Too good to be true.

Have you ever been apart of something that seemed just right and turned out to be too good to be true? Welcome to my life lately. I'll tell you the story.
When we first got here, I was doing some consulting work for a previous boss of mine. When I had been offered the job, it was supposed to be part time no more than 25 hours a week at $20 an hour and there were enough projects to last until mid-June.
So I started. But only after it taking a week for the boss to give me the projects I was supposed to be working on. I took it as a small blessing that I was able to finish unpacking and settling in.
So I worked for four weeks. And the strangest thing was happening, I was not getting paid. When I tried asking about it, I would always be told it was processing or the boss would check on it. And nothing. And it got time to pay rent...and we had to use student loan money. And then the fifth week, the boss decided that she was too busy to send me a two line email stating she was swamped with work (what am I for then?) and then she got sick. So week 5- nothing.
Then week 6 came and I found out that the boss had been sick which is why no one responded. I was finally told who to contact in accounting and I did. She guaranteed me that the check would be sent out Friday morning and that I could get it sooner if needed. Although I had regularly been submitting time sheets, they were not being processed.
And then YESTERDAY--we are almost to week 7 I find out that they are not being processed because the accounting department needs an invoice, not just time sheets. So I immediately make those and send them to the boss and the accounting department in hopes of getting the check(s) sent on Friday. I hear nothing from either person for several hours. I just checked my email and now I'm being told that the check is to be made out to CD Consulting...which is the name that the boss told me to make up for the paperwork forms. It's not a real company, it's not filed in the State of ND or AZ or anywhere else...it is me. Apparently, I also need a W-9 form to be sent to the accounting department to get the check processed. I do not have that because I have never filed self-employment taxes before because I just started this. Mind you, the only reason I did this was because I thought it would be a relatively easy side job to bring in a little extra income while I found a full time job here in ND. Turns out that it has been a huge hassle and we have gone 6 weeks without getting paid. And to me, that's not even the worst part.
This whole thing has been the same as every time I have tried to look for a job in the past. You know when you get to that point where you feel completely worthless, unemployable, and utterly frustrated? Well I was there 2 weeks ago. I have applied to TONS of positions here in ND, some that I'm WAY over qualified for, some that I'm under qualified for and some that seem just right. And perhaps because no one invests in Human Resource departments here, I rarely even hear one way or the other and no one can give me a straight answer when I call.
So, I'm about at my wit's end. I want to be working, I want to be getting paid. And I just want the frustration to subside.

Friday Night Date Night

I will admit that when we started blogging this year, we thought we would have lots of adventures to talk about each day. Well, turns out that sometimes it is so cold that all we do is stay inside and study. HOWEVER- we make sure that we go out and do something at least once a week for a date on a Friday night.

3 weeks ago, Steven and I went to a ballet...yes that's right a ballet! Steven was all game for it until he found out there were no words. However, after sitting through it, I think he understood the story and actually enjoyed it (although he would never admit to it!)

The ballet we saw was Coppelia performed by the North Dakota Ballet Company. Turns out they are based out of a theatre just around the corner from us. We got there an hour early to buy tickets at the door. We thought it would be sold out...we forgot where we were. The theatre really isn't too big. You could sit in the back row and still have a good view! But, we got tickets on the 4th row and all was well. The ballet is a comedic ballet. Wikipedia it to learn more. Because it was so close, we just walked and took our umbrella...when we got out it was raining what is called Freezing rain...it's comparable to hail but there's more of it and it comes down harder...anyways. We tried to get a picture...but you could imagine our eagerness to just get home!
Two Fridays ago, we spent date night at Target and then home. We bought Bye, Bye Birdie! a musical that I grew up on. Then we bought some pasta and dessert and came home to eat and enjoy our movie. If you've never seen it, you should expand your horizons!


So, since I got to pick two weeks of date night in a row...Steven picked next. He picked that we go grocery shopping. It was SUPER exciting, let me tell you. But, before we went to the store, we went and picked up Steven a UND jacket. I got it from this lady on freecycle. If you've never heard of it, check out www.freecycle.org Basically, you can join regional groups and people post stuff they want to give away rather than throwing it out...it's all about keeping good stuff out of the land fill. Seriously, go check it out! I bet they have one in your area!

And that is it as far as date night goes...this week, we will see. I entered a contest to win tickets to the Monster Truck show that is coming...but I think technically Steven gets to pick what we do, so we will see what happens!

A Long Overdue Update- Fall Version

See, I told you I would update about Fall too!

September--

The highlight of September was our trip to North Dakota to visit the school there. It makes me laugh that it was the highlight. It was much prettier in September, and we can't wait for this summer!! I don't feel the need to post pictures about it...just wait a few months and they'll all be the same!

Also in September, was my Mother-in-law, Becky's birthday. As in all things involving boys, the highlight was playing with fire...The boys were having a contest to see who could let their matches burn down the furthest before burning them out. Keith joined in too...Boys.

October--

To start off October, we went to First Fridays at the Phoenix Art Museum. We rode the light rail and saw lots of cool art! We didn't have to ride the light rail very far, so when we were done, we just kept riding it...and when we got off, it was kind of in a sketchy area...hence Steven's face.

It was also Andrew's 14th birthday. He picked Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Becky and I went to Ladies Night at Deseret Book and met the boys for dinner after they were done with Conference.

He got to sit on the saddle...he clearly enjoyed it.

And the most important part of October- I GRADUATED!!! Well actually I just finished the courses, graduation is in April. Everyone told me I couldn't finish my last semester the way it was scheduled, and I did it anyways...so HA! Anyways, I came home from my class very late (it was in Chandler) and I came home to a beautiful dinner made by Steven and flowers too!

The following weekend, we went to Prescott for a graduation trip. It was BEAUTIFUL and such a nice break. We went to the movies, went and hiked, ate lots of good food, went shopping, slept in- all things I had been neglecting for the past few months.

Here is Steven in our hotel room--we got a sweet deal on this hotel that was becoming a resort...the only downside was all the new furniture in giant boxes in the foyer. It was a steal!
Steven by the lake we visited...I'm pretty sure it was something original like Prescott Lake or something.
On our nature walk...notice the leaves behind us? It was truly FALL!!

We also celebrated our friend Raf's graduation from Surgical Technology school. It was an interesting ceremony to say the least...This picture pretty much defines their relationship...

Halloween- As far as Halloween goes, I was in charge of 18 different costumes...10 for work (see the sashes-we were princesses) and 6 beehive costumes (we were Bees) and mine and Steven's (he was a pot of honey). It was fun but I will not be volunteering to make costumes for awhile.

The sashes after the first coat of puffy paint...all those outlined letters!
Our parent's ward trunk-or-treat
Me with two of my beehives...we didn't get a group picture of all of us!

At our ward trunk-or-treat!


November--

In November, I went to Kayley's state Band Competition. It was clear out in the East Valley. I actually saw several of the planes from Steven's school flying over it--but none were him. Kayley's band did very good, despite their rating. Here is the fan club :)

And the only other thing that happened in November was that we went to Utah for Thanksgiving break. We spent a lot of time with family. I was up there for a whole week (5 days without Steven!) working remotely and Steven came up after classes with my mom. I got to meet up with some friends from college. It was a fun reunion! We also got to see the lights at Temple Square twice! And we spent a lot of time shopping the day after Thanksgiving...we got most of our winter clothes though! And my little brother broke his ankle and we had to push him around Temple Square in a wheel chair...which made for a lot of fun stories! Ha love you bro!
We were freezing! Steven loves his new coat, so feel free to comment on it...


And December was a busy month, so it will get it's own catch-up post, we'll call it the winter update!

We need your help!!

So, as the title says, we (mostly me) need your help! I'll give you some background and then let you do the rest.
Today, I received my diploma in the mail. Yipee, right? Nope. My degree looks like something printed from an online template. I'm pretty sure that I could have printed something better from my home printer.
Upon calling the University, all the woman could say was that in order to have it reprinted it would cost $25. Here are the things that I find wrong with it right off the bat:
1. Half is off-centered. For anyone walking by, they wouldn't notice. For someone like me that designs things that must be aligned correctly, I notice.
2. It is on cheap cardstock.
3. It does not have my major listed (the woman at the school says that they only print that on the official transcripts)
4. There is no raised text. It looks like it was printed in bulk from a laser scanner.
5. There is nothing official-looking about it at all.
6. I paid $150 graduation fee for my diploma and cap and gown. I'm not paying $25 to have it reprinted.
7. The signatures have been blown up so big, that I can tell they are digital. It's almost like they are pixelated.

Some people may say that the piece of paper isn't what matters, it's the education in my brain. I agree- However, I feel that the diploma should be a symbol of the education I received. I spent $20,000 at this institution, it's a private, accredited university, I should receive a nice-looking diploma. I want to be able to hang it on the wall proudly! I want people to see it and stop and ask where it's from, etc.

I opened it up before Steven got home and I was disappointed. I thought I might just be over-reacting though. I knew when Steven came home and looked at it and said, "this is it?!" that I wasn't over-reacting.

Steven and I compared this diploma to my Associate's degree from SUU and my High School diploma. My BA diploma came in 3 of 3.

So here is why we need your help. If you have a degree, Bachelor's, Master's, Associates, High School Diploma, anything, I need you. I'm going to write a formal complaint letter to the University. If the issue isn't handled in a professional manner, I will be dropping out of the Master's program at the school and looking elsewhere. I don't want to pay any more money to a school for another cheap diploma. So, if you can, please answer these questions for me. You can comment them here or email them to me at chelsea.dorn@yahoo.com Thanks in advance for your help!

1. What type of degree do you have?
2. Where is it from?
About the diploma itself-
3. Is the text raised?
4. What type of paper is it printed on?
5. Is the seal of the university on it? Where is it at? What does it look like?
6. What is the wording of the diploma?
7. Is there a watermark on the paper?
8. What do the signatures look like?
9. Who signed the diploma? The president, the board of trustees chair?
10. What are the color schemes of your diploma? Black and white? colored? gold-leafed/gilded?
11. Are you proud enough of the diploma itself to display it somewhere?
12. Anything else you can tell me about the diploma?

If you don't want to type out exactly what the wording is, you could just scan a copy and email it to me...I promise I won't steal your identity or anything...I wouldn't even know where to start! I might covet your nice-looking diploma though!

Thanks in advance for your help!

PS I googled diplomas hoping to find out what the standard was, but I found that there are companies that make fake diplomas--and they ALL look nicer than mine. That was just the icing on the cake.