Another Grad School Update

Lots has happened since my last blog post, so it’s time for another update. At this point, we have heard back from eight schools, five of which have offered us admission.

1) The five acceptances are: Fordham, Villanova, Catholic University of America, St. Louis, and Calvin Theological Seminary. The first three of those are philosophy programs, and the last two are theology programs.

2) The three rejections are: Princeton, Yale, and Chicago Div School

3) We are still waiting to hear from: Marquette and University of Toronto

First Rejection

Got a “no” from Princeton. Not a terrible surprise, really - they did not have many people doing what I am interested in. My statement of purpose did try to connect my research interests with those of the department, but the connection was slight, and I applied somewhat on a whim. Too, a good friend of mine applied there unsuccessfully last year and was told off the record that politics were the determining factor. My friend and I are very similar politically and our CVs would show it, so the same issues may have affected me.

It would have been nice to remain close to this area, but that chance still exists with Villanova. Meanwhile, no word back from the other places, no word on funding details, and no special leanings among the acceptances. I’ll keep you posted.

Summertime/Wintertime

With three to five inches of beautiful white snow on the ground, we’ve finally gotten that nice winter precip I’ve been waiting for.  So today is a welcome work-from-home in my pj’s day.

Meanwhile, in the Lone Star State where the sun shines bright, Porgy and Bess opens tonight and John Victor Allen will make his Dallas Opera debut.  In the role of The Detective, he won’t be singing “Summertime,” but he will be making his big sis more than proud.

You can read a great story about Victor’s acting career that our hometown newspaper recently ran here.

Break a leg tonight, Vic!

Sweet Victory, Thank You Lord

Faithful readers of our blog may remember this post from about a year ago. The statement at the end where I emphasize that we are not giving up is proved true by the post below announcing that the long process of reapplication is finished. And now I am pleased to be able to write that I got “unofficial” word back this week that Fordham University in New York City will be admitting me to their PhD program with funding.

Done!

I’m pleased to announce that as of the end of last week, I am officially finished with all my graduate school applications. When one includes the time spent last summer researching where to apply and the time spent in the Fall doing campus visits, being “done” culminates a process that has been going on for over six months.

The roster is as follows: 

1) Theology/Religion Programs: Chicago Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Yale, St Louis, Marquette, and Calvin Theological Seminary.

2) Philosophy Programs: Toronto, Fordham, Catholic University of America, and Villanova.

I will post news as it comes in, but the earliest I can expect to hear anything is mid-March. In the meantime, please remember us in prayer; for each school there will probably be at least one hundred fifty qualified applicants and less than ten slots. The competition is intense and very political. I am hoping to make one or two more campus visits to some of the closer schools, but beyond that matters are largely out of my hands. I value your prayers as Rachel and I try to be still and trust in the Lord.   

Happy Christmas Greetings!

Well, our Christmas cards will arrive on a day other than the first day of Christmas this year. Apologies for the belated greetings. We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs and ebleskivers this morning, opened presents and have been lounging in our jammies ever since. I hope everyone is having a truly delightful Christmas Day.

Christmas Feasting

It is so nice to be in my own (humble) home for Christmas this year, as much as we miss our extended family.  I must admit that it has been a real pleasure to plan my own menu for Christmas dinner for the first time in my 29 years and 4 years of marriage.

Sarah and I enjoyed looking through cookbooks and finding scrumptious but do-able dishes for our Christmas Eve feast.  We built it around the gift certificate she had received for a Honey Baked Ham (Thank you, Covenant College!).  Since we don’t have to cook a big bird, we can spend some more time on the sides. Head on over to my recipe blog for more details.

Appetizers/First Course
Proscuitto-Topped Mushrooms
Wild Field Green Salad

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream

Second Course
Honey-Baked Ham

Scalloped potatoes with goat cheese and herbes de Provence
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts
Cracked Pepper Biscuits with Honey mustard butter

Dessert
Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Tea or Homemade Cocoa

Half Way Done

My applications to Chicago, Princeton, Yale, Toronto, and Fordham are complete and in the mail (or, since much of them were submitted online, in cyberspace). Five more to go, but since they are not due till February, I will deal with them in January.

 Meanwhile, Sarah is here for Christmas, and we are so excited to have her!

 More after the holiday. Love to everyone.

Rice Orchards Thanksgiving

We had a lovely, relaxing vacation with the Withrows and the Rice families at Mindy’s girlhood home, Rice Orchards, in Northwood Ohio. Here is a fun little breakdown of our trip, by the numbers, with apologies for a few inside jokes:

days: 3 1/2

nights: 4 (if you count arriving at 3 am as one “night”)

miles traveled: 1000

Average daily temperature: 36

mornings we woke to an alarm clock: 0

seats at the Rice family table: 24

children under the age of seven: 11

number of turkeys consumed: 2

bookstores visited: 4

new books acquired: 2

books added to wishlist: 21 (9 for Rachel, 12 for Mike)

cups of coffee consumed (best guess): 21

conversations about Einstein, wormholes, and the speed of light: 3

James Bond debates (misogynistc, lackluster writing vs. genre-specific fun?): 1

Elf viewings: 2

Museum viewings: 1

Man Cave viewings: 1 (this is Mindy’s dad’s smoking room upstairs in the barn)

Walks in the orchard: 1 (see average daily temperature, above)

car accidents on the way home: 1

car accidents on the way home that were our fault: 0

The Crowning of St. Catherine
Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640
Toledo Museum of Art

 

Thanks again to our dear friends for a lovely holiday. Hope you and yours had an enjoyable weekend with much to be thankful for as well.

–Photography courtesy of Brandon Withrow.

colors/cozy/cat/computer/cooking/cuppas

Life continues to be unusually busy here in Vendsel-land. This week we are planning to journey to the great state of Ohio for some highly anticipated R&R with the Withrows. I am sure that pumpkin pie, turkey, stuffing, coffee, bookstores, and conversation will abound in a great abundance commensurate with the harvest holiday.

Philadelphia has seen some spectacular fall foliage this month. The colors on my daily commute are stunning: every shade of red and orange and yellow. This morning on our way to church, I took a couple pictures of the trees on the hill across our street:

Mike is likely to be found behind his computer these days - he is working on finishing up all the components of his grad school applications. Such a lot of work! Philo decided to keep him company tonight in what is, apparently to him, a cozy basket, though it looks a bit restrictive, if you ask me.

I have a few new recipes up on my cooking blog, including Giant Ginger Cookies, Tomato Basil Bisque, and Butternut Squash Ravioli in Cider Broth. I love fall cooking!

My new favorite find: Mighty Leaf Tea. This is a truly lovely cuppa with all the flavor of quality loose tea in a bag. The silk tea pouch is similar to Harney and Sons that you see at Barnes and Noble, but Mighty Leaf has different and more creative flavors. My favorite so far is the very fragrant Spring Jasmine Green.