Wedding Fun!

After a wonderful week in Kansas came the event that brought me back to Kansas in the first place....a wedding. My neighbor across the street growing up, Kara Sack, was tying the knot on her older sister's 6th wedding anniversary.  I'd been looking forward to this wedding for quite some time knowing that there would be so many familiar faces. It is rare that all of us old neighbors get together. The wedding was outdoors at the Pergola at Lake Shawnee. They lucked out on the rain. It rained the day before and was overcast the entire day of the wedding but it held off until the next day.

This is Shelley with daughter Tiffany and her son Sawyer. This was the first time I'd ever seen baby Sawyer and let me tell you...he is the cutest. I wish I'd had more time to talk with Tiff but Sawyer had a little bit of a cough so she and her husband left a little earlier. 

I laugh every time I look at this picture of Seth.

The dinner was very good and I had a blast visiting with Matalone family and hanging out with the family.

They had a great D.J. and it was so much fun dancing with Hailie and Seth. There was a candy bar so all the kids were hyped up on sugar and running around like crazy.

Another old neighbor, Courtney, who will be getting married next summer. It doesn't seem that along ago that we were playing Cop's n' Robber's, Shark's, and putting on dance shows for our parents.

The lovely bride, Kara, with her sister Erin. 

Remember when I said that their was an open candy bar?

One really neat thing they had at the wedding was this photo booth. There was a box of hats, glasses, scarves,etc and you had about 10 seconds in between each picture to quickly grab your next item. Hailie wanted to go over and over again and I didn't mind.

Great wedding, great fun, and a great week in Kansas! After this trip I'm pretty low on PTO so there wont be  much travel for the time being. At least football season is here!

Catching Up

I never get to see everyone that I would like to see when I am back. A week sounds like a lot but it is simply not enough. That being said I did get to see a few people during my visit. Grandad and Grandmom came for a belated birthday celebration for Hailie. Since I missed her actual 10th birthday last month I insisted we do something to celebrate.

It worked out perfect that Grandad and Grandmom were able to come into town. It is always nice being able to visit even if it is only for a little while. When you live 2,000 miles apart you sometimes have to take what you can!

Another highlight of my week was finally having the chance to meet Kara's baby Abby! I saw Kara in June just before she had Abby on July 1st.

Kara and Baby Abby

I'd been pretty excited to get my hands on that little girl. I loved holding her...she had a few wonderful smiles for me....especially right after taking a poop.

Abby was having a few spit up issues while I was there so the cute outfit Kara put her in for me slowing got stripped away. Still adorable in just a onesie though!

Later in the week a headed over to Heather's house to visit with her and her daughter Avery. We never met up during my last trip so we had to make it happen this time. Last time I saw Avery around Christmas last year she was pretty shy. This time she wasn't so much and I think she enjoyed showing off for company a little bit.

I love this picture of Mommy and daughter. 

Heather and Avery

We had a wonderful afternoon together and I wish we could do it more often. With kid's in the picture now and with Lindsey (the last lovely lady in our little group) living in Denver now it is harder for all of us to get together at one time. 

During the week I had fun helping the kid's with their homework and just being a part of their regular stuff. We did manage to sneak in a little basketball one evening when they didn't have as much going on. (These kid's keep busy between gymnastics, church activities, homework, etc)

It still amazes me how quickly these two are growing up. I love that we are so close even though we live so far apart. We definitely learn to cherish each moment that we do get together!

Seth and Hailie while getting along for the moment. So cute when they aren't fighting over something silly!

Worlds of Fun

Part of the reason I've been so behind on posts was that I spent a week in Kansas! Yay! I'm attempting to catch up and then I'll try to stay that way for at least a little while :)

I took a red eye flight and arrived in Kansas City on a Saturday morning. I was picked up by the family and then we headed straight to Worlds of Fun. This was a really big deal for Seth. Every time I talked to him leading up to my trip he informed me "We're not even going home first...we're going straight to Worlds of Fun". He was pretty excited about this.

One of the first rides we went on was Viking Voyager. To look at it sort of seems like a somewhat tame ride. It is just a boat going back and forth like a pendulum. Seth sat with Dad and he LOVED it. Hailie was sitting on the opposite side of the boat with me and Mom and she absolutely did not love it. Hate is probably a more accurate word. The poor girl was shaking she was so scared and I couldn't do anything but put my arm around her until it ended. Talk about a traumatic experience. Luckily she bounced back quickly and we found some rides that she really enjoyed.

The Fjord Fjarlane was by far her favorite followed by the Finnish Fling. Meanwhile, Seth was waiting for us to go and ride the Mamba. He was excited for the roller coasters and it was wonderful that I got to be there for his first adult one!

Since Mom isn't a big roller coaster fan she waited with Hailie while Dad, Seth, and I headed up to the Mamba. I sat next to Seth and Dad was just ahead of us. On the way up Seth said to me, "Are you sure this is a good idea?". I watched his face the entire way up and you could see is eyes moving so quickly trying to take in everything he was seeing. I kept watching him as we went down the first drop. I couldn't quite tell by his face if he was really enjoying it or not. After the second drop I asked him how he was doing and his response was "This is AWESOME! I LOVE IT!" 

The first drop on the Mamba!

Seth rode the Mamba 6 times that day. It was by far his favorite roller coaster at the park. He also liked the Timberwolf which he rode 3 times. We ended up buying one of those photos they take of all the cars during the ride. I forgot to scan a copy before I left so I don't have it to put on this post.

It ended up being a near perfect day to be at the park. It rained a little bit in the afternoon which upset Seth a little bit because they had to shut down the rides for awhile. Luckily it was temporary and we were able to get back to having fun.

Enjoying a ride on the train around the park. It has been 4 years since any of us had been to Worlds of Fun and just being with my parents and the kids was fantastic.

We only needed the ponchos a couple of times but we were grateful for them. They were also handy on a couple of the water rides.

Dad and I broke away for a minute to go ride on the Bamboozler. Seth was tall enough to ride it but he informed us that it wasn't safe because you go upside down. (That kid cracks me up). It wasn't our favorite but we did enjoy The Patriot.

We kept trying to ride on the newest roller coaster...the Prowler but either it was closed because of the rain or because of maintenance. Finally we headed over there and it was open. That was when Hailie surprised us all and told us she wanted to ride it. I was shocked and kept telling her that she didn't have to do it. Mom would wait with her and there is absolutely nothing wrong with not liking roller coasters. She still insisted on riding it and wanted to sit with me. (Seth told her in line that she needed to 'conquer her fears') I watched her most of the time and her face was a little more telling than Seth's was on the Mamba. She never really screamed or cried ever but there was a constant look of terror on her little face. When we looked at the picture that was taken we cracked up and had to buy it too. I really wish I had it to put up so you could have a good laugh too. 

The day was wonderful and I'm so glad it worked out like it did. We were all pretty tired by the time we made it back to Topeka but I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Football Begins!

It's not really a big secret that football season is once again upon us. This year we're once again excited to see  how far Stanford is going to be able to go. After an incredible season last year and Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck still around we're hoping it's another awesome year. Kevin and I aren't in charge of the tailgates this year which is sort of strange since we've been involved on some level for the past few years. Dennis, who was a major help to us last year has taken on the responsibility and recruited James and Daryl to help him.

While it is strange not being in charge of the tailgate is at the same time sort of nice. We don't have to worry about shopping for stuff, making sure we have enough supplies, and being there right on time. I had to work the day of Stanford's first game against San Jose State but I was able to attend the tailgate before heading over to work (it's within walking distance which was very nice because of the insane amount of traffic).

Dennis, James, and Daryl did a wonderful job at the first tailgate of the year and I look forward to the next.

Season recap so far......

Stanford vs San Jose State  W, 57-3

Stanford vs Duke  W, 44-14

Stanford vs Arizona  W, 37-10

We did lose Shane Skov, an excellent linebacker, to a serious knee injury sustained during the Arizona game last week. Skov is likely out the rest of the season but we wish him the best in his recovery.

Next game....Saturday Oct 1st vs UCLA!

Kevin P. Kent, Ph.D.

 I'm more than a little behind in getting this post up so I apologize for the delay. Many of you have already heard the news, but Kevin defended his thesis on August 26th and passed! The weeks leading up to the defense date were long. It felt like every waking moment had a thought about the presentation. Kevin worked so hard to get ready for this and we are all so proud of him. Kevin's parents and his brother Joe were all able to fly out to watch the defense and to celebrate afterwards.

Waiting for the talk to start.

Kevin in action. The talk went really well. There were some good questions and Kevin did wonderful at answering them.

After the Q&A portion all of us had to leave the room while Kevin stayed behind with his Committee. The Committee is made up of several professors at Stanford who end up deciding whether you pass or not. They ask questions to Kevin while the rest of us just wait for him to come out of the room. It gave us some time to set up for the reception afterward but then it was just waiting anxiously.

Anxiously waiting good news!

We watched as Kevin came out of the Gazebo where he presented. We watched as Kevin paced back and forth while his Committee was voting inside. It seemed like forever and then finally they all came out of the room to talk to Kevin. We assumed since there was no crying or a hung head that he passed but we finally got a thumbs up and were able to relax.

Kevin talking with his Committee after hearing he passed!

I was a little worried about the reception since it was my responsibility. I'd never been to a thesis defense before and since it was the only thing I had control over I wanted it to be nice for Kevin. Luckily I had lots of help from Kevin's family as well as from Brian and Moria.

Kevin had picked out the type of cake he wanted from The Prolific Oven the week before and Kevin and Patti took care of getting them for us. They were so delicious and everyone at the reception loved them.

Orange Chocolate Almond and Lemon Custard Cream

Colin, Brian, and Moria as well as many of Kevin's lab members were very helpful in listening to Kevin's practice talks. I know he appreciated all their input, support, and time as he prepared for the big day.

Congrats Kevin!

We set up the reception outside of the Chemistry buildings on Mudd Lawn since it was gorgeous outside. It allowed people working in different buildings to stop by for just a little bit as they passed by or stay for the entire thing if they liked. We all felt like it went really well. The sandwiches were yummy and the cake was incredible.

Time for cake!

Kevin, Joe, and I all headed over to Kevin and Patti's hotel pool that afternoon to relax for a while. I know Kevin really needed that down time after weeks of not really being able to do so. That evening Kevin and Patti took us out to eat at Cheesecake Factory along with Colin, Moria, and Brian to celebrate.

The meal was incredible and I think we all left stuffed. We had such a nice time talking, telling stories, and laughing. It really was a wonderful night.

Per tradition we had to head to The Nuthouse afterwards to meet up with friends to celebrate. Despite someone else having their thesis defense celebration that night (in Menlo Park rather than The Nuthouse and a  couple weeks after they defended....I mean really...who does that?) we had a pretty good turnout. 

Jake, Kevin, and Jason

At one point Kevin (and Scott who defended about a month ago) were both iced. For those unfamiliar...if you get iced you have to chug a Smirnoff Ice while on one knee. I believe our friend Josh brought this custom out here to Stanford but I'm not really sure. (Josh was actually iced at his own wedding reception). I Googled this phenomenon and read a couple funny articles but I'll let you do that yourself if you want to learn more.

Normally they are luke warm at softball games
but this one was very cold...
not sure if that was a good thing.

After calling it a somewhat early night (Kevin was exhausted and ready to go home before midnight) we got up the next day to take a little trip to Big Sur. Kevin and I had never been and it was definitely on our list of things to do

A stop off of Highway 1.

We did a little hike in the redwoods, ate lunch at this beautiful lodge, and had a wonderful afternoon. The waterfall wasn't incredibly impressive being late summer and after having just seen Niagara Falls but it was still beautiful outside.

Kevin and Kevin getting close to the Falls

Another stop on Highway 1. It was incredible how you could go from being completely comfortable to super cold once you got close to the fog. It made for breathtaking sights though.

Until moving out here I'd never really seen fog like this before. The way it settles and you can see it in a thick wall is a cool sight.

The restaurant we ate at for dinner was this place with an incredible view of the ocean from the cliffs above. We wandered around for a little bit before eating and if it had been earlier in the day we may have stayed longer. I had already changed into flip flops and it was quickly getting colder as the sun began to set.

Brothers!

Group Shot!

The rest of the weekend involved a couple movies, a card game, and quality family time. As usual the weekend flew by much too quickly and it was time to say goodbye once again. Goodbyes are never fun but we were so happy they were all able to make it out to visit.

Kevin will be taking a writing quarter this fall which will allow him time to make a few changes to his written thesis before its final submission, finish up a few pending experiments, help with an NIH grant for the lab, train people in his subgroup on the Ultrafast Laser, and apply for jobs. As of right now Kevin is focusing his job search on the Bay Area. There are so many opportunities in the biotech industry and many connections available through the Stanford community. There is still plenty of unknown but it looks like we'll be out here for at least a few more years. That means if you haven't visited us yet there is still time!