Catching Up

It's time to dust off this blog.

This has been one busy year, too busy even for blogging. To make up for lost time, I'll give a quick run-over of the 'goings on' since our last blog --- at Christmas time...

The second semester started with a bang, as Jenn met a mountain of work, helping professors and admin staff get set and running for the winter term. Jenn and I jumped back into school mode, as we both took in week-long classes (hers covering kenisological things, and mine exploring the history of evangelicalism). After that week, Jenn went back to full-time hours in the office (with a UofS online class on the side), and I went back to my busy 7.5 class schedule for the semester. Adding to these things, our social dance classes started up again, and we got involved with leading children's church. I got horribly sick for a month, but thanks to Jenn, I pulled through and actually got everything done on time.

In February, I took part in an intense 5-hour Crockinole tournament. Though I was less than healthy, I ended up in 2nd place. Not bad. In March, I prepared for and taught a Greek Exegesis class as part of my internship. It was on Colossians 1:24-29. (If you ever want to give yourself a headache --- and have fun doing it --- check out the academic discussion on Colossians 1:24. It's the stuff exegetical dreams are made of.) By the time April rolled around, I began to believe that graduating was possible. Way back in January, I contemplated dropping a class or two because I was afraid that the load would be too heavy, but doing so would push my graduation to next year. Definitely didn't want that to happen. So, with many 21 hour work days, and a sprinkling of all-nighters, my last assignment slipped into the box on April 10. What a relief!

Graduation was great. I finished with a BA in Biblical Studies.
My family and some of my best friends came for the event. It's a two-day affair at Briercrest. Day 1 is a banquet for guests, and Day 2 is the commencement ceremony. It was fun/hot/long/good/jubulitory. I was so honored to receive a lot of great gifts for graduating. My parents gave me a very stately bookshelf, my professor/internship supervisor gave me a cornerstone book in Greek studies -- A Greek-English Lexicon by Liddell, Scott, and Jones (a.k.a., "L-S-J", a huge 12 lbs book that will never by a bookend on my shelf!), and Jenn gave me the Nestle-Aland 27th edition of the Greek New Testament, and the Biblical Hebraica Stuggartensia (standard edition of the Hebrew Old Testament), the two texts which are the basis for all our modern English translations. So, I think that the biggest revelation I've had this year is that I'm a nerd, and I'm in for the long-haul...

For the summer, I got back on the Grounds Crew, and Jenn will continue her job right through the summer and into next year. We joined a softball team that won sometimes, but had a great time all the time.

For our anniversary, we snuck off to Field, BC, which is in Yoho National Park, 40 minutes from Banff. We stayed in a rustic, hand-built cabin, and explored nature for 3 days. We found some awesome waterfalls, some interesting rock features, and hiked around a lake. Jenn saw a black pig--I mean 'bear'... but who can tell the difference?

In early June we went to the opposite end of the continent, to Montreal, to visit Jenn's family. It was a great time of relaxation. We got to visit Jenn's grandpa Joel in Ottawa, which was great for me since I hadn't met him before, and even better for the family since Joel's health isn't what it used to be.

In mid-June we returned home to Caronport, and got back to working. Our days are filled now with grateful leisure as we reflect on all the good things God's given us, like good friends and nice weather, and just enough money, and good shows like "Chuck." Tomorrow we head out to White Bear to visit my brother and his girlfriend and Ogy, and the rest of the summer is splattered with weddings, camping weekends, and dreams about which graduate school is best.

That's it. I hope you're satisfied, Internet. Stay tuned for more, which will hopefully come about before another seven months goes by.

Take care out there.

Luke