Aftermath

This morning, PH and brother-in-law and sister-in-law and I went through the ton of stuff in their van, the official follow vehicle for the team as they rode across the US. There were a lot of leftovers. Some of the nonperishable food will go to the Food Bank. Some of the perishable stuff went into our fridge. There is still a goodly amount of the various GatorAde-PowerAde-HammerNutritition-ClifBar stuff here. I expect it will be consumed over the next few months by PH's pedaling buddies, the Saint Peter's Pedalers.

The first of several loads of wash are in the washing machine. Pretty ripe!

PH woke up in the middle of the night and thought he was still in the RV, and that it was stopped because it was time for another cyclist exchange, and where was his stuff? When his brother woke up this morning, he said he had the same experience.

I think it will take a few days for PH to decompress. He's still pretty emotional about his team-member's accident, and feels somewhat responsible. As for me, I'm super happy to have him home, but also a little unused to having someone else in the house.

So, too, are the cats, who are snubbing him for abandoning them to my harsh care (not really) for two weeks.

Second sermon in the Abraham series tomorrow, on Sarah and Hagar, the power struggles between people who have no power, and what happens when you get impatient with God delivering on God's promises. It's tolerable, but not one of my best. I'm hoping the spirit will descend for the Akedah sermon for next week. We shall see.

Time to put in the next load of laundry...

They're Home!

PH and the team crossed the finish line in Annapolis after pedaling 3015 miles across the country at 8:30 this morning. They looked remarkably good for crazy people. And it is important to note that the person who started them on this quest was my husband, the mental health professional.

Thanks be to God that they're here, and they're safe. The one rider on the team who was injured is home as well, visiting the orthopedist to see if he has dodged the need for shoulder surgery.

It was an amazing accomplishment, and many thanks to all those who prayed for their safety!

PS: PH is the guy being held up by his teammates, his brother C and C's colleague M.

Team 2600 Update

PH and the team have crossed into Maryland from West Virginia, the state with the most brutal climbs. The new anticipated arrival time is somewhere between 6 am and noon tomorrow in Annapolis. At midnight last night, when they got to Parkersburg, WV, a contingent of friends from Pittsburgh were there to cheer them on. Nothing like devoted friends. There will be a similar group of DC-area folks when they get to the finish line.

Go Team 2600!

Work

I've been busy setting up a lay pastoral care ministry here at St Diverse. I've got the Lay Eucharistic Ministers trained and licensed to bring communion to shut-ins, I've got the meal ministry semi-organized, and we've been in touch with a number of folks who would like to receive help. My hope is to get it chugging far enough along that it will survive when I am done with my internship in four and a half weeks. Remarkable to think I'm approaching the halfway point at this place. It's a brief enough time that I can look upon it as a case study in congregational issues, but long enough that I can develop relationships with some of the people of the parish, as well as with the rector and the parish administrator. A good experience, all in all.

We had a good meeting (despite a monster storm that knocked out the power) earlier this week on the research project for 2nd semester. My prof, our dean of academic affairs, me, and another prof who is a nationally recognized expert in congregational analysis through the lens of sociology of religion, all working through methodology of the project. It's going to be a great learning experience. My prof will get a good book out of this work, and I may be able to use elements of our research in my thesis (which I'd like to publish either as a monograph or expand into a book). We shall see.

PH and his team are pedaling across Ohio at this time. One of the riders was injured and is out of the race, so there are three left on the team. This translates from each rider doing 100 miles per day to doing between 120 and 150 a day. I can't even imagine.

They have less than 600 miles to go and should reach Annapolis in the wee hours of Friday morning. Can't wait to see them!

Yay!

PH and the team have passed the halfway point in their Race Across America. 1500 miles down, 1515 to go. Hoping they'll get in to Annapolis the afternoon of the 19th. Go, Team 2600!

Saturday Stuff

PH and the team will hit the 1000 mile mark very soon, putting them 1/3 of the way through the race. Everyone seems to be holding up well. Today they will be doing a pretty brutal climb in Cimarron - should take them over 10,000 feet elevation. Intense!

It will be milder for me, just going to a friends's ordination, then icon writing. Glad to be doing something mellow. It is a beautiful morning, so I think it's time for a walk.

If It's Friday, It Must Be Utah

PH and the team just made it across Arizona, and are now in Utah. 650 miles down, 2365 to go. Wild and crazy guys! They had a breakdown with the RV in Arizona (the charge for which - $4K - is sitting on my American Express card right now) - but it seems to be resolved for now.

Things are quieter here at Casa Mibi on my day off. The carpet cleaners came at 7:30 this morning. Supposedly, it was supposed to dry within two hours. We're at 5 hours now, and it isn't dry. Oh well. at least it looks clean. I'm glad I got it done. Now I just want it to finish drying so I can move the smaller furniture back into the room and out of the kitchen.

I think it's time to escape the house and wander around the mall...

Update: The team is now in Colorado. Three states in one day. Wow!

Sum, Sum, Summertime

Yes, it's hot here in Your Nation's Capitol. Once again, we should have heat indexes over 110. I've got on my coolest flax linen outfit, since I've got a meeting several miles away with my peer group - we all are doing summer parish internships. It will be nice to see my friends and be somewhere different for a change. Tomorrow is a Clericus meeting for our region, so I'll go with my supervisor - we're meeting with our Bishop Coadjutor, so it should be interesting.

PH is out in CA. His race across America will start tomorrow. I cannot imagine cycling across the desert. Then again, I can't imagine cycling any sort of long distance. Just sayin'.

Stay cool and peaceful.

Alone

PH left for the Race Across America yesterday morning. His brother had driven down from Steeltown to retrieve him and the two tons of assorted gear the prior night, arriving after a bad storm and tornadoes had knocked out our power. I had intended to cook a big farewell meal, but we ended up going out for Indian food. So yesterday they left at 6:15 a.m., heading first to Steeltown, then on the the City with Big Shoulders and their parents' house for the night. Today they drive on to Mile-High City to pick up another couple of the support driver team members, then on to CA.

It was odd to be alone in the house yesterday. I worked from home, and did some house work as well as office work. I ate some food that I shouldn't have, and watched two movies on Netflix Instant-View. It felt like a day when I just wanted to cocoon a bit.

Today will be busier. It's my official day off from work, so I'll go to Physical Therapy, do some food shopping, make some gazpacho, go to L's house to help her pack up for moving, try to start organizing some of my books...or maybe not. I did walk for 45 minutes this a.m. - it's going to be in the 90s today and I don't do well in the heat, so I like to get the exercising done in the early hours while it's still around 70 degrees.

The counters:
Weeks of Summer Internship Left: 6
Days Until PH Comes Home: 13
Months Until Graduation: 12

Stay chill.