Tony Dungy

Yes...it is true..I got to interview Tony Dungy this week. I believe this makes me one step closer to being famous....not that I actually want to be famous, but it is fun to joke about it. We interviewed him for our show Get Real. The interview will air Oct. 6th (which just so you know happens to be Tony's birthday). I must say that the weirdest part about the whole interview was that I didn't know what to call him....was I allowed to call him Tony, should I call him Coach Dungy or Mr. Dungy...it was a hard decision, so I didn't refer to him as anything.

The best part of the story though, was probably not the actual interview although that was amazing and Tony has a great deal of integrity and I was blessed to be able to talk to him. The best part of the story was actually getting to the radio station. I had decided to go for a long training walk and take my puppy Tucker with me. We walked about 7 miles and we were about a mile or so away from my house, when I thought I better ask this woman what time it is. She said 11:30 and in panic I pulled on the leash and said run Tucker. We ran the rest of the way home (btw I have not run in about 10 months) as we were approaching my house, I had a horrible relization that I did not have a car at my house nor did I have my phone with me. I ran into my house and called my collegue and said - I have no car come and get me....he was worried because I was trying to catch my breath and I just didn't want to miss the interview, once he realized that I was okay he laughed and headed to pick me up... good thing this was radio because I looked awful...gross...smelly...sweaty...and best yet I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet. Good thing Coach Dungy didn't have to see me - that would have been a little embarrassing!

Do I always have to be nice

You know I have been considering writing several times over the last few weeks - however...I do want my blogs to be fun and interesting and somewhat comical....so then does that mean I shouldn't write about the tough stuff or maybe I should only journal about the tough stuff and write about the other fun stuff....but alas I have decided that a blog should be a bit of everything, the good and bad, the funny and the serious, because after all that is me...I am a bit of everything...does that make me confused or ecclectic...I am not sure but whatever it is, it is me. So with that being said, I will just quickly say that the last couples weeks have been very difficult with my dad's health and my health. We are a medical mess! It is official. My dad went back into the hospital by ambulance on Saturday night to find out that he had pneumonia, then the next day they found that he had a ruptured sternum and back into surgery he went. He is out and recovering, but he is not a happy camper as you would imagine. I feel so badly for him and since I have been sick on top of everything - I haven't been able to visit. So friends and strangers that is the long and the short of my thoughts for the day!

Part 2: Top Ten Things to do when you get up at 3:30 in the morning

Well it seems as though I really enjoy getting up early..... okay not really, in fact I hate it. But hey if you have to suffer by being awake you may as well make the best of it. So here is my top ten list of things to do when you wake up at 3:30am.

10. Put on my night vision goggles and explore the neighborhood
9. Jog two miles with my puppy Tucker in two, the whole time wondering where he is because he is black and I can't see him since I lost my night vision goggles during exploration.
8. Coughed up a lung or two due to the large mass of flem that does not seem to want to leave my body.
7. Had a knock down, drag out fight with a fever...sad to say, but I think the fever won! At least for a couple hours (I actually think that it just broke...since I am now removing the twenty blankets and sweatshirts that I put on because I was shivering so badly.
6. I picked tomatoes at my neighbors house, they told me if I ever needed anything not to hesitate, so I just went for it.
5. Practice singing songs for my concert on Saturday night, the volume didn't seem to be a problem or wake my roommate since I have no voice at all.
4. Make new friends on myspace and facebook, you know the scary ones that stay up all night and stalk people....yeah those ones. You know someone has to befriend them.
3. Played catch with Tucker in the living room to try to get him from barking and waking up Erin.
2. Finished the last episode of season one of the Gilmore Girls.....I think that I am hooked. (Thanks Kathy - what a great gift to enjoy while sitting on the couch.
1. Making up a top ten list filled with truths and lies to see if anyone actually reads my blog and then if they do to see if anyone actually can figure out which ones are true and which ones are false.

Good luck - may the force be with you, hahahaha as you play my little game of what is true and what is a lie!!! Oh wait just for kicks I am going to add a picture, don't worry this is what I am going to do next time I am up in the middle of the night. Okay maybe not, but this is what my boy's do for fun when it rains on a mission trip - it is called Devistation.

A long but good day!!

I am definately ready for bed!!! My day started bright and early - as they usually do since I have a puppy. We went for our morning walk then off to church....it was Rally day we did a skit - the top ten reasons to miss Sunday School - I was reason number 10 however I feel most people or teens would pick it to be number one.... sleeping in so yes I got to wear my PJs to Sunday School....a little akward but fun none the less. Then it was church time in the Great Hall...then back to my house to finish all the things that I hadn't gotten done already since I was at Sayre all day on Saturday. This afternoon I did the church picnic thing with Tucker - he was a hit all the kids wanted to play with him. I got in trouble for taking him in the creek - I was told I was being a bad example....me a bad example if that is the worst thing I do I think I will make it in life! Then we piled in the van for youth group. We had 22 middle schoolers - it was a blast. Then we had 22 high schoolers, we were missing a bunch but it was still a good time. Then another meeting to pray for our community. Now it is almost 11 pm and I am exhausted and feel like yuck - I didn't sleep last night because swallowing felt as though someone was taking sandpaper up and down my throat! UGHGHHGHGH!!!

So tonight I am having a hot cup of tea and hoping to sleep soundly - we will see how that works out...tomorrow is National start to clean my office day!! I will try to get some pictures!

When it rains it pours!

So this has been a crazy week.... Wednesday morning I received a call from my mom that my dad had been life-flighted to a hospital in Sayre. He had a massive heart attack. So I fed my kids their Wednesday breakfast and tied up a few loose ends at work and headed up to the hospital, because my mom was alone. When I got there my sister was also there which I was very thankful for. So we sat and waited.... the surgery was supposed to take 2.5 hours, and time seemed to be going very slowly as we sat and watched the clock. About 6 hours later, the surgeon came out and met with us. It was much more complicated than they expected and much more serious than a triple bipass. The doctor said that she couldn't believe that he didn't have major problems sooner.

After he was out of recovery my mom got to see him about 5 minutes later she returned and was crying - he looked awful and he got so upset when she talked to him and he would not stay still and tried to talk but he had tubes in his throat.

Needless to say Jill and I did not get to see him Wednesday. So my mom and I stayed up there and Jill went home and came back on Thursday with her husband. My sister in law Jen also came up and we all got to see him. Mom said he looked better, but it was very hard to see him and walk through the ICU. He couldn't talk since he had the tubes in his throat, but he did squeeze my hand.... I wanted to cry but I felt that I needed to be strong.

On my way up to the hospital I was thinking about all the different scenerios and that made me a wreck, I am so thankful he made it through! It is going to be a long recovery, but we will take one day at a time.

So for now I am going to be making several trips to Sayre over the next week or two. Wow how things can change in the blink of an eye. I am so thankful I am feeling well enough to make the drive.

Tuesday Night Review

Well it sure has been an interesting day....almost bi-polar. My day started being a bit tired and sluggish because of my injections but finished out high energy as I had to chase my puppy since he decided that he wanted to spend time in the neighbors yard, not normally a problem except the fact that he is black and it is night time and it is very challenging to chase something that you can't see.

It was also bi-polar in a sense because I got a couple not nice emails saying that I needed to be a better communicator and then after a meeting tonight I got a very nice email saying that I did a great job communicating.

Ahhhh - I am not sure that I can ever win! I think the hardest part is that despite the fact that I got that really nice email saying very positive things, I still focus on the other one. Why do I do that?

Football Season has begun!

So many people are really excited about the fact that it is football season! Don't get me wrong - I like football - I really enjoy watching a good game...but for me...football season means quality hang out time with kids, parents and other random people.

I went to the first Lewisburg game tonight and let me just say I was trying to park my car and people were already talking to me. I was trying to rush so I could see the band (which was amazing by the way!!!) but I got stopped by at least four people. After the band played it was constant conversation for the next two hours. My favorite part of the night was when my middle school boys were so excited to see me that they ran up and gave me a hug and did the claw which is kinda like giving someone a pound but I guess it is the in thing in CA (according to Josh, anyway)

So all this to say - I love football season because I get to see everyone, and then we have an open gym afterwards and I get to see more people - we had about 30 kids tonight - it was a blast. My kids tell me that I should run for mayor - I think after tonight I will consider that!

Things to do when you are awake at 4:30 in the morning

Well since I have been up for several hours, I thought that it would be fun to make a top ten list of things to do when you wake up at 4:30 am.

10. Take the dog outside - but do it quietly so you don't wake up the neighbors or your roommate that doesn't like dogs.
9. Check your email - as if people really send you messages at 4:30 in the morning.
8. Check to see who is on IM - again like other people are as crazy as you and are actually awake at 4:30 am.
7. Get the cat in - as you sit on the couch you realize that your cat is outside, but knowing that the dog and the cat don't get along you have to operate a stealth mission to get the cat in the house without the dog barking and waking up the roommate.
6. Cover the couch - since the furniture in my living room is dying I thought it would be nice to cover it with a sheet, because sheets are way cheaper than fabric and super way cheaper than furniture covers. I can make it one year with sheets, even if they look silly.
5. Check my myspace - my only new friend request was some band from Nashville and they had bad words on their site so they got the nix (is that how you spell that)
4. Check my facebook - I like facebook I am going to be honest - I actually like it much better than myspace, there are so many options for your page and it is easier to communicate with people and if used properly can be a great tool to stay connected with kids or catch up with long lost friends.
3. Watch Home star runner. It has been forever since I have watched a strong bad email. I even looked at the clothes, now that was funny. Strong bad did an email on 5th grade hygiene that was pretty funny.
2. Sent a message - I wonder if people actually look at the times that emails are posted, because if they do they are going to think that I pulled an all nighter.
1. Last but not least....I wrote a blog that I am not sure if anyone is going to read, but if you do infact read it, drop me a little note to say hello, because I am always curious who actually wants to read my thoughts!

My new NANO

So I have officially become cool....I finally have an Ipod and the best part - it was a gift!!! And motivation for me while I am training for my 30 mile walk. I just can't believe it - my very own ipod nano. You may be wondering what color - it is silver - no bells and whistles just a simple ipod - now all I need is one of those cool armbands so I don't get it all sweaty! Anyway - I just thought that I would write about how cool I now am....it is funny to think that a little machine can make you cool!

Tucker

Did I mention that I got a puppy a couple weeks ago? He is really cute and his name is Tucker! I love him to death. He makes me smile, except when he is biting my leg with his gator teeth!!! Anyway - he is a great pup 22 out of 24 hours a day!

If you ever get bored and want to come play with him you are more than welcome to do so!!!

Technology Whoas!!!

Okay so can you believe it - two post in less than three days - Joel watch out - I may just become hooked like you! Anyway - so a very sad thing happened in technology land on Sunday. Out of the kindness of my heart I turned my cell phone off at church so it would not interfere with the hearing impaired sound system. Nice person, huh! Yeah that is what I thought until my phone decided not to turn back on....I tried everything, but nothing would work and of course we were having two youth events that day and people were trying to find me and I have no long distance on my home phone and yeah...let's just say a mess! So I went to a store this morning to get it fixed and they said, sorry we only can fix it if you got it here - WHAT ahahahhahahha!!! (that is the steroids talking!) So then I drove to the mall later this evening and the man was very nice, he gave me a brand new phone. The only problem was he could not get anything off the other phone, it had gone to the grave and taken every single, number, picture and song with it!!! Ughhhhh!!! I guess no more "Jack Johnson - Upside down" when people call - no more cute little kids when I open the phone.

So I guess the moral of the story is that they now have this thing where you can register your phone numbers online in a safe database so if this happens you will have all your numbers. But of course I didn't know about this - so I lost everything - so yeah - if you know me and we talk sometimes you might want to call and give me your number so we can still be friends!

A reflective serious post

So as much as I was planning to do at least a post every week - life sometimes throws you for a loop. I guess I have been avoiding making posts over the last couple of weeks, because I knew they would not be fun and jovial so I figured I shouldn't write, but the more I sit here on my couch and think about it, the more I realize, that maybe this is the best time to write a blog....so here it is! My blog, you know know this year has been a rough year, much rougher than I could have ever imagined. I never expected to become ill, to recieve the diagnosis of MS or have what I considered a nice normal active life fall completely apart in front of my face.

I have hated this year at times, I have grown immensely this year at times, I have been close to God at times, and I have just yelled at God at times. I laugh and I cry, I reflect and I re-evaluate constantly.

This past month I had another flare up of my MS - not good when your hands don't work, you drop things, you can't type, and it feels like you have your hands inside the oven, which led them to find my newest lesion on my spinal cord - fun stuff - okay not really, but hey I am trying to be positive.

This week I have spent alot of quality time at the hospital making new friends with the infusion department - they are wonderful people and after 5 days of 2 hour steroid IVs you get to know them pretty well. Some people love steroids because it gives them energy - me....not so much - I get sick - dizzy ill and I can't sleep, not to forget the great side effects of emotional roller coasters and "roid rage" don't worry I have yet to beat up anyone today anyway.

Despite not sleeping and spending the week on the couch I was able to accomplish alot of stuff - delegation is my new favorite thing! I also got to hang out with alot of my kids as they came over to help out and play with my new puppy Tucker.

The down fall to the whole thing is that despite feeling loved and having company there is still this feeling of being alone in this whole thing - that is rough - now again - this is probably my steroids talking for me - but it is hard to sit here alone when your family is all together celebrating your nephews first birthday - that really stinks. Or all your friends are out enjoying a night of camping and your are on the couch. Worse yet - when you have friends that don't seem to even care - when I know that is not the case - it is just that is how I feel - one of my friends just tells me to stop feeling because I am acting like a girl, but hey I am a girl.

So I am not sure if this is helping me or making me more unsettled in the emotions category - I hate being this way because I know that it is not me and it stinks. I hate drugs. But yet if it makes my hands work - then it is worth it! So the moral of this whole blog is - don't take steroids unless you really need them and don't do drugs they will mess with your mind and don't get MS because it really sucks.

The end!

Overwhelmed!

So I have not been very good at Blogging despite my great intentions!!! I do have a great friend who sends me nice gentle reminders that it is in fact time again to blog - thanks Joel!! You are my motivation and inspiration to be a good blogger. I thought that my next blog would be about all the stuff that is going on with my life from a medical standpoint, but to be honest - I am not ready to do that...so instead - I am going to vent for a moment - but just a short moment then back to the reality of having too much to do and not enough time. So I have about 20 hours of work to get done before tomorrow at 2pm and let's just say there isn't even that much time if I didn't sleep. This being sick one day a week really messes up your schedule. So yeah! The list of stuff to do keeps getting longer, and my brain keeps getting smaller. Anyway - I am going to take a side moment to mention the picture that I have included... it was from a great trip which I will chat about later but it seems kinda funny to be sitting in the trunk of a car talking on a cell phone right next to the Arkansas river... oh I wish I could go back to that place - that trunk was huge and confortable - no worries I wasn't shut in it just resting in with the trunk open. Anyway - those are my thoughts for the moment! Joel have a great day!

There are many of me!

I can't believe that there are 28 other Jana Grant's in the US - that is too cool!!! You should check this out and see how many there are of you!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 28 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

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Lewisburg is famous on You Tube

This is so cool...Lewisburg is famous!! We made it on a music video - in fact my place of employment made it too! There are several scenes on the video that are all from Lewisburg. And on top of that all - it is a cool song - I really like it alot - it is catchy!


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Shots...hmmmmm?????

Okay - so I was told today that I need to blog more....and to be honest...I am sure that I have alot to blog about, but I am trying not to be too negative and things have been kinda rough lately, so I am going to just do a short little blog today and then I am going to try to start and blog about all the crazy stuff that has been going on in my life. So the title - shots...tonight I begin my life long journey of injections for MS....I am a bit nervous...I have to give myself my shots...and the needle seems pretty long. I know that I will be fine, but the thought of it makes me nervous. I think I am also nervous about how it is going to make me feel. It has been described to me as feeling like you have been hit with a train for about 24 hours after each shot for about the first 3 months. That doesn't sound like fun to me... yuck! So yeah...that is where I am today... a bit nervous...a bit on edge with all of the uncertainty...I also think that knowing that this is for my whole life is a bit overwhelming and I am not sure that reality has set in yet. I am going to have to put on my tough girl self and suck it up. So yeah - that's it! Those are my thoughts for this fine day - Joel this is for you!

This is supposed to be a vacation

So this week was supposed to be a week off, time away, with no worries, no expectations, no nothing but dog sitting and relaxing at the mansion, however this week has been no such thing! It has been work, busyness, tennis, meetings, long phone calls with the insurance company, lots of headaches thanks to those long calls, being sick, and getting drilled in the neck with a volleyball. Okay so I guess this is my venting! I did take the day off of tennis, that was a good move so now I am going to try to relax since tomorrow ...well let's just say I am booked from 8:30 am until 10 pm. The worse part about the whole thing is that this week I made some promises to myself that I would take time to think about things in life that have been crazy lately, my schedule, my friendships, my life with MS, you know all that fun stuff. So I guess I should stop writing and get a move on those things! When I am ready I will actually try to make a post about the whole MS thing - but right now... I am just not ready!

Central PA Grossness

Only in Central PA would someone be crazy enough to do something quite as gross as this... and crazy as I am I am allowing this adult male to come on a retreat this weekend with 25 middle school students! WOW!! I must be crazy... but really about this appetizing display...Saturday was a sportsman's dinner at a local Mennonite church so a guy (we will keep him anonymous for now) decided that he would create a place to be displayed on the table along with all the other foods that we to be eaten that night at the meal. I was assured it was fresh roadkill - but is there really such a thing??? So yeah it was funny until some children started to go up to the plate and eat the crackers that were so nicely displayed on the plate...needless to say the plate was removed from the table, thank goodness! This was too funny not to post! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Out Of Control

Did you ever return from being away for two weeks and feel like your life is out of control - that is me! After two weeks of grad classes I am finally home and realizing that I have more to do than I have time. I have projects at work to finish - I am speaking at a retreat this weekend - I am having a party for a friend - wow - I all of sudden feel swamped.... did I mention that I am having kids over for breakfast tomorrow morning and you can't see my dining room table and oh what there is a party tonight that I need to attend! Oh my!!! That is just my schedule - there is also mishaps to deal with as well...

Like overdrawing my checking account while I was away because my paycheck didn't post in time, and how about the my kids at SPY were not very well behaved while I was gone and now I am dealing with the fall out of that....It almost makes you want to go away again... but it is nice to finally sleep in my own bed, did I say sleep because - my dear cat Boo kept me up all night - I think she is mad that I went away - a cat mad - that is a whole other story for another time.

It is 5:20 and I am still at work I wonder how long it will take to print 50 books each with 166 pages? I bet it is going to take until 10pm tonight at the earliest - so back to songbooks I go with a reminder from Psalms 46 - God is my refuge and strength!!!

Can you believe that 9 months ago I was running a 1/2 marathon and now I am walking around my office - hoping to not have to go outside on the ice for fear that I may fall and have to go through PT another 6 months for yet another knee injury.

Actually - I am so thankful that I have legs that at one point allowed me to run! As much as this year has been a true challenge physically - it has been very rewarding spiritually and personally. I never realized how much I enjoy relaxing. Having time for myself, my friends, and most importantly God.

These past few months have shown me the importance of being still, not always by choice but it was always beneficial! It is true when people say that God teaches us the most during trials! This year trully has been a trial with my knees - In fact, it is almost comical to look back and think of all the things that have happened over the past 9 months!

God is so good - and I have learned so much! I am so thankful! Now - I just hope I don't fall when I leave the office today - or I will just have to lay there and laugh because just when you think nothing more can happen to my knee something will so I will just smile and say oh well!