Lately...

Hi Family & Friends,
Since I'm having a lazy morning at the start of long (5 day!!!) weekend, I thought I would update you all on what's been happening lately.
About a month ago now (over the long weekend in January for Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Todd and I took a trip down to St. George, Utah, which is located in the southwest corner of Utah. We were eager to do some hiking and enjoy some warmer weather. We spent a day in Snow Canyon State Park doing some trail running and hiking. We also drove to Zion National Park (less than one hour away) and hiked to Observation Point, the highest peak in the park. The view was beautiful! Even though we've been to Zion twice now, it seems like there's much more to see. We're excited to hopefully return there this summer and hike Angel's Landing. The temperatures were much warmer in St. George than we've been having in SLC, so we enjoyed the warm sun!

Todd in a slot canyon in Snow Canyon State Park

View from the start of our trail run in Snow Canyon State Park

Heading up to Observation Point in Zion National Park

We made it!

Climbing on rocks in Snow Canyon National Park

St. George also gave us an escape from the inversion--the trapping of highly polluted air in the Salt Lake valley due to temperature gradients. Apparently we've had the nation's worse air quality for much of January. There's been talk that speed limits will be decreased, public transportation made free, and lower industrial activity--but nothing has happened. Below is a picture of what the inversion cloud hanging over the valley looks like most of the time....lovely right?

 

Todd and I have joined a church community group that meets on Wednesday nights. We've been going for about a month now and really enjoy it. Many of our friends also attend this group and we've been able to get to know some other people too. The group consists of about 12 couples. We are currently reading a book called "Imitating Jesus" by Lewie Clark. Our church is currently looking for a new building to meet in. Unfortunately, the school building that we are renting out has informed us that we will no longer be able to rent out the space starting in August. 

Todd is staying busy with school. Last night and tonight are parent/teacher conferences. He saw nearly 60 of his students' parents last night, so he is hoping for less parents tonight! Todd received a nice note from a student a couple days ago with some cookies. The note read said "You're the best math teacher I've ever had. You inspire me!". 

Todd coached at two indoor meets already. Both meets were held in the Olympic Oval, the building that hosted the Olympic speed skating in 2000. Since the track is on the outside of the 400m speed skating track, the track is oversized (about 450m), which makes for fast times! The distance squad is getting stronger and it seems like they are coming together like a team more and more. Todd had the opportunity to attend a Utah track coaches clinic a few weeks ago and learned some valuable information--especially about the events he may be required to coach this spring (such as the jumping events!). 

At the Olympic Oval

Todd coaching a Long Jumper :)

School has been going well for me. Despite taking a lot of credits, this semester has not been overwhelmingly busy! I am taking a class called "eating disorders in special populations" which I am loving! Since eating disorders are common in athletics, I can apply what I've been learning in my internship. I also think that eating disorder counseling would be a career I'd be interested in. I'm also taking Adv. Exercise Physiology II, Micronutrient Metabolism, and Advanced Sport Nutrition. As a part of the additional requirements for a specialization in Sports Dietetics, I am doing exercise testing in the campus health and fitness clinic (PEAK). I've nearly completed the required hours with cholesterol testing, BODPOD testing for body composition, and RMR testing. This clinic primarily serves University employees, but is also available to the SLC community.

I am still thoroughly enjoying my internship in the University of Utah Sports Nutrition Department. We've started some new projects--including doing weekly football nutrition talks and making plans for hydration testing. Talking to the entire football team before afternoon lifts is a bit intimidating! I am also working one-on-one with a couple of football players who need to gain/lose weight. Soccer talks, cooking classes, grocery store tours, and basketball training table still continue.

I signed up for a 5K at the end of March. Todd's been "coaching" me! I've been doing more miles and also more speed work, which has been going really well so far. Last weekend I went for a snowy trail run and spotted a moose! I was only about 2 miles up the mountain from our house--not even in Park City!

We are heading out of town again this weekend (Saturday through Monday) with Jessie and Brain Strike, friends from church. We are going down to Kanab, Utah, which is just 7 miles north of Arizona. It is a short drive from many national parks, the Grand Staircase national monument, and Lake Powell. We haven't made definite plans yet, but are looking to do a lot of hiking. 

Lastly, I'd like to ask everyone to keep Todd's Grandma Mastbergen in their prayers. She had a heart attack last week Friday and had a stroke on Tuesday. I don't know the latest news on how she is doing, but please pray for strength for Grandma, peace for the family, and wisdom for the doctors. Thank You!