ahhh week 7--stress, some great news, and a fun event!

This is always one of my least favorite weeks of the quarter. There are 10 weeks in a quarter here, and right around week 7 (which we are just finishing up today) I always realize just how much work I have left to do between now and the end of the quarter. And it's always a little depressing and a lot overwhelming! Here's what I will be doing between now and when our plane takes off on Friday Dec. 12--not that any of you care, but I like making lists :)

• 1 5-page reflection paper on one of the most depressing documentary I've ever seen. It's called Juvies, and is about the juvenile "justice" system (I put "justice" in quotes because after watching this video you will become convinced that there is absolutely NO justice present in the system...it is apalling)
• 10-page Ethics paper on a topic dealing with the ethics of marriage or sexuality.
• Ethics take home final (have no idea how many pages this will end up being yet...)
• 2 book reviews on books I haven't opened yet
• 1 research paper on a topic pertaining to Islam...no idea what topic I want to look at yet.
• 74 response papers on a book to grade for the Intro to Youth Min class
• 74 final exams to grade
• 74 final projects to start grading (those won't be done til January)
• random wedding stuff that has to happen before Christmas (like finding my shoes, so I can wear them to my dress fitting, tracking down addresses of people we're sending invitations to, registering for gifts and a few other random tasks)
• Christmas shopping

Anyone else overwhelmed? :) I'll survive, it always do, but I hate hitting this point in the quarter and realizing how much there is left standing between me and vacation.

BUT, I did get some amazing news this week! My cousin is getting married in June and she asked ME to do her ceremony! I am so incredibly excited and honored to have been asked, it really was the high point of my week!

Also, last night was our friend Susan's commissioning as a member of Mosaic (the church Chuck has been plugged in to). To become a member they have a service once a month where they commission people into the community, and celebrate communion together. The presbyterian in me struggles sometimes with the way communion is celebrated here (it's a Baptist church, with a very different understanding of the sacraments than I have) but over time as I've attended this service (called Elements) I can appreciate what they are doing. And I love the idea of a service to commission new members. So Susan was commissioned last night and here are a few photos:

Susan being prayed for A big group of her (our) small group friends--part of our current small group and a lot of people from her former small groups.Grace holding Tom and Maggie's baby ToriWendy, Chuck, me, Joyce