Transitions

This weekend was full of celebrations and good-byes. On Friday my friend and lab mate Noel Takeuchi graduated with her PhD and I and many of her other friends went to a party to wish her well. She and I shared an office, lab, and advisor for nearly two years. She is incredibly hard-working and a really fun and caring person. All of us here in Gainesville will certainly miss her as she heads off to Australia for a post-doc!

(From left to right): Grad students Cody, Candice, Dr. Takeuchi, myself, and Gustavo and Noel's and my current and previous advisor Dr. Barber

This weekend we also gave a formal good-bye to our wonderful Pastor David at Gator Wesley. After having not attended church on a regular basis during our first year in school, Austin and I decided to check out this church after visiting a few others in the neighborhood that didn't offer us what we were looking for. What we found at Gator Wesley was a very active and friendly congregation of college students, a weekly message that was engaging and inspiring, and a chance for us to grow in our faiths together. 

While it's sad to think of our lives changing and easy to get nostalgic for the days gone by, this is also a time to be inspired and to enter into our own transitions. Our wedding is fast-approaching, our PhD proposals are defended and projects underway, and already our eyes are trying to focus on what lies across the horizon ahead. 

I also want to shift my focus away from myself. So much of my day is spent on my project, my fitness, my interests...I feel that it's time for a change and to start putting myself in a position for helping others. I think our church and our school offer a lot of great opportunities to do good work, and in this next year my goal is to become regularly involved something that goes beyond myself.

Change is always hard and saying good-bye is never easy, but with the help of friends and God I know the days ahead can be as good as (and even better than) the days gone by!