public transport makes me work

So, I went to Chicago last week via megabus, which is a pretty cool set up. The tickets are cheap and they only run between major cities so it goes quickly and there aren't all these stops on the way. Chicago is a neat city. I had fun walking around just checking out downtown and wandering a little to far. I was meeting a friend out in the suburbs for a leadership conference run by Willow Creek church. To make my train I booked it for about a mile in flip flops with my backpacking pack on. By the end I was tired and sweaty, but made my train on time. We cam into Chicago a day or so later and we ended up running that same distance to catch a train and again I was in flip flops, but this time had recently eaten some deep dish Chicago pizza - yikes.

The conference was pretty good. There were the usual ups and downs of stuff I liked and didn't but it was good for me to be there. I'll have to write more about it when I have more time.

We are putting an offer on a house presently and are moving back our time table for CT to mid-September. I'll post tomorrow with some more info but have presently been at the library too long and need to go make dinner.

back then out again

Hillary and I were in Nashville, TN this past weekend and it was a good time. Hillary had lived there 3 years before coming to St. Louis so she has a lot of friends there, many of whom we got to see. We stayed with a couple who had 13mo old twin boys and they were a blast. They don't necessarily talk but just make a lot of noise back and forth. We went to Station Inn and heard some live blue grass, which was a first time for me. The band, Town Mountain, was really good and it was neat to see the amazing banjo and mandolin playing.

Saturday was a low key morning. We went shopping (tax free in TN for weekend) before we had our final fundraising gathering. It was encouraging just to share what we are headed towards and where God is leading us. In working on various details it is easy to loose sight of why God is leading us to CT and what he is calling us to do. Hillary's friends (whom I am getting to know better now) were encouraging as they asked thoughtful questions and prayed for us at the end. We were both glad to have gone down though it was a little sad towards the end as Hillary said goodbye because we're not sure when we'll be back in Nashville.

what to say...

So, it has been a difficult week. I feel like the yo-yo, lots of up and down. I'm more of a stable type of person, yet emotionally I've been all over the place and it is tiring. It is unnerving to know that in 15mins or half an hour I could be in a completely different mood, and as if yet, can't simply control it. Maybe this is what it is like to be more "emotional?" Whatever it is, I hope I get a better feel for how to ride it.

Presently, we are in St. Louis but are headed to Nashville this weekend. I've been back in St. Louis a week and it has been pretty hectic. We've been looking at houses in Hartford and have so far considered three potential houses, one of which we put a contract on, but it didn't work out. Hillary and I both are feeling the weight of so much uncertainty looming before us. Thus, it has been difficult to connect to each other. Sunday afternoon I was up and she was down, while Sunday night I was down and Hillary was up. (almost funny in retrospect)

Writing online is kinda strange knowing anyone can read this. How do you talk about the harder points of life without just complaining or pretending life is fine?

Anyway, here are a few high points:

-this past saturday, Hillary got her hair cut. She had been waiting a while and now it is short, fun, and looks very nice. I don't have any pictures, but it is similar to this haircut, except for Hillary it's more in her face. http://www.natalieportman.com/gallery/mags_2004_marc-hom/4397_G

-I've read a few low key fun books by Jenny Nimmo...

-third, I redpointed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redpoint) a difficult route at the rock climbing gym today.

Zoom, zoom, zoom - kinda

At 12:40 pm I left Hartford, CT in a Ford Focus from Hertz, stopped once for a very fast bathroom break and arrived just in time in Newark Delaware to preach at a church's evening service. I didn't estimate how much NYC traffic would slow me down.

We were in Hartfod house hunting and from our experience homes are wiley, elusive creatures that are difficult to capture. Though the "hunt" was not successful we learned alot about the process (like remember to bring your check book in case you want to make an offer -duh). We almost put a contract on one home but after looking at it the next day with a friend we saw some major flaws (a slanted floor with jacks in the basement - yikes) and decided not to go throug with it. We continued driving around and looked at homes with our realtor but also cruised the neighborhoods on our own looking for "For Sale by Owner" signs. On Sunday morning I left for Newark and Hillary stuck around, meeting with our agent and checking out a home before she flew back to St. Louis. The home she looked at seemed like a really good possibility, but we just found out this afternoon that it is under contract. We've been up and down through the housing search and continue to battle agaist discouragement. It was good to stay with Al and Winnie Baker - pastor and his wife. They were great in listening and encouraging us to stick with the search and trust God's provision. We're not sure if another trip to CT is in the works or if we'll wait till we get there and rent till we find a home, but we are presently considering what will be the best strategy. Pray for us.

Preaching at the evening service of EP (evangelical presbyterian church) went well. I came in right as the music was ending and I heard "well we're waiting for the preacher" and there I was. I was praying on the way down that I would make it in time and I just did. I walked in carrying my suit, computer, and notes to find someone handing me the wireless mic and sending me upfront. So I preaced in my shorts, flip flops, and a short sleave shirt in this big white pretty sanctuary. It went well and I had a lot of fun reconnecting with people in DE. Major kudos go to Hillary for her behind the scenes work in helping me on the sermon. If you're interested they should have the auido online at http://av.epcnewark.org/sermons.html

There's plenty more I could say but this is already a long entry, so I'll leave you with part of the text that I preached on: "And Jesus said to him,''If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'"

cheese, brats, and beer

When I asked what there is in Wisconsin, "cheese, brats, and beer" was the response. While that was a pretty accurate summary (I had cheese curds for the first time - kinda like motzerella sticks) they failed to mention the cool huge windmills.

It was a good trip - we stayed with Josh, Ali, David, Zach, Abby, and Gabe Brumbaugh and also visited a friend of Hillary's from college (Robin and her family). I've known Josh four years now - we started seminary together and now he is the pastor of a church in Evansville. It was neat to see him leading a church and I was encouraged to see God working in and through him. Hillary and I spent time talking with he and Ali and playing with the kids. It was helpful for Hillary to hear from Ali what it is like becoming a pastors wife.

During the weekend I realized that I am not nice to play with. David (their oldest) wanted to play Stratego with me (see picture) and I agreed. In highschool I often had intense matches of Stratego with a close friend and I brought all my stratego skills to bear in this game. After some successful initial moves on David's part (he is 6yrs old) I decimated his forces and lured him into a devestating trap. Needless to say he was really upset and started to cry and then I realized the depth of depravity as I considered my quest for victory and willingness to use ruthless Stratego tatics to beat a six year old. I apologized for not playing nice and eventually things got sorted out, but that was not my greatest moment.

minis, meetings and some mayham

Well, an exciting week continues. Here is one of the pictures of Hillary freaking out because she is inside a Mini Cooper. She had a blast driving it and hopes one day that he dreams will be fulfilled and we will have one of our own.

This Friday we received our fundraising brochures and Sunday night we had our first gathering of people where Hillary and I talked about our vision for ministry in Hartford and our needs as we move in that direction. I feel like things went well and enjoyed the time. We are gearing up for St. Louis gathering #2 tonight and some fundraising opportunities in Wisconsin this weekend. We'll be visiting friends from seminary at a church that Josh is now pastoring. They have four kids who are a blast and have been waking up saying "its only three days till Mr. Jarrett comes." They have three boys and a girl and I know the oldest two boys best. I'm sure there will be lots of wrestling and fun things like that.

This week has been a little strange with both Hillary and I feeling down at different points. It's been hard to put a finger on what it is but just having a hard time with life and the different things we are working on. We're doing better today and looking forward to the weekend but I am amazed how easily feelings and all that stuff can change. I thinking about how I've been feel and my conclusion is that I presently have the stability of a yo-yo, hahaha. We'll update after WI with some fun pictures and stories. Until then...

internet malfeasance and fun on the 4th

I am trying to rent a car through enterprise, but the library I am at never allows me to get to the enterprise website. I'm not sure if it is part of secret plot where the U. City Library is in kahootz with Hertz or Budget rental car companies, but I am considering these other companies since I can't manage to get to Enterprise's site. Hopefully I can access one of those or we may need to pursue other alternatives -->

Despite my travails at the library life has been going well. The fourth of July was fun: we took a ride in a friends Mini Cooper (pictures forthcoming) and Hillary was ecstatic. She loves Mini Coopers and called her Dad tuesday night to tell him and woke him up with her call. He thought something might be wrong because she was agitated, talking fast, and occasionally screaming but she was just excited. On the 4th we also went to a BBQ at a friend's house and then saw Cindy Loper (not sure how to spell her name) perform down by the Arch. I was surprised by how much of a musician she was - I had just assumed she was an 80's rocker with a medium amount of talent, but I was wrong. The fireworks after the concert were spectacular and we got free Mentos as we walked to the Metro.

This week has been pretty full with work and fundraising stuff, but various plans are coming together. Today we should get our brochures - which are pretty cool - and Sunday night we have our first gathering of people to talk about our vision for ministry in Hartford and our needs for going there. Pray for Hillary and I for Sunday night and as we do lots of administrative mailing and phone call type stuff - that we could connect to people.

-J