OK...

NOTE: I accidentally posted this on the family blog the other day, and just now realized it. but it's all information they already know. So I'm putting it on the blog it's supposed to go on. Sorry fam for boring you with things you already knew...


Hey Everyone. It's been a month since I've posted, so I thought I would say hey and let you all know what's going on. Life has been a bit hectic as of late, with the semester starting to come to a close and job searches going on in earnest. And wedding planning! And my journey for getting into shape. So here we go!

Family life has been crazy as it has been this entire year. We're all ready for the bad stuff to stop. Seriously. Enough is enough. Hopefully we're starting to come out of this thunderstorm that has been October-Now. Prayers are always welcome, and still definitely needed for the family.

The semester is starting to end. Only 3 weeks left of class, which is crazy to think about, especially since I'm not starting a PhD in the fall. But since I've been in school since kindergarten, it will be good to have a year off. The only downside is trying to find a job. The economy sucks and there aren't many full time associate positions out there, but I'm trying my best. I've had a preliminary conversation at one parish, and will hopefully have a formal interview there. I have another interview with a parish later this month-that one looks pretty intense. I'm scheduled for about 5 hours of time with them, and that's just on a first interview! And then I hopefully have a phone interview early next week at another place. The teaching jobs are so few I'm not hopeful about those. If nothing else, I'll work Sundays at my friend Mike's church and work at Starbucks or something during the week while I get PhD applications under way. I'm going to go about the whole thing in a different manner, and I'm hoping that will help me apply to more programs. The reality is that I want to do good solid scholarship on Anglican spirituality, and to do that I need the PhD. But that could be in theology, history, or even English. So I'm going to widen my search. I have to start working on that now, though, so that I can make an even better personal statement.

Rick and I are making progress in the wedding planning. We were conflicted about the tux choice, so we finally decided to nix that. The guys are going to be in khakis with a white shirt and cornflower tie. Rick will be in a tan suit. I think that will look great, and be way more comfortable (and cheaper!). Blaine's hopefully going to wear a seersucker number. It's going to be adorable. And I found the shoes (Birkenstocks) that I want for the wedding. So that's all good. And we made a flower decision. I just need to put together the liturgy, and we'll be doing invites in May when I'm home for the dress fitting. And the honeymoon is slowly but surely being paid off! I'm really excited about marrying Rick, and the wedding is going to be an awesome celebration of the two of us!

For those who don't know, in Feb. I joined weightwatchers online. So far I've lost 21 lbs! It's exciting. Although I had Indian food for dinner and feel like I just gained it all back! Oh well. There are good days and bad days, but I'm in better shape and my clothes fit better and I feel better. And that's what matters. It's weird though. Everyone asks if I'm doing it for the wedding. And the honest to God answer is no, I'm not. Rick thinks I'm beautiful regardless. He's lost lots of weight too, recently, but I find him handsome no matter what. The truth is that we want to start our marriage living a healthy lifestyle, so that we can bring our kids up living a healthy lifestyle as well.

Other than that, just doing homework really. I'm working on a paper I am going to enter into some competitions and hopefully get published. I hope it turns out well. Seriously. I like the topic and everything too. So we'll see.

Anyway that's all for now. Hope you're all doing well and enjoying the spring!

Cheers
Hilary