Thanks Percy and Sarah!!

I've been tagged. This one is funny. (Thanks Percy & Sarah!)
1. My Rockstar Name (first pet, current car):"Friskey Jeep" LOL
2. My Gangsta Name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite shoe):"Vanilla Vans" (hum...Vanilla Ice wanna be?)
3. My Native American Name (favorite color, favorite animal):"Silver Tiger"
4. My Soap Opera Name (middle name, city where you were born):"Fontana" (I will only have one name)
5. My Star Wars Name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 of your first):"Scumi" (I'm not sure I like this one too much...Leia is just too good...I sound like intergalactic rubbish with this name...)
6. My Super Hero Name (second favorite color, favorite drink):"Blue Pina Colada" (That would be a Pina Colada without the alcohol of course)
7. My Nascar Name (first names of your grandfathers):"James Vernon" (that actually has a nice ring to it)
8. My Stripper Name (favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):"Cool Water Caramelo"
9. My TV weather anchor name (5th grade teacher, city that begins with same letter): "HP Hamburg"
10. My Spy Name (favorite season/holiday, favorite flower):"Spring Plumeria" (this seems a little weak for a spy name...)
11. My cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing now):"Cherry Linen"
12. My Hippie Name (what you ate for breakfast, favorite tree):"British Biscuits Cherry Blossom" (wow now that's a name...)
Have fun with this one! Short and sweet

Long List of Adventures in Careers

Have I been BUSY sheesh! Traveling, working, spending time with friends and family...I couldn't ask for a better set up! Due to these current happenings, I think it'll be more fun to write more about "Adventures in Careers" for a while. Mostly my observations about the new places that I've visited while traveling for work. Lists seem to be a good format for me. So if you can handle it....READ ON! :) Some of these things are a LONG time coming:

April: Wolverhampton, UK


10. I LOVE the UK!
9. Soccer, er. football, is the WAY of life, ESPECIALLY in Wolverhampton (go Wolves! and I watched Manchester United win! Hurrah!)
8. Pub food (at "The Spread Eagle", really, that was the name) is the best
7. They have no idea what a coke with grenadine means ("what's grenadine?")
6. Everyone says, "At the present" when they are working on something...(ex. "When is the machine coming?" "they are working on it at the present.")
5. Thai Chili flavored crisps (potato chips) are the BEST!
4. The Chinese food place played 50s and 60s music; the Italian place played 80s elevator music
3. Shopping by myself in Wolverhampton was really nice
2. The other employees at Goodrich Actuation Systems UK were AWESOME! (one even bought me some biscuits (cookies) because he heard I loved them)
1. "Stay LEFT of the blue arrow when driving!!!!"

May: San Marcos, Texas


10. There is a HUGE outlet mall in San Marcos and my big accomplishment was that I didn't buy anything!
9. I'd tell you what I worked on while at the San Marcos facility but then I'd have to kill you :)
8. "What kind of devil bird chirps at night?!"(Kit "Failure to Launch") Mocking Birds and Black Birds are REALLY loud!!!
7. I got lost EVERY night...all those "outer highways" can get really confusing
6. "the Oasis" is a really incredible restaurant on Travis Lake...food, eh, atmosphere, AMAZING
5. It was SUPER hot in MAY....I know because I was sawing metal outside for half an hour...the power saw was broken.
4. I LOVE the Texas accent, "Used to could...", "You was yella" etc.
3. Texas Pride is alive and well
2. Austin IS weird, "Keep Austin Weird" - the lizard man in the airport PROVED it
1. Seeing old friends makes every trip WORTH IT! (thanks Kevin, Sarah, and Percy!!! and welcome new friends Joe, Tim, Brigid, Carrie, and Melanie)

May: Riverside...again


10. There's a WHOLE lot more to do in Riverside than Alex and I originally thought! This time I went to the Sanrio (Hello Kitty) store for over an hour. (instead of Toys-R-Us)
9. I love being so close to family. I can meet up for a movie, drive home for dinner...etc.
8. Meeting up with friends from the other plants is a blast!
7. The second week of Lean Training was an interesting exercise, our team rocked!
6. "Juan, the Male Room is different from the Mail Room...", sometimes when you've been working on a process flow ALL week, people tend to read fast.
5. I had Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Irish, and American food all in Riverside
4. "Let me introduce the team,....oh and here is Michelle....everyone knows Michelle..." (Thanks Juan)
3. Bomb scares are anonymous, "Of course the bomb scare would be anonymous, it's not like someone is going to call in and say, 'hi my name is george, I'm calling in a bomb threat.'" We were evacuated for about an hour.
2. I love going to these training things, I get to meet people from all over Goodrich and the best part is I get to see them all again!
1. There's nothing better than being able to go home for a holiday (Mother's Day)

June: Cleveland, Ohio


10. It's REALLY green! and there aren't any fences
9. The Winking Lizard is an awesome wings place: Magma is intense. Lizard Lips are really good too
8. Bang Bang Shrimp was totally worth it
7. There really is a "wrong side of the tracks": we literally crossed over the train tracks and the homes DRASTICALLY changed
6. The architecture is really unique, in some parts it's like Boston (bricks and mortar) and others like a brand new city of Iron (Rock Hall of Fame)
5. Canadians are still funny
4. Surfer's drivers licenses get great reactions from people (Zack's: "I don't know what you was doin' but I definitely want to be a parta dat", "there's my wild man", "I didn't think it was you man", "WHOA"
3. Getting nicknames: "Snappy from ASG News"
2. History lessons at the steak house are better than paid tours of the city (House of GYNORMOUS steaks...seriously bigger than my head)
1. "There are surfers in Ohio too?!" We literally saw a guy with a surf board strapped to the top of his car, it was upside down, but hey, it was a surf board in OHIO! :)

RIVERSIDE...the Riv....er...side....

So I just got back from my first trip for work. It was an eventful week. No Literally...we went for a Kaizen Event. :) I know, I know, cheesy engineering joke, but I just had to. Anyway...

I have to say all the things that I heard about Riverside when I was a kid have been dispelled. Well, sort of. Riverside is Riverside. Sorry for those of you that are from the area, but everything closes about 5 probably because of the gang problem. But in all honesty, for me, Riverside wasn't so bad. Why? Well because I stayed at The Mission Inn! (Please refer to the picture above) Yes folks, The Mission Inn. It's a Goodrich preferred hotel. And I LOVED it!

The event was a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot of new things VERY quickly. To dispell all the misinformation that many of you may have...I work for Goodrich Aerostructures. It used to be known as BF Goodrich (the tire people) but for the last 30+ years they have not made tires (Michelin has actually). We make specific parts for aircraft. Hence if I told you specifically, I would have to have you sign papers saying that I told you what I did and you would have to claim that you wouldn't tell others. So to save us both problems...I work in Aerospace, not tires. :)

As for Riverside the event turned out well and I even got to experience my first presentation! I'm meeting people from all over the world too which is a lot of fun. Alex (my coworker in Chula Vista who was working on the Kaizen Event too) is from France. So while I've been learning all the interesting things about growing up in France, I teach him stupid stuff about the states. In other words, I didn't know that most of my language is slang apparently and he's never heard of half of it. I really should work on that.

Anyway, to say the least it's really good to have some friends at work and I'm really enjoying myself!

The top ten things about Riverside:

10. Riverside isn't that far from home!!!!
9. Everything closes at 5
8. I basically don't have to do anything to win at pool, people just lose when they play me (remember John? I won your car? Yeah, Alex isn't much better, heh)
7. Alex really likes Techno and House music (everywhere we went we listened to it...it's growing on me, I'm working on it Madi)
6. Foreign food is really good, and learning about it adds to the experience
5. Goodrich is AWESOME!!! I am SO going to love it here! I love the work, my team, the events, Lean, it's perfect for me.
4. Kaizen events are a lot of fun, no matter how frustrating it can be some of the time. I totally am in my element with Goodrich.
3. I'm still a ToysRUs kid! :)
2. The Mission Inn is incredible: food, service, everything! And so is running into old friends there (Tyler!)
1. "What happens in Riverside, stays in Riverside" All the people I met were a lot of fun to talk to and I'm glad that I've been able to meet them all!

Time Really Does Fly When You're Having Fun!!

So I've moved here....

SOOOO much has happened since I've been in this fabulous place! I'm in a new Ward, I started a new job, making new friends, etc. The main thing that I've learned...yes another list...it's easier to read that way:

5. Goodrich is awesome!!! And I'm excited about my future there. Baptism by fire really isn't that bad I've learned a TON in a short period of time.

4. The ward is great and everyone is SUPER Friendly, making the transition a lot better, even when the Bishop asks you to speak on your fourth Sunday. :)

3. San Diego is the weirdest city in the world, traffic is opposite from what you would think it would be, people are going AWAY from the city. I'm not complaining though. Can't beat that commute! (seeing the ocean every morning is awesome as well.)

2. Conversation hearts, especially the new ones, really do spark conversations.

1. It never gets old telling people I live here!!!! :)

Life is good and as for some new songs, well sort of new....That I'm adding to my list of songs that should never end, yeah:

"Suspension" - Mae
"Walk on the Ocean" - Toad the Wet Sprocket

Just to name a couple. Well I know that this entry is simple, I'll probably come back and edit it a little better later. But at least it lets you know that I'm alive, in San Diego, and extremely blessed, I really couldn't ask for more.

Christmas Letter 2007

Christmas Letter 2007

To my dear Family and Friends,

I haven’t really known what to write for this year’s Christmas email. My life has been so blessed with wonderful family, friendships and acquaintances. This year taught me to cherish what I have and live life to the fullest.

I have to say it doesn’t really feel like 2007 happened at times. There have been glorious ups and tragic downs. But through it all I have been blessed to recognize my blessings and am so grateful to those people who have always been there. I wanted you all to know that I am grateful to know each of you and let you know that I think of you often.

The top ten things that 2007 has taught me:

10.“Not your gall bladder huh? Let’s have you eat a really fatty meal and see what happens…”

You really don’t need a gall bladder to survive. Get rid of it, it’s MUCH better than the pain of keeping it

9.“Welcome to my empty apartment!”

Having an empty apartment isn’t so bad when you have great friends next door and close by looking out for you. It’s also not so bad when you figure out that an air mattress is MUCH better than a makeshift bed of pillows or the hard floor. (thanks friends and family that donated to the cause of helping me stay comfortable those last couple weeks!)

8.“You want me to what?!”

Singing a solo in Church is still scary

7.“Sweet Child O’ Mine!”/ “Leo you hit EVERY kid square, you better get a second car”

Guitar Hero and Life parties really are the answer to stressful situations

6.“Understatement of the year”

Sometimes the greatest blessings come when you take your biggest leaps.

5.“In cards and flowers on your window/ Your friends all plead for you to stay/ Sometimes beginnings aren’t so simple/ Sometimes goodbye’s the only way. – Linkin Park ‘Shadow of a Day’”

No matter where you go or for how long, goodbyes are still hard

4.“This is why we do this” (Sister Johnson)

Getting up at 4:30am to work at the Jordan River Temple every Saturday was the best thing I could have ever done. That experience taught me more about life, progression, and the love of an Eternal Father. I miss my sweet ladies at the temple. You were all such incredible examples to me!

3.“Words can’t really express how I feel”

Families are FOREVER. I witnessed four incredible Sealings this last year which were four of the greatest experiences of my life. I also lost two close friends to cancer within two weeks of each other. Their families are such witnesses of strength and faith for me. The world has lost two great individuals, but their memories and testimonies will forever teach me what life is all about. I love you all!

2.“Collapsing from pain on HR’s floor at work and being wheeled out to the car for the ER in an office chair is soooo embarrassing!!!!!”

Two surgeries in one year really isn’t so bad when you’ve got Mom around as well as good family and friends.

1.“Why can’t we do anything simply in this family? How come it’s always got to be dramatic? We can’t just get sick, we have to have surgery. We can’t just move home, it has to burn down.”

When you finally decide to move home, don’t do it during fire season. And especially don’t move all your stuff a month in advance. All my stuff was moved the first weekend in October into the garage and various rooms in my parent’s home. The last week of October my parent’s home was taken in the Slide Fire…we are okay and grateful to Grandma who has openly welcomed us into her home!

As with every coming year I learn something new about myself or come away from it with a little better understanding of how it works. My last year in Utah was definitely a memorable one. And I’m grateful that I have something to build upon with my new beginning in CA.

For those of you that are wondering, I am currently working as the Wildfire Outreach Program Manager for Rim Family Services. I help direct Outreach Crisis Counselors, hired by FEMA, to the areas of devastation and worry on the mountain. Through the program we work to reach every individual affected by the national disaster and hopefully return the community back to a sense of normality. It’s very rewarding work and I have an incredible team of employees. We have a blast together! Every day is an adventure with individuals we meet.

As I look toward the future I’m hoping to eventually end up in the San Diego area working as well as going to school for my PhD. We’ll see what Heavenly Father has planned for me. I trust that He knows what’s best as long as I’m moving forward. My family and I are just fine and moving forward as well. It’s been so good to be so close. I know that moving was the right decision. That is witnessed to me daily. This is where I need to be. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my dear friends and family in Utah and scattered throughout the USA and the world as well. I hope that this letter finds you all happy, well, and enjoying good company this Holiday Season!

All my love and prayers!

Michelle (Shell-a-bell, Shell, Mish, Meesh, Meech Meech, Scully, Super Mish, etc.)

California Wildfire Slide Fire

Hello All:



I know that many of you are watching the news and seeing what is going on in my beautiful mountain range. Yes, what you are seeing is real. Running Springs is on fire, and yes that is my home town. I have greatly appreciated all the phone calls and texts throughout the day today. I wish I could have spoken to all of you today to let you know what exactly has been happening. I also know that many of you have loved ones from the area as well as loved ones fighting the fires. I cannot express enough how grateful we are for the courageous firefighters that haven't slept as they struggle to save Running Springs and Lake Arrowhead from these horrible fires. Not to mention the other fires stretching from the Mexico border to Santa Barbara. It's a horrific sight.



As for me and my family, we are safe. My family evacuated with what they could yesterday morning and have been in Desert Hot Springs trying to get any news that they could about home. My father is braving the fire with his crew from Arrowbear in Running Springs and has been watching everything going on for the last few days and hours calling the family in the desert with updates. About 3:50pm this afternoon ( Utah time) I read on www.rimoftheworld.net (a fabulous site) that spot fires were on Nob Hill and a couple structures were burning on Willow and Poplar Drive (my parent's home streets). I found out from my dad about a half hour later that it was from two structures three homes down from my house. I left work and went to my cousin's house in Sandy. Not really knowing whether or not the house was still standing.



About 7:15ish this evening I got a phone call from my mom (followed by my dad) saying that half our home was destroyed by fire. It went up through the garage (where all my newly moved stuff from Utah was...) up into my parent's bedroom bathroom and up into the attic and trying to go across the rest of the house. They were able to put it out. Now the fear is that the roof will collapse (from the water damage) or a remaining spark will flare up again, but we will have to wait and see what happens. My dad was actually able to walk into the house and look at the damage, pretty incredible.



As of this point my brother's homes and my grandmothers are okay. We aren't sure what tomorrow and the spotfires/winds will bring us. But everyone is in pretty good spirits. I thank my Heavenly Father for humor. It has helped my family in oh so many ways. My heart and prayers go out to many of you that are wondering what is going on with your homes. I know that many many good friends have suffered great losses. I cannot express in full my feelings and support for all of you and your families through this time. Thank you as well for all of your prayers. They have been answered in so many ways, even with suffering the loss.



A question I'm sure many of you are still asking, yes I am still moving to CA. I'm planning on leaving next Thursday as planned. Most of the major roads into CA are currently closed and I'm hoping that by then I will be able to make it back safely. I really need to be with my family. I now, more than ever, know that this is what I should be doing. Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers. They have been felt and answered, I am continually praying for you as well.



Love,

Michelle

New Beginnings

Isn't it amazing that songs can speak so much?! I just discovered a new song that just speaks loads for what I'm thinking and feeling currently.

"Shadow of a Day" - Linkin Park
"In cards and flowers on your window,
Your friends all plead for you to stay,
Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple,
Sometimes goodbye's the only way,
And the sun will set for you,
The sun will set for you,
And the shadow of the day,
Will embrace the world in grey,
And the sun will set for you."

I did in fact receive the most beautiful flowers I have ever received this last week from an admirer on the production floor at work (once he heard that I was leaving for California). Thank you Joe, they were beautiful. But I've been really humbled by the experiences I've had with friends, family, etc. I've cried, laughed, reminised, etc. And it's been wonderful. I still can't believe that nine years have passed since I moved to Utah. Yes Madi, you were right, "my pink suitcase can come out first!" and Mel, you were even more right when you said, "that pink suitcase is packed and already in CA waiting for you to follow!" So true! I'm going to miss everyone that I've met in Utah. My life has been incredibly blessed with such good people in my life. I have learned a lot about myself and how to react to the world around me here both professionally, personally, and spiritually. For that reason I will forever be in debt. I know that I will miss everyone terribly. but I WILL see you again, if not in this life, in the next. Like it says in the song, "Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple, Sometimes goodbye's the only way." This is one of those cases. I love you all!

I'm so excited to be moving back to California, "right back where I started from"! I can't even express how grateful I am for such an incredible family what was willing to come (on their vacation) and drive my Uhaul with all my stuff in it back to California (without me) and unload it into the various homes. (I'm hoping that I'll remember where all my stuff is, so that when I'm settled somewhere else I'll be able to get it all back, heh. But that's a story for another time...)

Anyways, so the Michelle "Cindiana Jones" Saga continues with the new adventures of sleeping on the floor and having no furniture. I don't know if any of my readers have experienced this before but I have come up with the following list of facts so as to make this sort of move easier should you ever need to experience it:

1. Two foam mattresses are not better than one. They tend to sink in the middle.

2. Pillows (I don't care how many you have) will never work as a substitute for a bed or foam mattress.

3. Air mattresses are wonderful, but make sure that it is fully inflated or you will experience what is stated in number 1 all over again.

4. Eating yourself out of house and home should not require you to eat a full box of pasta in two days...no pasta should last that long...space it out and use different sauces.

5. Corn tortillas are good fried, but do not react the same way that flour tortillas would, therefore, plan ahead.

6. Bare walls make for great "going away parties" you can project a movie on the wall.

7. No furniture allows for more people to gather together for a party and also allows for less stress of the hostess as there is nothing left to break in the room.

8. Don't forget what you packed. You may own it, but it's not with you. Don't offer it to people. (I told a friend I had a picture for them....yeah, it's in CA already. I told another friend that I have the game of LIFE, yeah, it's in CA already. The list continues)

9. If you have a pet, keep it with you if you are going to live with no furniture. (Pepe my frog has been a life saver. I'm so glad I didn't send him with my family)

10. Thank those you love often. You never know when a change is going to happen. My family and friends have always been there for me. I love you all! I will miss those in UT. And I look forward to seeing those in CA!

Loves!
Super Mish