Happy Halloween!

Once again it's Halloween and I'm on the sofa in my pjs (remember last year's post?) And once again, I partied like crazy prior to Halloween so I could just sit on the sofa in my pjs tonight. Kyle and I went to the med school post-test/Halloween party last Friday night and had (too much of) a good time. I went as a "Stud Finder"......aka, a 40's pin-up girl with a toolbelt, a hard hat, and lots of leg :-) Kyle went as Capt. Jack Sparrow and I didn't think it was possible, but he looked even taller than his natural 6'5" stature. I think it was the hair. Anyway, we both looked fantastic and had an amazing time.

Of course we spent all of the next day on the sofa, watching the UM game (go blue!) and trying not to move too much for fear of exploding heads and eternal dizziness.

Sunday was another Halloween-type day. We went to a local cider mill for apples, donuts, and pumpkins! Then we headed out to Greenfield Village for their family-friendly Halloween walk. We were surrounded by tykes in costumes and ghoulish decorations and hundreds of jack-o-lanterns. And no Halloween is complete without watching "It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown", which we did while carving our pumpkins :-)

Back to work!

Potomac River

I'm back to my usual routine after my trip to DC, which was excellent. After my meetings during the day I enjoyed spending time with my family and one night I met up with my friend Julia for dinner. It was great seeing a SPH friend!

I took the Metro into Bethesda one day during rush hour and vowed never to do it again. I love the Metro. I think it is a fantastic system for avoiding horrendous traffic....except when you are packed tight, there's "traffic" in the tunnel (turning an hour commute into an hour and 45 minute commute) with lots of starting and stopping, and you suffer easily from motion sickness. Ugh. Needless to say, I drove the next day. But I happily took the Metro for all of my other DC adventures.

The fam is great. I miss them terribly. Dad and I took a walk along the bike trail by Reagan National and I realized how much I miss having an outlet for outdoor physical activity!! Detroit isn't so hot for the walking trails.

Kyle flew in on Friday night and on Saturday the two of us, Josh, and Jess took the Metro in to explore a few museums. Also, Kyle and I had the extraordinary luck to get to go up to the top of the Washington Monument! I hadn't been up there since I was 10 years old (pre-restoration days) and it was worth the wait. Dad met up with us later in the day and we had a huge family feast that night. Ahhh, family :-)

Now that I'm back, work is more frenzied, I have to catch up on my classwork, and I need to figure out what the heck I'm going to do for Halloween! I've been slacking on my costume decision.....

Jess, Josh, and Kyle goofin' off ;-)

On the road

I'm posting from a remote location this week. My company sent me to DC for a few days of training before our big study starts and it just so happens that my training location is only a few miles away from where my family lives. Consequently, I don't see this week as training, but as a little vacation where I get to spend a whole week with the fam. So nice.....

AND next Friday Kyle is flying in to spend the weekend with me and the fam! I just know that this time is going to go by way too fast. Luckily, time in general is going by fast so it won't be long until I see the fam again. :)

Work!

I find it funny. Really. Well no, not really....it isn't funny. I'm frustrated with my job. I love the company. I like my co-workers. I can't stand the apparently "normal" development process of a large study. It's essentially like having 10 very important, very intelligent, and very busy people in the same room and trying to get them to decide on something--just. one. thing. Except that everyone is talking via conference call. No one can make up their mind and once they do, they change it.

As the Project Manager, I'm responsible for the logistics of the study: making sure what is decided on is carried out. Ah, you see my dilemma. I make preparations, work for days on something, then I get the word that so and so changed their mind and we're doing it "this" way now. I'm really good at my job. What makes me good at my job is my attention to detail, thinking through tasks and being thorough. I like timelines, knowing what needs to happen when, how things need to happen. Unfortunately, the traits that make me good at my job also make me prone to endless frustration at how these studies typically run. What I didn't know about large multi-center studies is that people are always changing their minds, nothing is ever set in stone, the details are constantly changing. I can't rely on the study protocol in order to get tasks completed because the study protocol is obsolete 10 minutes after the "final" draft is created.

We're 4 weeks away from launching this large study. I'm freaking out at this point, seeing as how I need to do 4 million things in the next 4 weeks and we're still discussing the details. Aaarrgghhh!! Just to be clear, this is how things typically run. I either need to adapt or find another job! I think I'm doing a pretty good job at adapting.

Luckily, I have a full, lovely life outside of work (why I haven't been updating my blog) that keeps me happy!

Ah, such relaxation!

I really needed it. Kyle needed it more. A weekend to just get away from work and school to just relax. The weekend bags were packed with only t-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits, with a few books that have nothing to do with anything remotely related to our daily activities.

After a trip to the med school post-test party on Friday night we headed up north to the family cabin. The car ride was full of random conversations, crazy moments and lots of trying-to-stay-awake activities. We pulled in around 4 am and naturally got a late start to the day on Saturday--but that's what we were there for! To relax, not worry about timelines, and do whatever the heck we wanted. It rained and stormed like crazy on Saturday, which was actually really nice and peaceful. There was a break in the storm long enough for us to take the new sailboat out on the lake and to get some dinner. After dinner we enjoyed more gazing at the lake, reading..........and ultimately falling asleep while reading. That was me--I just couldn't keep my eyes open! Sunday was a beautiful day and we took the sailboat out again for a trip around the lake. I was very impressed with Kyle's sailing skills and by the end of the weekend he had me sailing, too--well, at least pulling on the right ropes.

All in all it was exactly what we had wanted it to be--an incredibly nice getaway where we didn't have to think about anything at all.

Congrats are in order!

Congratulations to Stephanie and Matt, who became engaged this past week! At a picturesque Oregon waterfall of all places :-)

So over the past few months friends Mary, Gabby, and Steph, and Kyle's friend Andy have all become engaged. Something must be in the water--or maybe it's just that time in life.

On to other news, I've been keeping fairly busy here in Detroit. I've put in an application to volunteer somewhere, I've found a gym to work out at, my apartment is coming together (I found a dinning room table!) and I'm looking into taking a few classes in order to go to nursing school next year.......
Yeah, I know:
1) more school?
2) no PhD??
More school--yes. No PhD--not necessarily. I can always get my PhD down the road, but right now I'm more interested in putting my research skills to good use, while having the ability to help (little) people directly.

Kyle took me to my first Detroit Tigers baseball game last Friday. It was a ton of fun, with a quite impressive fireworks display after the game. On sunday I went out to support him at another mountain bike race--a 20 mile race--and he did a fantastic job. I'll post a pic or two soon.

Right now I need to get back to my laundry and keep on hanging pictures..........

Shedding my skin

I finally have internet at home. I'm starting to amass more things at home, which is good because I gave so much away when I moved that I'm seriously lacking things like a coffee table, or any table for that matter.

My apartment is starting to feel more like home. I have a new sofa. I'm learning my way around Detroit....sometimes it takes a few wrong turns through some interesting scenery....

But I can't help but feel as if my life in Ann Arbor was ages ago. There isn't much left of my life there. Or should I say that I didn't carry much of my Ann Arbor life to Detroit with me? My sister and Josh are in Virginia now, I have a full time job (no longer a student), my social circle is completely different, my lifestyle is different. It's almost like I've shed my skin and I'm starting a new life. Kyle is the only thing in my life that has remained constant over the past few months. Unfortunately for him, that means he's been the go-to-guy for me during this adjustment period. And he is most deservingly showered with love because he's been completely wonderful and understanding when I've become emotional and needy :-)

This is probably reading as if I'm miserable and having a hard time. Honestly, I'm doing great. I'm enjoying my new Detroit life and I love my apartment. I do miss some aspects of my days in Ann Arbor and I miss Josh and Jess terribly, but I handle change rather well.

When I'm not missing my family I'm doing fun stuff with Kyle. We went mountain biking yesterday. He's a champ, having raced competitively (most recently last weekend--see pic below) and yet still willing to go out on the trail with me and my no suspension old-school Specialized mountain bike. I hadn't done any serious riding in over two years! Kyle says that I did I great job :-) It was a 9 mile trail and there were times that I was worn out, but overall I think I did pretty darn good for not riding in a while. For Kyle it was more like a walk through the park ;-)

Other than driving around looking for more furniture, going to work, seeing Kyle, and missing my family, not much else is going on. I'll update more regularly now that my freakin' internet is working (only 3 weeks post move-in)!

Can't post now...

I haven't had internet since I moved into my new apartment (over two weeks now....stupid comcast) so this quick post (on my lunch hour at work) is to say that as soon as I have it all worked out I'll provide massive updates.

hugs,
Janine

Yes, I am still here!

You may think: "Janine's working, she's not in school anymore, so why the heck doesn't she update her blog?" Well, I just have not had the time. The only reason I am updating now is because I'm forcing myself to take a break from packing up my apartment to post a "hello".

In the few weeks since my last post I've finished my thesis, apartment hunted in Detroit, watched the Detroit fireworks from a friend's 20th floor balcony right across the street from the Renaissance Center (basically where the action is), spent a long weekend up north with Kyle and his family for the 4th, and started packing for my move into "the D".

Yes, I am moving to Detroit. I am a little apprehensive, not because of the location, but because I'll be living by myself for the first time in three years. That and I know I am going to miss Ann Arbor's perks. I don't think I'll be doing much running around my new place. But--my office is only 5 miles away, Kyle is 2 miles away, and I got an amazing deal on a one bedroom-loft apartment. It is pretty cool. The sad news is that Jess and Josh are moving far, far away. They're moving to Virginia. At this point I honestly don't know how I am going to spend my days without them around! Josh has lived with me since he was 10 months old. Just the thought of not seeing him every day completely breaks my heart. Luckily for me I have a job, a salary, and a rent payment that won't suck up my paycheck, so I'll be making frequent trips to visit them. Alas, I still fear I am going to be a very lonely girl.......with a huge phone bill.

I've been packing up the apartment this weekend and it's amazing how you think it will only take you a day or two and yet, you spend two days just sorting through crap that's been lying around, trying to figure out if you should keep it, toss it, or donate it. I thought I'd get most of my packing done this weekend and now that it is Sunday night I see a massive mess and very little progress made. WTF? This process sure does help to cleanse the debris from you life, though. I am a reformed pack rat and with every move I toss more stuff that I previously thought I couldn't live without. Like those class notes from high school or the old New Jersey license plate that was on my dad's '87 Jetta. One thing I never throw away on principle are photos. Ooohh, I take that back, I threw one away today. So I have a large U-haul box full of photos, all organized, that I lug around from apartment to apartment; I tell myself each time I move that I'm going to put them in a photo album, but that obviously hasn't happened yet.

I only have 5 days to finish packing, while working 8 hours/day, and 7 days to spend with Jess and Josh before they leave. Unfortunately, work will be extra-busy this week. Our collaborators from the NIH are flying in tomorrow to finalize the details for the study we're conducting, which means that I have a "Team Dinner" tomorrow night, meetings all day Tuesday, I'm skipping out on Tuesday's team dinner, and meetings on Wednesday. I think I can handle it, but I do believe my brain is rebelling. As the Project Manager of this study I am responsible for the logistics of all steps involving our patient population--which means I need to track and take care of over 4,800 people. That's a little mind-numbing. But, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I like to be organized, so it should end up fine. If not, then I guess I'll never work at the NIH ;-)

OK, I've sat still for long enough.......but I'll leave you with some pics from my trip up to Kyle's cabin for the 4th--which was a great time! Me and 11 members of his family went on boat rides, tubing down a river, at TONS of food, and managed to get some sun.

The boys: Kyle's cousin, Kyle, his brother, and his other cousin

Sunset over Lake Michigan by the Charlevoix lighthouse

I'm Back!

It has been quite the hiatus, I know, but I've been adjusting to the daily commute and vacationing--two very good excuses. The days have been going by very quickly and I've been running around doing various things in the evening, so time in general is flying by.

First things first. Kyle and I had an amazing vacation in Northern Michigan. Amazing. We stayed on Mackinac Island at an adorable B & B for one night and went horse back riding and biked around the island. Mackinac is truly unique because they don't allow motorized vehicles of any kind on the island. When we were on our trail ride we saw two huge draft horses pulling a ginormous cart......they were the garbage service! Everywhere you went you saw horses and carts transporting people, cases of beer, store supplies, and garbage. This lead us to wonder: do they have ambulances on the island? What if there is a medical emergency? Granted, the island is tiny (the road that goes around the island is 9 miles long), but still......

Mackinac Horses

Me in front of the B & B where we stayed

Me and Kyle in front of "the arch" on Mackinac

We left Mackinac Thursday evening after a mad dash to catch the ferry and headed into the Upper Peninsula--or U.P.--for a night of camping near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We arrived as the sun was setting and after we put up our tent we decided to make a run for Lake Superior to catch the sunset. Lake Superior was 1.5 miles away down a densely-wooded trail and it was getting darker by the minute, but I put my thoughts of bears and strange mountain men aside and grabbed the flashlight. We passed the "bear-proof cans" on the way to the trail and I remembered the NPS warning about locking all food in your car and not washing dinner dishes anywhere near the campsite.........

We ran the trail for quite some time in order to catch the sunset, and I think it definitely was worth the bear-fear and effort:

Sunset over Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

On the way back to the campsite Kyle sang a bunch of random songs--I thought he was just being funny--but his intention was to keep my mind off of the darkness and unfamiliar trail, and it worked! Such a sweetie.

Both Kyle and I packed poorly. The weather report didn't look too bad and the temperature on Mackinac was perfect. But up in the U.P., with the wind coming off of the lake (yes, those are waves in the picture), my t-shirt, hoodie, old worn-out sweatshirt, topped off with my jean jacket barely cut it. Consequently, I would be wearing these same layers for another 28 hours (with a new t-shirt, of course ;-). Luckily we weren't sweating, otherwise we'd have been a pretty stinky pair.

The next morning our very U.P. campsite neighbors pointed out that we had a flat tire. Crap. Luckily people in the U.P. were incredibly friendly and a guy patched the tire and got us back on the road for only $12! The friendly U.P. park ranger (sense a theme?) gave us a suggestion for the best day hike in the area and we headed out. The day hike was a 10 mile loop within the park that took us by two waterfalls and along the cliffs of Pictured Rocks. The trail started out flat, open, and easy, but once we hit the cliffs it was single track and quite treacherous in places. The ranger's suggestion totally paid off. The loop scenery was gorgeous! After a strenuous 10 mile hike, having hiked/ran for about 4 miles the night before and gone horseback riding on Mackinac, I was exhausted! Fighting-off being cold for almost the entire time didn't help.....but Kyle's trusty Camelbak stocked with lunch, snacks, and water kept us going.

The first of two waterfalls on the hike

The rock at the park is quite soft, leading to beautiful scenes like this one

Kyle on the trail by the cliffs and carved-out caverns

Collapsed rock and the arch it created

Kyle on 'Mosquito Beach'

Mosquito Falls--the second waterfall of the hike

After our hike we left the U.P. to head down to Kyle's family cabin for the rest of the weekend. There we relaxed, ate, went on boat rides, had s'mores, and just enjoyed the time together. I certainly wasn't ready for work on Monday morning--it took about 2 hours for me to get my brain working at full capacity again.

Me at Torch Lake after dinner

It was a wonderful trip :-)

Greetings from Detroit

No time to post now......Kyle and I are heading off to the great Michigan north for a (much needed) vacation. But, work is good, the commute is horrible, having a paycheck is great, everything else is peachy. :-)

Stay tuned.......

The time has come.....

Tomorrow is the day. I venture out into the working-world once again. Actually, tomorrow is a day long orientation to familiarize us new hires with the company and to get us "pumped-up" about working there. They even gave me a brochure about the Orientation. Huh.

Nevertheless, I am excited. The other night I spent two HOURS sorting through my work clothes and ironing all of them. I even cleaned, polished, and waterproofed my good (expensive) heels in preparation for more frequent use. I bought a really nice leather tote/purse, because I believe that I'm supposed to have one as a "working woman".......it was on super-sale.......

Now I just have to adjust to getting up really early to commute. That'll be interesting.

So here's to all of my friends out there who have already started their new jobs, summer or permanent, Good Luck! I, too will be trying to get used to sitting in one spot (my OWN office) for hours on end. And I thought a three-hour lecture was rough........I hope I don't develop a case of "I can't stay in this little room all day with only minimal breaks". Ooohh, or I may have a hard time staying awake--the coffee addiction just might return. Ah, I'm sure the rewards of putting all of that Public Health training and education to good use will be stimulating enough ;-)

Transitioning to "Summer Janine"

Who is "Summer Janine" you ask? The girl who drives a lot (thanks to the new job location), but loves it because she listens to music that she's either discovering for the first time or rediscovering after a school-driven-music-hiatus, the girl who thinks a lot (while listening to music and driving), the girl who goes for lots of runs (because there really isn't much else to do in the summer besides exercise and organize), the girl whose room is really clean all of the time (reference "organize"), the girl who is just peacefully happy.

Happy because I like to think. And my world is pretty much together. And I'm in shape.


The first sign of this transition: I bought "The Fray" CD from itunes and the first thing I did was burn a copy to listen to in the car while I drive. So far, since my commute hasn't really started yet and my car-time has been limited to random 15 minute spurts, I've been listening to it on my computer using headphones (the only way to really listen to a new CD for the first time if blasting it in your car isn't an option). I love it. I believe it will make for a great driving companion. So anyone out there who is interested in good new music (Solomon), check it out!

Tonight I met up with some friends to go to Vinology for the first time. While I can't verify the accuracy of Solomon's Mojito recommendation, all of the wines we sampled were excellent and the atmosphere made for a nice grown-up evening out. AND they gave us all chocolate covered grapes in lieu of after-dinner mints or candies. Excellent.

Tomorrow night will be more hangin' out with friends and some long overdue trivia.

Yes, summer is here. :-)

Free time is good

Graduation has come and gone and with my new-found free time I've been running around and being very productive. I drove into Detroit twice last week for new job preparations and lunch with Kyle. I took Jess out to dinner at the Chop House as a 'thank you' for being a supportive sister during my two years of grad school. And I FINALLY got my car fixed, an oil change, and tires rotated in preparation for commuting every day.

I was able to meet up with friends on Friday night when Kyle and I joined the group for Julia's birthday dinner and to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Hopefully there will be lots more socializing this coming week before people head out to their new locations and ventures.

The great thing about not being in school is that I can enjoy the outdoors more. Jess bought Josh a kite and we went out on Saturday and tried to fly it inspite of very sporadic, and at times, non-existant wind. Oh well, he had a good time regardless.

I'm going to continue to enjoy my time off and try to be as productive as possible before I start work next week......because who knows what'll happen once I start commuting!

Here are more graduation pics:

The Graduate

Me and Kyle
(no, I'm not sleepy--it was an ill-timed blink)

That would be me! And quite a few of my friends, too. Graduation weekend has come and gone and what the frenzied time it was.

The rest of my family: dad, his girlfriend, her kids, and Kyle came in Friday and provided quite the cheering section at graduation. After the ceremony, which I thought was pretty good, we headed out to our dinner spot and indulged in a few pre-dinner celebratory cocktails. It was also my dad's birthday and grandma special ordered an amazing cake--seriously, one of the tastiest treats I've had in a long time. Ah, family. We had a good time.

There was an abundance of activity Saturday as the fam rushed around in final preparations for the graduation party Saturday night. Jillene (my dad's girlfriend) and her sister went above and beyond in the planning of this party and it was a truly beautiful event. Unfortunately, it felt as if my family was gone before I even realized they were here. I miss them already.

So now I'm a graduate. Life doesn't feel much different, but I'm sure everything will hit me at some random moment in the next few weeks when I suddenly realize that friends have gone away and I'm working an 8 to 4 job. Yes, I accepted the job. BUT that doesn't mean that I'm not doing the PhD thing. I have faith that everything will fall into place in due time. In the mean time, while I'm trying to adjust to no homework, no classes, few friends, and a commute, I'll be buying a new mountain bike with some graduation money, revamping my (previously nonexistant) work wardrobe, and patiently waiting for Kyle to finish his first year of med school. How much am I looking forward to the summer? ;-)

There will be actual graduation pics soon, but here are a few from the party:

Kyle and some of the fam

Josh and his great grandpa out for a walk

Some of the party guests

Arrrggghhh!

No, I am not a pirate.

That was a manifestation of my frustration. Apparently the UM email server that 'serves' me is down. It has been down since 1:15 pm today. I am waiting for a very important email. I can't tell if that email has arrived because the server is down. Not to mention a little thing called graduation that is taking place tomorrow -- I found out through a friend whose server IS working that SPH sent out a summary email today regarding the graduation ceremony. Oops.

Can there be any worse timing than now for the server to fail? Don't respond to that.

So if anyone is trying to reach me regarding graduation stuff or the party on Saturday--call me!

OK, so some of this frustration may be due to sleepiness. I'm super sleepy. So sleepy in fact that I had to cut out of a party tonight to come home and go to sleep. I washed and waxed my car today--maybe that has something to do with my sleepiness.......

Regardless of the email malfunction and my inability to function socially at the present time, I'm excited about graduation and seeing my family. Gma and Gpa arrived today and took me out to dinner. Dad and the entourage are arriving tomorrow morning. The apartment is sparkling clean and my car is waxed (so hopefully dad won't freak when he finds out that I hadn't washed it in about a year). I've had free time to hang out with friends since I finished my last final on Monday AND I've come to a conclusion regarding my job/PhD dilemma. But, that news will have to wait for another time......

An offer I can't refuse....?

I had a second interview with a particular local (big) company last Thursday. I think it went well.....well, they offered me the job so I guess it couldn't have gone much better. The rub: I'm still trying to work out PhD funding. And I'm not getting very far. I told my (maybe) future employers that I need a few days to think things over and I hope that's all that it takes to sort out my funding situation. I can't pass up a good job opportunity if PhD funding isn't going to be there! A salary would be nice.....a PhD would be nice, too.

The interview in Detroit meant that I was able to spend some time with Kyle afterwards. Friday night we went to the wedding of two of Kyle's high school friends and the evening was quite the food and dance extravaganza. Of course I forgot my camera, so hopefully pics will be coming from a friend soon.

Saturday was the birthday party for Solomon and a great chance to see friends. Sorry that I couldn't head out to the afterparty-party! Jess and I ended up watching "King Kong" and while I'm not going to spoil anything for particular readers, I'll just say that I was a total girl while watching this movie :-) So be prepared!

Tomorrow is my last final! Family is arriving and I'll be a graduate by the end of the week!

Music selection of the night

I have to share what music I'm listening to right now, well, because I think it's pretty good. Check it out:

Sufjan Stevens: Chicago
His voice on this song reminds me of Ben Harper, only the music is very theatrical and grandiose. I'm a fan.

Gillian Welch: Revelator
Gillian and David Rawlings are geniuses. Even if you don't like bluegrass-esque music, you can appreciate their style and delivery. Beautiful.

Interpol: Untitled
This is good, but I think I'm a bigger fan of the songs off of "Antics".

Dixie Chicks: Godspeed
I know...Dixie Chicks. I don't own the album, just the song. It's a lullaby for her son (I believe) and I think it's beautiful. I'll make a copy for Josh to play at night when I'm not around to tuck him in.....tear.

Is it really over?

Today was my final day of classes as a masters student. Two years certainly has flown by! I graduate in a week and a half and it really hasn't hit me yet. Is there anything to hit me? Yes, graduating certainly is an accomplishment, but it doesn't have the same feeling as my high school or undergrad graduation. Maybe it's because my thesis won't be done until the end of May (that's my deadline). Maybe when my thesis is done I'll feel graduated.

I am definitely excited about my family coming into town for the ceremony. Dad, gma and gpa, dad's girlfriend, her two kids, her sister, sister's husband, and their two kids are all gonna throw me a party! Hopefully Kyle won't be too overwhelmed by my crazy family.....but I'm pretty sure he can handle the unexpected.

Speaking of Kyle, we had a great time celebrating his birthday last weekend. Festivities included competing against one another in a very heated, very close game of putt-putt (I got a hole-in-one!!). But alas, my never-used putting skills failed me on the very last hole and I lost by one.......or did I? It was Kyle's birthday after all ;-)

Josh, Jess and I colored Easter eggs and successfully prevented Josh from:

• drinking the easter egg dye
• submerging BOTH hands in the dye glasses
• any other dye-related incidences

We had a great time and Josh certainly loved it.

Now, what am I going to do with all of this free time on my hands?? Um, prepare for graduation, work a lot, and try to finalize my post-graduation plans. I've been asked back for a second interview for a real, actual epidemiologist job and I'm still waiting to hear about funding for my PhD stuff. Hopefully I hear soon!

Chocolate overload

Happy Easter to everyone!

The benefit of having a 3-year old in the house: an abundance of Easter candy. The downside of having a 3-year old in the house: an abundance of Easter candy. Looks like I'm gonna have to run a few extra miles this week :-)