So........

My poor blog.  All alone and neglected.  Okay, blog.  It has been awhile, so maybe we should sit down together and catch up.

Basically, I wake up really early, go to work for awhile, come home, relax for about 30 minutes, check my work email, start working on school stuff, and then go to bed.  This semester has been exceptionally challenging, and I feel like my last few semesters are going to be like this.  It sounds kind of like I'm sad about it, but honestly, I am loving all this. 

I never thought I would be the person who was so caught up in her job that she couldn't go an entire day without thinking about it in one way or another.  I have completely become that person, but that's a sign that I am truly interested in what I am doing.  I couldn't be happier to figure out I have made the right decision.

Unfortunately, my dream of a "chase-cation" this summer is probably squashed.  I absolutely have to take TWO classes this summer if I want to finish by next spring.  Sigh..........  Maybe I'll get out there someday.

Happy 5th Birthday, Rerun!!

Sorry it has been so long, but it has been extremely busy!!

Anyway, today is Rerun's 5th birthday!  It's hard to believe that it has been 5 years since that hot day in November when we got him!  We drove up to this really creepy place on Sand Mountain with this scary guy.  Stacey and I both were convinced we were going to be murdered.  I was afraid we would come upon a huge puppy farm, but when we got inside this scary guy's house (not the smartest move, we know!) we found out he really just loved his pugs!!!!  Out came the mother, the father, and about 5 little pug puppies!! The first dog ran right up to me and I picked him up, and he smothered me in little puppy kisses.  And there you have it!  That was Rerun.  There was no way I was putting him down once I picked him up.

:)

Just Relax

So... last night, we got a surprise storm!!  I went to go and grab my camera and video camera, and then I just decided to go outside and enjoy the storm.

I can't explain how nice it was just to stand outside and feel the wind and the rain like I used to.  I have become so focused on documenting every storm that I encounter that I forgot that feeling.  This is what I love about the weather!  The way the wind and air feels just before a storm hits.  The clouds rolling in....  It's so easy to forget to notice the beauty around you sometimes.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happiness!!!

Yesterday, we received a miracle!!!  My father went back for the results of his biopsy and NO CANCER!!!  I was in a terrible mood all day!  I just knew it was going to be bad news, but all is well with my dad!

As far as the terrible blood work goes, the doctor could not explain it.  He is going to do a full body scan just to be on the safe side, but, thanks be to God, my dad is going to be fine!!!

Now... I'm waiting for a stormy weekend!  :D

STORMS! :D

So... I had two amazing storms last Thursday and Friday!  The storm on Thursday brought gusty winds, heavy rain, and just an overall good time!  Friday's storms were a bit different!!

As I left work on Friday, I had no camera, video or otherwise.  The wind was picking up and the lightning was insane.  I was upset about not having my camera.  There was some amazingly fun scud and oh.. the lightning!  I might have actually been able to capture this lightning since it was so frequent!

The wind and rain finally caught up to me, and I could not see a thing!!!  I had to turn around in the battlefield, because of some street flooding.  I'm glad I saw that truck turn around, because I probably would have ran right into it, since the heavy rain was completely blinding me!

I arrived home to find the power was out!  The house had already started getting sticky and humid!!!  Luckily, it was only out about an hour.

Thursday's storms I managed to document in 3 parts! 

See www.youtube.com/jcpalmer1976 for the videos! 

Have a good Monday!

Stuff Going On Right Now...

Well, this summer has taken a turn for the worse.  We found out a couple of weeks ago there was a good chance my dad's thyroid cancer had come back.  Then, last week, it was confirmed that dad had a tumor on the right lymph node in his neck.  Now, Thursday, dad goes in for the official biopsy to see for certain.  Sigh...  I really hate cancer. 

Other than that.. I really have had an amazing summer.  So many good things have happened.  :)  I'm trying to focus on the positive now, because that's the only way I personally can cope.

I can't say enough about what amazing friends and family I have.  They are always there for me when I need them, and I'm always reminded that they are much better friends to me than I am to them.  That is going to change. 

Hope everyone has had a great summer!!

Neglected!

Wow!  I have completely neglected my little blog lately!  What's worse is that school starts in about a month, and I'll be back to being so busy I can't see straight.

One of the things I've been thinking hard about lately is the possibility of chasecation next spring.  I will probably only have a very small window of opportunity for chasing, but, if I can afford it, I'm going to do it.  The only way for me to see a tornado is to head to the plains.  So, I've done a lot of math lately trying to figure out if I can swing it.  The hubby is not particularly thrilled with the idea of chasecation, so I'm actively looking for people to either go with me for a bit of the trip or the whole trip.  I would like to find people who have MORE chasing experience to go with me for a chase or two while we are out there.

But.. first things first.. I have to budget for this.  So, I've cut myself off on unnecessary purchases and I'm saving my pennies.  I will be in the Plains for a week next spring!!  Wait and see!  :)

The 4th of July! A Celebration of Life

Yesterday was an amazing day. 2009 was a pretty terrible year for my family. In May of 2009, my sister was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer (that's really bad), and the prognosis was grim. There were lots of scary times. By the time my sister finished chemo and radiation, she was very weak and sick. She was hospitalized soon after due to an allergic reaction from the chemo. Then, not long after, she made the difficult decision to have her colon and most of her large intestine removed to prevent the cancer from coming back. That surgery was long and difficult and the recovery was hard. But she made it through! And she's doing great now!

Not long after my sister's recovery, my uncle (my mom's brother) was hospitalized with complications from pneumonia. He also contracted MRSA from the hospital. That combined with Rheumatoid Arthritis and many many heart problems caused his health to spiral downward rapidly. There was one very late night that I sat at the hospital with my mom, when we were certain that my uncle was not going to make it through the night. My aunt said "Just wait! Next year at our 4th of July party, we'll be laughing and celebrating the fact that both (my uncle) and (my sister) survived 2009!"

Well, guess what?? Yesterday, we had our annual lake party in Spring City, TN! And guess what else??? We celebrated our two survivors!!! It was a very happy and emotional day for us all!

And I am so thankful everyday that my sister AND my uncle are still here with me! That is what I'm thinking about this July 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Favorite Band Almost EVER!!

So last night, we made the trek down to Atlanta to see one of my favorite bands, The New Pornographers.  Let me just say that was one of the most amazing live shows I have ever been to!!!  And I've been to a LOT!  They played a great variety of songs from all of their albums.  The end of the set was The Bleeding Heart Show, which gave me chill bumps and nearly moved me to tears.

I don't think there is anything better than amazing music.  :)

Ugh...

I have my moments.  I have really good weeks sometimes for so long that I forget what it is like to have a bad week, and then sometimes I just have a few bad days that compound upon each other.

For whatever reason, sleep has not been easy for me.  I have been SO tired, but I will fall asleep for about 30 minutes or an hour, wake up, and then not be able to return to sleep for a few more hours if at all!!

The last time felt this way is when I was stressed and worried about my sister, so I know stress is the underlying cause.

Anyway...  I hope it gets better soon.  Lack of sleep becomes depression for me.  I'm hoping that I can catch up a bit this weekend.

I'm crazy..

I know it sounds crazy, but my heart still races when I start thinking about that storm on Saturday!  I wish I hadn't gotten scared, but you know.... it happens!  Lightning everywhere, a tree snapping.. I'm not going to be too hard on myself.  Plus, the rain blowing in the doorway was crazy! 

One of my favorite days ever.... :)

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!

Amazing day, everyone!!!  I can't explain enough how awesome the storm was that just blew through here!  I was at the grocery store and I had an email that said an MD was issued for our area.  As soon as the groceries were put away, then I heard thunder and saw it was growing very dark to the NW of me.

Again.. another shelf cloud that didn't translate into pictures.  The rain started pouring down and I headed to a butter place to video the storm.  The lightning was insane!  So instead of standing outside, I stood in the doorway!  Anyway.. No reason to keep talking.. here's the video! 

Disclaimer:  I'm REALLY excited!  And I do get scared at one point, because I heard a tree snap!

Interruption!!

I'm going to interrupt my travel stories with news of the THIRD chase that occurred yesterday afternoon!!!  It was an epic technology fail for me though!  When the severe storms crossed over into Catoosa county, it was REALLY windy.  In Walker County, golf ball sized hail had been reported!  I was ecstatic!  The wind was crazy, and I was filming.  Small limbs flew around, and then I looked at my camera and I forgot to hit record.  :( 

So then I came back inside and loaded up GRL3.  I noticed a slight kidney bean shape to the storm just to the north around Ooltewah, TN and suddenly a TVS appeared for just a minute!  I checked out and there was some very weak rotation!  I couldn't find my flip flops, so that cost me a little time.  I hopped in the car with my cameras and hit the road.  I drove as quick as I could toward where the little amount of rotation was occurring, not really anticipating seeing anything too much but it was still fun!!

I realized about half way to my storm that I had very little gas, and by that point the storm had weakened a bit and would have been much more difficult to reach.  So once again I retain my title as Jenny the Rain Shower Chaser.

Oh well.. it was all in good fun!  I'm hoping to see a few more of those kinds of storms today.  It is the only positive thing about summer in the South!!

Day 4--Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor

I'd like to apologize, because blogging has become increasingly difficult for me.  I am loving my job, but it is getting harder and harder for me to come home and sit in front of a computer screen!!!

Anyway...  Day 4, we got up early and made our way to Victoria Station to catch the bus to Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath.  Riding the tube....  That is an experience.  We rode the Metro in Washington DC and Marta in Atlanta.  The Metro could be stressful, but the Tube was very stressful during rush hour!  Lot's of running and trying to get out of everyone's way!  Poor Stacey.  He was feeling so terrible at this point.

We made it to the bus station and waited patiently for our tour bus to arrive.  Our first stop was Windsor Castle, the weekend home for the Queen.  We kept missing the Queen.  When we were at Buckingham Palace, she was at Windsor.  When we were at Windsor, she was somewhere else preparing for the Derby that was going to be held that weekend.  Windsor Castle was gorgeous.  Too bad, you can't take any pictures inside these places.  I was much more impressed with it than I was with Buckingham.  Henry the VIII built the castle and he was also buried there.  I got chill bumps as I stood beside his grave, where he was buried with Jane Seymour who was his favorite wife since she provided his only male child.  Here's a picture of Windsor Castle:

Changing of the guard at Windsor Castle:

The little town of Windsor was really neat, too.  So quaint.  One thing we learned from this trip is that getting OUT of London is a must!!!  We would have taken more trips outside the city if we would have realized this!! 

We were now on the road to Bath.  I am a Literature nerd.  I've read the Canterbury Tales, as well as TONS of historical fiction.  I know all about Bath!  It used to be a summer place for the gentry and it is also home to the Roman baths, discovered by the Romans over a thousand (!!!!!) years ago!  So many of these places are so hard to explain...  You just have to SEE it!  Bath was filled with street performers of all kinds.  I absolutely loved this place.  It's one of those places that I could see myself living.  I felt a very strong connection to this city.  After our tour of the Roman baths and walking around the city, we sat down and enjoyed the comedy of a street performer who was also a magician!  He was so funny!  :)

The Abbey in Bath:

 

Stonehenge....  Our tour guide got it all wrong on this one.  He said, basically it was just a pile of rocks so we wouldn't be staying for more than 30 minutes.  When we got to Stonehenge, I was completely moved. It is something to see, really.  I wouldn't trade our experience there for the entire world!!!  It was much more than a pile of rocks to me and Stacey.  Stacey had done an extensive research project on Stonehenge, so he was able to give me a lot of insight.  We took tons of pictures.  These are my favorites:

London Day 3.. The Sickness Intensifies!

Poor Stacey...  We both weren't feeling great by the end of Day 2, but I got a good night sleep and felt much better on Day 3.  When Stacey got up... it was really bad.  He had a full on sinus infection complete with tons of coughing.  By the time we made it to Edinburgh, he couldn't walk to far without stopping and coughing.

So this day was an easy day.  Not to mention, it was raining very hard, and we were dumb enough to forget our umbrellas!  We took it easy for awhile, found a Starbuck's and ate a cheap gross sandwich.  Then, we hopped on the tube and headed toward Trafalgar Square to take some photos to see how long Stacey could handle it.  We knew that the next day was Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle, so I wanted Stacey to feel good for that.

Interesting nerdy note, the UK has a LOT different drugs approved for OTC use.  There were NO nighttime cough and cold formulas!  Very odd.  The rules are different everywhere.  I don't know if you had to get a prescription for them or ask specially for them, but anyway.. enough of my boring rambling!  haha

We hung out in Trafalgar Square for quite a bit and took pics.  Then we headed into the museum in the square, where they had TONS of Rembrandt stuff!  I LOVED IT!!!

After the museum, we just kind of wandered around and headed up to Piccadilly Circus.  We had a good laugh, because of the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum.  Seriously?  In London?  We were surprised that there wasn't that much different between Gatlinburg and London!  HA!

Day 2-London Marathon Tour

Well, our time in London was limited.  Since we had other places we wanted to visit, we technically only had three days in London.  We made the decision to do a full day tour of London, and, if there were any sights we wanted to go back to, we would make notes and head back to them on one of our free days.

We boarded the bus at Victoria Station at 8am and didn't get back until 5pm.  We saw EVERYTHING!  Stacey and I dubbed it the marathon tour.  It was really intense!  We began our day at the Tower of London!!!!  So exciting! I'm a lover of historical novels, and I have read so many books the ended or began in the Tower!  I love stories about Henry the VIII.

We had our own tour lead by a Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder).  Tower of London was a powerful place.  There is something about being somewhere that you have spent a good part of your life reading about! 

After the Tower of London, we took a tour of the Thames on a boat.  I had read the best views of Big Ben and Parliament are from the river.  That was so true!!!

We then headed over to Buckingham Palace and to Covent Garden to eat lunch!  We had  lunch in an Italian cafe and discovered it was rude to ask for your check.  We had no idea, but they were really put off with the fact that we were in a hurry.  Someone needs to write a book of rules for traveling to foreign countries!  This was the second time we had to do this, and after the second time we realized this was a huge faux pas!  Americans eat too fast, I suppose! 

We hopped back on the bus, and headed over to Saint Paul's Cathedral!  Many people are buried here!  Honestly, I was planning on journaling the entire trip, and I didn't!  NOW I WISH I HAD!  It's so easy to do, but you forget stuff so fast!  Especially when you are ADD like me! 

So my recommendation for anyone out there is to JOURNAL every detail if you want to remember everything about your trip!!!

We were exhausted by the time the bus dropped us off at the London Eye.  Stacey's illness was beginning to really ramp up, and the line for the Eye was really long.  We decided to skip it.  We wandered around the area for a bit before hopping the Tube back home.

More to come...  ;)

London Vacation-May 29-June 5 2010

Well, it's good to be back in the good ole USA!!!  I loved every minute of our UK vacation, minus the STUPID plane trips and going through customs!  Ugh.. Flying...  Didn't it used to be glamorous or fun?  Now, it is horribly uncomfortable, rude, noisy... shall I go on?

Regardless of our traveling chaos, we had an absolute blast!  :D  I can't say enough about London.  I can't put it into words!  If you love history, architecture, art, please go.  It is incredibly worth it!  Even if we are horribly jet lagged and broke!

I am going to break up my blog posts into days.  I hope I don't bore everyone to tears with my stories, but it's the only way to do it justice!

Let's start with May 29-30 2010, since that was pretty much just one day.

We left Chattanooga for Atlanta around noon on the shuttle bus.  Note to self:  Next time pay the extra money for a flight out of Chattanooga.  More on that to come later.

We arrived at the Atlanta airport, and I noticed there were some storms around.  I hate flying.. You have to understand.  I have done a great deal of flying in my life and every time I think I am not scared or used to it, well... I'm wrong!  You guys KNOW I love storms, but not when I'm in the air.  So we headed to the bar.  I had a few beers and felt better until we got the tab!  $6 for a beer!!!!  Are you kidding me??  Oh and we also saw Justin Bieber in airport security.  If you don't know who he is, then really... it doesn't matter, but we saw him anway!  Anyway, we boarded the plane, and Stacey took some fun shots of the clouds, including this little fun anvil!!

So, many hours of flying and crying babies later, we arrive in Heathrow.  Of course, something dumb has to happen to Stacey and I on every vacation.  Those two dumb things were our airport transfer not arriving and Stacey being deathly ill for most of the trip.  We caught a cab to our hotel, and took a quick nap.  We then headed out to explore our neighborhood, Maida Vale.  Our hotel was in a residential area located just outside of central London.  It took us about 10 minutes to reach downtown by the tube.  A couple of blocks down from our hotel was Abbey Road Studios and Abbey Road.  I am a HUGE Beatles fan!!!  On our way to Abbey Road, we encountered the first of MANY churches that would just blow me away!

Gorgeous churches EVERYWHERE!!!!  Anyway, we were off to Abbey Road.  When we got there, we got a good laugh watching people trying to get "the picture" without getting killed!!  That provided TONS of entertainment!  Here is the REAL LIVE Abbey Road!! 

More to follow tomorrow!  :D

WEEEEEEE!!!!

WEEEEEEEE!!!!

That is all!  :)

And Happy Anniversary, Stacey!  :D

I Don't Know How To Title This

Haha.. This post is about a little bit of everything, weather, life, other junk!  :)  So coming up with a wacky title was a bit difficult this morning.

First of all, I didn't have too much time to pay attention to the weather yesterday, but KUDOS to all the chasers who got such amazing video and pictures from SD yesterday!  Wow!  Some extremely beautiful pictures!

Second of all, I feel like my postings are going to become few and far between until I get used to the new job.  Although I'm not on my feet all day like I was in the lab, I am still exhausted when I get home.  Lot's of reading, thinking....  But I absolutely love it!  I thought I needed a change of pace from the lab world, but this first week has proven that it was a NECESSARY change of pace!  I really have enjoyed this week! 

Thirdly, tonight, I say goodbye to my all time favorite TV show, LOST.  I have driven coworkers and other friends crazy.  I actually only caught up on this show last summer, but, in the short amount of time it took me to breeze through 5 seasons, I fell in love.  This show has depth and makes you think.  It's one of the rare shows that came to TV, forces you to use your brain, and actually survived the chopping block!!!  If you have never watched the show before, I understand it seems ridiculous.  Trust me, I was a skeptic.  I was watching it to see what the "big deal" was since I had a few friends who were NUTS about the show.  So tonight...  All will be quiet in the Palmer house except the TV!  And tomorrow I will wear black to mourn LOST.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHT84Dn2gFg

Looking back...

I'm so ready for vacation now.  I feel like I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it, except for random reports of a pesky volcano that may or may not disrupt our travel plans!


This year has been amazing.  I decided to go back and look at the list I made before the new year started and see how I've been doing..


#1: Vacation in the UK-IT'S HAPPENING!!!!!

#2: Spotter Training class!-I finally did it.  It might seem strange, but I don't like doing things alone.  I went all alone, and enjoyed hanging out with the weather nerds and watching a really old man fall asleep complete with snoring about 2 minutes into the meeting.

#3: Participate in a few local chases to get a little experience close to home-Done....  Nothing that exciting has happened.  Two "chases" under my belt now.  I wish I lived in a better area to see, but you have to deal with the hand you are given.

#4: As always, lose a few pounds!!-At one point, I was down 15 lbs.  Now it's more like 12 lbs, but I will take it.  I must make it to the gym!!

#5: Learn, learn, learn! Learning is one of my favorite things! I'm going to learn all I can next year!-This is an ongoing process.  I will always be learning.  There is always something new to learn about!

#6: Get a digital SLR camera and take some photography classes before the UK trip!-Well, this didn't happen.  DSLR's are pricey, and I decided that I am going to ask for one for Christmas!

#7: Focus on the positives this year!-Sometimes this is difficult for me.  People who really know me think I'm a fairly positive person.  The reason I included this is because 2009 was such a difficult year for our family.  All the insignificant things you worry about on a day to day basis mean nothing when you are worried about losing your loved ones!  Thank GOD that my sister is healed and healthy!  That's the best present anyone has ever given me!  


So far... A good year!  Let's keep up the trend!  :)

Determination!

Saturday I was determined to "chase" something.  What that turned out to be was heavy rain showers!  The morning started off with a nice little cell to the south and west of me.  The cell had a 0.5" hail marker on it, and I figured I could intercept it if I drove about 5 miles to the south.  I made it down to a school and pulled into the parking lot to wait.  This storm was moving 8kts.  Waiting for it was like waiting for paint to dry, but, when it finally arrived, I was welcomed by serious heavy rain and no hail or thunder.  I went to at least try to film how hard it was raining, and I realized I forgot the batteries in my video camera. I waited about 5 minutes and headed back home, knowing more storms would be firing later on.

I had a choice.. Storms were firing to the north and to the south.  I went after the storms with the largest hail, since these were primarily heavy rain and hail producers.  So, south we went.  That was wrong... Even though the storms we went after had 0.5" hail markers and higher, storms to the north of us ended up producing golf ball sized hail.  I don't necessarily want hail dents in my car, but I really love hail.  Plus, hail dents give your car character, right?  I have only seen golf ball sized hail 1 time, and that was when I was about 8 years old.  I've seen much smaller hailstones, but only a few times.  So, we made it to Dalton, realized there really wasn't too much else to see, and stopped to eat Mexican food before heading home.  I did see some minor street flooding in Dalton.  These storms were training, and flash flood warnings were issued for many counties in our area.

We made it home, and I decided to turn off the radar and my weather watching.  I heard some thunder and then the beautiful "ping ping" sound I had been waiting for all day!  I should've saved my gas money!!  Pea sized hail was falling!  Here's my video...  I'm so excited, but even more exciting to me is hearing the excitement in Stacey's voice!  Muahaha!!!  He was a trooper!  He drove me through the heavy blinding rain to see hail that didn't exist!  Thank you, Stacey!  :)

What a Whirlwind!!

Get it???  A whirlwind?  Wow.....

Anyway, Friday was one of the best days of my entire life!  My last day in the lab....  It was both happy and sad!  My three favorite things in the entire world: Weather, LOST, and my ICP.  Two of those things were highlighted during my "Last Day in the Lab" party!  I received a trophy saying "Most Valuable Chemist" with an ICP torch mounted onto a trophy base!  I was so happy!  :)

That wasn't all.  Around 2pm, my friend and coworker, Lindsey handed me a plane ticket for Oceanic Airlines Flight 815.Those who don't watch LOST will have no idea what any of this means.  I walked into the "Hatch" (also known as the cafeteria) to a LOST congratulations/goodbye party!  Although, it's not really goodbye.. I'll just be working in another building!  This is what I kept telling myself the 9.4 million times I cried on Friday!

Awesome lunch at the Chattanoogan with my bestest friends and coworkers!!

My cake from the LOST party:

Complete with Dharma cola!!

It was an amazing last day in the lab.  Now, I have to prepare for my new job that starts in the morning!  I'm really excited about it!  :)

Did I go chasing yesterday?  The answer is a resounding YES!  And I'll save that blog post for tomorrow!  :)

TOMORROW!

I will post more in the morning, but look at tomorrow!

No Sleep and Lab Memories

I have so much on my mind right now!  I start my new job on Monday, and, in just over two weeks, my hubby and I will be heading out to the UK for a week!  I'm a mix of excited and nervous right now, and it has my insomnia going into overdrive!

As I work my last two days in the lab, I have to look back at all the awesome memories I have had.  It's hard to explain what it is like working in a laboratory full of chemists.  In every chemistry lab I have worked in, it's always the same.  Too many people shoved into a small place.  This is both good and bad.  The bad is obvious. You can't get away from each other, so when you are having one of those days, it makes things difficult.

The good... There is so much good.  Some of my very best friends I have met in the lab.  Amy, Julie, Amber, Lindsey, Adam, Josh, Anne...  You know who you are!  I have danced, laughed, and cried with these people!  Although I don't work with some of you anymore, I would have never met you if we hadn't been chemistry nerds together.  I have danced more in the lab than I ever have anywhere else!  We are never short of good times!

Lab work gives you the ability to be social while you work.  While I'm working, I have the ability to talk (my favorite pastime) all day long if I want to.  Not to mention, I have learned.. learned..  LEARNED so much in my stint in the lab!  The last ELEVEN YEARS of my life I have spent in a lab coat!

Friday will be a tough day for me.  The future is bright, but a door in my life will be closed.  I will turn in my lab coat and my ICP, HPLC'S, and GC's.  I will take with me my pipet bulb (hee hee) and all the memories of all the friends I have made and all the good times I have had.

Jeez... I teared up just writing that!

Wacky Week Indeed

May 10, 2010 will go down in history as another one of those events that I can't believe unfolded right before my eyes!  Yes, I was armchair chasing the night away!!!  (one day... the Plains!  I can't take this anymore!)  The radar images I saw were absolutely amazing, so I'm going to share my favorites.  I wish that I had moved the warning box and turned off Spotter Network before capturing these photos, but I was so enthralled in what was unfolding that I couldn't think about things like that!

First.... The Wakita, OK storm!  What a gorgeous hook on this bad boy!  Also, notice the line of chasers on that road down there!  Haha!  Lot's of chasers on this storm!

Next, came from the TDWR radar at the OKC airport, as the tornado roared through Moore and Norman, OK.  I knew this was bad, and I followed along with the news and TWC.  Rush hour through a highly populated area... I knew this wouldn't be good.  But this radar image is amazing!

The next radar image is a cell producing TWO tornadoes...  Crazy!!  One in the main hook part, and another to the north where that other tiny little hook is!

Anyway.. It was a crazy day.  I wanted to spend my week reminiscing about laboratory memories, since this is my last week as a lab rat, but weather has been taking all my attention!!  Not to mention, chemistry is rebelling against me and my career change!!  But that is for another post!  Have a good day everyone!

Edit: I would like to add that both of my targets would have put me in good position!  Enid, OK was perfect, but I could've easily shot north from Wichita Falls, TX and intercepted those cells!  Hooray for forecasting!  I'm getting better!

HIGH Risk in the Plains

Okay...  My official target for today is Enid OK.  I gave up on Wichita Falls...  So, anyway.. enough of my fake chasing scenario!

High risk was issued for today in OK/KS.  The wording is pretty intense coming from the SPC.  Long-tracked strong tornadoes!  I'll have to be living vicariously through all my chaser friends on the live streams today!  And everyone on earth is chasing the plains today!  The computer was reformatted yesterday, so I hope it's ready for the onslaught!

Stay safe out there, chaser friends!  These storms are going to be moving fast!

Update!

SPC has issued a MDT Risk for part of the Plains for tomorrow!  SPC and everyone else on earth is playing KS tomorrow.  Me?  I'm sticking with my Wichita Falls, TX for some reason.  Why?  I have a hunch....  And I'm stubborn!

If I were really chasing on Monday, I would probably freak out and change my target, because I wouldn't want to miss anything.  My secondary target is Enid, OK.

So I'm excited to see what happens!  Hooray for trying to learn forecasting!

Pretending....

Monday looks to be one of those days in the Plains!  Since I'm out of school I got back into my typical Saturday morning routine of cleaning, but then I decided to pretend I was chasing on Monday in the Plains and pick a target.

Right now, I think I will play the dryline that forms along the panhandles of OK and TX.  (Please bare with me.. I am learning so if I say something stupid, please let me know!) I'm picking Wichita Falls TX as my target.  I'm sticking with that for now.  I'll update as the times get closer.  CAPE is insane! Check this out from TwisterData.com!

Armchair chasing is the life for me right now!!!

In other news, we booked our tours to Edinburgh and Stonehenge this morning!  I decided to through in a full day London tour, since a lot of the places we want to go are included in the price.  That will give us a couple of days to just explore on our own and see what kind of trouble we can find!  There are pubs all around the hotel, and by the end of our trip, I fully expect to know everyone by name in the pubs, as well as learn many English drinking songs!  I want to go to a Football (soccer) game while we are there, but we'll see what we can find!

I'm so excited!!!  I'm not even going to look at the models for the week we will be gone.  I can almost guarantee a perfectly chaseable setup will come rolling right through our area, and a perfectly photogenic tornado will appear in that huge field near our house (the only place you could see a perfectly photogenic tornado), and dissipate just before hitting any homes. 

Busier than EVER!

School is out, and I have been busier than ever!  My mornings are all I have right now.  Gotta do something while drinking my coffee, especially when there is nothing for me to look at in the models at the moment.

The UK countdown has officially begun!  This weekend, we are planning on doing shopping to get extra memory cards for our camera and an external hard drive to dump our videos down!  We will also be purchasing our excursions, which include a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and a trip to Stonehenge, Bath, and Salisbury!  Reality has not hit me yet.  It still doesn't seem real. 

Anyway....  It won't be long now!  Between now and then, a little weather would be nice.  But please, NO weather on the day I'm flying out or coming back!!!  Thunderstorms, airplanes, and me do not mix!

Two Semesters Down... How Many To Go?

Very late Sunday night, I finished my second semester of grad school!  Phew!  It's been a rough year.  Adjusting to school while working has been challenging to say the least.  I made the decision to take the summer off, which in the end will extend my stint in school.  I need the break, especially with starting a new job.

As far as chasing goes, I don't want to talk about it.  I wanted to go out on Saturday, but who wants to chase a linear mess that dumped 13 inches of rain?  I really regret missing the setup of a couple of weeks ago, due to schedule conflicts.  Ugh.... Why can't the perfect setup head my way?

Right now, I'm not seeing any chasing opportunities in the near future.  I'm hoping that changes before I leave for the UK.  If not, I most likely have missed out on any chance of chasing this year.  I'm not giving up hope yet, though!!!

Exciting News

Yesterday, I found out when my last day in the lab will be.  May 14th...  I'm so excited about my new job!  Oddly enough, regulatory affairs is so interesting to me!  Yet another thing that makes me weird!  :)

Am I sad about leaving the lab?  Of course, I am!!!  I've worked in a laboratory for the last 11 years.  My hands are dry and ruined from chemicals, but I wouldn't give up my years in the lab for anything.  In a couple of weeks, I'll be turning in my lab coat.  I cannot believe it!  But, I am so excited!!!!  This job is the start of a new chapter of my life!  I'm excited about the possibilities!  :)

Random Rambling

Another sleepless night....  I have a problem going back to bed if something wakes me up. So here I am... I have been awake since 3 am.  And let's see what I have done:

• I surfed around Facebook.  Time wasted...
• I looked at the models for this weekend.  More details later...
• I tried to get the back door lock unjammed and I was unsuccessful.  Time wasted...
• More internet surfing.  Time wasted...

So, I am going to go for a walk now!  I'm getting ready to head out.  It's a bit cool outside, but I can't stand walking when it is hot outside.  I'm hoping that this will help me be more positive today.

As for the models for this weekend, it looks to be stormy and rainy for sure.  Will it be chase worthy?  Right now, anything is chase worthy.  It doesn't even have to be severe!  Looks like my weather will get here Saturday night (BOO) through Sunday.  Rain totals look insane based on this estimation from TwisterData.com:

April 24, 2010

This will be a day I won't forget for so many reasons.  I want to end on a positive note, so let's start with the sad news out of Yazoo City, MS.  I was watching the radar and many chasers live streams as the tornado passed through.  I saw a close call on one of the live streams I was watching.  You couldn't even see that tornado until it was right on top of them and the chaser was being nailed with debris!  It was crazy!  On the radar, you could clearly see the debris cloud.  You know that's not good.  All in all, yesterday was a deadly day with 54 reports of tornadoes.

I didn't go chasing at all yesterday.  But the storms came after me!  We had an intense night last night.  A very strong area of rotation passed just to our south around 1 am.  This storm was very intense with continous lightning and VERY strong winds.  I literally heard the ping ping of about 3 hail stones.  We went outside and couldn't find any, so maybe it was just nuts off of our hickory tree.  I like to think it was hail stones.  Below is a radar image snagged by my friend, Sean, who sent these to me since my GR Level 3 went out last night.

I am very proud of my forecasting yesterday, even though I didn't go chasing.  I sat down and really looked at the models.  I picked a target and then tried to time the storms arrival.  I did very well!  :)  So I consider that success even if I didn't make it out to chase.  I will be much more confident next time about my forecasting!  I am hoping the next system comes through on a day that I have plenty of time to take a nice road trip, and the storms won't be moving 60mph!! 

Emily was confirmed in the church yesterday, and it was a beautiful service.  I couldn't help but think about the weather because a storm raged outside while we were in church, but Emily was gorgeous and growing up so fast.  I can't believe what an amazing young lady she's becoming!  I am so very proud of her.

I also went to see Katie as she got ready for her prom.  It's so hard to believe she is 18 years old.  She makes me proud every day!  I'm such a proud aunt!  All of my nieces and nephews make me so very proud!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend! 

Argh...

So I get up this morning, and the system is a little bit further west than I had hoped!  I have a commitment that I cannot miss at 6pm tonight.  I'm looking at the models and trying to figure out the timing of this system.

As of right now, I have it calculated to hit the Chattanooga area between 7pm and 9pm, which is NOT what I wanted!!  That would mean I would need to be in my target of Huntsville between 4pm and 6pm.  I cannot miss my niece's confirmation no matter what!

As of right now, I'm still doing SOMETHING.  I just don't know what yet.  It may end up that I just set up a tripod on the front porch and try to get some amazing lightning shots, and I was thinking about building a hail pad since we are probably going to get some big hail today.  I'm a bit of a hail junkie!

We'll see how it goes.  I'm keeping optimistic.  If I have to chase around here, it's fine too, but I'm not chasing after dark.  No way!!

WOW!!!

I can't say anything other than WOW!!!  Tomorrow is going to be huge!  I'm going to get an adapter for my laptop in the morning, so I can have GR Level 3 in my car with me.  I'll feel much more comfortable with a big real radar than relying on my Blackberry!  Although, I'm excited about my chase, I hope that everyone pays close attention to the weather tomorrow, as it's going to be a dangerous day. 

Ask and Ye Shall Recieve

Because Saturday is going to be so busy, I asked that the severe weather be close to home.  Well, take a good look at this, the Day 3 outlook from SPC!  I live right on the edge of the 30% probability area and not very far from that blue hatched area!  Although, I probably won't be able to go as far as the blue hatched area, I'm pretty certain that I will get to do some chasing on Saturday before the sun goes down.  I'm so excited!!!  I figure after I leave my niece's confirmation, I'll check the radar and see how far I need to go.  The only thing that could mess it up would be that the storms are too far west during that time and that means an overnight event for us.  If it is a  nighttime event, I'll be spotting from my front porch.  Either way, I don't lose here!!  If you don't have one already, get a NOAA weather radio or subscribe to one of the many services that will send you a text when a warning is issued for your county! 

Bu-bye Pollen!!

This morning I woke up to take Rerun outside, and I heard the little drip drip sounds of rain!  All I can say is thank God!  I'm so ready for this pollen to be swept away, so I can BREATHE again!  :)

It looks like my severe weather is going to be Saturday evening until Sunday morning.  That doesn't work for me, unfortunately.  Saturday is chock full of things I have to do, so no chasing this weekend for me unless it's something super close to home.  Sunday would be a great chase day for me, so again, my fingers are crossed for the system to slow down just a bit.

Regardless, I will be living vicariously through my friends in the Plains for the next few days.  I'll see how much my poor ole laptop can take by having as many live streams as possible open at the same time!

SATURDAY??? SUNDAY??? :D

Trying not to get too excited, but Saturday and Sunday both look good for seeing a few storms! I don't want to jinx anything!

Unfortunately, Saturday is a super busy day for me. My niece, Katie, has her senior prom, and my niece, Emily, has confirmation at church!

So maybe the storms will hold off until Sunday! Please! :)

Also, thanks goes out to Dewdrop for adding my little blog to her page! I really appreciate it, Dewdrop. I'm not as faithful about posting like I should be, but I'm going to do better since school is basically over!

Not Your Typical Girl

The more I think about it the more I realize I am not a typical girl. I'm not much for girlie things. I get along better with boys than girls. I love weather, science, bugs....

I'm definitely a weirdo.

The First "Chase"

I hesitate to even call it a chase, but I did get out of the house early and took the long way to work.. Does that count? :)

Anyway, a linear mess was headed my way. Nothing severe. If I didn't have to go to work, I probably would have just hung out at home and waited for it to arrive.

The best part was the amazing lightning show that I didn't get to catch AT ALL on video! But it was okay. I really enjoyed filming and being out in the action.

I think about it every day... How am I going to feel WHEN (not if) I see my first tornado? Am I going to be scared and never chase again? All I know is that you just have to try. If I freak out and cry, then at least I made the attempt! I have dreamed of SEEING a tornado since I was a little kid. Even though I was terrified of all storms, I still new that I would love to go on a storm chase.

This year is supposed to be getting me ready for chase-cation next year! I hope that I get a few more opportunities to chase this spring. Right now, nothing is going on.. The near future doesn't look to promising in our area either!

Palm Sunday

So yesterday was my first big screw up as a wannabe chaser. I decided the storms wouldn't be that great in the area, so I thought it would be best to PROCRASTINATE on my school work and NOT chase!!! Guess what?? I was so wrong! Yesterday, was a HUGE severe weather day and it all started in Tunnel Hill, GA of all places!

I have a feeling that March 28th 2010 will stick out in my mind a long time.

Regardless, we are entering into severe weather season. This weekend proves to be another opportunity for chasing, so I am getting all school work finished before this weekend!

Great Things!

So, Stacey and I have booked our trip to the UK! Late May to early June.. Brits LOOK OUT! :) I'm very very excited about that!

Other good news, I did accept the position in regulatory! I'm very excited about it, but also extremely nervous! I have been a lab rat for as long as I remember. I have enjoyed being in the lab. I really don't know how my hyperactivity is going to handle having a desk job, but the actual job excites me. I believe I made the right choice!

First severe weather of the season hit my house... while I wasn't there to see anything!!! Apparently, GOLF BALL sized HAIL was on the menu on Friday, while I was at work. Oh well.. Next time, I'll set Rerun up with a camera, so I won't miss the action.

Granted, I am just learning how to read models, but next weekend looks to be my first chance to actually chase. I am not going to call it a chase, because that implicates I know what I am doing. Let's just say, I'm going to get into my car, drive towards a storm, and see what I can see. I won't have my laptop in my car.. Just the BlackBerry radar. Interesting, I have figured out how to zoom into street level, so it is ALMOST like having GRL3 attached to a GPS, minus the storm velocity scans, awesome resolution, and giant screen. So, I hope the models hold up and we will have a DAYTIME WEEKEND event within 50 miles of my house!

I'm so excited about this year. Going for your dreams has been everything I hoped it would be! I WILL be going to the UK, and I WILL go on my first REAL chase this year! Next year, I don't know if I will be "Plains-ready," but I'll be close!!

Things That Are Good

I'm trying to be a more positive person for Lent. If you know me, well, you know that there are times that I can be down or a bit angry, even. I try to contain my feelings, but at a certain point, things just boil over. One of the most helpful things that anyone ever told me was that I have a terrible poker face! I always thought I was holding in my feelings, but in reality, my face was telling on me!

Anyway.. Right now, I'm focusing on the positives. I really enjoy my classes, much more than I ever imagined that I would.

Stacey and I WILL be going to the UK this summer, and that's not the University of Kentucky, baby! We are going to ENGLAND! I am so excited that I can't even explain.

Between all the good things going on, it's really tough to focus on such meaningless stuff when I watch the pictures from the earthquake in Chile. What can you do about an 8.8 earthquake? Nothing!

Hope everyone has a good day! I'm going to have a great dinner with my hubby, watch some basketball, and snuggle with my puppy!

Well..

Today was a pretty good day, honestly. I think this new job could be great. I hope he decides I'm worth the effort. I was really tired and had a headache, but I felt like I was able to converse with him fairly easily about regulatory even! I felt good about it!

Fingers crossed... This will work out! :)

Not wanting to get ahead of myself, but....

Some good things might be coming my way soon. I don't want to be disappointed, but depending on what I hear on Wednesday, I might be changing jobs and leaving the lab. How do I feel about that? Well, this is tough for me. I really do like my job right now. But, I started school because I wanted a career change. Something that will advance my career and also give me the opportunity to make more money. I think Regulatory Affairs is extremely interesting, but I'm so scared about leaving the lab!

All I can think is...

What if I hate this? What if I am TERRIBLE at this? What if the job bores me to tears?

Anyway.. I have a lot of decisions to make in the next week or two. We'll see what happens.

As far as weather goes, we've warmed up a bit, but I think winter will be making it's last stand in the next coming week or two. The temperature is supposed to drop again, and perhaps we might see some more snow. I think by mid-March we should start seeing some severe, and I can go on my first spotting/chasing expedition! I can't wait! I hope it happens on a day when I can go outside and play in the weather!

Been a long time, been a long time!

Well, it has been awhile. I promised not to ignore my little bloggy blog, but, alas, it has happened. Let's see here.. Last time, I was talking snow! We've had TWO significant snowfalls since that last event! One added up to be around 3.5 inches! Amazing!

I attended spotter training class. That was all kinds of fun. I wish Stacey could have been there, because the people watching was better than going to Walmart at 2am. The people were generally nice, though, and I learned a lot more than I thought I would. I thought I knew it all! HA!

School is getting tough, as it tends to do in the middle of the semester. I'm sure my posts will be few and far between.

I'm ready for spring time so I can get out there for real instead of just talking about a chase. If I hate it, at least I tried. I hope I love it!

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY!

SWEET! I am not holding my breath for anything more than 1.5 inches, but still!!!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
334 AM EST THU JAN 7 2010

...LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOWFALL ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTH AND
PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

.A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA
LATE TODAY...SPREADING ANOTHER ROUND OF ARCTIC AIR INTO THE STATE
TONIGHT. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL
GULF OF MEXICO...SWEEPING ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA TONIGHT. THIS WILL
SPREAD GULF MOISTURE AHEAD AND ALONG THE COLD FRONT. PRECIPITATION
IS EXPECTED TO FALL IN THE FORM OF RAIN...SNOW AND POSSIBLY SOME
SLEET AT TIMES. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BY THIS AFTERNOON
ACROSS MAINLY NORTH GEORGIA...WHERE LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ARE
EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. RAIN OR SNOW WILL
SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING THE AFTERNOON
...CONTINUING THROUGH THIS EVENING. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL
BE POSSIBLE FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR
AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LA GRANGE TO MONTICELLO TO
WASHINGTON LINE. SOUTH OF THIS LINE A MIXTURE OF RAIN...SNOW...
AND SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE...CHANGING OVER TO SNOW DURING THE
EVENING WITH THE ONSET OF COLDER AIR. DUE TO THE FAST MOVING
SYSTEM...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE LIGHT...WITH ONE TO TWO
INCHES EXPECTED OVER NORTH GEORGIA...AND UP TO A HALF INCH ACROSS
PARTS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA.

On another note, school starts for me on Saturday!  I'm going to keep up with this blog!  I am!!

Back to Work

Well, I'm back to work today and back to school on Saturday. I do not want to let my little bloggy blog go by the wayside, so I'm going to spend time every morning writing. I plan to do a few updates this week by posting my favorite blogs/websites, and then adding these blogs to the side of this web page.

I think I'll make this public once I post those favorite blogs!

I am thankful to have a job, but I am not ready to go back to work!

WOOOOO!

I am hoping and praying that this snowfall will happen on Thursday! We are right on the rain/snow line! I'm trying to learn how to read the models, but I'm just not good enough yet to post those models and make sense of them. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it SNOW! This weather nerd needs it!!

On another note, I joined Weight Watchers Online today, because I just let myself go crazy over the holidays. So I'm putting a stop to it, RIGHT NOW! Hopefully, I'll get at least 10 lbs off this month. That's my goal, anyway!!!

Interesting Data-Flood of 2009

The Peachtree City NWS just posted some interesting data about the flood that affected Georgia in 2009.

Epic Floods of 2009 http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/?n=0909epicflood

This link provides information about the highest river crests during the flood. Several records were set.

This flood I will never forget. I have never seen the interstate flooded, but it was on my drive in to work one morning at the 24/75 split coming in from Georgia.

At one point, all the roads that lead to my home were closed and I wasn't sure how I was going to get home from work! Luckily, one route had opened up by the time I got to work.

2010!

Well we made it to 2010! Typically, Stacey and I always say that even years are terrible years. Well, I'm not falling into that this year. I am PERSONALLY going to MAKE this year a good year! Positivity, folks! Being an optimist is annoying to those around you, but it makes me feel better so I'm going back to being optimistic!!

On the other side, I got to have lunch with my dear friend, Amber, and her family yesterday! What a great way to end 2009! I miss her so much! I think that real friends are a rare treat, and I am so blessed to have her as a REAL friend in my life! Even though I knew her for such a short time, I feel like she's always been around! She truly makes me laugh out loud!

I'm trying to decide when to put this up on Facebook for other people to read. Right now, I'm just not that comfortable, but I don't think it will be long now!!!

Happy 2010 everyone!!