Anniversaries, Birthdays and Crickets

Have we really been home from our vacation for 3 weeks already? I keep feeling like we haven't left for Minnesota yet -- that I really should get around to packing our bags so we can go home once more.

The past two weeks have been blissful and busy. Dan continues to work ridiculous amounts of overtime at work, and our little boys have maintained a vigilant watch of the front door (read: stalking black crickets as they enter the house).

Between the two of them, they have easily caught and devoured 50+ crickets a week. That is, until Finnegan had his date with the Veterinarian to get neutered.

We felt like terrible parents for laughing at his cone-headed antics. But we really can't help ourselves. His cone weighs down his head so he has to goose-step and bob as he tries to motor around. Poor Finnegan no longer has the ability to accurately judge the proper height of his jumps, resulting in over-leaping steps, under-leaping the couch cushions, etc etc.

But don't pity him too much, he still manages to catch his fair share of crickets -- cone or no.

His new method involves stalking the cricket and then trapping it within his cone. He then snaps his little jaw wildly in an act of desperation to catch it. If successful, he runs around the living room (frequently running into coffee tables, feet, walls, etc). And then, inevitably, the cricket escapes his jaws, and begins to run circles around the base of the cone. Finnegan then begins to run in circles trying to find his cricket, while Loki circles the kitten trying to catch the cricket for himself. It's quite the ordeal.

Aside from cheap cat entertainment, we have had a lot to celebrate this week. This Monday we celebrated our second wedding anniversary! We enjoyed a romantic Italian dinner out, and a quiet evening at home. It is hard to believe that it's possible to love someone more and more with each passing day <3

It's amazing how much our lives have changed in a year's time: moved to Texas, Dan found a new job, I finished my Master's and started a PhD, we adopted two adorable kittens and hardest of all, we have had to learn how to cope with being so far away from all of the people we love so dearly.

Thank you for all of your love and support!

-K&D

Trip home!

Here is a little glimpse from our vacation home.

We spent our time lounging in hammocks...

.. revisiting some of our favorite Northern Minnesota hiking trails..

.. sight-seeing in Duluth..

.. going to a Twins game, and spending lots and lots of time with friends and family -- including 5 new little family members! It was so wonderful to see everyone again. Miss you all like crazy!

Life went back to its crazed pace hours after we landed in Texas. Dan has been awarded some new work responsibilities, and has been working absolutely ridiculous overtime hours. And I have been running experiments and writing like a mad-woman.

As for the boys, the annual late summer black cricket infestation has kept them very entertained.

More pictures to follow!

Oasis in the Texas heat

We took a quick break from packing and cleaning house to do a little BBQ'ing and escape the 100+ degree weather with a dip in a bonefide Texas oasis.

And now, back to work! See you SOON SOON SOON!

Gratuitous Kitten Pictures

You can give a cat a pillow, but you can't make him sleep on it.

Finnegan decides boxes are alright.

Especially if the manufacturer provides a convenient attack hole -- the rest of the evening was devoted to utilizing it.

Ramming speed! Loki beware, the Tank is on the move!

Be careful what you wish for...

The Summer is really starting up here in Waco, and Kristin and I have been keeping pretty busy.

I had a bachelor stint for a bit while Kristin was off to San Antonio as a collaborator. Kristin’s lab skills were put to use doing a little neuroscience, and she’ll get her name on a publication for it. She's also hoping to nab another honorable mention adding some toxicology tests to a study that's coming out of Yale. On her trip though, K ended up only being gone one night (and one very long day), so I wasn't able to do much damage on the home front. I've been pretty busy myself lately; we have two coworkers out on sick leave. One of whom fell and actually had to come through the ER. We're keeping Her in our thoughts, and we're bringing over some homemade dinner next week!

Speaking of the homestead, Kristin and I recently agreed to be part of our apartment building's Welcoming committee. Since the only folks that can live here are all Baylor Grad students, the GSA (grad student association) gives us a generous stipend to keep their members happy. We've given out maps, toilet paper, etc. to two new tenants now, and will be greeting more newcomers in August.

OK! Sports time: Tonight is Game Six of Lord Stanley's Cup! Those that follow facebook may have already noticed that I'm rooting for the Blackhawks, but Kristin has persisted in her Underdog Strategy, and is rooting for the Flyers. Personally, I think that Chicago has been one of the best teams in the NHL all year... but they've still got to take four out of seven to bring the cup back to the Windy City.

We've tried to be a bit more active ourselves... we've both put on a little weight since X-mas, and we're trying to stay fit. So, we bought a 'sports trainer' game by EA Sports Active. We've just completed our 30-Day challenge, and we're glad to be getting into a routine. Also, we finally found a hiking trail in Waco that we really enjoy. Best of all, it is trail-running friendly. If we ever get really crazy, that may be our next adventure.

Feline Update: Finnegan is gaining weight (a whole half pound, the little porker!), Loki has the sniffles. Our new kitten, Finnegan has been adapting nicely to our home. He's been getting along with Loki (for the most part), and is being slowly weaned off of wet food. Other than his missing whiskers, he is growing up fine. Loki however, just started a cold. Finn has no sympathy for a tired big cat and has been taking full advantage of Loki's slower pace.

What else is there to talk about? Well, how bout the weather! K and I are entering our first Texas Summer, and we're not too excited about the heat. Neither of us have had to live through the Summer season anywhere but MN, so pardon us if we don't clamor for multiple weeks of 100+ degree weather. And no, it's not a dry heat here. I don't know why people think Texas is a dry heat; we are not Arizona, we are not New Mexico, and No, Texas is not all desert. Only the Western part of the state starts getting all desert like (and nobody lives there anyway).

Rant = Done

So we're even more excited to be visiting Minnesota in..in... !? Two Weeks!?

"Wholy wow," I said to myself the other day when I realized that in two weeks time I'd be going to bed early so that I could drive up to the DFW in the morning. Your units change once you get under the two week mark; you start talking in days. So, for the first time in our lives K and I will be leaving on a vacation to visit Minnesota (and not the other way round). It's exciting to say the very least, and I know it's going to be great to see everybody again. We are sincerely excited to see you all again. And... we get to take a little break from the Texas weather :)

I hope you all are having a wonderful, wonderful Start-of-the-Summer! And we'll be adding a few images to this post after the game! (or during, if Kristin is board).

Love to you all,

DJC

Garden Update and Obligatory Kitten Picture

Some exciting news is in the works -- but until everything is official, just keep sending some good vibes in Dan's general direction. =)

As for what I *can* tell you -- summer has officially started to plague Texas. While we have not exactly been enjoying the 90+ degree weather, our garden is a big fan. If you look closely, you can see what we had for dinner last night.

The first BLT's of the summer!

Finnegan and Loki continue to be best buds. It's pretty adorable. Loki has assumed full parental responsibility for his kitten -- escorting him to the litter box, insisting we feed him the *SECOND* the kitten cries for food, demanding his release from his daytime/overnight bathroom sanctuary, etc etc.

However.. a certain big cat has chewed off the majority of the whiskers on the kitten's cheeks. We have yet to catch him in the act -- but Loki has his fair share of playtime battle scars too. Specifically, some patches of hair missing on his tail.

I wonder how that might have happened..

And then there were ** two ** !

Lots to update!

These past few weeks have flown by. We had a fantastic weekend visit/Austin vacation with the Connors family. Especially because most of it was spent playing games in the hotel room, and talking over good eats from Whole Foods. I'm glad we will see you again in *under* a month! It had been way way too long.

Here are some pictures from the weekend: enjoying some live Blues in Austin, and taking in a sunset from the deck of Oasis.

Keeping with the adventurous spirit, this weekend we grabbed a friend, complete with his period Viking garb, and headed to a Renaissance Festival south of Dallas. The fairgrounds were beautiful; they had taken great care to maintain the integrity of the natural environment. The majority of the grounds were covered in shade from the large trees, and there were several bridges you need to cross in order to negotiate the creek. It lent an almost authentic air to.. well, lets face it, the glorious campyness that is a Renaissance Festival.

In a strange twist of fate, Dan thinks this man is the same man that hosted Turtle Races in the MN Ren. Fest. from when he was a child. Apparently, when he was young he bought the identical shirt from a Turtle Racer - and the routine was eerily similar. Conspiracy? What do you think Di, do you recognize this Carnie?

In addition to the over abundance of 40 year old men in spandex tights, and busty women -- we managed to find He-Man!

But the biggest news of all, we got a kitten!! We're big softies. After meeting those two foster kittens, and seeing how happy Loki was to have another cat to play with -- we just couldn't say no. So without further-to-do..

I'd like to introduce our new fur baby, Finnegan!

In less than an hour of having him home, Loki and Finnegan became best buds. Wrestle-mania under the kitchen table has been on-going ever since.

Of course, Finnegan can only keep up for 45 minutes before being completely exhausted.

He sleeps like a wet noodle. An adorable, pot-bellied, purring wet noodle. (^^ this is his favorite sleep pose)