Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today is the day when my dad came into the world...back when dirt was being formed, and our first ancestors had to walk uphill both ways, in the snow, to go to school!  It's so great to have a dad like mine...the only one of his kind.  (Thank goodness!)  I have learned so many wonderful, and sometimes even repetitive lessons from him.  Sooner or later I will realize that he knows a lot.  He is the hardest-working, always willing to help others, full of sarcasm, genuine, funny, sometimes likes my kind of movies, and leading-by-example person I have ever met.  Now that I'm getting older, I notice the traits my brother and I have inherited from him.  We truly are a mixture of the two best people in the world.  This is one of many birthdays I have spent, and will spend, away from my family, but I always know that my dad is there with a tease or a jab at my favorite singers to make me feel like a little kid again.  He is truly a wonderful person, and I'm so grateful he is my dad.

HE IS MY FAVORITE DAD!!!  (the one on the right, that is)

Austrian Summer Craft #1

This week, I was getting a little stir crazy so I decided to do a craft.  While on my mission, I found an antique leather strap with an Edelweiss flower on it, which has just been laying around for awhile with no purpose or reason for being.  That became my craft!  I've always been envious of those missionaries who return with a scripture case symbolic of the area in which they served-- those rainbow striped ones for South America, Leather for Africa, or basket-weave for Philippines-- so that's what I decided to make...a genuine Austrian scripture case.

While wandering the aisles of Joann Fabrics, I called my mom to tell her my plan.  I'd decided to get some plastic needlepoint canvas to use as the skeleton of the case, for stability, and then cover the case in a rustic green material.  She gave me some hints and tips-- look for the demo scraps of fabric, they're cheaper, get a good zipper, and wait till you come home and I'll teach you some more advanced sewing techniques to dress it up.

WELL....I got home from the store, items in hand, and set to work.  I was only going to do the skeleton and then do the rest with mom.  BUT....I got too excited, so I moved on to the next step...then I decided to wait till I could use a sewing machine, but again, I got too excited so I sewed a bit by hand...and then the next...and then the next until, finally, it's all done.  I'm so pleased with how the case turned out.

Supplies, all ready to go - TOTAL $7.50

20" x 20" Fabric swatch...only cost $2

Skeleton

Testing it out

Making the pattern 

All pinned together

Sewing the zipper to the fabric

Adding the zipper

ALL DONE!!  That leather strap is true Austrian fashion!

  

I'M SOOOOOO HAPPY WITH HOW IT TURNED OUT. 

I will definitely do one of these again.  Who knows, maybe in 3 years, I'll be ready to make a new souvenir holder.  Next time however, I'll use a sewing machine.

Elbow-grease and beads of sweat

The best thing in the world happened to me today.  Two of my classes decided we'd had enough learning and were cancelled, so I only had one class to go to (and I was even considering not going and just finishing projects to prepare for finals).  I get to class and the Professor asks to speak to me after class.

I panicked!

What did I do now?!?

Did I forget to turn some big thing in?

Class was a hand-wringer and nail-biter as I tried to decipher why in the world she'd need to speak to me privately.  After class, she handed me a piece of paper and told me to have an awesome summer.  Confused, I read over the letter she'd placed in my nervous hand.  Great, I've failed out of her class and this is the official BYU letterhead notification of my flunking out of BYU.

It read (translated)...

"Dear Anne Marie, You have worked hard this entire semester and should therefore receive a reward.  Here are your instructions regarding the final exam.
1. Don't study for the exam.
2. Come to my office on the day of the final to collect your papers and assignments.
3. If you come to my office during that time...
4. You won't need to come to the final exam.
Important: You must come to my office during the above mentioned times, if you do not want to take the final exam.  If you come to class or not to my office, you will need to take the exam.  
Your grade for German 302 is A
It was a pleasure having you in my class.  Thank you for your cooperation and interest in class.  You are intelligent, hard-working  and a wonderful kind of person to work with, and will have a wonderful future.  Good luck in the future and best wishes.  Let me know how things so, and pleas continue with German.  Visit Germany, Austria, and Switzerland often!

Sincerely,
Professor Osman"

I am in such a good mood now!!  I love hard work, and I truly feel blessed that this semester has gone as well as it has.  This semester has been, by far, the best in my entire college-career, and I have loved every single minute of it.

Finals are Films

I had to do 2 videos, as final projects, for German classes.  Why is it, in college that we have to do so many random projects?!?

This video is a mock news broadcast about an article discussing Turkish immigrants in Germany.  It's supposed to be funny.

This is also my first attempt at using the "Windows Movie Maker" and actually making a video.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  Only took me a day to figure the program out.  ENJOY!!

Oh the things I can do

As a class assignment, we had to mimic various famous writings.  These are a few of the ones I enjoy the most.  (The orange is my own writing)

Doctrine & Covenants 122: 6-7

"If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb; And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.  If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations;  if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring,and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you?  and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;  And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee;  if thou be cast into the deep;  if the billowing surge conspire against thee;  if fierce winds become thine enemy;   if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."

If thou art accursed with all manner of craziness if thine roommates drop to the floor if they tear thee from the company of thy homework and textbooks and essays and if with a double-feature thine and nail polish roommates tear thee from the bosom of the testing center, and of thine study groups.  And thine TA, although but 2 years older, shall cling to thy ID number, and shall say, My student, my student, why can’t you stay in class?  O, my student, what are the roommates going to do with you?  and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the movie, and thou be dragged to a girls’ night, and thine roommates prowl around thee like a vulture for the flesh of the carcass.  And if thou shouldst be cast into the lovesack, or into the hands of makeovers, and the sentence of all-nighter passed upon thee, if thou be cast into the pajamas; if the growing blanket-tent ascend before thee; if howling giggles become thine hypnosis if the night gather stardust and all the game choices combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of midnight showing shall linger open the dollar movie theater know thou, my friend, that all these things shall give thee a fun time....And shall help thee with sanity.

Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

We hold these tests to be self-destroying, that all students are studying evenly, that they are endowed by their professor with certain unalienable study tips,that among these are Fun, Freedom, and the pursuit of the right study group. – That to secure these “good grades,” classes are instituted among students, deriving their extra credits from the consent of the TA, - That whenever any Form of Review Guide becomes unavailable to these striving geniuses, it is the Right of the Students to ask for or to receive it, and to institute a new Grading procedure, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Graduation and Success.

Frederick Douglass’ What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

"They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage.  They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression.  They showed forbearance; but that they knew its limits.  They believed in order; but not in the order of tyranny.  With them, nothing was "settled" that was not right.  With them, justice, liberty and humanity were "final";  not slavery and oppression.

You may well cherish the memory of such men.  They were great in their day and generation.  Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times."

They were funny girls; but they preferred unending laughter to peaceful study sessions.  They were quiet girls; but they did not shrink from bursting at the seams with adventure.  They showed endurance; but they knew its limits.  They believed in schedules, but not in overbooking.  With them, nothing was “given up” that was not fought for.  With them, excitement, originality, and creativity were “ultimate”; not sadness and sorrow.  You may well cherish the memory of such friends.  They were great in their day and apartment.  Their solid friendship stands out the more as we contrast it with these stressful times.

The Declaration of Stupidity

We hold these tests to be self-destroying, that all students are studying evenly, that they are endowed by their professor with certain unalienable study tips,that among these are Fun, Freedom, and the pursuit of the right study group. – That to secure these “good grades,” classes are instituted among students, deriving their extra credits from the consent of the TA, - That whenever any Form of Review Guide becomes unavailable to these striving geniuses, it is the Right of the Students to ask for or to receive it, and to institute a new Grading procedure, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Graduation and Success.