He hands me the manila envelope in the full light of day and I tear it open without a word. It’s big and puffy and I only skim the cover letter before I see that the Department of Education has said “yes” to my Fulbright proposal for an all expenses paid project in the Middle East (Qatar, UAE, Kuwait), and suddenly, I am jumping, hollering and hooting smack dab in the middle of the street, Eli in his stroller, Casey beside me, all on this beautiful Spring day. As if the call from our old friends in New Zealand wasn’t enough to buoy our spirits. As if Eli’s flirty smiles and six hours of continued sleep weren’t their own blessing.As we walk toward Sunflower market to celebrate (pancetta, organic truffles, Tuscan turkey), Casey begins to map out a plan to make this work for our family. It can’t, I say! I proposed this project way back in October, before our lives were about to change. But Casey rationalizes, persuades, or at least he tries: It can. And I smile - knowing that receiving the award is just as exhilarating as a searing summer in the Middle East. And I beam, because it’s now been confirmed, I’m not an imposter. The Fulbright to Brazil, way back in 2007 was not a mistake. In the words of Sally Field, They like me! They really like me! Or let’s just say they like the proposal. Apologies for the self-indulgence, but now you know what keeps me up at night, Georgia, Momma M, and WCC.
13 comments:
Congratulations!! That is exciting (and impressive) news!! :)
Thanks, Mary! I was pretty shocked by the news.
Yahoo!!!!! Congratulations, Karen!!
You shouldn't be surprised, really. In person and on paper, you ROCK!
Yea, Karen! What a wonderful/terrible thing to happen right now!! You Want to go; you Don't want to leave your baby. Whatever you decide, we're with you, hon. Selfishly, I'd love to hear the stories of the Middle East, see it through your unique perceptions. (Can you get a rain check, redeemable when Eli is a bratty teenager? :)--
Totally awesome, Karen! We're not surprised at all!
And, GO GO GO! We'll do everything we can to help out Casey and Eli while you're gone!
WooHoo!
You guys are the best, so amazingly supportive. I'll keep you posted on what we decide to do! And thanks so much for all the offers of help. You may regret it as we've only been sending pictures of Eli at his happiest. :)
woo hoo! they picked the best person i know!
Speaking of the urge to share happiness, you are being very much successful. wcc is with the engineer on this. The challenge is bounded and solution must exist. Remember that wcc didn't make it back to Phoenix till Molly was almost three! Many thanks to Meiling, though she does keep reminding me of that from time to time. Mmm...
Karen, you should go. Eli will benefit from your trip - your success and your stories and the example of following your dreams and of you and Casey supporting each other.
Casey is one of the MOST capable lads around, as you know. No worries. GO GO GO!!!!
XXOO
GTia
But it's so HOT over there. :)
Karen, congratulations! After celebrating at Sunflower you should have knocked on our door to tell the good news.
You've got a difficult choice ahead (or maybe not, but it would be a difficult choice for me.) I'm sure that Elijah is becoming cuter and more interactive every week.
Your posts for February and March are quite good.
Hey Mike,
We should get together soon. The backyard fire at your house still ranks as one of our top Fort Collins moments. By the way, hope it's OK that we provided a link to your website off this blog. It's been a major source of inspiration for future bike trips with Eli!
I am proud of you and glad to see the adventure continues.
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