Merry Christmas.....and Ben's Lengthy Thoughts

Happy holidays to everyone!  I write this post from California, where we are visiting Sarah's California family.  We flew here yesterday and will be here through Thursday morning.  It is great to be with family during this time, and we feel blessed we're able to do so.  I have had a myriad of thoughts whirling through my brain lately.

Perhaps most appropriate to discuss first is how awesome it is to stop and think about what Christmas, the Incarnation, means to us.  Growing up, we are taught that the true meaning of Christmas is that God sent His son to earth, where he would eventually die for our sins.  We hear this from everyone (family, church, friends, etc.), so much that at times it becomes repetitive to the point of banal.  Please do not take banal in its normal negative connotation.

In no way am I saying that this fact is trivial or to be overlooked -- it is very important!  Christ is sent to earth to die for our sins!  But I also think there is something more to be reflected on and thought of when it comes to this.  Incarnation, in a theological sense, refers to Christ coming to earth and taking the form of a man.  Inherent to this doctrine is a fact that deserves, dare I say demands, our deepest appreciation and awe for the Lord.  The holiest of holies, the perfect Creator of Heaven and earth, the omniscient and omnipotent Savior, took the form of a man.  He gave up his Heavenly throne and took the form of a lesser being -- humans.  How loving, how selfless, how humble.  While I'm sure many of you, myself included, have already reflected on this, I still feel that it is a point worth stating.  Let us never forget it.

One of the other big ideas whirling 'round my brain lately has been the result of several hours of self-reflection.  I have come to realize just how many interests and passions I have, so many subjects in which I have a strong and genuine interest.  Almost five years ago, I felt my strongest interest was in Science, so I declared Biology as my major.  This was not a mistake by any means.  I love the subject, and I loved Taylor's Bio department.  Moreover, I think I have found my niche at Ball State.  I have enjoyed my first semester there, my assistantship duties included.  I love Biology and Science; that's what I want to continue to study in grad school, and it's what I want to teach someday.

But I love other things, too.  I would have definitely declared a minor in general studies in college, until I discovered that no such minor existed.  I therefore decided to take full advantage of Taylor's general education program and live vicariously through my gen ed classes -- I enjoyed almost all of them.  I have spent the last few months trying to devise a way to continue pursuing my non-science interests.  I have listened to and written reviews of music, I have read books on theology, and I have tried to write as much as I can to satiate both my desire to write and my passion for English.  This very blog, in fact, is one of those efforts.  I even read a book on how to write non-fiction.

At this point, I have realized that God has given me copious interests, and I should embrace them and use them.  But how?  I think English is my second passion, just behind Science.  Music is probably my third, followed by theology and philosophy.  If I could, I think I would try to study all of these at the university level.  But real life and a vocation call my name.  I cannot be a student in the classroom forever.

After considerable pondering and prayer, I think I have arrived at a possible solution -- I keep doing what I'm doing now.  I finish grad school with a doctorate in Biology, I become a Biology professor, and I pursue my extra-science interests on the side.  This seems to be a viable life plan, and one I'm excited about!  You may be thinking to what extent or even how I will pursue my extra-science activities.  My solution: I will write a book!  Easier said than done, of course.

But honestly, what a great way to fulfill my desire to write.  The next question I face is what the topic of this book should be.  Considering that I probably won't even start this book until after grad school (which is still over four years away), the choice of topic seems to not be a pressing issue at the time.  My initial thoughts are that I should just write about my other interests, but we shall see.  I think if I had to choose a topic for this book right now, I would end up writing a series of treatises on different topics, an exposition on various parts of this wondrous lifestyle.  And I would call the book: Treatise on Life.  No, I don't know what I would call it.  What I do know is that given my strong interest in English, it would surely behoove me to write.  And given my passion for science, I am certain that science will be a topic of this future book.

These are my thoughts so far.  I think I am officially making "book writing" one of the items on my bucket list.  It's not like I will write this anytime soon given the business of school and how long it takes me to express my thoughts in words.  I have spent about 90 minutes on this blog post alone, but thank you for reading it.  Who knows, this post -- a not-so-brief attempt to coalesce all my recent thoughts -- may end up being the introduction to this future book.  And if this book does take the form I am thinking -- expositions on various topics -- it would be not unlike a blog, separated into different posts.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.  Blessings to you all.

Ben

It's Over!

Hello there.  The semester ended today!  I actually only had two finals -- one take-home final and one in-class final.  I'm now off for three weeks.  We will be visiting family over break and then going to Michigan over New Year's for a wedding. 

Sarah is off from the 24th through the 2nd, and will go back to work on the 3rd of January.  My classes don't start until the 10th, though, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do the week of the 3rd.  I'll probably start working on my thesis proposal.  I'm not sure what I will be working on for my thesis, but I think it will be in the realm of biotechnology and recombinant DNA. 

Merry Christmas!

It's Been a While

Sorry for the lack of updates, folks.  Sarah and I have both been pretty busy since mid-October.  Sarah continues to work full-time at the Grant County Growth Council doing a lot of public relations and secreterial duties.  My program is going well, but I am ready to dive into a new batch of classes next semester.  I've been working hard this past week and just finished my massive lab report for my recombinant DNA class.  It's about 23 pages and 5,100 words! 

I'm off now to finish a few more assignments for tomorrow.  Sarah and I both eagerly await for next week and the relaxation that will come with it.  I am off Wednesday-Friday, and Sarah is off Thursday and Friday.  We'll be going to my parents house in Indiana and also to Illinois to see a lot of my fam.

Till next time,
Ben 

Quick 2 cents!

Hi everyone!

Drop your jaws. Yep, it's Sarah here and I'm here to give you a quick hello. Ben doesn't even know that I'm posting this, so he'll be happily surprised I'm sure. :) Ben is definitely better at keeping in touch and following through on posts! I wanted to be able to write a little myself today. I actually keep people updated here and there with photos while Ben writes on our blog, so we compliment each other, I'd say. You can always check out our "Married Life" album on my facebook.

As Ben stated in the last post, there was a recent announcement of Echelon Furniture, here in Gas City, Indiana. The mother company, Munire (w/ an accent on the e) Furniture, creates baby furniture. The amazing and wonderful parts of the furniture are the quality of the pieces and the timeless usage of the furniture. Check out the two photos in the facebook album mentioned above. They are the same two pieces of furniture. You purchase the crib for their infancy, then as they grow up, all you need to purchase are additional frame pieces and the mattress. So if you think about it, for at least the first 18 years of their life, you only have to spend a few thousand total for their bed. And seriously, I was in the showroom, and their wood quality and manufacturing is so beautiful, and strong. I feel like a salesperson! Needless to say, I'm going to be convincing my husband to invest in these pieces in the far future...

I am now full time! It hasn't been too hard to adjust, only that I have to wake up earlier and stay at the office later. Dinner will be interesting to work out since I get home at about six. The third organization I've signed on with (I work for three different non-profits as one full time job) is the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) in Marion. For them I'll be doing projects related to social media. I have three positions in a way...the Economic Growth Council (EGC) and CVB are similar while the Cardinal Greenway folks are definitely different to manage. More time consuming at times and a bigger need for self direction. 

I didn't say anything really new since Ben's last post, but I wanted to let you all know I'm existent and things are going pretty well, trying to adjust to working full time as an adult, learning how to manage time differently. I've attached a photo of Angie (my co-worker/friend/former Taylor colleague), the Governor Mitch Daniels, and me.

Love you everyone! Hope all is going well!

Sarah 

More Updates

Sarah is now full time!  It was a good first day of full-time work for her, as she and her co-workers attended the grand opening of Echelon, a new furniture manufacturer in Gas City.  It was a big grand opening with many people in attendance, including Mitch Daniels -- governor of Indiana!  Sarah was able to get a picture with him.

It is hard to believe I just finished the sixth week of class.  Midterms are two weeks away; fortunately, I don't have any midterm exams.  Most of my work is actually in the form of lab reports and take-home exams.  I just completed my first take-home exam this past weekend -- it totaled fourteen pages and 3500 words.  Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot of free time last weekend.

I have a rough draft of a term paper due in two weeks; I've chosen to write about Cri-du-Chat syndrome.  I'll be covering everything from its effects to its history to the genetic abnormalities of those who have it.  This is for my Human Genetics class.  My other class focuses on Recombinant DNA.  We are nearing the end of our first cloning project.  We have been cloning the gene AKT, which may play major roles in cardiovascular health.  It also tends to be overexpressed in cancer patients.  Research that focuses on methods for suppressing AKT is therefore important for possible ways of suppressing cancer.  Once this lab is complete, I will have two write a major lab report.

My students turned in their lab reports this week, so most of my weekend will be devoted to grading those.

Ben & Sarah 

Speaking of brevity...

Just a quick update to say that Sarah will officially be going full time on October 1st!  She will also be moving from an hourly pay to a salary pay.  It'll be nice to have that consistency in our income.

We have reached near record-high temps these last few days, and the rain today was a nice change.  My classes continue to go well, and my teaching duties are starting to increase.  I wrote and gave my first quiz today, which was exciting for me.  My students will be turning in their first batch of lab reports next week, so that will give me plenty to grade. 

Take care,
Ben

The Weather's Changing!

I've noticed a significant drop in temperatures at night, and even this morning it was really chilly.  Autumn is upon us, and it has always been my favorite season, so I'm excited!

Not much new stuff to report.  We were finally able to get Sarah's car fixed.  It's now going to sit in our apartment parking lot for a while until we are able to add it to our insurance plan.  But at least it's fixed!  It's been over a month since we've moved, and the dust is finally starting to settle.  We are still eagerly awaiting for October to arrive so that Sarah can go full-time.  That will definitely be a blessing.

Things are really starting to get busy for both of us -- Sarah is involved with several projects at work, and my classes are getting busier.  I also am balancing classes with my teaching and grading duties.  But I'm very grateful for the opportunity...and the stipend!

I'm really enjoying one of my classes where we are currently cloning a gene.  It's a multiple-week process for sure, but so interesting. 

In our free time, we have been going to different places in Muncie and seeing friends when we can.  We have been able to see our friends Dan and Cait a few times this past week, which has been fun.  We were also able to see my parents in Indianapolis last Wednesday night.

Hope all is well with everyone!
Ben