"I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me/ I enjoy an accolade, like the rest.../[but I] Just want to hear instead, 'Well Done' good and faithful one..."

Lyrics of a favorite song of mine came to mind when I thought about posting this. I don't really like to toot my own horn, so to speak (wow, am I Southern with that phrase!)...but I wanted to share.

I am a graduate student instructor this semester to about 75 students. I teach them in 3 groups of 25, for 3 one hour sessions each week that are in addition to their "big" lecture, and I love it. I say "big" lecture because my 75 are a small portion of the 450 total students enrolled in course. Anyway, last week I gave the "big" lecture. Not all of the 450 students attend class-- it is an undergraduate course at 8:30 in the morning-- but I'd say 250-300 were there for it. I've never spoken in front of that many people before, but it went really well. I spoke about medical screening tests, reliability, validity, measurements, etc., all epidemiology principles.

I normally don't share things like this, but I was so excited when I got this email from the professor: "Kelly, I wanted to let you know what a great job you did and how much I appreciated your expertise. Not that I had any doubts, but I was really nervous for you before your talk.You were clear, went at a good pace, and I think the students enjoyed it. The fact that you got questions meant they were paying attention!"

I got home that day and told Adam that it's an amazing feeling to blessed to have the opportunity to do something that you feel like you were born to do. I can't wait to be a professor some day!

And by the way...yes, Adam is home from Guatemala. He had a wonderful time and when our life slows down I will get his pictures developed and posted on my blog. :)

Guatemala Update #3

I talked with Adam for a little bit tonight. He was ill for the past 24 hours- some kind of viral thing- but is feeling much better now. He had just watched the Baylor Bears beat the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 basketball tournament tonight! Ironically, the game was on tv in Guatemala but not in Detroit. I can't think of a better medicine for Adam, the ultimate Baylor Bear fan who bleeds green and gold.

He went to the market again today. He did a little bit of price bargaining but ultimately decided that he wanted to make sure he left all the money he took with him in the local economy. As an aside, I think that's a good practice for anyone traveling to a developing country...we are rich and blessed beyond measure...and, as Adam put it, what's one more dollar to us? To someone else, that could be their entire daily wage. Anyway, he said goodbye so he could go and enjoy the local jazz festival that was going on tonight. I pick him up tomorrow night when he arrives back in Detroit via Miami. I can't wait to see my best friend!

Guatemala Update #2

Adam is doing well. The weather has been wonderful for them. Their team gets a police escort to and from the clinic each day. He has been to the local market and apparently bought some souvenirs. He also said that he has been sitting on the roof of the hotel at night because the stars are amazing to see down there without much artificial light in the surrounding areas. I can't wait to see him on Saturday night when he returns and get more details about his trip!

Guatemala Update #1
Adam climbed this volcano yesterday, called Picaya. (This picture is from the internet, not something Adam took.) This particular volcano is the most frequently climbed in Guatemala despite its activity. He said it was beautiful and he was able to be right next to flowing lava! Today was spent in the clinic. He said there were many interesting cases...some of them interesting because of the progression of disease that would not normally be seen here, which is really sad. He finished out the day at a local place eating homemade chips and guacamole before waiting in line to call me. Apparently there is only one phone that is compatible with international calling cards. We only spoke for a minute or two because it is expensive to call and because there was a line behind him, but he sounded like he was having a great time. He said I would love it...and I'm sure I would. I wish I was there too! Maybe next time. :)

To Guatemala...
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Adam left for Guatemala this morning! He is in Guatemala to work in some local clinics/hospitals for a week. Much of the population there depends on mission work for their health care system. All of the members of Adam's team took supplies with them, including medications. Each team member took a suitcase filled with 50 pounds (limit for personal luggage) of supplies. Adam took a suitcase filled with 50 pounds of plastic baggies that will be used to dispense medications. He also took a letter from the Embassy explaining why he had a suitcase filled with drug baggies. :)
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Geography is not my strongest subject...and I also happen to love maps. So here is a map showing where Guatemala is in relation to Mexico and Belize, the location of our honeymoon! Wish I was there to enjoy a different culture and warmer weather.

Speaking of warmer weather...the high temperature yesterday was an astonishing 65 degrees! It hasn't been this warm since November, maybe earlier. I was in Ann Arbor for class and it was amazing how the city and U of M campus comes alive in warm weather. Thousands of people were outside, enjoying outdoor restaurants that reopened for the warmer weather. Even though it's supposed to get cold again (20s-30s) this next week, Adam and I took advantage of the warmer weather and our last evening together before his trip to pull out the grill and enjoy some steaks last night.

Jake also enjoyed the warmer weather with a bone on the deck while Adam grilled.

And, wonderful of wonderful, the snow melted! The grass is green(ish), just like I remember it. :)

Last weekend we visited Alyn and Joley and their family in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive- not bad at all. It was good to catch up with friends from Texas. We had been planning this for a month or two, ever since we found out the guys had the weekend off- both of them are medical interns. My pictures from the weekend were rather dark...so I stole these off Joley's blog. Hope she doesn't mind. :)
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Adam and I with Montgomery, 2, and Cora Leigh, 6 months, and of course Jake. This was our first time to meet sweet Cora. She was born in August last year.









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It was so cute to watch Montgomery and Jake. Montgomery's family has two large dogs, so he had never seen a dog closer to his size before. I was a bit worried that Jake might get too excited and knock him down or nip his fingers by mistake while taking a treat. But Jake was so good and patient with him. They played really well together. On Saturday, Montgomery wouldn't take a nap- he just cried all through his nap time- because he wanted to see Jake. How cute! As Joley put it, they both made a new friend that weekend. In this picture, they've spotted something out the front window.

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Montgomery wore Jake out. It's not that difficult to do these days...Jake sleeps in excess of 20 hours a day. It took a day or two for Jake to recover from the all the excitement and energy of a two year old little (human) boy. As you can see, any attempts to sleep during the day were shared with his new friend. So cute!!!

Pictures, pictures, pictures....
I am so behind on posting pictures! Here's the update on our life.
The pictures below are from Valentine's day. It was pretty low-key for us this year.
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My boys...Adam worked in the morning, and when he got home his number one fan was waiting for him.

The love pizza...[imagine that phrase in a really deep voice, with the word "love" drawn out]

His and hers...his with pepperoni and jalapenos, hers with pepperoni and mushroom.

Good wine with our fancy red wine glasses.