Quick trip to Indiana

It seems a little weird to write about visiting home on my travel blog... but I guess it counts as traveling.

We had a 4-day weekend for the July 4th holiday, so I flew home for a short visit. It was really wonderful to get away from my dorm room for a couple days and see my dogs, family, and a couple friends. The best part, though, was surprising my mom on her birthday--I didn't tell her that I was coming home for a visit!

Let me set the scene for you. Dave and I arrived at my younger sister's house. When mom arrived, I hid in the basement. After a couple minutes, I called Mom's cell phone to wish her a happy birthday. (Props to Misty for the great idea!) I started walking upstairs while talking with her.
I asked her if she wanted a hug from me on her birthday. She was confused. (She later said she thought the sun and heat had finally gotten to me!) Then she finally heard me, realized I was right beside her, and gave me a huge hug.
She was really, really surprised. :) I flew back to Texas on Monday and arrived just in time to watch the fireworks. It was a good show in spite of the drunk man who proceeded to shout, "AMERICA!" after each boom.

We're still waiting for our research proposals to be accepted, so I've been working on behind the scenes stuff like reading related research and locating potential farms/ranches to invite to participate in my survey or an interview.

It's still hot here. It was 102 today, and the high temperatures for the next ten days are predicted to range from 99 to 102. The temperatures in Indiana (70's and 80's) were sooo lovely while I was there.

Oh, and here's the latest squirrel photo. There's an almond in its mouth. So cute!