Whats Up Doc?

Yesterday morning I got called into my boss's office for a private meeting. I haven't seen him in months because he's always somewhere doing something (conference in Tokyo, convention in China, meeting with clients in Germany, that kind of thing). Anyway, I was surprised to see him at all much less at my desk requesting a meeting with me. The sudden butterflies I got in my stomach reminded me of a time in 4th grade when I was summoned to the principal's office. I agonized the whole way there about what I could have possibly done wrong and what kind of punishment would be handed down. I still remember all the kids in my class making that sound kids make when someone is in trouble. You all know what I'm talking about. Anyway, that meeting with the principal actually turned out to be a request for me to allow a newspaper reporter to follow me around for a day at school. I had been recommended by my teachers for my good behavior and academic standing. Needless to say I was incredibly relieved that I wasn't going to be horse whipped and expelled from school, and quite pleasantly surprised!

...ANYWAY back to my meeting with my boss. Much like my 4th grade experience, I had gotten myself worked up over nothing. He started by offering sincere praise of my work on the project over the last year, and making some small talk about how I felt about it. Then he came to his point. He expressed a desire for me to begin a PhD program under his direction, and continue to work on this project. He said he had already reviewed my GPA and my overall body of work and with a decent GRE score, he would ensure my acceptance. He also made it very clear that if I decided to become one of his doctoral students, he would commit on the spot to fund the entire thing in addition to paying me a small salary for my work on the project as a PhD researcher. I was so thrown by this left field request that I had no idea what to say.
He continued to sell me on the idea by citing that the UofU's Biomedical Engineering program is ranked in the nation's top 10, and by telling me about all the grants he has secured to ensure funding for my degree and the project for years to come. I don't remember much else except that I said "thank you" and "I'll look into it". I have long had a desire to get my PhD, but have never expressed it to anyone outside my immediate family, which made his request all the more strange. I'm flattered that someone with such an outstanding International reputation as his would hand pick me to become one of his few Doctoral students and on top of everything would commit to fund my entire education (which would easily cost me $50,000)!
Men and women from all over the world apply to become one of his students. This man is a genius! He's the kind of German Doogie Howser who probably played with a "Tickle-Me-Tolstoy" doll or the "Playskool Particle Accelerator" as a kid, while I was still banging pots and pans together and being completely captivated by Bert and Ernie. Anyway, he's not one that is used to hearing the word 'no', and frankly thats a pretty difficult thing to say no to.

While I was extremely surprised and flattered, its highly unlikely at this time that I will accept (though I will GLADLY accept the 5% raise I was just offered). Layne is in the middle of preparing for grad school (which is more important than me furthering my education right now) and even if we were going to remain in Salt Lake for 4 more years, it would be nearly impossible for us both to be in graduate school, make enough money to support ourselves AND have children that we want so desperately, without any family support nearby. I had all but decided not to tell anyone about my little meeting since it was unlikely that I'd accept. However, when I told Layne, he insisted that we celebrate the little triumphs in life no matter how small. I'm so grateful for a husband who has always encouraged me to go after my dreams, who has pushed me to achieve my goals and who is constantly giving me wings to "be Kelly" as he puts it. He has already sacrificed so much to allow me to find personal fulfillment in my education, employment and other pursuits. I certainly feel like a very lucky woman, who hopefully someday will become "Dr. Lucky Woman".