Groban, Vivint, Wedding

First, I can’t believe Ezra only devoted ONE SENTENCE to my exciting birthday news last week. We’re going to a Josh Groban concert!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am. In 2007 he was in Utah when I was in Oregon, and he was in Oregon when I was in Utah. I would have gone then but circumstances were not in my favor. When I heard he was coming to Salt Lake City again, and the same week as my birthday, I told Ezra I would love to go. I tried not to mention it much after that because I knew tickets weren’t cheap, but he did it! I’m so excited! I’ve already got work requested off and my boss told me to have fun (thanks Carla!), so now I’m just hoping Ezra will be able to get work off.

That’s the other exciting news. It’s somewhat bitter sweet. Ezra got a job at Vivint! It’s full time, better pay, and includes benefits. We’re super excited, but this means he will be leaving the Provo City Library. We met at the Library and it’s been wonderful being able to work together. When we talk about work, we each know what the other is talking about. I won’t be able to see him when I drop stuff off in tech services anymore, or go say hi when I’m on a break. It’s going to be sad, but we think this new job is just what our family needs right now. He will be working both jobs for the next two weeks, so things are going to be a little crazy for a while, but we’ll figure everything out. I’m so proud of him!


Apparently the weather in Provo yesterday (Saturday) was pretty crazy with lots of rain, wind, and flooding. We unfortunately missed it all (we love storms) because we were up in Logan. One of Ezra’s best friends, Ryan, got married to an amazing girl, Christina. We were so happy to be there and support them. The weather tried to get stormy during their reception (the sun was shining and the weather was great at the temple) but it sounds like they were spared the brunt of it, thank goodness. Well, nothing I can say tops the news and happiness that goes with a wedding, so I think that’s all I’ll say for today.

Congratulations Ryan and Christina!

Castle

School has begun again for me but Ezra is still enjoying some time off. Our neighbors went out of town recently and won’t be back till the end of the month. That’s totally fine, except when the internet died. We share, and they have the router so if something happens, they typically take care of it. Thankfully they were cool with our landlord letting us in to reset the router, and it’s all good now! Once the internet was back up I looked at my school stuff and freaked out thinking I had a paper due in two days. I absolutely panicked, thinking, how can I have a paper due on the fourth day of class?! Why is no one else flipping out about this? Then I realized the date was September 24th, not August 24th. Immensely relieved, my heart rate went back to normal and everything was cool the rest of the evening.

This past week Ezra and I have discovered a new TV show… Castle! Neither of us are really TV people. We don’t have any type of TV subscription, and we can’t even get over the air channels because our TV is too old. We DO however have an amazing blu-ray player that connects wirelessly to the internet, so when we “watch TV” it’s all through the internet on either our computer or the blu-ray player. Thus far we’ve made it through season 2, episode 8 of Castle, and we’ll probably watch some more tonight.

I recently was given the mystery collection at the Library to manage, so I’ve been trying to dig into that genre as much as I can. I’m in the midst of reading a couple mystery books, and watching Castle is a blast because it fits so well. I’ve read Frozen Heat and really enjoyed it, but didn’t realize that it was related to a TV show.

If you’re unaware, in the show, the main character is Richard Castle who is supposed to be a famous mystery writer. He follows around a New York detective for inspiration for a new series he’s writing. As a promotional tool, they’ve actually had “Richard Castle’s” books written. The real author is a complete secret, and everything is attributed to Richard Castle, who is just a fictional character. It’s really clever, and I love it!

That’s the main excitement for this week. Until next time!

Food experiments and such

I made a random pizza crust out of chicken, flax and an egg, plus some spices for dinner last week and her is the recipe from http://yourlighterside.com/2012/02/easy-pizza-crust/

1 packed cup cooked, minced chicken breast

1 cup packed mozzarella, shredded (we used 1 egg and 1/4 cup flax seed meal instead)

1 Tbsp parsley, dried (I think it was too much, a tsp or 2 would probably be fine, depends on thickness of crust)

1tsp basil

1/2 tsp onion powder (we didn't have any, still turned out good)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

(Replace cheese with the flax and egg)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Process chicken and cheese together. Mixture will resemble a meal/thick, dense crumb consistency.
3. Press chicken/cheese mixture on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
4. Top with parsley, basil, onion and garlic powder.
5. Bake for 12 minutes.
6. Let cool for five minutes.
7. Top with sauce, cheese, and then toppings.
8. Bake for 6-8 minutes more, or until toppings are melted.
9. Let cool for five minutes.
10. Slice and serve.

Makes an entire 12-14″ pizza.

Allison then made a crust straight from chicken, she used a mallet to flatten it then cook it up.... She took out all her anger from me leaving the office messy while finding things to sell on eBay

Allison and I went to the Rec Center again, I kinda just rock climbed the whole time... and I got a flapper.  It's healed since, but secretly... I really like the look of my hands taped up after climbing, shhh don't tell

This past week I was also asked to do some drawings at the library for a display about the author Brandon Sanderson.  I'm a big fan and really like his writing style.  I don't read much fantasy or sci-fi (I don't READ that much when it come to novels, actually) but I do love sci-fi and fantasy.  I'm more of a visual guy and like my comics and graphic novels... and cartoons.... love me a good animation.

So, these pictures aren't the best to show off my drawings, but I like how the display turned out and even threw in a few original ideas based off the "chalklings" in his book illustrated by Ben McSweeny

I would love to have a shot at adapting one of his books into a comic...

Preferably The Alloy of Law, I love that one

He is coming to the Provo Library June 3rd at 7pm, free tickets may or may not still be available at the Library reference desk, and there is a standby line the night of, just sayin.

While out for a Sunday stroll, we came across this house with a vehicle with an attached snow-plow (not that unusual in Utah).... I started to point it out to Allison, and mid-sentence I stopped myself and changed topic to Ronald McDonald waving from behind the plow.... It was odd, but one of those things that make you happy that you saw it.

Not that much new has happened in the past week, but we have been busy.  Allison is racing through books like no other before she starts classes up again in a few weeks and I am mid-way through my Digital Illustration class.  We will be having a small art show in the HFAC on BYU campus sometime this summer... I think it will be my third that I have been in on campus. I'll keep you posted as it gets closer.

All about Library School

This past week I’ve had a few people ask me about library school. What do I do? What do I learn? What’s the point? Is it worth it?

Let’s start with, “what’s the point?” I want to be the best librarian I can, which means learning as much as I can. For example, in my Information Retrieval class I’ve learned a lot about databases, classification, controlled vocabularies, and how to make things findable. So the next time you search/browse for something (book, movie, journal article, online shopping, etc.) in ANY database or catalog, remember that an information scientist made it possible for you to find it. That’s what I’m learning to do.

In my Information and Society class we’ve talked about things like library ethics, patron privacy, copyright, and perceptions about libraries (which tend to be poor). There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes at libraries that most people don’t even realize. I didn’t realize it until I started working for the library. Since starting school I’ve learned even more and the “whys” behind things. When I know something, I can better assist patrons with their questions and concerns.

“Is it worth it?” To me it is, but it’s not for everyone. The skills I’m learning as a librarian will help me throughout my life, and it helps me assist patrons who are trying to better their own lives. Not to mention the fact that having an MLIS is a bump up on the pay scale and it will open up doors for me in the future. When I was deciding if an MLIS was something I wanted to pursue, I realized that getting the degree is something I would never regret, but I might regret not getting it. I don’t want to live with regret.

For the “What do I do/learn?” questions I’ve included my academic plan for grad school. These are the classes I plan on taking and the course descriptions for each class. The classes with an * are required.

• 2013 
• Spring 
• *200 – Information and Society Explores the complex and interrelated historical, social, economic, cultural, political, and technological influences that shape information and society. Emphasis is on the various roles and responsibilities of information organizations and the values and ethics of information professionals. 
• *202 – Information Retrieval Principles of information retrieval and their application to information systems and services. Emphasizing models of user information seeking behavior, human information processing and their relationship to retrieval models in information systems.
• *203 – Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools This course introduces students to a variety of new and emerging technologies used in today's online environment. It covers various social networking platforms, content and learning management tools, web conferencing, immersive environments, and other trends in social computing. 
• Summer
• *204 – Information Organizations and Management Identifying distinguishing characteristics, culture and relationships of information organizations. Emphasizes theories examining the interaction between human beings and the organizations in which they work. 
• Fall
• *285 – Research Methods in Library and Information Science Covers fundamental principles, processes, values and roles of research for professional application in information organizations. Students will become critical consumers of research products and learn the basic skills of evaluating, planning, designing, executing, and applying research. In addition to a general research methods class, which examines a variety of research methodologies, SLIS offers a number of applied or specialized sections of LIBR 285 for students to choose from.
• 266 – Collection Management Study of collection management in all types of libraries and information centers. Includes analysis of information needs, criteria for selection, collection use evaluation, and resources for collection development.
• 2014 
• Spring 
• 210 – Reference and Information Services A process-oriented examination of how information professionals answer reference questions. The interpersonal skills required for effective question negotiation and the sources with which questions are answered are stressed.
• 251 – Web Usability Through examination of theory, methodologies, and real-life cases, LIBR 251 offers a framework for developing user-friendly interfaces for use in information systems. Students will learn the principles of user-centric design and style for particular circumstances and populations. 
• Summer 
• 248 – Beginning Cataloging and Classification Theory and practice of bibliographic control including the study of representative cataloging using descriptive cataloging standards, machine-based representation using MARC format and other standards, subject analysis and classification using LCSH, Dewey, and LCC.
• Fall 
• 265 – Materials for Young Adults This course will allow students to take an in depth look at materials in a variety of formats for teens, including fiction, popular nonfiction, graphic novels, movies, computer games, websites, other media, and determine how they can meet developmental needs. 
• 261A – Programming and Services for Young Adults Administration and delivery of professional library and information services with multi-cultural young adult populations: features critical youth studies cultural/historical research, resources, policy, threats, tools, methods, service philosophies and management skills necessary for a comprehensive profile of YA library services. 
• 2015 
• Spring 
• 283 – Marketing of Information Products and Services Applications of marketing concepts to library and information services. Market analysis, use surveys, market targeting and introduction of services will be featured. 
• 232 – Issues in Public Libraries Investigation of current issues that impact the functioning of the public library. Topics covered include issues related to social and political environments, clientele, services, collections, physical settings, financing and staffing, and future trends in the public library sector. 
• Summer 
• 282 – Seminar in Library Management Application of management theory to specific problems. Readings and discussions of the development of effective strategies for planning and implementing organizational change. Specific content of the course changes each time it is offered. Examples of topics studied include: Advocacy, Conflict Management, Digital Assets Management, Financial Management, Human Resources Management, Leadership, Managing Information Technology, Grant Writing. 
• Fall 
• *289 – Advanced Topics in Library and Information Science Advanced independent creation of an electronic portfolio demonstrating mastery of all student learning outcomes (core competencies) for the MLIS degree. Must be completed in final or next-to-final semester.

Dark Days

As I put off homework, I thought it would be a good use of my time to write this week’s blog post.

There really isn’t a lot to say about this past week. The library had an author event (Pitch Black: Dark Days Tour) on Wednesday that I helped with. I was Kiersten White’s signing assistant and got to know her a little. We both graduated from BYU with a BA in English, so that gave us something in common to talk about.

The authors answering questions during the Dark Days Tour in the Provo Library ballroom.

Library staff at the event with our awesome Dark Days t-shirts.  I'm second from the left, not counting the guy walking in the door.

I also signed us up to attend the last taping of Studio C, which is this coming Wednesday. I’m excited to say that we’ve made it to exactly one half of all the season 2 tapings. We’ve gone to every single 9:30pm show. So, if you watch Studio C, odds are that every other sketch you see will have Ezra and me laughing in the background.

The last bit of interesting fluff from this week is that we had a staff book club meeting on Saturday. We read The Round House by Louise Erdrich. As of Friday morning we only had 47% of the book read according to my Kindle. By 10pm we had finished. I read the whole book out loud to Ezra, which was a little odd at times. There was a lot of editing on my part. It was fun though. The next book we’re reading is Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I’m pretty excited about it and can hardly wait to get started.

Until next week!

Healty and back to busy.

We’re both feeling a lot better this week. Woohoo! Good thing too because it’s been a busy week, though not overwhelming.

On Monday we had our All-Staff Training at the library. In other words, the library was closed to patrons but we still had to come in. We really enjoyed it though, especially since Café Rio catered our lunch. We learned some great things, heard from Provo’s mayor, and had a police presentation about active shooters in the workplace. We watched this video which was pretty powerful. This was the second time I’ve seen it and I got pretty emotional both times. It’s not gory or anything, but it’s powerful in such a way that reminds you this could happen anywhere. It’s scary to think that you could go to work one day and because of one person you might not make it home to your family, or your family might not make it home to you. That’s why I get emotional.

On Wednesday we went to another taping of Studio C. So far we’ve made it to every 9:30pm taping that they’ve had, and we’re signed up for another one this coming Saturday. I always get super excited; Studio C is such a blast! A recurring character they have this season is Ann the librarian… as a librarian I find it hilarious because no one at Provo Library is like Ann. Thank goodness otherwise we might scare all of our patrons away!

I took my car in to get fixed on Thursday. They installed the part and when I left it still didn’t feel quite right. I tested it using the ramps for the library’s underground parking and the break doesn’t hold, so I’m taking it in again tomorrow. He said he has another idea of why it might be having problems, so hopefully we’ll get it fixed and working this time.

Ezra had another quiz this week and got over 100% again. So proud! I had an article critique essay to write which I drug my feet about, but I got it done and turned in with time to spare. I was pretty happy with it so I hope my professor feels the same.

Where I usually sit and do homework at the library. It's pretty quiet first thing in the morning.

The Great Purge

This week seemed to go by in a blur.  Not much excitement happened around here that we can remember.  We are on the 6th season of Boy Meets World now waiting for the new series to start.

I started to make the purge of my childhood. It has been a long time coming and I am now at a point in my life where I can arise from the dust (of my childhood), and be men (man, I'm only one after all .  My mom moved over Christmas time and it gave me a chance to go home and get the remainder of my stuff, now I am slowly working at selling it on eBay and through other sources.  It is nice to have it all under one roof for the time being, but a bit in the way....  Ok, lets face it, a huge burden to our living space.  As I sort through it, it tends to get strewn across the floor and tables, and couch... But on the plus side we were able to get the lovesac situated in a manner most befitting for the face of Boe.

I was able to finally take my bike out this past week too.  It was cold and I couldn't feel my toes for most of Friday, but it was worth it to feel the freedom of personal transportation again.

Allison sat at a desk really really board for upwards of 6 hours on Saturday helping with the Family Literacy Symposium at the Provo Library.  Shannon Hale was the guest speaker.

Allison pointed out last week that I'm not one to curl up with a book, that is mostly true, I don't do it very often, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it.  I just feel that when I'm in a long book that takes many hours to read, I could be using my time differently, like drawing or building something.  But I do get lost in art books frequently.

Allison starts up her real classes later this week and I am still working on mine. I will be stating to post more of my art on my art blog soon so go check that out too... http://ezrads.blogspot.com/

2012 Christmas Letter

We've been meaning to write a blog post, but things have been a little crazy since we made it home from the Northwest. So, to make up for it, here is a copy of our Christmas letter. Enjoy!

2012 has been a rather productive year for the Smith family. Here are a few of the highlights.

Allison became a reference librarian at the Provo Library in January and is absolutely in love with her new position. She rarely asks for time off but on Saturday, June 9th she took a day off to run the Utah Valley Marathon. She trained hard throughout the year and it was tough, but she finished in less than six hours and received her finisher’s medal. She can finally mark “run a marathon” off her bucket list. In August Allison decided she wanted to further her education and become the best librarian she could by receiving her Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS). She applied to San Jose State University and was accepted. She will begin classes in January 2013. Finally, in November, Allison decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The goal was to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. She did it! Allison can now claim to be a novelist, even though it’s unpublished and may never see the light of day. That’s just one more thing she can mark off her bucket list.

Ezra went to California for a week in March with the Illustration department from BYU. They visited animation studios, video game studios, some fine artist personal studios, grad schools, and museums. He has a stronger drive to work in the animation industry but also continues dabbling in electronics and mobile app development. Having always been a little ADD when it comes to hobbies, he has had difficulties in choosing a major and sticking with it while in college.

We took our anniversary trip in August to visit Allison’s family, then toured various places in Oregon such as McDowell Creek Park, Enchanted Forest, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Then we traveled up to Washington, went zip lining, and saw Ezra’s family. It was a fun vacation and we look forward to planning next year’s.

To end the year, WE’VE MOVED! It was sudden but necessary because of some unfortunate circumstances with our home at [Address not available online]. Our new address is:

[Address not available online.].

We call it our best Black Friday deal because that’s the day we found it. We were finally able to start moving in on December 8th and are actually still in the process. We’ll officially be out of our old place on the 19th. This was definitely a move we needed to make and our new home is wonderful in all the ways our old place was lacking. Though the actual process of moving hasn’t been very fun, we really like our new home and it fits our needs well. Hopefully we’ll be staying here for quite a while.

We hope this letter finds you well and wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Best wishes,
Ezra and Allison Smith

Snow

This past week a few interesting things have happened to us.  The first was the Provo Library had me make a backdrop for a few display cases on the second floor.  It was fun to work on and I will be working on another in a little bit for December too.  The other thing that happened was SNOW!!! And like typical Utah fashion we got about 8 inches in one day, and then it stopped and we probably wont get anymore til Thanksgiving.

Allison has been typing up a storm since the first.  Working on a story for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Where as I have been drawing more and more lately.  Both are good, except that I let her see my work, she wont let me read any of her book.  But I do understand, I don't exactly like it when people peer over my shoulder when I am drawing.  Next week I might show off my head and all my bald glory.

Photo Update and Video Tech Challenge

Here are the most recent pictures for the photo-a-day project!

30 January 2012

I had some time today and thought I'd paint my nails. Green! Not mold! I think it'll be easier to keep my nail polish looking nice with my new position at the library. Less nail chipping tasks.

31 January 2012

This is Ezra's painting of me! This was his first time painting, and I think he did a pretty awesome job. Granted, I have no face... yet.

1 February 2012

We have monthly technology challenges at the library for the staff and we get prizes when we complete them. This was Ezra's prize for the January challenge.

2 February 2012

My little peas are shooting up! They make me so happy. Some of the other plants I will have to thin out soon. For all but the peas I planted 4 seeds per container in case some didn't sprout. Both of my peas sprouted though, and I think I'll have to do some more. Peas are possibly my favorite vegetable.

Also, every month the library has a technology challenge for the staff. For February, the challenge is to make a video using Windows Live Movie Maker, then share it with friends and family. You can upload the video directly to Facebook, YouTube, and others from the program. The biggest challenge I had was finding royalty free music that I could use without getting in trouble. So, here it is!

Photo-a-day Project 2012

So I've been doing a photo-a-day project on facebook, and I thought I'd post the photos that I have so far, along with their captions for those who aren't on facebook. I know a lot of the pictures are kind of grainy, I've just been using the camera on my phone since that's the camera most readily available.

1 January 2012

This is on display in the HFAC. It was part of Ezra's final project in his illustration class. It's a big honor to have your piece chosen to go on display, and his was!

When Ezra showed it to his class someone commented that it reminded him of the move Mr. and Mrs. Smith... Ezra informed him that "Smith" was in fact our name.

2 January 2012

We've been cleaning up the living room and trying to find places for all of our books. I've been asking Ezra repeatedly if we could use the fireplace, and today he said we could. So, we lit a fire! We have lots of old decrepit books that would be going to the dump, so we decided to use some of them as kindling (phone books work great!).

3 January 2012

Two new book cases!!! We needed them so bad. Finally our floor isn't covered with piles of books. :-)

4 January 2012

Tried a new recipe tonight for dinner. It was an orange chicken type thing. We had salad with salsa on the side. It was good, the two didn't really go together, but it was food, and we got our serving of veggies. :-)

5 January 2012

Roasting marshmallows by the fire. :-)

6 January 2012

We had some random boards that we wanted to use as firewood... we couldn't break them, so we tried a lot of different methods of cutting them. We never made it through and it took Ezra forever to get even this far.

7 January 2012

Kinda dark, but this is a regular occurrence right before bed, Ezra's doing stuff on his phone as our kids (the stuffed animals) wait to be put away for the night.

8 January 2012

We don't have a table in our house, let alone a desk. This is Ezra's work space, the living room floor. Ezra likes to spread out, but he's good about getting it all put away before bed. :-)

9 January 2012

We have a crazy neighbor that always gets angry about where I put my garbage can. Here is proof that I am NOT in his driveway, or even in his way. My car is blocked, not his. He says he's going to report me to the city. I called the city and they said this is fine.

10 January 2012

Ezra likes ninjas... we have a stuffed ninja Mickey Mouse. Ezra thought it would be funny to give him a sword. Ninja Mickey protects us from crazy neighbors by guarding our window.

11 January 2012

I always win the dinner battle, but sometimes there are casualties... like my poor wooden spoon that is now chipped. Sad day!

12 January 2012

I walked into the kitchen and saw Ezra standing on the counter... he was trying to figure out perspectives for a drawing he wanted to do.

13 January 2012

Since our lives really are kind of boring, I thought I'd introduce you to some members of our family. Today, I'd like you to meet Thelonious, or Thelo for short. I had a roommate that named all of her plants, and when I got Thelo I sort of picked up the habit. He's the first plant I got while in Utah.

14 January 2012

Meet Bat! He's one of our aloe vera plants. Ezra named him. Bat had some arms that curved around the side of his pot that Ezra though made it look like bat wings.

15 January 2012

This is our second aloe vera plant, Owl! I felt like since Ezra gave the other the name Bat, I wanted this one to have a similar, night creature name, so I call her Owl.

16 January 2012

Hello Peter Parker! He's our first spider plant, and Ezra thought he should be called Peter Parker since he's a spider.

17 January 2012

This is the newest addition to our plant family, Doc Ock. He's still just a baby, but Peter Parker had a start growing from him so I decided to put it in water and grow another spider plant (I love them so). I thought another Spiderman character would be a fitting name, so He's our little Doc Ock.

18 January 2012

So The Woman in Black came in for me. A group of us in circulation have a little book club and this was the next book we wanted to read, since the movie is coming out (and the movie has Daniel Radcliff). I'm excited to have a scary book to read. I don't typically choose something like this for myself.

Update: 26 January 2012 Good book! I finished reading it today. Chilling, thrilling, and just some good scariness. Nothing graphic or violent, just creepy make you want to look behind you and hide under the covers.

19 January 2012

I was really missing gardening so I made a little container garden on one of my book selves. I don't know how the plants will do, but my fingers are crossed!

20 January 2012

So I went on a long run today, and about half way through the miles I was supposed to be doing I gave up because I was hurting like crazy. I knew my shoes were getting bad, but it took me a while to concede. I got off the treadmill and walked over to 26.2 and bought myself a new pair of running shoes. Here they are!

21 January 2012

Cringe! Okay, I know it's gross, but I didn't have a better picture for today. This is one of the many reasons I needed new running shoes. Right between my big toe and the smaller toe, the callouses had built up a lot. Great, lots of padding, right? Well, it's fine until your feet dry out and the callous splits... right down to the really soft tissue. It's been hurting so bad! I can hardly walk and when I do it's with a limp. I've been using liquid bandaid in the crack to try to encourage it to heal. Fingers crossed!

22 January 2012

On Sunday's I love to take time and cook something fun. Banana bread has been my favorite recently. So I thought today I'd get a picture of my collection of cookbooks, dilapidated discards from the library and otherwise.

23 January 2012

My plants are already sprouting! I've got some peas and flowers that have popped out of their dirt.

24 January 2012

I had to clean out my locker in circulation. I found this in the pile of papers I pulled out. It was from Halloween, when circulation became "Library High."

25 January 2012

First day as a reference librarian! Really my badge and name tag hasn't changed, but I was just so excited to be moved over to reference! Really though, I do miss circ. I like knowing what I'm doing and at the moment, I don't all the time. But I suppose that's how it is with any new job.

26 January 2012

I fear you may get lots of plant updates for my photos. I love my little babies, they make me so happy! Anyway, the plants that have already sprouted are thriving, and some dill started sprouting overnight!

27 January 2012

Ezra doesn't yet know that I grabbed another one of his drawings to post... hehehe. Anyway, he was setting this one up because he wanted to draw our feet with us in our wedding clothes. So we were sitting on the couch, he set up his camera on a timer, and I was bored. I got out my kindle and was reading a book while all of this was going on, ha ha. He liked the picture so much that he drew the whole thing. :-)

28 January 2012

Ezra's first experience painting. He's having a lot of fun making a mess in the living room. It's supposed to be me, walking up our steps after working out.

29 January 2012

Not man on wire, but bunny on glasses! Hopson was walking around Ezra's head.

Great Things Come to Those Who Are Dedicated

I know I’ve been terrible about writing. Life gets busy sometimes. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and running, cooking and trying to clean. But today’s news is huge and I’m bursting at the seams with excitement. I didn't tell hardly any people that I was applying for the position just in case I didn't get it, but I did!

I just became Provo City Library’s newest reference librarian!!!

The position opened up because one of the librarians had a baby. As soon as I heard about it I put my application in. Of the 60 applicants I got the job! *bounce bounce* I start tomorrow. I’m so excited, and a tad nervous. New things are always a little nerve wracking. It’s new! I don’t completely know what I’m doing. On the upside, I know the staff. I know our patrons. I know how to use the systems we have. I know about our library. I know about eBooks. I know I have lots of resources to help me do my job.

I’ve wanted to learn about what reference does. What they can and can’t do. Reference is the big unexplored area for me that I want to know more about. True, I know a bit. I’m pretty sure that’s why I was hired. I know circulation, I sort of know tech services because Ezra works in that department, but I don’t yet know reference as well as I’d like. That’s about to change! I love being well rounded. I soak up knowledge like a sponge.

You know, when I quit Brick Oven because I was promoted to a clerk at the library, my BO coworkers thought I was crazy. “I wouldn’t give up this job, no way,” they said. Pay was the big factor. I took a huge hit financially by leaving Brick Oven, but I was so much happier. Finally, a year later, I can say that it was all worth it, totally and completely. When Ezra would ask me what I missed about Brick Oven, the only answer was “the pay.” Because of tips I made out pretty well. But now, not even that will hang over me. Finally, I have a job that I feel was worth my four years of college, my BA degree, and will pay me what I’m worth. I don’t think that would have happened if I’d stayed a page and worked two jobs. Sometimes you have to take a chance. You have to follow the spirit, work hard, give 100% and always go the extra mile above and beyond what is expected of you. I was learning about reference and asking questions that helped me get his job months before the position opened up, before I even knew there would be a position. I think that is the kind of dedication to your job that gives you the reward you deserve.

In a year and a half I went from a simple volunteer to a true reference librarian. Great things take time, but dedication is what gets you through.

Hooray for Black Friday!

We had a really fun Thanksgiving with Ezra’s sister, Casey, and her family in Salt Lake City. We had dinner with them on Thanksgiving and stayed the night so we could go Black Friday shopping in Salt Lake. We hit up Target (Vacuume! Kindle!), RC Willey (Blu-ray player!), Best Buy (DVDs!), Kohl’s (Clothes!) and Old Navy (More clothes!).

I ran another 10 miler last Monday, and tomorrow I have to do 13 miles. I might die.

I’ve been having fun playing with my new kindle as I learn about and use eBooks. I used to be firmly against eBooks but after learning about them at the library I’ve really wanted to use them more, and now I am. I feel like I’m doing research for work, as well as reading for pleasure. I still love my physical books, but really, eBooks are awesome.

We’ve begun pulling out Christmas decorations. I pulled my tree out and decorated it with my many ornaments. The poor tree is loaded, but I feel like the tree represents my life… and now our life. At the very top of the tree is the “Our first Christmas” ornament my mom bought us. Our stockings are hung over the fireplace, and other random decorations are out. We also had a bit of snow today… ‘tis the season!

Friday evening the library had an Author Link event with Christopher Paolini. He gave a 45ish minute presentation about himself and writing, then signed books. I was able to get his newest book personalized and signed, as well as Eragon signed. I've never met such a major author so that was kind of cool.

Ezra officially has his application for the illustration program in and now we play the waiting game. He pulled an all nighter to get his portfolio done and ready, yet he seemed conscious when I saw him the next morning and throughout the day, which I thought was weird. He completely crashed the following night though and he's pretty much caught up on sleep now.We should hear back about the program before the end of the year. We've got our fingers crossed.

Saturday evening after work Ezra and I went to a BYU ballet performance. It was a really fun date (especially since we haven’t been on one for a while), and we got Costa Vida afterwards. Overall, a successful evening I think.

I drafted our first family Christmas letter today. I’m going to let it sit for a bit so I can make any other modifications with fresh eyes. It was kind of fun, thinking back over the past year and all the things that have happened. It’s strange to think that so many major events happened in the space of just one year. I can’t wait to get Christmas cards out and start that tradition. It’s one that daunts my mom every year, and I’m ready to go through the same stress, making sure the major events have been included so that people know what we’re up to.

I can’t wait to get started on and see what I’ll accomplish this coming week. It’s going to be a good one!

Afterthought: If you use facebook at all, Ezra and I have a really good friend who is in a contest. If she wins, she will get her children's book story idea published. Please support her and her story. It's a really fun read. Follow this link, and all you have to do to vote is "like" her story. Please vote and help her out, this is an amazing opportunity.

Welcome!

The most astonishing words came out of Ezra’s mouth the other day.

 “I want to start a blog,” he said.

“About what?” I asked.

“Us,” he said.

Confession: I love stalking my married friends and reading their blogs. For a while I’ve toyed with the idea of making our own, but I didn’t want to be at it alone. Now that I’ve got the Mr. on board (and he thinks it’s his idea!), I think we’re ready to start.

The Mr. (Ezra): From Washington. Studying art at BYU. Served a two year, full time LDS mission in Indonesia. Works 40 hours a week between the PCL (Provo City Library) and the HBLL (Harold B Lee Library). Enjoys drawing, rock climbing, and building things.

The Mrs. (Allison): From Oregon. Graduated from BYU with a BA in English. Studied abroad in England for a summer term. Works +30 hours a week at the PCL. Enjoys reading, writing, and doing wifey things (though I’ve discovered I’m a terrible housekeeper… working on that).

As a couple:

*Nerf gun wars and sword fights. I hope our neighbors don’t hate us.

*We love Doctor Who, so much in fact that the TARDIS was the top of our cake at our Washington reception.

The TARDIS, bike tire, book

wedding cake, designed by Darby Harris!

*We’re okay with sitting, staring at each other and making faces.

*We love our little home here but it has a lot of quirks, such as the refrigerator that we’re defrosting again (3^rd time) tonight, the bathroom that has no ventilation, the front door that sticks, and the humidity that likes to migrate to the bedroom and warp the books in there.

*We talk to and play with our stuffed animals as though they were our children.

*The Mr. is a furnace and the Mrs. is a block of ice. Together we’re a normal temperature.

*We love rain and miss the wet and green northwest.

Stay tuned!