rummaging through the hay stack...

In one of my all-time favorite Breakaways, Gregg Matte says the following, "God's specific will for your life is not the needle in the haystack - it's the hay in the haystack."

This statement has often struck me. I suppose it is a good thing that God gives us this ability to choose how we spend our time here on earth, but even so, I often find myself wishing that we each had a specific path in mind that we should pursue. As Adrian and I are now engaged (insert smiley), occupational choices become even more difficult. Throughout our 3 years of dating, Adrian and I have both pursued our own goals, and as such, approximately half of our 3 years together has been long distance. I am glad that we had the opportunity to do that, but now we have made the commitment to be together and to put our relationship ahead of other worldly pursuits. Since we have both of us to think about, rather than just ourselves, it makes some decisions more complicated.

This definitely isn't a bad problem to have - it is a blessing to have another person to share my life with. But I always have been a person who frets over the next step in life, and I also like to have things figured out. We still have quite a bit of time, though, before we really need to come to any conclusions. Plus, I really just need to get through this semester first!

Lawrence, KS

I am actually here in Lawrence, KS after a FULL day of interviewing. Here was my day's schedule:
8:30 Intro to the KGS
9:00 My (30 minute!) presentation to KGS Staff
9:30 Questions and Informal Discussions with KGS Staff
10:00 Interview with Search Committee
11:30 Lunch with Search Committee
1:15 Meet with Annette Delaney, Human Resources
1:30 Meet with Barb McClain, Associate Director for Administration
1:45 Meet with Bill Harrison, Director
2:00 Meet with Rex Buchanan, Associate Director for Public Outreach
2:30 Meet with Public Outreach Section
3:00 Candidate’s Questions
6:00 Dinner with 2-3 KGS Staff

It actually wasn't too bad. Many people (mostly the non-technical people) told me that they enjoyed my talk and were able to understand it. I was also treated very well. I'm staying in the Marriot on the Kansas River in a very nice room and was treated to two very nice meals. For dinner, there were only 4 of us and the bill was $145!

The cool thing about the job is that even though there are still some things that are required, there is a LOT of room to really take the position in whatever direction I am most interested in. There is a lot of flexibility to do whatever I consider most important. Another cool thing is that they are really great about continuing education, and if I were to ever want to pursue a Ph.D at KU then I would be able to do that.

Now, do I think I'm going to get the job? I am not really expecting to. I think I am pretty inexperienced compared to the others. Bob Sawin told me that even though I was pretty young compared to other applicants, that my cover letter was really good and convinced them to interview me. :) so, all in all, it was a good experience for me - I have never been in a whole-day interview situation like this.

Also, to be honest, I am not particularly drawn to Lawrence (or at least from the little that I have seen).

caterpillars everywhere!

eating my roses, on my clothes, in my house...they better turn into beautiful butterflies...

5th graders are...

...exhausting. It was my 2nd lesson at Mary Branch Elementary. I think the lessons are going fairly well. I like the 5th graders a lot. If I do ever decide to teach, I think I like that grade level. However, the energy level is high and it can be all consuming.

The lessons are a little tough, because at this point, I am asking the students to ask some researchable questions that we can answer with our river models. It is a pretty difficult request. I told them that often the hardest part for a scientist is to know what questions to ask first. Some of the students are incredible with their thinking skills; others don't seem as interested in really delving into the whole concept of rivers - they just like playing in the model...what do you do when you have students at different levels of engagement?

fredericksburg

This past weekend, Mariann and I went to Fredericksburg for Lori's wedding. It was nice, but it did re-emphasize that I don't want to have a wedding. Phew. That is good to know, because at first, a small part of me thought that perhaps I would want one. But after going to another wedding, I remembered that no, they are not for me.

iTunes shuffle

I tried this game where you put your iTunes (or other music player) on shuffle to answer questions for you. Sort of like the magic 8 ball, but a little more sophisticated. Here's what I got:

How does the world see me?
"Destination" by O.A.R

Will I have a happy life?
“The Joy of the Lord” by Breakaway – Ross King style

What do my friends really think of me?
"Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen

How can I make myself happy?
"Whale Noises" by Brian Regan :)

What should I do with my life?
"You Deserve Flowers" by Chris Thile

What is some good advice for me?
"Love Bites" by Def Leppard - yikes

How will I be remembered?
"Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead

What is my signature song?
"The Boy in the Bubble” by Paul Simon

What do I think my signature song is?
"Never Again” by Nickelback

What does everyone else think my signature song is?
"Autumn Jane” by Weezer

What song will play at my funeral?
"Mission Impossible”

What is my day going to be like?
"Tonight I’m Lonely Too” by Alison Krauss

so much...

...has happened since my last post! Things have been getting very hectic with school and last weekend, Adrian and I got engaged! :) He surprised me with a weekend outing of unknown destination. We ended up at a bed and breakfast in Waco. We went to the Hilton to eat and watch the A&M bball game and then he surprised me with a Nickel Creek concert! They are the best! Then in the morning, we walked the trails at the B&B, and he proposed to me up a trail by the cross. It was nice. :) He gave me his grandmother's ring from 1938. I like it a lot.

One thing funny about the B&B is how you have to small talk with the hosts and eat breakfast with the other guests. We met Patrick and his wife, an older couple from Houston and a younger couple (Chase and I just forgot the girl's name). Anyways, Chase was a strange character who did not seem to enjoy breakfast (it was really good - yogurt parfait, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and this egg casserole thing), and he made us seem dumb about everything we said by saying, "What?!" a lot. Hee hee. Patrick told us not to worry about that numbskull. I just thought the whole thing was pretty funny. It reminded me a little about a Gilmore Girls episode where they end up having to stay at a B&B, and Lorelai and Rory try to dodge the other guests. But I'm glad we had a Chase, because I think it adds a funny story to our engagement weekend. :)

Big Bend!

I just got back from my trip to Big Bend last night. It was the perfect getaway - the perfect balance of hiking and exertion with relaxation. Pictures will be posted in the next week, because of all things I forgot, it was my digital camera. So I ended up buying a disposable one in Johnson City.

The drive was long - about 10 hours in all to get all the way down to Christy's place - but it wasn't unpleasant. It was kind of nice, going through Hill Country. Nothing too eventful occurred on the way over. Outside of Bastrop, a truck had on its bumper, "Keep Bastrop beautiful, shoot a yuppie." I thought it was funny, because instead of it being an actual bumper sticker, he had fashioned it out himself with individual letters. I was just thinking, wow, this man hates yuppies so much that he would go to this much trouble to let everyone know. Also, for some reason, I drank tons of water on the way over and had to stop on the side of I-10 to use the bathroom. But I'm pretty sure no one saw me; I had good coverage.

We did not do too much once I got there. Christy's other friends, Kristi and Robin were also visiting - but for a whole week (sigh, I'm jealous). Her place is quite cute. It is a duplex with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The best part of course is the porch with gorgeous views. That night we mostly got everything together for our backpacking trip. We made guacamole and granola bars! Christy also mixed some spices with cous cous for our dinner when we backpacked.

The next day we backpacked in the Chisos Basin! I was nervous, because I had never gone before and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to carry everthing. But it was not bad at all! Christy helped me pack and adjust my backpack, and it was perfect. Although, I will admit, at one point in the beginning, I had to take my pack off and sit for a few minutes, but then I felt fine - it was weird. On the way to our site, we checked the other backcountry sites for trash and leftover food in the bear boxes. We reached our site and set-up camp. Then, without our packs (hurrah), we hiked to the South Rim, which I have never been to before. It was nice. :)

When we got back, we made supper. After supper, it was about 6 pm. It was quite windy and a bit chilly, so we retreated to the tent. Neither of us had brought any books or cards - I hadn't because I didn't want to carry anything more and Christy had forgot to. So we just layed in the tent and talked for over 3 hours about anything and everything.

The next day we headed back down. We encountered tons of people backpacking up. I felt such a sense of accomplishment when we got back to the car and took our packs off for good. Now that I know I can do it, Adrian and I will need to make arrangements to backpack in the Narrows at Zion. :)

It was very relaxing the rest of the day. We ate lunch on the porch and then drove around the Castolon area, looking at the old ruins. Kristi and Robin came back from their own adventures, and we made spaghetti for supper. It is so fun: Christy has a huge plastic bin just filled with books of all kinds of subject matters. I picked up a collection of essays by John Muir and read a little of it on the porch. Right when supper was ready, Justin and his dad came in, after not being able to get a campsite due to the spring break rush. We all sat on the porch, ate, and talked for a bit. Then, the men went to sleep in Christy's room and we (the 4 girls), set up in the living room and watched a movie (Kristi was very prepared and brought her laptop with tons of DVDs to watch).

In the morning, we ate more of the homemade granola bars on the porch, and then I set off to come back to College Station. On the drive back, I stopped at this HUGE wildflower store outside of Fredericksburg. I must have looked around for almost an hour. I ended up buying two rose bushes (I guess they would be called bushes; I am not sure) to plant in the front yard. :)

All in all, it was a great time. :)

spring is here!

Hurrah! Spring is here. This morning I saw a bluejay and a robin in the yard, and most of my daffodils are blooming! As you can see from the picture, they are a little droopy but they are still pretty and happy looking. :)

This has to be the best spring break weather I have experienced in a while. It seems like past spring breaks have always been somewhat rainy and cold. Tomorrow, I leave for Big Bend to see Christy! Then a week of lab work, followed by a weekend of fun with Adrian. :)

Gardening!

Saturday, Adrian, Lucy, and I spent all day outside gardening. I planned the whole plot out with my garden book and carefully positioned vegetables together that like each other. Also, we are going to plant a new row of corn every two weeks, so that we will always have fresh corn. We planted: corn, okra, green and red peppers, carrots, onions, tomatoes, watermelon, and pumpkins. According to the seed package, the pumpkins are supposed to grow to weigh 100 pounds! We shall see.

We had a slight set-back with the garden today, though. We went outside to look at it and we found huge giant dog paw prints and a dig hole. It seems that Mason came over to inspect the garden more carefully - oops. Hopefully, we can construct a fence to keep all curious dogs out!

Hmm, I just uploaded the pictures, and they arranged them in a weird, random order. Oh, well. :)

Lucy and the daffodils

The daffodils are starting to bloom! In the last picture, you can see Lucy's shaved leg from Tuesday when she had her dental...poor pup. She came back home that day extremely tired, as you can see from the 1st photo.

TA burnout

I think I am suffering from TA burnout. :(

so cold

hmm, I'm a bit tired of being cold. I feel like I'm cold ALL the time. Now some people may say, I'm fine and I don't even turn my heater on in my apartment. But let me say, that my house is pretty drafty. Air comes in everywhere, including under the front door and along all the windows. I think my house is pretty much the same temperature as outside. Oh, well, I suppose it isn't that bad. I can't remember what it's like to be hot, so right now I can't decide if it is more painful to be cold or hot. Right now, I am at home in my fleece pants and sweatshirt and my funny hat on. I am sitting in front of the gas furnace (yes, it's finally been turned on. My dad showed me how to light it when he was here) trying to get some work done.

Valentine's Day...

I really don't put too much emphasis on Valentine's Day, because I do feel like it has turned into a more materialistic holiday rather than the opportunity to tell your loved ones that you love them and appreciate them (although, this should be done regularly). Still, I have to say I was really excited about getting roses from Adrian. I've never gotten roses before and it was nice to get them (but I don't think getting roses should be a regular occurrence as they are expensive and don't last too long). He also got me chocolates, a Charlie Brown book on Valentine's Day, and a stuffed Cottonelle dog with a frame in his tummy. Adrian put a little picture of Lucy and Patches in it. It's funny. I like it a lot. As a Valentine's haiku goes:
Flowers and candy
Do not prove love, Valentine
But they do not hurt

I got him the books with the Fish comics, our favorite Aggie comic (and only, it seems from looking at the Battalion these days). Then we went to Quiznos and split a sandwich (turkey on rosemary parmesan bread) and watched the epispde of Simpson's called "Lisa's Wedding." It was cute. It was a good Valentine's Day. :)

yonder mountain string band

Last night, Adrian and I went to Houston to see the Yonder Mountain String Band. They consist of 4 guys: a mandolin, guitar, banjo, and upright bass. They were really good. There were a lot more people than I had anticipated. The only bad thing was that it didn't start until 9, so it was a late night and a lot of people were smoking. I think I washed my smoky clothes in 3 different loads.

It was a very different crowd from the Nickel Creek concert we went to in Los Angeles. I think Nickel Creek might be a little classier. YMSB was a lot of fun, though. But I think Chris Thile plays the mandolin better.

Today was such a beautiful day. I like Saturdays spent doing chores around the house and outside. I washed tons of clothes and blankets and sheets and washed Lucy. We cut up a pineapple, stirred the compost, and tried to clean my quartz clusters that I got in Arkansas last semester some more. We also tied some more corn cobs in the trees for the squirrels. Lucy got to run around with her dog friends, Mason and Dixie. Now I am making a volcano for my petrology lab next week.

bonnaroo

oh, Bonnaroo, how I yearn to go...but I suppose I probably should not. It would cost too much and would probably be a bit too crazy. Still, Nickel Creek and tons of others will be there...

http://www.bonnaroo.com