Exciting Development!

On Thursday, I arrived home from work and, as usual, made a beeline for the computer to check my e-mail. To my surprise, I had an e-mail from a pastor in Christiansburg, Virginia. He had gotten my name and contact info from my DS. His church is looking to fill an Associate Pastor position beginning in June, and he thought I would be a good match. We talked on the phone for a few minutes, and he invited me out for an interview...THIS WEEKEND. I did some scrambling and found someone to cover my shift at work today (Saturday). So in a few hours I will leave for Christiansburg. I meet with the SPR tomorrow afternoon. I have no clue what to expect from this, since I've never done it before. Since Christiansburg is 3 hours from Durham, I'm not sure if this is a great idea. But the church sounds cool and they're paying for my gas and hotel. So...I figure I should check it out and see if this is where God might want me for the next few years.

I'll let you know how things went when I get back home!

Visit from Jim

We have another houseguest...this time, it's a human! James' friend and former professor, Jim Sochacki, is in town. James and Jim are working on some paper that will become part of James' dissertation. They're doing a lot of "math talk".

Woody has enjoyed getting to know "Uncle Jim", who is a fellow dog lover. We took Jim to Shaker Village for dinner tonight, and are now settling down in the living room to watch the UK game.

Hi from Durham

We're in Durham, NC for the weekend, visiting NCCU and checking out housing options. We'll probably wind up renting an apartment for a few months before we buy a house here. It's nice and warm in Durham; I'm wearing capris and James is in shorts. Woody is still in Lexington: he's enjoying a "vacation" with his girlfriend, Nikita, and her parents, Mandy and Chris.

We'll be back on Tuesday night!

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I find great comfort in knowing that God is in charge, not me. :)

I've heard the word...

My team leader on the B.O.M. called me around 6:00 pm today. The good news: I was given the "green light" by the committees on Call and Personal Growth and Development. The bad news: I was "continued" by the committees on Theology and Practice of Ministry. Bottom line: I don't get commissioned this year. Next year I can re-apply for probationary membership, although I'll only have to submit the papers and do the interviews for Theology and Practice. I should receive about five pages in feedback, which will help me in preparing for next year.

So I guess my next step is to apply for an appointment as a full-time local pastor. I'm not guaranteed an appointment, but I've been told that it's very rare for a seminary grad to not receive one. I'll probably wind up in either the Danville or Farmville districts, since they're the closest to the North Carolina border (and thus Durham, NCCU, and James). I'm crossing my fingers for the Danville district, because I know and like the current District Superintendent. She's a fellow E&H alum and her brother and his family attend our church in KY. :)

I'm reminding myself that this isn't the end of the world. Several people are "continued" every year. And part of this is my fault...I obviously didn't put my best foot forward in the applicable papers/interviews, or I would have been approved. Jeremiah 29:11 continues to be my mantra.

Been to B.O.M. Interviews

How I Spent My Monday Morning by Patti Money

I arrived at Blackstone (the Virginia Conference retreat center) around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday with a blistering sinus headache. I had originally planned to look over my papers and prepare for the interviews on Sunday evening, but my pounding headache made that impossible. So I took some Tylenol and went to bed at 8:30.

The next morning was long and nerve-wracking, but not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. Yes, I did have to be interviewed by four separate committees for 45 minutes each. And yes, the Theology interview was fairly grueling, especially since I hadn't prepared for it adequately (see above). But the men and women on the B.O.M. are not "out to get" the probationary candidates. The atmosphere was actually very supportive and encouraging. Every interview opened and closed with prayer, and the morning began with devotions with all the Board members and candidates. The fact that I stayed for lunch AFTER my interviews were over should say something about the positive aspect of the experience.

I should find out the results either today or tomorrow. If I am "approved", I will be commissioned in June and will begin my three-year period as a probationary member. If I am "continued" in one or more of the four areas, then I will have to reapply next year. The good news is that I won't have to go through the whole process again; I'll basically have to re-do the paper and the interview. And I will be able to attend Licensing School and receive an appointment as a full-time local pastor. So it won't be the end of the world.

Professor Money!!!!

James has a job offer!! On Friday, he received a call from his friend, Alade Tokuta, who "just happens" to be the chair of the Math & Computer Science department at North Carolina Central University. James has been offered a postion as an assistant professor in the computer science department...and he's accepted the offer!

James chose NCCU because he likes the school and Durham is close to most of our friends and a good chunk of our family. Plus...it's only three or so hours from the Outer Banks. No more living in a land-locked state. Woohoo!

I (Patti) will now badger my District Superintendant for a church near the VA-NC border. I'll live in the parsonage full-time, and James will visit me on weekends. We'll have "joint custody" of Woody, although he might be living with me most of the time. Hopefully I'll be able to transfer to the North Carolina conference after a year, so we don't have to live apart for too long.

The picture is of the building at NCC that houses the math and computer science departments.

Patti's Hawaiian name

Your Hawaiian Name is:

Kalea Mily

What's" your Hawaiian Name?

Pablo: Our Houseguest

This is Woody posting. I thought I'd introduce you all to our visitor. His name is Pablo, and he's a guinea pig. Mommy is taking care of him for a few days. He usually lives with Judy, Mommy's friend from work. Pablo is kind of cute, although I scare him. Don't know why. He eats a lot of lettuce, carrots, and alfalfa. Yuck. Anyway, here's a picture of him, so you can see what he looks like.

I hope Pablo goes home soon. He takes attention away from me.

James' Job Search: Update #1

James has been to two interviews so far, and feels that both visits went very well. Both schools said that they'd let him know by the end of this week whether or not he'll get a job offer. Look for a post on Friday or Saturday, updating you on the latest news! Both positions are for a tenure-track faculty member, so we're hoping that no matter where he winds up, we'll stay there for a while.

The bad news is...neither school is in Virginia. School #1 is Youngstown State University, located in Youngstown, Ohio. School #2 is North Carolina Central University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Both are good schools with good math/computer science departments. James applied to 10-12 colleges/universities, with the bulk of his applications going to Virginia schools. However, Virginia schools (including his alma mater) are either oblivious to James' brilliance or they're taking their sweet time interviewing potential faculty. Oh well, their loss.

Kudos to Belbin & Agosto!

Many of you know that I am a big fan of figure skating. It's something I became interested in during the 1992 Olympics. Anyway, I just had to boast about the results of the Ice Dancing competition in Torino (you know, the Olympics). Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, a U.S. ice dancing team, won the SILVER MEDAL in Ice Dance tonight. The last (and only) time a U.S. ice dance team has won an Olympic medal was in 1976...and it was bronze. So not only did Tanith and Ben win the first Olympic ice dance medal for the U.S. in 30 years, they placed higher than ANY U.S. team has ever placed in that event. Woohoo!

Tomorrow is the ladies' figure skating competition begins. More fun! It's a good thing the Olympics only happen every four years. Otherwise, I'd NEVER get any sleep.

In Memoriam: Glenn Arthur Sufficool II

My paternal grandfather (who everyone called "Art") died on Thursday, February 16. He was 92 years old and got pneumonia, which is a pretty deadly thing to get when you're that age and not in the best health, anyway. Don't worry, I'm not horribly grief-stricken. Unfortunately, I didn't know him very well and I actually hadn't seen him in 11+ years. But he was my grandfather, and his blood flows in my veins. In fact, I think I may have inherited his nose. In my experience, Grandpa Sufficool's greatest contribution to the world was producing my dad, Bob Sufficool. Here's hoping that my dad will live even longer than his father! This picture was taken about four years ago. It's not a great picture of him, but it's the only one that I could find.

Happy Birthday, Dad Elick!

Wish James' stepdad, Bill, a happy birthday today! He's a Valentine's Day baby!

I've always liked her...

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test

Yeah! I'm a U.S. Citizen!

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Slowly but surely...

Good news: I was able to work for 4 1/2 hours today. Granted, I now feel like a truck ran over me. But I'm happy that I was able to make it standing up that long. Now I have tomorrow to rest, and then Monday I'm scheduled for a full 8-hour shift. Let's hope I can do it by then!

I hate being sick!!

OK, the good news is that I made it to work today. The bad news is that I left after 2 1/2 hours. Apparently I was not well enough to stand up for long periods of time. However, my anti-nausea medication is working. I have kept down everything I've eaten since this morning. I just apparently need to rest a lot...and that's what I plan to do right now. Ta-ta!

Or maybe not...

OK, I had a relapse. I lost the small amount of food I had eaten over the past 40 hours. Then I sipped some Gatorade and even that came back up. I'm now hoping and praying that I won't puke again tonight. I was planning on going to work tomorrow, but I can't do that if I'm still vomiting. Something about the health code...

I think I'm on the mend, but...

So around 9am on Monday morning, I threw up. Out of the blue. And of course, I was already at work. I felt fine afterward, so I stayed at work, since we were short-staffed. Later, I developed a crushing headache, so I went home at 4pm and slept for 14 hours.

Tuesday morning, my headache was gone, but I had nausea. I still went to work and suffered through increasing nausea. After work, I stopped by the store and bought some Gatorade and Jell-O. I had crackers and Gatorade for dinner. A few hours later, I began throwing up...first my "dinner", then the Gatorade I was sipping.

Wednesday I called in sick to work, feeling very guilty (because I knew another employee was out sick) yet knowing I couldn't serve food to people while I was throwing up. James took me to the doctor, who ruled out pregnancy, gallbladder trouble, and a UTI before diagnosing a persistent stomach virus. He sent me home with instructions to rest and eat bland foods. I slept for the rest of the day.

It's Thursday, and I've kept down everything I've eaten/drank for 36 hours. But I'm still very weak and experiencing a lot of nausea. It's my "day off", so I didn't have to call in sick to work. But let's hope that my poor body will heal enough today so that I can go to work tomorrow and Saturday.

James is being very caring and supportive, as always. Although he's trying not to get too close to me, for fear of catching what I have...

Job Search Update

As many of you know, James is finishing his PhD at UK this spring. Therefore, he's been looking for a faculty position for next fall. James is being "picky" and insisting on a tenure-track position (versus a one or two-year appointment). Of course, he's focused his search on Virginia, since it's "home" to both of us. So far he has one interview set up for next week, and there are two more schools that want to interview him...they just have to get around to it. We'll let you know when James receives (and accepts!) a job offer. Hopefully that will occur around the first week in March...