Update: January

2010 is already flying by here are some highlights from January:

Steve did well in the last three World Cup races, clinching the 2010 4-man World Cup Title! He currently ranked #1 in the World and leaves for Vancouver next week! Opening Ceremonies are on Feb 12th, and the bobsled events start on Feb 20-21 (2man) and Feb 26-27 (4man).

I got back into the swing of things with work and school. This semester is turning out to be really busy! I am working on some more complicated issues that are going to be sent to the MWC and the NCAA, which is really exciting and a really great opportunity!

I've been on a really great diet, Nutrisystem, and working out with my good friends and I have lost 16 pounds so far this month! I am excited to keep on this path :)

Due to some complicated circumstances, I also moved out of the apartment that I shared with Cassie. It's a long story and doesn't need to be posted on the internet, but I think that this was the best resolution to the problems, hopefully everything will work out in the end :)

February is a busy and short month so it't not likely that I will have time to post again until the end of the month but hopefully I will get Olympic updates in!

A Year in Review: 2009

January
2009 started with Cassie's brother Matt's wedding in Midway Utah. It was a beautiful day which ended in dinner with friends and learning what our personalities were! I also started the year entering my second semester of law school, taking the seminal classics: Criminal, Constitutional, and property law. I felt a like I knew a little more of what was going on, however I wouldn't know how well I did until midway through the month... This month brought the 50th birthday of my dad! I was still working at the UOP doing Winter Comet bobsled rides, and getting ready for World Cup in February...

February
Began with my 24th birthday, celebrated with friends, and at the Revelli's :) I also met a great guy in February during World Cup. I met Steve Holcomb (he drives bobsled USA 1, otherwise known as the NightTrain), we went out that night and became good friends over the course of the year. I can't wait to cheer him on in another month during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver! More work occurred in Feb, and the semester was half over! I also got a job for the 2009-2010 school year this month. I was hired as the Graduate Assistant for the University of Utah Athletics Office of Compliance! I was really excited but little did I know what this job would bring!

March
Cassie's 23rd birthday, as well as her brother's Bryce and Adam and Adam and Steph's wedding anniversary. Cas and I also went to St. George for Spring Break. We stayed at the Johnson's awesome house down there (thanks Johnsons!) and we went to Vegas for a day to walk around the strip, gamble a little and shop of course :) Steve ended up winning the 2009 World Championships for 4-man bobsled. This was really awesome not only because it was the last race before the Olympic season but because the US hadn't won a gold in 4-man bobsled in EXACTLY 50 years! He was in town again for sled testing at the end of spring break and then he headed out until October :(

April
Was a great month in the Smith family... Josh turned 22, and most importantly, he graduated from Drug Court! I was so proud of him because we'd been through a long hard battle with drug court and he grew so much during that time, I can't even adequately explain it! This meant that he could move out of the state of Utah and didn't have to take multiple drug tests every week! Mom came out to celebrate his graduation, while I was in the middle of finals...

May
I finished my first year of law school! I went back to work at the UOP, because of my lack of ability to find a law related job... Tia Masters Nelson becomes my partner in crime in the Comet Store and begins her tenure as my life coach :)

June
At the end of May-beginning of June, I went to Michigan to hang out with one of my best friends Emily! We hung out and went out all around Ann Arbor. It was weird to be in Ann Arbor, it made me feel really old, but it was great. I love that place and always will :) Em and I also went to Coldplay! It was an amazing concert and was such a great experience :) I think we are going to try to make this an annual event, we love us some Chris Martin! After that I worked the month away at the UOP...

July
I worked mostly at the UOP, but a friend from Michigan who graduated from Utah Law in the spring emailed me and offered me an interview at her firm, doing review of some documents for a case. I jumped at that opportunity and started working at Stirba and Associates the last week in July. We also had a Compliance retreat, and I learned more about my new job for the school year!

August
Worked a lot at the firm and realized how awesome it is going to be when I am practicing law! Lawyers make bank, people :) School started the last week of this month. One of my best friends Alyssa Johnson, became Alyssa Kaldahl on August 15

September
I started my new job at the Athletic department and realized that my new boss was pretty much my soul mate! We love the same things and have the same opinion on most things, you really don't want to get us going because we are a little crazy when we are together! I think that Kate's boss, and my other boss, Kyle, realized that we are a force together and man can we get stuff done :) Another one of my friends got married, Angie Bastian, became Angie Fairbanks, on September 12

October
Bobsled season started on October 1 and Steve was in town for Team Trials (he didn't have to race because he won the world championships so he gets a bye onto the Olympic team). He had to entertain the Sega execs that were also in town so we got to hang out when he was done schmoozing :) Over fall break I went down to St. George with some friends to go see Aida at Tuachan, and outdoor theater in Southern Utah. It was amazing! Such a great play and a fantastic atmosphere... Not bad company either! Micah turned 2!

November
Was a very busy month! It seems like every weekend there was something going on! Park City hosted the first World Cup of the year, I thought up a new way to stop skeleton sleds, and won over the hearts of the skeleton jury. I met lots of new people and I want their jobs :) Steve didn't do so well in PC. He took 4th in the 2 man and 7th in the 4 man. After Park City the NightTrain headed to Lake Placid and they did way better, Steve won the 4 man and took 2nd in the 2 man... The bigger story of Lake Placid was our friend John Napier placing 1st in the 2 man and 2nd in the 4 man, increasing his chances of going to the Olympics! Way to go Napes!! Of course New Moon came out this month! And we went to my Great Grandmas for Thanksgiving (See pictures in previous post). After thanksgiving I pretty much had a mental breakdown because I was 100% unprepared for the end of the semester!

December
I am half way through with law school! I got one of the best Christmas presents EVER from my boss! An entire basket of purple princess goodies!! I can't even wait to get back to work and enjoy my presents :) Including business cards that describe me as the "Intern Princess" which by the way is SO true! Spent 3 weeks in Florida and Mississippi with my family. My dad renovated two closets in my grandpa's house to make one big pantry, and he loved it! I helped paint and got it all over, including in my hair! My good friend Tia had her baby on New Years Eve, they named him Nakoa Blue Nelson! He is so adorable and I can't wait to go meet him! Also Cassie's brother Matt and his wife Rachel had a baby, her name is Majia Ciara Revelli, because she was born on Cassie's sister Ciara's birthday! Steve did very well this month in Italy and Germany, he placed 1st, 1st and 2nd, in 4 man and did equally well in 2 man! Can't wait for the last three races of World Cup and the OLYMPICS!

I can't remember what month it was but I skated in an Ice Show with some of my friends that I skated with in High school! It was so much fun!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was really fun! I flew down to Memphis and my mom picked me up and we spent most of our time in West Point, Mississippi, where my great grandparents live. Here is what we did in pictures :)

We chatted outside with our cousins...

Played dolls with Jameson and Bentley...

Wrote letters to Santa (Katie is working hard)!

Took family pictures of course :) Gibbs Clan (-Frank)

Got down with our bad selves (Burkley Ann)

Ran outside with sticks (Weston)

And of course there was some football played... (I think Ray might be cheating...)

Grateful

This is probably going to be a super sappy post but I am warning you now... I have been thinking about the truly wonderful people in my life and I just thought that they deserve a little Internet shout out, in no particular order I am incredibly grateful to the following individuals:

Tia Masters Nelson: for being my life coach and telling me the same thing over and over until I finally understand, or open myself up enough to really listen to what you are saying. I think that eventually I would get to the place that you tell me to get too on my own, but its much easier with someone who can tell me exactly what I need to hear in a way that I will listen. I am so thankful that you came back into my life and I cannot even begin to express how amazing of a mother you will be. If it is even half of the "big sister"/friend that you have been to me that is one lucky ninja :)

Kate Charipar: my second life coach :) I can't begin to say how awesome you are and how much you have taught me in the last few months. I am so happy to have found my soul mate ;), we are so much of the same person that I think Kyle gets jealous that he can't be in on the fun... One day we will dominate the Compliance world and rule with glitter, rhinestones and tiaras...

Kat Abke: my life mentor (yes I am that complicated that I need two life coaches and a life mentor) I am grateful that Kat is still not annoyed that I am following her in every life step. Undergrad Sport Management major at Michigan: CHECK; University of Utah Law School: CHECK; Stirba and Associates: CHECK, next step is up to Kat...

Alyssa and Meaghan: my workout buddies and oldest Angelzz friends! I am so thankful that we can get together and kick each other's butts, because I know that I would have quit p90x by now if it weren't for you two! Thanks for the motivation and the happy smiles early in the morning, you guys are the best and I am so glad that we have become close friends again!

My parents: who are always supportive of any stupid idea that I have and are more supportive of the non-stupid ideas! I am grateful that they still semi-support me in my "old" age...

FIBT Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup

I am trying to get the word on through all my social media sources... So here goes the schedule can be found here: http://www.olyparks.com/uop/events_calendar.asp

Come see people like this:
The Night Train: 2009 4-man Bobsled World Champions
Driver Steve Holcomb is from Park City


and...
Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton slider from Orem!

Synchro Skating Worlds!

Not many people know that I was a synchronized figure skater for 10 years and I still do some choreography with my friends I used to skate with who have small teams. So anyway, I high school skating was my thing, I didnt spend too much time at school so my high school friends are the ones that I skated with. We are all getting older (most of us are married and some have kids) and we dont really get together as much as we should! When I was off skating at Michigan, we used to have a bi-annual reunion, one at Christmas and one over the summer.

Anyway, Synchro Worlds are in Colorado Springs, CO this year and we all decided that it would be fun to go! I can't tell you how exciting this is, (1) because Worlds is AWESOME and (2) because we all get to go together. Colorado Springs holds special signifcance for me because that is where I started skating, and where I competed at my first Nationals (with the Ice Angelzz) and my last nationals (with Michigan Collegiate)...

All there is to do now is wait until April!

Here are some pics of when I skated the first one is at nationals my Senior year (I am in the very front line (of 3) farthest right)


And this one is from Nationals my Junior year, I again am in the front :) (that is my "yearning" face and arm :))

Halloween

This year I was a bee for Halloween, here are the photos :)