We usually try to keep the site up-to-date on what’s going on with us; haven’t been but so successful lately. So here’s what’s new (or the same) with us:

Katie’s still working on her Master’s in Medicinal Chemistry. She’ll hopefully be defending late Jan-early Feb. We’re hoping she’ll get a job around here since we’ve gotten attached to all of our wonderful friends here in Richmond. But as any scientist knows, research just doesn’t go the way you expect and always takes longer than anticipated.

Chase is still one of three in the IT department at G.D. But he loves the fact that it’s small enough that every day is different. Right now his department is in the midst of writing a new piece of software for their accountants to use so he’s been quite busy.

In the pet department all of our fish have died, probably due to a fungal infection. But Gizmo and Teddy are doing just fine. Gizmo is just as ornery in the morning as always about going in the kitchen. Teddy has had thankfully much fewer seizures. And this fall they got a new little sister, a little roborovski hamster named Kobito.

But here is a recap from the beginning:

We rang in the New Year here in Richmond with some friends just as we plan on ringing in 2009.

Katie and her friend Mary-Jane spent Valentine’s weekend back in Blacksburg for the fourth production of the Vagina Monologues at Virginia Tech. After working with the second and third productions it was fun change to just be an audience member for Katie.

We spent Easter in Florida with Mom and Dad A. Chantel, her fiance, and his son. We had a lot of fun dying eggs, visitng the grandparents, going to Sea World and attempting to teach Jay (Chantel’s fiance’s son) how to swim.

In May Katie presented some of her research at the Virginia Academy of Science annual meeting in Hampton, VA. And as with most of her family and friends her peers had the chance to be bored with her babbling about molecular modeling and docking of ligands to receptors.

As most of you know we tied the knot in June. We had a beautiful ceremony and reception at Whitehall Manor up in Leesburg, VA. Gorgeous setting in country. One of the pictures Dad A. keeps saying we should photo shop in some cannons and civil war soldiers. Thanks to Mom O’s help everything turned out perfect and like everyone had warned us, it was a whirlwind of fun then over before we were ready.

We spent the week after the wedding recuperating in the sun in the Grand Cayman Islands. We stayed in Chase’s parents timeshare right on the beach. Our room had a view of both the golf course and the ocean. We snorkeled with fish and an eel, swam and fed the stingrays, shopped, went sight-seeing, and of course relaxed. I think the best food I had all year was the food we had there.

Fourth of July was spent up in northern Virginia with Mom and Dad O and saying good-bye to Amanda (since she would spend the next 5 1/2 months in Australia). We drove out and watched the fireworks from the side of I-395 next to the Pentagon.

Celebrating birthdays in August was fairly uneventful. Just spent it here hanging out with friends. Although going out to eat wasn’t quite as funny as is with Mom A when we have to explain to the server that we’re really celebrating three birthdays at once.

Labor Day weekend was spent in Florida. We went out to Homosassa Springs and Katie did not take a hundred pictures of manatees like last time (Jan 2004); instead it was just the fish jumping.

For Halloween we once again went out to our friend Dustin’s uncle’s house. Where we all dressed up in scary masks to scare the kids coming through the haunted walk. Katie went as a ghoul and Chase went as death. I think we scared more adults than kids though.

Late October Katie’s car stopped producing heat. After the diagnosis of a clogged heater core we decided we had put enough money in the car that it wasn’t worth it for us to fix. So early November we bought Katie a new car; a Chevy Cobalt. So now we have a giant orange snowfall and a cobalt cobalt.

Thanksgiving was spent here in Richmond with friends. We enjoyed our first experience of hosting a big dinner as a married couple. The turkey came out perfect despite not having a pop-out timer. All of our made-from-scratch side dishes turned out well too. Although I think everyone’s favorite were the bottles of Copperridge wine (same blush we had at the wedding).

Christmas will be spent out in Colorado with Mom and Dad O, Melissa, her husband, Amanda, her boyfriend, and the two exchange students. Katie isn’t being allowed near any snowmobiles and is only skiing three days so hopefully we won’t have a repeat of Jan 2006 where Katie broke her arm.

And that brings us back to New Year’s. Happy Holidays again and enjoy the pictures!

Second thing, I got a watermark placed on all of our images.  I don’t want people stealing them.  Not cool.  Especially since the some of the wedding photos that we paid for are up there.

Speaking of wedding photos, Katie got the wedding photos uploaded and I got the honeymoon pictures up.  Now everyone. . .stop complaining!

Hopefully we’ll have pictures of it up soon after we get back.

Well we’re off now to our honeymoon (layover between flights). We’ll be sure to update if we have internet access while we’re there, if not we’ll update as soon as we get back. Pictures of the island will be included.

Thanks again to all of our friends and family that came out yesterday to support us! /hugs

On other news wedding related:

• Half of the ribbon tied to the bubbles, bought the other half of the ribbon.
• Getting the finalized music list so we can finish designing the programs.
• Have an awesome idea of how to give the programs and fans (thanks Dustin for the help).
• Everything’s booked. Everyone’s measured. Everything fits (we assume the tuxes will, won’t know until 2 days before).
• Packets have been prepared for out of town guests, just need to be mailed.

I think we’re just about done with everything that we need to be.

A side note about the RSVPs. It is interesting to note who knows what the “M_____” is for and who ignores it. For anyone who doesn’t know, the M is the beginning of Mr. or Mrs. or Miss or Ms. And if you invited a guest you should list their name there too so that place cards can be assigned. Just for future knowledge on anyone else’s RSVPs.

Anyway, just a short and sweet post about the disbelief of how soon Chase and I will be married. And how rude our society has come to not understand that if an RSVP is requested you should send it back in a timely manner with an acceptance or declination.

I found this one from The Alchemist:

“When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke — the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen — the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert.

“It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than of anything in the world. He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it’s easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it’s in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.”

– Paulo Coelho

But I think it’s on the long side of things. I guess I’ll keep searching for more ideas.

On a side note, I found some really cute white heels to wear. And my dress has finally come in. Yay! And MJ found some nice silver shoes to go with that green dress I’m forcing my bridesmaids to wear.