Belated... First Birthday!

So I'm very behind in posting this, by like a month. In fact, Miles turned 1 year old exactly a month ago. But as I have yet to take down the decorations from his party, I'm constantly reminded of my failure not only to take down the decorations but also to write this blog post, so I thought I'd finally get to it and share some pictures. We had so much fun! The theme was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and with all my free time (meaning I stayed up until 3 the night before), I made the cake myself! It was my first experience decorating a cake/cupcakes entirely by myself, and while it's far from perfect, I think it turned out pretty cute. My inspiration came from Coco Cake Land (link below) and of course, the one and only Eric Carle, my very favorite children's author/illustrator!

Cute boys all cleaned up after cake!

Check out the stunningly perfect caterpillar cake and other adorable creations shared in the Coco Cake Land blog: http://cococakecupcakes.blogspot.com/2009/03/hungry-caterpillar-cupcake-party-train.html. If only I was that talented and creative! 

Daycare Blues

Every morning I drop Miles off at daycare near my work. Some days he is very clingy, won't let go of my leg, and throws a fit as I walk out the door, some days he is too sleepy after the 30 min drive to even notice he's at daycare, and other days he is perfectly happy to see his friends and couldn't care less whether I'm there or not. But even on those days that he is so sad to see me go, as soon as one of his teachers picks him up and gives him a big hug, voila, he's over it! Me on the other hand... you would think I had just run over a kitten* or just read the novel Sophie's Choice... The tears, man! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little or maybe not, but it's true that my heart breaks a little every time I drop Miles off despite knowing he's only 7 minutes away. Even when I leave Miles at home with Daddy I get a little teary-eyed at the goodbye. I can't help it. It's part of being a mom. Now excuse me while I go cry into my lab notebook and simultaneously attempt to finish this experiment.

But Mom, I don't wanna go to daycare!

*No kittens were harmed in the writing of this post.

Long time, no blog! Living the crazy busy life of a PhD mama...

So I totally meant to write a new post shortly after my last post, but life just caught up with me, and I never got around to it. Since then, I had started the PhD program at UofA, which consumed a large portion of my time. But even more importantly, I was busy growing and then caring for a little person!!

We experienced many changes in 2013:

First Family Photo

Miles Declan was born on St. Patrick's Day, March 17!! That was definitely one of the best days of my life, the other being the day Matt and I eloped. Nothing compares to the love you have for your child. Amazing. My sweet boy just turned 1, and I love being his mama more than anything.













 We did some remodeling in our old house and got it ready to rent while we moved into our new home over the summer. We love hiking in the hills right behind our new neighborhood and having just a little more room for everything. Hurray, Miles has his own room now too!

 

Matt and I both started new jobs. Matt left teaching to work full time on the business team at a computer company, and I switched from the ABBS program at UA to the physiological sciences program. While the new program is more intense in several ways, I actually find that I enjoy it more. The work/life balance is a daily challenge, and some days go more smoothly than others, but on the whole, I've never felt more productive or motivated! And that's a great feeling.

Science-ing

What's New?

Well, I haven't posted for a while, and a lot has happened since my last post, so hang on to your hats for this wild ride!

First, I finished my thesis and passed my Master's defense! I am sad I had to leave my lab and friends at UNM but very happy to finally be finished with that daunting task. I'll get to go back to visit everyone in December when I attend my graduation ceremony.

I moved to Tucson on the Fourth of July! Packing wasn't so fun, but the drive at night was pretty cool. As we passed towns on the New Mexico/Arizona border, we got to see a panoramic view of all the fireworks shows all around us. That was a unique way to enjoy the Fourth! Once I arrived in Tucson, there was a lot of unpacking and organizing to do. Between Matt, his mom, two dogs, two cats, two birds, and me, we have too much stuff for a 1200 sq ft house! But I guess I'm never lonely!!

Next we decided to do some remodeling - redoing the floors, painting, etc. Matt's mom also generously gave us her beautiful office furniture as a gift, so we have a beautiful office now!! It makes storage and organization much easier, and it's the best looking room in the house by far!

October 24th, 2010 - the day after we got married!

Here's a BIG one for you: Matt and I have decided to let our exciting secret out! We have been married for over a year and nine months now! We got married on October 23rd, 2010!! I'll save the amazing story for another post - it will take too long to tell here :)

Some sad news, Matt's 600-page Charter school application was denied based on a single copy/paste error. The Arizona Department of Education is very strict, and all the formatting and wording has to be perfect. It just so happens that through one of the 25 or so edits, a few words in the standards for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade curriculum samples were left out. Thankfully, the AZ Charter Association has decided to advocate on our behalf, so while it remains unlikely that we will be accepted, we now have a slim chance to get back in the running. We will find out the fate of the Charter school next week. Otherwise, Matt will just reapply next year.

On a happier note, a couple weeks ago, Matt's (and now my) good friend Peter from Uganda, Africa came to Tucson to visit us! It has been super fun showing him around Tucson, and we will be sad to see him leave next week. If you are interested in helping out orphans and others struggling in Uganda, check out his website: http://www.covenantchurchuganda.com/Covenant_Church_Mpumudde/Welcome%21.html It really is a great cause!

Also, I've started orientation at UA - it is a 2-week long orientation! I've met many of my new classmates, I'm all registered for classes, and I'm currently working on setting up my rotations, so wish me good luck that I can find a mentor as awesome as my previous mentor, Jen, at UNM.

Anyways, there will be even more exciting news to come in the next month!!

3 Down, 1 To Go

I have completed the first drafts of Chapters 1-3 and submitted them to my mentor for review. So far only minor corrections. She says I write beautifully, thank goodness... Now, I have one last chapter, Chapter 4: Discussion. I should feel like this:

But instead, I still feel like this:

Okay, maybe I'm over-exaggerating a bit. As my thesis is coming to a close, and the light at the end of the tunnel is now visible, I reflect on the last month or so of writing. There were definitely times at the start of this process that I felt like that picture above. But I think my timely progress has quelled those fears, and so, that initial panic has at least passed. Now, there are still times that I feel like this:Or even this: 

But mostly it's just this, a looming pest that's constantly at the back of my mind, constantly stalking me, and now I'm at the point that I just want it to leave me alone!:So I nicely ask myself (or maybe it's more of a reverberating question, asked over and over, obsessively in my mind - you never can tell): Well, then.... it would appear there is a fine line between sanity and insanity at this point, so I should probably stare at this advice-carrying signage for a few hours before getting back to it, 

all the whilst knowing that all of my never-ending hard work will NOT inevitably lead to this sort of situation at my defense: 

On a side note: I thought the spiral picture was cool! It reminds me of DNA!

Side note 2: Why did I just spend so much time working on this when I could have been halfway done with my future directions by now?

Side note 3: Matt is driving into ABQ to see me today and will be here until Wednesday!! I can't wait to see him!!

Side note 4: I think the explanation for my above question posed in side note 2 lies mostly in the anticipation for the arrival of a certain someone listed in side note 3.

Side note 5: I am in a very strange mood today and should probably stop. Now.

Chapter 1 First Draft Complete!!

Through much hard work and due diligence, I met my goal of completing Chapter 1 of my thesis by the end of today with give or take 6 minutes to spare. All I can say is "I want sleep." I literally cannot make any other words come out of my mouth. The only reason I can write anything right now is because I have just spent the last week (almost exactly) writing non-stop. So my conclusion is that my hands are in auto-pilot, using their muscle memory to write this blog post.

Anyways, it is seriously a relief to be done with that chapter. I thought it would never end. Next is Chapter 2, Materials and Methods, which I already have mostly done, so this next week shouldn't be as bad. Maybe I should try to finish that chapter by Friday, so I can have a few more days to work on the following chapters, which could arguably be fairly time-consuming.

Goodnight, I think I'm losing my mind now, and sleep is calling.

Update.

I think I might post regular updates on my thesis-writing progress. I think I'll use this as a way to keep myself on track and hold myself accountable. I rather like posting, but I can't post unless I've made a decent amount of progress!

So, progress report for today:

I now have a solid 28 pages written for my introduction, not including the 5 or 6 reference pages or title pages.

Short-term goals:

Write another 3-5 pages tonight, and finish the introduction by tomorrow.

I'll keep you posted!