So I Am Still Alive

Hello everyone, just thought I'd drop a note to let you all know we are still alive because it's been a while since I posted anything. James has begun law school. Wooo hooo!!! Go James! And I'm currently recovering from a little... mishap shall we say? I was vacationing in Utah a month ago and thought I would try out my trampoline skills which were pretty rusty. I did hand springs, Toyota jumps, 80's Jazz moves, splits, and just had a great time. When I went to get off the trampoline the thought crossed my mind to sit on my rump and then just slide off, but I thought that was ridiculous, I was just going to hop off like I always had. Well..... this was the mishap, my left extremely large toe caught on the padding & I found myself catapulting through the air (not unlike a flaming mass coming from a trebuchet (come on use your googling skills if you don't know what it is), because I have the red hair and limbs flailing and all) anywho, I felt like I was going to land on my face and I thought that would be bad, so I used all my concentration to get my legs underneath me for my landing. And I did! But only my right leg :0( Then I heard terrible crunching and popping sounds. As I felt an explosion of pain come over me I yelled, "Get me off the grass!" For those of you who don't know, I'm allergic to grass, if I touch it I break out in hives. So about 10 people stared at me dumbfoundedly as my 5-month prego sister Chelsea helped drag me off the grass. I did not go to the hospital, I knew it was bad because my knee was all wobbly, but I knew if I went to the ER they would pump me full of drugs and send me to a specialist, the pain was terrible, but I had lived through worse, I knew I wouldn't DIE of pain, it just didn't feel good. I decided to wait until I flew home to go see a dr. My dad gave me a blessing and I will fully recover which is great (thanks Dad). So I went to the dr. and got an X-ray, Ultrasound, and MRI. The results? The Dr. said and I quote, "You couldn't of hurt yourself more if you tried." No joke, that's what he said. I completely tore my ACL (main stabilizing tendon in you leg) and my MCL, and I had a few small compression fractures which will heal on their own, and a huge blood clot in my right calf muscle. Yikes! So I have to be on blood thinners for at least 12 weeks, then off them for 2 weeks before I can have surgery, and until I have surgery I can't walk or stand. Awesome. So not being able to walk or stand is pretty lame, but I'm pretty mobile after several weeks of using crutches (James is an awesome teacher having been confined with crutches for 2 different injuries, he knows all the tricks). And the great news? I was able to return to work this past week part time, my work is totally awesome and they have been very accommodating to help me get back to work despite my injury. So overall life is good, perhaps a little more excitement than I would prefer, but hey at least I live at a time when they can actually fix me right? I so would've been dead or crippled many times over in my life if I was a pioneer. Just little things to be grateful for.

Announcing... My Etsy Shop! Rozella's Creations

Hello everyone. So I'm really excited to say I have opened an Etsy Shop! For those of you who haven't heard of Etsy it basically an Ebay for handmade goods. So being here in WI with time on my hands I have picked up some new hobbies and I'm just makin' all this stuff. And one day I thought to myself, "Self, what are you going to do with all this stuff your makin' " and I thought, "well I can give some as gifts (which I did) and I suppose I could try to sell some of my stuff to others who might appreciate cool and stylish things and so........... I opened an Etsy Shop and it's called Rozella's Creations (Rashelle + Rapunzel = Rozella) it's a nickname of sorts and I like it. So if you notice on the right hand side of my blog there are some pictures, and you can click on one of them and it will bring you to my shop or you can type http://www.rozellascreations.etsy.com/ and you can find me there! I welcome custom requests and I'm coming to Utah in march for my little sisters wedding so if your interested in something I can make it and bring it with me (no shipping that way) so let me know! My pricelist for selling in person are lower than my Etsy shop prices (I have to pay posting fees and shipping on Etsy) so if you are interested in buying something directly from me email me and I will send you my price list: rashelle.c.drennan@gmail.com. Oh by the way, I primarily make crocheted hats any size from newborn to adult, flower and bow clippies, brooches, and other misc hair flair accessories. Love you and miss you!



--Rashelle

I Had A Wonderful Birthday

So this year I had a wonderful birthday (12/23). I had the day off, I slept in, I went out on a date with my wonderful husband. We went to dinner and then did a little shopping. For my birthday James surprised me by taking my Miche bag (purse that has removable straps and covers) to a store and giving it a make over! I got two new covers, a green alligator skin bag, and a cool black one, I also got new handles and they are the cute trendy kind with the chunky chains and part leather straps. Then we went to a movie which was The Princess and The Frog. I was really excited to see it... James wasn't. But as it turned out we had a private viewing, the whole theater was empty except us! And even better the movie was awesome! Even James loved it! It's now one of his favorite Disney movies. It is among my top 3 all time favorite Disney's (Sleeping Beauty, Finding Nemo, Princess & the Frog). If you haven't seen it yet you should. And I got this adorable reversible apron from my dear friend Amy North. It is seriously the cutest apron I have ever seen. It is black and white polka-dot on one side, and a cherry print on white on the front. I absolutely love it. And here I am modeling it for all to see! Thank you Amy! And thank you everyone who wished me happy birthday and sent cards and gifts, I definitely felt the love.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year!!! So I have been dying to post these pics for a long time. But I couldn't because they were Christmas presents and some people didn't open their gifts until New Year's Eve. So a few months ago I picked up another hobby (yes, I know, another one) and it is crocheting. Yeah I know it seems like an old lady hobby but it is coming back into fashion in full force. Have you seen those adorable crocheted or knitted scarfs, hats, or headbands. That is what I have been making for the last few months for people for Christmas! I wanted to make something for everyone I knew because I was just so excited about it, but alas, I only finished about 15 items in about 2 months since I learned. Here is a collage of the things I made. I'm modeling them, but as soon as the people they were for put pictures of themselves up I will post them here too.



So here they are as follows Top to Bottom Left to Right:

1. Texas Long Horn Hats for Jordan (ear flapper hat) & Owen Carver (brimmed beanie).
2. Blue & Gray hat and Scarf for Amy North.
3. Hot pink lacy beanie with brown flower for Chelsea Cooper.
4. Red and Brown Mother Daughter hats for Jessica & Zoey Carver (Zoey's has little bear ears on it)
Next Row:

5. Another picture of blue and gray scarf hat ensemble.
6. Pink and green Mother Daughter hats for Autumn & Summer (Summers has the ear flaps)
7. Purple Delight Ear Flapper hat (I made up the pattern for the ear flaps myself!) for MaraLyn Cooper.
8. Turquoise Head band that comes with a crocheted flower on a alligator clip and pin to be worn attached to the head band, alone in the hair, or attached to a jacket or cardigan, made for Ashley Meldrum.

Next Row:

6. Another picture of purple delight hat.
7. (Top pic) Picture shows turquoise headband with flower attached.
8. (Bottom pic) Jessica's Red lacy cap with brown flower.
9. Black and purple striped sporty beanie (was originally supposed to be for James but it was too small so I wear it now :o(
10. Autumn's Lattice cap with pink flower.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings from the great state of Wisconsin! Where the cheese really is better and people pronounce the word bag like “bage” (as in bagel without the “l”). We hope that this message finds you well and happy.

It has been a crazy year of change, blessings, and opportunities for us. It all started when over a year ago James decided he would like to go to law school. Next James commenced a lot of studying, waiting & application writing, and then - more waiting. In the midst of waiting James got laid off his “secure” job. Pretty scary in these tough economic times, but low and behold the very next day James was informed he had been accepted to the Wisconsin University Law Program!! Talk about blessings in disguise! Because James was laid of rather than quitting (as we had planned) he received a nice severance package; which enabled us to fund our move across the country and begin the next great adventure of our lives together.

Since moving to Madison it has been a challenge for both of us. We are away from everyone we know and everything that is familiar, but we are able to take comfort in doing service for people in our ward, & serving in our callings. Mine is Primary Pianist, yikes! I haven’t played on a regular basis in 9 years, but they had been without a pianist for 3 months, I am better than having no pianist--but only just. To be honest I play much better when no one is singing, (sigh) but that obviously wouldn’t work to well. James calling is the Facilities Coordinator, he is in charge of snow removal and keeping our building & grounds nice & tidy. We love our ward, and we are truly in the mission field out here. We are already having missionary opportunities & that is just a wonderful thing.

In conclusion, I just want to acknowledge how blessed we have been through this whole year. I was able to find a good job after only a few weeks at UW Credit Union and I enjoy going to work everyday. James got a job at Best Buy and works in the home theater department. He gets complimented daily on his customer service interactions which is really awesome. For this next year we are just working and living in WI so we can gain residency to save money on tuition costs for the next 3 years. So for now we are enjoying our new city, immersing ourselves in our ward and missionary work, and getting to know new people.

We love you, we miss you, and we hope you have the spirit of the Savior in your homes as we all celebrate this wonderful holiday season.

Much Love,

Rashelle and James Drennan

I Challenge You

So the other day at work one of my coworkers was sharing some very intersting information about a game one of the other branches plays during the week. It is a sheet of paper with some very funny actions people have to take and they recieve a certain amount of points once accomplished. They are not allowed to do this if there are members in the branches, but other than that their management tollerates it as long as it doesn't get too out of hand. For example, the following are worth 3 points each:

1. Walk sideways to the copier machine.
2. Put our pant leg inside your sock and when people ask about it say, "Not Now!" and storm off.
3. End conversations with a large grimace on your face and hit the sides of your head repeatedly.
4. Mumble incohertenly at your co-workers and then say, "Did you get that? I don't want to have to repeat myself."
5. Drop a pen and when someone reaches to pick it up for you yell, "That's MINE!!"
6. Call someone in the office you don't really know and leave a message saying, "I just called to say hello."
7. Show up to work in full army camo and if any one asks say, "I can't talk about it."

So you get the idea, they are extremely hilarious, especially if you can do them with out breaking your cool facade. So I found some other of these games that you play while riding in an elevator, and I will share a few of my favorites with you.

1. Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
2. Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly.
3. Sell Girl Scout cookies.
4. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: "Got enough air in there?"
5. When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.
6. Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.
7. On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go "plink" at the bottom.
8. Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: "I've got new socks on!"
9. Meow occasionally.
10. Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.
11. Sing "Mary had a little lamb" while continually pushing buttons. (this is James favorite)
12. Walk on with a cooler that says "human head" on the side.
13. Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce "You're one of THEM!" and move to the far corner of the elevator.
14. Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it.
15. When the elevator is silent, look around and ask "is that your beeper?"
16. Act like you are a mime in the "invisible box".
17. Say "Ding!" at each floor.
18. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your "personal space."
19. Sit in a chair behind a desk in the elevator and when the someone enters ask them if they have an appointment.
20. Announce in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body."
21. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
22. Stare at your thumb and say "I think it's getting larger."
23. Start brushing off invisible bugs from your arms, screaming "Aaughh! Get them off!"
24. Laugh hysterically for five seconds, stop, and glare at the other passengers like they are crazy.
25. As the elevator is going up, jump violently up and down, shouting "Down! I said down, dang-it!" (this is my personal favorite).

So I challenge each of you to apply these in your daily lives (or especially the next time you ride in an elevator) and see if you can pull it off. I too will take the challenge and will post about my results when I have some. Ta, Ta, for now.

note: In order to give credit I got these elevator pranks from this website:
http://www.owensworld.com/pranks/read-53.htm

Bank Robbers are Dumb

So it has been a pretty eventful week at my credit union. On Monday we had a guy come in to cash a check, he wasn't a member, but the check that was written to "him" was from one of our members. On a hunch one of my co-workers decided to check (in a back room) some signatures and found out not only did the signatures not even remotely match (smooth move ex-lax) the check's had actually been stolen from a lady's home earlier that same day. So while my co-worker was making copies of the guys licence and a photo copy of the check in a back room this guy was getting agitated. For some reason all my co-workers were no where to be found at this time and I was left to run the drive thru and lobby by myself. I was helping someone in the drive thru and this gentleman (let's call him Joe, shall we?) kept saying he had to "get to work" and I told him okay he could come back later, but Joe said, "Your co-worker has my license, and I need it back." (At this point I don't really know there is a problem, I'm just trying to manage the lobby and drive thru best I can), so I go find my co-worker who is now in one of the front private consulting offices on the phone with our fraud department, needing me to pacify Joe while we find out if he is a crook or not (a little stressful? yes, yes it was). Finally we get Joe back his license so he can head off to "work." Well turns out "work" is robbing banks. For whatever reason all he tried to do with us is cash a check for less than $100 and then he needed to take off to do some real work robbing other banks. He made no attempts to hide his identity; I mean after all why would he? All he did was hand a note to a teller and demand money and they gave it to him and he went on his merry way, what had he to fear? He had a grand escape for about 1 day, where he was pulled over in an everyday traffic stop and he was taken into custody. Yeah that's right, BUSTED!!

Meet Joe :0)

Alright so by this time of the week it is Thursday (yeah, the week of dumb robbers isn't over yet) and we have a very large branch in downtown Madison. I do not work at this branch but I was hired with 3 girls who do. Around 1:00 pm a caucasian young man between the age of 19-25 approx 5' 8", brown hair, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and carrying a brown briefcase (I don't know about you, but I've never seen some one in a white t-shirt and jeans carrying a briefcase of any sort, in fact, if he was carrying anything other than a backpack, lunch box, or thermos I would have signaled the alarm right then). He waited calmly in line (how polite) before he walked up to a teller and handed them a note that said he had a gun and demanded money. As per our companies policy, the teller handed over the money requested and the gentleman left (let's call him Bifff, yes with 3 f's, it's not a typo). Now of course Bifff also made no effort to alter or otherwise conceal his identity, I mean really, why would he? So I'm sure it is only a matter of time before good ol' Bifffy, is caught and sent to jail in a giffy!

Wow! What a week. So yeah, bank robbers are pretty dumb.

Meet Bifff :oP