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~
Saturday, April 21, 2007
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 :)
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
We'll Call it the Halloween Update
Hello once again,
I apologize as a recently realized only half of the list got the last update. It was a small error on my part I like to call "getting distracted". I'm going to try to do better this time.
The past month since I visited home has flown by! I was SO happy to see so many of you when I visited. We should really have weddings and 50th anniversaries more often! I'm already planning my next trip for January. Keep your fingers crossed that the snow stays in the mountains where it belongs so my travel plans don't turn into me sleeping in any airports. :) Speaking of trips...when are you coming to Utah? :)
Life here in Utah is well. I'm really enjoying having Dr. Eric Heiden (http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/tosh/aboutus/news/article6.xml)
and Dr. Max Testa (http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/tosh/aboutus/news/article5.xml)
around here at TOSH. It makes things much busier in the physiology lab, which is a welcome sight. I walked into the lab today where Max was doing a bike fit for an athlete to the greeting "What's up boss?" complete with thick Italian accent. Let's just say he's very personable and welcomes all the help he can get.
Eric seems great as well. We did a motion analysis session with him a few weeks ago to explore the possibilities with cycling in the biomechanics lab. That guy is in phenomenal shape! There was also some discussion of me owing him a case of beer after removing some leg hair along with the removal of the sticky-backed motion analysis markers. Oops. ;) At least he has a good sense of humor.
I'm getting to be a little more lab-savy. It's taking some time since Steve travels like a mad-man, but we're making progress. With any luck, I'll be a biomechanice lab pro in say 10 years. :) (OK...not that bad...maybe in a couple more months). My first yearly job review is coming up in a week or two, hopefully I'll have some more insight soon about where my position is headed.
I'm gearing up to apply to grad school(s). Most likely I'll stay here and go to the U of U. It seems like a no-brainer of sorts, since my job will pay a bunch of my tuition, I can do my thesis using the resources of TOSH, and keep working to boot! No cost of moving...no brand new city...I think I can handle Utah for another couple of years...then again ask me tomorrow ;)
I've switched up my routine and joined the morning workout crowd. I realized that I felt sad and dragging a lot lately and realized not working out probably had something to do with it, so now I'm hitting the gym at 7am. It's a good time of day since I can't really make the excuses that I did at the end of a work day. Basically I role my butt out of bed, get dressed and then wake up mid-way through my stretching warm-up wondering how I got to the gym :). Good times.
I have no plans for Halloween, but I'm already eating the candy. Darn those sales at Target! A big thanks to Miss Kahler for bringing the "black cat punching cat pen" into my life just in time for Halloween. I can't explain this nifty writing instrument adequately via e-mail, but let's say it's a real hit with the kids at work (and most of my co-workers as well.) Nice job Sarah!
I hope this e-mail finds everyone doing very well. I also hope I hear back from every single on of you! I know these aren't very personal, but I do my best to reply back to anyone who e-mails me :)
Take Care!!
Steph~
I apologize as a recently realized only half of the list got the last update. It was a small error on my part I like to call "getting distracted". I'm going to try to do better this time.
The past month since I visited home has flown by! I was SO happy to see so many of you when I visited. We should really have weddings and 50th anniversaries more often! I'm already planning my next trip for January. Keep your fingers crossed that the snow stays in the mountains where it belongs so my travel plans don't turn into me sleeping in any airports. :) Speaking of trips...when are you coming to Utah? :)
Life here in Utah is well. I'm really enjoying having Dr. Eric Heiden (http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/tosh/aboutus/news/article6.xml)
and Dr. Max Testa (http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/tosh/aboutus/news/article5.xml)
around here at TOSH. It makes things much busier in the physiology lab, which is a welcome sight. I walked into the lab today where Max was doing a bike fit for an athlete to the greeting "What's up boss?" complete with thick Italian accent. Let's just say he's very personable and welcomes all the help he can get.
Eric seems great as well. We did a motion analysis session with him a few weeks ago to explore the possibilities with cycling in the biomechanics lab. That guy is in phenomenal shape! There was also some discussion of me owing him a case of beer after removing some leg hair along with the removal of the sticky-backed motion analysis markers. Oops. ;) At least he has a good sense of humor.
I'm getting to be a little more lab-savy. It's taking some time since Steve travels like a mad-man, but we're making progress. With any luck, I'll be a biomechanice lab pro in say 10 years. :) (OK...not that bad...maybe in a couple more months). My first yearly job review is coming up in a week or two, hopefully I'll have some more insight soon about where my position is headed.
I'm gearing up to apply to grad school(s). Most likely I'll stay here and go to the U of U. It seems like a no-brainer of sorts, since my job will pay a bunch of my tuition, I can do my thesis using the resources of TOSH, and keep working to boot! No cost of moving...no brand new city...I think I can handle Utah for another couple of years...then again ask me tomorrow ;)
I've switched up my routine and joined the morning workout crowd. I realized that I felt sad and dragging a lot lately and realized not working out probably had something to do with it, so now I'm hitting the gym at 7am. It's a good time of day since I can't really make the excuses that I did at the end of a work day. Basically I role my butt out of bed, get dressed and then wake up mid-way through my stretching warm-up wondering how I got to the gym :). Good times.
I have no plans for Halloween, but I'm already eating the candy. Darn those sales at Target! A big thanks to Miss Kahler for bringing the "black cat punching cat pen" into my life just in time for Halloween. I can't explain this nifty writing instrument adequately via e-mail, but let's say it's a real hit with the kids at work (and most of my co-workers as well.) Nice job Sarah!
I hope this e-mail finds everyone doing very well. I also hope I hear back from every single on of you! I know these aren't very personal, but I do my best to reply back to anyone who e-mails me :)
Take Care!!
Steph~
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Short and Sweet September
It looks like trying to write at the beginning of the month didn't work out as planned...since it's already the 17th! Where is September going??
I thought I'd send a quick update to let you know I'll be home in WI from September 22nd-October 1st for anyone who might be available for a visit. I'll mostly be around Reedsburg, but may be attempting some day trips (to LaX for sure) and we'll see about where else. I'd love to know who's going to be around and/or would like to see me :)
So we've gotten our first cold snap of the season. Today it is cloudy and there was some rain/sleet earlier...the high temp will be around 50. We got our first snowfall in the mountains last night. They were talking about snow above 8000 feet, but I can't tell how true that was by just looking at them. The ski bums are starting to get antsy so it must be fall. Temps should rebound into the mid to upper 60's by midweek so this snow won't stick for long. Good weather for jeans, sweatpants, and hoodies...so I guess I'll be happy as well ;)
Work continues as usual. We're finally making some progress in teaching me how to use the motion analysis system, so my job should become increasingly interesting (hopefully in the near future). I'm now working with Steve (research stuff) most mornings, and all day Tues/Thurs. We're also going to start serving as the sports medicine provider for USA cycling, so we're seeing new athletes all the time. Monday I'm helping with more physiology testing in the lab, and it's only a 4 day week for me this week so it should go fast.
Sorry to be so boring, but not much else is new to report. Hopefully I'll be seeing a lot of you VERY soon. Do e-mail and be in touch!
Steph~
I thought I'd send a quick update to let you know I'll be home in WI from September 22nd-October 1st for anyone who might be available for a visit. I'll mostly be around Reedsburg, but may be attempting some day trips (to LaX for sure) and we'll see about where else. I'd love to know who's going to be around and/or would like to see me :)
So we've gotten our first cold snap of the season. Today it is cloudy and there was some rain/sleet earlier...the high temp will be around 50. We got our first snowfall in the mountains last night. They were talking about snow above 8000 feet, but I can't tell how true that was by just looking at them. The ski bums are starting to get antsy so it must be fall. Temps should rebound into the mid to upper 60's by midweek so this snow won't stick for long. Good weather for jeans, sweatpants, and hoodies...so I guess I'll be happy as well ;)
Work continues as usual. We're finally making some progress in teaching me how to use the motion analysis system, so my job should become increasingly interesting (hopefully in the near future). I'm now working with Steve (research stuff) most mornings, and all day Tues/Thurs. We're also going to start serving as the sports medicine provider for USA cycling, so we're seeing new athletes all the time. Monday I'm helping with more physiology testing in the lab, and it's only a 4 day week for me this week so it should go fast.
Sorry to be so boring, but not much else is new to report. Hopefully I'll be seeing a lot of you VERY soon. Do e-mail and be in touch!
Steph~
Sunday, August 6, 2006
Back to August
Hello once Again!
It's August, and I'm sort of back to where I started....well almost. I'm fast approaching one year spent living in Utah (August 22nd). So to answer the question from this time last year "Are you going to stay in Utah?"...it looks like for at least the time being...yes.
News as of lately. Jason and I broke up around 4th of July...chalk it up to different backgrounds and being in different relationship stages. I've had my share of ups and downs since then. I apologize to those I neglected to call at all, and thank those who let me call and be hysterical. I still think he's an amazing guy I wish everyone could have met him. Hopefully some day we can be friends. The only downside is now I'm back to trying to meet new people outside of work, and here in Utah that's harder than one might imagine! It will get better with time. I keep reminding myself it took me the better part of 23 years to build the amazing group of people I know from back home, so for only being here a year I'm doing ok.
On a brighter note, my job continues to be amazing! If not for that I think I would have moved to Colorado by now. (Why Colorado? From what I hear they still have mountains and the LDS church is much less involved in running the state.) ;) Recently we had two new doctors start at TOSH...Dr. Eric Heiden and Dr. Max Testa. (Yes, Eric Heiden from speedingskating in the 80's). Dr. Testa is heavily involved in the cycling community, and both are very interested in research. If I play my cards right I'll be doing way more lab stuff in the not so distant future, hopefully alongside Dr. Testa and Dr. Heiden.
Last week I spent the day Friday helping do exercise testing for 6 paraolympic nordic skiers on the big skating/sking treadmill at the Olympic Oval. Those are some amazing people! It was a very long day in the 62 degree ice shed (as I lovingly call it), but it was a good break from the normal routine. They are busy putting down the ice for the season. It's quite a complex process. While I was there they were busy painting the decals and lines into the lower layers of the ice, before they add more layers on top. Very cool and very interesting.
I made a short trip home the weekend July 22nd and although I was SO thankful to see friends and family, it was the most nightmareish travel experience I've had thus far. Summary of a long day...Chicago was all messed up and I got home 6 hours later than anticipated after sitting and waiting on the plane, back in the airport, and then on the runway at O'Hare. It could have been much worse I know...but on the flight back the Russian dance troupe that wouldn't stay seated and didn't speak English...or quietly...topped it all off. I've already purchased my Dramamine for the next trip home...which is fast approaching on September 22nd! It cannot come fast enough! I'll let you know when it gets closer, but I'm hoping to do some more visiting and see as many people as possible!
Speaking of which, I've been to WI twice in the last year...how many times have YOU been to Utah? :) Time for a visit I do believe ;) Don't worry about gas prices...it's only $2.75 here, and you can fill up before you head back home. Ok, I will settle for e-mails, phonecalls, letters....whatever I can get ;) It would keep me from missing all of you (which I do) and remind me there is life outside of Utah (or "Mormainia" as cousin Steven deemed it). Be in touch and I hope you're well!
Steph~
PS. (the congrats, good luck, and threat section)
Congrats to Cousin Steven and Mary on their new little girl!!
Good Luck to Jesse and Carrie, and Krisy and Zach on their upcoming weddings!!
Congrats to Leah and Krista on their new jobs (Leah...it's about time!)
Good Luck to Ironman Andy! (wish I could be there)
And finally "threats" to all of you I haven't heard from in way too long! You know who you are, and so help me, when I get back to WI I better not have to hire a private investigator to track you down!
Later! S.~
It's August, and I'm sort of back to where I started....well almost. I'm fast approaching one year spent living in Utah (August 22nd). So to answer the question from this time last year "Are you going to stay in Utah?"...it looks like for at least the time being...yes.
News as of lately. Jason and I broke up around 4th of July...chalk it up to different backgrounds and being in different relationship stages. I've had my share of ups and downs since then. I apologize to those I neglected to call at all, and thank those who let me call and be hysterical. I still think he's an amazing guy I wish everyone could have met him. Hopefully some day we can be friends. The only downside is now I'm back to trying to meet new people outside of work, and here in Utah that's harder than one might imagine! It will get better with time. I keep reminding myself it took me the better part of 23 years to build the amazing group of people I know from back home, so for only being here a year I'm doing ok.
On a brighter note, my job continues to be amazing! If not for that I think I would have moved to Colorado by now. (Why Colorado? From what I hear they still have mountains and the LDS church is much less involved in running the state.) ;) Recently we had two new doctors start at TOSH...Dr. Eric Heiden and Dr. Max Testa. (Yes, Eric Heiden from speedingskating in the 80's). Dr. Testa is heavily involved in the cycling community, and both are very interested in research. If I play my cards right I'll be doing way more lab stuff in the not so distant future, hopefully alongside Dr. Testa and Dr. Heiden.
Last week I spent the day Friday helping do exercise testing for 6 paraolympic nordic skiers on the big skating/sking treadmill at the Olympic Oval. Those are some amazing people! It was a very long day in the 62 degree ice shed (as I lovingly call it), but it was a good break from the normal routine. They are busy putting down the ice for the season. It's quite a complex process. While I was there they were busy painting the decals and lines into the lower layers of the ice, before they add more layers on top. Very cool and very interesting.
I made a short trip home the weekend July 22nd and although I was SO thankful to see friends and family, it was the most nightmareish travel experience I've had thus far. Summary of a long day...Chicago was all messed up and I got home 6 hours later than anticipated after sitting and waiting on the plane, back in the airport, and then on the runway at O'Hare. It could have been much worse I know...but on the flight back the Russian dance troupe that wouldn't stay seated and didn't speak English...or quietly...topped it all off. I've already purchased my Dramamine for the next trip home...which is fast approaching on September 22nd! It cannot come fast enough! I'll let you know when it gets closer, but I'm hoping to do some more visiting and see as many people as possible!
Speaking of which, I've been to WI twice in the last year...how many times have YOU been to Utah? :) Time for a visit I do believe ;) Don't worry about gas prices...it's only $2.75 here, and you can fill up before you head back home. Ok, I will settle for e-mails, phonecalls, letters....whatever I can get ;) It would keep me from missing all of you (which I do) and remind me there is life outside of Utah (or "Mormainia" as cousin Steven deemed it). Be in touch and I hope you're well!
Steph~
PS. (the congrats, good luck, and threat section)
Congrats to Cousin Steven and Mary on their new little girl!!
Good Luck to Jesse and Carrie, and Krisy and Zach on their upcoming weddings!!
Congrats to Leah and Krista on their new jobs (Leah...it's about time!)
Good Luck to Ironman Andy! (wish I could be there)
And finally "threats" to all of you I haven't heard from in way too long! You know who you are, and so help me, when I get back to WI I better not have to hire a private investigator to track you down!
Later! S.~
Sunday, July 2, 2006
Happy 4th of July
Hello once again,
It seems lately I have more pieces of news than actual news, but I've decided if I keep waiting for actual news it may be a long time coming.
After surgery and lots of time, my knee is doing much better. After being lazy in the name of rehab for some time now I had my first semi-official workout at 100% on Friday. Being sore has never felt so nice! Looks like my legs are good going to do well but my lungs have forgotten how to work, so that will take awhile.
Last I wrote my wallet had been stolen. The good news is they seemingly stopped using it after writing just one check, the bad news is they were never caught...and some more people have lost wallets/cash/etc at work in the coming weeks. Fingers are starting to point to a few creepy cleaning people...the only ones with access to some of the behind desk areas. I hope they catch whomever it is.
My job as a trainer is going well, I enjoy the kids and find it to be a very stress free situation. Come fall this may all change, as there has been some discussion of changing me over to a full-time research position...which is great for the experience, but slightly more stressful than training 12 year olds ;). I hope more stress=more money, but we'll see. Summer has been hectic, so at least for the time being it looks like I'll continue training athletes and goofing around with Mike and Chris.
Jason and I are well and went to Arches National Park last weekend for two days of hiking and camping. We slept out on cots under the stars in the middle of nowhere (when i say middle of nowhere I'm not joking!) It was about 98 degrees at Arches, but thanks to tons of drinking water, and SPF 50, the weekend was a lot of fun. In the upcoming weeks we are trying to plan a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
After being green for at least a month, the mountains and most of the landscape is starting to brown as we hit the dry season. It's been unusually warm (even for Utah) although right now the low 90's we're having for daytime highs are about average. At least it's dry heat and none of the forest fires are in my neighborhood!
I'm planning on being home from September 22nd through October 1st. With any luck Jason will be coming along for a few days as well. I'm really looking forward to visiting home, as I've found that almost 9 months is a long time to go without seeing the family.
No huge 4th of July plans. Jason spent the weekend hiking up around his grandparents' house, but I had to work Saturday so I stayed home and got some cleaning done. Tomorrow night we're having dinner...hopefully there will be some fireworks to see on Tuesday.
I hope everyone is doing very well! Happy 4th of July and do be in touch!
Steph~
P.S. I'm going to send some pictures very soon!
It seems lately I have more pieces of news than actual news, but I've decided if I keep waiting for actual news it may be a long time coming.
After surgery and lots of time, my knee is doing much better. After being lazy in the name of rehab for some time now I had my first semi-official workout at 100% on Friday. Being sore has never felt so nice! Looks like my legs are good going to do well but my lungs have forgotten how to work, so that will take awhile.
Last I wrote my wallet had been stolen. The good news is they seemingly stopped using it after writing just one check, the bad news is they were never caught...and some more people have lost wallets/cash/etc at work in the coming weeks. Fingers are starting to point to a few creepy cleaning people...the only ones with access to some of the behind desk areas. I hope they catch whomever it is.
My job as a trainer is going well, I enjoy the kids and find it to be a very stress free situation. Come fall this may all change, as there has been some discussion of changing me over to a full-time research position...which is great for the experience, but slightly more stressful than training 12 year olds ;). I hope more stress=more money, but we'll see. Summer has been hectic, so at least for the time being it looks like I'll continue training athletes and goofing around with Mike and Chris.
Jason and I are well and went to Arches National Park last weekend for two days of hiking and camping. We slept out on cots under the stars in the middle of nowhere (when i say middle of nowhere I'm not joking!) It was about 98 degrees at Arches, but thanks to tons of drinking water, and SPF 50, the weekend was a lot of fun. In the upcoming weeks we are trying to plan a trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
After being green for at least a month, the mountains and most of the landscape is starting to brown as we hit the dry season. It's been unusually warm (even for Utah) although right now the low 90's we're having for daytime highs are about average. At least it's dry heat and none of the forest fires are in my neighborhood!
I'm planning on being home from September 22nd through October 1st. With any luck Jason will be coming along for a few days as well. I'm really looking forward to visiting home, as I've found that almost 9 months is a long time to go without seeing the family.
No huge 4th of July plans. Jason spent the weekend hiking up around his grandparents' house, but I had to work Saturday so I stayed home and got some cleaning done. Tomorrow night we're having dinner...hopefully there will be some fireworks to see on Tuesday.
I hope everyone is doing very well! Happy 4th of July and do be in touch!
Steph~
P.S. I'm going to send some pictures very soon!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
An Update for May
Hello.
Things have been good here. :) At least for a few days that is. I cannot tell a lie, it's been a rough few weeks. The story thus far....
On April 20th I had surgery to fix the cartilage in my knee. An athroscopic debridement is what it was officially called. It went well, but put me on my back for a few days (partly my fault...the pain meds I was taking "just in case" put me into a foggy coma for about 2 hours every time I took one). Having the scope done was easy, however the anethisia made me sick, and then I got an allergic reaction to the glue the used for the tape strips to close the incisions. So no pain, but I was itching like mad for the better part of a week or two! The only bright side was Jason stayed the weekend and took care of me, and I was able to behave myself well enough to get back to work on Monday. The surgery found that the medial plica in my knee was sort of jacked, and I had a flap of cartiladge behind my kneecap that shouldn't have been there. They removed all of the above and I'm now going up and down stairs again without any obnoxious clicking. The doctor said I should have a very good summer. I figure he knows what he's talking about because he's one of the team orthopods for the US Skiers and Speedskaters....those kids can mess up their knees way worse than I can.
A week to the day after my surgery, my wallet was stolen out of the office at work. This threw me into a state of crisis for the better part of a week, as I needed proof of who I was overnighted from WI in order to even get to my bank accounts. Thankfully, I knew which cards I had and managed to close everything pretty quickly. Now I'm dealing with one stray credit card charge (for a tank of gas not put in MY car) and so far only one fraudulent check (written to DI...the Utah equivalent of Goodwill). It looks like an act of desperation at this point, but it made for a really long week, and probably some additional headache to come. A note to everyone...take your wallet/purse out right now and make a list of EVERYTHING in it, including the 1-800 #'s for all of your cards. In hindsight a backup credit card and photo ID kept seperate from my wallet would have been a big help....Just FYI.
No major crisis last week other than the notice from my bank that someone wrote one of my checks. It seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back, but I have had better luck since then.
This week I'm working another 60 hour week putting in some long research assistant hours. I like the hours, but some days are frustrating. The morning we had a no-show at 7am, and our 8:30 appointment is now 20 minutes late and just arrived. We've had our share of no-shows, but usally not two people back to back. Good research subjects are so hard to find!
On the Acceleration training side of things, I still really like what I'm doing. It's becomming more and more hectic as we get closer to summer, and there are hours where it's tough to even get the chance to run to the restroom or grab a snack...but I sort of like the craziness. It's also been interesting lately because we've hired a few new part-time "fill-in" people that we are training, and we're getting a batch of 2 or 3 new interns for the summer. The new faces are nice, but it has also solidified Chris and I as the "afternoon team" (since occasionally we find all the new people to be a big pain). We're having great fun at work. Thank goodness once again he has a great sense of humor!
Jason and I are doing well. It was just 4 months, but between me moving, having surgery, and having my wallet stolen, he's been through more than most any boyfriend should go through in say the first year. I think he'll manage to stay around for awhile :) We're planning on getting out and doing some hiking as soon as my knee heals up. It's a slow progression since I'm trying to keep the swelling down, and I'm pretty hard on it at work. Last weekend we just went for a walk around the park, next we're going to find a hill, and then we'll eventually head to the mountains.
It's a beautiful time of year here. It's been dry and around 70 degrees for at least a week or two. The mountains are snowcapped, and becomming green at lower elevations, and in town we have lots of flowers and fresh-cut grass. I have started a small container garden on my balcony...nothing more than peas and a tomato plant, but I thought I would give it a shot.
So that's the news. I hope everyone is well. I'm hoping you e-mail me, because I'd love to know how life is in your neighborhood! Take Care and Be in Touch!
Steph~
Things have been good here. :) At least for a few days that is. I cannot tell a lie, it's been a rough few weeks. The story thus far....
On April 20th I had surgery to fix the cartilage in my knee. An athroscopic debridement is what it was officially called. It went well, but put me on my back for a few days (partly my fault...the pain meds I was taking "just in case" put me into a foggy coma for about 2 hours every time I took one). Having the scope done was easy, however the anethisia made me sick, and then I got an allergic reaction to the glue the used for the tape strips to close the incisions. So no pain, but I was itching like mad for the better part of a week or two! The only bright side was Jason stayed the weekend and took care of me, and I was able to behave myself well enough to get back to work on Monday. The surgery found that the medial plica in my knee was sort of jacked, and I had a flap of cartiladge behind my kneecap that shouldn't have been there. They removed all of the above and I'm now going up and down stairs again without any obnoxious clicking. The doctor said I should have a very good summer. I figure he knows what he's talking about because he's one of the team orthopods for the US Skiers and Speedskaters....those kids can mess up their knees way worse than I can.
A week to the day after my surgery, my wallet was stolen out of the office at work. This threw me into a state of crisis for the better part of a week, as I needed proof of who I was overnighted from WI in order to even get to my bank accounts. Thankfully, I knew which cards I had and managed to close everything pretty quickly. Now I'm dealing with one stray credit card charge (for a tank of gas not put in MY car) and so far only one fraudulent check (written to DI...the Utah equivalent of Goodwill). It looks like an act of desperation at this point, but it made for a really long week, and probably some additional headache to come. A note to everyone...take your wallet/purse out right now and make a list of EVERYTHING in it, including the 1-800 #'s for all of your cards. In hindsight a backup credit card and photo ID kept seperate from my wallet would have been a big help....Just FYI.
No major crisis last week other than the notice from my bank that someone wrote one of my checks. It seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back, but I have had better luck since then.
This week I'm working another 60 hour week putting in some long research assistant hours. I like the hours, but some days are frustrating. The morning we had a no-show at 7am, and our 8:30 appointment is now 20 minutes late and just arrived. We've had our share of no-shows, but usally not two people back to back. Good research subjects are so hard to find!
On the Acceleration training side of things, I still really like what I'm doing. It's becomming more and more hectic as we get closer to summer, and there are hours where it's tough to even get the chance to run to the restroom or grab a snack...but I sort of like the craziness. It's also been interesting lately because we've hired a few new part-time "fill-in" people that we are training, and we're getting a batch of 2 or 3 new interns for the summer. The new faces are nice, but it has also solidified Chris and I as the "afternoon team" (since occasionally we find all the new people to be a big pain). We're having great fun at work. Thank goodness once again he has a great sense of humor!
Jason and I are doing well. It was just 4 months, but between me moving, having surgery, and having my wallet stolen, he's been through more than most any boyfriend should go through in say the first year. I think he'll manage to stay around for awhile :) We're planning on getting out and doing some hiking as soon as my knee heals up. It's a slow progression since I'm trying to keep the swelling down, and I'm pretty hard on it at work. Last weekend we just went for a walk around the park, next we're going to find a hill, and then we'll eventually head to the mountains.
It's a beautiful time of year here. It's been dry and around 70 degrees for at least a week or two. The mountains are snowcapped, and becomming green at lower elevations, and in town we have lots of flowers and fresh-cut grass. I have started a small container garden on my balcony...nothing more than peas and a tomato plant, but I thought I would give it a shot.
So that's the news. I hope everyone is well. I'm hoping you e-mail me, because I'd love to know how life is in your neighborhood! Take Care and Be in Touch!
Steph~
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