Before I Forget

In a little while, ranging from a few days to a few weeks, I will become a mother (if all goes well). And before sleepless nights and diapers ransack what is left of my brain, I thought I'd post this picture:


"What a nice picture of a leveler. What does that have to do with anything?" you might think. Take a closer look:

Yes, my friends. That is me. And, no. I'm not just posing in it. I drove it that day. I'm proud to say that I've driven and operated quite a few pieces of machinery: skid steers, pavers (on the steepest road in Utah), and backhoes. It's been one of my favorite parts of my job. This was a brand new leveler, and the controls were similar to playing an play station or x-box game. The designers did it on purpose, to cater to the younger operators that are coming into the field. Play x box? You can drive one of these.
This is a side of me that I'm pretty proud of. It's been there from the time that I used to make mud pies, and beat up the little neighborhood boy across the street. I was a mean little girl. A tomboy to boot, and I would ride bikes, catch grasshoppers, and pull off lizard tails with the best of the boys.
Right now my days are consumed with construction equipment, manhole prices, contractors, untreated base coarse, asphalt, and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC). If I weren't pregnant, I would happily be running from site-to-site in the field watching contractors excavate fiber optic line, putting together post-tensioned concrete bridges, and sampling materials to test.
A baby, pink, bottles, and stuffed animals are the complete opposite of my universe. No wonder I was more excited about getting a butane torch rather than a Cricut for Christmas. So before my universe goes to the flip side, I just wanted to take a minute to remember that I am a completely sane, intelligent woman. That way, when I look in the mirror and see bloodshot eyes and bags the size of Rhode Island, it will give me a little confidence to plaster on some concealer and bravely charge to the grocery store for those much needed wet wipes.