A Year in Review

I figured it was time for our year in review blog. It seems to be the right time, even though a year has passed a couple of weeks ago, as we listen to the pre-Guy Fawkes fireworks set off by the neighborly rabble down the way.

This year has been marked by many things. I can't help but be hit by the odd reality that we started and ended this year in the same way - packing up all our things and moving somewhere foreign to us. In many ways, this bracketing of our year is what also defines it. Life has been full of newness, chaos, travel, sadness, stress, excitement, and about every other emotion you could throw in. We have made a home in a new place, and will now miss people in several distinct places as we seem to find ourselves without real stability in these times. But through all of the randomness and unsettleness, we have been incredibly blessed and God continues to define himself by his faithfulness.

In an equally contrasting way, this year was marked by life and death, as well as enjoying new friends and missing the ones we left behind. We had three funerals this year, two of which we could make it to. When we moved we didn't think we would have any, so that has, in many ways, defined what this year has been. As our hearts have been in so many ways divided by geography, so they have also been divided to friends and family who have suffered much this year. But at the same time, there has been incredible newness of life. The birth of Emersyn, the joyful frolicking of little Abigail, seeing the twins Jenson and Owen, and getting to play with Luke, Ethan and Ainsley.

While this year has also been defined by leaving behind friends and family that we miss terribly, we have also been incredibly blessed with friends in Aberdeen who have been our family here. We have a surrogate niece in Hannah, the little girl of our close friends Kent and Tammy Eilers, who is always an incredible joy. God has blessed me with guys who think as I do about doing something like a Ph.D, and Kelli is surrounded by many women who bless her time here. As much as I want to talk about each of them, it would take way too long. In any case, they have marked our year as well, and have made this place a home we never thought it could be.

In many ways, Kelli and I both went through a desert when we got here. I had all of the anxiety of doing a Ph.D (in an area I had not studied much in), and Kelli had the problem of trying to find a job in a country without any! (for physical therapists). But now, Kelli is hard at work, and I am witnessing a new group of men and women coming over to do their Ph.D's all struggling through the same issues we had. Suddenly this life is normal, and, in many ways, a real joy, rather than a real stress. The research is now something I really enjoy, and I have found my way into a groove that fits me very well. Kelli has a mix of things she does, but it has clearly expanded both of our understandings of the broader world around us and the different ways to approach situations, problems, and trials in life.

All in all, this has been, while hard, a great year. There were times we weren't always sure that would be the case, but God has blessed this year with a great depth and joy.

We look forward to another year to see where this crazy adventure we call Aberdeen takes us!

Carr-Bridge

I don't remember where exactly we were when we stopped at this bridge--but its around Inverness! Thanks to Jim-our walking tour guide-we experienced this serene spot

Saved by the "16 and a bit"

So glad the marathon is done and over with!! It was a wonderful experience--but I'd rather not do it again. Here's a quick summary of the day...

7:50am: I was dropped off at the bus pick up point where about 20 tour buses waited for all the runners

9:30am: We finally arrive at the start location (which was of course out in the middle of no where)...Imagine 2000 runners waiting in lines for 20 portaloos,...stretching, warming up, eating bananas, etc

10:00am: Race kicks off with a pipe and drum band splitting the crowd of runners--totally brought a tear to my eye. The picture below is of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. We ran on the other side of the Loch.



12 noon: At this point I've ran 13 miles...really needed a toilet :)...thankfully by mile 15 a fellow runner informed me that there was a toilet stop around mile "16 and a bit". This gave me hope, and sure enough, just past mile 16 there was a lovely pub that let desperate runners like me use their facilities.

1:30pm: Kyle, Jim, and Rhona found me at this point, with cameras in their hands. I was excited to see them, but not too thrilled about the cameras!


This is a church along River Ness...less than 2 miles before the finish line

4 hours and 17 minutes after the race began...

It felt so good to feel my feet touch the track!


Many thanks to...

Kyle, Jim and Rhona...for cheering me on, and for not laughing at my dysfunctional gait pattern that developed over the next day. Also, thanks to the Hunter's for hosting us that weekend...the time in Inverness was absolutely wonderful! (more pictures to come)

All the family and friends that encouraged me during the months of training. A special thanks to the friends that reminded me the night before the race to bring my ipod!!

The Running Lab in Orange, CA...for fantastic shoes...my feet felt wonderful, and still do!! Thanks for purchasing them mom and dad!

The Endurance House in Wisconsin...for fantastic running apparel...

come run with me...

yesterday was just a beautiful day...so the camera came with me on a run.

The run turned into more of a walk because I kept stopping to take pictures.