Category: General

Europe 2007 – 6/22/07 – Amsterdam.  Click here for pictures.              We woke up this morning around 8am to begin another day of fun.  Fresh croissants were awaiting us as we walked out of Frederick’s.  We headed to central station to buy our IAmsterdam card so we could see a full day of museums.  After …

The following series of posts are from our journal during our trip to Europe in late June, early July, 2007.  It was written from Katie's perspective in real-time during the day as events occurred.  For each post, there is a link to pictures from the day.  We hope you enjoy reliving the experience with us! …

Shawn's parents, Gilbert & Judy Burnham, celebrated 40 years of marriage at a surprise anniversary party thrown for them by their children, Katie, Shawn, Tracy, and Brian.  The event was held at the Fireman's Hall in Mobile, Alabama.  Gilbert & Judy were told by family and friends that the event would be a surprise birthday …

Shawn has successfully defended his PhD dissertation entitled "Improved understanding and control of magnesium-doped gallium nitride by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy".  His PhD defense committee members included his adviser, Dr. William Alan Doolittle, and professors Dr. Ian Ferguson, Dr. John Cressler, Dr. John Dorsey, and Dr. W. Brent Carter.  In the days following Shawn …

Belle Burnham turned one year old on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007.  To celebrate, she got her hair done with bows (which she immediately removed), and had a friend (Whitney, pictured) over to celebrate.  Click here or the picture to see a slide show celebrating Belle's birthday.

Shawn & Katie visited Vail with Katie's parents, Eddie & Grace, in late January for four days of skiing and snowboarding.  While it was cold, they experienced nearly four full days of cloudless cobalt-blue skies.  Vail rivals Aspen as the most popular ski resort in the US, but it was surprisingly not very crowded on …

In a major step toward his doctoral degree, Shawn passed his PhD proposal examination on Dec. 7th, 2006, admitting him to PhD candidacy. Shawn has two projects remaining, and then needs to write a dissertation before his scheduled graduation in August of 2007.

Shawn & Katie joined Judy & Gilbert (Shawn's Parent's),  Brian & Tracy (Shawn's Brother and Sister-in-law), Shawn W., and Thomas (Shawn & Katie's nephews) for a cruise down to Mexico.  Their first stop was at Costa Maya, MX, where they went snorkeling and saw a nurse shark.  Their second stop was Cozumel, MX, where they …

Shawn & Katie had a busy last week of summer.  First, on the weekend of Aug. 11th, they went down to Mobile for their nephew’s 5th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.  They also dropped off Belle at Shawn’s Uncle Tommy, who is a Veterinarian, to be spayed.  The following week, they travelled to Myrtle Beach, SC …