Joanna Banana

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!



My dear sister takes the time on her blog to send out birthday greetings on each of our birthdays. Therefore, I thought it only right to return the favor and tell her just how much we love her!!!

Whenever I speak about Joanna to anyone, I never have anything bad to say about her. She truly is one of the greatest people that I know. There is an optimism and genuine love that comes from this girl. It's a rare thing to meet someone who can look at people and see only the good that is in them. Joanna never has bad things to say about people. She truly sees them in a Christ-like way and that is AMAZING!!!

She also has a remarkable talent with children. I would love to sit in her classroom and watch her teach. (I'm sure that that would freak her out so I have refrained) I'm sure that teaching small children is not easy, but you can see the love she has for each of them as she talks about them and tells us the funny things that happen all day!

Not just her school kids, but our nieces and nephews just love Aunt Joey!!! They love to sit by her at church, play games with her, and jump with her in leaves! Once, one of our nephews asked me, "I wish that Joey could visit us." (Too bad Utah and Arizona are so far away!) They just love you Jo and always want you around!

Joanna can make any stressful situation better. We have been on several trips together- which usually results- as you can imagine- in a BIG adventure. Once, we decided to go to Colorado. We were so proud of ourselves because up until we got to the city, it was smooth sailing. However,for some reason big cities are always under construction. And they do crazy things. Like randomly SHUTTING DOWN the freeway at night. Who does that?! Of course, I began to have an anxiety attack because we were forced to exit the freeway and get on another one that was sending us who knows where. Plus there was tons of traffic since everyone was doing the same! We were going 65 miles an hour down an unknown road worrying that we were now on our way to Canada. Thinking fast, I grabbed my phone and called my friend for new directions to her house. She asked me what street we were on, and I asked Joanna the same thing. Joanna looked at a sign and said causally "oh we're on Santa Fe drive!" and then proceeded to sing "Santa Fe" from Newsies at the top of her lungs. Here we were completely lost, panic filling the car, and she was singing! She made me laugh and the situation changed drastically!

Joanna is such a thoughtful person. Other people's needs always come before her own! Once she called me just to say Hi. It was a particularly bad day for me and she caught me in the middle of a cry session. I told her I was fine and not to worry. 10 minutes later, there was a knock on my apartment door and there she was. She dropped everything to be there for me and make sure that I was Okay. When I was about 12 I mentioned that I wanted to begin wearing makeup. The next day, there was mascara on my dresser that she had bought for me! Joanna would also randomly stop by with icecream for me just to wish me a good day! (That icecream would be very welcomed her in Arizona!)

Not just anyone will willingly lay on the side of a snow-packed road, with cars and semis driving by, to put chains on our tires so we could make it through the canyon! (I still can't believe that you didnt get run over!)

Joanna I just love you to pieces!!!

To my travel buddy, tent mate, and board game teammate--- I wish you the best birthday EVER!!!

No Freddy Krueger here!

For some reason this past Friday, when my alarm went off at 7,I decided that it really wasn't necessary. I turned it off, rolled over and peacefully fell back asleep. During my dream I think that something triggered my brain to start working again and I shot out of bed wondering what time it was. Yep. 7:45. Here's the problem. I leave at 8:15! Half hour to get ready?! It was pushing it so I ran around like a crazy woman! I knew right then and there that this Friday the 13th was out to get me! But was I ever wrong! It was one of the luckiest days that I have ever had! Let me elaborate a little.

Even though I woke up a little late, I somehow got into my car at 8:20! The drive to work was very peaceful with very little of the normal crazy Arizonian drivers all around me. I pulled into work at 8:54! Which was my normal time of arrival. "How can that be?" You may be asking yourself?! Well, I wondered the same thing. Luck.

Then to the parking garage. I started my drive up to possiby the 4th floor like usual. But right there before my eyes on the second level...A SPOT! Only one flight of stairs today! Luck.

As I began my walk in to the hospital, a light and strangely enough, cool breeze blew by right before I began the hot trek across the asphalt. Luck.

Into the hospital and toward those dreaded elevators. Lately these elevators have taken quite a long time to come when called for. (Another proof that they are ready to break down at any moment with helpless people trapped inside.) However, this day was different. I pushed the up arrow, and the door opened immediately! No waiting today! Luck.

Nothing dramatically lucky happened at work. However, by the end of the day there were only 3 children left on the unit. So I consider that lucky for those children and families who got to go home. Esp. one family that had been there for 2 weeks! Lucky day for them.

On my drive home, I was reflecting on how great the day was and pretty soon I noticed that I was lost in my thoughts, but the gas pedal was still being pushed by my foot. As I took the turn off the freeway, a little warning bell went off in my head. "There are cops on this road Jill. Remember the speed limit is only 45". I think my foot responded ever so slightly as my speed reduced to 60. (Still speeding- mind you.) Just as a tangent, I have a real problem with this stretch of road. There is NOTHING on the road. Just the dump. The terrain looks just like the freeway, so why am I forced to go 20 miles an hour slower? It really irks me- so therefore I think that I push it a little too close than I should! Anywho, back to the story- As I came over the top of a little hill, again the thought came to mind. "If I were a cop, I would hide at the bottom of this hill." So again I took my foot off the gas. However, no cops--so I thought--smooth sailing to my house. Nope. As I got closer I saw 2 not just 1, but 2 cop cars faced towards me ready to get me for speeding. There is nothing more frightening then seeing 2 black radar guns pointed out the window at you. (I take that back.I think 2 black real guns pointed out the window at you might be more frightening.)I think that I then defied science as my heart stopped beating, fell out of my body and onto the floor. After picking it up and getting it going again, I looked down and I was going 60. "Ahh!!" I screamed as I hit the break. Surely they caught me. I began saying out loud. "No! Please. I'm sorry! I wont do it again. Let me go." I guess they heard me because they stayed in place and I drove past them on my way. Still looking in my rear view waiting for them to flip around, yet they never did! Luck.

And last but not least... That night at the movie theater, the parking lot was packed. We drove around and at the last minute a person on the very front row was backing out! Luck.
Inside, we were the 2nd people in there and got the most perfect seating I have ever been in. Right behind the hand rail. Plenty of leg space, a place to put my feat, and no one in front of me! Luck.

I cant wait for the next Friday the 13th!


You can also say that "luck" can also be those little tender mercies sent from Heavenly Father to reassure us that He does care and is mindful of us, even in the smallest of situations! So thank you Heavenly Father!!!

Ouch!

Today I had to get my second MMR shot. When I started my job about a month ago, I didnt have the paper work that had that stamp of proof that I had my shots when I was younger. For some reason, my handwriting on a ripped out piece of notebook paper didnt cut it for them. So on the same day that I had to do that testing thing with the plastic container over my head, I also had to go to the lab where some blood was drawn just to see if I really was immune. Turns out- I'm not. I was shocked to say the least. Somehow one of the M's of the MMR didnt work. So this whole time, since 1994, I could have gotten then MUMPS! That could have been horrible! (and I thought the heat was bad!)

So I got my first round of vaccine right then and there and to be honest, I dont remember it.No pain, no soreness, nada. The lady told me to come back in a month. Well, once I walked out that office door, it never crossed my mind again. Until of course, I started getting daily phone calls about a week ago. Oops, but in my defense, work has been kind of crazy and I couldnt find a time to walk across the freakishly hot parking lot-- past the parking garage mind you-- to occupational health. Yes, I know, I could have gone BEFORE work, but those who know me, know thats almost laughable! :) and after work they are closed.

I decided- today was the day. I did everything I needed in the morning and mentioned to someone about where I was going and they had a novel idea...call the shuttle! Wow! Why have I never thought about that? No heat? No walking? I love inventions like this! So I called the shuttle and it came actually quite quickly. Was it a good idea? Yes. Downfalls? Only one. It takes forever! He had to drop everyone else off first. What could have been a 7 min walk, turned into a 15 min shuttle ride. Oh well, at least there was AC. The worse part was that even the driver commented on how silly it was that I didnt walk! That always feels good!

While I was in the nurses office I saw her pull out two needles. Now, I am around needles everyday and I prepare kids for needle pokes everyday, but THAT needle was going in MY arm and it looked really big and fat! So I thought to myself, "what do I tell the kids to do?" Umm- mind. blank. So nervous mode set in and I just started rambling and rambling. I have no idea what was coming out of my mouth, but it worked to take my mind off of it... up until the point of the actual stick of the needle and the only thing that filled my mind was "ah-aH-AH-OW!!! That stings!" and it did! But what came out of my mouth was- even more rambling and believe it or not, I think it was even faster! All nonsense, I'm sure, but apparently thats what my mind does in stressful situations! Good to know. My mind was also immediately filled the movie quote from Finding Nemo "Find a happy place. find a happy place". Granted, the stinging only lasted about 5 min, but MAN! I will be fine in life if I dont have to do that again! So next time needles come out around children, I'm just going to scream with them!

These are the days of my life

So, I thought it would be fun, to help you all feel connected to me,to give a little run down of what I do everyday! So here is a little snippet into my daily routine.

I leave for work about 8:20 or so (depending on the morning and how fast it flies by) and drive the 40 min to the hospital. I pull into our nice parking garage and begin my trek down usually 4 flights of stairs toward the hospital. Luckily, the side of the parking garage is shaded, so I can enjoy a brief moment outside. The best part of my day comes when I pass an open field of grass and I am greeted by cute little wild bunnies! Well, greeted isn't really the right word. They run away as soon as I come walking up, but thats not the point. I still stay hello and it makes my morning! There are about 4 of them and are about the size of my hand with cute little white puffy tails. Who knew that wild rabbits would be in Scottsdale! I sure didnt but I'm glad they are!

I then start the death walk across the black top parking lot. It is usually preceded by a deep breath and a prayer! As soon as I make it into the hospital and feel the air conditioning enter my body, I also feel my life coming back in. What a wonderful invention! I am thankful for it daily! Then up to the fourth floor on those dreaded elevators. I am still using them even after the scare they gave me, but sometimes lets face it- laziness/tiredness overcomes fear! I walk into the playroom and say hello to the fish who usually get so excited to see me. They swim like crazy all around the tank. Granted its a superficial love- because they know I'm going to feed them, but its a nice self-esteem boost first thing in the morning! :) I then pick music for the day for the playroom and head off to get report from the nurses.

Then I go visit kids for 8 hours! Each day is full of adventures with these kids and I love it!

Then at 5:30 I head off to my car which can only be described as one entering a furnace that has been turned on full force during the cold winter months. I feel like slow motion kicks in as I approach the outside and see the doors moving away from each other. The flood of heat waves come racing at me. Almost like, if you will, a tsunami hitting the mainland. Its almost takes your breath away as you leave those nice, comforting, cool doors of the hospital. Then I begin praying again for my feet to keeping moving at a fast pace to get me to my car. The walk back is about 100 times hotter then it was on the way in. Oddly enough however, my car in the parking garage, that has been there all day- mind you, is not hot! There must be some law of physics happening there that I dont fully grasp. Yes, I see that it has been in the shade and under a roof, but the walls are open! Is there some force field that keeps the heat away as soon as I scan my card and drive in? Can heat only affect things from above? I'm sure that there is a logical explination that my brothers and dad will post, but for now- I don't get it,but I'm thankful for it!
Then 40 minutes later I pull up to my abode, run to the door, unlock it as fast as I can, and stay inside!

There you have it folks- I hope that helped open your eyes into the the fun, exciting, and quite warm life that I lead!

Elevators

Its kinda funny. I have all these plans to write a blog during the week. Then I am so tired when I get home from work that I begin to feel a little on the lazy side. Later, as I begin to settle in for bed, I finally begin to find the strength to write. I open the computer and then wonder what my family and friends have put on their blogs and by the time I am done reading them I am ready to drift off to sleep! Tonight, I am doing things a little differently. I am writing first and then reading! I'll consider your blogs as my night time story if you will. So I will thank you in advance!

Now that I have rambled on for a paragraph about nothing related to elevators, I'll get on with it. I used to be terrified of elevators. There was a time in my life when I was obsessed with earthquakes and I was sure that I would be in an elevator when an earthquake hit and then plummet to my death! My family can tell you of all the mean tricks they played on me with that fear of mine- (that's right- Mom! :))

When I was younger, I went to California with my mom, brother, aunt, and cousins. I remember one morning getting ready to go somewhere fun and getting on the elevator. Being in california only heightened my fear of earthquakes(which I am sure made it a fun trip for all involved)So I was a little afraid to go in one. On the way down we reached our desired floor and the doors didnt open. We could hear people on the other side, but we were trapped! I soon began to feel the walls close in and I remember thinking- this is it! The very moment I have worried about my whole life!" and I began to prepare to plummet. I think I grasped the handle bars and closed my eyes. The doors then opened- Not wanting to risk them shutting again, I ran out as quickly as I could. From that point on, I never wanted to set foot on an elevator. I used stairs whenever I could. I was actually prob. the most in shape then I have ever been! Over the years, my fear has gone away and I can get on the elevators without trembling. I still think that it is odd that we put so much trust in a steal box thatlowers and raises all day long. But oh well.

Well, I had no instances with elevators--until friday. I got in the elevators on the 4th floor- just like every other day- and pushed #1. I was alone as I began my decent downward. We passed 3 then 2 and stopped on 1. but the doors didnt open- again! Panic began to set in! Do I push the emergency button?! Do I scream for help?! All these thoughts were rushing in my mind when all of a sudden I started going back up! The only thought that I had in my mind was on Charlie and the chocolate factory when the elevator they are in goes shooting through the roof. Surly, that wasnt going to happen, but I wondered if I was going to be stuck in the elevator and go up and down all day long! We went up the the 5th floor where a man got on and asked me to push #1. Stunned and shocked- as was prob demonstrated by an open mouth and blank stare- I pushed 1 again and then said, well I hope it opens this time! To which he gave me a very random look and I explained what happened. As we approached the first floor, I prepared to go shooting up to another floor again. Luckily, this time the doors opened and just like when I was 10 I ran out as fast as I could. I now hesitate as I get on those elevators. I might just have to take up stair walking again!

I'm Cursed!

Monday is usually such a wonderful day. Its my day off to have some me time and get some quick errands done. However, today had a twist to it. Everything was so difficult! Once I finally got out of bed (which kinda took a while hehe) and got ready for the day, I was off to run my "quick" errands.
First on my list. Get gas. Not hard you say. Well, you have forgotten that we are talking about me. As I drove to my favorite 2.93 gas station (by the way, when did 2.93 become exciting?!). I realized there were flashing red and blue lights ahead of me. Of course, the police car pulls this long truck pulling a trailer, over into the very gas station that I was going. I got stopped at the light right before it, so I had some time to assess the situation. I watched as the policeman got out of his car, and about 5 guys got out of the truck. The police man was using his radio and I felt very confused at what was unfolding before my eyes. The light turned green and I thought to myself- is it really necessary to get gas at this very moment? I chose the option No. So on to Target I went.
I had only one reason to go to Target. That was to make copies of some pictures from my memory card from my camera. Surly Target has a machine like that. Nope. They dont. Urg! Mumbling under my breath I thought about my plan of action. I had been out running errand now for 20 min and still nothing was accomplished! The only thing I could think of was to go to Wallmart. I hesitated briefly though because of my last adventure there. But, it was the only option that came to my mind. So off I went. On my way to Walmart, I passed the gas station again and there was no sign of police activity. So I filled up my tank and then realized that as much as I love going there, I needed a car wash as well, and of course there was none. I wasnt surprised.
On my way to Walmart, I passed a gas station that had a car wash and made a mental note for my way home. Surprisingly, getting my pictures developed was super easy! The man at the desk was actually very nice and the best part was, there was no man with bloody fingers touching anything of mine! I breathed a sigh of relief as I went to buy some groceries. I felt my luck changing. I was checking everything off my list until I realized that I could not find Tortillas or Lean pockets anywhere in the store. Those should not be so difficult to find. Oh wait- this is my shopping adventure. Of course it was. So I would have to go to another store to find those. "I think I'll do that another day" I thought to myself. Its time to go home!

Upon leaving walmart,I remembered the gas station/car wash and HALLELUJAH I found it again. (which is no small feat for me here in Arizona!) YEA! My car looks beautiful, however now the clouds are forming and the forecast is calling for rain. I am sure that none of you are surprised. My day wouldnt be MY DAY without ending in such a way!
Oh well- Thank goodness there is always tomorrow~

Is this really happening?!?!

Being single is not for the faint of heart. It is exhausting and if you're me-- an adventure. I think that I may have a sign on me that says- If you have something really bizarre to talk about please come to me! Let me just fill you in on what I am talking about. On memorial day my roommates and I geared up for some big social time at a bar-be-que that someone in our ward was having. I put on my happy face and was ready to "get out there" and meet some people. Lets just say it was a little on the disappointing side. After many train wrecks of conversations, I decided to plop down on the couch and watch the Jazz game. I struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. As we did so, the room began to fill up as more and more people, prob. tired of socializing, decided to just watch the game.

Well, the guy I was talking to, we'll call him Sam, got up out of the blue. I sat in a confused state, until I realized that he was going to get his guitar. "Is he really going to play that in here with all these people" I thought to myself. Yep. Sure was. As people tried to watch the game Sam began to play away. I suggested that he play a beatles song. He got up, went to another room, memorized the cords for "let it be" and came back. "Hmm" was just about the only thing that would come to my mind. I wasnt quite sure where this would be going. He sat down on the fireplace next to me and began not only playing, but singing as well. I listened patiently, but when we was finished I found myself feeling relieved. However, the celebration was too soon! He then proceeded to sing about 10 more songs that he had written about his past relationships! All about love and the beauty of these girls. Now I ask you, can you see how uncomfortable this moment is? First of all, it would be one thing if I was dating him and he was singing to me about ME, but nope- it was to me about other girls. Where the heck is one supposed to look at times like that. I can't look him in the eyes, but if I look around the room, thats rude! I wondered how long it would go on. Once it was over- just as quickly as he came, he was gone. He got up, complained about his back hurting, and then left. WHAT?!

Now fast forward to yesterday. Just under a week later, I see him at church. He says hello and stops. Since the only thing that I know about him is the guitar, I ask him if he's played recently. He explained that he can only write when he's love. "Thats crazy talk" I told him " Write about being single". Now had a known what was about to happen, I would NEVER have even gone there. He said, "well, actually I already have, it goes like this." He then proceeds to put his arms in the place where a guitar would have been and starts strumming his air guitar and then without warning starts SINGING the song about being single. "Surly this is a dream" I thought. It didnt stop there, he even sang the music part of it as well. I was mortified. I didnt want to be standing there in the doorway while people are passing and he's in his own world singing to me. I tried to stop him, buy saying, "thats cool thanks" in the middle of it, but to no avail, he sang me all 5 verses. Off key and completly unaware of the scene he was making.

My roommate was standing behind him and looking at me in wonder. "what is he doing?" she's mouth to me. and then had to bite her lip to stop from laughing as he'd go to the high notes. I couldnt make eye contact with her because I knew I would loose it. The best line, however, that he said as I was trying to get away was,"The best part is that I never mess up on my air guitar!!!"

Oh Mr. Right- Where are you?!