Graduation, the BolderBoulder and More

I'm sorry that it has been nearly a month since I last posted!

For those of you who do not know, I graduated a couple weeks ago with my Masters in Microbiology and Immunology! It was pretty exciting, though the ceremony was kind of boring. And I was sad to not get in a picture of my group (called Wolfpack). I miss my group members already. We spent SO much time together and all six of us got along so well! That's a pretty rare find. Plus, we enjoyed each others company and often hung out outside of class.

Some of my classmates hanging out and waiting for the ceremony with two of my group members in the fore-front.

Don't you just love our hoods?! I sure do!

Most of us looked like this the whole time-in my group, anyway. It was hard to hear the speakers and it was long and rather boring.

But here I am in my robe!

And the BolderBoulder 10k was on Monday the 26. I was quite nervous, but excited. I expected to walk much of it, but ended up jogging (slowly!) a little more than half of it. Considering that I only started running about 5 weeks prior and that I was training for a 5k, I guess I don't feel too bad. However, I did manage to hurt my right foot which seemed to heal in time and then my left ankle which did not heal in time. Then I managed to damage both ankles during the 10k. Woo! So for the last week, my ankles have been swollen and super tender and painful. Oh well. Here are the details of my costume, though!

I had a white camisole and I decided to use this:

Rose pink fabric spray paint

I actually used those sheets of duct tape to create the diamonds for my shirt (and the headband). The small ones on the headband didn't work as well, but the big ones did!

In progress

And here is how the shirt turned out!

Very happy with it!

And the headband:

It didn't work as well, but that's OK

Sadly, the sprayed pink fabric paint did not match the pink in my tutu. I'd hoped it would when I picked the colors. That's OK, I'm not sure anyone knew who I was anyway.

And if I can find a picture of Katja and I in our outfites (she was Batman!), I will post it, but I can't seem to dig one up...

Last, but not least, I went on a journey with my friend, Jhenn, to move our friend, Amie, back home from Indiana. It was a lot of driving, cleaning, lifting, and other moving-associated work. The trip was successful! Everyone is home safe and sound!

I had a revelation, however. I have known that I am an introvert, but 6 days and 5 nights of never being along longer than it takes to shower or use the restroom was VERY harrowing for me. I love my friends and they were amazingly tolerant (and I really, really tried my best not to be cranky because it wasn't their fault! I hope I succeeded). The following day I literally did next to nothing and spoke to nearly no one (mostly just to my rats), just to gather myself up again. Now that I have had some time to myself, I feel so much better! Sorry, friends! I hope I wasn't horrible.

We did get one day with some fun: we visited a dairy and two wineries the first day we were out there, and that was enjoyable for us all! Delicious cheese and wine with friends! Who could ask for more?

Indiana Part of the Trip

While on vacation, we also spent some time in Indiana.

Fun fact: on the highway between Indiana and Chicago, they have signs that report the number of traffic deaths that year. This year while we were there, it was something like 289.

We went to Fair Oaks Farms for a late breakfast/early lunch. While the service staff was less than polite, the cheese was to die for! And the ice cream was so rich and yummy! And I couldn't leave without purchasing some Muenster cheese and, possibly my all time favorite, smoked Gouda! Delicious!!

Amie and Krissy being silly while enjoying their ice cream.

Following the cheese experience, we visited local Wildcat Creek Winery for a little wine tasting and shopping. I tried several different wines: Prophet's Rock Red (a dry red), Chambourcin (raspberry tones, semi-dry), Cayuga White (subtle fruity flavors, semi-dry), Steuben (crisp and fruity, semi-dry), Traminette (fresh and crisp, semi-dry), Lafayette Blush (strawberry tones, semi-sweet), Lafayette White (sweet and light, semi-sweet), and Aunt Minnie's Cherry Tree (cherry notes, pairs very well with chocolate, semi-sweet). My favorites were the Stuben, Chambourcin, and the Cherry Tree. I bought a bottle of the Steuben to go with my Muenster cheese! Perfect.

This required Krissy and I to purchase another bag so we could check one. We had to get our wine home, after all!

Then we baked our cookies with the rest of the sipping chocolate from KC Chocolatier.

Then we accompanied Amie and her boyfriend to their friends' place for dinner and game night. We ate pizza, cheese and crackers (Fair Oaks Butterkase cheese-soooo good!), wine (Cayuga White, from Wildcat Creek Winery), and some other drinks. We played Ascension, which I had never played before, but was very fun! Then we played a bit of another game with a really long name that was a bit odd and gruesome. Still fun, but Ascension was my favorite.

Then it was time to return to Amie's and finish packing and go to bed! The end!

Here is the website for Fair Oaks Farm: fofarms.com.

And here is the site for Wildcat Creek Winery: wildcatcreekwinery.com.