Incredible Woman #47 - Shannon Stahura. Self and Nursing...

This week I'm really pleased to share my interview with a friend of mine - Shannon Stahura. She is actually my "back door" neighbor. In the church I belong to - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - we have a womens organization. There is a program called Visiting Teaching, where you are assigned a partner, and the two of you go to visit a few other ladies in your area. Shannon is one of my visiting teachers. She really helped me alot while I was going through cancer treatments. She is a kind, spiritual person, and I greatly admire her. She doesn't really talk alot about herself, so even though I've known her for several years, I don't really KNOW her... ENJOY!!

KARA: "Tell us about yourself (i.e. hobbies, talents, likes, dislikes, etc.). What makes you an incredible woman?"

SHANNON: "I love golfing. It is a great way to spend time with my boys. It takes us out of the mother/son scenario and makes it just friends playing a fun game. It also gets me out in nature, otherwise I might not take the time to enjoy. Also, it is a great activity to share with my husband and helps us plan for retirement so we know we will have something to do.

I also love gardening. I haven't been doing it very long. My mom is a floral designer and flowers are her passion. Whenever I would visit her in KY, the first thing she would do when she woke up was go outside and walk her garden and check her pots on her deck and water them. I would watch her and I thought I would never do that, and here I am. I look forward to every spring planning what to plant. And yes, every morning the first thing I do is go outside and walk the gardens and check on how everyone is doing. I love seeing the progress. It is like watching a miracle in action. I love smelling the dirt and feeling it between my fingers. Whenever life gets overwhelming and I seemed to be pulled in a million different directions that means I need to get "grounded", so I get to the temple to be grounded spiritually, and then to the garden for physical grounding.

I also love biking. I love to go on big biking adventures like the ULCER or ride Provo canyon. My favorite ride is probably a summertime lunch ride to Subway with my kids.

I also enjoy cooking. My sister studied cooking in the South of France and has taught me a lot, especially about growing herbs and cooking with them. Also, my sister-in-law is an amazing cook and crafter, and she has also taught me a lot.

Finally I enjoy acting and writing. I have had a few articles published in the Ensign and also a few rejected. And I had the opportunity to play a supporting role in my first movie which comes out this fall. It is an independent film produced locally called "Elizabeth's Gift."

KARA: "You’ve recently gone back to school to study nursing, right? How did you make the decision to do that? What influenced you toward this field of study? What do you hope to do when you finish school?"

SHANNON: "This past spring I decided to go back to school to get a nursing degree. I graduated from BYU in communications 20 years ago. I never had a desire to pursue nursing until just recently. All 4 of my children are in school now and my oldest just graduated from High School. They are all movers and shakers and seem to be gone all the time. It is hard to make the adjustment from having them all around to being out and about. Although they aren't around as much I still have that desire to nurture and take care. I found myself with a lot of time on my hands that got filled with endless errands. I needed something more. Then my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and moved in with me. I found myself in the hospital a lot visiting with nurses. They all seemed to love what they do. I spent a lot of time questioning them and was so impressed with their love of their work. And I thought what better way to spend my time than to be in constant service. Then I just decided to go for it. I am in the process of completing my prereqs at UVU and then I am applying to the University of Utah's BSN program in January."

We'll have two more questions/answers from the interview with Shannon each day this week - take a minute to stop by each day and learn about Shannon.