Not much has been going on in our world other than the good ol' regular routine. I"m settling into work just fine and am learning on average one new technique a week. Its very detailed work which is not always my favorite- but I enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to learn new stuff! Last week I set up four locomotor chambers that will be used to monitor animal movement. I was so proud of this because as many of you know...I do NOT consider myself a manual/directions reader. Nor a techie, nor a mechanic. So...building these chambers, programming them, and learning how to simulate an experiment was a great accomplishment in my book. I'm sure someone could have done all of it in 1/10th the time it took me - but whatever. I was getting paid and I was doing my best:)
At home...Byron built me some flower troughs from scratch on his day off last week. They are AWESOME! We don't have a yard so we have to be a little creative with our landscaping. I'm in love with the fall chrysanthemum colors..it's about hte closest I'll come to fall colors here in SA so I went to home depot and picked a few up this weekend. Byron was pumped I picked out TWO maroon ones (he's such an aggie). We stained and sealed them this weekend and I just love the new colors outside our door!
And because I'm such an awesome gardener (as much as I can call myself that with a few plants outside in pots)...I have a new pet. Yes that's right. His name is Squirmy II (RIP Jennie's Childhood pet). He is a snail. And he lives in my flower pot and comes out every evening when I water. He loves me. Isn't it sad I've resorted to having a pet snail? Bug Byron. Please. I bring up the issue of getting a dog every week- but I am met with stubborn resolve. Help me plead my case! Feel free to call or email him immediately and tell him we need a more interactive pet.
Byron is having a rough week at work- one of the other residents is out on vacation so that shortens everyones call schedule by one night. So...basically he works call...sleeps....works call...sleeps....etc for the next week and a half. Ouch. I feel for him. I'm just not a nice person when I don't get enough sleep. But...he has a good attitude about it which always helps.
And...FYI...Byron passed his 3rd and final medical boards (well...there is one more for his specialty later)! HORRAYYYYYY!!!! I'm so proud of him. He worked really really hard to prepare for it and took the bull by the horns and took it about 4 years earlier than he had to! Go Byron! We went out to celebrate with a nice dinner in Boerne which is a small, very cute town outside of San Antonio. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect. We both enjoy smaller, quieter places as opposed to the downtown chaos. I wish I took some pictures but alas...I never remember my camera.
Saturday I ran 9 miles with the girls (And walked one) and the time just flew by. It was a beautiful day and the conversation was great! Running is made so much more enjoyable with friends. But- They will both be out of town next weekend so we'll see if I can stay disciplined and go on my own. I had lunch with Jess Logan at Red lobster. I simply LOVE their biscuits! Yummy. Her husband is deployed and it was really nice to sit down and just visit with her. I'm so thankful God has brought so many new friends into our lives.
I also managed to cook some some new fall flavors this week with a berry crumble, and pumpkin muffins. The muffins burned a little (I have a temperamental stove), but I just cut off that part and they taste great anyway. My new friend Becky has excellent recipes of all sorts to share. She is also my new personal library:) She's giving me some friendship bread tonight to try out. I'll let you know how that goes. Apparently it's a 10 day process so...I'm not sure how dedicated I am for that. To me- bread tastes just as yummy frozen out of the freezer. But maybe manual labor adds a little extra something. We'll see:)
P.S- I did not put the Aggie mug in the picture on purpose. Guess who took those? Borderline obsessed.
