First flight tomorrow!

Wohoo - yet another email:

"Test flight tf02 will go tomorrow (Wed 10/1) at 1400 MDT. Power and access in the hangar from 0730 MDT until 1130 when the aircraft will be moved to the ramp. Pre-flight from 1200 until takeoff. We will be targeting clouds. Based on the local conditions that means we'll have to go some distance to find anything worth working. We will file IFR and complete any high altitude work in route to our target. Rob will be asking all groups for specific flight request that we can fit into the flight. Plan for a duration of 2 hours. For observer seats, Wyoming and RAF Chemistry will each get an extra seat for training*. CSU has just informed me they have a system failure and will not fly tomorrow. That leaves 1 seat available. Let me know who might be interested."

* That's me!

I think I feel a little offended:

I just got this email in my work-inbox:

"Hi all,

With help from [person Y] I've been able to confirm our hotel reservations in Arica. Please note that some of you have been issued new identities for this project. These are listed below along with your reservation #'s :

>> Mr. [X1] 682845
>> Mr. [X2] 682799
>> Mr. [X3] 682829
>> Mr. [X4] 682810
>> Mr. [X5] 682802
>> Mr. [X6] 682837
>> Mr. Mwiweer 682853

Given how much effort it took to confirm these reservations, there's no way I'm going to ask them to restore your original identities. "

Note that I changed my male coworkers' names to X1-X6 to keep them anonymous - just trust me that their names were only violated in a very very minor way - however check out mine! ??

NCAR C-130 safety training

Monday I went to the airport in Boulder for safety training on the NSF/NCAR (National Science Foundation / National Center for Atmospheric Research) C-130 aircraft that I will be flying on during our project in Chile, starting October 12th.
It was quite a fun day, we learned all about the flight operations, escape holes, and the wetsuits we have to put on in case we have to make an emergency water landing (which of course won't happen ;) ), and got to meet the 4 pilots that will be coming with us. We had to sign some paperwork saying we are in good health etc., and that they are not responsible if we get injured in any way. This actually posed a little problem, because in the list of health requirements, it stated that you cannot be pregnant beyond 20 weeks (Much earlier than commercial aircraft, because these research aircraft tend to fly through clouds for scientific purposes, which means turbulence! - however the type of clouds that we fly through during our project are not the true convective type clouds, so....?). Oops! In chile I will be in my 17th-23rd week, so that could be a problem. I went to the head of flight operations to ask about this, and he said he didn't really know, because they have never had a pregnant woman on board before! Wohoo! Always fun to be the first. :) - anyhow, I will make sure to chat this over with my doctor, and hopefully the NCAR safety people won't ban me after 20 weeks.

After all the safety stuff we went inside the plane, which is only a rough empty tube (no fancy interior or overhead compartments), showing all wiring and tubing, and inside are just a few (maybe 8 or 10?) seats for the scientists, and all the instruments. Sampling of the air is through inlets that come through the body of the plane, and some of the instruments are in pods underneath the wings. My professor took me in to show me what 'my seat' will be, right in front of a rack of instruments (4 of them - more will follow about those) that I will be responsible for. We will fly about every other day (both day and night flights), and each flight will be about 9 hours long (more about that to follow as well). No in flight service of course, so this pregnant lady will have to figure out how to make sure she gets enough food during those 9 hours! :) We will be allowed to move about the cabin, and even go up front to hang with the pilots in the cockpit. For restrooms they have one *wonderful* porta-potty in the back :( - so yes, I will also bring my clorox wipes.

That afternoon they had another test flight, however I had to race back to Laramie to substitute guest lecture a 4pm undergraduate Earth System Science class on air pollution - a whole story in itself - basically, I had just been given the slideshow on a memory stick that morning, with no way at all to prepare for the presentation. In the end everything went well, I was able to answer the students' questions, and I actually enjoyed teaching!


This is a pricture of the aircraft. I will make sure to take my camera with me next time we go to Boulder for a test flight (this thursday?) to take some pictures of the air sample inlets, the instruments underneath the wings, and 'my seat' :).

More about our whole 6 week project in Arica, Chile will follow at some point too.

Voor mijn zus :)

Ode aan mijn mooie, lieve zusje:
:)



Deze vind ik zo leuk!


Altijd lol samen :)


Van de zomer gaan we weer samen hollen!


Gek he - bijna de enige foto die ik van ons tweeen heb - daar moet nodig wat aan gedaan worden volgende zomer. Misschien zijn er nog leuke foto's van wadlopen van deze zomer?


Ahh - schoonheid op het strand


Griekse godin :)


Ik zat echt mijn computer af te speuren naar foto's samen - maar kon er bijna geen vinden :( - daar moeten we nodig wat aan doen de volgende keer!!
Hele dikke knuffel!
Zus

Honest?

If I had the guts to be honest:

Professor: Why didn't you finish making that plot yet?
Wiesje: Because instead of working on it last evening, I was sewing baby blankets?? ...... :)

Ahh visits to the women's clinic....

* first, my morning appointment is canceled because the doc has a delivery to attend to - understandable - only about 1 hr of work time wasted
* come back in the afternoon for re-scheduled appointment
* wait for 1 hr and 15 mins for the doctor to finally show up
* then get rushed in and out of your appointment in about 5 minutes, where the doctor has no clue what is in your chart or what is going on with your case
* lose yet another 2 hrs or so of work
* and of course pay rediculous amount for said appointment
* but, you get to hear the heartbeat of your little one - PRICELESS!

I got Tagged!

Kristen tagged me! My first tag! Wohee!

Here's how to play the game.
Post these rules on your blog;
List:
3 joys,
3 fears,
3 current obsessions/collections,
3 random surprising facts about yourself.
Tag 4-6 people at the end of your blog by leaving their names.

Joys-
1) Hikes with Ben and Sage
2) Worship
3) Coming home after fun and exciting travels with Ben

Fears-
1) Scary movies - there is no way I can and will watch those demented things
2) nothing else seems to come to mind really - I agree with Kristen that fear for anything would indicate a big lack of faith on my part, and would mean that I better start praying instead of blogging about it.

Current obsessions/collections-
1) Finishing the final touches on my masters!
2) Baking
3) Slowly starting to collect and make baby things!

Random facts about me-
1) I tend to be very discriptive, sometimes using funny words in the process
will have to think about the other two.....to be continued


I tag Stephannie, Megan and Cat!

So....#2

Most people have known for quite a while, but now that I'm done defending, I decided to tell my work too, which means it is no longer a secret to anyone, and I can FINALLY blog about it.

I'M PREGNANT!!

That's right, we're going to be parents! haha! Now I can finally post belly pictures, and put one of those fun pregnancy tickers in the banner of my blog - yay!

I'm currently about 14.5 wks along, and due somewhere around March 20th!

Here is a first shot of our little one, taken about 4 weeks ago at our first ultrasound appointment.


Ben and I are so happy and excited, and feel so blessed with this gift from God!
Again, all glory to Him, because "..nothing is impossible for God" (Luke 1:37), and "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." (Job 5:9)!!!!!! All you have to do is wait for His timing.

So....

I'm Done! (pretty much)

Now that reality set in a little bit, I figure I post a little bit more about it :)
So I was scheduled to present and defend my MS work on tuesday last week. I had been looking forward to that day for weeks (well ever since I started really, but...), knowing it would all be over with finally, and then the day before I get an email that one of my committee members was in the hospital sick, which meant I could not proceed with my defense (all committee members need to attend) and it would have to be postponed till he felt better.

***I was a very grouchy, unhappy girl for a few days!*** (ask Ben)

I could however still present my work to the public (and the rest of my committee) that tuesday, and my presentation was videotaped so that that professor could watch it in the hospital.
The presentation went well, and I heard later that day that most likely I would able to do my defense thursday afternoon, which I did! It went pretty well too, considering it is 2 hrs worth of (trying to) answer grueling questions.
I now have some minor revisions to do to my thesis, but after that I should REALLY BE ALL DONE!

Thank you so much to all my friends and family for all the support and prayers throughout the years!!
But, above all, all glory to my Father in heaven. Without Him I know this Masters degree would not have happened: "For nothing is impossible for God" (Luke 1:37), and "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." (Job 5:9)!!

I Presented and Defended, and.......

I PASSED!!!


WOHEEEEE!!!!

In case you missed our performance at the Beijing Olympics

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Couples Bible Study Camping Trip 2008 - Not our pictures, but still want to share them

As I said in the title, these pictures are not taken by us, but I still wanted to share them! Thanks for taking those great pictures Sandy! (and - she has many more!)

My Family

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