August was such a blur that I can't quite believe it's over. I spent most of the month whining about Greek School and the rest of the month trying to forget about it. It was a month of pushing through. I had to struggle through my hardest academic challenge yet (which praise God, I passed), then had an incredible vacation in California, and finished up the month at new student orientation, welcoming in my new classmates. Most of the month didn't feel very spectacular, but looking back it was still full of life. Summer may be wrapping up, but knowing Georgia, I've got about 3 months of warm weather ahead!

What I'm Praying For

Watching the devastation of Hurricane Harvey has been almost too much to handle. The millions of people whose lives have been affected, not to mention the thousands whose have been changed forever are on the forefront of my mind. I've already donated to a few non-profit organizations, but I just found out that one of my classmates has a son whose apartment was destroyed in Houston. He's a middle school teacher and just lost everything. If you'd like to donate and make a real difference in a survivor's life, you can donate here. 

What I Made

I started a summer pottery studio membership last month and absolutely loved it. Since I could only commit to a short-term membership, I spent the first month building and the second month finishing my pieces. It was so fun to pick glazes and firing techniques. I learned so much about pottery this summer and can't wait to start it again. My favorite thing to make were these prayer labyrinths. Labyrinths have been used by Christians as a meditative practice for centuries and these are meant to be traced with your finger. I love using them and am so thrilled with how they all turned out (how cool and weird is the square one?)

What I'm Eating

Pasta, pasta, pasta. It's been a summer staple all my life and this summer was no exception. Since I was housesitting for someone with a garden, I took full advantage of the ripening tomatoes and made this pasta all summer long. I finally got the recipe up, so go check it out. I'm trying recipe quantities by single serving since it can be easily multiplied. It's sort of usual so let me know if you like it, or if I should go back to the common "serves 4" quantities. 

What I'm Watching

I used to watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report every week but after the departures of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, I stopped watching TDS. I've missed the comedic snark on weeknights and I've slowly started to become a regular viewer of Seth Meyers. I enjoy his comedic style and he has confronted the insanity and cruelty of the Trump Administration head-on. I don't usually watch full episodes, but I do look forward to a Closer Look.

What I'm Listening To

Another month, another Podcast. This summer I started Levar Burton's new podcast, Levar Burton Reads. Even though I didn't have a TV growing up, I still loved Reading Rainbow. This is basically Reading Rainbow for adults and it's lovely. Levar Burton reads short stories, which I definitely have underappreciated. My favorite is "When A Man Falls From the Sky." 

What I'm Learning

Since I majored in Christian Scriptures at SPU, I was able to test out of the intro Bible requirements at Columbia and get to take elective Bible classes instead. We are able to cross-register at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and when I saw they were offering a class on the Book of Revelation, I knew I had to take it. I am mystified by Revelation and know very little about it. It's fun to take a class at another Seminary and I'm looking forward to learning about the mysterious part of scripture (and to learn what these terrifying images mean!).

What I'm Celebrating

This month I got to attend the wedding of my cousin Richard to his new bride Julia. It was a beautiful celebration of life, of culture, and of family. I rarely get to spend this much time with my cousins, particularly my other cousin's daughters (pictured above), so it was a huge treat.

Where I've Been

The Golden State! I went to California for my cousin's wedding and stayed for a longer vacation. It was exactly what I needed and was such a huge blessing. I got to spend time with family, from my 97-year-old grandparents to my 11-year-old cousin. After an incredible backpacking trip (full blog post coming soon) with my mom near Lake Tahoe, we spent the rest of the time enjoying the beautiful forests of Northern California. I had the best sushi of my life in Nevada City (voted #1 best small town in America) and took my mom and aunt to two wineries one weekend. It was amazing.