An Ensign to the Nations

Yesterday a group from my new ward ventured out to ascend Ensign Peak which is located just behind the capitol building in Salt Lake City. We were a bit nervous as to the conditions of the trail, but decided not to let that hinder our journey. The trail is paved at first, but it does not take long for that solid ground to end and the muddy path to begin. It makes you really thankful for rocks on the trail.

It didn't take long to hike the 1/4 mile up to the top. The view is stunning. I am always so amazed by how the view of the valley takes my breath away.

This vast display of commerce and prosperity used to be a barren desert. The prophesy that the desert would blossom as the rose has truly come to pass. Imagine what the pioneers of 1847 would say of the Salt Lake Valley today.

After our hike we made a stop at the Salt Lake City cemetery. What a hallowed place. So many good lives lived are honored in that cemetery. It was a fitting stop for the day set aside to honor those who have passed on.

We ended our adventure with a quick lunch at Wendy's. I am so thankful for good friends and ward members. Its jaunts such as this that make the long days at work worth enduring.

Rain

In January 2007 while living in Watseka Illinois, we had a rainy spell that lasted a few days. When I looked out our front door one morning, this is what I saw. In my mind this was pretty extreme and probably the extent of the flooding we would see. I was wrong.

That night we had a knock on our door to get out as soon as possible. The water did not stop rising. 

This was the view from the porch after the water crested and had gone significantly down. 

We could not even get to our street during the height of the flooding. Water is powerful stuff. There is no stopping its path.

During the worst of it, the water was about 12 inches above the top of the porch. We found a new home across town, but in the thick of it, you really began to wonder what things in life were really all that important. Earthly possessions began to lose their value and significance. All that mattered was our safety.

It has been raining in Salt Lake County for the past month. We've had a few days of sunshine, but the clouds have shrouded the valley constantly for days and days. The future looks a bit frightening, but in the midst of events such as this, men and women rally together to help each other. Bonds of friendship are formed. 

The saints in Iroquois County Illinois worked tirelessly to help their neighbors during this terrible disaster I witnessed. It was wonderful to see the community come together and support one another. Even though disasters can cause heartache and great loss, they can also bring a renewed sense of faith and hope.

Acuplaced

Last Thursday I wrote about taking the acuplacer. Here's how it went...

I made my way to the UofU campus. Even though I have been going to that school for 2 semesters I still get a bit lost when driving around campus. I parked at the Union Building so I could get there in time for my 5PM time slot. As I walked across campus to the Student Services building I took deep breaths and kept telling myself everything would be okay. No matter what the outcome, all would turn out well. I had added reassurance from a text I'd received from my boyfriend. I had confidence.

The main floor of the building is filled with scattered chairs adjacent to a long row of office windows. Behind each opening you could see people busy in cubicles. I looked to them for a glance or a look that might give me added courage. Why? I don't know, I guess I sometimes assume my life is a movie and everyone knows what I'm about to face. Anyway...

I took the elevator upstairs. My heart rate was fast enough. Stairs would not help my situation. I waltzed into the testing center and whipped out my drivers license for id verification. This really isn't a routine I'd like to be so familiar with, but there it is. There was a new student and her mom in line ahead of me. The student is actually in high school doing some concurrent enrollment class or some such thing. Her Mom went back outside to wait. I commented to the lady behind the counter that the mom has the easy job. I paid my fee telling the cashier that this was my fourth attempt, begging for some sympathy. She wished me luck and I ventured down the hall to the proctor.

The high school girl and I were led into the testing room and set up on the computers. Before I did anything else, I whipped out a piece of scratch paper and wrote down SOH-CAH-TOA. If you're familiar with Trig, you'll remember that pneumonic device. I also wrote down the sides of two kinds of 90 degree triangles while they were fresh on my mind.

And thus it began. Normally when I take tests I like to hurry through it and just get it over with, this time I decided to relax, breath and take my time. I got stuck on one particular question for about 10 minutes. I kept studying it trying to see it in different perspectives. After this intense study it finally clicked. The answer was simple. I happily clicked on my answer and continued on. Miss high school girl finished about twice as fast as I did. Normally my pride would have let that bother me, but I was determined to brush it off and continue on.

After clicking the answer to the final question I turned to notify the proctor that I was finished. I felt good. I had given it my all and done my best. I knew the answers to most of the questions and had confidence in my effort. The proctor printed my results. I looked down at my paper.... placement level, 1040, 1060, 1070. So... I didn't quite make it up to 1090, HOWEVER I doubled my previous best score. Even though I didn't quite get where I wanted to be, I was pleased with the improvement.

The summer will be filled with self-study to continue to improve and with luck by the end I will be right where I need to be. Thanks for reading.

The Acuplacer

In December 2010 I made the decision to change my major from History Education to Accounting. This decision had several side affects. The biggest of all was the need to return to that daunting, feared by many, overwhelmingly complicated subject of MATH. Before I continue, let my take you on a brief journey through Catie's Math History.

Elementary school set the foundation of numbers and basic calculations of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The comprehension was there, I was learning at a pace that caused me to quite enjoy the subject. I was good at it.

Middle school establishes your "level" of math ability. The really smart kids began 7th grade with Algebra 1, the ones who struggled to learn the concepts began in Math 7, and everybody else started with Pre-Algebra. That was me. My teacher in 7th grade was phenomenal. She had an amazing technique for teaching math. I don't know how she did it, but I owe any future success in math to her.

8th grade took me to Algebra 1. No sweat.

Then came 9th grade. GEOMETRY. Shapes. Practical application. What is the volume of that ball you like to throw around? It should be fun right? Wrong. I hated this class. I don't think it all had to do with the subject material. I had a teacher who was unwilling to be patient with students who took a bit longer to grasp the concepts. I had been a straight A student up to this point. By the end of the second quarter I had a failing notice. BOTH of my parents had to come in for a special parent teacher conference. The teacher was very unwilling to work with me. She basically said it was my fault for not applying myself. I was so frustrated. This was not the kind of student I was used to being. It made me have a lot more compassion for students who just take a little longer to learn. Somehow I was able to inch by and pass the class enough to start high school in Algebra 2.

I'm not sure how this happened, but when I began my high school career in Algebra 2, I was in a class full of Juniors and Seniors. It kind of gave me a boost in terms of being the youngest in the class... but I was painfully shy and didn't talk to anyone, so it really wasn't much glory. I sat in a corner all by myself so I could concentrate on my work. My teacher was also one of the sports coaches. He did a good job, but I never knew if he was angry or just being sarcastic....

Moving on to Junior year, Pre-Calculous. This teacher was very good. I learned a lot and did quite well.  At this point I had accomplished the minimum requirement to graduate from high school. My teacher strongly encouraged me to take concurrent enrollment MATH1050 for my senior year. I just wanted to play my senior year. At one time I actually did register for it, but at the last minute I changed my mind and registered for advanced cabinet making instead. (Which I don't really regret, I had a blast in the class)

Fall 2003 Freshman year, Utah State University. Math 1050. 4 days per week. 7:30AM. Bad idea. Logan is cold in the winter, and dark early in the morning. I did not attend this class very faithfully. It was the first time in my life I had ever skipped class. My teacher was good, but I just didn't apply myself. As the semester wore on I was getting Ds on all my exams. I knew I couldn't keep this up if I was going to pass the class. I had a neighbor who was willing to tutor me before the cumulative final. I studied hard and finally understood the material. I got an A on the final.

That was the last math class I ever took.

Fast forward to the present day. It is time to enroll in math classes again. Since it has been 7 years since my last math course, a placement test is required. Do you know how much you can forget in 7 years? Honestly, I probably forgot it all after 7 months.

The test used by universities is the Acuplacer. It draws questions from a vast amount of algebraic equations.

I first took the test in January of this year. I prepared a little bit before the test, but it was not enough to recall all the rules and formulas required to answer most questions.

More time passed. At the end of finals I took the test a second time. Again, fail, but now I have a strategy. I enlisted the help of my dear friend Miss P. to tutor me in the ways of college algebra. My boyfriend even chipped in to help. I took the test again, my score was too low. I took it again a week later, still no luck.

This has turned out to be a somewhat longwinded explanation, but it does all lead to a point. Today at 5PM I have one more chance to take the Acuplacer test to see if my studying and preparation will pay off. My goal is to get a high enough score to register for Math 1090 this summer so that I can apply for upper-division status in my major by January 2012.

As a side note, I must say that as the concepts have slowly started to come back to me, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I used to know it. It is down inside of me. I just hope it will emerge today as I make one more attempt to pass the test.

Do You Think It'll Be An Early Spring?

This week begins my 2 week respite from class. I will not be wholly without academics because I am going to frantically cram and study college algebra to pass the acuplacer test. Adulthood seems to have instilled in me this attitude of always needing to be doing something productive. I miss the days of being lazy without feeling guilty for it.

And now to the awesome story of the day. My phone number at work happens to be one digit away from the information phone number to acquire the weather forecast for the day. I often get several wrong numbers per week due to this fact. This morning I was pleasantly surprised by one of these such calls. Let me tell you why....

The phone rings, I see the number is unfamiliar so I am expecting a wrong number. I answer with my usual greeting of "Jordan Credit Union this is Catie". On the other end I hear the voice of a little girl. I say hello again and ask what I can do to help her. I then ask if she's trying to find out the weather. She proceeds to tell me that its a beautiful day outside. I promptly agree and encourage her to enjoy the day outside in the pleasant weather.

She then asked me if she ought to wear her flip-flops today. I tell her yes! She said she would ask her mom if she could wear her flip-flops outside today. She thought for sure her mother would agree to that idea. I also agreed and wished her a lovely day playing outside while wearing her flip-flops.

Finally she asked my name. I told her and then asked what her name was. I couldn't quite make it out, but I told her that I better get back to work. I then told her to go outside and have fun playing in the sunshine.

New job title, weather forecaster and fashion advisor.