Joyce Stultz:  

Life Well where do I start? After graduating from GHHS, I went to LAVC. I graduated as a RN. I moved to Ventura to start working as a nurse. On Oct 20, 1973 I marrried Ron Miedecke in order to be in Idaho for opening of deer season and a few pheasants. It was lots of fun trying to climb up shale mountains. (2 steps up, 1 step down) And we were so quiet sneaking up on those nonsuspecting deer. And it was so warm in the uninsulated trailer we had rented that our tooth brushes were frozen in the morning. We also fished for trout along the banks of the Salmon River which really was fun. In 1976 & 77 we went elk hunting in Montana. I was the first woman in their hunting camp and the guys didn't exactly know what to do with me. Now that was cold! We had a small tent with a small wood burning stove that we started with gasoline. In the morning, the gasoline was slush and wouldn't even pour. I didn't thaw out until I got off the mountain. But it was beautiful and exciting. We drove back 10 miles and then rode horseback 10 more miles to get to camp. You had to be prepared to jump off the horse in your 20 layers of clothes that kept you from hardly moving as the horse would slide down the trail and then try it's best to keep it's footing going up the trail again. Like I said "exciting". At least the elk meat was the best I've ever tasted. In 1978, I moved to Helena, MT and got divorced. Ron decided to go back to warm country (CA). I had my first child, Mindy, in Livingston, MT. They had to find a RN to open the OB section in order for her to be delivered. Then we moved to VA where Greg worked on building Naval Housing. Next year, we moved to Chula Vista, CA to build the Otay Mesa border crossing. Mike was born there. Guess I should mention that Greg Stultz and I got married. From there we moved to Las Vegas when Mike was 2 weeks old. This was the toughest job Greg had. He helped build the Wet 'N Wild Waterslide Park. He wore shorts and a hard hat to work. They made him test the beer, hot dogs, ice cream and of course all the slides to make sure everything was in working condition for the opening. From there he went to Juneau, AK for "2-3 weeks" to build university housing (very fancy). The kids and I went to live with my parents in Napa,CA. My sister and her 2 girls also moved in due to divorce so we all got to know each other and it was a fun time. The kids and I finally went to Juneau. It rained every day. Thank heavens for McDs play area. I caught the largest salmon. It was longer than my 2 year old was tall. The hotel cooked it and we shared it with the other workers' families. Then we ended up in Kirkland,WA for 6 years. I kept busy with co-op preschool and then volunteering in the school. Then our "baby" Michelle was born. Her godmother and namesake is Michelle Powell - the only one in our class that has remained a close friend. Greg worked on the I-90 project across Mercer Island and Lake Washington. Then on to Puyallup,WA to build Boeing's robotics plant for 777. It was 2 of the best years we had. Our neighborhood was so close and we had BBQs, went to ballet, baseball games, planted trees. It was just a fun place where all our kids got along. Really miss that. Then we moved to Idaho Falls, ID in 1993 where Greg has been working for the Idaho National Lab on nuclear waste disposal. I tried working at hemodialysis unit, but there was too much heavy lifting and I ended up having a cervical fusion of my neck. I love the job I have now. I work as a Home IV RN for a pharmacy. I actually get to be a RN! Unfortunately I am disabled currently due to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and Breast Cancer. But I'll be damed if I let that stop me! I have 1 more chemo treatment, and then they get to put me together again after Michelle graduates in May. And yes, I'll be a little bigger! Mindy is a single Mom working, going to school to be a RN; Mike is in USAF,working as assistant crew chief for F-22. He deploys to Iraq in May. College When I was in high school, I volunteered as a Candy Striper for Kaiser Hospital. Besides delivering flowers and mail and making beds, I also worked in the Medical Records department. That sparked an interest in becoming a Medical Records Librarian. Michelle Powell and I decided to go to LAVC. On the way back from registering, I got a flat tire. I pulled into a parking lot in front of a restaurant thinking maybe someone would help us. A friendly policeman drove by and waved at us. Well, we fgured we weren't going to get any help and we better try to figure this tire changing thing out. So I opened the trunk only to find out that neither of us could reach the jack or tire iron. Remember those really short dresses we used to wear? Well that's what we were wearing. What else could I do? I climbed into the trunk and retrieved the tire iron and jack. I'm sure the restaurant customers had quite a show. Then we decided to call my Dad as we had no idea what to do. He came and watched us as he instructed us how to change a tire. After about 1 1/2 years at LAVC, I finally decided I wanted to become a RN. I graduated in 1971, moved to Ventura, and started working for St John's Hospital in Oxnard. I haven't attended...Expand for more