The last six months

So, the days before Christmas Eve, i got really sick. I had a really high fever. My sister wrapped me up in like 10 blankets and I sweat it out all night. I was pretty good the rest of the holiday. Near the beginning of January, I started to get sick pretty regularly. I also started to have fevers often. So I went to the doctor and it was concluded I had a kidney infection. I took the antibiotics, and that got cleared up. Well, I continued to have stomach pains, loss of appetite, and was getting sick still all the time. I lost a lot of hours at work, and lost a lot of weight too. For some reason it let up in March and I thought it had kinda of gone away, but not so much. I went to the doctor and got my blood tested for a bunch of different things she thought it might be. I had my thyroid checked etc. etc. Well, when the tests came back, everything was normal. I just had to scoff because obviously things aren't normal. It hasn't been too bad for a while, but the last week has been pretty bad again. I just don't know what the heck it is all about and why it won't go away. What doesn't make this any better, is I don't have health insurance. The doctor wants me to get a CT scan, cause I have this pain in my side, but those are soooooo expensive. Has anyone heard of any such a thing? I have had either the same fever or at least 3 different fevers today. It's kinda of hard to focus or get motivated. Anyhow, there's my health in a nut shell. Pretty much all that's going on right now.

One Year Later...

So, I have not been connected to the Blogger community in a very long time. It has been hard since I haven't had internet to go with my own computer. So, when using public computers or borrowing a friends, I use the minimal amount of time possible. Checking email and facebook has been about it. But, now that I am in a place where I have internet access, and also my own portable computer again, I've rediscovered my blogs and blogs of others. Oh how much I've missed! I forgot how fun it is to write and come up with quirky comments and think of inventive ways to describe life's events and thoughts. So, if anyone is still out there checking my blogs, let it be known that I am back and am hopefully not going to go back on this promise that... I am here to stay!

P.S. I do have two blogger accounts and multiple blogs and there is no way to merge them. It's kinda frustrating but it will all work out.

What am I up to

It's been about what, a month since I last posted? Nothing has changed really in my life but we must always be pressing forward with some goal in mind. Right now what I am working toward is overall going to graduate school for a masters in counseling/marriage and family therapy. There aren't a TON of schools out there with an MFT specific program. So, I'm currently looking at every university and finding out what programs they have available and if it matches with what I am looking for. I've found about maybe 14 schools. I'm going state by state all the while deciding "would this state be ok to live in?" cause that can definitely make a huge difference. There are a lot of states out there I know nothing about and where i know absolutely nobody. Like Arkansas or Alabama. I won't be looking at going there. That might be a bit too adventurous, ya know? I'm about halfway through and then I'll be narrowing down even further which schools I'd like to gain more information about. What my plan is that I'll apply to schools this fall and winter and then move out to wherever about this time next year. In the meantime, I'm going to be studying for the blessed GRE. I really should have been studying for it and taken it forever ago. But of course since I lost sight of my vision for a while, I'm behind. So, I'll be studying for and taking the GRE from between now and October. Yay me. Also, I've noticed in my researching that the schools which require a prerequisite course usually want you to have taken Abnormal Psychology. That was the one class I didn't take. I'm going to try to narrow my list down enough to really see where I want to apply to and if they require that, I'll see if it's something I can take my first semester. If not, I'll do an independent study course through BYU. I can do it online by myself. The course is like $450 and the book is $150. Fun, hu? So, those are really my plans as of now. Starting next week I will be a camp counselor for the summer at the Jewish Community Center up by the University of Utah hospital. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing (I don't get trained until Monday) but I know I bought a brand new swim suit. This should be fun! There ya go, my general plan for the next 1-5 years of my life.

Personal Therapy

I've been trying to think of something to blog about but haven't had much success. Some might ask, "Mallory, why do you need something to blog about? Couldn't you 1.) just type up any old thing, or 2.) just leave your blog dusty until you find something really good out there." Well, person, whoever you are! That just won't fly. I need something to bring in the readers that won't really show them how pitifully boring my life is and I have to write something other wise they'll leave and never return (Relient K reference!). So, since I am actually here, blogging, this must mean I've found something to write about, right? You decide.

Obviously by the looks of a couple posts ago, I got a car. This means that I have been driving in rush hour traffic for a little over a month. Want to know what I've come to realize in that month? People are stupid. Yes. People that drive, particularly those in Utah, are stupid. I don't know if it's because I come from a family of drivers, (Mom's a drivers ED teacher and Dad retired from being a truck driver, brother washed cars, and loads of others in my family drive all day picking up money for banks and stuff) but I just happen to notice all the stupid things they do, ALL the time.
Here are just a few of the bad habits I see expressed daily.
-Using turn signals only when waiting to turn in a turn only lane, but never to let others know you're coming into their lane, particularly cutting them off by doing so.
-Speeding through the yellow and often times red light because the three people in front of you did so as well.
-Driving 10 miles UNDER the speed limit on residential streets
-Driving 10 miles AN HOUR in a school zone with no kids.
-Putting on the brakes on the freeway, when there is no one around you at all.
-Speeding up behind someone, getting over to pass you, cutting you off by getting back in your lane, and putting on the brakes, meanwhile going slower than they were before going around you....

Ok I am sure I could continue, but the point of my post is that I've noticed something about myself and driving during this past month and a half. My temper has risen closer to the surface. I'm a pretty level headed person. I never get angry and would rather walk away if tempers are rising than stick around and endure it. However, after I get home from a 9 hr work day facebooking, I am all worked up. Why? My job is not particularly stressful and more often than not, I've had fun. It's driving down I-15, the 13 miles in between my office and home, and becoming completely annoyed with anyone that crosses my path. It honestly started affecting my life at home. I didn't notice it at first but after a particular bad day and lots of traffic more reminiscent of I-5 than I-15, I could physically feel the tension I accumulated in the last 45 minutes.

Trying to counteract the anger I build up whilst driving to and fro, I've been more conscious of what I am doing, making sure I'm doing everything right as a driver before cursing and fist shaking other drivers. It's honestly been better. I still find tons and tons of idiots everywhere. I wish I could put a camera in my car, catch all the dummies and send in the tape to police.

I think one thing that has me worked up are all the well publicized accidents that have happened around here lately.
1.) Police chase suspects up I-15, they are going almost 100MPH and turn off their headlights (it's midnight) so police back off, noticing the danger. The punks still go that speed without the lights. Luckily a chopper caught them.
2.) Cops in pursuit of other suspects and the robbers slam into a car with two teenage boys, who die instantly.
3.) My co worker was riding his bike to work and some high school girl borrowing her friends car hits him, gets out to see he's bleeding, broken and unconscious, and takes off.

That would make anyone upset right? Ok maybe it's just me and I have a ways to go before my self guided motorist therapy really is effective. Until then, watch out for me and Sexy Sadie, we use our blinkers!!

Traveling

I recently took some time off from work. Not too much, but enough to keep my sanity. I traveled to some very distant places and I thought I'd share with you my experiences there.

First stop, SWEDEN!

Date: 4/3/09

Leslie and Evan came up for conference weekend and we decided to have fun like we've never had before. We went to ... IKEA ... ! Oh what an experience. This plate of food is the lunch that I had there, complete with swedish meatballs. It was utterly amazing. I could eat those meatballs anyday. Evan and I had never been to Ikea before but we had a lot of fun walking through the entire store and talking about the uncomfortable couches, the good and bad modern decorating and most of all, the stoves. I personally just wanted to have a kid so I could buy all of the stuff they have for kids rooms.



Next stop, the cretaceous period!

We ventured down to Thanksgiving point after Ikea and visited the largest dinosaur museum in the world. I think Evan drooled a bit. We spent a couple of hours walking around and around looking at all the fascinatingly creepy creatures, especially those of the deep sea, to which Evan couldn't stop complaining. He had a good point though. If they just barely got pictures of the Blue Whale, the largest thing EVER to exist, what the heck else is down there in the ocean? That's frightening.



The next stop on my journey has me pondering why I've gone back and forth. Maybe just to extend the vacation time. Because, here I found myself in England. Although I had to go just a bit further and go over to that wonderful place called fiction. I visited Harry Potter the day before Easter.





Date: 4/11/09

No, actually, I took a little break for the super exciting stuff to the very grateful stuff. I visited Cedar City. Once again to be with Leslie and Evan, my sanity these days really. We colored eggs and I must say this one was my favorite. I love me. We spent the weekend just enjoying each others company. This picture is of Leslie and I after church. We're so cute and springy!



I didn't really travel to this next place, but I did want to take a picture of its awesomeness. Gameboard candy.





The next stop on my travel log had me about peeing my pants and wishing I had money.

LONDON!!!

Date: 4/14/09



Here we are at the London Market. Everything inside is London. I mean EVERYTHING. I think I should go here anytime I want to feel cool. To escape reality. I contemplated getting a job there even. I back tracked a bit on my trip and visited once again the land of fiction, the land of Harry Potter.



Drool now if you'd like. I think I did. EVERYTHING in this whole section of the shop was Harry Potter paraphernalia. I made a HUGE mental note to come back around July 17th to see what new things they'd have. Also, I need to buy a Griffyndor tie to go with my outfit--which I will be wearing to the opening of The Half-Blood Prince. I will.

Well, that ends my recent journey. It sure was fun, exciting, and took me away from reality a bit. I hope to return to my travels as soon as possible, for they entertain me more than the reality I actually live in. May your travels be as exciting and safe. Drop me some mail sometime. :)

Life, Love, and the pursuit of happiness

Well, at the end of this week I'm supposed to be cut down from full-time to part-time. I've been applying to places like crazy and sending out resume's. I had an interview last week at the JCC here in Salt Lake (Jewish Community Center) and the interview went really really well. It was for an after school mentor position. Well, they called the next day to tell me they had filled the position. However, they said if I'm interested, they have camp counselor positions open for the summer time. That would be mid june through august, my exact hours that I currently have. 830-5. So, I considered it and told them I'd let them know.

I've still been looking around at jobs. In fact, I got a little depressed Saturday and went on a shopping splurge. Oops. Oh well. I look cute. :) So, I have decided on giving up looking for a job somewhat in my field. There is nothing out there. Job searching is useless, especially for someone with a Bachelors in Psychology. It's frustrating because I went through all the trouble of college. A feat that really no one in my family has ever done. Heck, my dad has never graduated high school. And now I'm trying to survive and pay off my student loans and get good background for when I apply to graduate schools. I can't find anything that would tell them "Hey, I still care about the field and have been working hard at it." Selling treadmills really doesn't shout "potential marriage and family therapist" to me.

Anyhow, obviously I'm getting a little frustrated with the whole thing. Don't worry. I'm not bitter. It's understandable. Really, I'd just rather get married and stay at home and work on hobbies like writing, recording music and being in plays and stuff like that while "my husband" works, but being a single female means I need to support myself. Obviously without even further education, I'm not going to be able to do that.

So I'm probably going to give in and apply to a restaurant or retail store and work there in addition to here at Sole, selling treadmills. Since my apparent course is still to work and save and be independent until I go to graduate school fall of '10, then I should bust my butt getting there. It would be really nice though to have to get out of such huge responsibilities by just getting married. Working on one marriage definitely appeals to me more than working on one per hour. Hopefully I don't completely switch gears and become success and independence driven and ignore ever finding someone to be with. Anyhow, that's not even a concern right now. Just paying the bills is.

My Very First Car

Ok, so it was a little more than two weeks, but I did it! I bought a car yesterday! It's all mine! (And the Credit Unions.. but... who's counting that?) I really really am so excited about this. I was able to go to a friends house last night and come home whenever I wanted with out having to feel bad about making people drive back and forth for me. The car is super clean and cute! It's a 2005 Hyundai Accent, it has 58,000 miles on it, and it's red. :) The only things I'd say it is missing would be Keyless Remote Entry and... :( Cruise control. But that's ok, I can survive since it has a CD player and A/C. haha So here are a few pictures that I promised.