Texas or Bust!

It’s official, we are no longer California residents. We left for Texas on July 20^th.  I’m not sure how much we were actually able to process leaving because Mike and I keep saying it doesn’t feel real.  Packing and loading the truck was a LOT harder than we expected… who knew so much stuff could fit in such a small apartment!  Our neighbors keep asking if we actually had a four bedroom instead of a two bedroom.  Thankfully, Mike recruited two of his friends, Jahed Momand and Daniel Rosenfeld, and they were absolutely essential in getting the truck packed. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude!  After what we put them through, I’m sure they’ll never agree to help someone move again. Another HUGE help was my friend Azra, who kept Noah for two days while we got all the packing, loading and cleaning done. I hope to not move again for a very long time!

We went out to lunch with the Moerner lab right before hitting the road and it was great to see them all one last time.  Noah was passing around little pieces of paper and asking all the group members to write their best jokes. It was a very fun time!  We split the drive to Park City into two days. We arrived in Park City on Thursday and will be staying until the 28^th.  After that we’re going to drive to Denver and stay the night with my friend Christina. Next stop is Medicine Lodge, KS, to spend two nights with my Grandparents and then finally to DALLAS!

For most of the past four years we’ve been functioning on just one car, other than borrowing Mike’s sister’s bug while she was studying in Copenhagen for 9 months. It’s been the trusty trail blazer! We’ve been looking at cars for the last few months and bought our first car yesterday, which was both exciting and scary! 

So far, Amelia and Noah have been amazing travelers!  Amelia literally never cried for more than a few seconds, which amazes me for a one-year-old.  Noah has been so helpful with keeping her entertained, he really amazed me when he took a nap at the same time as her while we we’re driving. There’s a first for everything!

I have pictures that I was planning on posting with the blog but the cables to upload the photos are temporarily misplaced due to the move.  As soon as I find the cables, I’ll add the pictures.

Home Sweet Home

This has been an exciting week for us!  We signed a lease on a house in Texas – we lucked out and got the house that we really wanted.  Another family had already submitted an application; it looked like we didn’t have a chance, but at the last minute they changed their mind. There are a lot of reasons I am thrilled about this house, but I think the biggest might be that for the first time I will have my own washer and dryer in a laundry room . . . NO MORE SHARING COIN-OPERATED MACHINES!!! We were also excited to learn that they are letting us keep the play structure in the back yard. Noah has been asking Mike and me for years if someday he could have a tree house, so when he saw pictures he was jumping up and down and screaming with joy!  

The move-in date is August 1^st but we have to be out of our current apartment by the 20^th. After we pack this week and load the moving truck, we’re going stay in Park City for awhile. Noah’s very excited about getting spend time with his cousins, Kai and Aria!

I’m not totally sure if I know what I’ve gotten myself into with the size of the new house but  after living in 750 square feet with four people and a dog, a BIG house sounded like a good idea. I guess since I won’t be training anymore, keeping this place clean will be my new workout.  Every time we mention to someone  that we’re moving to Texas in the summer, they make a joke about the heat. What most people don’t realize is that our apartment doesn’t  have any A/C other than a portable we bought last year when we found out that if it gets over 85 outside, it’s unbearable inside.  Since it’s such an old building. the insulation is awful; one wall that runs the length of the apartment is exposed to the sun all day, so by 3pm that wall feels like a heater.  Without the A/C, it would be 10 degrees hotter inside our apartment than the temperature outside.  The A/C doesn’t make it cool by any means… you’re still sweating, but it makes it where you can be inside.  I was happy when our realtor informed us the new house just had a new central A/C installed a year ago. 

On another very exciting note, Amelia turned one! My good friends Gretchen and Azra had planned to have us over for dinner since Mike was supposed to be in Germany for 4 more days.  Well, our birthday turned out to be even better than I imagined. Since finding out that I severed the ligament in my thumb and would need surgery, my mom came to my rescue and flew out to help with the kids. When Mike told the people at the conference about what had happened, they had him on the next flight home. So I got to pick him up from the airport on my birthday and then we went to our friends for Amelia’s and I’s my birthday dinner. I felt so loved that night and am very grateful for all the supportive people in my life!

I went into surgery the next day around 5 pm, and, honestly, the hardest part was fasting for almost 24 hours beforehand! The surgery was only an hour, and I had to spend an hour in the recovery room.  I’m wearing a cast that covers most of my forearm and makes it nearly impossible to use my thumb, so it’s taken some adjustment.  I really took my thumb for granted . . . the things that are the hardest are unbuttoning my pants, tying my hair back, opening any sort of container, tying shoes and, most of all, changing a diaper.  It’s feeling much better now, and I look forward to getting the giant cast off on July 15^th to be replaced by a smaller removable splint.

 

Adventures Abroad

This post will be on the shorter side, I’ll explain further down.  I had the pleasure of going to Italy this past week to celebrate the union of Carlo and Megan Mondavi.  It was such a beautiful wedding in the most amazing setting, and Megan was honestly the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen!  Unfortunately, Mike couldn’t go with me… he had to be in Germany for a conference of the Nobel Laureates for a prize he won last year. Luckily, I was able to travel with one of my best friends.  Christina spent time living in Florence and is very well traveled so she was a great tour guide and made everything so much easier, especially since I’ve never been to Europe.  We spent a day in Florence and then headed up to the hotel where the rest of the wedding party was staying.  It was an unforgettable week.

The reason this post is short is because on the night before our departure, I fell and severed a ligament in my left thumb… so, needless to say, typing is a little difficult.  I wasn’t able to go to the doctor until I returned home, which was about 36 hours after the fall.  The news of needing to get surgery was pretty devastating, since Mike is still in Germany.  We’re moving in two weeks, and I have a lot of packing to do.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful support system and my mom was on a plane out here first thing this morning.  Mike called early this morning to let me know he was able to get a flight home and would be home tomorrow night to be with me for the surgery. 

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

The scenery is so beautiful that it doesn't look real!

Christina, me and Kendall overlooking Florence

 

 

Christina and I at the rehearsal at Castello Di Nipozzano

The beautiful bride!

Party Time!

This past weekend was Stanford’s graduation. We didn’t go to the big ceremony but went instead to the Chemistry commencement.  It was a great day with beautiful weather! Mike was “hooded” by the professor with whom he has worked the last four years, W.E. Moerner. It was great to have his parents, sister, my mom and both Noah and Amelia there to support him.

Professor W.E. Moerner and Dr. Michael Thompson

Since we had family in town and it’s so close to Amelia’s first birthday, we decided to throw a birthday/graduation party on Sunday night. Our good friends, Bakir and Gretchen, were gracious enough to let us use their beautiful back yard, and the party was a huge success! Amelia got to eat cake for the first time; she wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but was soon sucking the icing off her fingers!

My beautiful friend Gretchen, couldn't have pulled off the party without her!

Yesterday was Noah’s last day of kindergarten; it was a little emotional for both of us. His class had a party and both Mike and I were able to help -- we set up an obstacle course for the kids, which was a lot of fun! Noah has really enjoyed his school, teacher and all the great friends he’s made this past year. Kindergarten was such a wonderful experience for him and he’s excited for first grade!

Dr. Thompson

Finally, the day has arrived that we’ve been waiting for since Mike started graduate school at Stanford . . . Mike defended his thesis and passed! His parents and younger sister were able to come up and watch his defense. I got Noah early from school so he would be able to watch, and he did such a great job of sitting quietly and listening during Mike’s hour-long presentation. After it was over and while Mike was defending during the private segment with his committee of professors, I asked Noah what he thought. He said he liked it, so I asked if he understood any of it… he responded by saying “Oh yeah, all of it.”

With school nearing its end, we went into his kindergarten class today to have breakfast with the kids. This was followed by them singing for us two songs they’ve been practicing. Needless to say, it was adorable!

I feel like Amelia is changing so much. It seems like she’s doing something new every day! She is definitely going to have her daddy’s sense of humor. When someone is trying to take a picture of her and get her to smile, she does this funny thing where she scrunches up her face and squints her eyes. My favorite thing is probably all the babbling. There is an application on our Ipad of a talking cat that can repeat what you say to it . . . she loves to talk to that cat! Some of her favorite things include: flipping through her books, dancing, chasing Lucy around and looking through photo albums.

Girls, Girls, Girls

I had the pleasure of going to Napa for the weekend with an amazing group of girls to celebrate our friend, Megan, at her bachelorette party. It was a very fun and memorable trip; I feel lucky to know so many wonderful women. Her two, soon-to-be, sister in-laws helped to host the weekend, and they were so gracious. It was a pleasure to spend time with them and see how great the family Megan is marrying into… she is in good hands!

Mike definitely wins the best husband and dad award!  He stayed home with Noah and Amelia; even taking them to a party for his lab and bringing chili! Mike took Noah to a hobby store and they built a model Corvette, which Noah was thrilled about!

Noah finished his T ball season and was VERY excited to receive his first trophy with his name on it. We all look forward to next season. Amelia was a good cheerleader during the game and especially enjoyed when there were dogs present!

Noah and his best friend Luke