Updates!

I think it is high time to give you all a general update on some things I've mentioned here on the blog.

Quaker Youth Book Project: We are currently working on the cover art and looking through the final manuscript before it goes to print to be officially released in late April of this year. These last two weeks, we have been discussing these things and making our final decisions. We are excited to hold the book in our hands and to see it distributed. To release the book, we are meeting in Richmond, Indiana for the Quakers United in Publishing Writer's Conference which we all get to attend at the end of April. At that conference, I am leading a workshop, "Writing as Prayer" which I am thrilled about. It is something I asked if I could do and the committee approved my proposal. (Insert happy dancing.) This is a topic close to the beat of my heart and I am looking forward to sharing something with others that means so much to me. I've also been invited to be on a panel during one of the evening sessions on blogging and that too, is exciting to me. Both of these public ministries are in addition to the panel made up of our editorial board during another evening session. Following that panel, Angelina tells us will be a BIG party. It will be a fun trip and I am really excited to bring a copy of the book home with me.

Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference: While I haven't mentioned this conference yet, (I will be), it is now fully on my radar screen as I have given my official yes to serve as volunteer coordinator and more importantly to me, to speak along with Sarah Peterson and Ashley Wilcox on spiritual friendship. Within this topic, a different part resonates with each of us more deeply so we are "passing the mike" during our talk. When Ashley first asked me to speak on spiritual friendship, my heart went right to spiritual direction, a relationship I have found to be particularly powerful both as a director and as a directee.

Kenya Photos: My favorite photos from Kenya are now in albums to make it easier for me to look at them and share my experience with others. If you would like to see them, let me know and we can get together for coffee or something along those lines!

Richmond's Read Posters: I posted my favorite poster that I made before I left for Kenya. This has been a project I have been working on for my favorite library and elementary school, creating posters of all their staff reading books. I have learned an immense amount about photoshop through working on this project and while I am indeed ready to see the posters hanging in the halls, it has been a lot of fun and right up my creative alley. There are over 40 posters in all and we are getting close to being done. When we are finished and I save them all in the JPG format for the printer, I will post some of my favorites on here for your enjoyment (and my own!). A side benefit of this project is I now know every staff member's face and they know mine. Often, when I'm not subbing, you can find me there in the library volunteering my heart out. With all the schools I go to and the different jobs I do, it has made a world of difference to me to have one school with staff who greet me by name when I walk in the door and considers me a part of the team. It has been one of the many examples of the lesson that life holds many surprises along our journey, some absolutely delightful and a blessed gift.

U-Turn Challenge: I've mentioned the U-Turn Challenge at First Tech Credit Union several times. The challenge is finished, the data is turned in, but they haven't announced the winners yet. I'm looking forward to hearing about it when it happens. By the way, because of what I've heard about First Tech, I opened an account and they have been wonderful to work with. For those in Oregon and Washington, I would highly recommend them.

If you have any other questions on things I've posted, or haven't posted as the case may be, leave a comment and I will answer them!