The Library

As odd as it may seem, I actually love the library. I
should hate it. No, I take that back, I should
despise it, after my two years serving in the
university library system during my college studies I
should have some sort of unplesant feelings that rise
out of me. At that time, I believed that I had
actually died and been sent to the purgatory of green
science scholarly journals.

My job was to put them in their place.

I am not exaggerating: It took over a century to walk
from one end of the third floor of the Dirac Science
library to the other. Rows and Rows and Rows and Rows
of eternal green books that were forever waiting in
silence, for someone to come and open them up and
uncode their ecryptic scientific messages. Blech.

I remember walking up and down Isle after Isle not
quite sure why the call number had suddenly changed as
I realized that there was no place for it and I had
read the number backwards after looking for the number
over and over again in the shelves. I hate numbers.

Anyway, mind you this was only the third floor. There
were two other floors in which I was required to
conquer. ADD patient VS. Deslexia in my brain.
Panic overcomes. I start to daydream. My favorite
game was taking the carts and pretending that they
were grocerie shopping carts and that I was given 5
min to get anything I want for free. I think I
planned my entire wedding, future house decor,
thesis's for my art history papers, what I would do
if boogie men came into my house and I had to jump
them and many other things.

That is what gave me a ray of hope in the endless
tunnel of darkness of the Dirac Science library.
That, and frequent visits by Russell Brun who would
come late in the evening and not even looking to make
sure that no one was watching jumped on the book carts
and had me push him around like a kid and laughing
giddily. I was amazed at what a little laughter could
do.

Then there were the days when I would sneak down to
the bottom floor which is where I found endless rows
of cookbooks and photography books that I found
entirely too wonderful. I found books on every kind
of way to make just about any kind of food imaginable.
If anyone knows me well, they ought to believe that
what actually happened was that I went from purgatory
(on the top floor) and someone (bless their soul)
prayed me out of purgatory and now I am in Joanna
heaven

Then there were my co- workers

Not engaged

Hello.

I just want to say that Bradley and Jessica are NOT currently engaged, contrary to the former posting I put up with the cute little pictures of them all gushy, which may make it seem as though those two people are married or engaged. I just took that picture of them this fall because I wanted to, because I like Bradley and I also like Jessica, even though I like Jessica a little bit more than I like Bradley. (Just a little bit.) Anyway, they are together, as a loving, yet not engaged just dating, non co-habituating couple.

I met Bradley on August 12th, 2006, when his roommate Isaiah began to bring me over to his house. I slowly took control over that apartment. I ate all of their food, and replaced it with mine. I slowly brought all of my things over to their house. I forced them both to eat TOFU every night of the week and listen to my music, and to watch the beginning of "Braveheart" over and over. Before I knew it, I had both of them and my entire house (ooops, did I say MINE?) under full control. Isaiah was forced to put all of the pictures of his former lover, (who sadly passed away some time ago) Audrey Hepburn away in the back of his closet. So the three of us resided (me only in the day time, of course!) peacefully under my rule for a period of approximately 8 months. I eventually decided it was time to let the public decide who to throw off the show. Unfortunately, they picked Bradley because they saw him eating too much cream of Mushroom soup. We were all sad to see him go and it was a very dark couple of days as he removed all of his star trek movies and his crock pot, where he cooked his cream of mushroom soup out of the house and into a very scary quad apartment complex.

Sad as we were to see him go, I saw this as my final chance to become Lord of apartment 2593.

So that is the story of how I met Bradley.

Bradley and Jessica.

This is my very very best friend together with Bradley Wilson.

I love them both so much, and am thankful they found eachother.

This is Adalynn Nicole Rispler(I think I spelled her name correctly). She is 6 weeks old and this was her very first time with a baby sitter. This is also one of the very first times I have seen her smile, for she is coming out of a very dark time in her life, full of sorrow, wailing, kicking and screaming. I was able to capture her at a very rare and beautiful moment, when she was actually very happy to be alive. Someday she will be smiling more often, and realize how blessed she is to be so loved by such wonderful parents. I think I love her too.

Today is the 26th day of October. I have been away from my home-town for 1 year and 7 months. I am amazed and perplexed at my adventure across the great continant we call the United States of America.

I remember flight here. I met a couple on the plane who were on their way to Hawaii. They were the types of people who would wear over sized hawaian shirts and dye their hair in un-natural shades of blondish color. Their goal was to have fun. After chatting with them a bit, I came to realize that their entire life goal was to have fun. They couldn't understand why I would just hop on a plane to go away from everyone I knew to serve in a Ministry.

I couldn't understand how someone couldn't feel so very empty inside with that being their life goal in mind.

Anyway, all that being said, I am here in another place that is so far from home, yet so at home. I am so far from the mark of my original purpose here. But my

Mush

Today is Tuesday, October 16th, 2007. Rain, slush mushy bog. That is my world right now, except for the moments that I am spending in the library.

Messy Kitchen

I don't want to clean the kitchen.

A friend of ours gave us some unnatural sized zucchini, which prompted us to create a sauteed zucchini and tomato pasta dish (with dill) and several large batches of zucchini bread. We were living in heaven.

But now the kitchen is messy. I don't really want to clean it. Oddly, its not because laziness or anything of that sort.

I look around me at opened cook books and flour sprawn out all over the counter. I see my beautiful wooden cutting board laying there on with just a few remenants of crumbs of our bread and I just think about what a beautiful picture this is of a homey kitchen that is well used and loved to make people happy and welcomed.

So, that's why I don't want to clean the kitchen. That plus, I am tired.

Married life

Every day I get a phone call in the middle of the day. "Jo Anna, did you make me black beans?" My head hangs a little low to the ground. "No, not today dear."

Isaiah thinks about black beans all day long. I believe he dreams about them in his sleep. As a new wife, it's difficult to keep up with all the demands that a man needs. I am learning every day that my life now consists of another's goals and dreams, and I cannot just think about my own needs.

So, instead of going to Jessica's house to re-edit lots of photographs that I will eventually put in a website, so that I can advocate my photography and make lots and lots of money for us and our starving family of 11 adopted children in 10 years, I am going to go home and make black beans for Isaiah.

We will have a delightful evening together, eating black beans and swinging on the swing. I can't wait:)

Howdy. Just seeing how this thing works, and trying to make sense of it all. Maybe I will be able to write something profound. But i'll wait.