Henderbagels!: Mixing business & pleasure

In October I was very fortunate to attend two scientific meetings and present the work I've been doing with cystic fibrosis. The first was in Minneapolis - the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference. Most of my lab was able to go, and it was fun hanging out with everyone. There might have even been some karaoke?! Since the meeting was close to home, I got to spend an evening with friends in the metro area. I also finally got to meet my friends Tasha and Don's baby boy Bren - what a cutie pie!! After the meeting, my dad Chuck picked me up and I spent a few quality days in the Red Wing area with my family. Even got to see Grandma Katy and Grandpa Curt before they took off for Arizona.

The Cutting Lab

My MN peeps =)

From MN I flew to Honolulu for the American Society of Human Genetics meeting. I was soooooooo excited since it was my first time going to Hawaii! And I was not only excited to be going somewhere tropical, but I was also going to get to visit my friends Sarah and Mike who recently moved there. The first five days were consumed by work stuff and fending off a nasty sinus infection. I was so relieved when it was all over, and I could finally relax and enjoy Oahu!

It was wonderful to see Sarah - one of my "roomies" while at UWEC. I also got to meet another baby, Sarah & Mike's adorable little daughter Eva! It was fun watching Sarah do the "mom" thing - sure is a different life from what we were doing 9 years ago in college... haha! An eye-opening experience indeed - I have a whole lot to learn if I plan to become a mother one day :P

Eva!

Sarah and Eva showed me all around Oahu. We climbed Diamond Head - a huge crater near Honolulu/Waikiki... the views were spectacular! We relaxed at the lagoons of Ko Olina, tasted pineapple at the Dole Plantation, and saw sea turtles along the north shore. It was so beautiful up there - I hope to go back someday and definitely bring Mark along! It was a very long couple of weeks without him :( On my last day we visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. It was a very sobering experience, and reminded me to appreciate the bravery and sacrifices made by our military. Thanks for having me, Sarah and Mike! I had so much fun!! :D