Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! We are very excited to be coming home on the 8th!!! 

We're adopting a cat! Jimmy and I have been in contact with a nice lady who has a bunch of foster cats that we can choose from. We will meet them on Saturday! If we find one that we like, she will hold it for us until we get back to Wisconsin. :)

We looked at the cats online, and we found one that we really like. Here are some pictures of her:

We like her because she's got really pretty colors. She's a calico cat (that describes the multiple colors in her coat). Calico cats are the result of some really cool genetics. 

Honestly I just wanted to show pictures of our potential cat. She has a problem with her right eye. The eyeball is in there, but her eyelid doesn't open very well. She kinda looks like she's permanently winking. Since she has this "issue", people are a lot less likely to want her. Jimmy and I are excited to possibly give a home to a weirdo cat that no one else wants. :)

When you look at her, what name comes to mind? Jimmy and I have been thinking of possible names. Here's what we've got so far:

Sam

Mercury (like the planet, the element, and Freddie Mercury the lead singer of Queen)

Jelly (because she reminds Jimmy of peanut butter)

Peanut

Colbie

Rolls (because she's kinda chubby)

Olive

Reese (because her colors are kinda similar to Reeses's pieces)

Hallie (short for Halloween, again because of her colors)

Butters (South Park)

Please let us know if you think of good names!

More Snow and the Christmas Tree Hunt

So the snow is still falling, and everything in Wisconsin is looking beautiful. We are on a winter storm warning starting tomorrow evening (Monday, the 8th) and ending the next morning. They are warning that we may get 6-12 inches during that time period! That's ALOT of snow...I hope we don't get that much, it would really suck. It takes FOREVER to drive places, and I'm always afraid I will slip and fall when I walk. Here are some pictures that we took in the last couple days.

Here is a picture of Bailey on our balcony. The balcony is completely screened, so he can't fall off or anything. These are the little flakes that were small enough to fit through the screen and cover the ground. Bailey seemed to like the snow! He was out there for a while, and I had to chase him back in because we were letting all the heat out of the apartment.

In Wisconsin, going to a christmas tree lot and picking a tree is lame. A lot of people cut down their own trees here. We found a place that is only about 20 minutes from our apartment, and we went to check it out. It was REALLY similar to the apple orchard in that you walk around and there are rows and rows of trees to look at. 

Here is Jimmy at the tree farm. Those little trees in the background are not ready to be taken yet!

Jimmy and I are dumb, and didn't realize that walking around and finding the perfect tree, cutting it down, and dragging it back to the car would take AT LEAST an hour. We did not wear proper clothing. I wore rain boots (no insulation) and he wore tennis shoes and jeans. WE WERE FREEZING. Seriously, I couldn't feel my feet. But this is a picture of Jimmy inspecting the tree that we eventually decided on.

Here is a picture of me sawing our tree down!

Jimmy dragging the tree back to the car. It was uphill and took forever.

The workers put the tree through a machine that wrapped it up. Here is Jimmy carrying it to the car.

Here is the finished product!

Love,

Ashley

Not Quite Winter in Wisconsin

Hey everyone! Sorry we haven't blogged in a while, but we've been really busy lately. It's snowy here in Wisconsin and it's hard to believe that technically, winter hasn't even started yet! Here are some pictures that we took last night when we took Zorro out to potty.

Jimmy tortured himself by not wearing gloves, a hat, or socks underneath his slippers. He was REALLY cold when we got inside.

Right outside our building. It snowed all day and all night! So pretty!

Sorry this picture is blurry. The camera was having problems focusing because of the snow that was falling. This is a pretty pine tree right outside our building.

More trees

The rebar is there to mark where the sidewalk is. As you can see, you cannot tell the difference between sidewalk and grass! 

Mom, dad, and Kenya, I'm not going to be licking a pole anytime soon. I learned my lesson (twice) already. I wanted to taste the snow and I don't trust the snow on the ground so licking a tree sounded like a good idea!

Zorro and his snow beard. He likes to eat the snow too!

I don't really know what's going on here...

Snow is fun, but after slipping and sliding my way to the bus stop this morning, I'm getting over it.

I love these bushes right outside our apartment. They kinda look like cupcakes with frosting!

We'll have to take some daytime pictures soon! Until next time!

Ashley

How to Make an Apple Pie

Hello everyone! This is Ashley, and this blog is going to show you how to make an apple pie!

Step 1: Go to an apple orchard and let your dog see the pumpkins.

Step 2: Find a good apple tree and pick an apple

Step 3: Let your dog inspect the apple

Step 4: Collect lots more apples!

Step 5: Be amazed by apple trees!

Step 6: Find the biggest spider you've ever seen in your life and run away.

Step 7: Roll out the bottom crust. (And yes, your rolling pin has to match your shirt.)

Step 8: Prepare the top crust

Step 9: Jimmy cuts the apples while you make the apple pie goo (not pictured)

Step 10: Put the apples in the bottom crust, add cinnamon-sugary goo, and the top crust on top.

Step 11: Bake

Step 12: Smother with ice cream

Step 13: EAT!!!!

The apple orchard was pretty fun, but there were so many bugs!!! Orange ladybugs bite, and yes, we were both bitten. I never thought I'd be scared of lady bugs, but I am. And just so you know, the pie was delicious!

Love,

Ashley

Hello Again...I've Come Up for Air!

Hey everyone! I am taking a break from learning the law to say hello and try to catch everyone up from my last post. Let me just start from the beginning...



Law school orientation was really fun! I ate lots of good food, drank a substantial amount of beer and thought I got a good impression of what was to come. I was riding high until I had to buy my books...








As you can see, there are a lot of books. This is not including my supplements, study aids and other good stuff. Add a clunky laptop and you have the makings of adult scoliosis. I need two backpacks to get my books to school and back.



The classes are ok. Just ok. I feel like I am learning everything and understanding how all the pieces fit into a larger puzzle. Some classes I understand better than others but they all require a lot of work. Every night there is a significant amount of work. I'm always reading my casebooks (main textbooks), reading hornbooks (supplemental books to help explain the main pieces of the casebooks) and trying to keep up on my notes for all of it. I'm on track but never ahead.



Ashley and I have kind of given up on the football games. We hope to make it to one more but the team is doing pretty badly and the tickets sell for a good amount of money.



The weather has turned to fall. Next weekend Ashley and I are planning on going to the arboretum and to take lots of pictures of the leaves changing color. It is so beautiful and always keep my attention on the bus. It still has been pretty warm including a bit of a heat wave this week but people are saying that this is probably the last of the warm days. Nights are going to start dropping into the 30s and starting next month some significant snow fall should start. Thank god the buses are doing most of the driving and that most restaurants deliver!



Also, Ashley got some assistance using this blog so I will do some begging of my own. I need to buy some study aid supplements for law school but they cost money...money I don't have. For those willing to help, look at them as an investment. The study aids will lead to higher grades which can lead to better jobs and in turn a higher income which ultimately leads to more awesome presents come holiday time.



In any case, we are looking forward to a trip home this January. Once Ashley picks her lab she can set up a time to come home and we'll have to buy the plane tickets (or hopefully Santa will get us some). The pets are doing great, Ashley and I are pretty much sane and we are chugging along. Sorry for not writing but even while writing this, I am adding to the amount of time I am going to have to dedicate to Criminal Law...

-Jimmy

Ashley's Blog

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken us so long to blog, but we have been so busy with classes and stuff. Jimmy and I will be blogging separately because we both have a lot to say!

First of all, the pets are doing well. They are both healthy and happy. Bailey is shedding; I think he senses the seasons changing. Bailey also likes having his fur brushed. It's pretty cute. 

Wisconsin football games are REALLY fun! I'm so happy that Jimmy and I were able to get season tickets. I had to look up all the rules of football online because although I've watched games on TV, I've NEVER truly known what was going on. Now I know, and I've been watching football every weekend with Jimmy. It's pretty exciting! I wish I could play, but I'm afraid that I'll get hurt. 

Classes are OK. We haven't had any tests yet, but I seem to be doing well on my homework. I'm just nervous for the first exams. I don't know what to expect! I am taking one class called Biochemical Methods which teaches us many different biochemistry tools you can use in the lab. I am also taking a class called Prokaryotic Molecular Biology. Prokaryotes are single celled critters like bacteria, and we learn all about their molecular functions. 

One thing that I have learned is that Biochemistry methods are different from Genetic methods which are also different from molecular biology methods. People always ask me what I am. Am I a geneticist? Am I a molecular biologist? Am I a biochemist? I always get frustrated when people ask me this. Science is SO advanced and we are learning SO much that I think it's kind of dumb to call yourself one thing. I think it's much better to learn everything that you can from different scientific fields. If you have a bunch of knowledge from all over the place, you'll be able to solve problems better. But that's just my opinion. 

Now for the good stuff: lab work! Right now, I am in a lab that works on plants and how they respond to gravity. In general, you plant a seed and the root grows down into the dirt, and the stem grows upward. When you take a plant that is already growing, and you turn it on it's side, the root will sense that (within minutes!) and the root with turn and grow towards its new down direction. The stem will also turn and grow upward. Our lab focuses on the roots. We are trying to figure out how the plant "knows" that it's been turned, and how turns this into a response. I think it's amazing. We have brains and neurons, skeletons, and muscles that help us recognize things and react. Plants do not!

There are some cons to working in a plant lab. Plants take a long time to grow. In the yeast lab, you could grow your yeast overnight and be ready to use them the next day. It takes a while for the plant seedlings to grow, so you spend a lot of time waiting.  There are also pros. Plants smell better than yeast. Plant seedlings are cuter than yeast. And, it's therapeutic to plant the little guys. I've included a link to the lab website if you want to check it out. 

Other than class and lab, I don't do much. Seriously, it sucks. I feel like I have no life. But slowly, I'm becoming a bigger dork than ever. I actually feel kinda guilty when I'm not in the lab. Weird! What are these people doing to me?!?

Love,

Ashley

Also, I'm in the market for a cheap (aka free) copy of Adobe Illustrator.  If anyone can swing me a copy (made for a Mac) I'll be your bestest friend!

The Pet Post

Hey everyone! Well it's less than a month from the start of class. We are enjoying the summer but are looking forward to starting class and meeting new people.

This week we had some fun with the pets. They are transitioning well to Wisconsin. Bailey has been getting pretty husky aka FAT. We have been wondering where these extra pounds were coming from until we got this photographic evidence.

Now we know Bailey can't get fat from drinking Zorro's water but he often drinks the water only after eating Zorro's food. We can only imagine what all that fat and protein in dog food is doing to Bailey's once sexy body.

To further demonstrate Bailey's huskiness, we had him try on one of Zorro's old muscle shirts. He would only agree to wear the shirt after being bribed with carrots.

His little arms look like sausages or bratwursts.

Moving on to Zorro. He had quite an exciting weekend and got to explore another first in his life: canoeing! Zorro did much better than we were expecting. He wasn't scared and enjoyed running all around the canoe looking off the edge and grumbling at ducks.

As you can see, Zorro REALLY enjoyed the outing.

Ashley told him a really funny joke right there.

It's been really nice in Madison and hope this weather continues. Ashley is all done with her lab rotation and gets two weeks off while her tireless husband continues work. He will probably get sick sometime during the second week and will be forced to end work early. Orientation starts the last week of this month. Ashley will be wined and dined while Jimmy will have to do some kind of volunteer work. It's like CSUMB all over again. Hope everyone is doing well!

Blarg

This is coming to you as live as it can be from my crappy half cubicle! Ash and I tried out being hermits this past weekend and realized it's not for us. So no pictures this week. This weekend we plan on going to the movies to see Pineapple Express and Stepbrothers. We are also going canoe-ing on the lake with Zorro. Hilarious pictures are guaranteed to ensue.

As for me, law school starts in under a month and I am beginning to wonder why Ash and I didn't just run off somewhere or just slept for a year before doing all this craziness. I guess it's ok though because I cannot imagine working like this for more than the 3 months I'm doing it. In any case, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your lives. See you in about 4 and a half months! I expect gifts!

The Past Few Weeks: Ashley

I'd like to start off by having you guys look at this first picture:


Yes, that is Bailey, on the couch. After owning him for over a year, Bailey now knows that we are probably not going to kill him. He's trusting us a lot more and gets on the couch pretty much every day. Now, he allows me to give him kisses!


We found out about this place called Michael's in a newspaper. It was listed in a food column as a restaurant that is dog-friendly. Michael's is famous for their frozen custard (it's like ice cream, but even smoother & creamier), and they even make a custard that dogs can eat. We decided to buy 2 pints of custard for us, and a small dish of the dog custard for Zorro. Here are some pictures of Zorro enjoying his yummy treat.






I've been working in the lab for over a month now, and I'm still really enjoying it. Here is a picture of part of the lab. There is a lot more than this, but I only took pictures of my area.



Here is a close-up of my bench. I cleaned up a bit before I took this picture, so please do not fall under the impression that this is what it looks like all the time. This is VERY organized for me.


Here are some pictures from the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. There is a butterfly exhibit going on right now, so it was really cool.











I guess that's it for now. Bailey loves us, Zorro ate custard, I'm still working in the lab, and we saw some butterflies. Yup, that's it.

Love,
Ashley