and now for the other coast

Two weeks ago, I moved catty corner across North America—from the Pacific North West (Vancouver, BC) to the Atlantic South East (Jacksonville, FL).  Having finished my MA in Theological Studies at Regent College, I was looking for a job in the States for a bit before probably doing more school. I have taken a role in Admissions, Recruitment, and Advising at the Jacksonville commuter campus of another Christian college, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. 

It has been a blessing to be in a role that is already drawing fruitfully on my peculiar mix of experiences, skills, and gifts. I also thrive in close knit teams that share a focused mission, so working with the handful of committed staff here has been a pleasure in these first weeks. I am looking forward to how God continues to lead me in this season—and to draw me into what he is doing both in this community in Jacksonville and in his world.

 Did I mention how lovely it is to be somewhere warm, sunny, and beachy? It is such a gift. 

welcome light | welcome sight

Just two days of sun with temperatures in the fifties was enough to bring out the first blossoms. Especially since passing the milestones of daylight savings, it is like the days are being stretched out longer and therefore growing thinner, so more of the sun and warmth come through...and nothing feels so thick or heavy anymore. There is still cooler temps and rain in the forecast, but we have crossed the threshold. Spring is setting in—and a welcome sight it is.

little to speak of

There is no real reason to write, but as I haven't said anything here since November, I shall offer a brief summary of my intervening activities. No pictures are necessary as I have already featured here too many photos of stacks of books and there is little else in view lately. I exaggerate. But truth be told, my life looks dull. Even the skies are variations on a theme, the theme being grey. I am working at my job three days a week, then nesting on the couch under a laptop and several books for another two or three days, working on my final paper. I take Sundays off. The schedule is more constant than difficult.  In short, there is little on the face of it to say much about.

That all sounds rather bleak. To end on a high note, some delights in the new year so far include discovering Dorothy Sayers's "Lord Peter Wimsey" mystery novels, camaraderie at work, chenille sweaters, catching views of the mountains, Facetime calls with close friends, coffee (always), and occasional fits of red lipstick. 

wedding in the land down under

It was a delight to spend last week in Perth, West Australia with my friends from Oxford to celebrate the wedding of two of those friends, Loretta and Jorge. Despite all the bridesmaid fun of riding along for heaps of last minute errands, it was a joy to spend time with these lovely people. The mini-reunion of friends flowed in later in the week, and it was all very sweet to my heart. We caught a couple sunsets at the beach, spent a day in the country wine tasting, saw kangaroos, had a seaside fish and chips picnic, and shared some beautiful meals & charming cocktail hours. The wedding was lovely and the reception was amazing—imagine the fun and dancing when one side of the family has Italian heritage and the other Cuban! Such a joy to celebrate with these dear friends. 

embers of autumn

The fall has lingered with sunlit days even as the air has grown increasingly crisp. My neighborhood smells of woodsmoke, decaying leaves, and a sweet toasting sugar smell. (I am not making up this idealized autumn scent...I am yet to find the source of the sugary scent, but I have noticed it clinging around the house at the corner since mid-summer.) October's mornings have grown darker and sunsets have drawn in uncomfortably close upon the afternoons—and now the rain has begun to drizzle on autumn's smoldering embers.  

The longer fall stays, 

the longer winter's chill is held at bay. 

Each leaf that nails its colors to the mast

forestalls the grey

makes autumn last

is a friend

Ally of each now tenuous morning of sun

that holds off the rain

grants reprieve

 for even one more day. 

autumn in earnest

We are already a month into the semester, and the trees are turning—it is autumn in earnest. 

Though the days have grown steadily cooler, and the sun is already rising disconcertingly late, this week lifted my heart with sunshine—afternoons warm enough to shed my jacket on my coffee run.

This is a glimpse of what I do when I am not either behind my laptop at home drafting my thesis proposal and sitting behind my computer at work in Regent's communications department! My classes this term, include the discussion-based seminar pictured above (in action just beyond my coffee)... I also have lots of books to read and papers to write. How does this all fit in my week? 

By doing very little else, it seems.

Still really grateful to be here and to have this season to learn, grow, and be formed. I am even more grateful to be learning in a school that insists that our heads not outrun our hearts. That kind of integration is rare, and I am so blessed to have it enfold my learning during these years. 

summer thus far

Well, so far there has been a whole lot of this: 

 And there is going to be a whole lot more as well. I've been spending most of the time that I am not at work (or in summer classes) preparing to draft my thesis proposal in August—a significant project in its own right. But that will be followed by a full fall term, and that, in turn—if all goes well—will be followed by The Year of the Thesis. So a whole lot more of the above. I'll spare you the photo of yet another pile of books. I think there are ten new ones stacked on my desk even as I write this.

However, the days right now are as long as my book piles are high, so there is still time for catching late afternoon beach time (or a morning walk there before I hit the books), and a weekend drink with friends. Such things also happen—and the sunshine lifts my heart.

On the patio of an open-to the-public sailing/kayak club on the beach near my house.

(Stripe flash mob? Nope. Just friends that all showed up to dinner wearing stripes.What are the chances?!)

Another gift comes in form of blackberries: they have just begun to ripen. My summer in Oxford introduced me to picking blackberries along the river—my original blackberry summer—and Vancouver has allowed me the unlikely opportunity to continue that tradition with overgrown blackberry bushes truly everywhere here. 

That pretty much sums up my second summer in Vancouver thus far. Lots of work, lots of study, but making a point of enjoying the sun and long days. I know they will not last nearly long enough.