Regresamos / We return

Just finished submitting a research grant and wanted you all to know that's why this blog hasn't been updated in a while! Sorry I made you wait so long! Glad you are back reading about our adventures :)


We've returned from a few trips over the past couple of months and it was great to be back on the mainland. Believe it or not, I really enjoyed the cooler weather! And also hanging out with old friends and family of course.

My first trip was to San Diego for the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. This is the biggest neuroscience conference in the world that meets once a year in various cities around the US. I missed last year's meeting - which was in New Orleans - so I was ready to take on the conference this year. San Diego is one of my favorite cities that host the SfN conference, so I did lots of preparing to make sure I would try some new restaurants and do a little shopping, time permitting. Most of my time spent in SD was at the conference, but it was great to catch up with old friends and colleagues and see the latest neuroscience research going on! :-P

While I had an incredible time and wanted to stay longer in San Diego, I was also excited about coming home. Like I said before in my last post, San Juan is slowly starting to feel more like home everyday. I still find it hard to believe that I live three blocks from the beach and only an hour or so away from amazing beaches, caves, and the rainforest!

A couple weeks later, Ethan and I headed to Nashville to visit our family. His sister, brother-in-law, and 2 kids live there and some other family members traveled there as well. It was one big reunion! Although I spent a lot of time working on my grant application, I was able to get out a few times and enjoy Nashville.

On Thanksgiving morning, Ethan, Craig, and I raced in the Music City Thanksgiving Day 4-miler, which started in downtown Nashville at 8am. Brrrr! It was cold! 25 degrees Fahrenheit! That will definitely wake a person up :) Ethan and I ran together and finished in just under 33 minutes. Not bad for hardly training! I also came in 5th place in my age group!

Heading to the start line... it was so cold but at least the sun was shining!

I was ready to celebrate with some turkey and stuffing. Ethan's brother brought some ham that was farmed by Ethan's nephew. It was so delicious! I wish we could have brought some home. There was also some yummy butternut squash, sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and gravy, and roasted brussel sprouts. And of course, Ethan made his famous dinner rolls. They were the best batch I have had so far. My mom also brought some pies from the Fresh Market. Mmm!!!

My mom and I went to a Radio City Christmas Spectacular show with the Rockettes at the Grand Ole Opry - it was great! Finally, all of us went out on one of the last nights tp go bar hopping around Broadway, eat some BBQ and listen to live music. Country music ain't that bad after a couple of beers! haha :) Here are some photos:

Enjoying some beers n tunes at Legends Bar

Niece and nephew tower :)

I was sad to leave my family and wanted to stay longer on this trip... it was alot of fun playing with the kids, eating BBQ, and listening to live music. Can't wait to go back there soon!

For Christmas, we'll be staying here on the island. We might do a couple day trips to explore some new places we haven't been yet. I'll keep ya posted!