Just an average Sunday in the Desert

Before I left for VA it was getting pretty lonely here because I didn't know anybody and Nate is pretty busy studying.  But yesterday was an improvement.  We liked the church we went to in the morning.  Not sure if it will be the one, but definitely a positive since I had started to think the kind of church we were looking for didn't exist out here.  In the afternoon I painted some cardboard boxes to look like baskets and started getting a bit more stuff organized. Our apartment complex had a bbq so I showed my face there (didn't really talk to anyone except the host) and then I went to a Bible study at a girls' house.  There were 5 of us total and they seemed like really nice, quality people that I might get to be good friends with.  So I was really excited about that and then after that I decided I am going to pursue an xc assistant coaching spot at a high school around here.  It could be too late for it already, we'll see if they still want me, but it would be a lot of fun I think and would get me involved in things. 

So things in the desert aren't looking so bleak anymore :) 

Lynchburg, VA

Well this week I returned from a business trip to Lynchburg, VA.  I went to help install a seismic shake table at Areva which is a huge power company.  They will use it to test their nuclear equipment.  This table is a huge undertaking for my company.   Torquing bolts and making hoses is a new experience for me, but it really shows you what goes into the construction of a project and seeing your designs built is always exciting.  So Lynchburg is in the South, and everyone speaks in the Southern drawl and calls you "honey" or "love-bug".  Running was wonderful in the cooler, more humid air and the tree-covered hills.  I stayed in a little hotel apartment and was able to cook for myself and grill even, so I didn't have to eat fast food every day which was great. 

Intentional Sunshine #?

Smile. 

Even if there is no one around to smile at.

The Last Month

Well it has been a while since I posted, and quite frankly, it seems a little silly.  I don't have some interesting blog idea that people want to read about.  But for those of you who do actually read this, you all know me, so I'll just tell you what I've done in the last month. 

Got my first engineering job in Boulder building seismic shake tables. 
Moved out of Colorado
Drove to NM for a wedding
Drove to Phoenix, found an apartment, got a drivers licence
Drove to LA, visited friend Dan Koster, drove to Portland, visited friend Jordan Welling, saw Nike headquarters, drove to Seattle.
Spent time with family out at the beach house
Flew to Vietnam for work for two weeks, 24+ hour trip back, hung out, went to a wedding, went whale watching, went to the new car museum in Tacoma, watched the Mariners win
Drove to Stockton, LA, then Phoenix. 
Have been unpacking, swimming, and working the last week. 

Well, that was a lot of things.  Maybe I'll write more about some of them sometime. 

Tips for a lovely day:
Smile
Dress nice
Tell others to have a lovely day
Give compliments

Today

Today I ran the Bolder Boulder.  Have not been running tons and most of it by myself so I really didn't know what pace I should/could run.  Ended up running faster than last year.  Got my free massage afterwards, finally found Nate back and went to a barbeque at some friends' house.  Was really nice and relaxing to hang out in a yard with the kids and the grill and have people interested in my life.  On Saturday we went to the Creek festival and the race expo.  Love looking at all the things and being around so much activity.  Such a beautiful place we live in.  Crossing my fingers still, but my hamstring felt good in the race and my preceding two workouts, so that's definately a good sign.  Now to pack up our wordly possessions.  Brain is a bit scattered these days.  Using my degree at work now though, so that's nice. 

Surgery Day

Nate had hip surgery yesterday.  It was a very long day, starting with us waking up at 4:30 am to get to the hospital, then waiting around for a long time.  Then he went into surgery, and even though the surgeon said there were very few risks and those were not life or death types of risks, I was still scared.  But the doc came back out half an hour sooner than he thought and was very happy with how it had gone.  Nate was pretty loopy right after surgery, but recovered quickly from the anesthesia and didn't really sleep at all afterwards.  We finally left the hospital and headed home.  Today was a lot of running around getting Nate's equipment set up and then switched out and getting out pudding cups and ginger ale.  Thanks to Gary and Allie for staying with Nate while I went to get his prescriptions and for bringing us dinner today.  Appreciate it so much.  Hope that Nate can heal and be healthy again. 

Earthquake/GPS

Today our company was testing out the seismic shake table we built.  A company had asked to test out some GPS equipment on it, and we needed to test the software anyway, so I got to help out with that.  Well really I mostly observed, but I tried to ask good questions and at least hope I understand how to install the system.  Anyway, it was close to what I was doing in grad school and was really exciting for me to see everything working.  I wish I was working here longer and I could get more involved in this side of the engineering work. 

Also, Nate got another interview at a med school in Arizona.  Not sure why God sends along all these little complications in life.  Arizona is more west than Florida though.