Skirting the Issue...

I went to a meeting that I didn't have. The door was locked and I waited outside for a few minutes before I realized the meeting was next week.

So I got back in my car and rushed to pick up some mirrors for the pageant (www.mswheelchairutah.org), got back in my car, and drove to the seminary building.

It was only 9 am and I was doing my 6th car transfer (I quantify the difficulty of my day based on how many times I had to get into and out of my car).

I guess that my skirt had had enough of my morning shenanigans and decided it needed some more time in the car. Without me.

So I am sitting in the seminary parking lot in my wheelchair with my legs still in the car (I hadn't lifted them out yet) and with my skirt around my knees - the waist part of my skirt around my knees.

Religious educators should wear their clothes. It just goes without saying.

So I did my best to pull it up and hurried inside before anyone could see me.

I fixed it in the bathroom. The whole time I had this Shel Silverstein poem in my head:

My beard grows down to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.

...too bad beards are against the facial-hair code for seminary teachers. I'd be tempted to grow one. (just in case this ever happened again, you know).

Ms. Wheelchair Utah Pageant

The pageant is right around the corner!

I am really excited - I have probably cried more times this year than in years past, but it is truly coming together. We have our first event (Orientation) this Saturday.

I love working with all the people who help me make this happen. It is amazing to get to know the people I've met along the way.

The pageant info is at http://www.mswheelchairutah.org/this-years-pageant.html

And info for Young Women groups is at http://www.mswheelchairutah.org/for-yw.html 

Yw groups can come to the pageant for $1 each (a dramatic drop from the $8 admission cost). Leaders of these groups get the same discount. Everyone must be in best dress for this coupon to apply. Please bring a copy of the page on the website or print the coupon on the site.

...and the YW coupon works for any group of teenage youth, young men or young women, LDS or not. The point of the coupon is to bring teenagers together to support the contestants, who are almost all their age, and also be uplifted in their own lives also. The pageant transforms someone's opinion on what "beauty" really is.



Priscilla

I have a pet!

Whit never had pets growing up, so this has been a long time coming. I have wanted a dog (he's not quite there yet), a cat (never going to happen), a chinchilla (yeah right), but he finally consented and we got...

...a chicken.

Her name is Priscilla. She is a "Cochan" - the kind with feathers on her feet. She is straight off a Mary Engelbright calendar.

My parents have always had chickens and my mom got Priscilla (she named her) and brought her home to join their other chickens but nobody liked her. The other chickens are regular Rhode Island Reds and were probably jealous of the feathers on her feet. Ayway, they pecked her, almost to death. She only survived because she stuck her little head out through the chicken wire and my dad found her, barely alive.

I guess she was at the bottom of the 'pecking order' - this is where that term comes from. I guess if there's no rooster, the chickens are meaner to each other.

So my mom asked and Whit said yes! So now we have Priscilla! I think Whit was hoping she'd eat the box elder bugs. She doesn't.

But she is seriously the calmest, most friendly chicken I have ever seen. She hops up onto my lap and just nestles down. I love it, even tough the whole time I'm thinking, "Don't poop. Don't poop. Don't poop."

She eats out of my hand - or anyone's hand. She comes running when I get home from. She is so cute.

Our neighbors have met her and have all commented on how mellow and friendly she is. It surprises us all. Even the cows love her. I don't know why, but they often come close to the fence and stare.

But she loves me the best.

We got her a friend, a Rhode Island Red from my dad's chicken bundle. We named her Roxanne. At first they didn't like each other, but now they're inseperable. Always running together through the yeard, eating the bugs (not the box elder bugs), and pooping on the deck.

They're favorite place to poop is the deck. Chicken punks. 

I love Governor Herbert!

I have met him every year for the past 3 or 4 years. He has "honest eyes" and a good heart. He always seems like he has all the time in the world to sit and take pictures. I go with the titleholders for the Ms. Wheelchair Utah and I always get to have my picture taken with him.

You can see me in the background with one of his people, Fran, who I got to know when I coordinate this each year. She rocks. They are so kind to allow us to come!

We made a video to show how I paint my toes. I really like making these youtube videos, but I think they might be jinxed.

We started with Episode #1 - Tying an Apron, which led nicely into Episode #2 - Making Eggs, which led nicely into Episode #3 - Breaking Eggs.

...I rarely (dare I say never?) drop eggs on the floor, so I was totally miffed, but it turned out okay.

Later we filmed me Episode #8 - Clipping Nails, which led nicely into the newest video: Episode # 9 - Painting Toes, which will lead nicely into our next Episode # 10 - Breaking Toes:

...there seems to be a disturbing pattern...

making eggs/breaking eggs, painting toes/breaking toes...

Too bad we didn't get the toe-break on camera. Trust me, it'd have been awesome. Long story short, I fell out of my wheelchair.

I didn't go to a doctor, but I am pretty sure he'd tell me to stay off of it for a while.
No problem.

(ps, if you want to see the scary pattern youtube videos, they're here: http://www.megjohnsonspeaks.com/watch-videos.html)

New Hat

When we moved into our house a couple months ago, I thought that the computer would be the very best right in front of the window. It does. However, the window faces West and from 5-8 pm we have the most beautiful sunsets, which pour beautiful pink light into this room, making the computer screen impossible to see.

So I got a new hat.



I always have a headband around my wrist to help me strap stuff to my hands if I need to, but, now I can strap stuff to my head. I think the paper is a speaking contract. It keeps the sun out of my eyes and lets me see the screen and I don't have to move my computer.

Maybe I'll market these.



5th Annual Cupcake Cook-off

The Fifth Annual Cupcake Cook-off was a success. It happened at my house house after we ate soups and salads. We all crammed onto the backyard patio to test-taste the scrumptious treats. 

The contributions were:

Dark chocolate cupcakes topped with fresh raspberries and filled, not once, but twice with a creme-brulee filling and a raspberry filling...



 Caramel-apple cakes (see the popsicle stick?) filled with fresh green apples and topped with caramel sauce and pecans...

Ice-cold icecream-filled chocolaty Baked Alaska...

Fudgy, caramely, sweet, gooey goodness cupcakes, appropriately (and kid-friendly-y titled): Better than ... Cupcakes!

And last of all - and best of all - a chocolate blackberry-filled cupcake with candied mint leaves!

This cupcake was the winner.

...and this winner baked the cupcake: