How I'm Getting Through Grad School...

In honor of the fact that this next week is Finals Week for Winter Quarter (and after that there are only ten more cRaZy weeks until I have my Master's), allow me to share with you the three things that are getting me through grad school:

Plenty of:
- coffee (I may be addicted, but I limit myself to one mug a day, usually)
- chocolate (particularly European, but any form will do)
- grace

...not in that order. Heavy emphasis on the GRACE. I came across a wunderbar-ly fitting quote by Brennan Manning today:

“Grace abounds and walks around the edges of our everyday experiences.”

A Wonderful (yet crazy) Trip to the Pacific Northwest...

WONDERFUL because I spent this past weekend with my wonderful dear friends Kirsten and Kristi. CRAZY because I flew to OR for the weekend (sane people would have spent more time there after flying clear across the country, but hey - you do what you can do with the time you have!)


BUT I am not to blame - this wasn't my idea - I just jumped on board! Kristi decided that it would be a perfectly acceptable idea to fly to Oregon for a long weekend to visit Kirsten....yes, that's three time zones away and I spent several hours flying to get there, and yes I left Friday morning and came back Monday evening, BUT IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!

So, allow me to provide you with a few anecdotes and pictures of our fun....



First - Multnomah Falls....I know, I know, the picture doesn't do it justice. And yes, those are raindrops on my camera lens (the Pacific Northwest lived up to its rainy reputation:). But Kirsten and I had a lovely conversation while we hiked up to the top!





On Saturday was the Great Adventure - a goal/dream achieved - I WALKED IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. Well..., walked might not be the right word...."Ran awkwardly in such a manner as to ensure that my pants became soaking wet" is a more accurate description (And yes it was rainy and 45 degrees:)

Us - standing at the edge of the ocean...

My feet IN the Pacific.

My friends who possess the coordination necessary to run through the surf without getting their jeans wet.

In this picture, my precious friend Kirsten is comforting me while I say, "Man my legs are cold and I don't think I can feel my feet." But it was worth it! An experience to remember (but one that was not yet over...)


So what do you do when your jeans are SOAKED from the knee down? Well, of course you then proceed to a nearby State Park to hike through the woods, which ensures that your jeans (and shoes) become covered with MUD. (Again, I was the only one of our trio who had this problem.:) While hiking, be sure to take plenty of fun pictures and carry on wonderful, honest, enriching conversation. :)

Crescent Beach...I know the picture is grey, but that's really what it looked like that day!

A fun picture of some tall skinny trees...

While I always love seeing and exploring new parts of creation, words and pictures cannot adequately describe how thankful I am for the laughter, tears, and cherished friendship shared this weekend. I am so b l e s s e d in the friends that I have. Memories that were made this past weekend that will last a good long time. Memories that will soon be carried across a different ocean as I venture to D'land...

Life's Always An Adventure

Snow Days, Roto-Rooter, and the Carpet Cleaning man....what more can I say?

(well, plenty actually, but I'll spare you the details :)

Overwhelmed vs. My Foundation

Looking ahead over the next 4 months of my life, quite frankly, is scary and overwhelming. (A brief overview - 4 more weeks of winter quarter, finals week, one week of Spring Break during which I will be working on my Independent Paper and Graduate Portfolio hopefully at home in NY, then 10 weeks of Spring Quarter, then finals week which will be finish-up-school-responsibilities-pack-up-all-of-my-OH-life-and-move-everything-home-to-NY-ASAP before leaving for D'land for a "year plus.") Just typing that all out is overwhelming. A mixture of emotions - fear and excitement, fulfilling some hopes and dreams while being acutely aware of my own failures and shortcomings.

Before falling into the downward spiral of my own emotions, I'm reminded of what and who my foundation is....that is where I need to rest and put my trust. Faithful is he who calls you, and he also will bring it to pass. I have too much to be thankful for to complain or worry!

As for "Destination D'land" - the next "year plus" chapter of my life, more details will follow...when I have them. I am refraining from making a general announcement until I have enough info to satisfactorily answer the barrage of questions my loving and caring friends will bombard me with.

A Weekend in PA...

Last weekend, I went to the lovely (and snowy:) state of PA to visit my awesomely wonderful crazy adventuresome friend Gretch and her husband Aaron. It was great to reminisce and catch up with Gretch (we always have been good at late night conversations:) and get to know Aaron better. The weekend went by too quickly, of course, but I am thankful for the time we had together.

And can I just say that I enjoy driving the curvy mountainous roads through WV? :)

Christmas at Home on the Farm

Holidays with my family are always a blessing! Christmas was no exception - we were attacked by a nasty stomach flu the week before Christmas, but thankfully we were all back to our normal selves in time to enjoy the festivities, food, fun, and fellowship!

A rare occurance in Northern New York State - a green Christmas!

My sibs and I on Christmas Eve

My cousin (who might as well be my big brother) and his wife had their baby right before Christmas. This adorable little guy is named Ty, and I was very thankful to meet him before I left NY State!

My December Trip to China

In December, I was privileged to have the opportunity to spend 2 1/2 weeks in China visiting my amazing CU friend Jessi. It was wonderful to see her again, and to be able to "experience" her life in China!

I saw lots of poor English translations in China. This was one of my favorites. I (yes, I!) was taller than these "perilous hills!"

Ancient Culture Street in Tianjin

Yes, I successfully ate with chopsticks.

Jessi and I at the Wall...

The Wall and lots of mountains that you could see if it weren't hazy...

The Forbidden City

Amazing Architecture at the Forbidden City

A guard at Tiananmen Square (These guards in the green jackets were everywhere in China!)