California

Well we made it back from the west coast. The trip was amazing, except that I brought a cold home as my souveneir. I am finally feeling better today, just as Bill is getting sick. Oops. I didn't think I was contagious, but he proved me wrong.

The conference was very informative and I feel like I learned a lot. It was a bit overwhelming - 17,000 of your closest collegues. The poster presentation went remarkably well. People were very enthusiastic about our work, and I spent the entire 4 hours explaining our data to them. Usually poster sessions are pretty slow and drag on, but we had at least 3 people viewing our poster at any given point during the session, which is almost unheard of. Luckily my mentor stuck around to help me field questions and to listen to suggestions. My mentor and another graduate student in the lab also presented posters, and theirs went equally as well.

If nothing else, this trip gave me the opportunity to build more personal relationships with my coworkers as well as to regain my enthusiasm for my research, which is something that really had begun to slip so much that a month ago I was considering dropping out of school. I am glad I didn't go through with it. I am not a big fan of my graduate program or with UAB, but I really love the cancer field and am passionate about my research, which is really what matters.

The conference kept me pretty busy, so I didn't get to do any sightseeing in San Diego. I really wanted to go to the zoo and see the baby panda - maybe next time. I did have a great room with an amazing view of the city and the bay. It was very relaxing to sit on my balcony after a long day of meetings and watch the sun set.

San Francisco was great! Bill met me there and we had a lot of fun. I think we crammed a little much into 2 days - Fisherman's Warf, Chinatown, Alcatraz, walking the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, the Cable Car museum, the painted ladies, Lumbard Street, and a bus tour of the city. SF is a very exciting place, and I am really amazed at the mixture of cultures! It reminds me so much of New York City, only the people are much nicer in SF. I also got the chance to visit a lot with my uncle, which I don't get very much opportunity to do since he lives so far away. I think that was ultimately the best part. Also, I have never been to visit him in the 9 years he's lived in California so it was nice to see him in his "element" for lack of a better term - relaxed and laid back.

I just wanted to update everyone, but now it's time to get back to work. I will add some pictures as soon as I get the chance.

Thanks for all of the prayers for a safe and successful trip!