One day, just like any other

In the mornings when I walk to school I am treated by the most glorious view. Yesterday morning was so beautiful that it took my breath away. Well, that part could have been from my decision to see if I could pass everyone I saw on the hill...

Looking over the south end of Utah Valley from BYU campus

And, again, a little closer

The majority of the time I have been a grad student at BYU I have shared my office with two other graduate students. This fall one of them graduated and we gained three new students. The office is a bit more full, meaning it is more friendly, and at times a bit more distracting.

Sean Foster, Amalie Kurzer, Reed Taylor, and Steve Adolphsen

Sean did his undergraduate work in Food Science at BYU, went to UNL for graduate school and now has returned to BYU to finish his graduate work.

Amalie makes the greatest faces, I love it

Amalie was my research assistant while she was an undergraduate, basically without her I wouldn't have been able to get as much done.

Reed is a great mentor, and is teaching Steve the ropes of being a TA

Reed and I have been office mates for two years, and we will both be going to work at General Mills in January. Steve got his undergraduate degree from BYU in something like developmental biology; he has been working as a chemist for a nutritional company and decided to come back to school for a MS is food science.

Now that is a great look, I almost blend into the wall

As for me, I am just chugging along to finish my thesis. I defend a week from today and have been hard at work to prepare my manuscript. Today's project, the presentation.