Starting our new life: San Francisco

Well, it's finally dental school time! It's crazy how fast our last few months in Utah went. Time flew by because of all the playing that we did before school started. Some of our trips included: Moab, Mystery Canyon in Zion, Yellowstone, and one of the highlights of my summer, taking my family through Keyhole Canyon. Plus we did a whole lot of biking and catching up with friends before we took off! 

We packed up and headed to California with the Nakkens two weeks before school started so we could get adjusted to our new area for a bit. On the way there we spent a few days in Tahoe with the Nakkens. We rode a gondola at Heavenly, biked the freeride trails at Northstar, and went on a family bike ride at Squaw Valley. So beautiful and so fun!

We finally arrived in San Francisco June 25th and were able to move into our apartment the next day (after a few complications-like moving our piano). Then it was time to say goodbye to the Nakkens and we were on our own. I won't lie, I had a hard time seeing them go; I just wanted to jump right back in the truck and go with them. But since then it has gotten better and we are adjusting to our new life! We have done lots of exploring on our road bikes, taken a few day trips, and last week we went to Yosemite. My family came and visited us this weekend and we had lots of fun. When we dropped them off at the airport yesterday it was like when the Nakkens left part II.  I love it here but miss Utah! I miss the mountains. They are my cradle. I loved the feeling that I could escape to them and be away from everything. I miss the dry heat and feeling clean, hot, and worn out after a bike ride or run. I already miss that we won't have an autumn or snow here.

San Francisco is so crowded. At times i kind of like it; feeling like there is an energy to the city. But it's so crowded. It takes four times as long to get anywhere, and you are lucky if you can find a parking spot. Luckily we live on a little haven, Presidio Park, next to the ocean, where we are shielded by trees and trails. But I can still feel the city lurking behind them. Then there's the ocean. It's beautiful and lonely. But not lonely like standing in the middle of an aspen grove lonely; like empty lonely and gray.

                                                  Our apartment

  

I know I'll get used to it; even love it, or that's what everyone else is sure will happen to me. We will see. For now, I will be content with putting up pictures of mountains and fields and poppies in my living room, and then going out to make the most of my time in this city.

Ladies' trip

Brandon and his brothers and dad have a tradition to go down to Moab in March or April and ride dirt bikes. This weekend was the only time they could all go. I started to get really jealous as they were planning the trip, so I decided to ask Mom and Laura if they wanted to do a girls' weekend. It was awesome! We stayed at Aarchway Inn, had a free breakfast, and rode Klondike Bluffs. It was a beautiful warm day and the trail was great. After, we went shopping for our traditional friendship bracelets and got lunch. We sat on the banks of the Colorado and dipped our feet in as we ate our sandwiches. So fun!

So long Big Red

I have attachment issues with inanimate objects. I have been like this as long as I can remember. When I was five years old, I would go to bed every evening positive that our house was going to burn to the ground. I would clutch my tape player and pink blanket to my chest so I could be ready to jump out of bed as soon as the fire alarm went off. I couldn't leave them behind to burn up!

I got a little stuffed black bear from a gift store in Yellowstone when I was about twelve; "Paws." For a while I took the bear everywhere and pretended to feed it.....yeah I was twelve. I guess I also have developmental issues. When I moved off to college and Paws got stuffed on a shelf, I would feel guilty every time I came home and saw him. After my first semester, I packed him up and took him to college with me. I just felt so bad for him!

Fast forward five years, and thankfully my attachments aren't to toys anymore. Well I guess they are, just a different kind of toy. Brandon keeps trying to get my to sell my old mountain bike "Tess," so I can get a nicer newer bike. No way! Tess was my first real bike. I have so many memories with her, and to sell her would feel like betraying an old friend. I got a new road bike, and I feel like I have to divide my time evenly between the two so no one gets offended.

We have been talking about selling our Red Truck for a little while. It just won't be practical in San Francisco, where gas is approaching five dollars a gallon. On a whim, Brandon decided to put the truck on ksl to see what would happen. Fifty views in two minutes. Over twenty phone calls within 24 hours. Yeah we sold it. And yeah I did, for reals, cry. Then I went back and looked at all the pictures of all the fun places we went with that truck, and I was sad. Brandon couldn't believe it. "It was MY dream truck!" He said.

I still look for a red Toyota Tacoma on all mountain tires when Brandon comes to pick me up from school and I wonder how Big Red is doing with his new family :(


All dressed up for our wedding:


In Moab:


Camping:


Skiing: took the icy canyons like a champ

Lately

So.... I haven't posted for a while because I haven't been doing much except for lab work. And honestly who wants to hear about that? Not me. I submit my thesis in three weeks and have a bunch more genes to quantify from my 12 week prostates before I can write my discussion/conclusions. Also, I found out that I have to give a presentation at the Experimental Biology conference in April in San Diego. It is a great opportunity but I am really nervous!

Updates from the past month:

Valentine's Day we didn't do much because we were both busy until the late evening, but I did make us a steak dinner, and we ate lots of chocolate. That is the important thing.



We spent Presidents Day at Snowbird. We were nervous because the forecast called for wind chills down to -6 F, but it turned out to be a beautiful bluebird day with a few fresh lines. Brandon threw some of the biggest cliffs I have ever seen him do, but I didn't have the camera out to document.


This last Friday we ditched school and skied at Canyons with Nelson and his friend Adam. Even though I have a ton of work to do, I didn't feel guilty the whole day. That night we came back and went to Red Robin with Nelson, Summer, Laura, and Jake.


Yesterday was my 25th birthday. I don't know why but for some reason it seems old to me. Should I start worrying about wrinkles? Probably not because I think a huge zit is trying to make its appearance on my cheek. TMI and yuck. Anyways, Brandon and I went for a pretty miserable bike ride in the morning. Riding into the wind felt like we were moving backwards. Our efforts were rewarded by endless french toast from Magelby's and Red Iguana that night with my family. We celebrated with Brandon's family today. I had such a great weekend! I honestly have wonderful friends and
family.

Antelope Island - We saw no antelope

What do you do on a day that is cold and snowy, but not snowy enough to justify buying a day pass to a ski resort? (Our season passes have blackout days on every holiday) Well we went to Antelope Island. Brandon had never been before, and January is a great time to see birds and porcupines.

On the lookout


Our little coyote friends playing on the ice-Brandon named them Samuel and Jessop


Bison burger anyone?


Dream truck at Garr Ranch




Riding my bike on the frozen Great Salt Lake

Christmas Break

So..I pretty much haven't done anything productive since my oral exams. Okay, I did take care of my mice every day, but other than that...nothing! Here are a few pictures of our Christmas break:

Our tree


The one and only time we skied together during the break. There is NO snow! None.


Pre-Christmas mountain biking at Bobsled


Christmas (Brandon secretly put a little money away every month for five months to buy me a road bike. He is the BEST gift giver)




Hunting for snow with Rob. We found none.


So even though it has been the warmest and driest Christmas I can ever remember, it has still been wonderful. The warm temperatures have just allowed me to spend time on my new bike! (I'm still praying for snow) It was SO fun to spend time with both of our families and with each other. I am starting to realize how much I will miss being close to family when we move to San Francisco. Better make the most of the few months we have left in Utah!

One semester left! Then I am done with school forever and ever. I hope I make it.

Coursework Orals

After I presented my prospectus to the department in April, Dr. Fullmer asked me how I felt about my presentation. I answered, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." She replied, "Nothing is as bad as you think it will be, except for your oral exams. They will be worse." She was so right.

The last few months I just kept thinking about the previous master's student who they failed. He is at Ohio State Medical School right now. If HE failed, how was I supposed to pass? What I didn't expect was that I would break down in the middle of my exams, in front of three professors who I am supposed to be trying to impress. The one professor who I know I don't communicate well with was my first examiner. He asked me a few questions, and then one that I didn't know the answer to. More like I didn't get what he was trying to get me to tell him. But he kept pushing and pushing. Hello! I still don't know the answer, just like I didn't five minutes ago. I started to tear up and that's when everyone jumped in and said it would be ok. That's what got me. If I am crying, the best way to get me to stop is to ignore me. The best way to turn me into a waterfall is to coddle me. I have never been like that. I am not some fragile creature who needs to be treated nicely and had pretty words spoken at her. It must have been all the stress.

After that is kind of a blur,.....I answered some questions about a transcriptional mechanism that I had never heard of until yesterday...did some damage control. Then they excused me and I had to wait for the decision. Pass! What? I honestly don't know how that happened.

And yet, I still don't feel good about it. I feel like I looked like an idiot in front of all of my professors. I studied SO much material that wasn't even brushed on. They maybe asked me questions on maybe 7% of the material that I studied. Even though I passed I don't feel like I have accomplished anything, and I am certainly not proud of my pass.