never a dull moment

a few, how shall i say... "odd" things have happened in recent days:

1. i became ordained. it feels absolutely blasphemous to write that, but it is true. 
   
   
   i have been asked to officiate a friend's wedding, so i pursued online ordination. (a la joey on friends.) after i completed the lengthy 2 minute process, the website told me i should be very proud of this accomplishment (i am basking in pride at the moment, let me tell you! ha.) & that i could now be called reverend, minister, teacher, or healer. i'm debating, but "reverend overstreet" has its charms.
   
   
   i have some ambivalence about this ordination. i feel absolutely honored that friends desire me to preside over their wedding ceremony. but i also feel illegitimate as a representative of a church & this life-long connection i will now have to universal life church. perhaps it is my SPU indoctrination teachings & my catholic leanings, but it doesn't feel quite right. i don't plan to use this ordination for any church planting or the like, just to perform this wedding (& possibly future weddings if friends so desire--provided they can pony up with some gluten-free wedding cake).
   
2. i became an assistant lecturer. i have been waiting for this for a while (which i lamented here) & partially believed it would never actually happen. turns out it happened july 1 & no one thought to fill me in. because clearly this doesn't impact me at all. 
   
   
   i am truly thrilled about this status change & wanting desperately to celebrate this long-awaited promotion with the other person in the world who is as excited as me. i guess that will have to wait.
   
3. that other person i referenced above, he flew on a C130 to greenland this week. the town they are based out of is experiencing the highest river levels in recorded history. in fact, the town lost their only bridge due to massive flooding. luckily brandon & the crew he is working with out of UCLA have multiple choppers at their disposal so their research can proceed.
   
4. lastly, i rode my cruiser bike around town with my nutcase dog running along side. this may seem minor, but let me tell you, this is a huge accomplishment. there are three required elements that i systematically included (retractable leash, spiky choke collar, & a pre-ride doggy exhaustion session at the park). we didn't crash once. squirrels & sticks were to blame for two near crashes, but those don't count, right? i'm pretty excited to continue to enjoy this canine-bike combination this summer.