Fans for life...

"So it's up with the White and Gold..." 
-Georgia Tech fight song

10 years ago... bonding at Georgia Tech football games.

5 years ago... getting married at the Georgia Tech Alumni House.

Last night... still cheering on the Jackets!

Good distractions...

"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us."

-Oscar Wilde

Yesterday Rob and I brought two more carfuls of stuff up from our house. Everything else was supposed to get packed and moved into storage, however, long story short, that did not happen. Suffice it to say that we will not be closing on our house tomorrow... instead, it's back on the market. (Wanna buy a house?)

Knowing that we will probably be in this apartment longer than originally anticipated, I spent today organizing closets, winter clothes, and all of the other treasures we brought back with us. As usual, I got a little distracted when I got to the bag full of scrapbooks.

My scrapbooks go back to sixth grade, and it brings back such a flood of memories to flip through the pages. Here are a couple of favorites...

If you look close, some of you may recognize yourselves in the photos...

Photo Challenge: Day 23

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

-Henry David Thoreau

Day 23 (06/09/11): A photo that makes you think of childhood.

We've had several "throwback" photos this week. But, it wouldn't be complete without a childhood photo of that included myself.

Things that have reminded me of my childhood this week:

• Meeting up with my first grade teacher and hearing her tell stories about when my sister and I were younger.
• Long summer days of playing and imagining.
• Smelling the scent of my first perfume.
• Sewing projects with my mom.
• Remembering past vacations.
• Reminiscing as I start packing up family photos and mementos.

Photo Challenge: Day 22

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."

-Helen Keller

Day 22 (06/08/11): A photo of the one you love.

Can you guess who this is? One hint: I love this "little" boy more every day.

And, especially today, after Rob got some devastating family news. I just want to hug this little boy then (and now), and reassure him that everything's going to be alright.

Photo Challenge: Day 19

"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there."

-Amy Li

Day 19 (06/04/11): A photo that shows emotion.

While not the "best" photo taken during our girl's trip to Charleston last Labor Day, I love the emotion, the personality, the silliness, the relaxation, the friendship that shines through this one of my sister and I playing in the waves.

Photo Challenge: Day 13

"There are 3 key things for good photography: the camera, lighting and... photoshop."

-Tyra Banks

 

Day 13 (05/31/11): A photo edit that you like.

Would you believe that this image started life as two separate photos? I started photo-shopping photos back in high school. (Callie, remember those photo collages where you got buddy-buddy with Joseph L.?) In places where a tripod and timer just won't do the trick, it's a skill that has come in handy. The image above is concocted from two photos at the beginning of our first hike at Mount Rainier.

Photo Challenge: Day 3

"Not all those who wander are lost."

-JRR Tolkien

Day 3 (Photo from 07/01/10): A photo of your favorite place to be.

I thought long and hard about this challenge, and came to the conclusion that places aren't as important to me as the people I'm with. So I decided to tweak the definition of "place." 

If I wasn't here finishing up the last few days of the school year and eagerly awaiting a interstate move, a new home, and a fresh job situation...where would I want to be? Oh, that's easy... I'd want to be on vacation with Rob, wandering up and down the streets of an unknown city. What city? It doesn't really matter. Just as long as it's the two of us. We're quite a match when we're on vacation, each stepping in when the other falls short.

Summer vacation... here we come!

Our wonderful life...

"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." -Allan K. Chalmers

Inspired by the photo album Callie gave me for Christmas, I spent the last days of my snow break organizing and ordering photos online. Real live ones. Ones that you can hold. Ones that you can flip through. My original goal was to print 2010, but while I was on a roll, I went ahead and completed 2009 as well.

To get the best deal, I ordered them to be shipped to my house from Sam's Club Photo Center, and they arrived this week. Strangely enough, they arrived in five envelopes, but in no obvious order. Made for a completely random flood of memories as Rob and I looked through the stacks. Vacations, families, holidays, work, everyday... all mixed up. Made me realize how wonderful our life is.

Checking in on MY LIST

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." -Mark Twain



Looking back on this list that I wrote on my last birthday, it is obvious that I wrote this while unemployed. It is extensive and gradiose. I didn't have a clue about the train that was about to hit head-on. I'm glad to check off some of these things, but many of them are just being transferred to this year's list.

1. Bike a 50+ mile ride. I made it to 35 a couple of times, but I still haven't found a regular routine, making 50 a challenge. [Read more.] [And more.]
2. Make our bed more often than not. I was really good about this before I got a job. Not so good afterwards. But I do love a making the bed...it's like fixing up a treat for yourself to enjoy later in the day.
3. Plan and take an awesome vacation. Well, I've planned, but theoretically we won't be leaving for Seattle until after my birthday. But it's only one week away!! [Read more.]
4. Get a teaching job. Check! And there went the rest of my year. [Read more.] [And more.] [And more.] [And more.] [And more.] [And finally.]
5. Plan and host a party at our house. Well, I had my extended family over for dinner one night. I still want to have a real "party" though. [Read more.]
6. Learn to like Diet Coke. I tried, I promise. I spent several months mixing the good with the bad. But eventually, I just quit resisting. I did go Caffeine Free for a while, and I even went water only. But I needed the caffeine boost halfway through the day. My one vice. So sue me.
7. Organize a scrapbook of our engagement and wedding preparations. Nope. I started but didn't get very far.
8. Switch to reusable feminine hygiene products--maybe TMI, but it's on the list nevertheless. I won't go into detail, but yes, I made the switch. If you're interested, I can tell you what I think.
9. Take a craft class or workshop. Well, I went to Mommy Sewing Camp 2010 a couple of weeks ago. Does that count? [Read more.]
10. Learn to effectively use our digital SLR camera. Mama and I held Shutter School through September. But we will definitely have to pick that up again.... at some point. [Read more.]
11. Start the teacher certification process. Yes, and getting a job was the first part. At this point, I've taken the two classes that I need (IDEA and Reading Instruction) and am halfway through my summer seminar. If I can get everything done in a timely fashion, I might be able to get out in a year. Fingers crossed... [Read more.]
12. Collect stories from family and friends about my dad. This is a must-do for this summer. Callie, are you in? I'm just afraid we will lose too many stories if we wait.
13. Organize photos from this year into an album. Nope. They're all on the hard drive.
14. Fix up the extra bedroom so that it's cozy for guests. Only if you count a futon and a wide variety of extra furniture.
15. Write letters and cards to faraway friends and family. I got a couple out. But what I am proud of is that I recently sent cards to some of my most inspirational teachers, thanking them for inspiring me to return to the classroom to make a difference in other students' lives.
16. Work on my grandparents' biographies. This project is big and intimidating, and most importantly, I really want to do it right.
17. Improve my tennis game. Nada.
18. Make the most of the gift of Callie and Jordan living less than 45 minutes away. It seems I might have had a bit of clairvoyance in this endeavor, since Callie and Jordan lived here for just 6 short months. Regularly though, Rob or I will say, "I wish they were here. They would have fun doing this with us." Everything from hiking the parks to enjoying our new favorite yogurt spot. [Read more.] [And more.] [And more.]
19. Explore Gwinnett County and all it has to offer. We love the Gwinnett County parks. We're there almost every weekend. I have fallen in love with the little town of Dacula. It feels safe. [See more.]
20. Make 2 new friends. This was a stretch when I wrote it, but I'm thrilled to say that I've made one really close friend and a wide range of teacher friends, both at my school and through my education classes. [Read more.]
21. Join the Georgia State Park Canyon Climbers Club. 3 down, 1 to go. This year we did Amicalola Falls and Providence Canyon. [Read more.] [And more.]
22. Incorporate one new fruit into my weekly menu. Not weekly, but Rob's got me reaching for bites of his mango when he slices one up.
23. Make something special for my new niece or nephew. Nephew!! I made a couple of cute onesies for Christmas!! Definitely need to see him soon. Can you believe he is almost 6 months old?!?!? [See more.]
24. Come up with and stick to some kind of housecleaning routine. Hahahaha.... however, I have to admit, while my brain was fried, it was actually easier to clean than to be creative.
25. Document this list. Some of the interesting stuff got posted here. Some of it didn't.

That reminds me...

"Someone who doesn't take herself too seriously and can be a goofball. Because everyone's a nerd inside, I don't care how cool you are."
-Channing Tatum

Thinking about what a dork I am reminded me of this photo...
My 8th grade MathCounts team...who dressed up like nerds to scare the competition at the state meet in Baton Rouge. Needless to say, the other teams didn't really have to worry about us. I think we only solved one problem correctly the whole day. But we had fun in our spectacles and Urkel-like pants.

From my 25th year

"A large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life, by him who interests his heart in everything."
-Laurence Sterne

In eight and a half hours, I will officially be a quarter of a century old. Gee golly, that's old.

While I plan to explore who I am today and look toward the future, today I wish to commemorate the top 25 adventures from my twenty-fifth year.

1. Made my first key lime pie for Rob's 24th birthday!
2. Took the plunge and got my bangs cut--lesson learned!
3. Stood by my darling sister as her matron of honor and threw her one hell of a bachelorette party, if I do say so myself!
   
4. Climbed Stone Mountain... finally!
5. Incorporated conditioner into my shower routine after years of thinking it would make my hair too oily!
   
6. Watched every bit of the 2008 Olympics that I could squeeze into my schedule!
7. Walked up Sabino Canyon in Tucson, climbed Bell Rock & Cathedral Rock in Sedona, and hiked into the Grand Canyon!
   
8. Savored the top layer of our wedding cake on the eve of our 1st wedding anniversary!
9. Qualified for a mortgage, bought a house, and everything that goes along with that!
10. Took the GACE exams--one step closer to teacher certification!
    
11. Repainted three rooms to better fit our decorating style!
    
12. Voted for Barack Obama, hoping that he indeed could bring "change" to this grand country!
13. Wrote and preached the sermon at church on Laity Sunday!
    
14. Collected wishes and donations to honor my mom's fiftieth birthday and her dedication to the children of Juarez, Mexico!
15. Helped my mom redecorate her bedroom: new paint, new floorplan, new curtains--what a transformation!
    
16. Quit my job to pursue a career in teaching!
    
17. Taught as a substitute teacher--first in a middle school computer science class, and then day-to-day at middle schools around the county!
    
18. Bought a bike and started riding!
    
19. Gathered with my family to celebrate my grandfather's life!
20. Baked homemade bread in the bread machine!
21. Organized the craft room!
22. Sewed first set of curtains for above craft room!
    
23. Made $38.25 at our first yard sale!
24. Learned how to grill!
25. Started tutoring at Sylvan!
    

Unexpected mementos

"A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen."
-Edward de Bono

Today I pulled a new book out of my closet to begin reading. A novel that was my grandmother's. A paperback I brought back with me from my last trip home.

As I was flipping through pages this morning, I noticed a piece of paper sticking out from just behind the front cover. Thinking it had been stuck in there accidentally, I tried to pull it out-- just a little bit curious about what else had her interest the last time she picked it up. But this page torn from a magazine was not unintentional-- in fact, it had been taped to the first page. An article she ran across about the author of this book.

Just as my grandmother (and grandfather) would often save and send articles that they thought would be of particular interest to each child or grandchild, here was a memento meant just for me. I could almost imagine her handwriting at the top of the page: "for Jana."

Ghost of Christmas Past

“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”
-Agnes M. Pharo
Flipping back through my biography, Christmas has every right to be a sad, depressing, disgusting, bah-humbug time of year. Twice, in my teenage years, Christmas time became a time of loss, instead of joy and hope like it’s touted to be.

In 1997 when I was 13 years old and in 8th grade, my father ended his battle with bipolar disorder just days before Christmas. Instead of baking cookies and attending Christmas parties, that season was filled with braving funerals and wiping away tears. Needless to say, the Christmas celebrations were low-key—I missed the annual youth group Christmas party, we distracted ourselves at my grandparents’ house with my cousin T.R. instead of attending the Christmas Eve service, and Christmas morning was a quiet affair. That year it felt we were just going through the motions. But, looking back, I take great pride in the fact that we even attempted that much.

A few years later, in my senior year of high school, we celebrated Christmas morning as usual, but our annual Christmas dinner was cancelled because Momo was ill. She had fought several recurrences of ovarian cancer, but this time the disease was too strong. We were never able to reschedule that dinner because Momo was in the hospital and hospice care until she died in April 2002. The historically joyous occasion became the beginning of her end.

Currently, my Monday night Bible study group is discussing the Advent lectionary in the context of four words: Anticipation, Hope, Patience, and Obedience. As we discuss our memories of Advent and the Christmas season, I’m in awe about how I look forward to Christmas with just as much excitement as everyone else. These tragedies don’t cloud my view of the holiday much at all. Christmas is so much more than all of that.

There are enough wonderful memories from years before and years after that those sad memories don’t poison my Christmas season. They become jumbled up with all of the merry ones, making Christmastime that much more special to me. The Christmas spirit—the goodness, the love, the wishes, the peace, the promise—that’s what it’s all about.

Memorykeeping

“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.”
-Kevin Arnold, from The Wonder Years

For the last week, I've been following along with Jessica Sprague's Stories in Hand online class. What a great exercise for anybody, scrapbooker or not, to participate in! Lots of memories have floated to the top of my head that I haven't thought about it a really long time.

Part of the adventure is figuring out the best way for me to tell my story. Lots of the students are using scrapbooks, journals, blogs as their medium of choice, but I haven't yet decided which format works best for me. They're very personal stories and it's a continual work in progress, but I also would like to have feedback on my stories, or to at least know there's an audience--isn't that why we write them down in the first place? for a future audience?

So my plan is to keep a Word document of the "snorkeling"--all of the story ideas, the notes, and the half-stories, but as I finish the "scuba dive"--diving deep into a story, I'm going to be posting them on a new blog: Stored for Safekeeping. They're still WIPs, and I may go back in to edit and embellish, but at least I can keep track of my progress.

However, given the personal details that may be revealed in these stories [I don't want to have to censor myself], I have chosen to increase the privacy settings. Please email or comment if you're interested in reading more about what makes me, me.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Momo!

I love you, and I miss you!
-Your granddaughter, J

Happy Sister's Day!

“A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.”
-Marion C. Garretty
Let me take you back to a day about 17 or 18 years ago. My younger sister and I were huddled over a small calendar—you know those 6-inch square calendars that come “free” with a larger version. This one probably had photos of adorable kittens or playful puppies. But more important than the monthly images were the words scribbled on the grid of days.

That day we had decided to take it upon ourselves to create new holidays. If there could be a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, what else could be celebrated? What about Children’s Day, Baby Day, and I’m sure, given my sister’s obsessions of the time, a Celebration of the Moon, Duck Day, and maybe even Radio Tower Observance? We filled each month with celebrations, honoring those things that were important, interesting, and amazing to us in our youth.

Later we found out that there already is a Children’s Day (it’s often celebrated on the second Sunday in June), and that there were no more babies in our immediate future. The only one of these new holidays that stuck around was Sister’s Day. Sister’s Day was strategically placed in August, a month that traditionally lacks a lot of celebration. August 6th to be exact. And, wow, that’s today. Callie-girl, we’ve come a long way!
To the bestest sister a girl could ever have (besides me, of course!)—I’m constantly amazed by your spirit, your wisdom, and the way you view the world. I treasure our conversations online, over the phone, and in person. You’re the only person I can talk to who truly listens, who I know will listen from my point of view. You inspire me to be the best me I can be, you encourage me to take risks, to question tradition, and yet to honor and respect where we’ve been. Dearest sister, your gift is in the mail. Love you lots. –J

What's in a name

“Names are not always what they seem. The common Welsh name BZJXXLLWCP is pronounced Jackson.” -Mark Twain

I love names. And I always have. As a child, Callie and I would spend hours and hours naming our pretend children when playing house (aka "Hiiiii, I know you") or even naming our pretend students when playing school. We had a pretty elaborate system—much too complicated to go into now.

My mom gave us the Baby Name Book that she had used, and that became one of my most prized possessions growing up. I still have it. I wonder if the 1983 version is up-to-date enough to use when I have children.
While some little girls imagine their wedding day, I’ve always planned my children’s names. It can change day to day, but I’m always brainstorming.

Well, today I found a really cool website: Nymbler. I’m actually really impressed by its capabilities. It can take a list of names that you like, and will suggest names of the similar vein (whether it be ethnicity to historical popularity or even soap opera appearances). What fun!

Family Trees

“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”
-Alex Haley

This week at work has been a bit slow, I've been waiting for clients to call me back to review the work I did last week, and it seems like they have higher priorities than me. Imagine that! :) Summer in my office also means that everyone is on vacation. Over half the office has been out of town yesterday and today, making it even harder to motivate myself to find work to do.

So instead, I got a harebrained idea. My grandmother was a genealogist and family historian, and was able to track that side of the family back all the way to the 16th century!! However, my dad's side of the family seemed to stop two generations back. So I signed up for a free trial at ancestry.com and got started. And surprisingly, I made a lot of progress.

I was able to go back to my 6th great grandfather, Henri, who immigrated to the United States from France!!! Our family does have a history!!!

And then, I thought, what about Rob’s family? I got lucky there, too, and was able to find two sets of third great grandparents: Dietrich and Margarethe, and Johann and Lesha, all who immigrated from Germany.
So needless to say, I’m hooked, and have emails out to my grandmother and to Rob’s mom to help fill in the blanks.

We have a date!

“Map out your future- but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip."
-Jon Bon Jovi

I think that I’ve mentioned before the glorious trip that I’m planning for this summer. Hopefully I’ll have news soon that we’ve booked tickets and hotels, but today we have a date. Or at least I think we have a date. Rob looked at his calendar, which is very full and his work, which is very busy. I compared his dates with my calendar, which is very empty and my work, which is very not busy. And, voila, we came up with August 23-September 1.

We’ll be going on a whirlwind tour of Arizona. The travel books say you can’t make it from one end of the state to the other in a week. But we have 10 days, and we’re going to do it! I’ve spent my “free time” today planning our itinerary, and it looks like we’ll be doing a lot of driving, but that we’ll be able to see everything that we want to see. Any tips for Arizona? Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Sedona, Grand Canyon, or anywhere in between?

Here’s a pic from the last time I was in Arizona. June 1988.

Just Plum Good

“I'd like to read a book sometime. I've never read a book before. That'd be an adventure. I understand they have pages and everything. Yeah, I've got to do that sometime.”
-Frank Oz

Last weekend, I curled up with a book on the futon in the guest bedroom while Rob played old-school video games in there. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to spend Easter Sunday. The book of choice… No, not the best seller that I’ve been painstakingly trying to wade myself through. No, not the classic that is this month’s book club selection. No, this time I was curled up with Stephanie Plum.

I’ve collected all of the books in the series as they’ve come out in paperback. I wait patiently from the time I see the hardback released. I’ve let my friend Hillary borrow them when she needs some new to read. She went on vacation a month or so ago, taking a couple more with her. When she got back, she returned those that she had borrowed and added two new ones to the collection, one of which I had somehow skipped. They’ve been sitting on my shelf, calling to me every time I walked by.
But last weekend, I took them up on their offer. I escaped into the world of Stephanie Plum, Joe Morelli, and Ranger. Rob made fun of me for reading my smutty chick lit, and I couldn’t really argue with him, except to say, “But they’re really good! There’s usually one good sex scene in each novel, but usually there are more exploding cars than sex. Mostly it’s just a story about a bumbling girl who naps criminals and bondees whether she plans to or not.

I get so pulled into the story that I could read them in one sitting, if there just wasn’t anything else to do. But since there is, I just eagerly wait until I can sit down with the book again. And when I finish a book, I’m always left wanting more. This time I was lucky enough to have two unread books, so when I finished with Ten Big Ones, I could start Twelve Sharp. However, after Twelve Sharp…

So, what did I do yesterday while Rob was playing basketball at the gym? I ran to the store to buy another one of Janet Evanovich’s books. Gotta feed the addiction.

Here's a pic from 2004, when I hung out all afternoon at Barnes and Noble waiting to meet Janet Evanovich.