this is no longer my blog

Yes, I am still around. I am still breathing. Although life has been a bit hectic and full lately.

So... my trip to the Boundary Waters... AMAZING!!! I will surely go back someday. Hopefully soon. Unfortunately, my good friend Mr. Awesome was not able to come along. He was all set to go, but then had to do a funeral at the last minute and so could not go along. Although it was disappointing that he was unable to come, the trip was still amazing and I had an awesome time with the people that went along. Although we ended up having to leave the Boundary Waters a day earlier than planned because we were afraid that the 9 year old who was venturing along with us had a broken hand. So we came out a day early, the professor from the Mothership who came along took his son to the clinic in Grand Marais and had his hand checked out. It was nothing, just a strain, and of course the following morning almost all of the swelling had gone away. While the professor and his son were at the clinic we went to the municipal camp ground and got a camp site there. The professor and his son got a hotel room for the night so they could watch baseball. It turned out that there was an extra bed in the hotel room, so I ended up abandoning the other guys at the campsite and crashed in the hotel room. I felt it would have been a tragedy to let that double bed go unused. Plus the guy I had been sharing a tent with was 6'8". So it was nice to stretch out.

Then, since I've been back from that fun trip I've been working on my Approval Essay. To be ordained, or be any type of rostered leader, in the ELCA one needs to go through the candidacy process. It starts before you enter seminary with the Entrance interview, where they deem whether you are fit to begin the process. It includes a psychological evaluation and an autobiography, go through an interview by your synod's candidacy committee, and some other good stuff. Then, at the beginning of your second year of seminary you go through what's called the Endorsement process. It involves another interview with your committee, writing an essay, and that is where they determine whether to endorse you to continue on in the process. During your last year of seminary you go through what is called the Approval process. It involves writing a 25ish page essay, and going through two separate interviews - one through the candidacy committee and one with the faculty of the seminary. So I have been busy writing and rewriting and editing my approval essay which will be going in the mail to my committee by the end of this week. So I've really had a hard time justifying blogging when I haven't had that finished, especially since I had to postpone a trip back home so that I could finish the essay. But I'm all essayed out for the evening, and getting ready to go with a friend to the Midway airport in Chicago to pick up another friend who will be arriving. So it's easy to convince myself that it would be fruitless to try to write anything on the essay now.

But speaking of going to Chicago, I have to go get ready to leave now. My friend will be here soon. So I will talk to you all later.