Three months to graduation...

With the encouragement of a few friends and family I have decided to join the rest of you in the blogging world. I don't imagine that my life is especially exciting, but I do enjoy reading all of your blogs and I suppose this is a good way to stay in touch - especially since I seem to be the last one to ever find out news.

So in case you need an update on what's going on with me lately...

I am set to graduate in August. I'm currently taking the last class I need and I'll probably take at least one more in the summer just to pad the GPA for future graduate school applications. I've decided that career journalism is probably not for me, for different reasons. After graduation I would like to find a job locally and work for a couple of years before following in John's footsteps and getting an MBA - BYU would be my first choice.

I'm working part-time at a company called Access Technology Solutions in Provo. I've been with them for about a year. My job can best be described as international eCommerce logistics support. We do the middle work for retailers looking to sell their products internationally via the internet. I do various stuff dealing with that. A lot of our business deals with Japan so most of the people working here are Japanese or served missions in Japan.

I'm still doing high school sports coverage for the Deseret News. I'm as busy as ever with that, especially this time of year when all the state tournaments are going on. This could be the last year I do any of that, but I've enjoyed the ride.

My other "job," I've taken the greatest interest in lately. I've picked up refereeing more as an avocation, but I'm slowly getting addicted to it. I joined the local high school basketball officials association this past season and worked several dozen games as high up as the 4A JV boys level. I'm also a certified soccer referee through the US Soccer federation. I've gotten into it this year doing some games for the youth club teams.

The higher-ups in the basketball association have apparently been impressed with my first year and I've been told they have their eye on me. The assignor told me I can expect to get some bigger JV assignments and they'll be interested to see how I do with those. I'm excited about that prospect. I'll be going to a couple of camps over the summer and working hard to improve and get ready for the next season. This is something that I could continue doing indefinitely alongside whatever career or schooling I land in, so it's worth pursuing.

If you're interested in my dating life -- heaven knows Mom is, every single time I walk out the door to go somewhere she starts peppering me with questions about what girls will be there -- there's nothing I feel like reporting to the family gossip machine yet. But, there could be something soon. That's the best teaser I can come up with...