Hello!
If things have seemed a bit quiet on StyleWise this year – I mean, I’ve been trying to maintain normalcy, so maybe you haven’t noticed – it’s for good reason.
I’m going to seminary!
In January, I started applying to seminaries, frantically working on personal statements, updating my resume, and researching for writing samples. Initially, I wasn’t sure that my church region would approve starting in the fall, so it was purely an exercise in maintaining momentum. But then I learned that they had okayed it, and things got real very quickly. I got news last month about one and news about the other a couple days ago. I also just completed my on-campus visits over the last two weeks, and this morning I finally made a decision!
I will be heading to New England in the fall to start a three year program that will, hopefully, lead to ordination as a pastor/priest in the Episcopal church! It was important for me to find a program that incorporated a diversity of voices, denominational practices, cultural and racial backgrounds, and integration with courses in ecology, trauma studies, and economic ethics.
The program I landed on will allow me to take classes outside the seminary itself and expand my overall perspective. I spent a couple sleepless nights this week – and many more over the last several months – praying and working to discern what I need and what I want. I am excited to have chosen the place that I feel will challenge me most.
One of the great things about getting older is realizing that you don’t have to be THE best, you just have to be YOUR best. If I had made this decision earlier, I think I would have been too intimidated to make the more challenging choice, but now I am excited to be in a space full of people who are likely better educated than me.
That’s the BIG news, but I also have a few others things to draw your attention to…
Shop Digital Guides from this Website
You can now shop my comprehensive guide to blogging and a new guide on ethical affiliate networks via this site instead of on a third party platform. I am hoping to expand products to include some of my secondhand finds and items from my closet.
I’m Kind of Back on Instagram
I downloaded Instagram software that will allow me to update my Instagram page from my computer and moderate comments/messages without using my phone. I plan to only upload things that are directly related to what I post on the blog, essentially using it as a blog reader rather than a social media platform.
I chose to do this because I realized I was inconveniencing some of my regular readers who prefer to receive blog updates via that platform. Maintaining it from my laptop rather than on my phone should curb addiction and social media fatigue.
That’s all for now!