oh dear

Sorry, I haven't blogged in a while but that has been because there has been soooooo much going on. Where to start? where to start?

Okay, Let's start with this little tidbit: a few days before I headed to Michigan for the World Communion of Reforemd Churches (more on that later), I found out some horrible news. Atlantic Union College (as in the College that I attend) has lost it's accreditation. Pause for a moment of AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, so while it will remain open, NEASC (the regional accrediting board) has decided to revoke the accreditation. AUC plan to petition it but we will see how it will go.

So what is up for the fall? At the moment, I have no clue! I can stay at AUC and hope that the win the appeal. I can transfer to another Adventist school (the nearest is in Washington DC) and continue to feel oppressed. I can transfer to a public school that doesn't have a religion major and hope a lot of my credits transfer. I can enroll in Liberty University and finish up with their online classes. Or I suppose the final option would be volunteerism and by that I most likely mean City Year.

Those are the options and I have no clue what I am doing in the fall! OH JOY!

WEDDINGS!!!!!!

I had a much more creative title for this post but then my computer froze, I had to control alt del and now the creative title is gone from my brain as most things go.

sooo

I like weddings. If you know me personally this should be considered common knowledge to you. I like weddings a lot, and I always have. You know the movie Bride Wars, when it flashes back to the main characters as kids playing wedding dress-up? I would have been the one in the corner planning the pretend wedding. People (my boyfriend especially) make fun of me for my obsession with weddings. I would like to point out, however that I have liked (read been obsessed with) weddings long before there was an amazing guy in my life. I just really really like them.

Two of my favoritest people got engaged 8 days ago. Kayleigh and Ryan...YAY!!! We have all known for a while that this was going to happen! I am especially Happy of course because that means Yay wedding planning! Really guys it's like giving a drug addict coke! THANKS!!!!!!!! I am a fountain of wedding knowledge just waiting to share.

So Kayleigh (the Future Bride) and I were talking about weddingy type stuff and when we were talking last night she asked me why I was going into ministry instead of becoming a wedding planner. It would make sense for me to become a wedding planner right? I mean I Love weddings, I am good under other people's stress, I am good at calling people down and a mediating, and for some reason that's the only thing I can keep organize ;)

It only seems like a good idea. What I really really want to do is to be a wedding planner on the side. I want to go into ministry because it is where I feel called but I want to dabble in weddings as well. I would love to work at a bridal store or something similar while in seminary and then plan weddings on the side once I have a real job. The only thing is I have no idea how to get into that sort f thing. i have helped people plan weddings before and I have all this stuff in my head just waiting to create an amazing wedding. But how do I actually go about doing it????

summer productivity

I believe I wrote about this before (not 100% sure) but I have spoken to many people about my productivity for the summer. Aside from working my butt off and attending various church type conferences and events, I am hoping this will be a productive summer academically.

This summer I plan to do all of my researching of different Masters of Divinity programs, figure out which schools I am applying to and work on those applications. Also, I plan to study for and take the GRE. I think I will attempt my first try in July and see how I do. Additionally, I plan to complete and submit the application to become an inquirer with the Presbytery of Boston. Some of my friends who have gone through Seminary and some who have already been ordained told me that I should become an inquirer before starting seminary because once I start it will be hard to find the time to do it. Rev. Wayne Parrish, the executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Boston, asked me last year when I was going to do it so I figure if it would be a good idea to have that done by fall.

My fear is that I wont get accepted anywhere. My GPA is not good! I'm working on bringing it up but it is no at the caliber that some of these schools are at. I have lots of community service and stuff outside of the classroom and I am sure I can get great letters of reference. I think that I can bang out some pretty good essays as long as I have someone look at them and make corrections before I submit them. I'm going to attempt to get a good score on the GRE. It's my crappy GPA that scares me.

My number one choice was Harvard Divinity School. I'm still going to apply, but I don't see it happening in all actuality. I screwed around too much and have received too many Cs. :(

so far I am looking at:

• Harvard Divinity School
• Boston University School of Theology
• Princeton Theological Seminary (I have to apply to a PCUSA school)
• Bangor Theological Seminary
• Andover-Newton Theological Seminary

I feel like there is one missing from the list but I can't remember which. People at school think I should apply to Andrews University Seminary because there is like a 98% chance I can get in.

This is essentially just to see if i can actually blog from my phone. buenas noches luna.

graduation

In exactly one week a number of the people who have become my closest friends will be graduating from college. Obviously this is making me sad. While some of these friends will be staying in the area afte graduation, some will be moving far away. Seth and Lyandra, in particular, are moving just a few days after graduation down to Florida. Matthew is headed back to the land of sheep (also known as Vermont). Ryan is unsure of where he will be. It all dpeends on where the church puts him, basically. I'm hoping it's somewhere in New England. He says there is a 90% chance it will be.

On top of the sadness that my friends leaving is causing, the fact that they are graduating is causing me to think. And as we all know, me + thinking is dangerous! What I have been thinking about is what I am supposed to be doing after I graduate. I came to the realization today that in one year I will be a college graduate (that is if I pass statistics this semester) and that's a scary thought.

For a while I was thinking about the peace corps. I want to serve in some way. I love the idea of traveling and I want to serve people everywhere. People that I've talked to that have done peace corps have loved it. But it's a two year commitment. Two years without coming home. missing birthdays and holidays and weddings. And bigger than all that is two years without David. That would be the part that kills me. I get all depressed when I go a few weeks without seeing him. I could not handle two years. But alas he has no interest in missionary work or this sort of thing.

I was talking with my friend Elise today. She is studying in Paris right now. We were talking about the fact that in one year we will be college graduates. And we were talking about the future. She sin't sure that hse wants to go straight into a masters program either. She is considering teach for america or the peace corps. I told her that I had been considering the peace corps but the 2 year commitment was too mcuh for me. But, I told her about the PCUS Young Adult Volunteer program. The YAV program is a lot like the Peace corps, except it is under the presbyterian church and works in area under churches. There are placements in different parts of the US as well as around the world. Unlike the Peace Corps it is only a 1 year commitment. She said she thinks I should do it. She says that David and I have a strong relationship and we will be able to survive one year apart. Part of me thinks she's right, part of me isn't sure. Let me clarify. I have NO doubts in our relationship. I have doubts in myself. I personally do not believe that I could go that long without Him.

so these are the thoughts I am thinking. part of me wants to apply to the YAV program and see if I get accepted. That way I cna decide and maybe that is where I am being called. I would go to seminary afterwards, but maybe I need that one year break between college and seminary? I've figured out where I am applying for seminary though! :) Harvard Divinity School, Boston University School of Theology, Bangor Theological Seminary, Andover-Newton Theological Seminary and maybe Princeton. My grades are not good enough that I believe I have a chance at HDS or STH but people are telling me to apply anyway. I really really want to get into HDS. That is my dream school and always has beenn, but we'll see.

Well these are the thoughts I am thinking and the things on my mind. Lots of praying, reflecting, thinking, talking, and discerning to do.

just to recap

WoW! I haven't posted anything in 21 days. Opps :( I'm sorry. There's been so much going on. Last we talked it was about TOMs shoes.

So The Toms event happened and there was about 30 people who went barefoot to raise awarness for those around the world without shoes. We got coverage in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette as well as in the Clinton Item. A bunch of people donated shoes which will be sent off to Haiti. All in all I think it was pretty successful.

I kept meaning to log on and post some stuff as things have been happening, but alas I just get busy and forget.

Let's see what else has happened?

• I was elected Secretary of the Student Ministerial Association for the 2010-2011 school year. Kayleigh was elected head of public relations so it should be a good year in that respect. Our President is Willis Byas and that people is going to do great things for God.
• At the awards and honors chapel I was given a $1000 scholarship so that's pretty cool. Yay free money! Now I need to remember to write the thank you.
• I went to Atlanta to cheer on Gael Force, Team 126, at the Championships of FIRST Robotics. It was pretty awesome. Kate and I helped Shelby with Strategy, ehich I enjoyed. While the team didn't win it was a great weekend.
• While I was in Atlanta, I checked out Columbia Semianry. I don't think it is the seminary for me, but it was an interesting experience. Every time I have gone to visit a Seminary it was one of the ones in the Boston area and it was just to hang out with people or attend an event. This time it was me as a prespective studnet and it is a whole differnet feeling.

Right now I am in the middle of the hectic part of the semester. It's time for FINALS. The only one that I am really stressing over is Statistics. A) I am not good at math. B) His teaching style nad my learning style to not line up C) all of the homework is on the internet and I can't sit in front of a computer screen for 5 hours straight doing an assignment. D)I have spent over 5 hours on one assignment and I am still not done with this assignment. This class is seriously hurting me and I am afraid of how it will affect my GPA and therfore affect my chances of getting into the Seminary I want to get into.

Graduation is in a week and that is bumming me out. Last year I didn't really care about the seniors graduating. It's not that I didn't know them it's that I wasn't as close to them as I am to a number of this year's graduating seniors. :'(

They're barefootin' on AUC campus

They're barefootin' on AUC campus

CHeck out the article about our One Day Without Shoes...

more of a blog about it in a bit