Here and living...kinda

okay so I have been terrible derilict in keeping up with this thing. Chelsi you are more of an online rat than I have ever been. I just don't have the stamina for it!
Work has been crazy! I'm trying to finish up the class materials before I leave for Switzerland (which is on June 8th for everyone who has been asking). That's NEXT WEEK! AHHH! I'm not even close to ready yet. I'm only going to work a couple of half days next week so that I can get everything put together and ready to go. It all seems so surreal....I'm really not quite sure what I am doing or even expecting. I don't know anyone that I am going with so this should be interesting...hopefully somebody will want to be best friends with me since I'm not taking any of mine with me!
Whitney is working with me for the summer. I was totally her network! Aren't you jealous? So that means when I leave for a month I get to dump everything that I couldn't/didn't finish up in her lap. wonderful.
Jeri Lynn I will try and see you next week? Give me a call...you should still have my number...would your cosmotlisgist neighbor want to give me a hair cut? I need something easier to handle while I'm abroad! But if you want me to meet up with your friend over there I need some detials....if she would want to show me some fantasitic switzerland sites that would be even better!
Chelsi....I miss you! and I'm going to miss your wedding! I can't really believe it. This is totally not fair. I do have some fantastic mini-dramas which consist of my life....we just didn't have enough time.
Okay this was totally time taken away from work...and now I have to kick it into high gear and finish these things before the end of the day! HA!
loves to you all!
oh and we are going to be having a blog for our switzerland classes. This way you guys can kinda keep track of what's going on! The link is http://ususwitzerland06.blogspot.com/

Oh How Do I Love You?

Hello Doves!
Thank you for all your flattery and loving words. They soothed my lil' soul. ;) You guys are truly great friends. :( I miss you. Speaking of...if you haven't given me your address yet, will you please post it so I can send you an invite to the blessed event?

Vanessa Bum, you are crazy! A crazy inspiration that is. I am so proud of you...jumping out of a plane AND running a marathon....DO STOP! (No don't.) Like Jerilyn said, that's good enough for the military...props babe.

Loves to all.
xoxoxo

cute picture of graduation

Cute! We are all adorable in our hot grad outfits!!

It says Amelia, but it's Vanessa

Hey yo,

So I just wanted to put in my two cents, HI EVERYONE!

I am actually tootling around San Francisco right now, just taking some time off before I return to sweltering SLC and then sweltering hellish heatish NYC. I went sky diving the other day and I was amazed that I did no vomiting and I actually followed through with the jumping out part once I was faced with the decision (with my toes hanging off the edge of the swiftly speeding airplane). I ran the Bay to Breakers last Sunday, (SF's 12k) and I came in at 1 hour 16 minutes which, come on, is pretty damn good for a girl who cannot run. Bundy and Bedelia are in business together??? That is a pair to reckon with. Did everyone complain to Cheryl about the grade she gave them? I hope so. Apparently we are all brain dead, kind of the lost generation of tech writers whom they do not expect to go far. We will storm the RBW with pitchforks and hot oil and then they'll know, our mommas didn't raise no fool.

k i am rambling. i hope all pregnant kangaroos are ready to produce their offspring, and Chelsi Johnston your pictures are gorgeous and I love the high heels. Very you. Tell your mom to shut up.

loves all around,


vanessa

Look at me, look at me!

Hello loves!! For those of you who have been wanting to see my engagement/bridal photos, they are on facebook. For those of you who aren't on facebook, go here:
http://usu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002437&l=34ba9&id=122800461
and here
http://usu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002436&l=dc248&id=122800461
and here
http://usu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002429&l=e5fc2&id=122800461

The wedding plans are going good. Everything is pretty much done except for stuffing invitations and a few last minute details. My mom is stressing the hell (Yes, bold AND italic, I had to do it despite the tech writer inside of me.) out of me. I think it's due to the fact that she's having a hard time letting me go all of the sudden...Poor little nincompoop. She and Spencer have been play-fighting for my attention but I think there may be some truth behind it. She's been making snide little remarks in his absence. She is also stressing because I have gained 5 lbs...Ugh!!!!!! I like food. It's 5 lbs mom, calm yourself.
As for me, I am doing well, although I did have a secret cry-fest yesterday when I sent for the paperwork to change my name. I'll no longer be a Lasater. While I can't wait to be a Johnston, it's a bit frightening. Most of you know how much I hate change. I'm taking some freaking big steps here...This is big kid stuff. Kneeh!!!!!!!!! Trust though, that I'm not complaining. :) I am slightly overwhelmed yet blissfully happy...As I am sure you all are!! We're all in the same boat essentially. Great things are happening to all of us...But the uncertainty of change is scary! God speed us all my friends! ;)

I'm huger than ever now!

Hi guys! Wow, it's depressing hearing about you guys and all you're going through. But I have hope for my fabulously funny and terribly talented friends! Something will work out.

Oh, Hollie, I have an idea. How 'bout you put Mitch's address on your application stuff. That way Mitch can read your mail instead of your parents AND companies won't be intimidated by your out-of-state address. I think you should try it! :)

Elsie, when are you going to Switzerland? You have, like, four days to get your bum over to my place so we can chat and stuff!

So my belly has doubled since that mocktail pic! Yeah, I'm so depressed. I just went to the doctor for a checkup and I've gained 10 pounds in four weeks! Ugh. But my uterus (where's Micah?) also grew 10 centimeters to 32 centimeters in the same amount of time. So that means my baby's on the LARGE side. Ack! My feet have also started swelling, so I have to keep them up as much as possible. I nearly cried when I lost them the other day (to swelling) and it took two days to get a resemblence of them back. However, she jumps aroundquite a lot-- very visibly now-- and me and Jay get a great kick of her little escapades.

So, happy day, I moved next to a cosmotologist. Yay for me, I can finally get rid of my mullet. Which I did today, and I'm well pleased.

So I just have to say that most of my pics from graduation day are the best ever of me. Almost. I was quite pleased. I'll post them sometime when I'm not feeling lazy. Or hungry. Speaking of food, I love you all, but I've got steaks to fry.

xoxo
the jelyfish

(p.s. thanks you all for your approval of Leisl Aurora-- we'll start a petition so we can convince my hubby)

pictures of us

Here are the pics from the mocktail party!! If anyone has pics from the baby shower et al...which I know you do...can I have them? And yes, I used photoshop to make our teeth white, our skin flawless and our cheeks rosy...but we're all so gorgeous it really wasn't much work. Ps. Amelia, your skin is so beautiful it kinda makes me sick!!

holy mac

okay

so... my job with shae & co. is amazing.

huge desk.
huge printers.
lots of miscellaneous stuff to keep me busy and entertained.

the mac i'm typing on right now has a beautiful screen about 2 feet wide and the cutest little white keyboard and mouse. i love it. the fact that i've never used a mac before means nothing.

today shae and i designed the menus she'll be using for her catering business. go us!

in other news:
i live in the middle of nowhere.
the humidity makes my hair frizz terribly.
i live in the middle of nowhere. insane.

it's cool though.

ps: kelli just emailed the joblist a really really great-sounding job in california. if one of you doesn't get it, i'll shoot something.

i hope everyone is having a great time. those of you delivering pizza and selling pest control... don't lose hope.

My mini-meltdown

So I'm doing pretty well and enjoying my week off so far, except for last Wednesday. It finally struck me that I was graduated and unemployed and single and would have to move away to remedy those things! Basically I spent 15 minutes sobbing into my mom's shoulder and I've been fine ever since. Weird huh?

My dad told me he was afraid that would happen so he was trying to keep me busy, which was great since it was his todo list that really set me off! Basically he left me the world's least helpful todo list: Check and see how long you can leave your portfolio on the school server (1 semester + 3 weeks, fyi); Check monster for new listings; Send resume to publishing companies. It was really the last thing that got to me because writing coverletters is harder than I want it to be.

Am I putting too much thought into them if I try to personalize each one based on the company's goals and mission statement and desired skills? My parents think so, they think I should just have a form letter saying: I just graduated... please consider me for a position as editor in your company... Sincerely, Mandy Figueroa. I keep telling them things have changed since they did this 30 years ago, or 16 years ago, and that form letter doesn't say anything about me and I'd be better off not sending a letter at all. What do you guys think?

Okay, I really just wanted a place to whine and complain and I figured you guys would understand best out of all my friends, having just gone through graduation also. I'm the only one of my high school friends to graduate in four years, or at all, so they don't get it. They're happy living at home with jobs requiring no degrees with limited prospects and don't understand why I want to move (even though I don't sometimes).

Now I'm really done complaining. Jerilynn, I love the name Leisl Aurora, it's so pretty and the fact that her initials will be LAF is great for you, and I'm sure she'll get your sense of humor.

Hollie, I love that picture of us, so I'm posting it here! And as soon as I get my film developed (since it's not on my new digital camera :D) I'll post those here too!

All about Jeri . . . and then some.

Okay, hi! Yeah, it took me an hour to figure out how to log on as me. I had to reinvite myself.

I hope everyone's had a good week away from school. My husband (Jay) thought it was great. He doesn't have a job so he just kinda plays around. In four weeks he's heading off for Warriors Forge for five weeks. Pray I won't go into labor while he's gone.

So I think we decided on a name for Baby: Leisl Aurora Fisher. I was so happy to come up with the middle name "Aurora" because I really wanted her to have the middle initials "LAF." Ha ha ha!

Baby (aka Leisl) moves a lot. *Kick* *Kick* She say's Hi! She's pretty acrobatical. Me and Karrissa are in the same birth class at the hospital. That's a funny thing.

So I have quite the little home office. I have two monitors, a brand new laptop, an ergonomic & wireless keyboard and mouse, and a lovely, leather, ergonomic, lumbar-supporting, black managers chair. And a lamp. And new speakers (those are nice). The leather chair was a graduation gift from my family. Surprise, surprise-- I can work all day an no backache.

So, graduation day was a good one, eh? It was nice to sit next to Hollie and chat during the program. By the way, Amelia, where were you? I was so mad you didn't attend! Gosh! But it was really informal anyway. Was anybody else bothered by its informality? And then it just . . . ended. My family took off before I could even stand up. Luckily they went right to my apartment (and waited for half and hour while Jay & I tried in vain to find them at the Spectrum). I was sad graduation was over so quickly. It's so fun to have days all for me! And my pictures are great too! I actually don't look like a dork!

Okay, sorry to go on. Hope to hear just as much from you guys. Love you all! Good luck with your job search!

jerilynn

p.s. Hollie, I wish you were here so I could make another bracelet & necklace to send with Elsie to my Swiss friend. Miss you tons, luv!

Ps.

Mandy- If at all possible, do you think your friend could e-mail me a copy of the night shots she took at the Salt Lake Temple? I want to show my photographer! angel5903@aol.com

I'm baaaack

Hello again, Darlings. I'm afraid I had another seizure last week and so I have been out of commission. I am, however, back in the game. Needless to say, the Ch-Elsie sleepover weekend was not all we dreamed it to be. Mostly it involved me sleeping a lot and numerous cry-fests after several pedi-mal seizures. She did get a cool fort/couch/bed thing though. Sorry Els...I love you? (Wilson, I think you called me the day I got out of the hospital. I don't know if we talked, but if we did, please disregard everything I may or may not have said!! I was HEAVILY medicated and I remember nothing.)

As for the rest of you, I have many words for everyone. Basically, it boils down to this though: BE PATIENT! For hell sakes, it's only been like a week and a half! You are all extremely gifted people who will find fabulous jobs; I have no doubt about it. Furthermore, I anticipate it happening soonish. Enjoy this moment of rest and find your inner child or something. Build a strong foundation of self so the corporate world doesn't chew you up and spit you back out once you do find those fabulous jobs. I love and miss you all; hang in there.

I got my engagement pics back so I will upload and post them when I get back to L-town...if I don't say so myself, they're fab.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I don't know what to do with myself. I haven't found a job yet and have thus far been particular about applying for jobs that don't require a degree. I'm going to get less picky very shortly.
I'm at my parents house, which they are trying to treat me like an adult but they're not sure how. I'm still their child, yet I'm an adult. I have an apartment upstairs that came with the house but it hasn't been a full blown in use apartement since before we moved here when I was seven. They've been using it for storage so I have no storage space and the bathroom doesn't work, and there isn't a kitchen. So I basically have to still deal with the family for that stuff.
My parents have announced to everyone they know that I'm looking for a job. Then they ask if they know anyone who is hiring. Which is their version of networking. To me it smacks to much of Oliver, holding out his bowl and piteously asking, Please sir, will you give my daughter a job?
It embarrasses me, even though they mean well. Some of jobs that I have told about have nothing to do with my major or what I want to do. Like my grandma who said, I was watching the news and they had a note after the broadcast about positions they were hiring for, I didn't have a pen so I couldn't write anything down but you could always go online where you can print our your own application and everything.
Or my cousin who said, If you're into English, you can move to Asia and get a really good job making lots of money. They're always looking for people who can write English well.
My biggest pet peeve so far: My parents open my mail. Apparently they've been doing this for years and just didn't tell me. They open anything from USU, anything that looks important, and any place that looks like I may have applied for a job there. That's how I found out about two job thank-you- you're-not-what-we're-looking-for letters. They usually don't tell me about the letters for a week after they've opened them which means I need to start getting to the mail before them.

Wilson's Illegitimate Post as Amelia

Wow. Let me just say that you should always have a job to go right to after getting out of college. It's been crazy - two days after I left school (before I even graduated) I was facing that peculiar type of depression that only people without jobs can manage. I started applying for crummy jobs the very day I got into town here in Lehi and last night was my first night (I was kind of on the ball, I guess). Tepanyaki Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. I had figured that it would tide me over until I managed to get a real job somewhere. I might not last the week. I enjoy the work, which isn't so strange - but I abhor the management of the place. It's as if the management doesn't give a damn about the employees - or even that they're afraid of us. Like they're terrified of all the mistakes we could make that would cost them $3. I'm pretty sure that much of what they demand from their employees is illegal. Anyway, that one day was enough to make me redouble my efforts in getting that "real" job. You know, somewhere that considers employees an asset and not a liability?

so this is limbo

i'm sleeping on my sister's couch. i'm trying to keep in touch by phone with all the people i don't want to lose track of. i'm lazing around (like i'm on vacation or something) while my sister and her roommates go off to class.

they still have class. it's so strange to listen to them discuss schedules and professors and books. it's almost as if i've woken up from a dream that i now get to watch other people live through. heh.

i leave here for kansas city next thursday morning... i'm getting a little bit nervous about what it'll be like out there, but i'm not too worried. it'll be an adventure. my mother thinks i'm crazy.

anyhow. here are my plans for the few days i'm stuck in the cold, rainy world of rexburg, idaho:

• design my sister's wedding announcements
• help sister design her wedding gown
• read as much as possible
• buy some new clothes if i get a chance
• maybe wash my car, if the rain hasn't done a good enough job
• scrounge around for a gift for my new cousin-in-law-to-be who's having a bridal shower on thursday evening
• email people like crazy
• try not to die of boredom

so. should be semi-fun. especially the designing wedding announcements and stuff. my sister's fiance left her his laptop, which happily has Photoshop on it. yay!

let us have a vote

i had the thought of emailing kelli (the chair of the program) about this little blog we've just given birth to, since she is interested in keeping in touch with us and also because she is a link back to the department and future generations of tech. writers.

after all, elsie probably isn't the only undergraduate who wants to read about the fabulous exploits of tech. writing alumni and converse with us about the good old days when we were the kings and queens of the basement. we could be a useful resource to all potential and current majors.

then again, that might be too much of a burden. but the beauty of the internet is you don't have to pay constant attention to things...

what say you? shall we officially inform the tech. writing program as a whole of our collective existence here, or just let this blog infiltrate the program via subtler avenues (i.e. elsie, chelsi et al bragging to their friends about us.)?

Yay! I thought you guys forgot to invite me and I was distraught. However, my invite was in my Spam folder. I wonder who it was that decided to call junk mail "Spam." Who has that much power to make these kind of decisions?!)

Anyway, Amelia, you're brilliant. I'm so glad you started this little blog of love so we can all keep in touch. It eases my heartbreak muchly. Plus, now that I'm not whoring myself on Facebook anymore, like Elsie, it will give me a new website to obsessively check every single day. (Love you Els.) I heart you all.

Always,
Chels
xo

Boo to Cheryl's class

Amelia, the link does not work to the English Dept Website. Just thought you ought to know.

Love,
Christy

Still in Denial

I have a comprehensive final this week, and a take home essay final due ... and guess where I'm choosing to study? That's right, the computer lab because right now, it feels more like home than my apartment does, I have more friends (family) here than anywhere else, and I want to get as much quality time as I can before I completely fall to pieces when I have to walk away forever.

e-mail me: hollie.street@gmail

I just wanted to say that I think we are an especially tight-knit group of classmates, don't you think? I don't think most classmates are as chummy as we.

xoxoxoxoxoxo
jerilynn

Can't believe it...

Well since all of you are leaving me behind here you are hereby comanded to have words of wisdom for me when I am set upon a similar path at the end of the year.

I'm sad that everyone is moving on. The building just won't be the same....and I don't know if I'll be able to handle it! I suppose it happens to the best of us

I love you all and have enjoyed our time together.

Elsie

go read the board

disclaimer: this says it was posted by Amelia, but I am actually Vanessa. Amelia how do I fix that?

hi peeps,


if you were wondering what to do with your life, there is a fortune cookie-like fortune about you written on the bulletin board in the dungeon (rm 101) It will size it all up for you. Girls, (because you boys are already expected to succeed according to Cheryl) don't ever let anyone tell you you are not kick ass. Don't apologize for being "outspoken" and always stick up for yourselves. Those are my dying words. If there is anything the world needs more of, it is assertive women who are not afraid to stand up for themselves. Women unite! No, seriously, i think it's a serious urgent issue. don't let anyone make you feel like being sassy is a bad thing, because it's not. It is &*(^ing great and you rock. Some of you may know what spawned this little sermon, but I believed it before and I believe even more now. Power to the people! Sasseroo!