The Coffee Run

So, not everything that I do at work is related to physical therapy. It seems that everyone I work with is addicted to coffee. Now this is something that I don't really mind because although I do not drink coffee, I still reap the benefits of the weekly coffee run to Starbucks. Little did I know, Starbucks offers a variety of drinks that do not contain coffee or caffeine... they do however contain plently of calories. My current job not only requires me to assist patients with their physical therapy, but I am also required to order 10-15 drinks at Starbucks and manage to have them all safely arrive at the office. In fact, I actually wrap my seatbelt around the cardboard drink holders to ensure their safe arrival. I thought that I would share some of my "non-coffee" favorites:

The Vanilla Bean Frappuccino...

Consisting of iced milk, vanilla bean flavor, and whipped cream (this is my favorite).

The Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino...

This one is VERY chocolately, but it is a yummy dessert.

The Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino...

I love the delicious strawberry flavor. It's kind of like a strawberry shake, but 10 times better.


The Caramel Apple Cider...

This is a yummy holiday treat.


The Pumpkin Spiced Cream....

I have yet to try this one, but it looks very good. I saw it online while I was browsing for these pictures. It consists of steamed milk, pumpkin, cream, and other fall spices.

Our New Home

Well, I finally have my camera... hooray! I know that many of you have been asking about where we are living and how the adjustment has been in gerneral. I am glad to report that I love our new place and we are fortunate to live in a great neighborhood. The ward here is wonderful and Steve and I have met a lot of other couples in our same circumstance. There are also 3 LDS couples that live in our apartment complex which has been really nice. Here is a little tour of our place: Here is our front living room.

The dining area.

I made the cushion for this little bench before we moved and found some organzing bins that fit perfectly in it (that was a headache).

Here is our amazingly spacious kitchen compared to our last apartment.

The master bedroom. We also have a bathroom right off of our bedroom which I really like.

This is outside on our patio/balcony.

The laundry.... I think the magnetic board makes this space kind of fun.

The study.



Here is our guest bathroom... so if anybody wants to come visit, we have plenty of extra room.

Here are a few other pictures that I took before we moved...

Packing everything up... including myself!

Here we are up at Snowbird with my family the day before Steve drove down to AZ.

Freezing Cold in St. George

Well, I can officially say that I completed my 3rd marathon. However, the experience was very eventful to say the least. St. George weather is usually quite warm in October, but this past weekend was filled with rain, wind, and chilly temperatures. Here is a synopsis of the race:


The sky was dark and cloudy...


Mile 1
A black garbage back is handed to me at the starting line as my only shield against the elements.

Mile 3
I realized that this "shield" was contributing to a considerable amount of wind drag.

Mile 4
The black garbage bag is discarded at the aid station in order to improve aerodynamics.

Mile 6
3 minute wait for the porta-potty.

Mile 7
Hunger is starting to set in (that carbo-loading the night before just wasn't enough). I ravenously scarf down a 1/4 banana and a cliff bar which I tore open with my teeth because my hands were too frozen to open the package.

Mile 8
My shoes begin to make a "goooosh" sound as I run because of the pelting rain.

Mile 10
A big hill appears in the distance ahead, but my legs feel strong and run up the increased elevation.

Mile 11
I scarf down another 1/4 banana and a power shot (yuck!). note: a power shot is this weird gooey substance that is supposed to replenish your energy stores. I recommend not trying the coffee flavor.

Mile 12
My right i-pod earphone shorts out from the rain.

Mile 15
My parents meet me on the course and give me a very bright yellow jacket so I don't freeze the rest of the way.




Mile 15.1
I realize my hands are too frozen to zip up the jacket. I ask a random spectator on the side of the road if he would zip it up for me.

Mile 16
Received a rub-down of "icy hot" on my calves from a volunteer at the aid station.

Mile 17
Ingested another 1/4 banana. I-pod headphones are starting to fade from all the rain. Temptations to walk begin to plague me.

Mile 17.2
I meet a girl who begins to walk... I tell her "to keep going" in order to stop myself from doing the same. Denae and I chat for the next 3 miles... the distraction helps.

Mile 20
Another 3 min. wait for the porta potty.

Mile 23
Another 1/4 banana... I will regret all of the bananas later.

Mile 24
My i-pod headphones play a muffled version of "Chariots of Fire"... almost there!

Mile 26
Only .2 miles left to go!

Mile 26.1
A sprint to the finish line!



Mile 26.2
A finish time of 4 hrs. 26 minutes.




Yeah, I think I look just a little exhausted...

Marathon Ready

Well in approximately 4 days, I will embark upon a 26.2 mile run in St. George, Utah... sounds like a lot of fun, huh? Why would anyone want to torture themselves with such a grueling race? I often ask myself that same question.

So, my training started way back in June. At that point in time I couldn't handle running more than 3 miles. Now I can say that I can run 18 miles when it is 85-90 degrees outside (that's a cool morning in AZ). My training has been difficult since the move. Before we left Utah, I could run 15 miles with no problems. My first run here I could barely pull off 3 miles because of the heat and humidity... it was like re-training all over again. Also, Arizona doesn't provide optimal training landsape because it is very flat in the valley. The "mountains" here also look more like hills to me.

This is a picture of the courseHere is the running shoe that will take me all 26.2 miles.

Hopefully, race day will go as planned. I hope to complete the marathon in 4 hours or less . My current personal best time is 4 hr. 16 min. I've had some trouble with my arches, but thankfully my knees haven't given me any problems like they have in the past. One thing I'm most excited about is seeing some of my family who are coming down for the weekend... it's only been about a month and I miss everyone so much. Unfortunately, Steve won't be able to come with me since school is very demanding. It is his birthday on Oct. 3rd and I won't be around to celebrate it with him... be sure to wish him a happy birthday!

Medical School

So, I thought it might be kind of fun to give you a little tutorial of what medical school is like (even though I really have no clue because Steve is the student) and show you some pictures of the campus.

Well, Steve is currently taking his "basic science" classes... although I would not call them "basic" because they really are quite advanced. They also teach you how the sciences are applied in a clinical setting. Right now he is doing embryology, histology, anatomy, OMM (osteopathic manipulation), and biochemistry. I think he has 23 credit hours right now and the semester is only 10 weeks long. He will take these kinds of classes for his first two years and then he will start his rotations for his 3rd and 4th year. His rotations include things like family medicine, surgery, ob/gyn, etc. His day starts with class from 8:00-5:30, a little break for lunch and dinner, and then he usually studies for 3 hours at night. Saturdays consist of about 8 or more hours of studying because all of his exams are on Mondays... yeah, our weekends aren't too exciting.

Midwestern University is a health science graduate school where they only offer graduate programs in the health sciences such as, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physicians assistant, dentistry, occupational therapy, etc. Many of you have asked, "what is osteopathic medicine?" One difference is that when Steve graduates from medical school he will be a D.O. instead of a M.D., but he will be just as qualified to practice medicine like an M.D. So what is a D.O.? Well, here is a good explanation:

"A D.O. is a fully licensed, qualified physician who has graduated from an accredited medical school and passed state licensing examinations. This means a D.O. can specialize in a certain health care area, do perform surgery, and prescribe medication. D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. This means they look not only at your symptoms or your illness, but your body as an integrated whole. This allows D.O.s to treat your illness as well as well as provide outstanding preventative care."

This is a picture of the OMM lab where students learn to do osteopathic manipulation (it is similar to chiropractic manipulations).

Here are some pictures of the campus:

Something to Occupy my Time...

Well, good news everyone... I finally have a job! Although I got this news just yesterday, I already started work today. It felt soooo good to be finally working again. Nothing can make you more grateful to have employment than being unemployed (and I only had to experience it for 4 weeks). So, I am working at Foothills Physical Therapy as a physical therapy technician. After working in busy hospitals for the past 4 years, working in a clinic feels so good. Things are much more laid back and there is actually an adequate amount of staff to do the job well (something you won't find to often in hospitals, except for Primary Children's... they did pretty well with staffing). Another perk is that I am only 1.5 miles away from work!... you can't beat that. The clinic also has a separate business where they do personal training and provide some group fitness classes. So, maybe in the future I'll be able to become involved with that as well. Thanks to everyone for their love, prayers, and support... I feel very blessed.

Here is a picture of the clinic... sorry for the lack of pictures as of lately. As you may know, my camera is still in Salt Lake.

Almost Employed

Well, I had a job interview today and I must say that it went very well. I interveiwed for a physical therapy assistant job at Foothills Physical Therapy. The office is a super short commute from where we live and the hours should be really good (much better than 12 hour nights shifts, holidays, and weekends). The owner, Doug, was very friendly and he seemed highly interested in my resume. He actually said in the interview that although he is only looking to hire someone part-time, he would try to make it a full-time position... I'll just have to wait and see. He also mentioned that I would fit in very well and when I offered to give him some references he said that he didn't need them because he felt really good about the interview. So, I can't say anything is for sure yet, but keep your fingers crossed. I also decided to take the day off from job applications... you can really get a little burned out from it.

As for other updates, Steve is getting very busy in school. He said that there is just sooooo much material to learn. For example, in one 3 hr. lecture he got more information to study that he got in some of his undergraduate classes in 3 weeks! However, he has been setting aside 30 min. to 1 hr. each day for "Cara time," so it isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Our ward here has been great so far. I have met soooo many new people and a lot of women that are in my same position: jobless with a husband in medical school. So far this week I have been to book club, playgroup (even though I don't have children), and tomorrow I am going to an institute class and cooking club. It seems that are ward isn't lacking people serving on the activities committee. Well, our camera comes back in less than a month now, so check back for pictures soon!