Somehow six weeks went by and I barely noticed...
I have made it through the first half of my first semester (mostly) unscathed! The second week of October was pretty crazy around here, I had papers due in several of my classes for mid-terms and one exam to study for. Then came Fall Break, where we loaded up the van and drove across the country of Texas (8 hours!) to spend some time at Big Bend National Park. It was a beautiful and restful time for all of us, and Kristin read me a good chunk of my class readings for the next few weeks while we were on the road.
Now I have gotten back into the swing of things again. I have the most regimented schedule I think I've ever experienced. Each day I spend the time between classes with specific goals and readings to address to stay ahead of my preparations for the next day. Four evenings a week, I am back on campus after the kids go to bed to study and / or clean up the kitchen (the work study that came along with my scholarship). I have discovered a wonderful room in the library that is quiet and tucked away: I can usually be found there when I have studying to do.
In the times when I don't have class or study, family life is in full swing! I spend the hours of every evening with the kids - having dinner, playing games, and reading books until it is time for them to go to bed. On Wednesdays my classes are over by lunch. This is the day I take over at the home school, I'm the shop teacher! My kids already know what all my tools are and where to store them, and it won't be long before they're changing the furnace filters by themselves.
Our house is on the same alley as the apartments that house the single students, and from our dining table I can see the comings and goings of many of my classmates. It's fun to see everyone from the window, and we often catch people coming home and invite them in for food. The kids already know many of my classmates. With these close quarters, it is often easy to forget that I live in a big city. This makes the weekends even more important - we get to remind ourselves that the outside world still exists. I have yet to find a church community or meet anyone outside the seminary, but I look forward to expanding my life beyond these two blocks while I live here.
Sorry for the long delay since the last post - I have been doing quite a bit of writing, just not here! If anyone would like, I would be glad to post a few of my papers as links to this blog so you can see what kind of learning I've been up to...
I'm glad that Fall is finally here (at least for the next few days) in the Southwest: it's nice to actually use some of my Bellingham wardrobe!
8 months ago
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