some quotes from my fb

"teamwork makes the dream work"

"do you love jesus?"-one of my skaters, after hearing that i voted for obama.

"change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. we are the ones we've been waiting for. we are the change we seek"-barack obama

"i've got a phd in horribleness"-dr. horrible's sing-along blog

"my heart is an autoclave"-caitlin

"unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. it's not."-the lorax

"by night we hasten in darkness, to search for living water. only our thirst leads us onward, only our thirst leads us onward..."-taize chant

"preach the gospel. and when necessary, use words"-st. francis of assisi

so be sure when you step. step with care and great tact and remember that life's a great balancing act."-oh, the places you'll go!

"have faith in life. above all else, have faith"-elie wiesel

"life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards"-kierkegaard

"do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." - john wesley

"give love to the ones who can’t love at all. give hope to the ones who got no hope at all. stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all. instead of a show-i hate all your show. instead, let there be a flood of justice. an endless procession of righteous living. instead, let their be a flood of justice. instead of a show. i hate all your show."-jon foreman

“if it’s loving, if it’s just, if it promotes right relationships, and if it scares the hell out of you, it just might be a call from God.”-south african united methodist bishop george irvine

wynne just told me the following: "you have a friend named frisbie and a friend named chaires!"

this is my version of the lord's prayer

This was said in chapel at Drew the other day, and i love it.

our god

in heaven

holy is your name

your kingdom come

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven

give us today our daily bread

and forgive our sins

as we forgive others who sin against us

lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil

for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever.

amen.

did you know it's a census year?

i was talking to a friend today about life, and she reminded me that it's a census year. makes sense, because the last one was in 2000, and they happen every ten years. and she proceeded to tell me that she couldn't believe that it's 2010 already. for a moment, i was like "yeah yeah, 2010". and then i realized, in ten years it will be 2020. that's just weird!

around the new year, i read a lot of blogs where people documented what had happened to them in the last ten years. i can't say that a lot has happened to me in terms of major life changes. yeah, i graduated high school and college, but i'm now back home in the place i've known forever. but to think about the next ten years? i mean, i'm 22 and in ten years i'll be 32. i suppose the next ten years hold some major life changes. let's start with the fact i'm starting grad school tomorrow. and i hope to get married, have some babies, have a career. those are major life changes! it's so weird to think that ten years can hold so many changes in comparison to the time period between 12-22. don't get me wrong, i'm excited, it's just so strange!

meanwhile, i'm starting seminary tomorrow, which is even stranger. i just saw something on the news that it's the one year anniversary of obama's inauguration which also was the day i found out i didn't get teach for america. that was a rough day, and consequently a rough few weeks following that email. i have grown so much in the last year, and i'm so thankful for it. i cried and had my "existential" crisis and had no idea what to do. here i am a year later, starting seminary and with a job that i love. it's amazing what a few short months can do for someone.

it's so strange to think that i'm starting seminary. SEMINARY. with other people who think like me. and don't, i'm sure. i'm going back to SCHOOL. i have to get used to writing papers and taking exams and reading a whole heck of a lot. i'm excited, don't get me wrong :) i love learning, and i love school. i was thinking back to my freshman orientation at bsc, and how i wore tie dye and everyone knew me from then on as "tie-dye" girl. this will be a bit different tomorrow, although i may try really hard to pull off something tie dyed, just for old times sake ;)

i had another friend who posted something on my facebook using the "social interview" thingy. the question was "what is one thing you wish you knew about kaleigh tomich?" her answer?

"how does she hold such a strong, unwavering faith?". i was absolutely touched that someone thinks that about me. i try, and fall short so often. but that's what grace is about, right?

well, those are my life ramblings of the day. i'm not being very productive here at the church, but oh well. i'm just so tired. and have a zillion things running through my mind.

love!

i like.

"there is no use trying," said alice;

"one can't believe impossible things."

"i dare say you haven't had much practice," said the queen. "when i was your age, i always did it for half an hour a day. why, sometimes i've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -lewis carroll

putting things into perspective.

ok. yesterday's post was a rant & rave. sometimes that happens, and if i don't get it out, i explode.

however, it is really sad what has happened in haiti. i am mourning with those who have lost loved ones, or still haven't heard. there is a little girl on one of the skating teams i coach who has family there. her parents still haven't heard from the family. man, does that put things in perspective. let's pray for her and her family. and stand along side with them, and others who haven't heard from loved ones.

in the mean time, i have been SO BUSY the last few days :) i love being busy and having a zillion things to do. hooray!

pat robertson, you infuriate me.

i am angry. and i know i posted a little something on my facebook, but i wasn't going into detail.

pat robertson-you are a JERK. if this wasn't on the internet, i'd post more.

if you don't know what happened, he said that haiti had made a 'pact with the devil'.

you are the reason so many people only see the 'religious right' and want nothing to do with christianity. there are people who think otherwise. smarter people who actually believe that god is loving (WOW WHAT AN IDEA). our god is not a wrathful, hateful god who puts people through situations like this to "teach them a lesson". no, not my god. god loves those who are suffering and suffers with them. he didn't just send jesus to be 'wrathful'. sorry, no way. saying that haiti deserved this is WRONG. it's like the same people who said hurricane katrina was because new orleans is a city of homosexuals. NO. WRONG AGAIN.

that is not my gospel. my gospel is about god helping those on the margins of society. what happened to "loving our neighbor"? the people in haiti are our neighbors. this is NOT justice. justice is helping these people out after this disaster. our god is a god of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. not of wrath and judgment.

ok. that's the end of my rant, i think. thanks for listening.

take this and apply it to the current situation:

Some tell us that following Jesus is a simple matter of inviting him into our hearts. But when we do that, Jesus always asks, "May I bring my friends?" And when we look at them, we see that they are not the kind of company we like to keep. The friends of Jesus are the outcasts, the marginalized, the poor, the homeless, the rejected - the lepers of life.

We hesitate and ask, "Jesus, must we really have them too?"

Jesus replies, "Love me, love my friends!"

From Listening at Golgotha: Jesus' Words from the Cross, by Peter Storey, Bishop in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

my experiences thus far

ok, so let's count the things that have gone wrong in the past few days with seminary. i start in 2 weeks, so good thing i caught them early.

1. IT thought i was starting in fall 2010, so forgot to assign me an email address. don't worry, they emailed admissions, who fixed it.

2. they told me my meningitis shot was not up to date. fail, because i totally had to have one for undergrad.

3. however, this was only a big deal because they think i'm living on campus. which i am not. so, now i have to deal with that. i didn't even send in the housing sheet! how does that happen?

4. because they thought that, i was charged an extra $3,500 dollars in my account due to "housing charges".

5. THEN, i look at my account again and realize that my financial aid hasn't come through. and i start getting frantic because I wasn't sure if maybe I forgot to send in forms. Let's pray that my scholarship comes through.

6. in all the scholarship mess, i realize that wait--i only registered for 7.5 credits, which is part time. AND i never had the dean switch me over to extended track (which means i keep my scholarship and go part time). however, dean saved the day and fixed that.

so, an update: i was switched to commuter status, the redlight went away on the meningitis, waiting on the business people to change my billing status. and waiting on silly financial aid people to call/email me back. that's what i'm most worried about.

GOOD THINGS:

1. registration went SO EASILY! it took 2 minutes, which was so much better than all the crap i put up with at bsc trying to register for classes all the time.

2. i know what classes i'm taking :) want to know? i'll tell you!

• biblical literature 2: gospels, epistles, and apocalypse. pretty much new testament.
• church history 2: protestant reformation-21st century
• pastoral formation: exploring different vocations? i have no idea. there's no description really.

i'm really excited!!! i start on the 26th. orientation is the week before (21/22). let's just pray that things work out in terms of financial aid. i know they will, but it's just making me crazy.

ok, back to work.

2009.

so. i don't believe in resolutions, because i believe we should always work on becoming better people. whether that means physically, emotionally, or what have you. my best friend, did a post about what she learned in 2009. i'm going to copy her and do one as well. some are funny, others are serious.

1. virginia is a really boring state to drive through.

2. if you put "national archives" in a gps and try to walk there, you get to an alleyway.

3. burger king's medium size drinks are more like extra-larges.

4. helping out a church secretary during christmas is a present to her.

5. i figured out what i'm doing with my life.

6. working hard in college paid off by getting a full ride to seminary.

7. graduating college is scary.

8. distance is a bitch.

9. working in a lab with yeast can be boring. and smelly.

10. that i care about politics.

11. talking about health insurance to parents can be really stressful.

12. my parents love me, even if i was impossible to deal with this summer.

13. living alone gets lonely.

14. praying is so much more than just words out loud.

15. i gave up soda for lent. it was freeing.

16. i tend not to listen to things if i'm not interested, or if it's irrelevant. i need to get better at that.

17. learning about the bible in my christian scriptures class was neat. i learned so much.

18. bono is an awesome person.

19. the #1 thing white people like is coffee.

20. the little things in life make me happy.

21. wall-e is an amazing movie, and can make me happy.

22. so is 27 dresses. and music and lyrics.

23. friday nights can be fun, even when you stay in, watch "say yes to the dress" and bake cookies.

24. electric blankets might be one of the best inventions ever.

25. during winters in nj, one should own an ice scraper for their car.

26. youth ministry is so much fun!

27. salvation is a really big word to try and dissect.

28. coaching with your mom can be difficult, but also really rewarding when you figure out what works.

29. i judge people, even though i shouldn't.

30. i get excited about things and take action. i should really wait and process before i do that.

31. going to concerts alone is pretty cool. you meet neat people!

32. going to movies alone is similar.

33. i can be an independent woman.

34. so many people are getting engaged young. i'm not. matt and i have a while.

35. taking a three month break from a serious relationship can sometimes be a great thing.

36. sitting home and doing nothing from may-august sucks. you might get depressed, and fight with your parents a lot.

37. i have incredible friends, who despite the distance, do their best to care about me and make me happy :)

38. cars have flywheels. i know, cuz mine broke.

that's all!