Life in the Girls’ Dorm

It was on one of the hottest days of the entire year of 2006 that my wife and I packed a small U-haul and left everything that made us comfortable behind; our friends, our family, our house, and our beloved little dog (Lucille 3)  to follow a dream. It was a difficult decision to make and the execution proved infinitely more difficult. So for the last two years we have lived in Chicago as I pursued a Master’s degree in Christian History.

These two years have been the hardest of our young marriage. We’ve struggled finding ourselves in this new world. We’ve faced tragedy unlike anything we’ve had to face yet as husband and wife; some of which we have yet to digest. We have cried. We have wept. We have doubted ourselves and our resolve to see this through.

But we never doubted the other. I have always known of my wife’s unfaltering selflessness. She is a profoundly beautiful example of God’s redeeming grace; a life rescued so that others might be blessed. And though I have doubted my abilities, my wife never did. She has been a constant source of support and encouragement.

This is not to say that there has been no joy in our lives in the last two years. We have made wonderful new friends. We have made many, many fond memories in this maddening city. We have, as we have always done, laughed a lot… a whole lot. But it has been difficult.  And through it all, my wife has stood by me; faithfully and proudly. I love her.

This for her. This if for my beautiful wife…

I have been going non-stop for a while now and it’s starting to wear me down. Much of my stress has been due to the looming monstrosity that is my Comprehensive Exam. Well, we’re under 24 hours now until it begins and I’m just ready for it to be over. After that I have two more research papers, two more book reviews, and that is about it. I am so ready to be done with all of this business/busyness. I’m ready to do some reading of my own choosing. Some reading that I won’t be tested on. Some reading that I won’t have to right a review on. Some reading that I don’t need to include in a research paper. So as a child waits for Christmas morning, I wait until I’m free from the bondage of Academia. I’m pretty sure I’ll miss it all after a while. But as of right now, I’m tired.

I was staring longingly at my bookshelf last night and I got really excited. The anticipation of emancipation gave me a boost of energy. So I’m making a plan for when I am finished. As of right now this is what May holds in store for me…

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson

2. What is the What — Dave Eggers

3. Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places — Eugene Peterson

4. The Good Earth — Pearl S. Buck

5. The Metaphysical Club — Louis Menand

Any other suggestions?

I just returned from turning in my final paper of the semester. Though it was a difficult semester, I learned a lot, loved doing it, and can’t wait to start again in the fall. I have a summer class in the middle of July, but will enjoy the next couple of months.

I will celebrate my completion by watching Futbol this afternoon. Manchester United is my best hope since Chelsea went down yesterday.

Abbey and I will begin talking soon about our summer plans, outside of the already planned family vacations. I hope that it will include some time in Des Moines. There are some people there that I love.

But for now, I have to go paint my chest red and black and practice my Rooney-esque knee slides across the carpet.

Peace.

Brandon had his first day of class on Monday. We took a picture to remember the day. Since his first day of class he has been reading and reading……and reading. I believe that I may have lost my huband until sometime in May.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on how things are going for me here in Chi-town. Abe told me I needed to start pulling my own weight around this blog. So here’s 3 things to help get you up to speed.

1. Start class tomorrow — eeeeeeeek, I’m nervous! Abe said she would take my picture on the stairs to commemorate my first day of school. I promised her that I would tight-roll my pants and possibly even wear a silk shirt for old-times-sake.

2. New MacBook — It’s pretty sweet. My plan will be (when it’s all figured out) to record all of my lectures. This might also be the beginning of podcasting, maybe even video podcasting for yours truly.

3. New Music — I’ve been hanging on to some iTunes gift cards since my going away party from Valley Church. So tonight I dropped 70 bones worth and got the following, in no particular order:

Damien Rice - 9
Over the Rhine - Drunkard’s Prayer
Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites
Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Pedro the Lion - The Only Reason I Feel Secure (***Contains their version of Be Thou My Vision–My favorite band of all time playing one of my favorite songs of all time!!)