Week in Review: 7/27-8/10

  
A brief review of the past two weeks:

• Finished the transition of moving next door...now begins the process of figuring out where everything belongs in the new place
• Happy birthday, Grandma!
• Happy birthday, Doug!
• Enjoyed trying two new restaurants that opened in our neighborhood, both very tasty
• Good news about Aubree's dissertation grant!
• Welcoming more mild temperatures
• Traveled to Texas for a week-long visit
• Penny did very well on her first plane ride!
• Had a great time seeing family and friends throughout the week, both in Austin and San Antonio
• Enjoyed lots of tacos and Tex-Mex food that we can't find in Virginia
• Happy to share in the excitement of a new baby on his way, and very thankful for the generous gifts and kind thoughts to help Aubree and I get prepared for a new addition to the family

Week in Review: 7/13-7/27

  
A brief review of the past two weeks:

• Enjoyed some beautiful mild weather, a needed respite from Texas-like heat
• Welcomed the Lewises to town, who greeted us with smiles and hugs, gifts for the grandbaby, and bean and cheese tacos from Austin!
• Worked together serving food at our church's monthly Loaves and Fishes ministry
• Picked up Danielle from the train station to make the Lewis reunion complete!
• Had fun sharing some of our favorite restaurants and Richmond destinations with the Lewises
• The Texas heatwave returns...heat indices reported above 110 degrees!
• Hard at work moving items to the new home as well as engaging in some minor furniture repair & restoration
• An early birthday celebration for Doug, complete with tasty burgers grilled in the backyard and an assortment of pies and cakes
• Enjoyed a great visit with the Lewises, dropping them off at the airport as Aubree and I also departed for our 7th anniversary trip to see Garth Brooks (one of Aubree's favorites)
• Thinking about dissertation topics and preparing to teach an introductory course of the U.S. health care system in a little more than a month
• Completed our move next door, thanks to the assistance of some generous church friends who helped carry some heavy furniture
• LET'S GO BUCS!  Flashbacks to 1992...seeing the Pirates in first place, seeing other Pirates fans and baseball observers take interest in the team, seeing the Pirates suffer a heartbreaking loss to the Braves...  It's been so much fun to see the Pirates play competitive baseball again!

Wednesday Week in Review: 7/6-7/13

  
After an over 3-month hiatus from updating my blog, I'm hoping to get back into the practice of keeping up with what we're up to and things we're thinking.

Here's a brief review of the past week:

• Getting to work on preparing to teach in the fall semester and thinking about dissertation topics
• Making lots of pickles with a big batch of summer cucumbers!
• Experienced a little taste of Texas with summertime heat
• Enjoyed catching up with family on the phone
• Congratulations to Aubree on passing her comprehensive exams!
• Happy to find and try a new cheesesteak & hoagie restaurant in the neighborhood...Str8t Out of Philly
• Visited by our friend Carter Greendyke, now residing in New York City, who had the time for a brief chat while visiting her family in Richmond
• Enjoyed watching the National League defeat the American League in this year's All-Star Game
• Had a great time during our first trip to the Goochland Drive-in Theater...even Penny enjoyed watching the movies on the big screen!

Week in Review: 3/23-3/30

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Resumed studies with the beginning of the second half of the spring semester
• More cold and wet weather...doesn't seem like we got that early spring after all
• Penny develops a bad sneezing habit and has to see the vet
• Beginning work on term projects and thinking ahead to comprehensive exams
• Excited to see VCU surprise everyone (ourselves included) by making it to the Final Four!
• Fun to be on campus when school spirit is at an all-time high
• Looking forward to warmer weather and the beginning of the baseball season!

Week in Review: 3/16-3/23

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Took a small trip in the second half of our spring break to visit the Greendykes in New York City
• Enjoyed catching up with old friends from San Antonio
• Fit right in at the St. Patrick's Day parade...green shirt, red hair
• Enjoyed strolling through Central Park and watching the street performers
• Thankful for great weather in New York City
• Tasty foods...Italian subs, hot dogs, New York pizza, Vietnamese, falafel, and even barbecue shipped from Lockhart, Texas!
• Had fun walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, visiting the Museum of Modern Art, checking out various markets, seeing Times Square, riding the subway, and going to Broadway
• Returned to a happy Penny and much cooler weather...a final taste of winter

Week in Review: 3/9-3/16

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Completing the first half of the spring semester
• Enjoying the start of spring break with movie night at home
• The trees are beginning to blossom!
• Making picks for the NCAA tournament...VCU is excited to get included!
• Working on assistantship work during the break
• Taking care of chores and errands around the apartment
• Happy Pi Day!  (celebrate with eating pie)

Week in Review: 3/2-3/9

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Completed and submitted the mid-term exam in Econometrics
• Reliving bachelor days as Aubree traveled to attend a conference over the weekend
• Enjoyed a good sub and study break with my classmate at a local Italian deli
• Lots of walks and studying on the couch with Penny
• Took the mid-term exam for Behavioral Measurement
• Welcomed Aubree back home and glad to have the family back together
• Taking care of Aubree as she picked up a yucky cold during her travels
• Enjoyed a pancake dinner on Tuesday night with our church community group
• Completed and submitted the mid-term exam in Health Care Quantitative Analysis
• Celebrated the end of a week of mid-terms with burritos and a long nap!

Week in Review: 2/23-3/2

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Gearing up for a week of midterms
• Spring is almost here...temperatures are rising (gradually)
• The King's Speech wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards
• Troubling news from Libya and New Zealand
• March comes in with wind and rain

Week in Review: 2/16-2/23

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Enjoyed chatting with family
• Had a great weekend visit from Sarah, Jason, and Natalie
• Fun taking our visitors to Carytown, Shockhoe Slip, the Capitol, the MCV campus, the Jefferson Hotel, and showing them around the neighborhood
• Loved getting to catch up with my lovely niece...she's been busy growing these past two months!
• Enjoyed a Vespers Meal following our church service

Week in Review: 2/9-2/16

  
A brief review of the past week:

• The spring semester progresses with continued readings
• Glimpses of a transition towards spring weather
• A lovely weekend in DC
• Dim sum, tapas, and sporting event food!
• Enjoying a couple great Smithsonian museums
• The Spurs reward a large contingent of fans with a dominant performance against the Wizards
• Great seats at the Spurs game...got to give high-fives to the players, caught in the corner of the jumbo screen, and teased by the Wizards' mascot G-Wiz.

Week in Review: 2/2-2/9

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Phil calls for an early spring!
• ...yet cold and wet weather reminds us we are still in the midst of winter
• Keeping up with homework and readings
• Enjoying an ooVoo chat with family
• Happy birthday Aunt Judy!
• Participating in our congregation's first service at a new location, Beth Ahabah
• The Steelers sadly fall to the Green Bay Packers in Dallas
• ...but I enjoyed some pizza and root beer floats, so I wasn't too sad

Months in Review: December & January (Catching Up)

  
I regret to say I have neglected to keep my blog updated for the past two months!  With my schedule a little more stable now that school is back in session, I'm hoping to get into a regular blogging routine once again.  Here's a brief review of highlights from the past two months:

• Enjoyed Thanksgiving with Sarah & Jason in Philadelphia (and getting to see relatives during our time there!)
• Glad to see an end to a very busy and challenging fall semester
• Thrilled to become Uncle Patrick as we welcomed Natalie Pickard to the world!
• Had a great time visiting relatives in Cooperstown for an early Christmas holiday weekend
• Became an official gingerbread house builder (with specialty certification in gristmill construction)
• Enjoyed Christmas with the family in Philadelphia
• Survived a significant amount of snow
• Ate lots of tasty food throughout the holidays, from delicious homemade meals in Cooperstown to tomato pie in Philadelphia
• Happy to host Mom and Dad in Richmond for a couple days
• Completed some research for my assistantship
• Had a great (but sadly brief) trip to Austin to celebrate the Christmas holiday season with the Lewis family
• Celebrated an early birthday for Danielle with a delicious dinner at Fonda San Miguel
• Tucked away for a couple weeks to study for a comprehensive exam
• After an exhausting day of writing, blessed and relieved to have completed and passed my theory comprehensive exam
• Began the spring semester: classes include Econometrics, Behavioral Measurement, and Quantitative Analysis of Health Care Provider Performance
• Enjoyed an evening of ice skating with my Sri Lankan classmate
• Cheered on the VCU Rams at our school's basketball game against Hofstra
• Took in some movies during the winter break
• Phil predicts an early spring!
• Rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl

Week in Review: 11/17-11/24

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Enjoyed getting to know the musicians at our church during an ensemble dinner
• Happy Birthday Teddia!
• Working on papers
• Learned about David & Goliath with the youngsters at Children's Worship
• Traveling to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving

Week in Review: 11/10-11/17

  

A brief review of the past week:

• Schoolwork continues its push towards the end of the semester
• Tasting some great Greek food at the city's mini-Greek festival
• Enjoying getting to know friends from church better during a weekend of church-related activities
• Cheering Aubree on as she finished the HCA Virginia 8K in personal-best fashion
• Learning how to hoedown at our church's autumn-themed social gathering

Week in Review: 10/27-11/3

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Catching up on rest from a week of midterms
• Participating in a poster symposium
• Restaurant week in Richmond
• Date night with Aubree...tasty fall food and a movie!
• Enjoying our Halloween tradition: ordering in pizza and passing out candy to kids
• Get well soon, Grandpa!
• The San Francisco Giants win the World Series - the phrase "pitching wins championships" turns out to be true again!
• Congrats to the Texas Rangers on the team's best season ever...hopefully this is the first of many successful seasons to come

Week in Review: 10/20-10/27

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Lots of studying and writing, preparing for midterm exams
• Enjoying the fall in Richmond
• The Rangers beat the Yankees!?!  Arlington finally will get to host a World Series
• In other sporting news, the Spurs season begins...Go Spurs Go!
• Midterms are behind me...now starting to think about working on terms papers & projects

Week in Review: 10/13-10/20

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Traveling to northeastern Pennsylvania, while Aubree heads to Texas
• Remembering my Grandpa DeVillars and celebrating his life
• Spending time with family and enjoying being together
• Appreciating the beautiful colors of fall
• I brought Aubree TastyKakes from Philly; she brought me bean & cheese tacos from Austin!
• The Rangers compete hard against the Yankees
• Writing papers
• Happy birthday Matthew!

Week in Review: 10/6-10/13

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Thankful for beautiful fall weather
• Celebrating the 10th anniversary of my first date with Aubree (an afternoon at Six Flags) with an evening trip to King's Dominion
• Enjoying the Saturday morning Farmer's Market
• Learning about Abraham and Isaac during Children's Worship
• Shocked and thrilled to see the Texas Rangers win their first playoff series in team history
• Making a push towards mid-terms
• Very sad to learn that my Grandpa DeVillars passed away...he will be greatly missed

Week in Review: 9/29-10/6

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Happy birthday Mom!
• Taking part in a local film production as we get a chance to play extras in a scene of a high school football game (although I doubt anything other than maybe my shoes or arm got in)
• Fall weather is here
• Hooray for apple pie!
• Baseball's regular season comes to an end, and the playoffs begin...another long offseason for the Pirates, but hope remains for the Rangers!

Week in Review: 9/22-9/29

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Reading and writing for school
• Celebrating 11 years of knowing Aubree
• Enjoying a cool morning at the farmers' market
• Fun, fellowship, and food at our church's vespers meal after the Sunday service
• Our congregation is in the process of becoming a "particularized" church!
• The movies come to us as a film is being produced, quite literally, in our own backyard..."Unanswered Prayers" is to be aired at Thanksgiving time on the Lifetime network, and they used the park behind our apartment to stage the crew's equipment - lots of hubbub
• Rain!