Ode To Lyd and Nat

What can I say? It is almost surreal to be reminded of how well someone really knows you...I am one of the luckiest girls to have, not just one--but TWO, of my best friends in the whole wide world as cousins! Due to the fact that we share the same blood, we have been friends since birth--26 years and counting...


I can quite honestly say that these two fantastic women probably know me better than I know myself. I was reminded of this fact when Natalie, very lovingly, updated my blog for me (i.e. Madonna, that's who). She got all facts straight--from the list of my current activities, to the constant LOL (I really do laugh A LOT), to incorporating "ya'll" into my everyday vocabulary. Weird!

I can always count on Lyd and Nat to give it to me straight. To me, that is a TRUE friend. They are also always there when I need them...Natalie was my wingman one night when I was supposed to meet up with some new boys, even though she was engaged. And Lydia relocated nanny jobs and came all the way to Connecticut to be with me while I was nannying. While in Connecticut, we even made a video together to send to MTV with the hopes of meeting N*SYNC. It was one of the most memorable years of my life.

When my life seems like nothing but a quick succession of busy nothings, they are there to remind me how incredible life is! I can't thank them enough for always making me feel like I'm irreplaceable.

Thanks!

I PITY THE FOO'!

That's right. I think a mischevious, or shall I say prankish, best friend/cousin/roommate thought I would find the face-lift of my blog 1) upsetting or disturbing or 2) SPECTACULAR! Mr. T RULES! I'll be honest, I don't recollect episodes of The A-Team. In fact, my only real memory of Mr. T is one of my dad dressed up as Mr. T for Halloween. It was when we lived in the Yellow House across from the Teeples (that means I was 5). My hugely creative mother even made my dad's skin brown and faked a mohawk. He even wore the ridiculous amount of gold chains. If I had a picture I would post it...alas only a hard copy exists. I truly pity anyone who has never heard of Mr. T!

Madonna, that's who

My name is Shanna and this is my Halloween costume. I feel it is a very good likeness of Madonna, please note the single black lacey glove (fingerless!). LOL. I don't know where I come up with these things, but I do. LOL. I'm very good at it. What I'm not good at is updating my blog. I just feel so much pressure to say something great, because I fear that the happenings of my everyday life are not noteworthy. JK. LOL! But just now, at this very moment, I am realizing that this is not so. I have plenty to say. Just ask me! LOL! I had a date on Saturday night. I was partially responsible for some creatively racey lingerie at a bridal shower on Saturday morning. I had to cook a turkey for my ward's Thanksgiving dinner in between the bridal shower and the date. I was very busy. But because I care, I've taken the time to write this to y'all. I've also recently started incorporating "y'all" into my everyday vocabulary. I feel that it sounds unusually authentic when I say it.

Another stumbling block for my blog and me (that's what I call us ;) LOL) is that sometimes I feel a great deal of pressure to have cool pictures, but now I know this is not necessary either. I have come to realize that I just need to bless the rest of y'all with my regular ramblings, because it breaks my heart to realize that y'all click on my blog every day and are served a heaping portion of disappointment when a post has reached that more-than-a-month-old stage. It's like leftovers in the fridge that were so good at first, but once opened, just too old to enjoy. LOL!

Anyway, I've been cooking up a Shannanigans Stew for y'all, and it's been simmering for a while now. I think it's just about ready to be served. So come back with your appetites. Dinner's almost ready.

Oh yes, and one last thing I've realized - and this is a big one - is that when my cousin Natalie creates a blog for me and makes up my password for me, it is very possible that she will remember that password and take matters into her own hands when my blog gets a little too stale and she has too much time on her hands. But I know it's my own fault for not changing my password initially. That little rascal. Gosh I love her.

POOF!

I just love the way that Heavenly Father makes things happen in our lives! One moment we feel that we're at a dead end; we've done all we can do...and then POOF! He answers our prayers; almost like magic. And in my case, this was a prayer that I had only said in my heart, not even formally on my knees...which makes me feel even more undeserving...

As many of you may know, I officially finished my Bachelor's degree in Radiation Therapy this summer! YAY! And with graduation comes the job hunt. Radiation Therapist jobs are hard to come by in this lovely state--good pay, great hours, no weekends, no holidays, AMAZING patients--honestly, who would want to leave their job? I knew the the job outlook was sparce when I started the program and told myself that I would look out of state then.

When September rolled around I decided it was time to seriously take action, so I looked out of state. I applied for a PRN ("on call") position at a hospital in California and another PRN position at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT (really close to where I used to nanny). I heard back from the hospital in California right away which was very encouraging. The HR lady told me that she had sent my resume on and that I would hear back from someone.

In the mean time....sometime at the beginning of last week.
I'm minding my business, making plans to take a resume to every treatment center in Utah--whether they were hiring or not--introduce myself to the managers so that they could put a name with a face. This particular afternoon, I had stopped by Allison's to see her and the kids, and was disappointed to see they weren't home. I let myself in and decided to wait...thinking to myself, "I really need to call those Cancer Centers today and set up some appointments..." Suddenly, my phone rings. I don't recognize the number. I don't pick up. They leave a message. So, I listen to my messages....POOF!

The message was from the Cheif Therapist at Utah Cancer Specialists, informing me that they are looking for some therapists to add to their PRN pool and would like to know if I would be interested in the position! HOLY COW!

This is where I am jumping up and down, screaming and laughing! I can't wait for Allison to get home! I couldn't believe it! Apparently he knows my old clinical instructor, Daryn, from McKay-Dee and had called him to see if he knew any therapist looking for work. Daryn, being the AWESOME guy that he is, gave him my number.

I had never spoken to Utah Cancer Specialists before; never gone there to observe; didn't know a soul in their department. I had only made plans to call them. That's it!

I am now pleased announce that I am currently the NEWEST PRN employee at UCS! Being PRN is going to help me gain more experience (even if it is only once week) and now I have my foot in the door somewhere--not just anywhere, but in UTAH! I couldn't be more pleased and extremely grateful for the chance. I love Heavenly Father! It is so nice to be reminded how aware he is of every little aspect of our lives. He really does work miracles!


P.S. I have yet to hear from the other two hospitals. Hmm.

The Wisdom of Bill & Ted

Not too long ago I received some most excellent advice from my dear, dear friend, Vanessa. I have found that it can apply to almost every situation in life.

We were having late-night girl talk at her apartment; I was, of course, talking and she was patiently listening to me babble on and on. As you may have already guessed we were discussing dating and the potential prospects in our futures.

When it comes to dating I often find myself speeding ahead so far in my mind, that sometimes I'm already trying to decide whether I want to marry the guy before I even decide whether to go on a date with him. I know, this is a terrible mind set...Elder Oaks even addressed it in his talk entitled, "Dating Versus Hanging Out" If you've never heard it or read it, you should.

(http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=ca5be2270ed6c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1)

As I was splurting out the thorough analysis I had performed on a current dating/hang out dynamic I'm in...Vanessa kindly interrupted me to share this "Pearl of Wisdom" (as I like to call it). The conversation went something like this...

"Shann, this may be sort of a weird analogy, but hear me out....you know 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Bill and Ted try to recruit VanHalen before they even learn how to play the guitar. I think you may be trying to recruit VanHalen before you've learned to play the guitar...?"

Suddenly a light went on! Her simple advice from Bill & Ted's was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment and rang so true that it has stuck with me. In fact, I shared this with one of my roommates (we'll call her Bessi) who analyzes dating relationships almost exactly the same way I do, and Bessi found it just as enlightening. We are constantly reminding ourselves to stop trying to recruit VanHalen. We get so ahead of ourselves that we miss out on enjoying the moment!

I'm so glad that Vanessa knew what wisdom was contained within the cinematic masterpiece that is "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", and passed it on to me. With that...I would like to share one more tidbit from one of the greatest films of our generation...



Bill: Be excellent to each other.

Ted: Party on, dudes!

Pictures! Hoorah!

I have nephews coming out my ears!!... and I love it! My little sister BriAnne just had her first baby, a son, on August 18, 2007 and my sister just older than me, Allison just had her fourth baby (second son) on August 26, 2007. They are just over a week apart and are so adorable. My sister-in-law, Nancy, also had a little boy last March. His name is Nathan and I love him!

I just figured out how to view the pictures I have taken with my phone (the only camera I have in my possession) and hopefully will be able to post them here on my blog.


INTRODUCING...MILAN TAGGART BURNS! 6 lbs. 11 oz. 20" long (?)



AND....ISAAC JUSTIN GUNNELL!! 7 lbs. 9 oz. 21"




Isn't he is soooo cute (which is to be expected when looking at his siblings!) ?

Speaking of Isaac's siblings... Here is Emma and Hannah.



These picture were taken on the way to meet Milan for the first time. Ethan's is from his first day back to school. He's so going to be a heartbreaker! This is a picture of Ethan and Milan.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....NATHAN FLOYD TAGGART!



These pictures of Nathan were taken last July at one of BriAnne's baby showers. He was trying out the hottest thing in babydom....The Bumbo! I thought he looked so cute sitting there all by himself. Nathan also has a couple brothers that are so fantastically cute as well, Joshua and James. If I had pictures of them on my phone I would gladly post them here. I'll have to get some the next time I see them.

Needless to say, my family is bursting with boys!

ALL GROWN UP!

Last month I took a small road trip with a couple of girlfriends to California and of course since we were in the car together for hours on end we had the opportunity to discuss the secrets of life. You know, things like boys, hair, single-life, losing weight, etc. But one of the best conversations we had was about growing up....

We (Me, Allison Travis, and Kristi Sorenson) decided that there are certain events or decisions that one makes that take them into the true realm of being a "grown up". Everyone first thinks of the obvious milestones in a person's life, i.e. getting married, having children, or having a mortgage. These are all good things that certainly require a more mature mindset and plenty of responsibility, but I would like to add to this list of what makes a person truly grown up. Here are some of the things we came up with on our long drive to and from Cali that essentially changed us, made us....GROWN UP!

1. Choosing to wear sunscreen---I'm talking nothing less than SPF 30 to protect against the suns harmful rays. (Kristi)
2. Driving in California--Freeways and city streets. This really only applies to a person who isn't used to constant traffic and jammed freeways. (Allison)
3. Being able to navigate straight to a location out-of-state that you have only been to one other time, without using Mapquest. (Shanna)

Of course there are probably more signs of growing up that we didn't come up with. Which is why I'd like to ask all of you fellow bloggers and closet bloggers to please add to my list! I would love to hear some of the things that make you feel "grown up" :)

Oh, one more thing to add to the list...
4. Choosing to spend your money on things other that clothes, music, movies, or eating out--Just today I bought a new comforter for my bed and am so looking forward to getting new sheets and a duvet. I'm very excited about having a "grown up" bedroom.
5. Going ga-ga over washers and dryers in the "Mega Labor Day Sale" at RC Willey (Lydia)
6. Being able to say "NO" and mean it--This also includes being able to send food back at a resturaunt and making sure you're not overcharged for something. (Jenny)
7. Having a checkbook and actually balancing it--I have yet to master this one. Oops, I know. Good job Emily!
8. Comparing and contrasting the pros and cons of anti-aging treatments--Look for a good magic trick to post-postponing wrinkles. (Natalie)
9. Hiring the Deacon down the street who refers to you as "Sister _____", to mow your lawn--Sister Buttars in Natalie's case!
10. Being seriously exhausted and are positive it must be well past midnight, only to glance up and see a red 9:45 glaring back at you from the clock--Amen! Amen! (Jealin)

Work-Boyfriends!

I know that what your all probably thinking..."Who the heck is Ryan Jensen?" To make a long story short, I work with him and he has been keeping me company while I check everyones' blogs. Anyway, he pretty much worships the ground I walk on and keeps asking for me to profess my "true feelings" for him on my blog...you know, make it known to the world!

Ryan would like all of you to know that he is a changed man because of me! He says, I make him want to be the man that I truly deserve. He only drinks HALF as much as he used to. He says, I complete him....Isn't that touching? According to Ryan we're only best friends now, but someday he hopes to be more. He also likes to remind me that I'm no spring chicken (being 26 and all. He's 24)! Thanks Ry!

In all honesty, I do work with him at LDS and he most-likely will be my next work-boyfriend. "Work-boyfriend" is a term that Natalie came up with to describe any boy we spend most of our time with at work-- chatting and flirting. Now and then there is the occasional outside of work activity (We have been to a movie together). Ryan and I see each other for about an hour and a half at a time when our shifts overlap. He really does say some of the nicest things to me. When I first met him he kind of came off as creepy in a non-threatening kind of way, but now he's totally endearing and I look forward to seeing him at work. He is not the first and most likely, not the last. We'll see how long this quasi-relationship lasts! Cross your fingers!

Perturbed :(

The other day when I was at work, I was trying to post another blog about my 4th of July activities and the happenings at the family reunion in Bear Lake....when suddenly I was called away to do an exam. I tried to save my current post so that I could return and finish. I pushed the "save to draft button", logged of the internet, and left. Much to my dismay...yep. You guessed it. IT DIDN'T SAVE! AAAAAAARGH! Needless to say I was very perturbed; so much so that it has taken me this long to get it together and make another post. I was doing so good the other day and the post was soooo funny! I really wish you all could have read it. Alas, this is what's left. Perhaps someday soon I'll be able to duplicate the magnificantness (new word you probably won't find on dictionary.com)of the missing blog.

I love the word "perturbed" (hopefully I'm spelling it right). In fact, when I spell words wrong, I get perturbed. I thought about Googling the word to make sure I spelled it right, but in this case I'm more lazy than worried about whether or not I spelled it right. Other things that perturb me include:
-wearing my socks inside out
-walking on garage floors in bare feet
-overflowing garbage cans (I inherited this from Nat since she moved out)
-my muffin top
-when my pants get too short
-buying bathroom stuff (deordorant, toothpaste, makeup, contact solution, etc). Don't get me wrong, I like using these things, but they always run out at the same time and I end up paying a small fortune to replenish my supply.

Ok, enough with the negetating! Thanks for letting me vent...that's what blogs are for anyway, right! ;)

Closet-Bloggism...It's real.

I feel very humbled at this moment to be the new proud owner of my own blog! For many months now I have been a closet blogger--secretly reading and never commenting on the blogs of others. I feel like maybe I should stand up and introduce myself....Hi! My name is Shanna, and I...am...a closet blogger!

I'm not used to being the one to come up with clever stories and sayings, however, I love reading them. I suppose this is my first step toward overcoming my "closet-bloggism". I feel it pertinent to recognize two dear friends (you know who you are) who gave me my own wings to fly, and the countless family members (I love you...you are my rock) who have inspired me to take this stand and make my mark on the World Wide Web!

sneak attack

This is not Shanna quite yet as she has not yet been informed of the existence of this blog. This is Natalie, her cousin/roommate/best friend. Lydia already holds the title of cousin/best friend, so although I am no longer her roommate since running off and getting hitched, I must keep 'roommate' in the title to differentiate between Lydia and I. After having been inspired by Mike & Lydia's blog postings keeping all of us updated on the delivery of their first baby, I started writing in my blog just this week (with Emily Robinson's help - she created my blog for me). And after thoroughly discussing it with Emily, we have decided that Shanna needs to have her own blog. So I've saved her the trouble of creating the blog herself by creating it for her. Shanna, I hope you like it! This is our sneak attack.

The name of this blog came from the pleasant pairing of Shanna's first name with the word 'shenanigans.' Dictionary.com defines shenanigans as follows:

she·nan·i·gan (shə-nān'ĭ-gən):

a. A playful or mischievous act; a prank.
b. Mischief; prankishness. Often used in the plural.

Playful? Mischievous? Prankishness? I like the sounds of all of it, and thus, Shanna's blog is born.

I love you Shanna! I miss you terribly now that I don't live across the hall from you. Vegas is a much farther walk to see your smiling face in the morning. It's hard to replace moments shared brushing our teeth together in the tiny robin-egg-blue-gas-station-style-sink in the basement of our Salt Lake house. And so I feel that blogging is a happy compromise. Share anything you like: thoughts, ramblings, venting sessions, jokes of the day, dating drama (i beg you). Pretty please with cherries on top - blog away.

Love your guts,
~Natalie