DPP Day 5: Light Path to Laughter

I was so weary last night. We arrived home at 5 p.m. and I sat and waited for my evening event, which was a Womens' Fellowship dinner at church. I very seriously considered skipping the fellowship in favour of going to bed early, but I went.

The path to the Fellowship Hall was lined with candles in large jars (not quite luminaria, but they looked the same from a distance). At first I thought the tealights were taped to the tops of the jars, but they actually just put a single taper candle into each jar and let them burn down over the course of the evening.

In all our travels, I. and I. have been particularly blessed by God's providence in giving us numerous and wonderful church homes, and our current church is no exception. A night of laughter and prayer was exactly what I needed last night.

God is good. (Also, Lutherans do White Elephant exchanges like none I have ever before seen. Fascinating).

DPP Day 4: Reading and Weeding

Our school library is pretty small, and currently filled more with donations from well-meaning parents than classics that children could read. Lately I've been making small ripples that might have long-term benefits, such as convincing the librarians that we don't actually need to keep books on being a good Christian wife in the Young Adults section.

This week, in anticipation of soome new acquisitions, I took photographs of our current stock. There's nothing especially signficant about this pile, except that it looked pretty (and colourful!) and I am actually very pleased that, of all the editions of The Hobbit available, we have The Annotated Hobbit in our school library.

DPP Day 3: Two Pretty Things

For all the other ways in which I am sometimes frustrated by life here, we have been very fortunate to have a place to live--both broadly and specifically--that is very pretty, especially at sunset.

Here's a small fraction of tonight's sunset:

Recently I've been discovering tricks of Spotify, which I thought had an absurdly low number of foreign-language songs until I discovered how to search for them.

Zbigniew Preisner has long been one of my favourite musicians (I deeply love his Requiem for my Friend album), but I've just found his Christmas album Moje Koledy, and his version of the "Koleda dla Piotr" ("Carol for Peter") is breathtaking. (Also, foreign-melody Christmas music feels so much less trite than the American tunes that have been blaring in stores since All Saints' Day).

DPP Day 2: Shifting into the Season

A long-awaited treat from Britain arrived today in the mail:

Though I very much enjoyed Wool, the first [five] book[s] in the series [collected into one volume], I am reminded by my excellent spouse that there is abundant profanity in the collection, and there are two scenes of adult nature.

DPP Day 1: Not Much to Show

Though Tennessee does have some very lovely outdoor features, today I was stuck indoors with the last of my Thanksgiving cold. I rested a great deal and graded a little, but I had energy for almost nothing that required effort or creativity, hence I present this rather helf-hearted attempt at a first photo:

I'm now off to sleep off the last of my sniffles.

Past Days

One year ago, I lived in beautiful Sheffield, a city of rolling hills (miserable to walk upon) and frequent outbursts of snow and rain. Although I miss it more than I could express in words, I am thankful for the months we spent in Sheffield. 

Two years ago, we lived in beautiful Edinburgh, a city of bustle and history, filled with abundant, delightful pubs and the most wonderful international food selection I have ever had at my disposal for an entire academic year. Edinburgh is home to our extended church family, a thousand walking and cycle paths (each with their own charms and challenges) and two beautiful and amazing academic libraries. I am so grateful that we were able to live in Edinburgh.

Three years ago, we lived in St Andrews, a location in which I spent the very happiest year of my life, and a place that is home to some of the academics who have changed my life in wonderful ways. I am thankful for the not-quite-three years I was able to spend in such a beautiful and wild place.

Five years ago, I. and I (then unmarried!) celebrated our second Thanksgiving together with dear friends and members of our church family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am thankful that Isaac did not wait another year (from then) to propose, and that we were able to have a year together with such wonderful friends.

Ten years ago, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my adopted brother C. and his family, who provided a home away from home in the midst of the bustle of final exams and last-minute projects. I am grateful for all my longsuffering college friends, and for the three wonderful years I enjoyed within that community.

Below is my current home, or (rather) an image of the view from our back door at the prettiest moment possible. I have captured Tennessee, here, on a pretty day: one on which I was a little more relaxed and on which we were graced with weather that was not sweltering.

Tennessee is pretty, but I am weary. I can do very little about the weariness, but I am determined to focus, at least in part, on the beauty. Therefore, for the third time, I have enrolled myself in the December Photo Project, and I think Tennessee may make a decent subject.

Tentative thoughts on Tennessee

It's pretty here. Tennessee boasts some beautiful mountains, and the drive to school in the morning--even though we haven't found a way to avoid driving through construction--is typically stunning. The mists in the morning (after which the 'Smoky' mountains are named) are pleasant, and the colours in the sky are muted hues of the most elegant and somber blues imaginable.

Five weeks after our whirlwind departure from Maryland, I thought I had a strong enough grasp upon life (and my grading load) to start appreciating our new locale, so, last weekend, I. and I ventured forth on our first Tennessee hike. Many of my new colleagues are fond of hiking, so they were happy to recommend easy but beautiful hikes that would get us back into shape; the first of these was Hen Wallow Falls. The hike itself wasn't particularly lovely, but the falls were pretty, and it was nice to enjoy the great outdoors.

As you can see, it's not fall here yet; the days are still sweltering and the humidity is frequently oppressive. The air conditioning in my classroom has been broken for the past three weeks, so I have been struggling through the weather and praying desperately for crisp fall mornings and cool fall nights. In the meantime, though miserable for breathing and walking and driving and even sitting outdoors, I must admit that Tennessee is beautiful, and I look forward to enjoying the autumn colours once summer departs.