Living the Dream

It hit me the other day that I'm living my dream:  to graduate college and to be a design engineer.  It's incredible.  Somebody pinch me!  I'm pretty sure that just yesterday I turned 16 and this morning I graduated high school... when did college happen?  And getting married?  And getting hired full-time?  (And passing Heat Transfer?)  There were so many hard days, sometimes I wasn't sure I would make it through.

Honestly, it's not as perfect as when it was on the horizon, but that's just life.  Nothing is ever perfect, but it can still be lovely.  There are at least a million things I don't know, but I have great coworkers and a great supervisor who have been a big help (and very patient).

I'm standing here at this milestone, and I have many more dreams that I hope to see realized, but I am so thankful and all I can think to say is:

Here I raise my ebeneezer
Hither by Thy help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home


(From Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing)

Recap

Here's a recap of the last three weeks!

So, first it was this:

Then, it was moving...

Next, it was this:

And now, we're back home and getting ready to start our jobs on Monday!

Moving

It has been my experience
 that the adventure is nearly always,
worth it.

It's a good thing I was sitting down when Handsome told me the news:

"The moving company could only do it Monday.  They'll unpack on Tuesday."

I felt a thousand bricks land on my heart and saw a tidal wave of anxiety on the horizon.  My hand landed softly on my chest, and pressed hard to hold back the wave.  I sat for a moment in the stillness.

One week.

That's all I have left here.

Like a fish out of water, I forgot how to breathe for a moment, but I fought to remember that Grace held me and holds me still.  And a strange mix of excitement and sadness rose up from inside of me, swirling together like the jam I mixed into my yogurt this morning.

Then chaos and a thousand memories swept over me and I felt, for the first time, that we were leaving this place.  It is one thing to know--because I have done that for some time--but quite another to feel as I am doing now.

It's not holy ground, but it feels like it sometimes.  So much of my heart is tied here, so many memories are anchored to these buildings and walkways and trees, and there is a part of me that wonders if I'll ever return, if it will ever be the same again?

On the threshold of adventure, I know, it has to feel this way.

A grain of wheat has to fall to the ground and die, before it can realize its full potential.  So, here we go.  We leave and we let this part of our lives live on in memories, because we trust and we know that the next part is worth it.


Handsome and I will be moving close to our families, where we both have Engineering jobs (PTL!), and, hopefully, an exciting future in the next stage of our lives.

Making the Most of It

In March of 2009, I went on a study tour of Israel.  It was a 10-day trip, 7 days on the ground, hiking "the best of the lands" and being taught scripture where it happened.  In March, and basically no other time of the year, Israel is green, lush and about 70 degrees--it was beautiful!

This one's not green, I know.  It's in En Gedi, where David hid from Saul.

Well, the weather was beautiful all but one day.  The first day we were in Jerusalem in rained... and rained... and rained.  But that didn't stop us (most of us).  I was soaked to the bone and shivering... and that was all that I could think about.

Not that I was in Jerusalem (the holy city!)...

Not that I should soak this up because I may never go to Jerusalem again (please let it not be so!)...

No, all I could think about was that I was cold and wet.  All I could think about was my own personal comfort and how much I wanted to get back on the bus, better yet, back to the hotel where it was warm and dry.  (Gosh, I'm so mature...)

As I end my last semester of college, this is the story that comes to mind.  And these are the things I'm wondering:

• How much did I miss that day in Jerusalem, because my focus was off?  
• Where is my focus now and am I missing anything because of that?
• How can I make the most of the little time that I have?

With our rain gear on, touring the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)

May you make the most of your day, friend!

Bicycle Balance

Me, the first time I rode a bike

“Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle?”

My mind raced back to the sidewalk at my parents' house.  My sister and dad were going for a bike ride and I wanted to go…

“The first time you ‘got it’–bicycle balance, that is…”

I told them I could ride a two-wheeled bike.  I had watched and listened.  They told me I didn’t know how, but I knew I could do it…

“Bicycle balance is something you just ‘get’.  You are not falling anymore; you’re not afraid.  That’s when riding a bike becomes play.”

I have the best Senior Design professor.  He cares about us and our futures and he takes the time to invest in us.  Today, he told us about the importance of mastery, using the above analogy.  ”In your first five years of work,” he said, “you must continue to educate yourself.  You must work to rise above the 500 other new engineers.  Those are critical years when you distinguish yourself.  If you do that, you become invaluable, an asset.  You will not be the one getting a pink slip.”

“Is bicycle balance like a competence, and maybe some confidence?” I asked.

“No.  When you look around you will see many people falling.  You must get past the point of falling.  You need ‘bicycle balance’.  It is when you no longer work; it is when solving problems becomes play.  It is something for all careers, for all things.”

Bicycle balance.

Work becomes play.

Mastery.

Leadership Lesson from a Pop Quiz

When I arrived at my intersession class* this morning, the professor told us we were having a pop quiz.  He explained that there were 24 questions, 22 or above was an A, 20 or above was a B, etc., and that his goal was for all of us to get A's.  I noticed everyone tense up a bit, and I put on my game face ("You're going DOWN quiz.").

The prof handed out the quiz** and, to my delight, it was word pictures that hinted at Christmas carols!  During the six minutes given my hand flew over the page, resulting in 22 out of 24!

"Anyone with 22 or above?"  My hand and one other flew up.  "How about 20 or above?" A few more hands.  "18 or above?"  One hand.  Over half the class hadn't raised their hand.  "Are you all satisfied with your scores?  Some of you've failed.  Only two A's."  Murmers and nods showed disappointment.  "Tell you what, I'll split you all up into teams, give you a few more minutes, and maybe we can get some more A's."

My teammates helped me get the last two.  Aw, yes!  We're the best, I thought, we have them all!

After three minutes, we were the only team who had all of them.

After another three... we were still the only team.

Three more... still the only team.

"Are you satisfied with 15 out of 24?" the professor asked one of the other teams.
"We just didn't know the answers, sir.  I'm not from the U.S. and neither is he!  We don't know these songs."
"Ah, I see.  So you needed some help."

Then the prof turned to my team.  "I don't know whether to pick on the bright student or the army guy," the prof said referring to me and to one of my teammates, "What do you do when there's a man on the field who needs help?" he asked my friend.
"But, prof, they didn't ask for help!"
 "Do you wait for a soldier to ask for help?  Do you let him get killed?  No.  You go help him.  You are so stuck in your paradigms*** that you're letting others fail.  Whose team are you really on?  Who is going to be a leader?"

What did I learn?  While it may seem unlikely to me that I should be a leader, I had all of the answers to our quiz, but I couldn't see past my perceived rules to help everyone achieve the goal (to get A's).  Sometimes parts of an organization (or, dare I say, spouses in a marriage) perceive themselves as "teams" in competition against each other--they perceive rules, conventions or expectations that limit the team's productivity.  Who is going to let go of their paradigm to save the organization (marriage)?


*Introduction to Total Quality Management/Six Sigma
**A link to the actual quiz:  Christmas Song Picture Game
***We had been talking about paradigms as a major barrier to change in an organization.

Day 25

(Full list.)

A Picture of Your Day

Well... most of my day is spent looking at a (quite large) computer screen, sometimes happily typing away and other times sitting still with a furrowed brow (hoping for a revelation... please, God... I know you created Java... I know you know the answer).

I don't have a picture of my office space.  Mostly because I don't have a non-awkward reason for taking one.  Imagine me turning to my cubicle-mate and asking, "Excuse me coworker, would you mind taking a photo for me.  It's for my blog..."  Awkward silence.  "My mom wants to know what my work place looks like..."  (Insert awkward turtle...)  Imagine me reaching out my camera with my sweaty hands (because I'm nervous, I don't have sweaty hands all of the time... ewww).

See, it just wouldn't work.

Image allposters.com

Here's the substitute image.  This is pretty accurate, except my hair is curly and I have a desk too (she probably has one, it's just cropped out).

Day 12

(Here's the full list.)

A picture of something you love

At the risk of sounding like I'm giving you a "Sunday School" answer, my first love is Jesus Christ.  Everything that's good in me is because of Him.  I owe my allegiance to Him, the God of the Universe.

Now, here are pictures of other loves:

Silly-ness with Handsome

The Cutest Nephew in the World

Fun with my Girls

Pine Cove

Eating Glue....
Wait, what?

Day 8

(Click here to see the complete list.)

A Picture that Makes You Laugh


Well, if you haven't noticed so far, I haven't been taking the "a picture" part very seriously.  This post is no exception.  There are funny stories behind some of these, or funny expressions contained in most of them.  It's hard to choose just one picture, when so many make me laugh!

Three Musketeers!

I love these boys!

If you've ever played buffalo hunt,
you know why this is funny/why you have to laugh.

This was a funny night.
Sorry about the embarrassing pic, girls!

Oh Eli, so upset that his big sis was graduating.

What did the other picture look like?

Miss you girls soooo much!

So many fun memories!

Day 4

(To see the complete list, click here)


A picture of your night


I know I didn't make the rules, but this one's a little weird.  A picture of night is a black square, right?  Maybe with stars.


Maybe a picture of my night is just me sleeping?  That happens every night.  I'm not very good at staying up late.  In fact, it took me several years (middle school?) to be able to stay up for New Years--even though I was so excited and tried really hard!

Lainie and I, circa 1991

Although these next pictures are not at night specifically, they are of me sleeping.  At football games.  My freshman year.

You see, when you're a freshman it is your job to reserve seats for the upperclassmen at football games.  This means getting to the stadium several hours before it opens, running down the steps and laying on the seats.  At this point, you still have a couple hours before the game starts.  Tired, yet?

Here is something else I did at night once.

Most often, though, I spend my evenings/nights...

...doing homework!

Day 3

(No idea what's going on?  See Day 0.)


A picture of the cast from your favorite show


Today is a tough one.  If you know me well, you know that I don't watch much television.  We didn't have cable growing up, and, now, Nathan and I don't have a TV.

There's only one "show" we really watch--ESPN (online).  And the cast?

Fight, you K-State Wildcats

For Alma Mater fight-fight-fight!

Glory in the combat

For the purple and the white.

Faithful to our colors

We will ever be,

Fighting ever fighting for a

Wildcat victory!

Go State!

Images courtesy of www.kstatesports.com.

Research

With a Compressor at a Natural Gas Well

I think the last time I wrote a research report was in high school.  It was titled "Not Your Mother's Mars", and discussed whether or not there was water on Mars (and if you're wondering, there was at one point, maybe).  I was a cool kid in high school, promise.  Anyway, tonight I'm beginning research on my second (ever) research paper assignment.  I'm taking Written Communication for Engineers, so they won't let me write about water on Mars (bummer), but I'm happy to announce that after many hours of pensive web-surfing I have chosen a topic... (drum roll, please)... Compressed Natural Gas Powered Vehicle Fleets!  I know you're wondering how I can stand to write this post while such an exhilarating topic awaits me, I am a little crazy, I guess.

Admittedly, I've been pretty apprehensive about the assignment--it's (on average) a 15-page single-spaced report full of technical jargon and fancy diagrams--but I've realized my folly.  Worry and fear are my biggest temptations and my most frequent sins, and sometimes I let my anxiety get to outrageous levels before I repent.  This last week was no different, as I found myself distraught; I couldn't choose a topic, I didn't know what to do.  In these times, I'm thankful for the Christians that God has placed in my life.  Nathan calmly reminded me what scripture says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6)," and then he prayed for me.  Ah, blessed community!  Praise God!

In class the next day, I realized that one stressor was the tone my professor used.  Though she speaks strongly and seriously about the assignment, I will not worry about my performance in this class, but trust God and work for His approval and His glory.  I am thankful that God is guarding my heart and my mind by revealing temptations and showing me a way out!

P.S.  My interest in compressed natural gas vehicles stems from my summer internship with a natural gas company.  (See pic)

Purple Pride

I don't really talk about my school much in my blog.  I'm really not one of the super-fans that goes crazy on game day and feels a deep, personal hatred for anyone who goes to a rival school.  I do, however, think my school's a really great place to be.

I really enjoy the campus.  It has beautiful trees and flowers, the buildings are limestone and some are very grand and castle-like, and things are generally close together (about a 20 minute walk across campus).

I also really enjoy the color purple, and the fact that almost everyone wears it!  I generally jump on the school-spirit bandwagon, because sporting events are really fun.  We have our own traditions and cheers--my favorite is the Wabash (that other link has some good live footage, this one is just funny).

The hubbs and I spent a good amount of time watching/listening to football this semester, and I have learned to enjoy it (this is part of what marriage is about).  I was especially excited for the KSU-KU game, because they're our in-state rival!  It's always awesome when we win, because I can tease my cousin who graduated from KU.

But, this year I couldn't bring myself to tease her too much.  It was a little rough.  Actually, I got bored.  And when I'm bored, I usually end up baking something.  Hence, the cookies.  They were really good.  (If you like them soft, a little cake-y, with a sweet, glossy frosting, that is.)  They even froze well, which makes them more awesome in my book.

The Best Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and shortening.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add dry mix to butter mix.  (Refrigerate for 1 hour if you sub butter for the shortening.)
Roll out on lightly-floured surface, cut shapes or use a small cup to make round shapes.  (Or, scoop out balls and flatten them with your hands, like I did.)
Place on un-greased baking sheet (I used parchment).  They won't spread much if you used shortening, but will spread more if you used all butter.
Bake at 350 (deg F) 8 to 10 minutes, until light brown.
Yield: 30-36 cookies

Click here for a link to the FROSTING RECIPE on Allrecipes.com (I had to add more milk than the recipe says).