My 2nd 4th from a Rig :)

Happy Independence day from the Gulf of Mexico!!

I wish I could say that I did 4th-y things, but that is not the case. Instead I am celebrating my 24th Independence day in the Gulf of Mexico. It hasn't been all that sad, since this is a rig, and a European one at that, they don't really recognize national holidays such as July 4th or whenever Canada Day was (seriously, just a couple days before, I think). And as no one is truly celebrating it, it seems as if it never happened at all. However, there was some excitement that went on. We had a power outage during the middle of a test that we needed power for, and so the test failed. This was the impetus for about 4 hours of retesting, failed tests, and some fun troubleshooting. And unhappy geologists of course. I feel like geologists are perpetually unhappy people (at least the ones I work with). 

The highlights of my day were:

1) Getting off-tower after 16 hours of work
2) Having a short and fun date with Adam over skype.
3) Sleeping!!
4) Having pretty much nothing to do on tower this evening, so I got to spend  more quality time with Adam as well as my friend Aly. It was nothing short of awesome!

I have come to a decision as well. Not a dramatic or anything, but since it will affect my life and thus, I'll want to write about it, I thought I'd share. I have decided that I am finally tired of being unhealthy and tired when doing activities that I used to do easily. I am also tired of making excuses for my bad eating habits, sporadic exercising, and non-motivation. If I don't focus on trying to become healthy now, it will be that much harder when I am 26, 30, or 35. So I was talking to my friend Aly the other night, and we decided that we would have a bet, since we a both competive and lose a specific amount of weight in the next 4 months, with the winner being given a 100 dollar gift certificate to the place of their choice by the not-so-winner. The actually winner will be decided on the percentage of their goal weight lost, as well as the number of days within that time frame that a consistent workout took place. I think it sounds like fun, a challenge, and something that is entirely do-able, so...game on!

This hitch is passing pretty quickly, actually. I am making less mistakes than I was and still learning a lot. I still know this job isn't for me for a long time in the future, but I am not as unhappy all the time when I feel like I am doing better. I work with some interestin characters, which helps. Our DDs are completely different. I have worked with there men from southern Lousiana who are all quite different.  They talk pretty slow, but are quick to jump on you if you don't know what you are talking about. One chews tobacco and is a perfectionist, one is an ex marine, and the last is just a life-long oilfield guy who says, "It'll get done when it gets done." The final DD is from Columbia and is one of the most pleasant people I've had the pleasure of working with. He always has a smile and is extremely good at what he does (and very calm).  The engineers I work with are varied as well. The first one I ever worked with drinks coffee like it is going out of style and is extremely energetic, no matter when I have to wake him up. He is early to get on tower, and always late to leave. The second main guy I work with is originally from  Russia and he always has interesting stories about his homeland, as well as comparisons between there and here (apparently Americans are friendlier). Besides them, most people are pretty pleasant. They've finally started joking around with me after 3 hitches, which means they feel more comfortable with my general presence.

Lets see...wedding front! Adam and I are discussing honeymoon stuff and I am excited!!! It will be warm and fun and wonderful time! I wanted to skip the wedding part and elope, but Adam says that I have to stick it through now and can't just skip to my honeymoon. Plus, there is always the delicious wedding cake to look forward to. :)

I am also really looking forward to going back to town next Monday because there are so many cool things to look forward to! I am going to buy stuff for my new apartment; specifically bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen stuff. Tanya and I are splitting the livingroom costs, so we'll  figure that out when she gets into town later on that week. Also, I get to spend some more time with Adam! And....(drumroll)...The final Harry Potter movie comes out!! It is oddly bittersweet because it is like a signifier that my childhood is "officially" over. The first books came out when I was about 11 or 12 I think, and now, 13 years later the final movie is hitting theaters. I know a lot of 24-28 year olds that are pretty excited about this movie. I am going with Tanya and Adam to see it on opening night, hopefully.

Other things: I am in the middle of crocheting a colorful blanket, I am interested to see what will happen for the rest of this week, and I have realized that I don't need coffee to stay awake when I am working.

And with that, I think it is time to head off tower and go to bed.

I love you all and hope you had a wonderful, colorful, fun, and delicious day. Miss you guys!

Becca