(One Semester Down, Three Semesters to Go... Three Classes Down, Twelve Classes to Go)
After reading more books than I can count, writing countless papers, and completing my first pilot study/research project I have officially concluded my first semester of doctoral studies. All in all, as far as workload is concerned, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected it to be.
I really liked one of my classes and learned a lot of valuable information overall! I am also glad to be finished with the introductory course and look forward to taking more classes focused on topics I am interested in. And, as the winter break comes to a close, I am looking forward to my interterm course that starts January 3 and the following spring semester.
As Chris has already mentioned we have also had time to go on some short adventures. We traveled to Galt to visit my mom’s step-sister’s brother’s family (that’s the family connection he couldn’t explain earlier) for Thanksgiving. We also went to San Francisco and many of the beaches along the coastline.
Over the break I have been reading diligently for my coming January course and enjoying time with Chris and Mo. We spent a day at Knotts Berry Farm, watched all four Shrek movies, went shopping with our Christmas gift cards, played the Wii for hours, enjoyed receiving countless Christmas cards from friends and family, and enjoyed a Christmas Eve service at church (they even rented a snow blower so there would be snow).
For those that have been asking about our church involvement we visited the youth service a few weeks ago and offered to help out. I couldn’t help feeling out of place and as though we were not really needed. Furthermore, those of you that know me well know how organized and plan-oriented I am . . . It did not seem fully organized, which drove me crazy! Furthermore, the more I thought about the youth service the more I had a huge issue with it from a theological standpoint. I just cannot support the idea of separating the youth from the greater body of the church . . . I am currently wrestling with whether or not I can help out with something I feel is not right. I realize ministry to large groups is drastically different than ministry with small groups but I just don’t think separate worship services is a part of that difference. I’m still praying about it and we’ll see where God leads us.
As for ministries and small groups for our age group we have been talking with some of the church staff. We noticed in the bulletin last week that a new ministry called “Connect” is starting up after the first of the year. We are looking forward to trying it out and connecting with some people our age. Overall, however, connecting in general has been much more difficult than we anticipated. We really miss our friends back east, but are more and more grateful for them everyday! We hope you’ll treasure the friends you have and take every opportunity possible to spend quality time with them!
--Megan
Friday, December 31, 2010
Christmas Break
Christmas break is about to wrap up. The two weeks off have been very nice, and much needed. It is great to have a couple of weeks to relax and recharge. This Christmas was different for us than any Christmas we have had. This was the first Christmas where it was just Megan and I, and no other family. Mailing Christmas presents and receiving packages that you can't open for a week is just strange to me.
Skype has been a wonderful thing, and at Christmas time, it was a true blessing. It was great to at least be able to "be together" over Skype with our families back on the east coast. We gave Megan's family a webcam so that we could finally skype with them, which we did a couple of days before Christmas. We then skyped on Christmas day with my family. Megan and I were both showered with a lot of great gifts.
We have been able to spend a lot of time together over the break. We went to Knott's Berry Farm, a theme park like Carowinds for those on the east coast, and had a great time there. We bought a season pass for the upcoming year, so I'm sure we will return several times this next year. The last couple days of the break will be spent watching college football, and preparing for the upcoming year. For me, that means preparing to teach AP Macroeconomics for the first time starting in a few weeks, and for Megan, that means preparing for her Interim class that starts on January 3rd.
While it may not have been a traditional Christmas, God certainly has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.
Skype has been a wonderful thing, and at Christmas time, it was a true blessing. It was great to at least be able to "be together" over Skype with our families back on the east coast. We gave Megan's family a webcam so that we could finally skype with them, which we did a couple of days before Christmas. We then skyped on Christmas day with my family. Megan and I were both showered with a lot of great gifts.
We have been able to spend a lot of time together over the break. We went to Knott's Berry Farm, a theme park like Carowinds for those on the east coast, and had a great time there. We bought a season pass for the upcoming year, so I'm sure we will return several times this next year. The last couple days of the break will be spent watching college football, and preparing for the upcoming year. For me, that means preparing to teach AP Macroeconomics for the first time starting in a few weeks, and for Megan, that means preparing for her Interim class that starts on January 3rd.
While it may not have been a traditional Christmas, God certainly has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.
Teacher Certification
I was very fortunate that I was able to find the teaching job that I did, and my South Carolina certificate pretty much transferred over. One thing that I needed to acquire was a certification for English Language learners. There are a couple of different routes that I could take to gain this certification. One, I can go the university route, which could cost $10,000+, or I could take three standardized tests that would cost me around $300. Obviously, I tried option two first. I took the three tests in early December, and will find out how I did on them January 14th.
I feel fairly confident that I will pass at least one of the three sections, which is all I need to do this year. I didn't study for the test like I needed to, but I did review a little, and I didn't think two of the sections were all that difficult. Section two is the one I feel the least confident in, simply because I feel like what the website would be on the test, wasn't. I felt like most of the questions had multiple right answers and was trying to get you to pick the correct teaching style. The problem is, there is no correct teaching style. What works for one teacher may not work for another.
The thing that I think is plaguing education the most for both teachers and for students, are standardize tests. If I pass these three tests, (which I hope I did) I will have no more knowledge of how to best help English language learners, but I will have the necessary paperwork. I think we lose so many potential quality teachers because of the certification hoops that you have to jump through. None of these prove how good of a teacher you are. None of these "test" how you interact with your students, and yet, these are how teachers are continually judged. Same with students. These high stakes tests can often dictate their futures, without really allowing them to prove what they know.
Hopefully, in January, I will find out that I successfully cleared another hoop, and then I can focus on truly meaningful professional development that would actually make me a better teacher.
I feel fairly confident that I will pass at least one of the three sections, which is all I need to do this year. I didn't study for the test like I needed to, but I did review a little, and I didn't think two of the sections were all that difficult. Section two is the one I feel the least confident in, simply because I feel like what the website would be on the test, wasn't. I felt like most of the questions had multiple right answers and was trying to get you to pick the correct teaching style. The problem is, there is no correct teaching style. What works for one teacher may not work for another.
The thing that I think is plaguing education the most for both teachers and for students, are standardize tests. If I pass these three tests, (which I hope I did) I will have no more knowledge of how to best help English language learners, but I will have the necessary paperwork. I think we lose so many potential quality teachers because of the certification hoops that you have to jump through. None of these prove how good of a teacher you are. None of these "test" how you interact with your students, and yet, these are how teachers are continually judged. Same with students. These high stakes tests can often dictate their futures, without really allowing them to prove what they know.
Hopefully, in January, I will find out that I successfully cleared another hoop, and then I can focus on truly meaningful professional development that would actually make me a better teacher.
Thanksgiving
Over the Thanksgiving break, Megan and I originally were trying to figure out what we were going to do. For the past few years, we had always hosted our families' thanksgiving dinner at the parsonage. Throw in the traditions that we had with the youth, I think I can say we were both not looking forward to a Thanksgiving without a big meal and spending time with family.
When we first moved out here, Megan mentioned that she had some "family" that lived out in California, but more central/northern California. When they found out that we were not going back east for Thanksgiving, they invited us up to spend Thanksgiving with their family. Now, even after hearing it explained several times, I'm still not exactly sure how Megan is related to the Bell's... but we will just go with the fact that they are somehow related.
We decided to make a trip out of it, instead of just going up for Thanksgiving dinner. The Bell's live in Galt, CA, which is like an hour and a half from San Francisco. On the way up, we were going to stop at Sequoia and King's Canyon National Park. This is where the huge redwood trees are, and there is a connecting road that makes it a three hour drive. We headed off, and as we approached the park, we found out that the connecting road was closed due to snow. We also didn't have any tire chains, so we couldn't even go into Sequoia at all. The trip was not getting off to a good start.
Thanksgiving at the Bell's was great. The food was great, the fellowship was great. There is nothing like a holiday get-together spending time with new people and enjoying each other's company. Megan got a chance to catch up with some of her "family" that she hadn't seen in almost ten years. I'm glad we had the chance to go, and who knows, if we can't go back east next year, maybe we'll get the opportunity to head back up there.
After we left the Bell's, we headed to San Francisco for three days. San Francisco is a very cool city. We tried to cram as much in that short time as we could. Friday we got up early and rode the trolley down to the Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around there and went to Ghiardelli Square. We then took a bay cruise and rode around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the most memorable parts of the day was at lunch. We ate at one of the seafood stands at Fisherman's Wharf. Megan must have been waiving her shrimp around a little too much, because a sea gull came down and stole a shrimp right out of her hand! Very funny for me to watch, probably a little scary for her... when SEA GULLS ATTACK!
Saturday was a rainy day, so we tried to do things that were more indoors. In the morning, we headed out to the Golden Gate State Park and went to the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum. We then drove around the park for a little bit, and then the sun came out surprisingly. We then decided to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and "beach hop". There are some stunningly beautiful beaches all up and down the San Francisco area. Once we returned to the hotel, we decided to walk through Chinatown and headed to eat at a GREAT restaurant, the Franciscan down at Fisherman's Wharf. It is a little pricey, but the food was amazing.
Sunday morning, we got up and headed out for our trip to tour Alcatraz. Alcatraz was an interesting tour, partly because of its place in American lore. There is just something about Alcatraz that forces everyone to think of something. Once we got back to San Francisco, we headed back home. What should have been about a six hour drive, turned into a nine hour drive. However, it was a great trip, and we can cross off one of the places that we wanted to go while we are on the west coast! Hopefully, we'll be able to cross a few more off in the upcoming year.
When we first moved out here, Megan mentioned that she had some "family" that lived out in California, but more central/northern California. When they found out that we were not going back east for Thanksgiving, they invited us up to spend Thanksgiving with their family. Now, even after hearing it explained several times, I'm still not exactly sure how Megan is related to the Bell's... but we will just go with the fact that they are somehow related.
Thanksgiving at the Bell's was great. The food was great, the fellowship was great. There is nothing like a holiday get-together spending time with new people and enjoying each other's company. Megan got a chance to catch up with some of her "family" that she hadn't seen in almost ten years. I'm glad we had the chance to go, and who knows, if we can't go back east next year, maybe we'll get the opportunity to head back up there.
After we left the Bell's, we headed to San Francisco for three days. San Francisco is a very cool city. We tried to cram as much in that short time as we could. Friday we got up early and rode the trolley down to the Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around there and went to Ghiardelli Square. We then took a bay cruise and rode around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the most memorable parts of the day was at lunch. We ate at one of the seafood stands at Fisherman's Wharf. Megan must have been waiving her shrimp around a little too much, because a sea gull came down and stole a shrimp right out of her hand! Very funny for me to watch, probably a little scary for her... when SEA GULLS ATTACK!
 |
| Not Megan...just a representation of the "attack". |
We then decided we would walk around the city and see some of the other sights. Word of warning for those who might want to do that... San Francisco is EXTREMELY hilly. We walked forever trying to find a street up to Coit Tower, only to find out when we got up there that it was closed for maintenance. We then walked over to Lombard Street. ("the crookedest street in the world"). We then hopped on a trolley and headed back to the hotel. We decided to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and head over to Sausilito. A very cool little town right on the other side of the bay. Great views of San Francisco at night.
Saturday was a rainy day, so we tried to do things that were more indoors. In the morning, we headed out to the Golden Gate State Park and went to the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum. We then drove around the park for a little bit, and then the sun came out surprisingly. We then decided to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and "beach hop". There are some stunningly beautiful beaches all up and down the San Francisco area. Once we returned to the hotel, we decided to walk through Chinatown and headed to eat at a GREAT restaurant, the Franciscan down at Fisherman's Wharf. It is a little pricey, but the food was amazing.
Huntington Dog Beach
One of the advantages of living in Southern California is the weather. Even into November, we were still averaging mid 70s and still relatively no rain. We heard a lot of the beaches around here were dog friendly, and since Mo had never been to the ocean, we figured this was an experience that we had to try.
From my perspective, I wanted to see how Mo would act, not only around a lot of other dogs, but with the waves. I thought it would be a fairly humorous experience at the least, and was willing to tag along. The beaches in general are only about 30-45 minutes away, so it's not too bad of a drive.
After some time on the beach, we walked along the beach for about an hour and watched the sunset. It was a great trip, and one hopefully we will make again in the near future. Maybe this time we will let Mo off the leash.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
My Parents Came to Visit (in October)
One of the things that I realize as we have been out here is the spontaneity of being able to visit friends and family. Skype has helped as we have been able to video chat from time to time with some friends and our families, but as I was reading back over some of our previous posts, I realized one of the things I never talked about was the visitors we have had out here, my parents!
My parents came out in mid-October (shows you how far behind I am) and I think at that point, they came out on the only weekend that it rained. I hated that the weather wasn't great, but we still were able to go drive around and show them the area somewhat. We took them to Biola, and showed them around campus, and drove out to Riverside to show them Poly and my classroom. We also drove up the Pacific Coast Highway up through Malibu. We were planning to possibly go to the Griffith Observatory as well, but the fog was simply too thick that day.
It was a short couple of days, but I am so appreciative of them coming to visit. It was nice to see a familiar face. Hopefully, if we aren't able to head back east, we'll have a few more visitors this summer! We've got a (comfortable) pull out sofa, and an air mattress, so plenty of room for visitors!
My parents came out in mid-October (shows you how far behind I am) and I think at that point, they came out on the only weekend that it rained. I hated that the weather wasn't great, but we still were able to go drive around and show them the area somewhat. We took them to Biola, and showed them around campus, and drove out to Riverside to show them Poly and my classroom. We also drove up the Pacific Coast Highway up through Malibu. We were planning to possibly go to the Griffith Observatory as well, but the fog was simply too thick that day.
It was a short couple of days, but I am so appreciative of them coming to visit. It was nice to see a familiar face. Hopefully, if we aren't able to head back east, we'll have a few more visitors this summer! We've got a (comfortable) pull out sofa, and an air mattress, so plenty of room for visitors!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
It's Been A While
It’s been a while since our last post. Lots of things have been going on! I have been pretty consumed with school work--reading, projects, presentations, papers, etc. However, good news on that front--I had my first solo presentation and it went GREAT! Rave reviews! It was a workshop presentation for my Faculty Development class entitled: “Developing Creative Course Materials.”
I have also been to the beach several times since my last post. It was 90+ a few days last week and I felt the need to take advantage of it! I took a break from paper writing, packed up my books, and ventured out to soak up some sun. I chose to drive about 30mins to Huntington Beach. I have not previously been to Huntington; it is a more touristy beach but there were tons of families out that afternoon enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. I enjoyed reading and people watching. I also took a trip with Jennifer on Saturday (another student in my program) to Newport Beach for an afternoon of reading on the beach. We enjoyed lunch on the pier at Ruby’s Diner and then sat on the beach and read for an hour or so (it was windy and cold though). When you come visit I’ll take you there!
Finally, in the midst of the busyness we have been trying to find our place at WACC (the church we have decided on). We have been to the college/career worship---and felt 100% out of place. And we looked for a SS class but had no success finding a class for people our age. We have a meeting scheduled with the youth pastor for this Thursday to see about some youth ministry opportunities and find out about small groups within our age group. We are both looking forward to what that meeting brings.
Nonetheless, all the searching makes me miss my NP kids and church family. But God is good! Just when I miss you all the most a random card, email, or text message comes my way. I am reminded that our friendship is still alive! Many of you may not know how special those cards and messages are but God sure does! I am most encouraged and feel most loved/appreciated through written word----so thanks for all the notes, cards, and messages! Know you are all in my thoughts and prayers daily and will forever hold as special place in my heart!
--Megan
I have also been to the beach several times since my last post. It was 90+ a few days last week and I felt the need to take advantage of it! I took a break from paper writing, packed up my books, and ventured out to soak up some sun. I chose to drive about 30mins to Huntington Beach. I have not previously been to Huntington; it is a more touristy beach but there were tons of families out that afternoon enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. I enjoyed reading and people watching. I also took a trip with Jennifer on Saturday (another student in my program) to Newport Beach for an afternoon of reading on the beach. We enjoyed lunch on the pier at Ruby’s Diner and then sat on the beach and read for an hour or so (it was windy and cold though). When you come visit I’ll take you there!
Finally, in the midst of the busyness we have been trying to find our place at WACC (the church we have decided on). We have been to the college/career worship---and felt 100% out of place. And we looked for a SS class but had no success finding a class for people our age. We have a meeting scheduled with the youth pastor for this Thursday to see about some youth ministry opportunities and find out about small groups within our age group. We are both looking forward to what that meeting brings.
Nonetheless, all the searching makes me miss my NP kids and church family. But God is good! Just when I miss you all the most a random card, email, or text message comes my way. I am reminded that our friendship is still alive! Many of you may not know how special those cards and messages are but God sure does! I am most encouraged and feel most loved/appreciated through written word----so thanks for all the notes, cards, and messages! Know you are all in my thoughts and prayers daily and will forever hold as special place in my heart!
--Megan
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Hunt is Still On...Sort Of
Atmosphere: overall appearance, smell, temperature, friendliness of the people.
Sounds: music, volume, chatter, noises of the people.
Surroundings: lighting, style, comfort, people.
Navigability: parking situation, church building, sanctuary, helpfulness of the people.
Worship: style, format, sounds, visuals, music, sermon, staff . . .
On and on and on I could go . . . . You see how many times people is up there?
All of these things, and many more, factor into your first impression of a church. Many leaders, staff members, and pastor’s should take a moment to reflect on all of these items. Do we plan our services with visitors in mind? Do we structure our services, our space, our plans (our Sunday’s in general) with new eyes, ears, and hearts in our periphery or on our radar at all? All these questions, and so many more, have been running rampant through my mind as we visit and worship at new places. Sadly, I must confess, many of these things never really crossed my mind until recently. And, I imagine, they don’t cross the minds of many ministers around the globe----maybe, just maybe, that’s one of the many things that’s wrong with our churches today?
In light of my ponderings I have also become more critical of the “church experience.” I have not “chosen” a church in years (because I believe God called me to churches to serve in previous years and the churches, essentially, chose me) and now that I have the choice I expect much more than I previously expected out of the “church experience.” I shamefully enter with an eye of critical skepticism and find it increasingly difficult to worship when I’m constantly evaluating: the music, the surroundings, the programs, the service opportunities, the sermon, the staff, the people around me, the whole package. And quite frankly, as many of you reading this know well, it is nearly impossible to fairly and affectively judge a church after just one visit--but it is how most people do it! Churches get one chance. One Chance!
And so, our critical search began August 8. Since that first church we have been to seven others (skipping one Sunday--August 22--to receive our belongings from the movers)! The following eight churches are the one’s we have visited either by stumbling across them online or receiving recommendations from friends, professors, or my classmates:
Some we liked, some we strongly disliked, some we couldn’t find a thing wrong with but knew it wasn’t where we needed to be. Some were filled with incredibly friendly people! Others, not a single individual spoke to us. And many came with the questions and responses that appall me, leaving a sour taste in my mouth and hatred brewing in my heart! Those appalling conversations went something like this:
“Welcome to ____________! My name is ___________.” --Church person
“Thanks, I’m Megan/Chris.” --Us
“Oh, where are you from?” --Church person (bc we apparently have strong accents)
“South Carolina.” --Us
“Oh, wow! What brings you to CA?” --Church person
“I’m going to Talbot.” --Megan
“Oh, you’re going to Talbot?” --Church person (asking Chris)
“No, she’s going to Talbot.” --Chris (pointing to me)
“OH. . .” (look of shock, bewilderment, awe, loss for words). “Are you getting an MA?”
“No, I’m, ahhh, a PhD in Christian Education.” --Me (I hate using that PhD word---it makes people uncomfortable).
“Oh. Well. Great to have you this morning.” --Church person (moves on embarrassed).
I hate these conversations because they are so incredibly awkward. I also hate them because I have to come out of the gate being the “PhD student” (which creates an awkward, unnecessary barrier). Furthermore, I hate such interludes because every time the welcoming, I’m sure well meaning, church individual assumes I am not the student and when he/she realizes I am assumes I’m just getting an MA. Finally, I hate these conversations because Chris loves them and quickly corrects the poor individual with no shame and a healthy dose of pride. In all of this, where, pray-tell, are the moderate church-going Californian’s I spent my whole life hearing about? I’ve yet to meet one. So much for the west coast being the more liberal coast (yet another one of my presuppositions crushed).
After venturing off to all eight of the churches listed above, good experiences, bad experiences, awkward conversations, and all that comes with each, I have chosen a favorite. And although it does not meet some of the expectations I believe it should meet I have come to realize you have to set some things aside for the sake of fellowship, community, and good, quality, unadulterated, sound, orthodox, genuine time of communal worship. Some things are personal and really don’t matter in the larger communal scene. Most people don’t know what they expect or even believe and probably don’t really care what you expect or believe either! So, unless someone asks, I’ll keep my petty concerns to myself and deal. As long as a foundational, core beliefs are not shaken and tampered with, I’ll make it (I have previously). After all, we were made for worship. We were made for fellowship. We were not made to walk this journey alone. And church hopping is walking it alone. It’s tiring, draining, and totally unfulfilling. So, if you are not a part of a healthy, growing, teaching, worship filled church body . . . Please, for your own sake, find one! And if you are a part of a healthy church body . . . Post a comment and tell us your story. What do you love about your church? We’d love to hear some stories!
--Megan
Sounds: music, volume, chatter, noises of the people.
Surroundings: lighting, style, comfort, people.
Navigability: parking situation, church building, sanctuary, helpfulness of the people.
Worship: style, format, sounds, visuals, music, sermon, staff . . .
On and on and on I could go . . . . You see how many times people is up there?
All of these things, and many more, factor into your first impression of a church. Many leaders, staff members, and pastor’s should take a moment to reflect on all of these items. Do we plan our services with visitors in mind? Do we structure our services, our space, our plans (our Sunday’s in general) with new eyes, ears, and hearts in our periphery or on our radar at all? All these questions, and so many more, have been running rampant through my mind as we visit and worship at new places. Sadly, I must confess, many of these things never really crossed my mind until recently. And, I imagine, they don’t cross the minds of many ministers around the globe----maybe, just maybe, that’s one of the many things that’s wrong with our churches today?
In light of my ponderings I have also become more critical of the “church experience.” I have not “chosen” a church in years (because I believe God called me to churches to serve in previous years and the churches, essentially, chose me) and now that I have the choice I expect much more than I previously expected out of the “church experience.” I shamefully enter with an eye of critical skepticism and find it increasingly difficult to worship when I’m constantly evaluating: the music, the surroundings, the programs, the service opportunities, the sermon, the staff, the people around me, the whole package. And quite frankly, as many of you reading this know well, it is nearly impossible to fairly and affectively judge a church after just one visit--but it is how most people do it! Churches get one chance. One Chance!
And so, our critical search began August 8. Since that first church we have been to seven others (skipping one Sunday--August 22--to receive our belongings from the movers)! The following eight churches are the one’s we have visited either by stumbling across them online or receiving recommendations from friends, professors, or my classmates:
Redeemer Baptist Church
Greenhills Baptist Church
Whittier Hills Baptist Church
Mosaic of Whittier
Eastside Baptist Church
Calvary Baptist Church
Grace Evangelical Free Church
Whittier Area Community Church
Some we liked, some we strongly disliked, some we couldn’t find a thing wrong with but knew it wasn’t where we needed to be. Some were filled with incredibly friendly people! Others, not a single individual spoke to us. And many came with the questions and responses that appall me, leaving a sour taste in my mouth and hatred brewing in my heart! Those appalling conversations went something like this:
“Welcome to ____________! My name is ___________.” --Church person
“Thanks, I’m Megan/Chris.” --Us
“Oh, where are you from?” --Church person (bc we apparently have strong accents)
“South Carolina.” --Us
“Oh, wow! What brings you to CA?” --Church person
“I’m going to Talbot.” --Megan
“Oh, you’re going to Talbot?” --Church person (asking Chris)
“No, she’s going to Talbot.” --Chris (pointing to me)
“OH. . .” (look of shock, bewilderment, awe, loss for words). “Are you getting an MA?”
“No, I’m, ahhh, a PhD in Christian Education.” --Me (I hate using that PhD word---it makes people uncomfortable).
“Oh. Well. Great to have you this morning.” --Church person (moves on embarrassed).
I hate these conversations because they are so incredibly awkward. I also hate them because I have to come out of the gate being the “PhD student” (which creates an awkward, unnecessary barrier). Furthermore, I hate such interludes because every time the welcoming, I’m sure well meaning, church individual assumes I am not the student and when he/she realizes I am assumes I’m just getting an MA. Finally, I hate these conversations because Chris loves them and quickly corrects the poor individual with no shame and a healthy dose of pride. In all of this, where, pray-tell, are the moderate church-going Californian’s I spent my whole life hearing about? I’ve yet to meet one. So much for the west coast being the more liberal coast (yet another one of my presuppositions crushed).
After venturing off to all eight of the churches listed above, good experiences, bad experiences, awkward conversations, and all that comes with each, I have chosen a favorite. And although it does not meet some of the expectations I believe it should meet I have come to realize you have to set some things aside for the sake of fellowship, community, and good, quality, unadulterated, sound, orthodox, genuine time of communal worship. Some things are personal and really don’t matter in the larger communal scene. Most people don’t know what they expect or even believe and probably don’t really care what you expect or believe either! So, unless someone asks, I’ll keep my petty concerns to myself and deal. As long as a foundational, core beliefs are not shaken and tampered with, I’ll make it (I have previously). After all, we were made for worship. We were made for fellowship. We were not made to walk this journey alone. And church hopping is walking it alone. It’s tiring, draining, and totally unfulfilling. So, if you are not a part of a healthy, growing, teaching, worship filled church body . . . Please, for your own sake, find one! And if you are a part of a healthy church body . . . Post a comment and tell us your story. What do you love about your church? We’d love to hear some stories!
--Megan
Friday, September 17, 2010
Things I Like...
To follow up Chris’ list of things he misses here is a list of things I am growing to like about So Cal.
1. The Beach. Ok, so this may not really count because I love any beach I go to . . . But it’s a start (see pics below from my first trip with Jennifer last week)!
2. The Convenience. For the first time in my life I live within close proximity to everything I need. There is a shopping center, literally, across the street from our apartment. The shopping center includes: Target, Vons (a grocery store---equivalent to Ukrops or Publics---it’s a nice one), Sears, Kohls, JCPenny, Panera, PetsMart, World Market, Dippin’ Dots, Edible Arrangements, and other assorted stores and eating establishments.
3. The Sale Papers. To go along with the convenience aspect of it all I really like the fact that the sale papers here have coupons in them! Each Tuesday the mail man brings a stack of sale papers. In that stack are precious coupons and sales for all of the local grocery stores . . . I comb through them, clip coupons, and store hop. It creates a great deal of savings----which I love!
4. The Weather. I really like the southern California weather, so far anyway. You just can’t beat sunny and 70’s everyday! I’m sure this will begin to get on my nerves come December and I feel the need to wear a warm, fussy sweater and pea coat . . . But we’ll see.
5. The Need for Speed. While I have not fully experienced the hectic driving of So Cal (because I have yet to drive more than 5 miles the interstates), I do appreciate the “go go go” attitude!
6. The Tourism Opportunities. I really like all the options we have to see and do new things. A few things I’m looking forward to include:
Disney Land San Diego Zoo Hollywood
Downtown LA Riding Route 1 Visiting ALL the local beaches.
7. The Time to Study. In spite of the fact that I don’t necessarily love all of my classes at present I do appreciate the opportunity to read, study, and reflect. I also appreciate the sacrifices Chris is making so that can happen.
8. The Foliage. I love all the palm trees! I like how they are everywhere here and constantly remind me how close I am to the beach!
9. The Diversity. I really appreciate the diversity that is present in Southern California. I appreciate the diversity within our apartment complex, community, and within my classes. It is so nice to see different cultures first hand on a daily basis.
10. But Most of all I Appreciate Sharing it all with Chris (and Mo). It would not be nearly as easy to find ten things I liked about Southern California if I didn’t have my husband and friend along with me! I cannot imagine how difficult things are for the men and women in my program that came here all alone. Nor can I imagine the loneliness they must feel and how much harder the transition has been for them! But, I am so thankful for my husband and doggie! Mo is the best study buddy ever! And he always greets us with puppy kisses and excitement!
--Megan
1. The Beach. Ok, so this may not really count because I love any beach I go to . . . But it’s a start (see pics below from my first trip with Jennifer last week)!
2. The Convenience. For the first time in my life I live within close proximity to everything I need. There is a shopping center, literally, across the street from our apartment. The shopping center includes: Target, Vons (a grocery store---equivalent to Ukrops or Publics---it’s a nice one), Sears, Kohls, JCPenny, Panera, PetsMart, World Market, Dippin’ Dots, Edible Arrangements, and other assorted stores and eating establishments.
3. The Sale Papers. To go along with the convenience aspect of it all I really like the fact that the sale papers here have coupons in them! Each Tuesday the mail man brings a stack of sale papers. In that stack are precious coupons and sales for all of the local grocery stores . . . I comb through them, clip coupons, and store hop. It creates a great deal of savings----which I love!
4. The Weather. I really like the southern California weather, so far anyway. You just can’t beat sunny and 70’s everyday! I’m sure this will begin to get on my nerves come December and I feel the need to wear a warm, fussy sweater and pea coat . . . But we’ll see.
5. The Need for Speed. While I have not fully experienced the hectic driving of So Cal (because I have yet to drive more than 5 miles the interstates), I do appreciate the “go go go” attitude!
6. The Tourism Opportunities. I really like all the options we have to see and do new things. A few things I’m looking forward to include:
Disney Land San Diego Zoo Hollywood
Downtown LA Riding Route 1 Visiting ALL the local beaches.
7. The Time to Study. In spite of the fact that I don’t necessarily love all of my classes at present I do appreciate the opportunity to read, study, and reflect. I also appreciate the sacrifices Chris is making so that can happen.
8. The Foliage. I love all the palm trees! I like how they are everywhere here and constantly remind me how close I am to the beach!
9. The Diversity. I really appreciate the diversity that is present in Southern California. I appreciate the diversity within our apartment complex, community, and within my classes. It is so nice to see different cultures first hand on a daily basis.
10. But Most of all I Appreciate Sharing it all with Chris (and Mo). It would not be nearly as easy to find ten things I liked about Southern California if I didn’t have my husband and friend along with me! I cannot imagine how difficult things are for the men and women in my program that came here all alone. Nor can I imagine the loneliness they must feel and how much harder the transition has been for them! But, I am so thankful for my husband and doggie! Mo is the best study buddy ever! And he always greets us with puppy kisses and excitement!
--Megan
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Things I Miss
NOTE: I started this post a few weeks back, and slowly have added to it. I decided to go ahead and post, because I'm sure this list will continue to grow.
Random Things That I Miss...
1) Good, quality SWEET TEA! : Here, we still make sweet tea, but the water from the tap is just plain nasty. The first few attempts, the tea did not taste right. At least we have learned that if we only use water from our Brita pitcher in the "tea-making process" then it comes out close to what it should.
2) High school football: I went to my first high school game here at Poly last Friday and was expecting the same type of atmosphere. Poly (the school where I work) has about 2800 kids, so I was expecting a stadium like Dorman, Gaffney, etc. because it is a stadium that several schools in the district share. It was a brand new facility, but I swear it was smaller than Chesnee's stadium. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, field turf on the field, but the stands weren't full. It lacked that normal "Friday Night feel".
3)ESPN: We decided to buy a digital antenna so we could maybe pick up a few channels and at least use our TV. We have still decided against getting cable. One, having the long drive that I do, I normally go to bed quite early, so I don't have a lot of time to watch anyway. Two, Megan doesn't want HGTV and such to be a distraction. Three, any good games these days will be on ESPN3, so I can just watch them online. We finally got the antenna situated just right where we can get all of the major stations (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and only about 60 other stations that are in a different language.
4) Speaking of ESPN: Still haven't quite gotten use to getting up at 9:00 am on a Saturday to see college football on ESPN3. The one nice thing are the big games that normally start at 7 or 8, and are typically done by that time. Now, if only they would put College GameDay on ESPN3, I'd be set!
5) My Church Family: We have still been on the hunt for a church, and it is not easy. While none of them are bad, it's all just so new. It is hard to "know" that you are in the right place after one visit, and we don't want to start going to small groups until we know that is the church we want to attend. We are also still struggling (or I am at least) on whether or not we should get back involved with high schoolers in the church setting again right away.
6) Chesnee High School (and extracurriculars): I am very thankful for my job! But the school environments are just not the same. Not necessarily good or bad, just different. I miss the small family atmosphere at Chesnee. I miss the Annex, and my tiny, air conditioning unit filled room. I miss hearing two lessons going on simultaneously while I try to teach mine. (Thanks Coach Fogle and Coach Luedeman! I learned a ton about US History from my free lessons!) Most of all, I miss the sports and extracurriculars. I miss not being able to go watch the Lady Eagles try to repeat as region champs in volleyball this year. I miss Friday Nights, listening to the band, and watching the games. I miss Beta Club, and talking with Ritchie and Stephanie about ideas, props, budget, and such. I miss the students, and I miss seeing familiar faces in the halls. Quite frankly, I miss halls in general. The school layout here is quite different.
7)Thunderstorms: It hasn't rained AT ALL since we've been here. The weather is nice, very little humidity, and here in Whittier, where we live the temperatures are great. In Riverside, where I work, it reminds me a lot more of South Carolina. It normally is about 10-15 degrees warmer there than at our apartment. I hear there is a rainy season, and that I will be eating my words then, but I want it to rain!
8) Cheap Gas: I took for granted that SC has the cheapest gas in the country. Now that I am driving 90 miles and two hours each day, I am feeling the full effect of California gas. I normally can get gas for under $2.90, but occasionally, the best I can find is just over $3.00. Even after being out here over a month, it still hurts to see over $3.00 a gallon.
9) Stars: I use to love when I had to take Mo out late at night at the parsonage, just standing and staring at the sky. Away from the city lights of Gaffney (I know, don't laugh) you could see what seemed like every star in the sky. I could stand for what seemed like an hour and simply stand in awe and at just how magnificent our God really is. It is at a moment like that where you can feel so small, so insignificant, and yet, at the same time, as small as you feel, know that you still matter that much to God. An amazing feeling.
10) There are a lot of things I could have put in this tenth spot...like I said, my list could probably go on for a while. The thing that gets me is how many things on this list I took for granted before. I'd love to hear from ya'll (see, I still say it) what things you would miss the most if you had to leave your current life. Maybe by thinking about it, it will keep you from taking it for granted as well. Just leave it as a comment... I'd love to read it!!
Random Things That I Miss...
1) Good, quality SWEET TEA! : Here, we still make sweet tea, but the water from the tap is just plain nasty. The first few attempts, the tea did not taste right. At least we have learned that if we only use water from our Brita pitcher in the "tea-making process" then it comes out close to what it should.
2) High school football: I went to my first high school game here at Poly last Friday and was expecting the same type of atmosphere. Poly (the school where I work) has about 2800 kids, so I was expecting a stadium like Dorman, Gaffney, etc. because it is a stadium that several schools in the district share. It was a brand new facility, but I swear it was smaller than Chesnee's stadium. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, field turf on the field, but the stands weren't full. It lacked that normal "Friday Night feel".
3)ESPN: We decided to buy a digital antenna so we could maybe pick up a few channels and at least use our TV. We have still decided against getting cable. One, having the long drive that I do, I normally go to bed quite early, so I don't have a lot of time to watch anyway. Two, Megan doesn't want HGTV and such to be a distraction. Three, any good games these days will be on ESPN3, so I can just watch them online. We finally got the antenna situated just right where we can get all of the major stations (ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, and only about 60 other stations that are in a different language.
4) Speaking of ESPN: Still haven't quite gotten use to getting up at 9:00 am on a Saturday to see college football on ESPN3. The one nice thing are the big games that normally start at 7 or 8, and are typically done by that time. Now, if only they would put College GameDay on ESPN3, I'd be set!
5) My Church Family: We have still been on the hunt for a church, and it is not easy. While none of them are bad, it's all just so new. It is hard to "know" that you are in the right place after one visit, and we don't want to start going to small groups until we know that is the church we want to attend. We are also still struggling (or I am at least) on whether or not we should get back involved with high schoolers in the church setting again right away.
6) Chesnee High School (and extracurriculars): I am very thankful for my job! But the school environments are just not the same. Not necessarily good or bad, just different. I miss the small family atmosphere at Chesnee. I miss the Annex, and my tiny, air conditioning unit filled room. I miss hearing two lessons going on simultaneously while I try to teach mine. (Thanks Coach Fogle and Coach Luedeman! I learned a ton about US History from my free lessons!) Most of all, I miss the sports and extracurriculars. I miss not being able to go watch the Lady Eagles try to repeat as region champs in volleyball this year. I miss Friday Nights, listening to the band, and watching the games. I miss Beta Club, and talking with Ritchie and Stephanie about ideas, props, budget, and such. I miss the students, and I miss seeing familiar faces in the halls. Quite frankly, I miss halls in general. The school layout here is quite different.
7)Thunderstorms: It hasn't rained AT ALL since we've been here. The weather is nice, very little humidity, and here in Whittier, where we live the temperatures are great. In Riverside, where I work, it reminds me a lot more of South Carolina. It normally is about 10-15 degrees warmer there than at our apartment. I hear there is a rainy season, and that I will be eating my words then, but I want it to rain!
8) Cheap Gas: I took for granted that SC has the cheapest gas in the country. Now that I am driving 90 miles and two hours each day, I am feeling the full effect of California gas. I normally can get gas for under $2.90, but occasionally, the best I can find is just over $3.00. Even after being out here over a month, it still hurts to see over $3.00 a gallon.
9) Stars: I use to love when I had to take Mo out late at night at the parsonage, just standing and staring at the sky. Away from the city lights of Gaffney (I know, don't laugh) you could see what seemed like every star in the sky. I could stand for what seemed like an hour and simply stand in awe and at just how magnificent our God really is. It is at a moment like that where you can feel so small, so insignificant, and yet, at the same time, as small as you feel, know that you still matter that much to God. An amazing feeling.
10) There are a lot of things I could have put in this tenth spot...like I said, my list could probably go on for a while. The thing that gets me is how many things on this list I took for granted before. I'd love to hear from ya'll (see, I still say it) what things you would miss the most if you had to leave your current life. Maybe by thinking about it, it will keep you from taking it for granted as well. Just leave it as a comment... I'd love to read it!!
Being Intentional
This week for some reason I've really missed the "old" life. It isn't like anything is wrong here, or that things are going poorly. I just have missed my home more than usual this week. Part of it is following posts of former students and seeing about the "happenings" at Chesnee and what is going on in their lives. After three years at the school, this years seniors was the group that I have known since they got to Chesnee. Last years graduating class was probably the group I was closest to in my short time there, because many of them I had in my first few classes at Chesnee. The great thing about teaching is you get an opportunity to see kids grow and develop, and that is just what I had done with the Class of '11 at Chesnee. Now I must watch them cross the finish line from a long way away.
I am horrible at keeping up with friends. I always have been, and most likely always will. By nature, I'm not an extreme extrovert...and while I don't consider myself an introvert either, I'm not someone who goes out seeking contact. I enjoy time to myself, but really enjoy quality time with those I respect and love. Maybe I need to do a better job of that, but one of my biggest fears during these three to four years is that I will lose touch with some of the people that Megan and I have grown closest to. It has happened with many of my closest friends from high school, and starting to happen with some of my friends from college. To all of those people, I am sorry. Now, I can't use the excuse that they live just an hour away and at any point, we might decide to hang out. I must be more intentional about cultivating these relationships that I care so much about.
I am horrible at keeping up with friends. I always have been, and most likely always will. By nature, I'm not an extreme extrovert...and while I don't consider myself an introvert either, I'm not someone who goes out seeking contact. I enjoy time to myself, but really enjoy quality time with those I respect and love. Maybe I need to do a better job of that, but one of my biggest fears during these three to four years is that I will lose touch with some of the people that Megan and I have grown closest to. It has happened with many of my closest friends from high school, and starting to happen with some of my friends from college. To all of those people, I am sorry. Now, I can't use the excuse that they live just an hour away and at any point, we might decide to hang out. I must be more intentional about cultivating these relationships that I care so much about.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
A Few Good Men
I have officially completed a full week (almost 2 at this point) of classes! And with ~30 required chapters of reading, 5 written assignments, ~10 chapters of “optional reading,” and ~14 pages of reading notes down I’m ready to do it all over again this week!
Aside from all the reading and work, I really do like most of my classes and I’m adjusting, fairly well, to the work load. However, as I read, take notes, study, and complete assignments my mind constantly goes to my international student colleges. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for them! Some of the reading is well beyond my knowledge base . . . and let’s not even discuss vocabulary! The internationals among me here at Talbot, and across the globe, have my utmost respect! I know I couldn’t do what they are doing and am beyond grateful that I have accredited institutions of higher learning that I can attend in my native tongue.
Classes and educational ponderings aside I am finding it more difficult than I anticipated to adjust on a relational level to those around me. Those of you that know me well know that I am, at my core, an introverted person. I take longer than the average person to open up and I certainly do not like putting myself in uncomfortable social situations. With such introversion in mind, many of the individuals in my program are, well, significantly older than me; which is not all together an issue it just makes finding quality friends (within the same life-stage) more challenging. At the same time, it seems awkward to participate in the MDiv/MA program’s social activities because, well, I’m not in those programs! It really puts me in an awkward place. I know it seems trivial but things just shouldn’t be this problematic. However, as I ponder such things I am forced to reflect back upon my transition from undergraduate studies to MDiv studies and from MDiv studies to the present . . .
My first semester of MDiv work I was caught in the middle of two worlds . . . Undergrad life and graduate life. I was in the MDiv classes but still “supposed to be” in the undergraduate world (if you don’t know, I finished my undergrad work in December of my senior year and began my master’s work in January). It took me nearly a year to fully adjust to the change in educational status. My first semester of MDiv work I avoided all things MDiv related, because it was awkward. I didn’t know the people. I didn’t fit in with them. I felt so much younger! And I am not good at making the extra effort! Thankfully, a “few good men” (Stuart and Mike) stepped up to be my friends and drug me, sometimes kicking and screaming, to functions that forced me to meet new people and step outside of my comfort zone. Ultimately, my sophomore year I decided to go on the Holy Land trip and that pushed me over the edge. I got to know some new people I didn’t know previously and developed some great friendships that got me through my final year of Div school . . . My regret is that it took me so long to develop those friendships!
As I graduated I, again, felt awkward in the next phase of my life. Adjusting to life without school and friends all around me, on a regular basis, was hard. And now, I find myself at the next juncture in my journey. I hope a “few good men” (or women) will come my way and help me though the awkwardness of it all . . .but I fear if I don’t grow up, step out, and force myself into situations of discomfort I may find good friends later in my journey than necessary (or not at all).
With all that said, those of you that are my friends---thanks! I know I don’t always keep in touch like I should but know I think of you often and really do treasure the gift that you are! Those that are yet to enter my life----be patient with me, like the “few good men” of my past, I’ll come around.
--Megan
Aside from all the reading and work, I really do like most of my classes and I’m adjusting, fairly well, to the work load. However, as I read, take notes, study, and complete assignments my mind constantly goes to my international student colleges. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for them! Some of the reading is well beyond my knowledge base . . . and let’s not even discuss vocabulary! The internationals among me here at Talbot, and across the globe, have my utmost respect! I know I couldn’t do what they are doing and am beyond grateful that I have accredited institutions of higher learning that I can attend in my native tongue.
Classes and educational ponderings aside I am finding it more difficult than I anticipated to adjust on a relational level to those around me. Those of you that know me well know that I am, at my core, an introverted person. I take longer than the average person to open up and I certainly do not like putting myself in uncomfortable social situations. With such introversion in mind, many of the individuals in my program are, well, significantly older than me; which is not all together an issue it just makes finding quality friends (within the same life-stage) more challenging. At the same time, it seems awkward to participate in the MDiv/MA program’s social activities because, well, I’m not in those programs! It really puts me in an awkward place. I know it seems trivial but things just shouldn’t be this problematic. However, as I ponder such things I am forced to reflect back upon my transition from undergraduate studies to MDiv studies and from MDiv studies to the present . . .
My first semester of MDiv work I was caught in the middle of two worlds . . . Undergrad life and graduate life. I was in the MDiv classes but still “supposed to be” in the undergraduate world (if you don’t know, I finished my undergrad work in December of my senior year and began my master’s work in January). It took me nearly a year to fully adjust to the change in educational status. My first semester of MDiv work I avoided all things MDiv related, because it was awkward. I didn’t know the people. I didn’t fit in with them. I felt so much younger! And I am not good at making the extra effort! Thankfully, a “few good men” (Stuart and Mike) stepped up to be my friends and drug me, sometimes kicking and screaming, to functions that forced me to meet new people and step outside of my comfort zone. Ultimately, my sophomore year I decided to go on the Holy Land trip and that pushed me over the edge. I got to know some new people I didn’t know previously and developed some great friendships that got me through my final year of Div school . . . My regret is that it took me so long to develop those friendships!
As I graduated I, again, felt awkward in the next phase of my life. Adjusting to life without school and friends all around me, on a regular basis, was hard. And now, I find myself at the next juncture in my journey. I hope a “few good men” (or women) will come my way and help me though the awkwardness of it all . . .but I fear if I don’t grow up, step out, and force myself into situations of discomfort I may find good friends later in my journey than necessary (or not at all).
With all that said, those of you that are my friends---thanks! I know I don’t always keep in touch like I should but know I think of you often and really do treasure the gift that you are! Those that are yet to enter my life----be patient with me, like the “few good men” of my past, I’ll come around.
--Megan
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Doppelgangers
As I start my second week at Riverside Poly this week (and a short week at that...thank you Labor Day!), it is beginning to hit me that I have the same students as I had last year. I know what you are thinking, I live on the other side of the country, went from rural to outside L.A., it couldn't be any different. And you are right, cultures are completely different. However, as I've started to get to know some of my kids and see their personalities, they as individuals remind me so much of students that I've had in the past or even some of my friends. Some of them being eerily similar.
School is going well. Still trying to adjust to the new school, learn the new rules, both formal and informal, and mainly trying to get use to this crazy schedule. It still makes no sense to me why on earth they offer a class at 6:55 AM! It is no wonder that I have a ton of tardies in that class. I can't say that I blame them. I really enjoy the AP classes, the kids are pretty cool. Teenagers never cease to amaze me at how well they can adjust and adapt to a new situation.
It will take some time, and I will always miss Chesnee. Even though I was only there three years, it was the kind of school that I could have saw myself at 20 or 30 years down the road. It was the kind of school where I could have grown and developed as the teacher and mentor to teenagers that I want to be. Just like a kid that moves, now I need to back up, pause, and find my new niche here. I hate not being involved in anything outside of school, but I have my plate full. Plus, adding on a two hour commute round trip is going to make it even harder and more of a sacrifice to get involved, but, things will improve, and I am confident I will find some way to get involved. That is just my nature.
Until then, I'll cling to the doppelgangers in my classes. They remind me of a past world, one I still dearly miss. And these doppelgangers will ease the transition. Slowly, while I won't forget of the doubles on the East Coast, they won't be the first thing that comes to mind when I see my students, and I will think of their West Coast partners first. Then, they will no longer be each other doppelgangers in my mind, but they will hold their own special place in my life.
School is going well. Still trying to adjust to the new school, learn the new rules, both formal and informal, and mainly trying to get use to this crazy schedule. It still makes no sense to me why on earth they offer a class at 6:55 AM! It is no wonder that I have a ton of tardies in that class. I can't say that I blame them. I really enjoy the AP classes, the kids are pretty cool. Teenagers never cease to amaze me at how well they can adjust and adapt to a new situation.
It will take some time, and I will always miss Chesnee. Even though I was only there three years, it was the kind of school that I could have saw myself at 20 or 30 years down the road. It was the kind of school where I could have grown and developed as the teacher and mentor to teenagers that I want to be. Just like a kid that moves, now I need to back up, pause, and find my new niche here. I hate not being involved in anything outside of school, but I have my plate full. Plus, adding on a two hour commute round trip is going to make it even harder and more of a sacrifice to get involved, but, things will improve, and I am confident I will find some way to get involved. That is just my nature.
Until then, I'll cling to the doppelgangers in my classes. They remind me of a past world, one I still dearly miss. And these doppelgangers will ease the transition. Slowly, while I won't forget of the doubles on the East Coast, they won't be the first thing that comes to mind when I see my students, and I will think of their West Coast partners first. Then, they will no longer be each other doppelgangers in my mind, but they will hold their own special place in my life.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Apartment Photos (Before and After)
BEFORE THE UNPACKING
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| Kitchen |
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| Office/Dining Room Area |
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| Megan hard at work. |
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| Bathroom Sink Area |
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| Closet Area |
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| Bedroom (Wall of Boxes) |
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| Bedroom (Obviously) |
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| Balcony |
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| Other half of the Balcony |
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| Middle of Balcony (It really is huge... we got lucky in that aspect) |
AFTER THE UNPACKING
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| Living Room and Office |
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| Kitchen |
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| Bathroom |
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| Living Room (TV looks good...too bad we still have no cable) |
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| Bedroom |
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| Bedroom (Other Wall) |
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| Balcony |
Another Perspective
For those of you asking to hear my side of the story . . . Here it is (but I’ll try keep it short because I have a TON of reading I need to work on).
In the time that has elapsed since I last updated you on our adventures our belongings have arrived from SC and I have started the doctoral program at Talbot. As I mentioned in a previous update, August 20 all of our IKEA items finally arrived as well as our fridge. Which was great! Our other belongings finally arrived Sunday August 22 around 12noon, just hours before my doctoral functions started at 6pm!
With that said, the doctoral fun and festivities began August 22 at 6pm with a welcome dinner at the home of Dr. Orbelina Eguizabal (she is originally from Guatemala and can COOK). It was a small get together totaling just nine people. The nine included Dr. Eguizabal, Dr. Lawson, Tanya (the administrative assistant), Jennifer (a fellow student), Agam (a fellow student), Agam’s wife Oge, Agam and Oge’s six month old daughter Chari, Chris, and me. It was nice to finally meet a few more people and be introduced to the program via an informal dinner setting. However, as we ate and socialized I couldn’t help thinking about the disaster that was within the walls of our apartment!
After the dinner I spent several hours unpacking and went to bed leaving many boxes untouched, which many of you know about killed me. The following morning, Monday August 23, was an official welcome to Talbot orientation. The orientation lasted from 8:30am--1pm (Southern California time---which means we started at 8:40am and finished at 12:40pm). It was very informative but very daunting. We were told it is unheard of to complete the program in less than 4 or 5 years----let’s see if I can prove them wrong! I was also shocked, once again, that I even got into the program! There are only four of us in my cohort (incoming class). Let me take a moment to introduce you to them briefly by first name only . . .
Jennifer---she is in her 30’s and has experience teaching, writing curriculum, and working with believers in India. Her passion is to create and take materials back to India to help families and church leaders better equip new believers and produce fruitful, knowledgeable, vibrant Christians.
Agam---he is originally from Nigeria and served as a pastor/leader there before coming here. I am not sure how old Agam is but he does have 3 little girls (6, 4, and 6 months). Agam plans to soak up as much knowledge as possible and take it back to Nigeria to train and prepare leaders to serve the churches working with the city, village, and brush communities.
Beatrice---she is in her 40’s-50’s. Beatrice was born in Seoul, Korea and lived there until age 15. At 15 she moved with her family to Brazil. After marrying her husband she then moved to CA and has been here since. She has two adult sons and teaches at a local university.
Me---then there is me . . . I have no such experiences! I was born on the east coast . . . lived on the east coast my entire life until about three weeks ago. I have no culturally exciting stories to share from my repertoire of experiences. It’s intimidating to say the least! See why I’m still trying to figure out why they accepted me? Surely there were other choices! But I know all of us feel that way . . . I am not alone in these ponderings!
After the orientation I called Chris (during my orientation he was interviewing at Riverside Poly). He was offered the job! YAY! But had to stay a little longer than expected to complete paper work and get the ball rolling. So I had the privilege of staying on campus for . . . 4 hours. Which would have been great if I had a book to read, homework to complete, or knew someone! The day before Jennifer and I had planned to go to the beach right after the orientation but she needed to make it later so Dr. Orbe could join us . . . Which meant I didn’t want to go because I had a TON of unpacking to finish. So, long story short I scoped out the campus. Went to the library. Called anyone I could think of to catch up. And read almost all of Mark’s gospel! Chris finally arrived to pick me up around 5pm and we headed back to our mayhem filled apartment.
By Wednesday everything was unpacked. All that is remaining to complete the place is a small microwave cart and patio table/chairs . . . Once we find all that we will have it all set-up (to my liking at least). We will post some pictures of our place all set up. . . I think you’ll agree it looks way better!
Thursday my classes officially started and syllabus shock was fully and firmly in place. I was heavily warned about Dr. Issler’s 801 Intro. to Philosophical Thought for Christian Education course and rightly so. There is more reading listed on that syllabus than all of my M.Div courses combined (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration---but it’s close). I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
Friday we took off on our weekly grocery run . . . 1 list, 4 stores, 4 envelopes of coupons, and lots of money saved!
Saturday and Sunday were complete madness . . . We had our first experience with car shopping and sales men---it was not an all around good experience. We ended up with a used Toyota Corolla. It is silver and has about 25000 miles on it. We settled for it after failed negotiations with the Nissan dealership and Hyundai dealership. Those are stories I’ll tell you in person sometime . . . no need to recount them here. Overall, we got a car and I can now drive myself to and from classes!
Yesterday, I had my first Christian Education class and I LOVED IT! Dr. Shelley Cunningham is the professor for most of the teaching emphasis courses and I’m really excited to learn from her and take as many courses with her as possible. The class I’m taking is 873 Faculty Development in Christian Higher Education. I have no experience in this area but I’m looking forward to learning about it for potential future use! I’ll keep you posted on how that goes as well!
Today, I am reading and preparing for classes and then I have my third, and final, fall course at 3pm (PST). It is a research class . . . So I’m not thrilled about it but it is a necessary evil for Christian Education. I’ll also let you know how that all pans out!
We are settling in more and more but still miss all of you! Please continue to pray for us! We are still looking for a church. We have visited three so far. Nothing wrong with any of them . . . They just don’t feel like home . . .
--Megan
In the time that has elapsed since I last updated you on our adventures our belongings have arrived from SC and I have started the doctoral program at Talbot. As I mentioned in a previous update, August 20 all of our IKEA items finally arrived as well as our fridge. Which was great! Our other belongings finally arrived Sunday August 22 around 12noon, just hours before my doctoral functions started at 6pm!
With that said, the doctoral fun and festivities began August 22 at 6pm with a welcome dinner at the home of Dr. Orbelina Eguizabal (she is originally from Guatemala and can COOK). It was a small get together totaling just nine people. The nine included Dr. Eguizabal, Dr. Lawson, Tanya (the administrative assistant), Jennifer (a fellow student), Agam (a fellow student), Agam’s wife Oge, Agam and Oge’s six month old daughter Chari, Chris, and me. It was nice to finally meet a few more people and be introduced to the program via an informal dinner setting. However, as we ate and socialized I couldn’t help thinking about the disaster that was within the walls of our apartment!
After the dinner I spent several hours unpacking and went to bed leaving many boxes untouched, which many of you know about killed me. The following morning, Monday August 23, was an official welcome to Talbot orientation. The orientation lasted from 8:30am--1pm (Southern California time---which means we started at 8:40am and finished at 12:40pm). It was very informative but very daunting. We were told it is unheard of to complete the program in less than 4 or 5 years----let’s see if I can prove them wrong! I was also shocked, once again, that I even got into the program! There are only four of us in my cohort (incoming class). Let me take a moment to introduce you to them briefly by first name only . . .
Jennifer---she is in her 30’s and has experience teaching, writing curriculum, and working with believers in India. Her passion is to create and take materials back to India to help families and church leaders better equip new believers and produce fruitful, knowledgeable, vibrant Christians.
Agam---he is originally from Nigeria and served as a pastor/leader there before coming here. I am not sure how old Agam is but he does have 3 little girls (6, 4, and 6 months). Agam plans to soak up as much knowledge as possible and take it back to Nigeria to train and prepare leaders to serve the churches working with the city, village, and brush communities.
Beatrice---she is in her 40’s-50’s. Beatrice was born in Seoul, Korea and lived there until age 15. At 15 she moved with her family to Brazil. After marrying her husband she then moved to CA and has been here since. She has two adult sons and teaches at a local university.
Me---then there is me . . . I have no such experiences! I was born on the east coast . . . lived on the east coast my entire life until about three weeks ago. I have no culturally exciting stories to share from my repertoire of experiences. It’s intimidating to say the least! See why I’m still trying to figure out why they accepted me? Surely there were other choices! But I know all of us feel that way . . . I am not alone in these ponderings!
After the orientation I called Chris (during my orientation he was interviewing at Riverside Poly). He was offered the job! YAY! But had to stay a little longer than expected to complete paper work and get the ball rolling. So I had the privilege of staying on campus for . . . 4 hours. Which would have been great if I had a book to read, homework to complete, or knew someone! The day before Jennifer and I had planned to go to the beach right after the orientation but she needed to make it later so Dr. Orbe could join us . . . Which meant I didn’t want to go because I had a TON of unpacking to finish. So, long story short I scoped out the campus. Went to the library. Called anyone I could think of to catch up. And read almost all of Mark’s gospel! Chris finally arrived to pick me up around 5pm and we headed back to our mayhem filled apartment.
By Wednesday everything was unpacked. All that is remaining to complete the place is a small microwave cart and patio table/chairs . . . Once we find all that we will have it all set-up (to my liking at least). We will post some pictures of our place all set up. . . I think you’ll agree it looks way better!
Thursday my classes officially started and syllabus shock was fully and firmly in place. I was heavily warned about Dr. Issler’s 801 Intro. to Philosophical Thought for Christian Education course and rightly so. There is more reading listed on that syllabus than all of my M.Div courses combined (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration---but it’s close). I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
Friday we took off on our weekly grocery run . . . 1 list, 4 stores, 4 envelopes of coupons, and lots of money saved!
Saturday and Sunday were complete madness . . . We had our first experience with car shopping and sales men---it was not an all around good experience. We ended up with a used Toyota Corolla. It is silver and has about 25000 miles on it. We settled for it after failed negotiations with the Nissan dealership and Hyundai dealership. Those are stories I’ll tell you in person sometime . . . no need to recount them here. Overall, we got a car and I can now drive myself to and from classes!
Yesterday, I had my first Christian Education class and I LOVED IT! Dr. Shelley Cunningham is the professor for most of the teaching emphasis courses and I’m really excited to learn from her and take as many courses with her as possible. The class I’m taking is 873 Faculty Development in Christian Higher Education. I have no experience in this area but I’m looking forward to learning about it for potential future use! I’ll keep you posted on how that goes as well!
Today, I am reading and preparing for classes and then I have my third, and final, fall course at 3pm (PST). It is a research class . . . So I’m not thrilled about it but it is a necessary evil for Christian Education. I’ll also let you know how that all pans out!
We are settling in more and more but still miss all of you! Please continue to pray for us! We are still looking for a church. We have visited three so far. Nothing wrong with any of them . . . They just don’t feel like home . . .
--Megan
Monday, August 30, 2010
JOB!
Today was my first day of school. I guess it has been about a week, and there is a gap in the story, so let me back up a little bit.
I was offered the job at Riverside Poly High School in Riverside, CA as their AP Government and AP Economics teacher. All last week was spent getting the clearance to be able to start... fingerprints, TB test, drug screen, so on and so forth. I still have some paperwork to fill, which I'll try to finish this week, but I was finally cleared late on Friday, so I was able to start this week, a week behind the students.
Here is my schedule:
0 Period (which starts at 6:55...in the morning!) Government/Economics (6:55-7:50)
1 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (8:00-8:52)
2 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (9:02-9:54)
3 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (10:04-10:56)
4 Period: Honors Govt./Econ (11:06-12:04)
Lunch
5 Period: Planning
I can leave at 2:00 each day, which is nice, because I do have to get there so early. Getting up at 4:00 am each morning will be rough, but I am willing to do that for a job. My classes are huge... averaging around 30-35 students per class, even the AP classes, which I'm not exxactly sure how that will work. My classes are all around 50 minutes though, with 10 minutes in between. The school is much larger, around 2800 students.
Needless to say, I'm not at Chesnee anymore...
I was offered the job at Riverside Poly High School in Riverside, CA as their AP Government and AP Economics teacher. All last week was spent getting the clearance to be able to start... fingerprints, TB test, drug screen, so on and so forth. I still have some paperwork to fill, which I'll try to finish this week, but I was finally cleared late on Friday, so I was able to start this week, a week behind the students.
Here is my schedule:
0 Period (which starts at 6:55...in the morning!) Government/Economics (6:55-7:50)
1 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (8:00-8:52)
2 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (9:02-9:54)
3 Period: AP Government/AP Macroeconomics (10:04-10:56)
4 Period: Honors Govt./Econ (11:06-12:04)
Lunch
5 Period: Planning
I can leave at 2:00 each day, which is nice, because I do have to get there so early. Getting up at 4:00 am each morning will be rough, but I am willing to do that for a job. My classes are huge... averaging around 30-35 students per class, even the AP classes, which I'm not exxactly sure how that will work. My classes are all around 50 minutes though, with 10 minutes in between. The school is much larger, around 2800 students.
Needless to say, I'm not at Chesnee anymore...
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Job Hunt Overflow
Friday was an eventful day in the job search mayhem that has been my life for the past few weeks. Let me back up and start at the beginning...
Wednesday night we went to a couple's house for a get-together. We were invited by a couple, Heather and Dustin, that we met at church the first Sunday that we were here. They were from Georgia, and that's how we were introduced to them. Anyway, Thursday night was great because we got to spend time and hang out with four other really cool couples. As I've heard many times, and even experienced, in a job search it is not what you know, but who you know.
Anne, one of the people we met Wednesday, works at Vineyard Christian School in Anaheim. She told me that they just had an opening come available for a middle school math teacher. Now, I am well aware that many would think the last thing I could be is a middle school math teacher, but with the job situation the way it is for teachers out here, I'm willing to take anything.
She spoke with her principal on Thursday, and then contacted me to let me know that if I was interested, I needed to call that day. I did, and we had an interview set up for Friday morning. Now, in California, most of the public schools post any job openings they have on Edjoin.org, which is convenient because most of the time you can send an electronic application and it takes very little time. I checked the website like I do most nights and there at the top of the page, the newest posting, was for a district that was looking for an AP US Government and AP Economics teacher. After investigating a little, I realized that they start school on Monday, the 23rd. I immediately got in my car looking for a place to go print off my information and their application. This would be just too good to be true.
Friday morning, I get up and am ready by 7:00 am. I drive the hour to the Riverside Unified School District to drop off my application. I then head back towards Anaheim for my interview. The interview lasted for almost an hour and a half, and I really did get a good feel about Vineyard Christian School. It definitely is a place I could work. I returned home around 1:00 pm and began to wait to hear from either one of the schools. The next chain of events had me going out of my mind....
2:00 pm: I call the Riverside Unified School District's contact person in Human Resources to make sure that she received my application and that she didn't need anymore information from me.
2:30 pm: I get a job offer from Vineyard Christian School. I speak with the principal and he tells me he'll call me back with the specific salary offer.
2:45 pm: I send an email to the contact person at Riverside Unified School District asking about the timeline, expressing my interest, and letting her know about the offer I just received.
3:15 pm: The principal from Vineyard Christian School calls back to let me know what the salary would be. He asks me to let him know on Friday if I'll accept or not, because teachers first day back is Monday.
3:20 pm: I receive a call from Riverside Unified School District asking me to interview for their position on Monday. From their starting salary scale, the difference in pay would be around $15,000 a year.
3:45 pm: I call and speak with the principal at Vineyard and ask if I could let him know Monday. I explained the situation to him and he understood. Thankfully, he told me they would wait until Monday afternoon before moving on to someone else.
It was a crazy day to say the least, but again it goes to show that God will provide, just not always on the time schedule that we would like. Monday will be an interesting day as well, but at least things are all starting to come together for us.
Wednesday night we went to a couple's house for a get-together. We were invited by a couple, Heather and Dustin, that we met at church the first Sunday that we were here. They were from Georgia, and that's how we were introduced to them. Anyway, Thursday night was great because we got to spend time and hang out with four other really cool couples. As I've heard many times, and even experienced, in a job search it is not what you know, but who you know.
Anne, one of the people we met Wednesday, works at Vineyard Christian School in Anaheim. She told me that they just had an opening come available for a middle school math teacher. Now, I am well aware that many would think the last thing I could be is a middle school math teacher, but with the job situation the way it is for teachers out here, I'm willing to take anything.
She spoke with her principal on Thursday, and then contacted me to let me know that if I was interested, I needed to call that day. I did, and we had an interview set up for Friday morning. Now, in California, most of the public schools post any job openings they have on Edjoin.org, which is convenient because most of the time you can send an electronic application and it takes very little time. I checked the website like I do most nights and there at the top of the page, the newest posting, was for a district that was looking for an AP US Government and AP Economics teacher. After investigating a little, I realized that they start school on Monday, the 23rd. I immediately got in my car looking for a place to go print off my information and their application. This would be just too good to be true.
Friday morning, I get up and am ready by 7:00 am. I drive the hour to the Riverside Unified School District to drop off my application. I then head back towards Anaheim for my interview. The interview lasted for almost an hour and a half, and I really did get a good feel about Vineyard Christian School. It definitely is a place I could work. I returned home around 1:00 pm and began to wait to hear from either one of the schools. The next chain of events had me going out of my mind....
2:00 pm: I call the Riverside Unified School District's contact person in Human Resources to make sure that she received my application and that she didn't need anymore information from me.
2:30 pm: I get a job offer from Vineyard Christian School. I speak with the principal and he tells me he'll call me back with the specific salary offer.
2:45 pm: I send an email to the contact person at Riverside Unified School District asking about the timeline, expressing my interest, and letting her know about the offer I just received.
3:15 pm: The principal from Vineyard Christian School calls back to let me know what the salary would be. He asks me to let him know on Friday if I'll accept or not, because teachers first day back is Monday.
3:20 pm: I receive a call from Riverside Unified School District asking me to interview for their position on Monday. From their starting salary scale, the difference in pay would be around $15,000 a year.
3:45 pm: I call and speak with the principal at Vineyard and ask if I could let him know Monday. I explained the situation to him and he understood. Thankfully, he told me they would wait until Monday afternoon before moving on to someone else.
It was a crazy day to say the least, but again it goes to show that God will provide, just not always on the time schedule that we would like. Monday will be an interesting day as well, but at least things are all starting to come together for us.
Pieces Coming Together
Friday was an all around good day! Chris had his first job interview with Vineyard Christian School and has another interview at Riverside Polytechnic High School on Monday (I’ll let him give you the details). We also, finally, got our IKEA items (see the pictures below) and our fridge (pictures also below)! And we were finally able to do some grocery shopping!
As if that isn’t enough good news . . . We also received our first package today (see photo’s below) from our favorite group of teenagers and their leaders (i.e. Dena and Jenna)!
The package included a homemade card, Blitz Week video, some cute decorative items: a door hanger, tea light holder, and tea lights (from my favorite: Yankee Candle). There were also t-shirts for Chris and me: pink Carolina Girl for me (glad to know it is official---the South Carolinians will claim me), orange Clemson for him! And there was even a little something for Mo! He sniffed it out WAY before we opened the package! I just assumed he smelled familiar people on the box . . . Wrong.
We all LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our surprises! Thank you so much for thinking of us! We definitely did not expect it! It topped off an already fabulous day and made me think of and really, really, really miss you all! Now, if only our other belongings would arrive!
P.S. I loved the Blitz Week video! The carousel pictures on bowling night were fantastic and I cannot believe McKenlee got in the big ball spinney-thing at Funtasia (I must know--did he throw up)?
--Megan
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| Here are all the IKEA boxes...I like their stuff, but be prepared to spend "hours" piecing it all together! |
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| The completed sleeper sofa. The bottom pulls out to make a full size sleeping area. So we now have a place for visitors to sleep. |
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| The completed bookshelf and desk. We turned the dining room into an "office", since we don't have a table of any kind. |
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| We can finally buy groceries..which we did. Megan has turned into quite the bargain shopper. Even though we went to four total grocery stores, we saved around $100 total! Gotta love coupons! |
As if that isn’t enough good news . . . We also received our first package today (see photo’s below) from our favorite group of teenagers and their leaders (i.e. Dena and Jenna)!
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| The box was a little beat up, but Mo knew right away that something in there belonged to him. |
The package included a homemade card, Blitz Week video, some cute decorative items: a door hanger, tea light holder, and tea lights (from my favorite: Yankee Candle). There were also t-shirts for Chris and me: pink Carolina Girl for me (glad to know it is official---the South Carolinians will claim me), orange Clemson for him! And there was even a little something for Mo! He sniffed it out WAY before we opened the package! I just assumed he smelled familiar people on the box . . . Wrong.
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| We miss you all too! |
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| All of our great gifts! Thanks everyone! And Mo loved the bone... |
--Megan
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Back to the Future
Today, Megan and I finally returned back to the future... well, at least the present day. We have been without Internet/TV for almost a week now. It is extremely weird being in a new place, with no access to any news, information, etc. It is easy to forget how much of a luxury the Internet has become for us in our daily lives. If we need an address, phone number or directions, most of our first thoughts today is simply to "Google" it. After much trouble, we finally have our Internet installed and operational. We have decided to forgo cable, at least for the foreseeable future simply to save money.
We have moved into our apartment, which would have been much more exciting, except our stuff still won't arrive until Friday or Saturday. That is also the day that our fridge and furniture from IKEA that we ordered will arrive. So until then, we sit and wait in our empty apartment. I have been flying through the seasons of West Wing, since there was little else to do, and Megan and I have watched a few movies as well.
We visited a new church on Sunday, Green Hills Baptist Church in La Habra, CA. It was nice, and much bigger than Redeemer. With the size, you lose the friendliness that Redeemer had, but I think Green Hills has a youth department. It feels so weird to go to a church on Sunday and not be involved with youth. To add to that, Chesnee started back to school.
I miss interacting on a daily basis with teenagers.
As weird as that may seem to some people, for the past three years teenagers have been my life. I interacted with the students from Chesnee from Monday to Friday, and a lot of Saturdays, and the youth from New Pleasant on Wednesdays and Sundays, and during the summer, a lot of other nights too. It is a hard void to replace.
Megan and I also joke that this whole area looks like it was built in the 1970s. Many of the buildings and houses look like they came off an episode of That 70s Show, just a version located in California instead of Wisconsin. We are still trying to get adjusted to the differences in lifestyles. We thank everyone that has continued to pray for us.
Here are a few specific prayer request that we have for anyone interested:
1) A job opportunity.
2) Make friends with other young couples.
3) Megan's course work starting next week.
4) Finding a church home.
I'll include pictures of our apartment below... Love and miss everyone from back home!
We have moved into our apartment, which would have been much more exciting, except our stuff still won't arrive until Friday or Saturday. That is also the day that our fridge and furniture from IKEA that we ordered will arrive. So until then, we sit and wait in our empty apartment. I have been flying through the seasons of West Wing, since there was little else to do, and Megan and I have watched a few movies as well.
We visited a new church on Sunday, Green Hills Baptist Church in La Habra, CA. It was nice, and much bigger than Redeemer. With the size, you lose the friendliness that Redeemer had, but I think Green Hills has a youth department. It feels so weird to go to a church on Sunday and not be involved with youth. To add to that, Chesnee started back to school.
I miss interacting on a daily basis with teenagers.
As weird as that may seem to some people, for the past three years teenagers have been my life. I interacted with the students from Chesnee from Monday to Friday, and a lot of Saturdays, and the youth from New Pleasant on Wednesdays and Sundays, and during the summer, a lot of other nights too. It is a hard void to replace.
Megan and I also joke that this whole area looks like it was built in the 1970s. Many of the buildings and houses look like they came off an episode of That 70s Show, just a version located in California instead of Wisconsin. We are still trying to get adjusted to the differences in lifestyles. We thank everyone that has continued to pray for us.
Here are a few specific prayer request that we have for anyone interested:
1) A job opportunity.
2) Make friends with other young couples.
3) Megan's course work starting next week.
4) Finding a church home.
I'll include pictures of our apartment below... Love and miss everyone from back home!
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| Our Kitchen... Gas Stove, Dishwasher, and a big Pantry cabinet. |
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| Having to do without a fridge for a week is harder than it may seem. |
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| Sink area of the bathroom. Right around the corner is a pretty large closet. |
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| Shower and toilet... the vent in there works great! No steam at all after showers. |
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| Bedroom empty with access to the large balcony. |
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| Bedroom with our air mattress that we purchased. Notice Mo has no trouble sleeping on the air mattress. |
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| Megan in the living room sitting in our "softball chairs". The coffee table is something we bought at IKEA. We had to purchase that at the store... they wouldn't ship it with the rest of the order. |
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| The large balcony. It really is huge. As nice as it has been, as soon as I get a job, we'll get a table and chairs for out here, and this will be our dining room. |
Blogs Don't Work Without the Internet
**This is an entry from Megan that was suppose to be uploaded on Thursday, August 12th. The absence of the Internet has delayed it until today...
Today marks nearly a week and a half since we began our cross-country trek; and nearly a week since we arrived in CA. Quite a bit has transpired since we first left SC . . . However, I am learning more and more as the days pass that some things seem to follow you no matter where you go . . . Allow me to explain.
Since the moment of my call experience there have been three distinct parties of people:
1. People that support, encourage, and walk with me in my calling.
2. People that have no interest in, whatsoever, or are indifferent to, the conversation centered on “being called.”
3. Those that seemed utterly shocked, awed, and amazed that a female could be called to ministry! (Gasp)!
Through the duration of our travels, and since my time here in CA, I have encountered all of the above. I must admit, at first, I was a bit shocked to find so many people, here in CA, that assumed Chris was the one going to school instead of me. After all, this is supposed to be the more liberal coast! I suppose prejudices follow us everywhere and we too find ourselves discovering prejudices of our own as we experience those that belong to others.
Nevertheless, those that ask why I’m here and reply with, “Oh,” a look of utter shock, or a polite, “I see,” simply remind me that struggles and differences are everywhere. Yet, in the midst of it all there are always those that respond with: “Good for you!” or “That’s awesome!” or “Great, I’ll be praying for you.”
Aside from my ministerial call-related experiences I am also discovering that the term: “Clean,” has many different definitions. As many of you know, I am a bit of a neat freak (I know, understatement of the century). Along our journey we have experienced places that were, well, not quite up to my expectations, those that were close enough, and those that were nearly perfect! Likewise, our apartment search produced the same selection. Hopefully, barring anything unusual, we will have the keys to one of the “close enough” properties tomorrow! More details, and pictures, to come at that time.
Now, on to the reason we came on this crazy, memory-making, stress-producing journey in the first place: Talbot School of Theology. Upon our arrival Friday August 6 Chris and I took a self-given tour of the campus and just walked around a bit. I also scheduled an “official” tour for Wednesday August 11 with the PhD department administrative assistant, Tanya Wheeldon.
Yesterday, we drove the 10 or so minutes from our Extended Stay and took an “official” tour with Tanya. She was extremely helpful and we discovered there was more to the campus than we initially anticipated. I also had a chance to grace the Financial Aid office and was surprised to discover that things were easily ironed out and my tuition is now fully financed via a scholarship, grant, and student loans--YAY! There are kind, helpful, God-fearing people that work in Financial Aid Departments, imagine that!
To conclude this crazy week . . . We have ordered a fridge, bookshelf/desk unit, and pull-out sofa. Thankfully, familiar places to shop followed us across the country as well: Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, JCPenny, IKEA, etc. So, with all that in mind, make plans to come visit us soon! We would love to see some familiar faces and show you around Southern California (or at least the part we have discovered)!
--Megan
Today marks nearly a week and a half since we began our cross-country trek; and nearly a week since we arrived in CA. Quite a bit has transpired since we first left SC . . . However, I am learning more and more as the days pass that some things seem to follow you no matter where you go . . . Allow me to explain.
Since the moment of my call experience there have been three distinct parties of people:
1. People that support, encourage, and walk with me in my calling.
2. People that have no interest in, whatsoever, or are indifferent to, the conversation centered on “being called.”
3. Those that seemed utterly shocked, awed, and amazed that a female could be called to ministry! (Gasp)!
Through the duration of our travels, and since my time here in CA, I have encountered all of the above. I must admit, at first, I was a bit shocked to find so many people, here in CA, that assumed Chris was the one going to school instead of me. After all, this is supposed to be the more liberal coast! I suppose prejudices follow us everywhere and we too find ourselves discovering prejudices of our own as we experience those that belong to others.
Nevertheless, those that ask why I’m here and reply with, “Oh,” a look of utter shock, or a polite, “I see,” simply remind me that struggles and differences are everywhere. Yet, in the midst of it all there are always those that respond with: “Good for you!” or “That’s awesome!” or “Great, I’ll be praying for you.”
Aside from my ministerial call-related experiences I am also discovering that the term: “Clean,” has many different definitions. As many of you know, I am a bit of a neat freak (I know, understatement of the century). Along our journey we have experienced places that were, well, not quite up to my expectations, those that were close enough, and those that were nearly perfect! Likewise, our apartment search produced the same selection. Hopefully, barring anything unusual, we will have the keys to one of the “close enough” properties tomorrow! More details, and pictures, to come at that time.
Now, on to the reason we came on this crazy, memory-making, stress-producing journey in the first place: Talbot School of Theology. Upon our arrival Friday August 6 Chris and I took a self-given tour of the campus and just walked around a bit. I also scheduled an “official” tour for Wednesday August 11 with the PhD department administrative assistant, Tanya Wheeldon.
Yesterday, we drove the 10 or so minutes from our Extended Stay and took an “official” tour with Tanya. She was extremely helpful and we discovered there was more to the campus than we initially anticipated. I also had a chance to grace the Financial Aid office and was surprised to discover that things were easily ironed out and my tuition is now fully financed via a scholarship, grant, and student loans--YAY! There are kind, helpful, God-fearing people that work in Financial Aid Departments, imagine that!
To conclude this crazy week . . . We have ordered a fridge, bookshelf/desk unit, and pull-out sofa. Thankfully, familiar places to shop followed us across the country as well: Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, JCPenny, IKEA, etc. So, with all that in mind, make plans to come visit us soon! We would love to see some familiar faces and show you around Southern California (or at least the part we have discovered)!
--Megan
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Church Shopping
Google can be used for a lot of things these days, but I never really thought that I would use it to try and find a church. Church "shopping" is such an odd thing... and it is something that I always feel awkward doing. We knew that one difficult thing that we would have to do, and one thing that could ease our transition out here at the same time would be to find a new church. So we began the search on Sunday.
We visited a church called Redeemer Baptist Church in La Mirada (formally First Baptist of La Mirada). It was a smaller church than I think either one of us expected. The service was great, and I really felt like I got something from the message. The people, while small in number, were great as well. There were a good many young couples, and we even met a couple that had moved to the area from Georgia. The people seemed really genuine, and offered a lot of good advice. Who knows, maybe we'll get to spend some more time with them. Megan and I both liked the church a lot, but we plan on visiting some others before we think about making a decision.
The one drawback from the church is that there are practically zero youth. We both feel called to work with youth in some aspect, and while I think we could get a lot from the church, I don't know if we would be truly using the gifts God has given us. We will most likely try a different church on Sunday.
By the way, it is amazing that any churches can gain new members. The whole process is strange. Churches on average are built on their routine. For a new visitor, it is a giant guessing game of what the routine will be, hoping you don't sit in anyone's "assigned" seat. For the good churches, the ones that are like a community, it is always awkward to be the new person in a community. I guess this is more of a microcosm of our journey as a whole. We are new in this community, and we are trying to find our new "pew".
We visited a church called Redeemer Baptist Church in La Mirada (formally First Baptist of La Mirada). It was a smaller church than I think either one of us expected. The service was great, and I really felt like I got something from the message. The people, while small in number, were great as well. There were a good many young couples, and we even met a couple that had moved to the area from Georgia. The people seemed really genuine, and offered a lot of good advice. Who knows, maybe we'll get to spend some more time with them. Megan and I both liked the church a lot, but we plan on visiting some others before we think about making a decision.
The one drawback from the church is that there are practically zero youth. We both feel called to work with youth in some aspect, and while I think we could get a lot from the church, I don't know if we would be truly using the gifts God has given us. We will most likely try a different church on Sunday.
By the way, it is amazing that any churches can gain new members. The whole process is strange. Churches on average are built on their routine. For a new visitor, it is a giant guessing game of what the routine will be, hoping you don't sit in anyone's "assigned" seat. For the good churches, the ones that are like a community, it is always awkward to be the new person in a community. I guess this is more of a microcosm of our journey as a whole. We are new in this community, and we are trying to find our new "pew".
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Going Hunting
Today we decided to embark on the ever elusive hunt for a cheap, yet not nasty apartment in the La Mirada area. We began our journey by starting to call various apartment complexes to see if they even have any apartments available. While we did get good news from the moving company and we don't have to rush, it still is difficult to find openings that we could move into in the next couple of weeks.
The first place we went to was not as it appeared online. Plus, it was one of the most expensive places we saw today. The second place was better, but was a long way away from Biola, which after all, is the entire reason for coming all this way. We think we may have found our future apartment in the third one. It is an interesting place, and the rent is only $1080. (only 1080... didn't think I'd ever say that.) We went to look at one other place, but we decided to go ahead and apply at the third place.
We will try to finalize those details on Monday and hopefully, we will be able to move in by next Saturday. We may try and go look at some studio apartments on Monday as well, just to see what some of those look like and what we could get for a little less. Having the apartment taken care of early on in the week should free up plenty of time for me to search for a job. That has to be the thing that frustrates and worries me the most. It is so hard to sit back and trust that God will provide when you feel almost helpless, but that is what faith is. I know that we were brought out here for a reason, and that it will work out if it is in His will.
Once we returned back to the hotel, we looked for a few churches in the area that we might visit tomorrow. This was the first real time that I missed being back in Gaffney this whole week. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow when I can't wake up and walk across the street and into the youth room. It is going to be odd walking into a different church, but I know that finding a new church for Megan and I is an important step, not only for us spiritually, but also to help acclimate us to the area. Hopefully, the people at our future church will help us adjust to the area. For now, Megan and I are going to curl up with Mo and watch a movie...if we don't fall asleep first. It was a long hunt today.
The first place we went to was not as it appeared online. Plus, it was one of the most expensive places we saw today. The second place was better, but was a long way away from Biola, which after all, is the entire reason for coming all this way. We think we may have found our future apartment in the third one. It is an interesting place, and the rent is only $1080. (only 1080... didn't think I'd ever say that.) We went to look at one other place, but we decided to go ahead and apply at the third place.
We will try to finalize those details on Monday and hopefully, we will be able to move in by next Saturday. We may try and go look at some studio apartments on Monday as well, just to see what some of those look like and what we could get for a little less. Having the apartment taken care of early on in the week should free up plenty of time for me to search for a job. That has to be the thing that frustrates and worries me the most. It is so hard to sit back and trust that God will provide when you feel almost helpless, but that is what faith is. I know that we were brought out here for a reason, and that it will work out if it is in His will.
Once we returned back to the hotel, we looked for a few churches in the area that we might visit tomorrow. This was the first real time that I missed being back in Gaffney this whole week. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow when I can't wake up and walk across the street and into the youth room. It is going to be odd walking into a different church, but I know that finding a new church for Megan and I is an important step, not only for us spiritually, but also to help acclimate us to the area. Hopefully, the people at our future church will help us adjust to the area. For now, Megan and I are going to curl up with Mo and watch a movie...if we don't fall asleep first. It was a long hunt today.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Last Day: Flagstaff, AZ to La Mirada, CA
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We finally have made it, and what a day it has been! We set up the trip so that today's drive would be the shortest, intentially thinking that 1) we would be fairly tired at this point in the trip and 2) that we might want to go look around the city some today if we had time. Even with the shorter drive, today seemed like the drive went on FOREVER!
The drive through western Arizona on I-40 has got to be one of the longest, windiest stretches of the US with absolutely nothing for miles. The wind was very gusty, and it made it difficult to drive. It was one of those that just drained you, and that was within the first two hours of so of our trip today. The scenery was pretty, but it was uninterrupted and seemingly lasted forever.
We finally made it to California and actually had to stop at an inspection station. It is almost like California had their own customs check. I think I caught the guy off guard a little when I told him we were from South Carolina. He also asked if we had any animals in the car (with Mo sitting in Megan's lap in the front seat). Once through, it was literally almost just like Arizona. It really was an exhausting couple of hours. Once we finally made it to Barstow (where I-40 starts/ends) we were quickly introduced to the California traffic. It only got worse as we got closer to Los Angeles.
Traffic is something that we are going to have to get use to. It was only 2:30 on a Friday and it was crazy! If you think traffic is bad somewhere like Greenville or Charlotte, that is nothing. It even seemed worse than any traffic I've been stuck in Atlanta. Needless to say, we are going to try to avoid the interstates as much as possible.
Once we finally made it to our hotel for the week, we took a little time just to unwind. After eating a small bite to eat, we decided to go explore La Mirada. We found Biola University and walked around the campus a little. Most of the buildings look like they were built during the 70s. We then drove around trying to find a grocery store, and just to get a feel for the area. If we are going off of first impressions, we will be back in the South as soon as Megan finishes. Strip malls are everywhere. We did find at least one nicer shopping center and bought some groceries at Albertson's (and we got a discount card to add to our Bi-Lo and Ingles cards, which I doubt we can use out here).
Tomorrow, we hope to start looking for apartments. We found out from the moving company today that our shipment will arrive closer to the 19th, so we will have a couple of weeks to try and find a place. It will be an adjustment to say the least...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day 3: Amarillo, TX to Flagstaff, AZ
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| Today's leg was from Amarillo (D) to Flagstaff (E). |
The finish line is almost in sight. We only have one more day of driving left to go before the real adventure begins. The trip has been surprisingly easy going. We woke up today a little later than yesterday, because we knew we would be entering the Mountain Time Zone, so we would get that hour back. Again, we stuck to our goal of wanting to get to our destination before 5:00 pm to give ourselves ample time to relax, and for Mo to have a chance to stretch his legs and play. Today we also remembered to dig the camera out from the back of the car, so we actually took some pictures along the way.
From Amarillo to the New Mexico border was the panhandle of Texas I was expecting. Stretches for miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. At one point, we thought we had come across potentially the world's largest junk yard. However, as we got closer we realized it was a gigantic dairy farm. I'm talking about cows in their pens for almost a mile!
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| This is just a small part of the dairy farm that we thought was a junk yard from a mile off. |
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| Wind turbine fields in Texas. We also saw these throughout Oklahoma, and some in New Mexico. |
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| Mo curled up asleep in my lap as I drive. He liked to try and use the steering wheel as a pillow, and always seemed a little upset when I had to turn it. |
We continued on and finally entered New Mexico. This is an absolutely beautiful part of the country. The red rock formations are spectacular. New Mexico was the first state that really had a bunch of road work on I-40, but no real delays. I found it odd that whenever you entered a work zone, there was a sign posted that told you the cost of the project. Talk about government accountability, and then when you left the work zone, it told the comany who did the work and gave a phone number.
The bridges (some of them anyway) were very unique. Albequerque was a cool looking city, and I wish we would have been able to go through Santa Fe... maybe another time. We passed the western continental divide and then started making our way into Arizona. We also caught the edge of wht appeared to be a pretty nasty storm.
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| This is the storm we got caught in for just a few minutes. Notice how it is just barely over the Interstate. To the right of the picture was where the worst of the storm was. |
We had been told to make sure you don't let your gas tank get too low in New Mexico because there were stretches where you wouldn't see a gas station for miles... well I think they meant Arizona. Very few cities along I-40 in Arizona. We did go through Winslow, AZ (like in the song) and then we made it to Flagstaff, out stopping point for the night. Flagstaff is absolutely beautiful and the weather is great too! It is also the only place so far where we got stuck in traffic, just five minutes from our hotel. 25 minutes later, we arrived.
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| The mountains in Arizona as we close in on Flagstaff. |
Tomorrow we should arrive in La Mirada, CA, and hopefully get there early enough to be able to start our apartment hunt! Should be an exciting day! I think we are both just ready to get there and finally have a chance to start our new lives, but just like the miles we've traveled to get here won't be forgotten, neither will the past couple of years. Everybody is the total sum of their experiences, and we would never have been able to do what we are doing now if it wasn't for all the people that have crossed our paths. Los Angeles here we come!
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| Here is a picture of our car packed at my parent's house. Notice there is not a lot of extra room. |
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