I got an offer for the Programmer position at OMRF!! I'm really excited because it's finally coming together! 4 1/2 years in college, who knows HOW many resumés sent out, and now.... the ball is officially in my court.

Now, I have some time to look over the offer and really ask questions about their benefits, etc. For now, they're offering me a part-time position to start during this semester. That's actually really nice because I can work fewer hours than I am at Best Buy right now but make more per hour so it'll balance out. I'm thinking I'll stick with Best Buy too and try to work weekends because I like working there, plus the discount is nice to have (especially if I'll have money to actually buy stuff soon), and a little extra money on the side sounds good to me. When I graduate I'll move into the full-time position with full benefits, etc.

So, that's that. I'm super excited at the possibility of working with Ryan Parker, and I'm also realizing, after talking with Mark Chan of OC Career Services, that this means a lot of stress off my shoulders with graduation approaching. Very cool. :)

So my interview went really well today. I met with a doctor in the office who talked to me more about what they do. She explained how their testing works with patients and how the office works from day to day. I was a little nervous going in because I wasn't sure what more they wanted to ask me, but in the end she asked me several of the same types of questions: strengths, weaknesses, etc. and just mostly talked to my a lot about what I've done in the past. Nothing new or scary, and I walked away with a little clearer understanding of what they do, which is great.

The only part where the interview when wrong was in the exit. I was pretty sure I was supposed to talk to more people, so I asked who I needed to talk to next. You know, you're always trying to be as nice and tactful as possible at an interview, so I thought a gentle reminder would be enough. But she seemed pretty adamant that she was the only one I needed to talk to. She even apologized for making me come all the way down just to talk to her, but of course that was unnecessary. I'll go back as many times as they want until they're ready to decide who to hire. (I should probably set SOME limit actually.) So, I thanked her for having me and let myself out. About 20 minutes later, I got back to campus just in time to actually go to my class. Just as class was starting my friend Ryan who works at the same company called me. He asked where I was and if it was possible for me to come back... Well, that wouldn't have been a problem except that I was actually in the classroom at this point and by that time the professor had come in. It was exactly 2:30 and he kind of looked at me so as to draw all the attention to me. I totally deserved it, but I was stuck! I sit at the far corner from the door, and I really was trying to get off the phone, so leaving would be more trouble than it was worth but staying wasn't a good choice either! I was quietly trying to explain to Ryan that I HAD to go... class was starting, and he was trying to relay messages between the HR lady next to him and me. In the end, he said he'd text me instructions and I hung up, gave a short apology and explanation, and the teacher laughed it off.

Ryan later let me know that HR would just call to reschedule another interview because by the time I got out of class at 3:30, those people I needed to talk to would be leaving or gone.

Also, someone ELSE'S phone rang during class and the prof blamed it on me, which was kind of funny when the guy actually took credit for it. He sits right in front of me, so the teacher assumed it was me.

So, that was the excitement for my day. :) 2nd interview half-way conquered. 3rd (or 2 1/2-nd) apparently in the works.

Thursday @ 1:30pm.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated.



In other news, I think I want to be a teacher. So.... I'm praying for guidance and peace. Those are the types of prayers I could use most right now, Sammie. :) Since I know you're reading.

Soooo... remember that interview I mentioned? :) Well, I got a call last night while I was at work from their HR department.

She left a message to call back, but of course it was Friday night before I could listen. I'll give her a call Monday morning.

BUT -- in the message she said, "I have some good news!" So...

My hopes are high at this point, and I will certainly update on Monday with the rest of this story. :D

This will be my first "real" interview for a career not just a job. :) Just saying that is so weird, but it's so exciting too. I heard about the opening from Ryan Parker at one of his shows, and after originally thinking there was no way I'd apply for it - since I don't REALLY want to stay in Oklahoma after graduation - the logic finally dawned on me that a job in Oklahoma is in fact better than no job at all.

I have sent in soooo many resumes for all kinds of jobs, and this is the first one to call me back for a true interview. A few have wanted to chat on the phone or have emailed me questions, but I'm finally having to stress over what to wear, what to say, etc.

Oh, details. The position I am interviewing for is to be a Programmer for the Arthritis & Immunology department of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. I'm going at 10am, so if you read this and can say a prayer for me around that time I'd really appreciate it!

I always seem to get nervous RIGHT before things or right after, which is so much more convenient but weird when I'm thinking, "I should be nervous about this... what's wrong with me?!" So, for now, it's exciting but I don't think I can fully wrap my head around it until I am walking in the doors to meet with them.

I also have no idea if they would want me to start soon just working part-time or wait until after I graduate to start on full-time. I just started working at Best Buy again recently, and I always love working there. But of course if this Programmer position sounds like it's something I'd really want to pursue and they in turn feel like I'm the right person for the job, then I may have to cut my days with Best Buy short. It's way too soon to know what will happen with that, but I did tell my manager, Kenny, about the interview so I don't blindside him if I do end up leaving. It also feels good to have his support and approval going in this so I know no matter what I won't burn my bridge at Best Buy. :)

Edit: I went back and added a few entries about notable events. Enjoy!

Okay, so sorry I haven't written in a while. Wow. I can't even think back on what all has happened to recount it all now. That's what happens with me, I get in a good writing habit for a while. Then I miss one thing I want to write about but don't have the time so I don't write anything else new thinking I'll get back to writing about that and get back on track.... Then a month goes by and I find myself explaining my absence.

Ahem, that being said, hi. I plan on doing better. I always do. :)

Not a whole lot happened really that was so exciting. More of the same... work, online classes, applying for jobs, and hanging out with Blake. It's crazy to think that the summer is already wrapping up. Wednesday will be my last day at work, and Kathleen is flying up here that night. She hasn't been up here in about 10 years - when she was 7, I guess. So, we're going to spend Thursday and Friday hanging out in DC or seeing whatever she wants to see. This Saturday we're starting the drive home. I'm fairly certain we can do it in 2 days with just one major stop in Nashville. That'll get us home Sunday night, which I'm really looking forward to.

Other than that, I'm just getting details ironed out for my class schedule and housing this fall. I'm excited that I got things moved around so I'll only be taking one class at UCO now, and I'm taking a class with Prof. Smith at OC instead. He's pretty cool, so I'm looking forward to that class for sure now.

I'm also living with Hippie Hanlon and his wife, Elsa, this fall. I really enjoy living in houses as compared to apartments, so I'm looking forward to moving into my room there too. I just need to find out what furniture they have or will have for me - if any. I have some time to get what I need, I just need to know what I need to be on the lookout for.

That's about it for now. Wrapping up another 3 months of my life to move on to the next 3-ish months. I've pretty much mastered the art of juggling how far ahead I can really worry about, but I'm so ready for graduation and having a little more consistency in my life. Of course, that is assuming that when I graduate I find a job that offers more consistency than my life has had these past 4.5 years. I quite literally have not lived in the same place for more than 4 months in 5 years. Maybe I'll get bored with it. I think it'll be a new kind of exciting to have regular activities that I do or places I go to hang out pretty often.

Anyway, I'll write some other time about my dreams of the future. For now I have enough planning and juggling to get me through August to worry about. I'll pick up that dream in September. :)

Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to Ten Different People:
1. If you're trying to impress me, you're going about it all wrong.
2. I know it's your goal and within your reach, so why aren't you going for it?
3. Just letting it go would be much easier than this act you put on.
4. I wish I knew the right words to show you the truth.
5. You might think of me as a sister, but I don't think of you that way.
6. I'm pretty sure I can't trust you the same anymore.
7. I'm only doing this to keep the peace.
8. The times you do call almost make up for all the times you don't.
9. Stop measuring yourself in relationships and be happy being you.
10. I hope you can see how much better off you are now even though things didn't turn out as planned.

Nine Things About Me:
1. I'm way more introverted than I let on.
2. I fall too hard, too fast.
3. I stay up way too late at night.
4. There are things I've closed myself off to so much I can't cry about it when I want to.
5. Graduating doesn't scare me as much as not graduating does.
6. I truly want to live in the UK at some point in my life.
7. I honestly believe I can will myself to never have Depression.
8. Being recognized isn't nearly as important to be as making a positive impact.
9. I wish I was more organized.

Eight Ways To Win My Heart:
1. Love God
2. Make me laugh
3. Do small things to show you care
4. Impress me with your intelligence
5. Dream of foreign adventures with me
6. Be honest, even if it hurts
7. Show kindness to everyone else around you
8. Be patient

Seven Things That Cross My Mind All The Time:
1. I miss Pac Rim
2. I love Coldplay
3. Hmm, Career... Go abroad... Career... Go abroad....
4. I should get ahead on my homework. Oh, look, I'm behind.
5. Is this really what I want to do with my life?
6. I wish I had some kind of view from my cubicle.
7. I wonder what I'd be doing now if I had...... (this part varies)

Six Things I Do Before I Fall Asleep:
1. Check my email
2. Put forth a weak effort at tidying up
3. Brush my teeth
4. Search for the best pillow arrangement
5. Try to read for a while
6. Turn out the light

Five People (or groups of people) Who Mean A Lot:
1. Mom
2. Family
3. Lindsay
4. Pac Rimmers
5. Lambda

Four Things You Love Wearing:
1. Jeans
2. Tank tops
3. No shoes
4. Sunscreen

Three Songs You Listen To Often:
1. Yellow by Coldplay
2. 22 by Lily Allen
3. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here by She & Him

Two Things You Want To Do Before You Die:
1. Live in the UK
2. Change someone's life for good

One Confession:
1. One of my biggest fears is that I'll never let myself take the risks I need to in order to really enjoy life like I want to.

I just thought it was worth noting that it is 6:45a right now, and I have already ridden my bike and taken a shower for the day.

Anyone that knows me won't believe that statement. I almost don't.

Yesterday, 5 or 6 of us at work started a Biggest Loser competition for the month of July. So far... well, I wasn't even planning on getting up that early today, but my sleep schedule this entire week has been so weird. I was so tired yesterday at work that I came home and just crashed for a few hours. Then I got up and had dinner, finished my homework assignment for the day, and I went back to bed. I figured I'd wake up early so I planned last night that if I did that I'd ride my bike. Well, that's what happened. I guess I'll just make my lunch and get ready for my day now. This having-so-much-extra-time-in-the-morning thing is weirding me out.

Okay, so I've been lousy at keeping this up to date, but at request of my mom (who didn't even know about my blog) I am updating this. I would break this up into separate posts, but honestly, for the past month not a whole lot has been going on. I'll explain...

Since my first week of work, things have been going good in the office. My mentor, Lidong, is really nice. She hasn't been with the program for too long either, AND her programming history is all in C++ too, so it kind of helps to have someone who understands where I'm coming from sometimes. Mostly I dig and dig and dig into a problem until I THINK I found where the issue is, try a few little things on my own...fail...then ask Lidong. Haha! Yeah, that's basically the pattern of how I work these days.

Devin is interning with DSI again this summer, so it's nice to have a familiar face and someone to chat with throughout the day. We mostly joke around with the other people in the office when we're taking a break and make fun of each other. Sometimes he gets on his high horse and tries to tell me what to do. I quickly and shamelessly knock him off that horse, and we move on. :)

I caught up with the Dannenbergs again this summer at church, and it was really nice to see them. We decided we'll have to get lunch sometime with a few of their other friends I got to know and love last summer also. Betty said Klaus kept up with my Pac Rim blog quite a bit, so it will be fun to show them my pictures and tell some stories when we get the chance.

Other than that, my online summer classes through OC have kept me busy in any free time I would have had outside of work. The other day I was realizing that I should have taken summer classes all along the way, but then I also thought about the self-discipline it takes to get through these things. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been as devoted to my classes in previous summers, but with graduation peeking around the corner...yeah, that's a motivator. But seriously, these classes are killer. It's 16 weeks of coursework all squeezed into 4 weeks. The first one, Senior Bible Seminar, wasn't so bad. In fact, it was downright easy now that I think back on it. I finished that one before I got up here to Virginia, and then I immediately started Western Civilization the same day I started work. That one was considerably more work, and I had to keep myself focused everyday to come home from work to read my 2 chapters, take my quiz, and make an entry to the discussion board. It got to be a pretty good routine, so I got through it pretty well. The only thing is 2 weeks into that class, my American Political Economy class started up. Now, one summer class is manageable. Add to that a full-time job, and it gets a little tiresome. Throw another class on top, and.... I don't like when sleep becomes the optional bit of my life.

So, now that something has actually happened lately I figured I'd write again. I got up here all in one piece, and I'm so thankful my grandpa drove with me. Actually, he did all of the driving, which was totally awesome. For the most part we drove it straight through, but we did make a stop in Nashville, TN for the Country Music Hall of Fame. It wasn't necessarily that big of a deal for me, but it was pretty cool to see all the stuff they have in there. My grandpa likes the old country music, so he really got a kick out of it too. Definitely a fun stop, and now I can say I've been to Nashville. Haha!

I'm staying with the Jeffrey's this summer, and they are a really nice family I met at Fairfax church of Christ last summer when I was up here. They have 3 adorable kids: Bailey, Brylee, and Caleb, and I only feel bad that I can't stay home and play with them all day long. They're so sweet though, and it's cute to watch them play together or even when they try to convince me that it's ok to break the rules. I feel like a big sister sometimes having to suggest that maybe their parents know what they're talking about. :) Emille and Sam are great too, and they're always trying to find ways to make me feel more at home.


Work started on Monday, and it's been kind of weird stepping back into the same office but on a different team. The eRule team from last summer isn't there anymore because they lost their contract, but I came back to work with the DSI team this year. My first day, my boss brought up dress code, and the relaxed rules they have regarding it. Haha! I can pretty much wear nice jeans and a professional shirt any day of the week. It's like casual Friday everyday! That's definitely something I can get used to. They assigned me my first task on Tuesday, and I'm excited to complete that so I can understand the project I'm working on better and become more useful as the summer goes on.

Unfortunately, yesterday I woke up with a terrible sore throat. I emailed in sick to work, and I went to an Urgent Care clinic up the road. As I suspected, they told me I have Strep Throat so I ended up taking all of yesterday off. I intended on being well enough to go in for work today, but I woke up feeling worse today than I did yesterday so I emailed in again. Hopefully this downtime plus the weekend will give me the time I need to get back on my feet.

Okay, so it's been a while since I updated my blog. And yeah... YouTube videos don't really count as entries, so that puts me even farther behind. The semester ended. Not as great as I'd hoped for, but it is in fact over. So, that's always good. Summer classes have now started, and this first one - Senior Bible Seminar - is pretty interesting! I guess I'm on week 2 of that class, and it'll wrap up at the end of the month.

Right now I'm mainly looking forward to starting my internship in June. I'm driving up there this time, so hopefully my mom can get some time off to go with me. Grandpa might come, but there's a lot up in the air on that to see if he can or not. In either case, I'm excited to start working at Lockheed again and see what they have planned for me. I'm honestly not sure what I'm doing this summer yet, but my friend Devin is coming back for a 2nd internship too so that'll be fun. We definitely had a random bunch of people interning together last summer, but Devin was one of my favorites for sure. I'm also still really up in the air about what I want to do after graduation, so hopefully this summer I can take some time to really look at what I'm doing and what it would be like to jump straight into a career up in DC. I talked to Sarah Byrd about doing the HIM Program because she is leaving in August to spend 2 years in Germany, and she said that she did not know for sure that she was doing the HIM Program until after Thanksgiving, so I guess I have more time than I was expecting to decide after I get back next semester. I'm glad I have this summer to experience a regular 40 hour week software job again before deciding my whole future. Haha!

Not much else going on right now. I've enjoyed my downtime, and I've been trying to take advantage of it by riding a bike around the neighborhood or going swimming since I'm not sure how much time my next summer classes will take up on top of starting work. Oh! I also started reading Ender's Game again. It's just as good as I remember, and this time I also picked up a few more in the series for when I finish it. That's about all for now!

Finals week is here! It's absolutely incredible how quickly that went. I really feel like this semester went faster even than Pac Rim did. Of course in the middle of it, it felt like it would never end, and now that we're at the end I want some of that time back! My mom and I have a lot of talks these days about how time has flown by so quickly and what my future plans are. Future, future, future. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE talking about the future. It's so unknown, and I like it that way. For now. Making firm plans and absolute ideas of how I want things to turn out only feels like setting myself up for disappointment. I want to leave it open for as long as possible. Consider what my life could be like depending on the decisions I make these next few months. Vastly different paths I'm looking at. It's so exciting!!

Of course I'm thinking about going on the HIM program. If I do that I'll spend the next 2 years in England, which is such a dream come true for me. But with that choice also comes the risk of not being accepted into the program. And then if I am accepted, there's a very good chance I'll face a lot of homesickness. And what if it's not what I have it built up to be in my head? Or what if it is? I'll be committing 2 years of my life to ministry, which is not an easy job. Along with cultural differences and potentially going out on my own if no one else is interested in going on the program with me. I want to be prepared for whatever comes, good or unexpected so that I can enjoy everything instead of measuring it against a standard I have imagined in my head.

Another option I have is to look for jobs here in the US. I feel that I will be in a very good position to find a job with Lockheed Martin after I graduate, and if so I will most likely end up living in the DC area. I've loved it so far, and I'm really looking forward to going again this summer. I know Lindsay and Natalie will be there, so that is a safe place where I will not be alone. That's my main fear about moving far from home. Not knowing anyone. It's not like college where you get a whole new group of friends that are all in the same position as you. Sure I can meet people at work, church, etc., but it's still a scary thought of going out into the "real world" completely alone.

One thing about working with LM that my mom and I have talked about is that they have many international branches, and transferring within the company is fairly easy if there are open positions. If I were to go with LM, there is always the opportunity to move around later, but to me that kind of means being temporary again. I'm ready to put down roots somewhere. I don't really belong in Mansfield. But I don't really belong in OKC. I'm even more temporary in DC. After graduation, I want to belong somewhere. I want to live somewhere without having to think about moving again within the immediate future. Since August of 2005 I haven't really lived in the same place for more than a few months at a time. Even from fall semester to spring each year I have never lived in the same dorm room or apartment. It's actually a little insane, but it's been okay because it's only college and nothing is too permanent here. I don't want to keep doing that forever though. I need a little more constant in my life. Even if it's just 2 years. I'll take that. :)

My other option of course is to look for an entirely different job. Instead of going with LM (or if they don't hire me) I can look for jobs wherever I want. Anywhere. I would love to do that, but I think my fear of going completely alone may win over me in that. Going to the UK to a job with a mentor missionary and a whole church family to interact with is totally way less scary to me than taking a job in.... Austin, TX. Or somewhere like that... not TOO far from home, but just far enough that I'm not with them. And I'm not with friends. And I'm not instantly connected with people. I say Austin because there are tons of IT jobs there, but I would take a job in DC before I went there I honestly believe.

So that's where I'm at. I'm so thankful for my mom, who is totally supportive of whatever I can dream up. I've done so many things that would never have been possible without the support of my family. My mom especially has voiced her support in everything I do, and I know she has stood up for me when others maybe questioned me. I just remembered something she told me the other day, and it brought tears to my eyes thinking about it now. We were talking about...the future (go figure), and our conversation went like this:

Mom: "Man the time sure flew by fast. What are you going to do next?"
Me: "Mom...we've gone over this. I'm going to the UK."
Mom: "Ha, yes... well, good luck with that."
Me: "What? Ha, that's not really the reaction I was hoping for."
Mom: "Huh? Maybe that didn't come out right. What I meant was... You've done everything else you've ever set your mind to, why not this? You can do anything you want."

She's amazing. And it wasn't even my intention to write about her, but that's how my blogs go. Sit down, write, and see what comes out. I think this was a good one for spitting out all the pros and cons of all the different paths I could take from here. More thinking. More praying.

So, this weekend I decided to get productive. I knocked out my senior seminar paper, which now needs to be revised for my final draft. I'm pretty proud of it though! Then I built a website for our web programming class along with two CSS for it to alternate between. Once we got the meat of the site put in (the data, map, search bar, etc) it looks pretty sweet! Some other groups presented theirs today, and I'm really excited to show off what we put together. I also got a program done from last week, so that was a good weight to get off my shoulders.

This is the big week for Spring Sing, so everything we've been working towards is in overdrive this week, but it also ends with this week. That's intimidating but also a relief. We had club night tonight, and it was a lot of fun to finally see everyone else's shows and to get to show ours off. Until tonight, very few people had seen our show, so it was kind of life a big unveiling for us. We got some GREAT feedback, so as long as we can keep improving as we go, and keep our energy level high without making mistakes along the way, I think we really have a chance of doing pretty well as far as placing goes this year. I'm really excited to see how the chips fall in the end, because from tonight's performances quite a few of the underdogs are stepping up to the plate this year. I would love to see Iota or Pi take home 1st this year, but I also know that some of the big name clubs in Spring Sing may not have been giving 100% tonight, so it could be anyone's game at this point.


I also found out that the directors voted tonight on Unity, which has been my baby for Lambda this year. I'm a little nervous now to see who wins! Either way, it's been SO much fun, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat just to get to hang out with our girls and visit the other clubs. Kappa means business with Unity, and it was worth every penny, minute, and burnt finger along the way. And definitely either way, I will be cheering loudly (although maybe not loudest since I imagine Seth will cheer VERY loudly if they win) along with everyone else.

For now, I need to spend my one day off from Spring Sing wisely to catch up for these next couple of days. It's doable, and I just have to focus hard!

Good news: I accepted my internship for this summer, so I will be back out in DC early in May. Lindsay also applied for an internship with a church out there, so it would be awesome if she gets that and is up there with me!

One last worry/concern: Housing next year. I'll be here one more year before I graduate, while a lot of my friends are graduating now. So, I have to figure out where I'm living. I could live off campus, but I'll have to find other people that are planning to do that. Or I could live on campus, but that costs more, and again....I have to find roommates still. Oh well, I'll worry about that when I have a LITTLE extra time on my hands. :)

Goodnight!

I had an interview this morning. I was really excited about it, but... I think I may have blown it. It's for an internship in Germany, but I haven't done much/any software development in about a year now, so that made it a little hard to answer some of the technical questions when the last time I used some of that stuff was sophomore year.

Still have to send some code examples, so you never know. I'm also looking at going back to DC for the summer, which would be pretty cool.

Yesterday was a long day...today is going to be a long day too...I have a feeling tomorrow isn't going to be much shorter. Overall this semester has been going really good. Much better than I expected it to coming back from studying abroad, but this week has been the one to test me.

I had a job interview yesterday with a bank to be a teller... I'm really just wishing my old job would hire me back on soon.

This post is kind of a downer... Ok! The rest of the day will be better...right after my test maybe. :)