The Proof Is In The Pudding

So friends, I have some good news. I have been accepted into BYU's TESOL Certificate program for fall semester. That means I am about to embark on my quest to attain a Master's Degree in TESOL. The certificate program is a prerequisite for the Master's program, so it's all in the plans. I'm super excited to start school again, I've missed it terribly.

Funny thing is, I haven't actually gotten an official letter/email telling me so. I know I've been accepted due to a trick I learned from BYU's 100 Hour Board. I simply just checked StalkerNet (BYU's online student directory). When I heard this trick, it had only been for those who were looking to find if they had gotten accepted as a undergrads, but I thought it might work for me as well. I'd been checking it daily for about 2 weeks now, hoping to see my name pop up, when searching for the name Lutz (there's only a handful of them, including faculty and staff).

I hadn't seen my name most of the times I searched it, but then yesterday night (Thursday*) I tried for a second time that day. All of a sudden I saw my name and email. It took me back a little, and then I realized, "Sarah, you got in!!!"

I browsed around the BYU site for a while, and then I realized I had a link for registration (which I hadn't had before). I click on the Student Summary and up pops this:

At that point I realized it was a for sure thing, and not just a fluke. I know StalkerNet should have been enough, but I'm a compulsive worrywart. I ALWAYS need to double-check. Just comes with the territory.

Now the only thing I need to worry about is getting enough money to go to school...but I am trying to hurdle that problem already.

*Thursday was a fantastic day beyond me getting into grad school, I also had something I jokingly refer to as the "miracle of miracles" happen that night. But, THAT, my friends, will make it into my next blog post. :D

Batchin' It

So, I am officially a townie for a week. Yes, you heard me correctly. My grandparents are out of town this week, so my sister, Catie, and I are the official plant/housesitters for them. We started yesterday, and already there are a few things that have been weird (aka: hard to get used to).

It's weird always having cell phone reception. I haven't had this experience for about 3 years now, and even back when I did when I was at Snow College, no one ever texted/called me, so it didn't even really matter. Maybe I have more friends now, ;)

It's weird not having someone around all of the time. At least when I'm at home, I hang out with my mom, but now it's just me, because Cate's at work. I work at nights, so it's like the passing of two ships in the night, quite literally.

It's weird that everything is so close. At home, it's a 15 minute drive to anywhere. Here it's 5, and that's generous. I keep on trying to plan out how much time I need to get to the places I need, and I can't. Let's just say I'm a little disoriented right now.

It's weird that I have a sweet car at my disposal. I don't have to plan around anyone else's schedule. This is a good kind of weird, but it's weird nonetheless. I love having a non-scuzzy car!

Anyway, this is a great/weird thing for me, but I'm not sure that I will want to go back at the end of the week but then again, maybe I will.

I already miss:

the mountain view
the peacefulness at night
my mom's food
being around people all the time

Well, whether or not this was boring or not, I am just trying to keep up blogging. It's easier the more you do it. I love you all. Have a fantastic day. 

Secret Admirer

So at work last night, I was told that someone asked if I was married or single. I don't wear a ring, but guess that doesn't mean much these days. The site coordinator told me with a gleam in her eye, really excited about the information she was giving me, but then told me that the person wished to remain anonymous. As in, (as told to me by the coordinator) "No, please, please, please, don't tell her who was asking!!!!"

Hmmm, I'm not quite sure how I'm feeling about this. Especially because my coordinator was like, "Hey, do you want me to tell him to ask you out?" I answered with a vague, "Well, I don't know who it is, so I couldn't tell you either way..." There are not very many males at my work, so the possibility of me knowing who it is, is pretty much certain.

The saddest part is it can't be the person I'd love for it to be. There's a really cute and nice boy that's my age who's a co-worker of mine, and I kind of have a secret crush on him myself...ironic as it may seem. I would really like him to ask me out, but he already knows that I'm single. So that cancels his name off the list, much to my chagrin.

I just don't what to think about the whole thing. I've come up with a few candidates, and I don't know which one is the best or the worst.

Candidate #1 - One of my students. There are 5 guys that come regularly to my class. I suspect at least 3 of them are over 40, so that's a little weird. The other ones are most likely in their 30s. But they are all parents, because their kids have to be members of the school district. I am a little weirded out, especially because I would never date any of my students. Besides being unethical, it would just be strange.

Candidate #2 - Some other student in another class. That's a very stretching assumption, but it could happen. But I think it's probably not a good theory.

Candidate #3 - The random janitor that talked to me that one time. He might want to know whether or not I was single, but I pegged him at about 35 the first time I saw him (and I'm usually right), and I wasn't so interested.

Candidate #4 - It's really the cute guy that's my age, and he's just double checking. Problem is, the coordinator was telling me all about this when he was around, so it doesn't seem likely. It's my favorite theory, though. :)

Vote for your favorite, give me some feedback. Haha. My life all of a sudden got more exciting, but I'm not sure I like the way it's going. I'll keep you updated.

P.S. For all of you that follow my blog faithfully (Rachel), this is an unprecedented event. I actually posted 2 days in a row.

Blogging? What's That?

Apparently that is what my brain says. Because it's been almost three months since my last blog, and it hasn't phased me until this point. I don't know why, but I feel obligated to write about what I feel are important things in my life, and for the last three months, I haven't felt like I've had any life-shattering experience that would be awesome to share with anyone that reads my blog. But now I've realized: Blogs aren't necessarily for the readers, they're more for the writer.

I mean, a blog can be amusing, especially if you can convey emotion in your writing, but I think I fail at humor writing. I'd rather write the deep thoughts swirling around in my brain. I write poetry that no one reads, and write about cool things that might happen, rather than the actual events which I've experienced. I've made a goal to actually tell you what I've been up to, rather than sidestep reality.

#1 Thing - I've officially graduated from BYU. Yay, let's pull out the party hats. Except I haven't walked yet, so no one even knows. Sometimes I have a hard time thinking I have. The only things that even make me believe that I've done it are the fact that the diploma is framed on my wall, and the fact that I now only have a part time job, and no classes or homework to stress about.

#2 Thing - As mentioned above, I actually found a part time job with Alpine School District in January. I teach English to adults who are second language learners (like an ESL setting). I have on average about 15 students that come, and I teach them on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. They are so cool, and I'm always energized when I get home, because they make teaching fun for me.

Side Note: I need to brag about them some more. They are all parents (their kids have to be enrolled in Alpine School District for them to attend), work jobs, and still come to class to learn English and get homework!!!! I just think the world of them.

#3 Thing - I have submitted an application for graduate school. I should find out soon whether or not I've made it in (please cross your fingers for me), but I have been going nearly crazy waiting. I turned in the application on January 10, but I feel like they need to tell me soon, or I will just fall to pieces.

#4 Thing - I have probably read over a hundred books in two months, because I have LOADS of time on my hands. Not something that I can shout from the rooftops, I mean, this is something that is almost embarrassing when you look at all of the part-time job opportunities I could have gotten, had I the motivation to get them. Anyway, you sow what you reap. My reaping consists of thousands of pages read of books that I wouldn't ever read again. Boo.

Now, I think that I need to seriously rearrange my life to something more bearable, including another job and finding out if I got into grad school, and having more money to do the things I want to do this fall. STRUCTURE is what I need, because if I don't have it, my life is too easily wasted away, day by day.

I've updated, but I still feel like a technical writer. Say what needs to be said, and no more. Ha. I should try and apply for a job where I can do that all day. Except it would be boring. Like this blog.

NEW GOAL (Set Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, but almost Thursday, February 25th, 2010)

I WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT BORING THINGS IN MY BLOG FROM THIS TIME FORWARD. I AM NOW ONLY ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT THINGS THAT I WOULD ENJOY READING (I.E. NOT TECHNICAL WRITING).

So, from the beginning of this blog to the end I've changed my mind (or maybe realized that the above was me trying to reassure myself that I'm not really as boring as I seem). Either way, a blog is for the reader, not the writer, and I either have to follow my new goal, or I have to give up blogging....

I'll take another stab at it.

P.S. Does anyone know of any good part-time jobs out there? I'm sucking at finding them. Or there is none left. Whelp, the early bird gets the worm, and the late bird gets no money for fall semester.

All Fired Up and Ready for My Internship!

So, I've decided that having a blog is not too bad of late. I have had a little time to spare (Yay for two weeks off of school!) and there have been a few events in my life that I feel are noteworthy enough, so I am actually blogging! I know, weird.

Well, this isn't a particularly great event in my life, but I still thought it noteworthy. There was a fire in Hobble Creek Canyon that started Monday. It was quite a distance from my home, but Monday night I chilled in town for about 2 hours before they would let me come home. It was all I wanted to do, having kind of a sobering/depressing day that day, and they wouldn't let me. Oh well, I got over it.

I am grateful for the almost instantaneous response we got from the community and state firefighters, because even though it was not near my home, I know everyone in the canyon, and I was concerned for their homes. There are some pretty cool pictures that people have taken. Here's some.

It got quite a bit of coverage on the news, but I think that was due to the fact that there was a fire in the next canyon over that was happening at the same time. The fires burnt up quite a bit of forest service land, I think about 300 acres total, but the real point of interest in the stories are that they are investigating arson on the cases. I have been following the news reports as much as I can and right now they are offering reward money for anyone who can give them a lead/info on possible suspects of the arson. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13161738 Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it has caused a bit of excitement in the lives of the Springville and Mapleton denizens.

The other side of the news is I have an internship lined up for the fall. I had kind of put off looking for one because I was trying to do well in my Spring and Summer term classes, but with lots of prayer and faith, I am getting an awesome opportunity! I get to actually teach English to a class, which most of the interns don't get an opportunity to do so.

I will be supervised by a graduate student, who will be ultimately responsible for the outcome of the class, but I have to do the disciplining, grading, basically all of the responsibilities that a teacher has. It's a reading class, and I'll get to teach students that have very minimal English. This will be difficult, but I think I'll get to see them really grow in this semester. That's enough to get me excited!

(Haha, this book makes me laugh, so I put it up)

I feel almost as though this opportunity was dropped in my lap, because of how quickly it pulled together, but I know that I tried my best with the time that I had to get out the word for me needing an internship.

Anyway, now I feel as though I might actually have some cool things to blog about this year. Yay for teaching!

5 Months and Many Experiences Later...

So, I haven't written on this blog for almost exactly 5 months. For some reason, I thought that if I had a blog I would write in it more than my journal, but so far, that has definitely NOT been the case.

Okay, down to business.

#1- I am not going to Vienna in the fall. I've known that since the end of March, and hopefully anyone who cares enough to read this blog should know by now.

#2- I am going to be able to graduate by December. Yay and boo, because it will be awesome to have accomplished something, but then I have to quit my job at the library AND find a job in the current market. That is for sure a boo moment.

3#- I still need to find an internship to graduate. I don't have much time left, but going both Spring and Summer terms have not helped in this regard. I've been so busy between school and work, I haven't thought about it much, and now I have to basically rush it in the end.

Business is over. Now for fun!

Cool things coming up-

I am going to hike Timpanogos with a friend this coming Friday (so, a week from today). I have done it once before, and it was an awesome experience, but quite long. I am hoping that it won't take quite as long round trip (last time it was 12 hours!), and I'm really hoping it won't rain that day either. Really, if it starts to rain with thunder and lightning, the last place I want to be is on top of one of Utah's highest peaks!! But, I'm praying and hoping that it will be clear.

We're going to take the Aspen Trail up to the summit. Here's a map of the hike.

It looks really long, but it is about 16 1/2 miles round trip, which isn't too bad. And the view is so spectacular from the top, and gives you such a sense of accomplishment, that I'm even willing to brave rain and the long hike just to get to the top again.

I am also going to the Martin Harris Pageant in Clarkston, UT next week as well. It's going to be the day after Timp, so hopefully I won't be too wiped out from the hike, but I'm really excited about this too. As far I as know, it is similar to the Manti pageant in the fact that it is live action, but I don't know if the actors have speaking lines, or if it is all a prerecorded track like the Manti pageant. My dad and brother have seen it, and they really liked it, so I think it will be very good.

Other exciting things (that are good, but just not as cool as Timp and the Martin Harris pageant)-

I have only one class left before the end of Summer Term. Yay! I have almost successfully survived going Spring and Summer terms! It is a big day for me, because I have to give a 5-7 minute presentation on a paper I haven't written yet. :S Well, you know me, I've gotta keep things exciting! LOL.

My sister comes home tomorrow. She's been gone for about 2 weeks straight now, first with Girl's Camp and straight after that she went to Catalina Island with a friend, and I've missed her horribly!!

Another awesome thing- My brother gets home in exactly 3 months! Oh, I miss that kid so much.

Okay, I'm done.

The Stupidity of Viruses and Projects

So this week has been kind of a doosie on the homefront. On Monday night/Tuesday morning (It's when I do my HW, okay?) I clicked on a stupid spyware thing posing as an anitvirus program. Stupid. It is at my daddy's work, where he is trying to find an alternate solution for cleaning it, rather than having to do a complete memory sweep. It might not be possible. Doubly Stupid. I suppose we all have to get hoodwinked by someone sometime, but this week couldn't have been worse to have that happen to me. I had a big project due on Tuesday morning (thus explaining my post-midnight scramble), which I did finish by the way, then yesterday I needed to have read an article and be ready to present what I learned, I had to have a rough draft of a personal ad (125 words, who has a 125 word personal ad?!?) for my German class, and a fatty Syntax assignment that took three and a half hours and four pages to complete. Then! I had to have a reading assignment done by today (which I didn't do because I was sick of HW last night I didn't care), but now I have to do a whole bunch o' stuff for tonight. First, my personal ad needs to be polished, and I don't really want to do that, but oh well. It'll be turned tomorrow at 9:00 am. Then, I have to write a summary/criticism of the article I read yesterday. It probably won't take very long, I might do it tomorrow, but the thing that I most have to do is a 'breakfast paper' (two page paper making a comparison between two breakfast foods through the scientific method, basically) which supposedly is going to help us write our senior theses for my capstone class for Linguistics. Mind you, the words 'senior theses' is being used in a broad sense here, it's just a moderately big paper (something like 3500 words) that needs original research. This is where I start thinking, "Crud." I don't even know what I'm going to do it on! The words 'original research' somewhat bring a chill to my bones.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

So, everyone has been blogging for some time now, I guess it's time that I jumped on the bandwagon. I am kind of excited actually. I just need to find out how to do all the cool stuff like change the backgrounds, etc, and then I think it'll be awesome. So, I just got accepted to the Vienna Study Abroad program through BYU, and I leave in the fall. I am determined to have the most awesome travelblog ever, but unless I start practicing that ain't gonna happen. So, here is my very first, albeit pointless, blog. HA!