Live! From Danville...

It's been a crazy few days. On Tuesday, James and two NCCU guys (David and Mark) loaded a Penske truck with 3/4 of our furniture. It was POURING RAIN for most of the day, but they loaded stuff in between bursts of rain.

On Wednesday morning, we moved into the parsonage. I have to say, this pastor thing is pretty cool! We had a "moving crew" there to help us unload, cold drinks and some food in the fridge, and fresh flowers. At about 2:30 p.m. we left to drop off the truck and take James back to Morrisville (he had to teach that night, and our other car was at the apartment). I headed back to Danville after loading the car with more stuff.

Today (Thursday) the cable guy came and set up our Internet and TV. Then I went to the church to check out my office and do some work on the bulletin for Sunday. I also went to Wal-Mart and spent a disgusting amount of money on food and cleaning supplies. The nearest (major) grocery store is 8 miles away, so I don't plan on going more than once a week.

Tomorrow I'm going to finish the bulletin and copy it. I also have to put the finishing touches on my sermon. James thinks he may mow the lawn, since Danville received five inches of rain this week.

Woody is doing well, although he's a little confused with all this moving. However, he loves his new yard. All of the church people have loved him so far; they think he's SO well-behaved, SO handsome, etc.

I'll try and write an update next week.

Back From Annual Conference!

I just returned from attending the 2006 Virginia Annual Conference session, which is the yearly meeting of all the United Methodists in Virginia. I had never been to Conference (as we call it), so it was an interesting and (mostly) fun experience. On Monday night (June 12), I was licensed as a Local Pastor. Pictures will be coming soon!

Name Game???

OK, my friend Tamara had this on her blog, and I thought it was hysterical. So here goes...

1. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME (grandfather/grandmother on your father's side, your favorite candy) : Marjorie Snickers
2. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME (first initial of first name followed by izzle", first two or three letters of your last name follwowed by "dizzle") : Pizzle Modizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color, favorite animal) : Cranberry Dog
4. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters of your name- last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name repeated twice) : Pat-Ett Woo Woo
5. SUPERHERO NAME ("The", your favorite color, the automobile you drive) : The Cranberry Camry

The above was based on my name. Now let's try James', just for fun:

1. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME (grandfather/grandmother on your father's side, your favorite candy) : Viola Crunch
2. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME (first initial of first name followed by izzle", first two or three letters of your last name follwowed by "dizzle") : Jizzle Modizzle
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color, favorite animal) : Blue Dog
4. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first 3 letters of your name- last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name repeated twice) : Jam-Add Woo Woo
5. SUPERHERO NAME ("The", your favorite color, the automobile you drive) : The Blue Escape

Woody Goes to College!

Woody made a visit to NCCU this weekend. He guarded James' office door (left), sniffed around the office, and even sat in a chair to learn some important math/computer science concepts!

A Post from Woody

OK, folks. This is going to have to be quick, because I'm sneaking onto the computer while Mommy and Daddy aren't looking. I wanted to tell you what they did to me yesterday. They took me to...THE VET. When I got there, this lady in a white coat poked and prodded me, used some cold, plastic thing to get a stool sample, and then...(deep, shuddering breath), stuck me with needles. Lots of needles. The whole time this was going on, Mommy and Daddy were right there. They saw what was going on, and they just stood there! They do this do me every year...WHY?

So, will someone please call the SPCA or something for me? This has got to stop!!

Sincerely,
Woody

Isabel!!!

During our move from KY to NC, we met my friend, Amy, and her six-month old daughter, Isabel, at a Wendy's in Tennessee. This was my first time meeting Isabel, so "Aunt Patti" had lots of fun! Isn't Isabel adorable? The last picture on the right is of Amy holding Isabel.

St. John's UMC pics

On May 17, I met with the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee of St. John's United Methodist Church. They were a very gracious group of people; they even gave me a gift basket of yummy Virginia stuff! The congregation sounds great: caring, mission-oriented, welcoming, and excited about what God is doing in their midst. My first Sunday with them is July 2, and I can't wait!! Here are pics of the church: the altar, the entrance to the sanctuary, the sign (which will say "Pastor: Patti Money" in a month!), and my office. I don't have a secretary, so my 18-month stint as a church secretary will come in handy!

Parsonage pics

Here are photos of the parsonage. It's a beautiful house, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living/dining room and an eat-in kitchen. It has a fireplace, a deck, and a HUGE yard. It's only a mile or two from the church, so my commute will be short.

Stay tuned...

James is currently searching for the little cord that we use to download photos from our digital camera to our computer. As soon as he finds it, I'll be able to post photos from my "Meet Your Pastor" meeting with St. John's. I took a few pics of the church and the parsonage. Hopefully we'll have photos within the next couple days. James assures me that he packed it in "a very safe place."

Happy Aldersgate Day!!

As a United Methodist pastor, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that today is the anniversary of John Wesley's (the founder of Methodism) "Aldersgate experience." Read the following excerpt from his May 24, 1738 Journal entry:

"In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Before the above experience, Wesley was just any old Oxford don and Anglican priest. After that experience, he became a phenomenal preacher, leader, teacher, and administrator. He founded the Methodist movement in England, which eventually moved across the ocean to America. Many scholars have said that the Methodist movement prevented England from having an equivalent of the French Revolution.

NEVER, NEVER underestimate the power that God can work through a human life!!!

Greetings from "camp"

I'm at the Virginia Conference Licensing School for Local Pastors. I arrived on May 18 (Thursday) and will leave on May 26 (Friday). I have jokingly named it, "Camp Learn-To-Preach". Generally, I'm having fun, although the schedule is grueling. We're basically going from 7:15 am to 9:30 pm, with breaks for lunch and dinner. The other students are really great; that's the best part of the whole experience!!

Licensing School takes place at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia. This means that my parents are only 15 minutes down the road. I've been there twice to visit them...and get a jacket, a blanket, laundry detergent, and to use the fax machine. I'm beginning to see why so many people went to college close to home...

James and Woody will drive up from NC on Friday, and we'll spend the weekend with my parents. Then I have most of the month of June off, with the exception of Annual Conference.

My dinner break is almost up. Next on the schedule: "Theology & Creeds."

Dr. Money and his new job

So, James started his job as "Assistant Professor of Computer Science" yesterday. Of course, his department chair is visiting family in Nigeria and the department secretary had a family emergency and didn't make it to the office until the afternoon. Around mid-morning, James finds out that the C++ class he was scheduled to teach has been cancelled. So now he's teaching an Algebra/Trig class. Good news; this new class ends mid-June. Bad news; it's 9:45-11:15 Monday-Friday. The other class only met Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Woody just woke up and is standing by the door. That's the universal dog sign for, "take me out, Mommy!"

Have a great day!

Still no furniture...

Our furniture should arrive sometime tomorrow. We had hoped it would happen today, but since we haven't heard from the moving company, that's not very likely. It will be nice to have furniture again. Ditto for our clothes, the washer and dryer, and the rest of our belongings. We bought two folding camp chairs at Target so we'd have somplace to sit. We also bought a new air mattress, since our old one developed a leak on Saturday night. I miss our king-size bed!!!

We've been eating out for nearly every meal, since we have no microwave or kitchen equipment. We've found the Panera, Wendy's, Quizno's, Bob Evans, and Chick-Fil-A. I'm getting desperate for a home-cooked meal. Not going to happen anytime soon, because...

Tomorrow I go to Danville for my "meet your pastor" meeting with my new church. Then I head to Virginia Wesleyan College for Licensing School. Dorm food for eight days, yeah!!

We're here!

I'm writing this from the "business center" of our new apartment complex in Morrisville, NC. We arrived here yesterday (5-13) and are getting used to our new apartment and the area. Our furniture should arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. Woody likes the place, although he misses his sofa and his bed.

Our departure from Lexington took an interesting twist when James got food poisoning on Thursday night. I wound up missing my last day of work to care for him/deal with the movers. We ditched our original idea of sleeping in our house on Friday night, and stayed in a hotel, instead. James is feeling MUCH better now.

North Carolina, Ho!

Tomorrow our cable TV and Internet get turned off. The packers come on Thursday, the movers come on Friday, and we leave EARLY Saturday morning. James begins teaching next Tuesday (the 16th) and will continue teaching through July. On May 17th (Wednesday), James and I will make the short trip to Danville, Virginia so I can get familiar with my new church. I will be at Licensing School (a requirement for all new clergy) in Norfolk, Virginia on May 18-26. Since my parents live only 20 minutes away from Norfolk, James and Woody will come up on the 26th and we'll spend Memorial Day weekend with my parents. My cousin Marge will be there, which is exciting, since I haven't seen her since our wedding.

Since life will be fairly busy for us, don't expect a blog entry until June. :)

House sale update

We just accepted an offer on our house! It's a really good offer; only a little bit below our asking price. We'll still wind up "in the black" when all is said and done. The closing should take place by the end of the month.

Woody's sad that he's losing his yard. But we're assuring him that by this time next year, he'll have a BIG yard to play in.

Report and pics from the graduation party!

I threw a graduation party for James on Friday night. We had about 15 guests, and a great time was had by all. Since the College of Arts & Sciences doesn't individually recognize their master's and doctoral grads (DORKS), James isn't going to the commencement ceremony. So James' advisor agreed to "hood" him at the party. James donned the academic regalia, we played "Pomp and Circumstance", and Dr. Kang hooded him. It was very exciting. See below for all the pics!

Proud parents and yummy cake!

Top to bottom: A view of James' lovely cake (a la Kroger) before it's cut; some of our friends who came to the party; James with his mom (Nina) and stepdad (Bill).

Graduation party pics

Left to right: Dr. Money cheers after being "hooded"; James and Woody--note that Woody's collar matches James' robe; and Dr. and Mrs. Money.

Graduation party pics

James and his brilliant advisor, Dr. Sung Ha Kang.