Colorado Awaits!

Well, I figure its about time I update my blog, I don't feel like working on my homework right now, so this is the next best thing. It lets me think through whats going on, and keep a journal of sorts. Life is grand, its been a crazy last semester, but its working out alright so far. I am enjoying most all of my classes. I really like my introduction to literature class. Its been an excellent diversion from my 10 credits of chemistry. My FA 100 class has also been interesting. I've enjoyed most of the events that I've attended so far, its been helpful that I've attended most of them with a good friend, Tess. I've had a lot to do with my chem classes. I'm starting work on my independent labs, in one of them I'm going to determine the amount of nitrite in lunch meat, in the other I'm working on a complicated synthesis of a compound for my professor. They should both be pretty interesting. I may be presenting my research in a research and creative works conference at the end of the semester. I'm still trying to decide wether or not I will do that. I've kept up the trend of going cross country skiing. I've gone the last 4 weekends in a row, all to different places. I went to Grand Teton National Park for one of them, and I also went to Harriman state park with one of my chem professors, and I also went to Mesa Falls and skied all the way to the upper falls with Tess. It made for a great way to relax on the weekends, as well as get some good exercise, skiing about 10 miles most of the days I went. I'm sad there hasn't been more snow in Rexburg, otherwise I would have headed out and skied most days after classes. Its been great to get out on the weekends though.

I guess I should also say that I found my internship. I'll be going to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and working at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. I'll be doing research on developing an assay to test for the presence of T-cells that are attacking the hosts insulin producing cells. I'll be learning a lot of molecular biology techniques and am excited to go and work there. I'll be starting my internship mid may, right after I take the MCAT.

Stress Relievers

This last semester is proving to be a stressful one. I spend 12+ hours a day monday through friday doing homework or going to class, then I have to cut into my weekends to try and get everything else done that I normally have to do during the week. It is a lot of homework and assignments. I guess thats what I get for being a senior chemistry major, and taking 10 credits of chemistry in one semester, its going to be an intense semester. I do make sure I have time for fun though :) This week I had a friend over on wednesday for dinner and just to relax and catch up on our crazy lives. Both her and I are very busy this semester. Friday I had a lot of fun going to the climbing gym with a girl. It was a very nice stress reliever, and made me realize how much I missed climbing. I was sad that I only made it climbing on real rock about 2 times this last summer. I did get to make it to twenty plus states though, as well as kayak quite a bit. So it had its trade offs. On Saturday Aaron wanted to go hike some places and go skiing. I went with him, but took some cross country skis. It made for a good Saturday afternoon/night. I am a little sore from it, but will definitely go again. I also tried his downhill skis. They were fun, I want to try downhill skiing on a real slope. Maybe some weekend I'll find time for that... I'm also hoping I'll be able to go on a winter backpacking trip this winter. I'll see how it goes with school.

I am trying to get an internship in Colorado, and I'm also working on an application for an internship in Taiwan. I hope I can find a good internship that I'll enjoy.

A new Semester, the last to be specific

Well, I've been pretty lax on updating my blog lately. I haven't done much on it for over a month, so I figured its high time I finish updating it, and get going with keeping it updated. I finished last semester, I got a B+ in p chem, which isn't too shabby, I was a little disappointed though, I was .06% away from getting an A- but such goes life. I got an A- in my technical writing class as well, but its over with. The rest were A's. I still have a really good GPA so I don't particularly care. The break was a good break, I didn't work on fixing my jeep, which just hasn't been the same since I flooded it last march (learned my lesson there), I think I'll be looking at buying a new car when I graduate, which will be at the end of this semester (pretty crazy!). I'm still working on getting an internship, and have a goal to spend time studying for the MCAT everyday (I need to get working hard on it!). Its going to be busy this semester though, I have 10 credits of chemistry, spending 12 hours in the lab every week, and still trying to keep up a social life as well as keep grades up. I don't know how things are going with the ladyfolk lately. I still try and go on a date once a week, but its slowed down some. There is a girl I'm interested in, but I don't know quite how she feels. Anyways, thats about it, I don't know what pictures to put up, I didn't take many during the break, but I guess I have some of me and my nieces Katelynn and Claire (at least I know those girls like me :)).

Commitment

No this post has nothing to do with me finding a significant other, more of just my commitment to myself and the future.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about commitment and what it means to me. I have always liked to make informed decisions and know that what I'm choosing is the right thing for me. It took me a long time to decide that med school was the route that I wanted to take. Although it is a hard route to take, It feels like that is what I should do with my life. I have found that the harder something is, the more rewarding it is to achieve it. The more I have to stretch and grow the better things will be. That is partly why I enjoy rock climbing, and why I am a chemistry major. I enjoy the outdoors and would have loved to have taken a different route through college, a route that would have been much easier, but I felt like it would not have been a good application of my mind, it would have been too easy I guess. I live to have commitments.

As part of being committed, I realize that I've made the commitment to go to med school. I need to make choices according to that. I need to fully commit myself and put forth the necessary effort. Commitment is essential in exercising the agency that I have given to me. Commitment is also essential in relationships, but that is another story.

Life is an Adventure

Its amazing the twists and turns that life can take you through. I wouldn't live without it though. Some of the most recent ones have been:

I put another team together for the temple to temple relay. It was a lot of fun. We packed all of us into my old roommate Marshall's 4runner and took off to run to the temple. It was a lot of fun, and I did get quite a bit of sun that day.

Another recent adventure has just been trying to survive my ridiculous life, particularly my class schedule. I'm not taking too many credits this semester, but I'm also working, and trying to have a social life at the same time. Dating can be pretty crazy sometimes, full of its own adventures, and trying to figure things out, all while having fun at the same time. You'd think with how many dates I normally go on, that I'd be a lot better at this than I am. But such is life.

Last week, I also went home and went hunting with Dad and David. It was fun hiking in the woods with Dad, and building a sling out of dad's shoelaces and the leather patch from the back of David's pants. We also had quite the time trying to navigate cliffs to get back down to the truck. But alls well that ends well.

Today I had planned on going mountain biking with my roommate Jon. We went and it was a much needed relaxing day in the mountains. It was good getting out and seeing the beautiful fall colors. I'd driven out there last saturday night, but had missed seeing the scenery.

This week I also submitted a grad plan, and I will be walking in april, and then finishing my degree by completing an internship. Its kind of stressful, since I'll have to take 10 credits of chemistry, and then figure out what I want to do with my life for the next year before I start med school. I've recently purchased MCAT test prep books as well, and that is taking up my spare time. its an interesting point in my life, full of a lot of decision making. wish me luck

Ship Island Lake with Dad

I decided that my birthday present to Dad would be planning and taking him on a backpacking trip to ship island lake. He told me that he had wanted to go there since he was 15 years old, so I'm glad that we were able to make it there. We left thursday morning and made the 5 hour trek to the trailhead. We got to the trailhead around 2 pm and started heading up the trail. It was full of gorgeous views the whole time we were hiking. It was an intense hike as well, since we were following the ridge line of mountains the whole way, full of up and down. We hiked all the way to Wilson lake where we set up camp and cooked dinner.

The next day we went down fish fin pass, which had literally been cut and blasted out of the rock and followed the trail to get to ship island lake. It was a long day hike in, but well worth seeing the large granite monoliths that were at the outlet of the lake. Dad also packed a spinning reel up to the lake, and we caught all kinds of trout, rainbow, golden, cutthroat, and hybrids of all of the above.

We then hiked back to our base camp at wilson lake and headed back to the truck. We ended up hiking about a total of 24 miles in the three days we were out hiking. with most likely at least 6,000 feet of vertical gain thanks to all of the up and down we did on that hike. It was a good time spent with Dad, and I'd love to go back and spend about 4 or 5 days back in the mountains!

New England Pictures

here are some pictures from when I was in New England, I've been pretty busy since I've gotten back, with school starting and with all that that brings. So enjoy! Some are from Quebec, some from New York City, and some from Connecticut.