I never imagined we'd be leaving Nashville so soon. I still feel like tourists, and feel the urgent need to jam everything we've been wanting to do into the last few weeks we will be living here. But then I remember that my dad and best friend still live down here, so its not like I'll never come back.
Things I'll miss about Nashville...
* James & Lauren
* Josh & Jesse
* The Nyce/Unick Family-especially my nieces!
* Winter weather
* Accents
* Cafe Coco
* Mazatlan
* No income tax
Most of these things are vist-able (besides the income tax thing...but I wont miss the 9.25% sales tax!). And most of what we love about Nashville has been the friendships that have just begun to blossom, that will hopefully continue to do so, even despite the lack of our physical presence here.
I am starting to be ready for this new phase in our lives...I think. I do claim to like change, but I'm just about ready for it to stop for a while....
2.29.2008
2.25.2008
Did you know a buckeye is a nut??
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am extremely plan-oriented and if my plans get changed at the last minute it takes me quite a while to adjust. This, of course, has always been my downfall in my relationship with God, as I usually try to prove to Him that I know better and that I don't trust Him when he tries desperately to lead me like a stubborn donkey. Moving to Nashville was hard enough, but at least I had the chance to PLAN for that. Now...moving to Ohio after living in Nashville for less than a year? Really, God?
My mom made a good point yesterday and said that we probably wouldn't have been as open to going to Ohio if we didn't come to Nashville first. Which is probably true. I guess we needed to live here a while to almost "soften the blow" in a way and open our hearts to the possibility of moving. I had to realize for myself that my starry-eyed view of Nashville and Vanderbilt before living here wasn't exactly accurate, and that yes, I really would survive if I didn't go to Vandy.
Living in Nashville has not been a waste either. After a year of being married, I finally felt like Jay and I were able to experience being "newlyweds" and all the good and the bad that comes along with that. When we were so busy in MA, we didn't even have time to experience that and adjust to married life. I almost felt like we missed out. So its been great for us as a couple to finally be able to experience that. We also learned to trust and rely on each other, which is something new to experience!
Jay also recognized his call to youth ministry while we were in Nashville, and gained some valuable job searching and interview skills. I learned what kind of jobs NOT to look for...and that I really am ready to go to school and become a nurse-midwife.
I think when the shock and overwhelmed feeling wears off, I will feel pretty happy about our decision.
Especially when my school bill is $60,000 less.....
My mom made a good point yesterday and said that we probably wouldn't have been as open to going to Ohio if we didn't come to Nashville first. Which is probably true. I guess we needed to live here a while to almost "soften the blow" in a way and open our hearts to the possibility of moving. I had to realize for myself that my starry-eyed view of Nashville and Vanderbilt before living here wasn't exactly accurate, and that yes, I really would survive if I didn't go to Vandy.
Living in Nashville has not been a waste either. After a year of being married, I finally felt like Jay and I were able to experience being "newlyweds" and all the good and the bad that comes along with that. When we were so busy in MA, we didn't even have time to experience that and adjust to married life. I almost felt like we missed out. So its been great for us as a couple to finally be able to experience that. We also learned to trust and rely on each other, which is something new to experience!
Jay also recognized his call to youth ministry while we were in Nashville, and gained some valuable job searching and interview skills. I learned what kind of jobs NOT to look for...and that I really am ready to go to school and become a nurse-midwife.
I think when the shock and overwhelmed feeling wears off, I will feel pretty happy about our decision.
Especially when my school bill is $60,000 less.....
2.16.2008
2.13.2008
Up in the air...
Its been a while! I guess because I haven't really known what to write...everything is so up in the air right now and it is taking everything within me to be patient!
So as most of you know, I have gotten accepted to Ohio State and University of Cincinnati so far. I am still waiting to hear from Vanderbilt. OSU and Vandy are tied for my #1 choice, (Vandy might be pulling in the lead slightly because of location), and I let Cincy know yesterday that I wouldn't be going there. The main dilemma right now is that I have to let OSU know by Feb. 28th if I am going or not, and Vanderbilt promises to have letters out "by the end of the month" which doesn't give me much hope. I am trying to avoid asking for an extension from OSU, but it might come to that. I hope not though!
{disclaimer for the next few paragraphs: Candice, Kim, Melissa and Amy...I apologize that you will hear this twice. Its a lot less typing! :)}
Another factor that is weighing into where we're going to live happened last week too. Background: We really felt that God wanted us to move to Nashville, but in the past 8 months that we've been here, we have really started to feel discouraged and have started to question if He really had a purpose for us down here. Well, you all know that Jay was a youth pastor in MA, and he misses it SO much...moving here has definitely shown him that. I mean, all he talks about is the teens...he facebook messages them all the time, (has anyone seen his youth book scrapbook? Jeesh...) and he just really misses youth ministry. His problem has always been that he is great at the relational aspect, but doesn't feel like he has the theology background, since he didn't grow up in the church. It has made him struggle with the call he felt, and made him lack self-confidence that he would be a good youth pastor, no matter what I tell him!
Anyways, Lauren Capozzi's old youth pastor started this program that is called the center for youth ministry training. Its about 20 minutes away from us and is basically a certificate program designed to give people the tools they need to live out God's call on their lives toward youth ministry. It is a 2 year program, and they put you in a church, and you have a youth ministry "coach" that works with you those two years, and they also work with the church you're in to help them develop a withstanding, good youth ministry program. In the meantime, you take classes from different places, including the Divinity school at Vanderbilt, and a few classes from Princeton, and a few from the directors of the center. The classes give you the basic foundations for theology while giving you real hands-on experience and training in youth ministry. Its the only program like it in the country.
So we met with Deech (the guy who runs it) last Thursday. It was great. He explained about the program, but also told us that HIS call was to help others who feel a call to ministry find their place, whether it is in his program or not. He said that no matter what happens, he really wants to help Jay find where God wants him to be, because he can see that he really has a heart for youth ministry. After that meeting, I have never felt God's presence more in my life. For the first time, I realized that THIS is why we were in Nashville. Not even necessarily for Jay to absolutely go to this place, but it was for him to meet Deech- someone to help him open his eyes to God's call on his life, and to help him get the tools to say "yes" to it. He has just been so miserable in his other jobs, and said that youth ministry was the only thing that fulfills him. I am so excited to have someone down here who will work with him to help him articulate his call and find connections and where God wants him. I hate seing him miserable, and am so excited that he might finally be able to live out his passion in life. He's SO good at it...
WOW, so long story short, this is a crazy turn of events that we never expected. Check out the website of this place...its pretty cool: www.cymt.org
Obviously...if I don't get into Vanderbilt, we have some thinking and praying to do. Everyone knows how excited I am to go to school, but I really feel encouraged that no matter how things fall into place, God will use us. Even if I do get into Vanderbilt, there's obviously financial things to think about as well....if we are both in school, etc. So in the next couple of months we are going to have a LOT of decisions to make. So if you'd keep us in your prayers, that would be great! Its so hard to trust right now because EVERYTHING seems so up in the air.
I've been trying not to play my favorite game....entitled "lets talk through scenarios A thru G" because I want to wait and see what happens. Again, God is teaching me patience, and complete trust in Him and His timing.
So as most of you know, I have gotten accepted to Ohio State and University of Cincinnati so far. I am still waiting to hear from Vanderbilt. OSU and Vandy are tied for my #1 choice, (Vandy might be pulling in the lead slightly because of location), and I let Cincy know yesterday that I wouldn't be going there. The main dilemma right now is that I have to let OSU know by Feb. 28th if I am going or not, and Vanderbilt promises to have letters out "by the end of the month" which doesn't give me much hope. I am trying to avoid asking for an extension from OSU, but it might come to that. I hope not though!
{disclaimer for the next few paragraphs: Candice, Kim, Melissa and Amy...I apologize that you will hear this twice. Its a lot less typing! :)}
Another factor that is weighing into where we're going to live happened last week too. Background: We really felt that God wanted us to move to Nashville, but in the past 8 months that we've been here, we have really started to feel discouraged and have started to question if He really had a purpose for us down here. Well, you all know that Jay was a youth pastor in MA, and he misses it SO much...moving here has definitely shown him that. I mean, all he talks about is the teens...he facebook messages them all the time, (has anyone seen his youth book scrapbook? Jeesh...) and he just really misses youth ministry. His problem has always been that he is great at the relational aspect, but doesn't feel like he has the theology background, since he didn't grow up in the church. It has made him struggle with the call he felt, and made him lack self-confidence that he would be a good youth pastor, no matter what I tell him!
Anyways, Lauren Capozzi's old youth pastor started this program that is called the center for youth ministry training. Its about 20 minutes away from us and is basically a certificate program designed to give people the tools they need to live out God's call on their lives toward youth ministry. It is a 2 year program, and they put you in a church, and you have a youth ministry "coach" that works with you those two years, and they also work with the church you're in to help them develop a withstanding, good youth ministry program. In the meantime, you take classes from different places, including the Divinity school at Vanderbilt, and a few classes from Princeton, and a few from the directors of the center. The classes give you the basic foundations for theology while giving you real hands-on experience and training in youth ministry. Its the only program like it in the country.
So we met with Deech (the guy who runs it) last Thursday. It was great. He explained about the program, but also told us that HIS call was to help others who feel a call to ministry find their place, whether it is in his program or not. He said that no matter what happens, he really wants to help Jay find where God wants him to be, because he can see that he really has a heart for youth ministry. After that meeting, I have never felt God's presence more in my life. For the first time, I realized that THIS is why we were in Nashville. Not even necessarily for Jay to absolutely go to this place, but it was for him to meet Deech- someone to help him open his eyes to God's call on his life, and to help him get the tools to say "yes" to it. He has just been so miserable in his other jobs, and said that youth ministry was the only thing that fulfills him. I am so excited to have someone down here who will work with him to help him articulate his call and find connections and where God wants him. I hate seing him miserable, and am so excited that he might finally be able to live out his passion in life. He's SO good at it...
WOW, so long story short, this is a crazy turn of events that we never expected. Check out the website of this place...its pretty cool: www.cymt.org
Obviously...if I don't get into Vanderbilt, we have some thinking and praying to do. Everyone knows how excited I am to go to school, but I really feel encouraged that no matter how things fall into place, God will use us. Even if I do get into Vanderbilt, there's obviously financial things to think about as well....if we are both in school, etc. So in the next couple of months we are going to have a LOT of decisions to make. So if you'd keep us in your prayers, that would be great! Its so hard to trust right now because EVERYTHING seems so up in the air.
I've been trying not to play my favorite game....entitled "lets talk through scenarios A thru G" because I want to wait and see what happens. Again, God is teaching me patience, and complete trust in Him and His timing.
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