Christmastime

It's my last day in Phoenix for the Christmas vacation. It's been a great 6 weeks, but I have to finish school sometime.

The cruise was incredible, as always. It rained the entire time. We spent almost no time out on the deck, and got off the ship only once. Our first port was Santa Barbara and when we got off the ship it was pouring rain. We didn't have enough umbrellas for all of us, so some of us got completely soaked. Within 30 minutes we turned around and got back on the ship. Then we went right to the jacuzzi and spent a few hours soaking, followed by the steam room and hot rock beds. Julie bought a special pass to get into the steam rooms and rock beds, and discovered that nobody actually checked the pass to get in. So we all walked right in. We spent a lot of time in there since we couldn't really sunbathe on the deck. All three of us girls (me, Nicole, and Evan's girlfriend Kristy) spent every evening doing our hair and makeup and getting dressed for dinner together. This took a lot of work because though I blow dried and straightened my hair in the morning, by the afternoon the rain turned it to frizz. And spending so much time in the jacuzzi and steam room didn't help. But we were some of the hottest girls on the ship, I think :-) The food was fantastic, and I loved going to afternoon tea. I got a cold on the second day, so the tea felt really nice on my sore throat and helped with my congestion. I also got a little sea sick. The constant rain meant rough seas too, so I had to take Dramamine every evening just to keep dinner down. That stuff works really well! The on ship entertainment was really disappointing. The dancers were terrible. They didn't smile, their moves were sloppy, and not together. So after the first night we didn't go to anymore shows. In Ensenada the boys went ATVing while we went shopping. That day it was still damp and gloomy, but not pouring rain. On the ATVs they got literally covered in mud from head to toe. I got some nice jewelry for very cheap- typical in Mexico. That night was formal night and we all looked beautiful. Our last day was a day at sea. Nicole won a martini, we all went to tea again, and spent some more time in the spa. Our disembarkation was delayed so we didn't get off the ship until almost lunchtime and of course it was pouring rain. We had to wait in the rain for about 30 minutes until Daniel came by with the car. So we drove back to Phoenix a little damp and very tired. I was so happy to be able to spend so much time with Nicole and Daniel's family. It's really hard to split our time while we're in Phoenix so this trip enabled us to just enjoy the time with those people.

Back in Phoenix, we had our usual Christmas festivities. We went to church on Christmas Eve, but had to leave early to have Noche Buena dinner with Daniel's family. The service went really long and it was already almost 9:00 before we sat down to eat. I opened gifts with Daniel's family that night, and then with my family the next morning. We got so many nice gifts! Most notable was my very own lab coat with my new married name embroidered on it, and lots of camping supplies (a tent, lantern, cook stove, and silverware). I also got lots of nice clothes, jewelry, and makeup.

The day after Christmas I played piano for the church service. The regular pianist was going on vacation, so she asked me to fill in. I was happy to help, and very nervous. I had to learn two pieces for the choir, and 5 or 6 hymns in about 4 days, 2 of those days being Christmas Eve and Christmas. There were a few slip-ups but it went fine. I was so nervous sometimes I made myself mess up.

The last few days we've been spending as much time as possible with family members. I don't know when we'll be coming back. It will probably be next summer, and even then just for a long weekend. But they'll be coming to Denver for my graduation! I'm starting to get nervous about this next term. I'm taking some really hard classes. It's been a great vacation, but time to get back to work!

The Most Terrifying Experience of My Life

We left at about 12:30pm this afternoon to drive to Phoenix. We were planning on getting at least as far as Gallup, leaving only 3 or 4 hours to drive tomorrow. But we only got as far as Santa Fe. About 50 miles outside Santa Fe, while I was driving, it started to snow. And it got bad really fast. About 15 minutes into the storm, a car in front of us skidded 360 degrees, and then another 180 to land on the side of the road facing us. I almost had a heart attack. Daniel woke up and coached me through. He told me if I start to slide, point my wheels in the direction of the slide. And drive slowly, leaving lots of room in front of me. I did what he said and it helped. The few times I skidded, it was over quickly and I didn't hit anything or anyone. We watched so many cars in front of us sliding all over the place. We saw ambulances and police cars on the side of the road, and more than one car buried in snow on the shoulder. It was absolutely terrifying. Then the gas light turned on.

I almost lost it. Can you imagine running out of gas in the middle of a snow storm, 15 miles from any town? It took us 2 hours to go about 30 miles because we were going so slow. We were still about 15 miles outside Santa Fe and had no idea where the nearest gas station was. I just kept driving slowly until there was an exit with a campground and restaurants. I took the exit and parked at a restaurant where there was an ambulance parked with some firemen getting out. I asked them where the nearest gas station is and they told me a mile or two down the road. Perfect! Daniel got back in the driver's seat and drove down a dark road for probably another 5 miles before we figured out weren't going to find a gas station. We got back on I-25, passed the same police car that was now assisting a tow truck pulling a car off the shoulder, and took the same exit. We got more specific directions and finally ended up at the gas station. I was so incredibly relieved. I don't think I've prayed so hard in my entire life. That we wouldn't run out of gas, that we wouldn't skid off the road, that we wouldn't run into somebody, that we wouldn't witness another car crash..... and God definitely came through. Once we got gas, I realized that if we drove slowly and carefully everything would be fine. Even if we slid on ice, we were going slow enough and leaving enough room in front of us that we wouldn't hit anything with significant force. We continued on to Santa Fe and found a hotel that allowed pets and now we're drying off and warming up.

My feet are freezing because I didn't think to wear boots. I honestly didn't think we would hit a huge storm like this. Maybe a little snow, but nothing like this. We still have another 8 hours to Phoenix, so we'll get up early tomorrow morning. I'm praying that the roads are clear, at least enough that we can be on our way. I am incredibly grateful for a partner who knows exactly what to do and stays calm in the most stressful situations. I'm grateful that we just got new tires on the car. And I'm grateful that we made it safe through the storm. Thank you God :-)

Happy Birthday to my Honey

Things at work have calmed down a little bit. David had a meeting in which he explained what's been decided (and what's not been decided) and answered any questions we have. But mostly his answer was that he didn't know the answer. Negotiations are ongoing, so we won't know anything for sure for another week or more. But he made it sound like IF the lab moves, it will be at least 12 months before that happens. And by then, hopefully I will be accepted into graduate school so it won't matter that much. We had our Christmas party on Sunday. That was so much fun. Daniel got to meet some more of my co-workers and get to know them a little better. There were over 50 people crammed into my boss's house and lots of little kids from 3 weeks to 6 years old. There wasn't as much talk about "the move" as I thought there would be. But I did get some valuable information from Laura. Trust Laura to know all the details.

Daniel and I are packing up for our cruise and Christmas vacation. We are leaving on Thursday afternoon and taking two days to drive to Phoenix this time. Then on Saturday morning we will drive to LA with his whole family and my sister. I am really looking forward to that trip. It will be so nice to have a few days with nothing to do but relax and spend time with family. We were also able to coordinate plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Every year it's a little difficult because my side of the family goes to church on Christmas Eve, and Daniel's side of the family has Noche Buena on Christmas Eve. This year we are going to try to do Noche Buena after church. It will make for a late dinner, but this way we won't have to eat and run so quickly. I'm really glad that we will be staying with Daniel's family this time. My parents' house just felt so crowded. The only bad part from my perspective is that means less time with my sister.

Daniel's birthday is on Wednesday. He is turning 22 years old! I can't believe how old we're getting. When we started dating just before my 14th birthday, I would have never imagined we would still be together for our 22nd birthday. I spend way too much of my time daydreaming about our wedding. And even more time daydreaming about being a mom. Daniel told me a few days ago that he saw a little boy with his dad and for the first time he wanted to be a dad. That is a very positive sign! But we are doing the responsible thing, and waiting until we both have master's degrees to have kids. Isn't it crazy that we'll both have master's degrees before we're 25 years old? I think we should be very proud of that. All these years of school better be worth it. I want us to make enough money that we can afford for me to stay home part time, and live in a nice home, and go on vacations. In that order.

We're going out for drinks with some friends tonight, and Daniel is inviting people over tomorrow night for his birthday, and then we leave! What a week.

Drama at Work

This week has been full of drama at work, and it all centers around our boss. I work in the Schwartz lab, named after Dr. David Schwartz. He is very respected in the science, research, pulmonary, and genetics industries. He was recently hired as the head of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver. He told us all along that he wanted to keep both jobs- head of the Center for Genes, Environment, and Health and Head of Medicine at UC Denver. There has been talk that the entire lab is going to move to the University to make it easier for him to keep up with both jobs. This has caused all kinds of rumors. At this point I have heard that the lab will be moving sometime this summer, around July. I've heard that the pay, benefits, and vacation time at the University will be much better. I have also heard that our budget will be even bigger than it already is. There has been more talk about who will go and who will stay. Apparently everyone has the choice to stay at National Jewish, or move with David to the University. Obviously I want to move- it will only help my chances to get into the University's graduate physician's assistant program. But my boss, Judy, likely will not go. There is no ozone machine at the University, and her entire project centers around ozone. I've heard rumors that this person isn't going, this other person is going, this person wants a promotion, this person wants to take over David's job at National Jewish....... it goes on and on. The worst part is that I don't know if any of this is true. This is my crash course in workplace politics and I am lost. I can only hope that I will still be offered a job when I graduate. All signs are still pointing towards a job, but I have no idea what kind of job it will be. At the very least it won't be at National Jewish anymore. The campus is not much further from my house, so that's not really a big deal. If the benefits, pay, and vacation time are better then that's all good news. I just hope that everything I've learned over the last year will help me in this new lab. Right now my skills and experience are very specific to the kind of work we're doing now. If it changes in a big way, I'm afraid I will have to relearn everything. On the other hand, being with the lab for over a year will make me an asset in the process of moving. I can help reestablish the lab at the University with the knowledge I've gained here. If I'm this freaked out about my job possibilities, I can only imagine how everyone else feels. I just wish David would make some decisions and communicate. I'm tired of all the talking and rumors at work. I just want to do my job. Our Christmas party is on Sunday, and I'm sure there will be plenty of talk there too. I will just keep my ears open and glean whatever information I can. In the meantime, I'll continue to work hard and make sure all my coworkers and supervisors feel that I am an essential part of the lab. Hopefully that will mean a job for me in June.

Rough Day at Work

So our happy hour thing didn't happen. It just wasn't a good day. We ended up having to stay late to do actual work, so happy hour had to be put on hold. Hopefully we'll go next week sometime. The work we had to stay late for was really annoying. As part of our experimental design, we have to count how many of our cells die and how many live. This requires us to dye each well (of 72) for 2 minutes, then put it under the microscope and take 3 pictures which we save to the computer and count later. This method is ridiculous because the dye that we use kills cells. We're not counting cells that died due to the experiment, but cells that died due to the counting process. It takes a very long time. It's tedious and ineffective. Our results are a rough estimate at best, which makes the long hours feel useless. But we have to do it anyways. I guess everybody has times that they have to do something they don't want to because it's part of the job.

Today at work was also difficult due to some social issues. I don't really want to go into it on the internet where anyone can see it. Basically there are some people in the lab that don't get along with other people. I get along with everyone, which forces me to take sides sometimes when I'm talking to people. Or eating lunch with people. Why can't everyone just get along? It makes it very awkward for those of us who are neutral.

On the home front, things are going well as usual. I am so freaking excited for our wedding. Some days one year seems really long and other days it feels just around the corner. I have found myself kind of preparing already. In certain situations it's easier to just begin using my married name (like when getting a lab coat with your name embroidered on it, or making a new email address). And I have begun to think about how my financial situation will change.

Last night Daniel went through all of our bills and bank accounts with me so I would have a better idea of where we are financially. I don't want to be the kind of wife who lets her husband take care of all the bills and has no idea how much income or expenses they have. I want to be informed about our money. I'm pretty much always worried about money. I never feel comfortable spending money on myself or on fun things. I don't think that will ever change. But after last night, I feel better that we are able to afford rent, utilities, and groceries with our current income and expenses. It's so hard when our income is so variable. Daniel and I are both working a lot of hours right now because we're not in school. But it's hard to predict how much we'll be able to work once school starts up again in January. All I can do is make as much money as I can now and save it up. No matter what, I know that we will not be evicted or go hungry. Our families would never allow that. So I have to just be comfortable with that knowledge.

In one week we will leave for Phoenix, and then the next day we leave on our cruise! I am so ready for a vacation. Again. Work is exhausting! Or maybe that's just because of today. Today was exhausting!! And tomorrow will be too- we're harvesting 16 mice. That's a lot of work.

On Our Pre-Anniversary

I've had an awesome week, mostly because I love my job. It's so nice to go to work in the morning, come home in the evening, and not have to worry about homework or studying. Except I have been studying for the GRE a little bit. I'm terrified to take that test. The questions are really tricky. But I'm going to study really hard and not take the test until I'm sure I'm ready.

At work everything is going great. I ran this assay on Thursday that costs about $2500 so my boss was really nervous. She has never done it before, and I've done it a million times, so she asked me to do it for her. When I got there in the morning, I discovered that it was a little different than I thought. So I had to do some problem solving and figure some stuff out, but in the end it went really well. My boss was really happy. National Jewish had a holiday party on Friday that was really cool. They set up a big conference room with a bunch of cocktail tables and candy baskets. There was a guy dressed like Willy Wonka to greet us and he handed out envelopes. If yours had a golden ticket you won a prize. There were tables with all different kinds of cupcakes and big bowls of candy that you could scoop and put in a paper bag. The whole room was decorated with giant lollipops and big mushrooms and a chocolate fountain. And they were playing the movie on a big screen. It was so cute. Our lab is having our holiday party next Sunday so I'm really looking forward to that. And I made plans with Ashley, the other student, and Laura, my direct supervisor, to go out for drinks next week after work. The three of us spend a lot of time together in the lab and we have a lot of fun. I've never gone out with them though. I'm sure it'll be a good time- especially because Laura has a lot of crazy stories that begin with "I was at this bar one time....."

We also got the proofs from our photo shoot yesterday. They turned out incredible! We definitely picked the right photographer. She is very talented. She gave us about 250-300 shots, and there are at least 30 that we love. We need to pick one for our Christmas card, one for our Save the Dates, and one to blow up and put at the entrance on our wedding day- which is exactly one year from today! It's our pre-anniversary :-) I can't believe it! One year! I'm so excited. I'm sure this year is going to go by so fast. I have complete confidence after getting my make up done by the girl who is doing it on my wedding day, and seeing photographs of us by the actual wedding photographer, that our wedding day is going to be perfect. Somehow together they made me look beautiful. I feel so much more confident now. I don't feel like I need to lose (as much) weight before our wedding, and I know I will look perfect. If I may say, Daniel also looked very hot in the pictures ;-)

So, to sum up, I LOVE my job, I LOVE our pictures, and our wedding is in ONE year!! :-)