Delights and Shadows

We've Moved

Hi Everyone - the new blog is ready at last! Please update your bookmarks to the following address: http://web.mac.com/jandbmoon
...And come see us soon!

Stay tuned...

Well, here we are, in snowy and freezing Minnesota. 10 inches of snow over Easter weekend. More snow in the last two weeks than I've seen in my lifetime. HELLO!
I'm just ducking in to say we're working on a new blog - created on Josh's pride and joy...his Mac.
So, for now, know that we are safe and well and enjoying this new world of casseroles and strange accents.

We're Still Alive...

Hi folks - sorry for being m.i.a. the last month. Has it really been a month since we packed up our lives and moved across the Pond back to the good ol' US of A? A month tomorrow we landed in Seattle and life has been a whirl of activity ever since.
Josh and I calculated today that between returning from Scotland, three trips to Minnesota, one to New York and one to Atlanta we will have covered some 40,000 miles of air time within 6 weeks. All that recycled air is probably wreaking havoc on our brain cells.
But, the good news is that the big question we were facing one month ago has now been answered. Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, has asked Josh to be their minister and he has accepted. We're going to be Minnesotans...
We are excited about this next step - about the church and about getting to know the Twin Cities area. We are finally doing what we have planned and trained to do for six and a half years.
So, another few weeks in Tacoma and then we head to Las Cruces to spend some time with J's family. We'll pack up the stuff that's stored in Cruces and then drive up to St Louis where the rest of our stuff is, gather that and then drive up to Minneapolis. Doesn't that sound like fun?
But for now, I have a trip to NYC to look forward to. My sister is performing her masters recital at the end of the month and I get to go!!! It's so nice to finally be in the same country as my family...

Passed!

That's Dr. Moon to you, thank you very much. It's all done and dusted, as the Brits say. Only a few typos to fix and it's ready to be printed, bound, and given to that depository of wisdom called "the special collections room" in the library, there to sit quietly gathering dust until the next unsuspecting passerby with an interest in Jeremiah 31. Poor soul.
The viva (oral defence) went well. As soon as I walked in they told me I had passed so that all the questions they had for me would be understood in that context. After an hour's conversation they asked if we could go out for coffee and discuss things further outside of the context of a viva, and we had an amicable "cuppa" with advice for future publishing, talk about future plans, and the two readers were able to get to know each other a bit better. I was just trying to play it cool the whole time and not betray how relieved and happy I was.
So now the celebrations begin... except "celebrating" means having about 2 days to get the whole house ready for being shipped back to the States. But to be honest, that's not going to put a dent in my smile, even the morning after.

Two Weeks and Counting

Our poor lonely little blog has had very little to offer the last few weeks. We keep thinking of things to post but haven't found a second to post them! Life is just so busy.
First things first, here are some pics of our recent happenings. Because of the way flickr works the order is reversed so it starts with a celebration of St Nicholas' day and ends with our trip to the Lake District with Brad and Abi (a wonderful last getaway - we'll miss you guys so much!).
Other updates? How about some highlights...
1) Yesterday was my last day of work...can you believe it? Two years and a couple weeks ago I started at the University - it's been a wild ride. I'm so glad to set my face to the future and am already thinking of all those things I will do now that I have the time.
2) But first we have a move across the Pond to navigate: shippers, suitcases, Christmas gifts, packing, goodbyes and lots of tiny decisions (do I REALLY want to pay to ship AND insure that CD of Sinatra singing carols?). Our flight leaves on the 21st.
3) And, in the middle of all of that Josh defends on Friday at 2pm. If you think of it please pray for him. It's rather grueling - you defend for 2 hours or so and then you leave the room and wait. When they are ready they call you back in and tell you your fate. Yikes!
Unfortunately all this busyness means no Christmas correspondence from the Moons this year! Perhaps we'll send a Happy middle of February letter out to everyone to give the update on where we will settle...once all that has been decided.
And, some of you dear wonderful people have been asking where to send Christmas cards - even though you're guessing you won't be hearing from us! If you wouldn't mind emailing me I'll send you my parents' address where we'll be for Christmas.
Isn't that wonderful? My family is waiting on the other end - that's the best feeling in all of this change!

Autumn Moments

It's Autumn in St Andrews which means darkness. The sun goes down earlier and earlier and one of these days it will be dark soon after 4. I don't mind - it makes me feel cozy. Coziness is appreciated during these days when the winds of change are blowing cold and fast through our lives.
We're loving cherry pork roast, root vegetables and a GREAT lentil soup recipe Vange gave me the other day. And it's fun to share these yummy flavours with friends around a table.
For now, we're not thinking about decisions or the future - we're looking forward to a long holiday weekend with Brad and Abi. It's about time for a break and they're the perfect ones for the occasion. Stay tuned for a report on our trip to the Lake District. We've wanted to go ever since we moved to the UK...I'm thinking some long walks, some long reads and some good chats. Just what the doctor ordered!
By the way, we bought our tickets back to the States. And just for the record, they were one-way...who can believe it?

Early middle age?

I had a harrowing experience this last week. One of the students in a seminar I'm leading commented to a friend (out of my hearing: this is second-hand) that she wouldn't be surprised to hear that I was anywhere between 25 and 40. Yes, that's right. She wouldn't be surprised to hear that I was 40!
No offense to any of my 40 or almost-40 year-old friends, but I'm thinking "ouch". I know I'm not a spring chicken anymore, and she did also say that she wouldn't be surprised if I was 25; but still, with a birthday coming up that doesn't make one all that excited. I then realized when looking through my class lists there are university students now who were born in the '90's. I used to not think I would mind getting older - and in all honesty I don't. But I still don't want to be asked if I remember Woodstock by some pip-squeek 90's kid.
Josh

Beware the Ides of December...

Well, I've got a viva date: December 14 (ok, so not quite the "Ides", but close enough). I've been really depressed thumbing back through my thesis after not looking at it for a few weeks. I'm finding typos left and right (well, I've found 4 already - but some are ridiculous). You read the dumb thing who knows how many times, and then as soon as you turn it in you find more mistakes. C'est la vie. At least I'll have 10 days to recover before Christmas if it all goes sour; or 10 days to fix all the typos and get it bound and turned in if it goes really well. Most likely something in the middle and I'll spend Christmas day trying to improve this or that argument or find this or that resource. Can't wait....

Libraries and A French Tale

For all you bibliophiles out there this is for you - something a friend sent me the other day. You might need something to catch the drool...

Also, Josh and I have been reading Marc Mailloux's book, God Still Loves the French. I'm enjoying it on so many levels. He studied at the seminary where I lived eleven years ago and all his references to the town of Aix-en-Provence enliven my own memories of that delicious place. His stories of cultural faux-pas on his own side in France and on the part of his wife in the States are hilarious. (His wife once called a doctor in South Carolina, where they were raising support for the mission field, and told the secretary she needed an urgent rendezvous with the doctor...)
But more than that I love the simple, straight forward narrative that tells the story of God's faithfulness to this one man and his family. Through various trials, sufferings and lots of hard work, they endeavoured to take the Gospel to France, and God was with them every step of the way. It's easy to see reading his story - why can't I see with the same clarity looking at my own?
Anyway, if you're interested in things francais and want to read a good story get your hands on this book.

This is only a test...

I remember not long ago thinking on how much I hated tests and exams, and how I really wanted to get out of the whole "test-taking" idea in education - so much is bogus there. But now I'm writing up my first test for my (not so) little Hebrew class and realize that tests are no fun even from the other side of the teacher's desk. Tedious. Factor in that the class has a vocabulary of about 20 words, and none of them are verbs... My consolation is that at the end of the test, if they do well, they will all know how to say very important sentences:
"The powerful mares and the righteous princesses are wise."
"The good priests and the holy kings are heavy."
"The sword is powerful and the woman is not evil."

The Deed is Done

A couple weeks later than we had anticipated Josh has finally submitted his thesis. Because I work in the Registry office I was right there when he walked in with three bound copies. What a moment. He also chose that moment to show me the dedication which I had never seen before. Nothing like choking back tears while the phone is ringing.
Now we wait until the viva (oral defense) ... my hubby is nervous. It's out of his hands now - no revising allowed! But he's keeping his mind off it by doing the indices for his supervisor's new book. Doesn't that sound thrilling?
We're headed to The Vine Leaf to celebrate - never been there before and it's supposed to be really nice.

Dunhill

So it's that time of year when celebrities and professionals pair up to play some golf. I haven't personally seen any celebs but a friend got her photo taken with Hugh Grant (she wasn't impressed) and they say Samuel L Jackson and Bill Murray are enjoying the night life.
The night before the last day of play they put on a fireworks display over the water at the West Sands. Josh and I walked out to the Old Course with the droves of students, St Andrews residents and golf visitors. I had never seen the Old Course at night and it has a very eerie feel. All you can see is the top of the grassy slopes - anything could be lurking in the darkness beneath. And you know the Sea is beyond it but all you see is darkness. Remember Agatha Christie's Murder on the Links? I can well imagine.
The fireworks were fantastic - the best I've ever seen. Standing on the course, listening to Highland Cathedral blasting through the speakers, watching the show - it made me feel quite loyal to Scotland. Unfortunately next up on the soundtrack was StarWars...not so much.
In other news, Josh is grieving along with all the other Cubs fans around the world. There's always next year...it's only been a century.

Starting school

I remember always feeling a bit nervous on the first day of a new school year - especially at a new school. "What if the other kids don't like me? What if my clothes are out of style? etc." I now have the same feelings as we start our new term here at St. Andrews and I start my first attempt at teaching. It's just one course (Hebrew), with 4 lectures a week and 2 tutorials (seminars). I knew I was nervous when I started writing letters backwards on the white-board. That really does a lot for establishing a solid rapport. "How was class? Great, though our teacher can't write the alphabet...."
But after two days of class I think things are going well - no casualties yet, and I think it's a really bright group (which helps). And I'm really enjoying doing it. As the semester goes on we'll see what happens, but at least I feel like I don't have to cry when mom drops me off at school.

Ding Dong - the bells are gonna chime!

We have just experienced our first Scottish wedding...well we had been to a ceremony before but not the full day celebration. It was SO MUCH FUN. I have come to the conclusion that Americans don't really know how to celebrate properly. Our 2 hour wedding receptions just don't seem to cut it when compared with a whole day of merry making.
So our friends Peter (McNeely) and Joanne (Wood) were married last Saturday. (I am posting pics for those in Tacoma who know and love Pete.) Pete's American, Jo's English and they were married in Scotland so the day was a blend of several different traditions...although, now that I think of it, there wasn't a whole lot of American flavour except that the bride came down the aisle after her bridesmaids, instead of before.
The ceremony was in the beautiful parish church in the middle of town - as we entered the church (Holy Trinity, by name, where Knox preached) the bells rang overhead. Inside, the stained glass and Gothic arches provide a wonderful feeling of being caught up in countless generations of worshippers.
Our minister, Alasdair, conducted the ceremony with his usual grace, sincerity and occasional touch of humor.
Afterwards we all wandered down to the grounds of the old cathedral for some photo shots. St Andrews in the sun is breathtaking. The sea was deep blue, the grass was dry and friendly and occasional gusts of wind reminded one that we were, after all, right on the coast of the North Sea.
The best part of the day was the Wedding Breakfast, as it is called. This is the meal for the close friends and family of the bride and groom, held directly after the ceremony. We had the whole upper floor of the Doll's House Restaurant in town. Delicious food, great conversation and wine flowed in abundance. What else could you ask for? The atmosphere was one of joy and celebration - it was a moment I will remember for a long time.
And then in the evening was the ceilidh. This was the Scottish part of the day - Englanders would have a disco or some other dance, but Jo is an expert ceilidh dancer and she and Pete have some friends who make up a pretty darn good ceilidh band. We ended the evening dancing the Dashing White Sergeant and Gay Gordons and then bid our goodbyes to the bride and groom, walking home under the stars, very tired indeed but feeling like our friends were well and truly celebrated. I loved this day.

A light...

...at the end of the tunnel has just appeared on the horizon (sorry, too many metaphors).
A submission date, like death and taxes, will come to all Ph.D. candidates. However, in the throes of research and writing it sure doesn't feel like it. I have been coveting this elusive prize for some months now and it was beginning to feel like it would never grace us with its presence. But, at last, it has come calling and has brought with it good cheer.
Josh met with his supervisor today and, believe it or not, a date has been set. He will submit on the 30th of September. This means he will hand over a final draft of his thesis to be read by two of the academic persuasion, in whose hands our fate rests. They will decide if this scholarly tome is worthy to grant its writer the privilege of adding 3 small letters at the end of his name. Do you think I should send cookies? Or a million dollars?
Rejoice with us! A submission date has finally come to the Moon household.