Joanna's got talent

There are lots of talent-based shows on TV these days. But, who needs a TV show to tell you what your talents are when you can go to church and have a lesson on talents? The Gospel Principles lesson was on Talents this week and part of the activity included making a list of our talents. Here is what I came up with:

1. Making food. Pretty much I could be The Next Food Network Star because of my awesomeness in cooking. Mom, Dad, and Janet can vouch for me since they ate my food every week this summer.

2. Listening and understanding others needs/feelings. I had lots of practice with this one on my mission. People still turn to me to when they need to talk and someone to listen.

3. Doing things with my hands. Whether it is crafting or hair cutting or anything in between, my hands are a very useful tool.

4. I can teach. I guess that is why people think I should be a history teacher.

5. I can jump over couches and slide across floors. My roommates informed this was a talent my sophomore year.

6. I can whistle. After my freshman year, Mom said that she missed my whistling. I guess Sas and Jan just weren't good enough.

This, of course, is just the beginning of all the wonderful talents I possess. We also had to make a list of talents we wanted to develop. Here is a brief list of those:

1. Learn to really play the piano.

2. Learn to sing alto. This one could be difficult because my voice just doesn't reach the lowest notes.

3. Improve my running. I want to be where I was before my mission.

4. Be the First Lady or the next Martha Stewart. This might be more of a goal than a talent, but talent is definitely necessary for both.

So, that's what you'll find me working on. One day I might just develop these talents.

The Weather Report for October 12, 2009

I don't know what I was thinking when I made the decision to come to Minneapolis. It's only the middle of October!!

Sunday's Editorial Cartoon

Good laughs were had by all on the reading of this cartoon.

My Best Friend's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Nikki!

You are such a great friend!
I'd shrivel up and die without your sparkling personality around :)

Dream Big

For some reason, my dreams lately have been quite wild and ridiculous. I don't know whether it is because I have been going to bed later than usual or eating late at night, but it has been really fun waking up in the morning thinking, "Did I seriously just dream that?"

Here are a few of my favorites.

Everyone in the family was going on a trip to see Joseph get some sort of award. We stopped for a break at a church building and it just so happened that it was Zone Conference day for a zone in my mission. I was taken into the room and everyone there fawned over me. President Summerhays said I was the best missionary ever and one of his favorites. We never made it to Joseph's thing. This one wasn't that far-fetched since most of it was pretty much true.

This one is 100 times crazier.

I was walking along a dirt road with someone (not sure who) thinking "This journey is going to take forever if I'm supposed to make it home. How in the world did Odysseus ever complete his Odyssey?" As I was wondering that, we came to a field that had cows in it and had to get them to a different field surrounded by a fence. Using all of my muscles, I started throwing the cows over the fence. Then we continued on our merry way. I don't know if I ever made it "home", but I really had become the female version of Homer's hero. Now I just have to figure out whether the cows represented the sirens or cyclops.