Remembering Eleanor

When it came time to register for classes for spring semester, I didn't know what I was doing. I only needed to take two more classes. However, people apparently think I need to be a full time student to keep my scholarship and financial aid, thus I began searching the school website for random classes that would make my total credit hours sum up to a total of twelve. My two thoughts while searching for these random classes were 1) sign up for fun and interesting classes, and 2) sign up for classes that will be an easy A. 

So I signed up for billiards because I had always wanted to take it. Then I signed up for intro to religious studies because I heard it was easy and engaging. Then I signed up for social deviance because I am apparently obsessed with criminal behavior and the professor teaching it is one of my favorites. Then I signed up for some English class because English comes to me easier than most subjects. 

But weeks later, flurries of emails made it to my inbox alerting me that I couldn't take that English class because it was only for English majors. They demanded I drop it or they would drop me instead, and while I was made out to be the criminal, I was just wondering why the heck they gave me the go to register for it in the first place. Not my fault. When I pushed that register button, why in the world didn't red lights flash and words come across my screen saying, BOO, SUCKER! YOU AREN'T AN ENGLISH MAJOR! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! 

So I obeyed the English masters and dropped the class. Then I worriedly and anxiously searched for another class that could give me my full time student status. All the somewhat easy classes were full and had long waiting lists. I started to panic. Then I cursed the law makers of University rules because all I really wanted was to take another journalism class, but apparently my JCOM classes are maxed out. Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Limit me from learning more about my trade. Ugh.

Then I found a women & leadership class that was only once a week. And I thought to myself, "Hmm, once a week. It can't be too hard. What the heck. Let's light things on fire, twirl our panties around, and bash on men." So I signed up for it.

Now it turns out, I think I was meant to take this class all along. It is nothing like I thought it would be. I am not just sliding by, wanting a grade. It's something I've discovered I am passionate about. And we don't sit in class on Wednesday evenings and act like we are picked on because we are females. We discuss things that are empowering. We talk about problems and how to overcome them. We learn leadership skills and how to use the fact that we are women to our advantage. We talk about how we can better support and embrace the women around us. Turns out, I love this stuff. It's made me take a step back and look into my soul, and then made me take a step forward and look into the souls of my fellow-women.

In class, we recently took a silencing the self test and it turns out, I silence myself a lot more than I thought I did. Sure, I have strong opinions on subjects. And sure, I probably blog about things that make people roll their eyes and shake their heads. But the thing is, I have a bad habit of closing off my innermost feelings. And when I want to express how I feel, I stop myself out of the fear of hurting someone's feelings. I do like this about myself; that I am sentimental toward others. However, I do an unhealthy amount of it. I always worry about others' feelings at the expense of my own. So I am working on it. I am trying to say and do what I feel is best, even if it means I might be judged for it. And on the other hand, I am trying to do a better job of not doing the judging myself. It's quite interesting because the men actually don't hold women back as much as we may think. We as women do the holding back. We hold ourselves back and if we aren't holding ourselves back, we justify belittling and holding back other women.

Because of this class, wheels are turning in my head and ideas are forming. I want to help women come together to celebrate this beautiful thing we have in common, this thing we call womanhood. I don't know how I want to do that, but I know I already have strengthened a part of myself because of this class. I am learning more and more every day how special it is to be a woman and that God loves me and knows I am capable. 

Around the same time we took the silencing the self test, we also watched a PBS documentary on Eleanor Roosevelt. Watch it if you get the chance. No matter your political opinions, you can't deny the fact that Eleanor Roosevelt was an incredible lady. Her life was actually quite dark and depressing. She was shy. But she learned how to speak and instill hope and happiness into others, and I think that's just grand. So if Eleanor did it, then I can too. And so can you, and you, and you! 

Gratitude Journal: Freedom

Today, I am grateful to live on free soil. Though I'm one small person, I still have the rights and freedoms to let my small voice be heard. I voted for the first time last week. I hit up the early voting, thought I'd avoid long lines. I left my "I VOTED" sticker on all day, and then I put it in my journal. It was an exciting experience. Last election, my eighteenth birthday was just a month shy of voting day. I remember feeling pretty bummed as all my friends voted but I couldn't. So it feels good to know I exercised my freedom. Regardless of who you vote for, I hope you marched proudly to the polls today (or earlier like I did).

I am so thankful to be an American citizen. I'm thankful for the brave men and women who keep this country home of the free and land of the brave. And I'm so thankful for the amazing men that we call our "Founding Fathers". Wouldn't it be cool to have been in their presence?

I am also extra thankful for the women who were involved in the fight for women's suffrage in our country. Many of those ladies were heavily persecuted, mocked, arrested, and assaulted for speaking out and fighting for female rights. Thanks to their determination, I can speak my mind and do something as simple as vote and not be arrested because of it. Ladies, we didn't have the right to vote until the 1920s. Isn't that crazy?

 "On Election Day in 1920, millions of American women exercised their right to vote for the first time. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right, and the campaign was not easy: Disagreements over strategy threatened to cripple the movement more than once. But on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified, enfranchising all American women and declaring for the first time that they, like men, deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship."

source

Fun, Fun, Fun til Her Daddy Takes the T-bird Away

I'm not really the kind to worry about what I drive. As long as the vehicle gets me from point A to point B, I'm satisfied. I drive a mini van with over 300 thousand miles on it for crying out loud. And she leaks like a banshee (is that even a thing?), not to mention she's making some real awful noises as of late. But I love her all the same. She has more character than any of those new cars on the lot, no doubt about that. When the day comes that Goldie (my van) breaks down, I don't know what I'll do. Probably search for a used car with plenty of character who is but a lot younger and in better condition than Goldie. However, maybe that day will never come and Goldie will just keeping living and living until I reach old age and have put plenty of miles on myself. That would be peachy. Then hopefully by that point, I'll be old and rich enough to purchase the one kind of car I really appreciate. A classic. Classic cars are just prettier than the cars of today. They each are like a piece of art.

 This past weekend, Brian and I went to a car show, which is much like an art show. Except instead of walking through a museum and looking at paintings, you stroll outdoors through the smoldering heat of the day and admire awesome cars, all while listening to the Beach Boys blasting through nearby speakers. We had a ball, even though it was in the 90s and our faces were dripping with sweat. We bought some smoothies to help cool us off. Then we really cooled off by hitting up the pool after we got our fill of classic cars.

It was a fantastic Saturday. Obviously. Five mile run up the canyon. Cruise In Car Show. Smoothies. Oldies. Swimming. Yes, fantastic.  

Truth Tuesday

old family photos 

My great-grandpa's sister 

My favorite cemetery to visit

• I always have and always will love Memorial Day. I've always been a bit of a history nut. Even when I was a young girl, I loved listening to my great-grandma tell stories about the Great Depression and a time when girls couldn't wear pants to school. And now my great-grandma is gone, and most of the people who lived during the Great Depression are gone. Of course you can always read about the Great Depression, but it's just so different to know someone, to have a name to attach it with, and know their personal experiences that went along with the event. I love visiting the graves of my ancestors. I love talking about those peoples' lives and bringing them back with us for the day. It's important to remember where we came from, and be grateful to those who gave us what we have. On Saturday, we visited my grandparents. My grandma Reeder pulled out some old photographs of ancestors and told me about them. I almost felt like I knew them at that moment, I could almost feel them lingering there with us in the room. And it was so much more special when I then paid a visit to their graves on Monday. 

• I've been wanting to watch this movie more than anything the last few days. Before the end of the week, mind you, I'll sit Brian down and we'll watch it. Maybe even pop some popcorn. It makes me laugh until I cry. And it has Sandra Bullock AND Bradley Cooper in it. Where can you go wrong, really. 

• Speaking of movies, Brian and I went to see What to Expect When You're Expecting and we thought it was too funny. If you get uncomfortable with talk of the vagina and such, I suggest you do not see it. If you are a woman, you will love it. If you are a mature man, you will also love it. But if you're the kind of man who gets all dramatic every time you take a walk down the tampon aisle at the grocery store. . .then you won't be able to appreciate the beauty of this movie. But what I really wanted to say about this movie, is that I want Cameron Diaz's arms. Every time she is in a movie, I just find myself staring at her arms and yearning after them. New item on the summer bucket list: Get Cameron Diaz arms. 

• I idolize Denise Austin. I have a yoga DVD of hers and I love our mornings spent together. New item on the life bucket list: Be like Denise Austin when I am in my late fifties. 

• I babysat the cutest, little baby today. Her pretty, little mom asked me afterwards if it made me want to have kids. I told her no. Because honestly, I worry I'm going to be one of those super protective and hyper worrying parents. The kind that can't let their children out of their sight. Because that's how I was today. And quite frankly, I feel like doing that every day will shorten my life-span. Apparently I need to chill out before I start raising babies. 

• Today Brian gave me a compliment. After "Jump" came on our classic rock radio station and he asked me who sang it, I quickly replied, "Van Halen". I thought everybody knew that Van Halen sang that song. But then Brian said, "Your ability to identify 80s rock songs is unparalleled by any girl I know." I guess my parents raised me on 80s power ballads and such, and I guess I just paid attention. I love a good 80s rock song though. I mean, if this song comes on anywhere and at anytime, I'm instantly singing and fist pumping. True story. Even ask Brian. And believe me, you really want to click on that link and watch that fabulous music video. 80s music videos are so cheesy it kills me.   

• I have a new goal to really start drinking more water. I'm not a big pop drinker, so I'm usually drinking water or milk (or Simply Orange if it's morning time) but I know I still need to do better. Especially with my upcoming half marathon at the end of June. If you want to drink more water too, I found an article which talks about nine ways to drink more water. Mmm, water. I will make myself drink more of you and your goodness. 

Happy Tuesday, you lovelies!