Elqui Valley, Chile

I know, Landon just randomly travels the globe a lot. It can be stressful, but it is a lot of fun for him, and I'm pretty hopeful that someday, when we have older kids and a little more disposable income, I'll get to come along on more of these trips.

This is the second year Landon did a Chilean expedition. Much of his final dissertation will be based around the work he's done there. The first year they dug pits and brought back soil samples to study the temperatures from ~5,000-19,000 ago. He's been processing this in his lab since then.

This year they set up weather stations at the same sites - which include a wide range of altitudes - so they can gauge the differences between today's climate and ancient climates, and also get an idea of how precipitation, soil depth, and seasonal differences can effect the temperature in that area. (Landon, did I describe that right?)

As strange as it seems, we really are grateful for these globe-trotting opportunities. Landon has been able to participate in some pretty strong research projects throughout his time as a graduate student, and has even had several papers published. With every week we spend apart, he is building a stronger resume and increasing his chances of getting a good job when we're done with this crazy adventure. That's our life, and we love it!

Super Condensed Quick Catch-Up

Once upon a time, we went home for Christmas.

And then we thought, well, we're having so much fun, let's just stay for a month!
And it was pretty fun.

Somewhere in the middle, Landon went off to Chile.

He enjoyed digging lots of holes, eating cebiche, and returning to Latin America.

Walt and I had fun visiting friends, hanging with Grandma, and working hard!

Eventually, we decided it would be better if we lived at our own house.

So we drove for 14 hours (with a stop-over to hang with the Camberlangos in Boise) and FINALLY made it back to good old Washington.

Now that we're here, we've hit "real life" in earnest. Between school, working, and being parents, life is busy.

We like it that way. And we're glad to be home.

Deja Vu

Landon is off on another adventure - this time to La Serena, Chile to do what I like to refer to as "digging holes and filling them back in again." Really, he is collecting rock and soil samples for some cutting edge isotopic research at UW that will feature heavily in his dissertation. And he gets to speak Spanish. :)

Meanwhile, Walt and I have been adopted by my mom and dad, and are having a great time being temporary Rexburgers. We are being treated to fancy cooking, a big house to play in, gratuitous babysitting, and the glories of the hot tub. Not to mention lots of uncles and an aunt nearby to hang out with.

All the same, we're missing daddy and our life in Seattle. Our schedule. Extra changes of clothes. This scenario is feeling a little too familiar, ya know? I just keep reminding myself that at least this time, I'm not pregnant.

17 days.