Breaking into the New Year

On December 14th I traveled across Illinois and Missouri to my home in Kansas City. I left during the middle of finals week to catch a flight from Kansas City to Sacramento, California, where I would visit Kindel and her family. With all of the anxiety and excitement, I managed to get a good hour of sleep before leaving Kansas City Friday morning.

I had been discussing research opportunities with a professor from Stanford before the semester ended. Wanting to support my PhD search, Kindel made it a priority to find time during our first day in CA to visit Stanford's campus and meet with my faculty contact. To psych me up for the rest of the trip, Kindel scheduled lunch with her family shortly after I arrived. Our short, yet fun lunch set the stage for the rest of the trip - it would be busy, genuine, and rewarding.

Stanford rocked! In summary, there is a very high probability that I'll be accepted and be returning for the official visit in early February. There is an equally high probability that upon being accepted, I'll complete my PhD education at Stanford. The research centers on Arsenic environmental chemistry. Arsenic contamination in ground water drinking wells of South East Asia represents the the most expansive case of poisoning in the world. My field research would be conducted in Cambodia. Even more exciting is the leading by the Spirit that Kindel and I have received, encouraging us to move to the same geographic region together. California would be a good place for both us.

Family...

If you didn't know, Kindel's parents serve at a the Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, Africa. They were back visiting for the month of December. They're not sure the next time they will be visiting the States. Because of this, it was really important for me to spend quite a bit of time with them. Steve and Lori are extraordinary people - full of the Spirit, very funny, genuinely caring, and intelligent. While much of our time was planned - family visits and events - the extra time during my three-day visit extension was probably the most memorable. The Denver airport closing kept me in CA for a little while longer. With the extended family expecting me to be have left, Kindel and I were able to relax outside of some type of schedule. I was warmly welcomed into Kindel's family during the entire trip, but this was especially acute during the the last three days. It was an exceptionally fun and rewarding visit. I really look forward to spending more time with them.

During our time in CA we spent a few days at Lake Tahoe, which included sledding, hiking, and hot-tubing. Kindel and I also spent quite a bit of time in her home town and the surrounding communities. Biggs, where K grew up, isn't too big. Settled in orchard and rice country, it is kind of charming, though.

Accident...

My last full day in CA, Kindel and I headed out to visit Yosemite National Park. It was a beautiful Saturday and the drive couldn't have been easier in her uncle's Dodge Ram 2500 (yes, it had a Hemi). Just North of the park, though, Kindel and got in an accident while driving down a grade toward a bridge. The accident could have been quite bad, but God had other plans. The concrete guard rails kept the truck from falling into the 80 foot ravine and we didn't hit any other vehicles because of minimal traffic. Kindel and I walked away from the accident with insignificant injuries. AAA and excellent insurance made it so that neither of us had to pay anything. Both of us are thankful for God guiding our vehicle through the accident that Saturday morning.

Pictures are available. See my PhotoBucket link at the right.

Blessings,

Paul