what to do next?

So after i graduate in december what should i do next? besides move to texas? i am taking votes (didnt i do this like 3 months ago).

thanks

Today I was thinking as I was listening to my fantastic country music on the train ,that of all the things I post about on my blog i skip one of the most important things… Brian. Brian is probably one of the least appreciated husbands around. It’s true, I always just assume he is going to do what I want him to, that I forget he doesn’t have to follow my every order- granted life with me is probably better when you just comply with my every whim (as it is with most people) but he doesn’t have to. Brian is a fantastic husband, really in the scheme of things I lucked out. Despite being under or to be fair at times simply unappreciated he has been great. How has he been great? So at the risk of sounding cheesy, and let’s face it I have already crossed that road a few times, here are some of the things that make Brian great.
-patience- I have none, he has a lot, with that combination our kids might survive to adulthood
-hard work- trust me when I say PWC is getting an amazing first year associate, I would go so far as to say level 1 material
- perseverance- I’m not sure if this comes from a lifetime of patience or just what seems like a lifetime of listening to me talk about meaningless things, but the kid sees things through until the end, yes he even sees chick flicks through until the end
-compassion- to be fair I am not a compassionate person so Brian has to make up for my lack of understanding for other people and what I assume to be less than important issues
-attention to detail- you wouldn’t think this would be a quality you would want in a husband, but trust me when I say this is just the thing I was looking for (that and brown eyes), first off I doubt you could be a great accountant without this, and second, life with Brian has few surprises, or few bumps we were not otherwise prepared for- he has a contingency plan for just about every situation.

Packing up and leaving Utah for the summer with little notice- he quit a job he enjoyed, left his friends, family, and home behind, and gave up fly fishing on the Provo (which I hear to a fly fisherman is a sacrifice) so that we could move to a city we don’t really like, to an apartment we hate, so that I could take advantage a of a great opportunity. In addition to giving up everything from home, he has listened to me complain about NYC nonstop for going on 5 weeks now.
BYU MAcc, really that is all I have to say. I guess you might not get it, why is this a great thing, BYU has a great accounting program, one that I hear is not that easy to get into, not only did he get in, he excelled, and after all of his hard work he now has an offer and a job waiting with a fantastic company in Dallas.
He has been really supportive of my schooling and dare I even say career aspirations (I think my aspiration is to have aspirations), and I would go so far as to say without him I would not have ever thought about grad school (or to be fair have gotten in). He has put up with all my crap through school- and yes I give him a lot of crap during school- my already short temper is even shorter (if that is even possible), but yet he has been willing to keep signing up for more school with me.
And the number one reason Brian is such a great husband… drum roll…. We are going to have our own washer and dryer by Christmas- yes this is a big deal! He is sacrificing things that might be more fun for this… something of paramount importance to me.
Thanks Bri!

Dear Washington...

I don’t hate poor people, but I don’t think government sponsored healthcare is the answer. I don’t think that thousands of workers should have fewer benefits and lower wages, but I think the labor unions need to back off and the federal government needs to let the businesses work it out.  I’m not rich (but it would be nice if I was) but I oppose  wealth redistribution. I am sure many of you think that Brian and all the Glenn Beck groupies have finally won but they haven’t. To be honest I would consider myself left leaning- not on the left but leaning that way. I came to BYU fairly liberal- I was ready to fight for a woman’s right to choose, universal health care, and the expansion of social programs, somewhere along the way I scaled back a bit. I still don’t think it is my place to decide if an adult women has the right to terminate a pregnancy, although I personally oppose abortion, I stand firmly on the left when it comes to gun control, I prefer diplomacy to military action (although sometimes “bombing the hell out of them” can seem like a more appealing option), and when it comes to social programs- well I am divided, they can be helpful but in my experience the government isn’t known for its careful allocation of resources and efficiency. Despite my slight left tendencies the current political state frightens me. This last week two friends asked my feelings on the current health care reform talks, and all I could tell them was it made me angry… I can’t even being to articulate why I think this is a horrendous idea, but their comments got me thinking about all the other things going on in our government that currently make me want to scream. I need a few questions answered, and I am actually looking for answers because so far my research (yes I go to grad school so research is where I turn first) has yielded nothing. Here are my questions:

Why is the federal government allowed to spend money it doesn’t have- I am sure there is an economic answer and I would love to hear it but I don’t understand. If I only have $10, but I wanted something that cost $100 then I would have to do without, it would be sad but life is tough.

When did the federal government become smarter than the average person? I know people make dumb choices, but I would like to think that many of us can be trusted to make decisions for ourselves, but why does the government assume that we are all too stupid to make the right decision? Maybe we are smarter than you think.

Why is it okay to bail out companies that made poor decisions? If I did the same thing no one would help me (which would be good), eventually I would learn from my mistakes and the next time around I would act more responsibly.

 

When did health care become a right? And how are we going to pay for it? Why is it that I save my pennies to pay for health insurance but Timmy down the street who spent his money on something else (let’s say like a $10 pack of cigarettes) gets health insurance for free or reduced cost that is better than what I pay for?

Why does it seem that every politician is an immoral scum bag? I put seem in there so I don’t seem too judgmental, but I actually think they are all out to serve themselves not the American people who they represent.

When did it become okay for congress not to govern, but to continually serve at the pleasure of lobbyists and special interest groups?

Why is it okay for the president to trash bond holders on television? This seems inappropriate at best.

Why is it appropriate for people that fail to follow the laws (hm… like paying taxes?) to make the laws?

Why as the American people are we okay with what is happening in Washington?

 

What I've been up to...

I like things to be clean, not just a little clean but disinfected clean. I am not afraid to use bleach, 409, or Lysol. I think Lysol disinfectant wipes (or whatever brand you decide to use) are among the greatest inventions of the 20^th century. With the that being said I disagree with the cleaning practices of many New Yorkers. So as I previously mentioned New Yorkers have a thing for all things environmentally friendly- which is great… to a point.. we have now reached the point where the environmentally friendly stuff has just gone too far. I mentioned “green” toilet paper before- made out of 100% recycled paper- but I have found something even more ridiculous.  As I mentioned before we have a shower in our living/bedroom. It’s… great, but besides being pretty much the most convenient thing ever there is a slight ventilation problem- what does this mean? It means that the shower never gets quite dry, add to it the humid climate and well it is the perfect place for mildew to thrive. Since I am a bit of clean freak and this mildew was a bit of problem, let’s just say I spent a few days thinking about how I was going to “conquer” it- yes I did use the word conquer. So after about a week of thinking about how exactly I was going to conquer the black stuff growing in the shower grout I had a revelation- well maybe a realization is a better word-scrubbing, but not just scrubbing with 409- scrubbing with heavy duty cleaner infused with the strongest cleaning product known to man… bleach. I have some experience with grout and bleach (I didn’t clean with straight bleach, and to be honest there probably wasn’t that much in the generic cleaner I bought) when I lived at king henry we had white tile in the shower and white grout- this was an awful idea for a single student apartment but anyway, the cleaning checks were brutal and someone suggested we used just a little target brand all purpose cleaner with bleach- bleach was not on the approved list of cleaners but we didn’t want to have a recheck so we used it- the tile looked pristine. I thought the same principle might apply here where we have grey blue tile with white grout. When I first looked in the shower I was scared- the mildew looked pretty much in control of the situation, but being the control freak that I am I decided I could handle it and win… well me and my trusty harsh cleanser- turns out I was right.  The shower isn’t perfect- don’t worry I will get it spotless before the end of the summer (I think I need to get a toothbrush to clean the hard to reach places). What does this have to do with “green” products? Well as I was cleaning out the shower I found this bottle of “plant enzyme cleaner” I wasn’t sure what it was so I read the bottle, it turns out this is a bottle of… something that kills everything the mildew eats so it cant grow… turns out the bottle, lied the mildew was thriving in that shower. Moral of the story- Clorox works, cleaning products that claim to be environmentally friendly (at least the one in  our shower) lied… spend $2.50 instead of $12.50 and you will a nice clean and sanitary shower. 

Congratulations Michael!

Doesnt this look so 70's?




My baby brother graduates from high school this week! I can't believe he is so grown up. I remember the day we found out we were getting a brother. Brandon and I went with our parents to the ultrasound appointment and they said "its a boy!" I was so mad- my dad had to take me outside so I could calm down- I remember thinking why do I have to have another brother! I remember watching tailspin (do you remember that show) the night he was born, and still thinking "I hope it's a sister", despite my previous hangups about another brother he is great and I wouldnt trade him, and now- almost 16 years later I agree with the zookeeper- he's a nice little guy!* Congratulations Muggle, we wish we could be there with you!

*When Michael was about 2, Brandon, Michael, and I went to the San Diego zoo with my grandparents. We were looking at the monkeys when all of a sudden Michael was gone- he just disappeared- my grandparents were frantic, finally we found him with a nice zoo keeper- who told us, "he's a nice little guy!"

Mentors

Mentors are an interesting thing, I think we have all had them, but like most things we don’t notice their influence until they are gone- or we are gone. Since I am interning in New York this summer I am far from my mentors- or “professional role models”. I would like to think I have 2, they might disagree but I will continue to live in my delusional world. They are very different- they are both women, both strong members of the church, both extremely intelligent and successful professionally, both involved with their families, but still different. They have both encouraged me to pursue professional goals but in different ways. As I continue my internship I am even more grateful for their examples and encouragement. I guess you need a little more information- yes this does border on cheesy- that part is for pete and Maryanne.

The first one is an amazing professor- I had her class as a junior at BYU, I had her right after I changed my major and had some interesting life experiences, by the time I took her class I was confused and discouraged about where my future was headed. I walked out of her class the first night and thought, “I want to be her”. Brian was so sick of hearing about her that semester- but I thought she was fantastic. She was passionate about public health, involved in community activities and events, and still a fantastic wife and mother. Her enthusiasm for public health was contagious- and despite several setbacks I decided to pursue it. I had her the next semester and at the bottom of one of my papers she wrote, “you should consider grad school!” To be honest that was the first time I thought about it seriously, she may have written it to be nice, or just in passing, but I took her seriously and started on the path to get my MPH- now 1 year into the program I blame her (it’s a good thing). She has been great throughout my MPH, she let me bounce project ideas off of her, encouraged me to get involved in community events, listened to me whine about applying for fieldwork, and gave me a job that I love. She has been encouraging throughout the beginning of my time here in NYC, when I was ready to throw in the towel and come home (and trust me I was looking up plane flights) she told me I couldn’t come home and that I needed to finish what I started and that things would get better- thank you for everything!

 

The second mentor is another amazing professor. She has pushed me harder than any other professor. She taught me (and quite a few others) that settling for “okay” is unacceptable and that only your best work should be presented. She taught me to have an opinion, and learn to present that opinion in professional situations- even when you are the most junior member of a group. She has shown me that being female in a male dominated world is no reason not to let your voice be heard, and has shown that in situations where you may not look like the rest of the group- it is even more important to know your stuff and always be prepared. She expects perfection and sets high standards- and this has been great for me, while I may not always live up to her standards I do try much harder than if I wasn’t held to them. She has encouraged me to pursue additional education in a setting when most professors suggest that I stay home, have babies and bake (all of which I will do at some point but it is nice to know that I have other options too) thank you for all your help!

"It looks like somebody has a case of the Mondays!"

So Tuesday there was a flood, I am sure you all think I am being dramatic but for once in my life I am not. Last night there was a big storm, the kind where you cant sleep because there is so much lightening and thunder, yes enough to permeate our basement apartment. Itw as still raining this morning, and it doesn’t rain like Utah here, it pours, so it rained all nihgt and there was a fair amount of water everywhere, well one of the places the water accumulated was in the sunken down doorway of our apartment. I think you need a little more explaination. We live in the basement, you take the stairs to get to our door- imagine MaryAnne’s door, it is like that, except for someone made it so all the rain gutters drain into that area- which is great but not. Another bit of information- there are two doors, one to the outside- a little hallway, and then another door to the kitchenette (yes the kitchenette). There is also a 6-12 inch brick barrier between the two- you have to hop over it to get in. So now that you have all the background let me tell you the story. This morning I was quietly getting ready- I planned to leave late today because I needed to go to the post office which doesn’t open until 9. So I was getting ready when all of a sudden I hear rushing water on the tile- my first thought was “oh crap (except I thought Liz and Pete’s favorite word) the toilet is overflowing!”, so I ran to check- everything was fine, then I thought, I must have left the sink on- it is like 7 feet for where I was getting ready so this was unlikely- I checked, nope that was fine, then I looked down and the floor was all wet- I walked a little further and saw that water was rushing under the door- gushing is a better term. I was pretty concerned by this point and as I was reaching for something to mop up the mess I noticed a drain in the floor- turns out this isn’t the first time this has happened in this lovely place- yeah this place is… awful, maybe that isn’t a strong enough word but wow a flood, really first the manhole cover and the shower next to the bed now a flood- how do people live here

Lessons From New York

If living in New York has taught me one thing so far it is this- Dallas is better than New York City. I know that all of you are shocked by that statement- especially considering my feelings about Dallas but let me offer you a bit of an explanation. First off, if I had to pick any place off the map to live I am still not sure Dallas, Texas would even make my top 10. Dallas is hot, there are a million different freeways and you have to use all of them (or so it seems) to get somewhere, traffic laws are ignored so long as you have a truck that is large enough, and the Texas pride is just nauseating. But despite all of the drawbacks- and yes there are some serious ones, I think Dallas is a better place to live than New York City.

Why? Well I have a few reasons, the first one is the people. Sure Texans are known for their obnoxious sense of state pride, their love for all things larger than life, and yes I would go so far as to say “their redneck nature”, but at the end of the day they are nice. A few months ago Brian’s brother (jared don’t you love it when you get mentioned?) asked why anyone would ever visit Texas if they didn’t have family there, and we didn’t have a response- because to be honest you wouldn’t visit- it isn’t that thrilling of a place. But his father-in-law mentioned he would visit because he loves the people there- and to be honest I like them too. They are nice, genuine, and well they say “sir” ,“ma’am”, “miss”, and “howdy”. Sure Texans can be rude- mention a football team besides the Cowboys in a positive light and you will see that, or better yet mention that you don’t eat meat or that you want OU to beat Texas and you will see an unpleasant side of them. Assuming you stay away from those topics the people are generally nice.

Second reason- Texas is family friendly. I am not sure how you would raise kids in NYC- I am sure people do it but it seems like such a huge hassle. Let’s say you decide to brave the subway system with  kids there are just so many things here I wouldn’t want my kids to be exposed to- for example I really think that the “f word” is used as a placeholder here- much the way Californians are accused of using the word “like”. Maybe I like dallas better in that sense because in reality I would be taking my kid form the car to the store then back to the car- there is less interaction with people- no matter the reason I think it is more family friendly

Third reason- it’s cheaper- I could actually afford to live in Dallas. Every time we go to the store here I wonder how people live- everything is so expensive and the quality of many items are… questionable at best- maybe I am spoiled but really not acceptable- see this isn’t a problem in Dallas with Walmart on every corner.

So despite the fact that I am still not thrilled about the prospect of moving to Dallas let’s just say I am warming up to the idea- don’t tell Brian.

 

"My name aint Dorothy, these aint ruby shoes, cant click my heels any time I choose, and fly away"

I am in a transition phase. I am 23, almost done with my Masters degree, moving to a new city, leaving behind my family and friends, and starting off  with just my husband. We have left behind the only life we have known together- the life of full time students,  a Wymount apartment, and the close proximity and support of good friends. Sure by the time we end up at our final destination we would have lived in what should be considered a foreign country for several months, but that is different- now we have the promise of going back to the safety of home- for a bit.  To this point my entire outlook on life has been shaped by the life I have known in provo- the life of days spent in the windowless RB, dinner with good friends (Kurtis and Megan we miss you guys more than we miss a real kitchen, our car, and regularly priced items- which is a lot), time with family, and the university atmosphere. Part of me wants to run back to Provo forever(an overwhelming part), but then there is that other part- the voice in my head telling me we have come too far to go back now. So despite the uncertainty and fear of the future we are going to press ahead. I keep reminding myself that I was nervous and uncertain when I first came to Provo, and I was even more nervous and uncertain when I started my MPH,  but I have ended making wonderful friends, creating a life I couldnt even have imagined before, and have loved both experiences. I would guess the same is likely to be true in Dallas- so wish us luck (really wish us more luck that we survive NYC) this should be an adventure. 

*this message is for the Ford's- so i have noticed that our weekends arent as exciting as they were back home (despite the treks through the city)  and I have figured out why- usually we would spend it hanging out with you guys! Since you arent here things are less exciting (i'm not as interested in what glenn beck has to say as kurtis, and brian could not care less about america's test kitchen)- see that is why you have to move to Dallas with us! we found the area we want to live- it's out in the country- look for houses in Lavon, Texas. 

** can you name the song the title of this post came from- this is a hard one!

"Green" Personal Care Products

There is a big movement in NYC towards organic foods and environmentally friendly products. As previously mentioned I am not a fan of the recycled paper toilet paper or "green" cleaning products (I dont think lavender extract cleans the same way clorox does). Today I heard about a movement here in the city to stop using shampoo and face wash... does anyone know if this works? I am not going to try it- I love my Sauve (yes it is cheap) and Irish Spring (yes it is boy soap) too much to do this, plus I like being clean, but hm... another interesting New York idea, not sure how I feel about it. 

He's Just Not That Into You.. a little uncertain

We rented the movie "He's just not that into you", I have to say the movie left me a bit confused. One of the film's stars, Scarlett Johanssen, makes me want to vomit, her voice is annoying, she acts like an idiot, and in this case her character had a relationship with a married man. Besides all of the irritating parts of the movie (Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johanssen, extramarital affairs, etc) the movie seemed like a self help book for women- not the best self help book. Dont get me wrong I will be the first to admit I have waited by the phone hoping Mr. Wonderful would call, checked my email 20 times a day hoping that when he said he'd email he actually would, and pestered friends about what they thought my chances with Mr. Right were. Thank goodness those days are behind me, watching the movie made it all come flooding back, and made me question, why do we do this to ourselves? The girls in the movie (besides the trashy one) were portrayed as smart, successful, and beautiful, but still they tripped over themselves to please the guy- most of the guys were not attractive, successful, or intelligent. By the end of the movie the female characters "reclaim" their true selves and come into their own, they are assertive, in charge, and aware of insane situation they have put themselves in, but this made me wonder how many girls dont have that aha moment. It also made me think back to the various "Mr. Right" candidates I have known in my time, one in particular stands out- and every time I think about it I cringe, why did I trip over myself thinking he would someday turn around and think, yes that girl that let me borrow a pencil she is the one. Was it because I had seen one too many sappy movies, listened to one too many country love songs, or was just simply because I am female? I'd like to think it was because I was young and dumb, but the rational part of my brain tends to think that if I hadnt met and married Brian it is likely that I would still be tripping over myself for Mr. Okay for Right Now. But why do we do this? Are we conditioned to be naive and trusting? Do we just want something so bad we delude  ourselves into thinking unlikely the will become come to past if we wish it hard enough, or do we just hope for the best in people? I obviously dont have the answer to that question- if I did I would be rich. So the take away message- if he doesnt act interested then he probably isnt, move on to the next one, and there is someone that is interested, maybe he isnt the one you hoped or even thought would be but life is full of surprises. 

"So if you care to find me look to the Western sky... "*

So more about our apartment... there is a manhole cover in the closet with the toilet. You are scratching your head wondering... what? A manhole cover? A closet with a toilet? What in the world are talking about... let me explain. As you can see from the previous post our apartment is a little... small. One room in fact, one not so large room actually. In addition to the lovely shower next to the bed (yes Heather you will get to see that) there is what can only be described as a small hot storage area with a toilet (and recycled toilet paper, more on that later). The first time I opened the door I thought "wow this is awful", but when I actually walked in I almost fell because there is a step down and then a manhole cover... yes in the middle of the small floor. I have included a picture so you can see that I am not exaggerating... I am still unsure as to why there is a manhole cover in a building, let alone a residential building but okay whatever. 

This microwave picture wont move, so it is here, annoying. 

Can you see the manhole cover on the floor... yeah it is a little odd 

In addition to all the other great features in this apartment there was no microwave. So when we first got married (well actually the week before we got married when I was living in our lovely Wymount apartment (oh Wymount we miss you so much) alone) we didnt have a microwave. I didnt think we needed one, then my wonderful grandparents helped me see the light. Let me be honest though, I dont often use the microwave to cook, actually besides cooking broccoli I dont really use it for dinner prep, however it is essential for heating up leftovers (much cheaper to buy food than prepare it), making microwave popcorn (my lifeline) and a variety of other typically unnoticed tasks- this apartment didnt have one, which just added to the list of annoying unlivable things about this place (like the small fridge). Anyway we decided to go and get one. So we looked up the nearest Target and mapped our route, three trains, 2+ hours, and $60 later we are living like normal people again. We havent tried to use it and the brand we got (the cheapest one) got awful reviews- lots of "it broke in 2 months" cross your fingers it makes it through August. 

Okay recycled toilet paper- I dont mean it has been used, I just mean it is made of recycled materials. Anyway I didnt even know this existed until moving here, and I want to be clear that I am all for saving the rainforest but not when it comes to toilet paper, tissues, or cleaning products.  Both apartments we have stayed in have featured this horrific product. It is like thin sandpaper (I tried to use it as a tissue), my guess is it saves the environment but fails to fulfil its intended purpose ( I refuse to try it, the recycled part makes me thing of my dad asking if I want a "new" or "used" napkin. Needless to say we promptly went to the store and bought normal people toilet paper. A word to the wise it isnt worth it, buy the good stuff- there is a reason that Charmin is so popular. 

*what song does the title of this post come from?