Thanksgiving

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I'm thankful for my salvation and my God. I am thankful that He relentlessly pursues. I am thankful that He never fails. I am thankful that He is always faithful. I am thankful that He is mighty to save and the rock that never moves. I'm thankful that He never gives up on me and continues to work in my heart, teaching, refining and molding. 

I am thankful for my family, Mama, Daddy, Steph and Alan. I am thankful for a family that loves the Lord and loves each other. I am thankful for my sweet puppies. I am thankful for my extended family, Grandma, Grandma Barb, Uncle Jay, Aunt Heidi, Jake, Julie, Uncle Steve, Aunt Caren, Alyssa, Brianna, Uncle Greg, Aunt Rena, Uncle Rick, Aunt Heather, Ricky, Daniel, Kaitlyn, Celeste, and Lilliana. I am thankful for the fun that we have when we're all together. I am thankful that each one of them loves the Lord. 

I am thankful for the adventures I have been blessed to have. I am thankful for the places I have seen. I am thankful for the ability to travel. I am thankful for the opportunity to have lived overseas and the friends I made there. 

I am thankful for friends, new and old, near and far. I am thankful for friends that understand, support and encourage. I am thankful for friends that pray. I am thankful for friends that I can complain and share frustrations with. I am thankful for friends I can laugh with, plan pranks with and pull pranks on. I am thankful for E93, 1&2. I am thankful for the girls I have gotten to know living on campus. I am thankful for friends that last a lifetime. I am thankful for friendships that last no matter the distance. I am thankful for friends that are family and family that are friends. 

I am thankful for Liberty University. I am thankful to go to a school whose purpose is ultimately to glorify the Lord. I am thankful for those who lead at Liberty, from the administration to the student leadership. I am thankful for a community at Liberty that constantly challenges me to go deeper in my faith. I am thankful for Graduate School. I am thankful that it has been hard, because I have learned, been stretched, and grown as a result. I am thankful for the opportunity to teach, grade and work with students. I am thankful for professors that not only love history, but also love the Lord and truly care about their students. I am thankful for the friendships and academic community that have grown in my classes.

I am thankful for new places and new adventures. I am thankful for seasons, particularly the Fall. I am thankful that new seasons bring change, new life and growth. I am thankful for how the Lord displays his glory in my surroundings. I am thankful for sweet memories. I am thankful for the hard things in life. I am thankful that God works all things for our good and his glory. I am thankful for His goodness. I am thankful that He blesses, when I deserve nothing.

For these blessings and many more, I am truly thankful. 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

-Psalm 107

Monticello and Slavery

Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia is an icon of architecture and innovation. While the house itself is fascinating and the focal point of the tour, I was intrigued with the slave tour offered as part of my entrance fee. Slavery and its prominence among America’s founding fathers has long since been an interesting paradox to explore. The tour took us down Mulberry Row, explaining Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with slavery and different aspects of slave life. 

Jefferson's home

Mulberry Row

Initially the tourguide began with an overview of slavery in the early years of America. He discussed the seeming disconnect between Thomas Jefferson’s egalitarian and democratic beliefs and his practice of slavery. Like many of the other founding fathers, Jefferson was a man of his time, holding over 600 slaves in his lifetime. During this period in history, slavery was the most productive method of business and an integral part of the culture in which he lived.

Mulberry Row was the commercial center of Jefferson’s plantation. Many slaves lived and worked along this road. Our first stop was the remains of a slave dwelling. Here the guide described the life of a slave, from a day’s work to family interactions. The guide discussed the role that each person in the slave home played on the plantation. The men, women, and children old enough to work, spent long days working and producing on the plantation. The guide also discussed the value placed on different slaves, particularly females. While they worked on the plantation doing whatever job assigned to them, their most important task was to reproduce. The guide mentioned how some said that a woman who gave birth every 2 years was worth more than any able-bodied man on the plantation was.

Remains of a Slave Dwelling on Mulberry Row

I was very interested to hear how the guide presented slave life. The tour guide did an excellent job of highlighting and emphasizing the autonomy and agency that slaves maintained within their bondage. While the daytime was their master’s time, the night was their own. When slaves came home from a long day of work, they engaged in a society or community of their own. Their family was their support system. Often elderly grandparents stayed at home during the day to take care of the children too young to work, the house and prepared dinner for when the workers came home. Within this slave community, slaves maintained a sense of autonomy and agency. This was particularly interesting after discussing John Blassingame’s Slave Community in my American Readings class.

As we moved down Mulberry Row, our guide presented us with interesting anecdotes of slaves and workers who lived on Jefferson’s plantation. We stopped along the road at the “joiner’s shop” where the chimney and foundation remain. John Hemmings and William Fosset, two, among many, mentioned who worked at the Joiner’s shop. We also stopped at the remains of the blacksmith shop where nail making and other ironwork took place. John Fosset, William Fosset’s son, was one of the most productive nail makers in the shop. He became one of only a handful of slaves Jefferson set free at his death.

Joiner's Shop

Through out the tour the guide told stories of what slaves did to rebel, everything from being less productive at work to running away and even made some references to different “types” of slaves as Blassingame describes in his book. While the guide did not use the same terms Blassingame used, he described each of the “personality types” discussed in Blassingame, Sambo, Nat, and Jack. “Sambo” was the epitome of a good slave: loyal and submissive. “Nat” at the other end of the spectrum was highly rebellious and discontent with his lot in life. “Jack” was the moderate slave, unhappy with his lot in life, but did his work with little rebellion. In closing, the guide asked the group how we would have responded to a life of slavery. Would we have rebelled or quietly gone about our business?

Overall, I thought the guide did a great job of presenting slavery and life on a plantation to a general audience. While he emphasized the agency and autonomy the slaves had among themselves, there could have been more attention given to the harsh realities of slavery and the interactions that took place between the overseers and the slaves. The guide mentioned some instances of overseers abusing slaves for unproductivity, however it was not an integral part of the tour. Additionally, the guide briefly discussed the interaction between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings and the family that resulted, however I would have liked to hear more about this relationship. On a tour at Monticello about slavery, I thought this would have been discussed more than was briefly mentioned. When discussing slavery, there needs to be a balance between acknowledging the harsh realities and presenting slave’s agency. The tour was engaging and interesting. I would highly recommend going on the slave tour at Monticello. The guide effectively dealt with the paradox of Jefferson owning slaves, the life that slaves engaged in outside of their daily duties and told fascinating stories of some of the slaves that lived in at Monticello. 

Joys of being a Grad Student/Assistant

After being at this for about two weeks here are some of the joys of being a grad student/assistant:

- attending countless meetings/orientations only to come out as unclear as when you went in
- being scared to death of how hard grad school is going to be
- thinking for a brief moment in week one that it's not really going to be that bad
- realizing two weeks in grad school really IS going to be hardest things in the world
- questioning on a daily basis your decision to go to grad school 
- sitting in class feeling completely lost listening to second years talk
- realizing that everyone sitting around you is probably feeling the same way 
- feeling like you finally have a really good point to share then the teacher calls on you and your whole train of thought disappears
- being completely mentally exhausted 
- spending a whole afternoon trying to sum up a whole book of history into two pages (it sounds like an easy task until you have to do it)
- realizing that for the next two years I will be spending my weekends reading
- coffee is essential
- coming to the realization that every other grad student in the world has probably had every thought/feeling that I am
- getting paid to sit in a cubicle and study
- realizing the only way you're going to get through it all is by taking it one day at a time and relying on the Lord for strength 
- knowing that this is exactly where God wants me, even if it's hard

The greatest joy I've experienced is the comfort, faithfulness, rest and strength I find in my Jesus. Above all else, I am learning to truly rest in the Lord and find my strength in Him. One thing I am finding VERY quickly is that I physically can not do this without the Lord. I am weak, I get tired, I loose focus, I get frustrated, I get overwhelmed. "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Sunsets and Summertime

Today is my last day in Savannah and the last day of summertime. This summer has been full... 

Full of new friends.

Full of old friends.

Full of perfect evenings at Turner Field...

...with these guys...

...and some other favorites!

Full of beach days with the whole family...

Full of Disney movies, monopoly, tv shows, munchkin, late nights and sleep overs...

Full of lunch dates with bestest friends...

Full of adventures in far away places...

My summer was full. I am so thankful for the new friends I made, for the adventures I had, for the old friends I kept up with, for the memories made, for the time spent with family. I am thankful and blessed. God is too good.

Tonight I spent the evening out on the back river at Tybee, fishing and watching the sunset with my family. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my last night of the summer. I will miss my family, I will miss my friends, I will miss the familiarity of Savannah, but I am excited for what is ahead. As the sunsets on the summertime, there is a new adventure on the horizon. Lynchburg, Virginia, here we come!

It's Almost Over

The last time I wrote we were leaving Italy. It's been about two weeks since Steph and I returned from an amazing month in a beautiful country. Our trip home was uneventful for the most part and it has been so great to be home again. We've cleaned up the yard, cooked an Italian feast, gone to Atlanta, watched the Braves both live and on TV, fixed up mama's bathroom (still a work in progress) and of course caught up with friends and enjoyed relaxing with family. We have hardly had time to catch our breath and now we're about to start a brand new adventure. A week from today Stephanie and I will be moving to Lynchburg, Virginia to study at Liberty University. That means our summer is coming to a close much too quickly and we'll be back to the hustle and bustle of life, school, and work in a brand new place.

As with any new adventure there are lots of crazy emotions swirling around in my head. I am excited, nervous, hopeful, unsure, expectant, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little scared. But in the past few weeks God has been so faithful in reminding me that he is right by my side. I recently read Kisses for Katie (a phenomenal book, read it!) a book about one girl's journey to living in complete dependence on Christ as a missionary.. Katie took a gap year following high school to work as a missionary in Uganda and has lived there ever since.. In that first year she explains how she fell more and more in love with the people, with the country and with God's heart for these people. She lived and worked among the poor, the orphaned, the abused, the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor. She didn't know from day to day what she could expect, from having electricity to providing food and education for hundreds of village children things never ran according to plan. Among the hardships, the joys  and  the day to day uncertainty one thing remained constant: God's provision. He knew Katie's needs in every situation she found herself in, from adopting 14 little girls on her own to serving her community in Uganda. Because of the uncertainty day to day life brought with it, Katie depended on God to meet her needs. And he did, every single time! God provided.

This seems like such an obvious and simple lesson. Of course my all knowing, perfect, loving God is going to provide for me. My whole life I've heard things like, God is with you, He never leaves you, He is always faithful, he will provide. All these things are true, they are so true. I know them. I believe that these are characteristics of my perfect loving Heavenly Father. Even beyond that He has proven faithful in my life time and time again. But in my fickle humanity I quickly turn to my flesh or other people to provide for me before I even think to turn my requests to the Lord. He so longingly desires for me to pour out my requests, my concerns, my anxieties, my uncertainties at his feet so he can prove his never failing love and true faithfulness. What a sweet, sweet truth. He is as much with Katie in Uganda as she fulfills his purpose there as He is right now in this moment with me as I get things together to move. He is WITH me! And as if that is not enough, He goes before me. He knew long before I even applied to grad school what my load would be like, what classes I would take, what job I would have, and what friends I would make. I believe he has a plan and purpose even if to me it looks overwhelming. He will make a way. I am choosing dependence. Because I know he will provide.

These are just some thoughts I've been pondering the past dew days and I hope it came out making some kind of sense. I also hope this is an encouragement to you to. Know, believe and live as if God is always on your side. Because he is. He goes before and stands behind. He is ever faithful and never breaks his promises. He is good. He is with you.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. - Exodus 31:8

Ciao Bella

The time has come to say good-bye. We have spent an incredible month in the beautiful country of Italy. We visited ten cities, took countless train and bus rides, walked more than ever, and ate our weight in pasta and pizza. This month has been full of memories and new friendships. We are a random group of people with our quirks and differences, but our trip would not have been interesting otherwise.

Even though at the beginning I didn't like our apartment, it has become home in Siena. Siena has been the perfect place to call home for the past month. In the beginning, it was daunting to wander the winding medieval streets in hopes of getting where you wanted to go. A month later, I have gotten to know this city all too well. We have our favorite restaurants, where the cheapest pizza, the best Chinese and kebab places are and of course the best gelato depending on what flavor you're looking for. We traveled on our own to many different towns, navigating the trains, the buses, maps and cities without getting too lost.

Of course this was a STUDY abroad trip so there was an academic component to the trip as well. The classes were interesting and thought provoking.  As we contemplated philosophy and Boethius while looking out over the Tuscan countryside or discussed St. Catherine on the grass outside her basilica, Marcus Arelius over a cappuccino, Iris Origo while driving though Val d'Orcia and the Renaissance at the Fortezza we got to know our professors on both an academic and personal level.  

It is bittersweet to say goodbye, it's been an beautiful adventure. This month has been fantastic and I couldn't have asked for a better way to finish my undergraduate career! I'd like to hope this will not be the last time I'm in Italy, so until next time Italia, Ciao!

I'm Not Goin' to Pisa!

Contrary to Jessie's declaration earlier on the trip "I'm not GOIN' to Pisa!" yesterday we (Jessie, Mike, April, Steph and I) decided to venture out on one last day trip before our time comes to a close in Italy. We met Mike and grabbed a taxi to the train station for our 2 hour ride to Pisa. The ride was pretty uneventful aside from our many controversial discussions that always seem to happen on trains. We've covered everything from Evolution to Abortion and many things in between. 

When we arrived in Pisa, we found a map and figured it was a straight shot to the Tower. We stopped for lunch at one of the worst restaurants we've eaten at so far. The only good thing about it was that it was cheap. Steph and I got pizza and to our dismay it tasted like frozen microwave pizza. Not on par with any other Italian pizza!

Then we headed to the other side of the city to find the tower. Somehow along the way we turned off the main street and followed another we thought might be parallel to the main one. But as we came to the city wall we realized it was not. So we decided to walk on the outside of the wall around to the next entrance and find the Tower. Luckily our sense of direction was right and soon enough we saw the tower in the distance. 

Of course the whole area around the tower was swarming with tourists taking the many typical tourist pictures holding the tower up, etc. The best/worst picture we saw being taken was a British man who ran up and stripped down to his underwear for a picture. I will not go into detail about how he posed…but it was quite comical to see him strip, take the picture and get dressed in about a minute flat. After we too took the typical tourist pictures with the tower (fully clothed!), we headed back to the train station.

It was a quick visit to the city of Pisa. Aside from the tower, there is really nothing else to see there. The city itself was the smelliest and dirtiest city we've visited. It really wasn't pretty, the food was bad and it was incredibly hot!  

The train ride home was again uneventful and full of conversation. After we got home and got cleaned up the five of us tried a new restaurant for dinner called Zest. It was my favorite meal of the whole trip. The food was top notch, our waiter, James, was adorable, charming and from England and the dessert was to die for! I had cheese ravioli with tomato sauce and lemoncello tiramisu. We're going to try and squeeze in one more visit to Zest before we leave in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday!!

Until next time, Ciao! 

Twenty-Seven Days and One Left

June 22: Travel starting at 1 pm in Savannah

June 23: Arrive in Italy, 5 hour Bus from Milano to Siena, Group dinner, Gelato

June 24: Tour of Siena with Jack, Class with Dr. Belzer, Cooking Class

June 25: Climbed the Tower in Siena and Toured Palazzo del Popolo, Torture Museum, Salad for Dinner, Gelato

June 26:  Tour of the Siena Duomo, Class with Jack, Wine tasting at Jack's, Gelato

June 27: Firenze - Market, Duomo, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Uffizi, Dinner by the Duomo

June 28: Firenze - Ponte Vechio, Souvenir Shopping; Bus to Siena, Hail Storm, Egg Drop Soup for Dinner, Gelato

June 29: Pre-Palio Events, Horse Lottery and Prova 1 in the evening

June 30: Contrada Scavenger Hunt and Prova 3 in the evening

July 1: Prova 4, Contrada Scavenger Hunt, St. Catherine's house and church, Class with Dr. Belzer and Prova 5

July 2: Palio Day, Dinner at Nona Ginas

July 3: Class with Jack, Cooking Class 

July 4: Ospedale Tour, 4th celebration at the Belzers (made Chili)

July 5: Travel to Salerno, Visit Herculaneum and the MAV

July 6: Paestum, Mozzarella Farm, Beach

July 7: Slept in, Waterfront in Salerno, traveled to Rome via train, rain storm in Rome

July 8: Explored Rome, Pantheon, Several Churches, Met Camilla, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Trevi Fountain, Lunch and Tiramisu, Met Jessie, Chinese dinner and explored the city at night

July 9: Colosseum, Train station to Siena, Jessie cooked dinner

July 10: Class with Dr. Belzer, Market, Fortezza, Class with Jack, We cooked dinner

July 11: Train to Verona via Empoli, Firenze, and Bologna; Juliet's Courtyard, Explored the City

July 12: Train to Venice, St. Mark's square, Rialto Bridge, Souvenir Shopping, Lost Jessie, Waterbus to Train Station, Train to Verona

July 13: Train to Firenze, Bus to Siena, Home, Chinese for dinner (ran into the Belzers and Adele - tour guide from Salerno)

July 14:  Slept in, Souvenir Shopping, Homework, Dinner at Medieval Place, Campo

July 15: Belzer Girls came over and watched Letters to Juliet, Class with Jack, Mike cooked dinner

July 16: Tuscany, La Foce, Pienza, Class with Dr. Belzer, Cooking Class

July 17: Train to Pisa, Lunch, Got Lost, Found the Tower, Train to Siena, Dinner at Zest, Campo

July 18: Contrada Scavenger Hunt, Souvenir Shopping, Group Dinner

We have one full day left in Siena. I'm sure it will be spent packing, eating at our favorite restaurant, reminiscing on the month we've spent here and of course getting one last scoop of gelato!  

A Day in the Country

A few days ago our group spent the day driving through the Tuscan countryside, visiting La Foce (pronounced La Fochay) and the little town of Pienza. 

Although the bus ride was rather bumpy and made most everyone sick, the views were absolutely incredible. As we wound through the countryside the rolling hills of greens and browns, the cedar lined ridges, the rows upon rows of sunflowers, the villas and farm houses on hill tops and hay bail dotted fields were breath taking! Steph was probably irritated with me as I pointed my camera over her shoulder to snap pictures as we drove along. I'd say okay, this is the last one I promise and we'd go around another corner and the view was just as beautiful as the last one. 

A few years ago I took Ethics in History with Dr. Belzer and we read War in Val D'Orcia by Iris Origo (highly recommend it!). It is the diary of Iris Origo during World War II, living in the Val D'Orcia at her Villa, La Foce . She was a wealthy British-American who grew up in Italy, married a well off Italian man and made her home at La Foce. She aided the Partisans, housed escaped British POWs, and took in twenty plus orphans among many other heroic actions as the war literally was on her doorstep. It was amazing to see the place I had read and learned about before me in beautiful condition. We could not tour the house itself because it is still occupied, but we toured the gardens and some of the grounds. BEAUTIFUL! 

We ate lunch just down the road at a restored restaurant. It was a sort of community center during the Fascist period and was closed down for a number of years after, but has recently been reopened.

The rest of the afternoon we spent in Pienza, a small town on a hilltop in Tuscany. It is famous for Pecorino cheese and is where Pope Pius II was born. The main church there is covered in his crest. The church was built on a slope so it is slowly slipping off the hill. Inside the church there are cracks in the walls and along the floor where you can see the evidence of this. Pienza was very small but charming with lots of colorful flowers along the streets and in window boxes and many beautiful places to look out over the countryside. 

After about an hour ride home, we had only thirty minutes or so before our last cooking class of the trip. Our meal was delicious as always. The antipasti was toast with a three cheese (gorgonzola, marscapone, and fresh cheese) walnut spread topped with pears and honey, the first course was homemade spinach ravioli with butter sage sauce, the main course was a Tuscan Chicken and finally dessert was panna cotta with berry sauce.

Now you're almost caught up, just a few more posts!  Until next time, Ciao!