The last 5 years...

The last 5 years have sure been a whirl wind of ups, downs, goods, and bads. I am not sure I was ever ready for it all, but I would not trade any of it and am grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded by my time here, but in and out of the lab. As I started packing a few weeks ago I began to think of everything that has happened in my life in the last 5 years.

Also, I must note, and will elaborated on soon in the near future, my last night was quite a fitting end as things came full circle while sitting out enjoying a cool summer evening at The Pig. Glenn almost got in a fight because of some obnoxious, biligerent drunk, which is what happened the first time I went to The Pig with him, however, last night there was also a French Canidian named Mary involved.


1. lost both of my grandmothers, one to cancer and one to complications of heart failure
2. become an aunt twice and am very excited to be moving closer to my nieces
3. had the addition of 4 other babies in my extended family
4. traveled to Europe for the first time and visited, The Netherlands (Amsterdam), France (Paris, Arachon, Toulouse), Italy (Rome), Spain (Barcelona), and Germany (Bamberg & Munich)
5. visited Madison WI, San Francisco CA, Breckenridge CO, Washington DC, and Balitmore MD for the first time
6. traveled to Chicago, Indy, New Orleans, Tampa, and New York
7. published 6 peer-reviewed publications
8. received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association
9. had an appendectomy (that prohibited my Bahamas vacation)
10. brought my first a new (used) car
11. testified in court as a victim of vandalism
12. had my first (and hopefully last) root-canal
13. got my first pet that I hope to have a very long time
14. stayed in the same apartment for all 5 years
15. went on my first bar-crawl (thanks Hartman & Klemen)
16. free-style walked (and fell) on a large planter on Green Street
17. performed brain surgery on a mouse
18. had an experiment that had to start at 3AM
19. developed a love for wine
20. had my heart broken twice by the same person
21. took an overnight train ride
22. my parents got divorced
23. never pulled an all-nighter
24. saw numerous shows, including the “Full Monty” at The Station Theater in Urbana – I highly recommend their shows
25. was propositioned by a stranger to for a ménage à trois
26. was in a homecoming parade at my alma mater
27. got a tattoo on the inside of my left ankle of a star-gazer lily
28. started a blog (which you know, because you are currently reading it)
29. had two roommates and four other friends stay for extend periods of time, including my “rent-a-husband”
30. saw the following concerts: Cake, Kanye West, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Fall Out Boy
31. attended my first Big 10 college basketball and football games
32. took up a part-time job as a waitress for about 6 months because I was kind of bored and missed it
33. ‘moon-lighted’ as a quzie-personal trainer
34. fell rollerblading for the first time ever
35. took a road trip to Las Vegas
36. went to 6 weddings (1 bride’s maid, 1 maid-of-honor)
37. cooked a live lobster
38. lost my camera in Chicago during a bachelorette party
39. ate an atomic-nuclear-rib…OMG!
40. saw the following muscials: Rent, Urine Town, West Side Story, Hair Spray, Seussical The Musical, Wicked
41. went white water rafting on the Arkansas rive in Colorado
42. hosted my first keg party
42. learned to like drinking beer, especially German wheat beer
43. chased a bus
44. subbed on the on the Crack Monkey softball team a few times
45. won the NSGSA bake-off two years in a row