Love present

This week has been one of great stress and emotional upheaval for me. I can tell Heavenly Father knows this and He gave me a beautiful gift yesterday. This is my first rose of the year. Isn't is marvelous?!

BLUE

When looking through my pics from yesterday, Abby's eyes leapt out at me from this one. Just had to share! :)

{Forgive the typos! I didn't see them until I pulled this up full size!}

Choo Choo

Lacey spent the night last night. We spent a fun evening at the mall, putting together a cute monkey for Lacey at Build a Bear, and a bit of shopping here and there. I think I created a monster, Lacey loved shopping so much! So much fun!

Today, we met up with the Ralphs, Johnsons, Grandma and Grandpa Tanner, and Zachary, at Union Station in Ogden. There was one of the few remaining steam engines in operation on show there and we could climb on several older trains that no longer run. The kids were thrilled and it was also so much fun!

I love weekends like this!

Musings

There are loads of bonuses that come along with warmer weather. Along with GREEN, baby animals, longer daylight hours and sunshine, there is one notable phenomena that brightens the days.
I mean the drastic slowing of the growth of extraneous body hair...at least on us females.
Somehow, when the cold creeps in, our bodies react instinctively as if we are in great need of a fur covering to keep warm. Luckily, this occurs during the months that we wouldn't care to bare our limbs to the extremes or to view.
When warmth creeps back into our lives and we wish to wear such items as shorts, swimsuits, t-shirts, and other limb baring attire, it is as if Mother Nature cranks back the hair growing power. Time needed between shaving, waxing, bleaching, and/or depillatory action grows longer, skin is smoother and the world is a brighter place.
So, here's for warm weather! Let's hope it lasts this time!!!

Recent life...scrapped

Crazy mountain spring!

Spring just can't seem to make up its mind to be here or not.
Last Thursday, it reached about 80F here. We spent the afternoon at the zoo. The lovely weather encouraged the animals to be active and the girls enjoyed it immensely. Jayne spent the night at my house that night. While I cooked dinner, she 'fished' off my deck with my jumprope. We put together puzzles and watched part of Pinocchio after dinner, until her bed time. The apartment was so warm that I had to turn on the A/C to cool it down enough to sleep.
This weather didn't last. By Friday night, the weather had cooled drastically and it was chilly and rainy the rest of the weekend. I even had to add another blanket to my bed last night so I could sleep. Ah, the contradictions of spring in the mountains!
Today was bright, sunny, and windy. Tammy, the girls, and I took advantage of the day and stepped out on the Jordan River Parkway. Tammy took off with the stroller and two younger girls the first half. Sara and I walked that half together. Her poor 6 year old legs had enough, and after a few minutes on a playground with Jayne (Abby had fallen asleep), the three of them piled into the stroller and Tammy and I took turns pushing it while alternatively fastwalking/jogging back. Great exercise!
Oh, I had a call this morning from a nursing recruiter at one of the hospitals I applied at. She called before I was up, and when I returned her call, I got her voicemail. Maybe she'll call back tomorrow?!
Well, that's all she wrote folks... Next installment another day!

Life Lessons Learned

1. Jobhunting SUCKS!
2. Make sure your driving instructions are clear and that your navigator makes sure to read the entire directions, not just the first half of one or more.
3. KC has TONS of highways, and exits!
4. There is NO HWY 360 in KC, there is a 35 and a 670, and combining them does not create a new highway.
5. When you are feeling totally lost, if you verbalize such, you'll shortly find your way.
6. When you say you think you probably know where you are, you're hopelessly lost.
7. Governmental paper processing processes are really confusing!
8. Trust the person with the map, do not argue, you will miss your turnoff.
9. Having a family with connections can save you tons of money and keep you well fed.
10. Feed the black hole of need.(the black hole is so cute and lovey)
11. Even when you are sicky sick with the stomach flu, being with your family can make the day good.
12. Art museums are way cool, just make sure you set aside the WHOLE day to visit them.
13. Take pictures. They last longer.
14. If someone hands you an application for a job, out of the blue, even if the job is totally unrelated to what you are looking for, fill it out anyhow.
15. BREATHE!
16. If you know for a fact what you are doing is what Heavenly Father wants you to do, it WILL work out. It may be scary as all get out, difficult, and heartwrenching, but you will grow and be blessed.

Mosaic Me

1. Sweeney Todd - Johanna, 2. eye candy!, 3. Gum tree & footpath to Baldwin, 4. A Valentine's Day Sunset, 5. Colin Firth, 6. Sonic Cherry Limeade, 7. Biblical sunset, 8. Fluffy Key Lime Pie, 9. blush and bashful, 10. Plunge Boldly into the Thick of Life (DSC_4767-2), 11. Snowflake Curtain, 12. Johanna-Marie
I found this on http://biebies.blogspot.com/ ,while on the prowl for digiscrapping freebies. I think it's fun! :)

Here's how it works:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into FD's Mosaic Maker (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).
The Questions and Answers:

1. What is your first name? Johanna (this is from Sweeney Todd)
2. What is your favourite food? Chocolate
3. What high school did you go to? K-ville
4. What is your favourite colour? many colors
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Hard one, I chose Colin Firth
6. Favorite drink? Strawberry Limeade
7. Dream vacation? Something tropical
8. Favorite dessert? Key Lime Pie
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Mom
10. What do you love most in life? My family
11. One Word to describe you: crafty (not in the bad way! :))
12. Your Flickr name: JohannaMarie

I love looking at other ppl's pictures and dream of being a great photographer someday. So tell me, what's your inspiration?

So I say La Di Da Di Daaah

The weather outside is, well, Utah. If you don't like it right now, just wait 5 minutes, it'll change. I'm ready for steady warmth and sunshine, but that wouldn't be normal for spring here, would it?

I have my plane ticket for MO next Monday. I'm flying out, spending a day at my parents', then going on the hunt. Job/house, you name it. To say that I have butterflies in my stomach is to severely underexaggerate. I still don't have my paperwork for the MO nursing license complete. Tomorrow, I will be running around the valley trying to accomplish that.

I'm increasingly excited, nervous, elated, and sad about the move. I'm going to miss my loved ones here SOOO much! I'm SOOO excited to be near my loved ones out there. Wonder if I can get these ones to migrate out there? Maureen and Robin? If you lead the way, maybe your kids would come too? :)

On the super uber exciting news, I'm gonna be an AUNT! Tom and Margo are expecting on November 1!! Yay!! (or to be more accurate, Margo is, but that's the inaccuracy of the English language at play).

Ok, I think that's all...Oh, maybe not. I go back to work on Thursday night. FINALLY!
I'm actually excited to go. See you all then!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

I'm so BOREDboredboredboredboredboredbored. Tammy's not answering the phone or calling me back. I am tired of cross stitching. I don't want to read. I'd cook, but I have no thawed meat. Maybe I could make cookies? Nah, don't want to clean up after. Can't tie bows, don't want to get my germs on 'em. I'm BORED!!!!!!!!!!!