First PhD Semester Done

[Chris] Oh boy, how to summarize my first semester? Well, I think that it is fairly in line with what I expected. I’m extremely grateful to my friends and colleagues in the classes ahead of me for that. I think that I managed to balance my life in a near-healthy way, not going too long without riding or running and spending at least a little time with Emily almost every day. A typical week of school work, classes, meetings, and assistantship stuff was probably around 70 hours, plus 4-7 hours of clinical work. This probably won’t be a very exciting post, but if you care to know what I do, I’ll try to summarize it quickly.

Better video of speech

Click here: http://vimeo.com/31315523

MA Commencement Speech

Click here... http://vimeo.com/30313985

PhD: 4 weeks done, 200 to go

[Chris] Is that it? Only 200 weeks left? Of course, that assumes I get it done in four years. Well, so far it's all going well. I really enjoy all of my classes, am working on building my private practice, and am working on a paper to submit for publication. The program is a great fit for me and I'm definitely happy about my choice.

I've actually been pleasantly surprised at my work-load. I work from 7am to 11pm a few days each week but I have been able to take one morning off each week and don't work too hard on the weekends. In large part, this is due to working for very flexible professors for my research assistantships. There are also a few large projects that will crescendo near the end of the semester. But at least for now, it's all pretty smooth.

My Other Blog

On my website for my private practice (www.CJMtherapy.com) I have a blog that I try post on every Sunday. The topics are almost always related to therapy, relationships, and mental health. Some posts are more informative than others (i.e., sometimes I take time to write something good and sometimes I post for the sake of getting something up). In any case, I could always use more traffic at my private practice's site (it helps Google know I matter)- so check it out once a week, or once a day, or more.

Backpacking below the smoke in MT 2011

[Chris] This is a trip I took with my cousin, Steven, in August 2011 to the Bob Marshall Wilderness and surrounding areas in Montana. Emily and I did a trip on the west side of "the Bob" in 2010 and Steven and I did another trip in MT in 2010 as well. I have not written about those trips yet as Emily and I are trying to work through our trips somewhat chronologically. In any case, I just got back a week ago so I thought I should write about this while it is fresh. It will be short and sweet.

As I wrapped up my last semester for my Masters program and geared up for my Doctoral program, I thought it would be a good time to get away for a bit- not to mention the added stresses of this last year and a half. Steven and I decided drive out to the Bob and do a little backpacking and fly fishing. We planned a loop that would take us past some of the more popular features of the Bob, namely the Chinese Wall.

Drowning doesn't look like drowning

I guess it does look like drowning...because it is. What I mean is that is doesn't look like you might expect it to look. Listen to this... "of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening" (article).

Here is a great article about what to actually look for and be aware of around the water: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Backpacking in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

[Chris] A backpacking trip Emily and I did in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in 2008. We think it is definitely a place you should check out.

In 2008 we packed in a number of trips and adventures. After a week at the Galvin family reunion (Em’s mom’s side), we stopped for a backpacking trip in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the Superior side of the U.P. in Michigan. This was an easy-going, on-trail trip with spectacular scenery. We had a little more experience going into this trip than we did in the Grand Canyon. We also had some new gear, including a backing stove (MSR Simmerlite) that boiled water a little more efficiently than my home-made fuel-tablet stove.

We started this trip at the trailhead to chapel rock and would cover 30 miles over 4 days. We saw quite a few day hikers at the beach by chapel rock but would only see a few people over the middle two days. Chapel rock is one of the many amazing rock formations along the lakeshore. On the top of the formation is a tree with massive roots that span the gap between the neighboring cliff. From chapel rock we headed east along the tops of the cliffs toward 12-mile beach. It was on top of these cliffs that our trip almost ended in disaster.

A short story about a girl who smiles

Let me tell you a short story- a story about a girl who knows pain intimately and still smiles.

This girl was born into a family that had tragically lost a daughter at 9 months old to cancer, but they were moving on- the doctors said this was a rarity. But alas, this girl didn’t know a normal childhood—whatever that is—past her second year when her big brother was diagnosed with brain cancer as well. She remembers laughing with her brother, hiding in his closet, playing with him and his friends, and being protected by him- because that’s what big brothers do for their little sisters. She also remembers him being sick. She remembers that he loved strawberry shakes in the hospital and that he wore bandanas to cover his head, which was absent of hair and skull from chemo and over a dozen surgeries. She remembers that in spite of all this, he just didn’t like needles- and neither does she.

Working and playing in Europe

[Emily] I’m reflecting on my trip to Europe (May 2011) as I sit in my hotel for my last night in Paris. What a crazy trip this has been! It was exciting, challenging, fun, stressful, and amazing all at the same time.

I got the opportunity to travel for work; Carlson has ownership in a hotel company called Rezidor and a travel agency called Carlson Wagonlit Travel. The international tax team at Carlson files the US tax returns for these entities and their subsidiaries. With a co-worker, Liz, I spent four days working in Brussels, Belgium which is the location of Rezidor’s headquarters. Then we spent a week and a half working in Paris, the headquarters of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. We spent time working on tax returns, having meetings, and—the fun part—lots of “networking”. On a normal work day, we woke up at 6am and did not return to the hotel until 11pm. Even though I was tired at night, it took me about a week to adjust to the seven hour time change so I would often wake up in the middle of the night and feel like it should be daytime.

BWCA: really, really cold, and really, really dark

[Chris] This post recounts my second winter trip to the BWCA with my friend, Jake. This trip was in the middle of December, 2010. I could probably just say that it was really cold and really dark and leave it at that, but I’ll give a few more details…

Our first trip to the BWCA was a lot different than this trip (read the post from the first trip here). Seriously though, it was a lot different. Instead of packs, we took homemade pulks; instead of sun and warmth, we had 16+ hours of darkness and subzero temps; instead of having to walk through a foot of standing water from melted snow, we had to walk into blistering winds; instead of only wearing a light base layer, we had to keep every inch of skin covered and often pulled our hats over our eyes when walking into the headwind. We started out on Brule Lake for this trip and headed west.

I should back up a bit. We drove up north on a morning that was -27 degrees in Ely. When we got to the final turn toward Brule Lake we learned that the last 5 miles of road to the lake are unplowed in the winter. We drove the jeep over the snow bank and made it about 20 feet before we came to our senses and decided that another 4 miles and 5260 feet would be too risky of an endeavor. So, we started our day with a 5 mile walk to the entry point. After the drive up and unplanned additional trek, we only made it a short ways on the lake before we had to stop and set up camp. When I say “stop to set up camp” you may be thinking it’s evening, and maybe it technically is evening, but I’m saying we had to stop at 3pm since the sun set around 4pm. That makes for a short day of moving.

3-day adventure race: 335 miles and 2hrs of sleep

[Chris] I'm currently having an academic writing block, so I thought I'd write about the 3-day adventure race my team did in the summer of 2010 in and around Black River Falls, WI. It may not be surprising, but it is kind of difficult to keep track of the details in chronological order--I guess 3 days without sleep will do that to you--so I'll do my best to recount the miles and the hallucinations. 

Me, Will, Paula, Pete

This would be my first multi-day race; up to this point I had only done races between 8 and 30 hours long. My teammates Paula and Will had both competed in multi-day races before but this would also be the first multi-day for Pete. The four of us had all raced together before and we seem to get along fairly well, which is obviously important during long races.

Our experience with grief and loss

[Chris] This is something I wrote a little while ago but still summarizes many of our emotions and experiences. If you don’t know the general background of Emily’s health and family history, probably read this first: Em’s Health Background.

A few years ago we learned that all the cancer in Emily’s family was due to a rare genetic disorder, Li Fraumeni Syndrome, which predisposes a person to any type of soft tissue and some other cancers. We decided Emily should be tested for the disorder so we knew what screening, if any, she should begin as a result. The test came back positive and so began our ongoing experience with grief and loss.

BWCA: snowshoes, otters, and falling through the ice

This is a summary of a snowshoe trip to the BWCA with my good friend, Jake, in March of 2009. We also went more recently in December of 2010, but I thought I should write about these in chronological order, even if the rest of the blog is more haphazard.

[Chris] Emily is fantastic, but she apparently has no interest in winter backpacking (yet). Jake and I talked in the fall about a winter backpacking trip but our free time did not align until March. I always like trips with Jake. He can take care of himself, never complains about a little pain, and is always willing to push the pace if we need. I don’t know if these things are because he’s a Marine or if he decided to join the Marines because of these things; it works for me either way. Emily is baffled that Jake and I are perfectly content talking or not saying a word for hours.

We drove up to Snowbank Lake and headed straight across the lake, avoiding the winter-use trails. Within an hour we were breaking trail and we wouldn’t even see a sign of people for the next few days. The first night was the coldest of our trip and we slept in a snow cave dug out of a 6-foot snow bank. We saw some beautiful sights, snow-covered waterfalls, moose tracks, otter tracks, and quite a few otters. As I’m writing about the otter tracks—foot prints from bounding through the snow and then sliding on their bellies—the Lupe Fiasco song keeps playing in my head… kick, push, kick, push, coooasssssst. We saw otters playing in the open water by inlet streams where the water stays open all winter and one curious otter poked his head up through the snow beside the trail about 20 feet away from us before retreating to his subnivean playground.

Update on Em's health

A brief health update...

[Emily] What a crazy year this has been! If you don't know what has been going on, read this. I am thankful that things are finally starting to settle down a bit. I would still say that I am in recovery mode from my surgery in August. I had re-constructive surgery in February and I am relatively happy with the results. Pain in still in issue, but I am getting stronger every day. My doctors feel confident that they removed all of the breast cancer but will continue to watch me closely. I will continue to have a myriad of doctor’s appointments and scans watching for any other kind of cancer as well. If I may be honest, this has truly sucked, but I am so grateful to have the awesome support system of my husband, my family, and my dear friends. I will write a more detailed narrative of my journey in the near future. If you or anyone you know has had cancer, then you know that it is a challenge mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and obviously physically.

Please pray for my mom who is continuing to battle it out with pancreatic cancer. Thanks!

The time we were rescued

A short account of a small adventure in Phoenix shortly after our wedding...

[Chris] Before going to the Grand Canyon we went hiking as often as possible to get our bodies ready. (If you read our account of our Grand Canyon trip you know that, apparently, Emily's body didn't get the memo.) One of these hikes was a last minute, late night hike up one of the foothills in Phoenix near the Loop-101. There was no trail and it was just us and our flashlights.

There is something about being out late at night that is soothing. Nobody else was around, the lights of the city illuminated the sky to the south, and a cool breeze rolled away the warmth of the day. As we scrambled over rocks we talked about the upcoming trip and our respective days' events. Occasionally we stopped and enjoyed the view of the neighborhoods, mountains, and city lights.

After not long we reached the top, walked around to see the views in each direction, and sat enjoying each other's company. We started back down and noticed the lights of a firetruck off in the distance.

"Hey Em, wouldn't that be funny if they were coming for us?" (Technically, I don't think we were supposed to be out there.)

"Ha!" Long pause... "Chris, they did turn this way."

[Nervous laughter] "Oh, crap."

Backpacking in the Grand Canyon

This was our first backpacking adventure together, Emily's first trip ever and Chris's second. We had got married a few months earlier on New Year's Eve and were living in Phoenix. We both agree that to really see the canyon, one has to see the canyon from the bottom. The following account is based on our journal entry for the trip...

Spring break 2006

[Chris] Like typical college-aged spring breakers, we decided to travel to the chilly AZ north and do a strenuous trip into the Grand Canyon. The weather for our trip was not typical. The night before we started backpacking we drove up from Phoenix and hit a snowstorm by the time we got to Williams. I being a good Minnesotan and us always looking for increased levels of adventure, were excited by the snow. The significance of the storm set in a bit more when we passed the snowplow in the ditch. There is just something particularly amusing about a big, orange truck meant to tame the snow sitting sideways in the ditch with tiny emergency lights blinking shamefully. So we smiled, popped the Jeep into 4-wheel, and continued our drive as the bumper threw powdery snow into the air on both sides of the Jeep.

Why the blogging?

There are a few reasons we decided to start this blog.

(1)Primarily this is for us, even if nobody reads it we will find it a valuable exercise in documenting our adventures.

(2) There are a number of things that are constantly changing in our lives that people often ask about. The primary topic of questions is Emily's health. If you are not aware of Emily's recent health happenings, you can read this. We will try update any new health information as it occurs, but if there is nothing new on here, you can assume things are business as usual (usual for us at least). We will also post education and career updates as we have them. This is not to say you can't still ask us questions; we aren't bashful or offended by questions.

(3) Chris is starting his PhD in September (2011) and will have little to no free time during the school year. This blog will serve as a gentle reminder to Chris that there is life outside of school and that wilderness adventures await each coming summer.

(4) We have had some great adventures that we want to make sure we document and remember. We have kept a journal of these adventures and thought we might as well share them with others. Maybe they will give you trip or gear ideas, encourage you to go backpacking or do an AR, make you laugh, or make you cry (not really).

PhD Adventure

[Chris] I was recently accepted into the PhD program in the department of family social science at the UofM. I will be specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy, which is what I have studied for my MA. I am particularly interested in trauma and, specifically, systemic interventions for mass trauma and general models for understanding traumatic responses. I spent about a year preparing my application, volunteering, getting a book review published, and meeting faculty. The program will take at least 4 years and will most likely kick my butt, but I'm really excited!

As a side note, my brother was accepted into med school at the UofM and we will both be starting September, 2011. My running joke is that our wives can support each other during the years we have given our lives to school, it's probably not funny.

Em's Health Background

[Chris] For anyone who might not have known the details of Em's health over the past few years, here is a short catch-me-up...

Before Em was born, her 1yo sister, April, died of a brain tumor. When Em was 7yo her 16yo brother, Adam, died of bone cancer he had developed from a brain tumor found when he was 10yo. Em's mom has had two types of breast cancer, lung cancer, and is undergoing chemo for pancreatic cancer at the time of this post. A couple of years ago we found out that this is all because of Li Fraumeni Syndrome and found out that Em also has this genetic mutation.

As a result, Em has dozens of appointments and screenings every year so that we can catch anything that develops at an early stage. A few of these screenings revealed that she had a tumor in her breast in the summer of 2010. The doctors said they didn't think it would be anything but it turned out to be a malignant phyllodes tumor. Because of the risk of this tumor returning and her risk of developing a future breast cancer Em, myself, and the doctors agreed to do bilateral mastectomies. That surgery was in August of 2010. Em was in the hospital for a week, has no memory of the first three weeks at home, and then began the long process of recovery and reconstruction. I'll let her write about that, but suffice it to say, it's not quick or easy.

She is healthy now but we never get away from it, cancer is part of our lives. We are constantly reminded of this by her ongoing screenings, her mom's health, and our discussions about having kids (we would have a 50/50 chance of passing it on to kids we had naturally). This is one of our ongoing adventures; it has occasionally beat us down but we are stronger and closer because of it.

Lord James Byrce writes on American haste

[Chris] I heard this on a documentary... good stuff:

“Gentlemen, why in heaven’s name this haste? You have time enough. No enemy threatens you. No volcano will rise from beneath you. Ages and ages lie before you. Why sacrifice the present to the future, fancying that you will be happier when your fields teem with wealth and your cities with people? In Europe we have cities wealthier and more populous than yours, and we are not happy. You dream of your posterity; but your posterity will look back to yours as the golden age, and envy those who first burst into this silent splendid nature, who first lifted up their axes upon these tall trees and lined these waters with busy wharves. Why, then, seek to complete in a few decades what the other nations of the world took thousands of years over in the older continents? Why do things rudely and ill which need to be done well, seeing that the welfare of your descendants may turn upon them? Why, in your hurry to subdue and utilize nature, squander her splendid gifts? Why allow the noxious weeds of Eastern politics to take root in your new soil, when by a little effort you might keep it pure? Why hasten the advent of that threatening day when the vacant spaces of the continent shall all have been filled, and the poverty or discontent of the older states shall find no outlet? You have opportunities such as mankind has never had before, and may never have again. Your work is great and noble: it is done for a future longer and vaster than our conceptions can embrace. Why not make its outlines and beginnings worthy of these destinies the thought of which gilds your hopes and elevates your purposes?”

Viscount James Bryce, The American Commonwealth, with an Introduction by Gary L. McDowell (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1995). Vol. 2. Chapter: chapter 121: The Temper of the West (Bolding of text added)

http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=697&chapter=188503&layout=html&Itemid=27