Maybe I can do this...

So it's Sunday night. Last Sunday I posted. Maybe I can do Sunday posts, kind of like calling home, but only blogging instead. I like that. Maybe I'll try.

I've had a shock this week. I was sitting down with my CPE group to parcel out the on-call dates for the next two months. As I was perusing my calendar, I realized that my graduation wasn't on the calendar (what graduation, you may very well ask. Hold on and I'll tell you). I looked up the date and just about fell out of my chair. My seminary graduation is happening on May 17th, less than a month away. I promptly began freaking out attending to important matters, such as my exit interview for my student loans. Now I'm freaking out even more determined more than ever to get a job.

Speaking of jobs, I had a lovely conversation with my new bishop in Northwest Washington. He was very nice and said he'd start the process of helping me find a job. Of course, it could be a very long wait. But it's starting. If you are the praying type, I wouldn't mind a prayer or two about this.

In knitting, I'm working on Rachel's wedding shawl. And I went to a sale at a JoAnn's and picked up some dishcloth yarn. But I don't post pics of dishcloths unless they're super-fancy and this one is just your standard diagonal dishcloth- perfectly suitable for washing dishes, not so thrilling that they get their own spot on the "internets".

It's going to be a busy week, with 2 on-calls. So I had better get some other work done and go to sleep already. Like many, I've been having allergies, so my sinuses have been interfering with my sleep. I hope it gets better soon.

Back next Sunday, I hope.

Home for a little while

I've realized a few things in the last week.  It all started when I got an email from the housing coordinator at the seminary. She told me that our request to stay in our apartment until August was denied and that she can only offer me housing until June 30th.  My program at the hospital lasts until August 30th, and while it would be hard to live in temporary housing (i.e. with friends or housesitting) for a month, it would be doable.  But 2 months means absolutely moving. 

I am in the midst of CPE, a challenging and demanding time.  The last thing I want to do is to pack twice in one summer.  

When I got the email, it felt like my stomach dropped to the floor.  But being the practical person that I am, I picked myself right back up and started to think of the options before me.  We could find a new apartment altogether.  We could sublet.  We could housesit for the whole time.  I could quit my CPE program and we could move early (and pack only once) to Seattle.  

That last thought caught me up and sent a wave of grief through my body.  I realized how much I love my work as a critical care chaplain.  I have other units: Oncology and Adolescent Psych at the moment, but critical care is really "mine".  I will really miss it: the nurses and doctors, the teamwork, the patients and families, the closeness of God's spirit hovering over those who are very ill, the blessedness of shepherding families through the death of their loved one.  There is so much that I love about being a critical care chaplain.  

Thankfully, when Will and I reviewed our options, we decided to stay for the summer, have me finish up at the hospital and him at his work, sublet from a friend, pack up lots of stuff and then have a smaller packing session at the end of summer.  We'll essentially be living out of suitcases for 2 months, but hey, this is an adventure, and we have each other.  

In less future oriented news: I've been baking and knitting lots lately.  I made a Ukrainian Lemon Poppyseed Cake (from the Moosewood Cookbook) and a Gingerbread Cake (recipe from Chez Panisse) for coffee hour at church today.  And I finished my friend Katie's wedding shawl while I was on my Zen retreat last week at Green Gulch Farm.  I also picked up my new blocking wires this week, so blocking is in my future.  Yeah!

Wow, it's been 2 months since my last post. I knew it had been a while, but dang!

As you might imagine, it has been a bit busy around here.  Will was accepted at a couple grad schools, so that's great.  We're pretty sure we'll be going to Seattle in the Fall.  With that in mind, I've been working on my paperwork for my new bishop.  The paperwork is exhausting and long. It seems to never end.  I'm hoping to finish this weekend. 

I've had quite the time at work, too.  We've been short-staffed for a while, mostly due to illness and vacations. It means that a lot of the time, I've been visiting only the most critically ill instead of rounding on all my patients.  It makes me sad that I don't get the more light-hearted visits as much these days. 

We also had a 10 day strike at the end of March.  That was long, arduous, and not my favorite thing in the world.  

In knitting, I've been fairly monogamous with my friend Katie's wedding shawl.  It's nearly done, especially since she just gave me leave to omit the frilly edging and to just leave it a plain triangle.  I only have about 6 rows left.  

I'm also working on my friend Christina's rainbow hat with earflaps.  The colors are fun, and I've got to have that done for this Thursday.

I'm going on retreat to Green Gulch in Sausalito in a week and a half, so I should get some good knitting time there.  

I'll post some pics soon- no really, I promise.