The People In Our Neighborhood: Jo Ellen (And a Giveaway!)

Today's post features my friend Jo Ellen.  She has been a very good friend since college.  Instead of getting her words for the first part of this post, I am going to write about her.  And then, since she is such a nice person, she has offered to host our Giveaway this week.  Which I am really excited about!

So, Jo. That's what I call her.  First off, it took my husband a good five years not to give me the hairy eyeball when I mentioned "my good friend Jo."  Since, well, he thought Jo was a boy.  But, Jo is definately not a boy.

Jo may also kill me for posting this picture.

I don't care.

I met Jo the summer after sophomore year of college when we subletted rooms on opposite sides of a duplex near Boston.  She's originally from Cordova, Alaska, and one of the things that I admire most about Jo is that she's a little off--quirky is what I call it--and she knows it, and she embraces it, and she doesn't give a crap what anyone thinks about it. 

Jo is Jo, and she's true blue.

What Jo doesn't know is that she is responsible for keeping me in college Junior year.  You see, second semester Junior year, my roommate and best friend, along with a few other good friends of mine, went to study abroad.  A stranger moved into my apartment, and I found myself spending a lot of time alone.  I stopped going to my sorority house, stopped hanging out with my other friends, and just pretty much stuck to going to class and then going home.  I was incredibly lonely and probably a little depressed. 

Now, I'm going to tell you something that may shock you.  Especially you, Dad.  So, I would like you to just be prepared and understand that it happened a long time ago and your perfect, rule abiding girl Dana would NEVER do something like this now.

Right around the time that my close friends went to study abroad, I happened across a fake id.  The specifics are not important, ok?  I am telling you this because it's pertinent to the story.  Jo turned 21 a few weeks after the semester started, and, since most of our friends were still 20 (uh, like me), and most of our friends did not have a fake id (unlike me), Jo and I started going to this one bar next to my apartment to hang out and have a drink (or seven).  We had a lot in common, like our love of film and tv, and it was nice to have someone to be able to talk to and hang out with and just be myself with.

Now, if you think this is the part where I go into my brief, yet torrid foray as a college lesbian, stop right there!  This is a PG blog, and also, that never happened.  Jo and I just became really good friends, and I was so happy to have someone that I clicked with.  She got me out of my funk, and convinced me that I liked being at school and wanted to stay there.  Once my friends returned to BU senior year, I introduced them to Jo and we all became close. 

Over the years, Jo and I fall in and out of each other's lives, but we always are able to pick up right where we left off.  These days she makes her home in Minnesota with her husband Nate and her mentally unstable cat Ren.  She just launched her new business and is nice enough to giveaway a piece of gorgeous jewelry to one of my readers, along with a discount offer to anyone who wants to purchase anything!

I own a piece of her jewelry and I can attest that her stuff is gorgeous.  I hope you feel the same.  I'm going to turn over this post to Jo, who has written some words about the Giveaway.  If you'd like to enter, all you need to do is post your name and email address in the comments.

I'll leave this contest open until Friday, May 14th.  I urge you all to take a look at Jo's site.  If you don't go for the jewelry, go for the photography.  Or just go for Jo.  She's uh, what's the word?  Oh yeah, quirky. 

I mean, really, who gets married at the Mall of America? 

Jo.

“Sky-Blue Hearts” features freshwater pearls and hand cut blue-green apatite beads dangling from a delicate chain of heart-shaped links. Plus, I’ve topped it off with a sassy, yet sweet, arrow and heart focal encasing a matching pearl. I only used sterling silver throughout—from the chain to the clasp to the wire—so it’s appropriate even for those with common metal sensitivities. It measures a tad over 7”, but those with smaller wrists can easily adjust the length.

I’ll be adding one of these bracelets to the Codependent Kitty Creations Etsy site the week of May 16th when I launch my summer collection. Price: $32. But I’m so excited you’ll be giving one away to one of your lucky readers!

Plus, I’ve decided to give your blog readers a FREE pair of simple dangle earrings from my summer collection with any purchase of $15 or more from http://www.codependentkitty.com/ between May 16th and June 15th. (But, only if they mention your name when they place their orders. Hey, I gotta have a way to keep out the riff-raff.)

Ok folks, so there you go!  Post your name and email address in the comments section and I'll pick a winner on Friday.  Also, please visit Jo's site and don't forget to mention DeenutsDana when placing your order!
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The People In Our Neighborhood: Catherine

I am introducing a new series here on DeenutsDana called "The People in our Neighborhood" where I will be highlighting friends of mine that I want to introduce to you.  I know some pretty great people and I want to share them with you. 

Our first Person In Our Neighborhood is Catherine.

Catherine lives in Shelburne, Vermont with her husband Andy and their two sons Matthew and Brendan.  I met Catherine in 1994 at our Orientation for Boston University.  We lived on the same floor freshman year and in the same suite sophomore year.  We lost touch for a few years after college but then found each other in 2006, and she did a reading in my wedding in June of 2007.  We've been close ever since, and this weekend Catherine and her two sons came to visit and spend some time with Greg, Leah and myself. 

I have some great memories of Catherine.  Once freshman year we were heading back to our dorm after a night of partying.  As we stepped out of the elevator, she bumped into me, and my wallet fell down the elevator shaft.  We just watched it fall, almost in slow motion, and then looked up at each other and started laughing.  It wasn't until I sobered woke up the next morning that I realized how royalty screwed I was without any debit or credit cards, i.d. or money.

My second favorite memory of Catherine is when we were playing Uno in our suite sophomore year eating Doritos.  We were singing that song "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and I licked the cheese off of a Dorito and put it down to draw a card.  Catherine picked it up and put it in her mouth, not realizing it had already been licked.  I started laughing and could barely get the words out to tell Catherine that she was eating my ABC dorito.  When she realized it she made this horrible BLLLEEAAACCCCHHH sound and spit the dorito out.  We laughed about that for a while. 

Here is what Catherine would like to share with you, in her words:

I am the youngest of three children; I was born in Brwyn Mawr, PA on October 29, 1975. And yes, I had a Halloween party every year until I started liking gymnastics, and then I had gymnastics parties.  And then there was the year that my mom spilled Hawaiian punch all over my garfield sheet cake.  I'll never forget that.

I moved around a lot, and in 1986 we moved from the Philadelphia area to the Baltimore area.  I went to a Catholic school called Notre Dame Prep in Towson, MD.  We only lived there for three years when my parents sprung on me, "We're moving to California!"  Being the youngest, I had to go.  I was envious of my sister, who was starting college.

My brother would tell you that I was spoiled.  I got a nice car, but he got one too, only mine was in better shape than his.  I used to listen to my sister's phone conversations through the vent in my room.  Once I heard my mom talk to my sister through the vent about finding drug paraphernalia in her room.

I'm not sure what my dad did for a living.  He worked for railroads--that's all I know about that.  We moved around a lot because of his job.

I was a Brownie; I played softball; I swam for a long time--all the way through high school. I love to travel.  I've been to Russia three times on student exchange.  That's what started my interest in international travel. 

We lived in California from eigth grade through high school, and I knew that I wanted to go back east for college. Both of my siblings went to Syracuse. I was accepted there too, but I wanted to be different.  I saw the BU sign at the football field while passing on the Massachusetts Turnpike one day and decided to apply there.  I knew I wanted to major in International Relations and made sure that BU offered it.  It was big school and I wanted to go to a big school. 

After graduation, I worked for Kraft Foods as a sales rep.  I was there for a little more than 8 years.  I met my husband Andy at a Halloween party.  He showed up without a costume and my friend Beth said, "You can't come to my party and not wear a costume." So she put him in one of her business suit jackets and called him Fat Guy in a Little Coat.  We married four years later.

I quit Kraft when my first child Matthew was 9 months old and decided that I wanted to be a stay at home mom.  My son Brendan is three years younger than Matthew.  These days, I live in Vermont and I'm a full time mom and also help Andy at our furniture business Burlington Bedrooms.  Three years ago we launched a pet bed business, called Lillypad Memory Foam Pet Beds, which are ideal for all pets and especially beneficial for older pets.  I like to road bike, run, and plan to do a triathalon by the end of the summer.  I'm doing a half marathon next month.  I enjoy visiting college friends in Sparta, NJ.  I enjoy a good drink or two.  I like to waste time on Facebook, just like anyone else. 

Thanks, Catherine!
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