Intro/Denver Airport

Well, it's here.  The reason I have been wishing away my final semester at FSU.  I graduated on April 27th and in a matter of a few days have made it all the way to Colorado, by way of a 14 hours drive to Arkansas, flight to Memphis and then to Denver!  Whew.  As many of my closest friends know, this has been a very challenging few months, well year, for me.  I have been through more than most people go through in a lifetime, let alone during their college years.  From being diagnosed to Lupus, losing my grandmother, a relationship ending in a terribly awful, thoughtless manner, losing touch with people I truly cared about, finding out I have a brain tumor...well the list goes on.  But this is about the next step.  I suffered along with the other 2012 Meteorology graduates at FSU through years of some of the most rigorous undergraduate courses offered in the country only to walk proudly across that stage the other night knowing that "we did it".  I love everyone in the Met program at FSU more than words can describe.  You have been there for me through the ups and the downs and as we disperse across the country, know that we always have each other; whether it be a sofa to crash on, someone to answer the phone so we can vent or cry for hours on end, or undying encouragement and support for one another's accomplishments and successes.

But that's not what this blog is about...I am embarking on a journey that I have only dreamed about ever since I witnessed my first (and only) tornado at age 7.  I am spending the next two months driving from one end of the Great Plains to the other along with 24 researchers and a handful of research vehicles in pursuit of...you guessed it...tornadoes.  I am sitting in here in the Denver airport waiting to be picked up by one of my "big sisters," a close friend I grew up with who lives here.  She is going to drive me to Boulder where I will meet the CSWR crew and help prep the DOWs (Doppler on Wheels), Scout vehicles, and tornado probes for departure this Saturday (GFS pending of course).  I'm not really sure what my specific role will be or how exactly this whole thing works, but I am slowly letting go of my Type A/gottacontroleverything personality and embracing the spontaneity and adventurous nature of this summer.

Let me back up a bit.  I realize not all of you might know how I came across this opportunity.  I am (was, since it is no longer on air) a big fan of the Discovery channel TV series "Storm Chasers."  Seasons 1 and 2 featured a man by the name of Dr. Josh Wurman who, with his DOW, is responsible for ground breaking research in the field of severe weather.  His research is largely responsible for understanding how to better construct buildings to withstand tornado force winds and the increase in tornado warning lead time.  I received a scholarship this past school year from the American Meteorological Society and was invited to attend the Annual Meeting and National Convention this past January.  During one of the events, Weatherfest, right there in front of me stood Dr. Wurman (and the DOW!!!).  I simply walked up to him and told him what a big fan I was.  Next thing I knew, he was asking me to send him my resume.  The rest is history!  I have always been a big on the shy/quiet/self-conscious side, so this was a pretty big incentive for me to start speaking up a little more. :)

And after counting down the months, weeks, days and hours...it's here.  I am going to try to update this blog as often as I can and obviously will post thousands of pictures to Facebook.  I haven't even left the airport yet and I already feel so blessed for this opportunity (maybe it was seeing the Rocky Mountains for the first time that did it?)...