Summer's almost over...

and I am actually saddened by this. I am one of those weird people that normally doesn't like summer. I am so routine driven, that when it gets disrupted by winter break, vacations, and especially summertime, I tend to be/become miserable. However, this summer has been SO busy, I am finding that I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I would have liked to. Here is a quick recap of my summer (prepare yourself, this is pretty crazy):

May:
end of classes and finals
trip to Maine
begin working summer hours in the admissions office

June:
Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference
trip to Maryland for Lauren's graduation
back to MD for my certification interview
up to Massachusetts for the New England Annual Conference

July:
cross-cultural trip to Taize, France
Vacation Bible
my first funeral (all by myself!)
filling in as pastor, secretary, organist at the church

August:
quick jaunt down to MD
trip up to Maine (where Evan got certified- yay!)
BACK down to MD....

...and now it is less than a week before classes start, and I am at my desk in the admissions office, thinking of all the planning I need to do for fall programs that start in less than a month. Gah!

On a brighter note, today is mine and Evan's 11th "month-iversary". Yay! After work we are going to the gym (we're on a health kick right now) and then we will get gussied up and go to our favorite restaurant in Madison. We go there every month to celebrate; it's the first place we met, and we've made it ''our'' place. It's called David's Rumba Cafe, but we just call it Dave's. I always get the same thing- a Cadillac Burrito. But, now we are vegetarian, so I'll have to try something new!

Time to go back to work- why are there only 24 hours in the day?

Peace!

Eggplant!

A few things y'all may not know include:

1. Evan and I are now vegetarians
2. we planted a vegetable garden earlier in the summer
3. we have a lot of eggplant!

Ok, now that that's been covered, on to the main part of this entry which is.....

A DELICIOUS EGGPLANT LASAGNA RECIPE!!!!

We had a lot of veggies lying around the kitchen, refrigerator, garden, etc. that needed to be used up, so we decided to throw together a lasagna. And it was FABULOUS! Evan says he thinks in the future we should blanch the eggplant a little bit before, and I think we should cook the broccoli a little bit before, but we both agree the crunch is nice, so maybe that isn't necessary. Anyway...

First we thinly sliced the eggplant (just 1) and put it on a cookie sheet. You have to sprinkle salt on the slices and let it sit- this will draw the bitter water out of the eggplant and make it nicer.
While that was happening, we made 3 bowls of stuff that we later used to layer.

Bowl 1: sauce
We just used a jar of tomato & basil spaghetti sauce that was in the pantry. To that we added:
- a whole ton of withered spinach (and I mean a ton, like, 2 of the bags of spinach you get at a store!)
- cubed tomato
Mix together and set aside.

Bowl 2: veggies!
I chopped and mixed together:
- onion
- green onions/scallions
- a head of boccoli

Bowl 3: this is what Evan threw together
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg
- fresh basil
- thyme
- oregano
- parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
This smelled amazing. I wanted to eat some, but didn't because of the raw egg. It was hard not to though.

Then, after rinsing and drying the eggplant, we started to layer! I thought my Pampered Chef rectangular baker would be too big, but we filled it to the top!

Layer:
- sauce
- lasagna noodles
- cheese mixture
- eggplant
- veggie mix
-REPEAT

 On the last layer we just did the noodles, sauce, and then put shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

We baked it on 350 F for about 30 minutes.

Give it a try sometime! I'm actually glad that we will have leftovers for several meals, it was that good!

Travellings back and forth

Hey y'all! I've been traveling a good bit lately; down to MD a few weeks ago for the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference where I was part of the music team with Mark Miller and DeLyn Celec. I had a great time helping to lead the music throughout conference, but had a very different experience at conference this year. It was probably due to the fact that I was working and unable to re-connect with people at conference. OR maybe it was because of some of the conversations we are still having. Or maybe it was because it was held in the Marriot at the Inner Harbor, where dinner cost $42 a person, and the ordinands were ordained under crystal chandeliers while people were starving just blocks away...Anyway, BW conference was OK. I drove back up to Jersey Friday night so I would be at worship on Sunday, then turned right back around and drove BACK to MD for Lauren's graduation party and graduation!

The graduation party was, of course, a great party (all my mom's parties are great, even though she worries about them). I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while, ate some yummy food, chatted with my pastor for a while, and played some kickball (!). The party "officially" ended at 8, but some of Lauren's friends stayed much longer, first helping us clean up and then staying to watch her open her gifts. It was really nice to see her interact with her friends from church and school. She has blossomed so much, and seems to be in touch with who she is. I know she's going to excel at Centenary in the fall. : )

Graduation was a bit chaotic because Megan experienced her first migraine- except we didn't know it was just a migraine- and ended up in the ER with my father. Lauren was a really great sport about the whole thing, and after being kept over night and having a bunch of tests run, Megan is fine. Thank goodness.

I stayed longer on Wednesday than I had originally planned, and headed back for Jersey once Megan was discharged from the hospital. She had so many pastoral visits- Mark went Tuesday night, then George came on Wednesday afternoon, and Mark came again right as she was being discharged. That is good pastoral care Hiss pastors! Two thumbs up!

I was only in Jersey for a few days- well, a week really- and then I had to go BACK down to MD (that 3 trips now!) for my DCOM meeting. It was pretty intense at times, but they certified me (thank you God!), and I was able to drive back up to Jersey tear-free. When I got home Evan and Lauren G. had dinner ready, and we celebrated a bit before Evan and I had to pack for the New England Annual Conference, which we were going to the next day.

We left early Thursday morning and got up to Gordon College, MA around 1pm. We registered (there was no line!) and got to our room in minutes. Everyone stays in the dorms; each dorm had two twin beds, and two rooms shared a bathroom. The lay representative from Jacksonville UMC (Evan's church in ME) and his wife had the room next to us, and helped pay our way to conference. They are a hoot! and made conference a lot of fun. NEAC was very different from BWAC, in many ways. One of the initial and most obvious differences was the size of the conference. Whereas BW has thousands of clergy alone, there were 1,300 registered TOTAL at NE- that included clergy, laity, and guests! Because it's so small, NE can have their conference at Gordon College, with the sessions being held in the chapel. THE CHAPEL! We walked in, and at the base of the stage was a fountain that a clergy member had made; it had the Methodist cross and flame on it, and water ran down the wall. The theme was "rivers" and it carried throughout the entire conference. Bishop Weaver is very pastoral- he preaches and prays in a gentle manner, and presided over the conference fairly and judiciously. The worship was all great (although the music wasn't as good as Mark Miller's), and it involved youth, children, retirees, and district superintendents (at one service, they came into worship dressed up with different flotation devices and running under bead curtains- it was so much fun!). They used water, beads, strips of fabric, and blocks of ice to enhance the worship and voting sessions. Oh, AND they have "prayer-liamentary" motions; at any point in the debates over legislation someone can make a prayer-liamentary request and the bishop will stop the conversation to offer up a prayer. I can't describe how this helped ease the tension during debates. It was so different from BW; it was more like church, more like community. Oh, oh! did I mention that there were mission opportunities right there during conference? Mission as in, not only giving money, but a station where ramps were being built to be distributed throughout Northern Maine to people in need of them.

The first night we were there Evan's DS Pat MacHugh had dinner with us. I was amazed a DS would take the time, especially during conference!- to have dinner with one of her candidates and his partner. She was so nice and pastoral, wanting to know about how we liked school, how we met each other, what my call to ministry was...and thanking US for eating with her! She prayed for our continuing discernment as we go through the candidacy process and decide where we will serve. She also told us about the new opportunities that are opening up in the Northern Maine District; from a new cluster, to a church plant within the next few years, to looking to find new ways of doing parish and extension ministry. It was all very exciting to listen to, and is something that I need to continue to pray about as Evan and I begin planning our future together.

We made it back to Jersey Saturday night, just in time for me to finish prepping for the service on Sunday that I led and preached at. This past week has been the first in weeks that I haven't had to travel anywhere farther than the Target on Route 10, and for that I am extremely grateful!

So, that's what I've been up to lately! Hope you've enjoyed -and thanks for- reading! Peace.

Ch. 1

I was talking to Evan earlier today, and we both mentioned that I had written anything for a while. "What should I write about?" I asked him. "Write about...write about us!" he said. "I like to hear your version of it." So here we go. I'm going to write it in several installments, so that those who want to read don't have to tackle a huge narrative in one sitting. (It will also give me a longer project to keep my occupied- teehee). Hope you enjoy!

It was the fourth day of orientation, and my brain was pretty fried. Perhaps it was from all the information it was trying to retain about this place called Drew, or maybe it was just because it was late August and as a result quite hot and humid outside. I had dressed comfortably for the long day, pulled my unruly bangs back, and had put on some make-up, still trying to create a good first impression to the people I would spend the next three years of my life with. For the first time that week dinner was not provided, and our orientation leaders thought it would be fun to introduce us to some of the restaurants in town. The group was larger than they had planned, so half went to a typical bar and grill along the main road, while the rest of us went to the adventurous sounding David’s Rumba Café. Tables had been squeezed together in this small, quaint family-run restaurant, and the owner and waitstaff were ready for us with smiles and pads of paper for drink requests. I sat between one of the orientation leaders (DBY) and a new friend. Leena was a classical violinist, so we would have plenty to talk about if conversation lulled. Across from me sat Shannon and a young man who did not return after the first semester. Conversations abounded, new people were introduced to us as they joined our ranks at the tables, and suggestions and decisions were made in regards to food. “This is my room-mate,” DBY said, and I glanced to see a cheerful enough man on his other side. His hair was wild and shaggy, beard unkempt, and he sported an old tie-died T-shirt. I couldn’t figure out how old he was, and it was too hard to hear, so I turned my attention back to the conversation at hand: Shannon was debating marriage with the young man in front of me.

The food was delicious, and I ate a ton of it! Chips and home-made salsa, maduros and some other form of fried plantain, black bean soup, and the most amazing burrito I have ever had in my life. The Cadillac. All too soon, but still hours later, we were dividing up the tab, figuring out who owed what, how much should we leave for tip…it was suggested that some of us go back to DBY’s apartment for drinks, and I accepted the invitation. I went up to Shannon’s room and together the three of us (her roommate Lauren joined us) went down to the boy’s room. Let me start by saying I have never been much of a party-er, that I have an insanely low alcohol-tolerance, and that new people (especially men) make me nervous. So I was very proud of myself for attending this last minute gathering, and for slowly sipping the glass of Argentinian wine Lauren gave me, listening to my new school mates talk. On the couch, reclined against a pillow, was DBY’s roommate. He seemed like a combination of a hippie, and a serene buddha; he immedietely struck me as the type of person people wanted to be around. He was like honey that bees flocked to, honey that is sometimes benevolent, but sometimes dangerous. I really wasn’t sure that I wanted to get close enough to figure out what kind of honey he was. I didn’t stay long, just long enough to have my glass of wine, before asking to be escorted home. DBY led me through the woods and showed me my house from the parking lot. I walked the rest of the way by myself, thinking about the new people I had met, and wondering what types of friendships would develop –or not –between us.

Vacation Bible School!

I can't help it, I have to do a plug for Madison's Vacation Bible School. : )

I am SOOOO excited to have the opportunity to plan and lead VBS this summer. We are doing Jerusalem Marketplace, a fun, hands on, multi-generational program that takes participants back to ancient Jerusalem when Jesus was there. The participants are divided into the different tribes of Israel, and each tribe will be led by a junior leader (I already have my first volunteer!!!). Each day participants will gather in the marketplace, hear about what Jesus is doing in Jerusalem, attend Synagogue School, have recreation and craft time, and come together for snack and a closing time.

We are accepting registration for kids ages 3-5th grade. Anyone older than 5th grade who would like to participate can volunteer to be a junior tribe leader. I also need adults to help with and be part of the marketplace, snacks, crafts, recreation, etc.

VBS will be the last week of July (26-30) from 9:30am-12:00pm

Come be a part of this adventure!

Poll!

Should Evan and I live in.....

1. Maryland
2. Maine
3. Quebec

Starboard Cove

On Thursday, after my last classroom commitment to Drew for the semester, Evan and I headed up north to Down-East Maine to see his family. After hitting several accidents and much construction along the way, we finally made it to his cousin Ralph's house (in southern Maine) a bit after midnight.

In the morning we headed up north, stopping to have lunch with Evan's old pastor in Waterville. It was nice to meet her and visit for awhile, but eventually we had to hit the road. About four hours later we were finally in Starboard! Yay! We gathered with the family for a dinner of pasta salad and garden salad made by Evan's dad, Bill, and pizza, which Jeff brought for the boys. After dinner we went for a walk with Nana and Evan's mother, Debbie, down the road, but it was too chilly to stay out for long.

This morning I slept until 10:30! Can you believe it!? 10:30! It was amazing. As I sit here writing and eating the breakfast Evan just made me of eggs and toast (from the bread we made!) this is my view:

Isn't that beautiful? It's a bit foggy today, and chilly, but we'll make the most of it.

Tonight we travel up to Eastport so Evan can play a gig at the Rose Garden. More pictures and posts to follow. :)