the-redheaded-physicist

One Word

2011-01-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

The challenge is not to create a resolution. No list of goals. Just one word.

A single word to focus on all year long.

I like the simplicity of this idea. When I read about this challenge, my mind was immediately drawn to a certain word in a rare moment of decisiveness.

My one word for 2011 is: JOY!

Quick Trip

2010-10-14T18:11:00.001-07:00

Mike and I visited Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana briefly this past week. We flew into Minneapolis, drove over to La Crosse, helped Mike's best friend get married, drove up to Green Bay to see the stadium, went through Chicago traffic at rush hour, finally made it to Lafayette and Kokomo to see family and friends before returning to Minneapolis to fly home. It was a whirl-wind visit but a fun one.

It was wonderful to catch up with old friends in Lafayette and make some new ones in Wisconsin. I loved introducing Mike to my family and friends. Parts of my past are sketchy and not fond memories but it was great to go back and let Mike meet the people who helped me get through it all! (you know who you are...) I wish we had been able to see everyone but we were literally in town for only a couple hours. Next time we'll plan a visit for longer so we can catch up with everyone. :-) I love and miss you all! I am SO blessed to have such amazing friends as you.

Cancer Free!!

2010-08-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

Well, after many tests and over a month without caffeine, I've been deemed cancer-free! Woo-hoo! :-) And now I'm back on caffeine but not as much as I was before...

What a relief too! Mike and I are 2-weeks away from celebrating our 1 year anniversary and the thought of cancer at a young age had both of us jumping to wild conclusions and tragic endings. Thank you God for a simple ending to that scare.

Scary Word of the Week

2010-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Lump.

Used in a sentence.

Doctor: 'I'm feeling a lump here....'

Contemplative Morning

2010-06-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love the most about my husband is how well he can read me and my crazy flux of moods. This morning I was feeling sad and worried about family situations and, of course, the never-ending-struggle-with-money. I was sitting on the couch with my Bible, internalizing all my fears and worries (as I read Matt 6:25-34). Knowing that I shouldn't worry doesn't always mean that I can set my worries aside just as easily. I was quiet, deep in my thoughts.

Mike somehow knows when I'm worried or stressed - I guess I get quiet and frowny. :-) Anyway, he held me and heard my worries and fears and made me express myself instead of trying to keep it all inside.

One of the amazing things about marriage is that I don't have to do everything myself. I was independent for a lot of years and I loved it! I still feel a measure of that independence but now I have something even better, I have a helpmate in my husband. He supports me and encourages me and enables me to get through each day. The way he loves me continues to surprise and overwhelm me. The last 9 months have been incredible and I hope and pray that as the months turn into years and then into decades that our love and our marriage will continue to grow stronger!!

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

To Infinity and Beyond!

2010-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I've written on my blog. Married life is awesomely busy! :-) Mike and I celebrated our 6-month anniversary a couple weeks ago. It's fun to still be newly-enough-wed to count anniversaries by months. We've moved into a little duplex called a B-house that was built back in the days of the Manhattan project. It's old but has character. We just wish it also had a fan (or outlets) in the bathroom so we didn't need to open the window to shower - brrr! We've started working on the yard every weekend. It took us about 8 trips to the dump to clean out all the leaves and brush that had accumulated over the winter. But it was worth it because now we have tulips and violets and daffodils all springing to life! SO lovely.

As I read back through some of my previous posts, I realized that I spent a lot of time dwelling on my past and my regrets. Which at the time, I believe was necessary for me to acknowledge in order to move beyond it. However, I'm trying to be intentional about my future. I can't change my past and I wouldn't want to. It made me who I am today - exceedingly aware of God's grace in my life and that I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it!! With that in mind, Mike and I are striving to simply take things a day at a time, love each other, and love those that God puts in our paths.

Fabulous news

2009-12-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Michael and I are so excited for our first Christmas together. The weather is chilly and there's snow on the ground. We just moved into our first house together (a duplex that's older than both of us combined! but in great shape....). We're excited by what God is doing in our lives. Married life is so good. Hard work, but worth the effort!

We've been struggling with money issues lately from medical bills to figuring out finances so Mike can finish his paramedic training/licensing. Along those lines, my boss came into my office today and told me that I'll be promoted at the beginning of the year! Which will mean at least a slight increase in paycheck. Whew! Praise God. His timing is intense. I was stressing out about trying to make ends meet and now, it looks like we're going to make it. Thanks be to God for his stressful, intentional way of teaching me to trust Him more! lol

Too many opportunities!

2009-10-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

*sigh* not more than half an hour had passed from the time I posted my last blog when I got a phone call from my husband. God closed the door for Mike at his current job. So now we are relying on my paycheck to cover the bills. Yet another opportunity for me to let go of my own strength and trust in God and his awesome ability to know and provide what we need. Very scary... I don't know why its so scary, but it is. God, please give me the wisdom and the heart to let go of my fears and to trust you in these times. Strengthen my marriage in these next few days as we settle into yet another change in our lives. We love you so much, Lord, and we give you our trust and our future.

Little Joys

2009-10-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

In light of God's great mercy and grace, I feel selfish and small as I sit here worrying about things that I have no control over. My family is struggling over jobs, and housing situations, and money, and the holidays. It is really hard to not be able to fix it and make it all better.

I feel spoiled because God has richly blessed me with a job that I don't deserve to love like I do! He put a wonderful Godly man in my life for me to love and who loves me in return. I'm so excited to spend my first Christmas with my husband. That brings me joy to think about it.... God has been so good to us! This man he put in my life knows my past failings and my current struggles and still chooses to be a part of my future - amazing love...

I'm re-reading Brennan Manning's book Ruthless Trust and once again I'm challenged in every part of my daily life. Trust is really hard for me to give. I could try to blame that on any number of bad things in my past but it still doesn't change the facts. I like to know things.... It's really hard to accept that my family may or may not find a job but regardless, God is holding them in his hands and I can trust Him with my family. I don't know the plans that God has for my fam - but I can trust that whatever they are, they are plans to prosper them and not to harm them; plans to give them hope and a future.

God, help me to trust you more quickly and to leave my family in your hands... It's so hard to imagine that you love them more than I do. Thanks for your amazing grace to me, a sinner.

Wedded Bliss

2009-09-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

I'm a happily married woman. :-) Michael and I had a fun wedding. We had a time of worship at the beginning. Mike played the drums in his tux (minus the jacket) and I played keyboard in my dress! It was different. We kept things a mix of traditional and new. We had a first communion and poured sand into a vase in a Unity sand ceremony. During communion, as the music changed to a Gaelic version of Be Thou My Vision , the crowd started chuckling because Mike had put "Go Packs" on the bottom of his shoes... *sigh* But that's ok because later at the reception he had to fetch and toss my garter which my Mom specially made me. It was made of Colts material. Haha... so we had a good time with the ceremony. After the vows and rings, the pastor pronounced us husband and wife and gave Mike permission to kiss me. After giving a grin to the crowd, Mike kissed me as "Wild Thing" started playing! It was a fun day.

The reception was slightly ruined by psycho winds and a cake that wasn't what we had ordered. But we made the best of it and ended up with some fun pictures of my dress being blown out straight behind me in the wind and craziness with my veil and hair. The cake was still delicious and I ended the day even happier than I began it. We are so richly blessed with friends and family. And even more by our God who put us together in the first place!

I love my Packers man!

2009-08-19T12:46:00.001-07:00

I had my first wedding shower last night. Mike has been dreading the very idea of a wedding shower so this one was a surprise (so that he couldn't back out of it!). It was actually very nice. Our worship team surprised us with a party and bbq - no scary wedding shower games - it was perfect. We both got to wear BK crowns that said "I love my Colts[Packers] woman[man]". It was pretty funny. We have a good group of people here. Over 70 people showed up! quite surprising... God is good and has blessed us more than we imagined possible. Everything seems to be going wrong right now (the people doing my flowers for the wedding are going out of business so no wedding flowers I found out yesterday) but even with all the chaos, Mike and I are able to just sit back and say God is in control and everything will be alright. God is amazing even (especially!) in chaos... Thanks be to God!!!

Giant red roses!!!!!!

2009-08-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I can tell the stress is starting to get to me now. Last night I dreamed that my wedding cake was delivered with giant RED frosting roses on it. It was scary. I woke up and laughed because it seemed so ridiculous to be scared of giant red roses but that launched me into a barrage of silly details to stress over! It's made the day go by very slowly. I need to get off work so I can... go to keyboard practice. *sigh* So much to get done and so little time.... I'm getting married in 25 days!!!

So I am once again falling back on the old standard of giving thanks.

I'm thankful for Michael. He loves God, makes me laugh, can handle my redheaded-ness (fits of temper and emotional weirdness), and loves me as I am in this moment - past, present, and future combined.

I'm thankful for a job. It's been such a huge blessing in my life. I came to Washington with the promise of a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). I found so much more than I ever dreamed possible.

I'm thankful for football! Mike and I are anticipating a great year of watching football together. :-) Go Colts!

I'm thankful for God's grace. We sang "Grace like Rain" last week at church and it brings me to tears every time. I praise God that his grace is sufficient for me and that "nothing we've done will keep Him from giving us grace." (from the song "This Is Our God" - awesome song)

I'm thankful for a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear.

I'm thankful for hot showers and bubble baths.

I'm thankful for rain.

I'm thankful for my sister, Susy, and how she knows me so well and defends me to a fault.

I'm thankful for laughter and smiles - I've done more of both these past 6 months than I did in the previous two years combined!

Thank you, God, that you hold all of these things in your hands. Was it Job who said 'Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?' I believe that you hold my family in your hands and that you will provide a job for my dad, peace for my sister, and a new home and friends for my mom. I believe that you brought Mike and I together at exactly this part of our lives to love each other. Thank you, God, that if you are for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31) Help me to hold to your promises each day as this wedding approaches... As stressful as it may be, I'll have an incredible husband in 25 days. :-) Praise be to God for his sense of humor and timing in our lives!

Wedding Site

2009-06-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have been running around like crazy trying to get things set up for the wedding. I'm so overwhelmed by God's blessing of such a great man in my life. One who can even handle my mood swings, temper, and obsessive compulsive tendencies. Thank you, God, for Mike!

In the midst of the chaos of planning the wedding, we've started a website with our wedding details that have been set in place. It also contains our engagement pictures if you're interested. More details will be added to the site as things are decided... we'd love for you to visit it, sign the guestbook, and root for either the Colts or Packers!!

Announcements are being made and will be sent out hopefully this weekend.... :-)

Michael and Emily's Wedding Site

Engagement Details...

2009-06-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who asked, here are the details...

On Friday evening, May 29th, 2009, Mike took me out to dinner at Anthony's (a very nice fresh seafood restaurant by the Columbia river). There was about a 30 minute wait for a table so we strolled through the park along the river. We had been to that park several times before to walk on the path and to throw the football around. Anyway, Mike took me over to a bench overlooking the river. After we had jumped down the bank to check the temperature of the water, we crawled back up to the top. From there, Mike stayed on one knee, pulled out a ring, and said, "Emily Kathleen, will you marry me?" .... and, I said, "Yes!" It was perfect.

Later when we were at dinner, I told him I was slightly surprised that he didn't plan something embarrassing. (He's kind of crazy that way!) His mouth fell partly open and he said that I had told him he couldn't! I laughed and said that I didn't want something cheesy like on a sign at a football game or anything like that. He wanted the ring back so he could do something more embarrassing... I said no that time. :-)

We're planning on a September 5th wedding (only 3 months - I know that's quick!). It's going to be a simple deal at our church where we met. We'll be sending out invitations soon. I'd love to see all my family and friends at my wedding but realizing that I don't live close to many of you anymore - I'd settle for bringing my fiance' out to visit you instead! :-) Love you all!!

I'm engaged!!

2009-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mike proposed to me on Friday and I said, "yes!" I'm engaged!!! :-D

Folklife weekend in Seattle

2009-05-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the desert of Washington pondering my wonderful weekend away. I took Mike to Colorado for a wedding of a childhood friend of the family. So he finally got to meet my parents... :-) Anyway, Colorado was beautiful as always. Isolated thunderstorms with crazy lightning reminded me of the mid-west (only with jagged mountains).

Coming back from Colorado we flew into Seattle and took some time to walk around the city. Unknown to us, it was "Folklife Weekend" in Seattle and there was a big celebration going on at the base of the Space Needle. I saw some very interesting people and smelled a lot of very fresh grass.

I almost got into a fight! Mike and I were walking through the crowds and up in front of us was a guy in a Brady/Patriots jersey. He saw my Manning/Colts gear and gave me the dirtiest look! He glared at me not in a friendly competitive way but in a way that suggested he'd like to exchange a few punches. Mike pulled me a little closer and got me out of there before I could oblige. Some people take football way to seriously... :-)

Thankful Heart...

2009-05-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to be thankful for in my life. It is very easy for me to get overwhelmed with stress, chaos, life, and work.

Some days I forget how blessed I really am.

I had mono last week for the second time in two years and once again, it leveled me completely. Today I was back to work and feeling pretty good. My health is not something that I should ever take for granted! I'm thankful for my health today.

I spent too much of this year lamenting mistakes from my past instead of surrendering them to God. I have been set free from the guilt of my past. I'm thankful for God's grace.

After moving to WA last summer, I was miserably lonely. I hate moving and leaving all my friends and family. Starting over is hard!! I still miss the friends and family that I left but God has brought new friends into my life that I wouldn't otherwise know. I'm thankful for friends and companionship.

The entire state of Washington isn't green and rainy as some in the Mid West would believe. There is a desert side - the same as Oregon - and I live on the desert side! So most of the year everything is brown (unless irrigated). I've learned to accept that but I really love the days when it rains! I'm thankful today for the rain in the desert.

I have a job that I love. I have a good boss, fun co-workers, and am continuously challenged. I'm thankful for my job.

Well, I could go on and on about things that I am thankful for... There are good things in the midst of the chaos and pain. Most of all, I'm thankful for a God who doesn't leave me to deal with things alone! I'd crumble under the weight of it all. Thank you, God, for loving me - a sinner.

Traveling Fool

2009-04-06T11:01:00.001-07:00

I've been on the road so often recently that I haven't had time to catch on anything - even my taxes! Gulp! Normally I'm very prompt about getting my taxes done but not this year. I blame Mike really... :-) My life seems to have drastically changed with the addition of him in my life.

We randomly went to Seattle last weekend just for fun. And then I flew to San Diego on Monday for business, which was also fun! I even got a sunburn. yea! But now I have a couple weeks to catch up on life (and email - ugh!) before I take off for New York City with my sister for a week, and then out to Colorado for a wedding in May, and then possibly to Lafayette in July, and Orlando in October... *sigh* When did I become a traveling fool?! really! I used to be a home-body! Once again - I blame Mike... lol

New Car / New Boy

2009-03-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

This has been an amazing week. I'm blown away by God's grace and goodness. I'm a fairly opinionated person when it comes to cars and what I like or don't like. Fortunately, God also sent me a guy who actually likes to shop. Mike and I attend the same church and we met about 2 weeks ago. People saw us and started praying for us to get together!! Isn't that insane?

Mike is a crazy Christian guy who just beams with his love for the Lord. He's also crazy about football! In fact, that's how he asked me out the first time - he asked if I wanted to watch the Draft with him coming up on April 21st. Granted, since that date is still in the future, we had to make a few other dates to fill in the time until then. The only down side is that he is a Packer's fan. I don't know why though - apparently God has a sense of humor!

Mike is also a very patient guy. My sister was even impressed because poor Mike is teaching me to drive my new car (6 spd manual - that I can't drive yet). FYI - I occasionally run on a short fuse especially when learning new things that push me out of my comfort zone. Anyway, I only stomped out of the car and slammed the door twice the first day in "driver's ed with mike". Pretty good, I thought. Mike is very patient. I guess he'd have to be to be a Packer's fan... haha! I'm afraid I'm way past smitten at this point... :-D

YES!!!

2009-02-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

I got my DoE Q level clearance today!!!!! Praise be to God! I'm so excited that everything has finally been decided and that now I can move on without my past constantly hanging over my head. Thanks God, for fresh starts and new beginnings....

Nose dive

2009-02-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

Well - this wasn't the best morning I've ever had...

I started it by calling the Dell Support line to get my computer fixed. The hard drive will not mount properly and I end up at the blue screen of death every time I try to turn my computer on. So I took it to Best Buy before Christmas - they said, 'yup, hard drive is dead, we'll send it to Dell for you.' Some time after Christmas - still no computer, they said, 'Dell won't fix it since it came from us, we're sending it back to you still broken.' So, 8 weeks later, I call Dell and after 45 minutes of "trying" things, they agree its broken and will be sending me a new hard drive overnight. Whew - what a pain! But at least a new one is on the way today...

Then I step out of my apartment in my dress slacks and boots. As I start down the first flight of concrete stairs, the heel of one boot gets hooked in the opposite leg's slacks and I did a nose dive down the rest of the stairs until my head was stopped by the railing at the end. I actually saw stars. Now I have a nice goose egg on my forehead in the shape of a narrow vertical slice of railing and multiple other bruises and swelling on my knees and shins. Swell... but no concussion!

My Task

2009-01-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

I heard a message last Sunday that I haven't been able to get out of my head.... which is a good thing. The Bible reference was Romans 14 and the following verses have been mulling around in my brain.

Romans 14:17-18 [The Message]

God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.

I especially like the phrase about God setting my life right, putting it together, and completing it with joy. I did a pretty good job messing my life up and its been a long hard road back. And I think its because I keep trying to do it by myself! A life lesson that I never seem to learn...

I think the joy that has been missing in my life is due to my focus, selfishly, on myself. My struggles, my mistakes, my past, my problems, etc.... It shouldn't be about me. Romans says that my task is to single-mindedly serve Christ and while I'm doing that, HE's the one who can take my life and set it right, put it together, and complete it with joy. THAT is what I want - joy.

'Final' final interview

2009-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

I have my final, final interview for my clearance this week. I have to meet with an interviewer/interrogator from Department of Energy - Chicago on Wednesday, Jan 28th, from 4-5:30pm PST.

I'm not looking forward to re-airing my dirty laundry again to complete strangers. It seems like every time I reach a point of moving on and not dwelling on it, something comes up and I have to face it all over again. I have no doubt that this interview will be hard and probably painful.

I've come to really love my job here and I would hate to leave it. But I believe God brought me out here for a reason - even if that reason is to leave after only 6 months...

I played a hymn for my Pappy's funeral last week, "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow". It went like this:

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Ev'ry step is getting brighter,
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter;
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eyes,
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One Who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One Who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Intense and Awesome Week

2009-01-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

I have had the most intense week of work. It's been awesome. I'm working on 6-7 different projects that involve varying levels of skill. I get to do computer modeling, experiments in the lab, data collection in the field, and analysis! It's very exciting.

I love to be busy and this week has been perfect. I was a little worried heading into the week as my Colts lost on Saturday and then I had a flat tire on the way to church Sunday morning. After two very kind gentlemen helped me put on the spare, we noticed it was also damaged and could explode at any moment. They were kind enough to follow me to a tire store where I then bought new tires. *sigh* So I was not happy going into work on Monday!

It's a rare experience (for me) to have a horrible weekend followed by a fantastic work week! I'm loving my job here in Washington. Granted - I'm still adjusting to the area and seriously missing my people in Indiana - but I love my job. The weather is also quite interesting - we have intense wind storms! My apartment is at the top corner of a building and I can sit at watch my windows flexing! A little scary... And the killer tumbleweed are another story...

There are still uncertainties about my future with this job and more scary interviews/interrogations to follow, but for now, I am content and grateful for my time and experience here. :-)

Christmas in Wisconsin

2008-12-24T20:04:00.000-08:00

I feel fortunate to be in Hayward, Wisconsin this Christmas with my family. My sister and I barely made it out of Portland, Oregon before the weather set in and transportation ground to a halt in the West. Then we arrived in Minneapolis to find more snow than we had left in Oregon. :-) The drive back to Mom and Dad's was pretty intense with the snow and ice on the roads but my Dad is pretty good with that (he's a midwest boy).

We've had an awesome week so far. I got to go out cross country skiing a couple times and loved it. We even made a late night trek in the dark through the north woods. Granted, this made it much harder to see the hills and ice! I saw my Dad disappear down a hill in front of me and then sliding down the ice on his rear with his skis in the air. Fortunately, there were no broken bones from our little midnight venture but plenty of bruises. And lots of laughter...

Today was Christmas Eve and my family had drafted out our plan for the day. Everything went smoothly up through the candlelight service. Then we were going to find dinner somewhere. (FYI, we started a new tradition this year - each person in the family got to cook dinner one night during the week leading up to Christmas - Me: Monday, Susy: Tuesday, Dad: Christmas Eve, Mom: Christmas!) So for Dad's big dinner, we were going to go eat in town (less preparation and dishes that way). After the candlelight service, we drove through town and everything was closed! Even the Perkin's family restaurant. We considered going through the gas station for a hot dog. Fortunately, the McD's was open til 6pm so we managed to sneak through just in time for a quick cheeseburger so Dad didn't have to cook after all. Mom had also planned to run by Walmart but it also closed at 6pm. Basically, Hayward was ready for Christmas today by 6pm! The entire town seemed to shut down. :-) It was a humorous end to the day - and one that we didn't anticipate. Even the theater was closed...

Tomorrow is Christmas. My life has gone through a lot of changes since last year. But the awesome news is: Jesus Christ is still the same as he was yesterday, today, and forever. Thanks be to God for that incredible gift!

Ohhhhh, the weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

Visibility is low. Thick snowflakes create a blinding world of white. My car laments the fact that it is carrying snow tires in the trunk and back seat instead of using them (owners fault). Temperatures plummet causing ice to form on everything. Government employees do not get 2-hour delays.

This sets the stage for what promises to be a very exciting trip from Pasco, Washington over to Portland, Oregon tomorrow. I do plan to get those snow tires out of the back seat and trunk of my car and have them installed before I head out along the treacherous albeit beautiful Columbia River Gorge. Snow and ice and log trucks make for a potentially thrilling trip. I'm stocking my car with survival gear: blankets, water, flashlight, food, and iPod nano. At least the Colts play tonight so I won't miss a game even if I get stuck somewhere for days. I think my biggest fear is that I'll make it all the way to Portland and then at the last second, my flight will be grounded. I honestly never thought that snow and ice in the West would keep me from getting to Wisconsin!! :-)

This may well be my last post of the year (or of my life - weather permitting) so allow me to say Merry Christmas to you all! And to all (who are traveling), a safe flight!

Sunny California, here I come!

2008-12-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

People around me are stating that its painfully obvious that I'm still a newbie at my job. I get to go on my first travel this week and I'm SO excited! I'm flying down to San Diego for a business meeting on Thursday and Friday. It'll be a very quick, very full, very intense trip and I can't wait. Apparently that makes me weird. But just let me say this: its supposed to be sunny and 70 degrees! Ahhhh....

Richly Blessed

2008-11-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've spent the past couple of months feeling very sorry for myself. I'm living in a new state with no friends or family. Starting from scratch. I've been having my own little pity party. Well it needs to stop.

I am SO richly blessed! I have a wonderful job, a roof over my head, and food to eat. I'm starting to make friends, which is hard for me to do. Its scary to open yourself up to new people and be vulnerable and hope they accept you for who you are.

I can look back at the last quarter century (my life) and see so many blessings! I'm ashamed for sitting back and feeling sorry for myself just because I'm in a new place. I am so blessed to have a second chance. I thank God for it. As much as I miss everyone in Lafayette, I know that God has a future hope for me and that hope will not be cut off. It is tough for me to hear about all the good things God is doing back 'home' in Lafayette and wonder if its because I'm not there anymore. I know that's probably just Satan in my head. I'm excited that things are going so well in Lafayette and I know God has wonderful things in store for that part of the body of Christ. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend there and the friendships that were made. I love and miss you all!

Looking forward: my new pastor told a story today about William Borden. He was called to be a missionary to China around 1912. He came from a wealthy family, was heir to a millionaire's fortune, and left it all to serve God in the mission field. But he died alone in Egypt on his way to China. Some people thought he was throwing away his life. Following his death, an inscription was found in his Bible that read: No reserves, no retreats, no regrets. If you don't know his story, I'd encourage you to read about him. (http://home.snu.edu/~HCULBERT/regret.htm)

Happy Trails To You

2008-10-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty awesome weekend. My family was here visiting! My parents flew in from Wisconsin (and I totally blame them for the reason that the Colts lost to Green Bay!) and my sister drove over from Portland. We had so much fun together!

My Mom thought it would be fun for the "family" to take a bike ride down the Columbia River. Susy and I reluctantly agreed. I haven't been on a real bike since college! My tailbone certainly felt it by the end of the day... Anyway, I say "family" because my Mom sneakily bowed out of the bike trip. So it ended up that Dad, Sus and I took off down the trail from their hotel and we rode out along the Columbia River and went about 5 miles toward the Hanford site. It was a very beautiful ride (with the exception of the rock hard seat on my bike).

My family is pretty crazy but I love them to death. We had a great time together with very little fighting. We did play a new game that almost came to fisticuffs but we managed to hold ourselves together. My family can get quite violent playing games. Too competitive. All in all, it was a great weekend. Probably the best since I've been here in Washington... Thanks be to God for the gift of family and friends! On that note, I especially appreciate the dozen text messages that I got over the course of approx. 5 minutes from about 4 different friends during the Colts devastation... :-) You guys crack me up! Thanks.

Dust

2008-10-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last night at church we watched a Nooma video titled Dust. It was one I had seen before but not recently. Rob Bell starts by describing the scene where Peter jumps out of the boat and walks on the water towards Jesus.

He takes a tangent to the story and begins to talk about what it meant to be a disciple of a Rabbi. Rabbis would choose only the best of the best and tell them to "Come, follow me." They wanted someone who was able to do everything that they did. So when Jesus called his disciples and told them to come follow him, they weren't the best of the best. They didn't already have a Rabbi to follow. But Jesus called them because he had faith in them that they could do what he did.

So when Peter sees Jesus on the water, he wants to do what his Rabbi is doing and jumps out of the boat and walks towards Jesus. The gospel of Matthew says that when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he was afraid and began to sink. Jesus reaches out immediately and pulls him up. "You of little faith", he said, "why did you doubt?" What was interesting to me is that Peter isn't doubting Jesus - he starts to doubt himself. Rob said that Jesus called the 12 disciples because he had faith in them that they could do what he did. That not only should we have faith in Jesus, but that he has faith in us.

That is difficult for me to grasp. We keep talking in church about the testing of our faith that it might be proven genuine. (1 Peter 1:7) Here's my question: what if you're tested and you fail and your faith isn't proven genuine but a fraud? What then? How do you move on from that?

Escape!

2008-10-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

I feel strangely free today. I faced something difficult yesterday. Something that potentially will affect my entire career. I had to face portions of my past (the last 7 years!) in an interview with a PI and discuss them in excruciating detail. I was nervous about reliving certain areas of the past with a stranger. I don't have a perfect background - far from it, actually. But none of it was new to the PI since I had admitted to it already on the form that began this whole process. However, because of my response to several questions, he needed to walk through a certain period in my life in painful detail. That was the most difficult part. I didn't want to relive the past. I wanted to leave it where it was - in the past.

Something that my bible study leader, Lenny, told me was really helpful. He said that grace and honesty are the way to escape the past. This interview has been hanging over my head for months now and I didn't realize how much it had been affecting me. But yesterday, after I discussed all the brutal details with this PI, it was just suddenly over. There's nothing left for me to do. I told the truth and the rest is out of my hands.

I believe that God opened doors to bring me to this place - as much as it hurts to have left so many wonderful friends in Lafayette. I'm so thankful for those friends because I wouldn't have made it through that horrible time in my life without them. Little did they know that I would later call on them to testify about it! Haha! Thanks, though... I owe you all! How about a Super Bowl party at my house this year? ;-)

New eyes, please?

2008-09-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

OUCH! Ow, ow, ow, ow! (my current thoughts as I write this)

So I got new glasses this week. I LOVE my new glasses.

I also got hard contact lenses for the first time. Not loving them so much.

Apparently the reason my soft contacts always popped off my eye is because my eyeballs are very steeply sloped. Stupid astigmatism. The doc did a great demonstration with a giant eyeball that he squished to illustrate the shape of my eye. It was a little frightening.

So now I'm walking around with two pieces of glass in my eyes. The doc said I would feel like I had a giant eyelash in them until my eyes adjusted to the feeling. Nice, huh? The good news is that I could read at slightly better than 20/20 through the haze of tears! Doc says I have to try them out for a week before I can reject them completely. Easy for him to say...

R.I.P. Rich Mullins

2008-09-19T09:35:00.003-07:00

Today is the 11-yr anniversary of one of the fathers of contemporary christian music - Rich Mullins. He was an Indiana boy who grew up in the Quaker church, was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi, and graduated with a BA in music education from Friends University in Wichita Kansas. After graduation, he moved to Tse Bonito, New Mexico to a Navajo Indian reservation where he taught music to children. He gave all his money (from record sales, concerts, etc...) to his church and they gave him back the average US salary for that year and then gave the rest to various charities.

Rich Mullins gave a great quote at a concert shortly before his death.

Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.

I really love that quote. It challenges me. I feel more comfortable in the little perfect niche but thats not where Jesus called us to live. Thanks be to God that he loves the poor and the broken! I have been both...

My favorite Rich Mullins song is called Hold Me Jesus. It's the song I always come back to when I'm hurting and scared. It says, "hold me Jesus cause I'm shaking like a leaf. You have been King of my glory, won't you be my Prince of Peace." I thank God for Rich Mullins and the life he lived. My life is different because of his music.

Moving On...?

2008-09-15T08:46:00.003-07:00

I had a big week last week. I finally let go of something that has been dragging me down for over a year now. I'm a fairly stubborn person and I don't like to give up on things that I start. I like to keep going until I get it right. Well, I had to learn the hard way that I can't always do that. I believe that God has his hand in my life and has blessed me by moving me away from certain situations even though it broke my heart to leave so many friends and family. I believe that God knows my stubbornness, my weaknesses, my faults, my heart. I can't always help people - especially when they don't want to be helped - they just want to take advantage and use me. It took a certain person actually telling me to my face that he was doing that before I really believed it. I knew from the beginning that it was true and everyone in my life told me the same. But until I actually heard it from this one person - I didn't accept it. If I were one of the 12 disciples, I would most closely resemble Thomas. He heard that Jesus had risen and he actually saw Jesus before him. However, until he felt for himself the holes in Jesus' body, he didn't believe.

I'm struggling to keep myself from getting involved again. I don't know why its so hard to think that God can do things without my "help". I feel like I should be able to make it work! I don't understand why I can't. And that's where I have to learn to let go of my own self and step back and leave things in God's hands. Thanks, God, for providing me with a fresh start. Please help me not to get entangled by my own foolishness, stubbornness, and pride in thinking that I can make things better. Please give me strength to leave this person in your very capable and loving hands.

* new favorite song by Sanctus Real that says it all for me *

Whatever You're Doing

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

The Day Wasn't Mine

2008-09-08T08:14:00.003-07:00

Well, a good friend of mine had an awesome day yesterday - for which I am honestly glad! But my day was filled with anticipation and hope followed by disappointment and a little bit of anger... (shame on me) Prior to the kickoff of the "Big Game!", I was sitting on the couch actually shaking with excitement! During the course of the game I was pacing back and forth in front of my new giant tv and screaming along with the fans! (my neighbors now hate me...) At the end of the day, I was faced with disappointment. I'm afraid that I'm a bit of a sore loser (those of you who know me can testify to that.)

I woke up this morning with a sour attitude until God got in my head and started singing "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love!" Seriously - still can't get it out of my head. So now I'm sitting here at work (on break), wearing my team lanyard with my security badge, and smiling. I was reminded through something as heavenly irrelevant as football, that God's hope does not disappoint me! (Rom 5:5) Thanks God, for the gift of football, for friends, for family, for life!

Now Open!

2008-09-04T07:24:00.004-07:00

First off, tell me if you think this is weird: I have to leave work at 3:30pm today in order to watch the season opener of the NFL. The game starts at 7pm EST. It's just not normal to have to leave work in order to watch football! I'm grateful for a job that allows me to flex my hours though... whew!

Ok, in other news, I have now opened my blog up to anyone who wants to read it. I think people were getting tired of signing in before being allowed the privilege of reading my words. Haha! :-)

Let the Good Times Roll!

2008-08-28T15:11:00.002-07:00

My little sis is coming up to visit me for the weekend! yea! Susy and I are best friends. This fact wasn't fully realized until I left for undergrad. Generally, Susy and I have to be speaking over the phone and physically far away from each other in order to really enjoy the others presence. However, once in awhile we can set aside our differences and enjoy time in the company of the other. (She will be sleeping on the couch though!) :-) Our big plans for the weekend include test driving cars (for me), going to the mall (for Sus), and then grocery shopping! Sus volunteered to go with me once she gets here which made me extremely happy. I don't think she remembers that I live on the third floor... haha! Anyway, I'm excited to get to spend time with my sis over the holiday weekend even though it won't be the same as my recent tradition of camping down in Brown county with my cousins. It's time to start making some new traditions! Bring it on...

New Computer and Birdies...

2008-08-22T19:44:00.004-07:00

Yes, that's right. I finally got a computer of my own. No more work laptop that's unreliable! I have my own! So now I can work for hours every day at one and then come home to another one... But I convinced myself that I needed/wanted one for practical reasons like playing on Facebook and writing on my blog and buying books on Amazon and keeping in touch with my friends and family... :-) It is definitely taking me some time to get used to this weird Windows Vista world. But I'm downloading Cygwin and Pidgin and a few others to keep me happy.

The best part of my day was when Dave Powell called me. He said he saw a girl walking down the street in Lafayette who looked like me today. He thought maybe I was back in town for a visit so he stopped to offer 'me' a ride. Then he got cursed out and flipped off... (it wasn't me - in case there's any confusion on that point!) We both got a laugh out of it. I definitely miss my funny friends in Lafayette - that's pretty much ALL of you! :-)

I LOVE my eyes!

2008-08-18T12:11:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I finally unpacked my last box! My apartment is now mostly settled. I even spent an hour on the piano last night playing through a bunch of Coldplay songs! Great end to the day... But at some point in the middle of the day, my eye started to bug me so I was rubbing at it. I was talking on the phone with my cousin, Mark, and my eye was just leaking tears! So once I finished chatting with Mark about the joys of moving and my wonderful new job, I ran into the bathroom and my right eye had swollen up almost to the point where I couldn't close my eyelid! It was nasty! The white part of my eye looked like a jellyfish and was bulging out of my eye socket. Scared me pretty good, so naturally, I called my mom. She said that it was probably just swollen from the irritation of having rubbed book dust into them and to lay down, calm down, and put ice on it. (I was a little freaked.) So I obeyed Dr. Mom's orders and my eye finally went back inside my head... whew!

In other news, I still love my job. I'm working normal hours unless I choose to put in more time and have shorter Fridays. But now that my unpacking is finished, I'm starting to get lonely. I have found a church that I think I will continue attending. I know a couple people there but just about everyone my age already has a spouse and/or kids so its a little bit different. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do about friends. I know God opened doors for me to come out here to WA so that I could leave certain other temptations behind. And speaking of which, I just filled out all my forms to apply for a security clearance which brought up all my past wrongs. It was harder than I thought it would be to commit it to paper and sign my name on it. Hopefully my past won't be enough to deny me a clearance and keep me from staying at this job. Because it would really stink to have to repack all those boxes I just unpacked! Anyway, God is good and I know he has a plan for me. I'm just struggling to live through the "desert" time where its so lonely. And hot! It was 107 degrees here on Friday! augh! ok, so now I'm rambling so I'd better get going. I love and miss you all in Lafayette and Toledo and Kokomo and... I just love and miss you all! Peace of Christ be with you!

Yeah for chaos!

2008-08-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the big day - my movers showed up with all my boxes (and more importantly, my bed!) So now I have complete and utter chaos in my apartment. I'm actually enjoying it at the moment. I managed to unpack only three boxes last night but fortunately, one of them had my sheets in them so I slept on a comfortable mattress with my own sheets last night. I even woke up without a crick in my neck this morning! Granted, I did wake up in the middle of the night to a furious thunder and lightning storm. I was temporarily confused because it felt like I was back in Indiana. *sigh* but it was a nice feeling to sleep to a storm. :-) My mission for the weekend: unpack as many boxes as possible!

Desert Heat and MatLab Pennies

2008-08-05T16:43:00.006-07:00

I just felt like I should post something as I sit here melting in my office. It's 97 degrees outside and my office air conditioning doesn't seem to be working properly. However, I'm still enjoying my job (for the most part). I've spent the last two days learning MatLab programming. whew! Check out the plots I made of a penny. I realize it doesn't seem very relevant but now I know how to use various tools in the program that I didn't before. Haha!

Just a brief update on my situation: I'm no longer living in a hotel or out of a suitcase! However, I am living in a sleeping bag on the floor of a very empty apartment. :-) The good news is that my bed and boxes are supposed to arrive this Friday! No time too soon because after sleeping on the floor for 3 nights, I'm really feeling my age!

Emily's First Day at a New Job

2008-07-29T19:12:00.003-07:00

I left my hotel this morning with a great sense of anticipation and excitement. (which was quickly squelched by 3 hours of web based orientation and safety instructions...) But seriously, after the long orientation, the anticipation and excitement was back! From the orientation building, I went and got my picture taken for my official security badge. (the picture turned out ok - not as bad as it could have been!)

After I had my new badge, I drove out to my building. I was escorted to my own office with a window overlooking Rattlesnake Ridge (and the remains of recently demolished building). I love it! There's not much in my office except a computer and lots of book shelves and file cabinets but I'm sure that will be remedied soon enough. I spent the rest of the day talking with my new bosses and coworkers. I found several projects that sound really interesting! Here's the fun part - I get to choose what project(s) I want to work on! There's lots of fun research going on but as long as I'm using my talents somewhere, they don't care where I apply myself since I fit in on most of their topics. :-)

It was a very full, very fun, very informative day and I'm actually excited to go back tomorrow! What a strange new sensation when thinking about work... haha!

Finally Free!

2008-07-18T11:17:00.003-07:00

Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." This has been my life verse for 2008. I made a lot of deplorable decisions in 2007 that I am still learning to live with in 2008. A dear old saint from my church where I grew up, Mrs. Irene Willett, used to tell me, "dear, you can choose the sin but you can't choose the consequences!" :-) And she was right...

I was offered a new job out in Washington state that I've accepted. I start on July 29th. My heart is glad to have a "fresh start" in a new location but there are mixed feelings about leaving Lafayette. I will dearly miss my co-workers, my physics friends, and my church family. It's hard too because I'm leaving here a much different person than I was when I arrived four years ago. I'm not as young (obviously), and I've learned a lot about the world. My heart mourns for what was lost this last year but I've learned to let go of the past. (Although, it has taken me a year to reach this point of letting go - I'm a slow learner!) God's grace is amazing, illogical, and completely incomprehensible to me... Praise the Lord!

My favorite quote (currently) is by Brennan Manning and I might have used it in this blog before so I apologize for not being original. Anyway, he wrote, "My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it." How true...

Go West, Young Woman!

2008-06-24T09:48:00.002-07:00

I found out this past week that I have been offered the position of Radiation Detection Nuclear Physicist at Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Washington! This morning I officially signed the acceptance letter and gave notice to my current employer. Now all the craziness of moving and bringing my current job to a close can ensue... It's going to be a wild, crazy, exciting ride. My last day at 2K Corporation will be July 23rd, my last day in my apartment will be July 25th, my first day at PNNL is yet to be decided but probably around August 1st! There is so much to do before then but I'm excited about the opportunities that God is providing. I will dearly miss my friends and family here in Lafayette and even the majority of my co-workers (not my boss though). You have been an incredible blessing to me these past four years and I love you all! Anyone else want to move to Washington with me? ;-)

My current job situation

2008-06-09T07:28:00.003-07:00

Many of you know that I had an interview out in Washington State last week. It was an intense 13 hours but went mostly well. I must have met over 20 people that day! My face actually hurt by the end of it from smiling too much. But now that it's been a week, I'm starting to feel better about the whole incredibly long day. I should hear back from them within the week as to whether or not they'll offer me a position. If they're not interested, I have a couple other lines out as well.

The critical point is that I have to be out of my apartment here in Lafayette by July 25th. So hopefully I'll either have a new job by then or else I'm going to have to sign a new lease in a different apartment complex here in Lafayette... It'd be really easy to freak out right now but God's timing is perfect and I know he has a place for me in the world... It might be out in the desert wasteland of Washington or in the thriving metropolis of DC. Who knows? But two things I do know:

that God knows the plans he has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
and also, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Passion for Living

2008-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book by Brennan Manning last night and part of it really struck me. One of the chapters of The Ragamuffin Gospel talks about having a passion for life and praying for a sense of wonder. Manning ends chapter 5 with the following prayer by a Jewish Rabbi ->

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see how your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his, to the Father through the features of men’s faces. Each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all."

This has become my prayer lately. I've lost the passion that I used to have for life. But I'm learning to see it again in the people around me. I spent the evening with friends and family and ended up laughing so hard my sides hurt. It was a wonderful feeling. Sometimes I get so caught up in the mistakes of my past that I feel overwhelmed by my sin. It's hard for me to understand and accept God's grace that is freely given to me, a terrible sinner! But I'm slowly coming to realize the wonder of God's grace (I'm a slow learner!). I have done nothing to deserve God's grace and incredible love. Casting Crowns has a song on their LifeSong album titled "In Me" that talks about the power of Christ. My favorite lines are:

How refreshing to know You don't need me

How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

I'll close this rambling blog with a quote from Brennan Manning that fully comprises my lifesong.

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.
- Brennan Manning

Too many questions...

2008-05-06T08:32:00.006-07:00

The biggest thing going on in my life right now is my quest for a new job. I have a deep desire to no longer be associated with the company I'm currently with. I've had a few interviews for new positions but they all involve leaving Lafayette. I would LOVE to leave my current job but I'm reluctant to leave my friends, church, and support group here in Lafayette! A part of me is really excited by the possibility of starting fresh in a new location on the map - the other part of me is scared spit-less at the thought!

Last year was rough for me. I made a lot of bad choices. As a result of that, I'm scared that I'm going to make the wrong choices again. Not the same wrong choices! I'm past that part of my life (hopefully forever!) But I'm afraid that the choices I make will lead me away from the things that God has in store for me! What if I leave my friends and support group here and then move to a new place where I have no accountability? What if there are people here in Lafayette whom I can still help? Especially my quizzers... but then again, I look around and see that God's provided so many new people to work with them and teach them and love them.

I'm worried that I only want to leave Lafayette because I hate my boss and can't respect him. And I certainly don't want to become like him! Is that enough of a reason to leave friends and family and move away? Am I being too selfish in what I want and not considering that maybe God wants me to stay here and continue to be a witness for him where I work? When do you reach the point where enough is enough?!

I'm really excited about one of the job possibilities! This is my dream job! But again, is that selfish of me to want to leave my place here in Lafayette to take that job? I hate the thought of leaving everyone I love here, but again, I'm so excited (and scared) about the idea of a fresh start! *sigh* I've been rambling on and on and back and forth on this so I'll just close this blog now. Any thoughts? My head is swimming with more than I can handle right now! :) But I do know this, that God is for me, and God is for us, who can be against us? Thanks be to God!

Fashionably Short...

2008-05-03T14:13:00.004-07:00

My hair is now fashionably short and cute! I usually never like my hair right after its cut but I really love it this time. I donated about 9 inches to the Million Inch Chain to make wigs for cancer patients. I made the donation for my Pappy who recently lost his hair from chemo treatments. Love you, Pappy!

New hair

2008-04-25T07:00:00.003-07:00

I'm finally ready to donate my hair. I'm going to cut off 9 inches and send it to the Million Inch Chain. They make wigs for cancer patients. It's been awhile since I've had short hair so I'm kind of excited to see how it turns out... I found a picture of what I want it to look like - just ignore the model face that the hair is on... :)

Just because you're a Physicist...

2008-04-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

I was recently at a business dinner where I was the only female in the party. I received several compliments on my outfit for the evening and I finally had to confess that it wasn't something I had picked out.

My sister, Susanna, is an artist and feels the need to help me become more fashion conscious. She sends me outfits (complete with accessories) and constantly tells me, "Just because you're a physicist, doesn't mean you have to dress like one!"

I shared this sentiment and the other physicists in the group were not terribly amused but to everyone else in the party, they knew what she meant and got a good laugh out of it! Thanks, Sus! :)