Crazylegs Classic

For the first time Tim, myself, and his parents decided to run the Crazylegs Classic, a 5 mile race throughout the Wisconsin campus. It is incredibly well known because of the number of people that participate each year. This year, the total number of participants was around 20,000!! There are so many people that run this race every year that they had to change the race structure, and allow people to start in waves rather than one big mass. The race is fun, you start down State Street, run up an infamously steep hill called Observatory Drive, run along through the campus, and then come back around and finish in the football stadium Camp Randall! It was so fun!

It was a cool, slightly rainy day, but the conditions ended up being PERFECT for a 5 mile run. the rain help off until the end of the race, but the little bit of rain that fell before the race kept the dust down and the temperature in the 60s, so it wasn't too hot or too cold. Since Tim and I had prepared for this race by NOT running at all (well, I'd been playing soccer, but Tim prepared by sitting on the couch), good weather could not have helped us out more.

All four of us started together, but Tim and I got a little ahead of John and Jennifer. We ended up finishing about 2 minutes ahead of them, with Tim and myself running the race in 56:00, and John and Jennifer at 58:42. With the rain starting to come down, we left very quicly, and didnt' even have time for a celebratory beer (customary at the end of this race)! But we had a nice warm lunch at Old Chicago, and calzones made us all warmer!

It was a great race, and I'm already planning on doing it again next year!

Brewers Game

Tim can't sit still waiting for opening day of baseball, especially the Brewers! In the first week of baseball, he attended not 1, but 3 games! Tim was fortunate enough to have connections to the opening day game (which are coveted tickets and difficult to get), as well as the next day and a game the following Sunday. I was actually invited to the Sunday game, so I got to document the day of grilling, drinking, and games on a beautiful spring day! Here are some pictures from the day:

We had yummy snacks and of course, Miller Lite

Bernie (the mascot) and his slide, and an action shot!

Group photo, and although this doesn't show it, the Brewers won (personally I find baseball really boring, and couldn't really remember if they had won until Tim reminded me)!

donating my hair!

For the third time, I have donated my hair to an organization that uses hair to make wigs for cancer patients. I only knew of one organization called Locks of Love, but when I went to Cost Cutters this time, they told me they donate to Wigs for Kids now, an organization that makes wigs specifically for children. I do not care where my hair goes, as long as it's not the trash, so I donated 10.5" to Wigs for Kids. I have donated 2 other times, both to Locks of Love, and I would encourage anyone to let their hair grow out and donate at least 10" to one of these organizations. It takes no effort for me to let my hair grow out, and I like to think that in some small way I'm helping someone else have a better day during a difficult time in their life :o) My haircut ended up being VERY short, shorter than I have ever cut it before, but it is already growing back in quickly! Here are some pictures from the day I cut it!


My camera is not the best, but here is a view of the front.


Another view of the front.


A view from the back.

I like my new haircut, but I can't wait until it grows in a bit so I can wear a normal ponytail again!

Marking Territory

Since I haven't posted in a while, here's an update on the life of Cooper. He has recently "learned" to mark territory. Yes, he learned how to do, it was not instinctive. He is a year and a half old now, and has never done this until this spring, when he watched other dogs do it at Doggie Playgroup (we take him to a dog playgroup saturday mornings at one of the local kennels where he gets to run around with 20 other dogs for an hour - LOVES it).

So why is this exciting, or hilarious? Because he doesn't quite understand how to mark territory. Instead of peeing on obvious things like signs and hydrants, he pees on non-stationary items, like clumps of dirt and twigs and leaves. He also frequently misses when he's aiming for a specific mark; he doesn't realize yet that he needs power. Cooper hasn't marked anything IN the house yet (and the day he does I'm sending him back), but he did try to mark our screen door (I was MAD). He also has peeing contests with the neighbors dog, Lily, who is a girl. I think during these times Cooper is actually pefecting his technique and learning from Lily.

I was told that when a dog was neutered early enough, they actually don't feel the urge to mark territory since their hormone levels have changed. Apparently, no one told me that this can also be a LEARNED behavior! Who knew? I'm a bit concerned when we do buy a house how this new habit will carry over, or when we get another dog how Cooper will handle accidents from the puppy! Our little trouble maker... goes to show that he's a pretty smart pup!

Belated Blog Birthdays

I am quite behind on the blog again, but while I remember I wanted to send an official blogger Happy Birthday to Tim and my mom! Tim is now 26, and my mom will never be a day over 50 ;o) For Tim's birthday we went to one of our favorite places in Madison, the Essen Haus! We had great German food, and drank boots of beer all night long (and by all night long, I mean we came home at midnight because we were all tired). Aside from being old and married and lame, Tim had a great time and that's all that mattered!

Happy Birthday Tim and Mom!

News in 2010

It has been quite some time since I updated our blog (almost 2 months), so here are the highlights so far from 2010!

Thesis Lab Decision: To make a very long story short, I ended up leaving the lab that I had joined, and am now looking for a new lab yet again. With funding being very tight at the university level, the search is slow and frustrating, but I have a lot of people supporting me so hopefully I will find something soon.

New Years: Backing up a bit, Tim and I were able to take a few days to go up to Spicer, MN and visit his parents over New Years. It was freezing while we were up there (-30F when we woke up every day), but we had a wonderful time being spoiled by his parents, especially Cooper, who had several doggie playdates! We were able to exchange belated Christmas gifts, and spent New Years Eve with John and Jennifer's neighbors and many of their close friends from the area. It was a blast, with lots of good food, wine and champaigne! We would have liked to stay longer, but I had to start a new rotation (in the lab I just joined!) on January 4th. It was wonderful to get away for a few days though! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures!

Freezing Fog: I'm going to prove just how big of a nerd I am for posting about this, but I thought it was really cool. We had a freezing fog early in January, which mean that every morning we woke up to ice crystals in the trees and bushes, but no snow on the ground (best snow storm ever, all the beauty and no mess!). I had never seen anything like that happen before, because usually the winter is so dry that moisture can't accumulate and then form crystals this way. I know, I know, but I thought it was cool!

These tiny crystals formed on every branch, every leaf, every berry. It honestly looked like it had snowed, but there was nothing on the ground!

Camp Randall Hockey Classic: On February 6th, the UW men's and women's hockey teams played in the Camp Randall Hockey Classic. They converted the football field into an ice rink, and all us dedicated (read: crazy) fans wore all of our clothes and huddled together in the frigid February weather to watch them play! A group of our college friends came into town for the game, so in additional the hockey game we went out to eat, went bowling, and engaged in general mayhem. Here are a few pictures from the game:

A wide view of the field, and another stunning example of the zoom capability on my camera! You could read the numbers on their jerseys!

Commerical break, and Dan, Sarah, myself, Tim, and Jamie freezing our asses off! It was about 10F and slightly windy! Brrrr!

Valentine's Day: While Valentine's Day is not a big deal for either Tim or myself, it is nice to be able to do something together. Unfortuantely Tim had to work all day, so I made dinner (Thai peanut chicken, yum!) and we had a nice relaxing night once he was done. He also got me an Edible Arrangement (not to be confused with edible underpants), which was AWESOME and delicious! Best bouquet ever! I got Tim a temperpedic pillow like mine (because the one he has sucks) so that he will stop stealing mine, and because they were discounted 50%! Nothing says love like fruit and pillows huh?

My awesome bouquet, and Cooper eyeing it up ;o)

Well that's about all the news here! Tim has been working a lot between both jobs, Cooper has been sleeping his days away, and I'm excited to be busy in my new lab!

Rainy's Reading Room

This post is dedicated to promoting my mom's brand new blog! It's called Rainy's Reading Room. Her blog is solely focused on book reviews, so if you are looking for a great read, you should check it out! She has already posted reviews for about a dozen books, and plans to update it weekly with additional reviews. Her blog is meant to be a tool to help readers find fantastic books. The books are all rated on a scale of one to five stars with a short summary of the plot and her personal thoughts. Comments and suggestions are highly encouraged!

She's put in a lot of hard work to get it ready, so if you have a chance check it out, and don't hesitate to pass along the website (http://rainysreadingroom.blogspot.com/) to any avid readers you may know! Thanks everyone!