I am now...

...a cyclist.  I don't really know when I can officially call myself that.  But, I did buy a bike (and a helmet) about a month ago and have pedaled 64 miles since then.  I go out just about every day for at least a couple miles and I'm working my way up to a 10 mile trip.  It all started on the way home from our annual camping trip with our college friends.  So many of them are avid runners...and even on our camping trip, they went out for a run.  While I know I'll never be a runner, I was inspired to start some sort of exercise addiction.  Marcus was equally inspired and admired how so many of our friends had found something that they do together as couples.  We really don't do anything together in that way...unless you count chasing after the kids or falling asleep on the couch watching TV.  He really wanted to have something with me that was "ours"...and I heard him.  So, after much discussion, we landed on biking.  Now, we don't actually get to bike together...since someone has to watch the kids.  But we do share a common activity and we track each other's progress.  We bought mountain bikes, since we live in a rather rural area and many of the roads around us are unpaved and very hilly.  Biking has become a fixture in my day...an automatic.  Its gives me a chance to work my body and clear my mind.  Now one of my favorite moments in the day is biking at dusk on one of the dirt roads surrounded by waving corn fields and the amber light of the setting sun.  I love it and I love that I share it with Marcus.

...an ex-employee of the State of Michigan.  I took a new job at a health insurance company, still in the field of epidemiology, but with a slightly different purpose and philosophy.  While I think that this was a good decision most of the time, I tend to consider myself as the former asthma epidemiologist more than I think of myself as a new clinical epidemiologist.  I held my job at the state health department for over 8 years and felt accomplished...successful and appreciated.  I am now mourning the self-imposed loss of my old job...the day-to-day collaborations with my friends and colleagues...and my role at the health department and with our program.  While I had many very good reasons to leave my job, I have to remind myself of them almost every day.  In spite of the sadness I feel, am excited about the challenges ahead and the opportunity try something new.  Its energizing to think about the possibilities of my new position and how it will help me grow as an epidemiologist.  The duality of being lost and found is exhausting, however.

...the proud owner of Truffle-puff.  We lost our Doppler and we feel utterly sad about it...there is a missing presence in our house.  It was too early to buy another dog, but we faced a difficult decision.  We knew the breed we wanted to buy - a Springer Doodle.  Marcus and I have allergies and so our choice of dogs is rather limited.  Doppler was a Cockapoo...half Cocker Spaniel, half Poodle.  These Poodle mixes are charming...smart, non-shedding...and perfect for us.  This time, we had our sights on another of these designer dogs - a mix between English Springer Spaniel and Poodle.  We loved the spaniel in Doppler, but didn't want to get a dog that would constantly remind us of him.  The Springer Doodle was perfect...bigger than Dop with different coloring.  But...they are rare.  We found a breeder in Michigan, but they only have about 1 litter of Springer Doodles per year and their puppies were available now.  Marcus and I knew that we couldn't wait a whole entire year before getting another dog and that we likely would have settled for another breed while waiting for the next batch of Springer Doodles.  So, we talked ourselves into buying one now.  That's how we got our little Truffle.  She is a sweet little girl, with the coloration of a typical Springer Spaniel...a beautiful chocolate brown with patches of creamy white.  She's generally calm but has moments of crazed puppy antics.  The kids all love her....and Marcus and I are growing to love her.   

...a parent who is taking her kids to Disney World.  For most of my adult life, I haven't been crazy about anything Disney.  This mega-company seemed to have taken over the world...theme parks, merchandising, a monopoly on children's entertainment.  Not to mention the common themes in their movies that I think are inappropriate for a child audience...chauvinism, racism, violence, sexually suggestive characters, etc.  Of course, I do let my kids watch (some) Disney films, but I waited a long time before I introduced them...and I'm extremely picky about what they see.  Well, now I've caved.  I mean...according to my daughter, everyone has gone to Disney World and she's the only one who hasn't.  Even though I still hold many of my beliefs about Disney, I want my kids to have the experience of going to Disney World...and I want them to know the characters from the movies so they can fit in with their friends.  So, we're going...and I couldn't be more excited.  I actually have the kids 'studying' by watching Disney films...even the ones I haven't let them see before.  Oh my...its amazing what you will do for your kids, eh?  One thing I will say, though...I do take advantage of every opportunity to explain my concerns with my kids in stories and language that they can understand.  I haven't abandoned my convictions entirely....I've just tempered them with a bit of Disney magic.