Spring Break '08

This past week was my spring break and I opted to go for more of a Chicago style spring break instead of the beach. Um, actually it was a decision that my bank account made for me:) But I am thankful for the chance to have a slower week around here. This semester has been busy so it was nice to have a chance to play a little around here. My friend Kelsey stuck around as well so we had some adventures around town (That's us taking the very touristy picture of our reflection in the bean). I'm also proud (or not so proud) to report that I finished watching all the episodes of Felicity. I also managed to finish my taxes and give my room a good cleaning which revealed a long lost flip-flop that has been missing since this past summer.


Another spring break accomplishment that I'm not so proud to report is that I managed to get into my first Chicago car accident. Oh yes, it's true and it was totally my fault. But everyone was ok (except my poor car) and it's already being fixed. So for the time being I am enjoying driving a nice red Ford Focus from Enterprise and eating my humble pie.




Kelsey and I also took in a historical Chicago event on Saturday morning as the Chicago river was dyed green (for St. Patty's day). Having never witnessed this before I didn't really think that the river could get much greener but apparently I was wrong. The dump all this dye in which looks orange at first and then eventually turns the river bright green. As we stood there among the crown waiting to witness this unique event Kelsey asked, "How do you think those geese feel about this whole thing". I can't imagine that it's fun for them to now live in florescent green water but who knows. I'm glad I can add this experience to my list of things I've seen in my life.

So that was my spring break, a pretty good week all in all. Plus today I wasn't feeling well at all but that gave me more of an excuse to watch basketball and get excited for March Madness. Some other things that I'm looking forward to is my trip to Baltimore this week to spend Easter weekend with some of my family and then the week after that Sophie is coming to Chicago for her Spring Break. For now, I'm going to bed to fit off this cold.

Women's Retreat

As an intern with UMIN we all work together on somethings but then are other things that we work on by ourselves. My main responsibility this semester was heading up a Women's Retreat. It's funny to me that this is where I was pouring in most of my time because I typically would not be the type of person who would sign up for a women's retreat. As stressful as it was at times to make sure that everything was getting done to make this weekend work I'm glad that I had the chance to be apart of this retreat. I was struck by how many amazing women I have met in the past year and a half of being back around NPU. So many of these girls I can call my friends and I look forward to our coffee dates and conversations throughout the week. I have the tendency to get caught up in the details of pulling off a weekend like this and I forget the people that will be involved. So sitting there on the floor Friday night it was moving for me to look around the room and realized how much I love those girls. I think that there has been apart of me that still hasn't gotten over my time as dean at CBC and my ministry there. What I mean is that I wasn't really sure how I would ever really love students as deeply as I had at CBC. But this weekend helped realize that I have moved past that and thst my time here in Chicago has been made so rich by the students that I have gotten to know here.

Still on "break"...

It's been about a month since I've written any blogs and while I still haven't started classes yet there has been quite a bit going on. While January was a break from homework I did not have as much down time as I thought I would. I'm not complaining though because it's all been really good for me and such a needed break from the normal routine of school.

At the beginning of January I took a week long class called "adolescent issues and assessment". I wasn't sure what I was really getting into but I thought it was a good deal to get another 3 credits out of the way. It ended up being a really intense week because every adolescent issue that we talked about would remind me of a student that I have known with the issue and most days just made me really sad. But it also reminded me of how much I love working with students and that is why I am in school. An intense week but a good reality check.

The middle of the month found me back in Colorado working with a team of people to pull off Powderburn again (it's a weekend high school ski retreat that the front range Covenant Churches put on). I helped plan the main sessions this year and had a blast working with my good friends to great meaningful times for students (and the rest of us) to encounter Christ. Somehow God used us and it was a great weekend. A little mountain air never hurt either, man I love Colorado. I also put in a total of 2 runs at Winter Park and was probably the most high maintenance skier that I've ever been! Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Before we took over for the weekend...
Friday night Worship...
Sunday Morning Communion...

January ended with the Covenant Midwinter conference in Chicago. It is always great to see everyone who comes into town for this event. There are plenty of late memories over overpriced food at the Hyatt. But it's weeks like midwinter that make me thankful that the Covenant is small and that I am so connected to people that I dearly love. I helped coordinate the worship connection again this year and while it was tons of work it was a great weekend and a great experience.

So that was pretty much my January. Well all that and the fact that I had a birthday and am now 27...yikes! My next semester start on Monday and as much as I have loved not having homework I am excited to get back into a "normal" routine. Also our semester starting means that we are just getting closer to the day when the snow will melt and we won't have to wear 5 layers to go outside!

A Christmas break montage (of sorts)

It's hard to believe that Christmas break has come and gone already! I'm back in Chicago after being in Colorado for 3 weeks. It was a really great break filled with tons of downtime...maybe to much downtime! But downtime with family and friends is something that I can never get enough of. Some of the highlights were Bob and Rachel's wedding, Sophie's birthday, the "Blue Hair" Family Christmas party, Christmas Eve at Ben and Michele's, a White Christmas day, and some New Years puzzle making. I've heard that a picture says a million words, so here are some pics (ok maybe a lot of pictures) from the break...

BOB AND RACHEL'S WEDDING...

The Happy Couple

Me and Ben...and rachel's flowers, I'm not sure how Ben ended up with those

BLUE HAIR FAMILY CHRISTMAS...

3/4 of the "Blue Hairs" (missing Teri)...love these ladies!
Robin, Gloria, and my Mom

Laura and I...she is the only one that Bill could talk into wearing the antlers

Dave looks like Harry Potter

CHRISTMAS EVE...

The Fam

Making Dinner...soup and mini grilled cheese, awesome!

A WHITE CHRISTMAS DAY...

On a walk with Soph and Dad

Digging in

Mom and Grandma

NEW YEARS...

We headed up to the very cold mountains as soon as they reopened I-70...you don't even want to know how many times I tried to take this picture

Waiting at the weird stoplight at the tunnel...I like these ladies a lot!

Group pic...Cav and Ev are there behind the balloon

And then this is what we did the rest of the time, a puzzle...it was awesome

Well congratulations, you made it through all the pictures. Christmas really was great, I feel very rested and it was so good to be with good friends and my family. There is just something about going home that feels so safe and familiar. That said, I am very thankful for my life in Chicago too. I was realizing that it is unusual to feel so at home in two different places but for right now I'm thankful that I have a foot in Chicago and Colorado. This year has flown by and I have learned way to much to put into words, but I do know that I am thankful for what has happened and I'm excited about what will happen. At a church service that I went to last weekend the pastor talked about approaching the new year standing still for awhile and reflecting on what you just did...take a breath...what just happened?...then using that to help you move forward. I like the image of taking a breath while standing between last year and the coming year, that's what I hope I can do in this month that I still have before classes start. Yea for long breaks...!

Sophie's Sweet 16

Sophie turned 16 yesterday!
So we had a party!

Even Chloe showed up for the party...
Here we are recreating a picture that was taken on her 2nd birthday (the part of Loye Don Williams III was played by Amanda Tate)
My mom sat down once...here it is...
Sophie is such a blessing to our family and to her friends, I think she had fun!

Happy Birthday Sofa Girl!

Light of the World

Tonight was one of my favorite College Life services, the candlelight one. And then this morning at church they also had a candlelight service. I always get choked up and candle light services, I usually think it's because I'm home for Christmas and I'm just emotional. But this year I've have felt different about advent and these services today helped me make some sense of it I think. I have always loved advent, I like the anticipation that builds when we light candles one by one and wait for Christmas day and ultimately wait for the coming of Christ. There has always been something inside of me that just loved that feeling but this year I think I'm starting to understand that I don't fully get what Christ's birth means to the world. I wait for Christmas because it is such a joyful time for me to be home and such. But I'm realizing that our world longs for Christmas because they long for Christ, they long for Hope.

In a staff mtg that I was in last week we all reflected on the line from O Little town of Bethlehem that say "The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in they tonight". Do I really get what it means for all of my hopes and all of my fears to be met in Christ? I can honestly say that I have never felt completely hopeless but I am aware of many people around me who are hopeless and who need to anticipate the birth of Christ.

Another line that has been in my head this week is from O Holy Night and says " Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the souls felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." There are people everywhere who are weary in the depth of their souls, not just a weariness that a week on the beach would cure. But a weariness that only Christ can break into. I think that I just feel overwhelmed by all of the hopeless and weary things that I know of in people's lives today but in the midst of that I can't help but feel the weight of what it means that the light of Christ broke into a dark world. This Christmas is no different, we still desperately need the light of Christ to break into situations and people.

So I think I'm starting to get it, I think I understand why something in me is always stirred by the visual sight of a congregation lighting each others candles and singing "Light of the world, Light of the world, Light of the world you shine upon us..."

Thanksgiving and more

Well I haven't been doing to well at keeping things up to date on here so sorry about that. Things are going well and I'm looking at just one more full week of classes and then finals left to this semester...yea! That said I have also officially switched my degree from a MACF (Masters of Christian Formation) to an MDIV (Masters of Divinity). What this means is that I will not be graduating this may but instead I will be wearing that lovely hat in May of '09. There are several things that led to this switch for me but I feel pretty good about it. I will be able to have my same internship working with the undergrad students here next year and the thought of being with the same students 2 years in a row is really exciting. And it will be pretty sweet to be able to have my MDIV! Now I'm just praying that they extend my scholarship!

I was also able to be home for Thanksgiving a few weeks ago and got some pretty relaxing (maybe to relaxing) time with the Fam. My Aunt from Louisiana and Cousin from Texas came out to and it was great to see them as well. Here are some pics from the weekend...

The Whole Fam (minus Tate who is taking the picture)

The Wysocki Clan...including the most doted on dog ever

The Gerber clan... chloe is not cooperating

Kristen, Laura, Tate, and I on our downtown Christmas light adventure

Nothing says Merry Christmas like some free Salvation Army hot chocolate!