Life is Good (Great actually)!!

So since I'm at the writing phase of my thesis I find myself cleaning a lot more, cooking more, organizing stuff, looking at plane tickets, etc. etc. all to avoid the daunting task of writing. So I figured I could avoid writing some more by blogging...so here's an update:

January:

I don't remember much about this month...probably because it was overshadowed by the awesomeness that was Hawaii 2011 (trip 1...):

Selina & I decided we needed a 'break' from life (this was my spring break since I'd be stuck in the lab over my real spring break & this was Selina's summer 2010 vacation, logical right?) & what's better than kickin it on the Big Island with some fam?

Auntie Olly (pictured above w/ Selina) & Uncle Phil are amazing & I LOVE staying with them, it's like a home away from home :)

I've become a HUGE fan of going to HI by myself, I can do whatever I want for however long I want without having the pressure of being the 'tour guide', but when Selina brought up the idea of going to HI I couldn't say no, she's been there before & I knew I wouldn't have to 'plan' our trip.

I <3 Hawaii!!

We went to Keiki Ponds with Marta & these cute kiddos

I had an amazing time! There were a couple swells that came in while we were there so most of the beaches were closed, but Ho'okena was always open (& besides the cliffs that's my favorite beach). We saw humpback whales multiple times at Ho'okena, Selina got hit on multiple times at Ho'okena, & most importantly we got TAN at Ho'okena.

It was great to see heaps of family, go to the beach, get tan, lounge around, cook/eat great food, go to the beach, eat lots of frozen yogurt, learn how to curse in Samoan, play with cousins, go to the beach, & hang out with my sister.

Thanks Selina for the best January spring break ever!!

February:

Also a great month, my house-sitting job ended :( Vicki quit her job & so I wasn't really needed anymore, but she told me to keep the house key so I could house-sit whenever they went on vacation. I was sad because I would miss having 'a place to myself' & I would miss Roxie & Kat-Kat, but at the same time I was traveling so much that it was becoming a hassle trying to work out both schedules.

Speaking of traveling, I spent a week in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the ASLO conference, it was nice to spend a week on a warm island, listening to oceanography talks, meeting incredible people, & getting tan (I think I've become more obsessed about my skin color since I moved to pale country...).

mmm beach

At the end of February I went to Dallas to visit the favorites. Adrienne had just had Brooke & I had some free flights on Southwest so it just made sense to take a long weekend & go to Texas. I had so much fun hanging out with AJ, Adrienne, Brooke & Adam. I acquired an association with the fruit loops (because I would eat them every morning...) so now AJ calls the fruit loops "Amy" & I have been dubbed "Auntie Fruit Loop" which I'm ok with, it's better than Am-slice...

I <3 this kid

& this one as well, so stinking cute!

March:

So it's hard to pick a favorite month so far this year but I think March will be a high contender at the end of the year. I spent the first day of the month in Texas with the faves. Then mid-March I went to DC for Phase III of MSPHDS, I almost decided not to go due to my experiments (i.e. I didn't want to leave my crab babies...), but I have awesome help in the lab (thanks Nicole!) that allowed me to go. And boy was I glad I went :) Not gonna lie, some of the agency visits were long & I wasn't a fan of having to wear business clothes every day, but it was fun to see old friends/colleagues, meet some new ones & see some of DC.

NSF poster presentation nbd

Some of the group at NASA

March also meant that The Green was going to be in the PNW! I have been trying to go to one of their shows for over a year & just missed shows (in HI, UT, & WA) multiple times by just a day or two. I missed them in Seattle because I was in DC, BUT they were playing in Canada the day after I got back. I was lucky enough to get my passport back that day & drive up to BC with Eli & see them (FINALLY!!). These guys were awesome live & super nice after the show. It made me miss Hawaii :(

I <3 The Green

March also meant March Madness (which was fun to watch (JIMMER!!) until the final game...boring) & spring break. I took the 'kids' down to Seattle to the Woodland Park Zoo. As sad as zoos are, this one was pretty good & the animals seemed at least somewhat happy & it wasn't raining so that was a plus.

always a fan of the big cats (thanks childhood)

But I think one of the best (if not the BEST) thing about March is pictured below:

DUAL CITIZENSHIP BABY!!

I'm finally a New Zealand citizen! I've been talking about this for years & after months of paper work, a couple hundred $$ & weeks of waiting it finally happened. Thanks Mom for being born in NZ & not denouncing your citizenship until after I was born. I'm stoked to use this baby in December!

Oh yeah I also turned 25 in March...which means I won a bet that I made with Bishop Dahl back when I was 16. Said bet conversation went something like this (we were probably talking about marriage in young womens):

Me: "I'm not going to get married for a while"

Bishop: "ha, you'll be married before you turn 25"

Me: "wanna bet?"

Bishop: "sure, you'll be married by 25"

Me: "what do I get when I win?"

Bishop: "an iceberg shake"

Me: "sounds good to me"

I wrote the date of the bet on a piece of paper & we signed it & it was in my scriptures for years & I found it in December, but it's gone missing...Over the years whenever I've seen Bishop Dahl he's grabbed my left hand to check for a ring (ha!). The prize for the winner has also increased over the years. So time to pay up Bishop Dahl, I believe you owe me an iceberg shake, a steak dinner & horseback riding.

I almost forgot, March meant hearing/decision time for PhD programs. I was accepted to all 3 programs that I applied for (so crazy, I'm keeping all of the acceptance letters to remind myself when I get turned down numerous times for grants, jobs, etc., that there was a time that I was perfect). After a lot of thought & decision matrices (thanks Cidney! haha) I chose the University of Oregon, go DUCKS!! I'm excited to stay in the PNW & get back to OIMB. It was a hard decision to make but I feel confident that I made the right decision & I am super excited about this next chapter of my life!

April (so far):

I thought this month would be relatively uneventful. It was suppose to be my 'recovery' month from all the traveling the past few months, but plans change :) & I also wanted to keep up with my goal of traveling outside of WA/OR (when I move down there) at least once a month during 2011.

So I hopped on a plane & went to Virginia to visit a friend for a long weekend. Best semi-last minute decision ever! I had a great time & it was fun to see a little bit of Virginia.

Virginia Beach, one of only 2 pictures taken the whole trip...

Life's been keeping me pretty busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel so lucky/blessed to be doing all the things I'm doing & to have the amazing support that I do from family & friends!

If you read this whole update, props, it was a long one.