Blogging Milestone: 101000 Entries!

For those of you confused by the number, I have a hint.  "There are 10 kinds of people in the world..."

Introducing the Groomsmen: Markus Dickinson

Markus is a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois. He and Luke met in CGSA shortly after Luke began his graduate studies at Ohio State. Markus was President of CGSA. Markus and his wife Stephanie were generous hosts of bible studies and other events at their home; they were also great supplies of utensils, cookware, and other useful items for the CGSA camping trips. They were also wonderful friends will to provide a laugh, a ride or a listening ear as needed. Lessons about linguistics, statistics, and The Who in casual conversation were an added bonus.

Markus graduated with his Ph.D. in Linguistics and is now a professor at Indiana University. So, when Luke accepted a job there as a postdoc in the Physics department, it was an opportunity to be reunited with these wonderful friends. As Luke progressed in his romance and engagement with Kelly, he came to realize another benefit of their friendship: they are a real and great example of how to be a married Christian couple.

Introducing the Groomsmen: Gary Nielson, Best Man

Gary and Luke have known each other since Luke started graduate school at Ohio State in the Summer of 2003. Gary was a staff member with the InterVarsity graduate student chapter at OSU, which is known as CGSA. Gary remembers well Luke cutting firewood and tending the fire on the CGSA camping trip that summer.

Gary is one of several leaders and friends in that group with whom Luke has been able to wrestle with profound questions, have fascinating discussions, and see how his faith impacts his life, research, and the world around him. Luke was a leader in CGSA and worked with Gary extensively. Gary was also a great encourager and wise counselor when Luke was thinking about romance in general and one young woman in particular, who is also a member of CGSA.

Gary is currently still a volunteer with CGSA and Executive Director of Second Fiddle Ministries; his wife Peggy is Treasurer. They keep in contact with their seven children around the world and with many of the graduate students whose faith has been immeasurably strengthened and matured in CGSA.

InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministry at IU - Bloomington

The group of people in the photograph above are part of the InterVarsity Graduate and Faculty Ministry here in Bloomington. They are one of the two Christian fellowships (the other being my church) that I have joined since starting at Indiana University.

This picture was taken after our planning meeting for the Fall Semester by Erika, the eldest child of Paula (back row, 2nd from left) and Blake (back row, rightmost). She used the camera on my phone.

Relocating

After much prayer, discussion, consultation, and thought, Kelly and I have decided to relocate to the western suburbs of Chicago in the first week or two of 2010.  This will allow me to be based at Fermilab rather than in Bloomington.  I will still have the same job working as a postdoctoral fellow for Indiana University.  For those of you who remember, this will be much like my relocation to SLAC in California while I was a graduate student at Ohio State.

The reasons for this relocation stem from the experiments on which I work, primarily NOvA.  The first full prototype of the NOvA near detector is scheduled to be assembled and commissioned sometime next summer or autumn at Fermilab.  This will be a period of intense activity and will require the presence of as many collaborators as possible at the lab, including me.  We concluded that it would be better for our marriage and my career for me to be based at the lab rather than to frequently travel back and forth between there and Bloomington, sometimes for long periods.  

We will miss Bloomington, especially the new friends we have made and the old friends with whom we have been reunited.  However, we are confident that our Heavenly Father will provide us with friends and fellowship in our new home.  

Any help moving or recommendations for house would, of course, be much appreciated.

Wonderful Weekend

My fiancée came to visit me in Bloomington this weekend with her new roommate and two mutual friends from Columbus.  A great time was had by all.

The highlights:

• Time with Kelly
• Watching Kelly and Stephanie, one of our friends in Bloomington, play softball for Exodus Church.  They lost to St. Paul's 14-10, but it was an exciting game.
• Having dinner at Lennie's, including some of the best cheesecake I've ever tasted, with local blackberries.
• Discussing our wedding, honeymoon, relocation, and other parts of our future as Dr. & Mrs. (then Dr. & Dr.) Corwin!
• Touring the Oliver Winery
• Having a BBQ at Markus & Stephanie's, which was a great meal from a team effort.
• Church at Exodus, with a sermon on Matthew 5:33-37
• An excellent lunch at Cafe Turkuaz
• Spending a restful afternoon and evening with my future wife
• Working in my office, then having lunch with her before saying goodbye on Monday
• Finding several romantic and loving surprises in my apartment when I returned on Monday evening.