From Emily

I am a graduate student at Texas State, and I love being on that campus.  Spring at Texas State is especially beautiful and there are a lot of trees and flowers in bloom right now that give it this wonderful sense of newness and fresh starts.

There are several ponds on campus, and a couple of them are surrounded by these beautiful yellow daffodils.  I love standing on the bridges and watching the water, because there are some adorable turtles that like to float near the surface to sunbathe.

I also get to attend classes in Old Main, the beautiful building set atop the Texas State Campus.  It is the Mass Communication building, so I get to attend several classes there.

As you can see, it sits atop the enormous hill that is campus.  All of campus is built on a hill. and they say that students at Texas State have great calves.  When I drive to campus for my night class, I can park right up next to the building so I don’t have to go mountain climbing to get there, which is nice.

We sighted our first opossum early yesterday morning.  It looked dazed and soggy after the rainstorm, and was pretty cute as he waddled back and forth in our backyard seeming a little lost.  I’ve heard it’s common in southern Texas for the opossums to come out at night and run the same route along the tops of wooden fences.  So I feel a little more Texan (even though opossums are plentiful in Iowa) after this furry visitor.

I tentatively checked for him last night behind our “storage fence”, afraid he might jump out at me, but he was gone.  While I have noticed a couple milk cartons somehow walk themselves over to the back corner of our yard, we haven’t noticed any acts of terror yet.  So I’ve found myself wishing for the opossum to come back, but I figured I should research what I’m wishing into my life.  Is a opossum something I should want in my yard?

According to Wikipedia’s sources, opossums make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere.  Their cousin, the possum, is an Australian animal of the suborder Phalangeriformes.  Their flexible diet and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations.

According to others, they are also dang scary looking.  They have a long snout, full jaw, and a narrow braincase.  Oh yeah, and pointy little teeth.

Sure, they can look kind of vicious with their pointy chompers.  But they are also very good dressers and can clean up when the occasion arises.

So I think I’ll keep wishing for my friend to return, and I’ll try and get a snapshot so you can see how cute he/she is.

Tune in again soon for more wildlife reports from the zoo that is our backyard.

Austin and I hosted friends over spring break, and we showed them around the city. We enjoyed some of our favorite restaurants, and even tried out a few new places like a taco bar on South Congress (deliciously seasoned chicken with fresh cilantro, pineapple chunks, and onion wrapped in a corn tortilla - yum!).

Enjoy these photos of our adventure! 

Austin and I went to see the Lorax on Saturday.  His company, Intel, provides free outings every now and then, and we won tickets to the show at one of the Alamo Drafthouses in town.

We loved the movie and totally recommend it!  It was a great take on the classic Dr. Seuss story.

We love Alamo Drafthouse because the have local beer on tap and you can order food from a full menu during the show.  Their chocolate chip cookies are especially delicious!

So I remembered the other day that we have a blog.  Woops.

Here’s a quick recap since October 5, 2011, which is the last time we posted anything.  A lot has changed since then, so hopefully this will be a really interesting post for some of you…if you’re still out there.

• Austin graduated with his Master’s from the University of Illinois and got a job at Intel.
• So, we moved to Austin, TX.

• Emily started grad school at Texas State in Mass Communication.
• We love Austin, TX and have enjoyed exploring new restaurants and hangouts. Favorites include the Highball, food trucks, and The Salt Lick, among others.
• Austin is a founder of a start-up with several friends and former classmates @ the University of Illinois.
• Emily got an internship at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and will work there through this spring semester.
• Austin brewed his first batch of beer.
• Emily is going to Costa Rica this summer for a study abroad trip!

There’s probably more that I’m overlooking (a lot can happen in 5 months!) but you’ve got the overview.

We’ll try to do better about keeping people updated with the happenings down south.  I’d tell you about the weather here, but it would just make our dear midwestern friends and families sad. (It may have gotten up to 90 F a few days ago…)

Tune in again soon to our rejuvenated blog!

This is my first post using my itouch. I don’t have anything new or exciting to say, just playing with my gadget.

Oh yeah!  We’re moving!  Austin’s new job (beginning in Jan ‘12) is taking us on a new adventure to Texas.  Look out, ya’ll!

With this hot hot hot Illinois weather, I’m reminded of my love for a nice, cold smoothie.  And they’re so healthy too!  I like to keep some random frozen fruits in the freezer so they’re ready to go when the craving arises.

Next time you are craving a blizzard from DQ, try whipping up a smoothie instead!

I love posting about food, and it’s been awhile.  So, here is an incredibly simple sandwich that is fresh and tasty and perfect for summertime!

Nutty Oat (or some other whole-grain, nut or oatmeal bread) with thin sliced honey turkey breast and sliced cucumbers.  Done.

I like my sandwiches dry, but you could probably throw a little mayo or ranch on there if you have to.  It’s so easy, and delicious.  The cucumbers give it a nice *crunch*.

I also hear from my dear friend Miss Karen that avocado on sammies is all the rage.  I might sub my cucumbers for some softer green next time.