Life as of Late

Since I'm all grown up and graduated now, I guess I can let you all know what I've been up to. Let me just say that not being in school is reeeeally nice. I definitely don't miss all the assignments and studying and tests. I live a fairly worry-free life. And it's awesome. To catch up those of you who might not know...I graduated this December in Communication Disorders. Most of the time when I tell people that, they give me a funny look. Uhhh....huh? What is that? Some people make jokes. Oh, so you're studying how men communicate? And a few people actually know about it. That's awesome! There is a big need for that! A Bachelor's in Communication Disorders prepares you to become a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist. Eventually I want to go to graduate school to get my Master's degree, because I won't be able to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist without one. I applied to BYU's and the University of Utah's graduate programs, but got denied at both places. :( I'm oddly okay with it though. Not even one tear was shed. They are both pretty competitive. Even though I got a pretty good GPA and GRE score, it didn't level up to all of the other people's applications. There are so many people who want to attend grad school in Utah but there are simply not enough spaces. They only accepted 16 people (out of 80-something) at BYU and around 80 (out of 200) people at the U. I only applied to those two schools because I thought that we would be in Utah county for at least another year, waiting for Brian to graduate. We thought that he would graduate this December. About two weeks ago Brian found out that he will actually be done with his Bachelor's this summer and will be able to walk at graduation with me in April. Which makes me very happy! We will get to take pictures together in our caps and gowns...precious. I guess I could have applied to other graduate programs outside of the state, but I'm not upset about it at all. I guess this is Heavenly Father's way of saying that I'm supposed to be doing something else this year! I'm still trying to figure out what that is, though.

After I graduated in December, I didn't have any jobs lined up. I applied to as many places as I could find, focusing especially on jobs relating to children with special needs. I had one interview at a preschool for children with autism, but that was it. When I got back to Utah after Christmas break, I got a call from Wasatch Mental Health. I had applied there because my friend Anne from my major works at the Giant Steps program and told me I should apply. I'm sure glad I did because I was offered a job! Not at the Giant Steps program, but at a program called Stride. Stride is an after-school behavioral management program for elementary school kids who are suffering from behavioral or emotional issues. I started working there on January 14th and I LOVE IT! It has been such a rewarding experience. Some days can be really challenging, but those are the times that I learn the most. Some days I come home so exhausted. These kids need all the help they can get, but they are some of the greatest kids I have ever met. Even though I've been scratched, kicked, punched, bitten, and even been called profanities, I have learned to love these children with all my heart. This is starting to sound really cheesy but it's true. I'm so lucky that I have this job. Sometimes when I tell Brian about my crazy days he looks at me like Why on earth do you like this job? But for some weird reason I do. I guess it's because I am helping these kids, even if it's very miniscule. I love seeing them progress in this short 13 week program. And it melts my heart when they tell me they love me or are so excited to tell me a story from school or ask if they can give me a hug. These kids are awesome. And this job has definitely reassured me that working with children is what I want to do.

I was also able to manage getting a second part-time job. I've worked at the BYU library since October 2010. Typically once you graduate you are not allowed to work on campus anymore. Well, I got super lucky. My supervisor was able to convince the library administration to keep me until August. I work in the Music Special Collections department as a cataloger. So basically I sit at a desk all morning and catalog old viola scores into the computer. I love this job because it's pretty flexible and I guess I'm weird because I love cataloging. I feel so accomplished when I do it. I work in the music vault at the library, surrounded by really old and expensive scores. I'm trying my best to get it as organized as possible before I leave. When I graduated in December, I was sad to go because at that point I didn't know if I'd be able to continue working there. I'm glad that I was able to come back (even though I took about a 3 month leave). I didn't want to leave my unfinished projects...because I'm OCD like that I guess. So I work at the library in the mornings and then at Wasatch Mental Health in the afternoons. I'm pretty busy, working from 8am-6pm every day but I love both my jobs! I am blessed.

On Mondays and Wednesdays I volunteer at a nearby elementary school for an SLP. She has taught me how to evaluate children on their articulation and give them tips to improve their speech. It's only for about an hour each day but I love it so much! It's fun to finally get to use my major for something, even if I'm not getting paid. I have a list of kids that I visit. I pull them out of their class, for no more than five minutes. We stand right outside of their classroom and they do simple drills and I record their progress. The goal is to have them practice for five minutes a day, making as many productions of the target sound as possible. This 5-minute artic program has proven to be more effective than pulling them out of class for a 20-minute session once or twice a week. The kids also don't miss as much class instruction and get to practice their speech everyday instead of once or twice a week. Anyways, I am really enjoying it and am learning lots from the SLP! It's definitely reassuring to know that I've chosen the right career (you were right all along, mom). :)

I'm currently applying to get a license to become a Speech-Language Technician in Utah. This job is very similar to an SLP, except I will have to work underneath an SLP, get paid less, and won't be able to be the folder-holder for the kids. It's also a lot harder to find an SLT position. Most districts just fill SLP positions first, and if they have a need and they happen to have enough funding, then they will hire SLTs. I'm going to try to do that starting this fall. That way I'll finally have a full-time position and I'll be able to practice for an entire year before I apply to graduate school again. I have no idea if I'll even apply next year or not...and if I do, I have no idea where I'm even though to apply to. But I'm not worried because I know through prayer it will all work out.

Brian will most likely be starting a job at a company called Nuvi once he graduates. He's already working for the company now as a social analyst. Basically he is on twitter all the time, doing "setups" for businesses. It looks like they'll be able to hire him full-time, meaning we will be in Utah for a little bit longer. One year, two years, three years, who knows. I'm just glad that he pretty much has a job lined up! He eventually wants to go to graduate school, most likely to get an MBA. But he'll work for a little bit before he applies anywhere. Basically I feel like we're walking in the dark because I have no idea how much longer we are going to be in Utah for and where we will be going next. I'm just glad that I have Brian to share this crazy ride with.

Well I think my essay is over. I feel like this was more of a journal entry than a blog entry. Hopefully some of you found it interesting!

Next up: our weekend in Zion and our weekend at the cabin.