#Awesome

This week I got to spend a day in a 2nd grade classroom volunteering with a local financial literacy non-profit. Including this year, I've now participated in this program for 5-6 years, and it's always one of my favorite days in the year. The kids really get excited about learning, and they find it fun because it's a break from the regular school day. I find it fun to take a break from my regular work day, so everyone wins!

Every year there is a quote or two that stays with me. Mostly they are funny, some are sweet, some are weird, and some are all three. This year's most prescient comment came from one young man as were were discussing elections and consequences: "Donald Trump is a Booger!" he exclaimed. However, that one won't be the quote that will change my life (or change anyone's mind on the Great Orange Cheeto Man).

One boy, when introducing himself, would constantly say right after his name: "Hashtag Awesome"! I loved his brash self-confidence and total self-possession. It's something I completely lack. But I think we can all try to have that self-confidence and joy in ourselves. How "awesome" would it be if we all thought we were "Hashtag Awesome" worthy?

Blogging is one of the things that makes me feel "Hashtag Awesome," and while I'm not as confident as a 2nd grader in my abilities, I definitely need to blog more until I achieve awesomeness. What makes you feel "Hashtag Awesome"?

The Continent

If I've learned anything about myself over the past few years of blogging, it's if I don't blog about something soon after it happens, it will not get blogged about (see: my Ireland trip a few years ago). Thus, here is a blog post about my epic trip to Budapest and Prague, organized thematically.

As I flew over the Atlantic, I realized it's been about 15 years since I visited continental Europe. This is tragic because, as a history nerd, I love Europe.

Sunrise on the plane - on our way!

Budapest and Prague were both unique - I felt like Prague had more of an classical European "old world" feel, while Budapest was more funky and eclectic.

Hanging out with my fellow American, Ronald Reagan, in Budapest

Budapest has lots of random statutes - we saw Imre Nagy, Ronald Reagan, Attila Jozsef, Lajos Kossuth, the Magyar kings, St. Gellert, Queen Elisabeth (of Austria-Hungary, not the one you're thinking of), along with anonymous statutes of 19th century policemen and 20th century guitar players. Lady Liberty of Budapest graces the city and is visible almost everywhere. Prague had Kafka randomness, St. John of Nepomak, Tycho Brache and Johannes Kepler, and a bridge full of statues that I wish I knew more about.

Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest

Each city had some beautiful cathedrals, churches, and synagogues. I love the feel of cathedrals - awe-inspiring and huge, with beautiful art reminding us of divine truths. In Budapest, we saw St. Stephen's Cathedral, and marveled at the scenes of the city from the top of its dome. The Rock Church was a small chapel built into the hillside on the "Buda" side of the river. Budapest had the beautiful Dohany Street Synagogue, ornate in its decorations and even boasting an organ (Orthodox synagogues don't have organs, as this would require someone to "work" on the Sabbath by playing the organ). Budapest's Rumbach Street Synagogue was a beautiful example of Moorish architecture, but sadly, much in need of repair. I loved the multi-colored tiles of the Matthais Church high on Buda hill, which also boasted a very colorful (painted) interior.

Matthais Church, Budapest - love the gingerbread multi-colored roof tiles!

St. Vitus Cathedral. Just, you know, AMAZING.

In Prague, St. Vitus Cathedral was massive, mighty, and magnificent. I especially loved a stained glass window done by Alphonse Mucha. St. Nicholas Church in Prague was way too much Baroque (I can only take that style in small doses). We also took a day trip to Kutna Hora outside Prague to see the Bone Church Ossuary (CREEPY - just really really really CREEPY) and St. Barbara's Cathedral. I liked that St. Barbara's was not very crowded and had some interesting history, being in a former silver mining town. Prague's Jewish quarter held a very simple and very old synagogue built in the 13th century (!), along with the beautiful moorish designed Spanish Synagogue. Tyn Church was old and stately, with great accoustics.

Budapest Opera House - Grandiose and AWESOME! 

This trip was filled with lots of great music in great venues. We attended an Opera in Budapest's Opera House. The Grand Staircase reminds me of the staircase in the Titantic movie (my reference points are super classy like that). The opera was in French with Hungarian/English surtitles and it was Werther, based on a German novel - how's that for multi-cultural! We went to a charity concert performance of Mozart's Requiem at St. Matthais in Budapest - the music just seemed to expand and fill every nook and cranny of the cathedral. In Prague, we went to a concert in the Tyn church, which was basically the "greatest hits" of classical music and totally geared towards tourists like me, but it was still amazing to hear "Ave Maria" belted out in a cathedral that's stood for hundreds of years. Our last night in Prague, we hit a high note by attending a concert which was part of the "Strings of Autumn" series. The concert featured songs in french with absolutely perfect and amazing piano accompaniment (the one song I recognized was Claire De Lune, which I only recognized because it's in Ocean's Eleven...like I said, classy). The best part, however, was the venue - an opulent and absolutely perfect hall in Prague castle.

Spanish Hall, Prague Castle

Speaking of amazing spaces, we toured the Budapest Parliament building, which was stunningly gorgeous and super interesting. In Prague, we visited two gorgeous libraries at the Strahov Monastery and Klementium. We also wandered along Charles Bridge several times, which may have been my favorite place in Prague - stunning views of the Prague skyline and lots of people enjoying the scene, selling artwork and crafts, and looking at the statutes.

Strahov Monastery Library, aka my personal reading room if I was a Billionaire

In Budapest we visited the House of Terror, used by the secret police under both the Nazi and Soviet regimes. It is a reminder of the pain and suffering that too many still face at the hands of political oppression. Much as I don't like some of the presidential nominees this election season, I don't think any of them would go that far (hopefully we all won't have to find out).

Budapest Holocaust Memorial

Both cities had sobering reminders of the tragedies of the Holocaust. In Budapest, we saw the Holocaust memorial on the side of the Danube. This memorial was fashioned out of cast iron shoes, to remember those who lost their lives at the hands of the Arrow Cross militia.  Jews were ordered to take off their shoes before being shot and having their bodies carried away by the river. On Budapest synagogue grounds, there was also a metal tree with leaves holding the names of those lost in the Holocaust. In Prague, the Pinkas synagogue has the names of all the Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia - it was sobering and terrifying to think that human beings could do that to other human beings. Budapest and Prague both had Jewish Ghettos where Jews were essentially imprisoned even before being shipped off to work camps or concentration camps in other locations.

Pinkas Synagogue

Along with the Holocaust memorials, there were reminders that some people tried to help. We saw monuments to Carl Lutz and Raoul Wallenburg, European diplomats who helped save thousands of Jews in Budapest. One of the things I love about traveling is learning about historical figures. I was really impressed with the story of Jan Hus, a Czech reformationist pastor who was killed at the hands of the Catholic Church for standing up for his beliefs, which included arguing for the right of all people to take communion and hear church services in their native tongue.

Jan Hus, one of my new heroes

Of course, we ate lots of yummy and varied food - I tried to be adventurous, but I probably didn't try anything too exotic because I fear sickness and I'm a wimp. Lantos, or fried bread, was a delicious and filling meal in Budapest. Pinterest clued us in to Gelato Rosa in Budapest, a gelato place with ice cream cones shaped like roses (for the record, the gelato was scrumptious as well as visually stunning). A Jewish bakery in Budapest had lots of pastries. Our best meal was undoubtedly at Strudel House in Budapest, where we had goulash, savory and sweet strudel, raspberry soup, and fresh bread. Also had a delicious meal at Cafe Louve in Prague, complete with bread dumplings. We ate lots of snack and street food - Turo Rudi (sweet cottage cheese covered in chocolate), potato chips on a stick, Kurtoskalacs (a spiral hollow bread originally from Hungary - in Prague we had some filled with ice cream that were DIVINE). Filed under random: pizza with duck!

Lantos with sour cream, ham, lettuce, and cheese - YUM!

The guidebooks all said that one of the "must" experiences in Budapest was the public baths. We visited the Szechenyi Baths, where we enjoyed warm mineral water along with water jets, a circular lazy river, old guys playing chess, and of course, men wearing speedos. We also rode the funicular in Budapest, a little jaunt up the hill, and climbed all over the Buda side of the river, enjoying the Changing of the Guard, the art museum, and great views of the flat "Pest" side of the city.

Why yes, that is a man playing chess at the Public Baths in Budapest!

Another "must" was the Astronomical Clock in Prague - it's a beautiful marvel of medieval engineering with lots of moving figures. Some think it's over-rated, but I enjoyed watching the figures move and being part of the tourist crowd. We also did a night-time cruise along the Vltava river in Prague, and it was lovely to see the city at night. In Prague we got our fill of art by seeing both the Slav Epic and the Mucha Museum. The Slav Epic is a collection of massive (and I do mean HUGE) canvases completed by Alphonse Mucha to celebrate Slavic history. I loved the ones showing preaching by Jan Hus and also a Russian scene of St. Basil's cathedral. 

Pretty Cool Clock, eh?

We walked everywhere, and enjoyed some crisp fall weather and only a bit of rain. It was wonderful to be outside, away from work, and enjoying the delights of two classic European cities. Extra wonderful was sharing the experience with two good friends! A line from the opera we saw has stuck with me: "God wants us to be happy!" (sung at the end, and if you know how Werther ends, you'll appreciate how ironic that is). I really do believe that God wants happiness for all of us, and I hope that 2016 brings all of you much happiness and joy!  Happy New Year!

ArtOfficial

Art can be artificial - a flat 2-D rendering that oversimplifies the complexities of life.  But art can also be a prism through which we step into the shoes of others.  It can help us understand the alienation of the 1920's when we look at Edward Hooper's Nighthawks:



We can practically touch the divine when we look up at Michelangelo's magnificent frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling:



We understand the horrors of the civil war through Matthew Brady's photography.


We experience the pure joy of a good day as Gene Kelly dances his way down a wet street:



Of course this is just what I feel, but I'm going to generalize and assume that you have all been touched by some work of art, whether music, poetry, dance, literature, theater, paintings, or sculpture.  We may take away different things from these artificial renderings of reality, but they can show us life's joys and pains in a unique and compelling way.

I remember reading somewhere that would have been literally impossible for Mary to hold Jesus the way she does in Michelangelo's Pieta.



Yet, it doesn't seem artificial to look at - when you stand in front of it you are drawn to her sorrow and it is almost palpable.  You are THERE, at the tomb, witnessing the horror and the sadness just as surely as Mary felt those things.  That the actual event did not look like this is almost certain, but the universal emotions it portrays resonate with us.  Maybe the Pieta doesn't move you - maybe for you it's movies, songs, great literature, or some other art form.  The creativity of others can be WONDROUS!  One of the things I love about art is that there is no "official" interpretation of something.  Sure, the artist can tell us his or her thoughts on what their creation means.  But truly great art has so much depth and loveliness to it that it captivates you, and brings you under its spell. You are able to learn things from it that the original artist may never even have imagined.

I'm grateful for art!

Counting My Lucky Stars

As I drove from St. George, Utah to Salt Lake City one October evening a couple years ago, I encountered a freak storm of sleet, rain, and icy snow.  The road from St. George to Salt Lake has some steep drops.  To make it more scary, I was completely unfamiliar with the road.  It was the only time in my recent memory that I literally feared for my life.  Luckily, I was able to get behind a truck and by following its tail lights closely, make it to a pull off.  I stopped at a covered gas station to wait out the worst of it.

That experience made me really, really grateful to be alive.  I realized that I really do want to live a long life!

Because Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I'm going to devote the next week of posts to things I'm thankful for.  This post is about gratitude for the gift of life!  This gift allows me to enjoy a lot of the other things I'm grateful for.  I'm grateful for the beauty of the earth that we live on - it has so many beautiful things that also have the gift of life.  So many times I have been inspired and uplifted by the beauties of nature.  In counting my blessings, I have to be grateful for my lucky stars that have allowed me many years on this beautiful planet!


For the Beauty of the Earth, sung by the Cambridge Singers (I think?)

Photo website with GORGEOUS pictures of earth's bounties: http://500px.com/

Photo of the day by National Geographic: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/

Autumnal Parable

So this little thought ran through my head as I've been enjoying the autumnal amazingness.  Sometimes you will look at a tree throughout the year, and it looks like a scraggly one.  Kind of a "mangy" look to the tree.  But then, October rolls around, and all of a sudden the tree bursts into a vibrant orange and red.  I drive past the DMV on my way to work, and most of the time it is a depressing place - sometimes with lines outside the door!  But in October, the small trees in and around the parking lot BURST into fire-colored plumage.  I love it, and I love driving by there.

Some people are like those trees.  We look at their outside and think that they are nothing special.  But then we find a moment that is a burst of glory where they show their true colors.  They show that they are beautiful spirits.  Just like you can't judge a book by its cover, or a tree in January, you can't judge people just by a glimpse of them on one day.  There is so much beauty in nature and in people!

I don't have pictures of the trees (imprudent to take pictures while driving), but you can read this old post with lots of pics of autumnal glory.

That Glorious Old Dominion

Without reserve, I do hereby declare that my favorite jurisdiction* in the union of states known as The United States of America is...Virginia.  I know, you're shocked, right?  As I mentioned last Monday, I took a vacation to see some old and new historic sites in Virginia, a.k.a. the Old Dominion.  The trip lasted about 8 days and was wholly SELFISH.  I am ashamed to say that (a) I did nothing for my church responsibilities, (b) I did not call *any* of the friends I planned to call during the long drives, (c) I ignored 99% of work emails, and (d) I ate whatever I wanted and did not go to the gym once.  All terrible, I know.

Nonetheless, 'twas a glorious trip.  So, if you have an hour or two to spare, let me recount "Tales from the Trip."  FYI, this is a super long blog post, and full of random thoughts about random topics.  At many points, I may (perhaps speciously?) draw conclusions about current political situations based on past events. Also, you should note that I have a tendency to overuse words like "awesome," "beautiful," and other "glorious" adjectives.  All the pictures are from my cell phone, so apologies for the quality (some of which is due to user error).  You have been forewarned!  Proceed at your own risk.

Forest Road during Church Retreat - such a beautiful forest :)
Also saw a deer family!

I started off the trip with a stop at my church retreat in a beautiful local forest.  Minus the lumpy mattress, it was fun - I had never been to one before, and even though I am anti-social, I managed to have a spot of fun with others before escaping to my solo road trip.

Wahoo-Wa!

Next stop was Charlottesville, where I made my brother a birthday cake (aha, you are thinking I was not selfish in this - you are wrong...I just like to eat homemade cake).  Cake decorating is not my strong suit (I make cakes taste good, not look pretty) but I attempted to decorate it in UVA colors - blue and orange.  I used this cake recipe, and it was delicious.

Next morning, I forced my brother to get up "earlier than he had all semester" to go visit Montpelier (in case you were wondering, that was before 8 a.m.).  We did a special "behind the scenes" tour and it turned out that we were the only ones there at 8:30, so we got a personal tour of James Madison's house and could ask as many questions as we wanted!  Our tour guide escaped two hours later, no joke.  I learned a lot about Madison.  One of the coolest things was that he was an environmentalist (well, sort of).  He was big on preserving trees, stating "Of all the errors in our rural economy none is perhaps so much to be regretted, because none is so difficult to be repaired, as the injudicious and excessive destruction of timber."  I like to think that means that he would have been for the protection of the rainforest, in favor of recycling, and against the clear cutting of old growth forests.  There is an old growth forest behind his home, and I posted a picture of that in my previous post.

Madison's Temple.  No recommend required.

 I liked this "temple" that Madison constructed, it's a beautiful little spot to look out over his glorious view of Virginia farm country.  There is something restorative to the soul about the beauties of nature!  Madison (and Jefferson) were also big on religious freedom.  Madison had some pretty radical views on this for his time, and believed that separation of church and state benefited both the state and the church, thinking that state-sponsorship of churches would corrupt them.

That night, we also got to go to a great concert at the UVA amphitheater - a bunch of great Broadway tunes, including medleys of "Guys and Dolls" and "West Side Story" - I love it when unplanned things like that turn up, it was one of the highlights of the trip.

Dome Room at Monticello

The next day was devoted to re-visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  I think the last time I went was when I was in Girl Scouts.  For the record, the best tour of the three that I did there was the garden tour - thank you, volunteer docent Elaine for sharing your infectious enthusiasm about Jefferson's plants!  When planning the trip, I was very excited because I got a ticket to go "upstairs"!!!  Something I had always wanted to do.  In case you are wondering, Jefferson's stairs are insane.  HOW in heaven's name did they get any furniture up those stairs?  Ridiculous.  Jefferson considered stairs a waste of space, so he didn't ever have grand staircases.

The highlight of upstairs was the "dome room" - a beautiful gem of a room.  I had to laugh though, because it was typical Jefferson.  The room was beautiful, but also completely impractical.  It was too cold in the winter (no fireplace) and too hot in the summer (too little ventilation), so it never really got used for anything.  Jefferson just wanted it because he wanted his house to have a dome and follow the classical rules of his architectural hero, Palladio.  Reminded me of Jefferson's impractical idealism in the political realm.  He refused to see the excesses of the French revolution and continued to be a committed Francophile even during the Reign of Terror.  After his presidency, he advocated that slavery be spread to new western states, and he thought that by doing this, slavery would peter out and die, and the former slaves could be returned to Africa.  He didn't believe that whites and blacks could peacefully co-exist in the same society.  I'm glad we are proving him wrong on that.

Also visited James Monroe's house, Ashlawn-Highland.  Did you know that he and his wife attended Napoleon's coronation as emperor?  They were the only Americans invited.  Monroe ALSO died on July 4th, just a few years after Jefferson and Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  Love stories like that!

The main section of the memorial, which has water
jets to simulate the flying bullets

Crossing a few centuries of American history in a single bound, I visited the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA.  Your first question, of course, is: where is Bedford, VA?  Once you learn that it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, your next question is: why is the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford?  Turns out it is because, of the 30 "Bedford Boys" serving in the Army on June 6, 1944, 19 of them died in taking Omaha beach on the Normandy coast that day.  Proportionally, because of its small population, Bedford suffered the heaviest per-capita losses on D-Day.  I thought the monument was really interesting and well done.  This statute showing a soldier carrying his wounded friend has a real gold wedding band on the soldier's hand.  The wedding band is from a D-Day survivor, who promised a dying comrade that he would return the wedding band to the dying soldier's wife.  The survivor searched for the wife but was never able to find her, so he donated the wedding band to the memorial.  I liked that story.

See the wedding ring?  It's real gold.

During my tour of the memorial, several of my fellow tour-goers made really derogatory (and incendiary) remarks about President Obama.  Unfortunately I have a lot less courage than a D-Day soldier, so I didn't call them out on it.  Nonetheless, I left the memorial with a feeling of gratitude for all those brave veterans who fought on D-Day and who still fight to protect liberal me.

Near Bedford is another, less-visited home designed by Thomas Jefferson, called Poplar Forest.  It is GORGEOUS.  Designed as a perfect Octagon (until Jefferson realized he forgot stairs - he added those to two sides of the Octagon later...slightly less narrow and high than the stairs at Monticello), almost each room in the house is also an Octagon.  The awesome thing about this house is that it is so full of LIGHT.  Lots of floor-to-ceiling windows, a skylight in the central dining room, and glass doors in between rooms mean that there is a really beautiful feel to the house (which is almost totally devoid of furniture right now - they are still restoring it).

Poplar Forest - Jefferson later added the kitchen wing on the right

You may have noticed from the pictures so far that I don't have any pictures of myself on this trip.  This is what my phone did the first time I tried to take one, which was at Poplar Forest, no lie.

Apparently my face is bad voodoo for cameras...

I used that as an excuse to not take any more pictures with me in them for the rest of the trip.  Trust me, it's better this way.

Final note about Poplar Forest: even the outdoor privies were octagonal.  Jefferson didn't mess around when it came to his favorite shape.  He really, really, REALLY liked Octagons.

McLean House at Appomattox Court House

Fast forward to the end of the Civil War, which occurred at Appomattox Court House.  Here's the McLean House, where the surrender happened.  So much blood shed during that war, and so many lives destroyed.  Grant was very merciful to Lee's armies, allowing them to get food and rations from the Union army, and providing parole passes for each man which allowed him to travel home on union transports.  The union soldiers had to stay up all night to print over 30,000 passes for the soldiers.  As the Confederate soldiers walked in to surrender their arms, Brig. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain ordered his Union men to perform the "marching salute" with their guns held at attention.  The Confederates were so moved by this gesture that they reciprocated with their own marching salute.  Chamberlain described it as "honor saluting honor" (read his full quote about this experience in the Wikipedia article here.  Also, Chamberlain is featured in the excellent book "Killer Angels" for his role in holding Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg.).

Give me Liberty or Give me Death!

Next was Williamsburg.  Williamsburg is an extra special helping of awesome if you are a history nerd (and, as you probably know by now, I am).  I helped storm the governor's palace, watched the news arrive about Lexington and Concord, and marched with the fife and drum corps down Duke of Gloucester street.  When I retire, maybe I will be a history actor at Williamsburg just for the sheer fun of it.  One highlight was hearing a talk by George Wythe.  He's a founder I didn't know much about, but made me want to learn more.  Got to tour the House of Burgesses - my skin prickled to walk where Patrick Henry railed against the British.  Went to a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence and heard the thrilling words "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal"!

During the trip, I finally finished reading an 800-page biography of Washington I have been working on since July, and it made me appreciate him so much more.  I'm not sure our country could have survived its formative years without him.  He was so wise!  Glad that he supported the constitution and served as our first President.  Patrick Henry, and many others of the revolutionary generation, didn't support the Constitution, calling it a betrayal of the spirit of 1776.  Also, made me realize that dirty politics is nothing new.  Did you know Washington was accused of being a Benedict Arnold to the British during the war?  This allegation was made during Washington's presidency - which is just so wrong and terribly untrue!

Marshy Jamestown Island on a perfect day!

Another gorgeous day dawned, and I was off to Jamestown!  I took a walk around the entire island - a 5 mile walk that was made pleasant by the presence of beautiful butterflies and lovely wildflowers.  I feel like I sweated where the settlers sweated - it was only about 80 degrees, but that was quite warm enough.  Still, it was a gorgeous walk through a landscape perhaps similar to what the first landing settlers saw.  Can you name the three ships which landed at Jamestown in 1607?  They were led by Christopher Newport, an expert sailor of the day. 104 men and boys set up a fort at Jamestown, but almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.  They arrived in the middle of a drought, had their food store rotted, were attacked by Indians, and struck down with disease.  Only 1/3 of the original company survived the first year!

Telling stories of
Indentured Servitude

Rachel, an indentured servant of 1620, showed us around the original site of Jamestown.  She was a hoot!  She told us of the travails and triumphs of the early years at Jamestown, truly making history come alive.  They have recently uncovered the site of the original fort at Jamestown, and recreated some of the walls.  The remains of the foundation of the first English Church in North America are still there, too.  This was where the first legislative assembly was held!  (One year before the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts!)  Jamestown saw  the beginning of some of our most tragic history - arrival of the first slaves, and the beginnings of the intentional (by war) and unintentional (by disease) destruction of the American Indians.

And yet, as Rachel pointed out - even with the terrible survival rate and sometimes horrific conditions in Jamestown, English settlers kept coming - because it was still better than life in England, where the only plot of ground you owned was when you looked up at it from your coffin (as she put it).  There's a sort of theme park near the Jamestown site where they've recreated the entire fort, and all three ships that sailed into Jamestown in 1607 (the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery - doesn't it give you chills that one of the ships was named "Discovery"?  Love it!).  That was cool - they also had an Indian village.

Yorktown's Redoubt 9, taken by the French in an assault
on British Defenses

Visited Yorktown next, site of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis.  Yorktown always seemed anti-climatic when I studied it in school - it was your basic siege, nothing exciting really happened.  While at the site, though, I learned about the storming of redoubts 9 and 10 by American and French forces to move the siege line forward so they could shell British defenses.  Part of the American force was made up of Rhode Island infantry.  Rhode Island passed a law that any slaves who volunteered to serve in the continental army would win their freedom.  Some of the slaves which volunteered participated in the attack that day.  So, slaves working towards freedom were part of the charge to take the redoubts.  I'm grateful for their sacrifice and courage.  Redoubt 10 was taken by the Americans, led by Alexander Hamilton.  Redoubt 9 was taken by French forces (in a somewhat comical detail, both the British and French had German-speaking Hessian soldiers fighting against each other - apparently during the attack the German commands got a bit crazy because both sides had Germans!).

Marye's Heights, Fredericksburg

Last stop was the Fredericksburg battlefield of the Civil War.  Eighteen times, Union soldiers charged across a bloody field and tried to take Marye's Heights.  Eighteen times, Confederate soldiers held fast behind their stone wall and repulsed the attackers.  So many lives lost, and so sad.  I think we glorify war too much.  War is not glamorous or sexy.  War is a terrible terrible price paid by the few for the freedom of the many.

I liked what John Adams had to say about the American Revolution: "But what do we mean by the American Revolution?  Do we mean the American War?  The Revolution was in the hearts and minds of the American people."  The revolution was about ideas - radical ones, like equality.  Those radical ideas continue to be argued about and discussed today.

I also listened to "American Creation" by Joseph Ellis on CD as I drove all around on my trip.  He emphasized the gradual nature of the transformation of the American mindset - it took a long while for the majority of Americans to come around to Independence.  Additionally, most people were against the adoption of the Constitution when it was written!  It really is a miracle that America exists.  But somehow, we have endured as an American people.  Through danger, despair, and desolation we have somehow overcome.  This entire trip reminded me of how much I love America.  Hip Hip Hooray!  Also, it reminded me that I have so much more to learn about!  So many of the places I visited reminded me that I know so very little about the fascinating history behind the sites.

*I couldn't say "state" here, because Virginia is technically one of four commonwealths in the U.S.A.  Bonus points to you if you can name the other three.

VAcation

Today I got to look out over this:

Thomas Jefferson's beautiful Monticello on a gorgeous day!

You should be very very jealous.  I love Thomas Jefferson, and the Old Dominion.  Which is why I am taking a VAcation and touring history sites in Southern Virginia this week.  I'm sure I'll be back next Monday with insights into our modern day religious and political battles from studying the past centuries' conflicts and collaborations.  Maybe Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and the rest still have some wisdom to share.  I sure hope so, as politics seems so petty recently.

Wandering through the Woods at Monticello

I walked down from Monticello today through the forest, and it felt so peaceful and unencumbered.  Like I was whole, and life is good.  Sunlight filtered through the trees, birds called to each other, and bees danced lazily among the flowers.  IF I could write poetry, I would write it about moments like that.  I am a suburban girl, but I'm pretty sure that I would trade that all in to live in a broom cupboard at Monticello and ramble through the woods at will. In fact, during the behind the scenes tour, I spotted a few broom cupboards on the third floor which would just suit my fancy.

Old Growth Forest at Montpelier, home of James Madison

Honor Guard of pretty trees on the drive up to Ashlawn-Highland, home of James Monroe

Something about driving through the rolling hills of Virginia farm country has been restorative and enjoyable.  So far I've seen the homes of three Presidents, and enjoyed some truly spectacular autumnal weather.  Isn't "autumnal" one of the most beautiful words in the English language?

First one to comment gets a postcard :)

Romney, Show Mother Some Love

And by Mother, I mean Mother Earth.  Yesterday was Earth Day, in case you missed it.

Google's 2012 Earth Day Doodle

I'm a big fan of the earth, and I'm operating under the assumption that you are also a fan.  I mean, we all like to breathe, right?  Simply put, I think that we need to take good care of our Mother Earth.  It's a precious place, and from a religious point of view I believe it's a sacred trust.  We need to leave this earth clean and healthy for all the generations that will follow ours.

That is why I find it sad that Governor Romney literally has no environmental policy on his website.  He doesn't even have time to devote to policies that safeguard our Mother Earth!  The closest thing that he has is to an environmental policy is an energy policy.

So let me start by saying, I think it's extremely sad that Romney is only looking at the earth with a "what's in it for me?" mentality.  D&C 59:18 states that one of the primary purposes for which God created the earth is "...to please the eye and gladden the heart..."  In other words, earth is not just here for us to exploit and pillage - we should be in the business of conserving and caring for Mother Earth, and keeping it beautiful.

So, because he lacks an environmental policy, let's examine Romney's energy policy.  It has three main prongs.

Significant Regulatory Reform
Romney wants to streamline energy regulations.  I actually have no problem with this.  Too often projects that will create jobs and be good for our country are hampered by regulations.  I think this is a good and smart thing to do, with the caveat that we don't use this as excuse to weaken environmental regulations.  These rules are there to prevent market forces from doing something that may make money in the short term, but in the long term is bad for the earth.  Too often, "regulatory reform" is used as code for "no regulations."  I think we need sensible regulations, so I'm with Romney on this, I would just like to see more specifics.

Increasing Production
This part of the plan is all about increasing production of gas and oil.  Again, this is emphasizing only the "me" in environment.  And, as constant online ads have been reminding me, under President Obama we have increased oil and gas production every year.  I have two problems with Romney's policy (which, to be fair, isn't laid out in much detail, so maybe he has plans to mitigate the negatives here).
#1: Romney's website states that he would "open America's energy reserves for development."  To me, this means opening up ecologically sensitive areas to drilling, which would harm wildlife, landscapes, and leave behind chemicals for generations.  I believe that we have a duty to protect God's creations, even if that means we pay higher prices for gas.  There are reasons that certain areas are off-limits - it's because they would harm this amazingly beautiful world we live in!
#2: Under this header, Romney's website also contains a bullet point that he would "prevent overregulation of shale gas development and extraction."  What the what?  Actually, shale gas development is very LIGHTLY regulated right now.  I'm not a huge fan of "fracking" - which is basically pumping water with chemicals into the ground in order to get gas.  I think if you're doing this, you should be subject to some regulations.  This is an activity that can pollute groundwater - THAT IS THE STUFF YOU DRINK, PEOPLE!  So, I am not a fan of this policy either.

Research and Development
This prong of Romney's plans has some innocuous sounding bullet points, and a subtle jab at Obama for seeking to fund specific energy alternatives like wind and solar.  I'm happy to see, however, that Romney does believe that government can be a helpful force in energy policy, so I'll give him a few points for that.  BUT, I really do believe that if we're going to beat China (which is heavily investing in alternative energy sources) then, we will need government investment in making energy alternatives like wind and solar more cost effective.

Bottom Line: Romney has some good ideas in this area, but when I read here (on Fox News, no less!) that Romney opposes stricter emission standards for cars, I realized once again that I will be voting for President Obama in November.  I'll save the greenhouse debate for another day, but I'll state here that I believe in man made global warming, and I believe it will destroy the delicate balance of earth if we let it continue.  If you're curious, you can read President Obama's policy on energy AND the environment here.

Just for fun, here's a beautiful hymn about the earth (you deserve it if you've read this far).

Happy Winter Solstice!

Yep, today is solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.  This means this is the day with the least light - so from here on out, more sun!  Hooray!  Around this time of year, I become seriously grateful for the sun - grateful for its warmth and its light.  Here's to you, Sun - I hope you'll stick around for a long time!

This is a really cool set of pictures of the sun throughout the year:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/photogalleries/101228-sun-end-year-analemmas-solstice-eclipse-pictures/

Let There Be Christmas Lights

I'm going to share with you some pictures from that series-of-tubes known as the interwebs (or is it internets?). Click on the links to see the Christmas craziness.

I like this picture of Christmas lights!  And this one and this one.  This one is also cool.  And if you think that you've seen a house with too many Christmas lights, you should see this, I bet it's worse.  Enjoy!

P.S.  Don't tell my brother (who's a computer engineering major and therefore gadget geek), but I am getting him this for Christmas.

Come Darkness

When I lived in California, there was a bike path that wound through the town we lived in.  On this bike path was a tunnel, and it was kind of creepy.  As I recall it from my 13-year old memory, it was dank and wet and there were no lights (I make no representations that my teenage memory is accurate, btw).  But on the other side of this tunnel was a gorgeous California hillside, to my mind one of the world's prettiest places.  I knew that I had to just keep pedaling through the tunnel and I'd get to the end.  It sure was a lot less scary when biking with someone else, who could go ahead and report that the tunnel was clear.

I really like this song (random pictures alert!).  In order to appreciate the light, I think we all need moments of "darkness."  There will be times when we aren't happy, or aren't sure that we're in the light.  There will be moments of doubting.  When we feel dank and a bit hopeless.  But we need to hold on to those bright shining "Alleluia" moments from our memory, and have faith that there's a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  It helps when there's someone else who you can lean on.  But even when there isn't, we can just come.  Sometimes it's all we can do to just keep pedaling.

Words of Light

Isn't funny that, when you are thinking about a topic, you start to see it everywhere?  Such is light!

I like this poem by the Persian poet Rumi (of the 13th Century!!!).  I found a couple of translations online, and since I doubt any of my readers understand Persian, I thought I'd pick my favorite English translation.

There is a candle in your heart,
ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul,
ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?
You feel the separation
from the Beloved.
Invite Him to fill you up,
embrace the fire.
Remind those who tell you otherwise that
Love
comes to you of its own accord,
and the yearning for it
cannot be learned in any school.

(From Hush Don't Say Anything to God: Passionate Poems of Rumi, translated by Sharam Shiva)

One of the things I love about poetry is that everyone can interpret it differently.  What do you get from this poem?

Here's a funky youtube video with the words of the poem and random images:

A Light to Those in Darkness

So I was going to throw a bunch of awesome facts about this subject at you, but I have reached the end of the day much faster than anticipated.  And this post is late.  Instead, I ask you to imagine what your life would be like without electricity.  Can you think what that would be like?  You would be unable to do almost anything after dark!  You wouldn't be able to read this blog.  In fact, this blog would not exist, not least because computers wouldn't exist.

I am really grateful for electricity in my life, and I wanted to talk about the Tennessee Valley Authority - it was a rural electrification project that was part of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal.  To me, it's an example of the good that government can do - it brought electricity to poor rural areas that didn't have it before.  True, it wasn't (and isn't) perfect, but no human endeavor really is - any large bureaucracy has its issues.  At its best, however, it remains a popular program that met a need in an underdeveloped area of America.  I believe that government can do great good - yea, verily, it can bring a light to those in literal darkness.

Read more about the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) here:

http://www.tva.gov/abouttva/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority#History

A little Christmas before-and-after!

Before (a blank canvas):

During:

After:

I love Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Props to my roommates and our friend Britney for doing all the actual work, while I was doing laundry and making cookies.  Come to think of it, my roommates own all the lights and ornaments, so this tree would be pretty dull without them.  They light up my life, and I'm grateful to be celebrating my second Christmas with these wonderful ladies!

Festival of Lights

Maybe it's time to do a Christmas post, as this series of posts about light is ostensibly inspired by Christmas.  This year I decided to make it to the Temple's Festival of Lights early in December, as last year I missed out and didn't get to it at all.  So here are a few pictures, it was beautiful!  My camera is kind of fuzzy when it comes to night pictures, but you get the idea.

I liked how they outlined the trees - they really stand out against the darkness.

So colorful!  Sometimes I like that, and sometimes I feel like I would prefer just the classic white.

The above picture looks like a bit much!  A true "riot of color."

By contrast, the Temple looks so peaceful.

So, making it to the Festival of Lights was great.  Even better, got to go inside the temple and do a session and feel that spirit which urges "peace on earth and goodwill towards men," and even got to attend along with many friends from my ward.  Best of all, saw a college friend who I hadn't seen in years at my session!

If you're in the D.C. area, check out the Festival of Lights - the performance schedule can be found online (click here), along with much better pictures of the Festival.  Even if you can't make it to a concert, check out the beautiful lights!

Ideas ARE Like Stars

In Middle School and High School, I listened to a lot of Mary Chapin Carpenter music. Generally I don't like country music, but most of her songs are pretty "bluegrass." Recently when I moved, I rediscovered some of her CDs. She has a song that I love, "Ideas are like stars." The chorus is:

Ideas are Like Stars
They fall from the sky, they run round your head
They litter your sleep as they beckon
They'd teach you to fly without wires or thread
They promise if only you'd let them

Creativity, or new ideas, is one of the best parts of America, I think - the love of the new idea or new way of doing things. It's a recreation of the American experience. I don't generally think of myself as creative - but I do love the phrase "ideas are like stars" - the beautiful imagery of stars dancing around your head as you come up with thoughts never thought before. I love also this video about creativity from Mormon Messages:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k
One of the ways I'm creative is baking - I love to bake new things and try new recipes. It gives me joy to taste yummy food that I have made from scratch.

So, how are you able to work creativity in your life? How do you create things never there before?

"The Life of the Soul"

I was thinking about this poem today:

Hyacinths to Feed the Soul
If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
- Attributed to Gulistan of Moslih Eddin Saadi (From Best Loved Poems of The American People, pg. 78)

Mormons sometimes talk a lot about what we don't do (one of the reasons I hate the shirt slogan "I can't, I'm Mormon"). However I think it's important to focus on the positive things that make us happy - the things that "care for the life of the soul" (D&C 101:37). So, be happy - and do the things that make you happier!

Dog Days of Snow

Today we got slammed with what has variously been described as a "Snowpocolapse" "Shopper-stopper" or "Obamasnow" (I don't quite get that last one - is it a tribute or a mocking name?). Anyways, the long and the short of it is that we have 22 1/2 inches of snow here. My dad and I spent parts of the afternoon going out to shovel - not that you'd really notice, since our sidewalk and driveway are still covered in snow. Church is already canceled for tomorrow (and I'm rooting for work to be canceled Monday).

Since I was going to teach a Sunday School lesson on the "Pure in Heart," I've had "Zion" on the brain recently. Now, at first glance, the concept of Zion may not seem to have much to do with Christmas. But in our current understanding of Zion, Christmas brings out what I would call the "Zion moments" in people.

Mormons in general are a little weird in our concept of Zion. When I think of zion in a non-mormon context, it's generally an idea of cults. In our scriptures, it's a concept that has evolved through time - it began as a place (Jackson, Missouri) and has evolved to a concept that includes anyone who is "pure in heart." I think of Zion as a striving to live the spirit of Christmas and giving. I noticed in studying for the lesson that Zion is usually accompanied by living the law of consecration - "having all things in common" - this applies to the saints in the New Testament in the book of Acts, saints in the book of Mormon after Christ's appearance to them, and to saints in the early years of the Church in the 1830's and 1840's. Obviously we don't live in a time where the law of consecration is in full operation but we still have opportunities to give to others.

I am really excited that it was recently announced there will be an addition to the "3-Fold Mission of the Church" - caring for the poor and needy. While this is already part of a true Christian life, I hope including this principle prominently in the church will lead us to "do many things of our own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness."

So here are some "Zion moments" I've noticed, today with the snow and all during the week:

- It was nice that in the coverage of the storm, all the news anchors were reminding us to check in with our elderly neighbors and see if they were ok - I thought that was truly kind and charitable, and I've never noticed it before during a storm.
- My dad helped dig out a van from our street, a family was trying to get home
- Our home teacher picked up my brother from the Metro (after his plane ride to Newark and train to Union station) so that he could be home for Christmas

Along with that, I had the opportunity for Zion moments to serve others this week. I won't tell you what I did in response (suffice it to say that I regret my response in some circumstances).

- Seeing a co-worker carrying two heavy boxes, a laptop, and purse through the hallway, and knowing she needed help, despite the fact that I was running late
- Seeing a salvation army bell ringer at the mall, but not by the entrance I was going in, and knowing that I should donate because I had cash and I don't usually have cash with me
- Being prompted that I should go into a client site early (before training at another location) to do some work so someone else wouldn't have to
- Getting a great Christmas gift idea for a co-worker that I don't really know that well, but feeling strongly I should give it

I love this quote about giving:
"We are all both givers and receivers. President Marion G. Romney has said, 'There is an interdependence between those who have and those who have not. The process of giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process, both are sanctified" (Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 93). No one is exempt from giving to the impoverished. The counsel is: "And again, I say unto the poor...I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. (Mosiah 4:24)" No one is exempt from receiving. To the rich, the reality is: "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God,...calling on his name, and begging for a remission of our sins" through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ? (Mosiah 4:19-20)
- Bishop Robert D. Hales, "Welfare Principles to Guide our Lives: An Eternal Plan for the Welfare of Men's Souls," Ensign, May 1986, 29.

If you're reading this post, you are likely wealthy in the eyes of the world. What more can you be doing to create Zion and care for the poor and needy?

Stille nacht, heilige nacht

For whatever reason, I feel like I've heard the Christmas carol "Silent Night" a lot during this Christmas season. Which I like, because I like the song. It's such a beautiful and peaceful lullaby. I also love that it was sung during a temporary truce during World War I between German and English troops. It's a reminder that sometimes our common humanity trumps the evils of our basest selves. So, you can read about the Christmas truce, and the origin of the hymn, on the Silent Night Wikipedia page. Of the online versions, I liked this music video with the version sung by Sixpence none the Richer:



Here are the lyrics:

Silent Night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Decorations!

There are many things I love about my mom, and one of those things is that she love Christmas, and decorating for it (at last count, we had 17 manger scenes throughout our house). Besides manger scenes, Christmas trees (perhaps worthy of a post all by themselves), twinkly lights, and stuffed santas, we usually have a few fresh poinsettias. Their merry white and red petals seem to speak aloud the beauty and freshness of Christmas. I was thinking about symbols of Christmas today, and decided to look up the poinsettias because I don't really know much about them. Turns out they were an import from Mexico many years ago. You can read about the legend associated with Christmas and Poinsettias here. So, here's to poinsettias! What Christmas symbols/decorations are meaningful to you?