Dear Kaiser

Dear Kaiser,

Thank you for thinking of me as one of the recipients of your post-appointment surveys. I must ask, though, if you really want me to fill out a survey when I have been feeling horrible for 3 months and nothing you are doing seems to help? Think about it.

Sincerely,
Joanna

Peeking

I had a moment lately when I was in my room and pleased that I could see my neighbors outside their houses in the cul-de-sac through my bedroom window. Then I realized that that means they can also see me and so I must completely close my blinds at night. Darn neighbors for cutting down the big beautiful eucalyptus trees that used to block our backyard. Tree haters!

Making Kisses

I remember having these giant Rice Krispie Treat kisses as a kid - so fun! I decided to make them for our office Valentine's Party on Friday. What better way to spread the love?

When you just know

I just know that I am going to love this movie. Will you see it with me?

New York...

Absolutely love this...

Today is the Day

So, working where I do, we are constantly trying to find ways to get people concerned and aggressive about taking care of their physical health. Did you know that this generation of children is the first generation that is expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents (due to obesity and bad cardiovascular health)?

Also, did you know that heart disease is the number one killer in the US - killing more people each year than all forms of cancer combined?

On that note, we are always looking for ways to inspire people to take control of their health and to get started. We have this great website that I wanted to share with you that I just found to be pretty inspiring:

www.todaysthedayistart.org

Love Hurts

During the holidays, we had the opportunity to watch my sister's kids for a couple of weeks while she and her husband went on a special vacation.
One of the best parts of that visit was this question from my 8-year-old nephew, Schuyler:
"Jo, what do people mean when they say 'love hurts'?"
Dare I say that I suspect my nephew has been exposed to some 80s rock? I certainly hope so...

I love bavarian cream eclairs

So, there is a definite possibility I have said this before, but I absolutely love, love, LOVE the bavarian cream eclairs that are sold at a little bakery near my house. The thing is that lately I have been having some stomach problems and most of my eating is confined to pretty plain rice and potatoes. I don't know if it is because of that, but I have definitely started a serious craving. What I really want to know, though, is if any of you have made bavarian cream? If so, do you have a good recipe? I just love that it isn't like I'm eating an eclair full of pudding.

Oh eclair, why do you tease me so?

Create

I absolutely loved this talk when I heard it the first time, so I was thrilled to see this video made from some of Elder Uchtdorf's comments.

Really? Are we really talking about this now?

So, I haven't blogged for a while, and for a good reason. The 29th Annual Start! Orange County Heart Walk, the $1.5 million-fund-raising-6,500-people-party-giving-event in the most anal city in the world (Irvine) that I plan for all year long will come to fruition in T-7 days. Needless to say, I have been eating (too much due to stress), sleeping (too little due to anxiety and work) and breathing (when I get a chance) Heart Walk.

Not only that, but I am forced not to work yesterday (furlough day) or Monday (horribly timed Labor Day) and then come back to the office with T-4 days to go. As I left the office early on Thursday (forced so as to avoid overtime from earlier in the week), all I could think about was that I still didn't have a permit from the County Health Department, or the Building and Planning Department of the City of Irvine, I have nowhere to store 2400 bottles of juice that is being delivered on Friday and needs to be stored until Sunday, I don't have trucks set to rent to move everything on Friday and Saturday, I still have no one to sing the national anthem, no marching band on the route, haven't heard back about cheerleaders, don't have pamplets back form the printers, no banners yet, no t-shirt for volunteers and staff, etc. etc. etc.

Needless to say, I wake up in the middle of the night not being able to breathe and think, "Just make it through. You will survive this."

So, as I was talking to my Mom about all of these things that keep me awake at night she says, "Have you thought about taking that international test thing to work in embassies? I really think you should." I stop and stare, shocked that we are having that discussion right now. She goes on, "I just think you would have a lot of fun issuing passports and visas and things in other countries. You should at least take the test, I mean, if you don't pass, you don't pass, right?" (The test she is referring to is the Foreign Service Exam).

I replied, "Well, I don't really think I want to go into Foreign Service and am more interested in International Development." What I really meant was "Are we really talking about this one week before my event? Stop right now or I will have an anxiety attack as we speak since I now know that you think my job is crap."

Then she says, "Well, then maybe you should be applying to graduate programs. I really think that you should just be working toward doing what you really want to do." I gave a short response about the costs of graduate school that would not easily be paid off by a job in the international development world, as well as the costs and preparation right now to apply to graduate school and take the GRE again.

At that point, she must have picked up on my tone of voice and the tenseness in my shoulders as she says, "Oh, well I guess right now that's not the first thing on your mind anyway."

Ya think??? So here I am, now also stressed about my future and whether or not I should be applying to grad school while trying to get my permits processed for an event that happens in 1 week. Sigh. I think I need to learn to better manage my stress. Sorry for the rant, but if you can't do it on your blog, where can you do it, right?

Oh, and if you are curious about the event, feel free to visit www.ocheartwalk.org

Crap, I need to update the webpage for next week and get an email campaign together, send details to the volunteers, get instructional signs together, make contact sheets, get clipboards and laminating sheets, make volunteer passes and route parking passes........

Ladies Visit

So these are definitely delayed, but here are a few highlights from when Jen and Sarah came to visit me in June. Hope you enjoy...

Brunch on Saturday...

Gardens at Balboa Park in San Diego...

Kyaking in Newport...

Joanna Likes To

I saw this on Sarah's blog and was curious so I did it myself. It's kind of fun...

All you have to do is google "[your name] likes to" and then post the top ten results.

Here are my results:

1. Joanna likes to look at herself in the mirror and claps her hands to show joy.

2. Joanna likes to likes going to the beach and to the movies with friends and family, as well as traveling to various Caribbean destinations.

3. Joanna likes to mix allergy medicine, no sleep and booze.

4. Joanna likes to visit the ballet and the theatre.

5. Joanna likes to work closely with her clients so that together they can develop a clear strategy and a well-defined path of action.

6. Joanna likes to visit Viennese coffee houses, good food in good company and goinig to the gym to cancel the effects of too much food. She also likes to ski and hike in the mountains and reading good books.

7. Joanna likes to spend her time reading and being outside.

8. Joanna likes to read (essays and novels), music and singing, fashion and shopping.

9. Joanna likes to call her car the "Gangster Galant."

10. Joanna likes to experiment.

I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out the stories behind any of those - they are pretty entertaining!

Orange County AHA Goes Active!

So, at the office we are kicking off another wellness challenge. Our wellness team (of which I am a part) has gotten into the habit of making silly videos to show at our staff meeting to kickoff each challenge. This is the latest creative effort (I am the camerawoman). Enjoy - it was a fun Monday evening putting it together!

Sneak Preview

Just a sneak preview of a post to come. I started it a long time ago then my computer freaked out and I lost the whole thing and I haven't wanted to try it again. I wanted to share one of the pictures anyway...enjoy.

Confessions of a Cheesaholic

So, I've known for a long time, but am finally making a public confession: I am a cheesaholic. My first clue might have been from this evening. Arriving home late tonight, the family was finishing up dinner (we actually try to do that eating together thing now that G-pa is here). Instead of joining them for a meal of roasted chicken, berries, and bread, I snuck some items from the fridge and headed upstairs. So what did I eat for dinner? Well I am currently sitting next to some crumbs of wheat crackers as well as the remains of some Boursin, smoked gouda, and brie. It's true. My meal for the evening was cheese and crackers.

Kind of makes me think that I would have done well as a peasant in medieval times. Except for the weevils in the bread. And the whole manual labor thing. Oh, and the servitude. Oh, and....