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2011-05-25 07:28:44.000 – Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist

the prettiest picture I took all week.

Warning:A long and sappy comment follows. Be prepared.

3 years and 10 months = 2 summit cats (Nin and Marty), 2 snow tractors (yellow and white), 2 pitot tubes (3 if you count the back-up pitot), many shift partners (Brian and Ryan, then Kyle and Zach, then Kyle and Mike, then Steve and Mike, then a Mike swap) countless volunteers, 33 interns (that includes both shifts but not Plymouth State interns), and 6 museum attendants. Time isn’t only measured in minutes and seconds, it apparently can also be measured in people and experiences.

It is impossible to condense my experiences of the last four years into four mere paragraphs. I can safely say that I have grown more in the past four years than I have in my adult life (and that’s not just my waistline). I have seen the most amazing sights: blazing sunrises and sunsets, stars so plentiful I can hardly distinguish the constellations, meteor showers, incredible optical phenomena, 145 mph wind, -26 Degrees F, thunderstorms, lightning 130 miles away, the Adirondacks, an aurora borealis… the list is seemingly endless and it would be tedious to type them all. From incredible weather to sensational food, from challenging my problem solving skills to playing cribbage – every experience I have had here will be treasured.

As many experiences I have had and amazing weather phenomena that I’ve witnessed, the people with whom I have shared these experiences are what made the last 3 years and 10 months so memorable. I have had the honor of living and working with intelligent, hilarious, wonderful, hard-working people. To every volunteer I’ve lived with for a week, thank you! I’m a hungry girl, and you all did a fantastic job feeding me and occasionally teaching me a life lesson or a recipe. To every intern I’ve had the pleasure of training, you have kept my job fun, exciting, and new, thank you (yeah, you all know who you are). I can hope that I have taught you as much as you have taught me. To my fellow gigglers, I will treasure every tear-inducing, abdominal-hurting session. To the valley staff – I know I get a little punchy on Tuesdays, thank you for being understanding. To my opposite shift cohorts, I’m actually pretty excited that we might get to spend time together not on a Wednesday! Steve, I will miss your dreamy British accent and your intense dislike for anything not Linux. I guarantee that at some point, you will miss my obnoxious singing and dancing. Mike, the good news is that you’ll still have to deal with me on a bi-weekly basis until September.

It is impossible for me to mention everyone who has touched my life through the Observatory, so I won’t. I am excited to be entering the newest stage of my life, and I will take with me all the memories from the Observatory. To say I’m simply leaving a job is unfair and belittles the last 3 years and 10 months. I am leaving family and loved ones. In a weird analogy, I feel like Voldemort. He split his soul into many pieces and left those pieces in objects in an attempt at immortality. I am not committing crimes or literally splitting my soul into pieces. However, I feel I will be leaving a piece of my heart at the Obs. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist