Update #1 - Randomness

OK. I know it has been AGES. I wanted to give some good news seing as how my previous post was rather depressing. We have been so busy lately. I had my qualifying exam in August...which I PASSED. Then I had a first author manuscript accepted for publication (look for it in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics hopefully in December). I also presented at the annual UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Research Retreat in October and won the William Bailey Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention and Control Research (sweet)! But not long before that I found out that the Department of Defense fellowship I had applied for back in March was denied (sad). Despite all these goings-on, I am actually on schedule to graduate next December (if my research keeps going well between now and then).

Bill has also been super busy. He has been working 6 10-hour shifts a week at a plant just north of town. I haven't seen him much, so we have been trying to enjoy as much time as we do have to share. Last weekend we went to Weekend to Remember, a Family Life marriage retreat. It was amazing. I do not think it could have come at a better time. Bill and I got to spend an entire weekend together talking and sharing. It was absolutely wonderful.

As usual, I do have a few photographic updates. Bill's dad gave him a steam engine for his birthday. Thanks...how will I EVER top that?!


We also cleaned out our flower beds (again). There is about a mile or more of woods behind our house, so we typically take weeds, leaves, mulch, etc. and dump it right behind our fence. We are working on a mulch pile, so the soil is super rich. At some point an elephant ear got tossed and MAN...I think the soil is EXTRA-SUPER rich!


We also did our annual 5k - Race for the Cure (since Komen has paid for me to go to conferences in both DC and Denver, I figured we could afford to give them back $60).


But, no matter how busy you are, there is always time for a nap!