Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Other team...
A couple other racers look like they had a great race. These are Amanda's nieces after their race. Not sure about the distance or personal records, but they are certainly enjoying those popsicles and isn't that what racing should be about.
Pictures from the Triathlon
Luckily Amanda and Sheila were good tri-wives and went to the race on Sunday. And took pictures to share with us! Here is the full team, post race...
Paul finishing. Paul was an extra champion because he had JUST gotten back from 2 weeks of straight conferences, in Jackson Hole, Rome, and Montreal. He got back the day before!
Stephen dominated and did amazingly for his first race.
Paul and Sheila, Amanda and Stephen, and Trent and I went out to dinner last night at Acme for Trent's birthday. It was a lovely evening, delicious food and the joy of conversations with people whose lives so closely relate to yours. Science, careers, babies.. it was great.
From left, Paul the prof friend from Davis, Erik the plastic surgeon, Thomas the assistant coach to Trent, Stephen and Trent.
All exhausted. It is amazing they all finished so close in time to each other.
Trent finishing. He was very happy with his bike and swim, but the run was pretty hard. Especially because of a brutal stairs workout he did with his team earlier in the week.
Paul finishing. Paul was an extra champion because he had JUST gotten back from 2 weeks of straight conferences, in Jackson Hole, Rome, and Montreal. He got back the day before!
Stephen dominated and did amazingly for his first race.
Paul and Sheila, Amanda and Stephen, and Trent and I went out to dinner last night at Acme for Trent's birthday. It was a lovely evening, delicious food and the joy of conversations with people whose lives so closely relate to yours. Science, careers, babies.. it was great.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
This weekend's pictures..
I am determined to catch up. Come join me...
During our only free time during the conference it was rainy and cold. So delicious coffee and fancy organic chocolate was the perfect remedy. Deirdre agrees.
British post-docs having their first American hot dogs. We know how to have a good time.
This pretty much sums up the rest of the genetics retreat. Good science, lots and lots of drinking and rowdiness with colleagues. Highlights include heart to heart with my boss about marriage, a gleeful reminiscing of UC Davis with another professor and drinking 40's with my committee members.
We all had to get pictures of this amazing cake. From the left, Amanda, Stephen, Erik's adorable Portuguese mother, and Erik. Bonus Sheila laughing in the background.
The Frazongs! Stephen had a great race, finishing first out of the "team." He was pretty exhausted afterward though. Amanda was the good wife who went to both the crew race and the triathlon. Trent's boys crushed NC State, a great first race to motivate them to stick with the sport.
Me and my 28 year old fiance. I take advantage of this month and half that he is two years older than me. I am so proud of him for doing this race and doing so well, especially with all the other activities on his schedule. And inspiring all these teammates to give it a try, and that all his teammates completed the race successfully. Quite an accomplishment.
During our only free time during the conference it was rainy and cold. So delicious coffee and fancy organic chocolate was the perfect remedy. Deirdre agrees.
British post-docs having their first American hot dogs. We know how to have a good time.
This pretty much sums up the rest of the genetics retreat. Good science, lots and lots of drinking and rowdiness with colleagues. Highlights include heart to heart with my boss about marriage, a gleeful reminiscing of UC Davis with another professor and drinking 40's with my committee members.
Trent and team had a great time racing on Sunday, although the race sounded mighty hard. They all finished within about 20 minutes of each other and no one had flat tires or big troubles, which is great. I came home around 4 and at 5pm we headed out with Thomas, Stephen and Amanda to go to Erik's house for a bbq. Fantastic house in the forest, and his friend from work was an amazing baker and made this terrific "triathlon" themed cake, including a Ken doll's sunglasses and sneakers, a Lego medic, swedish gummy fish in the water, and a real watch. And it was delicious!!
We all had to get pictures of this amazing cake. From the left, Amanda, Stephen, Erik's adorable Portuguese mother, and Erik. Bonus Sheila laughing in the background.
The Frazongs! Stephen had a great race, finishing first out of the "team." He was pretty exhausted afterward though. Amanda was the good wife who went to both the crew race and the triathlon. Trent's boys crushed NC State, a great first race to motivate them to stick with the sport.
Me and my 28 year old fiance. I take advantage of this month and half that he is two years older than me. I am so proud of him for doing this race and doing so well, especially with all the other activities on his schedule. And inspiring all these teammates to give it a try, and that all his teammates completed the race successfully. Quite an accomplishment.
New York!
Alrighty, here is the photo tour of Jean and Trent's impromptu trip to New York City!
Up early early Saturday morning, quick drive to the airport, easy flight to Newark. Here is the skyline coming into view. We arrived by 8:30 am.
Beautiful day in Central Park, we really lucked out with the weather. We walked and walked.
We found the OctoberFest Parade, with lots of German princesses and men in costumes. We tried to go to the official Octoberfest event, but the line was crazy long and we were not that dedicated.
We headed to the American Natural History Museum. I was excited about "Extreme Mammals!"
Cute picture with the hubs to be in front of the museum.
The museum was great, tons of exhibits for us science nerds. We spent a happy few hours, including a great planetarium exhibit. Space is awesome.
Snazzy science appreciators. We had lunch at a fancy mac and cheese place on the Upper East Side and ran into an old friend from UNC who is getting married this weekend. Fun to chat. We walked around Central Park some more and then headed back to Brooklyn. Trent and I wandered around Williamsburg while Brett and Errica grabbed a quick nap and then we rallied for a fantastic dinner at the Greek restaurant across the street from their apartment.
Amazing Greek food. And a Greek band. Terrific evening. We were exhausted and headed home afterwards.
The next morning, Trent and I got up early and went to the corner store to get fixings for breakfast. Once charged up, we headed back to Manhattan. We walked around New York University, the village, and Washington Square. Here is the beautiful archway.
We randomly encountered Gisele doing PR for a clean water organization she works for. Kind of exciting. She is about 6 feet tall and gorgeous, and 6 months pregnant. Cute.
Quick recharge with delicious ice coffee and cookies.
We went to a fancy soap store in the Village that had this amazing scrub. It makes your skin so soft. Definitely had to buy some.
Had to try Pinkberry. Oh goodness good. I would eat this everyday if we had one here. We met up with a friend of Trent's from high school who is now a lawyer and had a nice chat in the sun.
Walked through fancy SoHo, and stopped in crazy stores. Including a fancy fancy puppy shop.
We decided to take the ferry to Governor's Island. Inspired by a New Yorker article recently. It was a gorgeous day, a free ferry, and not too bad of a wait. Here is Brooklyn!
Back with batteries, I had to laugh at the high security dogs they send to Governor's Island ferry station. Apparently not the top priority for security.
Ready to take a break we headed to a classic old bar, McSorely's. Up until the 70's, no women were allowed inside. There are two types of beer, light or dark, and you get two tiny pint glasses with each order. Which was fun, and trouble.
Cheers!
The gang, pleasantly tipsy. We made our way back to Brooklyn after this.
This is the top of their apartment. We enjoyed some beer and snacks on their roof while taking in the gorgeous view.
Sunset over the bridge! We went to an amazing pizza place that is their favorite and then out to a bar where their friends band was playing. Hipster paradise. It was a blast.
Our wake up calls in the morning.
My leg is super comfy apparently. Brett had to work and we wanted to give Errica a rest day before her marathon 3 full days of work ahead, so we headed out by ourselves. Back to Manhattan, getting of the subway near Times Square.
We did what we do best, walked and observed. It was fantastic.
Hustle and bustle.
A trip to NYC would not be complete without a gyro from a truck for Trent. It makes him terribly happy. We sat in front of the fancy Macy's and enjoyed. Then caught the train to the Newark airport, quick flight home, dropped Trent off at work. I used the rest of the afternoon to do wedding errands and relax for a bit. Back to work the next day. It was terrific, romantic, spontaneous, and awesome. Perfect pre-wedding getaway!
Up early early Saturday morning, quick drive to the airport, easy flight to Newark. Here is the skyline coming into view. We arrived by 8:30 am.
Brett picked us up and drove us back to Brooklyn.
Where we met their adorable cats and got briefly settled. They live in Williamsburg. We tried to get breakfast around 10am, and it was hilarious how many places were closed. Hipsters don't do early. We found a great place though and had breakfast. Too dark for pictures though.
We quickly headed into Manhattan and to Central Park. On the way, of course, we managed to find the fanciest triathlon store ever. It was crazy!
Beautiful day in Central Park, we really lucked out with the weather. We walked and walked.
We found the OctoberFest Parade, with lots of German princesses and men in costumes. We tried to go to the official Octoberfest event, but the line was crazy long and we were not that dedicated.
We headed to the American Natural History Museum. I was excited about "Extreme Mammals!"
Cute picture with the hubs to be in front of the museum.
The museum was great, tons of exhibits for us science nerds. We spent a happy few hours, including a great planetarium exhibit. Space is awesome.
Snazzy science appreciators. We had lunch at a fancy mac and cheese place on the Upper East Side and ran into an old friend from UNC who is getting married this weekend. Fun to chat. We walked around Central Park some more and then headed back to Brooklyn. Trent and I wandered around Williamsburg while Brett and Errica grabbed a quick nap and then we rallied for a fantastic dinner at the Greek restaurant across the street from their apartment.
Amazing Greek food. And a Greek band. Terrific evening. We were exhausted and headed home afterwards.
The next morning, Trent and I got up early and went to the corner store to get fixings for breakfast. Once charged up, we headed back to Manhattan. We walked around New York University, the village, and Washington Square. Here is the beautiful archway.
We randomly encountered Gisele doing PR for a clean water organization she works for. Kind of exciting. She is about 6 feet tall and gorgeous, and 6 months pregnant. Cute.
The gang at Washington Square. Notice the people in lifevests behind us, they were also part of Gisele's organization.
Quick recharge with delicious ice coffee and cookies.
We went to a fancy soap store in the Village that had this amazing scrub. It makes your skin so soft. Definitely had to buy some.
Had to try Pinkberry. Oh goodness good. I would eat this everyday if we had one here. We met up with a friend of Trent's from high school who is now a lawyer and had a nice chat in the sun.
Walked through fancy SoHo, and stopped in crazy stores. Including a fancy fancy puppy shop.
We decided to take the ferry to Governor's Island. Inspired by a New Yorker article recently. It was a gorgeous day, a free ferry, and not too bad of a wait. Here is Brooklyn!
And a blurry picture of the Statue of Liberty. I love ferries.
We had picked up Mediterranean food for lunch and had a picnic on the island. Unfortunately, then my camera battery died. But Governor's Island was great, it used to be a naval base but is totally empty now. They had an art instillation that incorporated the whole island, each house/fort had its own art project. We spend a lovely couple of hours wandering.
We had picked up Mediterranean food for lunch and had a picnic on the island. Unfortunately, then my camera battery died. But Governor's Island was great, it used to be a naval base but is totally empty now. They had an art instillation that incorporated the whole island, each house/fort had its own art project. We spend a lovely couple of hours wandering.
Back with batteries, I had to laugh at the high security dogs they send to Governor's Island ferry station. Apparently not the top priority for security.
Ready to take a break we headed to a classic old bar, McSorely's. Up until the 70's, no women were allowed inside. There are two types of beer, light or dark, and you get two tiny pint glasses with each order. Which was fun, and trouble.
Cheers!
The gang, pleasantly tipsy. We made our way back to Brooklyn after this.
This is the top of their apartment. We enjoyed some beer and snacks on their roof while taking in the gorgeous view.
Sunset over the bridge! We went to an amazing pizza place that is their favorite and then out to a bar where their friends band was playing. Hipster paradise. It was a blast.
Our wake up calls in the morning.
My leg is super comfy apparently. Brett had to work and we wanted to give Errica a rest day before her marathon 3 full days of work ahead, so we headed out by ourselves. Back to Manhattan, getting of the subway near Times Square.
We did what we do best, walked and observed. It was fantastic.
Hustle and bustle.
A trip to NYC would not be complete without a gyro from a truck for Trent. It makes him terribly happy. We sat in front of the fancy Macy's and enjoyed. Then caught the train to the Newark airport, quick flight home, dropped Trent off at work. I used the rest of the afternoon to do wedding errands and relax for a bit. Back to work the next day. It was terrific, romantic, spontaneous, and awesome. Perfect pre-wedding getaway!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Off Again
And before you know it, I am off again. This time to a conference in Asheville. It should be some great science and hopefully pretty restful for me (I am not going to keep up with the high levels of drinking that this retreat is known for). I pretty much unpacked, washed, and packed the same clothes!
But we made a lot of wedding progress this week and it is just around the corner. After my lab meeting next Wednesday I am pretty much checking out of science/grad school life and focusing on being a bride.
Unfortunately, I am missing a big weekend. Trent's birthday is tomorrow and he is doing a Half Ironman with the "Team" on Sunday. Luckily he has lots of celebrating in the weeks to come. And he went to the eye doctor this morning and his previous degenerative disease is doing great, no progression and everything looks good. Hooray.
Happy weekend all. And I promise, NYC pictures will be soon.
But we made a lot of wedding progress this week and it is just around the corner. After my lab meeting next Wednesday I am pretty much checking out of science/grad school life and focusing on being a bride.
Unfortunately, I am missing a big weekend. Trent's birthday is tomorrow and he is doing a Half Ironman with the "Team" on Sunday. Luckily he has lots of celebrating in the weeks to come. And he went to the eye doctor this morning and his previous degenerative disease is doing great, no progression and everything looks good. Hooray.
Happy weekend all. And I promise, NYC pictures will be soon.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
New York Recap Coming Soon...
New York was amazing. We did SO much, Central Park, museums, hanging with hipsters in Williamsburg, crazy Swedish art on Governor's Island. And I was a photo fiend, so be ready.
But last night we went to dinner at Weaver Street and to see Ingrid Michaelson at Cat's Cradle with Amanda and Stephen. It was fantastic, but I was too exhausted to upload pictures.
Hopefully tonight.
Everyone should go see Ingrid if you get a chance. She is so adorable and a gorgeous voice!
Friday, September 18, 2009
You know what's fun?
Usually I read that very briefly, but last night I read nearly the whole section out loud to Trent.
We are thinking about a play that is staged on a decommissioned naval ship, a dance festival, the amazing mammal show at the natural history museum in Central Park, and perhaps Octoberfest. I will definitely be taking this issue along!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
my bubs is the best
We've been going through some transitions around here, switching from plenty of glorious free time to lots and lots of work for the both of us. We've made a conscious effort to spend quality time together and make time for surprises and get-aways.
And Trent took this challenge full on.
He bought us plane tickets to New York City for this weekend! We'll be staying with his friend (and groomsmen) Brett and seeing the sights and sounds. Back on Monday afternoon, in time for crew practice. Perfection.
I can't wait.
And you may have noticed, this blog has been devoid of pictures recently... our camera died. But our new one arrived yesterday, just in time for this adventure. So lots of pictures to come!
Monday, September 07, 2009
Long Weekend Recap
Great long weekend, a definite balance between work and play, summer and fall weather. An excellent transition!
1) Friday, the usual. I worked kind of late (mostly being an open ear for my boss to discuss his frustrations with fellow professors) and came home for a nice run with Sadie. Trent got home from practice and we headed to Johnnys.
2) Absolutely bizarre band at Johnnys. About 6 siblings, all under 15, rocking out to AC/DC, Prince, Creedence Clearwater, everything. They were musically talented, but looked like the cast of Napoleon Dynamite. The kicker was the two 8-9 year olds in alligator shoes who were the back up dancers, with excellent James Brown moves.
3) Stephen met up with us and we met some folks who've been doing triathlons for ages and exchanged stories about Boston and such. Fun stuff.
4) Trent was up early for a long bike ride with his "team" of Stephen and Paul. I did 4 miles with the dog, and another 6 miles without her. Started to get hot, but felt great.
5) Headed out to Sandwhich to get lunch to take to lab.
6) Spent about 4 hours at lab, Trent doing his homework for his public health course, and I did lots of fly stuff. Boring, but good to get stuff done and nice to have company.
7) Quick grocery shop and frantic house cleaning before having Paul, Sheila, Adam and Corriene over for dinner. Trent grilled steaks and bell peppers, and we had a great green salad with all sorts of summer goodies and lots of sides. Great conversation and more people to watch my Dad's birthday video!
8) We had planned on going to the beach on Sunday, but when friends bailed, we decided to have a 'staycation' instead. It was awesome. First off, private rowing lessons. The lake was perfectly flat and gorgeous and we rowed in a double for about an hour. Trent is an excellent coach.
9) Off to Weaver Street for breakfast. Met up with our former neighbor Patrick and talked politics and academia.
10) Quick transition at home, to get into our swim suits and cut up lots of fruit. Lounged by Deirdre's pool reading New Yorkers and eating watermelon. Awesome.
11) Another quick transition and off to a matinee of the movie, "Extract." Very cute and funny.
12) Home and then off to Weaver Street with leftover steak sandwiches. We split a beer and worked on the ceremony. Until we heard an awesome band playing.
13) Wandered over to the station to "JawsFest 2009." They were playing all sorts of shark movies, surf rock bands playing, fantastic t-shirts. It was so Carrboro and fantastic. Called up Deirdre and she met up with us.
14) Headed to another venue, the Nightlight, for a concert that sounded good, but they hadn't started yet, so we went to another bar and met up with more friends. Wandered back to the venue, but were just in time to catch the end of the band we were interested in. The second band was not our style so we all headed out. Trent and I stopped by the Station for a little bit and then rode bikes home. Excellent 'stay-cation!'
15) Stephen and Trent went swimming in Jordan Lake, I ran the dog and then ran to work. Slightly overcast and cool all day. Trent picked Deirdre and I up, but then I realized I was supposed to teach today so had to head back to school. Gave an awesome lecture on the freshwater polyp Hydra and its amazing regenerative abilities before heading back home.
16) Met up with the "Team" for a run in the forest. Sadie, Trent, Stephen, Paul, Joel and myself. The boys had gone on a bike ride before the run, so it was fun to have fresh legs with all the boys exhausted.
17) Home, lots of laundry, a yummy potato, leek and bacon soup in the LeCru, a long bath for Sadie (she has a vet appointment tomorrow and was a bit stinky), a good movie to watch and an early bed time for all of us!
Happy Fall to us all.
1) Friday, the usual. I worked kind of late (mostly being an open ear for my boss to discuss his frustrations with fellow professors) and came home for a nice run with Sadie. Trent got home from practice and we headed to Johnnys.
2) Absolutely bizarre band at Johnnys. About 6 siblings, all under 15, rocking out to AC/DC, Prince, Creedence Clearwater, everything. They were musically talented, but looked like the cast of Napoleon Dynamite. The kicker was the two 8-9 year olds in alligator shoes who were the back up dancers, with excellent James Brown moves.
3) Stephen met up with us and we met some folks who've been doing triathlons for ages and exchanged stories about Boston and such. Fun stuff.
4) Trent was up early for a long bike ride with his "team" of Stephen and Paul. I did 4 miles with the dog, and another 6 miles without her. Started to get hot, but felt great.
5) Headed out to Sandwhich to get lunch to take to lab.
6) Spent about 4 hours at lab, Trent doing his homework for his public health course, and I did lots of fly stuff. Boring, but good to get stuff done and nice to have company.
7) Quick grocery shop and frantic house cleaning before having Paul, Sheila, Adam and Corriene over for dinner. Trent grilled steaks and bell peppers, and we had a great green salad with all sorts of summer goodies and lots of sides. Great conversation and more people to watch my Dad's birthday video!
8) We had planned on going to the beach on Sunday, but when friends bailed, we decided to have a 'staycation' instead. It was awesome. First off, private rowing lessons. The lake was perfectly flat and gorgeous and we rowed in a double for about an hour. Trent is an excellent coach.
9) Off to Weaver Street for breakfast. Met up with our former neighbor Patrick and talked politics and academia.
10) Quick transition at home, to get into our swim suits and cut up lots of fruit. Lounged by Deirdre's pool reading New Yorkers and eating watermelon. Awesome.
11) Another quick transition and off to a matinee of the movie, "Extract." Very cute and funny.
12) Home and then off to Weaver Street with leftover steak sandwiches. We split a beer and worked on the ceremony. Until we heard an awesome band playing.
13) Wandered over to the station to "JawsFest 2009." They were playing all sorts of shark movies, surf rock bands playing, fantastic t-shirts. It was so Carrboro and fantastic. Called up Deirdre and she met up with us.
14) Headed to another venue, the Nightlight, for a concert that sounded good, but they hadn't started yet, so we went to another bar and met up with more friends. Wandered back to the venue, but were just in time to catch the end of the band we were interested in. The second band was not our style so we all headed out. Trent and I stopped by the Station for a little bit and then rode bikes home. Excellent 'stay-cation!'
15) Stephen and Trent went swimming in Jordan Lake, I ran the dog and then ran to work. Slightly overcast and cool all day. Trent picked Deirdre and I up, but then I realized I was supposed to teach today so had to head back to school. Gave an awesome lecture on the freshwater polyp Hydra and its amazing regenerative abilities before heading back home.
16) Met up with the "Team" for a run in the forest. Sadie, Trent, Stephen, Paul, Joel and myself. The boys had gone on a bike ride before the run, so it was fun to have fresh legs with all the boys exhausted.
17) Home, lots of laundry, a yummy potato, leek and bacon soup in the LeCru, a long bath for Sadie (she has a vet appointment tomorrow and was a bit stinky), a good movie to watch and an early bed time for all of us!
Happy Fall to us all.
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