The Windy City

For my lovely ten days of Spring Break, I will be embarking on my first adventure as an adult. A round trip consisting of 858 miles, car travel time totaling about sixteen hours, and three different locations are on the menu. Thankfully my mother is along for this exciting “outing.” The final destination is begging me to get there already!

The first leg of our trip is to a small town close to Madison, Wisconsin called Middleton. Though we will not staying longer then a day and night, it will be good to mingle with my grandparents and great-grandmother, 96, for some quality time. However, many miles will await us, and we’ll be back on the road in no time. Are final target waits!

Leg two: Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. My dear older brother, Nathan, schools there and it’s my chance to experience some hands on classes with him for we are similar in education tastes. Also, funny enough, my best friend, Allie, also attends Trinity. Unusually when I visit we take rotten fruit and slingshot them as far as possible and/or walk around the lake and/or visit the Oasis, a bridge filled with restaurants. From hanging with Allie to learning with the brother, my time will last a couple of days with them. But finally, my real objective is to come.

Leg three brings us to the one and only, drum roll, please, Chicago. I will have arrived at my goal. From the wind to the skyscrapers, to school shopping to clothes shopping, from deep fried pizza to chill dogs, from science museums to art galleries, my heart will be resting in bliss. Happiness will belong to me. Peace will seek only myself. My mind will rest. I will walk and talk, photograph the poor and young, the wealth and old, I will sketch and paint, dreaming all along. Chicago is my city: the city of beauty and life. For three wonderful days I will reside in The Windy City. Joy will be mine.

Such gloom will drag me from my contentment. For however long happiness last it will end. The journey home will come, and my heart will sink. The only thing that will keep me from sinking into the pits of despair will be the joy of planning another trip: my trip to California. But that’s for another time. Here I come Chicago!

Peace & Chaos

People come up with many different ideas about what makes a functional or dysfunctional family. However, there is a believe that there is one main one for each. Here they are.

Communication: one of the top key elements to a functional sane family. Without it, chaos is set loose. Clear communication is a life skill that should start at a young age with “Yes, Dad, I hear you,” or “Yes, Mom, I understand.” It’s address respect and clarity. With communication comes the building of trust in relationships. It is a tool that is ingrained in every functional family.

Dysfunctional family

On the contrary, a dysfunctional family is made up of avoiding conflict. Because communication is absent there is no clarity. When conflict arises, because of lack of communication, people shut down, they don’t take the blame, and walk off not wanting to get the backlash. They avoid conflict of any kind, shape, or form. And because of it, there is no respect for those who are hurting. Conflict can be a two different preferences or a mental struggle within. Which ever the case, in a dysfunctional family one will either avoid voicing their disagreeing opinion or refuse to think through their personal battles. Avoiding conflict is like a disease that needs to be treated.

Functional family

Now, there is no such thing as the perfect family, ever. Families can be happy and intelligent, or glum and thoughtless, (and everything in between and mixed,) but both have been found under the dysfunctional category as well as the functional one. It would be a lie if someone said they love conflict. Even in functional families, not everyone ones wants to work through difficulties because to be frank, it’s easier not too. But functional families do, because they learn from them and become better people because of it. Not every functional family remembers to communicate either. The fact is, whether people are related to a functional family or not, communication is priority as well as working through conflicts, and it’s something they should practice.

My Soul

My Soul

The timer clicks loudly at an up beat pace.

Blaring heat protrudes from the buzzing heater.

Ocean waves echo over and over and over on the white-noise machine.

Someone’s smacking gum.

Keyboards are abuse at the consistent tap-tap-tap of heavy fingers.

Click goes the pen.

A phone rings.

A baby cries.

A bell rings.

Exiting my not-so-quite-world, I stroll into the forest, escaping chaos, and enter overwhelming calmness.

Soft snaps of breaking twigs underfoot repeat.

A chilled breeze brushes the hanging leafs. 

The creek tinkles over and over and over again.

Birds sing peaceful melodies.

The ginger cat purrs as he walks on the loose earth.

Breathing slows.

A deer dashes away.

A beetle buzzes by.

A hoot sounds.

My soul rests in bliss.

A poem by Hannah Petersen on February 20, 2012

Does anyone remember My Space? How about that ancient Xanga? I bet a precious handful do remember. BUT, I'll bet everyone from 7 to at lest 75 years old could tell you what Facebook is regardless if they had an account or not.  What is it about Facebook that's SO intriguing? How does Facebook do such a thorough job sucking 845 million active users in? 

Let's begin with telling you WHAT Facebook is. Facebook is a social networking site. It's a place to chat with friends, plays games, and/or creates an identity. A three-in-one, you could say! Everything thing you normally do in your spare time in one place, on any computer, anytime, anywhere. Let's just think about the first two things: friends and games. You can wall post, chat, and inbox your friend, and play games from anything complicated to action! But, the most dangerous thing about Facebook is that it's, wait for it, FREE. You don't have to call up anyone, drive anywhere, or spend money to be entertained. Facebook provides ENDLESS social and mind-relaxing options at the tips of our fingers! (Literally, actually.) Anybody can use it! Facebook has become a mandatory thing in life, like using the restroom or eating. Like I said before, Facebook is a place to create your identity. We check it so often to see if anyone has noticed our status update, or new profile picture. Facebook, to some extent, has become a verifying tool for who we are, or, dare I say, who we wished be perceived as. This is why Facebook is intriguing and why people flock in the millions to its "pearly" gates, as Mathias' essay stated. 

My personal and humble views on Facebook would lead me to say it's a little dangerous. I understand not everyone is a Facebookholic, but I think it would be save to say that more then half are. Facebook can easily replace human social with cyberspace social. As humans I think we NEED that natural social atmosphere. And not just at school where everyone has a class to get to and everyone has practice to get to, but an active "lets go have fun at the bowling ally or pool!" For humans, I think its health. You can't go actively bowl, or get physically wet on Facebook, now can you? Now, to be fair, I do have a Facebook account, which I use regularly. I mostly use it for communication with friends who live in other states and countries--people I don't get to see. On occasion you will see me play Snake or Pac-man, but more then likely I'll be working on a puzzle or baking treats. On the other hand, I don't know whether to be proud or saddened, but my parents both use Facebook more then I do. They play memory games and chat away with college or high-school buddies quite a bit. I don't mind them on Facebook at all. It's cool seeing the older generation enjoying the same pleasure we do! It's a great way to connect. But would it be better to connect with them on the bowling ally? 

Facebook has its pro and cons. I do think it's a great tool. But I also think it's a great tool that can be abused. We should all know are limitations and not forget to live in the real world outside of cyberspace. 

Anticipation

My mind bubbles with excitement when I think of my future. Endless opportunities and experiences erupt right before my eyes. Three life-changing things are to occur within the year for myself. I can hardly sit still typing this out!

The first week in March will be the kick off with myself becoming a legal adult. That's right, I'm turning 18, and frankly, I'm terrified. I'm going to be an adult! I don't feel qualified enough to be an adult. Could it really have been me wedgy-ing my little brother for kicks, yesterday? I've got a lot of growing up to do. However, I'm comforted when I see my loyal parents still learning from their mistakes. It reminds me that I have a whole life of learning to do (and maybe nothings entirely wrong with a well deserved wedgy. ;-))

In addition, two months later I’ll be watching my dearest older brother being wedded to my first to-be sister-in-law. I still don't know how I'm going to react when it final happens. I'm nervous our relationship will change. And then I'm frustrated I even think that. If anything, our relationship should strengthen. So much will change, but why think the worst? So much will change for the BETTER!     

Lastly, near the end of Summer I'm taking a huge step of faith. Along with a group of kids and leaders, I'm traveling to Nepal for 6 weeks to do mission work. We'll be hanging with poor orphan children and young teenage girls who have been recused from sex trafficking. We'll be comforters, providers, and light for the further. My heart is so overwhelmed with anticipation I feel as if a basketball was inflated in my chest. I know on my return home that I won't be the same person. Who won't be?


All-in-all, crazy things will happen, crazy things are to take place, and crazy lessons in life with be learned. Dare I say it, but I do, bring it on!

Forever Selfish

Our plane landed in Madison, Wisconsin on a dazzling sunny day. My family exited the plane and went to luggage pickup. There waiting for us were my grandparents. Such joy we always have upon seeing them! Living in Oakland, California made it hard to each other much. I hugged my grandpa with my little arms, inhaling his expensive cologne and squeezing his soft zigzag sweater. We share little words but wink at each other; smiling cheesy grins. No one in the world could ever understand our relationship. We say so much with our eyes and teeth. And then I raced to my grandma, taking in her stunningly bright-colored sweat suit. I asked her if we could go to the pool that day. She chuckled and poked my nose saying it was a bit chilly out for swimming, maybe next time. As my six other family members followed my grandparents to the cars, (for naturally we could not all fit into one compacted car,) my mind was on water toys, misty fountains, and melting ice cream.  We left the building and headed into the damp, rubber-smelling, parking garage. Up ahead I saw an ink black PT-Cruiser and smiled. At seven years old PT-Cruisers were the “coolest.” I wondered if I would ever get to ride in one; my imagination went wild at the thought. As we kept walking I kept looking for my grandpa’s gray and my grandma’s white Honda’s. We were very close to the PT-Cruiser now. To my astonishment, grandma approached and unlocked the sleek black PT-Cruiser.

“Grandma!” I whispered loudly, “This is your car?”

“Yes, dear. Grandma got a new car. Do you like it?” she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

I, as my seven-year-old mind thought dramatically, “almost died.”  Of course I didn’t just like it; I LOVED it. What would my friends say? I could hardly wait to tell them! I had the coolest grandparents ever!

When I think of my grandparents, three adjectives come to mind: wise, humble, and generous. They think before speaking and consult before acting. It is these things that have made me forever selfish of them; for why would I want to share them with anyone else? Could it be possible to tuck them in my pocket and pull them out whenever I needed advise? Or maybe just to take me to the pool and let me lap on a dripping ice cream while sitting in the cool fountain? 

My love to them, forever and always

Grace by U2
---
Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name  
                                                                        GRACE                                              
Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks one the street                                           
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything
                                                                           REMOVES THE
Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything
                                                                            STAINS
Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition



What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things



Grace makes beauty out of ugly things
---


Grace can be a beautiful thing and not just something that becomes a blessing for the undeserved. I'm not a giver of grace, I'm a "he got what he deserved" type person. But when I hear this song, I hear Grace is "also a thought that changed the world." That Grace changes this world. That blessing the undeserved changes this world, and in a positive way. Grace took away "what left a mark" and made it "no longer sting". When I don't deserve something I know I don't deserve it, but nothing feels better then when grace steps in and blesses me with taking away my "what once was hurt". This song is inspirational to me because it tells me how I can help change the world; how I can come along side the undeserved and instead of taking away hope of removing their stains I try and help remove them.