{"id":5125,"date":"2026-02-14T05:16:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T05:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/family.manandyak.com\/?p=5125"},"modified":"2026-02-04T05:17:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T05:17:46","slug":"spring-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/family.manandyak.com\/?p=5125","title":{"rendered":"Spring 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was my first tax season in my new office–a historic home Jamie and I purchased downtown.  It has infinitely more character and charm than the boring office park we were in, plus I can take walks by the river when I need to stretch my legs. I also set up a good home office so that I could easily get more work done in the evening after I had made dinner.  I arranged for a ride to school for Josef every morning so I could just get up and hit the gym early before work–this did wonders for my mental health!  Josef made his own breakfast and packed lunch home alone every morning and I was so proud and grateful for his contribution to the family well-being.  Auntie Sarah took him to Utah for Spring Break so I was able to really grind out a lot of work during that time.  All of this conspired to make this year quite smooth and manageable.<\/p>\n

On the downside, I somehow managed to tear my meniscus which eventually prevented me from running or climbing which are my two main modes of exercise.  I decided to try and rehab it over the summer and hopefully avoid surgery.  I also was dismayed to have an MRI reveal that I have some significant degeneration of some cervical discs, which conspired to create some pretty miserable nerve pain at times during the spring.  I’m still not sure what I want to (or even can) do about this.<\/p>\n

To celebrate the end of the season, Claire and I spent two weeks in Japan–somewhere I’ve wanted to visit since I was probably 19.  I hope to post pictures of that up here sometime; it really was every bit as amazing as I’d hoped!<\/p>\n

My concert intake continued at its furious pace, as I saw the Wood Brothers, Leon Bridges, and the Outlaw Music festival.  Lake Street Dive were the highlight, but unfortunately both Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson were so supremely past their prime that it was really of more historical interest than musical!<\/p>\n

Josef joined the ultimate frisbee team in the spring and we attended a few meets in Eugene.  He also continued to hit the climbing gym twice a week and take piano lessons.<\/p>\n