Changes

Sooooo my account was hacked today. Great fun. I have no idea how bad it is, but just to be safe, I'm deleting the whole account and starting all over again. I'm not going to post anything on here, but those who want to know the new stuff have only to look for me in other realms.
Hope you do find me, cuz I like you guys.
Watch your passwords and security people. It's embarrassing to have people call you and think you seriously are in danger when you have no idea what has happened.

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!

You know, I thought I loved Fridays before now, but I did not even know how amazing they are until recently.
And you know what's even better than just regular Fridays?
SUNNY FRIDAYS!!!
I mean, honestly, what gets better than a sunny Friday? It's like the weather is just as happy about it being Friday as we are! Ok, granted, it's like 93 degrees outside, but still! It's sunny and there's just something about looking out the window of my office and seeing sunshine and blue skies that just makes me smile so big! My only regret is that I don't get to enjoy the sunshine until 4, which isn't even that big of a regret because normally I leave at 5, but since I come in one hour early on Mondays, I get to leave one hour early on Fridays! Oh, bliss!
Anyway, time for your regularly scheduled Becky update: Nothing's new! No, really, aside from some additional DVDs and new groceries, nothing's changed since my last post. My sister Sarah is coming tomorrow, which I am SOOOOOOOOOOO excited for. She's been doing a week of EFY in Minnesota and has next week off so she's coming to play with me for a week. I feel kinda bad that I have to work while she's here, but hey, I need money. After that, she goes back to working EFYs in various locations around the Mid-West. Sad day, but yay for her. On the up side, CARLY is coming!!!! And her parents, too, I suppose. =) NEXT Saturday Carly et all will be coming up for a visit! A whole week of Carly goodness! I'm so happy! And THEN we're all going up to Chicago for the 4th of July! HURRAY FOR MY FAMILY!!! Seriously, I love seeing my family. Just in case you couldn't tell.
I'll let you guys know how everything goes and post some super cute and super fun pics when I get them.
But until then, HAPPY FRIDAY! GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!

My Grown-Up Job

So I know you've all been dying to hear all about what I do for my new job. Well, I'll tell you in this blog post and even put in some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

My job title is the Orthonavigator. It sounds cooler than it is. But anyway, what I do is take most of the new patient calls for the orthopedic surgeons and hand specialists, do a brief triage evaluation, as we call it, and place them with the appropriate doctors. It may seen like a glorified secretary job from the outside, but it really does take skill. See, not all surgeons see the same things. And not all injuries need to be seen as immediately as others. I actually have a list of which doctors see what injuries and what they won't see. Some doctors won't take patients who are not referred by a primary care physician, some won't take certain insurances. So I really do have an important job.

My day starts at 8 most days (7 on Mondays) and ends at 5 (Fridays at 4). When I get to work in the morning, I usually have some faxes that have come through from the emergency department that need to be scheduled with one of my doctors right away. I see all sorts of injuries on all sorts of people, and let me just say this right now: People, stop punching hard things and breaking your hand. It's really dumb.

Anywho, after organizing and calling my ED patients, I look at the orders that have come through on my computer system from the urgent cares since I've been sleeping. Sometimes I don't have any, sometimes [like Tuesday] I'll have 9. Holiday weekends are messy things around here.

So the rest of the day I am taking phone calls from doctor's offices, the call center, or the patients themselves and try to get everybody in to see the right doctor for their problem. Sometimes I have to diffuse situations that have come up between a doctor and a patient, or deal with a patient who is transferring from a different system of doctors. No day is ever the same around here, and I like that.

Once things get all ironed out here, I'll be helping out in rehab a little bit and doing some overflow massages. It'll be nice to set back into that side of the game. And there's a possibility that I'll be able to go out as an athletic trainer a couple of times a week once school starts back up again. I am WAY excited for that. I've missed it.

So that's what I do. It's nice to work for a medical facility. And not just because I get to wear scrubs to work. The benefits are pretty nice, too.

If you can't tell, I really like my grown-up job. And I really REALLY like my grown-up paycheck. =)

This is my office. Yeah, that's right. Office. With a door.

The view from my windows. Please ignore the reflection of my hand.

My totally sweet headset. Yep, I told you. I'm legit.

Good-bye, my friend

I lost a good friend this week to breast cancer. Gaye Merrill was the Director of Sports Medicine at BYU and an old friend of our family. She was my mentor at school and kept me sane when I didn't think I could do this athletic training thing anymore. When I had such trouble passing the exam, I went to see her on a visit to see my sister in Utah. She was busy, but she said she had time to talk with me. After I told her everything I was dealing with, she told me that it would be ok, to think about what I really wanted, and then go from there. Then she smiled at me and said, "Becky, it's just a test." I didn't realize it until later, but I don't think she was really talking about the board exam. And she was right. It was just a test. I don't remember if I told her that I passed it or not, and that makes me sad. Did I ever say thank you to her for everything she was to me? Did I thank her for her advice? I don't know. I know that she knows now, but that doesn't help much.
But she was more than just a mentor, she was a friend. I always regretted that I never got to work with her at school, but she was a good friend of my mom and dad when they were at school, so we already had this bond. From my first few days at BYU, I'd stop by to say hi. She always asked about each of our family members and knew them by name. She asked me how my life was going, when I was getting into the program, what I wanted to do. And every single time, she told me to tell my mom hi. Every time, without fail. That's the kind of friend she was.
I have a new job, which I'll blog about later, and I had a few names for references. Gaye was #1 on that list. I have no idea if she was contacted about this job, but I have a feeling. I hope that when I leave this life, she'll be my reference over there. I know that her opinion will mean a lot.
Thanks for everything, Gaye. I'll miss you.

Favorite Lit Tidbits

I've been taking an unofficial hiatus from blogging. Truth is, I've had nothing to blog ABOUT. My life is very boring at the moment.
But, lucky for you, my life will get more exciting in a few weeks. I got a job! A real one! A big kid job, as my dad informed me! We'll talk about that later, once I know more.
Right now I have a question.
I've been spending some time thinking about literature. Movies, books, etc. I don't know about you, but in every movie or book, I have a favorite part. And besides that, little favorite tidbits that make me happy. For example, in Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, I love the part in the rain. It is not my favorite part in the entire movie as a whole, but I love it. You know why I love it? I love the rain. I love the emotionally charged scenes that take place in the rain. It just adds so much! Wives and Daughters has a rain scene, and I LOVE that one too. Rain scenes...ugh, they are great.
Here's another example: The Proposal. The scene in the bedroom when she starts talking about random things that he doesn't know about her. You can just seen how touched he is. I mean, he almost cries! Well, maybe not, but his Adam's apple DEFINITELY moves! I love the vulnerability that such a strong character portrays, the trust she is placing in him when she isn't entirely sure she wants to. And I love that he doesn't answer right away. He isn't sure how to take it, how he feels, and he obviously cares enough to watch what he says so he won't hurt her. Vulnerable, emotional, and a key turning point.
One more: I have no idea why, but I LOVE when a hero is in trouble and the girl goes to save him. It may not work, and half the time doesn't, but I love that she tries it. That one is everywhere. The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn, Beauty and the Beast....Love it.
Oh, and the Cinderella thing...I love when they do that.
So. Tell me. In books or movies, what are your favorite tidbits and gimmicks? Mistaken identity? Cross dressing? Rain? Chases? Tell all! And tell us where we can find it!

Spiritual thoughts

"The Lord doesn't expect us to work harder than we are able. He doesn't (nor should we) compare our efforts to those of others. Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can -- that we can work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be." --President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
I got that quote on a cute little handout from one of our Relief Society teachers a few weeks ago, and since we're on a cleaning binge in my home, I found it on my desk and put it up on my desk almost without thinking. Then later (or NOW, in my grand timeline) I saw it again and was struck by it. I don't know what it is, but I have been thinking a lot about our Heavenly Father lately. He sent us all down here for a reason. He has a plan so that even though we all screw up, it won't ruin our chances of returning to Him. He has given us all that we have and all that we have to do is do our best. Our VERY best, mind you, and work at it, but that's it. Do our best and put our trust in Him. That doesn't seem like very much, does it?
I never understand why people think that God is mean. He is the reason that we exist! He blesses us with so many things! He is our Father and He lvoes us so much that He sent us Jesus Christ, our brother, who was willing to suffer and die for us so that our Father's plan could work! We are so loved by them that I can't even comprehend it!
In some of my more contemplative moments, I wonder why I was sent here and now. Why not when Jesus was on the earth? Why not during the Restoration? Why was I not a Nephite woman or a pilgrim or a peasant in Queen Elizabeth's time? Why am I in this place at this time? I do have days where I honestly wish I were somewhere else in some other time. But every time I have thought that, these two lines come into my mind: "The Lord does not make mistakes. You are meant to be here right now." Does that make me feel better? Yes. Does it answer anything? Nope, but I trust that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing. It's me I'm a little worried about.
Easter is coming. And General Conference is on Easter this year. I feel more inclined to prepare myself for conference this year than before, and whether that is due to the holiday or just my own spiritual sense, I don't know. But I am so excited for the opportunity to hear what the Lord wants me to hear. I hope--and pray--that I am ready and open enough to listen. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

The end is near...

So February was a failure of a month as far as my blog posting stats go. But with the Olympics absorbing all of my love and devotion and attention, I'm not going to apologize. I am, however, going to have to excuse myself for feeling slightly less adoring over Mr. Sidney Crosby, who scored the winning goal for Team Canada during their gold medal game against Team USA. I still love him....it will just take a tiny bit for me to get over the sting. And I found a new hero in Ryan Miller, the goalie for Team USA. I even won an ebay bid on a Miller shirt from the Buffalo Sabres (and can I just say that I love him even more for playing for a team called the Sabres? I mean really, that's fabulous). True story.
ANYWAY.... February is over and all I can say is HALLELUJAH! It lasted SOOOOO LONG! Maybe it's because I tend to loop February with January as the longest stinkin dang months ever. Anything after Christmas is a let down for some time, and the cold, gray, dreary months of the remainder of winter are just a monotonous reminder that the holidays are ended and we must return to reality, which is cold, gray, and dreary compared to the magic of December.
But, as I said, it is over. March is here. March means warmth and rain and green and birds and SPRING!!!! The darkness is passing, the sun is coming! ALL HAIL MARCH!!!
I may be a little over exuberant, but I don't care. Winter is over and Spring is coming. I can smell it!