Preparation.

Priority One: people.


over the past two months I have tried to see as many people as possible, here is a brief synopsis

First, my wonderful sister Liz came to visit:
She was grumpy some ;-)



But we had fun and went camping...



Then my brother nate came to see me graduate...


Then off to a beach in south carolina









then to Nashville to see my sister and 'trendy' nephew



then to DC to see the sites with my folks.


With all things considered, I did not do a poor job of getting around, but I regret to say that there were many more people I would have liked to see before leaving. Among them are, anyone who knows me from michigan (I almost made it up!), extended family, and all of my MSW co-patriots one last time.

Priority two: stuff.

I have an internal need to spend as little money as possible. this is what lead me to wear the same pair of dress pants, four days a week, for the last year. Needless to say, that was not going to cut it for the next two years. Therefore my arm was twisted and I have been forced to enter the arena of "shopping". I feel like I am being required to go on a week long shopping spree. While some people may view this as a dream of a lifetime, it ranks just above flossing and cleaning up my dog's pee puddle in the middle of my kitchen floor. Thankfully, this inevitable duty is close to completion. I have a few more "necessities" and then I will be done!


Priority three: mental preparation

While this should probably be higher on my to-do-list, it is not. I have spent some time reflecting on where I am, and where I am going, but it is fair to say that i have had a fair amount of denial about my imminent departure. The more I talk and think about the next stage of my life, the more nervous I am. therefore, waiting till the last minute to cognitively accept what I signed up for months ago seems like a decent alternative.

Summary:

Thus far, I have taken time to see family and do what needs to be done to get myself from here to there. But truly, I will be fine. I know I am following the path God has called me, so that seems like something that is hard to mess up :-) I will be provided for, but I am certainly jealous for prayers, emotional support, and mail!!! (I will find my new address and post it here at a later date.) Blessings to all.

peace,

tim.