Tracey's World

One of my coworkers was in an accident on 4th of July and when I heard the news, which was very limited - only that she had been in an accident and was in critical condition, I instantly got goosebumps all over my body.  A few hours later I learned she suffered a head injury and instantly got tears in my eyes.  This is someone I don't even really know that well.  I guess it's just thinking of all that Sydney has been through and any time I hear head injury I think of her.  It's just overwhelming how suddenly your life (and the lives connected to yours) can change in an instant.  It's a reminder to me that every time you leave the house, I guess theoretically, any time, you never know what may happen. 

Since so many things are nearby to our apartment, I can bike or take a very short drive for most of our shopping trips and errands, but I find whenever I drive alone on the highway for some reason I always think of my accident.  I don't really know why - we weren't driving fast when it happened, but I guess it's just being on the highway when you have less distractions or maybe because it's a longer drive.  I always replay the accident in my head.  It's definitely the scariest thing I've been through in my entire life. The actual accident happened so fast I don't remember it, but everything just after - the smell of the airbags, the pain in my legs, being worried about Jason.  I can't imagine how my brother has managed to cope with the feelings of his accident. 

I can't believe it's the middle of summer already!  I guess with our weird weather in June it hasn't really felt much like summer here.  We've still been getting quit a bit of rain and thing are still very green - which is very unusual for July in Colorado.  We were over at our house the other day and the yard looks absolutely amazing.  The grass in our front yard always looked bad, but now I am strangely proud to say (since I no longer live there) that it is the nicest looking yard on the culdesac.  I wish I would have had my camera with me...

I did my half marathon last weekend.  I was worried I hadn't trained enough, but I finished within minutes of the time of my last half marathon - so I was pleasantly surprised.  It takes me about 2.5 hours - I'm always amazed that I can run for that length of time.  This one was mostly downhill - so that may have helped with my time, but it sure was hard on my legs.  I've never had my legs hurt during the race.  And I'm pretty sure I was more sore than I usually am - due to the downhill running.  That being said, I'm already looking for my next half marathon.  I don't think I'll do one this fall because of our vacation, so I'm guessing it will be next spring/summer.

We've been busy planning our vacation, which starts July 14th.  We have just about every night's lodging reserved.  While in some ways it's great to have the freedom to go anywhere, I really hate the game of arriving only to find the campground is full or checking prices at several hotels to find the best deal.  Also, being the peak of summer vacation time (mid-July to mid-August) we decided it would be a good idea to have reservations.  There are a few places, mostly national parks where campgrounds are first come, first serve - so we'll have to hope we have luck on those nights!

My mother-in-law arrives on Tuesday, Friday is my last day of work, she leaves Saturday, and then we have two days to get ready and then we're outta here!  I looking forward to all the new places and experiences.  Our first activity is a Wild Cave Tour - spelunking - so we'll have very dirty clothes right away.  Jason and I have both done this before - independently - I hope neither of us have issues with the tight spaces...

I'm thinking I will be putting pictures on my Following our Wanderlust page.  I went to it the other day and realized I hadn't even added pictures from the 2nd leg of our trip last fall, so I added those.  I cleaned off my memory card on my camera, so I'm ready for all new ones!

I found a new cooking show that's called Cook Yourself Thin on Lifetime.  I was bored the other night and found it in our on demand menu, so I watched several episodes.  Each show they meet with a different person and teach them healthier ways to cook their favorite meals.  Then they go to visit them 6 weeks later and see if they've lost weight. 
I was excited to try some of the recipes, so last night I tried the Mushroom and Spinach Quiche with Potato Crust.  Ugh - it turned out awful!  The crust was supposed to be like hash browns, but it wasn't crispy at all - way too much moisture and I think I used way too much onion.  I was disappointed - I haven't really tried a new recipe in a while.  Jason was out at a class, so he didn't witness my failure.  For some reason I covered it and put it in the fridge.  Not sure why...

I'm trying to find something good to cook when Jason's mom comes to visit in a few weeks.  We'd really like to do something on the grill, since that was her Christmas present to us, but we've only had one day without storms - so we're not getting many opportunities to try things out.

I was just thinking the other day

• this time last year I had seven times more than my current savings balance and a car that was fully paid for.  Now I have just a few thousand in savings and no car. 
  
• A few years ago (when we were in Seattle), Jason was the one without a car and working odd jobs.
• Somehow, I don't have a single snapshot of Jason and I on our wedding day.  We have our professional pictures, but not a single casual picture of the two of us.  No one took one of us at the picnic or reception??

I had the last two days off from both my jobs.  It was great.  Tuesday I got up and ran 6.5 miles on a trail in Boulder that I use to run at all the time.  It's been a slightly strange feeling to go running in my old spots.  One of them Jason introduced me to back in 2001.  Here it is 2009 and I'm running there again.  I guess for most people this wouldn't be strange, but it feels strange to me, eight years later and there I am running the same exact trail. 
I got several things done around the house that I had been putting off.  Jason and I went out to run errands together which we haven't done in quite some time.  We went to the mall to buy him a few new outfits and gosh - he's tough to shop with!!  I guess we'd never gone clothes shopping together before.  He got a few things, so now he has some nice new clothes to wear to his conference in San Jose. 
We finally used our new grill.  We've had awful weather the past couple weeks - nine days in a row of severe storms. It was sprinkling a bit, but we went ahead and used it.  Although, unfortunately we had to eat inside due to the weather.

Yesterday we went up to Brainard Lake (about an hour away) to go hiking, but there was still a ton of snow, we managed to hike for about an hour and had a picnic lunch, but that was about it.  We stopped at the library to get some travel books and then sat by the Boulder Creek to read through them.  So exciting to read about places to visit while enjoying a beautiful day.  We're really looking forward to heading  up to Minnesota.  Neither of us has been before, so it will be great to see something new.  We're planning a canoe trip up in the boundry waters too. 

I guess maybe I haven't mentioned our trip yet.  It all started with Jason's conference in San Jose in mid-August and we built it around that.  We're leaving mid-July to go to South Dakota (Wind Cave, Badlands, and Minuteman Missile Silo), then to Minnesota (Twin Cities, Duluth, Boundary Waters), then over to Montana (Bozeman and Glacier NP), then we're staying in a firetower in Idaho, then to Oregon (check out Bend and Mt Hood area), then to California (San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sir, Yosemite, Kings Canyon).  I'm really excited about it because almost all of it will be new for us.  I've been to Wind Cave and the stops in Montana, but that's it.  Originally we were going to meet my dad in Tetons to do some hiking, but he had some complications with work and couldn't make it. We decided to check out some new spots instead of going back to Tetons.  We do love the Tetons, but we just spend two weeks there last summer.

Here's some pictures from our hike yesterday.

I had a great visit with my family in South Carolina.  I flew directly into Augusta, which is about 30 minutes from Aiken, versus the 2.5-3 hour drive from Charlotte or Atlanta...that was a much better way to do it.  It was actually pretty cool most of the time I was there.  I even got to sit on the deck with my parents and enjoy the nice weather.  My mom's birthday was on the 7th, so it was nice to spend her birthday with her.  She's been on Weight Watchers and has lost alot of weight.  She looks great.  We went shopping and it was so strange to have her wearing several sizes smaller than me!
My dad took a day off work and we tried to go canoeing, but it didn't work out - but we still got to spend some time together.

My brother and his family came over a few times.  They are currently living with his inlaws.  They just sold their house and will be moving into a new, bigger house in about a month.  Baby #5 is due in August, so the three bedroom house was getting too small.  Adelyn and Grant are just shy of a year old.  They are at a very cute age.  Last time I saw them they were about two months old, so they weren't doing much besides sleeping.  Ethan will be four next month.  He's grown up quite a bit - he's a great kid as well.  Sydney is doing well too.  She just turned six a few weeks ago.  She's looking very grown up these days.  She's still making progress since her hemispherectomy back in Feb 08.  She had just recently mastered writing the letter "D" and was very proud to show us all how well she can write.  This is quite an accomplishment considering there was a time it was difficult for her to even hold a pencil.  They are hoping to put her in kindergarten this fall. She's very happy and has a beautiful smile - as all their kids do actually.  They make four kids look like no problem at all...

We've had a 3 day camping trip planned since back in February.  It's been great to have that trip to look forward to - always seeing it waiting for us on June 1st.  Well, June 1st arrived and I woke to rain.  Yuck!  I immediately thought we should just skip it, but I didn't say anything.  The state park we were going to was 2 hours away, so the weather could be completely different.  In fact, the weather often is different up in the mountains.  Still, packing for a summer camping trip in the cool rain is very different than what we had wanted.

We ended up driving several hours in the rain.  By the time we got to our exit it was thunder and lightning as well.  We push on though - hoping it might pass through.  But, it continues and doesn't let up at all. We drove the 20 miles to the campground.  The host tells us it's been raining all week.  Ugh...  There's no shelter at the campground - so the idea of setting up the tent in the rain, cooking in the rain, and probably just sitting in the tent - not the kind of trip we wanted.  We come up with plan B and went to a nearby town and got a hotel. 

The next morning it's cool and cloudy, but no rain.  There's a 16 mile bike path we've been wanting to ride and we've got our bikes with us - so plan B is working out.  We were only about to go about 7.5 miles because the path is closed due to high water.  With all the rain and snow melt, the local rivers are very high.  So, we turn around, disappointed, but happy we were able to do some of it.  On the way back we see the dark clouds rolling in and within an hour it's pouring rain.  We decided to just come home - camping just doesn't look like it's going to happen.  The drive back was awful with heavy rain, hail, lots of water on the highway and even some snow!  We got home to rain and temps in the 40's - June??

I have today off as well and we'd like to something, but the weather isn't cooperating today either.  Maybe we'll just go to a movie...

I think I've known ever since I was laid off in January 2006 that I wanted to do something different, careerwise.  I did apply for several different kinds of jobs, but as many of you know - it's not that easy to just change fields.  I did have that one interview as a technical trainer that would have been great - but of course I didn't get it.  Anyway, I ended up taking a temp job at another biotech company - which turned into full time and was good money.  That money enabled me to quit and travel - bringing us to where I am today.

The job market is awful and I don't really want to go back to a lab job anyway - so I've been at two "temporary" part time jobs for almost 6 months now.  So, it's time to thing about what I want to do.  While I certainly like my current schedule - I need to make more money.  I called career center at my college and was happy to find that do offer services to alumni.  I talked with one of the career counselors and took a few tests as well.  Not surprisingly, chemist and other lab sciences did not rank high for me.  Also interesting - nursing, which I've been thinking about for a few years, is right at the top.  I know these tests don't guarantee that you'll definitely be happy (or happy) with certain careers, but it did get the dislike correct for me.

Anyway, I do need a change, so I've started looking into nursing school again.  I did go to an information session back in the fall about the nursing program at a local community college.  I was very disappointed to find out there was a three year wait list and it would be 1.5-2 years before I could even complete the prerequites to get on that wait list.  I was discouraged and decided I didn't want to do that.  I knew I didn't want to spend 4 years getting another BS degree - the advantage of the community college program was that it's only two years.

I spent some time researching community colleges in other states, but the cost is really high as an out of state student.  I recently learned about accelerated bachelors programs - which typically are 16-24 months.  I found three schools in the Denver metro area that offer this program in their nursing programs.  However, I'm still looking at $40,000 - plus the 4-6 prerequisite classes.  That is a lot of money - but of course with a BS I could start making more than if I had an associates degree.

I certainly don't like the idea of going into that kind of debt, but what are my other options?  I'm not going to be able to just switch careers with out more education or training.   I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to get financial aid because Jason makes good money - but I'm not exactly sure how that works.  In another way, I am fortunate that my parents paid for my four years of college at Warren Wilson - Jason is still paying off his student loans.  Maybe it's my turn to invest in myself?

Speaking of Jason - his online ventures continue to grow.  His income seems to just keep getting bigger each month.  It's a big concern of mine that I won't want to work full time in several years. He could have even more freedom than he has now.  So, how would we handle me working full time as a nurse, while he has plenty of free time and wants to travel and do things?  Ideally, he would make enough money to hire me, but he's not there yet.  But, what if 3 years from now when I graduated with my degree and $40,000 in debt, he could?  I just don't know what to do.

I guess my plan may be to start with the prerequisites, which will be at least two semesters to complete, probably more.  In the meantime I'll debate about what to do with schooling.  You can't apply until the prerequisites are done anyway.  If for some reason I decide not to go, I'll have learned about anatomy, physiology, and microbiology.

Today we set out to go on a grand adventure.  Our plan was to hike in the Flatirons near Boulder and go up 3 different peaks along the range, the highest of which is ~8,400 feet.  We got the number of a taxi and just planned to call one when we finished our hike because to do a loop would just be way too long.  We got off to a late start - we didn't set an alarm- actually we rarely ever have an alarm set.  I don't even have a clock on my side of the bed (it's a tough life!)  Anyway, we did a few things around the house and it was 10 am by the time we reached the trailhead.  It was hot. Why we picked the first day that it got into the 90s to do the hike, I don't know.   I don't handle the heat so well - so I was suffering hiking up hill in full sun.  We took a few breaks, but I started to worry we wouldn't have enough water.  We each had 2 liters, but we were drinking alot.  We also found out we weren't in as good of shape as we thought.  After a few hours we stopped for lunch and realized that there was no way we were going to do all three peaks.  We ended up heading back down - but still were out for 5 hours.  I'm exhausted after being in the sun all day.  The pool is open, so we'll probably head over there in a bit.  We'll have to try our ambitious hike later this summer. 

Add to my list Property Manager.  I think I've written that I took over the management of our rental house a few months ago.  Our current tenants gave notice, so I've been advertising and looking for new renters.  We had our first real lead, but sadly I had to turn down their application.  It was a tough decision, because obviously I'd like to get someone in there, but their credit was too risky for us.  So, it's back to showing and hoping someone else wants to rent.  We've got two and half weeks before we have to pay the mortgage out of own our pocket.  My theory is that renters will need to act quicker as June 1st arrives and their choices will be fewer as well.  We'll see what a happens - it's a little stressful, but we're still getting several phone calls about the house.  Hopefully something will work out soon.

  I hadn't realized it's been so long since I updated this site.  I guess I have been pretty good at not spending too much time on the computer.  I'm waiting for a phone call from a career adviser in a few minutes.  I called WWC to see what services they have to offer for alumni.  I need to really spend some time figuring out what to do with my life.  I'm really torn at what to do.  But, as Jason says, "Do you know what will happen if you do nothing?"  He's right - months could just slip away and nothing will happen.  We'll be traveling most of July, August, and October.  So I'm hoping to spend the next two months coming up with a plan of what to do in the fall.  Of course, this is all complicated by the fact that we don't even know where we want to live.  However, if I decide to go back to school for anything, we could move for that- try out an area and then once school is done figure out where we'd like to live.

Then there's the kid question too.  Several years ago I gave myself the deadline of deciding by the time I'm 35.  I don't want to be too old when I have kids.  And if I have one, I want two - so 35 is a good time to get that started.  Of course, now that my 35th birthday about 5 months away it seems too soon!  I've asked several friends about this question.  I guess I feel like you should just know if you want kids - I don't know.  It's hard for me to picture my life with kids.  It'd make sense for Jason to watch the kids - since he works from home, but he's not so sure about that.  I get the impression his dad didn't have many responsibilities (besides financially supporting 3 kids and a wife)- so he doesn't think having kids will impact his life that much.  I think he'd be in for a surprise! 

Well, I should prepare for this phone call - I hope it's beneficial...