Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer!

Well, It's been months since I have written. So much has happened. 
- Austin and I are no longer together. We split at the end of February. We both decided that we were headed in different directions in life and that it would be best to pursue our own paths. 
- After a month of studying and a spontaneous deposit, I am officially CHAA certified for work. CHAA = Certified Healthcare Access Associate. It's a national certification that I can take with me anywhere.
- My lease at my apartment downtown ended the beginning of April. I was planning on renewing, but due to a raised rent price, I quickly had to find other accommodations. I moved to the Holladay area with my lovely Gma Bonnie. She has been a great influence on me and I'd like to think I've been a help to her as well. ;) 
- With having the quick decision to move, rehoming Koda seemed like the most responsible option. With full time work and school I didn't have the time or attention that he needed. I found him a good home with a buddy just like him. Hopefully things are going well with him there. It was very difficult, but I am confident that it was the right option at the time. 
- Spring Semester ended with a bang! Good grades and a beautiful summer ahead! I am very content with my choice to avoid summer classes. ;) 
- I met someone new. Nathan. He is such a sweet heart and lots of fun. The only downside.. he lives 300 miles away.. In St. George. We met back in March and have been taking turns making trips both ways. Nate recently braved the Stephens/Broderick camping trip over Memorial Weekend. He is a champ and I am pretty sure he had fun. ;) 
- I've decided to re-explore my passion for photography. I have always loved it but lost track for a few years. I    recently purchased a new Nikon D3100 DSLR that I am hoping will inspire my hobby. I am very excited to jump back in! (More on this later.)
- Ashley and Jordan are doing well. Zoey is almost three months old! I cannot believe it. She is the most adorable baby I have ever seen. (Not that I am at all biased. Haha) I am so lucky to have them in my life. 


I think that pretty much sums up the last few months. I'll try to write sooner than later next time. Until then...

My Protege!

After what felt like forever searching through ads and lots, I finally picked out my new car!!

This is a very short and uneventful post, but I wanted to share my excitement!!! Hooray!!

My intermediate writing class is currently focusing on writing reviews. I chose to write a reviwe on Facebook as a successful social networking site. Check it out! :)

Will You Be My Friend on

      

Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Yahoo, Google, Bebo, Zoosk, Facebook, and more! Social networking is the latest trend. It’s a natural desire to want to jump into the hottest social scene; so, which site should you join?

Social networking sites have exploded with popularity by modernizing the process of communication. Convenience is an important key to success and these websites have unlocked the world.

What was initially presented as a membership-required website for Harvard students was launched in February of 2004 as a social networking site available to the public. Facebook quickly erupted with fame. By January of 2012, Facebook was recorded to have approximately 800 million active users.

When it comes to social networking, Facebook is the Zeus of sites. The navigation and presentation of the site is extremely user friendly, but leaves little room for imagination. After login, users are presented with a “News Feed” page. Facebook highlights this page to display recent friend and group updates, allowing fairly basic and restricted customizations. Along the top of the screen, a stationary taskbar allows easy access to friend requests, private messages, and notifications. Facebook’s simplicity allows all users, young and old, to easily find their way throughout the site; this specific feature, I believe, has been one of the key elements involving the site’s success.     

According to ConsumerReports.org from May of 2011, 7.5 million users, under the age of thirteen, had accounts.

Each user’s profile, or “wall,” streams “get to know you” information about them. Whether the content includes juicy gossip, simple past times, or blog descriptions, it is solely up to the user.  This page is displayed as a giant timeline of events, posts, and picture uploads since registration. The Timeline profile view is a new Facebook feature. The weekend before 2012, Facebook rolled out the new theme for testing. Many avid Facebook users, including myself, were surprised by the change. Though this social networking site has updates routinely, Facebook has never strayed far from it’s generic profile. With this new update, Facebook has gone above and beyond to allow more personalization on user’s profile pages. Though this customization may appear to be more appealing, privacy is now, even more, of a concern that it was before. Every application accessed, post placed, friend request accepted, or blog filed is documented on this screen, leaving users continually exposed. The lack of privacy is hardly fresh for devoted social networking consumers like myself; however, newbies will need to quickly learn the ropes if they plan to keep their content private.  

Facebook has quickly spun into a world-wide trend! Everyone has Facebook and now they can have it anywhere and everywhere! Because of it’s simple presentation, Facebook is available in many different contexts, making use even more popular, including on cell phones, tablets, laptops, and even many gaming consoles that have access to the internet. This allows Facebook to be used on the go. When used mobily, a “check in” option allows users to record their location using a GPS. A map, one of the new Timeline features, allows users to add photos to the locations where they have “checked in.” This map displays photos and comments of everywhere the user and their friends have “been.”

With every social networking site, risks and privacy should always be a concern. Facebook provides several specific privacy settings, including managing who can view your information and how much of it you want to be visible. Blocking and restricting specific users from accessing your information is also an option. This is a helpful feature in situations of harassment and/or unwanted contact. The site’s terms of service requires users to be at least thirteen years of age to register for an account. According to ConsumerReports.org from May of 2011, 7.5 million users, under the age of thirteen, had accounts. Facebook attempts to limit membership by age; however, falsifying information to proceed through registration appears easily possible; therefore, the age restriction for Facebook seems rather pointless. Though Facebook does have a variety of privacy settings, every Facebook upgrade resets these settings and re-accessing them is quite a task. Everyone with a Facebook account knows that it is incredibly exasperating having to reset security settings following every single update. Certainly a twelve year old would struggle with remember to do this consistently.

Facebook has a surplus of applications and games available to users. Whether you are looking for logic, action, role playing, or health conscious applications, Facebook likely has it. The availability of these games has increased the site’s popularity by keeping users online longer. While browsing these applications, I was unsatisfied to notice the websites desire to “request permission” to access my personal information. Due to anticipation of the application to come, I attempted to overlook this request, as many others do. I was quite alarmed; however, when I acknowledged the site’s attempt to post spam with my identity. You may deny the application these rights; however, the application will not be available for use. Those of us, who don’t always read between the lines, might suffer quite a bit of frustration when noticing Facebook’s attempt to exploit us.

Facebook is, generally, a free social networking site; because of this, many sponsors and advertisements are presented on each Facebook page. These advertisements flood the news feed, displaying a constant flow of ads. I noticed, that personal information is retracted from each profile, including likes and dislikes, to allow the sponsors to show advertisements that pertain to each user specifically. Online shoppers may find this as an aid in satisfying their spree; however for many, knowing that Facebook is sharing personal information with advertisement companies can be quite alarming. Being cautious to use few and/or specific applications would assist in keeping the user’s personal information inaccessible. Many users view constant advertisements as unnecessary content and could argue Facebook’s attempt to profit through sponsors to be a flaw. Facebook administrators have fought over the years to keep their site free of membership charge. Aside from the money received from some applications, Facebook primarily profits from sponsoring advertisements. Though, I too, view these ads as a nuisance, I would prefer to be bombarded with aids daily than to be charged a membership fee.

Hundreds of social networking sites flood the web today; Facebook does well to outshine most, if not all, of them. Though this site does struggle with privacy concerns, steps can be taken to improve one’s security settings and be aware of the necessary risks involved in an online social site. With its wide range in applications, an unlimited supply of users, and it’s constant upgrades and improvements, Facebook is an undoubted success. 

       

Hello 2012!

It is now 2012 and I can hardly believe it! Time has been flying!!! Christmas came and went, quickly followed by the new year. My dad from Georgia was in town as well as my mom and brothers from Idaho. It was quite the party!

We also had the chance to take some FABULOUS family pictures!

Things at home are going well. Koda is almost TWO!! I cannot believe it! He is doing fantastic and loves hanging out with his buddy Leo! Leo is getting HUMONGOUS!! At six months he weighs about 115 lbs now! For now, Koda can still hold his own while they play. ;)

Koda and Leo LOVE the snow! Unfortunately (for them), we haven't had much of it. It has been a very mild winter for Utah this year. *Knock on Wood*

Spring Semester at SLCC started a week ago. So far so good.

I've been in the market for a car for a little bit. I was approved for a car loan, now I just need to pick one out. :) We will see how that goes. Hopefully by the next post I will have a shiney new car. ;)

Things with Austin and I are going well. He started classes this spring as well.

I have officially, as of yesterday the 18th, been at my job for six months! I am off of my beginning probationary period and can now fully enjoy all of the fabulous benefits that go along with my wonderful employment! :)

Hmm... I guess that is all of the updates that I have for now. Until next time..

Winter Wonders

Well, hello hello!

School has finally come to a close this last week! As always, the last few weeks of school are always stressful. I look forward to viewing my final grades! Hope they're good. *Fingers crossed!*

Let's see......

There are only 10 more days until CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!

The pups are ready for Christmas too! They love the snow, but unfortunately didn't really enjoy the reindeer antlers. Haha!

Besides getting ready for Christmas, we have had a few interesting experiences around the house.

The first one having to do with this....

I am not going to dicuss this broken window. I will leave it to your imagination.

BUT, it was QUITE the adventure!

Tuesday, I came home from work to find blood all over the kitchen and some in the living room! Of course I was instantly worried! There was some blood on Koda's fur too... but no visible wounds. That night, Brittany and I bathed Koda (That was another adventure in itself. haha.) as we searched for scrapes and cuts that could've caused him to bleed. The search was unsuccessful. The next day I came home again, to a kitchenful of blood. It was really beginning to worry me, but we weren't able to find any blood on Leo either. I was about to look into an exercism specialist when this morning Brittany found a cut on Leo's tale that was bleeding a lot. This was where all of the blood was coming from! I was relieved to put the exercism thoughts aside and overjoyed that Koda was not bleeding; however, I was definitely concerned for Leo. There was a LOT of blood! This adventure is still in process. Brittany is taking Leo to the vet tomorrow to hopefully get some advice on how to keep him from cutting his tail while he so excitedly swings it every which way. We love and Leo and want him to be happy and healthy! Hopefully the veterinarian visit goes well.

Well, that is about all I have right now, as far as updates go! We are loving and hating the snow everytime it falls and excitedly getting ready for Christmas!!

Happy Holidays!!

 

Step and Slide

Well, a lot has happened since I last posted. The car situation has been officially taken care of.. at least for awhile. In my last blog I described the death of my car and the need to seek out a temporary mode of transportation. My wonderful grandma let me borrow her 1984 Cadillac to use for a week while my dad registered my old red high school beater.

Many of my old friends probably remember my 1993 fire truck red Mercury Topaz that I drove around for three years. It had a lot of memories, as well as damages. Haha. I cant begin to explain how many times I ended up roadside due to lack of gas in the tank. Good times. Anyways, the red car was passed onto my brother Greg after I obtained my white mazda as a high school graduation gift. My fabulous brother got into a car accident and is currently unable to drive the car. So, my dad (living in Georgia) registerd and licensed the car temporarily for me to drive it around while I save money for a new car. I am extremely greatful to have a vehicle to drive and am in shock at how well the Topaz still runs after all of the damge my brother and I both inflicted upon it. So that is the transportation plan, for now.

School has been good. The semester is almost over!! I am officially finished with my horid Humanities class. Soon to follow will be my Computer Esentials class and my fun FHS class. I am definitely looking forward to the break between semesters though. It has been quite awhile since I have had a night without homework.

Things at home are great, aside from drama with the neighbors. But what else is new?? No matter where you go there will always be unwanted obnoxious people there. So, you suck it up, smile and wave, help each other out, and try to be the best neighbor you can! So far.. somewhat successful.

Thanksgiving seemed to come and go fairly quickly. Had a yummy dinner with some family from my dad's side and then followed it with another dinner with Austin's family. All in all it was very fun, aside from the nasty cold I cant seem to get rid of.

Christmas is quickly approaching! I am soooooo excited! Christmas lights, the music, the feelings, and even the freezing snow have begun to shine some Christmas spirit into my life. People are starting to decorate their cubicles at work and Christmas lights have lit up several homes and Temple Square. So exciting!! Needless to say, I still have most of my Christmas shopping to get done.

Work has been great! I just recently got switched to the Maternity portion of the authorizations for insurances. This is my favorite clinic so far and I absolutely love it! I am one of the lucky few who can saw that they enjoy their job.. most days. ;)

I recently joined a stepping cardio class at a local Gold's Gym with a friend from work. So far I really enjoy it, but boy oh boy is it a tough workout!! I am hoping this will whip me into shape and keep me active! The side effects from my lovely desk job.. are not all desireable ones. ;)

I think that pretty much covers all of the updates in my life. I will keep in touch.. until next time.

:)

The Never-Ending Day

Whoo! What a day! You know those days that you just can't wait to finish, but time itself seems against you as the hours tick by slowly? Well, today was one of those days.


My morning started out as any other up until I went to my car to leave for work. My car stalled twice while driving before it came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. My car has been struggling with it's clutch, thermostat, check engine light, the starter, the breaks, the stereo, and anything else you can think of. After pushing my car UP a hill, Austin was able to get my Mazda to pop start and get us both to work.
My final project for my FHS class was due by 3:30 pm today. I had planned to leave work and take a long lunch to drop off my project at the Redwood Campus and head back to work for the day. I left, as planned, at noon. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find out where I was to turn in my project. It is an online class so I didnt know where my instructor's office was. I went back to my car to drive around.. to find that my car would not start. The engine wouldnt even roll over. I had been begging my car all day to at least get me to the school so I could turn in my project. My poor little car did just that before it slipped off into death. I had to purcahse a one day slcc parking pass so I could find some way back to work and leave my car there. I finally found the destination for my project, turned it in, and called for help. I called several people, all working. Jeni, Ausin's sister, saved the day! She came and picked me up and took me back to work!
After work I was supposed to go to a cardio step class with my friend Aryn from work. Needless to say, I did not make it to that class. Aryn dropped me off at home where I spend the next several hours doing homework. I still cannot believe that my instructor assigned 7 assignments, discussion posts, AND the final project all to be due in the same week! Ugh! BUT I got all of my homework done, luckily.
I had to stay at Austin's last night because I dont live quite close enough to walk to work. Austin came and picked me up in my car, since he had gone and gotten it from SLCC earlier. We spent the next while revving the engine at every stop, rolling through stop signs, and pushing the car (well, Austin pushed). Finally my car made it to its resting place at Austin's apartment. I will probably have to have it towed from there and possibly sold for parts. After almost three years, my poor white car can finally rest in peace.

Now for a "life" updated:
Things have been good at home. I am finally all unpacked! :) Koda has settled in for the most part. Him and Leo are the best of friends!

Britt and I are budies too!

We had an interesting cookie incident! We were so excited to make chocolate chip cookies! We had put them together and waited for them to bake. I began putting them on the plate to cool down and....

Oops! The cookies fell right into Koda's food bowl!! Only a few of the cookies were salvagable! AND we made a giant cookie!!

......................................

So Turky-Day is on it's way. The Broderick thanksgiving was held earlier in November because Grandma Sherri and Granpa Russ are moving to California! I am excited for them but will miss them too!

We made silly candy turkeys at the get together. Here is mine:

The Holidays are coming quickly! I need to get a "substitute" care ASAP or start taking the bus everywhere. But hey, It'll be an experience right??