for some reason, thursdays have always been my favorite day. i think it started in junior high - the cafeteria had a taco and burrito bar every thursday, and then i got to go home and watch the cosby show at night. hooplah! this thursday night, i'm taking an evening for myself - it's been an intense, full week, and i can't wait to just read and play with blaze and rest...then, tomorrow morning, daniel and i jet to florida. yay for grandmothers who buy plane tickets! (THANK YOU, daniel's grandmother, if you're reading this!) yesterday was full...i witnessed a motorcycle accident, which was crazy and made me worry about my brother and daniel ever being on a bike. i had a couple of good home visits, then went to church - which was intense and good and made me love my new community even more. also, i left feeling a deepened desire to really share my lives with these people outside of wednesday nights. at the same time, while i was sitting in our gathering, i found myself missing my cincinnati church like crazy. if only all of the cool people in the world could be in one city...or at least all of the people i love. of course, then road trips wouldn't be nearly as fun or cheap... hm. i need a question of the day. hey, how about all of YOU come up with a question??

happy monday! a few tidbits... ...i had a great girl weekend - friday night with my new columbus friends kelli and bekah, and saturday/sunday with my sister-friend erica. ...blaze had good girl time, too, with erica's dog mazzy... ...after a great weekend, i came home and had a break-down freakout with daniel... ...sharon helped to bring me back to sanity and a clear head... ...daniel fox is incredibly patient with me... ...underground seminary is tonight! ...today i had my first franklin county court hearing on my own! it was anti-climatic, though, since it just got continued... ...daniel and i are going to florida this weekend! ...the landing place is one of the most genuine, caring communities i've been a part of. ...except that i've been blessed to be a part of a lot of really amazing, genuine communities... ....i have to work now.

we're not in kansas anymore did you know that approximately 18,000-20,000 people are trafficked into the u.s. every year for the purpose of forced labor or sexual exploitation? human trafficking is something that i get passionate about, and something that i don't do enough about. well, now the u.s. government is trying to do something. educate yourself today: rescue and restore campaign "in plain sight" (a really interesting, easy-to-read guide on identifying trafficking victims in the u.s.) i love seminary! last night after church, i got to meet with my advisor, palmer. (it seems so official to have an advisor!) he graciously loaned me a stack of books on the radical reformation. i got started a bit last night on "the anabaptist story"...i really want to take these things seriously. i do too many things just well enough to get by. but this is important. and i love that palmer and the other underground seminary faculty/advisors expect great things from us - like original thought. and all in a little side room at the coffeehouse. hooplah! it's like learning to talk all over again... being in a committed relationship really puts a whole new spin on communication. i've always lived under the impression that i'm really good at openly sharing what i'm thinking/feeling. but really, i'm finding that i'm not so great at it. daniel and i have been learning how to deal with our different communication styles - he likes to process things in the midst of it. i like to have some time and space to figure out what i really think or feel before i'm ready to say it out loud. it seems to be a common conflict with couples... but daniel fox rocks! back to work...

finally! i've been trying to access blogger for the past week it seems, and have been having a lot of problems. i was actually setting up a livejournal blog when i decided to try one last time - and i got on in mere seconds! so. new city, new community, new job. the transition has been a strain for daniel and i. but outside of the two of us, it's been surprisingly smooth. the landing place is full of honest, weloming people, as is my new place of employment. i've started a weekly class on the historical jesus at the underground seminary. i think i'm going to love the challenge of being in an academic setting again, and exploring my faith from an intellectual standpoint. and it will be a challenge - discipline in my time is not always a strong point...but now there will be ten other people expecting me to finish my reading and write my papers. i'm really excited about my largest project for the class, which will be (most likely) a larger paper on the historical jesus and the radical reformation. the radical reformation began the anabaptist movement, which is close to my heart, since i'm a mennonite girl. it makes sense to me - just as it's important to understand the historical context in which christ lived, i want to understand more of the historical context that started my culture and key elements of the faith in which i was raised.... ok. now that this is working, you should be hearing more from me. until then, i have some work to do... peace, dear ones!

it's been awhile. really, i am still committed to blogging! most of my recent energy and time have been invested in settling into a new home, city and job - and i still need a monitor for my injured computer, so i'm depending on the kindness of others to have internet access. it's rainy today. rainy and dreary. i spent the day in orientation at the buckeye ranch, which was actually pretty interesting. my favorite part was the hiv/aids training given by a greek woman who reminded me of my friend alice, public health educator extrordinaire. columbus is being kind to me. i'm starting to recognize roads, and will more so as i progress in my job. my job is going to excellent, i believe. the agency seems to be much more organized and professional than my other option, and everyone is happy and helpful. the strangest thing is the feeling that i'm in a sorority - this is the first job i've had in which most of my coworkers are also white, well-educated, well-dressed women in their 20s and 30s. my basement home is still a mess. but candy and richie have been so lovely. it's nice to come home to music and a family! the landing place is lovely, too, as is daniel. now i'm off to see him!

i'm here! that would be columbus. actually, i'm in cincinnati today picking up more things, but i am officially living in richie and candy's basement. life is good. i'll fill in the details later, but wanted to let everyone know i haven't disappeared for long. now i'm off to dinner with shaina.