More Than Many Sparrows: May 2008

Sorry I have neglected to post these pictures; it's been a crazy year already. In the five months that Jamie and I have been married, we've already had a full program:

1) Jamie successfully defended his master's thesis in Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering. His research looked at the effects of adding hydrogen to natural gas to see if there were reductions in emissions and increases in fuel efficiency (and aren't you impressed I can tell you even that much!).

Along with several other friends (Amy, Megan, Nate), I was able to sit in on the first part of his defense in which he presented his research findings. His presentation was incredibly clear (pretty impressive given the complexity of his topic), and by all accounts the defense that followed went really well too.

2) I was offered a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford to continue doing research in bilingualism, but this time with children. Jamie and I decided it would be a good career move for both of us, so we are packing up and heading west to the Bay Area of California at the end of this summer! We are already taking reservations for visits, and anyone near San Francisco for Thanksgiving this year is welcome to join our growing group of former Penn Staters. Come one, come all!

3) The two of us were able to take a trip to Germany. The main purpose was to collect data for my thesis, but we also tagged on a mini-vacation to Santander, Spain where Jamie's childhood friend Will is teaching English. In Germany, we spent most of our time in Leipzig where I did research for five months last year, allowing us to catch up and reconnect with friends there. We also spent a few days in Bonn with dear friends of mine before flying home. Trips like these are definite perks to what I study!

So now on to the pictures. It was difficult picking just a few photos, there were so many fun memories involved in each one. (We have over 300 "keepers", and each photograph highlights what an amazing gift the wedding was to us.) Our guests represented every walk of our lives, from kindergarten through graduate school, and included international friends from Australia, Germany, and Japan, as well as extended families from both of our sides. We felt so deeply loved by each of you, and thank God to be in such a rich network of relationships.