Reagan's Guest Post

Everyone around here is starting to talk about the "cold mornings" and "cool fall weather." I am hoping that Chris and I don't adapt to their way of thinking (and complaining), because lately it's been sunny and around 70 degrees every day. It's so beautiful it feels a little bit like the set of a cheesy Disney Halloween movie. The other day when I was riding my bike through a big pile of red and yellow leaves I realized, living in wet and soggy Seattle, I had never actually smelled "crisp fall leaves" before that moment. It's pretty strange to see the tree branches becoming bare, and big piles of brilliantly colored leaves on the ground, yet still walk around in a t-shirt.

Last weekend we finally checked out the famous Davis farmers market- its reputation as an impressive and diverse market is well deserved, and we had a really fun time. We took Scout with us and introduced her to some baby goats and pigs... they were indifferent and she was excited.

While we didn't get any trick-or-treaters for Halloween, and Chris had a test the next day, we still had some fun. On Saturday we went to a Halloween party hosted by Chris's friend and fellow pharm-tox student Kristine. Christopher went as the unabomber and I was a pirate. It was a good thing that we dressed up, because they made all of the non-costumed guests wear gigantic diapers! The best costume at the party was, hands down, the human photo booth. He actually had everyone get in, shut the curtains, and make faces while he took pictures.



My favorite part of Halloween was the costume parade at the Child Development Center. One family had Mom and Dad dress as Shrek and Fiona, and their two boys dress as baby ogres. Another family went as Disney's "The Incredibles," with both parents and all three kids dressed in red and black super hero costumes. Pretty cute. My three favorite costumes were the homemade jellyfish and angler fish, and the baby devil (one of my favorite students, Lawrence.... I think I liked it because he really IS a little devil).

Yesterday I got a phone call from the head of the UC Davis Health Sciences Library, asking me to come in for an interview for a full time position. I couldn't believe it! I applied for the job back in August! I can't believe that they can hire any staff with such a slow application and interview process (the student services office told me it can take up to 6 months for an interview). While the position is a very good one, with excellent benefits, I don't think I'll be interviewing. I love Russell Park and all of the kids, and it's nice to work in an environment where I know that I am having a daily positive impact on so many lives. Plus, I would really miss all of the hugs I get, and cute expressions that I hear everyday! Every Monday one of the little guys runs over when I walk through the door, grabs both of my legs, and says "Hey! It's you!I MISSED you!" That type of job benefit is hard to beat!

Chris and I have been church-hunting in Davis. So far we've tried out the Newman Center at 11, and St. James' 8am service. It's nice that, even though the town is so small, there are so many different churches with different personalities. I'm confident that we'll find a good fit soon.

We have been working with Scout on her tricks, and she now knows how to roll-over. We started training her with the 'clicker,' and it's made everything really easy. We are thinking about getting her into agility training soon.

Chris and I are really excited about the coming week because my family is flying down from Washington! I can't wait to see Mom, Dad, Courtney, and Celeste. I took work off on Friday and am looking forward to taking them around Davis and exploring Sacramento.