Journal Jar Prattle #3...I think

I'm resurrecting the Journal Jar. Per Tuesday night's enrichment night discussion on journaling, it had me thinking that I need to get back to the jar. I shamefully admit that the last time I wrote from the Jar was in 08. Sheesh. That is shameful! So I grabbed it out of the dark recesses of my closet, dusted the outside of the jar off cause two years later it's missing a lid, (roll of the eyes here) and set it next to the computer.

So the same rules apply. Since I print this blog, the "Prattle" is mostly for my benefit so don't feel like you have to read on.

Truly you don't have to.

But you should.

JUST KIDDING. Seriously...just kidding.

Question: Where did you go to school? (Elementary, secondary, college)

Question: Secondary? Does that mean all schooling between elementary and college? Gosh, what a dunce I am:) I will just assume that's what it's talking about. And no, I never got points for having a high IQ. That would be my husband. I live vicariously through him. But mostly by osmosis.

Horizon Elementary was my first school. The year I attended kindergarten was the school's first year opening. It was the school for our little subdivision growing up. I have such fond memories of that red brick one story building. Life was much simpler, and so sweet. And because we didn't know better, we didn't mind putting on all our snow gear just to go to recess. Gosh that was such a pain!

Junior High, cause that's what it's called in Utah, was just as awesome an experience as elementary. It's taken me many years to say middle school instead of junior high. Many Friday's my dad would bring me lunch from my favorite burger joint and I would eat in the cafeteria with all my friends who would be salivating over my burger and fries while they plowed through a dry sandwich. It's making me hungry just thinking about it. I know this age is hard, and it was, but in so many ways it was easy. Especially my social studies class. The teacher would leave during the tests and the whole class would take the test together. Good times....good times. Looking back, I wonder if he knew that's what went on. He never seemed surprised that we were all on the same grading curve.

Three years of high school was spent as a Spartan at Murray High. What a fantastic school! It still is to this day. People fight to get their kids in. Of course the pool is no more. They had to make more room because there was so many kids. My class was the last small graduating class. We had around 400 graduate. The year after that was something like 600, and by the time my baby brother graduated, it was like 800. You get the picture.
Many extended lunch breaks were taken cause I had 6th period seminary; cheering at the football stadium sitting next to a cute guy was so much fun; hanging out with my girlfriends at all hours of the night; working and playing, and figuring out who I really was...trying to get past all the insecurities that seem so silly now; signing yearbooks at the end of the year promising to call everyone but never getting around to it, only to meet up at the start of school, picking up where we left off as if there hadn't been any summer at all; all this I wouldn't change for anything.

Two years of college was spent at Ricks College. Yes folks, when it was Ricks and not BYU Idaho. On a side note, I was seriously torked when we learned that Ricks was going to change. This was years after I'd graduated of course, but to not have any football team anymore?? Really???? Not dissing BYI Idaho, but Ricks was in a league all it's own. Even President Hinckley, when he was Prophet, visited and said that there's just a spirit there that isn't at the Y. It was where I learned that who I was was really okay. It was where I learned what having a "real" boyfriend meant. It was where I learned how to live with 5 girls. FIVE. It was where I learned that when six girls live together the menstruation cycle becomes the same for all parties involved:0 WEEEEIIRRRD. To this day I think that bit o science is still strange. It was where I learned that 6 girls using 6 bottles of hairspray leaves mega film on walls and counter tops. It was where I fell in love for the first time. It was where I met Doug.

This has been very cathartic for me, all this reminiscing. I'll try to keep the Journal Jar from getting relegated to the back of the closet again. But no promises:)

Getting out from behind the Camera

I have been following some of Kristen Duke's Photography tips on The Idea Room. One was about getting out from behind the camera. I would much rather take the picture than be in it, but she suggested to start putting yourself in more pictures with your kids and hubby. One of her readers commented about a woman who decided to do that very thing. She decided that she was going to be in a photo with her family every month, and she wasn't going to care that she didn't look perfect:) And so she did. Here's the quote taken from the She Left Proof Project:

"Many scrapbookers knew Aleida Franklin. She was a wonderful wife and mother and a brilliant artist. I didn’t know Aleida personally, but she taught me something I will never forget.

She emailed me last year to tell me she loved my blog and to ask if I liked my short hair-cut. This lead to a series of emails which eventually led me to remark that I really loved how often she posted pictures of herself with her children on her blog. And she replied to me, “Have you ever seen a photograph of your own mother and thought to yourself how fat she looked? Or how she wasn’t wearing make-up? Or wasn’t dressed in a glamorous outfit?” Of course my answer was no.
She then responded with saying that she made it a goal to take a picture of herself with her children at least once every month. And that to use excuses about how we look, as women, is ridiculous, since our children will never care what we looked like, but only that we had physical evidence of the bond between mother and child.

Aleida tragically and unexpectedly passed away in an auto accident in September of 2008, leaving 2 small children and a grieving husband. After she passed I thought of how those children must feel to have those precious photographs. I have made it my personal goal to follow her wise suggestion and I try to take photos of myself with my children….double chins, make-up free, bed-head and all.

I invite Mothers everywhere to take Aleida’s Challenge. To photograph yourself with your children each and every month. And to post them here so that we can see Aleida’s legacy unfolding"

It's not the complete story though I'm sure you could search for it. I found myself thinking that what she left her family with is something so very priceless. Her children will always have a memory of her, even when that memory may start to fade. This really got me thinking of what kind of legacy I want to leave my kids. Pictures is an easy way to start!

So I've decided that, once a month, regardless of how I look or how crazed I am, I will try to get a picture in with the kids, or Doug, or what have you.

Starting now.

There have been a few people that have asked to see my new "do" from the 'To be Blonde or not to be Blonde' post, so I am going to post a photo of myself. Even though that post was meant to be about the possibility that Blonde's really do get more attention more than it was a hair post. Not that I ascribe to that theory, but it was food for thought anyway. So as much as this makes me TOTALLY uncomfortable, I am going to do it:) Gotta start somewhere I suppose.

Why is it that it's so hard to post a photo of oneself? Does anybody else have this problem???

This one is me trying to take a photo of myself using the bathroom mirror.



Doug wondered why I didn't just ask him. Me too:) I guess I'm just used to being the one behind the camera. So I did. And he was happy to oblige.



So there you have it. I am going to count this as the photo for the month of July. Hopefully this will get easier as the months go by, especially since I won't be doing any more self portraits!