Family History Roll

So, once in awhile I come up with a good idea and, this is the amazing part, execute the idea. I'm pretty pleased with myself for this one, which would be why I'm sharing it with the "cyberworld."

Visiting graves on or near Memorial Day hasn't always been a tradition, though it should be I know. Growing up so far from my family members' graves made it more challenging. Since I've been back in Utah, I have managed to visit gravesites a few times near Memorial Day but still not consistently. This year I went to Grandpa B's grave on Sunday afternoon. While I was there I had the thought to write my memories of him. So I returned to my car, retrieved a notebook, pen and chair and then sat at Grandpa's grave and recorded my memories.

It was fun to bring back those thoughts and images. There weren't many (Grandpa wasn't retired when I was little and then when he did retire he had two strokes which affected him physically & mentally and put some limitations on my interactions with him). But the ones I have are precious; he teaching me how to walk through a puddle when I was about 4 is probably my favorite. Plus, I was a kid and the idea of chatting with a bunch of adults wasn't why I came to visit Grandma & Grandpa, it was all about playing with my cousins. You know, just being a kid.

When I returned home I pulled out the transcript from his funeral and reread that. (Thanks again, Ann, for putting it together and giving us all a copy for Christmas a few years ago.) I enjoyed reading the memories others shared that day and getting to know Grandpa a little better again. I find it a bit ironic that even though I didn't know Grandpa that well or interacted with him as much as I would have liked, I still miss him. I miss knowing he's there and feeling his love for me. Of course I’ll always have those tangible things which instantly remind me of him – raspberry sherbet and Fig Newtons – to bring back the feelings.

My goal now is to do the same with Grandma Hafen and Uncle Steven so that those memories don't fade any more than they already have. Guess that means I'll be doing a couple road trips since Grandma and Uncle Steven are buried in Mt. Pleasant and Cedar City respectively. (Now if those famous stories we keep hearing from Dad and Mom about their growing up years could get recorded, we'd be on a family history roll!)

A few 5's About Me

Just another way to get to know me a little better, anything surprising?

What was I doing 10 years ago?
1997, I don’t really remember. Working in Park City still I think or was it Fox & Company? I’d have to check my resume to be sure where. Not much else was different really-working, playing, spending time with BA & Brenda, dating occasionally, only had 1 nephew (now have 3 and 3 nieces)….

What was I doing 1 year ago?
Working (full time) at Primedia Scrapbooking on the retail sales team. Taking a community ed. Photoshop class (doing classes again but for a new degree, hmmm... interesting)

5 snacks I enjoy:
Black Licorice & Black Jelly Beans
Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream or frozen yogurt
Thin Mint cookies
Pringles Sour Cream & Onion Chips
Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips

5 songs I know all the words to:
only 5?! I sing with a choir and all our music is memorized!
Tons of church ones
Tons of musicals – Guys & Dolls, Sound of Music, Little Women, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Wizard of Oz, Joseph and the Amazing…,Oklahoma!, Cinderella, Pajama Game to name a few
“America the Beautiful”
Donny & Marie’s good night song (but give me a minute to get it started and not confused with Lawrence Welk's, have his memorized too)
“Silent Night”
“I Will Survive”
“Wait ‘til You’re Older”

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
Go back to school WITHOUT student loans
Pay off my car
Buy a house
Travel whenever & wherever I wanted
Spend more time volunteering and less time working
Work as a substitute teacher again just for the fun of it

5 things I like to do:
Getting lost in a good book
Sing
Blast the car radio with the windows down (when it’s not too hot)
Hang out with nephews & nieces (biological & “adopted”)
Dance

5 things I will NEVER wear again:
My hair really, really long or without layers
My red w/with polka dot dress (yet I can’t bring myself to get rid of it)
Powder blue eye shadow or eyeliner
A jumpsuit
70's Polyester pants

5 of my bad habits:
Procrastination
Ripping my nails down when stressed
Snooze buttons
Staying up way too late
Flipping tv channels

5 of my favorite toys:
My car
My blog
My MP3 player
My “entertainment system”
The sound system in my car

It's Scheduled...

....I have registered to take the GRE on Saturday, July 21st at 8:00 am! My prep course ends on the 18th, I think I'll finish up working at this temp job on the 20th and then take the GRE on Saturday morning (so I can relax the rest of the weekend). So that summer morning I'll be sitting at a computer in the U's student services building trying to intelligently answer the questions that pop up on the screen in the time allotted. Everything I've read recommends that I plan 4 hours for the test. Ugh! [In-out-in-out...keep breathing...steady...in-out-in-out]

I still can't believe I'm doing this. However, the prep course I'm taking is very helpful and I'm surprised at how much is coming back from my HS math courses 20+ years ago! Also, the instructor is giving us pointers and hints to perform to our best ability and hopefully out smart the "trick" questions. He recommends that we take the exam as soon after the course ends as we can.

Now to keep going on the preparations, narrow down graduate schools and take the exam, then my summer of classes will be finished up and I can enjoy a down-time until the insanity begins again. Course I've still need to get a part-time job in place if possible...so much for the down-time.

Yippeeeee!

I found out today that my on-line class final is NOT comprehensive!!! Talk about a relief. Less stuff to make sure is crammed into my brain by Saturday when I'm scheduled to take the exam. Here's hoping I do at least as well as I did on the mid-term (which was great in my opinion!).

Spoiled

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm spoiled...and I love it...This temp job has such fast internet service, and with so little to do I can surf the web much of the day if I want. Pictures and such are up in milliseconds. Last night I got on the internet at home for a little while and just about went nuts waiting for things to open and download. (Because it's cheap and I usually don't use my home internet much, I'm still using dial-up.) After this lightening speed I'm thinking maybe I should look into another option that's faster. Juno is advertising broadband for under $20 a month, that's who I have my dial-up with, maybe I'll take a closer look at the fine print and see if that will work for me and then you can all welcome me back to the 21st Century.

Yeah for FRIDAY, I think

I always love my Fridays. Even when I don't have anything planned, I enjoy knowing that I have 2 days to do what I want and not have to worry about work. Well, one of my lovely tasks at this temp job is to clean out the refrigerator every Friday afternoon. How lucky can a girl get?! Good thing this isn't a permanent position or that job would be delegated as soon as possible. Guess I'd better go get the undesirable task completed so I can go home with a clear conscience. (Geez, I don't even clean out my fridge once a year let alone weekly!) Bet you are all wishing you could be me right now...I'm wishing the same thing. EEEWWWW and YEEECCHHHH!

The look....

or

...You know, that look I get almost immediately after someone finds out that I'm not married. It usually means one of two things; 1) You're single??!! I know a guy who's single and you should meet because you'd obviously be perfect for each other or 2) the advice of how to meet someone is soon to follow. Everyone seems to have advice or have blind date ideas. Those doing either come from such places as being stopped in the mall, my hairdresser's client prior to me, vendors for companies I temped at...there was even a friend's hairdresser (whom I've never met) who set me up with a guy she knew. Pretty much anyone who meets me, directly or not, feels it's their personal responsibility and duty to find me someone grand aka perfect. (Don't get me started with the look of complete shock that generally follows when someone learns I've never been married...another posting for another day...)

The advice will range from go to a singles ward...stop looking then you'll find someone...internet websites for LDS singles...to the famous SLC singles institution - the Dee's Dances. Now I realize that I look quite a bit younger than I really am, but age doesn't mean that I've lived under a rock and don't know the resources available to singles in the 21st Century. Sometimes I just want to say, "Been there...tried that...doesn't work..." or "Can't you come up with some more unique advice of how to meet someone?"

I know that meeting someone is much like getting a job-it's all who you know...that each person has a different connection of people who are new to me...hence, networking applies with this too....however, sometimes this is just insane. Many of the individuals attempting to line me up, or are offering me advice, are total and complete strangers to me (as my list above implies, and yes, it's accurate). What makes them think that they will have any more luck finding someone for me than my closest friends and family, who know me well and who's judgement and taste I trust mind you, haven't been successful either?

Don't tell anyone, but I've learned that the easiest way to get someone to NOT set me up on a date is to accept their offer to find someone for me, especially if it's an individual I don't know well. I'd venture to guess that 99.9999...% of the people who have offered either try and the guy chickens out and never calls or the person offering never follows through. (Let's call it chickening out rather than rejecting me, though it feels like rejection sometimes even if we've never met.)

After all is said and done, I do appreciate the help...someday the networking will pay off with big dividends. Besides each "encounter" brings me one frog closer to MY prince, right? I have even met a few great guys through these crazy means who I would never have met otherwise and some of whom I've even gone out with more than once or twice. Sometimes it would be nice for someone to meet me, find out I'm single and just let it go at that. (Much thanks to those of you who've done exactly that.) Oh well, guess that's one more advantage marrieds have over singles....Until that time comes for me, I'll just keep meeting more strangers who think they have the perfect guy for me or the "key" to me to finding someone which no one's ever used before...maybe I'll try that new fangled invention the internet...

(Ok, I'll step down off my soap box now. Thanks for your patience and understanding.)

"It's a small world after all...."

It seems that my world just keeps getting smaller and smaller. One of my first days at this temp job I was being introduced around and one of the guys said I looked familiar. He told me his name but I couldn't quite place it (he did look familiar to me too) and then it clicked...we were in the same ward at BYU my freshman year. We've had fun last week getting caught up and then today going through our old Deseret Towers dorm directory. Now I'll have to bring in my photo album from that year to see if I have pictures of him or his wife (she was an RA on the floor below me but still in our ward).

Also, I was getting somethings reorganized here and typing up a list of people who might still get mail here but no longer work here. I came across the name of a guy from my last family ward when I lived in Quailbrook. His wife and I worked together in the Primary on the music, she played and I lead. I sent her an email letting her know about this second connection between the two of us (one of her college friends is a former co-worker of mine).

Prior to these two reunions, I've had a few more "small world encounters." Out of the blue I've reconnected in some way or another with the guy I liked my first two years of high school - Paul, a roommate from BYU - Chris (and her husband too, who I also knew), a roommate from the U - Michelle, my best-friend from high school - Tina, to mention just a few more.

Some friends have said that I know half of Utah and am related to the other half....I don't know that I would agree with that comment but I would say that I am fairly well connected. It's fun to see these friends from so long ago and get caught up with each other since we were last in the same place at the same time.

What's in a name?

I learned today that my name means "God has answered." One of the men here said his daughter's middle name is also JaNae (not sure how they spell it though). He said they had a hard time getting her here and chose her middle name to reflect that their prayers were answered. He said the "Ja" is a derivative of Jehovah. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

Eye Candy

Ok, so my blog is very text heavy....on this Friday afternoon (with super fast internet rather than my slow connection at home), I thought I'd change that. Hope you enjoy these few random & fairly recent photos.

Cute 3½ year old Shayla took this one of me, can you tell?

I asked for a new style at the What Women Want convention. It looked cute, just felt a little young for me.

Cool white crocodile at Hogle Zoo. Legend has it that if it looks at you you'll have good fortune and good luck. Sadly, no eye contact with me. :(

Shayla and Cameron are sharing the stroller while we were at Hogle Zoo, until Shayla decided she'd had enough.

Me with Boston in the background.

Cute Cameron & I at the Dodo with the UT fam for my birthday.

Misc Updates

Well, I now have a temp job for the next 6 weeks or so. I'm working as a receptionist for a company in South Jordan. There was some confusion with the temp agency and my availability (it's so great to have them not listen to me) so earlier this week they'd told me the position went to someone else. Well yesterday I received a call asking me to come in today for a working interview. I expressed my confusion and the agency explained that the final decision wouldn't be made until after I'd done this working interview too. The HR manager just came by a few minutes ago asking if I would be ok to come back tomorrow. At least I have something to bring in income other than student loans.

The person I'm replacing is so surprised at how quick I'm picking things up. I don't want to be rude but it's not really that tough of a job. Basically I just needed to learn the phone system, which is way easy since it's computer connected, and that's about it. The other duties are typing up Fed Ex labels, sorting mail, and the other miscellaneous requests that often come to the front desk person. No copying, emails to return, faxing or anything tough like that. Nice thing too, they are ok with me bringing in a book or something if things are done and it's quiet so I might even be able to study and get paid for it.

Also, when the agency called me yesterday they said to plan on 8:30-4:30. Surprising since I don't have the job. Then they called back and clarified to come for 2-3 hours for the interview and the decision would be made by the end of the day. Well, after I got here I informed the staff what was going on, working interview and all that, and then they asked if I was staying till 2:00. A little surprising to me but that's ok. So now it's 1:30 and I'm here alone while they're doing the good-bye lunch for the receptionist till 2:00. Since I didn't know if I'd be back or not, I figured no biggie to stay longer than expected. Guess now things are all set.

Update on student loans. I was approved for 100% of what I could get for summer term. After trying to be patient, and succeeding somewhat, one of the checks finally arrived yesterday. (Now I can send off my rent check.) It's nice to have some money in the bank even if it's just loan money and also give me a little to save up for future trips, Japan, Italy, DC, Chicago....yes, all 4 are in the works....

Worth a reread...

...Last night I finished reading The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Bloom. I suppose I should say, rereading, it was at least my second time through the book. What an amazing story! As I reread it I found other "truths" I'd not noticed before which I've marked to find easily the next time I read it. Even though I'd read the book before, there was enough I'd forgotten or confused that the story almost felt new. (If you don't know the story, Corrie and her family hid Jews in their home and were part of an underground network in Holland during WWII.)

I've read a few other WWII stories, mostly others about LDS individuals or families during WWII in Germany. The thing that amazes me the most are the miracles that occurred during a time of such evil and wickedness. It's so great that miracles never cease! I saw a quote recently that said, "Look for the small miracles and you'll find they're everywhere." That seems like a great way to live and an honor to those who did just that at at time when wickedness seemed to be taking control of everyone and everything.