Abraham Roe, of Murray, creates bubbles outside the Utah State Capitol after the first day of the 2020 legislative session Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

In my past experience, January is typically a quiet, uneventful month that seems to ease things out of the holiday lull and into the new year. However this year, January was startlingly dense with assignments, and kept me running from day one.

My knees may be much stiffer than I think at 26-year old's knees should be from kneeling, sitting cross-legged, and getting up and down with a lot of gear, but I am quite happy with how 2020 began. Things were often fast-paced and a bit hectic, but January brought quantity as well as quality in terms of assignments. The new legislative session began at the capitol, the Sundance Film Festival brought the hustle, bustle, glitz, and glamor of Los Angeles to Park City, new projects began within the newsroom, and prep and college winter sports have hit their stride, with postseason tournaments to follow soon in February. The variety of assignments was also prime in January, with more news events sprinkled into my usual helpings of sports, features and portraits. All in all, I estimate I took 30,000 photographs in the past month. I often say I'd rather be struggling to find free time at work rather than searching for something to do, but I had my work cut out for me last month, and I think things will only bet busier as things accelerate from now through the spring before mellowing out in the summer.

This is also my first January doing things alone in the photo department. When there's half as much help, things feel more than twice as intense, especially considering other departments within the newspaper continue to slowly shrink and more duties add up for everyone. However, I feel that some of my best strides have resulted from this pressure, in that it has helped me to better manage my stress. There's certainly plenty of room for improvement, but I feel myself not letting things get to me as often, and as a result, I am feeling happier as a person little by little. My personal and professional lives feel much more fulfilled when I can look past the shadows and see the sunshine beyond.

For now, I will try and more earnestly make some time for myself. I'll need some extra stamina for the sports bonanza that I suspect February will hold.

Utah guard Jaxon Brenchley (5) celebrates along with his teammates on the bench after he scored a three-pointer in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

Wasatch’s Brock Lloyd is held down by Bonneville’s Nicholas Goucher as they wrestle in the 182-pound weight class during the 5A Dual State Championships held Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, at Mountain View High School in Orem.

Festival-goers pass by the Egyptian Theatre during the second day of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in downtown Park City.

Posters promoting films cover a kiosk along Main Street during the second day of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in downtown Park City.

Yani Gellman, of Toronto, Canada, hands out fliers promoting the short film “Greetings, From The Planet Krog!” during the second day of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in downtown Park City.

Dr. Michael Joner, director of the West Mountain Observatory and a research professor of physics and astronomy at Brigham Young University, poses for a portrait Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, at the planetarium in the Eyring Science Center on the campus of BYU in Provo. The observatory opened in 1981, when Payson and Spanish Fork were still small towns. Utah County has seen tremendous growth for the last few decades, with the U.S. Census recording 368,536 people in 2000 versus an estimated 622,213 people in 2019. Joner said he’s seen more interference at the observatory from random light from Payson than anywhere else in the county.

Members of the Riverton Character Drill Team perform during the UHSAA 6A and 5A State Drill Team Semifinals held at the UCCU Center on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in Orem. Over the course of Tuesday, 32 schools competed between the 6A and 5A semifinals in three categories: drill, dance and character.

Paul Miller, of Orem, explains how to use an app to help individuals sign a petition during an organizational meeting concerning a citizen referendum to reject a property tax increase in Utah County held Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at the former site of Last Course Dessert Studio in Orem.

Utah Valley University guard Jamison Overton (2) is consoled by guard Bradley Kitchen (20) as a timeout ends and the Wolverines trail by a few points with just a few seconds left in a game between the Utah Valley Wolverines and the California Baptist Lancers held at the UCCU Center on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, in Orem. The Lancers defeated the Wolverines 65-61.

Hudson Duckworth yawns as he’s held by his mother, Emilee, on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem. According to the hospital, He was born at approximately 1:40am on New Year’s Day, and was the first baby born in Utah County in 2020.

Kim M. Smith, leader of the Utah Deaf Hospital Rights movement and president of the Utah Association of the Deaf, poses for a portrait Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, at Alta View Hospital in Sandy. Hospitals nationwide have begun using video remote interpreting, or VRI technology, to fulfill the “reasonable accommodation” portion of the American with Disabilities Act. However with small screens, unreliable Wi-Fi connections and devices that are hard to move around beds, many deaf individuals say that technology has made trying to seek and communicate about medical help worse, not better.

Arson, the Pleasant Grove Fire Department’s fire dog, demonstrates how to use a pet oxygen mask with the help of firefighter Kash Montana on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, at the Pleasant Grove Fire Department. The masks were all donated by Invisible Fence, a company that designs pet fences for dogs and cats.

Annette Pulley, a labor and delivery nurse retiring after 49 years at American Fork Hospital, hugs former co-worker Tami McDaniel, of American Fork, during Pulley’s retirement party Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, at the hospital in American Fork.

Hendrix Llewellyn, 3, slides down a hill on a saucer sled Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, at The Oaks at Spanish Fork. According to the National Weather Service, the majority of Utah County had gotten a little more than approximately three inches of snow throughout the valley, with as much as five-and-a-half inches of snow in Alpine, as of Thursday morning. Snow continued to fall lightly and periodically in the valley throughout Thursday.

Site manager Al Larsen softens snow and ice using a skidsteer to create a walking path while the Ice Castles are created Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, at Homestead Resort in Midway.

Samy Adjei, 4, of Salt Lake City, begins creating a bracelet beside her mother, Nana Mensah, and the rest of her family as part of a service project led by Serving with Smiles held in light of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, at the Museum of Natural Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. These bracelets will be a part of hygiene and school kits donated to those in need locally as well as in Guatemala, Haiti and Africa. Serving with Smiles, JustServe and Thanksgiving Point all teamed up Monday to hold service projects at the museum.

Utah Valley University guard TJ Washington (3) lays the ball up while guarded by California Baptist University forward De'jon Davis (35) during a game between the Utah Valley Wolverines and the California Baptist Lancers held at the UCCU Center on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, in Orem.

A member of the Riverton Military Drill Team performs during the UHSAA 6A and 5A State Drill Team Semifinals held at the UCCU Center on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in Orem.

Lone Peak head coach Rob Ross reacts as he calls for a more serious foul on a Pleasant Grove player after one of his own players was fouled on a fast-break shot during a game between the Lone Peak Knights and the Pleasant Grove Vikings held Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, at Lone Peak High School in Highland.

Brigham Young University setter Brody Earnest (24) celebrates with his teammates after defeating the University of California Santa Barbara Gauchos in four sets at Smith Fieldhouse on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Provo.

Brigham Young University forward Dalton Nixon (33) steals the ball away from University of San Diego forward Alex Floresca (15) during a game between the BYU Cougars and the San Diego Toreros held Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

Rep. Norman K. Thurston watches as votes come in on a bill during the first day of the 2020 legislative session held at the Utah State Capitol on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Salt Lake City.

Brigham Young University’s Abby Boden Stainton strikes a pose as she competes in the floor exercise event during BYU’s season-opening gymnastics meet against the University of Nebraska held Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

Jerry Hill, 75, director of mountain maintenance at Sundance Mountain Resort, unplugs a block heater, which keeps engines warm through cold weather, as he prepares to inspect the mountain in a snowcat before the resort opens on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Provo Canyon. Hill has been maintaining the mountain in this ski area for 61 years, since before Sundance Mountain Resort was founded in 1969 by famed actor Robert Redford. Previously, the area was known at Timp Haven, and Hill began work there at the age of 14.