A Quick Note of Gratitude

Life is amazing!

For the last few weeks, I have been in the grumpiest funk, and my attitude of gratitude has definitely been lacking lately - my apologies for the whinefest.

Today I really had a wonderful day (despite all kinds of hay fever craziness that makes me sound like a frog, haha). I was just glancing over Facebook and catching up on friends' blogs, and - WHAM! - it just hit me like a ton of bricks how amazingly blessed I am. I've got a job that I love and enjoy, so many wonderful friends who are fantastic examples to me, a phenomenal ward (through which I've made many of those wonderful friends), a good family and so, so many happy memories from college and beyond.

So, thanks for being a part of that! Life is good.

And speaking of wham moments - the cough syrup just kicked in, and I'm feeling all loopy and funky. Woot woot for codeine. I'd better hit the hay. ;)

Quiz Time!

Heather emailed me this quiz this morning and said I'd be most likely to respond - so, here it is.

If you blog, I want to see your answers! (And if you don't blog, I still want to see them.)

Maybe you'll learn a few things you didn't know about me, maybe not! But it does make you think about yourself. The directions are at the end.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
* Stadium security at BYU's football and basketball arenas
* Barista at Tazza, an coffee place in La Crescenta
* American Heritage TA (loooooooved it!!!)
* Cashier / super scooper at BYU's Creamery on Ninth East

Four movies I've watched multiple times:
* Singin' in the Rain
* The Philadelphia Story
* Breakfast at Tiffany's
* Sound of Music

Four places I have lived:
* La Crescenta, CA
* Seattle, WA
* Provo, UT
* Laguna Niguel, CA

Four T.V. shows that I watch:
* The Office
* Heroes
* Scrubs (only sometimes)
* Anything on the Food Network when I'm at my parents' house - but, somehow, only when I'm there. It feels weird watching it at my apartment.

Four places I have been:
* Cleveland ROCKS!
* Yellowstone National Park (countless times)
* Mount Rushmore in South Dakota
* Palmyra, New York (plus Niagara Falls)

Four People who e-mail me:
1. My mother
2. Melanie (mostly when we're planning stuff)
3. Heather (but it's more of Facebook posts)
4. If we're including work emails, then my boss, Michael

Four of my favorite foods:
* Diet Roy Rogers (Diet Pepsi with grenadine - mmm...)
* Calamari taco from Taco Mesa
* In-N-Out cheeseburger with grilled onions
* My dad's brownies

Four places I would rather be right now:
* At the cabin (in Island Park, Idaho) with my family
* Manhattan
* Seattle
* The beach... oh, wait, I'm going there later! =)

Four people I think will respond:
* Can I wimp out and say I haven't a clue? I mean, who actually reads my blog? ;)

Four places I love to shop:
* Gap (which is most definitely NOT the same as Old Navy, Heather!)
* Target
* Amazon.com
* Kohl's

Four Things I am looking forward to in the next 12 months....
* Going to the cabin for a week. A WHOLE week. I haven't taken an entire week's vacation since Christmas 2006. It's about time!
* Meeting the love of my life (hey, you never know...)
* Perhaps making it to New York already
* Getting better and better at my job, scooping the Coastline and Indy more!
(Wow, that was a tough one! I feel like life changes so quickly, I honestly have no idea what's ahead in the next year, and whenever I make plans, they always seem to change anyways.)

Confessions of a (Wannabe) Pioneer Woman

As a native Los Angelena, country life has never held much appeal for me. I treasured my childhood in the L.A. foothills, gazing admiringly at the shimmering downtown skyline, soaking up weekend adventures in Santa Monica, Malibu and beyond, and that passion for city life hasn't changed since I moved behind the Orange Curtain three years ago.


That is, until I found Ree.

Ree is my new hero. She's the brilliant authoress of "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman," a favorite blog of my stepmom's. When I saw Heather linked to it as well, I figured, this must be good, so Saturday morning I started perusing her stories.

And now I'm hooked.

My favorite part is "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels," the true-life story of how she, the citified USC graduate on her way to law school in Chicago, was swept off her feet by a bonafide cowboy who ran a working cattle ranch in the Midwest (Oklahoma, I think?).

Be still my heart!

A lifelong sucker for good love stories and meet cutes, I devoured all the installments to date of the saga... and wouldn't you know, the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy, Take Me Away" somehow started filling my head... and I yearn forthe open fields near my grandma's cabin near Yellowstone, with cattle ranches and cowboys galore... have the sudden urge to watch John Wayne movies (preferably when he's young)... find myself dreamily whatever happened to Derek, the Texas boy I went out with a couple times freshman year - his Big Plan was to be a doctor, retire young and start a cattle ranch...

Dang it, Ree!

Now my cozy, suburbanite South County life just doesn't cut it anymore... and I'm starting to think maybe my parents aren't totally crazy for dreaming of a strawbale house in Bozeman.

But, alas, when I think of the big stories that come out of the newspapers I've picked up in Island Park and the likes... well... if a girl's gotta report, Laguna Beach is pretty much the best beat in the world!

And besides, I couldn't handle the manure. Gross.

So Long, Sugar!

Ah, sugar. How I have loved thee...

For 25+ years, you've always been there to sweeten a rough day, or to wish me "Happy Birthday" with your saccharine, buttercream goodness. But alas, you've done nothing but cause me stomachaches and heartbreaks, and so it's over. Done. Finito.

Indeed, this morning I awoke with the resolve out of nowhere to swear off sweets. It's better for us all.

So please, next time you see me reaching for that gooey brownie at Break the Fast, slap my wrist and remind me to not sacrifice what I want most for what I want in the moment. My swimsuit will thank you for the help.

PS: And no, that doesn't mean dropping my blissful baking - it just means there's more for everyone else to eat!

Flirt to Convert?

This morning I had a fun little text conversation with a guy... we'll call him Mr. J, to protect the innocent.

Mr. J is a fellow reporter who works for some of the L.A. Times-owned community papers here in Orange County, and we became "frenemies" while both covering Laguna. I think our winning meet-cute was when we played tic-tac-toe during a Planning Commission meeting. It was a blast!

He accompanied me to a Sondheim concert back in February, and it was such a fun date -- the engaging, rapid-fire conversation you don't have all that often, and we have so many common interests! He even called me on the drive home... awwww...

... But I kinda blew him off when he tried to plan Date #2, and our planning has been hit and miss ever since.

Anyways, this morning he asked me what I was up to tonight. Being the Type A planner that I am, of course I've had plans since Monday. Tomorrow was shockingly open, though, so I suggested that, but he'll be in L.A. all day.

Sunday, he asked?

No can do, I said -- Sunday's church only for me. Soooo... what does he suggest?

Yes, indeed, he asked if he could come to church with me!

Sooo... looks like I have a date to church on Sunday. Don't know what will come of it, but who said you can't flirt to convert? ;)

Off the Record...

As a journalist, two of my favorite things are breaking news and going "off the record" - and I had some fun with both today!

Breaking news is seriously such an adrenaline rush. Whether it be some sort of an immediate crisis (like today's sewage spill that closed a huge chunk of South Coast Highway - thanks, Heather, for the tip!) or getting a big scoop that I know the competition doesn't have, it's so exhilarating. And, in a way, it's kind of fun to know that I know something before most people do, and it's my job to fill them in.

Even more than that, though, I enjoy going "off the record." In J-school, we were taught that this should only when necessary, but I really enjoy picking the brains of people on my beat. They are the ones in the trenches, so to speak, and hearing their perspectives on issues helps me write a better story, regardless of whether it's something I can print or not.

And, besides, "off the record" is when you get the juiciest stuff, because that's when people talk most freely. Thankfully I've built a good reputation in town, so people know I'm trustworthy, and it's amazing to me how people will open up. Today, for instance, I was talking with a source about something totally different, but we got chatting about a bigger business trend piece I'm working on, and Mr. X, we'll call him, went off on some of the politicians in town and the different factions, and how their decisions are hurting the city (sorry I can't get more specific, but hey, it's off the record, remember!). Anyways, it was awesome to get the "real scoop" on his opinion, even if I can't print it.

The tricky thing will be to get people on the record for this story... but I'm up for the challenge!

My Hero!

I want to give a big, public shout-out to my older brother, B.J., for saving the day!

A major problem arose this morning unexpectedly - because, really, who ever expects major problems? - and I just want to say that my brother is the coolest for helping me out in a big way. I am so grateful to have the kind of brother I know I can turn to for help... even if it means majorly swallowing my pride. It means a lot.

Thanks, bro - you're the best! Love you!!!

Family Ties to South Coast Medical Center

Last week I broke a story about South Coast Medical Center closing its ocean-view maternity ward (sad day, huh?). The hospital CEO's reasoning is that Laguna Beach and Dana Point have aging populations, since the cost of living is so high - it makes more sense to channel resources toward cancer care, cardiologists, etc.

Anyways, each week I have to cull together the comments left by readers on my stories into a print-only feature, "From the Web Files." It's to encourage our readers to become part of an active dialogue (and go to the Web site, so we get more page views). Lo and behold, guess who commented on my story?

Tina Yothers!

I know, hardly anyone else would know that name off the bat - I'm such a pop culture encyclopedia, it's ridiculous. Tina played Jennifer, the youngest daughter on the 80s classic, Family Ties. How appropriate that she was commenting on her experience as a mother at SCMC - gives the words "family ties" a whole new meaning, huh?

To read Tina's comment (along with my *brilliant* story, haha), click here.

(Haha, now I have the Growing Pains theme song in my head - the two go together somehow, you know?)

The Taxman Cometh

Last night, for the life of me, I couldn't sleep. So, doing what any other rational person would do with April 15th looming around the corner, I slapped together an overnight bag and went to my parents' house to finish up my taxes at about 2 a.m. It seemed brilliant then - and it's not like I would have fallen asleep earlier anyway - but still, running on three hours of sleep is painful. How I did that in college all the time is beyond me!

At any rate, I'm hoping my stunning diligence will make my CPA father proud when he gets home tonight and checks my work (and finds me more deductions).

P.S. - Is it bad that I think I'm actually not procrasinating because I'll have my taxes done on April 14?

You're Gonna Make it After All!

Hello (again), friends and fam!

For a while now, several friends have told me that I should start a blog. I've demurred each time (I'm so busy, all I do is write all day already, I don't have ridiculously adorable children to show off, etc.), but I caved finally - a few girls in my ward blog, and what can I say? They inspired me.

So, here's my blog. Funny story: as I went to set it up, the URL christajeanne.blogspot.com was already taken. Another Christa Jeanne in the world? I don't think so! Yep, lo and behold it was my blog to which I made all of one entry, back in 2005. Successful, no? I'll try to do better this time around, I promise. ;)


Do any of you remember "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"? As a Nick at Nite fan growing up, I tuned into the adventures of single working girl Mary Richards every so often.

The whole working-girl-makes-good plotline kind of reflects my life these days - hence why MTM's theme song of "You're gonna make it after all" seems so fitting. I am seriously loooooving my life right now - but it's so different from what I always expected it would be.

I love my job. It's pretty awesome. As the Laguna Beach reporter for The Orange County Register and its community paper, Laguna News-Post, I've interviewed everyone from some major power players to the homeless man on the street. It's kind of heady when I think about it - I'm writing history every day, because newspapers are what people turn to when looking to get the facts of past events, or to set the record straight. Honestly, I look at it as almost a sacred responsibility to do well by the people about whom I write, because I'm taking their reputations and their lives into my hands with my pen (well, keyboard... but pen sounds cooler). Writing is something I've always enjoyed, plus Laguna Beach is spectacular - one of the most scenic places along the California coastline, it's often called the American Riviera.

Having a career wasn't what I'd planned on when I was younger, but I'm so glad it's what I got. I feel like I've learned infinitely more by getting out there and meeting people, telling their stories, figuring out how they think, etc. than I could have in any other way. My life will forever be better for it, and I hope others' lives have been blessed through my work. Sometimes it feels silly to realize that I'm devoting my life to journalism in Laguna Beach - in the grand scheme of things, the issues that are so huuuuge there really don't make a big difference on the world - but I like it. I've been in Laguna for a year now, and it seems like that's where I'll stay for a while.

My career - and my life - has taken plenty of unexpected twists and turns since graduating from BYU three years ago, but I love how things always end up just right. I'm gonna make it after all!