Christmas is over but...

I still need to make my Christmas post! Decorating the tree at Christmas has always been one of my favorite things.  From making different ornaments to creating paper chains to stringing popcorn to throwing on tinsel, there's nothing that I don't love about the Christmas tree process! Here are a few of my favorite ornaments that hang on my family's Christmas tree every year:

My Grandma Ludwig cross-stitched all of these ornaments! There are little stockings for each member of the family and she even made extras before she passed so that we would be able to add names for her great-grandbabies. Isn't that the sweetest?

My dad made this one for my mom when they started dating...the glitter's held up surprisingly well!

 This one isn't really an ornament, but it's my all-time favorite Christmas decoration! My Grandma Jones made this Santa in a ceramics class that she took in the 60's and I've always loved it...it's even the reason that one of my life-goals is to take a ceramics class at some point! I've already claimed it for myself one day!!

Molly's T-Shirt Quilt

Being out of school for winter break means that I've had tons of time to work on projects!! A big one that I finished up was my niece Molly's t-shirt quilt, and just in time for Christmas!

I first made a t-shirt quilt when I was 16 and my family's fallen in love with them ever since.  They're cozy and cuddly and filled with memories, especially since they're made from your very own old t-shirts.  I first made Maddy a t-shirt quilt five years ago, so of course Molly needed one too! For this one, I started out with a big pile of onesie's from Molly's first year:

After cutting them all up into 5"x6" rectangles, I laid them out on the floor into the pattern that I wanted.  I also added a few other colors of fabric, including some hot pink cheetah print and some glittery purple ladybugs!  After sewing the blocks together into columns, I sewed each column together to form the quilt top.  I didn't use any batting for this quilt because the backing I chose was a Hello Kitty fleece that was already thick and warm.  I laid the quilt top onto the backing fabric with the wrong sides together and then folded in the corners and edges, pinned, and stitched around.  I didn't take any pictures of this step, but I have a feeling that some of my TLU shirts are going to end up in a quilt here in just a few months so I'll take some then! And here's the final product:

One super cuddly quilt that Molly opened on Christmas and proceeded to throw over her head and drag around--I'd say that's a winner!

It Is A Fact

Bee Eye, a photo by kevincollins123 on Flickr.

It is a fact that bumblebees have hair on their eyes
and humans, also, should comb though everything they see.

"Letter to the Playground Bully", Andrea Gibson

Beyond the Cover

Hugh Welch Diamond was a British physician and photographer who is known as the first medical photographer.  Working at an asylum, Diamond-like many others of his time-believed that mental illness could be diagnosed from a person's face, or physiognomy.  Previously, a variety of different artists and physicians attempted to describe the difference in physical features between the mentally ill and the so-called normal.  Working with the new photography techniques that were blooming at the time, Diamond developed the idea that photographing patients could be used medically to record the physiognomy, to aid in treatment, and to identify patients who were being readmitted.  

Seated Woman with Bird

Patient, Surrey County Lunatic Asylum

Patient, Surrey County Lunatic Asylum

Representation of mental illness in the media is something that impacts me in a very particular way.  I think that even to this day, we have this centuries old idea that people who are mentally ill will somehow look different from those who are not.  They will be unkempt and will have some kind of difference in feature, and if not that then their behavior will be different.  Individuals with schizophrenia will always hear voices telling them to kill people and people with bipolar disorder will constantly be swinging from one extreme to the next.  That's what countless television shows, movies, comics, song lyrics, and even books would have us believe the majority of the time.  This isn't the truth though; you can have a mental illness and still be a beautiful, productive, funny, incredible, contributing member of society.  There are so many misconceptions, but we can fight through them.

People that I love very, very much have dealt with this kinds of issues.  But I would never call them crazy.  I would never describe them as unbalanced or neurotic or dangerous.  The truth is that many people are fighting these kinds of battles all around us, every day.  And when we use that kind of language, we're only fighting against them.  We're only making their battle that much harder.  And though Welch and others like him were living in a time where they truly thought that those with mental illness were somehow intrinsically and irreparably different from the rest of society, we cannot let those attitudes continue.  We must advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, each of us and all together.

References

Diamond, H. W. (1850-1855). Patient, Surrey County Lunatic Asylum [Photograph]. The Metropolitan      Museum of Art (2005.100.812), New York, NY.

Diamond, H. W. (1850-1858). Patient, Surrey County Lunatic Asylum [Photograph]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2005.100.19), New York, NY.

Diamond, H. W. (1855). Seated woman with bird [Photograph]. The J. Paul Getty Museum (84.XP.927.3), Los Angeles, CA.

Lansdown, R. (2011). Photographing Madness. History Today, 61(9), 47-53.

Life.

Seems like an apt reminder as I finish my last fall semester of undergrad.

I am going to do this better!

Okay, quick life update. I'm awful at keeping this thing up, but I'm going to do better!

Once upon a time I found a box of Basset hound puppies and convinced my lovely roommates that we could take them in and foster them until we could find them all good homes. This was the day before Thanksgiving.

Finals are also upon us which is making things just a tad bit crazy.  Definitely can't wait for next Wednesday so that all of this madness can be over!!

The Divided Brain

Teddy Bear in a Sweater

I've decided that Lance is basically like my child.  Thus, I decided to knit him a sweater.  He didn't seem to fond of it but I thought that he looked pretty handsome!

Dapper as always!

The pattern that I used was the Perfect Fit Top-Down Dog/Cat Sweater Pattern Generator from Jessika Lane.  I found it to be extremely easy to follow and a very quick knit.  My plan is to make one for Chloe and Otis so that we can have a puppy family Christmas photo!

Changing Plans

When the end of high school roll around many students start hearing a symphony of, "So, what are you going to do after graduation?".  The assumption with high school nowadays is that you'll either go to college or join the workforce.

Graduating from college is a little different though.  At this stage, people expect you to get a real job.  Maybe you go to grad school.  You've invested in your education and it's been very much worth it, but now it's time to pay back on that investment.  Over the past few years I've had this set-in-stone vision of what I would do after graduating from TLU and it went something like this:

1. Go to graduate school to get my Master's in Counseling Psychology.
2. Work as a therapist for children and adolescents.
3. Maybe get my Ph.D. sometime after that.

But as this semester has started, I've begun to realize some things.  I'm just not ready for grad school yet.  I've spent over 3/4 of my life in school.  I don't know what it's like to not do school, and I know how to do it well.  It's my comfort zone, but I think it's time to leave that comfort zone.  Another huge piece in this puzzle is that I don't actually know what I want to do.  I know the path that I could easily take to be "successful", but I don't know what I need to do.  It was during the opening convocation of my freshman year, that I first heard this quote:

"The vocation for you is the one in which your deep gladness and the world's deep need meet -- something that not only makes you happy but that the world needs to have done."

My main problem is that I just don't know how to put together what makes me happy with what needs to be done.  I have some inklings or whispers of things that I want to do, but I'm not sure how to pull them together.  I know that I want to help children.  I want to help them explore the world and learn and thrive and see it as the beautiful place that I know it can be.  I want to help children understand that they are important and that they can do great things no matter what background they come from or what other people have told them in the past.  Another aspect of this is that I want to help the adults in these children's lives understand how they can better interact with and understand them.  I have pieces of things that I care about, but I don't know how to meld them into one career.

I recently began exploring some different Americorps programs.  The programs that make up Americorps support nonprofit organizations in a variety of fields and in communities all across the country.  My plan is to apply with programs in the Austin area, particularly ones working with children and education.  This way I'll get the change of scenery that I've been craving but without having to sacrifice progress towards my goals.  By working with the populations that I want to help in my career, I'm hoping to gain a better understanding of what actually needs to be done and how I can help it get accomplished.

Overall, I'm feeling confident and excited about this new path.  I think that it's going to give me a chance to grow more as a person while also allowing me to help the people that I want to help.  The future is looking bright and I keep being reminded that sometimes we need to give ourselves options and be unafraid to take the road less travelled.

Two Things

School is crazy.  Work is crazy. Life is crazy.

All is good.

But here are two especially good things.

Good advice.

Good music.

Fancy Cakes

Decided to make pancakes for dinner tonight after I got off work. The result was a daisy for my Delta girls and an Eddie for my Theta boys! Can you ever have too much fun with your food?

Turquoise Stoneware Knitting Bowl

I started knitting again and I came across this gem on Etsy.  Making me regret not taking Ceramics this semester.  If anyone who reads this felt compelled to buy this for me I think I might faint...

Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

     So, I'm taking a class called Leadership for Social Change this semester and it involves training shelter dogs in the Seguin community to help make them more adoptable.  Last Tuesday night a few of the women who work with the Animal Rescue Foundation (A.R.F.) came to talk with our class. They even brought their dogs and everything!
    One of the women, Barbara Upper, said something that made me think.  We were talking about how much they've helped to improve the Seguin Animal Shelter and she said that you get from your community what you tolerate.  A lot of the time we see things happening in our community that we think are awful, or we say, "Oh, that could never happen here."  But the truth is, they can.  And things will only change when we choose to change them.

Happily outside with Emily after his bath!

Sadly stuck in the shelter!

   
















     My friend Harlie and I ended up going to the animal shelter to see their facilities.  They were super crowded since their facilities are so small, and if there are too many dogs then they end up having to euthanize some of them.  That is, unless they can find foster homes.  This is where a lot of the work of A.R.F. comes in.
     These women have dedicated their lives to helping find homes for these animals, doing everything from placing dogs in temporary foster homes to driving halfway across the country to deliver dogs to the Hamptons, to holding monthly adoption drives at Seguin's Barky Park.
     On the day that we visited, we noticed that there were some dogs that really needed to get out of the shelter because they were literally going crazy from being stuck in such small cages with no chance to play or run.  Harlie ended up taking a dog named Tin Can to foster and I ended up fostering one as well.  Otis was brought in by his owner to be euthanized but the people at the shelter decided not to because he was so cute!  This story has a great ending though: it turns out though that my roommate Emily has been wanting a dog and she ended up adopting him just a few days later!
     It's still early in the semester, but I have to say that I'm absolutely pumped to be a part of this class.  Not only are we using positive reinforcement and clickers to train the dogs which obviously interests my psychology side, but we're also doing a lot of good for these animals.  I'm really looking forward to seeing where all of this will lead.

Everything's Changing

Well, the time has come.  Everyone is moving back to campus, settling into their homes for the semester and looking brightly towards the days ahead.  The freshman moved in on Saturday and everyone else began their move in today.  I don't live on campus anymore, but I had writing tutor training so I was on campus anyhow and it suddenly hit me that in a year, this won't be mine.

Yes, Texas Lutheran University will always be my alma mater and the place that I grew up, but the leadership will pass on to the next generation of students.  I will move on with my life and my academic pursuits, but TLU will still be here growing and becoming better for that next round of students.  

My friend Stephanie and I grabbed an early dinner at Hein today and I think that's when it suddenly hit me how different the campus has become just over one summer.  Where there used to be wood paneling there's now bright burgundy paint and where there used to just be grey there are now smiling faces of TLU students along with the phrases "Learn Boldly" and "Live to Inspire".  From filters in the water fountains to flags showing students engaged in a variety of pursuits on every one of the tall lamp posts lining the campus's sidewalks to an entire brand new residence hall--everything's changing.

And I know that it's silly, to think that this place will always be a part of me when I've only been here for 3 years.  But that's just how it is.  This is my home.  This is where I began to discover who I was and who I am and who I want to become.  This is where learned how to forge beautiful friendships and that sometimes those friendships will change and that you just have to accept that, no matter how much it hurts.  This is where I began to learn that I can conquer anything if I believe that I can.  This is where I learned that even when circumstances seem impossibly overwhelming, there will always be someone there to support me and help me and love me.

Tomorrow morning I'll go to my last opening convocation here at TLU.  Then in the afternoon I'll have my last first day of class here at TLU.  And while I'm feeling rather bittersweet about this being the final round, I'm determined to make this the best year yet.

Senior Check-In!!

Just checked in for my senior year at TLU and I can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that I was a freshman three years ago! One thing I definitely don't miss: the line wrapping around Tschoepe for check-in before we could just do it online!

And here's a bonus picture of me and the Maddy-kinz!

I asked her how her shirt got so dirty and this was her response: "ICE CREAM AND DIRT!!"

Andrea Gibson

The Nutritionist // Andrea Gibson

Crab Apple Pirates // Andrea Gibson

                        

     As soon as I'm not entirely and wholly too broke to buy books, I'm buying all of Andrea Gibson's anthologies.  I discovered her work a few days ago and I've literally been unable to stop myself from watching videos of her performances.  Her words are so powerful, the way her voice shakes and her body's enveloped by emotion.  You can tell how important all of these little stories are to her, how much they mean.  This is how I want my poetry to be; not something written, something lived.

Introducing...the FABULOUS Warby Parker

A few weeks ago a friend of mine lost his glasses at the beach.  I remembered hearing about a company called Warby Parker that did the whole one-for-one thing (like TOMS shoes) but with glasses instead.  Plus, the style was right up his alley.  Anyways, they have a free home try-on program so he gave it a try. Seeing him model all of his new glasses inspired me to give it a try as well so I went ahead and picked out a few pairs and waited for them to arrive in my mailbox.  I have to say, I am so in love with all of the frames that I chose!  The two pictures are of my favorite frames, though I think I'm going to go with the Sibley's for now.  I still have to get an eye exam, but as soon as that's done these babies are going to be mine!

The Sibley in Amber

The Reece in Midnight Blue

I think I was in 3rd grade when I first got glasses.  Purple, wire-rimmed, and fabulous.  My mom wore her glasses all the time, my dad and older sister each had reading pairs, and of course my grandparents had theirs.  I was finally a part of this club.

During elementary school glasses were pretty cool, but by the time middle school came around most of my friends who had glasses hated them.  Maybe it was resentment more than hatred.  Anyhow, the time had come and they mostly moved on to contacts.

Not me though.  I stuck with my glasses like an old friend.  I loved being able to choose when I wanted to see the world.  If I woke up in the morning and wasn't quite feeling it yet, I just wouldn't put my glasses on.  I'd walk around in a haze, waiting until I felt like I could actually partake of its activities.  I became pretty shy in middle school, a characteristic which remained with me throughout high school and my first two years of college.  My glasses almost served as a kind of buffer between me and the rest of the world.  I felt like no one could really look me in the eye, which I wanted for whatever reason.

Moving into college though I almost felt like I wanted to try contacts.  After all, that seemed like the adult thing to do for some reason.  I was changing and I didn't want to be who I had been.  Everything around me was new and different and wonderful.  College is when we start to discover who we are and begin to shape ourselves into who we will be.  Maybe I wouldn't be the girl with glasses.  Maybe I'd wear contacts and hide my lack of perfect vision.

It never happened though, and I think I'm glad about that.  I don't think I could live without my glasses.  Trying these new frames on has made me realize how much of my identity is wrapped up in a simple set of lenses.

I am a girl with glasses.  I wear them to see the people I love.  I wear them to read the books from which I learn.  I wear them to write the stories in my heart.

They frame my world.

August 2

Finally got my books for school.  Buying books is bittersweet for me; I love having the new books and paging through them and getting excited about the learning journey that I'm about to embark on, but I also hate having to part with the money.  I got books for just four classes and my bill totaled almost $400.  Way more than the typical college student can afford, but about average from my experience. In case you were wondering, this is what it looks like when you buy $400 worth of text books.

This is what $400 worth of textbooks looks like...and they're all USED! 

I also cleaned out my car (which needed it SO badly) and made Rosemary-Lemon Chicken for dinner. (Of course I forgot to take an after picture!)

I threw it all into the crock pot around noon before I went down to school and then by the time I was done cleaning my car at like six it was ready.  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and did everything the same except that I added 1/2 cup of chicken broth to keep it from drying out.  Katie also made mac & cheese to go with it, as well as some steamed broccoli.  Absolutely delicious and definitely something that we'll be making again!!

Days like this make me kind of sad that summer's about to come to an end.  I love this feeling of freedom and independence and just being able to do what I want and live.  At the same time though, I can't wait to get back into the swing of classes and for everyone who's not in Seguin to get back.  I'm already feeling like this is going to be one amazing semester!

13 Things Before 2013

     Here's a tip: be careful who you're roommates with.  My one roommate and I spent the last two days getting our old house clean.   Let me tell you, it was AWFUL.  Mostly from the cats that one of my former roommates had, but still.  I haven't lived there since May when my lease was up so at least I didn't have to move any of my stuff, but cleaning was still not enjoyable.  At least it's over now!

Anyways, I also realized today that school starts in less than three weeks! And what does that mean? 

GRADUATION!  And in celebration of that, I decided to finish making my list of 13 things that I want to do before I graduate in 2013.

13 Things Before I Graduate In 2013

1. Take photographs of your favorite places around campus. Our Lady. Try to get at least one shot from the top of a building!
2. Pay off your first car. Put $10 in your savings account every week. Don’t take it out. Create a budget for yourself and STICK TO IT.
3. Fill the fountain in front of Langner with rubber duckies. :)
4. Get new glasses. *cough cough* WARBY PARKER *cough cough*
5. Create a grown up wardrobe. Blazers! Pumps! Pencil skirts! OH MY!! (Okay, this one may partially be an excuse to go shopping. Whatever.)
6. Have a crazy ridiculous (yet safe!) spring break. I smell a road trip in the making...
7. Do a real bell run!
8. Finish all of the games on the sticks that you and Emily made. ;)
9. Go out for a drink with a professor.
10. Vote in your first presidential election!!!!
11. Tailgate at homecoming!
12. Go to the palm reader across from campus on Court Street.
13. Take the GRE. Apply to grad schools.  Graduate. Remember how hard you’ve worked and think of all of the children you’re whose lives you’re going to impact. No one can stop you if you believe in yourself. 

July 27-29

     A big part of why I decided to start this blog is that I feel like I'm losing my voice.  I used to write all the time but over the past few months it feels like that's all been drained from me.  As mundane as some of the stuff that I post about may be, I'm honestly hoping that just the act of making myself write will help bring some of that back.
    Friday was pay day so I was finally able to send this package to my best friend from childhood who just had her first baby a month ago:

     I finally finished making that blanket on Thursday night and it turned out so much better than I expected! Sewing all the lines was kind of tedious, but totally worth it.  And aren't those onesies cute?! I picked them up from work!

     After I dropped that off at the post office, I went and browsed through the Goodwill in town and dropped off my part of the rent.  Didn't find any good loot at the thrift store, but maybe next time! Then I went back to the house and worked on some stuff for summer research before Drew got into town. 

     Once he got here and Kaleb was off work Emily and I made fajitas and margaritas for all of us...so yummy!! (I guess I need to start taking more pictures!) Then we went over to the Riverhouse to celebrate another friend's birthday.  

     Saturday and Sunday were less eventful--I just went to work and did stuff for summer research.  All in all I would say it was a great weekend and everything that summer should be!

Summer of the Crescent Rolls

We have made a great discovery here at the Arlington: crescent rolls are the perfect vehicle for all of your favorite meat, cheese, and veggie combinations.  Plus, they're pretty cheap and just a few of these puppies make a delicious dinner! So far we've tried: pepperoni and mozzarella, shredded fajita pork loin with red peppers and cheddar, and avocado with Monterey Jack.  Tonight, we may have created our best invention yet! 

May I proudly present...

Bacon-Cheddar Crescent Rolls

Makes 16 rolls

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans of refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 slices of fried bacon, each cut in half
• a dash of garlic powder
• a splash of milk

Heat your oven to 350*. 

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese with milk and garlic powder until it reaches a creamy consistency. Combine with the shredded cheese.  

Unroll and separate your crescent rolls.  

Spread each roll with a layer of the cheese mixture and top with a piece of bacon and roll up.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 14-15 minutes. 

Serve with ranch, BBQ sauce, or whatever other dip floats your boat!!

 

I love TLU in summertime.

I love the smell of the freshly cut grass and the friendly wave from the man who's cutting it.

I love walking into the library and being greeted by the friends who are working there.

I love coming to the ASC and seeing the middle school kids on campus for a tour excitedly flipping through their information folders.  We didn't get the backpacks when I came on my first tour, but the folders are exactly the same and somehow that's important.

I love how the guy who works in Lucky's seems to understand that coffee is really, really important and tells me to have a great day.

I love knowing that the slowed down pulse of campus during summer will be reinvigorated come fall when everyone's back on campus.

I love that even though I know that my classes will be challenging, I have a whole group of professors and friends who believe in my dreams, just as I believe in theirs.

I love sitting on my big yellow couch here in the ASC and looking around and truly being glad that I am here.

Mostly I love how all of these little things add up to make this place a home.  It's more than a school.  It's a community of people living and loving and learning together.

We learn boldly and we live to inspire.  I'm going to miss this place.