Xmas 2013
Have a nutty (and nice) Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Boyles! There were lots of transitions, a little bit of travel – and if you don't mind, a little bit to brag about this year. Scroll down for a few of the year's highlights.

Happy Holidays from Tonia, Evan, Alan and Natalie!

Alan continues to write about science and space for NBC News, and continues to be based in the Seattle area. The newsroom is moving from the Microsoft campus to Columbia Center, Seattle's tallest building, so we're looking at renting a downtown parking place or taking the bus. This year Alan became president of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. The other big news is that he'll be covering the rise of SpaceShipTwo as part of NBC's cross-platform team. This year's travels didn't match last year's eclipse odyssey, but he did get in some trips to North Carolina (Science Online), Boston (AAAS), Florida (CASW) and Iowa (to see family).

Tonia had a less-than-exuberant veggie garden this year due to an ill-timed illness during planting season, followed by a sprained ankle. The year's big project was a home reorganization and cleanup in September, thanks to a husband-and-wife team who stayed with us and did two weeks of fix-up magic. The biggest change was cleaning and painting the garage, complete with a good old-fashioned garage sale. (Thanks, Rob and Michelle!) The saddest news of the year was the passing away of our long-lived canary, Bertie Bird. To fill the gap, we've brought in a young songster named Mr. Peepers. He's a rare silver opal canary.

Natalie spent the summer in Prosser, gathering data for her Ph.D. research into the wanderings of alfalfa leaf cutting bees through the fields of central Washington state. Now she's back at Washington State University, working toward getting that doctorate in entomology sometime in 2015. One of the coolest things that happened this year is that she won a national award for grad students in entomology. Want to get more details about what she's studying? Here's the abstract for a progress report on her research.  

Evan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington with his bachelor's degree in microbiology and biochemistry. He's continuing to work at UW's Shendure Lab while he waits to hear from graduate schools for next year. His specialty is a class of genetic markers known as molecular inversion probes, or MIPs. Evan presented a poster session about his work at the American Society of Human Genetics' annual meeting in Boston, and drew a lot of interest from fellow researchers. He was on the research team for another project looking at genetic links to autism spectrum disorder. Want to see his first published paper, relating to prostate cancer risk? Here it is.

Rosie and Bijou, our Cavalier King Charles spaniel and Tibetan spaniel, are looking forward to getting more walks and more treats in 2014. Bijou had to get a little dental work done just before the holidays – so if she seems a bit grumpy when you come to visit, that's why.

Here's hoping that things are looking up in 2014, not only for Bijou, but for you and yours as well. We could all use a few more walks – and a few more treats.