Creole Wisdom

quote that

This is from the student newspaper at my school, they decided to interview us Tuesday morning:

When the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gordon Hinckley died Sunday at age 97, the effects of his death reached far beyond Salt Lake City, the religion's epicenter.

University students from the Latter-day Saints Student Association gathered Tuesday morning and spoke about their former president...

The expansion of the church reflects Hinckley's strong focus on missionary work, Katherine [X], communications junior and LDSSA member said.

"In our church that's sort of the cornerstone of our faith," she said. "What President Hinckley really did is allowed people in the world to gain a more honest understanding about the church..."

So, let me just get on my little soapbox about newspaper people.  Yeah, I am not too fond of them.  I opted OUT of the journalism program here after learning in the introductory course that it's not about telling the truth.  I know from my own experience that that is sadly the case, but I guessed I hoped for better in higher education.

Yes, I am interested in broadcasting, but we all know about nonverbals, and I personally find that a lot of the icky, sticky stuff goes on in the paper.  So yes, broadcasters are okay in my boat. 

Being the press-savvy lady that I am I had the reporter sign a little nifty agreement that I typed up.  I am fiercely protective of my word, myself, and the Church.  I am happy to see that he minded his p's and q's.  I had him sign that he would only use direct quotes, quotes in context, and that he would represent us in accordance to the values of the Church.  That is how I roll.  This kid was probably like, "what a b*tch." And he even had to call his boss, but he knew he had to sign the agreement in order to interview us.  So b*tch maybe, but smart all the same!

You are probably wondering, why so fierce? Well this paper is one of the boldest in the city, and it has quite the reputation.  It is polarized to the left, and not exactly supportive of religion.  With all of that and after reading a scathing, and not to mention dishonest report on Greeks on campus I had reasons to be wary.

To read the full article just shoot me an e-mail and I'd be happy to forward it to you!

big day

So today I gave my first talk! I feel like I've crossed some sort of a threshold.  How exciting!  A few weeks back one of the members of the bishopric asked me if I would talk about "enduring to the end" and gave me the 3rd article of faith as a scripture reference. 

It has been a long journey, and the final-final-final draft was not completed until 12am last night.  Did I mention I had to print it out in dark green print because my black cartridge was out? Oh yes, it has been a busy semester so far.

Delivering my talk, which was what I was most nervous about, actually went well.  I heard my bishop whisper behind me as I finished, "a great talk." So I ended up focusing mostly on how endurance is tied directly to finding joy and to do that we need to a) follow the commandments b) perfect ourselves. 

I am so happy that my mom, stepdad, and two sorority sisters were able to attend. My mom called me later and said that she really enjoyed and agreed with what I had to say.  It is so nice to bring friends to church and have them meet all my other buddies.

Wait... did I not tell you what I wore? Oh just a little gray and navy number from this place complete with navy heels.  Did I mention how hard it was to find navy heels?  Worst fashion search ever-

Here is an audio of my talk, please be patient when you first click to play.  It takes a few minutes to load and for a little bit it is just silent, but I promise it is worth it to listen! You may need to move the little ball a bit until it starts playing. I am so proud that I figured out Garage Band then was able to add it to the post.

Edited to add:

What a man.  President Gordon. B Hinckley
June 23, 1910-January 27, 2008

jumper

There are a few things they don't tell you until you become an upperclassman about college.

One:
You have less and less finals. I'm not sure if this is just the degree I'm going for, or if having all/most of the University requirements finished yields this.  Anyway, I am so happy about having only one and a half finals in May.  I say half because the second one is optional and for those who either missed a test or want to drop a bad test grade.  Since this is in science I'll probably be taking it.  If you don't know this my brain cannot take in math and sometimes science.  It has been frustrating me since age five. 

Two:
That they finally start teaching you the good stuff, the fun stuff, the practical stuff.  Case in point, my soror who is an elementary education major had an entire lesson on what to wear in the classroom.  Hello, that is so practical.  The professor showed slides of super models traipsing down the runway and said, "now they look pretty, but those clothes are not very conducive to the learning environment."  She then showed how to make sure your cleavage is under control, but doing a front check in the mirror, and doing the same with your bum.  I am laughing so hard over this, especially as I start to think about what teachers wore when I was younger...

Then my roomie pipes in: "jumpers"

But I then am on another train of thought.  Did you know that jumpers are back now? I remember when the denim, a-line ones were really popular (1996?) I was ten years old and had one for school.  Those were pretty sad fashion times for me, but the jumpers now are really, really cute.  I want one.  Check it out:

Woah, what if you wore that to class?!?

today

                                The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK was a man of peace, integrity, and embodied the American Spirit. I am thankful for his and many others work.  Because of him and the men and women like him I am able to have basic rights such as:
•The ability to vote
•To be protected by the law
•The right to eat at any restaurant
•Shop at any store
•Sit any where on public transportation that I choose
•The right to fair, honest employment
•Speak my mind on issues of inequalities
•Be able to take a Black history class at almost any college in the nation

Other men and women who fought (directly and indirectly) for basic rights of African-Americans:
•Malcolm X
•W.E.B DuBois
•Fannie Lou Hamer
•Maya Angelou
•Rosa Parks
•Spike Lee
•Ruby Bridges

I am just going to get on my soapbox here and say that I think every single American should be taught in public school from elementary school on (with appropriate subject matter, of course) the history of African-Americans in this county. There are so many resources out there for teaching children about this entire issue, and some great books. We had so many debates in Black History over this very issue, and while teaching children about this entire thing is not very comfortable it is necessary to our progression. We cannot forget our history.

I am personally thankful for MLK and many that came before and after him. I am proud that my dad participated in the March on Washington. I am proud that my grandparents escaped a life of indecency and racism and were able to move north where things were (slightly) better. King is a wonderful example of a man determined to succeed, and I am so glad we have a day to celebrate him.

a few good ones

layouts. the creative juices are flowing. i am getting caught up before school starts. so much fun.

A page on the haircut. You have no idea what a "big deal" it was for me to chop of my hair. I feel so very brave and a lot prettier, dare I say sexier now. I just decided to forgo making it a "perfect" page and just journaled my heart out.

I haven't torn paper, or vellum for that matter in a long time. it had been to long, much too long. the "merry christmas" sticker is what I sealed my Christmas cards 2006 with.

Below is my page on journaling, which I have been dying to do for a long time. I have been journaling for a long, long time, and you can see the stack of filled journals-


Muddy Paws is an awesome cheesecake place here in town. I love it. Jana loves it. I did not match that ribbon on purpose, it just so happened that I had letters in those both exact colors. neat.

My BYU acceptance page. I know it seems like a strange thing to sb, but in the future I'll be glad I did this. I used an actual brocure as you can see-

Kraft backgrounds are just perfect. I love using them. Isn't that rolling pin charm sweet? I am so glad I found it.

The numbers below came in a huge 12x12 sheet- it took a while to cut them out so they wouldn't look bad or disconnected. Ben gave me the tickets to be sure that they got into my scrapbook. How thoughtful.

new shirt love

i love my new polo so much that i snapped on my fancy 85 mm 1.8 lens and took a self-portrait in my parents' bathroom mirror.

the fabric is so soft. the buttons are sparkly. the alligator is slightly dangerous.

and ya know, maybe i wouldn't squint my right eye if hair wasn't hanging in it!

(this entire post is keeping me from working on the dreaded talk)

check

Of the things done this week:
•Paid tuition. A icky, necessary evil.
•Bought books for all classes, a grand total of $540.33. Yikes.
•Edited and polished up my current resume
•Got set up for an interview in Utah for this summer (yeah)
•New phone, and new cell phone number (I still want the iphone, dad ; )
•Did laundry
•Realized that I need to start working on my talk, which is on Jan 27th. Yikes.
•Found a cute new polo, I love these.

New Semester I'll be taking:
University Writing
Biogeography of the global garden + lab
Comm 1313 W: Analysis of Argument
Comm 3401: Intro to Comm. Theory
History 3615W: Early European Women's History

Total: 17 credits.

But I have a nice schedule!
•No early classes! I do not function before 10am in the morning. I love my sleep.
•No classes Thursday and Tuesday (except 1 Tuesday night)
•Done before lunchtime each day except Wednesday

paperies

I have always had a love for excellent paperies. I seek them out shore, to shore and city to city. I have a long list of favorites, and am keen at finding them. Two more were added to my list this weekend when my family and I ventured down to one of America's last charming towns, Stillwater.

We have been going there, mostly to antique, since I can remember. It has changed over the years from charming, but middle of the road, to yuppy. There are now small gifts shops and coffee houses nestled in between the antique barns. It is evolving, but still lovely. It reminds me of the smaller towns right outside of New York City.

1) Rose Mille. They sell rolls of vintage wallpaper, glitter letters, a plethora of unique and rare ribbon, not to mention women's clothing and some hot jeans.
2) Pulp Fashion. Okay, it my dream home that's how I'd keep sheets of paper. Isn't that built-in fantastic? I had to take a picture, I think the clerk thought I was nuts. They have a lot of lovely stuff, especially wedding and baby items for creating your own invitations or thank-you notes.

Other favorite Paperies that I devour:
•Papersource. Quality products, especially for cardmaking.
•Kate's Paperie. Amazing. Their online store is pretty good, too. They have two Manhattan locations.
•Archivers. This is the scrapbooking mecca that is wonderful. It's a chain and mostly in the midwest, to my knowledge
•Collage. I worked here in high school. The owner is a doll and the products are lovely.

This summer I plan on going to:
•Dear Lizzie. Just the photos on their website make me want to go there and drink the hot coco! I know it's most of a gift/home shop, but still : D

the other side

I know that when I talk about my genealogy, I usually speak about my Creole heritage (dad's side). Well, what is more fun that mixed people who practiced voo-doo in gorgeous old New Orleans? Hm, not much.

Yesterday at my Aunt's home I talked with her a little about the German side. Turns out, that on that side I am part Dunkard and Prussian Aristocracy aka "Junker."

Here's a little about those people. Dunkards are a religious sect, similar to Mennonites. They dress like the Amish, but use all modern conveniences. They came from Germany and settled mostly in Pennsylvania (no shocker there).

A traditional, Dunkard church. The actual term "Dunkard" comes from the baptism practice where you were immersed three times (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
So, it was my maternal grandmother's father who was Dunkard. And he was obviously very strickly Protestant, and my grandmother still does not know how he ended up with a Catholic wife (her mother).

They are actually still around, but have only about 900 members. Turns out they have retreat and religious conference each summer, too.

Dunkards dress conservatively, and are sometimes known just as German Baptists.

All of grandma's dad's sisters stayed active and most likely married within the Duknard faith.

My grandmother's mother came from Prussian Aristocracy (I knew it was in my blood somewhere, now I have proof!) Ha, but they are not high royals, just lower-status ones who were quite militaristic. They are known as "Junkers" and were a very organized, hardworking, staunch people.

This group of people came about during the 11th century (according to Wiki). I think sometimes some of them may have purchased titles (think people on the French court during Marie Antoinette's time), but I am not positive.

Junkers were also faithful Roman Catholics, which is why it is interesting that my great-grandmother ended up with a Dunkard. But I suppose stranger things have happened.

This is all I know so far, as you remember, I am hoping to do more family history. I think I might start a binder for each of my sides and just compile information and hole punch it. As a history minor this fascinating to me.

no peace/go run

Do you like when I write about my ex boyfriend? I hope you are not sick of it, because I have yet another Matt update for you. Sigh.

A few days ago I found out that he is moving "asap" to San Diego. No reason except, "I don't like it here." Just moving. He and I spoke, and he brought it up to me. Thus, I have to pretend to be surprised, which I am good at. And I try to ask questions, without sending my opinion over the phone which is: Stop running, you need to find peace. Whatever you're looking for, you won't find it by running. I am going out on a limb here to say this, but spirituality is and will only be the path to peace, at least for me. Human beings are divinely designed to need to search for some sort of purpose and or meaning to life. But back to he conversation, I really resisted a "I told you so moment." But it was very, very hard not to do so.

He talked about U of O/Eugene like it was Zion, and I tried reminding him before his move that he had hated being at Willamette in Salem because it was too close to his parents and too small of a town. This city is a lot bigger, more vibrant than Eugene, and he had established himself (thanks to me, for setting him all up, and I'll never do that again for a man thank you very much) with an apartment, school, job, and plan. And I was right.

His goal for San Diego is, and I quote, "just move down to there, and drink on the beach. Probably go back to school at some point." Ahh! How sad. I don't know very many people who leave undergrad then return. And, it is just so depressing to hear someone speak like that.

All I have to say is, thank my lucky stars Lord. If I had known there would be such a difference in my happiness he and I would of been over much sooner. And the more and more his life falls apart, I count my blessings that I don't have to be tied to it.