Dave's parents are here visiting us in Emeryville now (his sisters join us today), and we're doing some touring around! Yesterday, we went to Berkeley to check out the campus and the law school, to Napa to do a wine tasting, and to a Beaver-fest in Martinez (to celebrate the return of the beavers to the Alhambra creek). On the way, we stopped at a honey farm where there were five really cute kittens. They might have been the highlight of the trip :) It was a beautiful, sunny, 75 degree California day. Check out the pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.marie.elliott/WineCountryAndKittens?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXh5eOi4ISKtwE&feat=directlink.

Today, we might head in to San Francisco. We'll keep you posted!

California!

Hot tub one floor down from our apartment
The cafe across the street (which we think is really a bar...Cafe Biere)
The view from our balcony
Our closet (check out the organization!)
Bedroom
Bathroom (goes from bedroom to closet)
Kitchen
More kitchen
Living room
More living room (and out to the balcony...too small to stand on, just a railing)

Thanks to my Gram for reminding me that I should actually post something on my blog! We've moved to Emeryville, California, and this is our new condo! We actually live on the edge of Emeryville near Oakland. We're about 3.5 miles from the law school in Berkeley and about 10 miles from San Francisco. So far, we love it here! Our condo is in a complex called Andante lofts, and the lower level is used for shopping and restaurants (a sushi restaurant, Miyozen, occupies the first floor). We've got a great little Greek restaurant just in the next building, and they give you free lentil soup while you wait for your falafel! There's a supermarket across the street for very easy shopping, and there are all sorts of stores just down the road (like Trader Joe's!!!). We're a 10 minute walk from the BART station, but the streets along the way are a little scary if you're alone. Fortunately, there's a free bus that goes directly to the station (the Emery-go-round :). Dave has interviewed for a job at Leapfrog, which is just down the street (maybe 1.5 miles or so), and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it works out. School starts on the 13th with two days of orientation. We're excited to be here and hoping that everything works out well :)

Oops...delinquent blogging

Having started a blog, I now realize that I need to keep it up to date! I only ever bother to check in with blogs that are updated frequently, so I guess if I want people to check ours, I better keep writing.

This last weekend marked the beginning of fall weather here, I fear, and with it came colds! Dave has one that started just in time for his first big exam and several homework assignments. Everything is harder when all you want to do is sleep! I'm still fending it off, but I'm not optimistic about the long-term outcome. It seems like the students always bring a whole new crop of germs with them, and we are usually a bit sick for the first couple of weeks of school.

In other news, our good friend Ted (one of Dave's groomsmen) needed to have open heart surgery last Wednesday. He has a congenital heart defect, so this was not a complete surprise, but he was not expected these most recent complications. Fortunately, he is doing well post-op and headed home from the hospital.

Otherwise, things are running smoothly here. We are enjoying a new pasta recipe that involves fantastic fake chicken (Quorn brand...better than the real thing!) and looking forward to stuffing some hot peppers that a co-worker grew in her garden (she brought some last week, and they were delicious!). We're running a few times a week (up to 9 miles for me this Friday if all goes well) and trying to stay as healthy as possible during the beginning of cold and flu season :)

To start a blog...

I was initially quite opposed to the whole on-line journaling thing. It seems strange to have information about your life out in cyberspace for anyone to see. But after spending time this summer catching up with far-flung family members all over the globe, I realized that we need some way to keep everyone involved in our life, and unfortunately, at least for now, we don't have the time to write letters and personalized e-mails to everyone important on a regular basis. So, this is my solution. Please feel free to follow this blog as often or as rarely as you want, and I'll try to keep things as updated as possible so that you all know what Dave and I are up to.

Which, of course, begs the question: What are Dave and I up to? Well, we started school last week and are now quite busy with that. Dave has found out that he can double-major in computer science and math and is excited about pursuing that option. He will graduate in May. And I have a whole new group of freshmen chemistry students to work with. They seem pretty confident this year, but you can never tell how things will be until a couple of weeks into the semester. Also, I am in the midst of applying for law school. I sent in my first application yesterday, and I take the LSAT on October 4th. So keep your fingers crossed! Next year will mark the start of a whole new adventure for us, but for now, we don't have any idea what it will be!