Home Visit!!!

Sooo exciting... our girl got permission to come home for 10 days.  She deployed her detectors and then high-tailed it down to Virginia.  We couldn't wait to see her... but we had to... because she hit Radford and "the boyfriend" first!

Totally understandable, she's a grown up now and we're happy whenever she wants to come see us.  She spent about 4 days down at Radford and then she came up to us for a day.  It was good to have her home and I think she got a chance to relax and recharge and that's what she needed the most.  Just a break from the work and the being alone, back in familiar territory.

While we were thrilled to have Brenna Bob back with us....

I'm not so sure that Autumn was as warmly received.  As you can tell from the body language... Cooper and Zoey grudgingly tolerate and Autumn is clueless! :o)  

We didn't do much of anything except sit around and drink wine and gab.  John got her all fitted out for fishing.  It's only taken 22 years, but she has finally decided that fishing is pretty cool and she has plenty of opportunity to do it.  John is thrilled!!!  After a day or so of pampering we sent her on her way.  So, very proud of her.  She had to plot her course back, she found hotels to stay in and just in general acted like the responsible grown up that she has become. 

She is amazing!

Wisconsin Science

Brenna seems to be doing just great, as we knew she would!  I think she's finding it a little challenging or just different as she makes the transition from carefree college kid to grown up in charge of stuff!  :o)  We manage to talk, text and FaceTime pretty regularly, but most of my updates I get from Snapchat.  I think she's doing well, she's been invited to a couple Happy Hours and a coworkers BBQ.  She's busy netting bats, measuring and recording, tracking, tagging with radio transmitters and then following them with acoustic detectors.  She's Bat Girl, Science Chick and just an amazing girl!

Acoustic Detector

Catching bats

I guess it's not all fun and games.  There's no doubt she's a trooper, a badass trooper!  I just wish she was a little closer, so she could come home and her mommy could take care of her!

Wisconsin Brenna Update

I'm so glad I had Stotesbury to distract me from worrying about Brenna.  I did get to talk to her a couple of times while we were in Philly.  Things are going fantastic out there!  Lots of good stuff.

#1 - The Steven's Point campus and town are very similar to Radford, only a little bigger, a little newer and a little nicer.  She said she felt at home the minute she got there.  I guess there is a river that runs through the town.  Lots of micro breweries and just all around good stuff.  I guess the campus is really focused on the Natural Resources College and wildlife stuff.

Part of the College of Natural Resources

#2 - She met with her Advisor, Kevin Russell, and apparently he's super cool and very happy to have Brenna there.  We got some really, really good news.... Apparently all her tuition is paid for in full.  ALL.HER.TUITION.PAID.IN.FULL... I guess there is a grant that the school received that pays for it, we won't ever even see the bills.  They go straight to the grant to be paid.  ALL.HER.TUITION.IS.PAID.FOR!  AND.....she still gets a $18,000 stipend to pay for her living expenses!  So, not only do we not have to pay any tuition, but it looks like the rent money, utilities money, food and bills money that we've been sending her each month... we don't have to do that either!  John said he kept sitting in the chair, with his mouth hanging open saying, "We don't have to pay any money?"  I guess Professor Russell seemed slightly puzzled that John didn't see to me understanding. Lol!  That was very good news.

#3 - John said Professor Russell, seemed very impressed by Brenna and all her experience and knowledge.  Especially about the equipment she was going to be using in the field.

All packed up and ready to head out for her first field site.  

Dropping Dad off at the airport and then off she goes.  I'm so freaking proud of her, I can hardly stand it!  What amazing things she's done and what amazing things she'd going to do!  Just watch her go!

A sad happy day

Brenna and John left on their adventure to Wisconsin today.  I tried to be very brave, because I don't want Brenna to feel bad or not be excited... but I'm not feeling very brave!  I'm missing my girl.  2 days with her was just not enough and of course all I can imagine right now is her sitting lonely and crying in her hotel room!  I know John is going to take good care of her and make sure she gets settled, but I can't help myself. I don't know why it seems like I'm never going to see her, because actually when I really thought about it, it won't be that different from Radford.  While she was at school, we saw her Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring break and summer.  We'll probably see her the same times even when she's in WI, so it won't really be that different, I guess it just seems like it will be because she's so much farther away.  There was just the potential that she could come home on the weekend if she chose from Radford.  Anyway,  I couldn't even talk about her today.  A couple people asked about her at work today, and it was all I could do not to burst into tears every time someone mentioned her! :o)  They are stopping tonight in Chicago and staying with Colleen and seem to be enjoying their road trip.

The one thing I have going for me right now, is Zack and I leave for Stotesbury tomorrow, so I will have that as a distraction to keep me from dwelling on her being gone.

It's Bragging time...Brenna Hyzy version

So my precious baby girl, the same girl who once took a zero in Spanish, because she didn't know which basket to put her homework in, the same girl who was thrilled when she got a B, who was happy to be "average" if it meant it didn't interfere with her social life.  The same girl who refused to take her Algebra book to class with her because it was "too heavy."  This girl has decided she's going to graduate school, she's taken the GRE and she's been accepted to the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point!

She's been working with her advisor at Radford and the man she worked for this summer at Virginia Tech and they both suggested this program and actually they spoke with the director.  Apparently he was so impressed with Brenna and her work and skills that they pretty much created this graduate program for her and her skill set!  That's pretty freaking amazing if you ask me!  She will work as a TA and they will be giving her a yearly stipend which should help pay for a good portion of her tuition and living expenses.  I mean Duh!  No brainer!   She didn't want to do it at first, I think she's a little worried about about being pigeon-holed with bats which probably aren't her first choice.  But for now, it's what she knows and what she's good at and what they want her for, so she's going with it.  She'll be 24 and have a masters degree and can do whatever she wants.  I'm very excited and very proud, but I'm also just a tiny, toosh sad.  She's going all the way to Wisconsin, that's a long way away! :o(   AND she has to go up in May, right after graduation... so we don't even get to hang out over the summer. :o(  She and John are going to go up in May and make sure they get everything settled and then Zack and I will road trip up and visit later in the summer.  Its going to be hard to have her so far away.  I like hanging out with her, we have fun together and now she's going to be far, far away!   I don't like my babies growing up and away!