You say goodbye, I say hello

It's that time of year again. College students are back in Austin and the Target parking lot looks like the mall at Christmastime. With the arrival of new students we must say goodbye to those who have graduated and are moving on to exciting new adventures. We seem to be saying LOTS of goodbyes to friends though. I guess that comes with the territory when you've been part of a PhD program. The point is for people to finish and leave, and eventually they do. Sadly, this happens in canon. It's always a bummer when you are the only voice left singing "row, row, row your boat" though, isn't it?

Our first friends to move on this summer actually left in June. We got to know Paul and Ana through one of Jeremy's fellowships (scholarship). Paul and Ana went to Oxford, and they are some of the most interesting and delightful people you'll ever meet. They introduced us to the benefits of supporting local agriculture (I love the goat cheese lady at the farmer's market -a lot), buying organic, and gardening. They did a beautiful job sharing their enthusiasm for all things environmental in an instructive and faith-filled way. I learned a lot about what it means to be a Christian steward of God's creation by caring for the men and women who are a part of the farming and agriculture industry, as well as the land itself. We do hope to visit them in Germany or Slovenia or wherever their studies/family and work eventually lead them!

Emily and Alan just hit the road last week. They were part of Jeremy's lab at school and in addition to being evolutionary biologists, are also fellow Catholics. They have always been unwavering in their faith and good scientists, too. It's nice to spend time with other folks who like making the point that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. They have been welcoming loyal friends. We wish them much success in their post-docs.

It is weird to think that our time in Austin is coming to a close. We've probably got a year and half to go. It is exciting to imagine what adventure we'll go on next. For the time being, we are just enjoying our friends here and the offerings of this weird place.