The RevGalPals Friday Five:

1. Did you go elsewhere for the day, or did you have visitors at your place instead? How was it?

I was the lucky guest at the home of good friends.

2. Main course: If it was the turkey, the whole turkey, and nothing but the turkey, was it prepared in an unusual way? Or did you throw tradition to the winds and do something different?

They decided on a Spanish menu, so we had Sangria, Tapas and were supposed to have Paella, but due to over-feeding on the Tapas and how late the night got, they sent me home with a portion and that's on tap for lunch today.

3. Other than the meal, do you have any Thanksgiving customs that you observe every year?

I am a loyal Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade watcher.

4. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a major Christmas shopping day by most US retailers. Do you go out bargain hunting and shop ‘till you drop, or do you stay indoors with the blinds closed? Or something in between?

I guess this is in-between...I generally dislike shopping, so I don't go near a store, but will check out the websites of favorite retailers and take advantage of any on-line sales.

5. Let the HOLIDAY SEASON commence! When will your Christmas decorations go up?

My Christmas decorations are packed away in the storage pod, so I'm unlikely to put up any this year. I do need to find the makings for an Advent wreath this week, however.

giving thanks

In the midst of all of this waiting, I have tried to continue to remind myself of the things that I have to be thankful for, and since today is the day, a partial list:

• family and friends who have been supportive, patient, encouraging and sympathetic; 
• a place to live; 
• work to pay for that place - and work that I enjoy, for the most part - work that is enjoyable, challenging and that provides space for me to learn things that will be helpful for my future life; 
• knowing that I have places to go if this situation no longer is do-able.

It has been a long haul, and only promises to continue. The CA congregation won't likely make a decision until January, the other congregation won't even vote on the new budget (with my salary) until early February. So, I continue to wait, and repeat the mantra "we'll see what happens." 

I hope Thanksgiving is a time of friends, family and fabulous food for all! I'm having a non-traditional meal of Spanish food, but with wonderful, fun, and generous friends, so what could be better?!

confusion and chaos

The long silence in blogging isn't indicative of much, other than the fact that I haven't been sure how to talk about some of what's been happening. So, I'll do a kind of bulleted update:

• On the call front: I supplied at an area congregation and the call committee from the church I'm in process with made the trek to attend the service. I've supplied at this small church before, so they know me and it is a mutually-affectionate relationship. That definitely helped, as it didn't feel like an audition at all, even though the call committee was there. They interview one other candidate, and I'm waiting to hear from the call committee chair about time table for the rest of this process.
• On the further call front: I had a phone call from a pastor that I have known for a couple of years. The congregation he serves is growing, albeit slowly, but they are at the point where they need to staff for growth, so they are adding an associate pastor to their staff - beginning probably in the late winter, early spring. We are going to talk tomorrow in more detail, but I'm the only name they are considering right now, so I need to be in serious discernment about this congregation, the location and the ministry...it is my call or not?
• On the academic front: I'm working again on my thesis. Slowly, but surely, I'm making progress - yay me! Maybe I can actually get this thing done by the next deadline! I'm continuing to do the TA gig for two classes, and I enjoy that. I never would have guessed that I'd be here all semester, but I'll be seeing these classes through to the end. I'm very thankful that I'm doing work that I enjoy, so I'm trying to not complain too much!
  
• On the life front: I continue to be thankful for friends close and far - the encouragement, the compassion during the whining, and the laughter have all been appreciated.
  

So...that's the brief update on things. Maybe now that these things are "out there" I won't be so reticent to give updates...the second call process came out of the blue and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and figure out what I think about it all. Updates will be made...I promise.