Creole Wisdom

Happy Birthday Blog, Chapter III

Another year later, my life in July 2006:
•I had just finished my Freshman year at Sarah Lawrence, and happily transferred to a large school in MN to be closer to family
•Moved into my very first apartment in South Minneapolis (that actually ended up being a horrendous experience, but nonetheless lesson worthy!)
•Working at my first serious internship, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal.  I loved it. 
•Commuted like a working girl each day from home on the bus to downtown with all the other Target, US Bank, Wells Fargo, corporate people.
•Managed to be creative and kept scrapbooking
•Signed up for sorority rush in the fall, and was imaginging that entire experience
•Took driving lessons (yes I didn't learn to seriously drive until 19!)
•I still have the long hair, but all that walking on college campuses caused me to drop a good 10 pounds
•Had made two very dear friends at SLC, who I was still in contact with, Jay and Arlene. 

More awful photos, just be kind, I was only nineteen!

•4th of July picnic with mom, myself, and the step-dad.  There were great fireworks that night, and I wore my Old Navy t-shirt proudly.  It was good to be home, and spending time in my MN stomping grounds

•We had record highs that summer, so Abby (my longest childhood friend) and I headed to the beach when it was something like 105 degrees!  There's nothing that can compare with Minneapolis' downtown lakes-

•Arlene came to visit me, and we had a fabulous time together.  We spend a good chunk of the time doing photoshoots, one of our friendship cornerstones, and we rode that horsies at the Como Zoo. 

•Okay, so this feeds into August a bit, but it's crucial ya'll it's crucial.  On 8/8 the bad boyfriend moved out to MN so we could be in one place.  It was a huge move on our part. And for two nineteen year olds it's a bold move, and hard.  I spent time running around the city finding him an apartment and helping him get into school.  It was a lot of work, I was shocked we pulled it off. 

And so another summer passed and I kept up with the entire blog thing...

Happy Birthday Blog, Chapter II

A little glimpse into my life in July 2005.  Hmm, what was I doing?
•I had just graduated from High School a month before
•Looking forward to starting college at Sarah Lawrence, and escaping the west coast for kolab (i.e. New York, or so I thought)
•Spending more time than necessary with the bad boyfriend
•Cooking, baking, watching TV
•Working at Collage on Alberta Street
•Having multiple-night sleepovers with Annalise, who was also headed out to New York (we were the only two girls in our class who were headed out there. We were ready to escape)
•Getting published in a scrapbook magazine, for the first time!
•I had long hair, was about 5ft 6 inches tall, 18, and weighed in at roughly 130 (am I brave or what?)

And here come the incriminating photos...

•That's me, Aunt Emily Anne, and Annalise after church during our down south trip.  We were in Alabama, and  yes, that is an out of ground pool in the background.  I have Southern roots, and I am proud!  That afternoon we went out to eat and nearly chocked on our food from laughing so much.  We sure had one helluva time!  And you know what, you'd be oily, too if it was 100 degree with 90% humidity.  That is one of my favorite dresses, one I still wear, a great Banana Republic classic.  I actually wore it under my graduation cap and gown as well.

•On our down south trip we ended up having to evacuate Pensacola and ended up in New Orleans. Interesting that just a few months later Katrina would hit.  We lived it up for one night in that city and eat breakfast at a lovely Patisserie. 

•The bad boyfriend paying for gas.  I'm sure it was super cheap.  We would just take off (obviously before serious jobs, school, and responsibilities)  We were on our way to Lake Oswego from Cannon Beach.  At the time we were super in love, spending all our time together, and not looking forward to parting in August...

Well, there you have it.  A slice of my slice in July 2005. 

Happy Birthday Blog, Chapter I

I really love a blog birthday.  It makes me all nostalgic and causes me to laugh at how the old Creole Wisdom would read the Creole Wisdom of today.  I love to believe that I have come a long way, and I suppose that is for you readers to judge.  Meander though my archives if you please.  But here's a walk down memory lane...

Happy Birthday number Three to my little blog!

(Photo a la flickr, and cupcakes from Wuollet Bakery, naturally)

a visit

you know how I just love to have guests.  this lovely lady, my Claire-bear, bear, and fellow Twilight enthusiast is coming to visit in two weeks!

(taken two days before school let out, May '08)

On the agenda:
•Salt Lake City Adventure
•American Idol try-outs (girl can sing!)
•Perhaps staying at a posh hotel
•Boys

plaid i guess

So I have a new love: ancestry.com.  Yes it is true.  You see, we spend a lot of time together.  I think it's the names that he gives me... pretty rewarding.  2 things you ought to know: I have freckles and am 1/2 German.  Or so I thought... Turns out that those freckles (and temper maybe, can I put it on my heritage?) come from something else...
 

Okay, I'll cut to the chase: I'm part Scottish
In case you were just dying to know it is on my maternal grandmother's father's side, got that?  My favorite names so far are:
•Margaret Campbell from none other than the bustling town of: Inverness-shire
•Robert Barclay from another well-known: Kincardineshire
•Annabella Campbell born in: Dunstaffnage
•Isobel Cameron hails from: Lochiel

I cannot even say those names. Let alone know where they are.  What do I need to know about Scottish people?  Where can I get a cool map (you know, not an ugly one from an atlas)?

of scrapbook stores and bloggers come to life...

Do you remember the scene in the Nutracker when Uncle Drosselmeyer winds up his giant, mechanical dolls and they appear to come alive, and then later after the clock strikes they really do- right before Clara's eyes?

It's kind of like when you meet/see bloggers you know in real life.  For some reason in my mind I imagine I am the only person who knows this other person who obviously lives in my computer.  Then when I get to see them it's a treat.  A real treat.  That's how it was when I had gelato with Miss Emly Kate. 

On mom's first day here we ventured to a scrapbook store.  This was a long overdo thing I had to accomplish while in Utah or else I would regret it later and maybe cut off a body part because of the guilt.  So we went to Pebbles in my Pocket, an obvious choice because I order fabulous scrapbook binders from them, and their store is cute.  See for yourself:



Cute, no?  And here comes the best part.  I go to pay, and they ask me if I know anyone who shops there- and I recall Emily Kate posted about them two years ago.  So I write down her info on a card so she and I can both get a % off, and the clerk goes, "oh I know her.  she was in here not too long ago" and then says to me "I recognize you from a scrapbook site, and I have read your blog before." 

Being the idiot I am I left my phone at home so I couldn't call Emily Kate, and so when I get back I am surprised to see a text from the girl herself- "I think NieNie is here with her kids."  She writes from Maestro's Gelato.  So I e-mail Nie to check, and sure enough it was her-

It's a small, small blog world. 

sundanceghosttownsaltlakebyemom

wild poppies at Sundance.  that resort is so great- I love the size- manageable with lots of natural beauty.  mom loved it • stacks of cookies and treats at their little general store food area (I am so stealing that presentation idea)

•black butterfly and signs up sundance lift

•Right near the "ghost town" (consisting of a cemetary and old church) Richville

•the meeting house... had a fence around it, but I managed to get my lens around it so I could get this shot...

•Dear Lizzie.  So, I had to go.  Mom loved it, I loved it, we both found goodies.  And great creative ideas, too.  I enjoyed the cupcakes as well- very colorful, but stiff frosting.

•Salt Lake Temple, "the alpha and the omega" • me @ the big sign • another of those amazing spires of the Salt Lake Temple

•Nothing was better than getting to eat on Saturday at the Lion House with mom... she loved it.  Dang good food- and I loved their coconut cream pie

•Mom and I talked late into the night, then got up early for church.  She actually got to see my teach my first lesson in Relief Society (it was joint Priesthood and RS since the holiday weekend made our ward tiny), and so that was fun.  I was sad to see her go, we had so much fun, I miss her already! 

anatomy of a pedicure

mom's visit take one

{just the temple, visitor's center, me, and my favorite president monson- love that guy!}

{great wall of positive things all surround by- the teachings of Jesus Christ- so cool}

{Empire room, i.e. a great venue for a r_c_p_i_n you fill in the blanks!}

{dressing room at Anthropologie.  No luck this time : {

{one catipillar roll, please.  and a sprite to cure me from the intense Utah heat}

{The Lion House- pretty green shutters, reminds me of Savannah, Ga or Boston}

on why family rocks, et all...

•Remember my cousin Dennis who graduated in May?  He just got hired to be in... the secret service!  We are over the moon excited for him.  He packs up his bags and heads out to Washington D.C. pretty soon.  Again, another plug for how important it is to have goals and achieve them. 

•My mom is here visiting and was a wealth of help for working on my pedigree chart.  I also was able to get almost four generations back with a few phone calls to my maternal and paternal grandmothers.  Nothing is more rewarding that doing this- it is so cool.  I love seeing the older names, very fascinating. 

•A few months ago my second cousin LaTonjua contacted the family about creating a family website- dad sent her pictures as requested and we all waited.  I had no idea she would be done so quickly, and I had no idea she had not only created a family site, but also had done a huge amount of geneaology work.  Talk about things coming together- I was thrilled to find so many dates, names, places and the site is amazing- you can see all different family tree views, connect with members, look at photos, see what new babies have been born, it is fantastic! 

•I am also on the family reunion 2011 planning committee!  I cannot wait, I am imagining fantastic t-shirts and goodie bags.

•Since my mom is here, we headed down to Salt Lake again, primarily Temple Square area.  I went to the giant Deseret Book and found this- I cannot wait to write it all out.  I might possibly buy a few more and send them as gifts-

So ya, in a nutshell- my family rocks.