Grad School

I signed up for the GRE the other day, an important step in my pursuit of a Masters degree in Computer Science. I have to say, I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the things I need to get done over the next few months.... job and internship interviews, apply for graduation, apply for grad school... All of that of course, in addition to keeping up in my classes and work.

The computer science department lists the following on their graduate studies web page:

Selection to the MS program is based upon consideration of:

• preparation in Computer Science,

• GPA (recommended average of 3.25 where A is a 4.0. GPA is calculated on the last 60 hours).

• general GRE exam (Recommended scores: Verbal:530, Quantitative: 700, Analytical: 4.5. Scores must be received before the application deadline for the applied semester),

• letters of recommendation: Where possible, one or more of the letters of recommendation should be from faculty members with whom you have worked in a research capacity, or who have personal knowledge of your research and writing potential.

• content of the letter of intent

Katherine found a web page somewhere that listed the averages of students accepted in previous years... I feel like the GRE scores on that page were closer to 560 on the verbal and 740 on the quantitative... so I have my work cut out for me.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to get ready for the GRE? What are your experiences with the exam?

Photo Fun Part I

There are so many websites these days where you upload a picture of yourself and crazy stuff happens. Here are examples of some of our favorites.

This is what Landon would look like in the year 1988

And this is him in 1962
Here I am! In 1990.And this is 1962

I will follow up with another post about some more of our funny pictures. I am getting tired, so time for bed.

Mascot Challenge

Okay, this year we are actually kind of good at football, so I thought I would put in a plug for our mascot, Cosmo. Currently, Cosmo is participating in the Mascot Challenge, where he goes head to head with the mascots from other schools. Let's give him a shot at victory. Sign up and vote for cosmo!

Blog Updates

We have made a few updates to the blog. We added a music playlist (that was inspired by the blog of Katherine's friend Diedre). We also changed the layout some. There is a poll on the sidebar where you can give us a little feedback about the new changes. And of course, you can always comment on this post.

P.S. I made Katherine put some of the music I like on here, even though she didn't want to. So it's my fault if you don't like something.

Health Promotion

This semester is my first semester as a graduate student at BYU. I am working on a Master of Science degree in Health Promotion. When I tell people this, they usually ask what it is or what I want to do with it. I feel like I don't do a good job at answering either. So here is a definition of Health Promotion that I really like.

"Health Promotion is the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health is a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of efforts to enhance awareness, change behavior, and create environments that support good health practices."

Here is a list of sites where I could work.

• Home as Mom
• public schools
• church (probably not as an occupation, but in callings maybe)
• corporations
• hospitals and clinics
• fitness clubs
• public health agencies- state and county health departments
• volunteer agencies- Red Cross, American Heart Association, etc.
• government agencies- police and fire depts
• retirement centers and nursing homes
• resorts

Hopefully that gives everyone more of an idea of what I'm doing. I'm loving it so far and am always trying to think of thesis possibilities.

I Love Netflix

I don't know why it took me so long to jump on the Netflix train, but I finally made it. Let me tell you, it is pretty sweet. For someone who rents movies pretty frequently it is much more cost effective than hopping on over to Blockbuster every time you want one. There are a few cons of course... it takes a bit for your movies to get to you and you don't have full control over what gets sent to you, but overall it is a winner.

If anyone out there wants to be my Netflix friend, just click the link.

I've also started to enjoy the ability to create "Top 10" lists. You pick a theme and then can add your favorite movies to the list. I don't know what the draw is exactly, but it can be addicting.

My Flavor

I'm actually quite pleased with the results of this quiz. Vanilla is my favorite. It will never let me down. It's way better than black raspberry.

Our House (Part I)

For those of you that have not seen our place, here are a few pictures of the front room. We are working on a wall arrangement with some wedding photos above the couch, but have not yet finished.

We purchased the watercolor above the entertainment center on our honeymoon to Whidbey Island. We got it in a gallery in a small town about 10 miles away called Coupeville. We wanted something nice that would remind us of our honeymoon and we thought this painting was representative of the area. The name of the painting is "Low Tide."


We also really like the nativity below the painting. We picked it out when I went to Florida at Christmas time.

The giraffes were my Grandma Doman's and she gave them to me as a shower gift. I have always liked them, so they are very special to me and a good way for me to remember her.