That all happened in one week?!

I talked to Matt a few times during his 2-day retreat last week. Each time he sounded relaxed, but I could hear a little hesitance in his voice whenever he would say that he thought it was going well. Now, we've always been painfully aware that this was not going to be a "rubber stamp" situation; we know all too well that he might not pass his interviews. However, we got our hopes up the week before because Matt's district superintendent told him that they had an appointment set up for him, provided he passed his interviews. We decided to risk having Karis and me fly up to Jersey mid-week, just IN CASE we got to meet with the church during the weekend.

It's hard to describe the emotional crash that I experienced after a long day of traveling with a 3-month-old by myself (our 1:40pm flight was delayed until 6:00pm) all the while anticipating good news from Matt when I landed, and instead hearing him tell me that he didn't pass his interviews. I began crying almost immediately (a very rare reaction for me) and I felt so angry and confused. The board had some good reasons for not passing him. They also had some reasons that I very much disagree with, and which I intend to address more in detail at a later date, because I think my voice and my experience as a Christian speaks directly against the board's theology.

For the following two hours, our future was in limbo. Matt's DS told him that the appointment might still happen, but couldn't say for sure. Would the board send Matt back to Kentucky to work for UPS for another year and expect him to gain church experience on his own? or would they take a chance and appoint him as a licensed local pastor? Matt was reserving his emotional response until he heard; I was letting it all out.

Then we get a call from Matt's DS saying that she had spoken to the bishop, who had spoken to the new DS, who had AGREED TO TAKE HIM ON and mentor him through his first appointment! Now here's the curve ball:

the church is in Pennsylvania.

Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania.

It's located in the middle the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which basically means it's in the middle of the woods. I can see only one other house from the parsonage, and I have to strain my neck and squint to even see that one! BUT the church is phenomenal. And the parsonage is really nice; I'm already planning a Goodnight Moon-themed new room for Abbie! And for being in the middle of no where, the church is big! And it's been growing in the last few years...it seems perfect for Matt and our family. Adjusting to the location will probably be the biggest challenge for me, but I'm also looking forward to the beautiful fall colors, camping trips, and learning how to fire a gun! (And I've already been daydreaming about giving birth to our next baby in a birth pool on our huge back porch in the middle of the night....ahhhh---all that nature around me and then POOF! A new little creation! :-)

So, I'm emotionally spent. But I can't shake the feeling that God is very near to us, providing for us and preparing us for this adventure.



(Picture taken from http://dfumc.com)

Matt's schedule

Just in case you want to pray for Matt (hint, hint!) here is his schedule for the next two days (topics and interview times):

Monday (March 16)
4:30p - Theology
7:15p - Preaching

Tuesday (March 17)
9:30a - Teaching
2:15p - Polity (UM church structure)

oh, and...

...today is Karis' 3-month birthday. :-)

(so quiet!)

It's 1:32pm on Sunday afternoon. I am sitting on my bed, next to sleeping Karis, listening to the birds outside. And nothing else! Normally around this time on a Sunday Matt's music would be blasting from the living room while we all finished up lunch and got the girls down for their naps (after which time Abbie would be babbling and singing to herself in her crib for the next hour or so before actually falling asleep). But today Karis and I dropped Matt and Abbie off at the airport and now we're home alone!

In case you haven't yet heard, there's good news on the Riley front. Matt will meet with his Board of Ordained Ministry tomorrow and Tuesday in New Jersey (Abbie is staying with his parents) and if he passes these interviews, he'll be approved to start his provisional membership which is a 2-3 year trial period before UM pastors get to be fully ordained as Elders (i.e. head pastors). Matt put together a mock interview with some folks from our church a few weeks ago and feels really prepared since then. But here's the good news: last week on Monday Matt's DS called him and asked him to fill out a form that they use to match pastors with church appointments, because decisions were being made the next day. And here's the GREAT news: The DS called AGAIN later that week and said that the bishop wanted to know if he could stay in Jersey through the weekend because, provided the interviews go well, he wants Matt to interview with the church where he'll be appointed!! As you can imagine, this is a pretty rare situation. I'm so thankful that we're not going to have to wait 2 or 3 more months to know where we'll be living--this means I can mentally prepare, apply for a practicum site, and start praying for the specific church we'll be at. Wahoo!

After that phone call I decided that I wanted to meet the church too (it's normal for the spouse to go on the church tour)--so Karis and I will be flying up to Jersey on Wednesday and staying through Sunday when we'll all fly back together. I'm so excited! Not only to meet the church and see our new house, but to see the family, for everyone to meet Karis, to have a break from school, and to eat real pizza :-)

Until then, I have an annotated bibliography to work on for my research class and a very messy (but quiet!!) house to clean up. Oh, and just to clarify--NO, Matt and I are NOT trying to get pregnant right now. I thought that went without saying when I wrote my last post, but apparently not :-)

Result: negative.

I've taken two pregnancy tests since last night. Matt finally convinced me to take one after the past few weeks of feeling extremely tired, hungry at night (even after eating a full supper and snacking every few hours), and being scent-sensitive. Both tests came out negative. To be honest, we're both a tad bit disappointed. I knew for sure that the result would be negative (I thought it was silly to take the test in the first place), but I couldn't help hoping--just a little--to see the pink positive sign. What can I say? We like babies :-)

Birthday blog (pt. 2) + new tattoo

Well, the rest of my birthday was as good as I hoped. Matt threw a surpise party for me with our small group from church and a few of our friends. We had chili (that I made--oh yum) and ice cream cake, and Matt gave me an AIR POPPER so we had pop corn too. (I've been wanting an air popper for just about ever.) And the whole time we listened to the Aradhna albums Matt bought for me. This band is amazing. And you've probably never heard of them, so do check them out. We had a lot of fun.

I'm not sure if it's because I am now officially into my "mid-twenties" or if I'm just feeling the intra-pregnancy itch, but I've decided that right now is the perfect time to do some twentysomething things before it's too late. I'm planning to cut most of my hair off into a spikey/feathery/textured look as soon as I can get an appointment with my stylist. I'm also contemplating the design for my next tattoo! I've been wanting another one for a while now, but because 1)I was pregnant and 2)I had no idea what I wanted, I've been waiting. Then the other night a brilliant idea came to me, and now it's just a matter of designing it. What I want is a flying sparrow like this or this (not a swallow--there is a huge difference in symbolism) and a lily or lilies (but I haven't decided on whether I want and Easter lily or more wildflower-type lilies), over my shoulder something like this. It will be black and white with lots of shading--I want it to look like a realistic, detailed pencil drawing. I'm thinking it will probably be one that needs to be completed in 2 or 3 phases, which means a lot of pain and a lot of money. :-) But I'm excited! I'll write more about the symbolism later. Tell me what you think!

Birthday blog (part 1)

I am twenty-six years old today! At 3:40am on this day back in 1983 my mom pushed me into the world (with the help of forceps but no pain meds--ouch). I was 7 lbs., 2 oz, and (let's not be modest) really cute. Thanks, Mom!

So anyway, back to the future. Birthday festivities began on Saturday, when one of my oldest and dearest friends, Pamm, brought me out to eat at Red Robin and then to the movies to see Taken. We also went to Starbucks in-between because we ended up having a lot of extra time. It was so fun to go out with her and leave the girls at home with Matt--it's nice to feel like a person in my own right now and then :-)

Earlier on Saturday I took the girls on our first shopping venture as a trio to Old Navy. This went surprisingly well! I nursed Karis before we left and timed coming home perfectly with Abbie's lunch and needing to nurse again. Score. I set out to buy new jeans partially because I'm sick of maternity jeans and partially because all the jeans I own are either flare or boot-cut, and I've decided the look is getting a little young for me. So I found a great pair of wide-leg jeans (albeit two sizes larger than I was wearing pre-pregnancy with Abbie, but I figured, heck--they look good on me and I need to take it easy on my body. After all I've popped out two kids in under two years). When I came home, Matt had done most of the dishes, which is usually my chore.

Last night Matt gave me a new slow cooker which was half the size of the one we already have. I was planning to make chili for our small group tonight and knew that even our big crock pot wouldn't be big enough to feed thirteen adults and six children. He said that was the least exciting of the four gifts he was giving me. And I think that was a pretty good gift! So I'm looking forward to whatever else he has up his sleeve.

Today has been a normal day so far at home with my beautiful daughters. Except that I got to open my birthday cards that I've been accumulating all week long. I hate to admit it, but I LOVE receiving cards on holidays. I know it's cheesy and commercialized and expensive...but I love it nonetheless. I also got roses from my dad which was a really nice surprise, and made French toast for myself and Abbie for lunch. (I am addicted to French toast, but it has to be served with butter, cinnamon/sugar, and just a little syrup to be acceptable. YUM.)

On a totally unrelated note, this video make me laugh so I thought I would share: