Every time Mother's Day rolls around, I can't help but think about all the different types of families out there. Safeway has FINALLY started to make more than just Mom cards - they have aunt, sister, and grandma cards for more than just kids now. Somehow, they still haven't caught onto the "stepmom" card yet - nobody has! I don't really get it, but oh well.
Now, last year I did a round up of my moms- mom, stepmom, and grandma. You can learn all about these wonderful women here. I still cannot express just how important these women are to me. Words just can't cut the mustard on this topic.
Surprisingly, I also have a lot of friends that are mothers. Not so much at school - I only have two or three there, but a lot of friends from back home (family friends, not high school!) and coworkers.
I actually admire mothers. The good ones, who care for their kids every day of every week, making sure to take the time to really be with their kid. I can't stand the idea of being a mother myself - I prefer the return policy that comes with being an aunt - but I do admire mothers. It takes a strong woman to bring life into this world. Not every can do it, and there are some people (myself included) who really shouldn't.
To me, mothers (and fathers) are the superheros of the world. Moms love unconditionally, and heck, they have to have superhuman strength to carry us around for nine months and then give birth! Ouch. So, moms of the blog world, thank you.
Thank you for loving your children. Thank you for raising the next generation to the best of your ability. Thank you for struggling to sleep, for making sure there's food on the table and a roof over head, for being a mom.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
It's a Wonderful Spring
Now that Oregon has FINALLY decided to catch up with the seasons, we get to enjoy some gorgeous sunshine and man is it making studying for midterms hard!
This week I've got two ten page papers due and a midterm that is gonna break my brain tomorrow afternoon. Luckily, Natalie at a moment of wonderful hosted A Spring into Something Wonderful gift swap, and my gift arrived this afternoon!
My present came from Gretchen in Georgia. I always wonder what people think of when they think of Oregon, and she confirmed my guess: RAIN! She compiled a rainy day survival kit for me, and I absolutely LOVE it!
Sorry, my camera phone is an old flip phone, so the quality isn't too great.
The note that came in the package said:
"An umbrella w/ cheery colors (to maybe distract you from the gloomy rain) and then some tea and a candle. So the umbrella can get you safely home where you can unwind + have a relaxing moment with some tea."
(I figured a quote from Georgia required the Georgia font)
The umbrella is a button-open rainbow (so nice!), the tea is Tazo Zen Green Tea with lemongrass and spearmint (That plus Staci's giveaway tea is gonna be a good way to ease myself into tea drinking) and a Chesapeake Bay Mandarin Berry candle (I can't find it on Chesapeake Bay Candle's website, but oh my yummy smell!)
Thank you, Gretchen, for the rainy day cure! I love this gift swap, and I can't wait to do the next one!
This week I've got two ten page papers due and a midterm that is gonna break my brain tomorrow afternoon. Luckily, Natalie at a moment of wonderful hosted A Spring into Something Wonderful gift swap, and my gift arrived this afternoon!
My present came from Gretchen in Georgia. I always wonder what people think of when they think of Oregon, and she confirmed my guess: RAIN! She compiled a rainy day survival kit for me, and I absolutely LOVE it!
Sorry, my camera phone is an old flip phone, so the quality isn't too great.
The note that came in the package said:
"An umbrella w/ cheery colors (to maybe distract you from the gloomy rain) and then some tea and a candle. So the umbrella can get you safely home where you can unwind + have a relaxing moment with some tea."
(I figured a quote from Georgia required the Georgia font)
The umbrella is a button-open rainbow (so nice!), the tea is Tazo Zen Green Tea with lemongrass and spearmint (That plus Staci's giveaway tea is gonna be a good way to ease myself into tea drinking) and a Chesapeake Bay Mandarin Berry candle (I can't find it on Chesapeake Bay Candle's website, but oh my yummy smell!)
Thank you, Gretchen, for the rainy day cure! I love this gift swap, and I can't wait to do the next one!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Surprise!
Yes, I am actually blogging right now! Weird, I know.
Sorry it's been a little hectic around here! Spring term has just started and I'm already behind. (I'd forgotten how much reading is involved in lit classes - I had over 400 pages to read over the last weekend!)
I'm not really sure if this blog will ever really find it's direction - I already know I could never take sponsors or sponsor other blogs (I dunno how to make a button, or add designs, or anything having to do with coding at all really...) and I'm clearly not consistent with my posts. I don't think I'm a good source for advice, and I'm not good at scheduling things for a regular series.
So, dear readers, here's a little favor I'd like to ask of you - what would make this a more interesting read for you? Do you want more pictures? What sort of posts do you want to read? I'm much better at taking direction than figuring things out on my own, so please, please, help a girl out!
In other news, I won my first giveaway!! Staci at Chapters & Tea was sweet enough to draw my name, and I got two ounces of Teavana Blueberry Bliss, a tea cookie (cracker?), a book about Teavana, a little jar, and some Smarties. I'm not much of a tea drinker, personally, but my friend is going to fix me a cup to try (She really just wants the tea for herself, I bet!)...
It was a perfect way to end a bad week one, coming home to such a pretty package:
(Also, the 2012 Oregon Rhetoric and Composition Conference is THIS WEEKEND. All my work over the past 9 months will finally be put to the test!! Ahhhh... I feel like this conference is my baby, about to take its first steps, and leaving for college at the same time. I'm a nervous wreck!!! Wish me luck!)
Sorry it's been a little hectic around here! Spring term has just started and I'm already behind. (I'd forgotten how much reading is involved in lit classes - I had over 400 pages to read over the last weekend!)
I'm not really sure if this blog will ever really find it's direction - I already know I could never take sponsors or sponsor other blogs (I dunno how to make a button, or add designs, or anything having to do with coding at all really...) and I'm clearly not consistent with my posts. I don't think I'm a good source for advice, and I'm not good at scheduling things for a regular series.
So, dear readers, here's a little favor I'd like to ask of you - what would make this a more interesting read for you? Do you want more pictures? What sort of posts do you want to read? I'm much better at taking direction than figuring things out on my own, so please, please, help a girl out!
In other news, I won my first giveaway!! Staci at Chapters & Tea was sweet enough to draw my name, and I got two ounces of Teavana Blueberry Bliss, a tea cookie (cracker?), a book about Teavana, a little jar, and some Smarties. I'm not much of a tea drinker, personally, but my friend is going to fix me a cup to try (She really just wants the tea for herself, I bet!)...
It was a perfect way to end a bad week one, coming home to such a pretty package:
I'm a big fan of pretty colored packages, and this just happened to come on what had previously been a horrible day - pouring rain, ridiculous professors, and stress piling up already. Thanks again, Staci!
(Also, the 2012 Oregon Rhetoric and Composition Conference is THIS WEEKEND. All my work over the past 9 months will finally be put to the test!! Ahhhh... I feel like this conference is my baby, about to take its first steps, and leaving for college at the same time. I'm a nervous wreck!!! Wish me luck!)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Hello!
In my lack of posting, I accidentally managed to miss not one, but TWO chances to greet some new followers!
First off, Emily from The Wide World of E started following me awhile ago - she actually comment on a post of mine a bit ago! She's pretty nifty, offering tips on topics from fitness to how to keep sane, as well as tips on picking a college (for any of my younger readers!) Go check her out - if anything, learn about Operation Smile from her. It's a great foundation and she's currently in China helping out!
The second, most recent follower, is Camilla from champagne bubbles and The Violet. I am so excited to see her as a follower - I've been reading her blog almost as long as I've been blogging! She was one of the first 10 blogs I started reading, I believe. She's more than a little amazing, guys. First off, her husband is competing in the 2012 Olympics (Go Damir!), so there's one reason to be jealous of her. Secondly, she started The Violet, an amazing online magazine. Her blog can be classified as lifestyle, I guess, if you had to label it. It's got a little bit of everything, from little daily musings to the occasional recipe and her own garden.
Hello, ladies, and thanks for reading! I'm glad you're both here, and hopefully you like what you see! Everyone else, go check out these two wonderful bloggers - you won't regret it, I promise!
First off, Emily from The Wide World of E started following me awhile ago - she actually comment on a post of mine a bit ago! She's pretty nifty, offering tips on topics from fitness to how to keep sane, as well as tips on picking a college (for any of my younger readers!) Go check her out - if anything, learn about Operation Smile from her. It's a great foundation and she's currently in China helping out!
The second, most recent follower, is Camilla from champagne bubbles and The Violet. I am so excited to see her as a follower - I've been reading her blog almost as long as I've been blogging! She was one of the first 10 blogs I started reading, I believe. She's more than a little amazing, guys. First off, her husband is competing in the 2012 Olympics (Go Damir!), so there's one reason to be jealous of her. Secondly, she started The Violet, an amazing online magazine. Her blog can be classified as lifestyle, I guess, if you had to label it. It's got a little bit of everything, from little daily musings to the occasional recipe and her own garden.
Hello, ladies, and thanks for reading! I'm glad you're both here, and hopefully you like what you see! Everyone else, go check out these two wonderful bloggers - you won't regret it, I promise!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Growth
Lately, I've been feeling a little lost and a little off.
Everything has been changing very rapidly, and I haven't felt like I've had any control.
One thing that has made me super uncomfortable for months now has been my writing class. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret - I'm not a writer. I think you might have figured that out by my minimal posting, but writing has never been my favorite thing. That may make me the strangest English major, but I'm okay with that.
This writing class, however, is not your normal class. It's been a hard, long class that has made me grow. It's not very often that you get a class that changes you, molds you, and forces you to be more. This class has done this to me.
Our assignments require us to reexamine our styles - we are required to write in a genre we have never written in before. It started with a literacy autobiography: freewrites about our reading and writing experiences, ranging from Pre-K to current day. We then created collages (literally cut up our freewrites and glued them to another paper) and found our WIRMI (what I really mean is), then were let loose on our projects. Mine became a children's book; unfinished, of course (how can I write the end if my story isn't over?). You'd think it would be easy, writing your own story in terms simple enough for children to understand. Trust me, it's one of the hardest assignments I have ever had.
The next assignment upped the ante even more. Our project was on workplace literacy, which required interviews and hours of observation. After gathering data for days, we followed the same process as above. We had to turn in all our prewriting with the final draft, and man my packet was THICK.
The hardest one so far for me is our final project.
This project is on cultural literacy. Based on ABCs of Cultural Understanding by Claudia Finkbeiner, our project involves interviewing an international student and comparing our cultural literacy. Literacy goes beyond reading and writing in ways I can't quite seem to put into words.
I'm in the final stages of this project, taking a quick break from writing my keynote speaker speech (my chosen format... I don't know how people make a living writing these!) to blog right now.
You may be wondering why you should read about this project. Why it matters to anyone outside of the class.
Here's why: You should try it. I would love to challenge every one of my readers, and everyone you want to challenge as well, to go out and interview someone from a completely different culture than what you are used to. Ask them about family reading experiences. Ask them about the importance of being bilingual. Ask them anything you want! (if you need sample questions, email me at hramp09@wou.edu)
Let me tell you why you might want to do this challenge. For me, it has been an eye-opening experience. I never thought I would be able to keep a conversation going with my Chinese partner, Joy. I figured if she could afford to be here, she wouldn't have the same experiences as me at all. After meeting Joy several times and getting to interview her, I was utterly surprised at the results. She and I are so similar, it's eerie! She is an only child, with all female cousins, so our families are very different, but our parents are similar personalities, we both hate being late to anything, and we like so many of the same things it's crazy! So, by being forced out of my comfort zone, I learned a lot about me. I learned that it's not nearly as difficult as I thought to be friends with an international student. I don't have to be afraid to step up and say hello to a complete stranger - you never know who you might meet, or how they might change your life.
As for my title, I feel like this class is only one of many factors that have made me change and grow as a person this term. I am slowly learning to let go of my resentment and grudges, learning to get past my mistakes and look forward, not backward. I need to let sleeping dogs lie, not keep dragging myself down the path that makes me blue. I've tried to stop caring about the little things, the ridiculous gossip and the meaningless drama. I'm working hard on figuring out which friends I can trust, which ones I can really talk to, and how to let go of the friendships well past their expiration dates.
Anyways, I should probably get back to my final project, but I can't wait to see if anyone takes my challenge. If you do go out and do the interviews, let me know! I would love to feature some of your stories on here - I know this isn't one of the most read blogs out there, but I still would love to share these projects and at least try to get the word out!
Everything has been changing very rapidly, and I haven't felt like I've had any control.
One thing that has made me super uncomfortable for months now has been my writing class. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret - I'm not a writer. I think you might have figured that out by my minimal posting, but writing has never been my favorite thing. That may make me the strangest English major, but I'm okay with that.
This writing class, however, is not your normal class. It's been a hard, long class that has made me grow. It's not very often that you get a class that changes you, molds you, and forces you to be more. This class has done this to me.
Our assignments require us to reexamine our styles - we are required to write in a genre we have never written in before. It started with a literacy autobiography: freewrites about our reading and writing experiences, ranging from Pre-K to current day. We then created collages (literally cut up our freewrites and glued them to another paper) and found our WIRMI (what I really mean is), then were let loose on our projects. Mine became a children's book; unfinished, of course (how can I write the end if my story isn't over?). You'd think it would be easy, writing your own story in terms simple enough for children to understand. Trust me, it's one of the hardest assignments I have ever had.
The next assignment upped the ante even more. Our project was on workplace literacy, which required interviews and hours of observation. After gathering data for days, we followed the same process as above. We had to turn in all our prewriting with the final draft, and man my packet was THICK.
The hardest one so far for me is our final project.
This project is on cultural literacy. Based on ABCs of Cultural Understanding by Claudia Finkbeiner, our project involves interviewing an international student and comparing our cultural literacy. Literacy goes beyond reading and writing in ways I can't quite seem to put into words.
I'm in the final stages of this project, taking a quick break from writing my keynote speaker speech (my chosen format... I don't know how people make a living writing these!) to blog right now.
You may be wondering why you should read about this project. Why it matters to anyone outside of the class.
Here's why: You should try it. I would love to challenge every one of my readers, and everyone you want to challenge as well, to go out and interview someone from a completely different culture than what you are used to. Ask them about family reading experiences. Ask them about the importance of being bilingual. Ask them anything you want! (if you need sample questions, email me at hramp09@wou.edu)
Let me tell you why you might want to do this challenge. For me, it has been an eye-opening experience. I never thought I would be able to keep a conversation going with my Chinese partner, Joy. I figured if she could afford to be here, she wouldn't have the same experiences as me at all. After meeting Joy several times and getting to interview her, I was utterly surprised at the results. She and I are so similar, it's eerie! She is an only child, with all female cousins, so our families are very different, but our parents are similar personalities, we both hate being late to anything, and we like so many of the same things it's crazy! So, by being forced out of my comfort zone, I learned a lot about me. I learned that it's not nearly as difficult as I thought to be friends with an international student. I don't have to be afraid to step up and say hello to a complete stranger - you never know who you might meet, or how they might change your life.
As for my title, I feel like this class is only one of many factors that have made me change and grow as a person this term. I am slowly learning to let go of my resentment and grudges, learning to get past my mistakes and look forward, not backward. I need to let sleeping dogs lie, not keep dragging myself down the path that makes me blue. I've tried to stop caring about the little things, the ridiculous gossip and the meaningless drama. I'm working hard on figuring out which friends I can trust, which ones I can really talk to, and how to let go of the friendships well past their expiration dates.
Anyways, I should probably get back to my final project, but I can't wait to see if anyone takes my challenge. If you do go out and do the interviews, let me know! I would love to feature some of your stories on here - I know this isn't one of the most read blogs out there, but I still would love to share these projects and at least try to get the word out!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Good news has come at last
I figured out the best news ever yesterday, and got some excellent news to go right along with it today!!!
It turns out that this overachieving crazy head right here will be a college graduate after fall term 2012. Yep, that's right. I will graduate at the end of this year! So exciting!!!
Also, awesome news. My university only has one graduation ceremony, so I get to walk with my friends in June. This means that for six months I will be hanging around town, just working on my thesis and keeping my part-time job. I may even hopefully get a second job that works with my current position's hours. It'd be awesome to get a full time position somewhere nearby. as long as I can write my thesis while I work (my current job allows me to study while working. it's kinda the best job ever) I will be a happy camper.
Oh, yes. I have a thesis topic!! After two or three months of heart wrenching stress and misery over the stupid thing, I think I finally found something I can actually work on without giving me an ulcer. And the professor who I currently intern for agreed to by my thesis advisor. Which is awesome. I love her.
Oh, and I get to leave the Pacific Northwest's dreary rain and cold wind for Texas in 21 days. My aunt is flying me down to visit her for a week, and I could not be any more excited! I'm a little nervous - it's my first time flying alone, and I've never hung out with just me and my aunt before. She absolutely ADORES my sister Kailee, which makes me super nervous because while K and I are sorta similar, it's hard for relatives to realize I am not Kailee or Brittni, that I am a completely different person with different ideas of a good time....
But FINALLY. I am getting a break. a good break. I have needed this good news for so long it's ridiculous.
It turns out that this overachieving crazy head right here will be a college graduate after fall term 2012. Yep, that's right. I will graduate at the end of this year! So exciting!!!
Also, awesome news. My university only has one graduation ceremony, so I get to walk with my friends in June. This means that for six months I will be hanging around town, just working on my thesis and keeping my part-time job. I may even hopefully get a second job that works with my current position's hours. It'd be awesome to get a full time position somewhere nearby. as long as I can write my thesis while I work (my current job allows me to study while working. it's kinda the best job ever) I will be a happy camper.
Oh, yes. I have a thesis topic!! After two or three months of heart wrenching stress and misery over the stupid thing, I think I finally found something I can actually work on without giving me an ulcer. And the professor who I currently intern for agreed to by my thesis advisor. Which is awesome. I love her.
Oh, and I get to leave the Pacific Northwest's dreary rain and cold wind for Texas in 21 days. My aunt is flying me down to visit her for a week, and I could not be any more excited! I'm a little nervous - it's my first time flying alone, and I've never hung out with just me and my aunt before. She absolutely ADORES my sister Kailee, which makes me super nervous because while K and I are sorta similar, it's hard for relatives to realize I am not Kailee or Brittni, that I am a completely different person with different ideas of a good time....
But FINALLY. I am getting a break. a good break. I have needed this good news for so long it's ridiculous.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Oh, hello there...
Goodness it's been awhile. There's sooo many changes I've made recently that I feel like I've been running in circles trying to figure my life out. Still am, actually.
So what could possibly be changing? Well, how about a little bit of EVERYTHING.
I changed my entire degree plan. This crazy head got a little bit saner - I am no longer a double degree. I switched it all up so I am now an English Literature major with a minor in Humanities (which means I get to use my linguistics and Spanish credits and not feel like I wasted my life!) I was also toying with the idea of dropping the honors program because I cannot come up with a thesis topic to save my life. (any helpful ideas?? I'm scrounging!!!)
My job has gotten a lot more difficult to enjoy. My best work buddy got married and moved to texas in the space of a week (long story short, her hubby is in the Air Force) and the other two girls I started work with are leaving in march and in april, so everything is changing in their department.
All of my drama from last term is out of my life, and the only time I thought about it was when i met someone's relative. Other than that, I don't care to look back and I don't think I ever will. I've learned more about who I don't want in my life, and I am working hard to keep things calm.
My main problem is the fact that i always feel like I'm walking on eggshells and I have no idea why. I can't seem to ever fully relax - I feel like I am missing something important. I don't know what is going on but all this anxiety has been giving me headaches and stomach aches to the point where I'm cancelling on friends to curl up in bed.
Blogging has taken a backseat in my life. It just hasn't felt right in a long time. I read other blogs daily, several times a day actually, but my own thoughts and musings just haven't felt like they belong here in the blogosphere. It may be time to give it up, or at least take a few months and see where my life goes. This will be my first summer without classes since I started college, and I am done with classes after fall term of next year. Maybe then I can devote my time and effort here. We shall see how it goes :)
So what could possibly be changing? Well, how about a little bit of EVERYTHING.
I changed my entire degree plan. This crazy head got a little bit saner - I am no longer a double degree. I switched it all up so I am now an English Literature major with a minor in Humanities (which means I get to use my linguistics and Spanish credits and not feel like I wasted my life!) I was also toying with the idea of dropping the honors program because I cannot come up with a thesis topic to save my life. (any helpful ideas?? I'm scrounging!!!)
My job has gotten a lot more difficult to enjoy. My best work buddy got married and moved to texas in the space of a week (long story short, her hubby is in the Air Force) and the other two girls I started work with are leaving in march and in april, so everything is changing in their department.
All of my drama from last term is out of my life, and the only time I thought about it was when i met someone's relative. Other than that, I don't care to look back and I don't think I ever will. I've learned more about who I don't want in my life, and I am working hard to keep things calm.
My main problem is the fact that i always feel like I'm walking on eggshells and I have no idea why. I can't seem to ever fully relax - I feel like I am missing something important. I don't know what is going on but all this anxiety has been giving me headaches and stomach aches to the point where I'm cancelling on friends to curl up in bed.
Blogging has taken a backseat in my life. It just hasn't felt right in a long time. I read other blogs daily, several times a day actually, but my own thoughts and musings just haven't felt like they belong here in the blogosphere. It may be time to give it up, or at least take a few months and see where my life goes. This will be my first summer without classes since I started college, and I am done with classes after fall term of next year. Maybe then I can devote my time and effort here. We shall see how it goes :)
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