Blessings and peace,

Rachel

My site has been updated and retrofitted, thanks to my loving brother, Gabriel Serafini (check out his site at serafinistudios.com). I am very grateful for this update.
Thanks Gabriel!!

Whats new in my life? Nathan, my fiancee, moved out to the Bay Area in the beginning of July and moved into his own new apartment in Fremont, CA a few weeks ago. He is loving his new job, a small consulting tech firm that assists Novell and Microsoft clients (businesses and schools) with their networking problems and projects.

I am working as a live-in nurse in Palo Alto, as I have been since mid-June.

In my last post, I announced my engagement, and said that we might get married in April. We have moved that to June 9, 2007 so that all members of our families can be there. (My step-dad is tremendously busy doing taxes in April and the preceeding months leading up to it, and June 2nd, the day that Nathan proposed, happens to be the Upper School Graduation day, and Nathan’s Dad supervises Food Service at the Upper School. June 9th it is, and we are looking forward to it!

On the rare chance that I get a Friday or Saturday night off, then I like to go either folk or contra dancing, and Nathan joins me every once in a while. I also get a thrill (still) riding my bicycle and enjoy taking walks.
Thank you, Readers, for patiently waiting for this entry which has been a long time coming, and I joyously welcome comments!

Much love and best wishes to you,

Rachel McVey (Robertson)

I have some happy news to share with you all. I am engaged!! Nathan J. Robertson (a school friend from years back) and I have been cooresponding for a few months now and not a day has passed that we haven’t exchanged several emails and called each other, in addition to hours spent on skype (free phone calls over the internet). I visited him in St. Louis for a few days in May, and he came to CA to visit me in June. Our priorities in life are the same: honesty, integrity, and love towards our fellow brothers and sisters. He is a Christian Scientist, just like me, and is interested in keeping that an important aspect of our life together, as am I.

We are currently thinking of marriage next spring, possibly April, marking one year from when we reconnected (online).

My best wishes to all friends out there and God bless you!!

Sincerely,

Rachel McVey Robertson (soon to be)

love you all!!

As far as work, I am still looking and listening for the next adventure, life’s next turn. It is important to me that whatever I end up doing should bless the community. I am not “looking” too hard though because I am so enjoying the time off and the thought of being a “starving artist” and creating art all the time intrigues me.

As you can see from when this was posted, I still have a challenge of letting go of the day and climbing into bed. Late dinners and late nights are the norm that I am trying to break free from.

About two/three? weeks ago, I started the process of forming a group for “young Christian Scientists” in the Bay Area. Our first meeting will be in a few days. I hope we have a good turnout.

That is about it for now since it is bedtime.

Write me! I would love to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Rachel McVey
rachelannamcvey@gmail.com

Take care and be BLESSED!!

Anyway… I love my new place–it is close to everything including walking distance to church, the art center, Lake Merrit (Oakland), a BART station, the carpool pick-up spot (if I were to carpool to work) and downtown in general. I am working hard as always, taking an art class (glass fusing) and generally enjoying life–especially the new-ness of my new place! Life is a lot different than it was in Jamaica though. have to go now cause I’m tired.

Well, it is 1 AM and I really need to go to bed, but hopefully another update will come along when I have more news to share.

Take care and be blessed,
Rachel

I apologize for the long silence, as always. For the past month, I have been living with my parents, in their two bedroom little house. My bedroom is really my Step-dad’s office, so we are sharing the very tight space together.

Work: I was hired from my first face-to-face interview (last week). Friday gone (July 22) was my first day at work and Monday will be my second. I’ll be sharing my time between two offices in San Francisco, working for a Fiduciary. Not sure of the spelling on that one, but I’ll learn! There is a lot of technical terms to learn for that job.

Now that I have been hired, I hope to also find my own apartment, and I am looking forward to that adventure!

Until I move out, however…

My Mom and Step-dad are remodeling the house that they will be moving into next, so every day and every evening, that is all they talk about. My mom just spent a week at a recorder (a wooden instrament) workshop and performed in two concerts-one last night and one this morning.

Every evening, or almost, Craig, my step-dad, practices his viola. I really wanted my mom to do the workshop because I want to see her spend as much time on her recorder as Craig does on his viola, though I can’t really see that happening. Anyway, I am excited for her, also because I want to be doing my art things and look forward to her supporting and encouraging me when the time comes.

Food shopping, house shopping, dinner, dishes, commuting, the people of San Fran, that is my life these days…

Take care and hope to hear from you!

For those that are in the area, there will be a welcome home party and presentation in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Sun Gallery in Hayward, CA on Sunday, June 26 from 3-5 pm.

I will be showing some of the photographs that I have taken over the two years and talking about my experience of two years in the Peace Corps in Jamaica.

If interested, please RSVP to (510)339-9472 or email me at rachelannamcvey@hotmail.com. Thank you and have a blessed day

Rachel

I have enjoyed my Peace Corps experience in Jamaica and guess what? It has
been two years already and it is time to come home! The experience has been

a good one that I will treasure forever. I will be coming home on Tuesday,
June 21! That’s less than a week away! For those of you in the SF Bay
Area, there will be a welcome home party on Sunday, June 26. Venue and time

are yet to be determined and if anyone is interested, please reply so that I

can keep you updated. For those at Principia, I am planning on coming to
give my presentation (to any class or group that invites me) in the fall.
Who knows? If I make it to the 10 year reuinion, I could give it there too.

As for plans, I am still listening. I would be honored to work at Principia

or The Mother Church, or another organization that harmonizes with what I
believe in (honesty, efficiency, compassion, also known as wisdom, economy,
and brotherly love, also known as Life, Truth, and Love).

If I stay in the Bay Area, I am hoping to set up my studio and start
committing time to art (making jewelry) and the Practice.

That is about all the news I can think of right now.

Much love and I would love to hear from everyone and anyone!

Rachel