Friends on Friday No. 4 - Meet Jessica

I met Jessica on my first day of work for United HealthCare. Jessica sat next to me in training and we had quite a few good times in the classroom "learning" and laughing. Jessica and I have been on different teams, we have both worked from home and Jessica even left UHC for a few months, but now we both work in office on the same team and we even share a cubicle!

Jessica and Tony have three young children, Alana, Kyle and Juliana. Jessica is a very girly girl and so to hear her tales of life with a boy is very amusing. Jessica doesn't like dirt, or rocks or bugs or dirt or anything messy, and Kyle sounds like he is all boy. Her girls are little princesses, they are sweet and kind and very well mannered. Jessica is a good natured and compassionate person. She is a hard worker and loves to spend her free time with her family. I like to tease Jessica about the fact that she has lived in Arizona her entire life and has NEVER been to the Grand Canyon. Even though her mother's family lives north near the Utah border and she will fall in the Grand Canyon if she takes a wrong turn on her way there, she has never stopped. Some day she may just go to keep me from carrying on about it every time she heads north.

Jessica is a very sweet, fun, happy, kind and considerate person and I am lucky to have her for a friend!

Friends on Friday No. 3 - Meet Darla

Darla and I first met when I made a random appointment to get my hair done at the JCPenney Salon. I was new to the area, had gone to a few different salons and just couldn't find anyone to cut my hair in a manner acceptable to me. Believe me I am not that fussy about my hair, but it was a struggle to find a new sylist. Enter Darla, we hit it off pretty much from that first appointment. We talked about so many things and really seemed to bond. Darla is a great hair stylist, don't judge her on my hair, most of my mishaps are my idea and she is only doing what I ask. I can show her any picture and she can fix my hair that way, the problem with me is I constantly want cuts that just won't work with my hair or I want to go from super short to long overnight. Sometimes she wants to strangle me I am sure. Our relationship has evolved from hairstylist/client to friend.

Darla has a daughter and three beautiful granddaughters who keep her busy with all their activities. The picture of her on the motorcycle/dirt bike/whateveritis in the desert is just the kind of fun day she has with her family. (Wouldn't catch me on one of those)

Darla is a bit of a health nut, doesn't exactly understand my ding dong and diet coke for breakfast routine. She takes good care of herself, eats well, works out and enjoys life. Darla is also a great Happy Hour partner, we have a lot of fun meeting up when we can to unwind and catch up after our hectic days. Darla is an amazing woman. She is very levelheaded, compassionate, thoughtful, charming and just plain fun to hang out with. I am proud to call Darla my friend!

Friends on Friday No. 2 - Meet Teri

Teri outside the lovely UHC building

Teri and Frankie on their wedding day, August 11, 2009

I met Teri through work. We both started at United HealthCare in the end of May 2007. My first impression of Teri was of someone who didn't take things too seriously and laughed her way through life. I couldn't have been more wrong. She takes things very seriously, she has had many obstacles to overcome in her life and she faces each challenge with determination to make the best of things and never complains about her situation. Teri and I have become close friends over the past few years. She has taught me to laugh at things I cannot change and not stress over them, to fight for things I can change and helps me see the difference.

Since I have known Teri she has finished school and gotten her associates degree, she continues her education to get her bachelors degree. She has a four-year-old son, Daniel, who was diagnosed with Autism and she is a vigilant advocate for him, always seeking and finding new treatments to help Daniel be the best he can be. Terri was married two years ago yesterday to Frankie HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and they have added a daughter, Aliana to their family.

I am proud to call Teri my friend. I am lucky to have such a wonderful, kind and generous woman in my life. I look forward to being in her and her family's life for many years.

Friends on Friday No. 1 - Meet Kelsey

I am really excited Kelsey volunteered to be my first Friend on Friday! I work with Kelsey's mother, Michele (to be featured some other week) and that is how I met Kelsey. Kelsey is 15, she will be a sophomore in HS this fall, she plays basketball at school, she is quite the texter, she is an excellent student, she can text in her sleep, she loves to go to the beach with her family, and have I mentioned her love of texting? I only like her addiction to her phone when she is sending me a text. And Kelsey is just that kind of sweet young woman, if she hears from her mom I am having a bad day, she will text me and make me laugh. Kelsey is my pretend daughter, she gives me a taste of what it would be like to have a girl. Kelsey has a quick wit and truly is a joy to be around. I look forward to being a part of Kelsey's life for many more years and I can't wait to see what she accomplishes. It will be amazing, because she is AMAZING.

Coming SOON to this BLOG!

Looks like I am not doing so well with the keeping up blogging thing, soooooooo to get me moving I have decided to start some weekly features, hoping that I will then at least update 2-3 times a week. Feature number one I borrowed from this blog and it is called Wordless Wednesday - every Wednesday I will post a picture that speaks for itself. Feature number two was inspired by my thought that I have lived in Arizona for 5 years now and my friends back home have never ever met my new friends here, so I will be doing Friends on Friday featuring one of my new friends each week. After I finish every friend I can coerce here to be on my blog, I will then feature my treasured friends from home. Don't all start begging me at once to be on the blog, you will all get your turn.

I was thinking I need another feature, maybe Tasty Tuesday I could feature a recipe I have found and yes we all know I am not much of a cook, so it will be something simple to share or............any ideas for other weekly features will be considered, if your idea is chosen there may be a surprise in the mail for you. That is if anyone reads this and responds.

That is all I have for now, check back starting next week for Wordless Wednesday, Friends on Friday and you never know what else.