Beach Time!

After a crazy week, I'm headed to Myrtle Beach to meet up with my family first thing in the morning. I can't wait!! They have been there since Sunday, but with this new job I wasn't willing to disappear for an entire week and burn 5 days of vacation. Things have officially gone from 0 to 60 at work...I'm actually happy about that one...however, my boss (like most PIs) have no concept of "science time" anymore. He asked for data today at lab meeting detailing the effects of two proteins on our system. I just started cloning them a week and a half ago...hmmm...well, had to inform him that he's just gonna have to keep his panties on for awhile. I'm off to bed so that I can get up bright and early in the morning and get there in time for someone to cook me some breakfast! :) I'll be quiet on the blog for a few days...but I'll catch up when I get back.

On a more solemn note, our old grad school friend Hoj (he's the beginning of many of my old stories at Wake...in case you don't know him but the name sounds familiar) lost his Mom Geraldine today to a long battle with cancer. Hoj, you're in our thoughts and prayers!

Blast from the Past:

I was going through some pictures on my computer and found this picture of me that my Mom sent not too long ago. I think I was about 5 yrs old or so. Pretty cute if I must say! :) As you can tell, I was a fan of Mickey Mouse. I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. I'm about to turn in for the evening...I had a busy day at work and haven't had much energy to do anything tonight. Cory is in Winston this evening...so we watched the unfortunate end of the UNC baseball run over the phone together and then we both were too exhausted to make any intelligible conversation. I hope everybody's week is off to a good start! Only 3 more days till I'm at the beach...YAY!!!!!

Although Good Weekend...UNC gives up hopes of another championship and another HOT Bod is taken:

It's Sunday night and I need to be in bed...but that nap I got while "watching" the Nascar road race today has left me with way too much energy at 11:30 at night. It's been a pretty good weekend...which means I'm not ready to work tomorrow. Friday night, Cory and I headed over to Durham to see his friend Nate's band play in a bar call Ringside on Main St. Nate is interesting...a nice guy, but clearly the persuer of an "alternative lifestyle". Although a Carolina grad (him and Cory were at UNC together and were roomies), he has spent the years since school working in a pizza joint and playing music...not all in all a bad idea actually, just not conventional. There new band is called People Under the Bridge (that's a picture of the 3 guys below...Cory's friend Nate is on the right). It would have been a better show if not for the screwed up sound system...therefore, we couldn't hear any of the vocals...and considering it's Indie rock...well, a lot of it started to sound the same. But still good time had by all...Cory got to see a bunch of guys he went to school with and one PBR later I was pretty tipsy (sad isn't it!).

On Saturday, I headed to Winston-Salem for a Ladies' BBQ at my friend Angie's new townhouse. It was so great to see everybody and catch up on all the new goings on. It was amazing though...it really seems like everyone in the crowd is really "growing up"...new jobs, babies on the way, new homes and cars, new husbands...and well, just settling down.

I came back to Burlington early on Sunday to come spend some time with Cory before I head to the beach with my family next weekend. (Unfortunately, he has to work...so I'm gonna have to leave him here for awhile next week.) He wanted to watch the race today...which was a road course and I find those tremendously more entertaining...and then UNC is in the finals of the college world series. If UNC won tonight, they would have won the national baseball championship...despite the fact that they were unranked at the beginning of the tournament! However, they were up 5-0 at the top of the 4th...but managed to give Oregon State 7 runs in one inning. Well, it just got worse from there. But they have one more try tomorrow night...considering the negative impact on Cory's mood...please pray for victory. :) I guess I will be walking to Franklin St. on Tuesday at lunch to get him a championship t-shirt if they win.

On one happy, but sad note...apparently my "fake boyfriend" Keith Urban got married to Nicole Kidman this weekend. At least I approve of who he married! :) Cory and I went to see him in concert at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill a few months ago and he was GREAT and well...pretty cute too!! That Australian accent...those arms...YUMMY! If only he just wasn't so short. :)

Well, I guess I'm gonna force myself to crawl in bed. (Allyson...if you're reading...YES, you are hotter than Marsha!!!! hehe)

Happy Weekend!

Yes, I realize I've been slacking on the blog...but things have been rather busy lately. Adjusting to my life that is spread across NC is a bit of a challenge...but one that is worth it. Working in Chapel Hill, living in Burlington, playing in Greensboro, and visiting in Winston keeps me on the move. Although I'm trying to make these 4 cities equal opportunity employers when it comes to my entertainment. A new Rum Runners opened in Greensboro recently and last weekend the line was stretched down Elm St....so I think we may be going sometime soon. Nicolle and I are gonna drag the men out dancing or for drinks one weekend soon in Greensboro...so should be good times had by all. I have to admit I was feeling pretty lonely last week...but my friends have been coming out of the woodwork this week to make me feel loved! :) Allyson...(as we discussed)...seriously, if we can all just pick one city to live in (or even just one side of the country) we could have one continuous party!!! I'm headed to Winston on Saturday to party it up with the ladies...I can't wait! I miss them bunches! Well, it's my bedtime...but let me start putting up some pics from my Caribbean vacation. These are the pics that Shelly took...but once i get mine I'll start putting them up.

A Little Update:

I haven't written in a while and wanted to say a quick hello. I'm a little home sick, but I'm enjoying my new job and am learning a ton of new stuff. (My home sickness is the reason I put a picture up of my "true" home...Blacksburg, VA...go HOKIES! :) ) My body has yet to adjust to my normal 8 to 5 schedule...but we're getting there. Not that 8 is early...but it takes an hour for me to get to work...not really because of the drive from Burlington, but because apparently there is NO parking in Chapel Hill and I have to park in the middle of nowhere and bus in every morning. I have enjoyed eating lunch sitting down on Franklin St. and watching the World Cup on the big screen TVs. I asked for a new Dell 5150 Dimension computer for work and yesterday I received my new Dell 9150 with a 19" LCD flat screen monitor...it's always nice getting more than you asked for! My boss gave me crap about having a better computer than him...but Scott assured me that he'd be buying one for himself soon and not for me to get to feeling too special. :) After a weekend at the beach "resort" (gosh...it was better than a resort!), we spent last weekend relaxing and cruising around town burning up valuable gas in my new ride (i have yet to make the first payment...so until then I still count it as very new!). We finally went to see the movie "Cars"...very cute...it satisfied his Nascar needs while it was cute enough to hold my attention for the whole time (not that Cory didn't come home and watch the Busch race that he DVRed at my place...but at least I didn't have to sit still and watch the whole thing). I'm trying to move a bit of his enthusiasm for cars to boats and I think I'm succeeding. After the weekend we spent in the Outer Banks, I think we've decided that a boat is in our future. He wants to fish and I want to ski...so he's gonna be fishing out of a big boat....hehe. Well, it's off to bed for me. I haven't been into the Carolina Hurricanes hockey...but I figured I should watch the final game...unfortunately they just lost in overtime...so I'm gonna have to tune in again to see them seal the deal...well, at least I hope so. The folks in this neck of the woods will be real disappointed if they don't bring home the Cup this go around. Everybody keep checking in and I'll be sure to send out an e-mail with my new address and stuff soon. It's gonna be a busy next few weeks though...looks like I'm going to Winston in a couple of weekends to hang out with friends and then headed to Mrytle Beach the weekend after that to hang out with my family. Miss ya all so much!!!

Good Luck Ginger...Miss you!

My Ginger starts her new post-doc on Thursday. We always go through these milestones together...including this one (even one week after me...like our defenses) and we'll tough this one out together too, in spite of the distance! Work is going well...but I'm having to re-adjust to the lab. I did my first experiment today...so it looks like I finally broke the ice. I also received my new 19" LCD flat computer screen today...although I'm still waiting on the computer to go with it. So until the actual "brain" of my computer shows up I'll be slow on the computer.

Chaos...good and bad...

Hey guys...this is gonna be quick, but I am alive and will continue to post here in the near future with tales of the last few weeks. It has been a whirlwind...but I do have a NEW car...yep, that's right...Kel is driving around in a hot new Mustang!!!! I LOVE IT!!! Yes, I know I spoke of Hondas and Toyotas...but in the end, my passionate need for a mustang just had to be filled. I have started work which is quite the riot (apparently I remember how to do NOTHING...especially cloning!) and Cory and I just got back from a friend's beach house near the Outer Banks. We had a great time on their sailboat and an even better time taking out the kayaks. They also had some pretty cute puppies that put me right into heaven. The most traumatic thing that has happened was as we were leaving for a party at my boss' house (a welcome party for me), Avery tried to make a break for it and almost fell from the second floor of my building. Cory managed to rescue him before he took a nose dive in panic, but managed to twist his ankle in the process. Avery and Chase have now been banished to my bedroom everytime we leave, at least until they stop freaking out about the new place. I'll write more soon...but here is a pick of Cory and I at his graduation a few weeks ago...he finally got that Masters in Accounting.