean, and we all went out today to pick pumpkins with Katie. I really want to be excited about Halloween, but I'm having trouble since everything costs money. Bleugh. And I need to get my hair cut something fierce, but finding the time without Katie (who also needs a trim) is hard. Mostly we're just trying to help James out with his next week and a half, as he's got two shows going up at the same time and far too much work to do. I wish the commute wasn't so hard on him. And then there's the election. I'm very concerned for this country, and I'm trying to vote early, so I sent off my absentee application today. I just hope I get it in time!

OH! Here's some update-worthy news! It's pretty darn official now: I got my passport in the mail and I've paid for my trip to South Africa this winter! I'm going on the January intensive trip/class to study post-apartheid theology and the Belhar confession! I am so excited. I havne't been out of the country since I went to Germany after graduating high school, so it's bound to be very enlightening and eye opening. I really like my ministry studies class. It has the appearance of being very easy, until you really think about applying principals of community organizing and the near-scientific study of HOW to accomplish a ministry to your practice...and suddenly I can see why so many churches take the easy way out and opt to do programs and events that don't really impact the community. I'm trying to get more involved in Wyckoff Reformed church, but it's hard with my class schedule; the committees meet weekdays when I'm in class, so I'm starting with the food pantry that meets on Thursday mornings at 9am next door.

Otherwise the next big thing I really MUST do soon is put out some applications for Clinical Pastoral Education intensives this summer. I've GOT to get that out of the way--there just isn't time to do that during the school year if I'm watching Katie too. Then I'll need to do the same thing next summer, and finally have some sort of part-time job my final year. It's a lot to think about, but I've just got to do it. I must admit, I feel out of the loop compared to most of the rest of my classmates, who have full time preaching and pastoring positions already. They've got all kinds of real life experience, and every now and then I catch myself thinking something negative about staying home with Katie during the day--but I don't really feel that way. I'm very glad to get to be with her. She's learning so fast; she's talking in sentences! Short ones, but they're sentences! And she's almost ready to potty-train; she can tell when she needs to go. It's pretty funny, actually.

Well, I'm signing off before I describe more about Katie's day than my own, and I'll go hit the Hebrew until midnight or so; then I'm going to bed. G'nite!