Do you know what April 15th is? Tax day right? Well not when you are applying to grad school. That is the date of the final decision. All schools need to know by this date whether you are coming or not.

All semester I have been traveling to the many schools I applied to attend this fall. I liked most of them and the decision was hard. I really ended up liking the last school I visited last. If I had a made a list of things I needed in a school last fall (which I didn’t make but should have) this school doesn’t have much of that. It isn’t large, it doesn’t have fancy materials characterization instruments, or a neat clean room. Instead it has character and personality. I will get to work close with my professors, who only take on between 0 and 2 students a year, yielding very small groups. I will develop my own instrumentation, and take machine shop to make sure I know how. And Jacob and I will get to move to a exciting area of the world. So where are we moving this summer?

I will be in the persuit of light and truth for the next five or so years.
(Light and Truth)I can check out all sorts of rare books any time I want, if I am so inclined.
(waffle)And on the same block as the chemistry complex is the local Peabody Museum of Natural History. On my visit, I met the man who made this squid with the help of the chemistry department’s in-house glassblower:
(DSCN0465.jpg)

My favorite teacher happened to go to this nice university as an undergrad. When my dad bought one of these, my dad gave the complimentary hat that came with the forklift purchase to him for fun. I guess I need to get one myself.

(Little Beast #2)

New Haven, Connecticut here we come.
(Y-A-L-E)

We will be equidistant from Boston and New York City. Just a (couple hour) train ride from central park, and an 8 hour drive from my parents and sister. I almost can’t believe I am graduating and leaving Williamsburg. I have really loved it here but the itch to leave has come and must be answered.

I’m really grateful for how it all worked out. I didn’t feel very definite about any of my visits. I was worried I wouldn’t know where to go, or how I would decide. But the feeling of fit was so strong when I visited Yale. Recently I’ve been taught about faith and humility in my life, I’m so grateful for my patient husband and his example of those two admirable traits. I’m also happy that general conference and a temple trip were on our agenda these past couple important weeks; they are so helpful when it comes to revelation. I’m just so excited to have a plan. I know we both are.

(all photos are under the creative commons license, thanks generous photographers!)