Jet lag is a beeotch

It's 7:15 and I've already been up for over an hour. I went to bed around 8:30 last night. Time zones are from the devil. So why not make the best of the situation and blog, right?

FYI, my classes for this upcoming semester are as follows:

• First Year Practicum II (meeting with the same leader and group as last semester but with a different format)
• New Testament Genre
• Marriage and Family
• History and Therapeutic Perspectives

Another FYI, I got straight A's in my first semester of grad school - HUZZAH! (Well, two A-minuses but who's counting? You better not be...) Below are a couple of pictures I took from the all-nighter that my roomies and I pulled before our last papers were due:

The picnic that Dana and I set up in my room

The healthy snacks we made to keep us awake (accompanied by several cups of coffee and, later, cereal): apples, cheese, and bananas. Yum!

I am certainly starting off this semester (and this year) with high hopes. High hopes for continued good grades, for keeping my sanity, for learning to better communicate long-distance (especially with T), and for more joy. After all, I am getting married this year!!! You should look at our wedding website - it's coming along: http://kelseyandt.com/

I'm starting this year off feeling encouraged. T and I had a wonderful meeting with our pastor over the Christmas holidays that was really affirming and reassuring. He pointed out that we have come over such a difficult mountain in our relationship because of how difficult graduate school is for the student and how it can take such a toll on a relationship. Tim told us that during his seminary years, he was astounded at the amount of couples that broke up during their first semester of classes. So, it felt really good to actually hear someone say, "What you guys are doing is hard - really hard. But you've passed through one of the toughest parts." To hear someone acknowledge our challenges as being great (because they certainly felt that way) was comforting. I feel so much more at peace starting this semester because I know that we have done it once; I feel more prepared and more at ease. But I am certainly counting the days till the wedding!

So, maybe jet-lag isn't such a beeotch. Although I think I'd rather be sleeping right now, I've been able to lay in bed and reflect on what the past semester has meant and what the next one promises to bring. There is no way of knowing much because my expectations for last semester were twisted and reshaped, but just to have the expectation of something great, something hopeful, is enough.