Lab Work and Landscape Work

I spent 3 days back in Mississippi to do some work in the lab for my thesis Wednesday and Thursday, and a flower bed installation on Friday. This was my third trip back to Starkville during this first month we've "been away." I think people are getting tired of telling me bye. I did get to stay with the Franci and relive some Colonial Arms times.

My work in the lab was boring and probably a failure once again. My hope now is to be able to drop it from my research. It is only a small aspect and not needed in my opinion. Unfortunately my opinion doesn't count for much in that area.

Friday, I got to transition from being inside all day to being outside all day. Matt and I got hired to install a landscape bed at a residence in Columbus, MS. These kind of jobs are not my expertise when it comes to recommending materials. The type of stone to use as a border became quite the ordeal. We picked up the rock on Friday morning and got it laid out. They weren't really happy with it and we didn't have enough. So we loaded it back up and went with some stone from Lowe's. It was a manufactured stone, so it didn't have as natural of a look as the other, but it was much easier to work with since it was uniform. We got started around 9:30. Matt had to leave at 3:30 and it took me til 6:30 to finish up. It was quite hot with no shade. I am still soft from working in an office for so long. I probably drank 2 gallons of water, while ( I spent the summer in Asia living off rice) Matt barely broke a sweat. The day went well overall considering all the changes that were made. The large rock was the most difficult step because it was so hard to shovel into the wheelbarrow.

The basis steps to the job were:

1. Dig up the sod avoiding any underground wires or pipes.
2. Dig up soil to create depth to hold gravel.
3. Put down landscape fabric to prevent weed germination.
4. Build stone wall border.
5. Put down layer of pea gravel to mask fabric and soil.
6. Put down top layer of small river rock.
7. Clean up.

Here are some before and after pictures.

Last Day

Today is my last day at MSU. It doesn't feel like a last day because I'm not done with my thesis. So I'll still have to make some return trips for that little project. Nevertheless, today is the last day where I will make the trip to 368 Dorman for an 8-5 shift. I've been coming here since January 2008. Its been a nice transition from full time student to full time employee. Whether or not to pursue grad school was a big debate in my head, and as I approach the end, I'm still glad I have done it for several reasons:

• I've learned a lot
• I've gotten to be with Rebecca
• I have not lost money on the deal
• Lots of great time with friends
• I've gotten to mature before I dive off into a career path

There are certainly things I would go back and change, but I could probably say that about any path I had chosen. I definitely don't think grad school is for everyone, and its not an intelligence thing. Its just an arduous journey with a lot of hoops to jump through. Some career paths its worth it, others not. Just don't do it because you assume it will make your more money in the long run.

Anyways, I didn't intend on getting all sappy on this post. Today got me thinking about other last days I have had at jobs. This is the longest tenure I've ever had at a job, however its probably the most anti-climatic of any of them.

• Chick-fil-a: worked there nearly two years in high school. I quit to make more money at Longscape doing something I enjoyed much more. I don't really remember my last day, however I still crave Chick-fil-a at least once a week.
• Willow Point Country Club: My first internship for my major. It was an eye-opening summer in which I realized I didn't want to work at a golf course. I still learned a tremendous amount about turf on a beautiful course. My internship came to an end and as is customary amongst turf internships, I got thrown into the lake at the end of my last day. 
• Personal Lawn Care: My second internship took place in Memphis, TN with a company I made a connection with during summer missions the year before. I learned a good deal about chemicals, fertilizers, and running a small business. I also had a great time with my gracious hosts the Poschels. Nothing memorable about my last day except a desire to get back to Starkville for a soon to be romantic pursuit.
• Naturescape: This was my third and final internship. This one lasted 7 months in Birmingham. The first half was great, the second half got mundane when I got stuck as the chemical guy after the other guy quit. My last day was much anticipated because previously mentioned romantic pursuit was returning from a month long trip to Peru and we could finally return to Starkville and be in the same city again.
• MSU Graduate Teaching Assistant: My last day has been about like any other, which I prefer. I don't like a lot of big goodbyes with people I don't hang out much to begin with. Its also unwanted because I will be returning as early as next week to get my stuff. So if you have a big goodbye and then see the person a couple days later, its makes it awkward. I prefer the fade method. So I rode my bike to work, ate leftovers in my office for lunch, and did some work on the thesis in between.

Hopefully I won't have another 'last day' for a while.

Big News

We had some big news yesterday. At this stage in our lives, that usually means somebody is pregnant. Sorry mom, not that big of news.

Rebecca got a call about a month ago from a friend/coworker at MSU University Relations. This girl was a University Photographer at MSU who just moved to North Carolina. She got offered a job at Samford University in Birmingham to be a part time photographer, but they were already moved so she didn't want it. She recommended Rebecca for the job, because she knew we were moving to Birmingham. Rebecca got in contact with the senior photographer and set up an interview.


Rebecca and her mom went to Samford on Wednesday for the interview. I had to work so I couldn't tag along. I'll let Rebecca give all the details on her blog, but basically she had to go shoot three different events on campus along with an actual interview. It took about 5 hours. She thought it went well and was told she hear back by Thursday.

She got a call yesterday from Caroline, the senior photographer, offering her the job. Rebecca of course took it. She starts August 10th. I think it will be a perfect fit for her. Its a part time job so she can still do her own business on the side. She'll get to be a part of lots of neat events on campus. I'll probably get to help her with some sporting events, if nothing more than to tell her what is going on and what's important.

It has been so neat to see the Lord opening doors and providing opportunities as we make the transition to Birmingham. We had the desire to move there and trusted the Lord would provide. So far he has dropped a free house for a couple months and this great job right in our laps.

I just need to get my business going so I don't get hassled for Rebecca being the primary breadwinner.