Thank goodness for distractions!

I have been so busy this week... I didn't think I would be until something unexpected happened. I'll just tell you what that unexpected yet exciting thing is!

And no... it's not a man! Whenever I say something "exciting" happened, some people (cough,cough, my mom) think I have a new boyfriend. I don't think that will be happening for a while!

So, I have been eagerly waiting to apply for an internship with the church. Every semester, they have 5 interns that work for each of the church magazines, and they also have a news and events intern. Since I have a public relations emphasis, I would love to be the news and events intern. The magazines look for English or Journalism majors, anyways. An editor for the friend, Chad Phares, came to one of my classes last spring semester and told us about the internships and what they were all about and what we had to do to qualify. He told us that the church posts the internship openings sometime in September. So I have been looking almost everyday on ldsjobs.org, but never was able to see the internships posted. I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting...

Last Thursday, I woke up and all the sudden the thought came to my mind that I should contact Chad about why those internships aren't posted yet. So I did right away. He responded back to me within an hour and said that it was crazy that I emailed him when I did, because the church was going to post the internships that afternoon then close them 3 days later. And he said they would be posted on ldschurch.jobs. So not only was there a really small amount of time to apply, but I had been looking at the wrong site the whole time! I was a lucky girl to contact Chad when I did!

The first part of the application process is just online. It took me about half an hour to do. Basically I just sent in my resume, filled out a bunch of information about me, and why I am the best for this internship. I kept checking over the weekend to see if the internship had closed. It finally closed Monday morning. I figured the sooner it closes, the better chance I have!

On Tuesday, the church internship hiring department sent me an email saying that I had been accepted to part 2 of the application process! This was the news I got this week! I knew they only selected some people to the second part. My next instructions were to assemble a portfolio and mail it to them. It had to be there by Friday, October 7th. The portfolio had to include a cover letter, a resume, at least five of my best writing samples, and at least five of my best editing samples. I also had to include cover pages for each of the writing and editing samples saying when they were written, published if they were published, and other info. of importance.

So, I didn't waste anytime. I went straight to work on Tuesday and starting finding all my best writings and editing samples that I had done. I designed my cover pages and wrote the needed descriptions for them.

After spending at least four hours everyday for the past three days, I finally finished my portfolio earlier this afternoon! It took a lot of work because I had to make it perfect! I was required to put it in a 3-ring binder with laminate sheets to protect the pages. But there was a total of 25 pages, front and back, of all my stuff! That's a pretty thick portfolio if you ask me. I put my heart and soul into that portfolio, so I am eager to see if they like my work enough to want me as an intern!

I mailed it off as soon as I finished it. I believe the next step, if they like my portfolio, is to go down to Salt Lake for an interview. It's such an intense hiring process! But it's so competitive, so I understand.

If I'm meant to be an intern for the church, I will. But I have other internships that I have applied for as a backup plan. My mom would prefer it if I lived in Washington and did an internship there. I could easily live with my dad in Seattle. Plus my dad would love that. But I don't know what it is about Salt Lake. I just love it there and the thought of living there for three months gets me all excited. I applied for another internship in Salt Lake to work for a top PR firm. That would be so cool! I have also found a couple of PR firms in Washington. I know I will work wherever I'm suppose to!

I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to work for the church. I'm even more grateful that I have been crazy busy this week for once in my life. Being distracted with putting a portfolio together along with doing my normal homework assignments has allowed me to not dwell on the fact that Geoff is now in the MTC. I haven't talked to him since Monday night. I do get a little emotional at night when I'm going to bed, thinking about how I didn't talk to him all day and I won't be able to talk to him like I'm use to talking to him for two years. But at least I'm not bored during the day to dwell more on that. He promised he would email me when he was able to email and write when he could, which I believe will be on Monday. So I just have to be excited for those things now, which I'm sure I will get use to eventually!

Last paragraph, I promise! I'm going to conference for the first time EVER this conference! My family and I are going to the Saturday Afternoon session. I am sooooo excited because I have always wanted to go to conference! I promise to post pictures. I really haven't taken any in the longest time and feel so bad about it!