joanna preslar Full Name: Joanna Rose Preslar Nicknames: J, Jo, JoJo, Jo Bug Journal: ~preslar AIM: joji berries Age: 23 Birthday: November 5, 1987 Status: single Siblings: Joshua (25) Jessica (18) Occupation: yoga instructor / receptionist at Gold's Gym Likes: yoga, horses, photography, being outside, horror movies, thunderstorms, the smell of freshly cut grass, watching TV, hanging out around the house, baking, Italian food, Mexican food, Chinese food, Halloween Dislikes liars, cheaters, Pho, over priced jeans, over priced shoes, overly cocky men, people who press her buttons just because, people who cause drama just because, spiders, Valentine's Day, blind dates facts • Steven & Mary Preslar welcomed their first girl, Joanna Rose, into the world on November 5, 1987. Instantly she was nicknamed Jo by her father. (He had secretly wanted a boy.) To help them welcome her into the world was a lobby full of family including her older brother. Jo was a quiet baby at first. Never giving her parents much of a fuss over anything other than being hungry and wanting to be changed. It was when she got older that she really made her presence known. Generally she got into everything since her curiosity was bigger than her. • When she was five her parents welcomed another baby into the world. Jo was in the lobby with the rest of them, waiting patiently. Or rather, for Jo, not so patiently since she kept asking when her sister was going to get there. To finally shut her up her grandfather told her a story about a giant white stork bringing the babies to the Mommy's in the hospital. For the next two hours she wandered up and down the halls, with her grandfather in tow, looking for said stork. Finally an Aunt came out to tell them that the youngest Preslar was there. A beat wasn't missed when she looked up at her grandfather and yelled, "Grandpa! You lied! Storks don't exist." Clearly she was upset by the development and stomped off to meet her little sister. To this day she's still teased about storks and her adventures in the hospital. • When it was time for Jo to start school she was none too excited about it. She kept protesting that her sister didn't need to be home alone with no one to take care of her. The tune quickly changed after that first half day of Kindergarten. Mary had to drag her child out of the classroom, promising that she could come back the next day. Half of the ride home was spent crying that she wanted to go back. The other half was spent animatedly telling her mother every detail of what happened. From the pictures she colored, to the grass she played in, even the little boy that tried to cut her hair was told about. School was something she liked until she hit junior high. (Middle school if you prefer) • To take her mind off her troubles ( being picked on and living in her brother's shadow) she began to look for way to distract herself. Volleyball became a focus point for her after a chance encounter. She happened to walk into a gym right when a ball game flying in her direction. Rather than scream and duck, like most girls would have, she hit the ball. Then parked herself on the bench and watched the rest of practice. The next day she was out on the floor with the girls. Eventually she made the team and found her niche. Volleyball was something she played until her senior year of high school. • Much to the dismay of her parents, she took the next year off. She stated over and over again that she just needed a break from the school system. That she needed to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. It was later during that year that she announced she wanted to move to a different city. Boston to be exact. Life experience was the phrase she used to talk her parents into the idea. Really she just wanted a new city to explore. Essentially spreading her wings a little and learning how to stand on her own. That year off turned into two and her parents gave up trying to get her into college. • Yoga came into her life when a friend conned her into attending a class. Of course she protested when they landed in front of a yoga studio instead of a gym, but she gave it a try anyway. The first class she complained and grumbled the whole time. Not really paying attention to the way she felt during and after the class. Since she had been such a brat the first time she promised her friend that she would go to another. It was during that class that she really paid attention to how she felt. After that she was in classes regularly and found herself falling in love with the peaceful feeling she had after the sessions were over. Yoga filling the void that volleyball had left behind. • Initially she had no intentions of becoming a Yoga instructor, figuring her work as a temp girl would keep her going. The constant rotation of jobs gave her the sense of adventure she had wanted. It was during a visit back home during the holidays that she realized she was tired of her current adventure. Pulling her parents to the side she talked to them both and asked how they felt about her going to classes. Mary instantly said yes, wanting stability for her daughter. Steven balked at first stating it was no way to make a decent living. The next day he gave his blessing. To this day she has no idea what changed his mind but she figures her mother had a big hand in it. • Once she returned to Boston she enrolled in a 200 hour program. The sheer thought of working that hard just to teach overwhelmed her at first. Days flew by and before she knew it, the end of the course came. Though she could now legally teach she figured why not go all the way and earn the right to put RYT (registered yoga teacher) behind her name. Those three little letters behind her name making it easier to find work. Upon completion of the 500 hour program the instructor she was working under offered her a job at his studio. Rather than giving herself time to think about it, she jumped at the chance. When she called home to tell her folks she had to listen to her mother squeal and her dad laugh in the background. Finally she had a sense of accomplishment. • As much as she loved her new job she knew that yoga instructors were not paid very much. So she got a second job to make sure she took care of herself. (Asking the parents for money just wasn't something she could stomach.) As a temp she had numerous jobs and one she liked the most was being a receptionist at Gold's Gym. Sure she had to deal with a few idiots but a majority of the customers were pretty decent. After talking to the manager she sealed the deal and became the girl behind the counter on a more permanent basis. There was perks to the job. Like being able to watch some of the hotter guys but she was also able to harass friends when they came in. And, of course, she could work out herself when things were pretty quiet. • She never intended to stay in Boston long. One, two years tops. Now she's nearing the five year mark. Looking back she knew that moving to the city had been impulsive but it was one of the best things she could have done for herself. Somewhere along the way it had become home to her. The sounds of the city often lulling her to sleep after a long night of work or play. (Whichever it was that kept her out until odd hours. ) When she finds herself missing home, she'll go back for a quick visit. Never staying longer than a few days before she wants to be back in her apartment, dancing around her living room. Singing along to whatever song she happens to have playing in the background. • Due to her schedule her love life has been rather lack luster. A few boyfriends here and there, but nothing serious. Since there has never been a serious relationship, she has never taken anyone home to meet her parents. Her mother often sighing over dramatically when she walks in for holiday visits. It annoys Jo a lot but she bites her tongue. Figuring it best to keep her mouth shut than to upset her parents. She doesn't have the heart to tell them that she doesn't think she'll ever get married. In her mind it will happen when, and if, it is meant to. For now she's content with being unattached. Often stating it's fun to "fish around the sea." Though she could really do without the blind dates. • There is one more grand adventure she wants to take. A trip to Italy and Greece. From a young age she has always found the two places more than fascinating. She wants to explore the rolling hills of Tuscany. Visit the ruins in Greece. Basically just soak in as much of the culture are she can. Even her closest friends don't know about this. She's been quietly saving, planning for the day that she can finally go. If she goes alone or not is something that is undecided. Ideally she would love to have someone go with her but has no problems heading out on her own. It's just another one of those things that she has left up to chance. ooc information I am in central standard time. Generally I prefer threading, but will do AIM scenes as well. Just please ask me before sending one on AIM. Random IC AIM conversations and comment wars make the world go round. I will try my best to be on every night but the real world does come first, so please don't be upset if I am not on. If you need me in those moments that I am not on feel free to hit my contact post here. PMs generally tend to work for me, but leave a comment if you do decide to use that method of contact. BACK TO ~PRESLAR