An Introduction

My name is Janea (pronounced: Juh-nA) and I am a self proclaimed "Jack of all trades, master of none".  I was raised by an amazing dad that encouraged me to develop whatever talents intrigued me and let me help with his many building, electrical, plumbing, and gardening projects around the house.  My mother was a talented homemaker and made sure I was well trained in the "feminine" arts including cooking, sewing, crafting, decorating, etc.  Between the two I feel like I was given a good start and was able to explore the many hobbies and interests available to me.  Somehow I found a balance between having my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground (although my family might argue otherwise) and learned to use my talents to create the things of my imagination.

As a preteen my parents bought a major project house.  It had a beautiful yard and floor plan... but that was it.  The carpets were saturated with dog and mouse urine, the cupboards were outdated and had 1/4" of grime, there were huge holes in the walls, and there was a creepy brick "altar" (as we kids referred to it) in the basement.  The place was a mess!  My dad worked out of state so when he was in town he'd do as much as he could but it wasn't as much as he would have liked or needed.  During those months my mom, myself, my four siblings and a fantastic contractor rolled up our sleeves and got to work instead.  It was an amazing learning opportunity.  I got to help rip out carpet, install outlets, a tub surround, refinish cabinets, paint, revive the yard, and whatever odd job was found for me.  Everyday after school we would walk to the house and get to work. I learned more from that house than I have in any other project since and it was well worth our efforts.  When we were finished the house was one we all took pride in, we all had ownership in, and I'm sure we will never forget.

High school was another adventure.  I wasn't popular nor did I care to be, I rolled my eyes at those who felt they needed to be.  I thought cheerleaders were overrated, jocks were guys with too much testosterone and too little future, and girls were too dramatic and needed to chill.  I normally had one good friend that changed yearly and up to three jobs at a time.  Life was busy but good and I took the opportunity to keep expanding my interests.  While in school I took as many photography classes as I could, an aviation class, multimedia, auto shop, environmental science, dance, ceramics, and whatever else looked fun or interesting.  Through these classes I was able to discover more about myself and continued to be encouraged to develop and expand my talents and interests.


Emerging high school I set off to become an adult and moved away to college.  There I learned to build friendships, had a lot of fun, and rarely attended classes.  I had a taste of freedom and loved it!  We frequented the hot tub often, had late night "parties" (extremely mild compared to typical college parties), and tried to pretend like we were adults.  I tried to take on some projects and used my talents and skills where possible.  There were two major limiting factors though that were manifest in my the lack of freedom to change my surroundings (renting isn't conducive to major projects) and the finances to do so.  Although I wasn't the best version of myself in while away from home I learned a lot about myself and began to form into the person I wanted to become.  I was also introduced to major limitations and discovered that if I set my mind to something I could normally find a way to make it happen.  After 3 semesters of rarely attending school my scholarship had run out and so had my savings, so I moved home.

Once home my freedom was once again limited but my supplies were increased.  I was once again able to create more freely and had my gardens to enjoy.  It didn't last long however because my parents moved to New Mexico and asked me to come along to help my younger brother acclimate.  New Mexico has a beauty of it own... if you like wind, sand, cacti, and sagebrush.  It was not my personal paradise but I tried to make the best of it and found that sagebrush makes fantastic bon fires, that rocks have their own beauty, and that sun dried branches make great bird stands.  Thankfully after five very long months the love of my life came and whisked me away, back to Utah where we've happily lived since.

That marks the beginning of a huge change in my life.  One where I would grow and learn more than I would have ever imagined...

Happy New Year

New year, new goals.  As my two major resolutions for the New Year are coming to fruition I thought it might behoove me to make one more.  The goal to blog more as a personal release and therapeutic reflection on my life, my projects, and my insanities. 

I've always been an open book of sorts - giving more details than necessary, sharing what should be personal, and only realizing I should have put my foot in my mouth hours (even days) after the fact.  I have learned to embrace this, but have also learned to contribute less and keep my mouth shut more to avoid the many embarrassments my lack of a filter has caused.

So here I am, in all my glory sharing the details of my little life with whomever stumbles across it.  Well, I guess I should introduce myself... then again that's a post for another day.