Graduate.

Thursday, April 23, 2009. I put on my navy blue cap and gown and looked in the mirror. It was all very surreal. Here I was, heading off to that grand ceremony of pomp and circumstance -- not as a spectator, but as a participant. I couldn't really get over the fact it was ME in the cap and gown. I had to be dreaming.

But I wasn't (I pinched myself).

The Marriott Center was packed to the brim. Half of the occupants were dressed just like me, tassels of various colors dangling beside their faces. I was surrounded by conversations of past professors, internships, future plans and jobs. Many chatted nervously on their cell phones while waving vigorously, saying, "Do you see me now?"

I just soaked it all in.

I held myself together until all the graduates stood and the degrees were conferred. As President Samuelson said, I really had done everything required of me -- and more -- to earn this degree. That word, earn, took on a new meaning. My eyes welled up with tears.

President Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson gave excellent addresses. I was surprised to learn that Elder Uchtdorf's daughter had graduated from BYU 19 years ago -- with infant twin boys in tow. I didn't have it so bad, I thought.

The next day was convocation. 8:00 a.m. at the deJong Concert Hall. I reminisced with classmates while we lined up in the tunnel. I felt myself brimming with confidence. The person I was before my internship and the person I am now are two completely different beings. I am not afraid of conversation. I don't get nervous around strangers. I stand up straight and don't fold my arms when I talk to people.

The student speakers did a fabulous job. They even used video to accompany their speeches. They were interesting and held the audience's attention. I guess you'd expect nothing less from a communications major.

When the time came to receive my diploma, I got that butterflies-in-stomach feeling and realized this would probably be it for me. No more papers, exams, presentations, lectures, or textbooks. I was a little wistful. But I could come back if I wanted to. You never have to stop learning.

I strutted across that stage and proudly shook Dean Jones' hand. Walked off and got a picture in front of an American flag. A lady flipped my tassel for me. Took my seat.

That was it.

Elder Oaks said something during his address which I will never forget. He quoted Barbara Bush's 1990 commencement speech at Wellesly College. It hit me like a semi going 90 on a highway:

"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent .... Whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children, and you must hug your children, and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house."

And that's when I firmly decided I will not be holding a nine-to-five job any time soon.

There will be opportunities for me, no doubt. Part-time jobs, projects, work-at-home ventures. And see, that's what's so great about having a college degree. I will be able to have more opportunities than I would without it. I won't always have to accept them, but they will always come my way. I know it. Right now, my family needs me at home.

After convocation, I chatted with a few of my professors about my internship and took pictures with classmates, family and friends. It was a happy time for everyone. The sun was shining, despite a 70% chance of showers forecasted the previous day. How could the sun NOT shine on a day like this?

I looked around and thought to myself, Self, we did it. And now we have the whole world ahead of us.


I HAVE A BA IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH AN EMPHASIS IN BROADCAST JOURNALISM AND A MINOR IN MUSIC!

We did it.

We finished our internship.

All of us.

Me, you, and the multitude of others who helped me through it.

And yes, you count. Because I couldn't have done it without your support.

Tomorrow morning, I am catching a plane to this place:

To do this:

And probably this:

(although, I can't promise it will look as pretty)

And see these guys:

And I can already tell, it's going to be the third happiest day of my life, falling just short of this:

And this:

Believe me, you won't want to miss the next post.

Long week + BLOG AWARDS!

Hello. This has been the longest week of my life so far. And it's not even close to being over.

Eleven hours Wednesday.

Ten hours today.

Ten more tomorrow.

It's been fun, though. I'm trying to soak it all in before graduation, which is ONE WEEK AWAY. Can you believe it? I can't. When I began this journey, I was excited. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I was going to do it ALL -- be the star intern with an immaculate house, happy baby and husband, and energy to spare.

Oh, boy. Mom the Intern today would now like to slap Mom the Intern of January 20th.

Well, come to think of it, it's probably a good thing I went into this with such a positive attitude. I may not have survived to this point without it.

But let's be honest -- my house is just short of a blasting zone, my husband is sad because I go to bed at 9:00, my baby goes to bed when I get home so we don't play as much as we should, and my body...my body is mad at me. It feels like I always have a headache! I stare at a computer all day. My back hurts from crappy office chairs. My knee hurts from driving so much. My car hates me, too. I miss sleeping in. I'm flat-out POOPED.

I can't say I haven't loved it, though. I don't think I would have had such grand adventures if I hadn't done this internship -- nay, if I hadn't gone to college. But that's another post for another day.

Now, it's AWARD TIME!

Recently, Jennifer at Baby Makin(g) Machine gave me this award for my blogging efforts. I was flattered! Thank you, girl! I wish my blog was half the blog yours is.

Now, as a condition of the award (an acceptance speech of sorts), I am supposed to make a list of seven things I love and bestow the award to seven other bloggers.

1) My sweet husband

2) My sweet Bubby girl

3) Arizona

4) Writing

5) Shopping

6) The temple

7) The scent of orange blossoms

And now, for the seven winners of the Kreativ Blog Award!

1. Elise - "The News Goes On 24 Hours A Day": Elise and I go back to high school. I love her wit and honesty. She's hilarious! Plus she has a pretty wicked playlist on her blog, which I sometimes leave open for hours just to hear it. Love me some Jason Mraz.

2. Kate - "The Domestic Goddess and Co.": Kate chronicles life as a fabulous hair dresser. She lives in Utah with her two daughters and dashing husband.

3. Austin - "A Mild Snafusis": The lone male recipient. I always have to read what Austin is saying about life at BYU, the latest in technology and random happenings. It's really a mixed bag, a delightful potpurri of blog topics. I'm afraid that sounded much too girly for a man's blog...

4. Megs - "{insert clever title here}": Another high school chicka. She is the most fashion-forward woman in Provo. She loves life and has fun always. She and her hubby Andrew are really living the dream!

5. Jessica - "The Belnap Family": Jessica and I were next-door neighbors as wee children. We had so much fun together, mostly because she is adorably funny and honest. Jessica is currently living as an icicle in Rexburg, Idaho.

6. Jessica - "Daily Ramblings": Another Jessica, but a different Jessica. She is a producer in Salt Lake and a fellow BYU Comms grad. And she's expecting (or should I say, unexpectedly expecting) her first baby! I really enjoy following her pregnancy adventures.

7. Monique - "An Organized Wife for an Organized Life": Monique really has her stuff together. She loves social networking and loves to blog. And I love her.

If you didn't win, don't be sad! Even Angelina Jolie loses sometimes. You can't have it all. But it doesn't mean I love you any less!

Edited to add: Karissa - No, I did not get to pet any zoo animals. And for that, I am grateful. Why? Because although they looked cute and cuddly, they were undoubtedly WILD. And I rather like my limbs.

Lights, Camera...Animals?

Anchors Chris and Nicole.

Last week, I overheard one of our floor directors/camera men talking to the morning producer. He said, "If the interns were willing to come in at 4:30 a.m., I would be happy to let them run cameras and help with the show. But none of them want to come in that early!"

A light went on in my head. Before the internship began, KPHO's general manager sat down with us, the interns, and said, "Your internship will only be as good as what you put into it." Getting up THAT early was going to be hard, but I saw it as an opportunity to really gain some experience. So I piped up:

"I'll come in at 4:30 next week!"

Immediately regretted it. But hey, at least I'd miss traffic!

So, Tuesday came. 3:15 -- alarm goes off. I got up, got dressed, drove to the station.

It's amazing how few cars are on the freeway at 4 in the morning. In case you were wondering.

The first day, the floor director gave me a headset to wear while I watched the show in the studio. It was fun to hear all the director's cues; I immediately hearkened back to my days as producer at the Daily News. I just love being part of all the behind-the-scenes stuff!

We had some guests come in from the San Diego Zoo. That's right, ANIMALS. They brought out this huge owl called an Eagle Owl. It looked massive but they said it only weighed 5 pounds! Lots of feathers to make it scary-looking to unsuspecting rodents, I suppose. It was cute and very calm, until it suddenly tried to take flight in the studio! Luckily, he was tethered to the zoo employee's arm, so he couldn't get far. But those wings...they were massive, and they created quite a windstorm! You should have seen the female anchor's hair blowing.

Next, they brought out this cat called an African serval. It is a medium-sized cat (bigger than a housecat, smaller than a bobcat) with a long neck and big ears.

Well, see for yourself (you're going to have to click if you wanna see the kitty):

That box he's sitting on -- don't worry, no animals were inside. It's just a prop.

For the noon show, I ran the teleprompter. Just like old times at the Daily News. I'm the only intern who has so far.

AND. I'm the only intern who has operated a studio camera! That's right. Yesterday, when I showed up at 4:30 AGAIN, the floor director asked if I wanted to run the camera. I reluctantly said yes, but I knew this was my only chance to do it (they have robotic cameras at the Daily News). It was crazy, but so fun! Those cameras are small but the tripods are HUGE. They roll around on wheels and can raise up and down with hydraulics. It's nuts. But I was fine because I understand the broadcast lingo and know how to read the run-down (spreadsheet organizes the show with a list of the slugs [story names] and their corresponding time length, graphic, and camera shot). And I know how to listen to a director. So thank you again, BYU Daily News and Comms faculty, for preparing me so well for this internship!

I'm still on my way to finishing my hours. I can't believe how rapidly it's all coming to an end. At one point, I thought I'd never be finished. But the end is less than 2 weeks away now! And I'm a little sad. I am going to miss it.

Mom the Intern crams it all in.

Well, folks. My internship is going to be over sooner than originally planned.

The requirement is 280 hours. As of today, I have worked 200.

Graduation is a little less than three weeks away. So here's the plan:

This week, I work Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday, 10 hours each day. That's a total of 30 hours this week.

Next week, I do the same thing.

The week after, I work Monday and Tuesday, 10 hours each day.

On Wednesday, I catch my plane to Provo and turn in all my busy work. Thursday: Commencement. Friday: diploma time.

Then when I come home, I'll have nothing left to do but celebrate.

Bid me strength, fellow bloggers; these 30-hour weeks might KILL me. But when it comes to removing a Band-Aid, I'd rather rip it off all at once than slowly peeeeeeeel it off as my skin cells scream one by one. So, here goes nothing.

Two weeks, four days. The light at the end of this tunnel is getting brighter by the second...

Off to write my LAST COLLEGE PAPER EVER.

Mom The Intern On Camera

So, one of our reporters was doing a package on the Conficker worm today. He got "desperate" (his word) for an interview subject, and since I'm his favorite intern (I'm only guessing), he asked me to do it.

Here I am, talking about Conficker. http://www.kpho.com/video/19070442/index.html

I was a good candidate for the interview because I did actually run a check on my computer and made sure I didn't have the worm earlier this week. Plus I look ravishing on camera, don't you think? Haha. Hold onto that thought.

Hope you enjoy it.