And here we are again!

I realize it has been nearly a year since I wrote a new post.  Part of me is very ashamed, as we have all seen so many blogs start and not make it to the end of a year.  I swore when I started this that it would NOT happen to me, but it did.  As always, I have many great excuses.

1. I started graduate school at a very demanding academic institution.
2. I moved twice.
3. I got married, also twice (to the same person, of course)
4. We adopted a crazy dog.
5. My camera is in a state of semi-brokenness, which equals mediocre photos and zero reliability.

It really is a shame since this past year has most definitely been the most emotionally and spiritually demanding best year of my life.  I cannot rehash the entire thing here, but I will highlight some major non-food related happenings.

1. Princeton Theological Seminary
 What can I even say?  Returning to school has been a real mixed-bag.  If only I could talk to my high school self and laugh in her face when she thought Advanced English was demanding.  Welcome to graduate school, where you will have more reading than you can ever possibly do, classmates that are almost all very committed, studious, articulate, etc....., and course material that is borderline too much for your tiny brain to handle.  It is truly amazing, though, to be at an institution celebrating it's 200th year of challenging people harboring a vague sense of God's call to discern and fully commit to a life of Christian service.
I am not a mystic and do not "see dead people," but I often can sense the presence of all of those who have come here before me.  This feeling comforts me in the sense that I am not a pioneer, and it is incredibly humbling.

2. CRW (AKA our campus family housing complex)
While technically part of PTS, CRW (short for Charlotte Rachel Wilson apartments) is a world of it's own.  I am constantly reminded of this by students that do not have the privilege to live on our side of campus.  CRW is a place where you get to know your neighbors, more importantly- want to know your neighbors, and where you can watch families grow before your eyes.  (Trust me, some days it seems as though everyone has five children running around.)  While we are currently childless, we chose to live here so that we could have a dog.  Little did I know, moving into our apartment here would change me forever.  Someday I will hopefully write more about it, but CRW has directly impacted the way I view Christians, community, and myself.
Like any place, it isn't perfect.  Sometimes I feel like everyone is in my business and when I am cranky and don't want to run in to ten people I know just on the way to the mailbox, it can be difficult.  But, when I am feeling antisocial, I just have to think about being (unrealistically) terrified of my strange neighbors as a young child, or of college kids puking outside my flat in downtown Madison, and I instantly remember how blessed we are to call this strange place home.

3. Family
Brent and I have amazing families.  Various members have made the journey to see us, for which we a incredibly grateful.  Others have kept in touch over Skype (a blessing in itself) or through my personal favorite- snail mail!  They all came together to help us have a wonderful wedding celebration in May, a year after our elopement.  We feel very loved.

Wedding combined families shot; photo by Adam Silverman

4. Friends
Moving away from our Wisconsin friends was the hardest thing ever.  Brent and I are both the kind of people that build friendships very slowly, so leaving behind awesome people was terrible, to say the least.  Thank God, again, for Skype.  We really should use it more (wink, wink).  The wedding celebration, while kind of a HUGE pain to plan from afar, brought us closer to some of our best friends and gave us new memories to take home to Jersey.
Having never lived in a place like CRW, I was sure we were destined to be lonely for the next 4 years.  Then, immediately after I moved in, there was a knock on the door, followed shortly thereafter by several more.  There were invites to cook-outs, book clubs, Bible study, and parties.  I've learned a lot lately about building relationships as adults, and I feel truly blessed to have so many people willing to help me struggle along awkwardly to new lasting friendships.  Brent has also made several friends at work, so we are doing alright.

Bible Study group 2011-12; photo by Kim Schmidt

 5. Philip J. Fry
We are both well aware of how demented our affection for our monster-puppy is.  Regardless, he was the best decision and purchase we have ever made.  Yes, he is a roadblock to certain friendships, since anyone wanting to hang out at our place has to be willing to put up with shenanigans and copious amounts of dog hair, but we can't imagine how lonely and boring life would be without him.  If you just witnessed him throwing a tantrum outside, you may not see him the way we do.  In this way, I am learning a lot about how it must be to have children :)
Sometimes we go to a party and all I can think about later is how stupid I must have sounded, going on and on about my dog.  Oh well.  It is a sickness I am willing to endure.  Fry isn't just any dog.  He's ours!

He has enriched our lives and I haven't been lonely one single day since he came home with us.  It may be due to the fact that he was person-less for the first 8 or so months of his life, but Fry treats us like other dogs.  This can be problematic, but it also means that we are a pack.  He isn't just a pet and we aren't just his owners.  Instead, we are a single unit.  He makes this clear all the time.  He herds us together when we are spread out, he includes himself in hugs, and he cries when one of us leaves.  I wish it was socially acceptable to bring him everywhere the way so many people in Princeton cart their little dogs around.  Then again, maybe not.      

  I promise not to wait another 10 months before I write again...

Blessings,
Callie