Catching Up at Christmas

So 10 days til Christmas... What are you thinking about? I'm trying to get presents together and figure out what I'm doing for Christmas. Well, not really, just hoping I can do everything I want to do. I love that we finally have snow out here in Logan, about 6 inches. I loved shoveling for two reasons... the snow is light and fluffy and one of our neighbors came and snow blowed most of it. Yay for great neighbors! I'm gonna make cookies or something for him. Work is great. I'm glad that most of my training is finished, although the training in Salt Lake was helpful. I felt a little more confident today. Oh, I found out that it is really great to have mile reimbursement. The $30 I spent on gas for the training last week, will be reimbursed at about $200. Did I mention I LOVE mile reimbursement? I had a great birthday!!! Thanks to all that sent me birthday wishes. My best roomie took me out to eat on Saturday night. And on Sunday we made my mom's recipe for cinnamon rolls, my Aunt Jan's pizza braid, and my Grammie's French Cherry Pie. It was fun! I also sang in church with the choir. Well, I think that's it... looking forward to the rest of the holiday season!!!!!

Christmas Survey

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real Tree!!!
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually right around my birthday, Dec. 14th.
4. When do you take the tree down? usually right before school starts again in January
5. Do you like eggnog? YES!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? The little illustrated classics books
7. Hardest person to buy for? My Parents
8. Easiest person to buy for? John-Mark, usually...
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if I remember
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? no clue
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Most of the classic cartoons, I like The Year Without a Santa Clause
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I am always shopping for Christmas.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Heck Yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Spiral Cut Ham with a GREAT glaze
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, always white
17. Favorite Christmas song? Too many to count, I do LOVE the Kenny Rogers Christmas CD, The Gift.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? GO home, if I could afford it
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star!!!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? people that don't like Christmas and having to work and worry about money
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? ornaments that have sentimental value
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Spiral Ham with Glaze
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? anything sentimental will do

Then They Came For Me

"When they came for the gypsies, I said nothing, because I wasn't a gypsy. When they came for the homosexuals, I said nothing, because I wasn't a homosexual. When they came for the Jews, I said nothing, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I said nothing, because I wasn't a Catholic......then they came for me, and there was no one left to defend me."
-Niemoller

We must support our fellow humans. Support and love will bridge the gaps and heal our country.

THE LIBRARY!

Can I tell you? I LOVE the library!!! I love the smell of books, it just gets me excited!!! I just was able to finish a series by one of my favorite authors, Tamora Pierce. I love her! If you love young adult fantasy, try any one of her books. She has lots of series all taking place in the same kingdom. The characters all show up in each others books, it's great. I advise reading her series in order:
Alanna: Song of the Lioness
Immortals
Protector of the Small
Trickster
These are the best, she also has a series called "The Circle of Magic" and "The Circle Opens" aimed sort of at pre-teen readers, with a recent book summing up the series "The Will of the Empress".
She is an amazing author!

"The Utah Statesman" gives perfect example

I would like to highlight one portion of this article.

"Panel members were asked what they thought about some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who felt attacked since the proposition was passed...'This is what their lives are like, feeling attacked is in our daily lives.'"

So if you know what it is like to feel attacked in your daily lives, wouldn't you have sympathy towards the feelings of fear. Wouldn't you never want anyone to feel that way, regardless of who they are. It is this reversal of roles that I don't understand the most. If it hurts you so much, why let it happen to someone else?

Intolerance and Hate Against Mormons

I have something to say to every person whining about intolerance and hate. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I am a MORMON! I hate no person. I respect the views and opinions of others. I may disagree with the opinions, beliefs, and lifestyles of some, but I would NEVER stoop low enough to hurt someone or try to scare someone because of their beliefs. So anyone out there who is angry about people who believe the same thing as me, needs to take a moment. We have freedom of speech in this country and freedom of religion. That means I can say what I believe. I can voice my opinion. I do not begrudge you your voice, your freedom. I am not a fanatic that stands outside a gay bar screaming. I am your friend that disagrees with your opinion but still respects you. I am not the fanatic writing slurs and casting stones. I am doing my best to respectfully express my beliefs while showing you the respect you are due as a human being. So please stop saying that because you feel hated you have the right to hate. Stop sending suspicious packages to buildings where our youth learn about God, stop sending unidentified white powder to a house of worship which we treasure, stop ridiculing the young men and women that are so dedicated to their beliefs that they take time out of their lives to wear the black tag over their heart full time, stop making a man choose between his job and his religion, stop saying and doing things to instill fear. I speak my beliefs with respect, I expect you to respect me in return. Tolerance is a two way street. Tolerance is not the same as acceptance or approval. I may not approve of your choices, but I would never hurt you or judge you based on that. You may not approve of my stance on certain issues, but I expect you to never hurt or judge me based on that.
Next time you insult someone, think about hurting someone, or scaring someone because of their intolerance, take a look in the mirror.

My Future

This is for all of you wondering why such an intelligent girl without a degree is working and not going back to school yet. Well, I dropped the whole attend school thing while I was still registered as a student and it really didn't do much for me. So I dropped the whole registering thing. I did some other stuff. I worked as a supervisor in a hardware store. I was a part time nanny. I was a night auditor at a hotel. I was a full-time missionary. I was a full time Burger King employee. I was unemployed, full-time. And now I will become a teller at a bank. I would not trade a second of the time I have spent not going to school, just as I would never trade a second of the time I was in school. Here is where I make a little shout out to the people I have met over the years. I love my school friends. It has been awesome to know the people I have has occasion to know. People that helped me through tough times as a freshman at BYU. People that made me laugh any time. People that were driven to make $60,000 a year, people that just wanted to enjoy their job. People that wanted to get master degrees, people that dropped out of high school and worked their butts off to become a manager of a local store. I love everyone's stories, and they have shaped my own.
So, back to my story. I have done all these things, for what purpose? There must be something I needed to learn. I did learn something. I learned that just because you are smart doesn't mean you go to college, and just because you go to college doesn't mean you are smart. I know that I could stay out here in the real world and work my way up a ladder of something. But all these experiences have created in me something I am calling a "labor identity". I know what things I like, what things I don't. I want to work with people (hotel, fast food). I want to work with kids (nannying). I want to work with kids that may not know their value (hardware store). I want to work outside (my childhood). I want to work with the Deaf community (my mission). I want to encourage and teach (Primary, my friends). I never would have figured this out without exposure to the experiences of my life. I recall my first declared major...Clinical Lab Science with emphasis in Genetics. Future: Working in a lab, or facility doing tests, research, and genetic counseling. Let me tell you what I want to declare and make my life work... Parks and Recreation Professional with an emphasis in Deaf Education/ASL. Future: Working with camps and recreation programs, emphasizing leadership and possibilites, opening all this to Deaf children and families. I would have enjoyed my first major, felt important, and had prestige while announcing my schooling. Now I can actually imagine myself with the second major. I can actually picture working, and enjoying it. No great prestige, but instead of "Wow, you must be smart," I get "Wow, that sounds wonderful!"
So, I am getting started on figuring out how to get funding for school and what I will need. But never doubt the power that lies in following your heart. Whether you are following it to school, out of school, or down another path, just remember that God has a plan for you. He will align things in your life that will lead you to happiness.

I too will join this world!

I decided I would like a place to post myself online. Family and friends can check in on me, and I can use this platform for my expression. I vow to accurately label each entry so no-one has to read an entry of opinion when they are looking for news on my life. I will post the occasional picture, and keep you up on all things Joanne.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I am hoping to!