I don't know if any of my friends from England read this anymore, because it's been so long since I last wrote -- but here's a quick update on my life! :) (Sit down, grab a coffee, get comfy -- remember I tend to write books rather than notes!!) :)

So, I am now 27 years old and feeling pretty far away from my time in Oxford. Even though I hear from everyone now and again, I feel very nostalgic for that time. You see, I was really me. I didn't feel pressure to be anything but me. I'm slowly coming back to that state -- I think sometimes in the U.S. there's a lot more social pressure to conform, perform, meet expected standards that it leaves little room for you to just simply be. Needless to say, I really miss you guys!

Hm...to answer all of the usual questions: I am still in grad school, trusting that God has a plan for this crazy degree in entomology. I am 2 1/2 years into my PhD and it's gotten fairly rocky. I didn't do so great on my written qualifying exams, and ended up postponing the big viva to April of this year. My research has hit a few road blocks -- and I am struggling with staying motivated and focused. I do love and enjoy what I do - studying spiders and working to preserve hemlock trees. As long as I am outside and in nature, I am really happy. (I think I'll blog later about that....)

I will soon be living by myself again, but I think it's really okay. I've got an incredible dog, named Hope, who makes me laugh til my sides hurt - she's more melodramatic than I am! :) She loves to play and has been such a sweet gift in this last year. She's a Basenji-mix and about 45lbs. She's very "vocal", shall we say :) I named her Hope for a number of reasons. At that time, my heart was really hurting and I was asking God to help me have hope. The next day, while out collecting spiders in the rain for my project, I found her. She was in a trash can in the middle of the woods, and it was pouring rain. I remember holding her in the car ride back to Lexington and she kept very stiff and would not settle down. Suddenly, about a half hour into the ride, she let out such a mournful sigh and then tucked her head into my neck. I don't know who could do that to a puppy...she was 5 weeks old and very tiny. I struggled through whether I should keep her or not, and really felt like she was a gift to me. I named her Hope because I got to rescue her, but more importantly because she was God's gift of hope to me.

I am still single -- I haven't even dated anyone (I guess maybe that's not too surprising), and I am also trusting that God's got the right guy at the right time. I'm still really involved in my church -- I work in the kids ministry with K-2nd graders and I love it! I am also really involved in the global outreach team at my church and in fact in January was asked onto the lead team, as the prayer coordinator of sorts. I still feel called to live overseas and maybe at this point, am a little impatient for when I get to do that! And yes guys: I am still cooking rajmah, gobi aloo, jeera rice (maybe not as good as before)! :)

I'm still singing, mostly just when I'm alone, but occassionally I do get asked to sing for people :) (Vedanta and Mitashi will appreciate this -- I still get asked to sing Bheegey hont!!!!! hahaha!) I haven't written in while, poems or journalling, and I plan to start again and keep going (so keep reading!).

Let's see...my sister is doing great -- she's a real Doctor now! My brother is in the Navy and is engaged! Oh...maybe part of my nostalgia for Oxford, was that I was at my thinnest and my fittest! Guys -- I've gotten a bit pudgey...but I was asked to be in my brother's wedding, so there's some big motivation to lose weight for the summer! My folks are in North Carolina now.

My leg: I was blessed almost two years ago when I was the recipient of an incredible gift -- a new prosthesis! The one I got after when I broke my leg (wow -- remember that!?) was nearly an inch too short and I was beginning to have a lot of pain in my hip and stump. To make a long story short - someone from my church found out about my need and he was a prosthetic technician. He arranged for me to get a new leg for free! (The medical insurance through UK refused to cover a prosthesis, saying my amputation was a pre-existing condition!!). So, it took several months for me to get the new leg -- but it was worth it! It's the right height -- no more pain and it's so much easier hiking through the woods now!

I'm excited for whatever new things God has in store for me this year! So let's see what happens! :)

More to come!