tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189452132011-11-26T23:34:10.135-06:00Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you. - Hopi proverbmandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.comBlogger2081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-15445835829533416112011-11-26T22:46:00.001-06:002011-11-26T23:16:22.572-06:00

It's Saturday night of Thanksgiving weekend and most people are reviewing their purchases from this huge shopping weekend, but I'm sad. I just watched the 10 pm news and learned that one of my former coworkers was shot and killed by police on Thanksgiving evening.  It's still a developing story but the gist of it is that two women were found dead in a house (Jerry's wife, Loretta, and a teenage

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-20370524570632216102011-10-14T20:12:00.002-05:002011-10-15T22:07:10.813-05:00

I just got back from my first ever solo retreat, as in get away from people, technology, familiar surroundings, etc.  I've done retreats with groups in the past, but never just went away by myself and i was really anxious about it. What would I find in the recesses of my brain if I took time to just listen to it? What would I do with all of that time if I wasn't on Facebook or watching t.v.? Now

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-80710340916402284102011-09-18T00:00:00.002-05:002011-09-18T00:00:47.099-05:00

I saw a news story from the UMNS tonight that really got to me. Not sure why this one bugs me more than the multitude of other stories about gay marriage and the fighting that goes on in the United Methodist Church, but it does. After I read the story, I read the comments and it just made things worse - to the point that I was crying and punching my couch cushions. I attempted to make my own

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-73786270607786266362011-01-02T17:26:00.002-06:002011-01-02T17:36:20.755-06:00

Every year I get down about this time - the Christmas lights come down, trees get mulched, decorations get repacked and stored away and the house and world in general go into a winter grey funk. Some people just chalk it up to seasonal affective disorder due to the shorter days and less exposure to sunlight, but I think it's more than that. The holidays get built up and when they're over, we

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-40806502860254305432010-09-20T16:08:00.003-05:002010-09-20T16:21:46.734-05:00

This weekend I did something I thought I would NEVER do - I flew to Ohio to participate in the Air Force Marathon. No I didn't actually run the marathon. I did the 10K and walked almost all of it at that. How? Why? I'm still processing and trying to figure all that out, but the basic story is that Trouble signed up with a team from her squadron in Colorado. They used it as a way to raise money

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-11748922367102274512010-08-07T23:17:00.003-05:002010-08-08T00:05:06.571-05:00

These last few weeks I've had the opportunity for a few trainings at work about fundraising - a couple of them looked at a report (Giving USA 2010) on the history of philanthropic giving in 2009 and gave their interpretations of that report. While the two perspectives were very different, there were a few insights that were shared at both classes that I find very interesting.First, when you look

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-73820372732296798672010-07-16T08:47:00.003-05:002010-07-16T08:56:58.594-05:00

I barely remember my undergrad economics class, but I've lived in this country all my life and have learned very well that we are proud of our capitalist system and believe there is no better system on which to build a nation. I guess I'm to the point where the teenager starts questioning whether his parents acutally know what they're talking about, becuase I'm wondering if our system really is

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-32178019800649642422010-07-03T16:09:00.004-05:002010-07-03T16:15:37.844-05:00

Lots of things are swirling around my head today. I was on the news this week for work, which was a little nerve wracking but turned out fine. This weekend is a holiday and is also the first Sunday withour new pastor at Trinity UMC. In the Methodist church we move pastors around on a fairly regular basis (unless you're someone special like the founding pastor of a very successful mega-church),

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-36725196833144202302010-06-21T10:39:00.003-05:002010-06-21T10:54:57.837-05:00

Last week I was in Mt Vernon, Iowa - a small town on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids, where 2 years ago there was massive flooding, the 5th worst natural disaster in US history. I was a part of the Habitat for Humanity International and AmeriCorps Build-a-thon. Last year, on the 1 year anniversary of the floods, we were also working in Cedar Rapids. When the river flooded, it not only ruined

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-24926300917539630332010-06-12T21:45:00.003-05:002010-06-12T21:49:02.913-05:00

Last weekend I was at MO Annual Conference (United Methodist Church), and we spent a lot of time talking about how to be better leaders and get more successful churches. There were, admittedly, different ways of talking about success - based on numbers of members, numbers of people in attendance at worship, based on number of programs offered, amount of mission work done, etc. I certainly don't

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-65049987438756753722010-06-10T12:49:00.004-05:002010-06-10T13:07:56.454-05:00

One of the more difficult things that Jesus tells us we are to do is, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt 5:43). I don't think this means that we pray for vengeance either, but that we pray for some sense of realization that we're all children of God and all have some investment in each other. It's not hard to love those who love us - at least not most of the time - but

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-55938702705753145242010-06-07T22:37:00.002-05:002010-06-07T23:00:40.714-05:00

I made it back home and the bags and boxes need to be unpacked as I head into my work week, but the experience of Missouri Annual Conference 2010 is still be processed in my head. Sadly, while this was my first year with voice and vote priveleges, I really didn't get much chance to use them. There was very little debate and just some generic items (like the budegt) to vote on. Of course, that

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-59383428689707478872010-06-06T18:17:00.002-05:002010-06-06T18:26:17.964-05:00

I went out last night so I missed posting but will make up for it later. Right now I'm headed to what sounds like it will be a very cool youth event. more later!

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-35251390345014214912010-06-04T23:30:00.003-05:002010-06-04T23:42:02.185-05:00

I've had more fun so far than I expected. I think that's because I'm a social person by nature and the fact that I went to seminary in Kansas City means I know quite a few folks around the conference - professors, pastors, and leaders. It's been like a reunion of sorts, and I think that's part of the point. When John Wesley started this who idea of conferencing, part of it was for the pastors to

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-44794045779276923112010-06-03T23:18:00.003-05:002010-06-03T23:34:05.909-05:00

I'm a slacker and I know it. I haven't been blogging regularly for a while now, and as I'm gathering with United Methodist friends from all over Missouri this weekend, I'm trying to understand why. Many of them check my blog to see if I've posted and all I can come up with is that I've been busy doing other things. Yes, sadly, Facebook is one of those things that takes up more of my time now. I

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-18589966577787210582010-03-14T07:53:00.002-05:002010-03-14T08:31:00.929-05:00

Greetings blog readers, and my apologies for letting it be this long between posts. I can't believe I haven't been on here since AUGUST! But then again, thinking back to what was going on in my life around then, I get it. Things were crazy around my job at Habitat for Humanity Kansas City. Our 30th Anniversary (we are the 7th oldest Habitat affiliate in the world!) was in October, so we were

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-12233053314208331302009-08-21T19:22:00.003-05:002009-08-21T19:53:16.121-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written on here! When I logged in, it said my last post was back in mid June so it's been 2 months! My apologies - I haven't ditched the blog all together but I do admit to spending a good deal more time on Facebook. Not sure if that's necessarily a good thing, but this format feels different and still has a distinct purpose for me, so I'm not abandoning

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-45427770942461612722009-06-13T22:13:00.003-05:002009-06-13T22:34:44.240-05:00

In light of the fact that I'm on a week long trip to Cedar Rapids, this is going to be an attempt at some kind of journal of my experience while I'm here. I brought my laptop for evening use and have discovered that while my wireless connection works somewhat consistently, Facebook's connection is much less so. This way I'll be able to say my piece and others can comment - just not as much in

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-59154314231139084902009-05-31T18:19:00.005-05:002009-05-31T18:45:53.370-05:00

So the first news story that caught my attention this morning was about Dr Tiller, known abortion doctor, getting shot in his church in Kansas this morning. When I got on Facebook today, several people made some sort of reference to the story, expressing sentiments from "violence is never the answer" to "that's karma." Interesting. There's a bumper sticker that I've always liked that says

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-87222118330255673602009-05-27T12:18:00.003-05:002009-05-27T12:39:01.099-05:00

Since this blog started in response to a UMC judicial decision regarding homosexuality, I feel like I can't NOT speak up on California's judicial decision on Proposition 8. I won't go back through the history of the proposition and the legal battle that will likely continue even after yesterday's decision - most of us have heard the details about it by now. As stated in the title of today's

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-44661798276057607952009-05-21T17:04:00.005-05:002009-05-21T17:23:25.333-05:00

This is the sermon I preached at Garland Ave UMC on Sunday, May 17th. Granted, when I preach it is NEVER word for word what I've written out, but this gives you the general idea.When I was a kid I had a ton of books. Well, I still do, but now they’re totally different kinds of books collected over years of schooling. Anyway, one whole wall of my room was made of built in book shelves, which was

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-47833801522845211942009-05-16T18:54:00.003-05:002009-05-16T19:02:30.497-05:00

I am totally procrastinating right now. I'm preaching tomorrow morning and have been trying to work on my sermon but keep running into brick walls. Not actual brick walls, but mental ones. I have several ideas of things to do with the texts (based on the common lectionary) but none of them are flowing together as of yet. How many hours do I have? As it is, I've already secluded myself at home

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-3247484514420710112009-05-01T15:17:00.003-05:002009-05-01T15:35:15.725-05:00

I hope you're not looking for anything too deep on here today. I've been so busy with Earth Day events, Habitat KC's Parade of Playhouses, and more speaking events to dig down too far. I just wanted to share an interesting experience I had the other day.Trouble and I made our regular trip to the home improvement store for some gardening items (it seems we go every other week or so this time of

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-60828000124094416582009-04-18T22:26:00.003-05:002009-04-18T23:27:44.122-05:00

It's the middle of April once again, time for Earth Day. It's interesting to see how this day gets treated each year. I don't know about other places in the country, but here in KC it seems like Earth Day is definitely going commercial. Perhaps the Obama administration and their stimulus plans are a big factor in that, but I've noticed countless ads for businesses selling Energy Star windows,

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-54210734883275629252009-03-24T19:17:00.002-05:002009-03-24T19:42:09.711-05:00

This year I'll be celebrating 10 years of marriage - well, not legally, but 10 years committed to Trouble and the anniversary of our public ceremony in an OKC park. When we got married I had no idea what lay ahead of us (how many people really do) and I certainly didn't see our country being in a war for 7+ years. Trouble never was a school type - she always fit better with more "hands-on"

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-37545521398571482992009-02-21T15:27:00.002-06:002009-02-21T15:47:04.072-06:00

This afternoon I went thru a drive thru for lunch - not healthy, I know - and after getting my sack of greasy food and pulling down the drive, a man waved to get my attention. He was disheveled, had only a few teeth and he asked if I had some change to spare so he could go inside the restaurant and get a burger. I replied that I only had a few cents and he walked off while I drove away, back to

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-14551015469067175762009-02-17T15:37:00.003-06:002009-02-17T15:55:32.587-06:00

One of the things I love about my job is that I always have a variety of things to do. When I crave interpersonal contact, I have things I do to reach out with a variety of people. When I just want to be left alone, I can put on my iPod and work on the website. When I want to have a little fun, I can log into Facebook and MySpace and update our pages while I'm also updating my personal status.

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-14803468781239513632009-02-07T14:25:00.002-06:002009-02-07T14:33:59.635-06:00

Today was an amazing day at work - a day where I got to feel like all the office dysfunction is doing some real good in the community. We had our Build Season Kick-off today, an annual event to mark the beginning the new year's activities and introduce the partner families to the rest of the Habitat KC community. For whatever reason, this year we had a great turnout - staff, Board members,

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-74246618762657017482009-01-29T10:04:00.002-06:002009-01-29T10:46:38.680-06:00

Since I was hired as staff at Habitat KC, I've been charged with overseeing our AmeriCorps program. As a member, I got to understand the program from one point of view, but now I'm seeing a totally different perspective. One part of me loves managing my own program. I know myself well enough to know that I have control issues and running the program myself allows me to have more control over

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-68233549982209157062009-01-20T09:22:00.003-06:002009-01-20T09:56:03.023-06:00

I'm sitting here at work on this historic Tuesday morning, with my radio tuned to a live broadcast from Washington D.C. to hear the Inauguration ceremony as it happens. Like many in this country, I'm excited about today and the possibility of what could be in the next several few months and years. My previous post talked a bit about the controversy of Rick Warren doing the invocation today and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-56598953031121698852008-12-19T16:01:00.003-06:002008-12-19T16:37:26.042-06:00

Well, it didn't take long for the glowing halo over Obama's head to dull and get slightly askew. If you haven't heard by now, Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life" as well as mega church pastor, has been asked to be a part of Obama's inauguration ceremony. You can read more about the ceremony plans here. The reason that this is causing such an uproar? Warren is and has been

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-57292575165230287622008-12-12T09:20:00.003-06:002008-12-12T09:44:19.543-06:00

Sophia posted today's Friday Five after her husband got Lasik surgery. Here are my answers and thoughts related to those windows to the soul - eyes. 1. What color are your beautiful eyes? Did you inherit them from or pass them on to anyone in your family? My eyes are brown, but have a bit of green and gold to them (depending on my mood, lighting, etc.). They're kind of a mix of my parents' eyes

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-72847185088290498642008-12-10T09:54:00.002-06:002008-12-10T10:01:17.767-06:00

RevHipChick, now known as RevCrystalK, has nominated me for a blog award! Granted, she's one of my best friends in "real" life which will doubtedly make some question whether I actually deserve this award or not, but since each person is supposed to pass this on the another 5, it's kind of a viral phenomenon anyway. My problem now is that I'm supposed to nominate 5 more people and I don't follow

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-85304110060226569202008-12-04T09:29:00.004-06:002008-12-04T10:11:45.920-06:00

I'm writing this piece out of a lot of frustration at work. There is a particular person (who I shall refrain from naming out of kindness) who always seems to be "nervous" about something when we want to generate activity on a new program or ask for partnership in a new venture. One of the things that my job entails is overseeing our Cans for Habitat program. Here in Kansas City, I've figured out

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-69120062719979863492008-11-23T15:32:00.003-06:002008-11-23T15:51:16.172-06:00

In catching up with the Rev Crystal K (formerly seminarymamma) on her new church blog, I discovered a great organization/web site and I'm helping the viral phenomenon by passing it on here. You don't have to agree with everything in it, but please check out the video below and let me know what you think about it. It's a radical notion, that Christmas was - and still is, or at least could be -

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-56588849678688940172008-11-14T11:08:00.002-06:002008-11-14T11:27:34.429-06:00

Sophia writes:This week's Friday Five invites reflection on the theme of remembrance, which is also present in the feasts of All Saints, celebrated in many liturgical churches on November 1, and All Souls--known in Latin@ cultures as the Day of the Dead--celebrated in some the following day. 1. Did your church have any special celebrations for All Saints/All Soul's Day? I believe they did an All

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-24869269032543233902008-11-07T09:16:00.002-06:002008-11-07T09:30:36.511-06:00

After an exhausting election here in the states it's time for some spirit lifting! Join me with a nice cup of tea or coffee or cocoa and let's sit back and read the Funny Papers!1. What was your favorite comic strip as a child?I don't know if I really had a favorite - I liked all of them! It just made me feel like a grown up to be reading the paper next to my dad after church. I guess if I had

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-15831747787386575852008-11-05T12:02:00.001-06:002008-11-05T12:02:13.757-06:00

This is the longest presentation with lots of pictures of volunteers, houses, and our partner families. 2008's been a good year for us!

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-5741558386854602622008-11-05T12:00:00.001-06:002008-11-05T12:00:09.073-06:00

This is the second Animoto presentation I put together showing one house pretty much from start to finish in under 30 seconds. This house was even LEED certified! Habitat houses aren't simple boxes on concrete slabs anymore - these are homes that people WANT to live in for a long time.

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-66690756807249582532008-11-05T10:47:00.001-06:002008-11-05T10:47:05.544-06:00

I put these together after a class I took and have had so much fun! I just wanted to share - more coming in a few...

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-3331838710532110422008-10-25T16:46:00.002-05:002008-10-25T16:59:24.087-05:00

So I just got done with one of my workshops here at Deaconess Convocation in Nashville and this one was talking about concepts of economic justice. We looked at various Bible passages that refer to the Jubilee year (Deuteronomy 15, Leviticus 25, Luke 4:18-19) and talked about the ancient concept of ownership in biblical cultures. Land wasn't considered something that was owned by individuals -

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-64045279910768609252008-10-22T10:06:00.002-05:002008-10-22T10:16:53.000-05:00

October is a crazy month for me. My birthday is at the beginning of the month, and this year I get to go to the Renaissance Festival and to see the Lion King on stage (which is absolutely AMAZING!) all in the same day. I normally work Tuesday - Saturday, but this month I'm also working Mondays to make up for the fact that I have trips on 2 weekends. Oct 10-12 I was in Nashville for a

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-81431972144749821892008-09-23T15:06:00.002-05:002008-09-23T15:12:22.881-05:00

I was having a conversation with someone earlier this morning when it occurred to me that we often use the phrase "all good things must come to an end" but we don't really say the same thing about bad things. Instead we might say, "this too shall pass." Hmmm. While they pretty much convey the same thing, we say them in very different ways. We long for the good things to last forever but

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-37268820292147177182008-09-07T14:08:00.002-05:002008-09-07T14:27:18.848-05:00

I've been off the blog for a while - and I'm sorry to anyone who's been checking and even noticed. I've recently been given a new job title and have been trying to figure out how to make that transition, and it's got me doing a lot of thinking this week about who I see myself to be. I'm still at Habitat KC, and I'm glad I'm still working there, but I'm questioning whether there's more out there

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-57437093001764769522008-08-09T13:18:00.002-05:002008-08-09T13:41:04.513-05:00

I admit it - I'm a complete sucker for the Olympics. I'm a big believer in the spirit of competition (just ask anyone who's ever played a game against me) and sense of global cooperation that seems to hang over the event. Yes, there are still all kinds of things going on around the world (don't get me started on the situations in Georgia, Darfur or Tibet), but whether it's a good thing or not,

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-53047885312886615142008-07-19T15:51:00.002-05:002008-07-19T16:02:06.375-05:00

Well, today is my last day as an AmeriCorps member working for Habitat for Humanity Kansas City. Next week I'll begin my new job as "Special Projects Coordinator" (or something like that - the details are still being worked out). In trying to process how I feel, it's a mixed bag. I'm excited that I'm staying with Habitat - it's a great organization and we're on the brink of big things around

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-22309312010995757562008-07-13T15:01:00.002-05:002008-07-13T15:17:05.130-05:00

Well, next week is my last week of AmeriCorps service. As of July 22nd I'm officially done with 1700 hours of service to my country that didn't involve getting shot at or going to a hot, sandy foreign (although I have plenty of respect for people who take that route too). I've been working at Habitat for Humanity Kansas City since the end of August and now I have to figure out what comes next.

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-10394762071715516752008-06-28T13:06:00.002-05:002008-06-28T15:51:05.224-05:00

WOW! It has been quite a week here in Kansas City. One of my best friends moved to her first church job this week (good luck but I am going to miss the convenience of seeing you!), my mom was in town for a long weekend visit, and yesterday we had a group of 250 volunteers working on our construction sites at Habitat KC. I'm exhausted and can't wait for today to be done so I can just chill and let

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-45333520851926193032008-06-09T12:15:00.002-05:002008-06-09T13:00:57.720-05:00

Unlike most people, I love Monday mornings. That song by the Mamas and the Papas is a classic, but I just don't share the senitment. That's probably because I don't work on Mondays - one of the things about working for Habitat where Saturdays are the busiest for me. Today I'm especially happy because I got thru church yesterday without any mishaps. YAY! :) I have a lot of people to thank for

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-2991734051636256602008-06-07T11:05:00.002-05:002008-06-07T12:01:08.168-05:00

Tomorrow morning I get to play preacher and I'm SO nervous! It's always been amazing to me to think that I have the same seminary degree that many pastors receive in order to be ordained and yet I have never felt equal to them in a professional sort of way. There are probably several reasons for this, of course, but mostly I think it's because I've never really led a worship service in that kind

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-21076417307119048602008-05-23T11:33:00.002-05:002008-05-23T11:58:10.600-05:00

Now that I've been back at work for almost a week, the bruises and scratches are healing and I feel like I can talk a little bit about the experienceI had last week. To put it succinctly, it was amazing! There were people from all over the world that came together in several sites along the Gulf Coast to work on housing projects contributing to the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. I spent

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-21089577113044373882008-05-09T10:32:00.003-05:002008-05-09T11:12:52.248-05:00

This is the beginning of Habitat's busy season and things are really hopping. I can't believe how much goes on each day at this place and it's made me realize just how much I've learned since September when I started here, and yet how much I still have to figure out. We've gotten to the point where we are turning volunteers away because we just don't have enough work sites for them to all work

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-19753746148241553912008-04-18T10:42:00.003-05:002008-04-18T10:46:10.492-05:00

I'm on a new email list that gives out some pretty interesting information. Today's is a link to a blog site February posting that shows pictures of nightmare playgrounds from around the world. You have to see them for yourself, but I think my favorite pictures are of 2 elephant slides where kids come out the rear end of the animal. What are some people thinking when they come up with this

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-67378638544038424902008-04-16T10:48:00.002-05:002008-04-16T10:52:08.372-05:00

In the midst of yet another busy day here at Habitat KC, I wanted to pass along some information that I got about a great website. I have links on the side of this blog for places you can go to click on a button and donate food for hungry, books for literacy programs, save some rainforest, etc. but this one has a little twist. It's called Free Rice and it donates 20 grains of rice for each

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-27363903895263083832008-04-07T11:28:00.000-05:002008-04-07T11:30:18.756-05:00

I've been a blog slacker and just wanted to take a few minutes on my day off to let you know I'm still here. :) Spring is almost here - thank God - and I find that there's too much to do and not enough times to do it in. The gardening bug has struck hard with the warmer weather and the fact that I now have a yard to tend. Trouble and I have been having a lot of fun with that! I promise I'll

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-33445607422098135882008-03-15T10:17:00.004-05:002008-03-15T11:08:58.019-05:00

I haven't lived in Oklahoma City for about 4 1/2 years now and I have to say I don't really miss it. I have a lot of really good friends there and I miss them, but this story goes a long way in explaining the atmosphere that I am glad I left behind. Representative Sally Kern, serving a distrcit in Oklahoma City, made some remarks recorded in a video that was placed on YouTube referring to the "

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-85884748006608828292008-03-06T16:20:00.002-06:002008-03-06T16:38:10.886-06:00

Some of you may have the theme song used on "The Apprentice" in your head; others may have Abba going through theirs. Either way, the theme for this article is moolah, dough, dollars, bucks, the bottom line. Now that I've been working in the non-profit world it has become that much more apparent to me how much money impacts lives. I get disgusted when I think how much we have to have money and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-45580427176301370512008-02-26T16:23:00.003-06:002008-02-26T16:28:20.349-06:00

I don't know why but I love Leap Year - there's something very cool about having an extra day in the year! Now I don't know how they came up with putting this day in February (let's face it, 29 days still doesn't make it even with the other months throughout the year) rather than say, June, when we have the sunlight and fabulous weather to truly take advantage of it, but it's still cool. And I

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-3843004779163440132008-02-16T14:56:00.001-06:002008-02-16T14:57:51.638-06:00

I'm sick of winter.I'm sick of snow.I'm sick of cloudy days.I'm sick of coughing.I'm sick of blowing my nose.I'm sick.

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-7437597180843139132008-02-08T08:28:00.000-06:002008-02-08T08:38:26.306-06:00

I've been out of the loop on Friday Five's lately, but thought I'd jump in on this one since it's a pretty slow morning here at Habitat Kansas City.Mother Laura asks:1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How? Not really, no. I totally forgot that Lent was starting so soon and, like most of the media, got caught up in the election stuff instead. I guess you could say I

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-58370169136312849982008-02-01T13:35:00.000-06:002008-02-01T14:11:53.813-06:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about the economy and ways that the govt. is working to stimulate us out of a possible recession. I'm not an economics expert by any means, but I can't help wondering exactly how this rebate thing is supposed to help in the long run. I know that I have credit card debt (from buying a new house and Christmas) that I need to pay off and when I get my rebate check

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-74169369454202125072008-01-26T15:31:00.000-06:002008-01-26T15:34:37.853-06:00

I listen to NPR quite a bit. Since I'm driving to/from work roughly the same time each day Tuesday thru Saturday, I'm usually listening to Morning Edition and All Things Considered, two of NPR's flagship programs that mainly deal with news stories. They're longer than a 30 minute TV newscast so they usually go into a little more detail than just a teaser and a couple of sentences, but it always

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-27035689370208061952008-01-05T16:14:00.000-06:002008-01-05T16:37:12.432-06:00

Well, I missed the first Friday Five of the new year, but I'm not much for New Year's resolutions - I rarely keep them and they're usually the same things every year anyway. This is the end of the first week of the New Year and I'm in a bit of a quandry about getting commissioned as a Deaconess. This is something I started working on several years ago, but now that it may finally be completed,

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-43070184256981086392007-12-28T12:48:00.000-06:002007-12-28T13:27:34.028-06:00

Singing Owl writes: It is hard to believe, but 2007 is about to be history, and this is our last Friday Five of the year. With that in mind, share five memorable moments of 2007. These can be happy or sad, profound or silly, good or bad but things that you will remember. Bonus points for telling us of a "God sighting"-- a moment when the light came through the darkness, a word was spoken, a song

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-24670929549652271462007-12-21T16:20:00.000-06:002007-12-21T16:44:49.832-06:00

I haven't been doing Friday Fives much lately (mostly because Fridays tend to be busy at Habitat), but it's the last day before the holiday break (we're closed all next week, until January 2nd), most people are already gone and I can't stand to do any more work on our database today. :) Here are the five questions as posed by RevHRod:What was one of your favorite childhood gifts that you gave?

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-42470867828422037102007-12-20T09:00:00.001-06:002007-12-20T09:56:54.842-06:00

Once again, I've been tagged (thanks, Hipchick) to give 7 random things about myself. So here they are:1. I love to bake, so every year I prepare to make dozens of Christmas cookies, and every year I get sick of doing it before the task is completed. Big thanks to Trouble for her help in the cookie endeavor this year. It's so good to have her home for the holidays!!2. Sadly, I appear to be

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-27054643614564197852007-12-04T18:29:00.000-06:002007-12-04T18:58:59.756-06:00

First, I have a quick update on the pit bull scenario from an earlier post. The dog is currently back at the house, on a shorter leash, and looks fine. I don't know how long the dog was kept by the city or what the owner had to do to get the dog back, but I'm glad to know that the dog is alive and well and there haven't been any other problems - at least thus far. The house we're building should

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-31693252339423267562007-11-25T09:03:00.000-06:002007-11-25T09:19:36.985-06:00

It's Thanksgiving weekend, and now that the turkeys have been cooked and become an endless stream of leftovers, the Christmas shopping season is officially on. I don't know how many of you actually go out shopping this weekend, but I did. I have memories from when I was a kid of going to stores in the wee hours of the morning to be among to crowd at the door when the store opened, and somehow

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-34568036001484550192007-11-17T13:26:00.000-06:002007-11-17T15:27:13.174-06:00

This week at work has just been strange. Yesterday I got to fill out my first incedent report when one of my volunteers called to tell he'd been bitten by a dog at one of our worksites a couple of days prior. Why was he calling 2 days later you ask? Good question! Animal control and his doctor wanted to know as well! Here's the story:Our volunteer was working on our "green" house project and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-62018739569482357542007-11-10T11:16:00.000-06:002007-11-10T11:27:27.219-06:00

Hello blog world - it's been too long! I've missed my Friday Fives and seeing what everyone else is up to. This is just a brief post to let everyone know that I'm alive and missing you. Working at Habitat has been, and continues to be, a great experience. I've learned a lot about the organization, Kansas City, the neighborhoods around our office, and just general insight into non-profit work.

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-7685366562146361052007-10-26T12:04:00.000-05:002007-10-26T12:27:47.745-05:00

Singing Owl posted her first Friday Five last night (way to go!) recalling the fond memories of Halloween while growing up. THese are her questions and my reponses, but I'd love for everyone to feel like thay can play along in the comments if they'd like. :) 1. How did you celebrate this time of year when you were a child?Halloween was always a big deal when I was a kid. My mom loved decorating

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-3735285507457515472007-10-19T15:55:00.000-05:002007-10-19T16:18:26.823-05:00

RevHRod talked about how her family is addicted to Top Chef (on Bravo) for their assorted reasons and then asked us to think about the following:1. If you were a food, what would you be?This is really hard for me - there are a lot of things I can think of! Chocolate (sweet, and flexible enough to go with about anything) or coffee (hot or cold, sweet and creamy or strong and dark). Lasagna is one

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-62223311940298400582007-10-13T09:07:00.001-05:002007-10-13T09:42:44.982-05:00

It's a VERY rainy day here in Kansas City this Saturday. Working at Habitat for Humanity, this is generally our busiest, craziest day but not this week. We had a whole 10 people come to volunteer this morning (there had been around 45 signed up). Granted, when it's raining this hard with thunder and lightning, there's only so much work that can be done and two of our sites are primarily outdoor

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-86747296146457112252007-10-06T12:37:00.000-05:002007-10-06T12:51:59.745-05:00

I have been waiting for the release of "Across the Universe" - a new movie directed and choreographed by Julie Taymor with an all Beatles music soundtrack. It came out in limited release a few weeks ago and I still can't find it anywhere in the Kansas City area! I've been to the movie website and Yahoo!Movies and can't even determine if it ever will be playing at a theater in this area, but to

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-2098822502381487092007-10-04T15:58:00.000-05:002007-10-04T16:16:06.562-05:00

Now that I'm back in the "real world" since graduation in May, I've noticed how quickly time seems to be passing by. I couldn't wait to graduate and move on in a job, new house, etc. but looking back it seems like all of that happened while I was sleeping or something! Tomorrow is my birthday and I've barely thought about what I'd like to do - I don't even feel like I have time to do much of

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-5895574918164723022007-09-13T12:41:00.000-05:002007-09-13T13:55:15.295-05:00

Yesterday was Trouble's birthday, and I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to detract from her blog, but her big birthday gift from me was that we went to the Indigo Girls concert here in KC. They just happened to be playing on her actual birthday - how cool is that? But to make it even cooler, I was browsing their website one day and found this little blurb about them starting

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-1642769712579776782007-09-05T09:11:00.000-05:002007-09-05T09:19:30.833-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted on here and I apologize. Things have been a little crazy to say the least. I've officially started my new job at Habitat for Humanity in Kansas City, MO and am LOVING it! My official title is "AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator" - which means that I'm working thru the AmeriCorps program and am responsible for recruiting, training, and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-72430889006344594792007-08-10T08:18:00.000-05:002007-08-10T08:37:52.621-05:00

Sally writes: I am off to spend a few days at the beach chilling out after a hectic few weeks and before I head off for Summer School...So with that in mind this weeks questions are looking at how you deal with the stress monster!!!???1. First, and before we start busting stress, what causes you the most stress, is it big things or the small stuff ? right now it's definitely the big stuff -

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-50872207416503730172007-08-03T16:27:00.001-05:002007-08-03T16:27:53.252-05:00

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-22121259813644159062007-08-03T12:39:00.000-05:002007-08-03T13:00:21.463-05:00

I've been out of the Friday Five habit lately, so here's an attempt to get back in the groove...ReverendMother writes: Hello friends, I am just back from a lovely time of pilgrimage in the isle of Iona, "cradle of Scottish Christianity." It has provided much food for thought, to say the least, and so, to keep the pilgrim mojo going:1. Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? (however you choose to

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-46132354915629144582007-07-28T20:49:00.000-05:002007-07-28T20:58:10.143-05:00

Note: I've been careful to not have any spoilers for any of you who haven't read the book yet and don't want to know...I've been busy working on various projects and things the last couple of weeks, but today I have a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. After receiving a borrowed copy of the book on Thursday, this afternoon I finished reading the final book of the Harry Potter series - and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-68481160337999059662007-07-16T17:46:00.000-05:002007-07-16T18:02:50.595-05:00

Pardon me for not writing much lately - I even missed the Harry Potter Friday Five!! :( Oh well. I went ouf town the last few days to see my friends in the glorious little town of Mankato, KS. It's a small rural town north of Salina, near the Nebraska border and one of my good friends from seminary is the new pastor there. She and her husband moved into the parsonage (next door to the church) a

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-4639057009307157952007-07-06T12:37:00.000-05:002007-07-06T12:39:20.601-05:00

You Should Try Kite SurfingSurfing to the extreme!Catch some air, but don't get carried off!What Extreme Sport Should You Try?You know, I really have wanted to try this - if only I had some vacation time and place to go...

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-55751169368316904002007-07-06T12:17:00.000-05:002007-07-06T12:35:42.288-05:00

It's Friday of a holiday weekend am I'm currently sitting in a tiny office in the back corner of my church working on putting together a list of people, United Methodists especially but anyone is welcome, who are willing to call and/or write a letter (not email) to their legislators in Jefferson City regarding the death penalty in MO. Specifically, I'm working my part time job for the MO Annual

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-1655297435951578772007-06-30T12:43:00.000-05:002007-06-30T13:09:32.261-05:00

I was surfing around on the internet the other day when I came across this story on the MSNBC site about a food bank's donations that were found rotting in the California desert. The story goes that these items were sent to a pig farm because the food items were unusable for human consumption (industry donations of pallets full of items that were out of date, for example). What doesn't really

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-23732880588072688412007-06-29T11:06:00.000-05:002007-06-29T11:33:53.351-05:00

Sally writes :Our Circuit (Methodist) is having a "Gifts and talents day" tomorrow- we have a minister visiting from another circuit who has modified the Myers Briggs personality test and added a few things of his own to run a day where we get to look at ourselves in the light of giftings and of the whole church. The idea is to encourage everyone with the news that there is room for you in the

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-65535903246613470302007-06-28T16:15:00.000-05:002007-06-28T16:18:48.981-05:00

Just wanted to share the news that I got the AmeriCorps job working for Habitat for Humanity here in Kansas City. YAY! It was the job that I really wanted - it's a great organization, the interview had gone well without out too many "weird alerts" and it's only about a mile from my house which means saving on gas money. I don't start until August, so I get one last summer break and am looking

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-31291993961254468622007-06-22T11:28:00.000-05:002007-06-22T11:40:22.564-05:00

Some people have been wondering how the job search going, so this is a brief update. I did 2 personal interviews last week and one over the phone with a regional office. Of the three interviews, the phone interview led to a now scheduled personal interview to be held next Tuesday. The job that I really want has told me they're likely going to hire me but don't know which position they'll put me

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-28381264961792448932007-06-22T10:55:00.000-05:002007-06-22T11:16:20.285-05:00

...or town, or suburb, or hamlet, or burg, or unincorporated zone, or rural area of your choice---pretty much anywhere but the southern hemisphere, it's summer. (Australians and others, consider this an invitation to take a break from winter for a while.)(as posted at RevGalBlogPals by reverendmother)1. Favorite summer food(s) and beverage(s)I love just about anything cooked on a charcoal grill -

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-9029272378896999802007-06-18T10:27:00.000-05:002007-06-22T11:46:18.189-05:00

You Are Mud PieYou're the perfect combo of flavor and depthThose who like you give into their impulsesWhat Kind of Pie Are You?

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-77551067734810806352007-06-15T11:37:00.000-05:002007-06-15T11:53:38.809-05:00

1. Fiction what kind, detective novels, historical stuff, thrillers, romance????I love all kinds of fiction, but especially detective novels, intrigue (a la DaVinci Code and Robin Cook novels), humor and fantasy (i.e. Harry Potter).2. When you get a really good book do you read it all in one chunk or savour it slowly?It depends on my mood, the book itself, and what setting I'm in. I read the

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-75759740452950207472007-06-14T11:47:00.000-05:002007-06-15T12:11:34.622-05:00

From Hipchickmamma: Be careful you never know who might be next! The game is to post 8 random facts and then tag 8 other bloggers--leaving them a comment to let them know.Here goes:1. I was never in the same school for two years in a row until I was in 7th grade.2. I've lived in 13 different cities in 7 different states throughout my life, and for several months lived on the Caribbean island of

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-55648081469150472192007-06-14T11:39:00.000-05:002007-06-14T11:43:45.096-05:00

On Tuesday afternoon I had my first interview. It was actually for two positions that I applied for thru AmeriCorps, both with the Kansas City office of Habitat for Humanity. I got to meet with the two people who are looking for assistants and the Executive Director and I think it went really well. There were several questions that kind of threw me off guard (about my personal life, previous

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-47632965655050021772007-06-11T18:02:00.000-05:002007-06-11T18:20:47.294-05:00

I've been out of seminary for a little over 3 weeks and the job search continues... I don't know if it's the non-profit world, just the job market in Kansas City or if my resume is just that bad but I have gotten virtually nothing in response to the 10 or so resumes that I've put out around the area. I don't even get a "thank you for applying, we'll get back to you" or basic acknowledgment that

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-39735524420803071012007-06-07T12:47:00.000-05:002007-06-07T13:20:12.079-05:00

It's been a couple of days home now, so I feel like it's safe for me to talk about it. I didn't want to write from my gut level emotional reactions to annual conference, as there were a great many of those and I needed time to process...My first observation is that Annual Conference is basically like a really long Administrative Council meeting - but with a lot more people. Ad Council is the

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-58455837610093093112007-05-27T17:36:00.000-05:002007-06-22T11:46:43.051-05:00

My last attempt to get my mind off of my own troubles was a little on the heavy side. This blog entry, not so much. I thought it might be fun to share our favorite "fooling around" on the internet spots - places we go when we need to get our minds off of other things or just kill time. Below are some of my favorites, but I'd love to hear some of yours! And before anyone else mentions it, I have

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-50985018796307859522007-05-23T10:53:00.000-05:002007-05-23T11:40:21.558-05:00

Well, I did it - I graduated and now have my Master of Divinity, but no job to go with that impressive sounding title. I've been in a kind of slump of self-pity about that fact for the last week and a half or so, but am now making a conscious effort to move out of that. When all else fails, I find that focusing on those who are worse off than myself helps me to put things into perspective, and

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-38730713808254403212007-05-14T20:37:00.000-05:002007-05-14T21:03:40.475-05:00

Sorry for the recent lack of posts - things have been pretty crazy here with all of the end of term papers, graduation plans, group meetings, and trying to get the house ready for guests and family coming from out of town. Whew! Things are not ready yet, but hey, I've got three more days! Thursday is the beginning of the festivities with our senior chapel service (although I don't really know

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-7861251321270493992007-05-04T10:52:00.000-05:002007-05-04T11:02:25.532-05:00

There's a whole host of things I could just go off about, but I had a really great day yesterday and don't feel like being mean or angry. So what if the Republican candidates had their debate? I'll just ignore Condi's latest attempt to look like she's doing something positive and focus on the fact that there are 2 weeks exactly until I graduate from seminary. And I still have no clue what I'm

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18945213.post-56249009099835939782007-04-27T11:12:00.000-05:002007-04-27T11:21:06.988-05:00

It's been a while since I played, so here goes...What are you:1. Wearing - black ballet neck 3/4 length sleeve shirt and light blue jeans and tennis shoes - comfortable, but not too slouchy2. Pondering - how being an aunt will change my life and how I feel about the possibility of being a mother myself one day... maybe...3. Reading - I'm at work, so I'm not reading anything right this second, but

mandychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447605145639120765noreply@blogger.com3