Daddy's Little Girl

Daddy’s little girl

Learning to crawl, talk and walk

Hidden in an oyster, polishing the pearl

Feeling loved around the clock

You taught me about cars

We went to the races

You taught me reach far

Took me many places

I remember the days

When we would fish and camp

I’m remembering the ways

You put oil inside my lamp

You taught me to do repairs

Cars, plumbing and more

Showed me how to care

Like I never knew before

Wiping away my childhood tears

You taught me to be tough

Overcoming all my fears

You made sure I grew enough

Going father daughter dancing

You helped me learn to try

Showed me how to spread my wings

Teaching me to fly

You were our Girl Scout leader

Helped me learn simple math

Encouraging me to be a reader

Putting me on the right path

I am a stronger person now

More independent and kind

Continuing to learn somehow

It gives me peace of mind

You once watched over me

Now I’m watching over you

You saw who I could be

I’m not the girl you once knew

  

I have learned who I am meant to be

I haven’t quite gotten there yet

I need you to let me see

What happens when I get my feet wet

I’ll always be your little girl

Can we go back to how it used to be

Inside this oyster shines a beautiful pearl

I need to see you still believe in me

As time has moved ahead

It’s not as easy to love you as before

Somehow there’s mistrust instead

It’s pushing me towards the door

I am ready to walk away

I’m afraid of looking back

Somehow I just can’t stay

My train has jumped the track

I will always love you Daddy

I wish somehow you could see

You’ll always be my Daddy

There’s love for you inside of me

It used to be so easy

We always had so much fun

The dad jokes were always so cheesy

You were still my number one

We danced when I was younger

I stood upon your toes

I was always filled with hunger

You were stealing my nose

Over the years you’ve changed

You’re not who I knew you to be

My life has rearranged

That’s not always easy for me

I keep looking for the real you

The one who loved himself

The person here now is untrue

It’s time to get the real you off the shelf

 You’re in my daily prayers

I wish that you could see

My heart is filled with fear

You’ll leave this life too early

If you only knew

At Arlington Cemetery

How many tears I shed for you

Facing that future is scary  

I think about that day

The one we heard the news

It hurt to hear doctors say

Your time was nearly thru

Your life is a blessing

A miracle on earth

You’ve left the doctors guessing

Shown you have true worth

I wish you’d see the truth

The love I have for you

I want back the days of my youth

When you knew it to be true

I want you there my wedding day

So I can dance with you

When they ask who gives this girl away

I want you to say I do

  

I have polished up my pearl

It’s ready to see the light

I’m not a little girl

I will continue to fight

I’m Daddy’s little girl

And I have grown real strong

I’ve spun and twirled

I’ve loved you all along

Renee L Conaway

6-29-2012

Girlie-Girl

    If you were to ask me I think I would say in most circumstances I am more of a tom-boy than a girlie-girl. I am not high-maintenance and I don't wear a lot of make-up, in fact it wasn't until my mid-20s that I began wearing make-up on a more regular basis but yet even now there are days I am out-n-about without any on at all. If I had the choice I would rather be building something, or doing automotive/household repairs more than I would be caught walking the mall and shopping. 


Most days I dress to be comfortable, probably shorts and a tee-shirt (usually Disney related) but don't get me wrong I can be totally comfortable in a skirt or dress as well and it wouldn't be unusual for me to wear them on days other than Sunday. I don't typically burn candles or have pretty flowers around for decoration. I am super comfortable camping/fishing/hiking and am not worried about "breaking a nail" (which since I bite mine that typically wouldn't happen anyway) I have only gotten a pedicure like 3 times in my life and a manicure once (for prom and by the next day the nails were already off! ...mom wasn't too happy about that...) I love going to the races and the rodeo. I want to be out in nature not an air conditioned ________ (fill in a girlie location here, salon??)  


But when it comes to emotions, I am all girl! I probably cry more than most! I don't really get it. 
I cry in movies, when saying goodbye, and even sometimes just reading a news article that is touching. Sometimes I can hide my emotions but mostly I cry. I get emotional at museums and when studying history. During particular songs, even if I have heard them a million times. There are certain movies that always make me cry too, I don't even necessarily have to watch the entire movie, but if I come in at that one moment, like on LaBamba when his mom runs to his brother and cries "Ricky, my Ricky" (or something like that), or on Savannah Smiles at the end when they're saying goodbye and being driven away in the patrol car. I am tearing now just thinking of it.  I am a big sap! I cry reading books! (which makes it difficult to continue reading you know) 


When I had my 2nd knee surgery for my ACL reconstruction I received a cadavar graft. (yup the tendon of a dead person in my knee) and sometime after I went to donate blood. During the questions there was one about receiving skin grafts etc. Not being sure I skipped the question so I could check if my graft was considered for that answer. I learned that having received the graft I was going to be deferred for 12 months from donating. I went to my car and cried before driving away! Well after that 12 month time frame from my surgery date I went back to donating blood "regularly" again. Or about as regularly as I could (every 8 weeks you're eligible, but work/illness sometime gets in the way) Well lately it seems as if everytime I go in to donate I have had to be deferred again. Not because of cadavar body parts but because of low iron. It's really frustrating. I am not anemic and my numbers are usually good for a female, but not quite good enough for donating. (they want you above the normal for health/safety reasons). Today I went again and although I was within the normal female range I was just under the number yet again. I even let them re-test to see if I'd get a better result (has happened in the past) but nope... No such luck. So today again I cried in my car before driving away. 


I kinda laughed at myself for crying though. I think for most people they would be happy that they didn't have to be poked with a needle. It's not that I was sad I couldn't get another needle poke though, I was upset because yet again I wasn't able to provide a much needed service opportunity! They call me regularly because I am a "universal donor" I have O-Neg blood type. It is the ONLY blood that can be given to ANY blood type. But at the same time I can ONLY receive O-neg blood! Unfortunately though O-neg is one of the more rare blood types and since it is so important they need more of it! Did you know that O-neg is the blood they will give to newborn babies and trauma victims initially. Usually they don't have time to wait for results to see what blood type a person is when they initially need the blood. After making my appointment to donate today I still received probably 4-5 calls to schedule an appt! (I guess they weren't checking the system properly to see I was already scheduled)  


I don't know where my balance is with being a tom-boy but emotional, but I guess it works out somehow. I am super tough and have a lot more physical strength than most girls and if it came down to it I think I would defend myself against an attack. But I'd cry afterwards. In fact that is kind of what happened one day in my EMT days. I was working a shift one day and we picked up a patient at Hillmont Psychiatric hospital in Ventura. We had just gotten some new straps we were supposed to use on 51-50 (72 hours psychiatric hold) patients. We were picking up this patient I will call "Rita" (in fact I can't even remember her real name to protect it)  and bringing her to Simi Hospital where she was going to be given medical clearance and later transported to a Simi pschyiatric in-patient center. When we got to Hillmont the staff member told me "oh you may actually need those on this one" and I questioned him about it. He said "no you'll be fine I was kidding". Well Rita was on a 51-50 hold for schizophrenia & paranoia. She was delusional and thought people were coming to hurt her and her family. I don't remember what else. They thought she could be a danger to herself and others so she needed to be watched. We got Rita onto the gurney, seatbelted and strapped in (with the other "fancy" straps which were basically velcro straps we put one around her legs and one around her stomach strapped behind the head of the gurney. I don't think we did a third one on her thighs...) We got her loaded and my partner Ryan was driving. (with a female patient they typically want a female attendant in the back so there is less risk of accusations of inappropriate behavior) We got going towards Simi Valley. Rita was hispanic but she spoke a little english. Once we got her loaded in the ambulance, I kinda got an odd feeling and whispered to Ryan to keep an eye on the rear-view mirror because I just didn't feel right about it. During the beginning of the drive Rita told me my eyes looked pretty (the one day I happened to wear make-up in those days, I had even put some glitter over my eye-shadow... go figure) I told her thank you and continued with my paperwork etc. Then she started bouncing her legs on the gurney, she told me that she needed to use the bathroom. I advised her that we were not allowed to stop and take her out of the ambulance until we reached her destination but that I had a bed-pan if she really needed to go. She said she would wait. As we continued the drive she continued to bounce her legs as if needing to pee. She denied the bed-pan though when asked. A few times I would look up and she would be staring at me, then she would smile and look away. I wasn't sure what she was thinking though. Eventually we got to Simi and exited the freeway. As we were turning into the ambulance bay at Simi Hospital she asked me to come closer to her. She said she needed to tell me something. Ryan asked if everything was ok and I said yes she just had somthing to say. I moved on the bench seat in the ambulance closer to where she was sitting (I had been down by her feet during the majority of the drive by the rear door so I could see her) She kept asking me to come closer and I told her no that I wasn't going to let her whisper to me but that if she had something to say to say it. She said "can you kiss me?" I said "NO" and that is when she grabbed my shirt (we hadn't restrained her arms like we technically could have all along) I hollered for Ryan (who I thought was still in the driver seat) and I stood up and grabbed her arms. As it turned out Ryan had just gotten out and barely heard me scream then when I stood the ambulance moved and so he ran to the back door... it was locked so he ran around, through the passenger door and came thru the passageway from the front of the rig to the back. It turned out another Gold Coast Ambulance crew was there as well so Nicole jumped in the rig too from the side door. I had already managed to get Rita's arms down so they came in and took her arms. I grabbed the restraints and we tied her down. One arm at her side and the other above her head. We took Rita inside the ER, now completely restrained. We advised the staff she was on a 51-50 hold and there for medical clearance. --- Note: for me this all happened so fast, like I stated i thought Ryan was still in the front seat, but as soon as I said his name I swear I heard him attempt the back door and next thing I knew he was coming thru the front again. I didn't even have time to think about opening the door for him! Later both Ryan and Nicole said that when they got into the rig that Rita's face was red and she looked so angry like she could've easaily hurt me had she not been restrained or I had gotten closer to her/close enough. Which was a complete change from the Rita that was "smiling" at me throughout the drive. I never noticed her looking angry. 


So now we were in the ER with Rita and standing off to the side of the Nurses station waiting for a bed assignment. The Dr walked by and asked what we had. I told him it was a 51-50 for clearance. He asked why she was restrained and I don't remember answering him. Then he asked me if I was ok? I told him yes and he said "are you sure? you look a little flushed" and then a few tears started running down my cheeks. He told one of the nurses to take me into the break room and get me a drink. So we went in there, Ryan and Nicole were with Rita still. Inside the break room I told the nurse what had happened, I had a little soda and regained my compsure. I was only in there a couple minutes and came back into the er. As I came back in they were getting ready to transfer Rita to a bed so I assisted in the transfer. They told me I didn't have to, but I did anyway, afterall it was part of my job! When we cleared the call, our supervisor Ken called us back to the office. I am not sure if it was Ryan, Nicole or both but he was already told what had happened and wanted to talk to us (me particularly) and make sure I was ok. We came back and I talked to him. Told him I was ok and he had me write a statement (I think Ryan and Nicole had to write statements too) for my file. -- oh and I forgot to mention, this all happened just a short time after I had started. So then I was known as the new girl who got "attacked" in the rig. I was asked a lot why I didn't hit her. To tell you the truth it never even occured to me. Once I stood up and grabbed her arms she couldn't do anything! Considering the circumstances I wouldn't have been in trouble if I had (self defense, plus with her being on a hold I could legally restrain her) but there was no need. I feel confident in that, and I feel given the same situation I would do the same thing. 


So I think in that circumstance it was totally legitimate for me to cry (after the initial incident) but I still don't know why I cry when I cannot donate blood. I guess that is part of who I am. I am the emotional tom-boy! You know how they say "if you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen" ... I guess if you can't handle my emotions don't take me to a sad movie.... 

Ooops

Ok so anyone who knows me well knows that I am a letter writer, a postcard sender and typically a birthday remember-er! ... But this week I did the unthinkable and I almost forgot a birthday! I remembered the day of, but that of course was too late to send a card that would arrive on time, to send a gift to arrive on time and anything else I may have wanted to plan in advance! So I wanted to say sorry to my "Twinkie" the other Renee for being a slacker this year! I am already plotting some serious-ness to make up for my lack of being on top of things as I usually am! Don't worry to my other blog readers whose birthday's are coming up in the next few weeks, I am not going to let myself slide again for your birthdays! ;-) I am making notes now so that I hopefully don't do it again!

Adventurous

  Last week I was on the East Coast (in the Washington DC area --more blogs to follow about that) and as I was spending time with friends we had a lot of discussions. I guess spending a week straight with someone, you realize sometimes you gotta talk! It really made me start thinking about some things. We talked about a lot of things and circumstances. We discussed likes and dislikes and although we have known each other for 21 years (2/3 of my life) I learned some new things about him. It was a lot of fun. 


One thing in particular I remember talking about was swimming with the sharks, I think that came up in conversation when we were at the Aquarium in Baltimore. I don't remember his response (I think he said not with the great white shark) but for me I would totally be willing to go into a shark cage and let people toss some chum. I think it would be a little nerve racking but I think It would be an incredible experience as well. 


Since my trip a few times this week I have thought about my sense of adventure. I think that just like our taste buds and other things in our lives our sense of adventure changes as well. I think that different things excite us at different times. As a child I may have thought it adventurous to go down the slide, or to swing really high. But now I look at my life and I want to go sky-diving! And although I would love to jump out of an airplane someday I cannot see myself going bungee jumping off a bridge or something! So does that still make me adventurous? 


As I have been thinking about it this week I have thought about "adventure", what really qualifies something as being adventurous? As I look at the dictionary (www.m-w.com) you see adventure defined as: 

Definition of ADVENTURE

1

a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risksb : the encountering of risks adventure>

2

: an exciting or remarkable experience adventure in exotic dining>

3

: an enterprise involving financial risk

So when it comes to adventure according to #2 it doesn't always have to involve danger or risks. So does that make me adventurous because I am willing to sing karaoke without having been drinking (I know some people who will only do it if they're drunk) I don't have to participate in crazy stunts to be adventurous. So even though I have not been a world traveler and because I don't want to eat certain foods does my "wild and crazy" side make me adventurous? 

I have learned in my life how to have fun and laugh. I don't have to involve alcohol or certain activities. But I can still be just as wild and crazy as the next girl. I love a good water fight, or a good roller coaster. I love to wrestle and to just be myself. I will go up to a street performer and ask for a photograph. I am not afraid to look silly standing next to a giant statue of Yogi Bear at Jellystone campground in VA (another thing I did last week) So where is the line drawn? I will hold a snake or a rat or maybe I will hold a tarantula someday, so does that make me more adventurous than someone who won't? If I will hold a snake but someone else will bungee jump who is being more adventurous? What about a zip-line (i'd love to do that) or petting a sting ray? Is there a difference between the swinging gondola and the non-swinging when it comes to riding a ferris wheel? 

I love to go hiking and I love the view from the top of the mountain, but if I am not sure if I want to go rapelling does that drop my adventure level? If I will jump into the deep end of a swimming pool but not off a cliff into a lake/pond is there a difference? I guess it is all how you look at it. I think that I do have a lot of adventure in my life. It just may be different than the next person. 

I think that the measure of adventure is a measure of comfort. Although I may be more comfortable putting my life into a parachute than a bungee cord, it doesn't mean the bungee jumper isn't adventurous. Just as much as a person who is afraid of snakes isn't a weak person. Maybe they are just as willing to hang out with me in the shark cage! I think that sometimes common sense fits into our level of adventure while other times maybe not so much. Look at animal trainers! They have to have a level of trust to work with lions or tigers, but yet there has got to be a level of adventure there, knowing that at any time that animal may show it's wild side instead of it's tame upbringing. For example the girl who was drown by the whale at Sea World a few years back. She was doing something she loved but all along she was working with an animal the size of a vehicle. She always knew there was a risk of major injury, did she do it for the love of the whale or because of the adventure of swimming with a whale? I guess now we will never know. I would love to ride an elephant someday, but I may not want to attempt to pet a porcupine! What about race car drivers? I would love to go in a dragster sometime! But I think I might be bored in a Nascar race! (wow another left turn) So does that mean I like adventure in short segments? 

I guess I am kind of rambling on here but the thoughts keep flowing as scattered as they may be! Overall I guess this will be a constant battle in my thoughts. How much adventure do I include in my life and how is that adventure measured? Am I being adventurous to the point of too much danger or not enough? I want to feel spontaneous and fun but I also want to feel safe and scure. How adventurous do you feel? If you slide down the stairs on a towel are you good for the day or do you wish you could fly like superman? ... For me I would love to do both right now! 

Twas The Night

Twas the night before Tues and all through the house.

the dogs were all peaceful & lazying about

I went in the office and sat in a chair

To check email and Facebook, to see what was there.

I thought the dogs all settled and went into beds

While visions of cats danced in their heads

Me in my pi's, my foot went tap tap

I waited for laundry then my nightly nap

When in the front room I heard glass shatter

I sprang from the office to see what was the matter

To the couch by the window I flew like a flash

The pillows were gone, the blinds had gone crash

The cloud cover caused a minimal glow

For the moonlight hardly did show

When what to my wandering eye did appear

3 dogs, Hershey Moose and Koda came near

My mind went crazy, i grabbed the phone quick

I knew in a moment this needed a fix

More rapid than eagles my tears they came

First mom and then Bill I called them by name

Now come, now come, that's your mission

come quickly, come quickly, this window needs fixen

To the side of the house attach wood to the wall

With screws and the drill before more glass can fall

I'll rake up the glass, you do the work up high

To cover the window before it rains from the sky

Then inside the house we'll cover the window too

To prevent a repeat of the dogs going through

With each step of the way a little more proof

One dog, prancing and pawing and saying "woof-woof"

As i drew in my head, and turned around

Moose was always there, he came with a bound

No blood on his fur, from his head to his foot

But out of the glass he wouldn't stay put

Each little toy he kept bringing back

He played like a puppy, leaving his track

Not knowing the danger, he was making me weary

Kept wanting to play, it was kind of scary

I pushed him back and told him no

He didn't understand and wouldn't go

Despite the glass a toy tight in his teeth

He stood on the couch broken glass above and beneath

His puppy dog face and round little belly

Shook when he played like a bowl full of jelly

Chubby and plump on the couch and window shelf

I tried to stop him from unknowingly hurting himself

So close to the glass several times i moved his head

Once the window was secured i knew i had nothing to dread

With minimal words Bill and I went straight to the work

Secured the window, i called him so late i felt like a jerk

But he's a good friend, so as it goes

At my moment of need to the deed he rose

He sprang to my need, when i blew the whistle

then away he flew like the down of a thistle

But i heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight

Thanks for the call, and to all a good-night

Renee L Conaway

4-25-2012

CHP

Ok so some of you (that actually read my few and far between posts) may remember when I posted nearly 2 years ago about interviewing for a job with the Ca Highway Patrol. See Here So after that interview and not getting hired I was kind of bummed, but I was told due to my initial test scores I would be kept on the list for up to 2 years. (I had scored a 94 or 95%) Once or twice since that time I had received a notice stating that if I was interested in staying on the list I needed to fill out the form and return it. So whenever I got the form I returned it.

     Now flash forward to the present day... actually lets jump back a few months. Early in Oct I received an envelope from the CHP. My mom said "did you get a ticket or something?" I said "No, I don't know what it is for" I opened the envelope. It was familiar to me like those letters. But this one said something along the lines of now hiring and if you're interested in the position still submit this form, a current application (found at such & stuff website) and a drug screen form (also found at such n such website). Submit all this postmarked no later than Oct 12, 2011. (it was like the 5th or 6th that I received the letter) Well as you can probably guess by now... I filled it all out! Mine was postmarked on Oct 11, 2011. It was in the mail. I just had to wait and see what happened after that. Almost two weeks later I got a call! I got called on Tues and had an interview on Weds! WOAH!! In the meantime things started going downhill at work. They were splitting our department and nobody knew what was going to happen and who would be staying vs going! The timing couldn't be better! I went to the interview and they told me that they had 8 openings and were interviewing 13 or 14 people! I thought to myself "If I don't make it with those odds, I must be really low on the totem pole!" When I left the interview they said that because they were hoping to expedite the hiring they gave me a background packet and told me they would let me know if I needed to turn it in. On Thurs I was told to turn in my packet ASAP, and Fri it was dropped off in their office. So on Halloween Mon my background investigation started.

They said that they were wanting to get the backgrounds done and the medical examinations done so they could hopefully have people starting on Nov 28th! I was hoping mine would go quickly! ... Well then because they are hiring some new cadets as well, the dispatch backgrounds got delayed! UGH! During that time, all my coworker friends got transferred out and I was the only one who was going to be left! I was left all alone in my dept that was changing daily and quickly with a bunch of people who I didn't know and who had their own agenda's! UGH... so then beginning of Dec my background got passed and I was scheduled for my medical exam. They were hoping to get that done quickly because there was another training class starting on Jan 9th. ... didn't happen, the week before Jan 9th I got a call that there was a problem with my paperwork and that they also needed a new type test. I took care of both that same day. But it still didn't get processed/cleared in time. Now we were hoping for Jan 30th class....

 A week before I was going to need to be in the office for that class I spoke with Anne and she told me that because of my rank and experience I would for sure be one of the first 4 hired, but they still didn't have anybody cleared and so it was looking like March 14th start date with the Mar 19th training class. a few days passed and then I was told they got a couple other girls cleared but not mine yet..... so they got to start. The next day they got my clearance but had already signed up those other girls for the class. (which I know at least one was in rank 4! She had been told that she would need to wait for others in the ranks 1-3 to fail out of medicals before she could be hired, but now because her clearance came in time and they had gotten at least one dropped, she got in before me... with my rank 1 UGH-again!) Anne told me that she would let me know if they got a spot opened in the class because someone dropped I was in. But nobody dropped for me to go last minute! UGH

SO now it stands, I am starting on Mar 14th. I will be in training starting Mar 19th. (2 years and 1 day after that first interview!) I am so excited! Initially I was frustrated about having to wait so long but there are some blessings as well. I just had to look for them a little. I am actually really excited to be going to Sacramento for training instead of Riverside. I get to fly there )I could take my car if i wanted to, but why put the extra miles if I don't have to) I will be staying at the CHP training academy in a "dorm-style" setting. So I am not too keen on that, I was looking forward to having a hotel room to myself and being able to feel comfortable. Now I don't know if I will have a roommate and what she will be like. It really is kinda frustrating especially when it comes to privacy and such. Having never gone off to college or anything I am not used to that! I guess the lucky thing is it in only 3 weeks.... but 3 weeks can be a long time if with the wrong person!
SO yeah.. I have lost my train of thought.. but I am stoked! I am going from a County of Ventura job, to a job with the STATE OF CALIFORNIA! How crazy is that?!?!?

New Beginnings

IT STARTED OUT GREAT

IT STARTED OUT SLOW

WITH SO MUCH TO LEARN

AND SO MUCH TO KNOW

MEETING NEW PEOPLE

AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS

ENJOYING THE COMPANY

HOPING IT’D NEVER END

THEN THINGS CHANGED

WENT DOWNHILL FAST

THINGS WEREN’T THE SAME

ALWAYS TOO GOOD TO LAST

I MISS THOSE DAYS

ENOYING THE TIME

LIVING THE LIFE

RUNNING ON SUNSHINE

MY FRIENDS ARE GONE

THE DAYS GROW LONG

IN A CROWD ALL ALONE

SINGING AN EMPTY SONG

READY FOR A CHANGE

A BRAND NEW START

ALL FULL OF HOPE

AND A FAITH FILLED HEART

TIME FOR STARTING ALL OVER

BEGINNING AGAIN

LIKE THE TORTOISE & HARE

IN A RACE I CAN WIN

I’VE CLIMBED SEVERAL MOUNTAINS

I SWAM AGAINST THE STREAM

TREDGED THROUGH THE MUD

& FOLLOWED MY DREAM

NOW THIS DREAM OF MINE

IS COMING FULL BLOOM

I SEE THE SUNSHINE

IN MY DARKENED ROOM

LIFE COMES FULL CIRCLE

EVERY HURDLE I’VE PASSED

LED ME TO THIS TRAIL

I’M ON THE RIGHT PATH

I KNOW IT’LL GET BETTER

IT CAN’T BE MUCH WORSE

I SEE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD

RIDING THIS HIGH HORSE

WHILE I WORRIED ABOUT WEEDS

THE GRASS WAS ALWAYS GREEN

I HAD FORGOT ABOUT THE SEEDS

THAT CREATE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SCENE

I FEEL THE WARMTH OF THE SUN

IT’S RISING IN THE EAST

THE NEW DAY HAS BEGUN

BRING ON THE FEAST

IT’LL START OUT GREAT

IT’LL START OUT SLOW

WITH SO MUCH TO LEARN

AND SO MUCH TO KNOW

I’LL BE MEETING NEW PEOPLE

AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS

ENJOYING THE COMPANY

I HOPE WILL NEVER END

Renee L Conaway

January/30/2012

JOSH GROBAN

. I am so glad I won tickets and that I got to go! It was pretty darn amazing! So on Weds last week I left work at 1:30! The concert was at 7:30 but I didn’t want to take any chances with traffic etc. On my way home from Ventura I stopped in Moorpark and got Carla from work. (She carpools with her husband) and we came to my house. I changed into some jeans and touched up my make-up and hair. We chatted for a few with my folks and hit the road! We drove down to the Staples Center and found a Taco Bell nearby to get some dinner. After we finished eating we headed to the Center. We paid for parking and walked across the street. Once there none of the doors were open yet. We waited about a half an hour. Got inside around 6:30 and hit the bathroom, after the bathroom we paid $4 for bottled water so that we would have it and I hit the souvenir stand. I bought the “program” ( if you can really call it that, it’s mostly all pictures, and the last page is about his charity) and a hat. Then we went to our seats.

We didn’t have to wait too long before the opening act came out. His name was Elew. He is a solo artist. A pianist. He was a little eccentric but very good! He did not have a bench or any type of seat. He stood or kneeled for all the stuff he played, but he stood in weird stances! A couple of times while playing he stood and had his left arm in the piano playing directly on the strings and the right arm on the keys! Sometimes when he was playing he would jerk his head back and just leave it like that. But it was weird because he was standing kinda like in a lunge workout position, with the forward leg on the pedals and than was looking up! Odd character! But like I said, very talented. He played for half an hour and then was done. He had introduced himself and one song, but the rest of the 30 min he just played. Than there was 30 min for a set change. Mostly removing the piano and bringing in the chairs etc for the mini band Josh had.

So than around 8:30 there was a violinist and a few other “band” people on stage and they started playing some music…. Than JOSH came out! But he came almost from by where Carla and I were sitting! He ran onto this smaller stage that was set up close to where we were! Of course not expecting that I couldn’t get any clear pictures since I was already focused on the main stage! I started a video. He sat down at the piano and played/sang his song “Changing Colors” (which was one I downloaded the weekend before, so I am glad I did) but of course the piano was facing the other direction so the video is the back of his head. Then he walked around a chatted a bit, I had no idea he was so funny! He made a comment about how we paid a lot of money for the concert and he was going to work his a$$ off to make it worthwhile for us” Than told the people near the stage to be careful it was going to start falling on them. He talked about being born and raised in LA… etc than sang some more. After 2 or 3 songs he went to the main stage.

Than he was talking about how they rehearsed in a small studio in LA somewhere and how at the Staples Center it was so much more “technical” because now they had stairs for the stage. So he told us how his security team doesn’t like stairs because they are G.A.P.S (gaps) Groping & Access Points. He than put his hand up like he was a security guy talking through his mini microphone to the other security guys and said something like: “we have a gap at staircase #3, pregnant lady with a homemade quilt, she is going to smother him with love” OMG he was sooo funny! At one point he walked down the other aisle and was talking to this 10 year old girl and when he went back to talk to her again later she hid from him. He talked about how that side of the stage the crowd was much more touchy-feely than the side we were on (he said they were more the handshake type crowd) and how it was “a whole different type of “meet” (meat) on that side.”

He sang some more…. Before the show they had a text # up on the screens where you could text Josh a question to be answered during the show. So when he got to the questions he said that his crew looks at them ahead of time not him so that it is more exciting for his answers. The first question he got asked was something like “if you could leave something on the moon for others to find, what would it be?” and he said he would want to sing a high note into a jar and bury it in the sand (he acted it out too) but that he hoped it wouldn’t be found by some elderly couple and give them heart attacks (again acting it out) and then he apologized to the elderly couple for finding his high note.

The next ? he got was “what was his favorite Yo Momma joke?” He said that ? was going to force him to isolate/lose 90% of his audience/fans from the crowd. He said he didn’t want to offend anyone’s “momma” in the crowd and he could just see the tabloids now. How it would go on and on about him offending people’s momma’s! He kept going on… finally he said “yo momma so stupid when she heard it was chili outside she grabbed a bowl”

The 3rd card/? He got said Josh!!!! He commented on how the !’s definitely caught the crews attn. It said she had just graduated with a musical arts degree and could she sing on stage with him. He asked if she could “bring it?” She said yes, He came downstage grabbed her hand and ran her to the center stage (he commented about how the security team would hate having to chase him there) They got up on stage and he asked what she wanted to sing and she said she hadn’t really thought about it. He asked her if she minored in “awkward silence” He offered her his water bottle and she took it. Than he asked what she sang (soprano) and he found someone near the stage with a birthday and they sang happy birthday. She sang solo the beginning and he joined in later toward the end. They did blend together really well. Then she was kind of standing there after and he told her she could return to her seat if she wanted. She did, than he made a comment about how thirsty he was and how he wished he had some water or something ;-) He also commented on her height and how he was “singing into her bosom” and put his hand up like she was there still and sang “best duet everrrrr” He sang a couple more songs there on the center stage again and of course when he was facing my direction I was changing out my memory card so I couldn’t get any decent shots! UGH Josh, so uncooperative! Eventually he went back to the main stage again.

Then he was asking for a couple in the audience who had been married longer than 15 years. He found a couple who had been married 44 years and invited them to the stage. Than found a single girl (wish it had been me) and took her up on stage. Asked the crew for the inflatable couches from backstage and poured the couple wine, he asked the guy what the secret to 44 years of marriage is and the guy said “ask her” and Josh said “ I think that’s the answer” He than gave the girl milk (even though she said she was 21, he sang to her she was getting milk anyway because “that would be career endingggg” if she wasn’t 21” than found some single guy to sit with the girl, he got milk too… and sang “Broken Vow” (which if you don’t know, and can’t tell from the title is a cheating/break up song) than said that was rude of himself and sang one of the Italian love songs. Than they went back to their seats.

After nearly 2 hours like that (singing, cracking jokes, and at one point introducing his band, etc) he finished and walked backstage. Than came back out in a different shirt (he just took off his jacket), he came out and was talking about Neil Diamond and sang the song “Play Me” (a Neil Diamond song) and than talked about how one of his most popular songs he didn’t have a gospel choir with him to sing along and so we would have to sing, and he closed with “Raise Me Up” He had performed for 2 hours!

We got home around midnight! I was pretty tired the next day at work… but it was totally worth it! I can’t wait until I know he is coming to town again (or somewhere I can get to, to see him ) because next time I am totally buying tickets and making sure I am in the floor seats near an isle so I can maybe talk to him, get more attn or something!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Don't Throw Jesus....

 So today at church I was sitting behind a cute young couple and their cute little baby Tessa. I think Tessa is about 7month old..?.... She is darling! She is just big enough that they don't bring her in with her car-seat anymore but not big enough to stand on her own yet without holding onto something or someone. Anyway during sacrament at one point she was standing in between her mom and dad and was facing back towards me. I was smiling at her etc, and had my scriptures on my lap. She was reaching out like she wanted them. So I looked in the back where I had some pass-along cards and gave her one with the Savior on it. She was all smiles and showed her mom and dad and was looking at it. She was kinda folding it and I whispered to her mom "she is going to fold him and put Him in her pocket to always have" At one point she had kinda sat down and Jesus fell thru the back of the seat so I picked him up and gave him back to Tessa. Than she was standing again, lifted her arm and threw the card toward me. I reached down and picked it up and as I was getting it I heard her dad whisper "Tessa, we don't throw Jesus" It made me smile! I gave her back the card and I think her mom gave her a book, I am not sure what has happened with Jesus since....

I know that I love having Jesus "in my pocket" at all times! I love knowing that no matter where I am or what I am doing I can reach out to my Savior! He is always with me as long as I am willing to look for Him. He will never desert me, although I need to be careful to avoid doing things and going places He doesn't want to do/be! Life is good!