My apologies that it has been what seems like forever since I was last on Blogspot. My hope is that no one has lost sleep over my writing or lack there of... Much has happened within the last few months, and it is safe to say that this year has been the craziest year of my life thus far.
As you might already be aware, my mother unfortunately passed away of lung cancer on May 16, 2009, two months to the day of her initial hospitalization. With that said, myself, along with the rest of my family have been picking up the pieces to what I once thought was a perfect life. Loosing a family member so quickly can be frightening, shocking, and sad. Nevertheless, the support system that lies throughout the community of Boise and the state of Idaho has been tremendous.
800+ people attended my mother's funeral, making it one of the largest funerals in Idaho history. Furthermore, many floral shops in the Treasure Valley were forced to turn away mourners who wished to purchase flowers, as the shops were already bombarded with orders (nearly 200+ floral arrangements were sent, most of which were donated to local hospitals following the service). The funeral was spectacular, just like my mother. A "Happy Hour" was held in her honor following the service at our home in Boise. Of course, it was fully catered, along with an open bar and live music. Hundreds honored Janell in a way that she would have loved- with wine, music, and great weather! A special thank you goes to the Hollenbeck Family, the Boise Family YMCA, and the Building Contractor's Association of Idaho, all whom helped out with the many aspects of planning such a large funeral and after party. For more information regarding Janell's life and death, please visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/janellconner. On the website, there are two links. One, to the Idaho Statesman, who thoughtfully published many articles on Janell's life, death, and funeral. Along with a link to the slide show that was created by myself on Animoto.com for the service. I would also like to thank my many high school and college friends, who flew in, attended, helped around the house, and/or helped put together the hundreds of brochures for the funeral. Also, thank you to Rick's Press Room who hosted the Janell Conner Memorial Benefit Dinner and Auction at the end of July. The event was a huge success.
Following my mother's death, I went into overdrive. Not only was I forced to take over the not-so-glamour job of managing the 42 rental properties that my parent's own, I was also forced to become the head of the household. Since my mother's passing, I have learned: dish washing soap does not go in the laundry machine; I can not iron silk shirts; and most importantly, the dishes and garbage are not self sufficient.
I competed at the Miss International Pageant in Chicago, Illinois for two weeks at the end of July. The opportunity that I gained representing the great state of Idaho was fabulous. I will never forget the friends I made while competing at the highly publicized event (the crowning moment was aired in New York City's, Time Square).
Sadly, I give up my crown next month. The pageant, which is typically held in March, has been moved up to September to allow the Queen's more time to prepare for Nationals. Again, I can not reiterate how exciting my year has been. Please visit http://www.courtneyannconner.com/ for appearance information, or http://www.mrsidaho.com/ for pageant information.
As you can imagine, there have been many ups and downs throughout 2009. Nevertheless, I am only a stronger woman for the expierences that I have been through. I look forward to creating the J.W. Conner Foundation in honor of my late mother. My hope is to help individuals and families of cancer related illnesses find resources during and after their trying times. I also look forward to traveling... extensively. I am in need of a much deserved vacation (or two). I am crossing my fingers that God will take me back to two of my previous homes in Honolulu, Hawaii and Florence, Italy. Stay tuned for more information regarding my traveling adventures!
Until next time, much love and God Bless! And as the Conner saying goes, "What a Ride!"
