i have not died!

it's been a while. i know.

it's been busy...

here are things that have been going on over here in the past three weeks:

matt's acceptances to law schools have been overwhelming. this weekend, we're flying to chicago to visit two of them, after having visited one last weekend, and another the weekend before that. it's funny - on some level, we thought that rejections and lack of funds would help him make his decision. but right now, he's been accepted to six schools, with definitey (and plentious!) money given by FIVE of them. crazy. and very nice.

my parents visited last weekend and part of last week. yay!!! :) i'm always happy to be with my family. we did the usual things (hoagie haven, the record exchange, the PTS and Princeton University bookstores), and a couple unusual things (they came with to the New Jersey Synod's Conference on Congregational Ministries, at which I was presenting a workshop, they came to class with me, we bought new hubcaps for my car), and we ate a TON of tasty food. i'm excited that i get to see them again this weekend, and that i get to see them shortly after that for graduation.

ahhhh yes...that's another thing. it has just recently hit me that i am less than three weeks away from being finished with classes. that means that i am getting ridiculously close to graduation. it doesn't seem real at all. on some level, it sort of feels like you're supposed to just stay at seminary forever - i'm certainly feeling as if after three years i STILL don't know nearly enough to be a pastor and a theologian. and it hasn't quite sunk in that when i walk at graduation, i will be wearing a graduate hood...that i'm getting a graduate degree...it makes me feel old.

by the way, it is april 5th, and it was in the upper sixties for most of the past week. and right now, at 11:28am, it's SNOWING outside. and i'm wearing flip-flops. because it was just gray and rainy this morning, with no hint of forthcoming snow. happy spring?

theologically speaking, there have been a few things going on for me. first of all, in the past three weeks, i have finally managed to aquire for myself an adequate theology of the resurrection (thank you N.T. Wright). i have also been able to do a lot of thinking and discussing the importance and involvement of the holy spirit in the life of the Christian and in the life of the world itself. finally, on a completely non-systematic note, i have been doing a lot of research and thinking for my field ed. on the topic of immigration and theology. hopefully i will post something about that soon, especially with all of the noise in the U.S. senate right now on the issue.

other than that, it's been normal homework and papers, trying to keep the apartment clean in the midst of my schoolwork, and really really enjoying hanging out with matt.

state of melisa's life right now: very good. :)