.domestic.

I.ve been feeling very domestic recently. 

To begin with, Britain's almost super-nanny Lizzie [she turned down the job to service the royals] has been here helping with baby Casper for the past month and in preparation for her upcoming departure she has been  training me in infant care and general childcare. So with all the feeding, changing, bathing, walking, playing, and comforting I.ve been doing,  I.m starting to feel like mini.mum. 

This week has been filled with lots of cooking and even more baking! It all started Sunday when I got a ferocious craving for chocolate cake, so of course I had to make one and yes, it was scrumptious! Shortly after that- aka Monday- I noticed a lack of biscuits for tea in the flat and made up a batch of poor man.s cookies  [very fitting because I am poor and the fridge was lacking in the ingredients department]. They were quite good and barely survived the week. Then, with various members of the household giving up chocolate for Lent, there became a massive need for non-chocolate biscuits so I quickly whipped up a batch of snickerdoodles , which.... have barely survived the past 24 hours [I may have to quadruple the recipe next time...]. After popping those into the AGA [aka the really awesome old school oven pictured above] I changed speeds- and taste- and began chopping up onions and mince and other savory bits and made a tomato sauce and meatballs which was later served over seasoned couscous and quickly devoured [it makes me hungry just thinking about it!]. Tonights supper is also quite scrummy and incredibly simple [I love that word lately]. Pasta+Bacon+Peas+Onions+Creme Fraiche+ seasoning=YUM! 

However, when I.m not cooking and cleaning or taking care of babies and building further respect for mums everywhere, I think of all of you and miss you!! 

.so.journ |ˈsōjərn| formal noun: a temporary stay.

I.ve been thinking a lot about two people recently: Joseph and St. Patrick- odd, I know, but I.ll explain.

Allow me to briefly refresh your memories…

Joseph- from the Bible, not your average Joe, remembered for his technicolor coat and crazy dreams. Not a favorite with his siblings, sold into slavery at 17, and through him, God did amazing things. You see, even though Joseph found himself miles away from home and all people and things familiar to him, he was not alone- God was with him. The Genesis account repeatedly reports of Gods presence with Joseph and how He blessed Josephs work and even though he probably didn.t realize it in the midst of it, God was at work in and through Joseph and his circumstances to accomplish the greater good.

St. Patrick- Not just a holiday where the whole world pretends to be Irish for the sake of a kiss and rivers are died green, St. Patrick was a real man who, like Joseph, was forced from his home and into slavery at a young age and found himself in foreign land. It is reported that during the six years he spent enslaved in Ireland, Patrick, rather than dwelling on his misfortune, recalled what he had once learned about God and called upon His name and was saved. He then spent most of his day fellowshipping with the Lord in prayer. The originator of Stockholm syndrome, Patrick, rather than hating the Irish for enslaving him, loved them and would return to live out his days amongst the Irish sharing the love of God with the people.

Let.s connect the dots…

Obviously, I am not presently in slavery, I came to Ireland quite happily, by my own free will. However, like these men, I currently find myself in a foreign country far away from home and all people and things familiar. For the first time in my life, I have been completely and entirely removed from the Christian bubble and set down in a country where most people.s religious actions are as cold as the weather [which is quite nippy]. Most days I feel very isolated where I am but I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone, just as He was with Joseph and Patrick, God is with me here.

One day, as I reflected on life entirely outside the Christian community, how different it was to not just work but also live with non believers, I thought how Joseph also worked and lived amongst non believers. I thought about how God was with Joseph there and blessed his efforts and worked through him in Egypt. As I reflected on this, I began to pray that God would make me a Joseph, enabling me to do my work with a content and patient spirit and bless my efforts, working in and through me.

Since then, I.ve found myself spending a lot more time in prayer than I had, even before coming here. The more I prayed, the more I was reminded of St. Patrick and the veggie tales sketch on him where they highlighted how much of Patrick’s time in servitude was supposedly devoted to prayer. This stuck in my head and in some way, encouraged me to spend more time in prayer.

Wrapping things up...

I am a sojourner- both in this land and in this life. As I continue to live out my days, I can only pray that in my faith I will grow more like these men, and ultimately more like Christ. 

[ps. the veggie tales sketch on St. Pat- watch this for a good chuckle and some semi-accurate info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg5ejLGEnZk]

.student status...oh wait.

It.s hard to remember a time in my life when I wasn.t in school. I.m so used to identifying myself as a student that I.m still struggling to come to grips with the reality that I am a college graduate and done with formal education. I keep having nightmares of sorts of suddenly finding myself back at PBU and being forced to start over or I.m failing all my classes and over skipped chapel and other horrible things that make me relieved to wake up not at school. 

I really do miss the environment of school... I of course miss the social aspect of it and all of the people who came into my life and helped shape me these past 4 years. I don.t miss class so much as a miss the learning experience... I miss the blessing of hearing the reflections of professors so well versed in scripture and being challenged by it. I definitely do not miss the never ending mountain of homework assignments but at the same time I do... not so much the work as the actual learning and acquiring of knowledge that comes from it. [no, I will not do your homework for you]. 

I am so used to another semester to check off being next on the proverbial to do list that it is almost unnerving to look ahead into my future and have no definite next step. I don.t even know for certain how long I will be in Ireland let alone what I will do when I do move home- if I do! Fortunately, though, I know who holds my future and I know I can trust in His promise to fulfill His purpose for my life. That.s a good feeling. 

.siberia.

Just when I.d finally adjusted to chilled temperatures that come with castle living, the weather took a plunge into the negatives [in celsius, that is] and has brought down the indoor temperatures as well- at least now I.m not the only one freezing! According to the news, a cold front has swept across Europe from Siberia- can I just say how odd it was to hear we were receiving leftovers from the Siberian weather front? Still forgetting which side of the Atlantic I.m on- if it is this cold here, after the weather was warmed from it.s journey across the Irish Sea, I have no desire to know how cold it is in Siberia right now... brrrrr! However, I have made a new best friend and I think we are have a long and happy friendship ahead of us- the hot water bottle. I don.t think I.ve used one of these since I was little, but I heard tale of using it to warm up the bed before you go to sleep. Well.... lets just say I had one BIG smile on my face as a I snuggled up under my nice, toasty wool blankets last night. I seriously dreamed about all sorts of warm, cozy things- it was wonderful! I have now become an official advocate for hot water bottles.

Even though it.s been just about 4 weeks that I.ve been here, I think I.m still coming to terms with the fact that for right now, this is where I live. I.m not here on a week long holiday- I live here. The whole Siberian weather thing really did serve as a big reminder that I.m not in America anymore... its just really odd to think about. 

This past weekend I finally found my way up to Dublin despite being slight apprehensive about traveling alone on public transport I.d never taken to a city I wasn.t the least bit familiar with. But, as ever, God showed Himself to be faithful and I had a lovely time and am now completely at ease with the various transport options and am greatly looking forward to going back. As I road the bus home and reflected on my day and a conversation I had had with the lovely Kari Stone over coffee, it just kinda clicked- I.m living my dream. No matter what lies ahead, for this season of my life, I am doing exactly what I.ve always wanted to do and when it all boils down... I couldn.t be happier :)

.life lessons.

I.ve been thinking a lot about change these past few days... so many things in my life have changed so completely within this last month that there.s not much I can do but embrace it all. If you ever want a real awakening into how much you take for granted in your daily life- move abroad for a few weeks and you.ll quickly find out. I am, though, starting to enjoy the life of simplicity I am being sort of forced to lead here. I am also really enjoying how peaceful life is here! Although I am really looking forward to spending lots of time in places like Dublin and Belfast and elsewhere, I do enjoy the long, quiet walks this place affords. 

In the past two weeks [has it been only two weeks?] I.ve learned a few lessons, such as...

1. I.m really, really bad at blogging...

2. cooking good, tasty meals is much easier then one might think..

3. a girl can survive [quite happily] with only 4 pairs of shoes

4. the difference between being persistent and being stubborn from a very persistent little dog and a very stubborn little boy [God uses the most interesting teachers]. 

and finally, one i.m fairly proud of, how to start and maintain a good fire :) [it.s the little things that make me smile] 

So... all in all, I think this experience will definitely change me- for the good :)

.the Lord has promised good to me.

If anything, this adventure of mine will be a testament of God's goodness to me. The journey here was much easier than anticipated and the flight was even an hour shorter than originally estimated! 

So far, everything has just been really good. However, I must say I already feel stretched in so many ways and desperately covet your prayers as I settle into life here and begin to embrace the challenges of living abroad. 

So, what is life like in a castle? Let me just tell you -quite cold!! Despite looking quite large from the outside, it actually has much more of a cottage feel in the residential wing. Last night I ventured into the other wing to sit by the fire in the tapestry room and had to laugh to myself as i sat in this room where the decor transports you back to the 17th century and yet there I was with my laptop enjoying a cozy fire. I think I could get used to this...

As for my new little friend, Herbert, we get on quite well and have a good time romping around the gardens together. It's definitely an interesting experience taking care of a 1 year old all day and learning all the tricks of the trade - kinda like instant motherhood here! 

Anyways, as nap time draws to an end, know that I miss all of you a ton and I greatly appreciate all of your prayers!

.a touch of whimsy.

Hard to believe just over a week ago I walked across the platform, did a shake and take with Dr. Williams and officially GRADUATED from PBU! At that point people were asking me at least 10 times a day what I would be doing with my life and just like the majority of college graduates I had no idea. I knew what I wanted to be doing but had no leads. Now, seven days later, I officially know what I'm doing.

Let's just talk about the power of prayer- I have been praying for almost 9 months that God would open the door for me to go to Ireland for a time after I graduated. I spent a good chunk of time researching options for this, mainly in the field of nannying. Well in spite of my efforts, nothing was quite working out. All I could do, as graduation loomed ever closer, was continue to pray that God would lead. As I continued to review possible positions, the title of one caught my eye- "Come live in a magical castle in Ireland". I laughed at the possibility and the fact that over 100 people had supposedly applied and on a whim- more joking than serious- I sent them my information. Well low and behold, God was at work in the midst of my whimsy. 

In about 2 weeks I will be boarding a 7:13 p.m. flight to Dublin, Ireland from where I will travel to Co. Carlow and begin working as a nanny for a lovely couple and their adorable one year old son and newborn in their hereditary family home -Huntington Castle {the link is below if you want to see it!}. It's a bit out of a dream and has all come together so fast! But I continue to trust as I hurriedly prepare for this new adventure that God will continue to guide my future as faithfully as He has my past. I will be there for 3 to 6 months to start with and throughout the period I am hoping to post -somewhat faithfully?- to this sight with all that is happening in my life there. As I set out upon this journey I cannot express how greatly I will appreciate your prayers as I know there will be many rough moments in this. So keep checking back for updates on my adventure and to see how best you can be praying for me.

<3