The Chief

I know it’s a few days late, but it happens.

Anyways, I have the best, coolest, most amazing Dad. Like I said in the post about my Mom, everything that is good about me comes from my Dad (& Mom).

I’ve learned a lot from my dad: like the value of hard work (I have yet to meet someone that works harder than the Chief), patience (he has to put up with me), the value of a dollar (& how to save that dollar, or break down the dollar into various categories on an excel spreadsheet), the importance of constant & continuing service (every day!), & that’s not even scratching the surface.

(this pic is from NZ, so great!)

I wanted to share just a few of my favorite memories that involve the Chief,

Hiking: so this may come as a shock to some of you but I use to HATE hiking, & growing up we seemed to hike a lot during the summers as a family. We would hike the mountains around Alpine & up AF canyon. My dad was always the one that initiated these early morning (6am, on a summer, sometimes holiday, morning) excursions. I grew to love these outings (it took a while) & I am really missing hiking those trails. Thanks Chief for helping me find my love of the outdoors/hiking by dragging my lazy butt up the mountains.

The Cat Story: most of you have heard this story but it’s a classic & a wonderful example of my father’s humor. Here’s the short version: One day my dad put a rubber mouse in a co-workers desk drawer, said co-worker opened the drawer, saw the mouse, screamed & wet her pants…next day we had an adorable calico kitten dropped off at our house to “keep the mice away.” The kitten was dropped off while my dad was at work so Adrienne & I would get attached & not let dad return it. Thanks Dad!

Family Prayers: since we’re on the topic of humor I would like to share this little treat (which probably will not be funny to anyone but me, but forget you guys, this is my blog). So every night we would gather as a family to have family prayers together before bed. Usually after the prayer we would say, “I love you” & hug/kiss mom & dad. This one particular evening when I was probably 10, I remember hugging my dad & saying “I love you man!” he quickly responded, “you’re still not getting my bud light.” Man we laughed about that one for months.

(the above picture is from 2006 when I came home from Korea, I was so excited to see the snow so I ran outside & was making snow angels & next thing I knew I was covered in snow, my dad had dumped snow on me using the snow shovel...thanks dad)

Piano Recital: so when I was younger I played the piano & we would have piano recitals from time to time at our instructors house. These recitals were not my favorite thing (there were a million students & I had to wear a dress...), I don't think they were my parents favorite either. This one recital my dad told me he was going to pay me $5 to "spice up the recital." So our piano instructor was very formal about these recitals & had us stand up in front of the audience & before we played our piece(s) we would have to say, "My name is Amy Burgess & I shall play (insert name of piece here)." I was somewhere in the middle of the recital that day & people were falling asleep, I waited for the applause, I walked up to the front of the room & said, "My name is Amy Burgess & I shall play...for about 2 minutes" turned around sat down at the grand piano, played my songs & sat down. Oh man you should have seen my instructors face, best $5 I've ever made. Thanks Dad for making that the most memorable piano recital.

(this picture is from when we went clamming in Charleston, OR)

Thanks Chief, for everything: the endless/constant love, the continual encouragement to do/be my best, the wise counsel that is only a phone call away, & most importantly thank you for being an amazing example to me (& everyone around you) in the way that you live your life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you (& Mom: it’s hard to talk about one w/o the other).

Here’s to the Chief, I love you, forever & always.

~Amy Keita

Update

Once again...really bad at blogging:

Here is a list of a few things that have happened since I last blogged (the pictures somewhat go with the list...):

1. I survived winter quarter: ‘survived’ makes it sound like I almost died or something, not the case, but now I have this picture in my head of me getting attacked by biological oceanography articles & giant marine larvae (cool).
2. I went to Hawaii: this deserves a blog post of it’s own, so stay tuned. Here’s a preview: 1^st birthday not in UT, kickin it w/ Auntie Olly, swimming w/ dolphins…
3. I went to UT twice since my last post: ugh I just love that place so much! I went home the weekend before I went to HI & the first weekend in April. My reasons for going you might ask??? Trip 1: the dentist & a wax, yes that does sound crazy but I really like my dentist & Joann & do NOT want to take my business elsewhere. But the biggest & best reason for going home: the fam! I love just hanging out w/ them, they are da coolest! Jayne’s baby shower was that weekend, it was great to see everyone & stay in my own house. I also went to see Dr. B. that man is amazing & I miss working for him! Trip 2: General Conference Weekend!!! A few of the B-ham singles wanted to make the trek to Mecca, so I agreed to go (duh!! Pay for a little gas in exchange to see fam & friends). When we made it back to WA I was exhausted from traveling (WA-UT-WA-HI-WA-UT in 2 ½ weeks) but…
4. I received an email from Southwest saying I had earned a free roundtrip flight to anywhere they fly: any suggestions???
5. I moved to Anacortes!! Back in the SPMC ‘dorms.' It’s really nice to be down here, although nothing really happens in Anacortes…but I’m ok with that. I’m the ‘dorm mom’ which means I drive the ‘kids’ (MIMSUPs!!) into town to get groceries, etc. and make sure they do their dishes. In exchange for being a mom I don’t have to pay rent, that’s right NO rent!
6. Research has started kinda: so the main reason I moved down to Anacortes was because I knew that I would have to be at the lab A LOT once research started. I am just doing prelim work with rotifers & algae, but I am also helping with some ocean acidification research. With both of those projects going on, I am on track to break the record of ‘the most number of consecutive days spent in the lab’ I think the record is somewhere around 74. I am currently at 26, but the crabs haven’t even hatched yet.
7. I’m engaged!!! Ok not really, I just liked the idea of 7 things. Nevertheless, it seemed fitting considering all of the ‘I’m engaged, I’m married, I’m pregnant, I just had my baby’ posts I’ve seen on facebook (which don't get me wrong, I love, there just seems to be heaps lately). On the same train of thought, I’ve come to the realization that I have officially turned into one of those single adults that people back in the home ward tell your parents that they know someone I should date. Really??? Am I that old? Give me a least two more years & a cat or two, calm down people I’m enjoying singledom.

The BC Temple :)

Well there you go, Amy’s obnoxious updates.

Dear Mom,

You are the best; words cannot express how grateful I am for you & how lucky I feel to be your daughter. Everything that is good about me I know comes from you. You have put up with me all these years and taught me so much.

I thought I would share with the readers of this blog a couple of my favorite lessons from over the years:

1. Always leave things nicer than you found them: you have no idea how much I love this lesson & how often I use it to judge (sorry I know I shouldn’t judge others, but cleanliness is a good judge of character) other people & when there is that potential, whether or not they are dating material…sad, yes; necessary, I think so!

2. A home cooked meal w/ the fam, beats eating out any day: I think I miss this more now because I can’t drive 30 mins to have Sunday dinner w/ the fam. Thanks for feeding me all these years & for teaching me how to cook. Without your cooking lessons through the years, I would be one of those ‘frozen stouffer hooligans’ as Selina calls them.

3. Sometimes the things you want to say don’t come out exactly the way you would have liked…so don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself: We all say stupid things, but man they are great. Here are two classics from my mom that still make us laugh.

"What's up braggy bitches?" -Mom

"What?" -Selina

"Oh, I meant baggy britches..." –Mom

“But, he LOVES me” –Me

“I’m glad somebody loves you…” –Mom

4. You are NEVER too busy to serve others: This was/is one of those unspoken lessons I learned at a very young age from my mom, it is also one of those lessons that was repeated frequently. I honestly cannot remember a time when my Mom (& Dad, shout-out to the chief!) was not willing or actively seeking an opportunity to serve others. I remember growing up (& still today) that my Mom was always crazy busy (I mean taking care of us 5 crazies was hard enough…) but there was always time to volunteer for the PTA, help clean the church, or take a plate of cookies to the new neighbors down the street.

Thanks Mom, for your amazing example and for your love.

I love you forever & ever,

~Amy Keita (I just love this pic)

I Love Fridays

Wow 2 posts in less than a week...this is pathetic.

(I figured I had a lot of scenery pics so here's a pretty cool one from a tidepool at Larrabee)

Well today has been a pretty fantastic day & here's why:

1. It's Fancy Friday (I wear a dress/skirt to school every Friday since I have so many it's a shame to only wear them on Sundays). When it's FF the day is always great.

2. It was sunny today

3. Friday Forum: free food for thought & my stomach

4. I don't have any classes

5. Got an email saying I am slated to go to San Juan, PR next year for the ASLO conference. Man I love science & all the cool places it's taking me. So free/paid trip to PR for a week next year, to present my research. So stoked even though it's 11 months away.

6. Went to happy hour, always good times

7. I was pretty productive today, one more week of classes!

Those are just a few highlights from an awesome day.

So a pretty decent day the only thing that would make it better (perfect actually) is if I could sell my contract...

But the weekend is going to be beautiful (weather-wise), so hopefully I'll get some outside runs/rides in & more potential buyers will stop by to check out the place!

Update

So I don't think anyone reads this but I figured I'd update it (I'm aiming for once a month or something). I'll update in categories that seem to be the common questions from people near & far.

The pic is from Rosario Beach, so romantic...haha

School: is crazy busy & not gonna lie, challenging at times. It's manageable though, I've come to realize that one of the main purposes of grad school is to teach you how to manage your time & fill out endless forms. I love my classes (Biological Oceanography & Larval Ecology), I'm learning so much! I'm also taking a thesis credit (thanks to MIMSUP I was able to advance to candidacy in one quarter, usually takes 2+), which means I get credit for working on my thesis.

Research: is going, but will pick up like crazy end of April-May & should stay crazy until fall. I spend two days/week out at SPMC doing 'research' and taking classes. Every time I'm down there I remember how much I love that place. I'm trying to sell my contract up here in B-ham so I can move down to SP next quarter & really focus on my research. I'm not taking any classes next quarter (thanks again to MIMSUP) just thesis credit & life will be a lot easier & cheaper if I can move down there. So pray that I can sell my contract ASAP, thanks!

Ward/Boys: Ugh, not really a fan of when the 'boy' question is asked, but I guess it has to be asked. The ward is great, I still feel a little 'old' for the ward. I put old in quotes because it's probably not the right word...I guess people are intimidated by me? which makes no sense to me but whatevs. Also something that doesn't make sense to me, I guess I'm considered 'pretty hot stuff' in the ward (HA!), no idea why boys think this...ok I have one idea, they may have found out that I don't really want an engagement ring (in all honesty I'd rather have a really nice bike or a super sweet kayak or nice new scuba gear & then get a tattoo around my left ring finger, yeah i know no tattoos, but I'm not really a fan of rings, they get in the way) and I'm not having a reception (I'll take the check & run!). So I think that's the reason I'm 'hot stuff' (HA! again). So the short of it: ward's good & boys are nice but I'm not dating anyone (no time/no real desire).

Work: Yes I do work. I am a TA for the ESCI department. This quarter I'm TAing Biostatistical Analysis ESCI 340. To be honest, I was NOT super stoked on this idea, originally I was going to TA forest & fish interactions and some sort of freshwater fish lab (I was so excited to dabble in freshwater ecology/vertebrates again), but due to scheduling, changes were made. But looking back, biostats hasn't been bad & relearning the basics is always a plus. So work is great, I don't really consider it work, it's just kind of another class. I feel very blessed to have a TAship/job where I get to learn and help students understand things & get paid, it's great.

Extra Curricular Activities: Well I don't have too much extra time after school and TAing so this is a limited section. I started swimming with the WWU team this quarter (I swam last quarter for a couple of weeks, but CONSTANT illness kept me away from the pool). It's been so nice swimming with a team again. I wasn't planning on swimming in any meets, but I found out that since I'm on the team & paid the dues if I qualify for nationals (masters cuts, not that hard to qualify) the team pays for most of the costs to go. Nationals are in Atlanta this year & in May & I'd love to go, but it's research dependent. Anyway I'm swimming in my first meet in 6 years next month! Should be interesting.

When is your next UT visit?: Well I'll be back in Zion from March 18-March 21. I thought I'd make a quick trip home before heading to Hawaii for spring break (love that WWU has a spring break between quarters!). There is also a possibility that I will be in UT for General Conference...we'll see.

So that's an update for ya'll, probably heaps more then you wanted to read but I never post so I figured it was ok.

Year in Review:

Since I’m not very good at blogging I figured this year in review thing that has been going around was my kind of blog post.

2009

January

I spent the first week or so in the best place ever, New Zealand. It was an awesome trip & I hope to go back asap. Started my last semester of classes at BYU, bittersweet. I finished my graduate school applications and the waiting game began.

February

Started really prepping for OIMB and staying busy with school. I spent some time in California looking at schools and visiting friends.

March

BIRTHDAY MONTH!! I participated in my last BYU Luau and received some acceptance letters to graduate schools J

April

I finished classes at BYU and decided I was going to Western Washington University to pursue my Masters degree in Marine & Estuarine Science.

May

I had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for BYUs marine biology spring term in Coos Bay, OR. This was my 2^nd time as a TA, 3^rd time out to OIMB & I loved it. We had a great group of students/TAs and it was a blast.

June

I spent all of June in Oregon as well. I miss those 5 mile round trip runs to Bastendorff Beach every morning and waking up before dawn to hit the low tide. “When it’s low, we go!”

July

After talking about it multiple times, Carly & I decided to give ourselves a graduation present and go to Hawaii. It was SO much fun & a much needed vacation! We stayed at Auntie Olly & Uncle Phil’s house in Kona and spent a few days in Laie with Uncle Eldon & Auntie Hi’i. My mom came along too & we had heaps of fun!

August

The day finally came, I graduated from BYU. I was asked to speak at convocation. Later that day we had a graduation luau at the house, full of family, friends, food, & fun!

September

Moving day!! Dad & I drove from Utah to Washington and I moved into a cute little house in Bellingham. School started & it’s been awesome!

October

I submitted my first research grant proposal. I was lucky enough to escape for a weekend and fly back to Utah for Carly’s wedding.

November

School, school, and more school. My parents were nice enough to fly my home for Thanksgiving and it was nice to spend time with them. I was accepted into the MS PHDS program which is funded by NSF and NASA. Oh and I got through all of my undergrad without it but I guess I couldn’t escape it in graduate school…I got mono

December

I made it through my first quarter of graduate school. I spent a week in San Francisco at the AGU conference, (this was part of the MS PHD program) I met so many great people. Christmas was spent at home and it was awesome!

2009 had it’s ups and downs, I am grateful for all of them and I feel so blessed to be where I am today, doing what I love. 2010 has started off well & it looks to be another crazy year! Cheers!