Moving on

It has been just over one month since I last wrote--I consider this an accomplishment.

In the last month, I've mostly been doing the normal--school and work. However, I have also been working on a new apartment and a new job!

First, the job. Currently I have an amazing job at BYU teaching software classes to students, staff, faculty, etc. I've been there for pretty much a year and I've loved it all. When I got the job, I kinda knew PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, and had dabbled in Photoshop and InDesign. NOW I know Access, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Qualtrics, etc. So it has been a rewarding year as far as work skills go.

As much as I love my job, I have been planning on moving up to Salt Lake City for a while now. This was scary, because with the current economy, I wasn't sure how quickly I would find a job--but find one I did!

A week ago (ish), I was surfing Monster.com and randomly found this position open at a place called Coventry Healthcare. It was the position of "Credentialing Associate." I had no idea what this was, but I met the requirements, so I applied. The next day I got a call, and an interview was set up for Tuesday. On Tuesday I traveled up to their office in West Valley (part of SLC) and had my interview. I thought it went pretty well, but at the same time a few things scared me:

1) I did OK on the typing test, but on the 10-key typing test I thought I did horribly.

2) I didn't see any men there the whole time I was there (2 hours!).

3) At certain points I just wondered whether the people who interviewed me (3 separate people) were interested in what I had to offer.

I felt a touch sad after leaving, thinking about the long road ahead to find a new job. When I got back to Provo I went to DI to look for a couple things. And, surprise! I got a phone call, offering me the position! I readily accepted and was pleased to know I will make a bit more than I currently make, but will be working full-time, and will have full benefits. I couldn't believe it--a great full-time job and November wasn't even half over. Another great thing is that I don't start til January 4, so I can still go home for Christmas!

Now on to the apartment...

My brother Chris and his wife Di bought a new place, and it has a "mother-in-law" apartment attached (meaning an apartment with a separate entrance). They offered to have me rent it from them and I thought that would be cool--especially after I took a look at it. Here's a pic of the front of the house (I have the 2nd level):

Anywho, it wasn't furnished, so I quickly set to the task of doing that, which was pretty fun. I got most of my stuff from IKEA, and it was way cheap! I won't bore you with the details. My couches, however, are not from IKEA. I found them on ksl.com (a local site with classifieds). They were originally advertised at $150 and I got them for $120. This is good because they were in much more of a mess when I saw them in person than they looked online (of course). They are brown microfiber, which turned out to be extraordinarily easy to clean. Jarrett and I spot-cleaned all of the cushions, used some spray and wash (there were gross stains...baby juice, wax, food, markers, etc), and put the cushion covers in the washing machine. They turned out great! Anyway I can't wait to move there officially cuz its awesome!

my new bed and comforter.

the little nook in the living room wall. i like it.

the couches--restored to original glory!

kitchen table with first home-made meal!

Thus, it has been a kind of crazy month, but a good one. I'm looking forward to the end of the semester, moving to SLC, going home for Christmas and--oh yeah, I'm going on another cruise in January! It was super cheap so a huge group of friends are going. It'll be great!