Sconnie Shenanigans

Well hello cutie-patuties! I am currently sitting on a Coach bus on my way to the lovely Chicago O'Hare International Airport. I've been on this bus for over 2.5 hours and I'm tired of sitting on my buttocks. Another 30 minutes to go, cruise through security, wait around to board the plane, and then sit for another 2 hours. My favorite. What makes it even better is leaving my Aaron and the beautiful Madison behind. <-- LIES.

September 11. Never Forget.

The only reason why waking up at the @$$ crack of dawn for research is acceptable.

So, a quick overview of my life the past two weeks. September 11, 2014 brought visitors of the nice variety. Ma and Cheryl came to visit. Have no fear, I took them rock-climbing. Thursday was filled with picking them up, a walk around the lake, checking into the hotel, taking them to class, Cheryl falling asleep in class, dinner at Jasmin's, and rock-climbing at TRC-NR. I managed to get a really good workout after I got them going on the blocs. I have two V4 projects to work on yay! Friday, what did Friday bring? Oh, I know! Segway tour. No, no, no, I did NOT join them on the Segway tour. They did that as I finished up some protocol writing downtown. We walked around downtown, grabbed a beer and snacks at Raleigh Times, proceeded to go to TRC-MV with Patrick, had dinner at Mellow Mushroom and had a drink by the pool. To be honest, I don't really remember what we all did on Saturday and Sunday but I do know this: I bought a pair of interview shoes on the cheap and I convinced Ma to buy me my Christmas gift already :)  I believe an 850-down Arc'teryx puffy in sea-green is a lovely choice. Don't worry, I had a 25% off coupon so I didn't completely empty her wallet :D  So on Monday, we drove out to Kersey Valley for some zip-lining! After that, we went to Durham to check out Duke University since my cousin Ryan in a huge Blue Devil basketball fan. We played canasta at the hotel, slept, got up early, and I transported them to the airport.

Even Nature finds her way in a cement jungle

Duke University has a beautiful campus!

Farmer's Market goodies <3

The Painted Bird by the Paperhand Puppet Intervention was an amazing show!!

The Painted Bird.

After I dropped them off at the airport, it was crunch time. I listened to my final PP 590 lectures, did the homework, took the exam for that class, went into lab until I had to TA, went to TA, ate dinner way too quickly, boogied on over to TRC-MV for some climbing, climbed for a few hours, left without all my stuff, had to backtrack to MV to get my stuff, go home, eat a second dinner, and crash on my bed. Wake up in 4 hours. Make coffee, kind of but not really have breakfast, get in my car, go find my work truck, hop in a brand-spanking new F150 with too many buttons, drive to Plymouth, process 64 plots worth of corn, somehow get back to Raleigh still awake, eat a late dinner, go climb, shower (maybe?), crash. Wake up in 7 hours to finish packing my bags because I kinda, sorta forgot to do that before...eat, drink coffee, have Dane drive me to the airport, book it through security, find more food, read a book, burn my tongue on coffee, board airplane, realize I have to pee, wait until cruising altitude, crawl over elderly woman, wait forever for dude in front of me, squeeze into the tiniest airplane bathroom known to man, awkwardly sidestep past people in the aisle, crawl over lady again, turn on music, flip open laptop, read a book.

Here is a really good reason to go through what I mentioned above and below. A blue-jean sky, a comfortable 65F, a stunning view of Lake Mendota, a gentle breeze that isn't chilly, and the feeling of being back in Madison after months of being gone. It doesn't matter that I had hours of research ahead of me or protocols to write. I was back in Madison.

Now, here comes the best part of my journey. I landed at 10:43. The bus to Madison left at precisely 11:00. We deboard the plane quickly but then I have to wait for my carry-on bag to come up the the breezeway thingy. Grab it at 10:53. Realize I have to run across the whole stupid airport to get to the bus terminal. Thank the travelling goddess I wore my old running shoes because I was about to set a new world record for racing in airports. Thankfully, O'Hare wasn't too busy at that time and people were kind enough to move out of the way or off to the side on those walking strip thingys. I also thanked the walking strip thingy goddess that those were on and people let me through. I somehow hauled my suitcase into my arms while running down stairs (screw the escalators, too slow), chucked it back on its wheels fluidly, kept sprinting like there was a really hungry lion behind me, found the bus terminal, had to wait for the crazy slow elevator, got on, ran through a few lines of people boarding buses and caught my bus a few seconds before he was about to close doors and leave. I handed the dude proof that I bought a ticket for the bus ride, found an open seat, and caught my breath. As we left the airport, I realized I didn't have anything for lunch and wouldn't be able to eat until I got to Madison at 2-something pm. So that sucked but I knew I would be seeing Aaron in just a few hours so it was okay. I did research on the bus, found a whole of 6 references for my thesis, watched the clock tick a little too slowly, then found myself in Madison. Holy moly I forgot how insanely beautiful Madison is. And the students there are mighty attractive. I will have y'all know Madison was ranked the best town to live in, has the prettiest student body, third most lovely campus in the USA, and has really good vegetarian food.

Seriously?! How can a view like this exist in real life?! This is just a few steps away from Aaron's front porch. What I would do to be in Madison for the autumn season....I can analyze corn samples in WI for my thesis right?

Anyways, Aaron picked me up,, had a late lunch, he went to class as I went out to do my research and chat with other Plant Pathologists. I also met his roommates, Maddie Angie and Caitlin all of whom are climbers. We grabbed pasta and subs nearby and ate at James Madison Park. Then we went to the Union for the Hoofer's meeting, had a few drinks on the lake, and had a relaxing night at his place. Friday, I had more lovely research to deal with when Aaron was in class and before my dad and brother came to visit. I got really good feedback on my research findings (nice to hear before a relaxing weekend)! Aaron and I played frisbee whilst waiting for the family to arrive. I got my watch from Gma and Granddad - it is b-e-a-u-tiful. We went out to dinner at the Old Fashioned on Capitol Square. They left after dinner and Aaron, Angie, and I went grocery shopping for the Hoofer's Welcome Weekend trip to Devil's Lake. We had an early night since we were getting up nice and early to go set up top-ropes for the rest of the crew.

Sometimes the simplest things catch your heart and refuse to let go. Like this sailboat. Somehow seeing this sailboat between the trees, above the flowers, and below that perfect autumn sky made me homesick for Madison. It reminded me of my runs along Lakeshore Path in the early weekend morning hours, of watching sunsets with Anna from the boathouse dock, of enjoying a drink with my friends at Memorial Union, of my summers in Madison when I had nothing to worry about, of finding my passion for plants, and of the leaves changing color around the lake. Simple things.

Welcome Weekend went really well considering the weather on Saturday. We set up 13 top-ropes, climbed a few routes, got rained on, went bouldering on wet rock, then set up camp. Megs and Angie cooked us dinner, I attempted to slack-line (which was more of Aaron putting me on the slackline and me not really slacklining), we had a few beers around the fire, and had to make a beeline for the tent when it started raining. Branches were falling around us and it rained a fair amount but we stayed nice and dry in his 4-season tent. Sunday was filled with tearing down camp, another wonderful meal cooked by Megs, a few trad routes I followed Aaron up on, a sketchy down-climb, a few top-rope climbs, and a car drive back to Madison, After a shower and dinner at Monty's Blue Plate Diner, we laid around and watched Netflix until we went to sleep. Then came Monday.

I think I have a new dislike for Mondays. Not only is it the start of another long week of insanely long days but they also signify the end of seeing Aaron. Boo Mondays. Anyways, we had breakfast at a coffee so we could do homework/research/writingabunchofshitforresearchthatiamreallysickofwritingabout. He made us a delicious vegetarian chili with a glass of red wine to complete it. Then it was the dreaded packupyourbagsandtrynottoforgetanythinglikeyourtoothbrushbutitsokayifyoudoforgetbecauseyoualreadyhaveplansforwhenyouwillbeseeingeachothernextbutimuchrathernotforgetanythinglikemyclimbinggearbecauseiclimbalthetimeandnothavingaharnessforamonthwouldreallysuckalotandidontwantthat time. So yup, on the bus I went, to the airport I went, through security I went, to terminal C7 I went, on the plane I went, into the sky I went, and to Raleigh I went. And tomorrow is a joy-filled day of online classes, lab research, and being a TA! 8 more months...8 more months...

There is just something about these chairs. It's so perfectly Madison.

A sunset over the lake with a view from the Union...I was one lucky gal.

Sleep is a Beautiful Thing

Good morning my beautifuls! Do you wake up and remind yourself that 'human life is precious and meaningful'? It's a great way to start the day! Instead of waking up stressed about what you have to do during the day, give yourself a moment to observe the peacefulness of just waking up. Gently wake yourself, smile softly at the world, and remind yourself that you had enough good karma to have another day on this beautiful planet (not everyone is this lucky you know!) Feel better? I thought so.

We are interdependent not independent.

 Since I'm on a roll here, I'm going to continue with honorable/right intentions. It's something I have been practicing but it is extremely hard!! I guess I can add patience/not getting angry which people love to test! A perfect example is my research. I wake up at 4:45a (the birds aren't evening awake yet!) so I'm out of the house by  5:15a. I'm getting really good at multi-tasking like making my lunch while brushing my teeth while trying to wiggle into my field boots. Or like making coffee and staring at the machine wishing it would just hurry up already.Then I hop in my car to go pick up my research truck. By the way, I feel invincible in that baby! A big F350-Super Duty Trition V10 dually. You wouldn't believe the looks I get :) So now here comes the patience/right intentions/patience/not angry stuff. I'm pretty much on only 3 roads to get me to Plymouth, NC but traffic at 5:30a is slow moving. I'm wanting to put the cruise at 77 and get out there as quickly as possible with nobody getting in my way. As you can guess, that never happens. I try merging onto 40 and everyone is being a butt-head and won't let me in when I'm in an exit only lane. So I practice my not-angry mindset because anger only hurts yourself. The drivers next to me have no idea I'm angry! I also practice right intentions - I tell myself that they may be in a bigger rush than me and that their life is just as important as mine and I let them not let me because I don't want them to be late. BUT.... I am driving a huge truck so if I just slightly merge over, they clear out of the way pretty darn quickly. Another way I practice this is when I'm in the passing lane and someone is stuff behind a slow-moving semi and is trying to change lanes. I slow down enough to let them in (because I know nobody else will and I'm trying to minimize the suffering in their life) so they can go on their merry way. Yes, I'm not booking along at 77 anymore but guess what? I still make it to Plymouth, I'm still alive and breathing, and I'm fortunate enough that I am able to use a vehicle free of charge and not pay $100/day in gas.

Holding hands is the most open display of affection.

So here's a cool story. After 20 hours of hand-harvesting my plots, I am finally finished. Why did it take so long? Because I way busy dodging rain and trying to keep my harvested ears dry so they won't rot before I can do my data analysis. So last week Friday, it was miraculously not raining, although it was a beautiful scorcher at 97 and no clouds. Naturally, my sunscreen didn't work and I was every shade of red you can imagine. Never fear, I had vinegar and it healed pretty quickly! So I managed to harvest all of my Bt trial and part of the fungicide trial on Friday. On Monday, I stopped at my fields to see if I could finish the harvesting. I managed to finish the fungicide trials before it started to rain like it was trying to drown me. So I packed up the truck and drove out to Plymouth to start processing my harvested ears. Tuesday decided it didn't feel like letting me harvest, so I took a drive out to Plymouth again. But Wednesday was nice. Wednesday let me finish harvesting my biocontrol timing x rate plots. I was going to harvest my labmate Megan's plots for her but her field had standing water in it :(  That made me sad because I was out there ready to harvest her plots to save her some time since she is insanely busy in the lab. 

Okay, it's obvious I feel very connected to elephants. We feel big and mighty but compared to an elephant we are tiny and weak. Elephants may be large in size by they are graceful and gentle. We may be small in size but we are harsh and destructive. To me, elephants represent wisdom, kindness, a gentle strength, and respect. I want to incorporate those qualities into my life every second, every opportunity I get. Elephants are a beautiful form of life.

Lesson learned this week: sleep is a beautiful thing. After getting a total of 9 hours of sleep in 3 nights time, I think I'm ready for a good night's rest. But did that happen? Nope. I was up at 4:45 ready to go. I somehow convinced my body it would be a splendid idea if we could get another REM cycle in and it happend! WOOOOOO! As much as it sucks to get very little sleep and then work 18 hours straight...I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my project. I love spending time in my field alone (even though it's pretty creepy out there in the dark)! I love touching plants. I love being outside. I love hopping in my work truck and getting in touch with my inner farmer. I love putting on jeans with a button-down top and some sturdy boots. I love getting sweaty, having corn silks and husks in my hair, grasshoppers and little critters buzzing around my head, and hand harvesting. I love filling up my truck with my harvest. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I look at how much I've done during a day's work in the field. I know there's always more to do and my job is never done, but one day's work beating the rain is something special. I love my advisor Dr. Ron Heiniger and his field tech Leah Boerema. Agronomists and Crop Scientists are great people and I am fortunate enough to be working with two of the most amazing people I could ask for. 

I love how they are both kneeling towards each other as if they both have so much to learn from the other one. I love how they both look so peaceful as if there are no tragedies in the world. I love how they are both beautiful. 

Oh don't get me wrong. Some days I just want to cry in a corner and yell 'I quit' over and over but then I remember why I love my job so much and why I want to continue it in the future. I want to see growers smile after him/her and I figure out what is going on and solve the problem. I want to see growers be successful and harvest a bountiful crop. I want to see growers get excited about what they do and listen to their stories. That is what I want. And if that means working 100 hours a week, getting stuck in traffic, getting sunburned and getting a mouthful gnats, I'm in. You won't ever see me in a bad mood after a day in the field. I mean, how can I be when I'm living my dream? I know for some of you living the dream is winning the lottery and never having to work a day in your life as you sip on mimosas on the beach where the weather is a perfect sunny and 75 everyday. But for me? Winning the lottery is being in the fields, connecting with growers, being in touch with nature, solving the puzzle of how to reduce this pathogen and its toxins. All I need is some climbing and mountains and I'm the richest woman to ever walk this planet.

By the waaaaaaaaaay, Mom and Cheryl will be here in 5 hours. Don't worry the weather is being nice! Just a comfortable 91 and humid :)