Sometimes I sit at work with nothing to do. This is one of those times.

Home for the Summer

Today I have been home for a total of 5 days.  I arrived at the Eugene airport Friday night to be welcomed by my family and the Selvens.  It was wonderful to see everyone at once.  We headed out to dinner together and got to spend a little time catching up.  What a lovely welcome home party.  I even got to see James at the airport.

The next morning, After feeding the homeless under the bridge with my family, Carina and I took Jamie graduation dress shopping.  She found the cutest dress right away.  She looked stunning.  But we decided to put it on hold, just so we could check out a few other places.  Unfortunately, the people at the store didn't know the meaning of "may I put this on hold please?  My name is Jamie."  Because we came back a few hours later and they had sold it to another girl.  ugh.  Oh well, they felt bad, and gave Jamie three 25% off coupons, so we'll be returning when their next shipment comes in.  Saturday night I made it over to Peter Barnes's house (a close friend from school for 12 years) for his going away party.  Peter left on his two-year Mormon mission this morning.  He is so excited to learn russian and bring peop

le joy and hope.  I am proud of him.

Sunday Morning I went to church.  It was really nice to see so many familiar faces at church.  I spent so much time hugging people that I was a few minutes late to Beth's Sunday school lesson.  She talked about spiritual gifts, and how we can nurture the gifts present within our church.  Very interesting, and hopefully a good start to some good work in our congregation.  At church I got to see Anna and Page, which was wonderful.  I had missed them both so much over the school year.  If I remember correctly, Sunday night I spent at home with my family.

Monday morning I woke up nice and early and got ready to go to the oral surgeon.  Out with the wisdom teeth!  I remember very very little.  When I finally became really conscious, I was lying on the couch at home and mom was changing the gauze in my mouth.  She was wonderful to me.  I iced my face all day, and wasn't swollen at all by the late afternoon.  I even at dinner: yumm bowls!

Tuesday morning, I woke up at 4:45 am.  My face was quite swollen and uncomfortable, and I couldn't sleep.  I got up to get some more ice, and tried to fall back asleep.  I spent most of the day reading.  Anna Karenina is a very good book so far.  I would recommend it.  Around 10:45, Peter Barnes came over to say goodbye and catch up a bit.  He so kindly brought me some chocolate ice cream, and it was gone before the morning was over!  We had a great time sharing college stories, talking theology, and saying goodbye.  It will be quite a while before I see him again.

Today (Wednesday), I didn't wake up until 9:30.  Last night I was out late watching Iron Man with Ginny, Jay, David, Andrew, James and DK.  But I got up and found a note from my mom on the kitchen table.  She asked me to cook up some chicken for this weekend (we're going to Seattle for Jamie's volleyball tournament), so I spent the first part of the morning in the kitchen.  The rest of the day I spent reading, writing letters, making graduation cards for friends, wasting time on facebook, and complaining that my face is still puffy.  Not quite as uncomfortable as yesterday though.

I only have a few more week days left to enjoy before I have to start work.  Tomorrow I'm sharing lunch with a good friend, and I'm very excited.  It's important to catch up with the people you haven't seen for months.

Hopefully tomorrow my face will be back to normal.

I know that for me, two things this year have been really helpful in my walk with Christ.

First, it's those few and precious friends who share my faith, who are regularly encouraging me to dig into God's word. It's those friends who also struggle with ideas of a perfectly good and just God, who created this world full of people, many of whom won't be saved. It's these friends that not only suggest good readings, but read them with me and to me; as we discuss them together I get excited. Sometimes I am frustrated, but more often I am given a sense of peace or awe at the mystery of God. It's these friends that will sit in the Fish House café and discuss the concepts of predestination and free will while going through passages in Romans and Malachi that are hard to reconcile with. And being able to apply new knowledge I've been exploring and learning about through my theology class just gives me excitement and passion for Christ.

The other thing has been my church. Carsten and I have been attending Woodlawn CRC church since November. Sticking around after the service to get to know and talk with the pastors, grabbing some coffee with the congregation downstairs only to spill it all over myself when I shake one of my professor's hands, and being recognized but other members of the congregation have made us begin to feel at home. Just like any church, it has it's strengths, and it's areas that are still being improved, but that's not what matters. It's the act of showing up, for the purpose of learning and worshiping our creator. What a joy to realize that all week I'm looking forward to church on Sunday morning.

April 16, 2008 11:15 PM

January Is Coming To An End.

Interim finished on Wednesday, so I've had a few days to do whatever I feel like. It was so wonderful dancing so much over interim, that I miss it already. I would love to take ballet classes for the rest of the school year, but none are offered on campus, and I have no means of transport (or payment) for classes elsewhere. Oh well. Now that I've started getting back into shape, I've decided to head to the gym. Been going every day to run on the elliptical for at least half an hour, it feels good.

I've also taken these past few empty days to get some little things done. I have been doing work towards possible engineering internships this summer, and have applied for scholarships for next years enormous tuition bill. And of course, I manage to find plenty of time to hang out and have fun. Last night I went out to dinner and bowling with some friends from my floor. My two biggest accomplishments of the night:
1) I ate my huge red robin's burger faster than anyone else (except for Mag)
2) I got a double while bowling! yeah.

I think I'm looking forward to next semester, but I won't really know what it's going to be like until it starts. Mostly, I'm just looking forward to the return of Carina (tomorrow night) and Carsten (Sunday night).

Oh, I've also been getting some good reading done, and have become hooked on LOST, thanks to my wonderful room mate Ana.

I think that's about all for now.

Here is Asa, Me and David. At the bowling alley.











Here am I with Byron, Chandler (top), Mag, and Erika.

January

I arrived back in Grand Rapids nearly a week ago, but it already feels like it's been much longer. I came in on Wednesday night a little over an hour late. My friend Zach picked me up from the airport, and kindly helped me haul my large suitcases up to my room. It felt both strange and nice to be back at Calvin.

The next morning classes started bright and early. Most people take one class during interim, but some choose to travel (like Carina) or work or study abroad. I'm here on campus, taking a DCM (developing a Christian mind) class. Every calvin student is required to take a DCM class once, and usually you take it your freshman year. There are about 30 to choose from, and there's quite a variety of subjects. The course I'm taking is called Human Nature, and it's basically a psychology class. So far, in the first four days of class, we've talked about worldviews, main differences between the Christian worldview and those of the world, the brain and it's functions, the difference between "mind" and "brain," and hermeneutics. We've studied some scripture, and I think we will used passages and characters in the Bible to illustrate many topics in the curriculum. We've already had one paper to write; the question was "what does the Bible say about human nature?" I actually enjoyed writing it, and finding passages from scripture to support my thesis. I think this class will be really good, and my professor is amazing.

I'm also taking a ballet class, just to keep exercising, and attempt to get back into the shape I was in while dancing back home. That will be difficult, because I was once dancing 12 hours a week, and my Ballet II class only meets on Thursday and Friday afternoons from 12:00 to 3:00. I found it quite annoying that Ballet I meets Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and we meet Thursday and Friday. Why not spread them out over the week? The way it is now, I wait nearly a week between Friday's class and the following Thursday. So I talked to my teacher, and she said I was allowed to go to Ballet I's classes as well, if I wanted. After classes last week, I was so sore. Everything from my neck to my abs, my but to my calves to my feet. But I went back today, and worked off most of the soreness. It's so nice to be back in ballet class.

After ballet, I work on the little homework I get, then just hang out, something fun always comes up. Bowling, movie, Ethiopian food, book club, shopping for groceries, whatever. I find myself bored sometimes, but I think it's mostly because it's strange not having Carsten here with me. I miss both him and Carina, and am eagerly awaiting their return.

I will probably start working again this week. During January, work is voluntary, and first come first serve. Which is nice. I can work as little or as much as I want, any night I want to.

Calvin also has an awesome January Series, a series of guests who give amazing lectures, everyday in the Fine Arts Center. It's packed to the max every day. I've only been able to attend once so far, because ballet conflicts with it, but it was really good. Sonia Nazario, the author of Enrique's Journey, came to talk about illegal immigration from central America. She gave her first hand account of what the journey is like, and why it is made by so many single moms, and later their young children. It was heart-wrenching, and I found myself tearing up. She also talked about the political side of the issue, and gave multiple perspectives on the issue of immigration. I think everyone left feeling more informed and aware of the national issue.

Well, that's about all there is for now. I'll probably forget to update for another few months, but I'll do my best to try. Letters, phone calls and e-mails are always welcome, especially if you want me to keep in contact with you better. Love you all,
kaylee joy