Its day #3 in Michelle's Birthday Month here in Austin, and last night I came home to a clean kitchen and THESE on the counter:
I have the best boy ever. 
Just an FYI…
We've found a place! Check out our wedding website HERE for more information!
Merry Weekend!
Thank God its a lazy Saturday morning. Sadie, Luckster and I are enjoying the quiet time and a cup of coffee, and are reflecting on the previous week. Everyone in the lab has shifted into high gear this spring in order to pump out data for Global meetings, collaborators, and even grant proposals. My reason for be busy in the lab falls under the last cause - my boss wants to submit a joint PO1 grant in May, in which my work with be one of the four legs of it. While its flattering, there are a lot of experiments I need redo, and more data to "tighten". Needless to say, I will give up some weekends for the cause in the near future. And while my predicament is in no way shaping up to be the hellstorm of last fall, I am still having a difficult time getting myself in gear for it. This couch is waaaay to comfy...
In other news, Bryan and I are one step closer toward deciding on a facility for our wedding next December. We visited a few places last week, and have another one to look at today. We've knocked out one place due to price, but included another one that proved promising. We're aiming to pick a place by the end of the month, so that we can move on to more entertaining aspects of the wedding planning (and to get rid of this stress!) On a side note, the two people I carpool to work with are also recently engaged, and I think I may jump from the moving vehicle if they don't stop talking about wedding stuff. Its not topic that drives me batty, but the attitudes that the two have about gift giving - they act greedy and entitled about receiving gifts. Now while I don't mind getting wedding gifts at all, I don't feel that every person I INVITE is required to send a gift. That's just silly, and reminiscent of a spoiled brat. And let me assure you, it takes one to know one.
Anyhoo, Lucky's excited about going to the dog park today, so I should consider pouring another cup o' joe and getting my behind in the shower. Merry Weekend!
Wedding Hunting!
It's a new year! Happy 2010! You know what's awesome about this year? Bryan and I are getting hitched. Yup, takin' the plunge! We've gotten really revved up to get this thing planned out - between the two of us we have three places lined up for just this week to visit. Wish us luck that we find the perfect place to say I Do!
Chelle’s in Athens!….. Georgia.
That's right! I've been in Athens since Tuesday, as part of a collaborative meeting for a PO1 grant that our lab was just awarded. I gave a presentation over my research so far in the lab, and received a lot of good feedback. I met our main collaborator at Stanford, who has Rb-/- mice and see a really large thymus like my mice have! Very cool stuff! All of the presentations have been interesting, but one that stood out was some embryonic work done in Scotland on human fetal thymi - since we're not allowed to work on human embryos here in the states, it was nice to see that a lot of the work we do in mouse models correspond well to what they are observing in humans.
Though I have had a good time here, I am ready to get back home. Our lab is moving to a new building (yay!) and there is lots of packing and cleaning to do! Woo hoo!
Pumpkin Carving on Yarborough Ave!
With All Hallow's Eve making an appearance tomorrow, Bryan and I got in the mood by carving some of our very own Jack o Lanterns. Here are some pictures, as well as the history behind this tradition. Enjoy!
Bryan cutting a hole in the top!
He chose a skull cut-out
I opted for a tombstone
Our finished products!
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds!
The History of the Jack o'Lantern:
The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns. (History.com)
Checking In –
I think its unfortunate that our site has been overrun with spam comments. Perhaps Bryan can make them go away??
And no, we haven't died. We're still here, and I promise to get better at updating on a timely basis. I mean, come on! We have soooo much going on right now planning for this wedding! Might as well share it all!
- Chelle
BIG NEWS!
Bryan and I have great news - we're getting MARRIED!!! It's been nearly two weeks since he popped the question, and I figured we might as well share the news!
The date is December 18th, 2010, so mark your calendars! Here's our wedding website on theknot.com:
Look out for more info to come!!
Sadie Bear!
This is the newest addition to our menagerie - meet sweet Sadie!
Snuggle Bugs
"This is my comfy spot!"
Stealing my markers
Take THAT!
Playing UNDER Lucky
Full of P & V
We have a New House!
Yep, its official - we've moved in at 3908 Yarborough! Here's a rough tour of the house (mind the boxes!):
Lucky says "Wipe Yer Paws!"
Dining Room - in the works
Kitchen, take 1
Kitchen - looking into the Living room
Living room
Living room, looking back to the Kitchen
The Study - a work in progress, or a disaster zone?
You make the choice
Guest Bathroom
Guest Bedroom, almost finished!
Garden Tub in Master Bath. There's also a walk-in closet and shower stall in here.
And a big ol' backyard for the Luckster!
The master bedroom, and a better shot of the master bathroom aren't up here at the moment, but I will post them once those rooms get unpacked! Leave us some love, and any decorating ideas!
I'm finally posting, yay!
Its been two weeks since Bryan moved in, and today we celebrated our TWO YEAR anniversary. That's right. We've been attached at the hip now for 730 days, officially. So, Bryan told me to meet him at an address in downtown Austin. We eneded up meeting at a little Italian restaurant called Vespaeio, which was absolutely dee-lish! I really do recommend it if you're looking for a new twist on Italian. We also walked South Congress afterward and got to listen to lots of live music, all thanks to SXSW. We realy enjoyed listening to Matt the Electrician, which were having a show at the Caritas of Austin Soup Drive. Also got serenaded by a homeless man with a guitar who made up a song about Bryan and I. He made us kiss. It was bueno.
In other news, we get the keys to the house on Saturday! I'm very excited, but still have three exams to get through next week before we move. :/ So. . . .
Until next time!
We're already a month into the new year, and with it, comes the joy and stress of everyday life. So far 2009 has been pretty good for the both of us - Bryan's still enjoying his job, and I'm loving the new lab I am rotating through. Dr. Bedford's a histone man - that is, he focuses on the proteins that DNA is wrapped around when its not being 'read' by the cell. The people in the lab are awesome, and even though my project has been stuck on dead center now for almost a month, I am learning a lot and genuinely enjoying the lab. Though anything is better than last sememster's experience, I really think I could call this one my home, if Bedford wants me.
I'm also starting to enjoy the Austin area this semester, which is really good news. Going out with friends, even if they're the same people I see all day at work has become a source of joy for me, and I have started looking at places in Austin to live! I cannot wait to move - I am really starting to like my excursions into the city, and can't wait to live there. While Bastrop is convenient, Austin is awesome.
But like I said, 2009 hasn't been all that generous. The distance has been wearing on the both of us this month, what with my crazy class load, and Bryan's endless drives to come visit. He mentioned the other day that in the past 3 months he's put 6,000 miles on his mustang. That's a feat, I don't care what you say. And I feel bad because I am tied down to Bastrop. Its hell to try and move all of my study materials for two days, let me tell you. I am also to the point that I have to come into the lab every weekend in order to keep my project rolling. So, between the two, my weekend Waco trips have become very numbered. As in zero this year. Ouch. I need to work on that.
Hopefully February will be a much better month than the last for Bryan and I. We have Valentine's day, our anniversary (next month its the big 2.0!) and someone's turning 23. Not going to say who, or when. But I am hopeful that we should have enough time to work on what's been stretching thin lately. Namely, us.
The Red-Headed Stepchild
I promise those of you who read this (is there anyone out there??) that Bryan and I have NOT thrown in the towel on this site, nor have we made a split. Life's actually quite peachy for us at the moment - Bryan's coming to his first anniversary as a graduated software engineer (sounds so sophisticated, doesn't it?), and I am finishing up my first semester at MD Anderson! We're still separated, with Bryan up in Waco and myself still trudging away in Bastrop, but this too, shall pass. We're both hoping the market will straighten out after the new year (though if yesterday's 650 pt drop indicates anything, the US markets are still on shaky ground!), as he's been looking for jobs in Austin fruitlessly. We've been trading off weekends in Austin and Waco, with a weekday trip thrown in for good measure. To say the least, we've been working our butts off to keep us going, which, we think, is worth it. 
This past weekend was the Thanksgiving holiday, which we spent with Bryan's family in Temple. Sad to say, but the tryptophan got to all of us at one point or another, with Bryan's parents knocking out directly after the meal, Bryan crashing at 4pm, and myself bringing it home with a 7pm bedtime (and 10am wakeup - 15 hours of sleep!). We then spent a sleepy Black Friday in Waco, not really daring to go out to the stores. Saturday we came to Bastrop, however, and performed a Bolner Tradition - putting up the Christmas Tree! Take a look:
Changing out the Wreaths
Bryan plus lights...
Equals lit-up Lucky
Being artistic
Happy Holidays from Austin!
Our Creation...
I think after 2 hours of straight Muppets singing Christmas songs and me singing an octave too high, Bryan got a little burnt out. Nonetheless, it is really nice to have our first 'full grown' christmas tree.
The next few weeks shall be a bit crazy, what with finals looming in the distance and then road tripping with Sam to El Paso. Bryan's flying in on Christmas Eve, and God help him, he doesn't know what he's in for - there's nothing like a Southwest Christmas. Especially with my family and friends.
I'm not a politically inclined person, but if you have the time to watch this video clip in its entirety, you'll be laughing your butt off at what the media has come to.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26508701#26508701
Hey Hey!
So, long time no post! I've been in Bastrop for the past two weeks, getting ready for classes and rotations at the lab. My incoming class at Smithville is a total of FIVE people. I'm not kidding. Thankfully, that's not all of the first years in the GSBS program, as we saw yesterday while in Houston to fill out some paperwork. Also while I was there, I found out that I am one of the lucky few who are actually funded for two years by the Dean's Office of GSBS. Very neat! I don't know why they think I'm as smart as they do, but they're in for an awakening! These first few weeks are sure to be a struggle, but then I'll be back on my feet and off running.
Meanwhile, the town's still rather boring. The town closes up by 10pm every night, and any semblence of a social life is thirty miles away in Austin. As you can probably guess, thoughts in my head are starting to form about a more efficient vehicle and living in Austin. That won't be for at least another year, however, since I prize my credit score.
Life's also a bit sad without Bryan around. He's been living the highlife in Waco with his friends on the weekdays, and comes to visit on the weekends. Its not terrible, but I do feel like a total dork for being home every night while he's out on the town. I don't have a choice, and that makes it all the more unbearable. Oy veh.
Other than that, everything is going well here. I start school Tuesday, and have nothing to do until then! Woo hoo!
I GOT APPROVED!!!!
For my very first apartment without anyone's help. I think that deserves a 'Booyah'!