It's Really Happening...

I've spent the week packing (and simultaneously NOT doing the assigned readings for my 1.333 summer classes - so good at multitasking!)...Our belongings are disappearing from sight, yet our house is fuller than ever with boxes, bins, packing paper, cats chewing on the above...partially digesting some of it...

I also remembered that, oh yeah, I should be doing data entry for my dissertation. So I'll ramp that up this week, spend some quality time in my chair's office going through files and manually entering couple scores into SPSS. On my projected timeline, data entry was supposed to be completed by May 29. Suffice it to say, I shall need to light a fire under "it".

We continue to pray for employment for Joel in Reading. If you're reading this, we covet your prayers as well. The Lord has always provided for us, and we are eager to see what He has in store for the next leg of the adventure. Hopefully His perfect plan involves steady income - but if not, we're still grateful for His blessings. But I don't think it will come to that; I've been blessed with a husband who is willing to do any job to make ends meet, from Burger King to Barnes and Noble (he'd much prefer the latter, and spend his breaks turning all the Rob Bell books backward on the shelves).

How about you? Is your May hectic? If you've recently left Virginia Beach (Tylers, Monnettes, etc.), know that you're still very dear to our hearts and are constantly in our prayers. Love!

It Wouldn't Be a Christian Goodbye Without Michael W. Smith

My heart is aching over all the goodbyes we've said recently, with more still to go. Last Thursday we enjoyed our last evening with John, Christine, and Brody boy, and tonight we said goodbye to Jess, Natali, and baby Eve. We're mindful as we spend time with other friends that our opportunities for fellowship with them are numbered. It's like watching significant chunks of our life just fade to black, piece by piece...soon we will be on our own in a truck headed for PA. We're eager to see what the Lord has in store for us there, but it is so difficult to leave this chapter of our lives behind. More difficult than I expected.

It's like I have a fever. And the only prescription is Michael W. Smith.

Because Friends Are Friends Forever, when the Lord's the Lord of them. Come on, it just wouldn't be a Christian farewell without Smitty on the soundtrack. Feast your eyes and ears, and may your heart be comforted as we're all packing up the dreams God planted, in the fertile soil of you...




The tears are flowing (along with the early 90's cheese), just like church camp...in all seriousness, this is a painful season for the Va Beach Pearces. We're so grateful for the time God has given us here with our friends and church family, and are thankful that Smitty's words are true - we never really say goodbye when we're united in Christ. A lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

Living on the Edge

Joel and I celebrated the end of the semester last night with a long-awaited Date Night. Our big plans? Boston Market, a few beers, and cleaning out the office.

Don't be fooled, this was an all-you-can-organize, ruthlessly-downsizing, one-time event!

When Joel suggested that we spend our date night organizing the office, my first reaction was of the expected knee-jerk "did you get into the catnip?" variety. But after thinking about it for a second, I realized there was nothing I would rather do than to FINALLY go through our files, organize and consolidate, and have the office look like a room again (as opposed to a massive walk-in pseudo-filing system). Four hours with my hubby, enjoying a quarter dark and mashed potatoes, and the satisfaction of knowing our date night has long-term benefits for our lives? A huge grin spread across my face, and at that moment I knew that my dominant personality trait is NERD. (Was there ever any doubt?)

In other news, we've stocked up on boxes for our big move. Someone tipped me off that the VABC stores have good-sized boxes for packing heavies/breakables, so I stopped by to get a few. It wasn't until I stacked them in the dining room that I realized we would have the appearance of moving up the coast with our large stock of specialty liquors:



Captain Morgan Private Stock? DonQ Cristal? Evan Williams Bourbon Whiskey? Check, check, and check. Niko was totally pumped until she realized the boxes were all empty...



Poor girl. And Joel didn't leave her much catnip, either.

*Editor's note: A quick proofread alerted me to the fact that this post makes us sound/appear to be total alcoholics. Really we're not. In all the file-sorting excitement of last night, I totally forgot about my one "girlie beer"(read: candy-flavored malt beverage) and left it to gently warm under the torchiere lamp (yum). And Niko is the one who's all about the Jim Beam. You can take the cat out of the barn, but you can't take the barn out of the cat.