Volunteering

I thought finding a job was going to be really easy for me out here. In my mind I was going to immediately get a job at the sports medicine and orthopedic clinic that's literally three minutes up the road from where we live. It was going to be great. It turns out that my job field is very limited up here, not a lot of jobs, and many of the places want an x-ray tech who is also certified in CT and has worked at least three years. I had only worked a year and a half with my license before we moved. And in order for me to do CT I would have to go back to school and probably commute an hour to go to a teaching hospital.

I'm done with school. I payed off all of my school loans over a year ago. I don't like CT. 

I never heard back from any other job I applied to. I even applied to random stores like Barnes and Noble and Hobby Lobby but I'm over qualified. 

I took the job hunt pretty hard. I felt like I was suddenly a worthless tech who no one wanted. They didn't know me but they knew enough apparently to not want me. 

I finally decided to just start doing some volunteer work at a hospital to help keep me busy and maybe get a foot in the door. 

Best idea ever.

I chose to help out on a couple of the patient floors answering the phone, patient call lights, helping out where I can and also working on the comfort cart. Oh yeah. I take this cart around to every single patient and pass out coffee, tea, juices or water. It's actually really fun and people here in the south are the best. "No thank you sugar." "Thanks so much sweety!" "Oh thank you baby." They really do call everyone and anyone things like that. 

I was also introduced to the radiology manager on my first day who told me to bring her my resume and she would look into things for me. There's a hiring freeze right now though at that hospital which is a bummer but she totally gave me a hug when I gave her my resume. That's how friendly people are here!

Now I should have realized this but for some reason it didn't cross my mind, but all of the volunteers are at least 70 years old. And then there's me, little young looking me who they all think is 18. The old volunteer men like to make the joke that I brought down the average age of the group to 50 now. I've had a couple doctors even do double takes at me, they have a confused look, "Wait, why isn't your hair grey?! Why are you volunteering? You're not 80!" They're normally really impressed actually when I tell them I'm keeping myself busy with volunteering until I can find a job. Just the other day I had a surgeon sitting by me and we went through the routine about why I was volunteering and how I'm a certified rad tech when suddenly he pulls out his prescription pad and writes me a "letter" of recommendation to take to another hospital! It blew me away! He also told me he was going to talk to the radiology manager again for me.  I'm grateful for kind people like that in this world. 

I took his prescription to the other hospital and talked to the HR department. They only have an opening for an MRI job so no luck there. But I'll keep looking. The HR girl was completely confused about the prescription letter of recommendation. haha It was so great. I doubt she's ever seen anything like that! 

I don't know when or if a job will come out of all this, but I'm enjoying my time volunteering. It's good to socialize with all these people of different backgrounds. I love the southern black women, all of their "mmhmmm!" It's just fun to make some friends. My favorite is an old lady named Margaret who is a volunteer and trained me on the comfort cart. She's a retired nurse from England. Her mother was a nurse as well and a midwife! (If you've seen the tv show Call the Midwife, then you know that I was dying to find out that her mother was one of those women!) She's a hoot and her England accent is the best thing to find in the deep south. I love it.

Anyways, I'm glad things are happening the way they are. I know it wasn't how I wanted but guess what? Heavenly Father knows way more then I do! So I'll just keep going along with his plan.

Thesis Defeated

Scott sent me this photo yesterday...

YAY!!! He has officially and successfully defended and conquered his thesis for his Masters in Geology! 

I'm a very proud and happy wife.

Yay for freedom and no more school stress!

Woot! Woot!

Catch Up

I almost completely ignored this poor blog my last semester. So much has happened since I don't even know if I should bring things up to speed. But I'll do a quick recap anyways.

-I got a new calling in my singles ward as the Relief Society President. (Seriously, this had to happen right with my last and most stressful semester?! Good one...)

-I turned 22 in February. 

-I bought a car! A Nissan Sentra 2005 whose name is Richard Parker. 

-I got two new jobs during the last month of my semester. (So stressful but hey, it was a good opportunity.) So I now work at American Fork Hospital, a Sports Medicine Clinic, and Riverwoods Urgent Care.

-I finished all 1500 clinical hours and passed my last bunch of classes. 

-I graduated with a second associates degree. (So lame. Why couldn't it have been a bachelors?)

-I passed my Radiology Technologist boards exam. Do you remember how stressed I was about taking my Limited Practical Tech exam? Well this was way worse. But all is well, I passed.

It's so strange now knowing that when I come home from work I don't have homework or something to study for. I don't have school or tests. My time outside of work is completely my own. I love it. Life is so good right now and I am constantly grateful for it. 

Homework Time

Having a Moment

So I'm officially hired on at the hospital now. I had my new employee orientation today. It's nice to finally be hired on but I'm terribly nervous right now. I'm afraid of the responsibility. Sometimes I feel like I don't want it. I'm scared to be my own tech, to not have someone to hide behind. I feel stressed out. I have so much schooling to work on, tests to study for and papers to write. I feel like I don't have enough time in the day to contact and text everyone that I need to for my ward calling. I feel like I have so much to plan and I don't have any legitimate help. I feel heavy. I feel overloaded. I don't know what I want. I feel unsure about what to do if a different job opportunity presents itself. (Granted that possibility isn't even possible right now since I haven't given him my resume but down the road...). I feel bad about eventually leaving my mall job, about abandoning them. I really like those co workers. I'm frustrated about being placed in the middle of a sticky situation at clinicals. I feel like feelings of frustration for someone else are being deflected to me. I'm tired.
Please just give me summer. Let school be over. I need to be done for right now.
(Sorry for the downer post but like I said in the title, I'm having a moment of feeling completely weak right now. It happens.)

Healthy Body

I think one of the easiest things to take advantage of and to not be grateful for is a healthy body. Only when you are throwing up all night and feeling crummy and weak all day do you wish and pray for your healthy body to come back soon. That would be me yesterday. My guess is food poisoning.

But among all my sickness a wonderful and long awaited letter arrived! Remember when I was stressing out like crazy the night before taking my Limited Practical Technician license test? Well I finally got my results back! Happy day I passed everything and can now pay an additional $70 to get my actual license. :) Can you believe that this whole process is costing me $210?! But it's completely worth it because it means I'll get hired on at the hospital, be guaranteed at least 8 hours making almost double what I'm making at the mall right now, which will then lead to me leaving my mall job. I can't wait. Don't get me wrong, the job has been really good to me, they've been awesome at working around my bizarre schedule but to compare the 30 minute drive time to 5 minutes, almost double the pay and more experience in my field... it's a no brainer.
Life is a good thing.

Finally, A Break

I survived my test. I feel okay about it, but I won't know for certain until I receive my results in the mail. They told me to expect anywhere from 10 days to 4 weeks for the delivery... which I completely don't understand since the whole test was taken on a computer and probably graded right then. So I'm just going to forget about that test for a few weeks as to reduce unneeded stress.

But blessed Weber State for giving me a wonderful glorious spring break!! I have been needing this. The sunshine. No clinical hours or classes. My week hasn't been this open in a long time! Granted I still have quite a lot of homework to get caught up on since I pushed everything aside for the LPT test. It's okay, it'll all work out  and I'll pass and then start picking up shifts that I'll actually get paid for! Life is a grand thing isn't it?

P.S. 3 late nights in a row have really done me in.

Wish Me Some Luck

I'm taking a ridiculously stressful test tomorrow. Ridiculous because a) everyone says it's completely easy and to not even bother studying for it b) they then tell me everything I need to study and make sure I know... at which point my face goes slightly white because I'm so far from remembering all of that, and c) the test costs $140 dollars to sign up for.
It's a state test so I can get my Limited Practical Technician license and start actually earning some money and picking up shifts at the hospital. Michelle, Kryshelle and I are all taking it together. They've been outwardly freaking out while I sit and fall apart inside.
I hate this. I just need this test to be over with!
If it's easy, I'm probably going to come back a little miffed that I spent so much time studying. (Granted I'll be ecstatic that it's over and done- with a high chance at passing.)
If I fail, I'll definitely be miffed that I wasted $140 bucks just to fail a test.
Either way I've been bugging my cat as a distraction from studying. My brain is done for. My poor cat needs a break.
Wish me some luck.

A Baby, A Vegas Trip, A Birthday

First thing on the agenda: I became an aunt. Finally. February 5th was the day! Little baby Evelyn is honestly the most adorable, perfect baby. (Click here for a lovely little picture of her) I know that everyone says that about their babies but I'm in all honesty here. She didn't come out with any cone-head weirdness going on. She was just perfect.

Second thing on the agenda is I just got back yesterday from a Vegas trip! I know that your thinking it's about time that I got a break from school and how busy my life been but don't get too excited, this trip was for school. There was a radiology conference going on there so some of the girls and I decided to go. It was good. Michelle, Kryshelle, and I got a good 4 hours of studying done during the drive down there and then probably 3 hours on the way home. The conference had some good classes that I appreciated, but it also had some let downs. But I can't complain because we got credited hours for our clinicals so now I'm ahead even more in my hours. We played around and wandered the strip one night and went shopping to the outlets and the mall the last night. We played some intense rounds of Egyptian Ratscrew. (I forgot how much I love that game and how incredibly competitive I get whenever I play it.) I did learn a lot about different personality types. I learned that I need to be way more patient, (as always). We had multiple people ask us if we were from Utah only to answer back with the statement that they could tell by the way we walked. I didn't realize people from Utah had a specific walk. (?) Oh well. I'd rather be assumed that then something else. 

Pictures to come later once people post them on facebook so I can steal them. 

Last agenda for today is that IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M NOW 21. Big deal, I know. I think I'm most excited to get a new drivers license. Woot woot! 

I had lunch today at Zupas with two of my favorite girls. We have honestly had this plan of getting the chocolate fondue plate for two years now and it finally happened today. It was delicious. And my sandwich was amazing. 

Tonight is going to be a crepe night with some friends. 

Happy Birthday self. 

Life

My last semester at BYU-Idaho I lived in the basement of a house with 7 other girls. Lauren was one of those girls. I adore her. She would always sit and eat nutella on graham crackers with me. She was hardly home. She would wake up, go to class, be at school all day, come home to change and then head off to work until late at night. This semester I've turned into Lauren. I am never home. It makes me sad. As much as I know that I don't have a ton of friends, I don't care because I love being at home. But this semester is full of running around from place to place. It's good though. I have a job. I'm doing well in school. I'm doing things that are important to me. Life is good right now. And busy.

Getting Ahead, Trying to

I'm starting to get nervous for next semester. I keep thinking about how I'm going to manage my schedule and so far it just overwhelms me. It doesn't help that I only have half of the details. I keep trying to get ahead on my homework thinking that it'll relieve some up coming stress. (How do you even get ahead on homework that hasn't even been assigned yet?) I feel like the small free moments in my life are going to be consumed with driving to where I need to go. Whether that's Provo, American Fork, or Murray, I'm going to be in the car a lot. Yay..... Last semester seemed so easy. By the end I was questioning all the stories of "my life will be taken over and consumed, and it's challenging", blah blah blah that I had heard. But things will probably whip into shape now that I have 1 1/2 jobs. (The 1/2 is a clinical study that I'm in which means I get to fit in a drive to Murray once a week.) It's okay. I'm so grateful that I'm finally earning some money now. It's been desperately needed and is immensely appreciated. Oh to wonder how life would be if I was actually getting paid for the 24 hours a week of hospital work I put in. 

Introducing...

Me, a soon to be (in 2 years) radiology technician! Yes this means that I got into Weber's Radiology Program! So remember those 2 interviews I had to go through, one for the program in the Provo area, and the other for Ogden? Well, I had the Provo interview last Monday and lets just say that I did not feel good about it at all. I felt like I was giving the wrong answers, I wasn't saying what they really wanted to me...on and on. But I will say that at least it was a relaxed atmosphere. Which helped a lot. I mean they have a long table with 6 people questioning you on one side, while you sit on the opposite side of the table right in the middle. Talk about hot seat. But they were all joking around, laughing, just really relaxed. Which I loved.
Ogden's interview came on Thursday and I felt 10 times better about that interview. Oh it was perfect. They were asking questions that just set me up beautifully to give answers that I had prepared in order to make me sound worth it. And the people interviewing me were just as friendly, nice and relaxed.
Anyways, Friday a letter came from Weber State saying I had been accepted into the Provo Radiology Program. Which, I just about died because 1) I thought that interview did not go over well, and 2) I really wanted to get into the program in Provo. I'll be doing my clinical hours at the American Fork hospital, which is 5 minutes from my house. Fantastic yes? I can live at home and save money!
I still haven't heard back from Ogden yet, I'm assuming I'll get a letter sometime this week, but I have do say I feel slightly confident that I'll be accepted into the Ogden program also.
Can I just say that I can't believe I'm in the program and in just 2 short years I'll be certified?! Of course it's only in x-rays but then I can specialize and goes who knows where from there.
I'm just flat out excited.

Anatomy and Physiology

So! I've been studying like crazy for my first anatomy and physiology test. I have to get an A out of this class... and my teacher is amazing, but he takes pride in his tests. He likes knowing it takes students an average of an hour and a half to take the test of 54 questions.
So my study buddy Emily and I have gone about creating some new study techniques that I basically love. The first is study texting. Randomly in the day we'll text each other pop questions and go back and forth remembering as much as we can. The second way we've been studying is on the great and spacious white boards. Our classroom has a huge span of white boards, and as luck would have it, there are no more classes in the room after ours.

This is what it ends up looking like after we're done with it. Don't think that's all the information though. We erase a lot and write up more. But white boards are fun, which means studying on them are fun. 

I took my test this morning and.... I got an 85%! Now I know you're probably like...um that's a B sister, not that great. But! my teacher said the smartest kid got a 90% and he normally scores the highest on my teachers tests...which means I got close to the highest! And if my teacher curves the test...which I believe he does, then I'm in good shape! 

I'm just glad I have the first test over with. I hate the first test. You never know exactly what to expect. Last semester anat and phys was more facts. This semester is more apply to real life. Much harder. But I understand the concepts better. I honestly just love anatomy and physiology. It is by far my favorite class. Even though it stresses me out like nothing else, I love the inside anat and phys jokes me and Emily have. The fact that I can say "my sympathetic system just shot up like crazy" and she'll know exactly what I'm talking about makes it all worth it. 

Planning for Winter

So remember when I was thinking about this... or how I planned out all of this... Well, it's all changed. Again.
I've been trying to figure out if I should really go out and work as a nanny, or if I should now try and stay for winter semester and finish my associates. If I went to nanny, I would loose my half tuition scholarship. Which definitely blows. I mean it would be nice having the job for a year, a good income that I can use to pay off my loans and get a used car.
But my decision now is to stay in Rexburg and finish up my associates.

I remember when I was about to start my first semester at BYU-I. I was doing a hike with one of the ladies in my ward and I was talking about the rules that I wasn't too sure I liked. Curfew...long pants on campus... and she told me a wise thing. "There's a way around every rule." haha I don't have any problems with those rules now. I go to bed way before curfew and I love jeans.
But the point of this, is that in order for me to have my winter semester, I'm having to find ways around every BYU-I system they've set up. But don't worry. I will have what I plan for! Ha I'm stubborn that way. My second semester I couldn't get into 3 or 4 of my classes, so I talked to my teachers and got the classes I wanted, at the times I wanted and from the teachers I wanted. I know I sound selfish but I planned my schedule out to a "T". I put a lot of effort into organizing my schedule.

But there are a lot of hoops I have to jump through. Just to get my classes, use my scholarship for my off track, housing...it's kind of a mess but don't worry. I've got things figured out. I feel like I almost know the financial aid office and continuing education office personally I've called them so many times.

Some Things

There are only 4 weeks left in this semester... scary. I think the class that scares me the most is english. ha compared to anat and phys you must think how? But at least for now, the final paper that we're suppose to work on all semester... yes I have barely done anything for it. Oh I have my topic no worries, but even my topic is a little daunting. My teacher wanted us to write about something in our field that we're going into. Some argumentative issue that we can write about. Let me just tell you that in the field of radiology there aren't too many huge debates going on that are really worth a papers worth of research. But I did find one where they've been debating the use of the functional MRI verses the Wada Test for pre-surgical tests in the brain. So interesting to me, but the dang medical language in the articles are daunting! I have to dissect each term to figure out what they're actually saying, and somehow I have to transfer that into a paper and make it understandable to people who have no knowledge of the field AND make it interesting?! My friend keeps teasing about how much of a 'page turner' my papers gonna be... Yeah I'm worried.

In Anatomy and Physiology we've been learning the muscles. And I've been introduced into a new way of studying.

Penning out the muscle names on my legs! It honestly works wonders. People gave me weird looks, but now when I hear the muscle name I can look at my leg and see where it would be if it was still written. Don't worry I'm not cheating and I got all the pen off before church.

So a problem we've been coming across in our apartment is that we often forget we have food in the fridge. It leads to horrible discoveries like this...

Yeah I'm disgusted too don't worry. We had to throw away a few other dishes along with the cake. Any salad that I buy seems to get gross at a much faster rate than it ever did at home. I've given up buying salad for the time being until I know I'm going to eat the whole bag before it goes bad.

Aubrey is still being Aubrey. I love rooming with my cousin. We are both just layed back about things so it's really easy to live with her. Next semester we're moving up to Royal Crest with 4 new roommates! It's nice to live with people you know and I'll be sad not to live with my girls right now, but I like being in new situations, new people, new ward... bring it.

We always seem to encounter one problem or another when baking cookies. Either too big so they squish up against each other making square cookies, or not enough chocolate chips...resulting in cookies with one sad lonely chocolate chip.

Ashley came into town last weekend and stayed with us before AFY so we took her to the sand dunes! And I think colorful sunglasses are the best. They're legit.

I think my favorite song overall this semester is Something Good Can Work: by Two Door Cinema Club.

Trying to Figure out School

I love being able to put my college schedule together, plan out everything... how early I want to start, how late I want to end, who my teachers are... I love it. But this next semester is giving me grief. I don't know what brilliant idea I had to do my generals and prerequisites at BYU-Idaho and then transfer to Weber for the radiology program... I mean it sounds pretty good, but you see, BYU-Idaho has these little classes called Foundations, and they are HORRIFIC to try to transfer. Most schools won't accept them unless you get your associates. Which I'm not doing because I don't need it for my program. So I have to make sure all my classes will transfer and then work for the program, which is an obnoxious hassal to deal with. It was a long day yesterday to say in the least, I was on the computer way too long researching teachers and trying to figure out a schedule...I'm still not done. I also found out that I couldn't take the awesome sounding "understanding DNA" class because it won't transfer as a gen ed science... so I'm stuck with physics. blahhh That class will have to wait for fall semester because it's everyday for an hour plus a two hour lab, which I can't fit in my schedule without getting rid of math or bio 265... Oh well I get to fill in my credits with some whatever classes, maybe cake decorating!? How fun would that be. I know I'm seriously considering it.

Graduated

I am now graduated from high school! It's weird but I don't think it's really set in yet... it probably will when I attend my first class of college and realize I know no one there. But I'm glad to be done with high school. I finished out my last term with a 4.0 amazingly! Had to talk my grade up in a couple classes, but mostly it was an awesome year. I also was on the list for receiving a gold cord for graduation because of my GPA but I didn't say anything to my parents, so we never bought it.. they weren't too happy about that but what can I say, I was in a daze the last 2 weeks, things weren't entirely registering in my mind. Senioritis only came the last week and a half or so, and by that time I could sluff classes and the teaches wouldn't care. They practically told us to leave.


I've loved my senior year. I think it's been the best out of all of them. There hasn't been really any drama with the girls I haven hung out with this year, the four of us mesh pretty well together when we aren't all sleep deprived and grouchy. But I love them. I'm sad none of us are going to the same college. Ariel's going to California, her true home and she can't wait to leave us and get to a beach. Amber is staying home and going to UVU. KaLee is moving down and going to Snow, and I'm traveling up, and going to BYU Idaho. So we're all separating. Which is sad, but I'll be excited to start a new portion of my life, and meet new people.

As Kingfishers catch fire

Gerard Manley Hopkins: As Kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame'

AS kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies dráw fláme;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I do is me: for that I came.

Í say móre: the just man justices;
Kéeps gráce: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is—
Chríst—for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.


This poem is kind of tricky to understand at first. I for sure didn't understand it until i had it explained to me. But what it's saying is, just as kingfishers (which are a type of bird) catch fire (the color of the birds when the light hits them is what he's referring to as in 'catch fire') and just as dragonflies draw flame, (how the light plays on their wings) they are different but both beautiful. Each stone has it's own sound, each string on a bow, an instrument as it's own unique sound. 'Each mortal thing does one thing and the same'.
We are all different but then the second stanza is where the meaning comes together. For we all 'act in God's eye what in God's eye he is- which is- Christ. And i think it's so perfect how he describes how we are all children of God. 'For Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his to the Father through the features of men's faces.'
My seminary teacher showed us this poem and I just loved it. It's so interestingly written, hard to understand but once you get the concept it's so gorgeous. The language is beautiful.

B4

sophomore
junior
senior
chemistry
Kleenex
unfinished homework
white board erasing instructions
jolly rancher wrappers
pleas for movement
interesting eating habits of sandwiches
more homework
circled and circled equations
chemistry party
sophomore
junior
senior
no homework done
B4

Senior Pictures!