Some Recent Trips...

...and our baby is still a girl...as far as we can tell!!! Anyway, before I start posting some pictures of two recent trips we took, lemme just say that I am SO happy that we are having a little baby girl. It really is super-exciting and makes this whole trip so much more real. Fran is starting to really show for real, and every morning before I leave for work, I tell my little baby girl goodbye and I love her. Our next appointment is on the 20th of March and we are scheduled for a more detailed ultrasound. Hopefully we snag some good pictures and I'll scan one or two so you all can see our little one!

Just as a quick update I now work at a different place. Our group moved from the Ge*NY*sis Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics, to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as part of their budding Nanobioscience Constellation (same university, different college). It is a great move for our group, (the college is rated as the #1 Nanotech School in the world. Pretty neat. Anyway, med school apps are still going, I am on waitlists at Ohio State, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany Med, Chicago COM and MSU with a guaranteed spot in 2010. We are still hoping to hear good news from some of these schools, but we are staying as positive as we can...well, Fran is very positive and I have my good days and bad days.

OK...back to the trips.

We just returned from a quick weekend in Washington DC to see our buddy Josh and also Jen and Amanda who are working in DC as well. We had a great time...it was too quick--all of 48 hours...but we saw two Smithsonians (air and space, and American History), took a lot of pictures at the different sites, ate at some really good restaurants, went to church, watched scrubs, lost my camera at the airport (got it back today, thank goodness), and now we are back in Albany.

Before our DC trip though we went down to Cleveland in February to see my family and celebrate my dad's birthday. We had a lot of fun and stopped on the way down and spent the night with Fran's family and then on the way back, stopped again to hang with Veronica and Jon for a few hours and let Fran go shopping for maternity clothes with someone who has been around the block a few (3...now 4) times.



I have always wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial...one of my Historical Heroes


Fran was goosing Josh in the butt...just kidding...no really...just kidding


We REALLY missed hanging out with Jen-Jen and it was good to see her again.


This picture makes Josh look like he has those nerdy tinted glasses...no offense Dan, and thanks for letting us use your bed, but they are kinda nerdy.


The Vietnam War Memorial. One of the more interestingly designed memorials I have ever seen. We also saw the memorial for the Korean Conflict.


The WWII Memorial. These places have such a sacred feel to them.


JD pondering why they removed the water and left the duck poo.


JD, Amanda Stanfill, and Fran.


I never realized space shuttles were so big.


wow


JD and Fran in the aerospace museum.


Me and JD under a German WWII fighter.


It blows my mind that this airplane dropped the Atomic Bomb.


Me and my co-pilot entering the simulator.


These planes (SR-71) are AWESOME.


CLEVELAND PICS

Dad and Mom (Ben and Taylor also) at Beni-hana for dad's birthday.


Dad HATES it when people make a big deal about his bday in public...mom took an extra-long bathroom break and tipped the waitress off...hence dad blowing out candles. I should also say that this came after a direct threat of pain if we had them sing.


And here is the singing...fa-ra-ra-ra-ra


Ben and Taylor are pretty cool guys...smelly, but cool.


I let Taylor drive me around...my body armour is not in the picture.


I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy, baby. haha.


Ben gettin up at his basketball game.


Taylor warming up...they have some seriously cool warm-ups and other team gear.



JD and Josh heading into the simulator...ala Goose and Maverick...only goose (JD) didn't die. Instead we sent 4 MiGs to fiery deaths. If you listen really closely you might be able to hear us yell...Fran said that all sorts of people were looking at us and they guy that was running the simulator came over and thought something was wrong...that's what happens when you enter the DANGER ZONE.

Well, thanks for reading and looking at all our pics. I didn't realize how many I had posted. There are more...if you're interested.