Busy Girl

I haven't posted on here for.... ever.  Seriously, it's been a long time.  But I am well justified in my absence, as I have been busier than a centipede in a toe-counting contest.   Here is an incomplete list of what I've been doing for the past year or so. 

1. I graduated with a bachelors degree in Accounting. 
2. David and I moved to Utah so he could start graduate school.
3. I did my first year of Tax Season as an H&R Block Tax Preparer.  
4. I got a job as an assistant to the Business Manager at a local law firm. 
5. David and I became the Cub Scout den leaders (Wolves)
6. David and I were "promoted" to Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster, respectively. 
7. I took part 1 of 4 of the CPA exam, and passed.  
8. I am currently taking H&R Block training courses in preparation for the upcoming tax season
9. I am currently working as a remote TypeWell Transcriber
10. I am currently running a reasonably successful storefront at Etsy.com
11. I am currently working for the same law firm listed in #4, but now as an administrator and accountant.  (Administrative Accountant?  I'm still determining what my title should be.  As the administrator, I'm permitted to come up with my own job title.)

That's a decent list, I think.  I'm still busy (getting busier every day), but I want to pick up blogging again.  It's like a glorified Facebook status.

Blogging Food Storage

Now that I have graduated college (I am officially an accountant!) I have time to do blog a little bit more, and to blog useful things every now and again. I am going to start blogging about good food storage items and recipes that I have discovered since getting married. They are normal foods that David and I use in our normal diets, but that require only canned goods, dried goods, and water (no fridge, no freezer items), so they are good if you are interested in starting a family food storage that will keep a decent amount of time but that the family will actually eat. One food storage rule is that you rotate your food items so that you eat it before it goes bad, but you always have some food storage on hand in case of an emergency (which is really nice for when you get snowed in. Not to mention the zombie apocalypse).

Here is a list of some of the recipes that I will be blogging about in the near future, just to whet your appetites:

- Chicken Pasta

- Raman Soup (better than it sounds!)

- Green Bean Bake

- Noodly Guys

- Spaghetti

- Garlic Potato Squares

I will blog them as I cook them, so that I can take pictures of their delicious selves so that you may actually be tempted to try them out.

If you have any recipes that fit the Food Storage Criteria above (made from canned goods, dried goods, and water - no fridge or freezer required) and would like to share, please do so! I will also be blogging about cheap meal ideas in the near future. I love food, but I also love cheap. There are some pretty awesome ways to combine the two!

Like, wow.

Here is something I overheard someone (male) say on campus last week:

"There's no, like, homework; there's no, like, reading; there's no, like, papers...." And he may have said what there were more no, likes, but we were walking in opposite directions and that's all I heard.

I came THIS close to turning to him and asking one of two questions. 1. What class are you taking that has no homework? and 2. What else is there "no, like"? ("Brain" springs to mind.... but that's rude, so I won't say it.)

Goodness gracious! I think that if "like" were to be suddenly jerked from the typical college student's vocabulary, they wouldn't be able to talk anymore.

Want to sound smarter? Don't say "like"!

Happy New Year!

David and I are celebrating the New Year by getting a new apartment! Here are some of the perks of the new (as opposed to what we have now):

1. Washer and Dryer IN the apartment. No more mystery black marks on my whites!!!

2. Reliable internet. Ooohh, Netflix, you are about to get even better!

3. Garbage disposal! Cleaning the fridge will no longer be the monster it once was!

4. Tile floor in the kitchen. No more carpet! YAY!!!!

5. 2nd bedroom = Project room!

6. Wasn't built in the 70's.

I like this game.

Internship!!!

I have accepted an internship at the Chamber of Commerce. I will be the first full-time accounting intern they have ever had, and I am so excited to pave the way for future accounting interns! It is non-paid, but it's only a half-day deal, so I am going to be able to work on campus as well.

I have a definite job on campus already, working for Disabilities Services. I used to be a transcriber, but after getting carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, I am now the official recorder. Meh. It's not nearly as satisfying as being a transcriber, but it's nice to still have a job and get to rest my wrists. Hopefully I will make it to the orthopedic surgeon before too long to find out what we can do about this.

I have a second job possibility on campus, being a TA for the Business Financing class that I am currently taking. That would be a fun experience, to be a TA. I hope it works out! If I can handle working and taking 14 credits of accounting in one semester, and can sure handle two part-time jobs and an internship, right? No homework! w00t!

I am currently suffering from some sort of stomach flu type virus (I got an IV today! It felt so nice to have some fluids again!), and it's time to rest. Bleh.

P.S. I cut my hair... 10 inches will shortly be sent to Locks of Love. :)

Long hair

It has been a year since I cut my hair, and it's starting to show, I guess. I didn't realize how long my hair had gotten until it started being a problem at night (I would roll over onto my hair and then not be able to move my head without pulling my hair. Or worse, David would roll over onto my hair, and I REALLY wouldn't be able to move). I have never really done much with braids, but I started doing it at night, and it works! No wonder those olden ladies would always braid their super-long hair at night! It stays so nicely out of the way! Anyway, here are some pictures of the different styles I'm experimenting with. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Straightened, and pulled back on top.

View from the back

Pigtail braids! This is what I do with them at night. I'm getting better at them!

Straightened

Straightened.

I need to go get a trim - the ends are getting a little frazzled, and I was growing out layers, which adds to the frazzled look a little bit.

I'm am an official transcriber!

Hello everyone!

Things have been extremely busy for someone taking the semester off... between December and the end of January, I was trained for a new job. I am now a TypeWell Transcriber! (Technically I could have a career with this, and drop out of school and just transcribe... BYUI actually wants to hire me on permanently when I finish school. But I am finishing my accounting degree and then David and I are moving away for his grad school... But still, pretty exciting that I will have two careers when I finish!) If you are interested in what TypeWell is, you can visit the website: typewell.com

In a nutshell, I type into the TypeWell program using the TypeWell abbreviations and a deaf or hard of hearing student sees what I type on another computer, where the abbreviations expand to normal English in real-time. It's really a neat program.

Before I started TypeWell (TW), my "high score" typing speed was 111 words per minute with 98% accuracy. My high score with TW is 250 wpm. Below is a screen shot of one of my exercises during the training. The program said a phrase and then I typed it out using the abbreviation system (but they expand when you hit space, so you see the finished product, not the abbreviations): [Note the 232! w00t!]

It has been a very good job. I basically attended the equivalent of 20 credit hours worth of classes this semester, but I didn't have homework, so I was able to learn casually without worrying about grades. I loved it!

Next semester will be scary because I will be going to school and working.... I just hope that everything works out well with scheduling so that I have time to do homework!!

The one scary thing about this job is that now I live in constant fear that I am going to trip and break a finger. I figured out that the only finger that I can break without making myself completely useless in my job is my left thumb.... it's the only finger that doesn't type. :D

Winter!

I have been decorating lately. Mostly the bedroom window. These paper snowflakes are about the funnest things I've ever made!



Here is what the window looks like with the lights off. It makes me VERY happy!
With the lights on. Go make snowflakes! It's so worth it!
Ready to head to school. Tip: put a Kleenex behind your scarf, and when your nose runs, it's trapped in the Kleenex - not the scarf.


This was a fun sight to see... the strike plate was iced over... INSIDE the house. Yeah. This place is just a WEE bit nippy!

Some of my Heroes

Oskar Schindler, because he did amazing things.




Gandhi, because he did amazing things.





Hannibal Barca, because he did amazing things.



Amelia Earhart, because she did amazing things.



Richard Halliburton, because he did amazing things!


Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, because they did amazing things.



Mom and Dad, because they do amazing things.

Snowmen Christmas Cards -- COMPLETED!

Okay, I've finished the cards. There are four total. I want to go get some more card makings, because this was ridiculously fun.

I decided to go ahead and use ribbon on two cards. They either have three buttons or two buttons and a ribbon. I'm pleased with how they turned out. :)



I like the simplicity of the no-ribbon cards...



But the ribbons ARE cute....


This one is just double-knotted. I think I like it better than the bow.


This cock-eyed one is my favorite. It was the first one to get three buttons.

Christmas, don't be late!

I am SO ready for Christmas! I had a Thanksgiving-type dinner at my in-laws' on Monday, so at least for me, it is officially Christmas Season! I'm currently enjoying making ADORABLE snowman Christmas cards!
























Ain't he cute? I can't decide about the ribbons... it seems like the rest of the card hides behind the ribbon, so I'm considering just leaving it off. Any thoughts?

Haircuts, and tacos, and choirs! Oh my!

David was a brave soul last week, and let me cut his hair -- my first time cutting hair. Ever. Oddly enough, I think I was more nervous than he was. If he was nervous at all, he pretended that he wasn't. Probably to keep me from stopping half way through because I was too scared to finish.

Here is the finished product. I was pretty pleased!

This one looks like a mug shot...

I actually cut his hair twice in order to get it to this point. The first time I cut it, I left it pretty long (too long...) because if I messed up too badly, I wanted his mom to have enough hair to work with that she could fix the problems I caused. But it looked alright when I finished, and I was getting confident, so I went ahead and cut it all short. It took a little under an hour, but I got some good practice in, and we had a good time laughing and talking while I cut away. :) He's a very good sport.

I'm really excited about this new skill I am acquiring! It will save a nice little bundle of money over the years, and I am all about that.

In other news: David and I have joined a community choir called "The Turkey Choir." It only performs once, on Thanksgiving Morning. So every Sunday evening we have choir practice. It's a little scary, just because it's my first time in a choir, but the conductor is amazing. He is very good at taking people of all skill levels and getting everyone on the same page. It's impressive to watch him work.

David's band at school had a social last week that we went to. It was fun: we had Mexican food (tacos and burritos) for dinner, there were two pinatas that got beaten to bits, and then we watched a Zorro movie. As it happened, though, not very many people from band showed up, so they had a TON of food left over. They sent David and I home with a huge (10 lbs?) tub of hamburger and a big ol' bag of shredded lettuce. Needless to say, we have been living high on the hog (or cow, rather) since then. I have eaten so many taco salads -- what a lovely experience!

Oh, also, I have been approved for paid Caption training at school! I am stoked! Basically, I get paid to learn a new program that makes it so that I can make word-for-word transcripts of lectures for students with disabilities (especially deaf and hard-of-hearing students), which they can read in real-time, while the teacher is lecturing. I love my job! I get to help people all the time! It's so rewarding!

Old School, part 2

Okay, so I just remembered this and had to add it:



Zoobilee Zoo... oh my gosh. I used to LOVE this show! And yet, I can appreciate why people may find it freaky beyond all reason. It was a little strange...

Kickin' it Old School

Being a kid was awesome. Here are some reasons why:

Who didn't love Reading Rainbow? (besides the kids giving book reviews... I always kind of disliked them)


Gummi Bears was the COOLEST show ever!


DuckTails is probably my favorite, though. CLASSIC!



And who can forget He-Man?! (Skellator was my favorite bad guy ever)



I just felt the need for some Retro awesomeness today.

The First Day of Snow!

There wasn't much of it, but it was pretty... I took pictures while I walked to school.

I love when plants are frosted/snowed over like this!
Those are part of our apartment complex in the back there. We're in the far right building. :)

And that's all! I just like the snow. :D

Stuff that makes me SMILE!

I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with school/work/housework lately, and as of yesterday I decided that I need to stop focusing on what's stressing me out (that doesn't mean avoiding homework.... though that IS what I'm doing right now... heh!) and start focusing on what makes me smile. As long as I do my best, I'll be okay. So today's blog is mostly for my own benefit: to have an easily accessible list of happy things! Let us begin.

My all-time favorite person ever makes me smile

(Yes, his shirt says "Tall, Dork, and Handsome." I bought it for him. :D)


My newest nephew and his furry pal Grover (my all-time favorite Sesame Street character!) make me smile!

Food Storage makes me smile

(you can tell when we sleep in on Sundays by my lack of mascara)

The Cardboard Cut-Out of Han Solo makes me smile

(For those of you who don't know, it's a frequent Jacobs prank to set up Han in popping-out type places.)


Missouri makes me smile

Fireworks make me smile!
(That was one awesome little noise-maker!)


Buddies make me smile!
(The Little's and The Hudson's on a racquetball double-date)

Living in America (and NOT Zimbabwe--which is the other flag you see) makes me smile
And my shoes also make me smile. I think they're adorable.

My new coffee table makes me smile!
(David's mom made it out of an old under-the-bed drawer set and a closet door. Pretty amazing!)

Making that list made me smile!

Summer!

David and I have been enjoying the summer so far. We are especially looking forward to the Missouri Trip this week!! We got the A/C in our van checked out today, David's going to do an oil change and check the tires, and then, come the morning of the 9th, we are headed out! I am excited for the drive. I've staked my claim to drive through Kansas. David is going to take the mountains (poor Geologist that he is, he won't be able to look at the mountains as much as he'd like to while he's driving...) because I am too nervous to do it, and I'm taking the plains because he thinks it is the most horribly boring drive ever. I really like driving in the plains, though. It's so... straight-forward and nice.

I'm trying to get the apartment all nice and clean before we leave, but that's proving difficult with my weeding job. I am working for a lady here in town, weeding out her rock garden areas. It's a lot of work, but really quite a nice job. The one thing that is getting to me is that I've spent the majority of every day this week weeding, so it is stuck in my head and I dream of weeding ALL NIGHT LONG! I am getting so tired of weeding just because I do it all night! So I will be glad when this job is done, but I am also grateful to have it and have enjoyed doing it, especially since David has been hired on as well. It's so much nicer to work with him than without him! It's been a nice job for us.

Speaking of jobs, I have had two job offers this week as a cleaning lady! I'm excited! I may have a part-time job this next semester that I wasn't planning on. That will be kind of nice.

Been a while...

So it's been a while since I've posted. School is getting CRAZY busy, and I'm about ready for this semester to get over. The break between semesters is going to be very busy as well, but it will be a nicer kind of busy. :) I am enjoying school, though, and things are going well.

David and I will be celebrating our 3rd month-aversary on the 11th of this month! We're happy campers, that's for sure! Life is good. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to lately.


Here's David! He likes sugar.... I love this guy! This is his two-week beard. It looks better as a three-week beard, and (oddly enough) I actually like him with a beard. :O I HATE beards!!! But I don't mind his... go figure. :)







David took a picture of me doing dishes. I guess that I so seldom have time to do such homey duties that it was a picture-worthy occasion. ;)

DISCLAIMER: David wants everyone to be sure and know that I made some awesome dinner tonight, and earlier this week as well, and that, as far as he's concerned, I'm the best wife ever. :) He's so nice to me!







We went to the WWII Plane Museum here in town. There were some nifty planes! David and I both have Marine Grandpas, so we were excited about this plane. It was BIG, and had awesome folding wings! So neat!



My personal favorite was the Jelly Belly Plane... heck yes!










Well, that's enough for now. I'll post more soon, though. I have some pictures other recent activities and silliness.

Handmade, wheel thrown pottery wedding present

David and I just got a belated wedding present, and I'm really excited about it, so here are some pictures. This was made by a man in David's old ward who teaches pottery. Nifty stuff!!

This one up above is the best one for what color the thing actually is. It was hard to get this one, because the lighting kept making it look weird.

This is how deep it is.

This makes it look darker than it is, but it's a neat picture. :) This thing is microwave and dishwasher safe. I love my new bowl!

Our Apartment!

I'm really excited about our happy Little apartment! Today we decorated. David has some African wall hangings and a Zimbabwe flag, and his parents gave us a set of four framed pictures of African animals. So we hung up two wall hangings, the flag, and the pictures, and here are some pictures of what we've done. :) I was afraid it would be overbearing, but I think it's nice.