The interview trail has brought me out to AZ, and I am soaking up the 70-degree weather in December! I have had a blast staying with my cousins. Last night, we walked to Hallie's (outdoor) Christmas concert, where she performed three songs with her kindergarten class. The evening ended with a horse-drawn wagon ride around the neighborhood to see all of the Christmas lights. Arizonians definitely go all-out with lights and decorations! They get major accolades for finding ways to mount Santas on shingled rooftops and string lights on their cacti.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream of visiting "Biosphere 2." Driving home from my interview, I noticed that this piece of history was only 15 miles from my cousins' home in Oro Valley! Biosphere 2 was designed as a microcosm of Earth with 5 of our biomes in one sealed building: savanna, marsh, desert, rainforest, and ocean. In 1991, eight "biospherian" researchers entered Biosphere 2 to begin their two-year, sealed research project on how these ecosystems operate and interact with wind, water, and sunlight to sustain life. The Biospherians were largely dependent on the plants and animals that they introduced into the biosphere for food during this locked-in experiment. The scientific community buzzed with excitement about the potential this project held for future missions to Mars and establishing communities on the moon. I remember being so intrigued by this mission as I read about it in my Weekly Reader in fifth grade. It was fascinating to get to walk inside and hear more about this piece of scientific history situated in the open range of Arizona.



Well, the interviews have gone well so far. Tomorrow I leave for MN! I live for the contrasts. Bring on the snow...