When did summer become so busy?

We are nearing the end of our first summer in Sewanee. Peter has another 8 days left of CPE (Who's counting? ME!!!!) and in his spare time he has been busy organizing the SofT move, a ministry of the seminarians to help incoming students unload their moving trucks when they get to The Mountain. Peter's CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) experience has been at the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro Monday-Friday 7:30-3 pm. I, on the otherhand, have continued working my night shifts in Murfreesboro so Peter and I have been passing one another on I-24 several times per week. I have been picking up a few extra days to make up for the extra cost of Peter's 750 mile weekly commute, and have been taking additional shifts and classes at MTMC in preparation for our move to our new hospital on October 2nd.

You can view pics of our new facility at www.thenewmtmc.org

We have taken a little time for fun this summer with visits from Tory, my mom, aunt Lois, Melanie and Paul; Dottie and Mary Lee, Luke and Wes, Shelley and her gals, Jenny and Sam, and Jimbo and Renee. We've also spent a date night or two in Chattanooga and I have taken up some morning jogs with my friend Jen Hackett and her little boys. All of this activity has really made our summer fly by! We have a trip planned in early August to the beach and we are both counting down the days (just 12) until we can relax and sip those frozen drinks!

A hiking we will go...

Peter and I have been taking advantage of the beautiful scenery as often as possible and have set a goal to go on at least two hikes per month during the spring and summer. We have discovered some truly lovely places and look forward to visitors as now we have even more places to show off. Tory, Jenny, Dottie, Shelle....I'm lookin' at you ladies!!!

One of our favorite trails is a section of the Perimeter Trail that starts at Morgan's Steep and ends at the Memorial Cross.

Morgan's Steep is also a prime spot to watch the sunset, BTW. We have done this hike twice now and the following photos are from both of these walks. The trail starts by following a fairly steep stone staircase to a short path to a creek and waterfall.


The trail continues on, around the creek and under the edge of the Cumberland Plateau. It's very rocky and offers several places to leave the trail and climb up for pretty views or meander down to the creek.



This trail even offers a tiny bit of real rock climbing to get thru a carved out tunnel called Proctor's Hall.

Both times we have done this trail there has been a good bit of ice. Today there were long sections where we really had to watch our steps because the trail was still iced over.

We look forward to seeing this trail in the spring. We saw several plants today that were starting to bud already.

Another trail we recently tried starts at the Memorial Cross and continues on the Perimeter Trail. It has some of THE MOST AMAZING views. It starts at the Cross, which on an ugly day is still just breath-taking.

It continues on and has ample places to pause to enjoy the view or even spread out a nice picnic.

We left the trail quite a bit to explore. One of the coolest features on this trail is a big boulder with Liesegang banding. Liesegang banding is a gemetric design that occurs naturally when iron deposits from water seep through sandstone. It looks almost like tire tracks in the rock. Very cool.

There is a creek that cuts across this trail too.

I'm a sucker for water in pretty much any form, so we spent a lot of time around it. On this particular day I was feeling especially goofy....

We look forward to hiking many more of the trails around campus, however we like these two so much that it's hard for us to try new ones! Peter has not explored the caves yet at Thumping Dick Hollow and we have heard good things about a place called Solomon's Temple, so maybe those two will be our March hikes. Come visit and we'll be glad to take you along with us!

It may be the shortest month, but....

February was such a busy month for us! We co-hosted a Super Bowl Party, I saw Mama Mia in Atlanta with mom and Jenny, and mom FINALLY was able to visit the Mountain! The Super Bowl party was an absolute blast! Not only did our New Orleans Saints win (WOOT!), but I got to dig out my Mardi Gras decor: and we were surrounded by tons of great friends. The party was so big that we used both sides of our duplex (The Game was on at Bob and Sydney's and Glee Season one was on at our house), and had folks around the fire pit in the yard.

The following weekend I headed to Atlanta to see a show with mom and Jenny. It started to snow on my way there and the normal 3 hour drive to Jen's took me SIX HOURS!!!! When I got to Jenny's there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. Mama Mia was so cute! I never saw the whole movie, but I do love musicals and Abba, and seeing a show in the Fabulous Fox Theater was awesome!

After my visit to Jenny's mom followed me, thru the snow, back to the mountain for her first visit to Sewanee. The weather prohibited us from doing any hiking, but she did get to see campus at it's prettiest!

On mom's last day in town we went downtown for shopping and coffee at the Blue Chair. Our view from the coffee shop:
We walked back home and saw some of the most beautiful, snow-covered sites I have ever seen!

As beautiful as campus is under a thick blanket of snow, I am thrilled that the snowy season is coming to an end!!! Yesterday our high temp neared 55 degrees and the sun was shining! It felt like heaven. We are looking forward to our first spring on the mountain and spending more time outside. Peter and I will be heading to P'cola soon to visit our friends and be part of the McGuire's 5K, a race we have been participating in for the past 7 years.

Is it Thursday yet????

Many of you know that Thursday night has long been the beginning of the weekend for us. In fact, one of the things we miss most in Pensacola is our Thursday night karaoke crowd at Jack and Ron's. Peter felt that void as soon as he moved up here, so he started inviting people over on Thursday night, thus Sewanee Happy Hour was born. Every Thursday this great group of Seminarians and spouses gets together for hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and fabulous conversation. This past Thursday we celebrated the First Annual Sewanee Happy Hour Re-gift exchange. Everyone brought a gift they had received that just screamed "someone else!!!" and we had a dirty Santa gift exchange. I may never get this hat off of Peter Wong's head. It's as warm as it is fashionable!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

Our December has been quite memorable! We experienced our first snow (a little scary to drive in!), had a quick visit home for Carnley Christmas, Peter finished his first final exams, I was officially hired onto 2C, I spent Christmas with my mom and sister in Georgia and we had visits from Peter's mom and his brother and family. Whew! What a month! Our first snow was very exciting. It was cold, Cold, COLD...but beautiful! It snowed all night while I was at work. I kept looking out the windows and wondering how on earth I was going to drive home!! I got plenty of tips from patients and coworkers: "if you start to skid DON'T hit your brakes", "if you spin turn INTO the spin", "don't drive fast!" I followed all the rules and made it home safely, but I drove past numerous wrecks and cars in ditches along the way. When I got home I was ready to sleep, but I did stay up long enough to take in the pretty scenes. Froo really enjoyed it!!The snow came the day before the Lessons and Carols service at All Saints Chapel. The campus was beautiful for all of the visitors to that special service. The next weekend we went home for Carnley Christmas. It was so nice to spend time with mom, Tory and our other friends and go to a service at Saint Chris's. Peter had to rush home because he had exams the following week. He did very well and was pleased with his first semester performance in seminary. When I returned from P'cola I had to work to make up for my time off, so Christmas kind of snuck up on us! A few days before Christmas I drove to Barnesville, GA to spend Christmas with mom, Jenny and Brad. We spent Christmas eve-eve with some of Jenny's friends at Callaway Gardens enjoying their Christmas light display. It was a chilly night, the lights were beautiful and the company was fabulous. Christmas eve was a relaxing day. We watched Christmas Classics and made our traditional Christmas eve dinner. Everyone woke up super early with me Christmas morning for gift exchange. I had to leave early to drive home so I could nap before working that evening. When I arrived home I had breakfast and gift exchange with Peter and Dottie. Peter gave me a really cool old chest from an antique store here on the mountain. I had my eye on it for a while, but was very surprised to receive it Christmas morning. I took a nap then it was time for work.

On Tuesday morning when I got off work I got to spend a little time with dad and Teresa. They spent Christmas in Gatlinburg and took a quick side trip to Sewanee to see where we live. It was a short visit, but I really enjoyed showing them our campus. As promised, dad...here's the photo of the VW in the stained glass at All Saints:
We ended our holiday with a New Years visit from Ken, Andrea, Simon and Monica. We had a great time! We had gift exchange with the kids where Peter and I violated two child-gift rules. We gave Simon a noise making band set and Monica a stir fry play set with lots of pieces. After playing for a while (wooden kazoos are tough!) and discovering Andrea's hidden harmonica talents, Peter took everyone on the standard campus tour. Sunset is one of the best times to see the cross. We did get to add the park on our tour since we had babies to play in it. Monica LOVED the bumble bee swing! The family also got a chance to experience Sewanee Fog. It made our trip to the Natural Bridge really cool! While Monica slept thru the Natural Bridge walk, Simon got to try out his adventurous side by climbing down to the bottom and going into a cave with his dad and Uncle Peter. We spent a night in Chattanooga shopping and having BBQ and on New Year's Eve Peter made a fire in the yard and we roasted marshmallows. It was a great visit and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

As I mentioned at the beginning I have recently been hired permanently onto 2C. I am very excited about this opportunity and like having a department to call home. 2C is a very big, very busy general medical floor. The people are fun, welcoming and very supportive of "the new girl." I will finish my orientation period in a couple of weeks then will begin adjusting to my new work schedule, whatever that should be!

Peter has been working very hard this week to support the Senior Class as they take their GOE's. He has been getting groceries, helping to prepare daily lunches and getting ready to throw the big post GOE shin-dig on Friday. It's been a lot of work, but he loves this kind of stuff!

We are looking forward to the restart of classes and the return of our routines. A little warmer weather wouldn't hurt either!

First Semester Reflections

So, I am coming to the end of my first semester of seminary at the University of the South School of Theology. There are less than two weeks left and the crush of finals is upon us all. It has been a really good semester in terms of my formation, though I think my grades may not be quite as what I had hoped. Seminary has been a challenge on a number of levels but the formation has been extraordinary.

Katie and I have made some great new friends here who are part of an exceptional support group here at Sewanee. There are people in our class, in the Anglican Studies program, the Master of Arts in Theology program and in the other classes of the Master's of Divinity programs whom we have grown close to. It has been a great transition for us in so many ways and we have been truly blessed to be here at this special place.

A few weeks ago, I was elected to the position of student trustee to the Board of Trustees of the University. The Board is made up of bishops and appointed or elected representatives from each of the twenty-eight owning dioceses. This is a position some of friends from Pensacola have held and they all thought there would be good ways for me to make a contribution to the school. Additionally, it will give me a chance to represent the School of Theology to the broader university community. It will be an honor and privilege to serve the School of Theology in this capacity and I am hoping to have an opportunity to serve the University faithfully as well. The position is a two year appointment and I think my duties may begin as early as this spring when the university chooses a new Vice-Chancellor. I will not have any role in this search as it is already well underway, but the Board may seat new members then. More on this when I know more about the responsibilities.

Classes have gone well, though getting back into the swing of academics after a seven year lay-off has been an adjustment. The work has not been so much difficult as it has been thought provoking, stimulating and challenging for my faith. The Advent Term for juniors (the first year students are called juniors, the second year: middlers, the third: seniors)requires core courses in Spirituality for Ministry, Church History, Old Testament Foundations and a study of the Creeds. I opted to take Hebrew on the advice of my academic advisor and that has been especially helpful in my understanding of the Old Testament. I've probably read more this semester than I had in the previous four years combined (upwards of 3000 pages). The reading has done a great deal to expand my understanding of who we are as a Christian people, our Judaic heritage in the Old Testament, the historic faith of the Church, our public profession of faith and the depth of spirituality required for the call we have taken on.

We have been blessed with tremendous support from our friends and family back home. Our parish, St. Christopher's, and my former parish, St. Jude's, have been very generous in helping us financially. Many of our family members, beginning with Jenny helping us move in back in August, and friends in Pensacola have come up to visit us, as Katie has chronicled. It has been wonderful to have our two world combine from time to time and we look forward to continuing to introduce more of our communities to one another.

It's late and I have a long day of classes tomorrow. So I'll conclude the wrap up of this semester later. Blessings and peace be with you all.

Thanksgiving on the Mountain

This has been a very wonderful and hectic two weeks! To start with, Peter was elected Student Trustee by his classmates. It is an honor that we both are very excited about. He is planning to write his own entry soon about this position and his birthday celebration.

This past week we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with three very dear friends from home. Luke flew into Chattanooga on Tuesday and stayed with us for a week, Casey and Addie drove up Tuesday night and stayed thru the weekend. On Tuesday night Luke joined us for a Soup Dinner hosted by another couple at the school. He got to meet a whole lot of our friends up here. Luke's a real trooper, so he took the overwhelming crowd in stride! On Wednesday I took everyone on my self-guided campus tour, we relaxed around the house and enjoyed a fire (and S'mores) in PW's new fire pit outside.
Thursday we watched the Macy's parade and had a delicious (and HUGE) Thanksgiving Dinner. Another seminarian offered to smoke turkeys in his smoker, so we took advantage of that and made all of the dishes that we would have had if we had TGD at home. YUM! Here's a pic of PW making his tasty mashed potatoes! After dinner we walked to Green's View planning to enjoy the beautiful biew with a bottle of wine, but it was WAAAAAYYYY too cold! We called PW to come get us and sipped our wine while enjoying a game of mah jongg (and Thanksgiving leftovers)!

On Friday and Saturday evenings I had to work, so Luke, Casey and Addie did some exploring on thier own. Friday night we all drove to Murfreesboro together to do a little shopping before I had to work. On Saturday Luke and Casey hiked to Bridal Veil Falls, it's one of my favorite places! I hated that I didn't get to go with them, but I was so happy that they came up here to spend the holiday with us.

On Monday Luke and I had lunch at Shenanigan's, a must-dine pub at Sewanee, and then spent some time with my friend Jen and her son Bill. We had coffee at Stirling's and visited some new sites on campus that I didn't even know about! Our next visitors get to see the Community Garden and drive down super curvy Roarks Cove Road to the Valley.

Before Luke's flight out on Tuesday we took a hike to Thumping Dick Hollow. The trail was steep and very slippery from all of the fallen leaves, but it was awesome!
The trail followed a small mountain brook, we had to walk across rocks next to a washed out bridge and climb over big fallen logs on our way down a rocky, steep trail to two caves. When we got to the first cave we realized that we didn't have a flashlight. Oops! We didn't let that keep us from exploring tho. We used Luke's iphone flashlight (Yes, The iphone does have an app for that!) and the flash of my camera. Here's a pic of Luke as we entered the cave. It was super dark!! And here we are inside the cave.
The caves stay at a constant 55 degrees year round. It was actually kind of warm compared to the outside temp. The Sewanee website said there were Native American carvings inside the cave, but without flashlights we were unable to find those. I am really looking forward to exploring the caves again.

Over the next few weeks we will be making a trip home and PW will be wrapping up his first semester of seminary. It's so hard to believe that we have already been here that long! In some ways it seems like we have just arrived, but we have made friends that it feels we have known our whole lives.