Halloween 2010

Halloween was lots of fun this year, even though the inflatable donut did not match either of my costumes!

Travis, the NatGeo photographer, Rolo, the pirate, Steph, the Hawaiian (I mean, how often do you get to wear your mu'u mu'u?), and Britt, the butterfly!

RSMAS always has a little party at the Wetlab, so our lab put on our costumes and spent some time hanging out at our favorite local bar!

Rolo, Marc, Lorraine, and Andy

Scott, the banana, Nancy and Teah, the monkey!

Pirate vs. Butterfly...the smack down!

The Hawaiians stick together!

On Saturday, I drove up to Hobe Sound to attend the annual Brown Khyn-Hansen Halloween party!  It took me a little longer than normal to make the drive since I had to stop about every 20 minutes to give my tush a break, but I made it eventually! 

I was super excited about my costume this year...I've been wanting to dress up like a flapper for a long time and I had the perfect shoes for it!  My roommate Britt let me borrow her awesome dress too!   

 Me and Gaga!

 Gaga and David Bowie!

As always, the party was lots of fun and the food was amazing (cupcakes, Skyline dip, artichoke dip, kale chips, etc)!  It was a nice low key evening which was perfect for me!  I woke up pretty sore from standing around in the "perfect" shoes all night, but it wore off eventually.  Thanks for hosting, Claus and Michelle!  Can't wait for next year!! 

Last weekend, my friend, Kerry, from Hawaii, was in town for business.  Lucky for me, she had to pass through Miami on her way from the Keys to Puerto Rico, so we got to spend some time together.  She drove up from Key Largo on Friday afternoon and we went out to the Sandbar for some tacos and a 9 lb burrito.  Let's just say we had some leftovers available!

We drove up to South Beach with some friends to attend a Surfrider Foundation event.  They have food, drinks and show surf movies.  They also have a raffle to raise money for the Foundation.  Guess what....I won a skateboard.  I know....exactly what I need.


The next day, we were guests of my friend, Ben, to a Reef Environmental Education Foundation (http://www.reef.org/) Sustainers and Advisory Event which in layman's terms means presentations, demonstrations, and lunch and dinner at Paul Humann's house in Fort Lauderdale.  For those of you who don't know, Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach are the authors and photographers for the best identification guides for reef fish, creatures and corals.  Basically, these guides were textbooks for me as I learned how to identify all things Caribbean.  Paul has a wonderful home with a huge garden which he started due to his large collection of palm trees.  We got to hear presentations on the invasion of lionfish, see slide presentations on the latest cool diving trips from around the world and see behind the scenes of Discovery Channel's Shark Week.  We also got to tour the gardens and see a lionfish dissection. 

View of the water lily pond.

Look at all those palms!

Cool fountain.

Very cool walkway!

The best part....Kerry got her hands on two signed copies of the newest Tropical Pacific Reef Creature Identification book...before it's even been released!  She graciously gave me a copy for hosting her while in Miami!  Thanks Kerry!!!!!  It's awesome!

Unfortunately, Kerry's visit was short and she had to leave really early the next morning to catch her flight to PR (but the good news is that we remembered daylight savings time and she actually made it to the airport at the right time), but it was great to see her and catch up!

Tailbone Update- Week 4

See week 3....except the donut casualty is now up to three.   

Tailbone- Week 3

Can't it be week 4 yet?

Still in pain, still super sore by the end of the day, still have to go home and medicate, still have bruises on my hips and tailbone, still don't have an appetite, still get hot flashes from the meds, popped my inflatable donut yesterday at a Acropora workshop......I'm ready for this to be over.

Tailbone....Week 2

Here's a little update on my recovery after breaking my tailbone.  It's been two weeks now.  The bruises are continuing to heal, but my tailbone is still very sensitive.  My hips and lower back continue to be sore, but I am much more mobile than I was two weeks ago.  I'm able to manage the stairs in my apartment, but walking up stairs is still fairly uncomfortable!  I can sit now for up to about 20 minutes using my inflatable donut. I've been going into the office for about 4 hrs at a time, but then I have to come home, medicate and lay around for the rest of the evening. I'm having to learn when enough is too much without having to pay for it the next day!
The best way to describe what it feels like....you know how it feels when your back has to pop?  That pressure and discomfort?  That's it....right on my tailbone....constantly!
As you can tell, I'm getting a little bored with not being able to do the things that I want to.  I'm frustrated that I can't sit down to watch a movie or read book or eat dinner.....
This has been a very slow healing process, however, I continue to appreciate what everyone has done for me!  Thanks for the continuous well wishes!

Light the Night 2010

Every year, the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society sponsors a fundraising walk to raise money and awareness for lifesaving research that has contributed to major advances in the treatment of blood cancers.  Funds are also used to provide information, counseling and hope for patients and families living and dealing with this type of disease.  For me, it's also a chance to remember my mom who lost her battle with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 4 years ago.  

Travis and Rolando rock their balloons!

This year, I walked with my boss, his wife, and two of my labmates, Rolando and Travis.  The walk was along Bayfront Park in Miami which gave views of the Miami skyline at night and the cool breezes off the water.  We carry balloons either in support of the cause (red), as a survivor (white) or in memory of someone (gold). 

My boss, Diego, and his wife, Laura, enjoy the fireworks!

Because of my recent injury, we had to talk the walk pretty slow (we kept joking that we might even come in last!).  But, it was enjoyable and I made it to the finish line.  I had thought that I might not be able to participate this year, but it meant a lot to me and I figured that if people battling cancer could participate, then so could I (plus I checked with my doctor to make sure that I wasn't going to cause any damage!).  I'm so happy that I did too (the fireworks display and the free ice cream at the end helped)!   

Thanks to everyone's generous donations, our team was able to raise $1720 for the Light the Night walk. It makes me proud that everyone was so supportive of this very worthy cause! 

Tailbone Update

It's been a week since "the fall" and I am amazingly not really feeling any better.  The major downside is that both of my hips have bad bruises on them from constantly laying on my side and my back and hips are pretty sore.  So now, there really isn't a comfortable position to be in!!  The good news is that the big bruise next to my tailbone is starting to heal and I'm hoping that I'll be able to sit or lay a little more comfortably once it goes away!
I saw the orthopedic doctor on Monday who told me that I should expect to feel better in about 2 weeks and to feel back to normal in a month.  It's going to take a full 6 to 8 weeks to fully recover.  I've heard from others who have been unfortunate enough to fracture their tailbones that a month is actually pretty accurate.  I'm not supposed to do any field work until then and will have a check up with the doctor.
I started using my inflatable donut yesterday and have been able to sit for up to 15 minutes at a time and have been able to accomplish some work which at least makes me feel somewhat normal again.
Considering that this is my first broken bone, I feel as if I'm not handling the situation very well.  I'm extremely tired of seeing the 4 walls of my bedroom and am getting anxious to get back to a normal lifestyle, but it's a bit depressing knowing that it might be as much as 3 weeks away! 
I am, however, extremely grateful for all of the phone calls, texts and emails from everyone with well wishes and offers to help!  I really couldn't have made it through this past week without everyone's support!