About Us...

A little summary about Val and I:

I was born in Vernon, BC, Canada, on July 26, 1977 and moved to Kelowna, BC (a whopping 45 minutes away) with my dad, mom, and younger brother John when I was 9. I finished high school there and then moved to Vancouver, BC to do my undergraduate degree at the University of British Colubmia. While completing my B.Sc. in chemistry, I joined the co-operative education program, which took me to Montreal to work at different pharmaceutical companies. This work experience inspired me to go to graduate school, so once I finished my B.Sc., I started working on my M.Sc. at the University of Toronto.

Val was born and raised in Etobicoke, ON, Canada on February 9, 1975. His parents had emigrated from Slovenia to start their family, and he was the fourth of seven children. After graduating from high school, he completed his B.Sc. in chemistry at the University of Toronto, and decided to stay there to pursue his graduate degree.

We met while working in the same graduate group in September 2000. Actually, we had met a year earlier when attending a chemistry conference. I was already interested in joining the research group that Val was doing his M.Sc. in, and so met several of the group members while at the conference. A year later, I started my M.Sc. and Val had begun his Ph.D. We were friends for over a year, having a lot of fun doing things around Toronto. Finally, on September 1, 2001, we began dating. Our relationship continued while I finished up my M.Sc. thesis and looked for a job, eventually accepting one in San Diego, CA with Merck. In September 2002, I moved down to San Diego to start working, while Val stayed in Toronto to complete his Ph.D. We were able to visit each other about once a month by travelling to one city or the other. Val came down to San Diego for New Years in December 2002, and proposed on New Years Eve at the La Jolla Coves, overlooking the ocean. We planned our wedding while apart over 6 months and were married on July 1, 2003 in San Diego. After the wedding, Val flew back to Toronto one last time to defend his thesis before moving to San Diego permanently. We've been living in San Diego ever since.

In June 2006, we purchased our first home - a 3 bedroom townhouse in the Santaluz community of San Diego. It's a great location for us, as it's a quick drive to both of our jobs. As well, the neighbourhood is new and growing, and is conveniently located to grocery stores and restaurants we like to frequent. The townhome itself is beautiful - we really liked the layout and style (you can see photos here), so when we had the opportunity to make an offer, we decided to go for it. The housing market in San Diego is currently pretty crazy, and it was a hard decision to jump in, but we knew we planned on staying in San Diego for at least a couple of more years, so we decided that buying a home was the best option.

Both Val and I are working full-time. After 2 1/2 years as a research chemist with Merck, we found out that Merck had decided to close it's San Diego site as part of the Vioxx scandal. After much discussion, I decided to join a start-up company with several of my former co-workers, and began working with Amira Pharmaceuticals in June 2005. After several positions in the research industry, Val decided to move into the patent field and began working as a scientific advisor with Fish & Richardson in January 2005. He was promoted to technology specialist about a year later, and soon after decided to move to a different law firm that had more chemistry clients for him to work with. He started his position with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in May 2006.

Outside of work, we enjoy many hobbies. I play softball in a local biotech league with my co-workers. I also spend time on a local messageboard where I've met some great friends. Over the past year or two, I've taught myself how to knit and made some great little projects - I think that will be helpful as I get ready for our first child! Val greatly enjoys listening to jazz music, and was thrilled when he won a 30Gb iPod video through a contest at Amira. He is also very excited to have purchased his first vehicle, a Vespa GT200, which he will use to commute to work. We've managed to get by with one vehicle for over 3 years now, so it will be great to have a bit more flexibility when it comes to getting around! As well, now that we're in our own home, we're spending more time on home projects and decorating our place. Of course, the arrival of a baby will only add to the projects that need to be completed!

Around the time we started dating, I decided to become a vegetarian, and shortly after, became vegan. Over the next four months, Val ate less and less meat until he too was essentially vegan. We enjoyed trying out great restaurants in Toronto and cooking new recipes. Since moving to San Diego, we haven't been as strict about our vegan diet as we once were, and we're basically back to vegetarianism for now. We do find it a lot easier and more flexible, although I still agree with the principles of veganism. For now, we don't eat any meat or fish, and only occasionally eat dairy and eggs.

In December 2003, we adopted two cats. There are brothers, named Kelly and Tobey, and are just the best cats we could hope for! They are very friendly and loving and playful, and definitely keep us entertained. I also think they've helped prepare us for starting a family, as it is very different to be responsible for someone else! Kelly is our orange and white tabby - his little quirck is that he sucks his paw while cuddling. We thought he might outgrow it, but I think it's here to stay. Tobey is our gray and white tabby - he loves to play fetch and chase after things, although we haven't been playing as much since we've moved to our new house. Both of them are so well behaved and gentle - we've never had any problems with biting or scratching or misbehaving. They really are wonderful cats.

Anyways, that is the story of us! Photos soon to come!