blame the pigs

Dear Swine Flu,

As laboratory personel, I feel that it is my responsibility to let you know of the great increase of work that you have provided us. We have nearly as many influenza tests in the last few days as we did during the whole month of January - when normal flu season is is full swing. You have also caused the phone to keep ringing off the hook with all sorts of questions about testing for you; including things like how to collect samples (which I don't know-all I do is run the tests!) and how long it takes.

I would personally like to thank you for ensuring that I am not bored at work.

I would also like to thank you for the job security.

Finally, I would like to ask that you don't get any more severe and try your very hardest to avoid mutations of any kind. I'm sure that the general public would appreciate that as well.

Love,
Tiffany

i bake things

I am on this kick recently in which I bake things - lots of things on a regular basis. For example, on Monday I made Easter Eggs (which taste like Mound's Bars on steroids according to Lauren) and chocolate cookies. I did the same thing last week, and the week before I made amazing peanut better cookies topped with a Hershey's Kiss and banana chocolate chip muffins. When I get bored, I look up recipes on line to see other kinds of goodies that I can bake. I don't really know what is driving me to do this. haha.

The problem is that I only live with one other girl and we don't eat a whole lot of goodies (not to mention that she tends to bake too...). So I feed my baked goods to friends and people I know. 

Moral of the story: if you want anything baked or any sort of treat just let me know and I am more likely than not to have something for you! 

And, as a side note, this is my 6th blog of the month. I think that is a new record for me. 

the after party

After convocation on Friday, us moldy-oldies (that is what we call ourselves in the CLS program when we have made it to the point that we are in our internship) decided that we needed to have one last hurrah before we all went our separate ways into the world. Initially we thought that we wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory (avoid the Provo graduation crowds, and who doesn't like cheesecake, really?). But when we got there to try and reserve a seat for 20 people, the wait was 3 hours long. No thank you! So instead we went to the Olive Garden across the parking lot. We all still had a fabulous time since it was the company that we were going for, not the venue.

This is what 3 cups of diet coke will do to you! Don't worry though, I was right there with Cherie on the 3 diet cokes thing. haha.

We have had so much fun, stress, laughter, anger, and shared sweat, blood, and tears among other things over the last year or so. You tend to grow pretty close to people that you spend 7 hours a day with 5 days a week.

This was our version of an after party, BYU style! (or something like that...)

We had to have one final outing. Besides, who else would talk about blood tests and Salmonella Typhi with us over dinner?

we sing, we dance, we graduate

Warning: this post may put you into picture overload.

Enter to learn; go forth to serve.

That is the motto of the university I just graduated from. Yes, you read that right, I graduated from BYU this weekend. I can't believe how fast it has gone! It really feels like just yesterday that I started college, and here I am all graduated and stuff. Weird, but also SOOOO exciting!

I decided to do a picture documentary of what transpired instead of trying to describe everything in words. (thus the possible picture overload)

Here we go:

My graduating class-specific to my major. I love these guys!

Oh Cherie. haha. We took this picture in honor of JR, who was the third member of our group in lab but was a bum and didn't walk at graduation.

I included this picture solely for the beauty of the trees. Spring is my favorite season, and these trees are a big reason.

Me with my parentals

Oh sister, I love you dearly!

Our "more bars in more places" shot

My siblings plus one. Emily basically counts as a sibling though.

Mommy :)

...and don't forget dad!

I just loved this picture. It made my whole day.

All of the students had the option of getting a stole of gratitude (the white thing around my shoulders). The tradition of the stole of gratitude is that the graduate gives it to someone who helped significantly with their education. I figured since my grandma has been a huge help financially these last 4 years that she was more than deserving.

Emily and Brittani wanted to feel like they were cool too so they stole my cap and stole of gratitude. And turns out, it makes for a fun picture!

My classmates again. This was right before we started the procession into the Marriot Center for Commencement.

Well friends, that's a wrap. I am now a graduate. Not that it really changes what I am doing right now anyways since my internship lasts until July 3rd, but I can officially say that I graduated from BYU! Who ever would have thought that day would actually come!? I am so excited that I made it through this phase of life and I can't wait to see what the next phase will bring!

Happy graduation weekend everyone!

anywhere, anything

The time has come for me to find and commit myself to a job. Not just any job though, we are talking about the beginning of my career here. The decisions that I make right now will effect me for the rest of my life. Kind of a big deal right?

The problem isn't so much finding a job as committing myself to one. The sky is the limit, literally. Medical Technologists are needed at basically every hospital and reference lab in the country. I can go anywhere I want and work in essentially any department that I want.

Now, the question is where do I go? What do I do? Do I stay in Utah and get a good job here or do I explore the world? Should I go somewhere on the east coast or somewhere with a beach? I have no commitments or ties to speak of really so it all comes down to what I want to do. I just don't know. All of these options.

Input will be graciously accepted and welcomed...

easter thoughts

Since it is the saturday before easter and all, I thought that it would be approriate to share this video that I found at lds.org.

All of the commentary is from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's last conference talk. It is a powerful reminder of the Savior's atoning sacrifice. May we all remember that each and every day!

Happy Easter everyone!

it is an art

If I had lived in ancient Greece I would have a special God/Goddess for massage therapists. Allow me to explain why.

I have two massage therapist friends. This comes in very handy when your neck and shoulder decide to go postal and make it so that you can't look from side to side. It is especially helpful when they are good at what they do, like my two friends are.

I woke up on Thursday morning and seriously couldn't even look from side to side. Because I am who I am, I decided to pretend that nothing was wrong and hoped that in doing so the pain would go away. Wishful thinking on my part.

Friday I decided that I needed some intervention. My lovely roommate Emily is a fresh graduate of UCMT and really knows her stuff. She was nice enough to help me out. After about 30 minutes of massage and marks from her fingers that looked strangely like hickeys we decided that we should give my muscles a little rest before working them some more. About six hours later, my friend Steve came over. Because my shoulder was still hurting and Emily hadn't seen anything like it before, we decided to see if Steve could tell what was up. Yet later still, my shoulder was still hurting. At this point Emily whips out her books from school and does some research. After assessing all of my symptoms, she gave it another go. Fifteen minutes later, and after a fifteen minute icing session I think that I am finally starting to heal.

Much thanks to all of my friends' dedicated work yesterday (and the follow up session later on today) I am able to function again. I can look all around me. Oh the things that we take for granted when they work as they should! Thank goodness for having a full range of motion!