Kindness is not dead!

All I can say is that kindness is alive and well, and mom has it in spades!

We had gone the the Lowes home improvement store to pick up some energy efficient light bulbs.  As we are walking in my mom says "good luck" to a couple trying to figure out how to fit a mirrored door into their little tiny car.  We went in and took all of 10 minutes to find, choose, and purchase the light bulbs.  When we came out, the couple had put the door on the roof of the car and were going to drive while holding it down.  My mom and I tried to look for bungee cords in the trunk or something to help them tie it down with, but we couldn't find anything.  So what does my mom do... she asks them "how far are you going?"  and then says, "do you want one of us to help you hold that while you drive it there?"  So I rode in the backseat with the window down reaching out and holding on to this mirrored door of about a ten minute drive away.  Sometimes I get voluntold (instead of being volunteered) to do things, but usually I am happy I did, and this time was no exception!  Helping people is nice and not too many people do it these days, but it was comforting to know that my mom was following behind in her car!  And the best part of all, their license plate was "100 VAL" so they had a vanity plate without evening knowing it!

70 Year On After Normandy

Earlier this month was the 70th anniversary of D-day.  Fort Douglas Military Museum and the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs put on program at the Old Post Theater.  Two D-day Veterans and others spoke, it was very nice.  Then after there was a historical background on the landing and then the showing of The Longest Day. 

Operation Overlord 6 June 1944

"Imagine, What If Your Next Job Description Said - 

'Go and Save the World.'"

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Working for Women

Last month I went to Mozambique for a humanitarian project.  I spent a total of three weeks in Africa, just over two in Mozambique and just under one in South Africa.  Weber State University faculty and students worked together with an NPO, No Poor Among Us, to build a Women's Center.  It was hard work, but well worth all the effort that was put into it!  These are pictures of the near finished product.

 Women's Center

 Entrance to Women's Center

 Sign posted next to the entrance

Weber State Logo with all the participants

Mural above the entrance

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Presenting a paper!

Today I presented a paper at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference.  This year it was held at BYU in Provo, Utah.
There were a total of three sessions and four to five panels for each session.  I was in session 2, panel 3.  There were a total of three people on my panel, and we each had fifteen minutes to present with twenty minutes for questions at the end.
It was my first time presenting a paper at this type of conference, I think it went well.  My friend Chrissee won second place for the undergraduates that presented papers!  Next year I think it will be held at Weber State University in Ogden.  Maybe I should start preparing now!

Paintings in Provo

At the BYU Museum of Art there is a special exhibit.  It started on November 15, 2013, and will run until May 10, 2014.  It is called Sacred Gifts, and is a collection of art from Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann, and Frans Schwartz.

So yesterday I went to this exhibit with some of my family.  It was very nice and I had seen several of the paintings in reprints.  There was one painting that I had never seen before and it was beautiful.  It may be my new favorite!

Frans Schwartz (1850—1917), 

Agony in the Garden, 1898, Oil on canvas, 

Nørresundby Kirke, Nørresundby, Denmark, 

Photograph courtesy of Hans Nyberg

 One of my nieces walked around with me and it was a lot of fun to spend time with her!  If you have an iPad, not an iPod or iPhone, you can download an app that has more information about each painting that was brought for this exhibit.

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Bruises and Bikes in Japan

One afternoon/evening in Japan,  I was riding a bike out of the parking area behind the apartment complex where I lived and something happened that I lost control!  I was wearing a helmet, because there had been several "almost accidents" while riding my bike!  Most times, sometimes the cars didn't see me when they are turnings corners, and I had been "almost hit" one more than one occasion.   This day, there were no cars to cause me to lose control, but for some reason I lost control.  I ended up flying over the handlebars and ended up flat on the ground. 

I ended up with a huge bruise on my right shoulder and another on my right thigh!  The bruise on my thigh looked like a shoe print, I must have done some amazing acrobatics while flying over the handlebars!  I was surprised that I didn't break something or have more bruising...

 

I should have taken a few pictures when my bruises started to turn all yellow and green, but I think these were taken the day after my acrobatics over the handlebar.


~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Thanksgiving and Birthdays Past and Present

For the past several years (since 2007), I have gone somewhere for my birthday.  This usually ended up being a trip somewhere outside of the town where I was currently living!  This was partly because the amazing thing about Japan is that my birthday just happens to be a national holiday!  I was able to take extended weekend trips to various locations for my birthday!

In 2006, I celebrated Thanksgiving and my birthday in my apartment in Kakamigahara, Japan.  Over the next five years I continued to celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, and it seemed to get better each year!  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and Thanksgiving (for those from the United States) is always the fourth Thursday in the month of November, however my birthday does not always fall on Thanksgiving.  I love the food, the company, the conversations, and probably most importantly... I love that I was born on this awesome holiday!  Since that first Thanksgiving, I have had four birthdays on Thanksgiving, with 2006 being the most recent!  The next one should be in 2017, but I might be off because of leap year.

Since that 2006 Thanksgiving/Birthday combo, I have traveled around to experience something new for my birthday...  In 2007, I spent it in Hiroshima, Japan.  In 2008, I spent it in Seoul, South Korea.  In 2009, I spent it in Taipei, Taiwan.  In 2010, I spent it in Bali, Indonesia.  In 2011, I spent it in Vietnam.  Last year I moved back to the States and I was able to spend my birthday in Niceville, Florida, with my sister and her family.  It was great fun, we had cupcakes and even went to the beach!

This year I am back at school, and I do not have the luxury to take time off for my birthday, so this year I spent my birthday in Ogden, Utah.  However it was celebrated on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  On Friday, my roommates and I had brownies, cupcakes, and ice cream cake.  On Saturday I went out to see the Mount Ogden Junior High School performance of "Guys and Dolls," I enjoyed the show!  And on Sunday, I had dinner with some wonder people from my LDS Ward!  Over all, it was a pretty good weekend, the only bad thing is that I didn't get much homework done.

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

An evening "Of Myth and Mud"

Last night I went with a friend to see a Weber State University original play in the Eccles Theater on campus.  The play was titled, Of Myth and Mud.  There was also a short narrative called Currency of Fire, which was performed just before Of Myth and Mud.

The play, Of Myth and Mud, was a modern take on Pandora's Box and many mythical creatures.  The female characters consisted of Pandora, a mermaid, a unicorn, a dragon, a shapeshifter, a selkie, a phoenix, Medusa, and a Sphinx.  Pandora woke up to discover she was no longer mud, she discovers a box and opens it.  After this she watches the encounters of the other female characters throughout the play.  By the end she is devastated, heart-broken, and filled with despair.  She is saved by Hope, which was the only thing that stayed in the box.

I enjoyed both plays!  I think my favorite character was Pandora, however I think all the characters were well written and performed.

Here is a list to the bios.  

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

History Book Sale, Geography Lecture, and Geo Caching, Oh My!

Yesterday was a hectic day!  Actually this week has been hectic!

This week there has been "celebrations" because the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building turned 40!  So there was birthday cake on Tuesday, a Sesquicentennial speaker on Wednesday, with the culmination on Friday!

Let me explain about Friday.  I had volunteered to help setup and man the book sale for the History Department from 8:30 until 10:30, when I had to hurry to my history class.  After my class I had to hurry over the the Theater for the visiting Geography Lecturer at 11:30, I welcomed the crowd and then got the ball rolling for the Q&A portion after the lecture.  One good thing is that I was able to accompany the guest lecturer and several professors to lunch.  As soon as that was over I had to head back to the History Department book sale and help move it inside and organize the room from 14:30 until 15:45 for the open house that evening.  I had about 45 minutes to work on a history paper before I needed to be setting up for the Geo Caching Event hosted by the Geography Club at 16:30.  The Open House lasted from 17:00 until 19:00 which was then followed by a reception that ended at 20:30.  By the time I got home, I was ready for bed.  I didn't care that it was before 21:30, I was beat!

That was just Friday!  Earlier in the week I was busy, but not as busy as I was on Friday!  I'm glad the week is over, but now that means I have a test and a paper due on Monday and I should have two books finished by Thursday with two others finished by the next Tuesday... I have not even started on the books!


~Adventures in Anything and Everything

Guy Fawkes burns away my troubles!

So I celebrated a little early Guy Fawkes Day!  It is traditional celebrated on November 5th, but that falls on a Tuesday this year making it a little difficult to celebrate during the week.

What is the hype of Guy Fawkes Day you might wonder... it started with a plot to blow up the House of Parliament on November 5, 1605.  The plot was thwarted and Guy Fawkes was tortured to give up the names of the others who were involved.  There is a poem about the Gunpowder Plot, I found this version of the English Folk Verse (c.1870) at a poem of the week website.

           

 The Fifth of November

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!
    Guy Fawkes and his companions
    Did the scheme contrive,
    To blow the King and Parliament
    All up alive.
    Threescore barrels, laid below,
    To prove old England's overthrow.
    But, by God's providence, him they catch,
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
    A stick and a stake
    For King James's sake!
    If you won't give me one,
    I'll take two,
    The better for me,
    And the worse for you.
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
    A pint of beer to wash it down,
    And a jolly good fire to burn him.
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Today people burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes (or the Pope) and anyone else that is deemed to be an enemy of the people that year.  This is a British holiday, but I think it should be celebrated in the United States.  It is a chance to sit around a bonfire eating hot foods and talking with friends!  What a great way to spend an evening!

 Our Guy Fawkes

 Choosing who your personal enemy was a little difficult

 On the Pryor

 Jen and Guy

Count Down...

 Ready... 

 Set...

 Fire!

 Here we go!

Burning away my troubles!

A nice blaze for the effigy!

 Some of the group

 Some are hidden behind the bonfire

 Others are now hidden

Purge away your hate and discontent through the burning of an effigy!

I enjoyed the evening and I even think this might have to become a new yearly tradition for me!

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Candy, Clowns, and Fun!

I should be reading Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose, so that I can write a 4-6 page paper on it before Tuesday.  However I have decided that I need a break!

Yesterday was Halloween, and I dressed up in a 1940s style navy colored dress with pearls and a black hand bag.  One of my professors said it felt like he was in the presence of Elinor Roosevelt, I took that as a compliment!

In the evening I spent time with my brother and his family.

 
My niece was so cute dressed up as a clown!  I went Trick or Treating with them and had a lot of fun!

The end of the night...

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

A busy month, and "dumped" what?

Sorry, it has been almost a month since my last post.  I have been really busy!  Since my last post, for my four upper division classes, I have had to write and turn in four papers, taken three midterm exams, taken one quiz, and given one in class presentation.  But that is not all I've done, I have helped man the geography club booth for two days to raise money to build a womens center in Mozambique, I am one of the VP's for the Geography Club, I am involved in MOZWOC, which is a project that is partnered with an NPO to raise funds to go to Africa and build a center, and I am also a member of the Japanese Club and the Chinese Club on campus.  In addition to all that I have joined the history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta, and have also gone to three separate lectures offered/sponsored through the university.

I feel like I'm running full speed and am worried what will happen when I trip or hit something, how will I continue with this balancing act?

I'm sure you don't want to hear about how busy I've been, but would rather hear about an adventure!

Earlier this month I had arranged to have a study group to prepare for a midterm in my Medieval History class.  So we met on a Saturday morning at the library on campus.  For the midterm we were given the essay, but didn't know what the Identification Questions would be.  We were going over our notes and thinking of all the possibilities for an ID.  One possibility was Bede, who is Bede you might ask, well he was "dumped" on the steps of a monastery in Northumbria, England, when he was a baby.  That came straight from my notes, the "dumped" turned into a conversation of how some people don't shut the door when the go to the bathroom or don't turn on the lights at night, and of course I had to chime in with how to use a squat toilet in Asia!

In Japan when you use a squat toilet you face the hood of the toilet, and I always pull my pant legs up to my knees for fear of splatter because I didn't squat down enough...

 The toilet at one of the schools I taught at in Japan.  

This is the toilet for the faculty!

You would face the wall so your backside is to the door if it is accidentally opened!

My lovely sister-in-law for some reason always pictured that I had a toilet like this in my apartment, and she always thought it was where I might accidentally step in it!  Love that imagination!  Now you will probably think the same as my sister-in-law, no matter how much I try to convince you that it was not true!

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Questions, Bison, and Bats

Yesterday I had a school field-trip!  It was amazing, not just because this is a college course, but the place we went was really great!

The field-trip was to Antelope Island.  Where is Antelope Island?  It is in the Great Salt Lake, and depending on the water level is if Antelope Island is actually an island or is connected to the mainland.  Right now because of the low water level it is not an island.

Wendy the Park Naturalist was great, she stayed late just to accommodate our group.  She talked about the Great Salt Lake and answered any questions we came up with.  For me, one of the most interesting things she told us was about the different levels of salt in the lake.  She even had visual aids to compare the salt content of the ocean as compared to three different parts of the lake!

I would recommend Antelope Island to anyone visiting Utah, and even to those who live here!

On the way out, we saw bison wandering the island and even saw one that was to the side of the road, but I forgot too take my camera.  And driving on the causeway to get back to the mainland there were swarms of bats just flying overhead.  Where did all those bats come from?  It was interesting to see that many bats swarm!

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Adventure in the Desert

First off I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything recently, school is really tough this semester.  I need to find that balance of studying and staying ahead in my reading and writing papers.  Maybe that balance will be achieved this week, I probably should hope for something more realistic!

Over the weekend I was able to go to Millard County, Utah and visit some family.  It was a good break from classes, however I think I might be behind in my classes again, and I had a lot of fun!

Saturday we went out to Old Fort Desert and to the Topaz Relocation Site.  There is a reason we went to these historic places, no it is not because I am a dual major in history and geography and like to bore others with the significance of these places, one of my geography professors will give me an extra point for each site that I visit!

We went to Fort Deseret first and while we were there, my sister was speeding past to get to our aunt's house, we I jumped up and down on the side of the road waving our my arms trying and get her attention like a fool, but one of those fools who has a lot of fun, and it worked!  After she zoomed past, she stopped, turned around, and came back.

 Fort Deseret

Historic Fort Deseret

Another doorway at Fort Deseret

Me and Fort Deseret 

 Topaz

Information on Topaz

Memorial for the Japanese-Americans who served!

 Topaz

Topaz

Where the Hospital was

 Where the Main Gate was

Where the Administration was

No removing of artifacts!

This means you Gabe!

On the way back from Topaz, my cousin was driving and started to speed up while driving down this road.  I asked her, don't you have to watch out for cattle crossing the road?  She said, that on this road there were no cows.  Well that only lasted until we turned onto another road, there ahead of us were probably 20-30 cows and bulls in the middle of the road!  We had to slow down and get through the crowd, it was a little dangerous, and I was worried we might not make it through, there was one that had pretty long horns, I though that if I made eye contact we would be done for, but my cousin had the experience to keep me calm and sane while going through this ordeal, we made it through alive!  Living in a rural area has a local charm and many adventures that just are not available when you live in an urban area!

For those of you who have no idea about the dangers of driving at night in a rural area, stop reading now!  You will be worried about, concerned for, and even scared to ever try this yourself!  I warned you, continue at your own risk!

My mom and I left around 6:30 that evening for our drive back to Salt Lake.  Dusk was already upon us by the time we turned onto US Route 6.  We had turned at Lynndyl to take US State Route 132 to Nephi (this route gets you to Interstate 15, instead of taking US Route 6 to Eureka and then along US State Route 68 which is along the west side of Utah Lake), and were driving along and in the growing darkness.  You need to realize that there are very few lights along the road to light up the surrounding area, you only have your headlights to rely on!  I am not making up these town names, look at a map of Utah if you don't believe me!

All of a sudden we saw three deer crossing the road, one was in the middle while the other two were in front and behind the deer that was in the middle of the road.  I screamed "Deer!" at the same moment my mom saw them and slammed on the breaks.  Don't worry, the deer made it out just fine!  No deer, humans, or cars were harmed in this event!  However this event probably shaved a few months off of my life caused my heart to pound for the next 25 minutes!

When we finally arrived in the city of Nephi, the road to the entrance to the Interstate in the middle of the town was blocked for an emergency of some type and we had to travel through the city to the southern entrance to the Interstate.  All continued fine until we realized that the big game was being held that evening in Provo!  We were frantically searching for any radio station that could tell us if the game was still on or if we were going to have to deal with the traffic trying to get home!

Luckily for us, the game was still on.  The game refers to Brigham Young University vs University of Utah.  I don't really understand this big football rivalry, but if any of you do, you are smarter than I am.  We made it home and then I went straight to sleep because I was too tired to do anything else!

~Adventures in Anything & Everything