Greg, I hope you get this note in time. We would like to invite you and your family over to Jennifer’s parents’ house in Shawnee for Jonathan’s birthday party this coming Thursday morning. Festivities start around 9:45 AM and we’ll be done around 11:45 AM. Let us know if you plan to come and/or if you need directions to their house. Hope to see you soon!
Kris and Jennifer
I just realized I should probably just post an update for me (and Greg) since I haven’t spoken with anyone except mom and dad in quite a while. For once I actually have some good news to share. My first paper (I’m first author) has been excepted! This, of course, is a huge deal for me. I feel like I’ve been trying to get this thing published forever! It only needs minor revisions and I will re-submit it for publication just before Thanksgiving. Also, another paper that I am second-author on will be submitted early this week. In addition to those two, I have another first author paper being submitted later this month and 2-4 more in the pipeline. It is truly amazing. I feel so happy and proud that all of my hard work for the last few years is finally coming to some fruition.
Also, this coming Tuesday, I will have my final committee meeting – the one where they tell me (hopefully) that I have permission to write my dissertation and schedule my defense. Having my paper accepted last week could not have been better because they are way more likely to let me graduate with one paper already under my belt. So although I still have some minor work to do on my meeting presentation, I am looking forward to presenting my data to them. If things go well at my meeting, I will finish up most of my bench work by the middle of December and then go back to Kansas and spend about a month there with Greg, writing my dissertation and job hunting. It will be a busy time but busy in a good way! I plan to schedule my dissertation defense for mid-March…so anyone that wants an excuse for a trip to Tucson is more than welcome!
Greg also has some potentially exciting news, he has applied for a new job at the Spencer Art Museum at KU for the job of systems administrator. This will be a nice move up the food-chain for him and will allow us to really look into buying a house next Summer after I move back.
I am happing to be hosting dad’s stay in Tucson, starting tomorrow. He will be in town for the Tour de Tucson again this year. Ironically, I will be out of town for part of his stay here! Greg and I will be in Austin for his older sister’s wedding next weekend. We’ll be there for 5 days, so although we won’t be together for Thanksgiving, it’ll be a nice time to spend together. Plus, weddings are always fun! I’ll be sure to post pictures of the trip.
Sophie is doing well, currently laying on her “thrown” on the couch. I miss everyone and hope your next few busy weeks are very enjoyable!
I don’t know if Kurt has mentioned this to anyone or gone into detail about what’s been going on in Indiana, so I thought it’s about time for an update… also we have more details known now too. Kurt’s research requires him to test some of his specimens in Minnesota. There are also test specimens from KU that will be tested in Minnesota, but there are two new Master’s students from KU working on that part. Somehow it was decided by the professors on this project that at least one grad student from each of the two universities (KU and Purdue) will be in Minnesota for at least the first 6 tests (2 of these tests are Kurt’s). Their estimate for each test is one month. Around the beginning of January the first set of tests will start, and since Kurt is the only grad student from Purdue working on this research, he is required to be there for 6 months for the first part of 2008, while the two KU grad students will be taking turns.
How often will he be allowed to travel back to Purdue, you might be thinking at this point: a weekend once a month under the explanation of “creating new specimens” so the research project will pay for the flight. Apparently “going to see his wife” isn’t an acceptable explanation.
Rachel is “job hunting” for some source of income starting January 2008. It’s not really going as planned, but there are a few options… the decision making isn’t fun.
I guess that’s all I can say about that at this point. We are looking forward to seeing all of you in the next couple of months 
Love, R & K
P.S. — I think all of you have met Kurt’s friend Dustin Smith (was the 3rd groomsman) and his wife Sarah. They had a baby girl Nov. 7th, Johanna Layne Smith! They emailed pics of her today, and she is a little baby female version of Dustin
My trip to China is now a set of memories. It was a combination business and pleasure trip and full of fantastic experiences. Of course IBM paid most of the freight. The route was St. Louis to Chicago to Shanghai to Beijing. The business and sightseeing were in and around Beijing. Not so sad to say, I missed the experience of lugging my luggage long distances, up mountains.
I went to teach local IBMers about the product I support, the DR550. The business portion was Monday through Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were sightseeing days. A friend from the Bay area and I visited the Forbidden City (where the Ming and Qing Emperors, Empresses, royal concubines, eunuchs, and other royal personages lived), Tiananmen Square, and a market called Silk Street (best described as a 5 story, massive bazaar) on Thursday. On Friday we visited the Great Wall (man, are portions of it steep!), the Ming Tombs, a jade working factory and outlet store, and a vase factory and outlet for the vases, more jade goods, silk, and many other types of goods all at a great prices. Unfortunately, it was very foggy for most of the time we were at the Great Wall so most of the pictures are so-so. I got over 150 pictures from the sightseeing excursions. Pictures are:
1) One of the larger of many palaces in the Forbidden City, 2) Tiananmen Sq., 3) Great Wall, and 4) One of the Ming Tomb buildings.
Beijing is safe, and the people very courteous. Of course it’s crowded as you’d expect of a city with 17 million people. There’s very little litter but the air quality is terrible. I wouldn’t want to be an Olympic athlete competing here next year unless they really get some control of the pollution. I would recommend Beijing as a great place to visit but not during the Olympics and at a time of year when pollution is not so bad (if there is such a time).
Hello dearest family. We should start thinking about holiday get-together plans, its coming up sooner than we think! As far as Thanksgiving goes, I will have just gotten back from Austin, TX (for a wedding) so I will spend Thanksgiving in Tucson, possibly with dad. I know mom wants to make a 25 pound turkey and a 5-course meal for everyone, so let her know who can make it!
As for Christmas, mom and dad will of course be in California, leaving on the 24th, so a get-together the previous weekend – sometime within Thursday 20th thru Sunday 23rd – would probably work well. Start thinking about it and let everyone know what you think!
I have crafted a long message on our blog on this… please check it out, comment.
William got his orange belt today and I got a few pictures of the festivities. I’ll get them sent out soon; probably by this weekend. Speaking of William and Soo Bahk Do (his type of martial arts), he and his fellow young martial artists will be participating in the local Halloween parade on Halloween night in Edwardsville. There will be a “float” which is really made to look like a cage for wild animals since the theme for the parade is “At the Zoo”. Many of the kids including, perhaps William, will be painting their faces like their favorite wild animals and riding on the float in the cage. I’m hoping that this Halloween will be warmer than last year when it was in the 30s.
On another note, I was talking with Aunt Linda today who brought me up-to-speed on the recent trip she and JC went on to the Augusta, MO winery with Aunt Mo and Uncle John, Rich and his girlfriend, and Rachel and Ben. Well, Aunt Mo had a little too much wine to drink and ended up plastered and puking. So give her a hard time the next time you see her, I sure will! :)
I didn’t realize Becky was already on her way to Greece; hopefully it’s been a safe and fun trip so far!
Take care all!
Hi All- Just to let everyone know, I’m currently posting blog entries about my NYC/Greece trip on the becky-greg blog. So if you’re wondering how things are going, that’s where to get the updates. The trip is going well so far, I leave for Greece tomorrow. Also, I got together with Ruthie and Jake for dinner tonight, it was quite fun. Hope everyone is well!
B
I have been out to the STL area many times, taken many pictures, but I have to say, this one has got to be one of my favorites.
(Many of my other favorites are hilarious photos of Becky being silly that I would get yelled at for posting)
Thanks to Becky for helping to get me fully connected to the blogosphere. Though it was too brief, we really enjoyed seeing everyone this past weekend.
Love, Kris (Jennifer & boys)
