2015....

2015. 2015! 2015! Right, the year we're supposed to finish our theses, successfully defend them and become Dr. Brox and Dr. Brox. Truth be told I can't wait to make those jokes.....

It was three years ago that we stepped off the plane in Wellington and began this crazy adventure. It's seen us learn how to navigate a new country, study new topics, complete novel research, and travel around the world to conferences. I scarcely believe that it's all happened because I never would've expected my life to take such a turn. But I guess that's the beauty of it: life can be unexpectedly great.

Now that makes it sound like everything has been easy and gone to plan - that we've flitted through life without a care in the world. I'd like to squash that idea because it's far from the truth. We've struggled with all kinds of things along the way. I remember timidly navigating a store trying to decipher sheet sizes and scared to death that I would get the wrong one and they wouldn't let me return or exchange. There have been many a day where walked up the much despised "hill" to school in the rain, drenched by the time we arrived. Or days when there was no rain but it was still dark when we were going to campus to run what seemed like never ending experiments in the wee hours of the morning. I struggled most with epic experimental runs that kept me in the lab every day of the week for seven months straight. Part way through I didn't want to talk to anyone (Tim was my one exception). I think it's taken the last several months to regain my humanity after all that. Even today, sunny and beautiful, I was frustrated walking home from the grocery store (30+ blocks round trip), with heavy shopping bags, because the wind was gusting annoyingly and still I was sweating like a pig. Sigh.

So here we are staring at the beginning of the end. At this point I'm not sure if I'm happy or worried. I wonder if I should be worried. We've sketched out our plans for the next seven months - to thesis submission - and with our supervisors' blessings we will dive head first into the remaining work. And yet I question, have I budgeted enough time to finish everything? More like, have I budgeted enough time to finish everything to my satisfaction? Right now I can't answer that question but I sincerely hope that I have. Because if that's the case then I'm ready (and happy) to hunker down with my work because I can see the end. For the first time ever I can see it. In the past six months I've seen glimpses but now I'm actually seeing the end for real. That's some kind of amazing - I can't even put it into words for you. More to come.