It has been more than five months since I have been in Oxford, England or even across the Atlantic. My trip home went exactly as planned. I remember a week before leaving Oxford that I was preparing myself to be ready for what I was going to face back in the states. I knew that my summer would consist of either living at home or in Minneapolis, wherever I would be able to find a job! To make a long story short, my one hope for a job opportunity was not what I expected and my pocket dry from living in the UK led me to make the smart decision of heading home. When I returned to good ole' Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, I got connected with a track group and then later joined a swimming group at the Y. My friend Jessica was training for the Madison Ironman and so I decided to shoot for the stars and train for an Olympic Triathlon. It was tons of fun and I have continued to swim and run. Now I am training for a Marathon that will be in a little more than two weeks! I am only hoping that I run under a 3:35 so I can qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Other than training and shedding some of the weight I gained in England, I have been looking for a job. The search for a job is best represented as a roller coaster. One position would give me hope of securing a job but either with time or instantly it is shattered with either a rejection e-mail or no response at all. But I know that God has been good to me and has a plan for my life. It just is the wait that I am becoming more and more impatient with. But I must not complain.I have a roof over my head and have made enough money at a temporary place for work to pay off my car payments, and I am home with family and baking food!
So how do I not forget my time in Oxford? It is easy, I have it all stored in pictures, essays and wonderful memories. Do I use it on a daily basis? To tell you the truth, yes I do. In one way or another I am reminded of my time in Oxford and enjoy holding conversations with people about either my trip or a topic we talked about during the Oxford term. I also am reminded about my time in Oxford when I read books from English authors and know exactly what they are talking about. It is quite amazing how going one place and experiencing the culture can make such a difference in understanding who people are. I love it! I miss Oxford and Eynsham so much but also know that it was a season of my life that I will never forget. I have been fortunate to stay in touch with some of the ladies in the program and get little reminders from friends as to how the guys are doing. I just cannot wait until we all get to be together in one room once again! It would be a blast.
Now, the reason why I am writing this final entry to my Oxford blog is because I have been thinking about it for more than months of expressing how much I appreciated the program and living in England. I would move there is a heartbeat, it is was up to me. My other reason for writing this final entry is to let any readers know that I am going to start another blog about Food, Faith and Life. I am not sure where I am going to head with it, but that too has been on my mind and it makes me happy to think that I can continue writing into the abyss.
When I have the blog up and running, I will post a link. Pray that I can make the wise discernment of where I should go with my blog and that I am able to find a job!
