WE MADE IT...ALIVE, TOO!

Wow.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and finally, here I am, returning to the blogosphere and world wide web. It was odd not checking blogger almost daily, or email, or reading, or writing [um, that didn't stop me from talking to my characters in the car all by myself. Three days of driving with only the dog for company (Ben drove our other car)...you can hardly blame me...]. What did we do before the internet?! I felt lost - completely disconnected from mankind - peppered with fear, driving through Death Valley while my cell phone displayed comforting words like, "No Service".

I've got loads of photos to share from our GORGEOUS drive - and plan on doing so - but I must organize them first. The new homestead took precedence, and I gladly report things are in order...well, mostly. Just a few odds and ends remain, you know how it goes...

Personally, I think "odds and ends" play a game of "divide and conquer" when your back's turned...

But I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU!! Ben and I feel spoiled rotten having such awesome friends and family. All the cards, all the gifts, all the support...there was so much it was hard to accept (and made it harder to leave...). :'( Your encouragement has made the varying emotions easier to handle and the unknown seem less frightening.

I wasn't sure what to think, walking into our new home for the first time. Part of me was thrilled - WE'RE FINALLY HERE! - and the home was so cute and perfect for us. But the other part, the one that doesn't have a reputation for being very logical, was extremely sad. Sad at the emptiness, the foreignness, the lack of memories...the silence.

I immediately went about, setting your encouraging cards on the counters, leaning your pictures against the walls, putting all the goodies on display (they're all lovely!)...it was like you were there with us. Having those pieces of you brightened the corners and filled the spaces in our empty home with love when I couldn't have needed it more. Thank you.

While I know this isn't really "goodbye" forever, I'm going to miss so many of you. The last minute dinners, the weekend trips, the conversations, seeing many of you at (and after) work amidst cap wars while getting kicked out of my chair (yes, I know I deserved it). Now you HAVE to visit and see all the decor you helped purchase :D

Until we get all the photos in order, I'll leave you with this. See if you can find Sammy :)

ps I'll have you know I spent a good deal of thought and time making him a comfortable passenger seat.

En Route to Mordor...by car.

Okay, okay, so we're not REALLY going to Mordor. No doubt there are similarities:  hot fumes, rocky terrain, and a giant, yellow eyeball sun looming in the sky, watching your every  move. And to get there you have to pass obstacles like giant mammoths, lakes of salt, Ents, a canyon of kings, the treacherous white mountains, and a valley of death**. But at least Phoenix doesn't have any Orcs. :)

No, I'm looking forward to it. But I'm REALLY excited about the drive. We're taking the "scenic" route, depicted by that pretty purplish line below (click on the photo to enlarge...). This route is also adding 4 hours to our overall drive time, but we'll be breaking it up. We're spending one night near Mt. Whitney (west of Death Valley), and the second in Las Vegas, with lots of scenic detours in between!

There's some gorgeous countryside along the way and I'll be sure and take loads of photos. :D Assuming the weather holds...it's been a late winter for the Sierra's!

I hope to return to the blogosphere in the next few weeks. In the meantime, hope you all had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

**A key to aforementioned locations (links are above):

mammoths = Mammoth Lakes

lakes of salt = Mono Lake

Ents = Bristlecone Pine Forest

canyon of kings = Kings Canyon National Park

white mountains = White Mountains!

valley of death = Death Valley

Me: Up close and...cellular!

Packing's been great! I think we've dumped about half our assets. Really, where do these things hide? Hermione must have snuck in and performed her undetectable extension charm on our closets.

Aside of all the junk and clutter, I've stumbled across some cool things, including this. When I was but a wee lab scientist in the making, I had a rotation through Cytogenetics in which I was able to harvest my cells and extract my own DNA!

So, what you're looking at is me, quite literally. There's the messy slide version, or the pretty, well-organized-chromosomal-pair version.
And please, no wise cracks about a missing 21 chromosome... :D

Flying over the Sierras...

...is one of the most unique and interesting of flights! I love seeing the Earth's changing topography, and this particular flight shows off some of the most drastic.

Below that lovely airplane wing is the Sierra Mountain range. It houses Mt. Whitney, the highest summit in the contiguous United States with a height of 14,505 ft (4,421 m for my metric friends :D ). And just 85 miles northwest is the lowest point in North America, Badwater in Death Valley National Park at a DElevation (no, that's not really a word) of -282 ft, or -86m.

Our dear pilot flew us over the Sierras, Death Valley, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, and we landed in Phoenix. Ben and I will be making that drive in a few weeks *wipes brow*. At that point I hope to share some photos from a different perspective...the ground.

One thing I always contemplate while flying is perspective. Everything seems so small and insignificant from the air - even mountain peaks like Mt Whitney. But when you're down in the thick of it, you see things like Mt Whitney as a looming, impassable obstacle.

It also reminds me of the stories we write - omniscient vs first person POV. Overall story arcs vs the little chapters and skirmishes along the way. And why it's so important to step back and see the/your world as a whole, and appreciate how magnificent and complex it is. You can't understand what makes Death Valley a "deadly" desert without realizing the highest mountain peak in the US is right beside it, blocking it's rain :)

Hot Bloggers!..amidst other things...

Hello everyone!

It's been a crazy week(s) and, unfortunately, my blog has suffered for it. No time to post and read and comment on all of your wonderful posts. :( Please forgive me! Moving and transitioning between jobs is catching up with me. Thought I'd let you know that I haven't fallen in a hole somewhere, nor have I been held hostage by my characters (though they've tried...they're sorely neglected at the moment).

Aside of all things crazy, I wanted to say "thanks" to Kristine Asselin over at Writing. For Real. for giving me this very HOT award... *sweats*

And now I shall pass it onward to some great friends and followers!

Christine Arnold
PK Hrezo
T.D. McFrost
Julie Tuovi
Sari Webb
Alex Azar

Happy writing & blogging, and I hope to join you all again soon!

UPDATE: The Big Move

*cues 2001 Space Odyssey theme (also known as Sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 by Richard Strauss)*


First of all, if you haven't clicked on the above link, you should do so. Now.

Second. WE'RE MOVING IN A MONTH! *looks at calendar* *sweats*

Some of you might recall us saying we weren't leaving for the dry, cactus-strewn lands of Arizona until August. (I'm fully aware of the insanity of moving to a desert in August, thank you.)

Well.

I got an awesome job. And it starts June 20th.

Aside of the time crunch, we believe it has worked out for the best. This way, Ben and I aren't embarking on "new roles" at the same time. Ben graduates end of May with a Magna Cum Laude in Biological Sciences (SO proud of him!...can't believe how fast it's gone by), we pack up our POD, and drive to our apartment first week in June. He starts Dental School end of August.

We'll be living in Glendale, AZ - 15 minutes northwest of Phoenix - and already have our new address, so if you'd like it, let us know! We'll also have a guest bedroom/bath and LOVE visitors. Seriously. The refrigerator will be stocked and even if you only want to sleep there, we're fine with that, too! Did I mention how much we love visitors? We also understand if you'd like to restrict your visitation rights to the winter months. Neither of us blames you.

Until then, let the chaos begin! And please forgive us for any delay in responses. I assure you, it's only temporary.

*Did you know that Strauss's Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30, written in 1896, was inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name? 

Ben is Moving Me to Hell (& not in a handbasket)

It happened this morning, when Ben got the phone call. It didn't start out with candy and roses. It didn't start out that way at all. In fact, we began the morning with me trying to keep a good attitude and cheer up my crestfallen spouse who had heard no word from any of the 3 dental schools he interviewed at.

With eager minds and shaky hands we watched the computer last night, midnight eastern time, 9pm our time. The server crashed, we waited. It moved slowly, we waited some more. Finally logged on, nothing. No change in status. No trace of that grand glittering golden word: ACCEPTANCE. Our hearts sank with the realization that we'd be one of the thousands waiting. Possibly waiting to still find out nothing.

All the rabbit trails your thoughts venture down! What if, what if, what if? One more year. Another long, grueling, expensive application process. What is wrong with admissions?!

There we were driving to work and school this morning, each with our own silent solutions to those 'what if's', when Ben reached back and retrieved his phone. "Huh?" he says, "I missed a call." My heart stops. "From Phoenix. There's a message." Now my heart is racing. Ben listens to that message (I can hear it too) and it's the dean of Midwestern University, School of Dentistry in Glendale, Arizona, congratulating Ben on his acceptance!

Of course I do what every good wife does. I simultaneously start screaming and bawling, almost rear-ending the car in front of us.

Within seconds, the burden had vanished and we were soaring miles above the clouds. How one moment can change everything. What brings me the most joy is seeing Ben. How happy he is. How encouraged he is. After all the hard work, it's the greatest reward he could ask for, and I'm so grateful we are on this adventure together!

That being said, we are thrilled and giddy like little kids on Christmas morning. It also doesn't go without saying that I have a few concerns. They are, as follows:

1. Heat.