Is It Spring Yet?

There's something about February that gets me itching for spring.  Although technically we still have about two months of winter left (ugh!), I keep hoping to see the snow melting and leaves budding on trees.  I'm just so sick of monochromatic tones, grey skies, and cold temperatures.  I want to be able to shed all the bulky winter wear and run around outside in the sunshine in a t-shirt.  It's also about this time of year that I start to get really antsy.  This year, it's worse than ever.  For the past three years, Peter has spent every spring applying for summer jobs with the forest service.  We've always ended up back in Evanston, Wyoming, but we love that district and the Uinta mountains, and we've had some wonderful experiences working there.  However, this time around is different.  Peter graduates from Utah State this May and he's been applying for permanent positions with the Forest Service across the U.S.  This means in just a few short months I could be packing up everything I own and moving to another part of the country.  It's scary and exciting all at the same time.  It also leaves my future at Utah State somewhat dubious.  I knew I most likely would not graduate from USU when I re-enrolled, but I wanted to get as much schooling done with the time that I had.  Despite the fact that I knew I would probably have to leave beforehand, it doesn't make it any easier.  I've really enjoyed being back at school and I've made some good friends that will be hard to leave.  However, I am confident that all will work out well no matter where we end up, and even if I have to take some more time off from school it may give me a chance to work on some other things such as my art, and finally getting the puppy I have been waiting to get for nearly seven years.  Whatever happens, it will certainly be interesting to see where we end up, and it's a good thing I have school to focus on right now, otherwise the anticipation may drive me crazy.

Other than that, things have been pretty normal.  School and work are keeping us both pretty busy, and we've both been working on our fitness goals.  I've really been impressed with Peter's progress.  He keeps whining to me that he hasn't been losing any weight recently, however, he doesn't notice the changes that I see.  He's starting to get a more triangular shaped upper body and he is slimming down.  He's just focusing too much on the numbers the scale gives him.  He needs to remember that muscle is denser than fat and that scales don't reflect fitness.  So I took some current photos of him and compared them to the pictures we took before we started eating better and working out, and he finally believed that I was telling him the truth and not just being a "nice wife."  Unfortunately, I have suffered some setbacks.  Two weeks ago I caught a cold or flu...not quite sure what it was exactly, but it kept me from working out regularly that week.  About the same time, I started having pain in my ankles that shot up to my knees whenever I ran.  The pain has not subsided over the last two weeks and I have had to stop running and do spinning on a stationary bike instead.  I still get a good workout, but I am perplexed by this sudden pain.  It's not like I received an injury while I was running one day.  I was perfectly fine and feeling great, and then one morning I woke up and I suddenly had leg pain.  It doesn't bother me too much whenever I walk, but running is impossible.  It makes my fitness class difficult because we do a lot of jogging or other high impact workouts.  I feel isolated because of this pain.  I can't workout with my classmates, and I'm self conscious and worry that they're judging me and think I'm just being a wimp.  I know I shouldn't care what other people think of me, but...it's human nature.  We all want acceptance.  Unfortunately, I am supposed to run a 5k with Peter on Saturday, and now I can't.  Instead of running my first 5k, I am going to have to walk it if I can even do that.  I have scheduled an appointment with a doctor on Tuesday, and my hope is that they can tell me what is causing my pain, but it comes too late for one of my goals.  I'm very annoyed right now, to say the least, but I'm not giving up.  Even if all I can do is spin, then that's what I'll do.

Aside from all that, Peter and I also finished our kayaking class this week.  I didn't take to it as quickly as Peter did, and I never managed to do a roll on my own.  I suck at 3-D spatial thinking and I get disoriented when I'm upside down.  I managed to do a roll with some assistance from the instructor, but Peter was already working on doing a roll without a paddle!  That boy is going to be hucking waterfalls before I know it!

By the way, happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Although it's important to tell your loved ones how much you care about them on Sunday, it's even MORE important to tell them how much you love them the other 364 days of the year.