... the ironies of life

Daniel is super-duper close to being done with his Ph.D (he defends on Tuesday) and has given his reading committee his thesis.  One member of his reading committee is a less than encouraging guy who looks down on the particular flavor of theoretical nuclear physics Daniel did for most of his thesis.  Last night the less than encouraging professor's home was broken into and a bunch of stuff was stolen... including his copy of Daniel's thesis. (Not a big deal on our side, Daniel emailed him a new copy and now the only danger is the professor will have bad associations with Daniel's thesis).  But the come-back lines we wish we could have included were quite fun.  Mostly, they were variations on the: "See, someone thinks my work is valuable!" theme.

Or, from Daniel (as roughly remembered by me...)
I'm glad that now they (the crooks) will understand that the single-body approximation is insufficient for their calculations.

So, somewhere out there is a thief with a vastly improved understanding of theoretical nuclear physics.

... being Seattle tour guides

Daniel's family came out to visit and celebrate the light at the end of the Ph.D. tunnel.  While they were here, we did Seattle with gusto.  We ate fish n'chips; we saw Snoqualmie Falls; we kayaked among the lily pads by the arboretum; we went to the Market, Gas Works, the troll, the locks, Discovery Park, and Mars Hill.  It was Greg's first time in Seattle and we might have gone a little over the top but we had a lot of fun in the process.  Dad (Ron) is avid birder and he got to add a bird to his "life bird list" and we got to mercilessly mock him in the process.  It was like watching a hunting dog.  He was looking around interestedly and then suddenly froze, his whole attention fixed on one spot as he quivered with excitement. Since one of the functions of a dad is to embarrass their children, Dad did this performance in the middle of trying to buy cherries from a roadside stand.  He eventually returned to awareness of other things in the world besides the wonderful bird and returned to the car ready to share his triumph.  His parade persisted despite a heavy rain in the form of "Daaaaad, it's just a bird"from the backseat.  We almost managed to leave the cherry stand when he decided a picture was necessary.  While he was trying to get the perfect picture, an unsuspecting guy came for cherries too.  The wonders of the bird were then recounted, if not to a more sympathetic audience at least to a less complaining one.  It should be noted, according to Megan, that the guy did walk quickly back to his own car and pealed out trying to leave.  :)

This weekend I was reminding of all of the reasons I love being in Seattle.  We really do have the best parks ever.  68 degrees feels wonderfully nice and warm when paired with sunshine.  We can drive through the mountains and kayak on the lake in the same day.  And we can laugh about the fact that there are only 2 months a year that you really want to be outside enjoying it.

The culture of Seattle is also just so unique.  Where else could you go to a park for a barbeque and find fully armored knights engaging in sword fights have taken over the shelter. No joke.  The culture of  Mars Hill Church is also very unique.  I have never been somewhere where openness, honesty, and an avoidance of being fake was valued this much.  I have grown so much as I have submitted to greater accountability and have been inspired by people who share what God is doing in the midst of their mess.  I am really inclined to be "moral" and to guard that appearance.  I want to be put together, know the right answers (think Hermione) , and hide the fact that I am terrified you would see something in me and be disappointed.  (One of the reasons I am writing this blog is to try to pull aside the mask I keep putting on.)  Community is so important and we have been blessed beyond measure with our community group.  Through conversations this weekend I realized that one of the things that I appreciate most (although not always at the time) is the questions about what is going on behind the sin.  What lie am I believing to think my mask is the best choice for me? What truths of Jesus shatter the lie and how do I move my heart towards loving Jesus and the truth more than the lie?  When the gospel meets the city of indie-rockers and unabashed medieval knights, real honest discussions result.

This weekend also reminded me that it is real.  We are leaving and something different is just around the corner.

... Justin and Kaylee's wedding! ... and Vegas.

Congratulations Justin and Kaylee!
The wedding was in Las Vegas (Justin and Kaylee's home) and it was hot! I don't think we have even been properly warmed through in Seattle.  It was a little shocking to the system but ohh it felt good.

You know what else felt good?  Family.  I really lucked out with this new family I got.  We hung out by the pool and laughed.  We played games and shared stories.  We officially added another girl to the tribe. :)  Kaylee is an amazing girl.  She is so cute, artsy, and drop dead gorgeous in her dress.  The wedding was a great snapshot of who she is and her relationship with Justin.  The wedding was outside (to enjoy the warmth and the perfect sunset) and small enough that everyone felt included and connected.  There were friends, family, a lot of laughter, and a few tears.  They don't like to admit it, but the Bolton men can get a little choked up.

It was a lovely weekend and I am so happy for Justin and Kaylee.  I am also glad that we aren't the ones living in Las Vegas.

In a strange way, in a I'm-very-glad-it-was-short way, Vegas does put marriage into perspective.  I trust Daniel with my whole heart and am thankful for the man that he is, but I don't appreciate him for all that he is worth, in general.  We get comfortable.  We get predicable.  We have unconscious battles over blankets and sheets.  We complain about being robbed of all warmth in the middle of the night.  While in Vegas, we didn't battle over sheets and blankets (unless it was about getting too many on each other in the night).  Instead, there were overt attempts to draw my husbands eyes and heart away.  Just trying to make it to the day-after brunch, there was a barrage of ads and fliers featuring girls whose lives have been destroyed and who were being used to destroy other's marriages and lives.  Satan's schemes are so much more obvious there.  Do you think about the fact that someone is actively trying to steal away the heart of your spouse? that Satan and his followers would love nothing more than to ensnare his heart?  The fact that my man is such a good man would make Satan's victory all the sweeter.

This shook me.  I never, ever, want to open the door to that chance.  Daniel is too precious and good to risk losing.  He can't be replaced.  The wound if he was ripped away would be too big.  So, I want to love well.  Honestly, quite often, laziness and selfishness seem appealing, but not at this cost, not if it exposes My Love to danger.

And so, thanks to Las Vegas, a new marriage has been made and this (2-year) old one is treasured all the more.

... owning a cat

I have been seriously procrastinating on grading this week. Something about knowing that I only had 18 exams to grade rather than the 320 of Biochemistry 440 from the fall increased my laziness. I mean, I graded 320 exams in one sitting (admittedly with a significant reduction of brain function and general life skills by the end of it), so 18 exams should basically grade themselves without any effort on my part. Sigh. I am returning them tomorrow, so I finally got myself to grade them tonight. Pathetic.

My efforts to avoid a (relatively) trivial task reached fairly epic proportions this weekend. Thankfully, I have had a cat to keep me entertained. Coming from a family that held being "dog people" with even more loyalty than we were "Toyota people," a cat is a strange creature. Hobbes is exhibit #1 that my mood swings aren't that bad. I don't really know what sparks the transition from the snugly kitty to the lion that looks with great distain on us lower life forms. Until owning a cat, I had never received such regular doses of distain. I try to affirm my own worth to the cat. "I am a person. I am bigger than you. I have a job. I have a Master's degree! I can buy things (like your food, you ungrateful beast)." This crescendo of self-defense is met with a blink or a yawn. And if I'm extra lucky, a sarcastic little meow. Maybe Hobbes has a point. I did just go through this conversation out loud while (otherwise) alone in my apartment... maybe talking to myself isn't the way to convince my cat he should respect me.

I also don't get how after hours of sitting contentedly on the couch while I am moving around, one of the times I walk back in the room is greeted with a startled meow and flight to the nearest box. By the way, apparently, boxes are the grand-daddy of all bases in cat-world. My mere presence could have been unnerving a moment ago, but now he is a BOX-CAT and box-cats are very brave and fierce. Box-cats dare you to try sneaking up on them again. Box-cats resolutely believe the best defense is a good offense against all strings (and hands) in the general area. Box-cats don't always keep claws pulled in while "defending." And. Box-cats aren't hampered by trivial things like not fitting inside said box.

By the way, when I finally got myself to grade the exams, Hobbes got jealous of all the attention those boring papers were getting and thought he was a much more deserving object of my devotion. With an adorable little purr/meow he laid down on my answer key and tried to bat my red pen off the table. I guess I can be a "cat person" too.

... Reunions

Sometimes I feel lonely this quarter. Sometimes I miss dear friends from before. And sometimes God blows my mind. This morning was a mind-blowing type of experience. I just got to see Julie Richards! Yeah. Be jealous. I got her within a couple hours of landing state-side. And I got to see her after riding the bus there with another Barnabas friend, Kelli.

Aren't friendships a wonderful thing? How crazy and cool is it that in the midst of billions of people on this world, the sight of one (or two from today) person can make you so happy. I morn and miss friends that have been scattered but that makes the reunions so much more sweet. I love that God makes paths cross again. Like a job opening in Texas. Like a lay-over between China and Chicago. Like a wedding. Like heaven. I can't wait to spend that time rejoicing in the best reunion of all time.

... nature

Whether or not Seattle knows it, it is spring. In celebration, we went out waterfall hunting on Saturday :)

I laughed more than I have in a while.

One of the other times we went waterfall hunting was on our honeymoon (a highly successful trip, 16+ in one day!). It was fun reminiscing about our honeymoon and the adventures we had.

We also remembered family vacations from growing up... for example:

When I was in 5th grade, we went to San Diego and specifically, to Sea World. At this time I loved dolphins with a passion. The highlight of the trip, for me, was that I was going to feed a dolphin and pet it. At this time, I was going to be a marine biologist and this day was going to be the best ever!! My parents lovingly forked over however much they charged for a little thing of fish to feed their dolphins (which is an awesome money making scheme, by the way... they make you pay to do their job. Genius!) and I got the honor of being the first one of the family to offer a dolphin a fish. I held out my little fish coaxingly and was ATTACKED by a sea gull. The sea gull swooped in to steal my dolphin's fish! But, in my effort to coax the dolphin close enough to pet, I moved my hand and the sea gull latched onto my finger. I dropped the fish and started crying and bleeding. I couldn't pet the dolphins, I had to go to the first aid station and get a band-aid. As I sat there as Sea World filled out an incident report my parents tried to reassure me that "at least the dolphin caught the fish" that I dropped. And thus it was that I came home from vacation with a sea gull beak shaped scab on my hand and a little less passion to be a marine biologist.

Daniel, on the other hand, remembered that he went to California and saw a cool car.

... Easter!

Happy Easter!

The Mars Hill Church's Easter Celebration was amazing. ~17,500 people came and 682 people were baptized! woot! woot! I have never seen Pastor Mark so excited or yell so loudly. It was also fun to spot Pastors James and Erik baptizing people and Caitlin dancing for joy with each person.

We also got to be a part of Zack's first ever Seattle Metro Bus ride on the way down there. :) Our community group is so precious and I'm going to miss these friends so much. But, as Sara said today, we do get to party for eternity together so we can't be too sad. :)

To cap it all off, I got to take a nap and we're making homemade pizza this evening.