I got an internship!

So I found out about the internship at Deseret News less than a month ago. My professor mentioned it to me in a meeting and I thought it might be a good idea to try. First off, most people are in school during the winter semester so I had a better chance than in the summer when everyone is looking for an internship. And, of course, David Landeen is off-track next semester and he was planning on staying in Rexburg but was having a difficult time finding a good job. So I figured it would work out if I got an internship in Utah and he could go home to work. We'd both have good work experiences and save some money up.

I went to the interview during Thanksgiving Break and came out very frustrated. I didn't think it'd gone well at all. They gave me a quiz about famous people and hardly knew any at all. One of the interviewers told me they like to hire seniors who need the internship more than juniors, in which I was a junior at the time, so I pretty much took it as a "not this time but maybe next time" sort of deal.

I left planning on staying in Rexburg next semester. David already set it up to go home next semester so we decided he should still do that and we'd do the long-distance relationship thing––something I was not looking forward to. A few of my siblings have done it and I know it's hard. But we were gonna do it.

Then because I didn't hear back from the editors about whether or not I got it, I lost my position I would have had next semester and got a different one. The new one wasn't bad, I was just really looking forward to the first one, so I was having a hard time accepting the new one. Though I was willing to do it and do my utmost best in the position.

And then, on Thursday, they called. I was offered an internship at Mormon Times – an online edition of the Deseret News where they publish information about LDS people to LDS people. They also publish a weekly print edition as well. The editors said they will probably start sending the print edition out with the Church News. It sounds like a very intriguing internship. It will be full-time and it's a paid internship as well – which is very nice. I'm really excited for this internship and plan on making the most of it.

TAG

TAG

I was tagged by Venita to do this, so here it is.

4 Things I did yesterday

-Took my last final

-Finished my 15 page essay

-Went to lunch with some good friends to celebrate the last day of school. Some guys came up to us and asked if we wanted to be on a commercial for Wingers (where we were eating) on Channel 8. So they recorded us eating and having a good time. Don't be surprised if you see me on T.V. one day. ;-)

-Went on a date with David to a P.J. party. We ate cereal and watched The Polar Express. It was a lot of fun. You can see pictures of it on facebook... for those who have it.

4 things I'm looking forward to

-Definitely Christmas

-My internship with the Deseret News

-Having time to visit my family in the next few weeks

-Spending next week with David Landeen


4 Restaurants I like

-Wingers (especially since I'm going to be in a commercial)

-Craigos – Best pizza ever. And amazing dessert!

-Shon Hings – I'm not sure if I spelled that right. It's the Chinese restaurant in Burley.

-Girdies – Another amazing pizza place with all you can eat!


4 Favorite TV shows

-The Office

-Gilmore Girls

-Even Stevens

-Boy Meets World

4 People I tag:

-Melanie

-Lynnette

-Debbie

-Laurie

Fall Highlights

So I'm kinda bad at posting very much so I decided to post a blog including all the highlights of this semester in school. I know, it's not over yet, but here's just a recap of what's happened so far...



We went to a rodeo a few weeks into the semester. My roommate's brother does a bunch of rodeos so we all went to see. We were the only two that dressed up so we took a picture. It was a lot of fun. We went to Pocatello for the night and had a fun girl's night out.





We carved pumpkins for FHE the Monday before Halloween. It was a lot of fun. Me and Holly carved this one. I found a picture of it on the computer so I drew it and Holly carved it. While she did that, I collected all the pumpkin seeds and baked them in the oven. I tried my first baked pumpkin seeds this semester and really loved them. Our pumpkin won the first prize of all the other pumpkins. I thought we did a pretty good job.


I got to go to Kansas City, Missouri for a journalism conference. We went to meetings all day long and then we'd hang out and go out to dinner or site see. It was fun. Friday night we went to Independence and Liberty Jail. It was really cool. I love touring the church history sites. It helps bring it all to life. I wish we could have seen the temple site, but we didn't have enough time. That night, we also went to a Brazilian restaurant. It was really good. It was like the one in Utah. It was really good. But when we got the reciept to pay the bill, we were really surprised to find that it was $60 a plate! Crazy! And there were 5 of us. So it ended costing around $300.




While I was
in Kansas City, my soccer team won the championships. I was really excited for them but sad that I couldn't be there with them. But I should be getting a t-shirt saying that we are the champions. Some of us have played up here at BYU-Idaho for the past 3 years. So we were excited to finally win the championship. Most of the players are from Rupert.


I asked David to the Preference Dance. He's a really good dancer so he helped teach me a lot of the dances. I borrowed my friend's dress. It was really cute but she is a little taller than me so I had to wear 3-4 inch heels. I did pretty good dancing but my feet hurt really after half an hour of nonstop dancing my feet hurt really bad. This picture is of my neighbor, Elle and her date and me and Dave. The dance was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. Next weekend... I'm going to Utah to meet his family. I'm kinda scared... I hope they like me. But it'll be fun. If they're anything like David, I know I'll really like them.

Meet Dave

So I've been terrible at blogging lately. School and work have taken up a good part of my time. But I love it. My classes are all communication and English classes so I feel like I'm just playing the whole time. I love it. And my job at the Scroll is awesome as well. I work so much there but love every minute of it.

But now to the real reason why life is so busy lately: I have a boyfriend. His name is David Landeen and he really is amazing. He is from West Jordan, Utah. He served his mission in Porto Rico and got back last January. He is a freshman studying... something. He's not sure but is currently looking into Broadcasting.

We met the second day of the semester and have hung out every day together except for 3 days this semester, 2 of which because he went home during conference weekend. We became instant friends from the first night we met. I guess kinda liked me from that first week while I was rather oblivious to the whole thing until one of my friends asked what I thought about him. I told her 'we're just friends... but I guess it could lead up to it.' He'd become one of my best friends and it didn't seem like a bad thing if it went a little further. I decided if the opportunity came, and if he was willing, I wouldn't let it pass me by.

Well, I started writing movie reviews for the Scroll so we decided to have movie nights each week. One night after watching a movie we went for a walk and had the best time together. We were laughing and joking and then he held my hand. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. :-) And we've just been dating since.

The End.

P.S. He's coming to the family b-day party on the 25th to hang out for the weekend. I can't wait to see you all in a few weeks!

It's what I do

This is me at one of my summer jobs, the advising center. We're in between semesters so it hasn't been very busy. Sometimes I work here for 9 hours and talk to only 1-5 people. So I find ways to keep myself busy...

I've started a collection of books I want to read this summer. Right now I'm reading "The Miracle of Forgiveness." Next I'll read "The Animal Farm" and "Breaking Dawn."
This is my drawer with all my essentials. I have my lunch, peanut butter and honey sandwich, crackers and water as a snack, and for dessert I have brownies. I also have an 8 lb weight to balance out the snacks I eat all day.

And finally, on really long and boring days, I sit down and take a lil nap. This is my favorite chair in the office. Sometimes I put a book in my lap and face my head the other way so that I look like I'm actually reading. Lately, since it's been so laid back, I just get as comfortable as I can. Doesn't my job look so hard???

What a workout!

I'm just posting a few of my favorite stories that I've done. This one was during the Winter 2008 semester. One week, the sports section wrote all about the the workouts available at BYU-Idaho. I got to do a column so I chose this class, it looked hard but I wanted to look tough so I did it. I went to the class and was regretting it within 15 minutes of being in it. But I stuck to it and kept up with the instructor. I was so sore afterwards but felt it was worth it for a good story. Then I found out that there was supposed to be a photographer there who had planned on going to the class on Thursday instead of Tuesday. So I got to do it again. It was hard but I did my best to keep up so the photographer could have some good photographs of me... I'll tell you one thing, I now know what paparazzi feels like. The photographer took so many pictures and sometimes got so close. Everyone just kept staring, probably thinking "Why is she so important?" It was so weird. But I had a lot of fun and enjoyed writing the article. It was featured in the Scroll, the school newspaper, on the whole page with 3 pictures of me. I only found one online though.


Reporter feels the burn with cardio strength training

Chanae Wilson, a junior studying English, exercises her legs and arms while particpating in the Cardio-Strength Training class offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Hart 234.

The greatest things in life are the ones that take the most effort in order to obtain. But, I believe it all depends on one’s priorities. Some people are dedicated to developing their musical talents, others are committed to “bringing home the bacon” and some are devoted to developing the perfect body build. I can honestly say without any remorse that I do not belong to the latter.

I recently spoke to Bradley Highsmith, a freshman studying business management, who has been working on obtaining an eight pack in the last few weeks. I always thought would be cool to have washboard abs, but the thought of that painful torture I would have to put myself through eliminated all desire.

I am not saying that I am a couch potato, watching movies all day and eating banana splits. That is reserved for only a few times per week. I love working out. I love playing soccer, going for a swim and feeling the rush after a good workout, but I just don’t rigorously exercise in the gym like many others.

So when I went to the Cardio-Strength Training class last Tuesday, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I decided to go to this class because it sounded like a challenge. Something that would get my heart racing and help me get out of this exercise hibernation I have enjoyed a little too much this winter.

The class started out easy enough. We did a few stretches and I was feeling good about this. Then we started the exercise routine and I was ready to call it quits. The instructor had us doing vigorous stepping exercises, lifting weights and sprinting all within the first fifteen minutes. We also did killer abs exercises that left me sprawled out on the floor gasping for air when we were done.

The instructor would make us count how much we’d done out loud. If we didn’t count loud enough, she’d make us do it again. Every time the instructor would make us repeat an exercise, I’d think of how similar she was to the scene in Miracle when Kurt Russell would blow his whistle and yell, “Again!” much to the dismay of his hockey team. I always hated that part in the movie and I hated it more after experiencing a torture similar to theirs.

But I didn’t give up. I knew that if I gave up, I’d regret my failure in the long run. I decided that I had made a commitment to go to this class and I was going to follow through on that commitment — no matter the consequences.

Well, I am proud to say that I lasted up to the very end. I accomplished my goal. And though I wince at the pain I receive at every movement I’ve made since, I am glad that I did not give up on my goal.

A different perspective on a man’s pregnancy

This is the controversial article I wrote. A very unhappy student wrote a two page letter to my editor, the newspaper advisor, ant President Clark, stating that by printing this article, we were promoting lesbians, that I should have called this man a woman because that is what he is in Heavenly Father's eyes, and that my editor and I should be fired. It was kinda scary to think that I had made someone so angry by writing about this strange phenomon. Needless to say, this article was politically correct. It was nonbiased and this man is legally a man, if I had said he was a girl, I could actually be sued by him. :-s Scary, huh? So here it is: one of those weird phenomons that you'd never dream of hearing about.

Thomas Beatie, born a female, went through a sex change in which he had chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy. He and his wife, Nancy, decided to have a child together.

Due to severe endometriosis – extreme pelvic pain – Nancy had to undergo a hysterectomy, which is a surgical removal of the uterus through the abdominal wall or vagina, eliminating any chance of bearing children.

Beatie, who still has his female reproductive organs, received a sperm implant and is now about five months pregnant. He and his wife are expecting their baby girl in July, according to http://www.advocate.com/.

This occurrence has brought a lot of positive and negative remarks among neighbors and the community. Some do not believe that he really is pregnant, and Beatie said that his in-laws did not even know he underwent a sex change, according to http://www.advocate.com/.

Many people seem to question the moral issues of a transgender man having a baby.

“All people are born male or female genetically. This person may have had a sex change and appears to be male but in the eternal sense, [they are] still a female,” said Professor Steve Dennis of the Home and Family Department.

Beatie wrote about his thoughts and experiences on www.advocate.com of being a pregnant father.

“I am stable and confident being the man that I am. To Nancy, I am her husband carrying our child – I am so lucky to have such a loving, supportive wife. I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family,” according to http://www.advocate.com/.

Beatie appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the pregnancy. On the show, the couple called their child a “miracle baby.” Dr. Kimberly James, Beatie’s doctor, said, “This baby’s totally healthy. I consider it an average pregnancy,” according to http://www.oprah.com/.

Whether or not there will be more occurrences like this in the future is uncertain. Some people don’t care whether or not it happens; they just don’t want to know.

“It’s their life, they can do what they want about it, but they don’t need to publicize it so the rest of us have to know about it,” said Kyle Hunt, a sophomore studying general education.

There are many scientific studies that are in progress, however, that may enhance medical technology, producing science experiences that have never been thought possible, such as a pregnant man.