Ragnar Relay Weekend

Carl ran the Wasatch Back this past weekend with a team from NuSkin. The Wasatch Back is a 178 mile relay race that starts in Logan and ends in Park City. The race has 36 legs, and each member of the 12-person team runs 3 legs. His team ran it in about 29 hours. He had a blast running in it, although he was extrememly tired and sore afterwards. Next on his list of things to do...the St. George Marathon! Crossing the finish line
Team picture after the race

Big Wonderful Wyoming

As I mentioned in my last post, Carl and I drove to Casper, Wyoming earlier this month so I could take the NAPLEX (one of my pharmacy board exams). Typically, a long drive into the inner depths of Wyoming to take a test would not be exciting enough to be blog-worthy, but we took a couple of pictures that I thought were funny. We stopped at Independence Rock and Martin's Cove on the way home and it was REALLY WINDY!! These pictures don't quite do it justice. I had forgotten how intense the Wyoming wind can be at times. It took Carl several minutes to get a good shot of me next to the Martin's Cove Visitor Center sign because the wind was blowing the sign up so you couldn't see it.

There are lots of things that I miss about living in Wyoming. The wind is NOT one of them.

Some Things Never Change

Yesterday I had the chance to see my friend Andrea from high school. Her and her family were passing through town on their way to a family reunion and we met for lunch. Andrea and I have known each other for over 10 years and everytime I see her, even if it has been months or years since the last time we saw each other, it still feels like old times. This is a picture of me, Andrea, and her baby Aiden in the parking lot of the Subway where we met...with the famous Lehi Roller Mills in the background. Aiden did not like me holding him, but didn't seem to mind my presence when his mom held him.Last Friday night Carl and I were in Evanston for a couple of hours on our way home from Casper, Wyoming where I took one of my pharmacy board exams. While there I visited my friend Kristen, another good high school friend. We went to dinner at Don Pedro's, one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants, which was like icing on the cake. I feel spoiled to have been able to spend time with two of my great friends in such a short time.

Weekend in Vegas

It's about time that I update this blog...I thought I would have so much more free time since I finished school but it hasn't worked out that way so far.
The week before last Carl and I went to Las Vegas with Carl's family. Everyone was there and it turned out to be a great weekend. I spent lots of time shopping with my sisters-in-law and found some great deals at the Outlet Mall. Here are a few pics of the trip:

We ate breakfast one morning at the buffet at "The Paris"

Carl playing arcade games at "Circus Circus" with his brother

Family picture taken at a nearby park

Graduation...Part Two

It's been 2 weeks since graduation and I am finally getting around to posting a few pictures...better late than never I suppose. It was a fabulous day and I am very grateful for all of the support I received from family and friends.

Me, Carl, and Carl's parents Art and Karen after the ceremony.

This is Carl and I with Mandy, Nate, my Dad, Cheryl, Mandy, and Grandma Massey.

This is me with Brent, my mom, Izzy, Abby, and Isaac.

My cousin Brooke graduated from the University of Utah the same day as me and my sister-in-law Mandy graduated from Utah State the next day. We had a celebration luau at a park in Sandy after graduation to celebrate our accomplishments. This is Brooke, Carl, and me in our luau attire.

A graduation luau would not be complete without a little karaoke. Abby and Izzy sang "Catch a Falling Star."

Thanks again to everyone for all of their love and support! I couldn't have done it without you!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

My last day of clinical rotations EVER is tomorrow and it is hard to believe that 8 years of higher education are almost complete. The last 4 years of pharmacy school feel like a dream in a way. All of the lectures, exams, late nights, and early mornings are a blur...I wonder if that is a coping mechanism of some sort. Ten years from now I might not remember that if you add a halogen to the ring structure of a TCA it increases serotonin selectivity, but I will remember the good memories (in spite of the stress there were some good times), and the people that I met along the way. Here is a glimpse of the good times:

Disclaimer: This post will likely be painfully boring for everyone in the world except me. I won't fault you if you decide not read further.

My first semester of pharmacy started with the white coat ceremony. Here is me, Carl, and Grandma Darylene afterwards.
The summer following first year I attended a weeklong seminar hosted by the U on alcoholism and drug abuse. I received elective credit for attending and overall it was a great experience. This is me and a few of my classmates on the last day.

Later that same summer I volunteered as a counselor at a summer camp for kids with diabetes (I received elective credit for this as well). This is me at dinner with the girls in my cabin.

The camp was held near Tooele and one day during the week they bussed us into town to the waterpark. This is me with my classmates Andrea and JulieAnn. Julie is one of my best friends in pharmacy school...without her I would likely be in a straight jacket in a padded room somewhere.

During third year I was in charge of organizing the 4th Annual University of Utah College of Pharmacy Easter Egg Hunt for Children with Diabetes (try saying that 5 times fast). Walgreens sponsored the event and the kids and their siblings received lots of sugar-free candy and toys. We had a good turnout, great weather, and lots of volunteer support. This may have been the most stressful endeavor I undertook in pharmacy school, but also the most rewarding.

This is a picture of the kids crowding around the toy table. They received little tickets in their eggs and were able to redeem them here. We also had clowns, magicians, face-paintings, and pictures with the Easter Bunny.

Carl and I attended a random assortment of get-togethers and holiday parties with my classmates. It was always nice to spend time outside of class with my friends from school and their significant others. There were only 45 of us in the program, so after 4 years you get to know each other pretty well. This picture was taken at a Christmas party (I don't recall if it was 1st or 2nd year). We had a gingerbread house contest....

...and a white elephant gift exchange. The box in the middle of this picture contains a live rooster. I don't remember laughing so hard in my life at the expression on the face of the person who opened this box.

We finished all of our classwork last April before beginning clinical rotations. Pharmacy school would not be complete without burning three years worth of lecture notes over a bonfire and then roasting marshmallows over it.

Last but not least, pharmacy school would definitely not be complete without getting together and hitting a pinata representing our least favorite professors (wow! this post makes us all look so violent. I promise it was all done in fun and that we are not a group of malicious future pharmacists! I guess everybody needs to burn off steam once in a while). Phung, the girl in my class who brought the pinata, couldn't find one with a white coat on so an Elvis in a white suit holding a counting spatula had to suffice. This is Jake, my friend who hosted the event (which actually took place last Saturday), holding the pinata. If you ever read this Jake I apologize in advance for posting your picture on my blog but your face says it all.

A group picture taken after the pinata bashing...

Now that pharmacy school is over it is fun to remember the good times. Thanks for the memories!

Graduation...Part One

Carl graduated from UVSC yesterday with his BS degree in Computer Science! What a trooper! He already has lots of plans for his spare time including training for a marathon, building model airplanes, working on his 1954 Army jeep, and becoming a PC (pilot-in-command) with his Guard Unit. It turned out to be a lovely day and we enjoyed spending time with Carl's parents, his brother and sister-in-law Andrew and Jessica, my dad and Cheryl, and my mom. We are all very proud of him.