a little lost

I get the strangest questions when I work at the bar. Mostly people want to know where I'm from, why I'm down here and how long I'll be staying . But recently, the main question has been, "what do you want to do with your degree when you're done?"

Good question.


I'm not so sure anymore, actually. I'm not opposed to teaching... in fact, I think I would enjoy that. I know I have truly been inspired by a number of my professors. Maybe I could encourage that kind of inspiration in someone's life? I'd like to go back to Florida for work. Perhaps FIT if they would hire another biologist? We'll see..

But of course, there is always mine and Evan's dream career. Since he's a captain, he wants to find a way to tie in that with his love for marine science as well. We were thinking about starting our own Sea Semester company - where we would take out younger undergraduates or older high school students and introduce them to the world of marine science. (There are a few places like this already, but ours would be very unique - we have LOTS of ideas!)

One thing that I've felt is somewhat unfortunate when you're an undergraduate is that you really don't get to experience what being a research scientist is all about. In some cases, you experience it too late and realize you've wasted a 4 year degree on something you weren't comfortable doing. One thing I loved about FIT was the availability of research early on in  your career. I fell in love with research science when I took a field course here in Puerto Rico in 2008. I believe THAT is what really launched my passion for this work.



I know I shouldn't be worried about jobs right now. I need to worry about how to fund my own research. That's a headache by itself :(

little discoveries

One of the really awesome things about Puerto Rico is the natural beauty. Lots of lush green plants, random giant fruit trees, hidden rivers and deserted beaches, rock formations, volcanoes, rainforests, canyons, caves and reefs (just to name a few).

So a couple days ago, Evan and I took his mom to some off-the-beaten-path waterfalls in San Sebastian (towards the middle of the island, off the west coast). You parked along the side of this residential road, next to a large gate with a forgotten winding driveway. It looks like you are about to trespass onto someone's private land, but the locals told us before that no one owns it.


After trekking down a steep cement pathway, it opens up to a green field at the top of a hill. Off to the side is the beginnings of what looks like an information center (perhaps someone planned on putting the San Sebastian waterfalls on the map and making some money off it, but the project has remained unfinished for at least 3 years). We wander past this little building and enter the difficult part of the hike - the slippery, muddy, rocky trails. It's like hiking through a jungle - I started to feel like Lara Croft or Indiana Jones - with my little day pack and hiking shoes, trampling through the thick mud and having to hoist myself up in places too slippery.

The trail parallels a river, like an old Indian pathway. Finally we reach the top where a beautiful waterfall is hidden amongst the rocks and trees. A beautiful, secluded sight. We sat for an hour, swimming in the cold water and eating our packed lunches. Certainly peaceful.

There are so many hidden gems like this little trek. I can't wait to explore more!

For those of you interested in visiting San Sebastian, just comment here and I'll give you the directions!

2.5 months later

It's hard to believe that I've already been here for 2.5 months. It certainly doesn't seem that long. 

We are getting to that point where Evan and I are trying to figure out our December plans. He doesn't want to spend more than 2 weeks back in the States (he has lots to do with his rebreather diving courses) and I want to spend as much time as I can. Thus, we will probably be traveling separately and not seeing as much of each other over the break. No problems though, if that's the way it needs to be. Now I just need to figure out how to get to Texas from Florida...




We've been doing some more economical landscaping. Living in a tropical location means lots of free opportunities to snag clippings or whole plants from public areas. Today, Evan found a ton of rocks (for edging our flower beds/garden) and several elephant ear plants. We just spent the morning structuring and planting. It's coming together pretty nicely :) And the best part is that the majority of everything we have used, has been free (or very cheap!). We are pretty proud of that!

So, I'm sure that most of you don't know that my Ph.D. advisor has decided not to come back to PR next semester. I was very shocked and surprised, but I have come to realize that things get better and since I try to look on the positive side anyways, then I'm dealing with it pretty well. I will be transferred to another professor as my main advisor and we are in the process of finalizing that. It's okay - I should be able to continue my research as I had planned. It just wasn't how I had expected things :(  but that's life, right? really unpredictable.


This week is midterms for us. We have one on Tuesday. I've been taking occasional breaks between studying to paint, landscape, read and bake. Definitely helps break up the monotony. Right now, I'm actually baking my favorite chocolate chip cookies :) !! I haven't quite met the members of my lab well enough to bring them the spoils of my breaks (I know my lab at FIT probably misses the cupcakes, cookies and bars that would grace our lab benches every now and then last semester haha).

some of my rock art :)

With the sudden changes that have occurred recently, it has got me thinking about my plans after here. I know it's way too soon to really be thinking that far ahead, but I'm so goal oriented, that it's just the way my mind works. I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to do a post-doc. I think I might be ready to just settle down with a job somewhere. Hopefully Florida, and hopefully back around Melbourne. Maybe even teach at Florida Tech? I think I would really enjoy that....


Well enough ramblings for today. Time to get back to baking. And it's raining now, so I need to grab all my studying notes from outside before I have nothing to study with later! haha!

tropical lesson

I'm learning about all sorts of tips and tricks for living on a tropical island. Although I'm not dealing with monkeys sneaking into the house at night, we do have poisonous toads (must keep Sophie away) , millipedes, mosquitoes,  bats, crazy birds, stray dogs and cats, lots of frogs, chickens, iguanas, huge beetles... just to name a few.

The beautiful La Parguera, where my research station is located.
I'm on our research island, looking back at the town

I was speaking with my Grandmother the other night over the phone. I was telling her that I can't seem to keep the humidity out of certain rooms in my house. The weirdest things begin to mold.. like my backpack? My knee brace? Wooden grill skewers?? I have been using those DampRid cartons, but they are expensive and wasteful, since nothing in it can be recycled. I was definitely looking for an alternative.

My Grandmother suggested Arm & Hammer kitty litter. Total surprise to me. She said just put about a pound of it in a jar in my closet where things are molding, and it will cut the humidity without creating water (so in otherwords, it's cheap and never needs to be replaced. On top of that, Arm & Hammer has an earth friendly kitty litter). She also suggested a Bounce dryer sheet, tucked into my pocket, will ward off mosquitoes. She has actually tried this one and said it works :) Now I must go shopping, because the mosquitoes just love my Texan blood!!

I'm not sure that everyone here knows that is recyclable.. couches? 

Do you guys have any tropical living suggestions? Particularly with my couches. We have cleaned them countless times and just put slipcovers over them, but they still have a hint of mildew smell.... Not sure what to do to curb this one?


We've picked up on numerous other things: all of our towels go outside to dry after showering, a mesh curtain in front of our always opened porch doors = less mosquitoes in the house, Tilex is your best friend inside and outside.... and of course, we are still discovering lots of new things!

gift from home

I received this in the mail today from my folks :)

How awesome that they planned for it to arrive to me when they were out of the country! 

Just a little way for them to say they're thinking of me. 

I'm sure ya'll know how much I miss home.

Texas will always be home. No matter where I am. Period.

Best yet, this book has a biscuit recipe AND hushpuppy recipes :)

missing cold weather

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I love to see the leaves change color and I love the crisp air that has just a slight tingle of cold. Living in Florida for 5 years, I always missed this time of the year back in Texas. When I was younger, I remember helping my Dad pick up leaves in our yard. My brother and I would make a big pile of them and then stuff them into one of those huge garbage bags that is colored and shaped like a pumpkin. Does anyone remember those?? It was one way that we would decorate for Halloween (even though we live way too far out of town to get trick-or-treaters in our area). 

It has not started to get any cooler here in Puerto Rico. I hear that the nights will get much cooler later in October, which will be wonderful! But during the day, and particularly today, it is super hot. I can hear thunder in the distance... hoping for some rain to cool it off outside. I'm also out of ice cream right now.. so no milkshakes to break the heat haha.

Painted this little piece of driftwood this morning to make a
fridge magnet :)

Evan and I were discussing our summer plans - as in, we would really like to travel somewhere so we've been  contemplating options. So far, the choices are Trinidad and Tobago (Evan says they have the nicest people, cleanest streets AND they care about protecting their reefs and shores!!) , Portland or Colorado. I absolutely LOVE Colorado in the summer time. We would get to do some enjoyable camping and maybe some whitewater rafting. I love the great outdoors. And Portland because I have never seen the US West coast and I hear the Pacific Northwest is just beautiful. See a little bit of trend here? I'm digging cooler weather in the summer haha. We need a break every now and then, even though I'm built and conditioned for hot hot weather (Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico.. all hot places haha)


Well, my parents are enjoying their Africa trip. I get sporadic text messages whenever they have cell reception. I'm glad they are having fun :) They totally deserve their opportunities to travel now that my brother and I are independent. I hope for the same release one day! In fact, I told Evan yesterday that I'd love to just quit everything and go travel the world for a career. How awesome would that be? I'll keep dreaming haha