I know school stuff is a bit boring to mention, and I don't want to sound self-absorbed in my blog posts, but I have a serious prospect at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD, and everyone's prayers would be appreciated at this pivotal time.

I am in contact with a professor there who has a large amount of NSF funding for researching the evolutionary genetics of pine and oak woodland birds. Although not exactly the polar bear-moose-type research I was aiming for, birds are pretty sweet, and my undergraduate research at SBU has provided me with experience in this area of research. Also, several graduate assistant positions are open in the Integrated Genomics program at BHSU, with a pretty appealing stipend to offer. Integration of genetics has become a growing aspect of conservation biology and also an area "where the money's at." Training of this sort would put me at an advantageous position for future job endeavors.

I am awaiting an important e-mail and am hoping this is the direction I'm supposed to go. So if you think to say a little prayer for Ryan and I, we'd appreciate it greatly!

Here is a link to the school if you feel like snooping a bit. :)

http://www.bhsu.edu/Academics/GraduatePrograms/IntegrativeGenomics/Overview/tabid/2176/Default.aspx

Laminin

Take a look at this powerful video I watched in my cell and molecular bio class this morning. I was in complete awe....Our Creator's fingerprints are all over us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Col. 3:13-17

Pomp and Circumstance

Pass a glass and give him a toast.....Ryan graduated! December 19, 2008, was the happy day to be exact, and we welcomed Ryan's family to celebrate at our house for an "after party" complete with cake, fudge, spinache dip, cheese ball, ham rolls, homemade bread, pumpkin roll, hot apple cider and more. (The menu was decadent, thanks to a collaboration of favorite recipes from Carrie, Tara, Lila, and yours truly)!

The evening went perfectly, and I can't express how proud I was to see my husband walk across the stage to receive his diploma! He is the second person (after his dad) on the entire Bilby side to graduate from a four-year university. What an accomplishment!!!!

The girls (the grandmas, Carrie, Tara (and Logan), and I) spent the day after graduation shopping around Bolivar and hitting what seemed like the deals of the century. Bolivar has quite the plethora of adorable shopping boutiques, consignment shops, and antique shops that are enough for me to skip the whole Springfield shopping experience. :) The guys stayed at home, ordered pizzas, and watched football....so Bilby-like of them. :)

Enjoy the pics and cheers to Ryan for all of his hard work and dedication!

These last two are bonus pics of our beautiful Christmas tree! :)

I just don't think I'm a Kansas girl anymore.

Lately, I've been on a stressful hunt for grad schools....After several frustrating obstacles including not-so-hot GRE scores and deadlines, I've decided to press on towards grad school, hopefully to enter in Fall 2009. However, realizing I'll have the disadvantage of a late start with the application process, my entrance may be postponed a semester or two, depending on if I find the perfect professor with plenty of money to sponsor my research!!!!

Just when things were looking grim and I was giving up on the whole grad school process, a letter arrived, rejuvinating my hope in my effort to further my education. I sent GRE scores to a few colleges, not really expecting much feedback, as it was my first attempt at the dreaded GRE. And to my surprise, the college I least expected replied....University of Alaska Fairbanks!

I love Alaska. I love the cold. I love the snow. I love the wildlife. I love the lifestyle. It has become a dream of mine to research in Alaska. Call me crazy (I just call it adventuresome), but something about studying a landscape that has been least touched by man is fascinating to me....An opportunity to study wildlife at its fullest! To contribute to the conservation efforts there would be a privilege and simply a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My mind is still trying to grasp the thought...

I know it's just a letter, but I have a tendency to get excited and jump to conclusions. But part of me can't help but to hope that maybe my dream job could be a reality. Maybe the dreams we set for ourselves should be reasoned as attainable and not just hopeful thoughts tainted by our pessimistic rationale. Too many times in my life have I felt the disappointment of settling for what seems easiest or what makes the most sense. But I'm thinking this is a step in my life that I refuse to settle on. If it's just this one time, I'm going to go for it. I'm going to pursue what seems crazy.

So please keep Ryan and I in your prayers as we try to weasle our way through this process. We want to be where God wants us, but we aren't sure if that means Alaska or Wyoming or wherever. We just know this is the time to pursue our dreams, wherever they may take us.