I am off on another plane trip tomorrow afternoon - back to FL again. It's Diocesan Convention time, which means schmoozing time for third year seminarians like myself. I'll be making it a point to talk to several rectors and delegates at churches that are interesting to me and hopefully will have a narrower picture of where I'll end up for my curacy. It's an exciting...and scary time.

Once convention is over, I will remain in FL for my Christmas break. Yes, I know, I am leaving a week early. But, if I did not do this, I would have had to buy three plane tickets instead of two and that's just not feasible. Plus, all my final exams/projects are either papers or take home exams that can be as easily done in FL as in Chicago and then emailed or faxed. So, that's that story.

I realized late in the day today that when I returned in January, several good friends of mine would not be back. The two Westcott House exchange students from England will be returning to their native soil. I will certainly miss Caroline and Rodger - we had many good times together playing American football and whatnot. I'll also dearly miss Rodger's wife Gill, and their precious 18 month old son, John Daniel. JD and I have gotten to be quite good buddies and I'm really gonna miss that kid. We loved to play together and found out that we have a lot in common: we both dislike being cold, we're both fans of books but if we don't like a book, we're not above tossing it across the room, we both like bicycle pumps, we both feel right at home in the Great Orange Throne of Victory and often sit in it in our underwear, and we both know that whenever we walk into a room we are immediately the center of attention. So, safe travels back to England Caroline, Rodger, Gill, and JD. Go with God. And we'll each other again someday. I've got plenty more American tricks to teach you JD, besides high five, and, after all, England and Florida aren't so far apart if you look at it from the right perspective.

-R