the first week in midtown

here are some "midtown musings" from my first week:

i love the metro rail system: 6 minute walk from my door to the rail stop. everyday this week a train has come within 2 minutes of my arrival. 6 stops later is methodist hospital. get out, walk across the street and i'm in the lobby...total commute time on day one was 20minutes!! subsequent days proved to be just as good!!

i confirmed that the bar across the street is only open on weekends, so that combined with a little white noise via a small blizzard fan to drown out the sounds of any normal cars passing by meant good, non-interrupted sleep!

throughout the week some friends accompanied me as we tried out a few local eateries and attractions/events...here is a photo journal

kk and i walked hermann park

we tested out the tex-mex across the street from my apartment

a group of us gathered at coco's crepes...byow on a friday night is nice!

then we went to mosaic theatre to see john ramsey and a couple other up and coming comics. i have not laughed that hard in a long time. the show benefited john and his wife, who are moving to kenya for a year so he can serve with international justice mission and she can work in a local children's hospital. check out ijm. such a cool organization.

emily and i walked to the midtown farmer's market on saturday

the farmer's market is in the parking lot of monica pope's (renowned chef) restaurant, t'afia. she was outside under a tent giving a cooking lesson that morning!

then we walked next door to tacos a go go. YUM! breakfast tacos all day long!

the end to the week (and best part of it!) was a visit from mom, her friend karen, my brother ryan, kim, jacob and josh. it was jacob's 8th birthday, and he was surprised with tickets to the texans vs cowboys game. we all had a great time, even though the cowboys got spanked. it was brought to my attention that i don't really know who i am for now...12 years in dallas, but now i live in houston! hmmm.

so, as i sit here in my apartment with yummy chocolate chip pumpkin bread baking in the oven and reflecting on my week, i am so thankful. the pictures above are just a few of the good things that have made my week. i have spent quality time with people who matter to me, and conversations have begun with people at the hospital who will be a significant part of my journey. this coming week marks the start of my permanent position as a staff chaplain, and i am preparing to officiate the wedding of two childhood friends on saturday in dallas. thank you God, for all the many blessings in my life.

the apartment

the last four days has been a whirlwind...

i packed.

i moved.

i unpacked.

i put things in it's place.
i learned a lot about my new neighborhood.

thanks to mom for coming to town for the weekend to join in the work and the fun, as well as steph and her family, NATIONWIDE MOVERS (love those guys), bryan, kc & jojo, kk, kyle & brenda, emily & karen. and thanks to all those who supported me from a distance...i felt so loved!

bottom line is that i love my new place! i can't wait to hop on the rail in the morning and not even get in my car...a far cry from the hour and fifteen minute commute i was doing from katy. i look forward to more visitors, so if you find yourself in houston, come on by! in the meantime, here is a sneak peek at the place...

view from my entrance...it's just one big room with a small balcony

kitchen...might be my favorite part of the place

view from the balcony doors

this entertainment stand is my favorite new piece of furniture

looking into my bedroom...i have another balcony off my room

bedroom view from balcony side

bathroom...i'm sure this didn't need a caption!

standing on living room balcony looking at downtown. that second balcony is my bedroom.

sketchy strip center across the street from me. a.k.a. escobar night club that wants to believe it resides in nyc. it's so loud. friday @ 2am i wondered if i had made a horrible mistake moving here. saturday night was much more calm. i'll keep you posted on this...

a sign of good friends...

the move

it's the eve of move day. a.k.a. the last night in katy.

exactly one year ago this weekend i moved here, so i just made steph have "reflection time" with me. i sat in her chair in her bedroom as she cleaned out her dresser, and we did a year in review. we remembered some of the places we have been (israel, iowa, retreats, our homes, conference, the beach), some of the things that became our rituals (walks, scones when we needed a pick me up, watching various tv shows), some of our favorite foods (salads with peppers and avacados, kashi pizza, dove dark chocolate, sonic ice), and some of the people who have come and gone in our lives (funny how this category made the most memories!). we realized how much we have grown as individuals this year. in different ways, we have both been challenged, and i am so thankful that we had each other. she is the kind of friend that encourages honesty and gives me the space to be myself. i will miss seeing her everyday, and i will never find the words to express how grateful i am for her sharing her home with me. it was not only a refuge from the world, but it literally allowed me to live into the calling God placed on my life. without her generosity, i don't know if i could have moved here to do the residency at the hospital, and it was through this residency that God revealed another step in my journey.

i hope everyone has someone in their life like steph has been for me. and if you do, tell them you love them and thank God for such a gift.

love you, steph!

the party

being in austin last weekend for mom's 60th birthday & retirement party was just what the doctor ordered...these last few weeks have been rough at work, but all that stress was left behind for this celebration! i am SO thankful to God for my mom. she has loved me unconditionally and sacraficed much in her life as an expression of that love. hope you always remember how much you are loved, mom! here are a few photos from the night...

our "food network" elvis cake

the cake & party favor table

"happy trails, the best is yet to come" trail mix for the drive home!

mom & elvis, of course

i'm pretty sure this was the "love me tender" serenade

mom & me-mom

my grandmother who is not scared to party at the local sports bar with us!

my favorite brother & sister-in-law

ryan & kim

***BONUS PHOTO***

i also got to hang out with these two amazing nephews...jacob and josh!

welcome home to their new puppy, bailey!

the balloon

balloons. for me there was always something about them that made me happy. bouquets at birthday parties, a single balloon tied around my wrist, or even watching one float up in the sky with wonder. always happy, unless someone came along and popped it. then, happiness turned to fright at the sound of the pop and then fright turned to sadness at the loss of that simple thing that was no longer there...and it all happened in an instant.

that's what this past week felt like for me. the balloon that was tied to my wrist on the day that i was offered my permanent position at the hospital was suddenly popped...it was shocking and scary in the moment, but the real feelings of sadness and loss of dreams is what makes each day so hard right now. but wait...I STILL HAVE A JOB...i keep reminding myself of that, especially in times when lots of people don't have jobs. however, things have changed.

very unexpectedly, the director of the spiritual care department was terminated last friday. no one really knows why...even he was shocked by the news. it was a jolting reminder that big businesses all function the same, at times executives don't see eye to eye, and often one exerts power over another that changes people's lives forever. i'm just one of hundreds that have been affected by his unfortunate circumstance. the stories told this week about how he has impacted lives is overwhelming.

as i continue to grieve the loss over the separation, i struggle with feelings of anger and just plain sadness for him and for me. i felt so strongly that we were all in the will of God as we dreamed about the programs at the hospital that i would eventually be a part of under his leadership. as he stood with me at my ordination, it was symbolically marking the beginning of this new direction in ministry, and i was filled with joy. the future of those ministries is uncertain now, and that makes me uneasy.

as a person of faith and one who ultimately trusts in God, i have been asking a lot of questions this week. i don't know what my job will look like come september, so once again i find myself trying to be patient in the waiting. but with each day, the haze is lifting, and i am beginning to imagine again. so, here's what i'm thinking today: maybe the balloon didn't pop...maybe it just came untied from my wrist and has floated off, leaving me to wonder where it will end up.

the beach

it's friday early evening. 100 or so youth+adults arrive at 33rd street and seawall in galveston. youth are running in the sand towards the water to play after a long week of working on hurricane ike recovery projects and the adults are STILL silently working...this time they are setting up tech equipment, building a frame out of 2x4's that would later serve as a projection screen, and getting ready for a bbq dinner.

watching all this unfold was a little bit of home for me, and it was bittersweet. i was so happy to reunite with all my people at st. andrew umc (and not be one of those adults working!), but i was also a little sad that for the first time in 9yrs i had not been a part of a saumc mission trip. i really miss this time of year and the worship with this group that makes me feel so close to God.

as the sun set, stan led us in a time of worship...our view was miles of water and miles of sky lit by a half moon and twinkling stars. so beautiful!! as we sang, our praises were not only heard by the heavens, but by the passerbys on the seawall who stopped to join us. it reminded me of what it might have been like when john wesley preached in the streets...curiosity might just be the catalyst for an eternal relationship with the Creator of universe.

this is one of the songs we sang...

How He Loves by David Crowder

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

may God continue to bless the ministry at st. andrew umc and all those curious youth. it changed my life forever.

the shoes (part 2)

As I reflect on these last couple of weeks, I keep coming back to my shoes. Something really big happened on Tuesday night. I was ordained a deacon in The United Methodist Church. I don’t know how to describe what happened in that moment, but the moment was huge. What I remember most was the weight of Bishop Huie’s hands on my head as she said, “Stacy, take authority as a deacon to proclaim the Word of God and to lead God's people to sesrve in the world in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” It was as if she was pressing those words into my very being…it was heavy, but it felt like I was right where God intended me to be. I was overwhelmed with joy.

Now, back to the shoes. I love shoes. One of the hardest things about settling into hospital ministry is that I don’t get to wear fun shoes. Remember those clogs I wrote about back in September? I sport those shoes EVERY DAY. So what made these last couple of weeks extra fun was that I got to wear shoes other than those clogs!

First up, Tina and Josh’s wedding in Cincinnati. I was blessed to stand with Tina as she married Josh. Over the course of 4 days, I experienced lots of laughter, storytelling, games and dancing with a few of my favorite friends from Duke…and these gold heels accompanied me.



Next I headed to The Woodlands for the Texas Annual Conference. It was here that I not only listened to reports and sermons centered on our theme “Extravagant Generosity,” but I experienced it as well. I can’t even begin to express what it felt like to have so many friends and family come to stand in support and celebration as I was ordained…and these fun black wedges got a work out during those 4 days.


Then, the girls headed to Galveston! Five of the seven of us (Stephanie, Emily, Paige, Romonica, and me) were ordained this year. Taylor paved the way for us last year and Elizabeth is right behind us next year. We went from the porch swing to the pool to the living room and then did it all over again the next day and the next. So relaxing…and if I was wearing shoes, these flip flops were it.




Finally, I closed out my time away by “swinging by the hospital for a little 12hr on call.” It was too hot to put on my suit (work suit, not bathing suit!) in Galveston, so I decided to change when I got to the hospital. I remember thinking, “Oh great, no more fun shoes…back to the boring clogs.” But then something big happened. I slipped on those clogs and even though they are heavy and not the most stylish, they felt AMAZING. I felt like I was right where God intended me to be. I was overwhelmed with joy. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me now! Oh, and please don't be jealous of these beauties...