For those of you who stalk us - or like us - or are Facebook friends with us (I think that should include everyone now) - you have probably suspected that we are back in the States. In fact, I rolled over this morning and sleepily reported/asked Kee-Min, "One week?"
"Huh?"
"We've only been back for one week?!?"
Much has happened, and many miles have already been covered in the past 7 days. We landed last Tuesday night (April 3) at JFK. Thus commenced one of the most pesky and least efficient travel experience of our entire trip, as we tried to take a shuttle to Newark airport. [We'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say that we do not suggest taking the Airport Super Shuttle for this trip.] But we made it, and my Dad fetched us and took us home. Or, at least, to my parents' home, which is as much of a home as we have in the States right now. At least, it was a place where we were fed delicious Kuzmiak food, and we hijacked the washer for 2 days to clean two hiking backpacks full of dirty clothes.
The following day, my parents and I set off for Phoenix, Arizona to attend my sister's thesis defense. I was traveling on a different flight from them, and while I made it to Phoenix in time to enjoy some delicious Indian dinner with my sis, my parents arrived a bit later. But by midnight, the whole Kuzmiak clan had invaded Tempe, AZ.
And even better - by noon the next day, we had another Doctor in the family! Congratulations to my feisty, funny, beautiful, and brilliant sister!!
Now that this thesis business is done, she can't wait to get back to the bench:
I spent one more day (Friday) in Phoenix with my family, doing some shopping, relaxing, and catching up. I accidentally acquired two new dresses at the JC Penny outlet, as well as a handbag from Burlington Coat Factory (they're MORE than great coats, guys!!). I guess I had some shopping to catch up on! My sister...well, she is the proud new owner of a very special duck:
We also did what Kuzmiaks do best: eat. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at AZ Bread Co - if you find yourself in Tempe, I highly recommend you check it out for a simple and tasty breakfast/brunch/lunch. Later, we used our awesome teamwork skills to assemble a delicious dinner at Sarah's place:
Kee-Min, meanwhile, had been left in New Jersey as the "Estate Manager" at my parents' house. In other words, he drove us to the airport, ate all the leftover food in the fridge, and kept an eye on the Casa de Kuzmiak. He also left NJ ridiculously early on Saturday morning to drive up to Rochester. I'd caught a red eye (Phoenix - Newark - Rochester) back to the East Coast late Friday night. Landing in Rochester at 10 AM after traveling all night...felt very familiar (but in a "thankfully I'm done with this" kind of way).
However, meeting a pile of running friends for breakfast felt very good. I loved hearing about plans for Boston, Poconos, triathlons, 50Ks, 50 milers, and other crazy running schemes and adventures. This is a group, with members new and old, that make Relentless Forward Progress under any and all conditions. I've missed seeing their smiling faces.
Kee-Min and I checked out the new Fleet Feet Rochester store in Greece (OK, it's been open for 5 months already, but it was new to us!): What a beautiful space! We also zipped over the the Brighton store to say hi to some awesome people there, too. I'd planned a photo with at least one of the FF stores, but alas - I forgot. Dang!!!
At that point - having been up since way early - we both crashed for an hour or two, before heading out to dinner with some more running friends. Dinner wasn't really enough time to catch up with everyone, but we sure tried. Thanks, guys!
On Sunday, I squeezed in two runs with friends - the first, an early morning jaunt through Mendon Ponds Park. For those of you unfamiliar with the place, it's hilly and beautiful, and we saw plenty of deer before we even hit the trails. Our random group of runners that morning:
I also caught an afternoon run and coffee with "the other Holly". Thankfully, she was gentle with my lungs and I, and ran slowly enough that I even managed a bit of chatting. Unfortunately, we were having so much fun that I forgot to take a photo. Too bad, really, because her workout outfits are spectacular.
Between these two runs, we joined the folks at Artisan Church for Easter worship service. Although I stayed on the periphery of the Artisan community during my time in Rochester, on this morning I was reminded of how much the group has grown and developed in the last 6 years. I am thankful that Kee-Min and I were able to witness and be a part of the unique and wonderful community they have formed - it was good to be back with you all!
Finally, we met up with a friend of mine from grad school, and one of her friends, for dinner at SEA Restaurant. She also graciously let us spend the night at her place, even though she had a looming work deadline and stayed up super late to attend to it while we slept soundly...
The following morning (Monday), I made a brief stop at the University and waved hi to a few friends. And with that, we headed East!!
Stay tuned in the coming days - we'll still be posting about our international adventure right here, on this blog. We also have a cool new project that will let you follow us across the US. We'll be launching that in the next 24 hrs - so stop back soon!
UPDATE: Cool New Project has now been announced here!!
"Huh?"
"We've only been back for one week?!?"
Much has happened, and many miles have already been covered in the past 7 days. We landed last Tuesday night (April 3) at JFK. Thus commenced one of the most pesky and least efficient travel experience of our entire trip, as we tried to take a shuttle to Newark airport. [We'll spare you the gory details, but suffice to say that we do not suggest taking the Airport Super Shuttle for this trip.] But we made it, and my Dad fetched us and took us home. Or, at least, to my parents' home, which is as much of a home as we have in the States right now. At least, it was a place where we were fed delicious Kuzmiak food, and we hijacked the washer for 2 days to clean two hiking backpacks full of dirty clothes.
The following day, my parents and I set off for Phoenix, Arizona to attend my sister's thesis defense. I was traveling on a different flight from them, and while I made it to Phoenix in time to enjoy some delicious Indian dinner with my sis, my parents arrived a bit later. But by midnight, the whole Kuzmiak clan had invaded Tempe, AZ.
And even better - by noon the next day, we had another Doctor in the family! Congratulations to my feisty, funny, beautiful, and brilliant sister!!
 |
| Mom - Sarah - Brian - Dad |
 |
| Drs. Kuzmiak and Kuzmiak-Ngiam |
 |
| Don't they make a great pair? |
 |
| It is totally normal to go nuts over a microwavable warm fuzzy duck the day after your thesis defense. |
 |
| Black bean and corn salad burritos, served with pseudo-Asian cabbage salad,. |
However, meeting a pile of running friends for breakfast felt very good. I loved hearing about plans for Boston, Poconos, triathlons, 50Ks, 50 milers, and other crazy running schemes and adventures. This is a group, with members new and old, that make Relentless Forward Progress under any and all conditions. I've missed seeing their smiling faces.
Kee-Min and I checked out the new Fleet Feet Rochester store in Greece (OK, it's been open for 5 months already, but it was new to us!): What a beautiful space! We also zipped over the the Brighton store to say hi to some awesome people there, too. I'd planned a photo with at least one of the FF stores, but alas - I forgot. Dang!!!
At that point - having been up since way early - we both crashed for an hour or two, before heading out to dinner with some more running friends. Dinner wasn't really enough time to catch up with everyone, but we sure tried. Thanks, guys!
On Sunday, I squeezed in two runs with friends - the first, an early morning jaunt through Mendon Ponds Park. For those of you unfamiliar with the place, it's hilly and beautiful, and we saw plenty of deer before we even hit the trails. Our random group of runners that morning:
 |
| Thanks, John, for serving as our fearless leader!! [Clearly, we needed a shower...Bill and Jen are keeping their distance...] |
Between these two runs, we joined the folks at Artisan Church for Easter worship service. Although I stayed on the periphery of the Artisan community during my time in Rochester, on this morning I was reminded of how much the group has grown and developed in the last 6 years. I am thankful that Kee-Min and I were able to witness and be a part of the unique and wonderful community they have formed - it was good to be back with you all!
Finally, we met up with a friend of mine from grad school, and one of her friends, for dinner at SEA Restaurant. She also graciously let us spend the night at her place, even though she had a looming work deadline and stayed up super late to attend to it while we slept soundly...
 |
| Toby - Keemin - Stanley - Lindy |
The following morning (Monday), I made a brief stop at the University and waved hi to a few friends. And with that, we headed East!!
Stay tuned in the coming days - we'll still be posting about our international adventure right here, on this blog. We also have a cool new project that will let you follow us across the US. We'll be launching that in the next 24 hrs - so stop back soon!
UPDATE: Cool New Project has now been announced here!!
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