achickinchainmail's Xanga

4 months? Seriously?

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:11:55 GMT

Hello everyone!

Wow, it's been a long time!

Since last I posted, I planned my wedding, wrapped up my life in Jackson, moved to Wichita, hung out with my family and friends, moved my stuff to Louisville, flew back to Wichita, GOT MARRIED, flew back to Louisville, and commenced living happily ever after.

Seriously, marriage is great. Especially when you're married to the most amazing man in the world.

Anywho, this is mainly to inform y'all of our new family blog. I might even post on it eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the recipe. It's truly glorious.

He is risen!

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:58:05 GMT

Sing, choirs of New Jerusalem!
Your sweetest notes employ
The paschal victory to hymn
In songs of holy joy!

For Judah's Lion burst his chains
And crushed the serpent's head;
Christ cries aloud through death's domains
To wake th'imprisoned dead.

Triumphant in his glory now--
To him all pow'r is giv'n;
To him in one communion bow
All saints on earth and heav'n.

All glory to the Father be!
All glory to the Son!
All glory to the Spirit be
While endless ages run!

(sung to "Lyngham," also known to those familiar with the Book of Psalms for Singing as Psalm 98A)

I dreamed last night...

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:50:42 GMT

that someone, as a prank, changed my xanga site so that my profile picture was of a woman in liturgical garb, preaching, and the background was of an empty sanctuary, just before my alleged ordination. I was pretty annoyed in my dream, trying to remember if it was April 1, and attempting to track down the pranksters, when I woke up.

Maybe I've been reading too much Father Brown...

Waiting

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:44:00 GMT

So, the bulk of the time since last I posted has been spent waiting. Mostly for things to come in the mail. Which they all did today. The above book (which I didn't realize until I started reading was written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife!) came as a delightful birthday present from my fiancee , and a USB cord for the other half of my present (a cell phone, since mine went kaput) also arrived, which means I can now actually get pictures off my phone and onto my computer! yay!!

Here's that picture of my ring y'all have been waiting for (more may be found on my facebook).

And while I've been waiting I've been knitting up a storm!
My first sock:

And the beginnings of my first sweater (pattern may be found here):

One of my RAs wants me to make her one, too! I think it'll make a good graduation present.

On the day when I was born...

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:55:24 GMT

So, I'm starting to think maybe 25 is the watershed for whether you really care much about your birthday or not. 'Cause last year it was a pretty big deal, but this year I'm not really all that excited about it. Except checking my mailbox. That will be fun.
On the plus side, it is pretty exciting to know that this is the last birthday I'll be celebrating unmarried. Yay!
On the less festive side, I'm going to be spending most of my time today playing the piano for people. Which really isn't all that bad, just not much like a party.
But I'm grateful that the Lord has sustained me for another trip around the sun, and for all the marvelous things he has done in my life in the past year. Truly his steadfast love endures forever!
Here's to 26!

Praise the Lord!!

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:30:26 GMT

We're engaged!!

Praise Him in His sanctuary!
Praise Him in His mighty expanse!
Praise Him for His matchless deeds!
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with a trumpet sound!
Praise Him with the harp and lyre!
Praise Him with timbrels and dancing!
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe!
Praise Him with loud cymbals!
Praise Him with resounding cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 150)

*pictures of the Ring to come as soon as some kind soul lends me a camera, since my camera-phone is kaput*

Adventures in...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:59:07 GMT

Well, not a lot really. Actually, my life's been kinda dull lately. And most of what I've been pondering would not be appropriate blog-fodder. Thus the lack of posting.

But things are about to get more interesting. Tomorrow we start interviewing RAs for next year, which I really enjoyed last year. Then Saturday I fly northward to Louisville to visit my suitor for the weekend (staying with one of his elders and family down the street, just so that's clear), and I come back Monday night for more RA interviews Tuesday and Thursday.

In my knitting endeavor, behold the finished backpack! Although, I was looking at this website trying to figure out why knitting through the back of a stitch seemed so much harder to me than it needed to be, and the best I can figure is that when I thought I was purling, I was actually knitting through the back of the stitch, which probably means I need to relearn how to purl. *sigh* An evening of stitchin' and Austen with Kiersten would probably set me straight, but first we would have to get either me there or her here, neither of which seems likely to happen for several weeks, anyway. I shall have to settle for video demonstrations in the meantime. But I am determined to get it figured out, because this site has me thoroughly inspired. If you are at any level skilled in the ways of the yarn, I highly recommend it. And it's totally worth having to wait in line for a couple of weeks.

who wants Kansas?

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:13:09 GMT

Ron Paul does.

(for the benefit of my Kansas Ron Paul-ites, in case they hadn't seen it yet)

whoa, wait!

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:30:11 GMT

is it the 21st already?!
craziness!

Well, all, it's been quite the month. My "holiday" busyness didn't really come to a stop until a week ago (.mp3s of AAPC may be purchased here-- always worth it, especially the Jordan lecture and Vespers service!-- and .mp3s of the Wilsons's time with IPC are freely available here), and since then I seem to have been wrestling with a case of what Nancy Wilson calls the January Blahs. I must say, it was a relief to read that and discover I'm not the only one suffering from a severe lack of motivation. It seems the only things I've felt like doing lately are reading (I devoured a Terry Pratchett novel in under 24 hours, finally finished The Baptized Body, and am about to start on the above, a Christmas gift from my suitor) and knitting.

Yes, seriously. Knitting. I saw another of Kiersten's amazing Fair Isle creations and thought (for the thousandth time) "Oh, I wish I could knit!" Later when I sat down to watch a movie, I needed something to occupy my hands and thought, "C'mon, give it another try. After all, it is Kiersten's birthday. What better time to start?" This is what I've got so far:

Half of what will become a purse/backpack/knapsack sort of thing. I'm fairly pleased. Though if I don't get a turn in the laundry room soon, I'm going to have to start knitting new clothes...

Happy Epiphany!

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:29:14 GMT

I think everyone who generally reads my blog has seen or at least talked to me since the last time I posted, so I don't feel too bad about the time elapsed. I had a lovely Christmas, lots of snow and good food and time with family and friends. How was yours?

This week is looking to be a busy one. My suitor is coming down to Monroe for a certain pastors' conference, so the plan is for me to drive back and forth a few times so we can hang out. Then Thursday night the Doug and Nancy Wilson conference starts and continues the rest of the week. And it's move-in week for the Spring at Belhaven, of which, actually, the hard part for me is primarily over, just have to get a few girls moved around to different rooms and conduct the big beginning-of-the-semester meeting Wednesday night, which is usually unproblematic.

Anyways, I'm loving this liturgical calendar thing. Not only did it give me the opportunity to leave the Christmas decorations up until last night, it also give me the knowledge that last night was a particularly appropriate time to take them down. And it meant that today I got to eat a little (store-bought, but still good) King Cake. But, as good as King Cake is, Epiphany is much more than that. Go, and read.