MEMORIAL DAY: when the music stopped

 {Panama 2009}

I have a love the goes to my core for our military.  This year I've been reading our country's history starting at the American Revolution to WWII and my appreciation has only grown.

My brother is an Army guy, both my Grandpa's served our beautiful country, as did my dad.  You could say I had a stint in the Navy {humanitarian mission aboard the USNS Comfort} and now have many good friends spread across our great globe doing their part and know from experience how courageous they are even when they are tired, lonely and far from home.

Any time I hear the National Anthem I get goosebumps.  I fight the urge to hug any man in uniform.  I have a beef with the stereotype that Americans haven't done much to fix.  We're perceived as lazy, entitled, forgetful.  I don't believe this completely.  I think there is more good in us than bad, but I do believe we could do better. 

Below is a story written by a Chaplain in Iraq.  For those of you who have never gone to a movie on a military base, the National Anthem is played before the movie begins.

When the Music Stopped

I recently attended a showing of 'Superman 3' here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium that we use for movies as well as memorial services and other large gatherings.

As is the custom at all military bases, we stood to attention when The National Anthem began before the main feature.

All was going well until three-quarters of the way through The National Anthem, the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-to-22-year-olds back in the States? I imagine that there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments, and everyone would sit down and yell for the movie to begin. Of course, that is, only if they had stood for The National Anthem in the first place.

Here in Iraq 1,000 soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again, and the soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. Again, though, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect 1,000 soldiers standing at attention to do??  Frankly, I expected some laughter, and everyone would eventually sit down and wait for the movie to start.

No!!. . . You could have heard a pin drop while every soldier continued to stand at attention.

Suddenly, there was a lone voice from the front of the auditorium then a dozen voices, and soon the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off:

"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave,
o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."

It was the most inspiring moment I have had in Iraq, and I wanted you to know what kind of U.S. Soldiers are serving you!

Remember them as they fight for us!

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins, LSA Anaconda is at the Ballad Airport in Iraq, north of Baghdad.

God Bless America and all of our troops serving throughout the world.
Happy Memorial Day dear friends.

Happy Easter

"...for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." {D&C 84:88}

{image}

memory grove

When I decided to walk down to the park this afternoon I hadn't set out to do anything special for the holiday tomorrow although the significance of the day has been on my mind. Just wanting to be outside I didn't think about Memory Grove being the perfect place to enjoy part of the holiday weekend. It was nice to stop and read the different plaques around the park.


I was half way out the door when I thought to grab my bag and take my paints with me. I'm glad I did because I found the perfect patch of sunlight to lay down in and play.
I like the first parts of a painting. Laying it out, putting down some washes, I like the feeling that something is about to happen. And then it does and I don't care for it much. Maybe one of these days I'll finish something and be satisfied with it...that day feels a long way off.

Part Two: The Event

Two years ago I was on my way to a class when I stopped in to check out the graduating design student portfolio event. After only a few minutes in the room I went outside and sat under the blossoming trees and told myself to breathe. It was overwhelming what I saw in there! The details, the hours they must have spent, the gigantic hurdle I saw before me to be on that level.
So I pulled it together, went back inside and from that day on had one goal in mind: my portfolio would be simple, not overdone, and it would be about what I think design should be. I wasn't even sure what that was yet or how to pull it off, but I was on a quest to figure it out.

On the way I met some really amazing people who made the experience better than I could have imagined. My friends enriched my days and we became a support system. A lot of wise cracks and a lot of tears. With graduation next week I feel a loss because I'll miss the creative interaction school has brought to my life.

My instructors have been beyond compare. It's been a privilege to be able to learn from a group of people who are talented and enthusiastic about design.

My parents are the best kind of people and willing to help any way they can. They have been a listening ear on the other end of the phone as I talked through ideas, frustrations, triumphs and failures.
And Bry. What a great friend. Without his expertise I would never have been able to make my portfolio the way I saw it in my mind. I'm stubborn and like to think I have solutions for everything but I've learned to listen to him because he's proven to have spot on judgment and an excellent way of simplifying things that I make difficult. Follow this link to his blogtopia to see a slice of what my book looks like on the inside. {thnx RC1 for the post!}

Pouring hundreds of hours into this project I was aware of the days quickly evaporating and I'd try to slow down and take more in. I felt like it was going to fast, have I even had time to soak it all in?
I was happy to feel peace of mind settle in when I needed it most. I couldn't compare myself to my peers, we are all too different. I just had to focus on what I could do and do my best. I've never done that before, I've never put it all in. I usually let self doubt or distractions get in the way.

So when it came time for awards and when it got down to one last one to hand out...and my name was called...."First Place Commercial Design - Jenna Rix"... I can't really even begin to tell you how thrilled I was. I know even more now that it wasn't about the little blue square I brought home, it was about the refining experience that led up to it.

Part 1: the beginning to a beautiful day

Today, The Big Day {aka The Portfolio Event} has been a day I have been looking forward to with about every emotion I have in me. Anxiety, sometimes dread, but most of the time excitement mixed with fear of letting myself down and happiness knowing I was putting everything I have into something I care about. I've never worked so hard on anything in my life and the great surprise is that the anticipation of something has up until now been better for me. Today changed that. Real life was even better than all the dreams leading up to it.

The day started out after a couple hours of sleep {I was too excited to sleep} with a few finishing touches to my portfolio display. Then the girls, our friend Ben and I headed off for pedicures and lunch at Mazza. The five of us have really been close so it was so fitting to spend the afternoon together while our portfolios were being judged.

no one wanted pictures taken, we've all been tethered to our portfolios and haven't given much attention to other things like pulling it together to be seen in public places. In the spirit of relief and relaxation I happily sported my flippy floppies provided by the pedi people today to the restaurant in only the most hip part of town. {9th n 9th}

I don't feel like I can finish this story just yet with out images to back it up. You'll have to wait in anticipation for Part Two of how the rest of the day went down.

Spring fling

I am in the mood to read Beatrix Potter books, clean everything top to bottom and plant some green things. Spring is here!

I can imagine these fun vintage prints in a pretty frame with fresh whites and living things.


These little boxes look like fun to make so when I went to investigate how to pull it off I found a really great blog. A Little Hut is stuffed with DIY ideas.

Happy Easter!!

bday wishes

A little girl needs Daddy
For many, many things:
Like holding her high off the ground
Where the sunlight sings
Like being the deep music
That tells her all is right
When she awakens frantic with
The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain
That rises in her heart
And shows her how she might get home
When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love
That is her sea and air,
So diving deep or soaring high
She'll always find him there.


luv you endlessly Dad, Happy Birthday.


{author unknown for the poem}