Happy Girl!!!

Kat passed her quals on May 23rd with FLYING COLORS! Here's what she has to say, in her own words!

I am pleased to report it went really well this morning! Honestly, it was all God these past few weeks upholding Brent and me, and keeping me on track for this day. The oral defense was very smooth (no technological difficulties, no unreasonable questions that I couldn't answer), and the Committee had lots of positive things to say. I wasn't even that nervous! It has been a whole month of learning that I am not in control, that God is trustworthy and sovereign over all my ways, that I must daily repent of fear of man.

We've learned a ton, about ourselves and each other, during this last month. We approached it with sort of a "work trip" mentality, so that Kat pretty much focused exclusively on the exam. Now we're off in Texas, enjoying the feeling of completion of a job well done!

Tres Uganda

Our team met last night for our 3rd of 6 team meetings in preparation for our trip. Its been beaten into my head through corporate trainings that teams have to DEVELOP... and that there is a natural and healthy process of Forming, Storming, Norming, Conforming, etc. that all go through...

Yet it IS always so nice to see that those trainings are actually RIGHT! Last night it felt like our team was finally starting to hit the "conforming" phase ~ Interesting how at first everyone is kinda shy and awkward ~ We all knew each other in the sense that we go to the same church... But it is a whole different ballgame to be either working closely together or planning something substantial.

So things are good- We are doing a Group Fundraiser on June 8th called Parents Night Out where we will encourage parents to leave their kids with us for an evening and have a nice night out. Our two youngest team members are in charge, which is SUPER! Gives me a chance to ... let... go... of... the control... So... hard... to not want... to control everything!!! WHEW! But I'm learning~ Oh how I am learning!

Kat's quals are today... We'll find out in a few short hours whether or not she is an OFFICIAL candidate for the PhD at the Scripps Research Institute!!! Woo Hoo!!!

And I just couldn't resist...

Pretty natural looking, eh? Borrowed baby of a fellow Scripps-er~

Passages

Kat has been putting incredible hours in at the lab as she prepares for her Qualifying Exam on May 23. The quals are kind of like the midpoint of the PhD. It is the point at which you declare your thesis and plan for the rest of the program.

She was able to take a much-deserved break on Saturday when we went to a going-away party for one of her colleagues, Jonas, who is graduating and moving to Montreal with his wife (Note the lab gift of lots of warm, wooly clothing in the picture below)



Its really neat to see scientists get together to drink European sodas you've never heard of, talk about subjects which are actually making more sense to me (scary), and to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their fellow researchers.

I think this recent season has given Kat a lot more hope... One day, Lord-Willing, it will be US wearing funny clothes in the park with a bunch of grinning scientists gathered round!

Cracked...

So, let this be a lesson to you... And don't say I never warned you!

Pop Quiz: If you should happen to one day walk out to your car, and see that a small crack (say, smaller than a dollar bill) has developed in your windshield, is the proper response:

A.) Ignore it - Chalk it up to one of many things on a 1999 car that go wrong which you don't really want to spend money on to fix

or

B.) Drop everything you are doing and call the window repair guy, or else pretty soon the crack will exapad and you you will have to call the window replacement guy (who charges substantially more than the repair guy)...

Which one do you think I picked?


*Sign* - I don't recall reading about this in the "How to be an adult" manual... Oh well!

Add to my X-mas list: Off-Road Commode

Off-Road Commode, Model# ORC Towing Accessories Northern Tool + Equipment: "When you're out in nature, you never know when nature will call."

Where has this been all my life???

Otterson Hall 1

Otterson Hall 1
Originally uploaded by Rady School.

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's... my new B-school...

Though it may look a bit like something out of Star Wars, this is Otterson Hall, where I will be going to school this fall. The grand opening is June 1st, and I will start orientation on Sept 14

Movin' right along...

This past weekend was "Move Central" - Two couples in our church were moving into new homes, and I was fortunate to be able to help out both for a bit. I love helping people get into new homes. To me, the oft-scoffed "work party" really is the truth. It is so neat to be able to come alongside your friends to help them in that most basic of need... to get a roof over their head... and a 400 lb armoir in their living room! :-)

On Friday I painted doors at Brandon and Abby's new place. Some might tell you that the doors are left to the most talented artisan. Those people are liars. It's the easiest job on the planet, but I was happy for the low-stress work!

Saturday brought our friend's John and Heidi moving into their new place. They got a good crew together, provided the necessary staples for any move (Doughnuts and Pizza), and made the day a lot of fun!


A crew that was Unstoppable...


Thankfully... No casualties


Pizza will get you everywhere with people!

I topped off the evening by heading downtown to the Padres game with my buddies from work. Padres lost 5-nil in an anemic performance, but the game was a sell-out and being San Diegoans, nobody really cares THAT much about sports, so they were doing the wave, having fun, etc. Good times!

Tee-shirt night at Petco - gotta love that!

So you might be saying to yourself, "Hey, isn't this Brent AND KAT in California? Where's the better half?" Alas, my dear wife was slaving away at the lab all weekend. Her qualifying exam is on May 23rd, and she is working so very hard on her proposal. Say a prayer! It's due to her committee on Wednesday!

Late nights with Golden Spoon and Good Coffee

It's cool! Last night we felt like real students again. Kat is working really hard on her Qualifying Exam, which is like the mid-point of her PhD program. She has to put together both her actual thesis, and an alternate proposal for something not related to her field.

Being the ever-overachieving person that she is, her alternate proposal (which in most cases is not going to actually be acted upon) is for nothing less than to cure malaria... No problem! :-) It's actually really neat to see her so fired up about science. She's working long and hard, and that's where I come in with the encouragement of a late night visit to her lab with Golden Spoon, which I have come to learn, is the brain fuel for all great scientists!

As Kat has been working, I have been playing (Fair? Hmmmm?) My ever-ready buddy, Hank, and I went to Sea World this past weekend.

I never thought I would live in a place where Sea World could be a spur of the moment outting. You should see the humble little zoo in my home town... I think it has like two gold finches and a pet goat or something.

Africa - Our effort continues to come together. Right now we are sending out support letters, which is always a kinda weird feeling. I know there is a biblical justification to give the burden to God, and then to let others know of it. I think this is just one of those times to be reminded of the fact that, contrary to all notions of American idealism, we are called to be dependent on God and others. This trip is stretching us both in ways we never imagined!

The Uganda Trip... From the pen of Mrs. K

Hi all,

Here is an excerpt from Kat's letter to her prayer partners for Uganda. She did a GREAT job of summarizing the team (and our) state of mind and current progress about Uganda. And now you can't say that Kat never writes in the blog!

:-)

Brent

Hello, Prayer Team!

I wanted to send a quick update on the progress we are making towards the missions trip. The group had our second team meeting last night, and we covered a TON of stuff. First we addressed and stuffed envelopes to send out support letters to folks within our church. We thought it would be good to send one letter on behalf of the team to people in the church so they don't get 3 or 4 letters each. (We each will then have a more personalized one to send to friends and family.) The purpose of the letter is to ask for prayer and financial support, so please pray that people would give joyfully and generously. There are so many demands on the church body right now, like the building fund, Faith Promise (which supports many missionaries), the Uganda Children's Sponsorship Program, the Deacon's fund, and the regular tithe. So we are trying to be sensitive to this and learn how to walk by faith.

At the start of our meeting we had a great time of praise. We are blessed to have a beginning guitarist among us - a college freshman named Chris - who was brave enough to play for us. Between his playing and my missing the high notes, we had a good laugh about how the Bible says "Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord," not "Make beautiful music to the Lord!"

We covered a lot of logistical stuff about vaccinations and insurance during the meeting, but we also had a devotional on the importance of giving and worked on the team goals part of our Team Covenant, which we'll continue to develop as the meetings go on. To tell you the truth, this was the hardest part of the meeting, since each member has different expectations about what the team should be like. We really need prayer for unity and open communication in our group. Brent and I talk SO much about the trip together, but we rarely get feedback from the other group members in response to the dozens of trip-related emails and phone calls we send. I think that's been particularly challenging to Brent, since it's difficult to trust people with big things (like planning fundraisers) if they don't follow through with small things. So please pray that our team would encourage each other and not resent all the work that goes into planning a trip like this! Pray that each person would be diligent and fulfill the roles we have taken.

One cool idea for a fundraiser we discussed: First Aid training! The Red Cross will come and do training at NCPC for a group of 8 or more for a fixed rate. We were thinking that if we opened it up to our church and other local churches and got a group of 25+ (when the 10% discount kicks in), we could charge people less than or equal to what they would pay for a First Aid and CPR training course at the Red Cross location ($70), but more than the per-person cost to run the on-site program. All the proceeds would then be split between our group members. Please pray for this and other ideas to be carried out, to help relieve the financial burden. Also, if YOU have ideas for group fundraisers, please let me know!

Another item: Brent and I have proposed to a visiting colleague that she rent our spare bedroom for the month of July. She goes back to Connecticut July 31 and is currently staying in a hotel. It would be fantastic for us to bring in some extra cash for the trip, and it would be cheaper for her as well. Not only does she seem kind and interesting, it turns out she is a Christian, too! Something of a rarity among scientists. So, please do pray that Juliet would take us up on our offer, if it is God's will.

Whew! Thanks for reading to the end, and for your prayers and encouragement. Oh--perhaps the biggest thing you can pray about for me, in particular, these next few weeks: I have my Qualifying Exam on May 23. I am working really hard for it, and Brent is trying to do more household things to help me out. God give me the grace to accept help gracefully and show my appreciation and affection towards him, and for him to sacrifice for me and be assured of my gratitude and love. And may God give me success on the writing and defending of my proposals!

Love,
Kathryn

The Weekend Report

Whew! It's Monday morning, and I am just trying to sort out how exactly the space between Friday evening and now could have vanished so QUICKLY!?! Not sure where it all went, but I have at least a couple of suspicions:

1. Friday night - Scientist Acting Troupe - On Friday, Kat and I went with some non-scientist friends into the dangerous world of "Scientist-Thespians" - This was a first for me. The TSRI playwrights presented 5 Short Plays for the Attention Deficit to a packed crowd. I've got to hand it to them... For people who spend 12+ hours in the lab, they really had their stuff together on this acting business.

2. Saturday - MBAs and Amillenialsists - Kind of a strange combo, right? I started the day with Admit Day for the MBA program at UCSD, and finished it at a debate about Amillenialism vs. Postmillenialism out at a house in east county. (For those who were similarily as fuzzy as I was, these are two similar but different views held in various Christian circles about the "end times")



I've got no proof of this, but statistically, I think it very unlikely that anyone else on Earth on Saturday attended both an MBA session and an Eschatology debate. Prove me wrong!

Kat worked hard in the lab, and then had a middle-eastern FEAST with some of her fellow scientists... I was fortunate to be saved some leftovers, which were divine!

3. Sunday - Day of rest... Once we get past the busy Sunday morning, with kids to teach, announcements to make, and stuff like that, the day did finally relax a bit. We had a visiting scientist named Juliet over for dinner, too. It is so neat to hear biologists talk about their research. I bumble through the terms and terminology, they smile and correct me, and then use the dinner napkin and their hands to try to explain what the cellular membrane is doing. I LOVE it! So neat to have a view down to life at its most minute level.

Anways, that brings us to today! *Sigh* - Vacation in just 4 weeks... We can make it!

You start to forget...

"... that this is really happening." Or at least so go the first few lines of the Al Gore documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," which we watched this weekend. It has really been one of those weekends where life seems so idyllic out here in the fun and the sun of San Diego, but is so menacing everywhere else.

First, the film. I am developing a growing interest in climate change. The data is, quite frankly, pretty horrifying. As the level of CO2 in our atmosphere climbs further and further into uncharted territory, our summers get hotter, storms get fiercer, droughts get fiercer... and this is just the beginning. I find myself really fired up to do something about this, even if it means in the short term just reducing our carbon output. Longer term, I think it would be great to target clean technologies for post-MBA employment. Its a pretty hot (no pun) topic around UCSD. I think there will be lots of opportunities there.

Yet, on Saturday night with friends at a Beach BBQ in Encinitas it is easy to forget that such environmental horrors loom, as we bask in nature's splendor on a rather chilly evening at the beach.


Kathryn, with Sara and Katie

Humans seem much better at dealing with imminent, immediate threats, as opposed to longer-term, slower-developing threats. I wonder when we will collectively realize we can't be just "business as usual" about climate change?

And this horrible news from Virginia Tech, and to a lesser though still chilling extent, the NASA command in Texas. Back in San Diego, I watch the kids run around on the lawn after church and shake my head at the thought that any kid could grow up to do what the gunman in Blacksburg did.

Yet it happened... and will undoubtedly happen again. Its interesting how our reactions to such a tragedy are so varied. I read a recount of the violence and felt... anger. I felt that sense of bile rising in my throat, as my thoughts flickered to somehow delivering vengeance. Kat said that she felt a wave of grief, followed by just sadness.

The presence of evil in our world is one of those most uncomfortable things, for both Christian and secular humanist alike. For the humanist, it seriously undermines their theory that all people are really good, and just need the right circumstances to show this. The college educated shooter seemed to have the advantages and opportunities necessary for success, yet was trapped in such darkness. For the Christian, the question we must ask is how a loving and supposedly sovereign God would allow such an event to occur.

Our pastor preachd on this subject this evening, from Romans 9:9-22, when Paul writes of how God's power and glory are shown most clearly when His wrath will be delivered to the evil. "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."

So back to my reaction. I realize how foolish it is for me to steam about such things. God is a just judge, and this gunman in Virginia will experience the awful consequences of justice. And God is a great god, who can use even something as dark and dreadful as a mass murder, to show his glory and power to a world which, if nothing else, for at least one news cycle has been reminded of how little we truly control our own lives and how blessed we are to have faith in a sovereign God who does.

Vaccination Quiz

OK, folks... Let's see how well you know your world travel trivia... Or at least, how much paranoia you have to be checking the CDC website!

Question: In order to travel to Africa, it is either required or highly recommended that you receive a vaccination for: (Choose all that apply)

A.) MMR (Booster)
B.) West Nile Virus
C.) Hepatitis A
D.) Meningococcal (Meningitis)
E.) Whooping Cough
F.) Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis
G.) Typhoid
H.) Yellow Fever
I.) Green Fever
J.) The Gout

Want the answers? Scroll below













Answers: A, C, D, F, G, H

Whew! I tell you what! These CDC cats don't mess around! Our trip is coming along well, though. We met as a team for the first time this week, and we are hard at work getting ready to raise support, develop our project, get those vaccines out of the way, and more!

The Stegosaurus on the Ark

It's Monday morning, and I am sipping my third cup of coffee, working up the motivation to head into work today, and reflecting over the course of events this past weekend...

All in all, relative to Midwestern tornadoes and Eastern Nor'easters, our mild, partly sunny weekend was superb. We were fortunate enough to see some good friends, visit a new place, plant some flowers, and do a great deal of prep work for the Uganda missions trip that we are involved in...

Not to say there wasn't any wierdness for me to ponder this morning along with my third cup of joe. We had plenty. The main source of befuddlement was our "couples date" on Saturday at the Institute for Creation Research with my former landlord and current friend, David, and his girlfriend Lisa.

Now, this ICR place is something truly exceptional...



It is located in East County San Diego, and according to their website, they do the following:

The Institute for Creation Research equips believers with evidences of the Bible’s accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations, all conducted within a thoroughly biblical framework.

It all sound well and good until you find yourself deep inside their labryntine museum staring at an illustration of Noah's Ark with a stegosaurus in one of the bays of the hold. It's at that point that you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore!

I think the thing that felt the wierdest to me was that I felt like... the enemy there. We walked in and got latched onto a tour group, and from the moment I arrived I felt like a total outsider. I should say that I embrace more of a "Theistic Evolution" perspective. Though I am certainly not an expert in the field, I recently read Francis Collins' wonderfully readable book, "The Language of God" and really resonated with the compatibility he outlines between modern genetic biology (which owes much to the theory of evolution) and Christianity.

Alas, such compatibility is not to be found anywhere in the winding passages of the ICR museum. I only made it through Day 3 of the 7 days of creation with the tour group, before the leader's bandying of that most horrid of Christian-ease aphorisms, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" drove me over the edge and I had to flee for fear of becoming unhinged. Kat made it to Day 4 before fleeing in similar anguish.

We somehow escaped from the museum that day with our sanity and friendship with Dave and Lisa still in tact. After further prayer and reflection, Kat and I were able to come to a conclusion about why we were so disturbed in there. We realized that the people who run this institute, while certainly well-meaning, have become so totally fixated on this one non-salvation related facet of Christianity that they set it up on par with the cross. "You must believe on the Lord Jesus... and a literal 6-day creation... to be saved.'

We serve a bigger God then that, one who didn't crumble when scientists in the 1600s showed quite clearly that the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa, and won't crumble now if we see that He works His sovereign will for us through the means of seemingly random genetic mutations over many millions of years.

Or at least that's what my great, great, great grandpa Mr. Bojangles told me the last time I stopped by to seem him in Gorilla Tropics at the San Diego Zoo... *grin* - B -

Our new neighbor

This handsome footballer just appeared the other day at our complex. We're working on bringing him cupcakes as a welcome gift.

Of Birthdays, Beaches, and Borders

This past weekend, Kathyrn and I celebrated her birthday. In keeping with the newly-minted Applegate tradition of "mystery" birthdays, I concocted a weekend of "firsts" for us.

First... Kat had told me awhile back that she would want to go horseback riding "more than anything else" - Being the ever eager husband, I tucked that info away for later. I found this place in Imperial Beach called Beach Horse Rentals . It was such a trip - It's like 10 feet from Mexico, as far south as you can get, and its run by these two European girls. Really small scale kind of operation, but neat, as they guide you out on a 3 hour trail ride that ends on the beach where you can trot your horse through the surf!







Next, since we were so close to Mexico, we did another "first" and crossed over the border on foot to check out Tijuana. We went to a really great restaurant called Cien Anos, checked out the Tijuana Cultural Center (which is about the history of Baja California... Talk about "European-ancestry Guilt" though) , and went to the Arts and Crafts Market.





The crossing home was smooth ~ Only slightly trepidatious part of the trip was the van taxi that we unwisely took from the museum to the market. We got in and I had that "bad feeling" - It was packed with an entire family, and this boisterous guy who looked a little bit sketch started talking with me immediately ~ The close confines, the shady character, two naieve gringos... I had visions of "Traffic" going through my head.

But they got us there, and only 2 dollars the poorer we were. It was a great weekend, and a wonderful way to celebrate Kat's birthday

Recipe for a birthday surprise

Now, the recipe for an excellent birthday surprise is very easy to follow. Here's what you do:

Step 1 - Find two good friends with birthdays just a few days apart from each other (Kat and Sara)

Step 2 - Have one boyfriend of one of the two friends (Shawn) secretly change his travel plans to arrive a day early to be picked up by the other of the two friends (Kat)

Step 3 - Have the same boyfriend (Shawn) recruit the husband of the other of the two friends (Brent) along with two other friends of the two birthday friends (Dena and Katie) to arrange for food, cakes, and the like.

OK, here's where it gets a little tricky.

Step 4 - Convince the two birthday friends that the birthday lunch is for the other one (So, Kat thinks they are celebrating Sara's, and vice versa)

Step 5 - Surprise both birthday friends with bunny ears, cake, smiles, and good times in the sun!

Easy as pie... You can see the rest of the photo's here

Two tickets for Uganda, please

I bought and paid for two tickets to fly to Uganda today.

Now, I won't startle you with the price of such seats (Blasted vacationing Europeans and their 8 weeks of vacation running up the prices in August!), but I will tell you that if you are reading this, don't be too shocked if you see a letter requesting support for our short-term missions trip to Uganda this summer...

*grin*

Still, it is an exciting time. God is moving in our hearts, and I pray that he would continue to stir us and use us in whatever way that he pleases... So goes it.

NCPC Mission to Uganda 2007

Great news!

We've been putting together a team to travel to Uganda, East Africa, for a 2-week missions trip this summer, and Lord-Willing, we've got our team and dates lined up.

We'll be going with a team of 6 people from our church from July 30 - August 13. We will do a church-planting project in Kampala, the capital city, for the first week, and then will be doing work in support of the Orphan Sponsorship Program that members of our church administer for the 2nd week.

There is much more to be done, but the first hurdle has been cleared, and we are on our WAY!!!

Weekend Recap

It's been a lovely, mild, sunny weekend out here in paradise. San Diego is definitely earning her 500K median-priced home this weekend! Here's what's happening with us!

Driving lesson - Part 1

Kat and I went over to our local driving range on Saturday. I haunt this place pretty regularly, though my progress has been pretty slow since I haven't taken any lessons since the wedding... It was Kat's 2nd time at the range in her entire life, but let me tell you, this girl can HIT!

She is one of those classic Softball-hitting golfers. Its so neat to watch her wrists just flip the club effortlessly through, like its just total muscle memory. True, true, getting clean contact was a bit more challenging, and she may have averaged more than one swing per ballstrike, but when she hits it, it GOES!

Driving lesson - Part 2

Fresh off her triumph over the game of golf, we decided to try another "first." My car is a stick, and her family hasn't had a car with a manual transmission since she's been driving, so for all of our marriage, she hasn't been able to drive one of our cars.

We set out to change that! Now, hear me now, THIS was like total "Ripley's Believe it or Not." I explained to her how it works, we drove over to an empty parking lot, switched places, adjusted the seat a little,... and she just... STARTED DRIVING!

It was the most amazing thing! First time driving a stick, and she just puts it in first and starts going, easy as you please! She did so well driving around the parking lots and side streets that I, ever of the pedagogy of "throw 'em in the deep end to teach 'em to swim," said, "Why don't you just drive us on home from here?" (Home is about 10 miles away)

Kat, to her credit, is one tough cookie, and so reluctantly agreed to do it! We pulled out on the road, crossed busy Mira Mesa Blvd, drove down Vista Sorrento, crossed under the 56 Freeway, and were almost home when we had a little snag with a stall at a red light and some rude honking drivers behind us...

But that crisis was quickly averted, and she got us the rest of the way home. It was TRULY a remarkable feat!

Golf



Not that that time at the range was too helpful, but some buddies and I took advantage of the beautiful Sunday to play golf at Tecolote Canyon. Its a fun Executive course that really makes you work on your short game. Good times!

All in all, this was a wonderfully blessed weekend!

B