The Hazard Chronicles

So...It's been a couple of crazy weeks for Rachel. Here's the story.

Remember a couple of weeks how I said that Rachel had gotten that dream job? If not, then go back and review. It was a great job. She was stoked. Well- she totally aced the interview and they told her that the job was hers contingent on a successful background check. Knowing that she had no "skeletons in the closet," Rachel happily assumed that she was home free.

Well, a little over a week ago she got a phone call from Sorenson (her employer) informing her that a background check revealed a complete lack of the college degrees that she had claimed on her application. A little irritated, Rachel explained that there must be some mistake. She would call the college that she graduated from right away and figure things out.

She called the college. Here's where the bad news hit. They had no record of her graduation! According to them, she had not received a degree! What's more, her records didn't even show that she had an Associate degree. At this point she started panicking a little. What? No degree? What about graduation? What about Summa Cum Laude? What about her job that she got as a teacher after she finished school? This misunderstanding was getting out of hand. Frantically, she made a few more phone calls, and the bad news was only confirmed. She had no degrees. None. Academically, she was back to square one- high school graduation.

How could this happen? The school she graduated from (UVU) said it was because her Bachelor degree hinged on the Associate that was transferred up from another school (SLCC). Apparently, they didn't double check on the transferred degree until after graduation, at which time they found a discrepancy (and conveniently forgot to tell Rachel). Basically, the Associate didn't transfer, so she couldn't get the Bachelor.

OK...But why didn't the Associate degree transfer? And why was she cleared for graduation by UVU before they had ensured the completion of all the required coursework? While we still don't know the answer to the second question, the first was quickly resolved by calling SLCC. They politely informed Rachel that the Associate was never transferred because she never earned it. What?! Why the heck not? Well, it looked like she never completed a freshman level sign language course. Never mind that Rachel had actually taken the class. Never mind that this course was a required prerequisite to virtually every other class on Rachel's transcript. The papers said she hadn't taken it, so that was that. Oh- and just in case you were wondering, it is a class that could not be tested out of (even though Rachel is now a nationally certified sign language interpreter), nor could it be taken online. The only way to get credit for the class would be to physically attend SLCC for another semester.

So, basically what is came down to was that Rachel didn't have an Associate or a Bachelor degree because the papers said that she never took an intro-to-sign-language course. And just like that- 5 years of hard work was gone. Dream job- gone. Dreams of going back to school for her Masters- gone. Credentials for future employment- gone. Done. And just to rub salt in the wound, when Rachel explained all of this to Sorenson (future employer), they informed her that she would NEVER, EVER be able to apply for a job with them again, even if she did get the degrees back, because she had committed the unpardonable sin- falsification and manipulation of information on her application.

Rachel was devastated.

She spent a lot of time on the phone in the next few days and weeks. She petitioned her case to the highest possible place at both schools. She explained, pleaded, begged, argued, fought, re-explained, negotiated, and talked with pretty much anyone who would listen. She was desperate.

And you know what? It worked.

It was tense for a while, but it finally ended up working. She will officially graduate in December of this year. So, Congratulations Rachel!

Oh- and about the job. She totally got it. She'll be starting in January.

Phew! What a scare.

Anyway. Other than that, things have been going really great. Here are some pictures.

I got a new guitar. I LOVE it. It's a Fender Strat. Beautiful. Simply Beautiful. Rachel told me I need to engrave the back of it with five simple words- "I love my wife more." I think she was only half joking.

The rest of these pictures of photos we found of Addy and Jack's birthday party. Rachel did a superhero theme. This, of course, is the cake. 

She made capes for all the kids with their initials sewn into them. Still, some opted to wear the ones they brought instead. Also, each kid made a superhero mask upon arrival to the party.

The heroes in silhouette. I did the cityscape. In case you didn't notice, it's Cleveland. I think it's pretty good.

Flying over the city!

They got lots of cool presents for their birthday, but their favorites are the bikes that Rachel and I got for them. Also, I don't usually look like a possessed demon. Only sometimes.