tired and excited

i'm tired.

since i last posted, i have been most focused on studying for the foreign service exam, completing my capstone and "training" for the half marathon i just finished.

all has been smooth, for the most part.

i finished the half marathon (the p.f. chang's rock n' roll arizona), in my fastest time yet (in four tries) and felt relatively decent, especially since afterward i watched the cardinals beat the eagles to go to the super bowl. in training, i did well except for the fact that i did limited stretching which i think led to my lower back muscles getting hurt during a soccer match. after taking it easy the past week and getting a massage and sitting in the hot tub a couple nights, it felt fine during the race - it was my right knee that had the problems.

as for my capstone, i have taken on a lot of responsibility and have a lot of work to do. i know that what i provide to the foundation will be beneficial and as shawn told me the other day, i will leave my mark on all areas of the foundation's programs. it has been fun working here in tempe, and easy, because, as marie told me the other day, "i trust you," which makes all the difference in the work i am doing.

and as for the foreign service exam, i am ready but i still have some reading and preparation left. i need all of your prayers, support, and thoughts as i enter the test in mid-february.

besides all of this, i have still found some time for fun - i attended the fiesta bowl and saw an amazing texas win (and from a nice seat in a box), i've been playing some soccer, i hung out with katie and eric some, and a couple nights i did some reading.

i'm excited.

because now i'm on my way to d.c. to see my little sister's place and enjoy the inauguration - did i mention i got tickets? part of what i'm doing with the foundation is helping them with their new programming, one of which is to fund scholarships for veterans and their families and so i proposed speaking to veterans affairs' stakeholders and thus the d.c. trip. marie and i have several meetings on the days following the inauguration so it will be a busy and exciting time. and after that i will be heading to the city to help haynes' roommates move out and to enjoy my final visit while haynes is there. i might also have meeting with cgiu about another foundation initiative.

see you on the east coast.