ex(PR)essed

Ok…I can’t take it any more and I must make a confession. I’m saddened to share this news. I’m disappointed in myself. I’m questioning if I have failed English majors everywhere. Prepare thyself: the Lorows have abandoned “War and Peace.” I made it not quite halfway, and realized that book was slowly causing me to lose my love of reading. I was searching for other things to read at night (magazines, puzzle books) to avoid the book. I’m not sure why. I didn’t dislike reading it. Rather, I didn’t eagerly anticipate picking it up at night, and, therefore, I practically stopped reading it. I love to read too much, and there are too many good books out there to risk spending the next seven years plowing through “War and Peace.” Confession over.

I practically skipped to Murray Library here on campus last Friday to check out a few summer reading books. Since I’m flying to Florida next week, I was looking for a page turner, something that would help me pass the time during the flight. I got two books, and I’m just getting started with “The Emperor of Ocean Park.” I’ll keep you posted.

I’m reading a second book though now too (very much not my style, by the way, to date more than one book at a time). It’s a little page-turned called “Messiah College: A History.”

You see, the College is celebrating its Centennial in 2009-2010, and my colleague Christina and I are leading the communication committee for this event. My major responsibility this summer is to research, write, and populate the Centennial website. It’s a mammoth endeavor, but a fun project. And, it gives me reason to read at work!

Once you’ve read “Messiah College: A History,” you might be looking for some additional summer reading. Allow me to recommend “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger; “Prodigal Summer” by Barbara Kingsolver; and both of Donna Tartt’s books.

Now, time for Chapter 5: “Grantham and a New Home.”

Now that a few days (and more importantly, a few nights of sleep) have passed, I feel a bit more equipped to talk about The Compassion Forum, and the incredible opportunities that have plastered a nearly permanent smile on this PR girl’s face. New York Times. Wall Street Journal. Washington Post. All talked about The Compassion Forum and Messiah College on Monday. What a thrill! And, when the cashier at Barnes & Noble asked me in a somewhat puzzled tone whether I could actually read all those newspapers in one sitting, I simply grinned and told her that I worked for Messiah College. She didn’t ask any more questions.

Interestingly, for me, the biggest media thrill of the week didn’t come from one of the big national newspapers that every college PR staff covets coverage from. It came from our local Harrisburg Patriot-News who said things like “President Kim Phipps and the entire Messiah College community proved they were more than up to the challenge;” “the program went off without a hitch;” “Faith in Public Life…had sought out Messiah College for the nationally televised forum. It would have had a difficult time finding a better choice;” “Dr. Phipps…is to be credited for leading the college to new heights in almost every aspect of academics and campus life.” Wow. What an awesome endorsement from a newspaper that we truly enjoy working with and respect greatly.

Many days, planning for The Compassion Forum was all-consuming. It was frustrating and exhilarating. Exhausting and invigorating. Unlike anything I have ever experienced. There were times when I questioned whether I had the physical, mental, or emotional strength to trudge on towards the goal, and, it was at those moments that the grace of God was clearly evident in the smiles and encouragement of this great Messiah College team.

Now, looking back, I wouldn’t trade one single stressful moment that got us to this point. The reward of seeing Messiah College and the faith community take the national stage for such a momentous and important event is unmatched.

And, now it’s back to life, back to reality. (80s song…anyone? maybe it was a 90s song. Hmmm…) I still have plenty to do at work, including Compassion Forum follow-up stuff. Home? Well, things are in a state of neglect, and I must spend some time this weekend cleaning. I might even contemplate making dinner…from scratch! I also hope to do some “War and Peace” reading. The book didn’t get totally neglected during Compassion Forum planning; last night I started section eight and passed into the 500s.

It’s hard to believe the Easter weekend has come and gone already. I was just starting to really get the hang of the sleeping in and relaxing routine when my alarm went off–ever so rudely, I might add–at an inappropriate hour this morning. I sure could have used an extra hour or two of sleep. But…there’s no time for sleeping! We have presidential candidates to host. Media to accomodate. Programs to write; media kits to assemble; ticketing, invitations, and volunteers to figure out. A web site needs launched; a stage needs set. It’s crazy busy at work and will be for the next three weeks as we approach The Compassion Forum.

So, even after just one day back, my long, relaxing weekend seems like eons ago. For those of you dying to know, I had a lovely breakfast at Panera Bread on Friday. I will unabashedly admit that I slept so late that I only had about an hour at Panera before the lunch crowd started arriving. And, the lunch crowd is noisier than the breakfast crowd, so it was time to pack up “War and Peace” and move on! Over the weekend, I crossed into the 400s in “War and Peace.” I must admit that I’m honestly enjoying the book. For realsies.

Otherwise, the weekend consisted of shopping, a birthday party for a pretty cute one-year-old, and plenty of games of computer Wheel of Fortune with Jeff. We also hosted Eunice for Easter dinner. That made us feel less like orphans since all the other Easter orphans abandoned us.

So, tomorrow we hope to launch The Compassion Forum website. Keep an eye on Messiah’s homepage — some pretty exciting news is coming your way!

It has been twelve days since the Lorows started reading “War and Peace,” and, as you can tell, I am about 1/12 of my way through this monster of a book. (Translated: bottom of page 121.) Alright…so it only amounts to about 10 pages a day, but, no joke, it takes at least half an hour to read 10 pages. There will be no flying through this book at the pace at which I’m accustomed to reading. Plus, every few pages, I must flip to the character listing to make sure that I’m clear which prince, princess, count, or troublemaker I’m meeting now. Don’t get me wrong; I’m enjoying the book so far. I don’t dread reading it. Rather, I look forward to that half hour of quiet reading time each night when I’m tucked snuggly between the flannel sheets and elbow-to-elbow with Jeff and his copy of “War and Peace.” (He’s a few pages behind me…maybe while I’m scrapbooking with Rachel tonight, he’ll want to devote some time to catching up?!)

Did you enjoy the weekend? Friday was a great day at Messiah — hard not to be thrilled about the news that Kai Kasiguran was drafted by the Chicago Fire to play major league soccer! Then, it was off to serve at my church’s annual sportsmen’s banquet. Jeff and I went out to breakfast Saturday morning — one of my favorite weekend treats. Saturday night was spent shopping and watching a movie with “the square,” a.k.a. my senior high girls small group. Sunday, Jeff and I watched “Akeelah and the Bee,” before heading back to the church for youth group. Whew.

In other exciting news — today is four days past my blogging anniversary! Wahoo!