Dreamland is coming to a close.

I think I'm finally coming to the realization that the husband and I are not on a very long vacation. We were living a very unsettled life for the first two weeks in northern California. We were surrounded by boxes, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and all of our earthly possessions.

Most of the boxes have been unpacked and collapsed. The blank canvas that we entered three weeks ago is starting to feel like "home."

Even though the house is feeling more and more like ours, I'm still in a type of dreamland. I've been very thankful for this time off, otherwise the house would be in a complete disarray and the husband and I would probably go some kind of bonkers. The dreamland, though, is starting to wear off in a series of small events. The first small event was my online student loan counseling. The second was an email from the dean of students. The third was an email from my student advisor, asking me out to coffee next week.

Another funny sign of my eroding dreamland status: trying to figure out how to get to campus. It looks like bicycling is out of the question, especially after reading this link. Interesting to know the route to school is known as "Death Climb 1." Looks like I'll be bicycling to the North Berkeley BART station, then catching the Martin Looper to campus.

The Rhythm is gonna get ya

The husband and I had a very comfortable rhythm while we were living in Glendale. We normally woke up together, sat on the sofa, drank a cup of coffee and talked about the plans we had for that day. We would go our separate ways, the husband to the office and I would go to school. We would meet up again around 6:30PM, have dinner together, then have an open evening.

One of the hardest yet most exciting things about relocating is trying to find a new sense of rhythm. I probably won't find mine until I start school. In the meantime, I've been unpacking the house, and I have been grateful for this time. It's been interesting seeing how our old lives will transform into new lives in a new place. While there are still boxes around the new place, it's not as overwhelming as it was the day the movers showed up will all of our stuff. Each day, more and more of the boxes are being unpacked and collapsed. The contents of those boxes are finding new places to live. One of the more exciting unpacking adventures involved wedding china, crystal, and flatware. The husband and I have been married for five years, yet our full wedding china set never left the gift boxes. Trying to piece together what pieces we had was kind of fun. We placed the china, crystal, and flatware into a lovely built-in china cabinet in our kitchen. We plan to break in the fine china with pizza from Amici's; hopefully the same Amici's where we had dinner for our first wedding anniversary.

The adventure continues.

Homiletics Crash Course

1. Spending the morning at church talking to Pastor about my upcoming sermon. Lots to think about. I then met with Matt to talk about VBS activities. I'm looking forward to this year's program, which is "Paul and the Underground Church of Rome."

2. Speaking of sermons, I had a crash course in homiletics today. Clay was so kind to take time out of his day to give me a VERY condensed version of his class.

3. Talking to Pastor Marcus. I cannot wait to see him on Friday evening!

4. Making dinner with a recipe from "The Art of Simple Food." I made plain and simple pork chops with a ridiculously simple pan sauce.

5. More leads on rentals in Berkeley. We'll see how it goes starting tomorrow! Eep!

Last day to tap away.

1. Tap class. It was my last class with Laura Fremont, who has been a fantastic teacher. It was fulfilling a childhood fantasy. I hope I can find a class in Berkeley...

2. Green grapes right out of a refrigerator.

3. Lots of leads on apartments in Berkeley/ Albany. I just hope that the husband and I will be able to find something.

4. A lazy afternoon mostly to myself.

5. A rechargeable battery pack for the Wii Fit. This way, the husband and I don't waste tons of batteries.

Back to yoga.

1. Being able to attend my yoga class after such a long hiatus. My physical therapist didn't want me to attend yoga, since I wouldn't be able to support my weight in some of the poses since it would put too much pressure on my wrist. But I finally got the okay, and I finally had the time to spend a peaceful hour at class this morning.

2. Getting some great leads on places to live in Berkeley. I pray that the husband and I can find a new nice place to call "home."

3. Getting rid of a lot of clutter. Four large trash bags exited the apartment today.

4. A brain check session. So thankful for those!

5. Homemade turkey reuben sandwiches for dinner.

Potluck Sunday

1. Making Leigh's mac and cheese for the church potluck. I have ever so fond memories of that mac and cheese.

2. Sleeping in and going to the 11AM service. The husband and I normally attend the 8:30AM service; it was a nice change of pace.

3. Talking to the husband's parents.

4. Sorting through old birthday cards and notes. Many wonderful memories.

5. Time for needed rest.

A Final Day at Fuller.

1. Taking my last exam of the spring quarter. With this came the realization that it was also my last exam at Fuller, which was cause for both mourning and celebration.

2. Part of that celebration involved celebrating with my Early Church History study group. We all survived, and with the knowledge that we were still alive, we went out to celebrate over frizen yogurt.

My treat for finishing exams. A combination of pomegranate blueberry, pineapple, tart blueberry, and plain frozen yogurt covered with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

Our "tough" picture. This is almost everyone from the Church History study group. Daniel couldn't celebrate with us since he had three papers due, but said he would take a rain check.

3. Coming home, dropping my backpack on the floor, and napping until the husband came home from work.

4. A supportive family. My parents and the husband's parents have been the best cheerleaders. And the husband isn't a half-bad cheerleader either.

5. Attending my last Thursday Bible study group at Salem. I've learned so much from that class, and have met so many incredible people in that class. We read a devotional that talked about moving and transitioning lifestyles, but through all of that change, God's love remains constant. I couldn't help but cry.

I finished my Prophets class. When do I get to take applied prophecy?

1. My Prophets exam. This may not seem like an item of grace, but let me explain. The professor gave us six essay topics, stating that only three of his choosing would appear on the exam. Statistically speaking, I had to learn the material for all six essays. And honestly, I knew some better than others. While waiting for the exam to be handed out, people in the class were predicting which three essays would appear on the exam. When the exam was handed out, all six questions appeared, with the instructions that we were to write on *any* three. Wow. Grace at work. I heard the sigh of relief, and I admit, I sighed as well.

2. Taking a nap to recharge my batteries. It was much needed.

3. Eating a chocolate chip cookie the husband brought home from work. His office makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

4. Listening to the Foo Fighters "The Colour and the Shape." It's one of my favorite CDs, and I haven't listened to it in a long while.

5. Talking with Eric at the bookstore. We have very similar stories of what brought us to our faith, and our signs of affirmation. It's been great getting to know him this quarter in church history. I think one of the things I'll miss the most this quarter is my Early Church History study group. It's been wonderful getting to know my study buddies, and being able to call them friends.

Happy Birthday, Husband!

1. Celebrating the husband's birthday first thing this morning. We shared a cup of coffee together, which was wonderful. We had take-out for dinner, and we'll have cake later this evening. :)

2. Receiving a bracelet I've wanted for five years. Yes, five years. It's a bracelet designed from two forks, with their tines woven together. It's pretty spiffy. The person who created the bracelet also sent me a picture of two kangaroos that are under his care.

3. Therapy. One of the big questions that came out of today's session concerned how classes this quarter have impacted my faith. This is an entirely different blog topic, one that I hope to address once finals are over.

4. Getting to have a nice, long conversation with my mom this afternoon. Life has been sort of hectic and we haven't had much time for a long conversation.

5. Leigh sent me her recipe for heart-stopping mac and cheese. (It really is heart stopping; it's loaded with everything that clogs arteries, but I have many fond college memories attached to that mac and cheese!)

Last day of classes at Fuller.

1. Kindness of my classmates. It was kind of a wonky day with an odd start. I forgot silverware when I got my lunch, and Kevin got me a fork, which he didn't have to do. Then my audio recording crapped out in the middle of Early Church History, and Jon was kind enough to share his audio file with me when class was over.

2. Gummy tummy penguins from Ben.

3. Getting to meet with Henry on campus. We attended the biblical colloquia this afternoon, which was just fantastic. I wish I could have taken a class with Dr. Goldingay while at Fuller. And I'm going to miss Henry so much when the husband and I move.

4. Meeting Amanda for coffee. It's been so wonderful to know a fellow Lutheran woman at Fuller who feels called to enter ministry. We talked a lot about our fears, but also about the great joy we've had thus far on this amazing experience.

5. The husband made me a yummy sandwich for dinner. I'm the luckiest wife in the world.

June 3.

1. Rain. In June. In southern California.

2. Misinterpreted Facebook status updates led to a funny misinterpretation. Especially when messages and phone calls started coming in yesterday, there was a comical need to clarify just what was going on.

3. Getting to sleep in this morning, which was a bit unexpected. The husband had every intention of letting me sleep in, but I'm happy that I woke up before he left for work.

4. Getting to pick the husband up from work. More minutes we get to spend together. :)

5. Getting to talk to Leigh... It sounds like she'll really be here in a month and a half.

Primero de Junio

1. Getting to talk to Aretha this morning. I miss seeing her in class so much! It was fun to catch up, and I'm hoping she, Ben, and I can do a final pancake breakfast at the end of the quarter.

2. Finishing all of the reading for the quarter this afternoon. Now I just need to study for finals!

3. Date night.

4. Sharing the raspberry chiffon pie with my old Greek TA.

5. Getting a nice brain check this morning.

Happy birthday, church!

1. Celebrating Andrew's birthday yesterday, which was a lot of fun. It was great to see our Clemson west friends, as well as meet new people.

2. Naptime.

3. Sending my Prophets paper to my professor this morning. It was as done as it was ever going to get.

4. This morning was confirmation Sunday at Salem. The lone confirmant, Kimberly did an absolutely wonderful job delivering her statement of faith to the congregation. And it was wonderful to see so much red at church this morning.

5. The husband and his doppleganger (Matt, the youth minister) were worship assistants, which cracked me up. Seeing both of them in their albs and red cinctures was almost too much. When the husband took off his glasses and the husband and Matt stood side by side, you'd think they were brothers!!!

6. Tasked with a fun and interesting activity. How to rewrite the lyrics for "Roam" from the B-52s to reflect Salem's VBS theme: Paul and the Underground Church in Rome.

Last Friday in May... how did this happen?

1. Finishing the content part of writing my Prophets paper that's due on Monday. I really hope to have it done and sent away on Sunday night...

2. Blueberries were on sale at Ralphs, and I bought some for the husband since he loves to snack on them, but doesn't get to eat them very much.

3. Since fruit was on such an awesome sale, I also purchased some raspberries to make raspberry chiffon pie for Andrew's party tomorrow.

4. Getting out for a small walk to the grocery store. I'm usually cooped up in the apartment the days I'm not on campus, so it was nice to get out, even if it was just for a few minutes.

5. Finding a particular piece of jewelry I've been looking for for six years. It's a bracelet made out of a dinner fork.

Wedensday Graces

1. Coffee time with the husband first thing this morning.

2. Helping Leigh look for plane tickets out to LA. I sure hope she'll be able to come out here in July. And people have been super helpful in sending me ticket price comparison websites...

3. Finding a jumbo cupcake at the Ralph's bakery. Perfect to take to Ben for class.

4. Getting an email from Lillia. I'm happy to hear she's doing well.

5. The husband made guacamole from scratch in his molcajete. This means we got to eat part of our dinner out of a piggy carved out of stone. Awesome. :)

A Tuesday that feels like a Monday.

1. The presents the husband and I ordered for our dads actually showed up! That means we can send stuff out in time for Father's Day!

2. Banana bread with chocolate chips. The husband makes yummy banana bread...


3. A shocking piece of mail. The husband and I are still trying to process it. It sounds negative here, but really, it's not. We're just super confused.

4. It was cloudy when I drove to campus today; it was wonderful and sunny on the drive home.

5. Watching "Ted Koppel's Big Night Out."

Memorial Day Monday

1. Spending the morning with the husband. We went to Pasadena in the morning to look at a wedding present for a friend, then off to sample the many kinds of frozen yogurt at Squeeze and Scoop.

2. Getting to watch part of the L.A. Marathon on television. I'm absolutely fascinated with long-distance running and endurance; it was interesting to watch first thing this morning.

3. Getting to sleep in. The husband slept in too. That rarely happens.

4. Catching up with an old friend from Clemson days of old.

5. Receiving an invitation to my birthday.

Ascension Sunday

1. Serving as assisting minister in church for both services. It was an amazing experience, and am so grateful to the leaders of Salem to let me have such an awesome experience.

2. Hugs. Never gets old.

3. The husband made Swedish pancakes from scratch for lunch to celebrate my first day as an assisting minister.

4. Getting to finally talk to the sister-in-law.

5. Getting to have a long conversation with Steve's mom. She's one of the most wonderful women I know and I love catching up with her. She made it very clear at Steve's wake that she wanted to catch up with all of Steve's friends, and she truly meant it. I cannot wait to see her in September.

This week's graces

1. Calamine lotion, and lots of it. It even makes me a happy shade of pink, and happy thoughts can go a long way right now.

2. Receiving my Prophets midterm grade. All I have to say is... dude.

3. The husband made scones from scratch.

4. Starting my Prophets paper, more than a week before it's due. I'm hoping to finish it to enjoy Andrew's birthday party.

5. Getting new cross stitch projects for the summer. Babies are on their way (not mine, might I add), and I want to make them blankets!

6. Being asked to be an assisting minister at church. My first attempt is tomorrow... I've just been praying to God that I perform as an act of worship in His name.

7. My Early Church History study group going out for frozen yogurt. They said they didn't help me study for my Prophets midterm, but they sure wanted to help me celebrate my grade.

8. Laughing a lot with my husband and my brother on our theories on the space-time continuum. It's been great entertainment.

9. Getting to see one of my childhood friends perform at the El Rey Theater, and open for the Indigo Girls to boot! I'm so awed by Matt's musical talent, and it's wonderful that he gets to do something he truly loves.

10. Acquiring a hummingbird squatter. He likes to sit on the tomato cage, and normally sits there all day long.

11. Cherry season. I actually saw Rainier cherries at the grocery store, and that made me smile.

Midweek Graces

1. Painting my fingernails and toenails. They are nice, bright, and fairly obnoxious pink.

2. Finally finding marscapone cheese for the tiramisu I'm making for Saturday's game day. I've been to three different stores looking for this cheese!

3. Taco salad for dinner. So easy to make, and so yummy!

4. Getting back in touch with an old friend from SC. I'm happy to know he and his wife are doing well and are going to be parents in July!

5. Taking a slow day. I did get classwork and reading done, but most of the day was spent as "me" time, which was a nice change of pace.