When I mentioned that I had just finished my last class, I lied. You see, I still have my internship to complete. Most family history majors complete their internships at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I didn't want to do that. Because commuting is a beast. Because I'm not interested in the library-aspect of genealogy. Because I am fascinated with genealogy on the Internet. Because I am interested in digitization and indexing of records. Because I don't want to wear a skirt and pantyhose every day.
And so I pursued my internship at World Vital Records. I chose it because my bishop is the CEO. Because it's an Internet-based genealogical company. Because a girl in a few of my classes works there, and she said I should try to do my internship there. Because it's in Provo, and I can ride my bike there.
I have one more hurdle to jump (the writing of the 8-week internship plan), and then the internship is mine, all mine.
I am so excited to learn and have fun and not commute to Salt Lake City every day. And not wear pantyhose when it's 4 billion degrees outside.
20 June 2007
19 June 2007
Hooray!
Yesterday I turned in the last research paper of my undergraduate career. It was a lovely feeling. The paper itself wasn't very good, but it was good enough. And let's face it, I have senioritis, so good enough is good enough for me.
I'm so excited to be finished. Now I just have to figure out what to do in all the spare time I'll have.
I'm so excited to be finished. Now I just have to figure out what to do in all the spare time I'll have.
18 June 2007
Formative teenage years
Eric's little brother is becoming one of my favorite people. I've known him for the past three years, and it has been wildly amusing watching him develop into the 16-year-old that he is now. I've been thinking about this since he turned 16 in May. He's a relatively laid-back kid and usually puts up with his older siblings' teasing him. It's something you just get used to, I suppose.
Recently he went to EFY. Before going to EFY I'm pretty sure he never even uttered the word "girl." When I first saw him after he got back I said something along the lines of "So, did you meet lots of cute girls that you can take on dates?". To which he proudly responded, "Yes. Lots of them." I was shocked- not that he liked girls, but that he admitted he liked girls. This was something that has never before happened!
A few days later I was at the in-laws' house, and I needed to use the computer. Upon the keyboard I found a list of email addresses of all the kids in his EFY group. He came upstairs and asked me what I was doing. I told him "I just emailed all the girls on this list. I said you thought they were hot and want to go on dates with them. You shouldn't leave your in-box open like that." To which he responded, "Well, I already did that, so you didn't need to." Ha! He hadn't actually done it, but that he took my teasing in stride greatly amused me.
It's been fun watching that kid grow up. I look forward to continuing.
Recently he went to EFY. Before going to EFY I'm pretty sure he never even uttered the word "girl." When I first saw him after he got back I said something along the lines of "So, did you meet lots of cute girls that you can take on dates?". To which he proudly responded, "Yes. Lots of them." I was shocked- not that he liked girls, but that he admitted he liked girls. This was something that has never before happened!
A few days later I was at the in-laws' house, and I needed to use the computer. Upon the keyboard I found a list of email addresses of all the kids in his EFY group. He came upstairs and asked me what I was doing. I told him "I just emailed all the girls on this list. I said you thought they were hot and want to go on dates with them. You shouldn't leave your in-box open like that." To which he responded, "Well, I already did that, so you didn't need to." Ha! He hadn't actually done it, but that he took my teasing in stride greatly amused me.
It's been fun watching that kid grow up. I look forward to continuing.
12 June 2007
Count the pennies and the pounds fall into place.
When I was sixteen I went to Disney World, and I got a bank in the shape of Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, my favorite film. When I started working at a grocery store a few months later, I began depositing my coins into Belle at the end of each day. I didn't use plastic money back then, so I usually had a fair amount of change after buying lunch and then buying a snack on my break. There were two times in high school where I found myself completely broke and in need of cash. Both times I emptied Belle, rolled the coins, and to my amazement, I had about $40. Belle served me well in high school, so naturally I brought her with me to college.
In college, I rarely needed Belle anymore. Since I used my credit and debit cards for all of my purchases and rarely even had cash on hand, Belle filled very slowly. I rarely took the time to empty her and count her contents. When I needed quarters to do laundry, I would reluctantly turn to her for help, and because she is so faithful, she would always help me.
Then I married Eric. He uses cash more than I do, and I informed him that he needed to deposit coins into Belle at the end of each day; he obeyed. Soon I found that Belle was rapidly gaining weight, but because I didn't have the need to empty her, I continued to allow her to fill. Sometimes, out of boredom, we would empty Belle and count the change we had accumulated.
Last night I decided it was time to roll some coins and deposit them in a more secure bank, one which is FDIC insured. We emptied Belle, sorted coins and began rolling. Sadly, we had too many nickel and dime rolls and not enough quarter and penny rolls. Nonetheless, I took $59.50 to the bank today. It had been nearly four years since I had thoroughly utilized Belle's resources. We probably would have had about $25 more if we had adequate rolls. We could get more rolls, but I think we'll wait for another big cash-in.
In college, I rarely needed Belle anymore. Since I used my credit and debit cards for all of my purchases and rarely even had cash on hand, Belle filled very slowly. I rarely took the time to empty her and count her contents. When I needed quarters to do laundry, I would reluctantly turn to her for help, and because she is so faithful, she would always help me.
Then I married Eric. He uses cash more than I do, and I informed him that he needed to deposit coins into Belle at the end of each day; he obeyed. Soon I found that Belle was rapidly gaining weight, but because I didn't have the need to empty her, I continued to allow her to fill. Sometimes, out of boredom, we would empty Belle and count the change we had accumulated.
Last night I decided it was time to roll some coins and deposit them in a more secure bank, one which is FDIC insured. We emptied Belle, sorted coins and began rolling. Sadly, we had too many nickel and dime rolls and not enough quarter and penny rolls. Nonetheless, I took $59.50 to the bank today. It had been nearly four years since I had thoroughly utilized Belle's resources. We probably would have had about $25 more if we had adequate rolls. We could get more rolls, but I think we'll wait for another big cash-in.
Baby Obsession
I went shopping again yesterday, and I got a pair of nice, black capris for $7! That's right, $7. Also, I got a pair of brown flip-flops to replace the ones the dog chewed and my first ever pair of black flip-flops. How I could have gone so long without black flip-flops is completely bewildering to me.
But, actually, this post is not about my recent need for spending all my husband's hard-earned money. It's about babies.
I have a strange fascination/obsession with pregnancy and labor. I always have. When I was a teenager I loved wasting my summer days watching TLC's A Baby Story. In my college years I've spent a fair amount of time researching the history of birth control and midwives. Pretty much any time I'm waiting for my prescription at the pharmacy or waiting to be seen by my orthodontist (usually the wait there is approximately .00001 milliseconds long) I select the magazine about babies. You know, the one that always has a baby on the cover and is full of articles about how to get, care for and raise a baby. I am fascinated with the idea that all of us lived inside our mothers, and then one day we came out of our mothers! Not only that, but one day there will be a person living inside of me! It's just mind-boggling and amazing.
With all that said, I'm not going to have a baby any time soon (at least not within the next 40 weeks, to my knowledge). I really just said all that to be a disclaimer for the forthcoming story and for all forthcoming blogs in which I may happen to mention babies. It is highly unlikely that I will announce anything exciting (such as a pregnancy) via my blog. If you are a near and dear one to me, you will receive some sort of personal notice should such a thing need to be announced. Okay, this disclaimer is finished.
My fascination as of late is in vitro fertilization. It is an incredible process. Not only can it help people who have fertility issues, it can also help people who carry terrible genetic diseases. This weekend I met a couple (actually, I met them once before at another such gathering) who used in vitro fertilization because of a genetic defect. The husband is a carrier of a genetic defect. He has three brothers, and two of them are carriers as well. One of those brothers passed the defect onto his son who lived to the age of 4.
Usually people who have the defect do not live long enough to be born or live only a short while after being born. This man's mother had numerous miscarriages. The man's father (who passed the gene to his children) was an only child because his mother also had numerous miscarriages.
The couple I met have never tried to become pregnant naturally. Instead they used the money inherited from the maternal grandmother (who specified in her will that the money was to be used specifically for in vitro fertilization) to undergo in vitro. Of the embryos created doctors were able to determine which did not have the defect and planted two into the mother. Both embryos took and the couple was blessed with two, healthy girls two months ago. Recent tests have shown that the girls are not even carriers of the defect.
Modern medicine really is a miraculous thing.
But, actually, this post is not about my recent need for spending all my husband's hard-earned money. It's about babies.
I have a strange fascination/obsession with pregnancy and labor. I always have. When I was a teenager I loved wasting my summer days watching TLC's A Baby Story. In my college years I've spent a fair amount of time researching the history of birth control and midwives. Pretty much any time I'm waiting for my prescription at the pharmacy or waiting to be seen by my orthodontist (usually the wait there is approximately .00001 milliseconds long) I select the magazine about babies. You know, the one that always has a baby on the cover and is full of articles about how to get, care for and raise a baby. I am fascinated with the idea that all of us lived inside our mothers, and then one day we came out of our mothers! Not only that, but one day there will be a person living inside of me! It's just mind-boggling and amazing.
With all that said, I'm not going to have a baby any time soon (at least not within the next 40 weeks, to my knowledge). I really just said all that to be a disclaimer for the forthcoming story and for all forthcoming blogs in which I may happen to mention babies. It is highly unlikely that I will announce anything exciting (such as a pregnancy) via my blog. If you are a near and dear one to me, you will receive some sort of personal notice should such a thing need to be announced. Okay, this disclaimer is finished.
My fascination as of late is in vitro fertilization. It is an incredible process. Not only can it help people who have fertility issues, it can also help people who carry terrible genetic diseases. This weekend I met a couple (actually, I met them once before at another such gathering) who used in vitro fertilization because of a genetic defect. The husband is a carrier of a genetic defect. He has three brothers, and two of them are carriers as well. One of those brothers passed the defect onto his son who lived to the age of 4.
Usually people who have the defect do not live long enough to be born or live only a short while after being born. This man's mother had numerous miscarriages. The man's father (who passed the gene to his children) was an only child because his mother also had numerous miscarriages.
The couple I met have never tried to become pregnant naturally. Instead they used the money inherited from the maternal grandmother (who specified in her will that the money was to be used specifically for in vitro fertilization) to undergo in vitro. Of the embryos created doctors were able to determine which did not have the defect and planted two into the mother. Both embryos took and the couple was blessed with two, healthy girls two months ago. Recent tests have shown that the girls are not even carriers of the defect.
Modern medicine really is a miraculous thing.
09 June 2007
Appetite
I've been wanting to go shopping for a while. This is a strange desire for me. I don't usually crave shopping like I do BYU Creamery Chocolate Milk or a hamburger. This urge to go shopping has been nagging at me since the summer began and I realized how badly I need some new summer clothes. Finally, Eric and I went today.
We actually only went to one store, and it wasn't that great, but I did get two new shirts, and so my appetite has been momentarily satisfied. We also went to Bath and Body works which is having a big sale. It's really great timing seeing as how I just finished off some shower gels that Eric got me for Christmas 2005. I find it amusing how quickly money goes when there is a sale.
On the up-side, Eric was working while we shopped. (He takes care of mentally handi-capped guys in a group home, and we took one of them with us because he was in need of some new clothes as well). In the end, we made more money in this shopping trip than we spent. (By we, clearly I mean Eric).
We actually only went to one store, and it wasn't that great, but I did get two new shirts, and so my appetite has been momentarily satisfied. We also went to Bath and Body works which is having a big sale. It's really great timing seeing as how I just finished off some shower gels that Eric got me for Christmas 2005. I find it amusing how quickly money goes when there is a sale.
On the up-side, Eric was working while we shopped. (He takes care of mentally handi-capped guys in a group home, and we took one of them with us because he was in need of some new clothes as well). In the end, we made more money in this shopping trip than we spent. (By we, clearly I mean Eric).
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