Pursue Quietness

I grew up in a rather old-fashioned household by modern standards: no TV out in the country. My parents still don't have cable and only rarely watch movies. Over the holiday break I stayed at my parents' house in Louisville for a few days before traveling to Wisconsin with my fiancé and his family. The quietness we had over the vacation was incredible! It was so nice to all be in the same room with conversations and handcrafts going quietly, without constant noise from a television set in the background.

While we were in Wisconsin, we visited my fiancé's family's farm that has been in the family since the mid-1800s. The stillness out in the country was perfect. No televisions, no societal pressures, no extra worries. 

Coming back to "reality" has been difficult. Since I blog, I'm always on my computer, always watching the news, always on my phone, checking my tweets, posting status updates, etc. It's insane how much I pay attention to things other people are doing, what other people are saying, and allowing other people's stories to invade my life and my "job." My anxiety levels (and pain levels) have definitely increased since we got home because I'm being inundated with news of economic woes, health concerns, and wars. Finding quiet is incredibly hard.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to pursue quietness every day. I've changed up my routine a little bit to accommodate that: instead of starting my day with the news and blogging, I'm starting it with yoga and a healthy breakfast. I have a set (albeit flexible) schedule now instead of just having ideas of things I want to do and not really having a defined way to get there. Being more organized and rethinking my priorities allows me to find quiet. I can take 20 minutes here and there to knit, play piano after I eat lunch, or take a quick nap without feeling guilty about it. 

Today find quietness, however you can. 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Happy New...Fiscal Cliff?!

Who doesn't love a cartoon to start their day?

Let me get this straight: we barely avoided the debt ceiling in 2011 by self-inflicting a fiscal cliff that we just barely dodged last night by self-imposing another debt ceiling/fiscal cliff on March 1st.

You have got to be kidding me.

We live in America, where we have the opportunity and responsibility to elect our own leaders. But you know, our elected leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to do what is best for the country that elected them. Leading does not mean sticking by your idea no matter what. Leading is taking a step back, looking at the big picture, and compromising to do what is right for the country without a bunch of petty partisan complaints. While personal beliefs are important, giving a little bit of ground to gain the trust of a nation is essential and so much more valuable in the long run. Private citizens have the luxury to be stuck in our ways and refuse to see the other side. Elected leaders do not.

I am not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't imagine that we are handling our economic problems appropriately. If I needed money for something, I would never go to one of those "Quick Loans" places to get an instant check with an astronomical interest rate. It would end up costing me between two and four times the amount I initially borrowed. That's kind of what it feels like the U.S. is doing right now, though. We're looking for quick fixes for things that cannot be fixed quickly, and then we have bigger problems later because we refused to do it right the first time.

This post is not about blaming any specific party or person for the way we are handling our economy. It's simply my wondering out loud if our leaders (all of them, on both sides of the aisle) are really interested in helping our country the way their constituents want them to, or if they are more interested in their own personal agendas and getting ahead in their careers.

So. We've given ourselves less than two months to get another "deal" cut. I know that I don't get to choose where my tax dollars go, but I don't like them going to the salaries of a bunch of congressmen who refuse to make some permanent changes for the betterment of our country. I do not want to be another one of those citizens who sits in front of my TV and is the "Couch Coach." I refuse. I don't see the point in complaining from my couch if I'm not doing my job as a concerned citizen by taking action and making my voice heard. So let's make our voices heard! Let's pressure our senators and representatives and president to make the deal that must be made by March 1st a more permanent solution for our nation than what we've been in the habit of doing.

"Be the change you wish to be in the world." --Gandhi

Piers Morgan Tonight: Societal Change

Last night I watched "Piers Morgan Tonight," a current events show on CNN. It was an incredibly intense show! Here's what happened: piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com. I got pretty fired up about it and this is my response to last night's show.

I just got my teaching degree, my fiancé is a high school teacher, my sisters and brother are all teachers, and my parents are both teachers. None of us would feel comfortable being required to carry a gun at school. In Kentucky (where I currently reside) law it is required that the gun course is "no longer than 8 hours." I am a very quick learner, but I would absolutely not feel that less than eight hours would be sufficient training for anyone, let alone teachers. Schools are not the place for guns.

I feel like tragedies such as this bring out what is closest to everyone's hearts. Piers is intensely passionate about gun control. Dr. Gupta talked about how he thinks that mental health needs to be taken on in a "homeland security" type fashion. Other people are concerned about video game violence. I agree so much with all of these things! But I think that while we need to pass the laws on gun control, change our healthcare system, and crack down more on video game content, we need to use all these things to change our culture. It's our job as parents, future parents, teachers, and, ultimately, humans, to model and teach a safe culture.

We need to change the way our culture sees gun violence, starting at home and going all the way to Washington. At home, we need to put away the video games, turn off the television, and play with our kids. At school, we need to enforce the "zero tolerance" policy against bullying and threats. In communities, we need to educate people on mental illness and change the way we deal with it. In our country, we need to pass laws that make it illegal to buy weapons like the ones that have been instrumental in three mass shootings this year alone, as well as change our healthcare system to actually help mentally ill people.

Above all, we need to, as a society, stop glorifying violence. Our movies are more violent than ever, the media shows incredibly graphic things from tragedies all around the world, and video game graphics are getting increasingly "real." While I understand that movies are just movies, the media reports what it sees as being relevant and important, and games are just games, developing brains have an incredibly hard time distinguishing what they see on the TV from what's "okay" in real life. We are more violent right now as a society than ever before and, contrary to what one of your guests said tonight, it is a culture specific to America. We need to make sure that our children are not seeing violence on a daily basis, and we need to start that now.

I am so impressed with Piers and CNN's work covering this tragic story. It's hard for us all, but we at home can turn off the TV and go do something else; they will be covering this for a long time. Piers had a brilliant show last night and I can't wait to see Cory Booker tonight!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

5 DIY Holiday Gifts

Last Friday I promised a post about "5 Easy DIY Holiday Gifts." Well, they're not all easy, but they're doable! I've only got official guides for three of them because I wasn't sure if the other two would work out or not. They did, so maybe I'll do real guides for the other two next year. So here they are, from easy to hard!

1. Candy Cane Marshmallows.

Check out How to Make Candy Cane Marshmallows by Chick Opinion on Snapguide.

2. Christmas Oreo Truffles.

Check out How to Make Christmas Oreo Truffles by Chick Opinion on Snapguide.

3. Sheet Music Christmas Ball Ornaments.

Check out How to Make Sheet Music Christmas Ball Ornaments by Chick Opinion on Snapguide.







4. Ho-Ho-Hot Chocolate.
It took me about two hours to figure out how to make this work, but I love it! It's a little Santa put on a bag of hot chocolate powder. Perfect for a "Secret Santa" gift or a stocking stuffer!


Supplies: 
- Skin-toned card stock
- Red card stock
- Brown paper bags
- Small bell
- 2 black beads (larger than seed beads, smaller than pony beads)
- 2 small buttons
- White furry yarn or fabric
- 2 small plastic bag
- Glue stick (for the paper)
- Mod Podge or tacky glue (for the fur)
- Black thread
- Red thread
- White thread
- Needle
- Scissors
- Regular scotch tape
- Double-sided tape
- Hot chocolate powder
- Mini marshmallows

Instructions:
1. Cut Santa face, beard, and hat shape (all connected) out of skin-toned card stock.
2. Cut hat shape out of red card stock, a little larger than skin-toned hat outline.
3. Using the glue stick, glue red hat onto larger skin-toned piece.
4. Sew bell onto end of hat using the red thread and only a couple of stitches. If you use too many, you will ruin the point of the hat. This step can be done at the very end if you don't like bell sounds. It got a little bit annoying. :)
5. While you still have red thread on your needle, sew the red buttons on Santa's cheeks.
6. Swap out the red thread for the black and sew on the eyes.
7. Using the Mod Podge or tacky glue (do not try to use the glue stick; ask me how I know that doesn't work...!), glue on the material you have chosen for the fur on the hat.
8. Cut little curls from the fur material.
9. Using the tacky glue or Mod Podge, glue the curls on for the mustache.
10. While you're letting Santa's face dry, place one of the little plastic bags in front of you with one of the corners pointing at your belly button. Sew two lines with the white thread "up" to make a little pocket shape. This is the "beard."
11. Fill it up with mini marshmallows.
12. Cut the excess of the bag off, including the zipping part of the bag.
13. Fold any excess as well as the open top to the back of the beard.
14. Tape it down.
15. Using the double-sided tape, tape the beard to the card stock face.
16. Fill the other little bag with some hot chocolate powder.
17. Wrap it with the brown paper bag.
18. Using the double-sided tape, tape the face to the bag. Whew! You're done!

5. Stockings.

I hand embroidered these with our names. I cut the letters with my Cricut and taped them on while I did their outlines. It took me about six hours to outline and fill the names, but they look great. The red outside shell is polar fleece and they're lined with white flannel. The "fur" is a remnant I found a while back that I knew would be perfect for these. It's my own pattern but I definitely didn't come up with this idea, seeing as it's been around for decades. Don't forget the bells on edge of the fur--if you try to peek in your stocking before Christmas morning the elves will hear you! ;)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

Newtown and the Nation: Looking Forward

I know that all of you have been inundated with the news of the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting on Friday. There's some part of me that feels like I shouldn't write about it, since that's all we've been hearing about since Friday. There's a larger part of me, however, that sees this as something that warrants pause and thought. So here goes.

The children and teachers who were senselessly killed on Friday will leave a hole in the hearts of not only their parents and families, but our entire nation. We've been hearing stories over the last couple of days about those children: their favorite activities, what they'd hoped to do in the future, and the joy they brought to their families and everyone around them. They sound like amazing kids. The faculty who were killed sound like stellar teachers and administrators. They will not be forgotten.

Last night President Obama attended the interfaith memorial service in Newtown. The speech he gave was, in my opinion, one of the best he's given. The overall message was incredibly poignant: "...every parent knows there's nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm...This is our first task, caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we're meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we're all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return?...I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer's no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to change...For those of us who remain, let us find the strength to carry on and make our country worthy of their memory."

While some people take the most obvious issue from this tragedy (gun control) and talk about it, I think we can do better than that. Yesterday, like every Sunday in the fall, I watched football. During the commercials, there were a few previews for television shows that were incredibly disturbing. At the end of them, they all had "Viewer Discretion Advised" written at the top of their last frame. But the previews were shown during the day in the middle of a football game: something that's on in millions of households across America. There was another commercial during the game for a new video game (I don't remember, nor can I find the name of it) in which you have "kill or be killed." It was horrifying. Even though it had an "M for Mature" rating, little kids saw that commercial during the football game and the ones without strict parents will get it if they say that they want it.

We can let the people in Washington argue about what laws they feel are important to pass. A lot of us have opinions on that, too, and that's fine, but that's just the political side of it.

We need to change our society. We have to decide to change. We have to turn off the TV when our kids are home and we know there will be scary things shown, even if it's "our game" that's on. We have to choose to parent our kids and tell them "no" about certain things. We have to teach our kids to love by showing them the love we have for them from the minute they take their first breaths. We have to teach our kids what's right. We have to teach peace. We have to work to "make our country worthy of their memory." We cannot depend on laws to change our society and instill peace in our nation. It starts at home with the family.

And it is work. I love football so much and I hate to think that I'm going to miss watching a lot of "my games" once I have kids, but I'm not going to let my kids watch that. It is work to be a good parent. You have to fight those fights that are hard. But you have to fight them. I was such a stubborn kid when I was little and my parents fought those fights with me and never let me win. I was so angry with them every time I lost those fights. But now I understand why they fought those fights with me and why they were right. Parents need to remember that it's not a popularity contest with their kids and they don't need to be their kids' friends when they're 10 years old. If parents do the hard parenting when their kids need it, the friendship will come later.

Tonight, hug your kids. Talk with your husband or wife about how your family will get through this hard, sad time. Let your kids feel whatever they're feeling right now and express those feelings in the safe ways they need to express them. Never forget this tragedy and victims of it. Let's work together to make sure that we "make our country worthy of their memory."

An angel hand-painted by my great-great aunt Ida Collins. It seemed appropriate for today.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

6 Gifts Men Really Want

When Christmas rolls around, I find that the men on my list are the hardest to shop for. Here are 6 things that prove to always be opened with a big smile.

1. What they have specifically asked for. A lot of time we lovely women think we know best (we're usually right!). When it comes to gifts, though, if the man in your life has specifically said, "I would really like _______ for Christmas," that's what he wants. Really. Even if we think it's incredibly low-key or we don't understand why he could want something like that, it's what he wants and he'll love it!

2. Something that hearkens back to their childhood. Last year I got my fiancé a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey jersey. He grew up in North Dakota and went to their hockey games with his family when he was young. UND just had to relinquish the name "Fighting Sioux" for political correctness reasons and I knew I wouldn't be able to get him something after the name was changed. I loved getting to see his face when he opened it! He didn't expect it and he's worn it all year.

3. Little things they wouldn't buy for themselves. Stocking stuffers can get expensive with guys, especially if they're techies. So forego the tiny expensive things and get a few stuffers they would never  even think of, but will enjoy: backscratcher brush for the shower, nail clippers that they can keep exclusively in their bathroom so they don't take yours, little bags of their favorite snacks, scented candle for their bathroom, pens (they always lose pens!), or an iTunes gift card.

4. Something that you don't necessarily like, but they do. Giving gifts is all about giving something that you know the other person will love. The first birthday my fiancé had when we were dating, I got him a Tempurpedic pillow. Boring, right?! But I knew he would love it; and he did! He still sleeps on it every night.

5. Handmade gifts from the heart. I know this might sound like something "lame" for guys, but it's really not. I made my future father-in-law a scarf last year and he loved it! Photo albums, old letters, and scrapbooks are other ways to show that you care. Coupon books for the leading gentleman in your life are always a hit.

6. Homemade food. We've all heard the saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." It's true. If you give them homemade food, of any sort, done up in a festive way, it will be appreciated by being eaten by lunch time...!

Have a great holiday weekend! Coming on Monday: 5 Easy Handmade Holiday Gifts.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

12/12/12 Time Capsule

Yesterday, I spent the whole day working on a time capsule honoring "12/12/12" to be opened on January 1, 2101 (01/01/01). I love numbers, so I thought it would be fitting to celebrate the last triple number of this century by doing something fun!

First, I thought about what I wish I could see from 90 years ago. Next I went around my house looking for little things I think are "iconic" from 2012. Then I went to Target and picked up glow sticks. I really went out to look for Twinkies. I thought they would be the perfect thing to put in the time capsule because 1) they went out of business in 2012 after being iconic for "childhoods" for years and 2) they would last for 90 years! But, after a grocery store, three gas stations, and, finally, Target, I gave up my search for the elusive Twinkie.

Here's a list of everything in the 12/12/12 Time Capsule along with its description that I put in the letter:

1. "The Joy of Pi" by David Slatner - I guess the most obvious place to start is the book, “The Joy of Pi” that is in the capsule. I love numbers! The number π is somewhat in vogue right now. I have always found it interesting. When I was in high school I memorized π to 279 digits. I hope that’s more common when you read this than when I did it. I was considered a “nerd” when I did that. But I continued loving π through college. I bought this book for fun once and read it a few times. Today’s society is very interested in numerology and it’s a fun book for a rainy afternoon. The last time I read it was on a trip to Wisconsin this last summer. It took us about nine hours to drive from Kentucky to Wisconsin and I took a few books with me. This was one of them!
2. Sue Grafton bookmark -  Following along the lines of books, I’ve included a bookmark from the Boone County Public Library in Kentucky and my library card from Louisville, KY. One of my favorite authors is Sue Grafton. She wrote the “Alphabet Mysteries” (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc.). The main character’s name is Kinsey Millhone and she is a detective. I love her! Also, Sue Grafton went to Atherton High School in Louisville, KY, which is where I went for the last couple of years of high school! Janet Evanovich (the author on the other side of the bookmark) writes mysteries that are a little too gory and graphic for me. She is also, however, a best-selling author. 
3. Library card from Louisville - My library card is just for fun. I assume you don’t have to carry library cards anymore, so I thought it would be silly to see one. Ignore my signature—terrible handwriting! 
4. Harry Potter "Golden Snitch" - Harry Potter has been part of our culture now for over a decade and I've been with it every step of the way. J.K. Rowling had her first book since the Harry Potter series come out in 2012: “The Casual Vacancy.” I haven’t read it yet—the library has a waiting list of 93 people and it’s still too expensive for me to buy. For the record, if Harry Potter is not popular for some reason and you have no idea what a “snitch” is, bring it back! Hunt it down in the alcoves of the library or the Internet or whatever you have right now, and make it popular again. 
5. Legolas action figure - "The Hobbit" comes out this December, building on an empire of epic stories from the last decade. Hopefully this, too, will still be part of common literature. As with Harry Potter, if you don’t know what this series is, go find it. I should be clear: read Harry Potter first, then watch the movies. With “The Lord of the Rings,” unless you absolutely love reading about every blade of grass that they pass on their journey, watch the movies first, and then if you’re intrigued, read them. Reading-wise I only made it through “The Fellowship of the Ring” and half of “The Two Towers.” Never even touched “The Return of the King.” Brilliant stories, though! 
6. A mini Battleship game - Wouldn't it be cool if you don't even know what a "battleship" is?
7. Purple cornflower seeds - I love gardening! Do you have room for recreational gardens?
8. A pin from the Bureau of Land Management in its "Made in China" package - 3 reasons for this one: my grandfather worked for the BLM starting in the 1950s, I got the pin on Josh's and my engagement trip at Pompeii's Pillar in Montana, and the package for a pin for one of our national programs says so obviously "Made in China." We make a lot of our stuff in China right now. There is a push being made to get some of our jobs back to the USA, but it’s much cheaper to have jobs overseas because other countries don’t have the same laws we do when it comes to how much we have to pay their citizens. It’s not right, but it’s how it is right now. I really hope that has changed.
9. Campaign paraphernalia - There is a lot of stuff in here from the Obama-Biden campaign. One of the biggest things that happened in 2012 was Barack Obama getting re-elected President of the United States. I volunteered for the campaign for the last two months of it in Cincinnati, Ohio. I got to see both Barack and Michelle give speeches. I do have my tickets from those events, but I’m not including them because I want to put them in a scrapbook (which, if you’re my family, you hopefully still have!). The blue bumper sticker is the same kind I have on my car. I wore both of the campaign buttons on my coat through October. The blue stickers are from a roll of them. And the white one was handed out at the event we saw Barack Obama speak at. Working on that campaign was a fantastic experience and I hope that you still talk about President Barack Obama.
10. One each of a quarter, dime, nickel, and penny - I wanted to include it because it’s what we as a society still use on a daily basis. The only time I use it is when I have to do laundry, which is at a coin-operated laundromat in the apartment complex we live in. If I were a betting woman, I would say you probably aren’t still having to carry this around. 
11. Patriots and Packers polar fleece helmets - I love sports! I so hope you all still do, too! I have a feeling that there will be arguments about American football and its safety until the end of time. Josh and I watch football every weekend! I am a huge New England Patriots fan and Josh is a huge Green Bay Packers fan. The Patriots were in the Super Bowl in February 2012, but lost (again) to the New York Giants. The Patriots are currently 10-3 and the Packers are 9-4 with three games left in the season. I’m desperately hoping the Pats make it back to the Super Bowl next year! The polar fleece helmets are what the Patriots and Packers helmets look like right now.
12. Louisville Final Four 2012 t-shirt - Not only are we football fans, we are also basketball fans! Josh and I both graduated from the University of Louisville in May 2012 (Josh with his masters, me with my bachelors). During “March Madness” the UofL Cardinals made it to the Final Four. That’s what the T-shirt is from. Josh’s parents actually got to attend our Final Four game. Unfortunately, we lost to our rivals (University of Kentucky Wildcats), who went on to win the National Championship. Wow, that still hurts to have to write that. We hate UK. A lot. But in a good way. Nothing crazy. I really hope they’re still rivals. If you don’t live in Kentucky (which I really hope you don’t!), look it up and find out! 
13. Un-popped microwave popcorn - If there is a food that is not a Twinkie that will make it sitting in a box for the next 90 years, it's microwave popcorn! Our society is also crazed about food. We know that there are foods that are bad for us, but we still eat them. I am including one of those favorites: microwave popcorn. It still has trans fat in it. Please, please don’t eat it! I’m sure it’s terrible for you in about 15 new ways you’ve found out since 2012. It’s actually amazing: in 2012, there was a man who got “popcorn lung” and successfully sued the company for millions of dollars. I hope so badly that you have gotten over the fad of suing everything that moves just for the fun of it. I also hope that your media is reporting stories that have a little bit more substance than now.
14. Used StarbucksCard - Fast food restaurants are incredibly popular right now, too. I don’t eat it (I haven’t in years), so the closest I could come to sharing anything from the fast food industry is the used StarbucksCard. I wish I’d left you money on it (maybe it could gain interest?!), but I love coffee enough that I’m not that nice. I expect Starbucks to finally take over the world. 
15. Pages from the Elle Fall 2012 Fashion Edition - I wanted to fit the whole magazine in, but it wouldn't fit. I took out some of the most iconic ads of 2012 fashion and included them: Michael Kors, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta...I'm sure there were others, but those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. 
16. The New York & Company Fall 2012 Catalogue - It has the prices as well as "current" fashion. Could be fun to look back at. I hope with everything I have that if only one thing in fashion changes between 2012 and 2101, it’s that you’re using real-sized women for women’s clothing, not little stick-figure girls. It’s killing our young girls, expecting them to be tiny all the time. Anorexia and bulimia are running rampant through our schools. Girls as young as five are starting to think about the way they look instead of just playing in the sandbox like we used to. It’s crazy.
17. "White" by Vera Wang Spring 2012 Collection catalogue - Definitely looked at this while I was thinking about the style of my wedding dress.
18. Pages from the David's Bridal Fall 2012 Bride Book and Wedding Party Book - Again, wanted to put the whole thing in, but I couldn't, so I put in some of my favorite dresses and the style of bridesmaid dress my bridesmaids are going to wear this summer.
19. Unopened Louis Vuitton (inspired) mints - Mints in a baby briefcase.
20. Michael Kors tag off a shirt I bought - He is one of the biggest "household name" American designers of 2012.
21. Travel-sized "Noir Tease" from Victoria's Secret - "This is what 2012 smelled like." Well, kind of? I wonder if it will still smell "good"...
22. Neon pink nail polish - How many times will the 1980s have "made a comeback" by 2101? I don't even want to think about that.
23. Glow sticks - I haven't ever thought these weren't cool. I really hope they're still around!
24. Wireless USB Microsoft mouse - I’ve also included a mouse that wirelessly connects to the USB found on the bottom. It says “Microsoft” on it, which is one of the biggest computer companies right now. The other big company is “Macintosh.” I use almost everything Mac: computer, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPad. I am almost 90% sure that you have no idea what those are, but they are the latest technology right now. Well, not the latest because I have the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5 came out in October 2012. The iPhone 4S came out right after Steve Jobs (its co-founder) died. Anyway, this mouse is one I used during college for gaming.
25. Unopened waterproof disposable camera - I am pretty sure that you won’t have the ability to use the item contained in the silver package, but I thought it would be fun for you to see. It’s a waterproof disposable camera. They’re obsolete now, so I’m sure they don’t exist in this capacity when you read this. They were always fun to use, though, if you went on vacation and wanted to take really terrible-quality photos!
26. Empty black printer cartridge - If you're not laughing by this point, you will be now...!
27. A shell from the beach in Vanuatu - The last few things are personal. I put in a shell from when I lived in Vanuatu. It’s in a bag just in case it contains any sort of anything that could be considered a disease or bad or whatever. It shouldn’t, because it’s been in the U.S. in open air for almost eight years, but I just wanted to, again, let you know. I lived in Vanuatu for about five years when I was younger. We always went to the beach and collected shells. I hope it’s still around. The ocean levels are rising drastically right now, and parts of Kiribati are already underwater. With Vanuatu being an island nation, it’s only natural to worry about it being underwater in 90 years…
28. A Hallmark card - The card is from my parents to Josh and me for our housewarming (apartment warming, really) party. It was on Labor Day, 2012. We had my family and Josh’s family up for the day and it was great! I just thought it was nice since it’s our first apartment together.
29. A flower I made with my Cricut Expression 2 - This is the best technology there is when it comes to "papercrafting." What do you have now?!
30. Some photos of Josh and me (engagement), Emily and me at Obama campaign events, and Mom and me with the scarves and hats we sent to victims of Sandy.

I think that's a pretty exhaustive list of 2012. I worked all day making video clips that I was going to put on a USB drive...and then somehow in transferring it to my video editing software it deleted itself. So in the letter I wrote I asked if they still had fun little glitches like that with technology. I'm bummed out about that, though, because I thought it would be fun to have a little "time capsule within a time capsule."

I'm so sorry it took me a whole day to write this up, but I got really into it. I think it's going to be the best New Year's present ever! Maybe I'll still be around to see it...I'll only be 112. 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi