I'm Back!

Sorry again for the long hiatus... been a busy, but awesome holiday season. A lot has gone on in the month since I've last blogged, but fear not, I'm not going to go into every detail of it. Just a Clif Notes version of what's been going on in the last month... I'll be back to regularly scheduled blog posts shortly.

I ended the semester in a great way, watching my little MBB245 students fret over their finals and then taking a hike up Brown's Peak for one last little adventure before heading off to Indiana.

I spent an amazing two weeks back home, where the temperatures fluctuated between -10 (with windchill) to 65. I actually really do miss the cold weather, so it felt great to get all bundled up and have to put shoes on.

I spent the first part of the holiday with my dad and sister out at my dad's new farm where we walked around enjoying the peaceful forests, eating beechnuts, and finding the perfect 16' tall Christmas tree (they always look so much smaller out in the woods!). It was the first year we've gotten a pine tree (instead of a cedar) since we moved to southern Indiana, and we had a great time decorating it.

The next few days were spent eating homecooked food (and plenty of deer jerky), visiting with family and friends, and curled up with a hot cup of tea and a good book.

It was great to actually spend the holiday on dry land, as I've spent 2 of the last four out on the ocean. You don't realize how much it means to you until you're thousands of miles away, and I happily took my post again as the Trash Monster at my Gran's on Christmas Eve. Everyone loved the coffee table book that I had published, and I got exactly what I had asked for (socks and underwear, oh, the joys of being a graduate student!) as well as some other pretty cool presents. My gran treated the family to an incredible massive dinner on Christmas, and my sister was surprised with a ring from her boyfriend/fiance Justin!!!! Super exciting for all of us!

My dad and I spent Boxing Day turning a 4' x 8' sheet of marine plywood into a beautiful new rudder for the American Fire, some footstretchers, and the last of the repair pieces for the Fire. It was a very productive day, and felt great not only to work with my dad again, but also to get so much accomplished. The Fire's going to be back to new in no time!

On the 27th, I headed up to the farm to celebrate my mom's birthday. After romping around the woods for a few hours, we headed to town for her birthday lunch, some shopping at Unique Thrift Store in Portland, and a movie, and then talked and laughed and caught up well into the morning hours. I woke to a gorgeous sunny morning, and took another long walk all around the farm as I've done a thousand times since I was a kid. I came back and visited with Mom, Emi, and Justin long into the afternoon before we headed back to Dad's.

I spent one more day relaxing and hanging with my family before loading up my bags and catching my flight back to Arizona. All in all, it was an excellent time at home, and I was sad to go.

But, I hit the ground running after returning, donning shorts and t-shirts once again in the brilliantly warm weather. I spent a few days at work, checking to make sure that my experiments were still doing well before spending New Year's Eve at Maloney's, the Insight Bowl (poor Big 10 this season), and then rang in the new year with some of my grad student friends and ended the night telling stories around a backyard firepit.

Jack and I started the new year with a 20 mile mountain bike ride at McDowell Mountain Park and I had a blast showing him the fast section on the Tonto Tank Trail before heading over to Jeff's aunt's house for some new year's beer and guacamole, and then to a bar in Scottsdale to watch the Rose Bowl (same sentiments as before).

The second day of the year was spent in a similar manner, and Jack, Fuji, and I took on Desert Classic of South Mountain. I trained at race pace and then raced back to where Jack and Fuj were rolling along until we all got to Telegraph Pass, where we hoisted our bikes up to the top. We rode the road down all the way to Suda's (stopping several times along the way to steal grapefruits and clementines growing near the road), and ended the night at Gallagher's where we hungrily wolfed down burgers and beers.

I spent the third day of the year snowboarding at Sunrise with Suda. It was only her third time on a board (her beautiful, brand-new board), but she did really well. Conditions were just about perfect: 40 degrees, sunny, and a good 8" of powder at the top of the mountain. It was fun, tiring day, and we chilled to some good music on the way home.

Now it's back to work, but I can't complain. All of my plants and cell cultures did beautifully over the break, and I've got several weeks before I start teaching again.