Ohio and I miss the kids!

West God, we would like to head west. It is time to move on from St. Mark's in Illinois, and we are interested in moving west. So the letter comes from Ohio asking if I would consider a rector position there. I think, hey- good experience right? Wrong direction, but I could learn something by going through the process. My inquiries to the west yield dead ends. At one point the church wide job posting site listed ZERO openings in the entire province VII- the entire west had no full time openings for a priest. And the conversations with Ohio were GOOD. Honest, wonderful people. A congregation that I like and that seems just right. Looking for the skills and background I have. A good fit.

So, I started at St. Andrew's in Elyria, Ohio on May 10th, 2009. Just west of Cleveland, but much further east than we ever imagined we would be. I am in the land of "pop", and 70 degree July days. We did house hunting over spring break, and while we wanted an old bungalow or Victorian, we ended up with a practical ranch built more recently. Space for everything and visitors. The garden is so much greener and fuller than the picture shows. I am enjoying being a rector- when I am not amazed and terrified! I am enjoying stopping at the farmer stands on my way home from work and picking blueberries on cool July evenings from the fields the Episcopal priest and her husband run less than 30 minutes from our home.

We shipped the kids to Texas to visit with family for most of the summer. That is the hardest part about being so far away. The kids need to spend time with the relatives, but I really miss them. I really miss the extended family too. We have space for people to visit- I hope they do. I will plan trips to the west and enjoy exploring the east- life is full of surprises!