Hey Ya'll

So yeah, it has been a while since I last posted here.  I had a wondrous vacation in So-cal and Idaho after Christmas, when I got to see a bunch of Franciscans and varied and sundry other friends. I got offered a job in LA, but found that God was calling me to stay right where I am.  I think I am beginning to  understand that a bit more, because like my dorm rooms and my apartment, my house is becoming a hub for people to hang out, and I can see that God is using that.

I just started working on my masters in counseling.  It is rather intimidating, but I think it will be really good for me, both to learn the subject, and to learn the discipline necessary to succeed in this program.

I really was hoping to write more in this post, but my sleep deprivation is catching up with me, so I suppose I should sign off before I start typing gibberish.  Farewell  *_*zzzzzzzz

(oh yeah, I should probably say who this is....)
~Sarah <3

The Proverbial Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year friends!

It was such a delight to get to visit with some of you (Ellene, Nicole and Rachael) during my break between fall and winter quarters. Biola will always be home to me and Francis will always be family to me.

Christmas was a much needed break from school. I got to spend several days with Brett and his family and then I spent the remainder of my break with my family. I attended Ellene’s graduation with Rachael and Nicole (Melanie I wish we had seen you too!) just before the break got hectic. My family and I took a wonderful vacation to San Diego just in time for the rain to start, though by the last day we had beautiful weather. Also, we visited my Grandma in Blythe,CA on Christmas day and celebrated Christmas as a family on the 26^th. Brett visited me and my family for several days after Christmas, and I spent some time with other friends I hadn’t seen in awhile, including Miss Kate. Before I knew it, the three weeks was over and I had to come back to Riverside.

My dad is still teaching at Fullerton Community College and the occasional class at Biola. He is soon to be included in a lunch gathering with Dr. Corey where there will be a discussion of the construction of the new science building in the near future!! My mom is still the secretary for the Sociology department at Biola and her office is right next to the construction site for Talbot, so she gets to daily see the progress. My brother is of course still at Biola and looking into internship positions for this summer. The one he is most interested in would focus on nanotechnology and quantum computing. My sister is applying for colleges and Biola/Torrey is her top pick. Her senior year has proved to be more work than fun and she spends most of her time these days doing homework for her various AP classes. Brett is finishing up his applications to graduate programs and law schools and currently living with his family and working. Right now his top choice is law school at UC Irvine and his second choice is the PhD in philosophy at UC Riverside.

Living and going to school here in Riverside has definitely had its ups and downs. The ups: getting to teach general chemistry, and making friends and going to church with Patrick and Karen Schact who are Torrey grads and live in the area. The downs: being away from family and friends, the difficulty of my classes and learning how to live on my own. 

My roommate is never here and I spent much of my time alone last quarter. Making friends out here is taking time, especially since there are fewer people with whom I share values. Still, I am fortunate to be near enough to my family and to Brett that not a week goes by when I don’t see one or the other and God has been providing comfort despite the loneliness. The best thing that has come out of being here is realizing how much support I have from family and friends and being able to see so clearly that God is taking care of me. The Schact's in particular have been a blessing. They not only invited me to join their church but also their weekly bible study. I also made a few friends through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship who make me feel like I'm still at Biola because where do they hang out? The coffee shop.

Fall quarter took me to my absolute limits academically. Passing graduate classes requires a B or better and I passed one class with an A- and failed the other with a C+. I was fairly sure I was going to fail both classes until my final exam saved my grade. Fortunately, keeping my TA position and salary only requires a 3.0 gpa and I was able to stay at UCR. Winter quarter has so far been much smoother and though I am still getting acclimated, I have high hopes that it will be much more manageable from here on out. I love the teaching aspect most of all. I teach four classes per week and am further convinced by my experience here that I am on the right career path.

I miss you all and hope to talk to each of you soon, whether in person, on the phone or by email. I hope you are all doing well.

Fondly,

Lydia

p.s. Book I’m reading right now: Orthodoxy. That is going to have to be a whole post by itself.

p.p.s. When I’m done, I’m starting over on The Chronicles of Narnia. Brett gave them to me as a Christmas present this year.