I have no forgotten...

I have not forgotten that I have written nothing about my new habitation, including my house, my room, and Ann Arbor, but I am waiting on pictures from my mom's camera to do all that. Hopefully by the end of this week : ).

First day of Kindergarten

My amazing friend Kara warned me that coming to grad school would be discouraging, that I wouldn't know anything and everyone here was smarter than me. Ha boy, I was hoping I wouldn't have to learn this lesson the first day but I did. Well not really but I did get amazingly overloaded with information. I was kind of already overloaded moving in and unpacking and making decisions about how my furniture would go, and trying to figure out what direction is which in a town with no landmarks. And trust me, that's hard. But I'm getting better and better everyday. So today was my first day. I met with my advisor and then with the post doc that I would be working with. I got my new id card and I got a TON of information about what (I think) I'm going to be researching. It was totally overwhelming though because I don't have an office, I don't have a computer, and I don't know what I need to be doing right now. I kind of felt today like I needed to know what I was doing and start doing it, be self-motivated. It was just way to much information to process in such a short amount of time. But after I got home, I was able to talk to Ab, who just listened to me complain. And I got to talk to my dad who said the only thing that I should be able to do on the first day on my own was find the bathroom. Haha I need to ask questions and not be afraid of anything like that or that I don't know what I'm doing right now (this statement is just as much a statement as it is a mantra I have been telling myself all night)

On the upside I am still super excited to be starting this new thing and I'm excited about the research I'll be doing. And I have all these awesome people in my head who know what they're talking about and ones who are completely outside the situation and can give me an objective opinion on things! So for a first day it was a true first day - fun and new but whoa! Ha pretty sure it will get better though.

Oh Goodness!

So I had Father's and Mother's day covered, and my mom's birthday for that matter, I got them both presents and made sure it was all taken care of. But I was kind of busy and completely preoccupied and just stopped with the present. I was thinking a lot about leaving though at the time so I was thinking about those people and all the things my parents have given me, temporally and otherwise. So here's a little tribute beginning with my mom. One thing that continously amazes me about my mom is how she brings people into her circle. If I tell her about my friends she remembers them and cares about them immediately. I also love that she gave that to me. We definitely have different ways of showing it but I love people and I love doing all that I can for them. Let me tell you, this is not bragging on my part. Ha I hardly do enough, but I do try really hard and I know that that comes from my mother. She also loves to learn about any different thing she can and she also gave that to me. I love every subject under the sun and when I was homeschooled together we saw many amazing different things together. We got to go anywhere that was interesting and even though I liked some things more than others it was still awesome. Another thing that I love about my mom is her talent for all things sewing. She didn't pass her patience for this on to me but I definitely respect it (especially since she is making me new curtains!). My mommacita.



Now my Papa Bear. Most people that know both of us would agree that I have my father's personality. And not just because we share the same career. Well share would be extreme. Technically I'm just following doing the same thing he does; engineering... electrical... mems. Yup I followed it all. But other than that I have the same sarcasm that he has and the same quiet observance. Most times we just like to listen, but get us started on a topic we like and we'll never shut up. Which is how we have conversations that start with me asking how to make his vegetable beef soup in the pressure cooker and end two hours later with a rousing discussion on not only how the pressure cooker works and the atmospheric pressure it works at but also how it could be better. Add Ben in and it's awesome. Those conversations usually end with Abbey asking why my mother asked the odds of anything in yahtzee and begging her to never do it again. We have fun though. I was spending the night at a friend's house recently and her dad said you probably took a lot of things apart as a little kid didn't you. I thought about that and said, well no, I had a lot of questions but I'd just ask my dad how they worked and then he'd tell me. If he couldn't tell me, then I took it apart. Early on I realized that I wanted to be like that, be able to answer any question posed to me. Haha I'm sure some people are annoyed by that though. Overall I am probably most like my papa, and I love it.



When I have a problem, I also ask my dad about it, and he tells me what to do, and how to handle it professionally. Then my mom tells me the other side of the story and that I should be more compassionate, or louder and more assertive as the case may be. It's a wonderful balance and I wouldn't trade it at all. I love my parents so much and miss them a ton. Luckily I have a webcam so I get to see them all the time but at the same time that makes me miss them even more. But like I said earlier missing them gives me an amazing opportunity to appreciate them.

M-day

7 days from today I have to grow up. Sort of...I think. Haha I leave for Michigan and drive for four days to my new life. Well my life for the next four years. As it gets closer and closer I'm getting so incredibly excited. Last night with Abbey I looked up all the different places that are near my new home in Ann Arbor, like New York, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Chicaco, St. Paul, Washington D.C. and they're all super close! I'm so excited to be close to those places and experience this whole new culture that is the North country as my dad calls it ha. It has also hit me however that I don't know some things. For example I was sitting in the car with my dad and realized I have no idea how to take care of a car in cold weather. No idea whatsoever. At all. Ha and he started to tell me then got distracted by the different places I need to take my car this week. I still have no idea about grad school, what I'll be researching or what classes I need to take but I'm not so worried about that. I'm pretty sure my advisor is really involved and will help me out with that. Other than the not knowing though, I'm really excited about starting this new 'job' and starting school again. I'm excited to learn new things. Another thing that I am SUPER excited about is the cool fact that I got season tickets to Michigan football. I LOVE football and I think it's going to be so cool to go to those crazy games. I'm excited to be in a college town and move into a new place and have a new home and explore a new town. It's going to be so much fun I think!

Also kind of sad about everything I'm leaving. Well not everything because I'm not leaving things but I am leaving people. It's nice because I've been able to see so many people before I leave but I'm still sad I'm leaving. So! They all had better come visit me in Michigan. It is strange though to realize the people that I miss. Some people I didn't expect to miss I miss a lot, and other people I don't miss so much. It's a funny realization. But it's really amazing to feel this nostalgia I guess for leaving because it reminds me of the amazing people I have in my life and that they are so quality that I do miss them immensly when I leave. So this is just my little shout out that while I miss you so much, I miss you because you're flippin amazing! Loves! And here's to growing up!

Cristiano Ronaldo

Today's dilemma: is Cristiano Ronaldo gay? There is no denying that the man is metro at the very least, but now I'm reading an article about his wearing a flower in his hair (even if you are gay it's weird) and then he says this: "Last year, when I was in LA, everyone was talking about my tight trunks. Have you seen what people in LA wear? I was the most normal dressed person over there. Anyway, what's wrong with wearing tight pants? They look good and it's better than having tan lines down your legs. This year it was the pink hat with the flower." Now before this statement I would have just leaned towards metro amazing soccer player... but after the "no tan lines" comment I'm inclined to change my opinion... I don't know. That's my conundrum of the day. Surprising I don't care either way, if he is gay it doesn't make me like him less. He is almost too pretty to be straight. I also have not heard of gay soccer players before. I'm sure they're out there I just haven't heard of any. Eh, here are some pics you can judge and let me know your thoughts.

Plans

So I was watching this new show called Royal Pains last night and the main character said "When man plans God laughs." And I thought that might be appropriate for this post... haha but I have plans anyway.


First I want to share my new mascot. I think he's stinkin' funny and pretty cute. So I've adopted him as my mascot. For further reference his name is Rufus because it's a scraggly name.






Anyway, I told Abbey that I would blog more about what I'm doing since I am going to be so far away, so I'll try to do that. And what better place to start then my plans for the next three months. And ya that's seriously as far as I've gotten. Okie first, I'm going to be leaving New Mex the 29th of June and driving (yup all the way) to Michigan. But on the way there I'll get to stop and see my adorable friend Lindsey in Nebraska. She was my college roommate and I was in her wedding and she just had her first baby Adisynn in January. I am SO excited to see her and the baby. So I get to Michigan the 1st of July where I'll be sharing a condo with a girl in Ann Arbor. She sounds really nice and I'm excited to meet her. I hope she goes to church activities so that I have something to do on the 4th of July... because it's the Saturday before I have the opportunity to go to church on Sunday. I probably could figure out it something was going on...but that's beside the point. Then on the 7th I start my 'internship' with my new advisor. I don't have a dang clue what I'll be doing... And then school starts September 8th and again... no clue on classes or what I'll be doing. BUT I have a place to live haha. Oh as far as moving... I don't know how I'm going to get my stuff up there. I guess shipping it but I have no idea how to handle that at all. I need my daddy to help haha.

I guess the Lord won't be laughing too hard at me because I have less plans then I thought I did. Well I'm nervous but oh well... haha we'll see how this all works out.

Whew!

Okie so I know it's been a while. A long time actually but at first I just had nothing interesting to say and then I had no time to say the interesting things. Ha well maybe that's a stretch to say that they're the interesing things. Haha first we'll start with GRADUATION!!! Haha I finally graduated. Well I say finally but honestly it has gone by so incredibly quickly. It's amazing to sit here by myself and think that I have a degree. But enough about my personal reflections on value. For my graduation President of the United States came. It was really pretty awesome to hear him talk, and make fun of Michael Crow. It was not fun however to get the Sun Devil stadium 4 hours before the ceremony and chill out in the sun. Well perhaps chill is the wrong word.... My good friend Kara also graduated with her PhD and she got to walk across the stage and shake the President's hand! So that was commencement, and then for convocation I was chosen to be the Senior of the Year so I got to sit up on the stage the entire ceremony. That was pretty fun but I had to keep reminding myself not to fidget because everyone could see me. That was the hardest part. Oh and figuring out how to spell my name phonetically: hi-Dee zip-EAR-ian, ya that was the best I could come up with. But it worked. Then I walked across the stage and almost got spun off it when my professor hugged me. That was pretty fun though I have to say. I'll never forget it. Then we took some family pictures outside which will perhaps get posted eventually, after I remember to transfer them to my computer and give them to Abbey (since she threatened me ; ).

So that was graduation. The next day I'm sitting at home and thinking it was fun but kind of a huge letdown. Then I realize it's because I still had to give a final presentation to the Grand Canyon in Flagstaff. And I had to make sure my project worked since my teacher (the one who hugged me) was threatening to fail me if it didn't work... But we did get it to work and I was able to go to Flagstaff and give my awesome presentation (because basically our team was the best) and then go on a three day trip floating down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon! That was possibly the most fun I have ever had on a trip. But I was super happy to come home and hang out with my bucket and my nephew for a couple days while Abbey and Ben went on an anniversary night. It was pretty crazy being a single mother of two for two days but thankfully I crashed a party late at Kara's and she was nice enough to take us in for a couple hours, and we also went to a movie for Kyndal. Random thought about the movie... it seems like more and more cartoon movies are really for adults, the jokes I hope go over the head of small children. Did I just miss those things when I was small or is this a new development? Anyway, then I got to spend the rest of the week with Abbey before I left. It was a little weird because I had this motto. I planned everything I'd be doing in New Mex, everything that was happening when I get to Michigan, but never not once did I let myself think about leaving. I couldn't take it. But it was fun to hang out and not have to worry about school.

Now the hard part...leaving. It was kind of nice because leaving makes you think about everybody you're actually leaving, you work really hard to see all of them. So I got to have an amazing fun road trip with Sarah, see movies with Anton and Matt, hang out with Scott, and then cry with Abbey. Now that I'm back in New Mex I've also gotten to see a lot of friends because I'm leaving, and I get to stay with one of my friends on the way to Michigan! It's really really nice being able to do that and have fun but at the same time it's ridiculously sad. I would say something about leaving Abbey but I can't. Let's just leave it as I'm WAY excited to see her and my bucket and nephew in three more days when we go to Pagosa! And then I'm excited to see Kara later this month and maybe Sarah! Okie I think that is all the catching up I have : )