#1 - we bought a house in felton, california, in august. we love it and have room for you to come visit!
#2 - pete and i got married in october in the back yard of our new house. pete's sister married us and we were surrounded by 12 of the best people in our lives.
#3 - the day after we got married, i defended my phd at uc santa cruz! i know what you are thinking...and yes, it maybe was a little crazy to get married and a phd in 24 hours, but i wanted the same people to be at both events so it only made good logical sense.
#4 - i was offered a post-doc with stanford university working for the center for ocean solutions. i actually started my post-doc before i had the "doc", but couldn't pass up the offer. COS is a collaborative group that uses cutting-edge science to inform policy in california and beyond. i have mostly been working with lawyers (they are nice people) and learning the ins and outs of coastal zone management in california. it is definitely a shift from what i have done, but it has been a really good learning experience, and i am really grateful to have a job. i have also maintained my ties to uc santa cruz by getting a research associate appointment. i still have grant money to work in big sur to tie up some loose ends after the fires burned through there in 2008.
#5 - madeline has an end date for her treatment!! she is a super trooper, is flying through the 5th grade, and is living life to the fullest. she will be finished with treatment on 11 december 2010 - just in time for her 12th birthday! we are going to celebrate!!!
the rest of my family is doing well. cassie turned 12 in december and is still going strong. we were in minnesota at the end of january to celebrate a "belated christmas" with my family. it was cold, but we managed to do some pheasant hunting (pete is a natural), sledding, and 4-wheeling while we were there.pete has been away often for the last couple of months driving the boat and mapping the sea floor in northern washington. my travel schedule is much reduced these days, but i did make a trip to san diego and portland last week for two different science conferences. in addition to seeing good friends there, i was able to meet up with others from my days in oregon. it was great to reconnect with so many good people.
the days are getting longer, the trees are blooming, and my daffodils are getting bigger every day. welcome spring!
