January 7 Day 1400: Milestones

First a quick update: I never tested positive for COVID–only Mark. He had few (if any) symptoms and is now testing clear. We can get back to life as usual. Phew! Only 1400 days since the start of the COVID pandemic experience.

After teaching my first classes of the quarter last Thursday, I followed through on my plan to fly to San Francisco so that I could see Zachary and his fellow investigators present their research from summer 2023’s REU at his first professional mathematics meeting. It was truly a proud Math Mama (and proud Math Professor) moment.

The other milestone that I have not written on the blog but would like to record (even though it is a little late) is the celebration of 25 years of marriage to Mark. We journeyed to Iceland for a grand adventure in the dark. It was magical. We saw geysers, glaciers, ice caves, icebergs, waterfalls, and more. We were in Reykjavik on the night of December 18 when the eruption occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula and could see a glowing red sky from our hotel room. Our tour proceeded the next the morning (which was the day of our actual anniversary) as if nothing happened. Throughout the day, I wrote out 25 reasons why I love Mark. In posting them here, I realized that I actually gave 26 reasons (repeating the number 20). Let me post them here in one place. I has also embedded the actual FB posts below—but they are not easily visible when reading on a mobile devise.

1. I love your passion (for me).
2. I love your passion (for science).
3. I love how you try every day to be a better person.
4. I love how you try to make everyone laugh with corny jokes.
5. I love that right now you moved to a seat across the aisle to make room for me to stretch out my angry knee. You always try to take care of me.
6. I love that you hold my hand.
7. I love how you see beauty in the smallest things.
8. I love how we have grown together—each being true to ourselves while honoring the other.
9. I love how you taught me to appreciate my own strengths.
10. I love the family we created.
11. I love the joy you have in all things that glow-in-the-dark.
12. I love snuggling with you.
13. Love how silly you can be (as evidenced in the photo below.)
14. I recognize and love that you are pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone on this trip. We have done so many magical things that our common sense might have told us not to try. That is a true gift.
15. I love your commitment to truth and honor.
16. I love the creativity you bring to promoting microbiology.
17. I love how you look in your Irish cap.
18. I love our morning walks and quiet time together.
19. I love playing cribbage with you.
20. I love your spirituality. Followed by another 20 in a later post.
    I love how good you are at standing up for others.
21. I love how happy a 3D printed tardigrade makes you.
22. I love your commitment to family.
23. I love your big brain.
24. I love the way you make the bed in the morning if I get up before you.
25. I love your unwavering commitment to this relationship. In our 25 years of marriage, you have never, not once, showed any doubts or hesitations. Yes, there have been hard times but also amazing and joyful ones. Together we can accomplish anything and we keep getting stronger. I know we have many more (dare I say even better) years in front of us.

Cover image was the view out my hotel window in San Francisco for the one night I was there.