I wanted to send out a quick note before I am overtaken by finals this week and Christmas break is right on top of me. I'm going to be visiting WI Dec 18th-24th. I will be tryinig to see as many of you as possible (so this is your warning to hide). I especially appreciate those of you who track me down while I am home to visit, I look forward to seeing each and every one of you. So far I have plans for a family christmas, a haircut, and meeting Olivia (Sarah and Andy...if you could forward this to Olivia that would be spectacular). I hope everyone is doing well with school, work, and the holidays. Please be in touch whenever you get the chance...I promise I've been thinking about calling many of you, it's just with homework and working full-time I'm afraid I'm usually crankier than any person would reasonably accept a phonecall from :) Hopefully I will be able to touch base with everyone once again over break! Take Care!
Steph~
Monday, December 3, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Quarterly Update
Hey all,
So as the title of this e-mail may imply, I've given up on monthly updates for now. At least for the duration of graduate school it appears I'll be lucky to send quarterly, or perhaps seasonal updates.
Speaking of seasons....(did you catch that lame transition?)...today in Salt Lake it was about 40 degrees and raining all day...at least all day when it wasn't sleeting, there was a bit of that as well. The low tonight is supposed to be 32 in the valley and I'm sure the mountains got a healthy dose of snow today. It should be beautiful in the morning once it's sunny again and the clouds clear out in front of the mountains. It snowed up there for the first time about a week ago, but it didn't stay. This batch probably won't stay around either, since tomorrow and the rest of the week the temps are supposed to be back in the mid-60's to low-70's in the valley again.
The rain made today a nice day to stay inside, sit under a blanket, and read for school. I also did a ton of cooking today...let's just say I'm trying to make sure Jason and I aren't stuck eating hotdogs and soup every night after class. His freezer looks like someone just threw a tupperware party. The cooking also helped break up the homework a bit.
School is going as well as can be expected while working 40 hours a week. I get my first actual exam back on Tuesday. My lab class is really relaxed, and I haven't gotten any graded assignments back yet. The class that is most frustrating right now is Advanced Exercise Physiology lecture. Our professor decided to revamp her teaching style this semester to a very non-traditional format where we teach each other the information, and we are the test-subjects. Today I spent hours upon hours reading 60 pages worth of journal articles all in order to take a 6 point quiz. I have two textbooks for the class that I haven't even opened, due to the fact that my group (the class is divided into 4 groups) hasn't had any assigned readings from the text. I hope we are all graded generously, as the class has the definite feel that no one really knows what's going on, and I'm not certain I'm learning anything. I like the general idea, but the cellular chemistry is a bit over my head, and it's frustrating to try to teach it to each other. Jason tends to laugh at my reading assignments, with all the words he hasn't seen before and can't pronounce. I think I'm going to kick some serious butt at scrabble the next time I play...that is if I can come up with any exercise physiology terms that only use 7 letters.
What has happened since the last update...well Jason and I visted WI in August so he could meet more of the friends and family. He's even mentioned a willingness to visit again, so things must have gone alright. A special thanks to everyone who was so welcoming, I think we both had a lot of fun. Within 10 days of returning from vacation we both started grad school. I'm now working on my Master's in Exercise Physiology and Jason is working on his MBA. Everything is BUSY. Quite frankly I'm tired of doing homework all weekend and looking forward to fall break in a week (the equivalent to spring break for anyone who hasn't heard of fall break before).
Jason bought a house here in Salt Lake which is very nice. Ironically enough he put in the initial offer while on vacation with me in WI so it was lucky everything worked out so well! It has a great kitchen (especially compared with my apartment), it's in a quiet neighborhood (very nice for studying), and is free of the distractions of my house (namely a television or stereo). :)
Recently, I bought a laptop with my extra student loan money. I love it! I'm using the wireless internet to write this update from bed right now...which is one of the reasons it's getting done :). Thank goodness for student loans...otherwise money would be tight until work reimburses my tuition at the end of the semester (provided I pass). :)
Upcoming plans involve homework and more homework. In a few weeks Jason and I are going to try to take a trip to Jackson if the weather holds out long enough. It could be pretty snowy there in a few weeks, so we'll have to wait and see. I'm still trying to figure out when my next trip back to the midwest will be--if I'm not home at Christmas, I'll be making the trip back during Spring Break. Planning around school has added a new level of difficulty to my visits!
I hope everyone reading this is doing very well. I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of keeping in touch lately. I hope to hear a little from each of you so I know what everyone else is keeping busy with as well. Take Care!
Steph~
ps.
Sarah/Andy...I want updated pregnancy pictures. (I'm laying the floor throwing a fit right now, thrashing arms and legs and everything)
Mark-Congrats again on the Ironman finish!
Steven and Mary...Congrats on the new addition to the family (I haven't seen any pictures yet...he's not an ugly little bugger who takes after his daddy is he?)
Does anyone have an actual working e-mail address for Russell?
If anyone didn't catch it, my not-so-new cellphone number is
So as the title of this e-mail may imply, I've given up on monthly updates for now. At least for the duration of graduate school it appears I'll be lucky to send quarterly, or perhaps seasonal updates.
Speaking of seasons....(did you catch that lame transition?)...today in Salt Lake it was about 40 degrees and raining all day...at least all day when it wasn't sleeting, there was a bit of that as well. The low tonight is supposed to be 32 in the valley and I'm sure the mountains got a healthy dose of snow today. It should be beautiful in the morning once it's sunny again and the clouds clear out in front of the mountains. It snowed up there for the first time about a week ago, but it didn't stay. This batch probably won't stay around either, since tomorrow and the rest of the week the temps are supposed to be back in the mid-60's to low-70's in the valley again.
The rain made today a nice day to stay inside, sit under a blanket, and read for school. I also did a ton of cooking today...let's just say I'm trying to make sure Jason and I aren't stuck eating hotdogs and soup every night after class. His freezer looks like someone just threw a tupperware party. The cooking also helped break up the homework a bit.
School is going as well as can be expected while working 40 hours a week. I get my first actual exam back on Tuesday. My lab class is really relaxed, and I haven't gotten any graded assignments back yet. The class that is most frustrating right now is Advanced Exercise Physiology lecture. Our professor decided to revamp her teaching style this semester to a very non-traditional format where we teach each other the information, and we are the test-subjects. Today I spent hours upon hours reading 60 pages worth of journal articles all in order to take a 6 point quiz. I have two textbooks for the class that I haven't even opened, due to the fact that my group (the class is divided into 4 groups) hasn't had any assigned readings from the text. I hope we are all graded generously, as the class has the definite feel that no one really knows what's going on, and I'm not certain I'm learning anything. I like the general idea, but the cellular chemistry is a bit over my head, and it's frustrating to try to teach it to each other. Jason tends to laugh at my reading assignments, with all the words he hasn't seen before and can't pronounce. I think I'm going to kick some serious butt at scrabble the next time I play...that is if I can come up with any exercise physiology terms that only use 7 letters.
What has happened since the last update...well Jason and I visted WI in August so he could meet more of the friends and family. He's even mentioned a willingness to visit again, so things must have gone alright. A special thanks to everyone who was so welcoming, I think we both had a lot of fun. Within 10 days of returning from vacation we both started grad school. I'm now working on my Master's in Exercise Physiology and Jason is working on his MBA. Everything is BUSY. Quite frankly I'm tired of doing homework all weekend and looking forward to fall break in a week (the equivalent to spring break for anyone who hasn't heard of fall break before).
Jason bought a house here in Salt Lake which is very nice. Ironically enough he put in the initial offer while on vacation with me in WI so it was lucky everything worked out so well! It has a great kitchen (especially compared with my apartment), it's in a quiet neighborhood (very nice for studying), and is free of the distractions of my house (namely a television or stereo). :)
Recently, I bought a laptop with my extra student loan money. I love it! I'm using the wireless internet to write this update from bed right now...which is one of the reasons it's getting done :). Thank goodness for student loans...otherwise money would be tight until work reimburses my tuition at the end of the semester (provided I pass). :)
Upcoming plans involve homework and more homework. In a few weeks Jason and I are going to try to take a trip to Jackson if the weather holds out long enough. It could be pretty snowy there in a few weeks, so we'll have to wait and see. I'm still trying to figure out when my next trip back to the midwest will be--if I'm not home at Christmas, I'll be making the trip back during Spring Break. Planning around school has added a new level of difficulty to my visits!
I hope everyone reading this is doing very well. I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of keeping in touch lately. I hope to hear a little from each of you so I know what everyone else is keeping busy with as well. Take Care!
Steph~
ps.
Sarah/Andy...I want updated pregnancy pictures. (I'm laying the floor throwing a fit right now, thrashing arms and legs and everything)
Mark-Congrats again on the Ironman finish!
Steven and Mary...Congrats on the new addition to the family (I haven't seen any pictures yet...he's not an ugly little bugger who takes after his daddy is he?)
Does anyone have an actual working e-mail address for Russell?
If anyone didn't catch it, my not-so-new cellphone number is
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
So what if Everything is on Fire...it's a dry heat.
Hello All,
I've tried to start an update e-mail several times (unsuccessfully)...but this one is going to do the trick.
First off, my apartment isn't on fire, and I'm not anywhere too near where the wildfires are burning in Utah. We do have a heck of a lot of stuff on fire though, as I found out when I started seeing the Utah fires on the national (as well as local) news. It's no wonder with the humidity steadily below 10% (no, that's not a typo) and the temps in the high 90's to low 100's. Here in Salt Lake it has officially been 30 days since we've had any measurable rain and there isn't a cloud in sight in the 10-day forcast. There have been some small wildfires in the south end of the valley, however the large fires on the national news are a couple hours south of where I live. With lots of dry grass, endless nothing, low humidity, 100-degree temps, and lack of water supply it's no wonder fighting them is such a tough job. I've realized it's a job I definitly wouldn't want! On a recent trip through Provo (about 60 minutes south) I did get my first real view of wildfires being fought, where a small fire on the side of the mountain was being fought with helicopters and planes. Apparently it had been started from a stray spark thrown from a lawnmower or something like that. It was an interesting sight firsthand...especially the fires on the mountainside at night, and seeing the helicopters dropping fire retardant out of the sky...the sort of thing you usually only see on the news back in the Midwest. To go along with the problems with fire, we're having some air quality issues due to the smoke. Ironically enough, the smoke we're getting isn't even really from the Utah fires, but is blowing in all the way from Oregon. I'm sure someone in Colorado is thoroughly enjoying our smoke. One thing I can say is that I'm not too upset by the heat anymore. I just wish the air would clear up and I'd get to see a raincloud once in a while. It might sound silly...but the same sunshine and clear skies day after day after day are sort of getting old (especially when combined with the heat). It would be nice to go outside during daylight hours without SPF 50 as well. Dreaded whiteish Wisconsin skin of mine!
Enough about that.
Work has been great lately, and I'm almost sad summer is going by so quickly! We're busy again as usual and now that I've been working here almost two years (next month!) I am getting to see some of our returning athletes grow up. It's excited to see who has changed--grown six inches, put on 30lbs, hit puberty finally etc... ;) It's also great to see how happy parents are with the results they've seen from their last session and are bringing their kids back for more. I'm also gearing up to start grad school at the end of August. When I say "gearing up" I mean that I'm mostly in denial. We just hired a new biomechanist, so the official-unofficial plan is for me to assist he and Steve in the lab this fall so I can work earlier hours and still go to class in the evening. I'm really optomistic at this point since the new guy (Bill) won't be travelling as much as Steve always needs to.
Jason and I have been on some exciting hiking/caving trips lately. I'm going to try to remember to attach a picture or two to this e-mail. Weekend trips since my last update include (in no particular order): Capitol Reef National Park, Goblin Valley State Park (where we hiked through my first slot canyon), Wheeler Peak (in Great Basin National Park), and several honorable mentions to caving trips in remote locations unassociated with any actual populated towns ;). One nice thing about the mountains being so close is that we do have the option to get up around 9500+ feet where the air is clearer and much cooler. This past weekend we went hiking up Little Cottonwood Canyon (about three miles of dirt road up from the top of Alta--for those of you who have visited the resorts up there) where at the top it was about 70 degrees when in the valley it was around 95. I've found that in some instances altitude actually makes hiking MORE bearable! The wildflowers were also AMAZING--pictures don't even begin to do them justice.
I've also had some more company, and made one trip home since my last update. Mark and La had a beautiful wedding in the beginning of June (although I'm still hoping someone will e-mail me a few pictures...hint...hint) ;) I was SO excited to see everyone during my week in WI as well as to be a bridesmaid for La on her wedding day! I also had company from KTP, Melissa, Derek, Chet, Aunt Linda, Cousin Ryan and their friend Norene. I'm beginning to be quite the Salt Lake Valley tour guide...so if you're heading this way do let me know and please come stay on my futon!
I think that about wraps it up. If anyone is interested I am going to try to post new recent pictures of more fun stuff to my flickr page tomorrow evening. http://www.flickr.com/photos/steph_koenig/
Also FYI Jason and I will be spending a weekend in WI from August 9th-13th. Rumor has it there will be a picnic on Saturday most likely at my parents house. If you're around town or we head your direction we might be dropping by. I hope everyone is doing very well!
Steph~
ps. Jess-props on your new job/promotion! I do enjoy your updates although I'm not much good at replying.
Mark-you're officially on the update list so you'll have to adjust. Please make La talk to me online more often ;)
Sarah-As if you read my mind...I got your pregnancy pictures...only 30mins ago this note said "I want pregnancy pictures" and before I sent the e-mail out they just miraculously appeared! I'm so terribly excited to see you and Andy when I'm home I can't handle it!
Lastly "Kudos" too all the company I've had in the last couple of months. You all made it a very exciting Spring!
I've tried to start an update e-mail several times (unsuccessfully)...but this one is going to do the trick.
First off, my apartment isn't on fire, and I'm not anywhere too near where the wildfires are burning in Utah. We do have a heck of a lot of stuff on fire though, as I found out when I started seeing the Utah fires on the national (as well as local) news. It's no wonder with the humidity steadily below 10% (no, that's not a typo) and the temps in the high 90's to low 100's. Here in Salt Lake it has officially been 30 days since we've had any measurable rain and there isn't a cloud in sight in the 10-day forcast. There have been some small wildfires in the south end of the valley, however the large fires on the national news are a couple hours south of where I live. With lots of dry grass, endless nothing, low humidity, 100-degree temps, and lack of water supply it's no wonder fighting them is such a tough job. I've realized it's a job I definitly wouldn't want! On a recent trip through Provo (about 60 minutes south) I did get my first real view of wildfires being fought, where a small fire on the side of the mountain was being fought with helicopters and planes. Apparently it had been started from a stray spark thrown from a lawnmower or something like that. It was an interesting sight firsthand...especially the fires on the mountainside at night, and seeing the helicopters dropping fire retardant out of the sky...the sort of thing you usually only see on the news back in the Midwest. To go along with the problems with fire, we're having some air quality issues due to the smoke. Ironically enough, the smoke we're getting isn't even really from the Utah fires, but is blowing in all the way from Oregon. I'm sure someone in Colorado is thoroughly enjoying our smoke. One thing I can say is that I'm not too upset by the heat anymore. I just wish the air would clear up and I'd get to see a raincloud once in a while. It might sound silly...but the same sunshine and clear skies day after day after day are sort of getting old (especially when combined with the heat). It would be nice to go outside during daylight hours without SPF 50 as well. Dreaded whiteish Wisconsin skin of mine!
Enough about that.
Work has been great lately, and I'm almost sad summer is going by so quickly! We're busy again as usual and now that I've been working here almost two years (next month!) I am getting to see some of our returning athletes grow up. It's excited to see who has changed--grown six inches, put on 30lbs, hit puberty finally etc... ;) It's also great to see how happy parents are with the results they've seen from their last session and are bringing their kids back for more. I'm also gearing up to start grad school at the end of August. When I say "gearing up" I mean that I'm mostly in denial. We just hired a new biomechanist, so the official-unofficial plan is for me to assist he and Steve in the lab this fall so I can work earlier hours and still go to class in the evening. I'm really optomistic at this point since the new guy (Bill) won't be travelling as much as Steve always needs to.
Jason and I have been on some exciting hiking/caving trips lately. I'm going to try to remember to attach a picture or two to this e-mail. Weekend trips since my last update include (in no particular order): Capitol Reef National Park, Goblin Valley State Park (where we hiked through my first slot canyon), Wheeler Peak (in Great Basin National Park), and several honorable mentions to caving trips in remote locations unassociated with any actual populated towns ;). One nice thing about the mountains being so close is that we do have the option to get up around 9500+ feet where the air is clearer and much cooler. This past weekend we went hiking up Little Cottonwood Canyon (about three miles of dirt road up from the top of Alta--for those of you who have visited the resorts up there) where at the top it was about 70 degrees when in the valley it was around 95. I've found that in some instances altitude actually makes hiking MORE bearable! The wildflowers were also AMAZING--pictures don't even begin to do them justice.
I've also had some more company, and made one trip home since my last update. Mark and La had a beautiful wedding in the beginning of June (although I'm still hoping someone will e-mail me a few pictures...hint...hint) ;) I was SO excited to see everyone during my week in WI as well as to be a bridesmaid for La on her wedding day! I also had company from KTP, Melissa, Derek, Chet, Aunt Linda, Cousin Ryan and their friend Norene. I'm beginning to be quite the Salt Lake Valley tour guide...so if you're heading this way do let me know and please come stay on my futon!
I think that about wraps it up. If anyone is interested I am going to try to post new recent pictures of more fun stuff to my flickr page tomorrow evening. http://www.flickr.com/photos/steph_koenig/
Also FYI Jason and I will be spending a weekend in WI from August 9th-13th. Rumor has it there will be a picnic on Saturday most likely at my parents house. If you're around town or we head your direction we might be dropping by. I hope everyone is doing very well!
Steph~
ps. Jess-props on your new job/promotion! I do enjoy your updates although I'm not much good at replying.
Mark-you're officially on the update list so you'll have to adjust. Please make La talk to me online more often ;)
Sarah-As if you read my mind...I got your pregnancy pictures...only 30mins ago this note said "I want pregnancy pictures" and before I sent the e-mail out they just miraculously appeared! I'm so terribly excited to see you and Andy when I'm home I can't handle it!
Lastly "Kudos" too all the company I've had in the last couple of months. You all made it a very exciting Spring!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Another Long Overdue Update
Howdy,
It's been forever since I've written (approximately mid-January in case anyone was wondering just how long). I've been crazy busy and a lot has happened.
First off I was accepted into graduate school at the University of Utah. (See Jim, I had not yet broke the news to everyone BUT you.) I will be starting a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology this fall. Tonight I spent over an hour figuring out how to register online for 2 classes. I found the website to be almost frustrating enough to make me regret my graduate school decision (and wonder if I am actually qualified to attend). :) Eventually I got registered so it looks like I'll be starting classes this fall.
Jason has been back in my life as of mid-February, and things have been going well since. I've been on a few caving (and other) adventures with him and his family since then which have been a lot of fun (if you consider crawling around in a cave a lot of fun). I'm looking forward to more outdoor hikes above ground in the near future. Today was a trip to the local zoo with a few of his cousins...I don't think in my entire life I have seen so many strollers. (Those of you who have visited Utah will appreciate that comment more than others may.)
Early in March I had a couple of crazy Iowans and a pair of Wisconsinites come visit the great state of Utah for an extended weekend. We toured around town, they hit the slopes, we got into a minor car accident (I didn't know a person could have so much fun after getting rear-ended), and overall I think everyone had an excellent time. Jason has officially met more of my friends from back home, so you can imagine how amazing he now thinks everyone from the Midwest must be.
Easter weekend my parents came for their second visit to Utah. We toured around and even did some relaxing. Jason met more midwesterners and proceeded to take two sick days from work. (OK, so my parents weren't that hard on him...but it's sort of funny to say it that way.)
Work has been going well. This past week we found ourselves running damage control on a bunch of muttled data from our latest football combine, so the week was long and stressful, but the overtime was nice. I'm planning to continue working this fall when I head back to school. Work has basically guaranteed me 40 hours/week and I will get some tuition assistance so I think things will work out well. My next hurdle is applying for residency. With any luck I will be an official Utah resident by the end of summer.
Speaking of summer, this August I will have been in Utah for 2 entire years! Time flys doesn't it?
Anyhows, I wanted to send a short note to say all is well and that I'm sorry I haven't written anything for so long.
If anyone wants to check out some of my pictures from recently (and over the past year) I now have a page on flickr at: www.flickr.com/photos/steph_koenig please feel free to check them out and comment if you'd like. Hopefully I'll be posting more pictures soon!
I hope everyone is doing well. I'm looking forward to my next visit home June 1-10th for La and Mark's wedding. It will be exciting to see everyone again. Do let me know if anyone is planning a summer vacation that will bring them through Salt Lake (latest reviews say I'm a pretty OK tour guide).
Best Wishes and Be in Touch!
Steph~
It's been forever since I've written (approximately mid-January in case anyone was wondering just how long). I've been crazy busy and a lot has happened.
First off I was accepted into graduate school at the University of Utah. (See Jim, I had not yet broke the news to everyone BUT you.) I will be starting a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology this fall. Tonight I spent over an hour figuring out how to register online for 2 classes. I found the website to be almost frustrating enough to make me regret my graduate school decision (and wonder if I am actually qualified to attend). :) Eventually I got registered so it looks like I'll be starting classes this fall.
Jason has been back in my life as of mid-February, and things have been going well since. I've been on a few caving (and other) adventures with him and his family since then which have been a lot of fun (if you consider crawling around in a cave a lot of fun). I'm looking forward to more outdoor hikes above ground in the near future. Today was a trip to the local zoo with a few of his cousins...I don't think in my entire life I have seen so many strollers. (Those of you who have visited Utah will appreciate that comment more than others may.)
Early in March I had a couple of crazy Iowans and a pair of Wisconsinites come visit the great state of Utah for an extended weekend. We toured around town, they hit the slopes, we got into a minor car accident (I didn't know a person could have so much fun after getting rear-ended), and overall I think everyone had an excellent time. Jason has officially met more of my friends from back home, so you can imagine how amazing he now thinks everyone from the Midwest must be.
Easter weekend my parents came for their second visit to Utah. We toured around and even did some relaxing. Jason met more midwesterners and proceeded to take two sick days from work. (OK, so my parents weren't that hard on him...but it's sort of funny to say it that way.)
Work has been going well. This past week we found ourselves running damage control on a bunch of muttled data from our latest football combine, so the week was long and stressful, but the overtime was nice. I'm planning to continue working this fall when I head back to school. Work has basically guaranteed me 40 hours/week and I will get some tuition assistance so I think things will work out well. My next hurdle is applying for residency. With any luck I will be an official Utah resident by the end of summer.
Speaking of summer, this August I will have been in Utah for 2 entire years! Time flys doesn't it?
Anyhows, I wanted to send a short note to say all is well and that I'm sorry I haven't written anything for so long.
If anyone wants to check out some of my pictures from recently (and over the past year) I now have a page on flickr at: www.flickr.com/photos/steph_koenig please feel free to check them out and comment if you'd like. Hopefully I'll be posting more pictures soon!
I hope everyone is doing well. I'm looking forward to my next visit home June 1-10th for La and Mark's wedding. It will be exciting to see everyone again. Do let me know if anyone is planning a summer vacation that will bring them through Salt Lake (latest reviews say I'm a pretty OK tour guide).
Best Wishes and Be in Touch!
Steph~
Sunday, January 21, 2007
It's been a Long Time
So what can I say? There hasn't been an update since around Halloween. Even I didn't realize it had been that long. Time flys I guess!
Life has been clicking right along here in Utah. Thanksgiving was good, aside from a not-so-nice stomach flu over the holiday weekend. This may have been the first Thanksgiving on record where I actually lost weight! ;) I spent Christmas studying for the GRE (which went well), working a bit more than I'd like to admit, and readying my application to start grad school here at the U of U next Fall. I've decided I still really love my job, and since I'm not ready to leave it yet, I should get on with my Master's degree as planned. No use waiting around or I'm afraid it will be even harder to go back to school.
Work is crazy-busy and quite enjoyable lately. We had a new research study come through the biomechanics lab, looking at the long term outcomes of two types of knee surgery techniques. I'm still busy editing the data from that. Around Christmas we hosted a football combine for HS athletes which also gave me about a week worth of "extras" to do. This past week was nuts because TOSH recently became the sport medicine provider for USA cycling. It will be a relationship much like with USA speedskating, and USA skiing, in which we provide sport medicine coverage to the teams. This week 18 members of the USA junior national cycling team spent the week with us doing lab performance testing, nutrition consults, bike-fits....you name it. There were bikes, bags, and computrainers everywhere....and the constant sound of spinning pedals. I admit I was a bit jealous of their bikes...most of which cost more than the average used car. At the same time it will be nice to get back to normal next week; even though these guys are pretty elite athletes they still created the clutter of any average 18-24 year old guy.
The acceleration training schedule is also busy. Thanks to having a marketing guy for our department for the first time ever, our schedule is summer-busy even though it's still winter. Chris and I joke that we're financially stable enough to buy food again, but no longer have time to eat lunch. Just like summer...only colder, and darker.
Speaking of cold, Utah has had way more snow in the valley than last winter....however less snow overall in the mountains. We've also had quite a bit more of the inversion than I remember from last year. "Inversion" refers to a temperature inversion that happens when we get high pressure. The valley becomes cooler and the moutians become warmer. Pollution becomes trapped in the valley and things get rather smoggy until another storm comes through and cleans things out. Luckily it only lasts on and off for a few months each winter. Lately we've been a bit inverted...so it's been a much colder winter this winter than last. I'm ready for spring!!
My next trip to Wisconsin will be the first week in June for Larissa and Mark's wedding. I get to be a bridesmaid (yay!) It's going to be so much fun! I'm also planning to take enough time to get to catch up with everyone back home again. I just returned from a week at home, and I apologize I didn't get to see as many of you as I'd like. I'll be making the rounds in June though...so watch out!
I think that about sums up what's new in the world around here. I do look forward to hearing what you've all been up to. Take Care!
Steph~
ps. Next Thursday is my Golden Birthday....I'd love nothing more than for any/all of you to call to remind me just how old I'm getting :)
Life has been clicking right along here in Utah. Thanksgiving was good, aside from a not-so-nice stomach flu over the holiday weekend. This may have been the first Thanksgiving on record where I actually lost weight! ;) I spent Christmas studying for the GRE (which went well), working a bit more than I'd like to admit, and readying my application to start grad school here at the U of U next Fall. I've decided I still really love my job, and since I'm not ready to leave it yet, I should get on with my Master's degree as planned. No use waiting around or I'm afraid it will be even harder to go back to school.
Work is crazy-busy and quite enjoyable lately. We had a new research study come through the biomechanics lab, looking at the long term outcomes of two types of knee surgery techniques. I'm still busy editing the data from that. Around Christmas we hosted a football combine for HS athletes which also gave me about a week worth of "extras" to do. This past week was nuts because TOSH recently became the sport medicine provider for USA cycling. It will be a relationship much like with USA speedskating, and USA skiing, in which we provide sport medicine coverage to the teams. This week 18 members of the USA junior national cycling team spent the week with us doing lab performance testing, nutrition consults, bike-fits....you name it. There were bikes, bags, and computrainers everywhere....and the constant sound of spinning pedals. I admit I was a bit jealous of their bikes...most of which cost more than the average used car. At the same time it will be nice to get back to normal next week; even though these guys are pretty elite athletes they still created the clutter of any average 18-24 year old guy.
The acceleration training schedule is also busy. Thanks to having a marketing guy for our department for the first time ever, our schedule is summer-busy even though it's still winter. Chris and I joke that we're financially stable enough to buy food again, but no longer have time to eat lunch. Just like summer...only colder, and darker.
Speaking of cold, Utah has had way more snow in the valley than last winter....however less snow overall in the mountains. We've also had quite a bit more of the inversion than I remember from last year. "Inversion" refers to a temperature inversion that happens when we get high pressure. The valley becomes cooler and the moutians become warmer. Pollution becomes trapped in the valley and things get rather smoggy until another storm comes through and cleans things out. Luckily it only lasts on and off for a few months each winter. Lately we've been a bit inverted...so it's been a much colder winter this winter than last. I'm ready for spring!!
My next trip to Wisconsin will be the first week in June for Larissa and Mark's wedding. I get to be a bridesmaid (yay!) It's going to be so much fun! I'm also planning to take enough time to get to catch up with everyone back home again. I just returned from a week at home, and I apologize I didn't get to see as many of you as I'd like. I'll be making the rounds in June though...so watch out!
I think that about sums up what's new in the world around here. I do look forward to hearing what you've all been up to. Take Care!
Steph~
ps. Next Thursday is my Golden Birthday....I'd love nothing more than for any/all of you to call to remind me just how old I'm getting :)
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