Stressed....Out.....??

Yes, school started today and I am already way stressed out. Probably because this English class just might be harder than I thought, but maybe it won't. I am just a little worried because now I really have to make sure I have enough time every day to make sure I get on the computer and Do. My. Homework. English has always been my toughest subject. Oh, not to mention I get to buy books. I know, I should be grateful that I only have to buy books for one class. But still, that doesn't take away my anxiety for spending the money and hoping I get them in time to do my reading assignments. From what I could read in the syllabus and first week's assignments, I can tell he is going to be a pretty tough teacher, but also probably a very good one. I know if I just apply myself and work hard and take it one step at a time and make sure I have a time and a place set out specifically each day for this class and its homework, I will do ok. I also know that I was supposed to return back to school this semester for a reason, and despite all the trials I have faced so far, everything seemed to have still worked out. I know everything will work out like it will supposed to in the end. This is also what you call stretching the rubberband. This semester, I believe I will be stretched to maximum stretch-ability. This will be my very first experience with an online college course. This will also be my very first experience with being married and working full-time. I now have a family (even if it is just a husband) to be responsible for, and I have to go to work Tues-Fri from 8am-5pm. It will definitely be different from what I was used to up at school. But that is what life is all about - adapting and making the best out of what you have. The Lord has put me in this spot for a reason, and now I know I have to just take it from here and make it my best. I've looked back at my past 2 years up at Utah State and I knew that those were some of the best years of my life, but I sure wasn't thinking that while I was up there. Staying busy, continually learning, and always applying myself and turning to who I knew I needed to for help were what made those hard semesters worth it in the end.

Speaking of turning to who I know I need to the most, Scott and I went to the Salt Lake Temple this morning to do a session. It was the most beautiful temple I have been inside yet. The old and ornate beauty of those pioneer times really showed to me how dedicated they were to making sure this temple was really the House of the Lord. It made me think of something my sister-in-law said last night, about making sacrifices to go to the temple. We have so many temples around here that sometimes I believe we just take it for granted and go when we can possibly fit it into our busy schedule and then hope the session gets over soon because you need to get back to what seemed more important to get done. But Liz said that when you think of those who don't have temples nearby and who sacrifice so much time and work and money to make just one temple trip a year, it really makes you realize how blessed we are to have these temples so close to us. The pioneers sacrificed so much, like china, or almost their lives getting granite, all for building up the House of the Lord. Seeing their handiwork today in the Salt Lake Temple really helped my testimony grow. I am grateful for the temples we have close by.

I am also grateful for my upbringing, for always being taught to stay strong in the church and to never falter in reading my scriptures and praying. I am grateful for a wonderful husband that deals so patiently with all of my mood swings. I am grateful for his strong faith and firm standing, so that I am weary, I can always lean on him. I am grateful for this gospel, because without its help and strength, I would not have made it through school thus far because school (especially English) is haaarrd! I also love camping and being in the outdoors and spending time with my family and taking walks and reading, reading, reading. I love my friends and I hope that I can continue to be a better friend to all those around me. I know I can make it through English 2010 this semester. I just have to take it one, happy step at a time. :)

Girls and Their Chick Flicks

I just discovered the most interesting thing about myself last night. I can let myself bawl into pitiful oblivion in front of Scott whenever my day doesn't go my way or I am way stressed out, but for some strange and very odd reason, I cannot bring myself to cry in front of him during a chick flick! I don't know if it was because this was the very first chick flick I have been able to watch in front of him since we've been married, or if it maybe had something to do with Miley Cyrus being in it (he hates Miley Cyrus - I love Miley Cyrus :] ). Maybe it was my pride and our constant fight about Miley that wouldn't let me cry. Whatever it was, I just couldn't do it.

Learning Life's Many Lessons

I have just had several major life lessons this week happen to me. The first one was not giving a full two-weeks' notice to Ridley's like I should have. I didn't know that I could have still worked this week during orientation/training at my new job, even if it was just a few days or some weird-odd shifts. At least it would have been two weeks and would have given the full courtesy not just my boss, but my co-workers and my favorite customers, deserved. I didn't even get to say good-bye to some of them. I regret now that I did not look more fully into the situation, and that I did not assess and think everything through like I should have. I know I was just eager to leave Ridley's. When it came down to, oh! suddenly say good-bye to Ridley's, it seemed weird and didn't feel right. I don't think I gave that job a proper good-bye, and now I can't ever go back. I would look like a desperate idiot if I were to come crawling back to them after leaving them with a one week's notice (and not to mention a new job), simply because I felt bad for leaving them in a rut like that. And maybe it just feels different because I am leaving them for a new (and really, much better) job. It's not just school this time, where I know I'll be coming back for the summertime like I do every year. This is real. This is really a major step and change I am taking in my life. This job opens up so many opportunities for my personal progression, financial situation, and education that I never would have had with Ridley's, at least, not as easily. And just a random note: My loyalty lies with Albertson's and it always will be.

Second thing I learned! Working in an office setting has really helped me realize some things about myself. If I had not come over to this job, I would not have discovered that I am a loud swallower! There is so much background noise at the grocery store or restaurant, or even at home, that I never even thought about something like this before. But when it's really quiet at my desk and I'm trying not to make too much noise for those on the phone, my swallowing can be really loud! I just hope the girl sitting next to me can't hear it! How embarrassing!

Thirdly.....I must say good-bye to my phone. It has been a very loyal, very loving Blackberry Pearl, and it has lasted me over two whole years. In phone years, that is a very long time. My Blackberry and I have had a very loving relationship with each other. It has never given me grief or pain, except for those random times when it would decide to delete all my unsaved texts and call log. But with that I would just have to take out the battery and put it back in, and it would be just fine. I loved the set-up on my phone. I especially loved my little trackball. I loved the small and smooth size where my phone would easily and conveniently fit inside my pocket. And my phone, in turn, loved me. It gave me great looking pictures (for what they were 2 years ago....), and it gave me great storage space for all my texts and pictures. It also gave me fun ringtones to choose from with an excellent vibrate-ring option and quality volume that ensured me I would never miss a call or alarm. My Blackberry was very hands-on, and I loved it. And for now....I will be using a Samsung Gravity. Not my choice, but it just happened to be the phone that became available for me to use (and was FREE - remember how I'm all about free?). After having to deal with a flailing battery and a keypad that only half-works, it was time to move on to other resources. I suppose I will get used to this phone until December comes and I will actually be able to get the phone I want.

Fourthly....be careful about your health insurance. If you are just getting health insurance (I am only saying this because I am a newly-wed), please, please make sure you have given your insurance company A-L-L the information they need from you before you schedule any appointments. That includes things such as past medical history/previous health insurance coverage. They will charge you more if they think you have any pre-existing conditions. Basically, unless you tell your insurance company otherwise, and have proof of it, they will assume you do have pre-existing conditions, and will not cover you for what you think you are getting covered for. So did this happen to me, you're asking? Yes, yes it did. Do not get trapped in this. We are out more money than we could have been, and now I know better. This is me, as a friend, saying this to you. That is all. :)

And yes, I am love, LOVE, LOVING my new job, and am feeling very grateful for it. Once again, my new job is a Phone Operator at Central Utah Clinic in the Sports Medicine/Orthopedics department. We basically take all incoming phone calls, whether it be scheduling appointments or taking messages for the doctors. It is quite a lot of fun, and I have had such a great time in training so far. The hours aren't bad either, I must say. It has given me more time to work out and clean the house and do some pre-homework for a class I am trying to register for. I am really enjoying it.

And as always, I am doing my best to continue to live a good and healthy life. Don't falter in whatever keeps you afloat. Hold onto that rod, and keep on pushing through. I know with school coming up for most of us, schedules will become a little tighter and stress levels will become a little higher. But as long as we stick to what we already know is best, than I believe we can conquer anything. :)

A New Life

English is not one of my strengths. I have never been very good at writing papers and my flow of words has always been...stunted. However, with my upcoming online English 2010 class, I need to prepare myself by writing a lot more. I need to get used to saying stuff again. Hopefully, if I can keep myself from being lazy, I will be posting a lot more often now. I feel almost guilty for writing more on my blog than in my actual journal, but I also know everyone still wants to know what's going on in my life. So! Hope you have fun reading my blogs from here on out. I'm going to try to make them long, and lengthy, and hopefully they will mostly make sense. Oh, and doesn't this bring back memories of being in Mr. Rich's class and having to write a blog every....week...?? Hehe. This'll be fun!!

First of all, my husband is missing. He took the car to work this morning and said he'd be back for lunch. It's well past his lunchtime now, and I'm not really...worried...I was just looking forward to seeing him and it looks like now I won't be able to see him until after he gets off work. That also means I won't be able to take the car for the second half of his shift to run some errands, but who wants to see me anyways right now? I stink, I haven't dressed, I haven't showered, my hair's a mess, and I've been lying on the couch all day reading Harry Potter 5.

I suppose some of you had heard the good news. I got a new job! It's at Central Utah Clinic, the big building with the cabin-looking arch right across from the hospital. I will be working in the Orthopedics department answering phones and scheduling appointments. Candice works there, and she says she LOVES it, as well as everyone else I talked to that works there. I will only be working part-time, but it all still evens out to be better than my old job because A) I get weekends, B) I get holidays, C) I get paid more, and D) I'm off by 5pm every day. I feel almost like I don't deserve a job like this. And I almost feel bad for leaving Ridley's behind. They were my friends, not to mention I just adored the customers. It was actually starting to get to a point where customers would come to my line and say things like, "I just love your smile!" or "We always come through your line!" Can you believe this job that I hated and ranted and raved about is one that I am actually sad leaving? You know, the Lord works in mysterious ways. We all say that, I know. But I've been really trying to decide if the Lord is trying to teach me a lesson for being so selfish in wanting a better job when some people have none, or if He really is blessing me. I know it's probably the latter, but when something good like this happens, it's hard to believe that it's really true. Anyways, I am very, very grateful for this new job opportunity in a different field. It's a chance to learn new things and do new things with my life. I am determined to make the best out of it!

I have also decided that I need to get back to my schooling. I made a goal to get a college degree, and even if it's just an Associate's Degree in General Education courses, it is still a college degree and something that can be built upon later. I only have about 4 or so classes left, so I could easily, hopefully, be done by next April. My original plan was to transfer my credits to UVU, but I realized that it would take too much time and effort, not to mention the risks that there could be some credits lost that UVU won't accept. I can't tell you how VERY grateful I am for the internet and online schooling. I have spoken to many people who have gotten degrees online, and they all found it very useful and non-interfering with their work at all. Taking classes online now enables me to not only worry about either transfer or move, but I can do them in my own time and still work my normal schedule. Getting this new job has really helped with that. I am excited more than anything. I know I am doing the right thing by going back to school, even if it is just online classes. I am excited to take notes again, and to study, and to, unbelievably, stress. When you are busy and productive, you are happy. I can't wait to move on with my life. Getting married was one great step, and now I am moving on into another great part of my life. Now I can't wait for Scott to start school!

Well, that has basically been the news in my life. Scott is finding WalMart to really be OK. We are very happy. We love our home in Springville. We love our Ward and the new friends we are making. I really am going to miss my old friends at Ridley's/Albertson's. And I still want my friends to come down and see our house so that they can see what an awful decorator I am and give me tips on what I can do to make my home cuter.

That's all for now, I guess. I'll write more later when there is more to write about. It was good to be able to write today and see how much I really need to brush up on my skills -- especially for English 2010! Ah! I am so scared!!