Going to Kansas

It is official...I am going back to Kansas in Sept. I just booked my flight and I am very excited!!! I had a great time when I came back over Memorial Day and this time I'm staying longer so I know I will have even more fun.

We just ordered a new camera, but until we get it here are a few pictures from my trip in May....

Dad, Hailie, Seth and me after our water balloon fight.

Seth and I spent hours filling the balloons. He knew he had to wait for Hailie to get back from a b-day party and he kept saying to me... "Cara, I'm having a hard time waiting." I let him pop a couple just for being a good helper (and being soooo cute). The fight only lasted about 10 minutes, but the prep time was worth it.

I spent most of my trip with my parents and the kids. It was such a short trip and I didn't want to stretch myself anymore thin than necessary.

I plan on seeing more people in Sept. and I am looking forward to that as well!!

James' visit

Kevin's brother James flew out to visit us early in May for Kevin's birthday. It was just for a long weekend but we managed to make the best of our time and had a blast. Kevin was able to show James around his lab, we went out for sushi and had the most ridiculously hot sushi ever, hung out with friends at the Nuthouse, Kevin and James made a San Fran trip, we had a BBQ with a few friends, and we drove up to Portola Valley to see the redwoods.

Here are a few pictures from Portola Valley....

It was awesome being able to show James around. The first time he was here was when we first moved out and we didn't have a clue where anything was. This time around we could actually be of help in navigating our way around. We can't wait for the rest of his brothers to come out again!!

Our new blog

I've finally decided to start my own blog. I will do my best to keep it updated, but time will tell how I actually manage to do this. I think I will start by giving a quick overview of what is going on in our lives.

Kevin is getting ready to start his third year as a graduate student at Stanford University. He is working in the Boxer lab where he is studying Split Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). His first paper was just published in the Journal of American Chemical Society (JACS) earlier this month and I am very proud of him. If you want to check out the paper online follow this link.... http://www.stanford.edu/group/boxer/. Click on the link for GFP. Then scroll to the bottom and click on the link for #259.

I am currently finishing up my Clinical Laboratory Science Program at San Jose State University. My internship is at Stanford Hospital Clinical Labs and I am currently in my Transfusion Service Rotation. I am preparing for a comprehensive final on August 8th so I am keeping busy studying everything I've learned in the last year. After the final I will study even more and get ready for the ASCP certification exam until graduation on Sept. 6th. Then I can take the exam and hopefully pass the first time!! It is going to be a stressful month or so, but I can't wait to finish up. I'm ready to be done with school and finally start a career. It is a really exciting time and it will be nice to get my first paycheck and benefits!!

Right now Kevin and I are living with our cat Lupin in Mountain View. Lupin is a pain, but for some reason I love him anyway. We really like our apartment and the location. It is hard to believe it has been almost 2 years since we moved out here. Although we miss home, it has gotten easier being so far away. We have made lots of good friends and we are having a lot of fun.

I don't have any recent pictures because our camera just broke. This picture is from May. We are at a Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. My mom came to visit and we met up with her friend Chris and her son Andy who live is S.F.