Beautiful Day

Beautiful Day

Sometimes you just need a day to have a little bit to yourself and feel beautiful. I needed some time to rejuvenate. This is one of my favorite things to do, go out and take photos in a place I have never been before. This is at Lake Ashurst which is past Lake Mary outside of Flagstaff.

The skirt I am wearing is from my Grandma Margorie (I go shopping in her closet every once in a while) and the shirt is a GAP shirt from a thrift store I got for $4! I wore this outfit to church today, just because it's fun!

Here comes the latest and greatest!!!

Well friends...I've been absent from this blog for 7 months. I'm sorry. To those who read this anyway. Many changes have happened as usual but these last several months have included dramatic, sort of life changing events.

#1: I have a new roommate who is great. She has her own room and replaced my other roommate Sarah who moved back to home in Oklahoma in Feb. Holly moved in beginning of March. She's been a bum ever since she moved here and now she's hopefully going to get a job soon. She's a chemical engineer and worked for Dow Chemical in Michigan before she moved here to Flagstaff. She made Styrofoam, which I learned from her is a name brand, just like Band-Aid. There actually isn't such a thing as a Styrofoam cup.

#2: I withdrew/quit/dropped out/closed the lid from school. I don't know the best way to say that little tid bit of info. It's a hard decision but I made it. I left NAU in the middle of March. So I actually got a 3 week long spring break and then some. It was very difficult for me. A mess does not give enough credit as to how I was at that time. But it was better than having a heavy burden on me, of dreading going to school each morning, being woke up every morning around 7 with my heart pounding as soon as I opened my eyes. I could not go back to sleep after that. I would go to my accounting class at 8 AM and would feel like throwing up or was shaking the entire time through class. My professor, Dr. Bain, scared me. He literally was the "bain" of my existence at that time. I would come home after class and would go to sleep. Yes, I needed to do homework, I needed to study and try to understand the foreign language in my classes...but I would just cry when I would think about it and accounting. I would sleep to escape. That's the only way my heart would stop pounding and I could not be in reality. I didn't want to quit, take a break...I only had a year left after I finished this spring semester. I was so close and I'm not a quitter.

I had started an accounting internship with a well-known Flagstaff CPA firm. I started that in January. I left in February so I could focus on school. I was working 20 hrs a week and taking 12 credits. 2 accounting classes, 1 finance class, and 1 management class. Sounds doable. Just not with accounting. It is, but I was not in the right mind set to handle all the stress. And I had a hard semester in the fall and was hoping for an easier time in the spring. My life was surrounded by accounting and I was in the thick of the trees and couldn't see the forest.

That's that, I left school.

#3: I didn't have a job any longer since I quit the internship. I was going to get a loan while I was in school...but I wasn't in school anymore so that option was out the window. I thought of moving back home. Option but not one where I would have the best time. So I needed to get a job. And I know, with having 6 or 7 jobs now since I've turned 16, it takes about a month from when you turn in the application until you hopefully land the job.

I stopped working in mid-February. I didn't get a job until the end of April. That last paycheck didn't last very long. And since I wasn't in school anymore, the deal was off with Dad and Mom having them pay my rent each month. So that added another $300 expense to my monthly budget. Here's what I did:

-I had an emergency stash of cash of about $230. I was talking to my roommate Jaime once and was just expounding my thoughts of how I have this money saved for emergencies only. She looks at me funny when I say, "Is this an emergency?" I did not anticipate this kind of emergency. I was thinking of more there would be a fire real close and I would have to evacuate the area and I would have to get at least half a tank of gas to make it 300 miles home. And I have about 30-$1 bills so that I could pay exact amount for gas and not have to lose $10 because I only $20 bills and all the gas stations are running out of change because everyone is getting gas. Yeh, having to pay rent with this emergency money, totally not the dramatic emergency expense I was envisioning.

-I lived off my small supply of food storage. Mostly just beans and canned fruit. Oh, and eating mashed potatoes from potato flakes plain. At least I had that. And I would bum off friends who were more fortunate than me at this time. Glad to know I have good friends.

-I night sat for a family, well, just the 2 kids they had for two nights to bring in some quick money and a job that I didn't have to commit to...so that I could take a better one instead of a fast food job. That brought in $100.

Let me tell ya, interesting times. Learning times too. Now, to the good part!

I'll sum this up real quick since this post is already long enough.

I got a job with the Flagstaff Athletic Club in the end of April. Right when I was interviewing for this job, my bishop calls and asks if I want to work at his law firm as a data entry clerk. I applied to FAC so that I could get out of an office and the plan I had of pursuing accounting and bringin in the big bucks. I was a little bitter about office and professional jobs. But, it would be $10/hr. FAC I only get $7.50. I told him no, well, that I would take it if I didn't get the job at FAC. Long story short, I am now working at both FAC and McGuire Gardner Attorneys at Law. I work 45 hours a week and have to change my clothes sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. I only have an official lunch break on Tuesdays but I also work from 4:45 AM to 5 PM on that day.

Crazy stuff, eh? But I'm much happier, especially compared to where I was 2 months ago. Life is good. Here are a few pics to show it.

To continue on from my last post, here's the little squirrel caught in action. He and his friends have been around quite a lot and my friends have even seen them, too.
The major snow storm. Jaime's car is under all that snow. Got 3' this storm.
Up to the waist.
Getting out of the house a little bit after being snowed in for 3 days.
Friday Night Activity, Skit in a Bag. You have random props and certain words you are supposed to use. Makes for good times.
Gateway Mall in SLC. Met with my best friend Carrie there!

And the freak snow storm. Sunny one min and snowing buckets of dippin dots the next.

We were takin pics from the side, just trying to see what we could capture. We had snuck into a hotel and went up to the highest floor, 15th. Carrie didn't know that they don't have a 13th floor in high rise buildings as I showed her in the elevator in the Radisson. But look, there's a door on the 13th floor with a 13 sprayed on the entrance.

A side pocket capture. Downtown SLC.

Took a little detour on the way back to Flagstaff after my 3 week stay home. Always wondered about these little towns called Bumble Bee and Crown King. Now I know exactly what Bumble Bee is made of. This is off I-17.
And this is why I was always so intrigued by these towns, cause there are these beautiful mountains but it doesn't look like their inhabited. These mountains are the ones you can stop and look at at the Sunset Point rest stop.

We went on a hike on a relatively warm day in March and there was this tiny little waterfall. It made my day. Anytime I can get to see water, I'm happy. Especially water in AZ!

Jaime and I watched all of Anne of Green Gables and wanted to replicate her hair after we were done.

Jaime's replication...while looking like an old Granny with squinty eyes.

Detour on the way to the temple...stopped by Montezuma's Castle and it happened to be National Park week so we got in free!! And I don't know why I look so pudgy in this photo. Wasn't sucking it in :)
Verde River at Montezuma's Castle.

A heart shaped prickly pear cactus pad.

Jaime forgot Sunday shoes at the temple. Makes me laugh. She said she got some strange looks in the temple.

Runnin through the fields at home.

Farnsworth fields. And Huachuca mountains.
Trying to get to the river and stoppin to take a band picture. Emma took this pic for us.

Crazy mother. :D

Had to shove all the stuff far into my trunk so that all 4 of our luggage could fit. Also put this up to represent when I worked with Dad on replacing my rear struts on Memorial Day weekend. I was in the trunk for most of the job.

This is the way Jaime shows her love.

The 4 of us at the Gila Valley temple open house.

While at Cindy Edington Hunt's house to visit. Jaime was collectin the animals.

I love the valley I'm from.
Leavin home to go back to cold country.

Thanks for readin along. Sorry for the longness, but it has been seven months, garsh.

Apples and...

One apple escaping from the balcony...

Then three apples escaping...

And here is the CULPRIT...a wirey little squirrel on a snowy winter morning
More evidence of his festivities and his sneaky friend creeping up to get some delicious appleness!
His friend (as pointed out in previous picture) wanted to join in and he says, "No, all mine, even if this heavy apple throws me off the tree!"
And his little friend runs away and contemplates hopping to another tree neighborhood

And Mr. Wirey Squirrel helps his quaint self to all the apples he wants!

THE END

Stay tuned for more balcony squirrel escapades!

Another formal dance and other stuff

"Come Sail Away"

November is the month for the Winter Formal at the Institute. A couple weeks before the dance I suggested to my date that we wear fur since it was a cruise ship theme. And here is my friend Carrie and I making the fur shrug starting at 10 PM the night before the dance. We didn't finish till 2:30 AM. I like to make life interesting.

(click on collage to see larger picture)

We combined our names for the label "Carrgo Wear." We cut the satin pattern weird so there was a space of satin between the fur and we thought a tag would go perfect there. She has a fancy machine that can make letters. It was fun making the shrug. In the bottom right picture in the collage is the black shrug I bought for $30 at Charlotte Russe. I didn't want to pay that much so I bought some fabric and we made a pattern out of a cotton sheet for the shrug we made.

I sewed the green button on and made the loophole. I wasn't much help. I would try to help by pinning the pattern to the fabric but I would get the carpet too. I did as much as I could.




And me and my date at the dance. He's an awesome guy who is fun. I love his mullet and red hair. And there's a few pics with friends I have too. My roommate with her date in the blue dress. She is a short one!


These are for Mom. I wanted business clothes for Christmas so she wants to see what she bought since I needed them by this Friday. I wore this outfit to church last Sunday with black tights and black shoes. The bracelet on my wrist is one I made in my jewelry and metalsmithing class.
My roommate Jaime with a mysterious frozen something in our freezer. We threw it out cause no one knew what it was and it wasn't marked. I knew it wasn't mine cause I mark everything I foil up in the freezer. We think it's pork, my first guess was potatoes.
And here is Jaime, Carrie and I redneck golfing on Veteran's Day. We went behind Thorpe Park and were actually in the middle of a Disc Golf Course but we were ok. We were playing a different version of golf. Redneck golf is simply picking a tree to hit instead of hitting it into a hole. It is a lot harder than regular golf cause there's lots of logs, trees, and rocks to ricochet off of. Of course, we had a blast!

Halloween

My halloween costume for the Halloween Dance. I didn't want to be regular Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz so I went as Dorothy-->Dr. Seuss style! I got my dress and basket at a yard sale for $0.25 a few months back. I wanted to go as something else but I had to come up with something a few hours before the dance.



I guess I should mention what my roommate Jaime is since she looks pretty scary. She's a "cereal killer".

From l-r: Me (Dr. Seuss Dorothy), a "holy cow" (she has a halo and angel wings), Hermioni from Harry Potter, a "cereal killer," and a "gold digger."I didn't want to smile much either cause I had bright green concealer (you know, for pimples) and blue lip gloss on. Those together made my teeth look yellow.


This is the beginning of the bracelet I made. I had to do an interior cut in the copper and then solder it onto the brass. These pictures are before I did any soldering and I had sanding them to make them look shiny. I'll get a finished product picture up soon. Need to take a picture of it. I'm wearing it in a more recent post.

Way to market, NAU

Here's a picture/ad in an e-mail I received. It is funny to me. And I'm more aware of marketing techniques since I'm in a Marketing class right now. Just look at that guys face. Glad NAU has some humor since they take away my money and cause permanent stress fat on my hips.

I am thankfully still alive even though every day I fill like I'm lifting 100 pounds just to roll out of bed. Sorry, I'm more than 100 pounds, I should say, an extra 100 pounds added to my 140. Sometimes when people ask how I'm doing or how classes are going I almost cry. I really don't like to stop and think about it, I just keep chuggin at life till I get to a spot where I can rest, aka Winter Break. I'll post some pictures soon and some of my halloween costume. There's also the IWA Formal dance that's coming up and me and my date are trying to incorporate fur into our dress. My date has a mullet. He's awesome and fun. I should have taken a picture of how I asked him and how he answered me but I haven't been in the picture mode lately. He did poop on my doorstep in reply though and said, "My night would be crappy without you...so yes!" Funny times.

Not too much going on, seriously, besides school and work. And trying to fit in some sleep and eat time when I can.

BAP is wonderful

Phoenix Ernst & Young Tower

I've been a busy woman. Right now I have a class that was canceled for the rest of the week so I have some treasured free time. I wanted to share a few tidbits about some experiences I've had of late. I joined a co-ed business fraternity called Beta Alpha Psi (BAP). Last Friday we went on a tour of the Phoenix Ernst and Young office. I decided to go at last minute, didn't really want to miss classes on Friday. I went and I'm glad I did.

Ernst & Young is one of the Big Four Accounting Firms. I didn't like that label. I thought to myself, I'm a small town girl and I don't want to work for a big corporation that doesn't care about people. Really, that's what I thought before I went on this tour. My view has been completely turned around. In the beginning, we introduced ourselves and it was a casual environment. The Senior Auditing Manager was so friendly and wanted to hear stories we had to tell. He is from Cleveland, OH where E&Y was founded. He moved out to Phoenix 2.5 years ago so he was still getting used to the area and Arizona. He gave the presentation on E&Y and I was shut up with my preconceived prejudices. Here's a few things I learned.

• E&Y has a lot of the same principles and values I want in my own company someday.
• The office in downtown Phoenix does have cubicles but there is so much natural light and spectacular views of the whole city, in all directions
• They care about their employees and want to help their clients do better in their businesses.
• The auditors don't even have cubicles! They are rarely in the office. If they need to work in the office, they need to reserve a cubicle for the week. Reason: They spend most of their time on-site at their clients' businesses.
• They had this tour and presentation to recruit us as students. Well, I'm recruited!
  

It's funny, their board rooms are named after the mountain views it looks over. And they probably have 6-8 board rooms total on both floors. I have never really seen the mountains in Phoenix but I sure could see all of them being on the 23rd and 24th floor of the Ernst & Young Tower.

After the presentation they had a panel of 3 auditors and we could ask them any question we wanted. During the panel a partner walked in and we got to talk to her a little bit. She was funny and very sociable. After the panel we took a tour of both floors of the office. Then we had an ice cream social in one of the board rooms. They bought Cold Stone Ice Cream "Love It" size I think. I haven't ever had that much Cold Stone in one sitting cause that size is too expensive. And they had toppings to go on it too.

Overall it was an excellent experience and a good day with my colleagues in Beta Alpha Psi. I had a good feeling while in the office and thought I would even like to work at E&Y to get some good, quality experience. I never thought I would want to work in a big city, in a tall tower, wear business attire all the time, and in Phoenix of all the cities. But I liked the impression and feelings it left on me. I do want to live in the country with lots of land, but I could do the city for a little while, just enough to get some good experience.

A piece of Ernst & Young memorabilia.

Here's a picture of my Beta Alpha Psi/Accounting shirt. Do you dig-it?

And this is a project I just completed in my Jewelry and Metalsmithing class.

Bottom side with a patina finish.

Top with high shine finish. It is made out of copper.

It's a candleholder. Well, it probably won't hold a candle but it taught us all the necessary things we needed to know for metalsmithing. It was a practice project. These aren't great pictures of it. The top has a high shine finish and the bottom/under side has a fire patina finish. It turned out an awesome color so I kept it. I'm loving this class, so glad I didn't drop it even though the tool kit cost me $300. Our next project is a cuff bracelet. I finished the interior cuts on Monday and I'll take pictures of it in class today so you can see the whole metalsmithing/jewelry process better.