Thanksgiving Day Seven

Today I'm thankful for my job. In addition to simply being thankful for a full-time, steady job that allows me to take care of my needs, I'm also thankful for my own ability to do my job. I've been with this company for nearly four years, and in that time, my position has shifted and changed as I have gotten more responsibility and learned more about what goes on in the company.

For the rest of this week, I am covering for one of my coworkers who is on vacation. It's stressful work. I don't do it every day, so I'm not completely comfortable with what I am being asked to do, but at the same time, it's nice to know that I have other skills at work that help me contribute more. I'm thankful that I've learned so much here and that I've really been able to make myself an invaluable member of my team. My boss tells me that I can't ever leave KLAS, and while I know she's joking, it's nice to know that I'm appreciated.

Thanksgiving Day Three

For a couple of reasons, today I am thankful for my education and my steady, full-time job. And to piggyback on that, I am also thankful for Andrew's education and steady, full-time job. We went to look at some apartments this morning, and we drove past a complex that looked nice, so we decided to stop in and check it out. The lady in the office showed us the prices and amenities. After a 10-minute explanation, she finally got around to telling us that it was income-limited housing, which meant that we had to make less than a certain amount in order to live there. Together, Andrew and I will make about double the limit.

While it kind of sucked to be forced to miss out on some nice, affordable apartments, it was also nice to know that Andrew and I have been smart with our money and that we have given ourselves the opportunity to be successful. We should be able to afford a decent apartment, and we won't have to live paycheck to paycheck. That is definitely one of the benefits of waiting until after college to get married.

Another thing that made me thankful for my job was that I bought Andrew's wedding ring today. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision to get it tonight, but there was a sale, and it worked out best to buy it then. I'm very thankful that I have enough money set aside that I could buy it right then without it breaking me.

A Typical Lunch

Day 2: A photo of something you ate today.

This is a typical lunch for me: a sandwich, a water bottle, and a book. 

I was running late this morning (as usual), so I didn't have time to make a lunch. When lunchtime rolled around, I didn't want to spend money on food, so I headed home. 

I live about 12 minutes away from the office. With my hour break, I get about 30 minutes at home for lunch. I burst in the door, throw my stuff on the couch, make a sandwich, grab my book, and read while I eat. It's a pretty nice way to spend my lunch break. Except on those days when all I want to do is stay at home and not go back to the office. Then it's not such a good thing.

I kind of wish I had more to say on the subject, or that I could say it more eloquently. But I don't, and I can't, and there is an end.

A Blogging Challenge

What better way to start the new year than with a challenge? I stole this from awesome Laura's blog, and I'm definitely doing it. I'm a couple of days behind Laura, but that's all right with me. It's a 30-day blog challenge, which means another solid month of daily posts. You ready for this? Because I certainly am.

Day 1: A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

My day was utterly average. I was running late this morning, so while I actually did my hair, I skipped the eye makeup (minus the mascara—I will never skip mascara; blond eyelashes are scary). Then I headed to work, where I edited all day. As is usual.

I did go to Marley's in the Riverwoods for lunch with Mindy and Karly. I had never been before, and it was pretty awesome. Sliders are fantastic. (Sliders are mini burgers, if you didn't know.) And I always like leaving the office for lunch—I often need a break from staring at a computer screen for eight hours.

One story of note from work: The company I work for is growing quickly, and is now at nearly one hundred employees, which meant switching from small employer insurance to large employer insurance. To spare you the boring details that I don't even know, that basically meant everyone had to sign up for insurance again. And in the process, SelectHealth managed to lose my information—which was sent electronically. (Don't ask me how you lose an electronic file.) So I can't fill prescriptions (which I found out the hard way last night) or go to the doctor until they figure it out and send me my insurance cards. I guess I'll be rescheduling my dermatologist appointment for next week.

On my way home, I jammed to some awesome songs, like "Tell Me Why" by the Beatles and "Black Sheep" by Metric (from the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack [that movie is awesome, by the way]). "Black Sheep" is a new obsession—it's so catchy. Plus, it makes me think of my three-year-old niece Adeline, who knows every word and rocks out every time she hears it. It is the cutest thing ever.

For most of the day, my brain has been preoccupied by one person: Jimmer Fredette. This kid is sick. crazy. nuts. ridiculous. un-effing-believable. I spent over an hour tonight trolling the interwebs for any and all national attention Jimmer is getting after drowning Utah in his 47 points last night. What a game. I now have tickets to Jimmertime x2, at home against SDSU and UNLV. (By the way, you'd think that I would have had opportunity to run into Jimmer—I mean, we've lived in the same town for almost four years now. Alas, no such luck.)

Wow, this is a long and probably boring post. But I'm just following the challenge. And I will end this day by watching the Jazz (hopefully) put away the Knicks (yes, I do like sports—you should know this about me by now) and reading my awesome book. (This is my life—sports and books. I am aware that I am boring.)

And for your viewing enjoyment, here is Jimmer's fan-flippin'-tastic buzzer-beater half-court shot.

Busy, Busy, Busy

This week has me super stressed. I have articulation tomorrow morning, which basically means I have to memorize a bunch of stuff. Tonight. (Don't worry, I've been working on it other times too. I just have to cram some tonight.)

Then there's the company party on Friday. I don't know why, but things like that stress me out too. Plus, it's semi-formal, and I need a couple of things to finish off my outfit, so that's just something else I have to get done.

Then I was asked to sing in church on Sunday, so I have to get ahold of the accompanist and find time to practice. And when I said I could sing, I completely forgot that I also have to teach in Relief Society. I have to teach a lesson that I haven't planned yet. So there's one more thing I can add to my to-do list this week.

I can't wait until the weekend. And it's only Tuesday. Fantastic.

Being Thankful: Day Thirty

Well, it's here, the last day of November and the last day of my thankful posts. Last year I ended the month with a really spiritual post. It won't be the same this year. But I do feel like I have posted sufficiently about how thankful I am for my faith and my beliefs. I love the Gospel, and that will never change. So this year I'm ending with something a little bit more secular.
At my company, all full-time employees are required to go through an education program. Since we work with the healthcare industry, which is ridiculously technical, the executives feel that all full-time employees should have a decent understanding of healthcare. So all year long, I've been chipping away at the requirements bit by bit. Then this morning I woke up and one of my very first thoughts was, "Oh crap, tomorrow's December! I have to finish education this month!" Hey there, stress, how's it going?

I made some strides, though—I scheduled articulation, which is one of two verbal tests/interviews I have to do. It requires studying and all that jazz, and I'm not particularly thrilled about it. And I'm even less thrilled about the final interview that requires a bunch of memorization. Awesome.

But at the same time, I'm really thankful that it's December. I'm thankful that in the next few weeks, I should finish the education program and not have to worry about it anymore. I'm thankful that I won't have to go to vendor landscapes or courses or watch anymore videos. Plus, I get a diploma and a bonus for finishing. I can't complain too much about that.

Being Thankful: Day Seventeen

I have carpal tunnel/tendinitis/whatever-you-want-to-call-it in my left wrist. I've had it since tenth grade, though I have no idea how exactly I got it. It has flare-ups occasionally, which is when I have to start wearing my brace more often. Since I started working a desk job where I am required to sit at a computer and type for eight hours straight, I have had more flare-ups, thanks to my normal, everyday keyboard.

Last week, I finally got around to requesting an ergonomic keyboard, which was delivered to me the beginning of this week. Boy, do I love that thing! It's fantastic. My wrist hasn't miraculously gotten better or anything, but typing is definitely much more comfortable now, and I'm thankful that my company was willing to order me a new keyboard with no questions asked. It's wonderful.

Being Thankful: Day Four

At work today, our HR director emailed everyone a list of all the days off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Six days off in seven weeks. Fantastic.

I've always loved getting days off work. I mean, really, who doesn't? But until this year, I always just got the day off, and I'd have to make up the hours the rest of the week if I wanted the pay. (I'm not sure why I'm explaining this . . . it's not exactly an unknown thing.) Now that I'm full time, I get paid for those holidays. So this year I'll get paid to pig out on Thanksgiving and to spend time with my family on Christmas. I know this isn't a foreign thing to most people, but this is the first time I've been paid for holidays. And it's awesome. And I'm really thankful for it.

Just a Little Update

Merry Christmas Eve's Eve! I'm at 97 posts for this year, and I want to make it an even 100 before the year's out. 100 just seems like a good number, you know? That means that I have three more posts to write in the next week (for all of my fellow arts majors who can't do math).

I thought I would write a bit of an update post. Not the most exciting of posts, but hey, a post is a post, right?

First of all, I finally got a full-time job! I got offered a full-time position at my current company, KLAS Enterprises, and I'm so happy about it. Not only will I be working more hours (therefore making more money), but that also means that I get paid vacation time and paid holidays! Woo hoo! This is the first time in my life that I've had a real, full-time job with benefits. It's pretty exciting. Though I must admit, I never thought I would get excited about working more. Ah, the joys of adult life.

I also got a new nephew last week. His name is Aiden Benjamin, and he's adorable. He's so tiny! I always forget how itty bitty newborns are. Especially when I'm used to my smallest niece or nephew being 17 months old. This is nephew number four, totaling seven nieces and nephews with two more on the way.

Now I'm just spending one more night in Provo, all by my lonesome, and then heading out for Magna tomorrow morning. I'm getting excited for Christmas. I just love this time of year.

Thanks Day Twelve

I must admit that nothing really struck me today as something to be really thankful for. So, instead, I'm going to use something that is kind of a fallback: my job. It may not be the perfect job, but at least it's a job. And a good job, at that. I work with awesome people, and I work in my field. I'm a pretty lucky English major to be doing what I went to school for. There are so many people who don't have jobs right now, who don't have enough to feed their families, and I have plenty. I have enough to not only pay for the essentials, but also to go to concerts, see movies, buy books . . . I really can't complain. And that is definitely something to be thankful for.

Blog Post Nummer Zwei

That's right, folks. Tomorrow (Monday, March 23) morning sometime I will have another blog post on the Paper Crafts blog! Probably won't be the most exciting thing in the world, but it's pretty much all I've got to show for the work I've done at my internship so far. But don't worry, I'll totally let you know when one of the issues of the magazine I'm in goes on sale so you'll all be able to go get it and tell everyone you know, "Guess what, I know that girl!" Yeah, that'll be pretty freaking sweet. But for right now, the blog'll have to be good enough.

Blogging about Blogging

So, as I'm sure most of you know, I'm working two jobs right now. The first is an editing position at KLAS Enterprises, and the second is an unpaid internship at Paper Crafts magazine. I really love them both (though sometimes I really hate the commute to Bluffdale for my internship). I have been able to do some really cool things at Paper Crafts. I have had a few writing assignments, including writing articles for issues of the magazine, writing a table of contents, and writing a "Look Ahead" department. Which means that in a few months here, I will be published! Woo hoo!

But one other thing that I've gotten to do, that is more readily apparent than waiting for publication, is write a blog post for the Paper Crafts blog. It was actually kind of stressful because I had to think of something that I, as an intern, could write about. And I figured it out! It's nothing mind blowing or anything, but I'm on the blog, with a picture and everything! How cool is that?

So basically what I'm saying is that on Monday, March 9 ("Magazine Monday" for the blog), you should all go check out the Paper Crafts blog to see yours truly! (I'll link to it again, just in case.) I know that I'm really excited to see it. You all should be too!

Blessed

I was talking to my mom on IM yesterday when my gmail notifier dinged. If you know the gmail notifier, you know it gives a little blurb that says the first few lines of the email and who sent it. All I saw was that this new email was from KLAS research and then the words "employment offer." I almost peed my pants. But I had to go and read the email (obviously) just to make sure I read it right. And I did! I got the editing job at KLAS! I was so excited, I can't even describe it. Excited and relieved and a little weepy.

And I realized that my whole working life I've been crazy lucky when it comes to job hunting. No, incredibly blessed. When I came to college, I already had a job lined up. I didn't even have to interview for it. I started on the same day I started college, and had it my entire college career. Then, the one summer I went home, I went a grand total of about a week without a job. And that was with leaving one temp job and having to find another one. And now, after graduating college, I get the second job I applied for, the first job I interviewed for. And the one that just happens to work perfectly with my internship and is in my field.

I can't help but be incredibly grateful. I know plenty of people who have been unemployed for months and who have tried much harder to find jobs than I have. Because to be honest, I haven't tried very hard at all. I applied for two jobs. Two. And yet the Lord sees fit to bless me. I don't know why, but I'm certainly not complaining.

The Next Stage

Life has been pretty dang interesting lately. In December, I graduated from BYU. Woo hoo! And because I felt really strongly about it, I decided I needed to stay in Provo. I don't know why, but there you go. I'm in the midst of one of those leaps of faith that you hear people talk about. Hopefully there will come a time when I know why I was supposed to stay in Provo. Not that I don't like it here. In fact, I love it. All my friends are here and I have much better opportunities to meet more friends here than I would with my parents, which I love. But there's the minor factor that I don't have a job and I have rent and groceries to pay for. Not fun.

But I did get an internship. It's with Paper Crafts Magazine, which is incredibly exciting. It's a scrapbooking magazine, which is definitely not my thing. I don't scrapbook. But hey, it's a real, published magazine and I get to work on it, so I don't care what they publish. I have a friend who did the internship over a year ago, and it turned into paid freelance work for her. I'm really hoping that's what happens for me. The only catch is that it's part time, and it's unpaid. Eek. But it's excellent editing experience that I desperately need.

So when I got back to Provo from the break, I started looking for a part-time job. So much fun! I've applied to a grand total of two places. I'm so on the ball, I know. But I did snag an interview. For an editing job. A part-time editing job to go with my part-time editing internship? Yes, please! It's pretty much the perfect situation for me. Two things to go on my resume for when I finally apply for that dream job, whatever or whenever that will be. Not that it will be enough. But it's a start.

The interview went fairly well. I interviewed for an editing position at KLAS Research. I would be editing comments by healthcare professionals about the products they use. Not the most exciting stuff to edit, but it's professional editing, which is wonderful. Three people interviewed me, which was rather intimidating, and then I had to take a short editing test. I think I did all right. I'll find out next Thursday if I got the job, so keep your fingers crossed.

And tomorrow I'll be talking to the managing editor of Paper Crafts to work out my hours and what I will be responsible for. I'm pretty dang excited, mostly because even if it takes me a while to get a job, I will be doing something worthwhile and working towards something. I'm doing absolutely nothing right now and it's killing me. I'm incredibly bored. Not to mention the fact that it's rather disorienting because I'm living where I lived the last year and a half of my college career, yet I'm not going to classes or working or doing anything. I feel like a bum.

It's definitely weird to be in this stage of life. I always thought about what I would do when I got my bachelor's degree, but it's so different when you suddenly have to not only think about what to do, but decide on it. I knew in my head that I was graduated once finals ended last semester, but it didn't really sink in until after break, until the Monday school started for everyone else but me. Waking up in my Provo apartment and knowing that I didn't have to do anything was so surreal. I knew all my roommates (well, all but one) were off to their first day of classes, and it made me quite sad. I really do miss being in class and learning. But I definitely don't miss the homework. And it's good to grow up and move on. The time always comes when things have to change and you've just got to change and grow too.

The Parable of the Caulk

For the past few weeks at work, my co-workers and I have been busy re-caulking all the bathrooms in all the buildings of Heritage Halls. This isn't as easy as it might seem. In fact, it's the thing that I hate doing most at my job. I despise caulking. It's worse than lights, tub clogs, sink clogs, even toilet clogs. Why? Well, if caulk gets moldy and black, it cannot merely be caulked over, or the mold will simply work its way through the new layer. So in order to truly fix the bad caulk, you have to dig it out--which is a bloody pain in the arse. It requires an assortment of tools: screwdrivers, putty knives, chisels, razor blades . . . anything that will aid in ripping up the black caulk. And it never comes off easily or cleanly. I apologize to the custodial crew who had to clean up after our caulking storm hit.

Well, as I was doing this mind-numbing work for hours on end, I started applying this to my life and repentance. (I know, it's sad. It's proof that I was replacing so much caulk that I started thinking about it way more than is normal.) Surprisingly enough, the application is rather poignant to me.

We, as mere humans, are not perfect. Therefore, we will sin. It's just the way it goes; we can't get around it. When we sin, it's like our caulk is getting moldy. It is our responsibility to dig that nasty caulk out as soon as possible to keep the mold from spreading. And yes, it's hard. We're going to have to hack and scrape and cut that caulk to get it out, probably scraping and bruising ourselves in the process. But if we don't attack that spot quickly, before we know it that mold will have spread to the rest of the caulk and it will require much, much more time and energy to replace it.

We also can't just cover it up with a new bead of caulk, hiding the damage that has been done. The caulk will look pretty for a little while, but a new bead doesn't fix the problem, it only delays the inevitable. Eventually the disgusting grossness will eat through the new layer and show itself anew.

Bottom line, no matter how much you hate recaulking (and how disgusting it can be), it is a necessary evil. Repentance is the only way to get rid of the sin; otherwise it will just get blacker and blacker and more difficult to remove.