kitty-cat...meow

My bed is looking really comfy right now, but I don't think I can handle Abe's disappointment if he has to start another work-week without a blog post from Jayne. So here goes.

Catching up -- I ran the half-marathon! (note: ran, not raced... I wasn't in it for the gold, I just wanted to run the whole way, and finish without throwing up fettuccine alfredo or pulling a muscle). Despite the fact that I had to run 13.1 miles, I had a great time and enjoyed the enthusiasm of the other 3,800+ runners. Who knew that many people enjoyed running? The funniest moment had to have been when the 60-year-old speed-walker passed us up right around mile 12. We regained the lead, but only after finding out that he was going on to complete the full marathon.

I also got to spend a fair amount of time in Florida for Christmas and New Years. The weather was perfect, and I got to do my favorite thing: smell the orange blossoms. Mariah, Daniela and I built a ginger bread cottage (next year, we're upgrading to a condo), we played some favorite family games like Dogopoly (I schooled Mariah), and learned a few others like Lightning Reaction, Cranium, and Risk. Dad does an awesome impression of a Neandrathal. For those of you not present, you'll have to request a repeat of "Evolution" some day. Matt and I also beat everyone at Wii tennis (doubles), and Mariah schooled me on every individual sport.

The best thing about being home, undoubtedly, was being with Rachel and Danny. If this whole med school thing doesn't work out, it's already been established that I have a job as Matt and Erin's au pair in Switzerland. Done and done.

the coolest kids in school

Morgen & Danny in heaven

My twin

Rachel watching Mindori, and us watching Rachel -
I think she likes cats

Danny and half of my head at Pirates of the Caribbean

Buzz and the Jacksons

Mariah, Rachel, and deoderant

There. Are you satisfied, Abe? Probably not. I haven't put up a picture of Klarissa yet. Okay, how about this one?

Fryer Tuck... er... Turkey

A few words regarding my previous post. It involved the North Carolina State Fair, muddy boots, and my friend Brittany after a long night at the fair trying to remove the muddy boots. That's all.

So. Thanksgiving 2007. My first thanksgiving home since 1997. There's something to be said for eating mom's stuffing in my own house... and not in some random Methodist church in West Palm. The most monumental event of the day had to be Morgen and Dad deep-frying TWO turkeys--I feel like we've finally embraced the deep south after all these years. And we didn't even have to buy a four-wheeler or use a cat-food container taped to a 2x4 as our mailbox. And according to All-State Insurance figures, 15 homes burned to the ground around the country last Thanksgiving as a result of the improper use of turkey fryers. But because of Morgen and Dad's careful planning, we didn't make All-State's list this year. We might have ingested toxic chemicals released when plastic is melted at very high temperatures, however. But I'll spare you the details.

The proud parents of a 17-lb turkey named Eugene.

And here's a brief demonstration by the turkey fryers, showing how they worked their magic.

So, another meal come and gone, with funny stories to tell. Some of my favorite family food stories would have to be, in no particular order:

1) mom catapulting a serving-spoon full of mashed potatoes at Matt's face and the shocked look that followed
2) Morgen and Sonia using their hands to stir together mom's stuffing only moments after adding boiling liquid to the mix... it tasted great!
3) me making german pancakes, but knocking over the blender full of batter 3 separate times, one time into a basket of clean laundry directly under the kitchen counter
4) Waitress: Would you like Soup or Salad?"
me: yeah, that sounds great.
Waitress: What sounds great?
me: A super salad...

Any others you guys can remember?

brit and the boot

I thought I would give see jayne run a new look - so I've been playing around with photoshop and a few of blogger.com's features, and voila. I'm not sure if I'll keep this layout, but at least it's a change from that solid blue mess my blog has been for the last two years or so. Let me know what you think -- aesthetically pleasing? too much gray?

Yesterday the ward had our annual thanksgiving dinner - a bit before actual turkey day to accommodate all the undergrads who go home for the holiday. I left work after lunch to begin a well-rehearsed (in my mind) lap around Durham and Chapel Hill... picking up five turkeys, delivering them to pre-arranged reheaters, getting the tablecloths from the institute building, and so on. There was a lot less stress involved than I had imagined -- most everything went off without a hitch. My attempt to channel Martha Stewart went pretty well - we covered the round tables with white table cloths, then made a runner from butcher block paper (the brown paper-baggy looking stuff), topped with a centerpiece of apples, pears, and mixed nuts. And a few candles which we are apparently not allowed to light in the church. Good to know.

The way home from the long day was also slightly eventful, as I blew out a tire driving home on the freeway. Way to go, Jen. What are the odds of blowing a tire and having to get to the spare in the trunk when said trunk is overflowing with, among other things, a huge pan of turkey leftovers.

Speaking of, today I searched for recipes for something to do with lots of leftover turkey... and found one for Kneaders Curried Turkey Chowder. After a few consultations with mom (note: ramen seasoning packets CAN double for bouillon cubes, and you cut green onions all the way up to the dark green stalk) the soup was made... and it was so delicious. Thick and creamy and curry-y. Let me know if anyone wants the recipe.

Lastly, a pretty funny movie trailer in the genre of comedic horror. I think dad ought to appreciate this one the most.

a day of firsts

I'm not a runner. Never have been. And I've always been tempted to say I never will be. Two of my closest friends have run marathons, and my dad always coaxes me into a few jogs when I'm home. But I've never felt the urge to just run for the heck of it. Running during soccer is totally legitimate (although I loved playing indoor because there seems to be less space in which to run), and I've never been opposed to the occasional mile or two on the treadmill at the gym. But this week, the bottom dropped out -- I ran a total of 4.5 miles on Tuesday and 5 miles this morning. And it wasn't so bad. Well, I take it back. The first two miles stink, but after that, you just get in the "groove" as Janet calls it, and you feel like you could go on for, well, another 3 miles. I've been talked into training for a half marathon with Janet and her boyfriend Steve. So I've got another month to bump that 5 miles up to 13.1. Piece of cake.

The weapon of choice

I also attended my first Duke basketball game at the Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the Cameron Crazies. Seriously, these guys are nuts. With the exception of half time, they never sit down. They have some pretty riotous chants -- "Go to he[ck] Carolina! Go to he[ck]!" which they apparently don't just yell during the legendary Duke vs UNC games. Rumor has it the "airball" chant got its start at Cameron. The atmosphere is amazing, though. The 'stadium' only seats 1,500 (compared to the Marriot Center's 22,700 capacity), and students would give up life and limb to get tickets to the Duke/UNC game. They almost do, actually. The undergrads live in tents in Krzyzewskiville for up to 3 months before the game just for one of the coveted tickets. Think Golden ticket from Willy Wonka, but even crazier.


And my other favorite chant of the night was "Crazy Towel Guy". He is perhaps the only basketball fan in the country to have his own cheer. He's been to every home game for the last 20 years and always sits in the exact same place, waving around a towel to incite the fans to cheer at higher decibels, if that's even possible.

Crazy Towel Guy

Go devils, go! And also, go Cougs!

This one's for you, Abe

It is one year and four days since my last blog posting. Apparently posting twice in one day sent me over the edge... but consider this the rebirth of see jayne run.

Let's see. Since my last blog post, I stopped working at FYI Corp. (goodbye, aeron chair), moved to Durham, North Carolina, began working in a cardiovascular medicine lab at Duke (hello, mice), and applied to medical school. Klarissa and Abe graduated from college, we had all the Jacksons together for the first time in years, Matt and Erin still live in the Alps, Mariah's a teenager. The list goes on.



I've definitely fallen in love with the great state of North Carolina (aka Noth Cackalacky). I've got quality friends at work and in the Durham 3rd ward (D3), enjoy the research that goes on in my lab (even when it involves shaving and nairing the occasional rodent), and am having fun coaching a local girl's soccer team (vai Portugal!). I live close enough to drive home on occasion (okay, so only once since I moved here, but it's only nine hours), and have had both my sisters up to visit for a few days. I've become an official resident of NC, and I've written enough personal statements to last a lifetime. For the moment, I'm going to continue working at Duke until I find out about med schools, which will be here in the next, oh, 8 months. It's the real never ending story.

So that's where I stand. Jennifer. In North Carolina. With the candlestick. It's been a good year.

2 posts in one day!

Albeit this one is going to be small:

I just wanted to inform my readers that my office chair at FYI is featured in the most recent episode of The Office ("The Initiation"). Nothing beats the surreal feeling of watching Jim sitting in a HermanMiller Aeron chair on "the office" while sitting in a HermanMiller Aeron chair in my office. Actually, a lot of things beat that. Oh well. Highlight of my day. I've got to start thinking of some pranks to pull.

Go Cougs! and Weddings!

2 posts in one week -- I think I'm making some progress.

Gillian got married! She was sealed in the Spokane temple and had a very beautiful, hardy wedding reception in the Palouse of Eastern Washington.... complete with soup, homemade bread, apple centerpieces and apple pie. It was perfectly fitting for her and for Pullman, Washington.


She was a very beautiful bride. I must say that my favorite moment, aside from the actual ceremony, was when Gillian came into the full sealing room and just sort of sat down smack in the middle of the bench made for her and her husband-to-be Jonathan, leaving no room for him to sit down beside her. Everyone laughed (which was helpful -- we were already a bit weepy), she scooted over, and the sealing proceeded. Gillian's initials are now GCB -- which she is quick to point is a natural chord progression.

After the wedding, I drove down to Provo for various and sundry purposes. Klarissa hooked me up with a ticket to the BYU vs UNLV football game -- which was great because I haven't set foot in the LaVel Edwards stadium in years -- and it's been even longer since I've seen the Cougs WIN in the LaVel Edwards Stadium. It was a great game.
I also ran into lots of great friends, including some old-timers from my Villa days.

And Elder Glenn -- who apparently traded in his tie and nametag for a tight, white, cheerleader uniform. Who would've thought.







I also got a few very domestic-looking pictures of Klarissa and Abe... that is one good looking couple of business majors!

a room with a view... of melbourne, not florence, unfortunately

This post is largely in response to a request, or rather a taunt, by Schmaaa? So just to prove I'm not lazy, I'm writing again.

This is a picture of my lovely office at FYI -- complete with a very ergonomically correct chair that I don't use properly because I always sit on its edge. And complete with a candy jar from which I purloined all the tootsie rolls before anyone else had the chance. Ah, the perks of the business world. I really do love the view though. The second best thing to being outside is being able to see the outside, I suppose.

I've been home from Fishers for almost two months now (holy vaca!). I miss the constant physical activity, but I'm trying to keep up windsurfing once or twice a week... definitely not the same. I did manage to wack my head on my mast this past Saturday... was it worth it, temp? was it worth it? Heck yes. I had such a great time.


And.... one nerd intimidates another! I went to Salt Lake/Provo two weekends ago - and fulfilled a small dream by getting to meet Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings. Well, I wouldn't say meet... more like weirded out. I got to weird out Ken Jennings. I justed hosed up and got nervous -- I do this around incredibly witty people because I feel like my wit is no match for theirs. Janet, you know what I mean. My sister thinks the picture looks like a family portrait... I'd have to agree. Thanks, Deseret Book, for providing the perfect backdrop for my family photo with Ken Jennings.

"your love is better than ice cream"... except at Toppers

Well, mission pretty much accomplished. We celebrated Klarissa's 21st birthday! We did eat obscene amounts of ice cream at Toppers, go digging for clams, and have a bonfire. No fishing (at least not with poles -- Mariah did catch a minnow with her bare hands) but we did do some sweet ocean kayaking and Mariah has become quite an accomplished windsurfer over the course of a few days.

Please see pictures below to see evidence of said activities:

Some interesting facts we learned this week:

~ one should avoid singing silly camp songs about sharks when one is kayaking in VERY open waters
~ when an ice cream store employs a puppy theme, the result is instant success... especially with a certain young Jackson girl

~ Fishers Island is a pretty incredible place

FI

I swore on my crooked pinky I would post tonight -- so here it is.

I've hit the halfway mark on Fisher's Island. 5 weeks down, 5 weeks to go. The time is going by a little too quickly, but I know that at the end of the summer I'll be itching to get off this tiny little island and get back to a normal (well, semi-normal) adult life. But for now, life is good. Every time I teach kids how to windsurf and I see the look of elation on their face as they land a tack or jibe for the first time, I am reminded of how much I love this job.

I reached a milestone on Saturday night -- the first time I've ever worked in a restaurant (aside from the time the head cook let me use the deep fryer at Camp Sunshine during Lupus week). Every night, Hay Harbor Club turns into a restaurant (the "sunset lounge" or something) where Islanders can lay down ridiculous amounts of money for good food... and lots of spirits. So I bussed for four hours, and got to eat really delicious leftovers afterwards. Although a milestone (and although I didn't NOT enjoy it), this will probably not be an oft repeated experience in my life. But I have to admit, I did enjoy overhearing the conversations of the rich and not-quite-famous. Lots of politics, and lots of drunken antics towards the end of the night. Next time I'll bring a camera.

I finished reading "Life of Pi" -- very interesting and quite the unexpected ending. I definitely recommend it. And I just started on "Wild Swans," a personal history about China in the 20th century. Reminds me a lot of "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. I didn't learn too much about the Far East in high school/college so I'm making up for it now.

Not too much new going on. My sisters are both coming to visit next weekend to celebrate Klarissa's 21st birthday. We're going to dig for clams, have bonfires, go fishing, and eat obscene amounts of ice cream. Among other things. I can't wait.

Some random shots of the island (and me):

Some of the kids I teach at the Thursday night dance. The boys wear the cutest clothes.

Oh, and I'm an aunt 2X. Erin had a beautiful little baby girl named Rachel Corrine. 3 lb 10 oz, born on June 20 --- she just came home from the hospital today.

She's going to be a heartbreaker. Especially if she has a crooked pinky like her aunty Jen.

the Gloaming

I'm finishing up my third week here at Hay Harbor Club on Fisher's Island. The first week was spent mostly repairing windsurfing equipment and getting things in order. I've been teaching now for about two weeks. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful location (the water could be a tad bit warmer... although it's been much warmer than I anticipated). The kids are fantastic and all I do is spend a few hours a day teaching them how to improve their kayaking strokes, take them on mini-adventures (usually involving sliding their kayaks down rock slides into the ocean) , and teach them to windsurf. I usually have six to eight 45 minute private or semi-private lessons daily, and fill the rest of my days with reading, babysitting, and watching episodes of "the Office" on Michael's computer.

I live in a place aptly named the "Golf House" as it sits on a nine-whole golf course and also houses the golf shop. I have a great roommate from Massachusetts and can wake up to the sound of waves crashing. Fishers also has a unique smell -- lots of wildflowers like honeysuckle. The weather, for the most part, has been ideal. We have had a few overcast days where a thick fog settles over the island the entire day and makes me think this place would be the perfect setting for a New England murder mystery, espcially because there's a streat called "The Gloaming."

And if you have a house on Fishers, you must have lots of Fishers insignia that shows the island: belts, ties, flip-flops, car stickers, backsplash tile. You name it.

John and I cooking at our friend Kathrin's house. We do a lot of that.

Ha Ha... Faked you out -- the REAL return to my blogging ways

This time I'm for real.

I've actually come full circle. When I first started blogging, I took a little trip to New York City on my way to Switzerland to visit Ashley and Rita, long-time friends who herald from the days of good ole McNair Magnet School. I'm back again, but this time with Sara, another of my best friends since the 7th grade. And this time en route to Fishers Island, NY (off the coast of New London, CT) where I will be teaching windsurfing and kayaking for the summer. I'll be here til Monday, and then travel by train to CT where I start work.

We had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen (who knew carmelized pears and gorgonzola cheese on a pizza could be so good??) and then had dessert at Serendipity (of the famed movie....um, "Serendipity") The place was a bit stuffy. When Ash called to make reservations, they didn't hesitate to tell her that they are booked 2 months in advance. The pictures: left is Sara and I -- I really wasn't cold at all, I just spilled chocolate ice cream on my shirt so Sara let me borrow her jacket as a cover-up. And right is me, Rita, Sara, and Ashley.

And below is the windsurfing board I just bought. I'm pretty excited to put it to good use this summer on the island.

On the docket for tomorrow: buying a pair of Chacos and watching USA vs Italia at 2:30 EST.

A return to my blogging ways

I've been put to veritable blogging shame by Gillian (not to mention her brothers and sister), who has posted 3 times since I last wrote about seeing my grandma in West Palm. No excuses, other than feeling inadequately prepared by high school AP English to keep up with such incredible writers. But the time has come to post again.

Some of the most exciting events of the past few weeks:

Calema Windsurfing midwinters! This is pretty much the biggest windsurfing regatta in the country (Napoleon, like anyone can even know that!) and took place at Kelly Park a few weekends ago. I didn't race (maybe next year) but I helped out at the event and had a great time watching international pros race in really strong winds.



This is a great picture of the start of one of the races -- there were more than 140 participants in all.

This is another amazing photo at the start of the race. The top three winners in the men's pro division came from France, Argentina and Norway (I think) but there were also lots of youth and women who raced and did really well. Next year, if you're not doing anything the first weekend in March, there's always Midwinters in Merritt Island, Florida.

A trip to the Keys! with some friends. I have no pictures to post at the moment because I didn't bring a camera (mine is still accruing international time in Switzerland with my brother and sister-in-law). Like usual, we packed a good deal into a short amount of time. We swam/waded out to distant isles (okay, just one isle), camped on patches of grass, played sports (lots of frisbee) and played random games made up by Janet and her friend Nancy. The best of which was the "make up names of new Keys" game. Responses included: Honk and Tonk Keys, Hank and Pank Keys, Door Key. Yeah... we had a lot of time to kill during car rides.

Work! The other day my horoscope said to keep future plans hidden (hard for me to do... E is for effusive, not elusive) but I'm really enjoying my job. I have evolved into the Executive Assistant/Office Manager (with the help of our IT guy Bob), which gives me a bird's-eye-view of how our CEO runs the company. I've learned a lot about business in the meantime--something I never thought I was interested in--and am figuring a little more out everyday. I'm still heading off this summer to teach windsurfing up north, but I will most likely come back in the fall to continue working at FYI.

If anyone is still actually reading See Jayne Run, I applaud your diligence and faithfulness, and will reward you by posting more often in the near future.

Heaven... I'm in heaven.

I'm at one of my favorite places in the whole world-- my aunt's house in West Palm Beach. Florida is having great winter weather (sorry for all of those who are currently residing in more arctic climes) and the view is really breathtaking. We drove down to take my mom, grandma and aunt to Miami to embark on another one of their 'trips.' When those three get together, it's nothing but rioutous peals of laughter. I haven't seen my Grandma Amon in a while, so we've enjoyed reminiscing and waltzing a bit. She's a very dynamic lady. 81 and still traveling the world over.


Employment updates: I found out on Thursday that I've been hired on to teach windsurfing and kayaking at Hay Harbor Resort on Fishers Island, NY this summer for two months. I really don't know too many details, but from what I understand, it's a posh summer resort for kids. My duties will include, um, teaching windsurfing and kayaking. But I'll also do on-the-side tutoring, lifeguarding, babysitting, chaperoning, etc. I love windsurfing, and I love teaching windsurfing even more, so I think it'll end up being the perfect summer job. I'm still not sure of my plans for the fall, but I've got some things in the works.

[Another round of crazy laughter from the Amon ladies] I love my family.

Thanks for putting up with my blogging hiatus. I'm back, and better than ever. Okay, so I'm just back. But here goes:

I really should be in bed right now... I just finished starting to study for the MCAT (2 hours a night for 4 months. Wow. Reviewed enzymes tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow) AND I have a job to go to early in the morning! I've been hired on as a semi-temp employee (4 months) for FYI Corp. in Melbourne, FL. I do lots of odd jobs, from the semi-mundane to the semi-empowering, and no, it has nothing to do with my college degree. I came to terms with the fact that (a) there are few (if any) jobs in my field in the Cocoa/Rockledge area, and (b) by the time I get trained to do anything micro/molecular biology related, it would be time for me to head off (hopefully) to a distant isle to teach windsurfing for the summer. So this is good. I know the CEO from previous church things--an incredible guy, I've got a great office with a big window, I got a laptop yesterday. So things are going well.

I'm also studying for the GRE so that I can keep the MPH window open. GRE = Graduate R..... Exam, and MPH = Masters in Public Health, for those of you who weren't sure. I signed up to take the GRE (a glorified version of the SAT) on the 26th of January, so I can get a few weeks of refreshing done between now and then.

Backtracking -- I had a great last few weeks in Switzerland. Our jaunt to Germany was so incredible because I had pictured it in my head and heard about it and read about it so much. We went to Dachau and visited the site of a WWII concentration camp. It was perhaps the most sobering experience I've ever had first-hand. You read the books and see the films, but to stand where those prisoners stood and froze and were tortured was intense. After Dachau, we stayed the night in Munich and awoke early to see the famed glockenspiel and the Christmas markets in Munich's main square. After Munich, we drove to Augsburg to see from whence the Amons and Schmidts (my maternal grandparents) hail. Augsburg is home to a very famous Christmas market with the most incredible German fare, so I was in heaven, and ate more food than I thought possible. Then we drove around until we found my grandma's old house, and then headed back to Switzy.

Christmas at home was fast-paced and hectic as usual (in a positive way), but it was good to be with the rest of the family. I loved hanging out with my sisters. Klarissa's so much fun now that she doesn't throw huge wooden dice at me in fits of rage because I'm beating her at board games. And Mariah's growing up so fast but is still just my cute little kid sister. I loved spending Q-time with Morgen, and he guessed the two things I wanted for Christmas: a cell phone and an I-pod. So I am now somewhat technologically up-to-date.

And then new years -- some of my best friends from BYU flew in from around the country to ring in the New Year in Florida. They split the time between my house and my friend Tim's house in the Deland/Daytona area. Considering how little time they spent in the sunshine state, we were able to do a lot... Disney, the space center, some windsurfing, lots of orange picking, Ron Jon's, New Years on the beach, manatees and swimming at the springs. I had a great time and was really sad to see them go.

And now, on to that real grown-up life that I've heard so much about. I like working, the commute's not bad (as long as I have Allison Kraus to listen to--thansk Janet), and it feels really good to be studying again. I thrive on routines, and so it's good to sort of have one again. I say sort of, because it's midnight, and according to my routine, I should have been in bed an hour ago!