Due to a fantastic letter (my first mail! Car insurance was my second piece...) that requested pictures from our visit to Montana, I have posted some pictures of our days in Stevensville. It was just a beautiful town. I loved eating Kristie's homemade breakfasts and trying to make Waylon smile for me (he's in a shy stage.). It was great to drink beer with Paul and watch he and Sterling bond over heavy machinery. And their place is gorgeous. Kristie was an amazing hostess, especially in lieu of the fact that she had little to no notice that we were coming. In short, everyone should go visit Montana. There are some Jochim's up there who will take good care of you.
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| Kristie and Sterling take Jazz and Dakota for a ride. |
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| My head is cut off, but Waylon was happy, so it's a keeper! |
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| The Jochim living room; see Charlotte's windows? |
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| She is such a natural... Mother Earth Incarnate. |
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| Happy with my family! |
Of course, this all seems a far cry from Baltimore and my life right now. Which is going so well, by the way. Sterling and I are happily setting up our home together with its necessities. Some highlights:
1) I wanted to grow my Obama chia head when I arrived. Unfortunately, his head was broken off of his neck. So, we dipped him chin deep in water to keep him hydrated. He still needed a little extra moisture, so we then put a plastic bag over his head. It felt like Guantanamo here. Fortunately, all is well. Chia Obama is sprouting nicely, despite his clown-like hair growth.
2) We went to IKEA to find some storage for the kitchen, which is big on space, low on storage capacity. We found a beautiful cabinet in the "As Is" section, which is the one part of the store that has furniture put together. Of course, we had it to get it home in my Subaru, so Sterling broke it apart in the parking lot and we miraculously (and perhaps slightly dangerously) carried it home. He promptly put it back together upon our arrival (isn't he great?!) only to comment at the end, "Weren't there 6 shelves?" We looked in vain for the missing four shelves, but alas... So, we drove BACK to IKEA (where I had been so impressed when we got out of there by 2pm) and found our missing shelves waiting for us in the loading area, unscathed. A full IKEA day, but a successful one, nonetheless.
3) School. It's a highlight in itself. The lectures are amazing; my classmates are incredible (seriously... these people are INCREDIBLE); and the salads at the small cafe are delicious. Plus they have good black coffee. Please let me know if you think of dissertation topics because I have a feeling that I won't want to leave after 11 months.
And now I must do my homework, so that I can stay in this delightful program. Epidemiology, here I come!
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Now off topic: Delightful makes more sense in the French/Latin form, but not so much in the English form. How could something that is not full of light bring one pleasure? (The trap has been set.)