Fun, Delinquent Youths!

I work with juvenile delinquents. I work in a lock-up facility with teenage boys who have been arrested for crimes and sentenced to be locked up for a minimum of 6 months, usually more. Some of these boys have committed violent crimes. Some of them have stolen property worth thousands of dollars. Some of them have countless drug charges. Some of them have gang-related crimes. These boys are hardened. They are often very involved in gangs. They have been arrested many times. They've been through every other program the state has to offer and they have failed out or ran away. My facility is their last stop, the most intense facility, there is nowhere else for them to go - unless they get charged as an adult. We take the worst of the worst of the juveniles in Utah. This is what these kids look like on paper: delinquent, unwilling to change, non-compliant, scary, bad.

And yet, I have worked with some of the brightest, funniest, most personable, brilliant adolescents in this job. These kids, while still little punks, are incredible. There is so much light in their eyes and possibility in their future.

One resident that I have worked with is hands-down the smartest teenager I have ever met. I will not be surprised at all if one day he ends up inventing something brilliant and life-changing.

One kid I know has the most incredible leadership skills and can convince and motivate anyone to do anything.

Most of those guys want to be rappers, but there is this one kid that has an incredible musical talent and I can definitely see him getting famous from it.

Another resident has the most incredible comedic timing I have ever seen. Never have I ever laughed so hard in my life.

I could go on and on. These kids are awesome! They make me mad and they often make terrible choices, but they are also have such good hearts and want to succeed in their lives. I have seen more positive change and progress in this individuals than I have ever seen in any other human beings in my life. They learn and grow at an incredible rate. It is the most magical thing to see the lights go on in these kid's minds and see them realize that they can do something different in their lives than what they've done in the past.

I guess all I'm saying is that people can change! "Bad people" are not always bad people! There is good in everyone, they just have to find it! Don't disregard people because of their past mistakes!

That time I was unemployed

I took a crazy, terrifying leap of faith at the end of January and quit my job without the slightest inkling of where I would work next. It felt right to leave my job, however hard and tear-filled it was, and I just had to go and trust that the Lord would take care of me. I wasn't completely unemployed - I did odd jobs here and there and they were awesome - but I couldn't find a full time job for almost 3 months and it was hard.


A few things I learned while being unemployed:

If you apply enough time, you can get very good at ANYTHING
I taught myself to crochet this past December, but once I didn't have a job, I dove in head first and went crochet crazy. I watched countless YouTube videos and bought skein after skein of yarn. I made scarves galore, hats, a single mitten (I didn't love it so I didn't make the second), and attempted a crochet beard/hat combo.

I will never get sick of doing puzzles
You stick me in front of a TV and turn on the never ending stream of shows on Netflix, and I could do puzzle after puzzle and still ask for more. I prefer 1000 piece puzzles to 2000 piecers - just for future reference if anyone ever desires to get me a gift.

Living in you parent's basement after you graduate college is awesome, but only if it's for a limited amount of time
When I first moved in with my parents, it was only going to be for a couple weeks - a month tops, but I ended up staying for 3 months, because I couldn't find a job. It was fantastic to live with my parents and my brothers again, and to get to know the youngest brothers better because they were so young when I moved out and they didn't really remember living with me. Family is so important. However, it is also so important to move on in life and be independent and living in my parent's basement was not the answer.

Through trials (like not getting a job) there are still HUGE blessings
Early on in my unemployed state I realized that I had an amazing and rare opportunity in front of me: I had nothing to spend my time on except to focus on bettering myself. I decided that this was the perfect chance to form habits that had always been hard for me to form because I felt I didn't have the time. I made it a priority to take care of myself both spiritually and physically. I won't lie, I didn't do very well with the whole working out and being healthy thing, but I did go running a few more times than usual. However I did take the time to not just read but really study my scriptures daily, make sure daily prayers and conversation with my Heavenly Father were a priority, and attending the temple once a week. This is honestly the only thing that kept me sane.


I'm pretty sure I say this in almost every blog post, but life is crazy and unpredictable. I never know what's going to happen next and I am so grateful for all of my experiences, no matter how outrageous and dumb they feel in the moment. I started a job in mid-April that is the perfect job for me, and I'm so pleased that I didn't find anything else before this job came along. There are always hidden blessings, and sometimes you don't see them until later, but God knows and that's what is most important.

Why I've developed a very strong dislike for iPads. And realized how convenient they are.

In my job at the library, I am the sole person in charge of the iPad checkout program. This means I keep track of the signed loan agreements, I keep the iPads clean and in good condition, and I wipe and refresh the iPads in preparation for the next checkout. And some days, iPads make me want to scream.
I have never really worked with technology, other than my own iPhone and laptop, which I honestly don't really know anything about. Yet, when I started this job they just threw is at me and and said, "Good luck figuring out Apple products. MWAHAHAHA." No one else knew how to work the program, so they just gave it to me and ran.
I've decided that my main problem with Apple is that they are so simplified and "user friendly" that when there is a problem with a device, then it is impossible to expose the main issue.

I have student employees come ask me questions about how to fix the iPads , and my answer is always a chuckle and "I don't know..." They think I know all the stuff, but in reality I just play around with it until it works and I have no idea what I actually did. And some days I have a line up of multiple iPads that all have different problems that I need to fix and the students just laugh at me because I get so flustered.

Having said all of this, I think iPads, or any tablets really, are a genius bit of useful technology. I always felt that tablets were just useless because between a smart phone and a laptop, why would I need another piece of technology that does the exact same thing. But iPads are so much more convenient than laptops. I've even considered just getting a tablet with a keyboard when my laptop finally dies. Maybe not an iPad... but some sort of tablet.

I've become reminiscent about my adventures with the library iPads because Friday is my last day at the library. I am training one of the students how to troubleshoot the iPads and he's realizing that I really have no idea what I'm doing with them. He asks questions and I give him multiple options that I've tried in my attempt to fix the problem. It's always nice when someone finally appreciates the fact that I'm just make it up when asked for help.

Good job...s

I've received an array of complaints about the fact that I've never actually said what I'm doing for my job. In THIS post I said that I got a job and then intentionally ended the post without giving details because I thought it was hilarious. But let me just lay it our for you because I actually have 2 jobs, surprise!

I work in the Library on campus. I keep track of budgets and statistics and other various assignments/projects that are deemed necessary for my department. It's a great job and I've learned so much in the 6.5 months I've been there.

And additionally, two months after beginning at the library, I began working at a residential treatment center for teenage girls with emotional and behavioral struggles. This is the best job I could possibly have gotten at this point in my life. I don't even know what to say about how much I love this job and this program and the girls that I work with. I have been inspired to know for sure that eventually becoming a social worker is what I want to be doing with my life.
Basically my job is to help keep the girls in my house safe, make them feel loved, and implement the interventions from their therapists. There's about 15 girls in the house I work in and I have the amazing opportunity to build relationships with each of them and help them process through problems that come up in that moment. There are many different reasons these girls are in residential treatment including: anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, drug abuse, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, personality disorders, and a lot more. It's been wonderful and eye opening to learn that each person has slightly different issues and needs to be treated differently. I've also had the realization that everyone has problems that they need to work through, whether or not they're in treatment, and these girls are often so much stronger than I am in dealing with their demons. I seriously didn't know I could grow to love people as much as I love my coworkers and the girls I work with. I am so excited to have this affirmation that this really is what I want to do with my life. Maybe I won't always be working in this treatment center, but being a social worker and helping people who just need some extra support in their lives.

For those interested, here's a link to the New Haven blog: http://www.newhavenrtc.com/blog/talking-through-a-crisis/

I know I had far more to say about my treatment job, but let's be serious, that's way more exciting than sitting at a computer in a library for 6 hours a day. But in all reality I love both of my jobs. They have each been a blessing to me in different ways and I have need each of them at this point in my life.

Job huntress

Looking for a job is probably the worst thing in the world.

It's stressful.

It's time consuming.

It's nerve-wracking.

I am nearly a college graduate

Someone should want to hire me.

I swear there is nothing good about job hunting, except for the actual getting hired part.

But I haven't reached that part yet.

So I'm going to keep complaining.

Someone give me a job.

K, thanks.

Acceptance.

I'm a nerd. We all know this already. However, my coworkers have not been exposed to exactly how big of a nerd I am. So I've been working at the same place for a year and a half and they still do not fully understand the extent of my nerdiness. It's not that I have been hiding the truth about me, I just tend to not talk too much when I'm at work, because well, I'm working. But this summer was an eye opening experience for them, as I was much louder than usual work Jennie.

But first, one of the best things anyone has ever said to me: "Jennie, I like you. You are just so passionate about some of the most random things. And you're not ashamed. You just love them so much."
My old roommate said this to me. I was thrilled. And I think that describes me perfectly. I find things that I love and then I ship them so hard to everyone around me. I find so much joy in being passionate about my nerdy tv shows, movies, and books. When I find something new to love, I just get so excited. I mostly blame my relatives for this, from the time I was born, my uncles have been exposing me to "culture." We all share the same nerdy love of the same movies and such. We go on quoting sprees and laugh our heads off. Yeah, I blame them for this.

Here's a brief list of some of my favorite things of which I am very passionate: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, my pez dispenser collection, Avatar: The Last Airbender, flannel, The Office, Weezer, ugly sweaters from DI, and most fantasy series' - I love magic, sword fights, castles, mythical creatures, etc. Yes, nerd. And my most recent nerdy addiction: Dr. Who. Oh how I love British humor.

Alright, now that you are fully aware of my complete nerdiness, I can get on with the story.

So I was at work last week and we were closing up the office a few hours early to go set up for our department opening social. Our boss told us to go close the door and tell anyone trying to get through that it is shut. My coworker, who I definitely should have pegged as a LOTR fan started walking toward the door and said: "The way is shut."
My head involuntarily whipped up to grin at him, and I immediately and mostly involuntarily said,
"It was made by those who are dead. And the dead keep it." 
For those of you uncultured readers out there, this is a quote from the third and final LOTR movie. About half of those in office had no idea what I was saying and the other half just stared open mouthed because they had not expected that from me. I just smiled and kept going about my business like normal... like I hadn't just revealed myself as the biggest LOTR nerd in the world. I was thrilled.

Employed.

I work at this place. I'm called a secretary.

I might work with some of the super nerdy humans on campus. And I love it.

I answer phones, I send emails, I print things, I run all around campus.
Sometimes I even get to use the label maker.

Jenny, Jennie, and Jen. That's who works in our office in the mornings.
This is not a joke. Though everyone thinks it is.
Our office sounds like it comes from a television show.

I work in Computer Science. And you would think I know about computers.
You would think wrong.

I unlock those big wooden doors every morning at 8. I fill the printers with paper. I unforward the phones. I check emails. I hire people.
Sometimes they even give me food.
And I just love my job.

I teach.

I teach swimming lessons.
I love teaching swimming lessons.
Sometimes I get sunburnt when I teach swimming lessons.
I always put put on sunscreen.
But sometimes the sun decides to evade my layer of UV protection and burn me anyway.
But I still love teaching swim lessons.
Small children are funny.
They are particularly funny when they think they know how to swim.
Usually they don't actually know how to swim. At all.
This is why I teach them.
I enjoy swimming long lengths on my back.
I also enjoy pretending to know how to do the butterfly.
Mostly I just enjoy teaching swimming lessons.