Charleston Girls' Weekend

I remain the best of friends with 2 of my college roommates, but since we live in Dallas, NYC, and Atlanta, we rarely get to be together anymore. We decided that was unacceptable and started planning a girls' getaway. The first decision: where to meet? We decided it had to be in the Central or Eastern time zones (so that we wouldn't spend half our time flying), that we wanted to go somewhere that none of us had been (tricky, since the 3 of us love to travel!), and it had to be more interesting than just a beach (Lisa is not a huge fan of laying out in the sun for days on end). We decided on Charleston, South Carolina. What a glorious weekend. Lisa arranged all of our food reservations and she nailed it at every single place. I have never eaten so well in my life!! I planned our spa day and it was just as relaxing and fabulous as we hoped it would be: pedicures, massages, facials, lunch by the pool, and just enough sun time to warm our bones. Jenny planned our recreation and we went on the most lovely boat tour and shopped at some of the most adorable boutiques. It's been so long since I've been shopping with girlfriends...such a treat! One night we went out dancing and Jenny tore it up like she always has. We were in a club full of college kids, and Jenny was the center of attention. 20 year old guys were lining up to dance with her because she is just that fabulous on a dance floor. Lisa and I kept up as long as we could. :) The other darling in some of these pics is Amy, Lisa's little sister. She lives in D.C. and was randomly coming to Charleston with some friends the same weekend that we planned to be down there so she joined us for dinner and drinks several nights. So fun!

Such a glorious, relaxing, incredibly fun weekend. We couldn't have been more stereotypically girly (shopping, wine, spa, dancing) and we loved every minute of it. There is just something about being with the people who knew you before you grew up. Love you, Jenn and Lis. Can't wait to do it again!

Graduation Day!

I can't believe we did it. Chris and I actually finished our masters' programs. A 3 year program for me; a one year program for him. People cavalierly say statements like, "I don't know how I did it," all the time about any number of things, and it's often an exaggeration. But I don't think any statement could more accurately convey how Chris and I feel about finishing graduate school.
I have no idea how we did it.
We crammed in reading assignments while taking the subway. We cranked out papers between putting the girls to bed at night and waking them up in the morning. We passed off the girls to each other at bus stops, high-fiving and exchanging a quick kiss.
  I have no idea how we did it.
Here are some photos from my graduation day. I have no photos of Chris's day because there was a professional photographer and we were going to order photos from him. But we didn't. Because we forgot because our brains were mush from school. Chris's graduation was lovely and the keynote speaker even singled out Chris for having such a fantastic graduation thesis project/paper. My graduation was much more emotional because spending at least 2 nights a week for three years with the same people forms some pretty significant bonds. The ceremony was beautiful and I was even the surprised recipient of the Old Testament Scholar award. It was such an incredible and moving morning. When I started school, I had no idea how much NYTS would change my life.


One of my dearest friends from seminary, Adriane

Steven, Ty'Ann, Warren

Fellow grad Deb in the middle of our pastor, Chris, and his partner Kevin

I love him so much

So happy!!

After graduation, about to have a celebratory lunch together

Here's to the next chapter!

Noelle's Turn

A lot of focus lately on Delilah, so it's time for a Noelle post!!! First, some shots of her in ballet.

Noelle still LOVES ballet. These pictures are from Parents' Week, when we get to come inside the class. She was so proud and happy to have me in there to watch her. This next picture is a collage from when I took Noelle to the Highline. The Highline is an old railroad track that has been converted to an elevated park in Chelsea. Just a beautiful place to stroll, catch some rays, and eat a popsicle. I used to do stuff like this all the time with Delilah when she was little, but I haven't been able to do it as much with Noelle because of all the things we have going on. It was such a wonderful afternoon with my littlest angel.

6th Birthday Party...A Little Mini-Golf :)

Delilah fell in love with mini-golf this past year and was so excited when I told her we could do mini-golf for her party. It was supposed to rain the day of her party and we were really worried, but it was a gorgeous day...until 5 minutes before her party ended. At that point the skies opened up--I couldn't believe how lucky we were! Delilah had a mix of friends from school and from our building. Everyone had a blast and the kids are getting old enough that the parents could actually finish some conversations. Wonderful day all around.

Happy 6th, Delilah!!!!!!

Oh, our sweet precious girl. It has been such a joy to watch you grow and change this past year. You have thrived in kindergarten, and it is incredible to watch you figuring out the world. Your spirit could never be contained in a nutshell, but I'm going to try:
--you love learning. I ask you every day what your favorite part of school was, and it's often a game you played, but it's just as often an actual lesson, like learning the types of clouds.
--you love to take charge during playdates. I never would have expected this when you were younger, but you've grown into quite the little organizer.
--you are OBSESSED with reading. You read far above your grade level, and two of your favorite places are the bookstore and the library.
--you are excited about moving. You want to have a backyard and a dog. Nearly every day, you ask me and Daddy to play a game where we take turns describing our new home. You think our backyard should definitely have a hammock and a tree house.
--you have very grown up thoughts. Like when we first brought up moving, and we said we might be near beach. You got quiet, then calmly said that we shouldn't live near a beach because beaches are your favorite place in the whole world. You would never want to go anywhere but the beach, and that would mean that you wouldn't have other adventures. What 5 year old thinks like that?
--you love to make breakfast and often bring a plate of bagels & cream cheese to me & Daddy in bed.
--this morning, I walked into the dining room, where you had set up two bowls of cereal and poured orange juice into champagne flutes. You said you wanted to thank me for doing so many fun things with you on your birthday yesterday.
--you love cutting pictures out of magazines and making collages. They always have a theme, like: toys you want for Christmas, or pretty backyards, or nice watches. Very cute and funny.
--you LOVE gymnastics. You would spend all your time at the gym if you could.
--you love Scooby Doo and Barbie.
--you love shrimp and salmon and most seafood. You hate all red meat except pot roast.
--you love teaching your sister new things.
--you and Noelle are best friends.

Here are some pictures from your birthday. We didn't have a big celebration because it was Monday, and Spring Break. Your party will be on Saturday, but today probably would have been enough for you because you got your ears pierced!!! You were so excited to do such a grown-up thing. You didn't cry at all, just squeezed your eyes shut really tightly and clenched your little fists.

You also got your bike this past weekend. You were so excited! I love the shot of you and Daddy waiting for the subway...such a little city girl. Happy birthday, Delilah; you are loved more than you could possibly even imagine.

Easter Weekend

Glorious weather on a glorious day.

Where to begin?!?!?!

I can't believe it, but we already have our next step planned out. I applied for, and was offered, a job as the Director of Christian Education for Rye Presbyterian Church. Rye is a picturesque little Norman Rockwell town of about 16,000 people. It is along the coast, about 45 minutes north of NYC and we will be moving there this summer. I will be in charge of Sunday School programming, middle-school and high-school youth groups, and family ministry events. They have already made arrangements with the Hudson River Valley Presbytery so that when I become eligible for ordination, the position will shift and become an ordainable call...at that time I will become an Assistant Minister. Applying and interviewing for this job has been an incredible experience. I can't explain it, but I knew the job was mine literally from the moment I emailed my resume and cover letter. When I interviewed at the church, everybody at the table seemed to know the job was mine. When the committee chair called me the next day to all-but-offer me the job (some congregational voting had to happen to make it official), she told me that the position has been open for a year and that when I left the interview, the committee agreed that it had taken a year because they were waiting for me. I was floored when she shared those words with me. I have no idea why I am meant to take this position, but I do think God has big plans for both me and Rye Presbyterian Church. I am extremely nervous, but I can't wait to see how it all turns out!