The grant is done Dude!

As I sit here in my shorts and t-shirt (believe it or not, these items can be worn around a home without being a first layer), our little bird Twain(ette) is sitting on the chair behind me squawking away! (We try to take her out more and give her company since her mate is now deceased.) John, on the other hand is nowhere to be seen. He went to the first CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Association) meeting this morning which started at 6am. I planned on getting up at the same time as him. The alarm went off at 5, and I rolled over, and that's all I remember before looking at the clock again and seeing 6:42. I slept right through our morning time together. I've made it my goal to try to keep a similar schedule to him. I failed miserably today.

Okay, so now Twain(ette) is on my arm while I type. She is always on the lookout for paper (and there is some on my desk). She likes to shred it up and stick it in her tail feathers for the nest she dreams of but never really successfully makes. Actually, she's on the lookout for anything that she can possibly shred. This included two books (one a paperback version of the Bible.) I blame JB for this as he was watching her that day!

She is also chirping very loudly. This is all the worse for me considering the fact that I have been dealing with some pretty strong headaches for the last five days. Actually, I am pretty sure they are migraines that I am managing to keep at bay by medication. I haven't had a headache in months and so we are pretty positive that these are hormonal headaches, a result of our failed IVF which ultimately puts an end to the hormones I am taking and sort of puts my body in withdrawl mode. Either way, we are pretty sure the headaches will end in a few days.

As you can see from the title of this blog, we finished the grant yesterday around 4:30! For those of you who hear the word "grant" and don't have an idea what it is, a grant is basically a large application written to request funds to accomplish some task. In my Mayo boss' case, his grants are submitted to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), the largest funder and most stringent in requirements. He would like to do some certain research and is requesting them to fund his research. He currently has a few grants already funded through the NIH, but you are constantly looking for more if you are going to stay a researcher. These grants are ultimately, vital to me working for him, as I am funded by a grant.

The NIH has recently shifted from paper-submissions to electronic-submissions. This was the first time I had done an electronic submission. These are definitely easier, but it also doesn't give me the totally "finished" feeling that mailing the grant off to Fed-Ex does. The grant is still hovering in computer-land, the final "submit" button still about 10 days away from being hit. So while my part is basically done, there is no doubt in my mind that a few more things will probably emerge for me to do. Oh well. The grant is still, for the most part, done.

We also got it finished in enough time for JB and I to go out to dinner. On the recommendation of my friend Jenny, we tried "Bonefish Grill" and got the recommend "Bang Bang Shrimp" Appetizer. Yum!!!!! This restaurant was fantastic and one we will definitely go back to. I got the Atlantic King Salmon, and JB got some Mahi Mahi and lobster tail, and then we split the whole thing. Really, really good.

Afterwards we went to ... Home Depot! :) I know, exciting isn't it? No, truly, JB is very excited about having a yard for the first time in our married life and wanted to look at some flowers and bushes and other such things that I can look at for about 30 minutes before feeling like I am John waiting not-so-patiently while I try on clothes in the dressing room. We did leave with quite a few really beautiful plants. It will be neat to see where our yard is in three years or even three months.

After that, we planned on getting some dessert, but despite JB allowing me to take a Tylenol with Codeine (I know! I can hear the gasps from loyal blog readers who can remember my previous "dependency" issues with Codeine!) but I was desperate to feel good on our anniversary. But despite this, I just didn't feel good, and we decided to save dessert for a night we could both really enjoy it.

We were also hoping to sit on the beach for a little bit, however, here, we also messed up. We decided to dress up a bit for dinner. This included black pants for me and jeans for JB. Too hot then to sit on the beach in 85 degree weather. Now, please note that I am not saying it was too hot out. I will NEVER EVER EVER say that. I was just saying, in what we were wearing, it was too hot to sit on the beach. (Speaking of this, some of you have commented on the new banner on the top of my blog -- gift from JB. Cool, huh?)

Speaking of clothes, my wardrobe is in real trouble. I now have a wardrobe (and shoes) for any place who's temperature stays in the negative. But a place who's temperature stays one hundred degrees warmer than that? Not quite sure what to do. Close-toed shoes just aren't right for most occasions and either are pants. I need more capris, shorts, skirts, and flip-flops! Yikes! I forgot how differently people dress here. I also forgot the fact that I now know what my toes and legs look like. No hiding under eight layers!

I also liked my friend Tara's post a few days back on the fact that you must bring: a bottle of water and sunglasses every time you leave the house now. (She's in California.) So, very true. Instead of needing to bring hot water everywhere you go (yes, folks, Tara drinks water, hot water, just plain, hot water -- or at least she did in Minnesota). All right, enough picking on Tara, but you get the idea. Life is just different in these tropical climates. And it will take some adjustment.

Well, it's now nearing 8am, and I want to get started on work. So far, my phone connection problems with Mayo seems to have rectified itself. Pray that stays the case!!!