more color theory

you are violet #EE82EE

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be. Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Violet? What a silly color. I took the test twice just to be sure. What about that other well known color test? My friend's mom is really into it, she made me take it (literally would not let me leave the house until I did), then analyzed me afterwards. I'm a pretty close 50/50 blue/white. What do all these colors really mean?

I find when I take tests like this I have a few different responses for each question depending on my mood. But in the end, even if I take the test, months or years apart, I still come up with the same result.

Auh, Color Theory! I'm in love with colors. Guess how excited I am to have a class devoted to color this semester?

homesick and belated wishes

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIN DEAR!!! 8!! Can you believe it? I love you dude, hope you had a really awesome birthday. Wish I could be there for your baptism.

I sent directions to some of our installers this morning to help them get to a job in St. George. I am SOO homesick now!!! I want to be there. I need to learn how to do measures so I have excuses to travel.

"We unavoidably stand in so many unholy places and are subjected to so much that is vulgar, profane, and destructive of the Spirit of the Lord that I encourage our Saints all over the world, wherever possible, to strive to stand more often in holy places. Our most holy places are our sacred temples. Within them is a feeling of sacred comfort. We should seek to be worthy to take our families to the temple to be sealed together for eternity. We should also search for the records of our kindred dead so that they too can be sealed to us in one of the temples. We must strive for holiness by being 'an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.' In this way we can maintain and strengthen our own individual relationship with our God." -President James E. Faust

unravel

I just deleted my first attempt at a blog tonight. It sounded like a gripe session even though it wasn't meant as one. I must be tired because I can't seem to hide the whineyness in my thoughts.
I've been watching Journeyman on nbc.com and I'm really liking it. Has anyone else seen it? The premise: time travel. And that about sums it up.

Tonight I am grateful for:

The silent mode on my phone. It has to stop sometime. Will I ever be devoted enough to work round the clock like everyone else at this company?

20' ladders in the road. And gigantic boxes of metal air ducts. Tests my puma like agility skills. (And it keeps my guardian angles in a job)

New experiences and my new work buddies. For stretching me and making me grow.

For snow. It is pretty, and makes for a good excuse to wear coats and boots and sweaters and such. But maybe it would be better off places where it is really useful. Snow globes, snow cones.... Canada? I'm just saying.....

Since when did I become such a desert sissy? Oh yeah, when I realized cold is for the penguins.

new calling

that's right. I went in for tithing settlement and came out with a calling. Any guesses?

I'd take a poll or something and laugh when no one got it for days and days because I doubt you'd ever guess. From what I understand, the calling was made up for me.

Official title: Social Secretary. My first thoughts: Is this something akin to being cruise director? Love Boat? Am I Julie McCoy incarnate?

I'm the girl to contact if you are having a party and want everyone to know about it. Same goes for if you are selling something, looking for roommates, a job, whatever. The Underground. Way fun. So I'm thinking of ways to keep people in the know.

Any ideas or suggestions? Of course, mass email is the first solution but what about taking it to the next level? The blogging nut in me says a blog would be a good way to keep everyone updated and an easy way to include photos of for sale items etc with out becoming a nuisance with an overwhelming amount of mass emails. Is this a silly idea? Tell me if this is lame. Any solutions you can give me would be greatly appreciated. This could be the start of Jennaslist.... the place for U32 Mormon singles to find what they are truly searching for?

I want to have everything set up in time to go in next weeks bulletin so get back to me by then if you have any ideas, creative or otherwise. Thanks!

This photo I stole from frybaby illustrates the true definition of

Camelbak.

And as Michele mentioned, we took time out from cleaning up Thanksgiving dinner to check out this fine dispenser of liquor that had, up until now, escaped our attention. In my disappointment that we couldn't make it work I feel like we have somehow missed out on making many memories with this gadget in its finer days (read: when the boy actually dispensed) Who knows what kind of stories could have been told from a childhood with this kind of toy to be found in the basement.

Here I thought we knew about all the great treasures in that house. If I find out you guys knew about this and held out on me I'm going to feel left out! And as for the naked lady stemware...if vickers waves her rights... Camel, we're so on as far as custody battles go.

blog stalking

I've been blog stalking this guy and thought maybe I should share with you. Fantastically talented. I like finding people who inspire.

dear santa

Casey was concentrating so hard earlier he could only be doing one thing: shopping for games. He already has his wish list taped to the back door for Santa to see, illustrated with cut outs of his favorite things. No confusing what this boy wants, and no missing the subtle hints either.
My friends Amy and Nick blessed their baby girl, Kylee Nicole, today and I was lucky enough to find the church in time to be there for it. Amy gave me the address and told me it was easy. She didn't know who she was talking to, obviously. I have a great sense of direction, but following directions? Completely different somehow. So it was a good thing they were running on Mormon standard time so being more than ten minutes late meant I was there right one time!


Amy, her super awesome mom, Joni, Kylee and her Great Grandma posing for the must have generational photo.

Love you Amy, thanks for including me for this special day, Kylee found her way into one of the greatest families I know.

for the beauty of the earth

Who's excited about the holiday? Me too. Thanksgiving is a great, no stress holiday with a great excuse built in to think about what we have to be grateful for. My not even close to all inclusive list:

family. You make my life absolutely amazing.

good friends. Laughs and memories and everything else in between.

health - I haven't had a migraine in over 9 months!! (Tiny headaches don't count.) I'm talking about the ones that used to plague me maybe once a week and make real life impossible for 24 hours or more. Completely gone.

home - an ever changing thing. It is nice to find it in so many places.

traditions, holidays, celebrations- things to look forward to

work - already overwhelmed and a little stressed out. I love it.

not always what it seems

This isn't the entry I've been dying to write. That one would have gone more along the lines of MY DREAM JOB AND THE WAY IT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER... nope. Not yet anyway.

Last week I eluded to a job that I was very excited about. I can't tell you how thrilled I was. I started celebrating in my head earlier than I should have that is for sure! It felt like it was a dream coming true a couple of years ahead of schedule. A designer position with a high end furniture store where they hoped I would make a career out of it. Not a problem! I could easily see myself being with them for a very long time. I interviewed with them twice last week and both times went exceptionally well.

It has been an incredibly long weekend waiting to hear back from them. I was 99% sure I had it. I knew the only way I wasn't going to get it was some unseen obstacle and that is exactly what happened. One of the owners called to tell me they wanted to offer me a position but they have not been busy enough to take me on quite yet. The Utah location just opened but with their California locations doing so well he thinks they will be able to take me on in a couple of months, if I am still available.

I interviewed with another company last week but with the whirlwind of this possibility I wasn't as excited about it and didn't think much about it when they called for a second interview. I met with them today with the idea in my mind that if they offered me the position I would ask for the day to think about it until I heard back from the other.

They offered, I hedged, then waited and got let down in the worst way.

I called and let the other guys know I could commit now and I'm looking for the silver lining in the outcome of my day.

Chris, my new boss, let me know that they have been interviewing for a month, went through 300 resumes, and I am the only one they felt was a good fit for the position. I'm honored and hope I don't let them down. I don't know what my position is exactly. It is a professional drapery installation company that specializes in huge projects like hotels all over the map. I'll be a fireman in a way, making sure projects are on schedule, aiding in any way I can to keep everything organized, scheduling travel needs for the crews going out....who knows what else really.

Just when I think I know all, I am reminded once again that I don't know anything at all about what is best for me.

I may sound let down and I'd be lying if I said I'm not. I've wanted to cry about since he called but I'm not going to because how blessed am I to have such a great opportunity following right behind disappointment? I'd be an ungrateful little brat if I couldn't see His hand in my life.

good times

Thought I'd take a break from reliving the vacation.

Bry n me at a concert last week.
You can't see it very well, but that's SLC below us. What a cool venue on the top floor of the Wells Fargo building down town.

It was a fun concert, even if the tickets said 7 and we were the only ones there at 7 and when we left around midnite the main act still hadn't come on. Thank goodness for LoveSac and good company.

A favorite highlight of the night happened at dinner when I said something, who knows what. He nodded and looked at me funny then admitted he didn't understand. I asked him what he thought I had said.

"I like cows sometimes. In leggings."

What the? No wonder he didn't understand.

thanks for the fun rc1. never wonder if you are impressing me, you do it with out trying.

more

Still living in the past here covering the SA adventures. I'd tell you about something going on here at home that has me so excited but I want to make sure I only do when it is a secure thing. I don't want to jinx it or something. So until then, I'll keep reliving my trip because as you may have already figured out, I had the time of my life!

A blurry shot of mom and me. I included it because I think it captures the feeling of the moment perfectly. It's funny how quickly I can feel at home, on the other side of the world, in an airport, all because of a hug.

A little food tour. (because I'm hungry)

Dinner at the B&B. Already mentioned this meal. Red Snapper. Fun ambiance because the power had gone out.

Mom at breakfast the next morning. (please don't be mad mom, I think it's a cute picture!) Great buffet behind her along with something warm to follow. Deviled egg, sauteed tomato and mushroom for me.





Harrie's Pancakes. My birthday dinner.








Desert at Moyo. "The Best African" restaurant in SA supposedly. We went for desert because it is insanely expensive (and the folks have eaten there already and says its not that good) We were really only going to check out the decor because I want to do business with the guy who did the design for Moyo. His business is handcrafted pillows, fabrics, handbags and woodworking. It is high quality product and is sold for big bucks in the airports and boutiques all over the world. The area president's wife took us to his house and we had the chance to buy at wholesale! I couldn't pass up the chance to ask if we could do business together. He was as excited as I am about this idea. He has been approached by Target with a billion dollar contract but he turned them down because he wants to keep a high standard of quality. He likes dealing with smaller clients to achieve this. We've been emailing so I'll let you know more on that when it's in the works too, his stuff is amazing.

Aaaauh. Here is a picture of the Best Steak Ever at the Cattle baron I already talked about. I still think about this dinner. -sigh- I think I always will.


Banana fields.







Cape of Good Hope. My favorite day of the whole trip for no other reason except I was completely content and enjoyed every minute of it.


The Ash Man. He lives on the corner by my parents apartment. He builds a fire right there in the road. It's a horrible picture so if you can't tell, he is sitting in the middle of the road on the median. His neighbor across the road built a tent out of plastic scraps.

the big surprise

My parents completely spoiled me. We did everything I could have possibly dreamed up to do on my big adventure, and then some. On the last saturday of my trip the Egan's were in Jo'burg for meetings and the plan, as I knew it, was to go to the big casino to see the birds. Cool plan if you ask me.




When we got there, Sister Egan had been on the phone dealing with missionary issues and slipped up when she asked her husband if he remembered to pack their tickets for The Lion King. This question caused some concern for those in on the secret because they thought I'd be quick enough to realize she was talking about tickets for that very same day. I wasn't. I was envious of them for having tickets in the first place, and that was as far as I got because I busied myself putting it out of my mind before I got carried away thinking I was missing out on an experience of a life time.

YES! I KNOW! I'm seriously beyond spoiled. There should be a limit on how much fun I should be allowed to have. I was grateful for what we'd done. I didn't need or want more. But try telling this to the part of me that was still bummed out we weren't seeing Lion King IN South Africa.... what a little punk huh?

We had just finished up lunch at the only place in SA that serves hamburgers the American way, and I was feeling very content. We'd had a really great day. That is when my mom handed me a ticket to the show and said 'And this is desert!'

OH MY HECK!!! I felt like crying I was SOOOO excited. A new one for me, I've never cried from excitement before!


You know the beginning to it right? The Circle of Life music, the animals... When it started and the larger than life elephant manned by four people, one in each leg, came down the isle, and the giraffes came on, and the flying birds and and and... I felt like crying again. This feeling pretty much stayed with me the rest of the production. I was excited to see each scene and how they would make it come to life. I was so surprised by the fun ways they brought in the South African culture, the different languages, the jokes we didn't get because we aren't natives...

If I had to pick a highlight to my trip, it was this, and the way my parents made it even more special by surprising me. So fun! Thanks a hundred times over u2.

balance

I love that our family blogs. I love how it has made me feel closer to you all and I love that it has built stronger relationships within our family. I guess I can't speak for you, but it has for me. I've gotten to know you better from the things you've shared and I appreciate your interest in my life. Your comments are the reason I do this. It's all about friendship for me.

When I first started blogging after my divorce I didn't know what I was going to have to share, if anything at all. I didn't think anyone would read it. And then you started commenting and it gave me something to look forward to during the days when I felt like I was in a holding pattern waiting for life to start up again. I looked at my days differently when I searched them for something to write about. It made me think of creative ways of showing you how my life was moving on, time really does heal, that I could learn from my mistakes, and that I could pick myself up and make walking away something I wouldn't be ashamed of, but something that I could be proud of.

It's taken some practice, some bruises, and some pretty lonely nights where I wondered when my real love story would ever begin. But I learned something valuable in the process of rebuilding.

Every day is my story.

Once again I'm reminded that both life and love are what you make of them. And it is times like now, when I can look back at where I've been and see some progress, that make each day count for something.

touch of the wild

I'm home! Looking back at my pictures this morning I can't believe all the things I just experienced! My parents are master planners and made sure I got the biggest and best sampling of everything great about South Africa. Towards the end I was getting worn out and didn't know if I really wanted to do everything planned but they reminded me 'when else are you going to get to do this?' So right.


This guy was my favorite at Montecasino. After everyone else had moved on to the next pretty bird I stayed behind petting him since he seemed to enjoy it. Ever so casually he turned his head to look me and quietly said 'hello'. Not in that parrot way you'd expect, but like he knew that it was what people wanted him to do and he was doing it because no one had asked.


I didn't zoom in to get this guy up close. He walked right up to the truck on a game drive at the Cheetah Reserve. My mom was telling me 'be careful!' I didn't think he would bite me, but who knows? That's what I thought right before some other bird almost took my finger off at Montecasino. That hurt so bad!!!!



We stopped to take pictures near these guys sunbathing in Cape Town. It was pretty funny that we didn't even notice them until one of them made that crazy sound sea lions make. Their presence explained the funky stink.


More crazy birds. Are penguins birds or mammals? As I mentioned earlier, the penguins were molting and just laying around in the sand. I don't know what I expected, happy feet or surfing I guess.

This handsome fella is a king cheetah. Cheetahs are pretty awesome animals. Did you know they have been classified as a dog? It's true. And they can run 75 mph. And they have more than 2000 polka dots each. ABC was there filming this big guy for a spot they're doing on Oprah in a couple weeks. Watch for him, he's going to be famous by association with Oprah. Does that mean we're famous too because we touched him?









This cute little girl wanted to make a snack out of my arm. She also had a thing for the drawstring on my moms pants. She threw a fit when she got in trouble for chewing on mom. She and her brother were so much fun to play with. Very feisty. As we played with them I thought it was a lot like playing with over grown kitties until I felt the power behind their playful kicks. A three month kitty would never have strength like that!

At least it wasn't this guy using us as chew toys right?

I loved this giraffe! He was so sweet, and liked his snacks a lot!






The last stop of my last full day in SA was a Crocodile farm. This little dude can snap a pencil in half at his wee baby size.

Thank you to all the conscientious people who took the time to put up signs about the dangers involved with each of these guys. It took the constant reminders (and signing indemnity clauses) to keep me from hugging one and loosing an arm. Or worse.

top five

Top five things I loved about my time in deepest darkest Africa. In no particular order.

#1: I didn't know what to expect.

#2: The people. My parents especially, the new friends I've made and the strangers that made my visit colorful and interesting.


#3: The animals. I got bit by a bird. And a lion (a baby one). Hand fed a giraffe. Held a crocodile. Pet a cheetah. Saw oodles of animals I wanted to see and even more animals I didn't even know existed.

#4: The food. I am still stumped as to how to describe all the yummy food. Um, yummy, should suffice.


#5. Surprises. There were surprises around every corner. The biggest of all came after lunch on Saturday. My mom handed me a ticket to Lion King..... I won't even go into that now. I'll save it for another day.

Tribute

My dad's dad Burton Wesley passed away this weekend.

News from Washington this last week was that he'd taken a turn for the worse. So it is a bittersweet day to know he has gone on to a better place and his suffering is finished.

The three of us went to primary today, my dad and I to support my mom as she took on the task of keeping twenty kids singing and learning since only one of the leaders showed. The topic she chose to focus on in her impromptu sharing time was families. We talked about the importance of families and how cool it is that we know life doesn't end at death.

She also shared with them that today is a special day for us since 26 years ago today I found my way into this family. 'She was delivered to the wrong address' my mom explained. The kids were amazed by this: 'But you look so much like each other!' I told my parents later it had to be because all white people look the same to them right?

All the same, I'm so very, very blessed to be in this family. Of course grandpa has been on my mind all week knowing his time with us was winding down. I have a thousand and one memories of this fine man that are so near to my heart.


As a kid my grandpa was the highlight of my summer. If they were coming to visit us the build up of their arrival would send me into a hyper frenzy. I would wait impatiently riding my bike up and down our street until the moment would come when I'd see their big white car glide around the corner. I felt like I could fly those days racing home to wait for the hugs that would come. Grandpa had a routine. He'd unpack with me hoovering around smiling at him. Then he'd take a long walk around the yard checking on the garden and being so patient with me as I tugged him in every direction showing him all my bugs, (usually a bigger collection in anticipation of his scrutiny) my tree houses, my room....

One such summer we sat out in lawn chairs under the cherry tree eating cherry after cherry until grandpa happened to look at one he'd bitten into and saw a worm. We broke open a bunch more to find every cherry had a worm. I thought the day turned out great since I followed a disgusted grandpa to the bathroom and saw him whip out his teeth and give them a good scrub. The day has lived on in infamy with me getting the blame for the worms somehow. He never ate another cherry from that day on.

And if the anticipation for their arrival was huge, the trips to Seattle were somehow bigger. The first thing I wanted to do, with out fail, every single summer was to drag grandpa to the beach to hunt for crabs under the rocks. With one exception. The first time we did this routine, and the start of a tradition I still carry on with out him. I was unsure of the creepy things he would toss in my bucket so he had to trick me into holding one of the ugly little creatures by telling me he'd found a crayon. After the initial thoughts of betrayal and disgust I was hooked to our sport ever after.

Grandpa was a pool shark. Shooting pool with grandpa seemed to be a rite of passage in his house. As a kid I thought it was so unfair when I couldn't play with the Big Boys. Grandpa would take pity on me, as I loafed on the window sill looking as sad as I could, and let me take his turn once in awhile. He showed me how to play the family favorite, Bottle pool. I still wish I had him over my shoulder whenever I play because I do so much better with him calling my shots for me and dishing out praises when I'd sink a difficult shot. "Beautiful." he'd mutter. I lived for those shots. I can only remember one time ever winning grandpa fair and square and he tried to bribe me into keeping quiet but I was upstairs before he had a chance to open his wallet, telling all who would listen.

Grandpa lives on forever in my love for the smell of freshly cut wood, my love for the beach and anything with four legs or more. He'll live on forever in every memory of perfect summer evenings with Perry Komo and the likes playing in the background and sunflower seeds with every meal. I'll think of him anytime I use the term 'dipping eggs' and every time I see a western paperback by Lousis Lamour, and anytime I use a rubber band for a book mark. I'll think of him any time I golf, and laugh at his big dream of me becoming a LPGA star.

Grandpa hated tomatoes, except on steak, which taught me something. There is an exception to every rule. Grandpa, you are my hero. Love you forever.