Please don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this small 9-piece puzzle. Marketed as possibly the world's most difficult puzzle...it is indeed a real challenge. Many people have tried to put this little puzzle successfully together...and failed time and time again. But with some patient persistence and calmness of mind, my dear J succeeded this past weekend while we were visiting my parents in PA!
PS - The puzzle pieces are now subtly labeled :)
I am now staying at my parents' house once again. I have said farewell to my study buddy (Molly, the dog!) and have moved into my dad's museum. My dad is an avid historian, and with the help of my sister, put together this little museum in the basement to display his impressive collection of artifacts. The three themes of his room are: family, church and farm.
I have found that writing my qualifying paper in this setting has been most helpful. Under the diligent watch of my many ancestors looking down on me from the wall, I have been very productive!! I am working at an old Sunday School table from Metzler's Mennonite Church, and am sitting on the study chair used by Amos, my grandfather. He composed many sermons while sitting in this same chair. I may not be writing spiritually uplifting sermons, but I am certainly also enjoying its comfort while attempting to advance the field of gerontology through my research!
For those interested, the Sauder History Museum is free of charge for all visitors! Contact my father if you are interested in a personal tour :) 
Due to some current circumstances, I have been in Pennsylvania for an extended period of time. I have been working on my qualifying exam at my uncle and aunt's home. I am most grateful for this since they have the perfect spot for me to do my academic
work.
Molly, their 2-year old yellow lab, has become my #1 cheerleader...or maybe I should say my #1 assistant in procrastinating. She seems to think that stealing my shoes is an excellent way to help the writing process move forward. I seem to think that stopping and playing with her is another excellent way to move the work forward. Everyone needs to take a relaxing break every now and then, right?! :) Do you think you would do any better in resisting that "look"??
I have been reminded how much I love animals. They are such great therapy and bring joy and laughter into the best and worst days.
Mel - this blog entry is for you, my most faithful and dedicated reader despite my sad lack of blogging activity in the past month! Have a great day at work!
So the reason I have not been blogging is that life has been filled to capacity and I am dedicating all my extra time to the wonderful activity called "sleep". It's a busy season, but I will spare you the details!
But I did want to mention one little detail. J & I will be getting married in only 50 days! I am, of course, assuming that everyone out there finds this as exciting as we do.
Yes, spring will soon be here. Even here in cold Boston, the beginnings signs of spring are appearing. Just the other day I saw my first crocuses! And the weeping willow trees are beginning to be that lovely tint of pale green. I have always said I wanted to have a weeping willow tree in my yard someday since it is the first tree to turn green. Anyway...I really do love this season, independent of the fact that I am getting married during the coming spring!
As to the picture, I have a terrible habit of stealing images off of Google Images. So please don't spend hours looking at the people trying to find that one familiar face in the crowd! It was chosen purely for the overall effect.
What all can be done in one short week? Surprisingly a lot if you are planning a wedding, don't live where you are getting married, and have only one short week to spend in that location!
I have just returned from a 1-week trip to Pennsylvania. It was indeed a whirlwind tour filled with appointments and meetings. Our wedding is feeling very real to me after this week! Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I had my first wedding dress fitting :) Although details remain to be organized, I was also reminded that J and I have taken care of many of the big decisions related to wedding planning. It's fun to see things beginning to come together. We are both getting more and more excited for our special day. In case you are interested, the 10th of May is only 80 days away!!!
Although wedding details kept me busy, I also had time to spend with family and friends. In my typical fashion when visiting PA, I filled my spare time traveling across Lancaster and Chester counties visiting friends from all walks of my life. I quickly was reminded how much money I save by not having a car in Boston! My parents generously shared their car with me, and I spent a small fortune on gasoline. It put that $59 monthly subway pass in perspective.
I was glad to be at home when my dad had surgery to repair his shoulder. I promised him I wouldn't post any of the pictures I took of him when he first got home :) Thankfully the surgery went very well and he is on the road to recovery.
The highlight of my social agenda was meeting my cousin's 3-week old baby girl. Currently weighing in at only 8 pounds, she truly is a delightful blessing in a very small package! Amy Samantha...welcome to the Sauder family.
I'm now back in Boston and it is time to put wedding planning aside and focus once again on my student responsibilities. The looming deadlines should help me finish the work that must be done before May. Marrying J will be the best reward for a semester of hard work!
This past weekend, my friend Mandy and I attended the most amazing concert! I walked into the concert, knowing it would be a unique experience. It isn't every day that you go to an African music concert given by a 10 member band playing exotic instruments like the kora, balafon ngoni and the djembe. I left the concert feeling like I had just experienced one of my most satisfying musical journeys to date.
The energy of this band is what made it such a great concert. They were having fun! The music wasn't scripted...it just flowed! They weren't performing. It was clear they were playing music because they love making music together.
But the highlight of the concert was the band leader, Toumani Diabate. He is the 72nd generation in his family to play the kora. Talk about pressure to follow the family career path!! He truly created magic on stage when he played solo. And to think he made such beautiful music using only his thumbs and index fingers on the 21 strings of his instrument...bass, melody and improvising all at the same time!
I also really appreciated the things he said during the concert. He encouraged his American audience to be aware of the broader world outside of our borders and to learn about other cultures and people. He reminded the audience that although the world is very diverse, music crosses all cultural boundaries. The musical note "F" is "F" everywhere in the world and on every type of instrument. I think we would be well served as a human race to consider the similarities between us, rather than dwelling on the differences. At the end of the day, we are all human beings, created in the image of God, seeking and desiring meaningful and loving relationships with those around us.
So if I have sparked any curiosity in you about this music, here's a link to Amazon where you can listen to a few musical clips. His CDs are also available on iTunes (search "Toumani Diabate" or "Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra").
However, if you choose to buy a cd, I do recommend you wait until February 25 when he will be releasing a solo kora album, "The Mande Variations". Trust me, it is beautiful music!!
I did my duty as an American citizen and voted in the Massachusetts primary. It's an exciting election, and I am glad I was able to vote on this Super Tuesday...perhaps my vote WILL make a difference in this election.
But sorry folks...I have always been advised by well intentioned friends that it isn't good to discuss religion or politics on a first date. So I am going to apply this philosophy to blogging too! There will be no great revelations about my political leanings, my political preferences in this election, or my standing on a soapbox to argue why the person I voted for should become the next president of the United States. :)
