changes

alrighty then, folks, here is my first ever blog from north dakota! well, perhaps i should be writing that it’s the first blog i’m writing while in mcville, my new parsonage, my first call, my first home that does not have a one-year limit (seriously, i’ve been basically moving at least once every year for the past 8 9 years back and forth from my parents house to school housing)…

(i even checked my blogging history to make sure…and i found one post from my other blog, which i’m not counting since this is a different blog and i’m not blogging from a hotel room…so there!)

i moved up here yesterday. my parents (who are completely awesome) drove up to st paul super early, helped load the truck (with some help from Grant…thanks, friend! i hope the mangos tasted good), drove to north dakota thru a torrential downpour (seriously, and i was driving a moving truck, and it was during the part of road construction where we were on the interstate and down to one lane), helped unload everything (i only carried my purse and computer into the house thanks to all those who showed up to help!), and then took pics of me by the sign with my name on it in front of the church and by the back door of my new house before taking off back to sd.

most of my stuff was put in the house (i kept a few things back in the garage for the time being). this means that i’m currently sorting through where everything was placed. it’s like a treasure hunt since it’s both fun (i figured out where in the basement my laundry chute drops clothes) and frustrating (like having no idea where the wireless router went).

my 7 new congregations each put together a gift for me. the idea was gift baskets and cards/certificates to help me stock different rooms in the house. so i have new hand towels, lots of soap and cleaning supplies ranging from laundry detergent to hand soap to all-purpose kitchen cleaner to windex), some new hampers (which will be awesome to store on every level of the house and means i can actually sort clothes as they get dirty), some new office supplies, new john deere hat (the card was hysterical as they informed me that they could have gotten red but instead chose green for me since they’re all about the green), food (really cute packages of sugar and flour and the little cereal boxes). i was also given gift certificates to various grocery stores and restaurants to help feed me.

but the move to my new house (i have a three-level parsonage with 4 bedrooms, 3 of which are going to be used as bedrooms) was not the only change.

because i have a job that starts tomorrow. i’m a pastor. want proof? my name is on the church’s sign (i’ll get a pic eventually for the blog).

and today i was getting emails about various parts of the job.

which means that i’m not only thinking of what i need for the house (groceries, furniture, etc) but also what times i want for my office hours, whether i want the alternate text for sunday, being informed about an upcoming funeral, etc.

and of course, all this is taking place while i’m watching people take walks on the street in front of my house and while a gentleman mowed my lawn.

oh, and i have a new email for all my pastor-y correspondence. i figured it would be easier for people to type pastorkaraw rather than my whole name…

• Posted in: randomness