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Well friends, soon a blog change will be coming, its true. Some of you have asked. :) The new blog is not in effect yet, but will be "tiff's life now" instead of "tiff's life in...." - it was just too hard with my apparent geographical ADD to keep on switching them when I moved. The new blog will be up and running soon - I just want to make it look perfect while I have time.

Today my mom and I went to Ikea. We went to the mall yesterday. We are on a fact finding mission to see what kind of decorating I want to do in the new studio apartment. I am officially approved for a studio in on campus housing. Its little.... less than 400 sq. ft., but I'm excited. I've attached some pics here of what we saw today that may come in handy.

I love Ikea. Although the store in Phoenix doesn't have the model apartments that are really small (in Round Rock, TX, they have these great little apartments (700 and 400 feet square) that help you see how you can live well in that space. We still managed to find some great ideas, and hopefully won't have to spend too much to make it work.

I'm going to get a loft bed, because I can put my desk below it. Its silver, so it goes with my desk. We saw it in person today with a little desktop addition (which looked like my actual desk) and a computer on it, and it looked really good! Yay!

The table below attaches to a wall, and then folds out. I didn't post that pic, but you get the idea - it is a great space saver!Lastly, for now, I am going to hang a wire and hang a sheer-ish panel from it, on hooks, so that I can have a "bedroom" when I want to, and separate my office and bedroom from the little living space. Its mostly visual, but I am almost more excited about this part than the bed (and I'm really happy about the bed, because I wasn't sure how I was going to use my space effectively. The first picture below is the hardward for the curtain. Then one of the examples of a curtain we liked is below that.

OK, its late. I'm going to bed! Good night!

p.s. I'll post the floor plan of the "example" apartment, soon, too. :)

Graduation Week #2

Here is the second mini photo album of graduation photos. These are all taken on graduation day! :)

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end

Just under two years ago I sold over 1/2 my stuff at an amazing, God-blessed garage sale, and traveled to Waco, Tx to begin my master's study. My mom came with me and we packed my little tan protege to the gills, and some friends who were moving to San Antonio let me piggy back some of my stuff on their truck - so that I could have a bed, etc. I didn't know my roommate, Sarah, we had spoken about three times on the phone and that was it. I just knew I would be able to see the Fergasons more often and that Sarah and I seemed compatible.

Now here I am again. My furniture is packed in the truck. I'm sleeping on a mattress on the floor, on a sleeping bag. I'm about to make a long drive tomorrow, and I don't really know what the future holds for me. Its all speculation and expectation.

So I have a few quote for me, and for my friends who read this blog. As encouragement.

The first is a paraphrase of Thomas Campbell: "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to leave"

I like to think that its better to say "see you later" or, as the hymn says, "God be with you till we meet again" - there is something good about expectation and knowing that there will be a time when we will meet again... even if that time is not until we get to heaven. There is a time coming. We will remember each other.

The last is a quote from a carving on the Pacific Coast Trail. It's one that i love, but that I had forgotten in my mind. My heart had not forgotten it though, and when Matt discovered it in my high school creative writing manuscript, I felt like it was right for this time in my life, again.
It is a quote by Rene Daumal:
"You cannot stay on the summit forever; You have to come down again; So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know."

This experience has sometimes been summit, sometimes valley, and it has often been work - climbing to either location. I am grateful for knowing that I have a God who walks beside me; I am grateful for knowing that even as our journey is individual, we have companions who walk along with us at different points. I am grateful for the reminder that I can still conduct myself in light of the experience here at Baylor. And I intend to do so.

I love Baylor. Thanks for all the great memories, Waco. Despite what I thought at the beginning... I will miss you.

Graduation Week #1

Hi Friends,

Here is the first group of pictures from my last week in Waco. Some friends and I went to a Rangers game on Wednesday, on Thursday my family and Sarah's went to dinner together, and then on Friday we had our "hooding ceremony."

More pics to come!

Love, Tiff

Today's the day!!!

Its getting sad around here. We packed for a number of hours yesterday and my stuff is mostly packed, but not totally. We are going to pack again today. Last night Sarah's parents came into town for graduation and our families had dinner together at Ninfa's. It was the first time they had met and it was really fun. Even more fun, the staff of my church (including David Crowder and his wife) showed up and as we left, Barb went and got a pic with David - it made her day! :)

Sarah's hooding "Convocation" is this afternoon, and my hooding and dinner celebration is this evening. My aunts leave Seattle in about 20 minutes and will get to Waco by 4-ish.

I am working on our gifts for the faculty and trying to figure out what we really have left to do today. Its hard to pack and know we aren't putting it into the trailer for two more days. Its also hard because some of it is going into the house in Phx, and the rest into storage, but in storage its in two categories - UCLA, and long-term. Yuk.

Ok, this post feels kind of boring, but informative. Pray for us as we pack and enjoy family and say good bye. I'll post again, probably when I'm back in Phx.

Cohort Photos

Also, we had a "cohort photo shoot" a couple weeks ago - here are some of the results. We are giving one of the pics to our professors at our hooding ceremony. :)

me and my friend, Candice.

the girls of the 2008 cohort - i love this pic!

my study group - we've been together for two years and are pretty glad about it!

"Sing!" faces.... this is the photo we are giving to our professors. :)

Goodbyes (part 2)

God provides in a timely manner. I think that means that just when you need it, it is provided. That has happened a few times for me lately. Additionally, God provides generally. Which I think means that when He is behind the provision, your mind will be blown. This has also happened to me a lot recently.
For graduation, my friends John and Karen gave me a new car. They gave me the last car (blue saturn, pictured here) but were afraid it wasn't going to make it to LA, so they prayed specifically for a car in good shape with low miles (60k), and that was inexpensive (under $2,500). And the Lord provided. I am now the proud owner of a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera, and I am really excited about it. (see picture here).
They couldn't bring it to me when they came up for their visit, because it needed to get some work done, so John and I (and Andi and Jared) met today in Austin to do a "car swap" - it was really fun to spend a bit of time with them, and get to hear the stories of this car. The Lord's generousity continues to amaze me, especially when I see it in my friends. I want to evidence that kind of giving in my life, too.
Some other friends of mine recently gave me a gift for graduation, and that gift will perfectly cover my rent for June and July (I leave in May, but still have to pay my 1/2 of the lease). I was nervous about how I was going to afford it, but it was really neat to see God's provision through their gift. Again, I want to evidence this kind of giving in my life.
So, after a marathon of updates, I am headed to bed. I need to get up in the AM and write like crazy, so I can be done with this paper! See pics and captions below of car experience!

The old car, which Sarah named "Jasper" - it had some flaws, but it was a great car for two years! And it was free, so I was doubly grateful. :)

John and Jared at the Starbucks. J just turned 6 and he's kind of a stinker whenever cameras are around. Actually... he's been that way since he was little - he loves to be funny.

Me and my peaches. I can't believe I'm going to be gone for a while and miss seeing her!

The new car! It is a little "pimpin'" but great! Its dark wine colored, with maroon interior. Its a LOT bigger than the old car, which is great as I prepare to move. :) Right now I'm calling her the "Red Raider" but I might let Sarah name her if I decide I don't like it. For now... I do. It reminds me of the Protege, which the football guys called the "Brown Bomber"

I called up some friends and said, "let me pick you up in my new wheels and we'll go have ice cream!" Here we are afterward, posing with the new auto. Hooray!

Goodbyes (part 1)

The Fergasons came up to Waco to celebrate mine and Sarah's graduations. It was so fun to have them here. I got to tour them around campus and show them where I take classes and where I work. We also went to the Bear Habitat, where Lady was just coming in from her walk and so we go to see her go into her side for a little, then open the gate with her nose and head in for a nap with her sister, Joy, who was already asleep in her den.

I thought this picture was really amusing, because trying to get all three of these kids to smile at the same time is like trying to herd cats.

Here are Andilyn and I at Chili's in Waco, for our big graduation dinner. John and Karen treated us, and they got to meet Myles, Sarah's boyfriend. This was a really fun time. Also, John regaled me with the story of my new car (see next post) and why it didn't make the trip to Waco with the family. That night the kids stayed overnight at our apartment (all except little Drex, who stayed with mom and dad at the Super 8). They stayed in Sarah's room, which was a great boon for me. :) We stayed up late watching Jonah: the Veggietales Movie, and had biscuits for breakfast. Then the family went with me to UBC, which was fun. Afterward, we had hoped to picnic in Cameron park, but the weather was bad, so we relaxed at the apartment instead. It was a great weekend.

Later, we all said goodbye, and I started crying, then we all started crying. Even knowing that we were going to see each other soon, and knowing that I might even get to visit in the summer, was not enough to make us forget that this season of being so close together, of getting to be a part of the lives of the kids on a regular basis, etc, was coming to an end. It has been a great two years in that respect. John and Karen's home has been a place of respite and safety for me as I struggled in this community and with the workload. I am grateful for their love and hospitality, for the same from Dorothy and Nick, who often felt like back up parents since mine were far away, and for the friendships I made in San Antonio over these last two years. I will look forward to my future visits.

While the formal cohort goodbyes are coming this Friday, this is a photo from our "Cohort Hootenany" - our last official Cohort party. It was both fun and bittersweet to be celebrating one last time with this group of friends. I look forward to our future times together at conferences and reunions.

Brief update: One week till graduation!

Its been crazy times, and I'm falling into old habits of not updating. I think I'll need to set a goal for myself of updating once per week from now until September (when I will likely get a new blog because of my new location...). That would be better, I figure, for those of you who might still be reading this blog - despite its lack of postings this year.

(here's what really weird, though, I thought I had posted once since the last post.... don't know where that post went)

Well, its one week until graduation officially.

In the last month or so, I have not only made a few major life decisions, but also completed (virtually) all of my coursework to make me a "Master." :) For our Capstone course, we each had to give a 30-minute presentation response to a case study (that was provided to us earlier this semester) and then be prepared to answer about 15 minutes of direct questioning. If I can get my presentation to post, then I will put it on the site. In the meantime, its enough to know that it was about free speech, sexual harassment and use of pornography on state university computers. I was really proud of the presentation I put together; I thought it turned out really well and though the question portion was difficult, I felt good about it all.

In fact... it so happened that our entire cohort passed their cases on the FIRST TRY! It is the first time this has happened since the program started doing case study finals and so we were really proud of the entire group! There was a ton of celebrating that night. :)

After that, we had two finals and one (optional) paper. Our Law final was in two parts - the first was a grueling vocabulary test where I handwrote almost eight complete pages of definitions to 40 law terms. The second part happened last Tuesday and it was about 50 true/false questions and then we had to choose 10 of 13 cases and write about them, including: principals, major issue, ultimate decision of the court, and implications for higher ed. administrators. That was another almost 10 full pages of writing - yikes!

The next day was our Stats final. We had a few really fun study sessions, including one in the library that was really productive. The test was still pretty hard, but it all turned out OK, I finished the final feeling pretty confident. Ultimately, I ended up with an A in Statistics, which is C-R-A-Z-Y!!!! WOOHOO!! Back at the midterm, when I couldn't figure out probability and thought I would never understand what we were doing in stats, I would never have thought an A was possible. I'm pretty happy. :)

So, I could be done right now as we speak... but I'm not because I decided to complete the optional Law paper. In order to get an A in Law, we have to write a research paper on an issue in higher education with legal implications. I am writing on spirituality and the growing emphasis in higher ed, and the possible legal ramifications. Right now I'm almost half way through this little paper. I'm hoping to have it finished by tomorrow! Then I'll be done for the school year!

I've had to work a little bit this week, while serving on a search committee for a Coordinator position in my office. I'll work on Monday from about 8:45 - 4pm and then go to a lunch at my office on Tuesday. That will be my last days.

There are a lot of endings these days. A lot of goodbyes. Frank Shushok always reminds us that "Every entry is an exit" or to put it as the song goes "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." I love beginnings, and so I don't mind endings, but it is sure hard to say goodbye to good friends and good experiences.

In the next post I'll put up a couple pics and some notes about recent goodbyes. :)