house warming dinner

Yesterday evening we had friends over for a housewarming dinner- our first gathering at our summer flat. It was a nice evening and a delight to share our new space with people we love...

I made green Thai curry for twelve... which was a bit of a feat with our limited pots/pans situation...

And yes, that is a Loch Ness monster ladle (courtesy of Kathleen) lurking in the curry. 

roommates

I showed a few pics of the flat- but much more importantly, here are a few pics of my flatmates: Kathleen and Loretta.

moving on and moving in

I've made the move from a brick hall in North Oxford to a brick flat in East Oxford. 

Its taken some serious cleaning and a few visits from repairmen and contractors, but the quirks of the new apartment we are subletting are slowly getting sorted. I am snug as a bug on this rainy evening with my fox socks and yellow thrift shop teapot!

With things generally set up, its straight back to work- in the last two uninterrupted days of studying in the quiet flat, I've already finished writing an essay I'd finished researching. Now I have been downtown to the library and hauled a new load of books home to read for my next essay! Not exactly a summer vacation! But its refreshing to sleep in a little and not have my daily movements governed by a timetable, even if I do have to remain disciplined and keep working at a fair clip. 

sticking to my principals ;)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... 

While I'm not sure it was flattery I had in mind, I took the opportunity on my last day residing in Wycliffe Hall to buy a logo mug and pose with our principal's portrait. He is an incessant jokester himself, keeping us laughing even in the most stressful parts of the year. He will be receiving a copy of this photo as my parting gift :)

finish line

Tuesday was the finish line. Our final Oxford University classes already behind us, just OCCA remained to be wrapped up. We finished with a couple inspiring sessions, commissioning prayer, and a celebratory dinner marking our transition from students to alumni. 

We picked up our Oxford University alumni cards - a definite milestone. We are card carrying Oxford  alumni, in the most literal sense!

Our whole OCCA posse- students and tutors- went out to an Italian restaurant for a several course meal, featuring some brief thank you speeches, a paper plate awards, and a lot of laughter. Looking around that room, I reflected on the enormous privilege its been to study with this band of dedicated scholar-evangelist-apologists. I mean, how often are you out to dinner with the RZIM Europe speaking team, Os Guinness, and John Lennox? Both these staff and my truly outstanding fellow students made for a room just stuffed to the gills with amazing people. It was a special evening celebrating together as we marked the transition from being students to alumni... and the tiramisu was fabulous, in case anyone was wondering ;)

wonderland summer ball

As more people share their pictures, I will probably post a few more photos from the evening. But for now, just a few pics with friends....

With Loretta and Kathleen- my flatmates, come Saturday!

Wycliffe Hall Commissioning

A morning Commissioning service and lawn luncheon signaled the beginning of my last week in Wycliffe Hall...

With longtime friends Jonathan and Helen Sherwin- it was really lovely to have their presence and support on this special occasion. 

My OCCA tutors in full Oxford academic dress (specific to field and degree level)

With my small group, or 'huddle' as they call them.

A final class picture:)

caffeinated final stretch

This is the final stretch. My last full week of classes begins tomorrow morning. After that, its a weekend of festivities: a commissioning, a lawn luncheon, a ball... and the following week will just have a couple closing sessions and another round of celebrations. 

The run up to this course closing has been intense, with lectures pretty much from nine to five all week. And I'm still supposed to be getting reading and essays done somehow. 

All that to say... coffee. Coffee is key. Not so much for the caffeine, even though I make jokes about it. But for the inspiration and sanity of it. For getting out of my room, the lecture hall, and the library. 

Almost there... but still here. In fact, very much so. Still loving being here. Still embracing pretty much every day like a gift. But I am tired. 

Hard to believe that soon the course will be a past tense experience. I am glad that I still have a couple months in Oxford finishing essays before I have to properly move on from this season. In the meantime... coffee.