A reason to write... or two or three

I'm a compulsive blog abandoner. I can think of four, off the top of my head, that sit gathering dust off in a corner of the Web-- blogs that never had a chance, really. They were all sad, ineffective attempts at putting my voice "out there," although I never publicized my ownership of any of them and thus never had a readership of any kind. Sort of like standing at the Grand Canyon and yelling, hoping someone might hear and care- despite the echoes and the vast distance between me and any other human being.

The point is, I love to write. And I think I have things to say-- but of course, who doesn't. And who has time to follow yet another blog of someone else's musings. So I'm starting anew, this time thinking only of my own need to write and not my desire to be heard. There are lots of reasons to write, and lots of subjects to cover-- I won't limit myself to one or two. But incidentally, expect cooking, parenting,religious studies, and graduate school frustrations (not necessarily in that order) to take center stage on this blog; they are the epicenter of my real life, so why shouldn't they be here?

A bit of background. I'm 26 years old, born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. If you've never been to Tulsa, you may not understand the slow pace, old-fashioned values, and good cooking that make up the core of who I try to be. I married Andrew in June 2006 then graduated from the University of Tulsa six months later. Our daughter Ruby was born in August 2007, and in 2008 we moved to Philadelphia so I could start a doctoral program in my field: I study religious communication.

Talk about a culture shock-- two years later, we are still just Okies in the City, trying to figure out who we are and how we can possibly fit in here. Incidentally, Philadelphia is a whole 'nother country, and we have had to relearn such basics as grocery store etiquette just to get by here.

Add to the chaos that I am currently six weeks postpartum, having delivered our second unexpected (but very welcome!) child, Cortez, at the start of what would have been my fifth semester in my PhD program. My maternity leave is coming to an end (today, as a matter of fact), and now to figure out how to be a mother to a newborn and three year old, a wife, and a full-time student and research assistant... I have fodder for blogging, yes, but maybe not time to do it.

You'll get to know more about me as I find time to write. Add me to your feed, and I'll do my best not to be an imposition... and hopefully I'll get to know you, too.