Breaking the Trend

For most of this year (maybe all, I don't know for sure and don't feel like double checking), I've had a pattern of blogging once a month. Well, I'm sitting at work, bored, so I'm going to break that trend and blog for the second time in April. Egats!
Why, you may ask, is a college student bored at work with only a week until finals? Because I may as well be done. I practically am. The last week has been killer, with tons of big projects all due in the same three days. But, that's over now, I'm finished with my last big paper, and it's on to easy street! All I have left is a small paper (2-3 pages; piece of cake!), a super small homework assignment, a presentation that I've already prepared for, and two finals, one of which is online, and the other is in a class that I've gotten over 100% on the first two tests. So basically, I'm no longer stressed. It's a wonderful feeling.
To celebrate my stress-free life, tonight I'm going to the library! There's a book I've been wanting to read ever since I read the first 46 pages on google books (blasted limited preview!), and tonight, I'll get it! I recently found out that Mesa, unlike Tempe, is not stupid, and will let anyone in Maricopa County get a library card (I still have bitter feelings toward the Tempe Public Library), so tonight I'll get a card and enjoy. It's great because the Mesa Public Library is all of 5 minutes from my house, but the Gilbert library is like 15-20, so even though I technically live in Gilbert, it's much more convenient to go to Mesa. Plus it's on the way from school to home.
Anyway, not really much to blog about seeing as how my life has been consumed with school for the past... semester. :) I'll probably blog quite a bit more over summer when I'm bored out of my mind!
Thanks for reading!

A is for Avnet!

Just wanted to let you guys know, we've chosen Avnet for Justin's summer internship. There are so many pluses that come with this decision:
-We won't have to move!
-We will have family close by, five to seven minutes away at any moment
-I can work at the Writing Center over summer. Not for a lot of hours, but it's definite work!
-Gas is way more affordable here than in CA
-Avnet is a company that Justin can see himself working at for many, many years, and it's a great opportunity to get his foot in the door for a long-term position
-Avnet often employs some of their interns that they want to offer a job after graduation during the school year. Justin would be able to keep working with them, so he wouldn't have to go back to his work with Guthrie, which quite often leaves his back in less-than-ideal shape. It also means we'd get their benefits a lot sooner, since you only have to work 20 hours there to qualify.
-Avnet might offer Justin employment after Graduation if they like him!
-We will be able to go on the Gibson family reunion in Tucson during the summer. Not so exciting about visiting Tucson, but very excited about spending time with family
-We will be able to attend various wedding receptions of some of my friends
-We will be able to attend the Drum and Bugle Corp performance at Dobson High that will be featuring The Academy (which Justin marched with for 4 years), Santa Clara Vanguard (my personal favorite, they've got some mad dance skills in their guard), among others

As you can see, there are lots of reasons we chose Avnet over Kohl's. Kohl's also had a list of positives and negatives (Avnet had negatives too, but not many), and it was a hard decision, but overall we just felt that Avnet is the more responsible decision, and will be very beneficial in preparing us for the future.

Interviews, interviews, and MORE interviews!

So, after LOTS and LOTS of interviews (seriously, last week between the two of us we had FOUR interviews! In ONE week!), we have some answers!
Justin has been looking for an internship for the summer. He's also in his very infrequent spare time been looking for a job better than his current one, that might give him more than six hours a week. No luck on that front.
However! On the internship front... He interviewed with Kohl's in Chicago (they flew him out there, paid for the hotel and everything) last Thursday and Friday. He interviewed with Avnet on Wednesday. Avnet is a local company, located right by the airport, and they make semiconductors and a whole bunch of other stuff. Kohl's is a clothing store, for those who don't know.
He got an offer from BOTH! He got two offers, and now we just have to decide! If we take Kohl's, we'd be living in San Bernardino (about an hour from Disneyland) for the summer. Avnet, obviously, would be here. Kohl's could also be a few other places, but it would be up to us, and that's the closest one. We're not sure which one we'll pick yet, we'll get more specific details early next week. Then we can make our decision!
I also interviewed last week for a campus position. I will be a student facilitator for incoming freshmen in the fall. What does that mean? Basically, I get to teach a class of freshmen who are all English majors about all sorts of English-major stuff. Like the different resources available, different options upon graduation, etc. I'm really excited for it, mostly just because I think it will be fun :) It will also look really great on a resume if I decide to apply for grad school down the road.
So, things have been very exciting in the Clement house.
School has been busy as ever, Justin and I both have something major every week from here on out, and several weeks with multiple major projects/tests/papers/etc. I'm looking forward to the summer, even though it means more school for me. I'm taking three classes over the summer through MCC so that I can graduate in  December with Justin. Biology 100, Psychology of Culture, and Food Nutrition. I needed a science, a culture, and then just three other random credits. It should be easy, but it just means more work. That's life, I suppose.
Other than that, we're mainly just trying to keep our heads above water. I've been crafting with Ashley more, which is a great stress reliever, and a great chance to spend more time with my sister. No time for any hobbies besides that.
Well, that about sums it up. Thanks for reading!

It's My Party...

... but I don't want to cry!

Today is my birthday, and it has been GREAT! I started out the day hearing one of the cutest little girls in the world sing me happy birthday. Breakfast was Cinnabon, bacon and strawberries, followed by presents! I got some super cute clothes, a neck massager, and a new kitchen thermometer. I also got lots of little things, like a new ladle, a box of nice chocolates, and bag of Lindor truffles, and the movie Where the Red Fern Grows (accompanied with tissues... my husband knows me so well!). I had a nice lazy morning watching M*A*S*H and spending time with the hubby.

Then, for lunch we had BLT's (so I love bacon, okay?). After that, I spent some girl time with my sister. We went to JoAnn's to get fabric for a project of mine (I'll be sure to post it when I'm done; it's going to be awesome!), then my mom came home and I got to spend some time with her, too!

This evening, Justin is taking me out to dinner at Claim Jumper, which should be really nice. I've never been there, but have wanted to try it for years!

I also got a sort-of birthday present in the mail today - I ordered a book for one of my linguistics classes, and it arrived! I need it in order to do my homework, and it should actually be really neat. It's a Chinese Grammar, basically giving all the info you would need to know to do a linguistic study of Chinese: sentence structure, phonological aspects, morphological process, all those super fun things! I'm so nerdy, I'm actually really excited to work on my homework tonight!

So, that's my day. It's been awesome, and mostly I'm just blogging about it so that those who have not yet wished me a happy birthday can do so in the comments ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Internship

So, I know that most of you probably think Justin is the only one searching for internships. Well, he's not. I was too. Well, a little tiny bit, which basically means I saw one and thought it would be totally awesome, so I applied for it. I love it when great opportunities just plop right in front of me in my email inbox. Awesome.
Well, I got it! It's for this semester, I'll be getting college credit for it. And what will I be doing, you ask? Editing the Department of English website. Yep. I'll be their proofreader, make sure there are no embarrassing mistakes, make sure the links all work, that kind of stuff. I'm so excited! You guys, I want to BE an editor some day. Like, sit-down-at-my-desk-with-a-red-pen-and-mark-up-your-book kind of editor. This is awesome, because it gives me experience actually editing something, and I can put it on my resume!

See all those red marks? Those will be from ME! 

Basically, I'm super excited that I got it. It's all done online, there's a spreadsheet thingy that I report stuff in, so I can do it whenever it fits in my schedule, at home, school, work (because my job is awesomely flexible like that!), anywhere! I just wanted to share my great news with y'all!

Still Alive

So, I've kind of been neglecting this blog for a while. Instead, I've been focusing on revamping my craft blog!
Life has been life. That's all it ever is though, so I don't really ever have too much to blog about. School is keeping me busy, and it's also keeping Justin VERY busy. That's why I've had more time to craft! :-)
Basically, if you want to keep tabs on me, you should follow my craft blog. You should follow my craft blog anyway, because it's awesome. If anything super exciting comes up (like, maybe when we find out where Justin will be interning this summer), I'll make a little post here. Otherwise, all of my attention will be directed toward my craft blog.
Thanks for reading!

The Power of Music

I just read a really beautiful story about music, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Grab a box of tissues, I definitely cried at the end. It's a bit long, but well worth reading.

I wish to relate a modern-day story which concerns a young girl, the fourth child in a family of six children. Her name is Heather. Three of the children, including Heather, suffer from a rare disease called glutaric acidemia. In each case, the onset of the disease occurred during the first year of life when an enzyme attacked the brain, causing paralysis. The disease results in acid forming in the muscles, similar to that which occurs following a period of intense physical activity. The problem faced by the children is that the acid never leaves and causes great pain. Cindy, the first child with the disease, died at the age of 23. She was one of the oldest living persons known with the disease. At death she weighed about 40 pounds.

Soon after Heather's birth, the parents realized that she would be physically handicapped and that her spirit would be housed in a body with great restrictions. As she grew, she was confined to a wheelchair, unable to speak, and could only send messages with her eyes. A direct gaze and a smile meant yes. A blink meant no. Despite her handicaps, one could feel the vibrant spirit inside.

As Heather progressed, it became obvious to the parents that she was extraordinarily bright. She would play guessing games with the family using her limited means to communicate. When she was old enough, the parents enrolled Heather in a special school to see if she could learn to speak. The teacher was a gifted therapist. One morning as Heather and the teacher visited about the prior weekend, the teacher learned that Heather had attended Primary. The teacher then sang for Heather “When He Comes Again” (Songbook, p. 82). The expression on Heather's face revealed the delight within her. When the teacher asked Heather if she had a favorite song, the young girl's wide eyes and engaging smile left little doubt. But what was the song? Through a series of questions, the teacher learned that Heather's song was one she had heard in Primary. She wasn't sure which songbook it was in, but it was about Jesus. The teacher sang all the songs she could think of, but to no avail. However, Heather was not about to quit-she wanted to share her favorite song. At the end of the day, the two were still searching. The teacher agreed to bring her Primary songbooks to school the next day.

On the following morning, Heather and her teacher continued the quest. From the first hymn to the last, the little girl blinked her eyes indicating no. They were still unsuccessful. But Heather was not about to give up. She wanted to share her favorite song. Finally, the teacher told Heather that her mother would have to help her find the song and then they would sing it.

The next day Heather arrived with the green Church hymnal tucked in her chair, but there was no marker. So they began with the first hymn. The teacher would sing the first part of each song, and Heather would give her answer. After the first 100 hymns, there were 100 no's. After 200 hymns there had been 200 no's. Finally, the teacher began to sing “There is sunshine in my soul today...” (Hymns, 1985, no. 227). Heather's body jumped, and a big smile crossed her face. Her eyes gazed directly into the teacher's, indicating success after three days of searching. Both teacher and student rejoiced.

As the teacher sang the first verse and began the chorus, Heather mustered all her strength and joined in with a few sounds. After finishing the first verse and chorus, the teacher asked if she wanted to hear the rest of the verses, and Heather's eyes opened wide with a firm yes. The teacher began to sing:

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King,
And Jesus listening can hear
The songs I cannot sing.

Heather's reaction to these lines was so strong that the teacher stopped. As the reality and significance of the words pressed on the teacher's mind, she wondered if those lines were the reason Heather liked the song? The teacher asked: “Heather, is that what you like about the song? Is that what you want me to know? Does Jesus listen? Does he hear the songs you cannot sing?”

The direct, penetrating gaze was a clear answer. Feeling guided by the Spirit, the teacher asked, “Heather, does Jesus talk to you in your mind and in your heart?”

Again, the child's look was penetrating. The teacher then asked, “Heather, what does he say?”

The teachers heart pounded as she saw the clear look in Heather's eyes as the little girl awaited the questions that would allow her to share her insights.

“Does Jesus say, ‘Heather, I love you’?”

Heather's radiant eyes widened and she smiled. After a pause, the teacher asked next, “Does he say, ‘Heather, you're special’?”

The answer again was yes. Finally, the teacher asked, “Does he say, ‘Heather, be patient; I have great things in store for you’?”

With all her strength, Heather's head became erect and her eyes penetrated the teacher's soul. She knew she was loved, she was special, and she only needed to be patient (Story adapted from Jean Ernstrom, “Jesus, Listening, Can Hear,” Ensign, June 1988, pp. 46--47).

Two years later, Heather died because of the ravages of the disease. Her younger brother, Mark, also suffers from the disease but not to the extent of his older sisters. He can talk, although it is not easy. As the parents discussed Heather's passing and the funeral that would take place, Mark exclaimed, “No go Heather's funeral!” Heather was his best friend. As the parents tried to explain death to him, he would not be consoled. He was crushed and did not want to attend the service. For two days he could not be persuaded.

On the morning of the funeral, the father went to Mark's room to get him up. As he entered the room, Mark was sitting up in bed with a big smile on his face. His first words were: “Dad, go Heather's funeral!”

The father responded: “Mark, what has changed your mind?”

“Dad, had dream.”

“What did you dream about, Mark?”

“Dad, dreamed about Heather.”

“Mark, what was Heather doing?”

“Oh, Dad, Heather running and jumping and singing ‘There is sunshine in my soul today.’ Dad, go Heather's funeral” (Mark's part of the story was obtained through conversations with the parents and also from the book written by the family: Bruce and Joyce Erickson, When Life Doesn't Seem Fair [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995]; see pp. 65-66).v

The Power of Hymns

Merrill J. Bateman

President of Brigham Young University

Presented on August 4, 1998

 at the 20th Annual Workshop on Church Music

 at Brigham Young University

(see Ensign, July 2001, pp. 14-20)