My Hero: Great Grandpa Thompson

One of my many heroes is my great grandpa David Thompson. Grandpa passed away this passed Thanksgiving at the age of 92. While his death was hard to accept, I know that he is in a much better place now. He's happy. He has full mobility again. He's with his wonderful wife. He has a perfect garden with berry bushes and flowers.

My grandpa led a full life.

One of the things that I remember most and admire most about my grandpa is that he was a hard worker. And I mean it! He always had a large garden and would share everything with his neighbors and friends. I remember going with my grandpa one time to the middle of nowhere to a corn field, where we picked corn ALL day. I was only like 11 years old, but I still remember the experience. Afterwards my grandpa asked if I wanted to go to dinner, even though it was clearly lunch time. I remember that I fought him about what the name of this midday meal was called. As an 11 year old girl I didn't understand why anyone would call lunch "dinner".

Another time I remember going to Grandpa's with my cousin Tanner. At the time I think I was about 9 and he was 8. We were picking berries, which was kind of miserable because it was the middle of a hot summer day and we had to reach in the scratchy bushes to get the best berries (and grandpa wouldn't settle for anything less). Tanner must have stepped on a hornets nest or something because all of a sudden he was surrounding in raging hornets. We ran as fast as we could to the car, screaming the whole way. When we got back to Nanny's house (my grandma) the adults helped Tanner feel better and then we counted the number of stings we could see. Tanner had been stung at least 15 times. Neither of us ever went back to help pick berries. I'm secretly still afraid of those bushes to this day :)

About 10 years ago my great grandpa fell and broke his hip while delivering berries to a friend. Ever since then his health had been declining, but he just kept fighting it. We thought for sure we would lose him about 5 years ago, because of the insufficient care my great grandma was providing. They both refused to be put into nursing homes, so instead my mom and dad decided that we were going to take care of grandpa. We cleaned out our piano room and made it his new room. At first, I was not excited to have him living with us. Don't get me wrong I love him and I wanted to help him... but I have old person phobia. BAD! I'm not sure why, but old people REALLY scare me. 

Having grandpa living with us, especially during my high school years was a challenge. But, it was even more of a blessing. At first I avoided him. I didn’t want to talk to him or help him, because I was scared. However, as I watched my grandpa be helpless in his chair, with nothing to do because of his poor eye sight, my heart was softened. I started talking to my grandpa when I came home from swim practice. And then I would offer him mints. Slowly I grew to love the old man that lived in my house.

Grandpa didn’t stay with us for too long, because caring for him became to taxing on our family. He did however, have the chance to be with us for Christmas. One of my favorite moments was when he opened his stocking. Inside was a one pound bar of Hersey’s chocolate. His face lit up as he realized what it was. Sure enough, the whole thing was gone within a few hours. It was a different Christmas having him in our home with us, but it was a memorable one.

I love my grandpa so much. I could probably write 10 or more pages just about him; telling stories and life lessons he taught me. My great grandpa was an amazing man. He was full of love and life. I am so thankful that he was a part of my life. I wish I would’ve taken the time to get to know him even better, but I know that I will have that chance in the next life. My grandpa is a man unlike most, but loved by many. He is my hero. 

It's the END!!!! :)

Writing 150 has been an interesting class. Or maybe this whole semester has been interesting… Yep! I think the former statement is most true of the two. I enjoyed Writing 150 for the most part. It was definitely not my favorite class, and I would never choose to take it again, but it wasn’t as miserable as I thought it would be. Over the course of the class I have learned lots about writing, but even more about life. I’ve learned to revise, revise, and then revise again. I’ve learned that reading my paper out loud is REALLY helpful. There were so many times when I would think I had a decent paper and then read it aloud to someone. I almost always found a few errors per page. It was amazing to me! Like I said before, not only did I learn lots about writing, but I learned a great deal about life. This has been the most challenging class I have taken yet in my college career… probably because it was a writing class J So, this class made me realize that my grades in school are not going to stop me from accomplishing my goals or from entering the celestial kingdom! Yes, grades are important. But, just because I get one or two bad grades does not make me any less worthy for Heavenly Father’s love. I also learned the lesson about procrastination. Procrastination is seriously of the devil. I’m not going to lie; I procrastinated on all of my assignments. It wasn’t bad for the first two papers, but the research paper was miserable. I waited until the last week to finally get started on it, and then family issues arose and school got even crazier, and it was just miserable. That was seriously one of the hardest weeks of my life. And, I’m not ever going to let it happen again! I will start on my assignments the day or day after they are assigned. It is so much easier to stay on top of things, rather than wait until the weekend to try to catch up on everything. It just doesn’t work that way. I was really thankful for Sister Elliott as a teacher. She was very kind and understanding and I am so appreciative of that. She is a very kind and wonderful person. I don’t really know what else to say about the class. I will certainly be glad that it is over, but I will miss the people! I think that’s about all J

Diane Rehm Show

I actually really enjoyed listening to The Diane Rehm Talk Show thing… it was interesting to hear what people had to say about the topic I listened to. I listened to “Shyness and Social Anxiety”. At first I started jotting down notes just so I could write this review, but near the middle of the recording I was jotting down notes because I was genuinely interested and hooked to the topic. I found myself laughing at how into the show I was… J So, in this recording they talked a lot about the broad spectrum of shyness. One of the guests said that about 15% of people would qualify for a social phobia. That was kind of a crazy statistic to me!

One really weird thing they talked about was if shyness was a part of survival. One of the guests told about research that he did on animal survival. It was really strange. They talked about observing shy versus bold animal characteristics… Interesting….

Overall there were so many good things they talked about! It was neat to think about how this topic applied to me. They talked about how of all highly sensitive people who are very aware of their environment and surroundings, only 20% become bold and more outgoing. And that’s ME! I think a lot of times that I am so shy and quiet, when really I’m quite the opposite. Now, granted it depends on the setting and who I am with, but most times I’m the loud, obnoxious, crazy one the everyone secretly wishes would shut up… well hopefully I’m not really that bad. But, I can get pretty crazy and bubbly.

In the podcast it also discussed how having therapy for shyness and social phobias is not a bad thing. A few years ago I started going to see a counselor, just to talk about things and get my head on a little bit straighter. It was amazing what talking to someone about my specific problems did. In the podcast, one of the guests said, “Everyone needs psychological fitness checkups!” They compared this counseling to an athlete with a personal trainer. A personal trainer just works with the person to help them improve their physical abilities. A psychiatrist or any other counselor helps their patient improve their social abilities.

SO… I think I could keep going for a long time. Instead, I’ll just tell you that you should go listen to it, cause it was really good! Here’s the link if you are interested: 

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-08-09/shyness-and-social-anxiety

ENJOY! 

Movie Assignment

My all-time favorite movie is, “The Ultimate Gift”. It is such a wonderful movie and has a powerful meaning. The movie takes you through the life/change of a young man. At the beginning he’s a typical rich, spoiled 20 something man who goes to parties and doesn’t care about anyone but himself. His grandfather passes away and has left him a gift. But, in order to get this gift he has to work really hard. He them proceeds to be exposed to very challenging situations. All of his things are taken from him, thus becoming homeless. He has to make a true friend. While overseas working for his grandpa’s library, he gets taken captive and almost dies. During the course of the movie you watch as this young man makes changes. At first he is only continuing with the gift searching because he is greedy and wants money. However, he soon realizes that maybe there is more to life then riches and pleasure. He falls in love with a young mother and her daughter. I don’t want to give away the rest of the movie…. Because it is so good and if you haven’t seen it- you REALLY should. The message of the movie is so incredible. Each time I watch the movie I am reminded of the many gifts and blessings I have in my life. The movie also never fails to make me cry… which for some reason makes it even better. When a movie can get you that involved and attached, I think that almost guarantees it as a winner, at least to me! :) I love “The Ultimate Gift”!

Assignment: Uhh ohh!

So I'm going to be COMPLETELY 100% honest.... I am SOO behind in this class. For some reason it just kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile. So, sadly I haven't done too much with this paper. I tried really hard to get all caught up with the readings over the weekend, so that has been encouraging. I know that I have a lot of work to do on it, but I'm ready! This is going to be a GREAT week and I am going to be super de duper productive..... And now..... DEEP BREATH! Here we go... :)

Assignment: Oh the good ole Rhetorical Analysis

I have never been so happy to have a paper finished! I don't know why this one was so hard for me, but I really struggled with it. I've had to write lots of papers before that were harder and longer to write, but this one seriously drained me. It was probably because all my other classes were crazy busy the past few weeks too, but oh well! I survived and now I'm going to party this weekend! I'm paper free and test free until... well... like next week :) On a more positive note... I felt like I really got to learn about rhetorical tools and how to analyze what I hear and read.


YAY! IT'S OVER :)

Quote :)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Berthold Auerbach

Reflections on Life

Who am I? What is my purpose? Where am I going? Searching and seeking, many people are in a daily battle to try to find the answers to these simple questions. I have been so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life from the moment I was born. I grew up knowing who I was, why I was on this Earth and where I was striving to go. "I am a child of God and He has sent me here, has given me an Earthly home with parents kind and dear. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me. Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with Him someday." This children's song helps us answers these vital questions. We are all daughters and sons of a loving Father in Heaven. He sent us here to receive bodies. We are here to learn and grow, to struggle and progress, towards our ultimate goal of living with Him again someday. Our purpose on this Earth is to show our Heavenly Father that we love Him and will keep His commandments and live worthily so that He can grant us the privilege of living in His presence for eternity. Eternal life is our goal. Everyday we must try a little harder to be more Christ-like. It is not easy, but the path is clear. If we work through our trials and heartaches, there are great treasures in store for us. I love my Savior! I know He lives and loves each of us. He knows us by name, and He wants to know us even better. I know that if I will turn to Him and rely on Him for guidance and love in my life, that I can and will receive it. He will never leave me alone. And He will never leave YOU alone. He loves you! He knows your wants and needs. He knows your thoughts and the intents of your heart. He will grant you your righteous desires if you will come to Him on bended knee and plea for His guidance in your life. I'm thankful for a Father in Heaven and for a Savior, Jesus Christ, who love me. I love them with all my heart.

Assignment: Letter from Birmingham Jail

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he uses several persuasive appeals. He appeals to logic throughout the whole letter. One example of this is when he discusses the four steps of a nonviolent campaign. He goes through each step and describes the ways in which he has led the black people through these logical steps. He also appeals to logic when he discusses the difference between just and unjust laws. These are just a few of the times when he uses an appeal to logos. King uses the appeal to emotion, or pathos, when he uses direct and persuasive diction to stir certain emotions. Even within the very first paragraph you begin to feel compassion for this kind man. Another example is on page 198 when he discusses how they have been told over and over, for more than 340 years, to “Wait!” He then continues on to describe the pain and suffering they have been through. This is a very direct appeal to emotion, because it immediately makes the reader connect and feel sorrow for the writer. The final persuasive tool that Martin Luther King Jr. uses in this address is the appeal to ethos. King shows his credibility within the first paragraph as he informs the reader who he is and why he is writing the following letter. He explains that he is the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and then continues to describe his role and authority there. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the reader can identify many specific and direct persuasive tools, ethos, pathos, and logos in particular.

Assignment: What Christians Believe

Analytic Response to “What Christians Believe”:

The essay written by C.S. Lewis, titled “What Christians Believe”, is a persuasive argument. The essay is trying to persuade to you become a Christian because it makes more sense than not being a Christian. The essay describes what Christians believe and why. Many world views and assumptions are made in this essay. The assumption that the reader believes that there is opposition in all things. On page 176 Lewis describes how this belief is assumed in the world today. Reality is also addressed in this persuasive argument as a type of world view. It is assumed that all people view reality as complicated and usually odd. The same is thought of simplicity. Atheism and Christianity-and-water are considered to be too simple. Many tools are used in this essay to help Lewis persuade the reader to believe as he does. He mentions in the essay how he was once an atheist, and now, as a Christian, more things make sense. I see this as a direct appeal to experience and authority. He is showing his audience that he has had the necessary experience to know what is best. He also uses a lot of specific and manipulative words, diction, to pull you to his side. On page 180, C.S. Lewis uses an appeal to logic as he discusses agency and the ability to choose for oneself.

Personal Response:

This was a really interesting essay to read. It was really hard for me at first, because I’m not used to reading essays like this one. However, after time I got through it and was able to pull out some of the main themes. I actually agree with him quite a bit. There are certainly aspects of his argument that seemed to me a little sketchy, but overall I thought it was a pretty decent argument. 

Assignment: Analytic Snapshot of "Veil of Fears"

Genre:

“Veil of Fears” is a persuasive essay.

Purpose:

The purpose of this essay is to try to persuade people to change their poor view of the Muslim veil.

Central Message:

Veiling is not a bad thing, but rather it is a way of life.

World View and Assumptions:

There are many world views and assumptions made in this reading. The author discusses the Muslim traditional view where veiling is embraced as one of the keys and fundamentals to their way of life. He also mentions the modern view of the veil. This is a view that sees the veil as a prison that traps women. The idea of trusting in state government versus family was another topic discusses in this essay. I also feel like the author made reference to family issues a lot. He referenced family in the American way (mom, dad, and children), as well as in a “partilineage” way (“band of brothers”).

Use of Tools and Evidence:

It was really hard for me to identify tools and evidence of persuasive writing, probably because I’ve never done it before! I did think that the author tried really hard to appeal to emotions, especially those relating to family issues. Once you have a reader feeling emotionally attached to your point of view, it is fairly easy to convince them to believe the rest of what you are trying to say. Another tool that he used was in referring to modern television. When he mentioned the negative influence of TV in the home, he had me convinced. But, then I had to take a step back and look if it was really a valid connection and valid proof. Overall, I had a really hard time finding tools and evidence. :(

Learning to Appreciate Life

Hey all! For my writing class we just finished writing personal narratives. I thought it would be fun to post it, just in case any of you wanted to read my little story. :) I think it's pretty good, but I am a bit biased.

“Brittany! You have to figure out where you are! At least find a street sign.” Mom yelled through the phone.

“Mom, I don’t know where--- I’m at the intersection of Green and Maple. I think I should--”

“Green and Maple? Where are you? Would you just pull over and ask someone?” Mom was past the point of getting mad. It wasn’t my fault that we’d gotten lost. The instructions had been confusing and I had never driven in this big city before. I didn’t understand why she was so upset with me. I just wanted to cry.

And so I did. “Mom, please don’t get mad at me,” I mumbled into the phone as the warm tears started falling down my cheeks. “I’m trying my best, but I can’t find anywhere to stop and ask.”

“Then pull into someone’s driveway, knock on the door, and ASK! It’s not that hard Brittany!”

“Fine.” I hung up the phone defeated. I was tired of being yelled at.

My sisters and I had been in Indianapolis all day- I’d had a doctor’s appointment and then we’d gone shopping. We’d left the store in plenty of time to get home, eat dinner, and leave for musical rehearsal. We’d been on the same two roads for 30 minutes. Finally we decided to try a different road. Yes, we probably should’ve called someone for directions or at least stopped at a store and asked, but I was determined to do it on my own!

My phone rang and I anxiously answered it. I was relieved to hear the voice of my uncle who was from this horrible city in which I was lost. He directed us back to a known road and we were on our way home.

As I drove the forty-five minutes home, I just couldn’t calm down. I was so frustrated! Why couldn’t I follow directions right? Why did Mom have to get so worked up about everything? I didn’t even want to think about the lecture we’d receive for being late to musical rehearsal.

We’re almost home! Only ten miles to go! I thought to myself. The roads were still a little damp from a storm that had just passed by so I was extra careful. I made sure I was going the speed limit and paying special attention to the cars around me. Suddenly there was a white car only inches from us.

The scenes flashed by as I was watching a movie. The white car. My family. The ditch. Smoke. The surreal moment passed by in mere seconds.

“Everyone get out of the car!!!!!” my older sister, Kailee, shouted.

The car is on fire, it’s going to exploded, and we are all going to die. What had I done? I thought. I got out of the car as fast as I could. I had to see if my sisters were okay. A wave of relief hit me the moment I finally saw my sisters, Kailee and Alexis.

What now? We all thought. We’re all okay, but we just wrecked. “Should I call the police or Mom?” Kailee asked shakily.

“Ummm… I guess call Mom and tell her first,” I hesitantly said. I had no idea what to expect. Why is my nose runny? I thought. I quickly wiped my nose with my finger, embarrassed that I had snot all over the place. I quickly learned that it wasn’t snot, but rather blood. And that’s when the shock set in.

            “Brittany, are you okay? You just got really white,” Alexis said.

            “I don’t feel good. Everything is going black….” I started to say. But before I could finish my sentence a man and his wife had laid me on the cold damp grass.

            “My name is Matthew. This is my wife Sarah. We are volunteer firefighters and were right behind you when you had your accident. We’ve already called for an ambulance. I’m just going to check your pulse and a few other vital things.” Wait… did I hear him right? An ambulance? Was I really that bad? I started to realize how much pain I was in.

            “Owww…” I whimpered as the man lifted my arm. “That arm really hurts.”

            “Okay. Tell me where it hurts most.” He instructed me.

            “My face and arm hurt really bad,” I slowly managed to tell him. “And my wrist and hands. I can’t move them.” I was beginning to cry, but I told myself to suck it up. At least you are alive, Brittany.

            “Brittany! Oh my gosh!!!” Kailee started freaking out.

            “It’s alright. You’re going to be okay,” Alexis tried to reassure me. But I didn’t know if I could believe that.

            “Lex, it hurts so bad,” I sobbed. “What did I do? Why did this happen?”

            “It’s not your fault, Brit. Everything is going to be fine. Just focus on breathing.”

            Then I heard the sirens. Was I relieved, or did the sirens just seem to make things worse? Definitely both. I knew they were coming to help me, but I didn’t want their help. I didn’t want to go to the hospital, I wanted to go home and see my family. I wanted everything to be okay. I needed to see my mom and dad.

            The paramedics arrived at the scene and explained what they were going to do. They carefully put me in a neck brace and lifted me on to a stretcher. They then continued to strap my arms and legs down. I literally thought I was going to die. Why else would they be doing all of this to me? I thought I was okay. After being thoroughly trapped down to the stretcher, I was lifted into the ambulance.

            Seconds later I saw my dad climbing into the ambulance. A rush of emotion overfell me. “Daddy!” I said as the tears fell faster. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just—“

            “Brittany, I am so glad you are all okay. Don’t worry about anything. You just focus on getting better. We’re going to get you to the hospital and double check to make sure nothing is broken. Stay strong for a little while longer. Mom and I will see you at the hospital, okay?”

            I tried to shake my head, but the determined neck brace wouldn’t let me budge. “Okay,” I mumbled. As he walked away I pushed back another wave of uncontrollable tears. So many thoughts were racing through my head as I was rushed to the hospital. How’d I get so lucky? I sure don’t know. But, I’m so thankful to be alive. I wonder if the sirens are on… if all the cars are pulling over to let the ambulance through. Are Kailee and Alexis really okay? I’m so thankful I’m the one who got hurt. I would feel terrible if I had killed or even just hurt my sisters. Is the person from the other car okay? What about my car? I wonder what it looks like now. Will I ever get to see it again? What’s Mom going to say? I can’t wait to see her. I hope my arm isn’t broken……

            The paramedic in the ambulance sat next to me. He had a smile on his face and a reassuring air about him. “How are you doing?” he asked.

            “Well, I’ve definitely been better,” I joked.

            “I like that answer,” he smiled. “I know that you are probably not very comfortable and I’m really sorry about that. We just have to be extremely cautious; we don’t want to hurt you more.”

            “Yeah, I understand.” The paramedic continued to tell me a little bit about himself and then asked me questions about my family and interests. He asked about some details about the accident, probably to make sure that I hadn’t received a concussion. I don’t remember his name or even what he looked like, but I remember being so grateful to have such a compassionate man assisting me.   

            As we got closer to the hospital he explained what would happen when we got there. “I’ll just roll you out of the ambulance, and that’s the last you’ll see of me!” he said.

            “Thank you so much for everything!” I didn’t think I could say it enough. I was so thankful for this angel in my life. When he had first seen me I was a wreck. My emotions were uncontrollable and I was in utter shock. And as he lifted me out of the ambulance I felt almost normal. My nervousness and feelings of fear were gone. I was just happy to be alive! Who cares if I had broken my nose, arm, wrist, and seven of ten fingers? I was blessed with the chance to wake up the next morning. I could spend more time with my baby sister. I had been given the chance to make memories of my own.

            The emergency room was like a zoo. It took what seemed like years for anything to happen. The doctor came in and gave me some pain medication and once again checked all my vitals. I went through x-ray after x-ray and then waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally the doctor came back with the results from the x-rays. With no signs of broken bones or anything too serious, I was cleared to go home. I couldn’t wait to lie in my bed and hold my baby sister’s hand again.

            Life wasn’t easy after the accident. Just because I wasn’t broken anywhere did not mean that I looked normal. The airbags had been kind enough to give me a black eye, a blue check, and a purple swollen lip, as well as a nose the size of Texas. I was in lots of pain and I had many setbacks. The medicine messed me up and I couldn’t figure myself out half the time. But overall, I was grateful to be on the path of recovery.

            As the ideas began to flow for the writing of this essay I met a new friend. After talking to him for a few hours he felt impressed to tell me the story of his fiancée, who had been killed in a car accident. I can’t even imagine the pain this young man must have gone through. However because of my accident I had a greater compassion and understanding of his situation. I don’t know why my life was spared and this other girl’s was not, but I know it is for a reason. I am grateful for every minute, of every day that I am blessed to be on this beautiful Earth.

I am so grateful for this wonderful life we have to live!!! What a beautiful blessing from our Father in Heaven.


-Brittany :)

Assignment: Personal Narrative Follow Up!

       I really had a great time writing my personal narrative. For as much as I dislike writing, this paper was actually fun! The topic that I wrote about, my car accident, influenced my life more than I thought. I enjoyed thinking about many blessings and positive things that have come from this experience in my life. One of the hardest parts about writing the narrative was knowing what to include and what to leave out. As I read over my paper the last few times, it brought back many additional memories that I wish I could have included. I also thought the peer reviewing was difficult. I tried to have an open mind about things, but it was still really difficult for me. It was hard to balance between what I thought was best and what they thought was best. I had a really fun time thinking about the best ways to describe my situation and the thoughts that were running through my head. I also called up my friend the night before the paper was due to see if he could help me out. I ended up going over to his house and reading him my paper. It was fun to read my paper, and I think he had fun listening as well. It was just an overall cool experience. It also really opened my eyes to things that sounded awkward or just plain stupid! Overall I had a pretty great time with this paper. I definitely had struggles, but the positives outweighed the negatives!!! :)

Sunday Scripture

Helaman 5:12

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

How grateful I am for this scripture. It has helped me through so much in my life! I am so grateful that we have the chance to continue striving to build our foundation on Christ. He is the ultimate source of truth, and I'm so thankful that I can trust in Him. I know that this scripture is true. I know that the devil will send forth all his hail and his mighty storms. But I also know that if we rely on Christ we can have the strength and power to overcome all that may come our way. It won't be easy... as a matter of fact, it will be terrifyingly hard at times. But, He will never leave us. I know my Savior loves me and stands ready to lift me up at any moment.

Assignment: Personal Narrative Progress

My personal narrative is coming along... slowly. :) I’m really struggling with where to start and what to include. I love telling stories, but for some reason when I have to write them they just are not as fun! I also often find myself trying to think of big and impressive words to make the story sound better. Striking a balance between giving this paper my own voice and making the paper acceptable for my audience is difficult.

I’m also really struggling with how to wrap it all up. I know what I want to say, but I just don’t know how to say it right. I want to make sure that the purpose of my paper is clear without having to come right out and say it.

I am really excited to go to the writing lab and have someone read over my paper. I also can’t wait for Monday when we will be peer editing! I think that having another person read over my paper and critique it will help me get a better sense of what I need to do to improve it.

Writing has always been stressful for me, so it isn’t surprising that this paper hasn’t been a piece of cake. :) I have enjoyed thinking about my topic and remembering how it has changed me. I’m thankful that we get to start with a personal narrative, because writing about myself is a lot easier than critically analyzing or researching!

Assignment: I Love My Daddy

I really enjoyed reading Sarah Nielsen’s personal narrative about her dad. While my dad is not the same as hers, I have a great love and appreciation for my dad. I loved her line about how she didn’t want to marry someone like her dad, but some wanted to marry someone just like her dad. As weird as it might be to some people, I’ve had the very similar thoughts. My dad is the best guy that I know. He is one of my best friends and someone that I can trust and depend on. My dad isn’t perfect by any means, but he means the world to me. If I could find someone as loving, compassionate, caring, respectful, hardworking, and just plain out as amazing as my dad, I would not let him pass by too fast.

As I read this narrative I thought about how difficult it would be to have a father who was an alcoholic and constantly in and out of jail. But, I also thought about the valuable lesson of forgiveness that Sarah Nielsen had to learn. This alcoholic, this prisoner, was her father. She loved him and therefore forgiving him was important in her life. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to forgive him time after time, and she even mentions how sometimes she didn’t understand why she forgave him so quickly, but nonetheless she forgave. Forgiveness is a powerful gift, and Sarah certainly had it!

This particular narrative, compared to the others I tried to read, was a lot easier to understand and follow. I really appreciated the voice of the author as she described her dad. I feel like I came to know him as a person, which made it easier for me to accept how easily she forgave him. I enjoyed reading this narrative and it gave me lots of ideas for how to write mine!

Luscious Lemon Bars

Kelsie and I made these delicious lemon bars... and they are like the BEST THING EVER!!! If you like lemon bars, or even you don't (because I didn't before this), I would strongly encourage you to try these. Just writing about them is making my mouth water. The recipe was originally found on allrecipes.com, but I've adopted it as my own. :) Here it is:


Ingredients:

Crust:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 6 tablespoons (1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar; gradually beat in flour. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-in. x 13-in. pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until set and the edges are lightly browned. (don't overcook!!!)
2. For filling, in a mixing bowl, beat the egg, sugar, lemon juice, flour and baking pwder until frothy (so it starts to have bubbles on top- like hot chocolate). Pour over warm crust. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into bars, and enjoy! 


Makes about 2-3 dozen bars.


Like I said- these are delicious! :)


Enjoy,


Future Chef Brittany :)

Quote: Adulthood

"The naivete of my presumptions about adulthood glared out at me from the sketchbook like a sickly bruise." (Jessie Hawkes, "My Father's Sketchbook")

             I love this quote!! When we are young we think we know it all. At least for me, as I was growing up I often thought that adulthood wouldn't be a challenge. Sure there are new experiences and hardships, but I thought I was invincible. But then adulthood came and I realized what a false and naive world I had been living in. Being an adult isn't bad, it just isn't really anything I expected! There are so many choices and decisions. I have to be responsible for myself. What is this? Oh yeah, this is life, and it's full of change- learning, growing, falling, failing, succeeding, and wishing.

Assignment: Families

In the narrative written by Claire Wallace, “Families (that have been torn, re-cut with dull scissors, and then messily glued back together) Are Forever”, the reader has the opportunity to experience a day (or two) in the life of Claire. I really appreciated her insight and view into what a family is. Her family was not perfect. As mentioned in the title, her family had been “reassembled” a few times, each time being the cause of a new struggle or learning experience. While I don’t have a “reassembled” family, I certainly don’t have a perfect family. Everyone has family issues- they are part of life on Earth. But, just as Claire had to overcome this little trial, we all have the opportunity and responsibility to do our best in our families.

I remember several times when I thought my life was over. I was so angry and frustrated- I just wanted to give up and not care anymore! It was in those moments though, that I was somehow reminded of my Heavenly Father’s love for me. Overwhelming feelings of love and compassion helped open my eyes to the eternal perspective of things. As the proclamation states, “The family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children”. The Proclamation DOES NOT state, “Families that have 2 parents, 5 kids, and never disagree about anything are the only families that count in Heaven.” Every family has its challenges. Every person has their weaknesses. I’m thankful for the family unit and for the Atonement of Christ that allows us to learn and love, forgive and forget, and try and try again.

Me in 100 Words!

My name is Brittany Rachelle Jensen.

I love nature, rain, thunderstorms, and flowers.

I appreciate organization, although I’m not an organized person.

I enjoy listening to the ocean waves, singing songs, and facing new challenges.

I am passionate about cooking. I love finding and trying new recipes, as well as creating my own.

I love dancing in the rain, lying in the street, and staying up late eating ice cream with my cousin.

I have a dream of either being a kindergarten teacher or starting my own preschool.

My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family.

I love serenity and chaos.

My life is good. :)