Monday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Your Home Town

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
Your Home Town
The Brief:
We all have one, perhaps it is where we were born, perhaps it where we lived for that special time in our lives, or perhaps it is where we now live.

  • Wherever it is, why not tell us about it.
  • Explain where it is, don't forget we are across the world!
  • What is it that makes your "place" special?
  • Do you feel a nice comfy emotional connection?
This is a tricky topic for me as I've lived in many towns growing up. I guess the best way to describe my "home town" would be to say the Hudson Valley in New York in the United States as this place. This is because my mother and I moved every few years from place to place all around in that area. On the map below, this would be the region denoted by the number 8.
Taken from Wikipedia
As a timeline, I have lived all around this region:
1972-1976 - Lived in Newburgh, New York
 
From Wikipedia


Newburgh was where my family lived when I was born. They owned a house not far from Stewart Airport (was Stewart Air Force base) due to my father being US Navy (and later retired from). This way my mother could still get to a military base for the PX or grocery store, the doctor's and some of the other things people had access to back then. However, by the time I left home, the PX was no longer as they demolished it to make it a car park for the upcoming airport, the doctor had been taken and shifted to West Point due to budget and many of the other extras were no longer given.

1976-1986 - Various addresses around Walden, New York

From Wikipedia

Walden is where my eldest sister lived when my mother left my father. Its a small little town where, if you live in town, everything is walkable. Its a quaint little town, but I have to admit over the last 20 years its changed and not for the better. There are many people living on government payments in sections and some of the houses have not been kept up in certain sections. This is actually sad because this used to be a great little town where everyone knew everyone else.

1987-1989 - Lyon Mountain New York (this would be region 5 on the map above)

From Wikipedia
Once my oldest sister moved from Walden, she moved up to Lyon Mountain which is towards the Canadian border with her daughters. We did move up near her, but my mother could not find a good and stable paying job, so we had to move back around the area we lived in previously. 

1989-1997 - Maybrook, New York
From Wikipedia

Maybrook NY was where we lived when I finished high school and went to college. We did moved a few times within the town. Again this is another tiny town only about 15 minutes from Walden New York. It was close enough to the town but not in it.

Special & Emotional connection

I think these areas were the special places because I spent my growing up years here. For the most part, it was stable as the areas we moved around to kept me in the same school district and this meant I had the same friends over the years.

Even now, we go back to the US to visit and we go to these areas so I can catch up with friends in the area. I don't believe there are many people who can say they've had the same friends for over 35 years!
My friends from school at our last reunion


  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Awards

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
Awards
The Brief:
  • Have you or a close family member received one?
  • What was it for?
  • How was it presented?
  • Do you still have it?
  • Have you inherited an award?
  • If so, who was awarded it and what for?
I don't think my great grandparents had any awards to speak of unless you count their children.

Maternal Side
My maternal grandparents didn't have any awards that I know of.

I do know one of my grand uncles actually won a ribbon at one of the local county fairs for his showing his Holstein cow.



My mother did receive a trophy for completing 10 years at one of her jobs as factory worker at first Champion Bag Factory and then at Ampac Paper Inc. She did receive her GED for completing a test for her equivalent in year 12 studies.

Paternal Side
My paternal grandmother didn't have any awards that I know of unless you count her children. However, my paternal grandfather, I believe, had at least a ribbon as he was in the US Medical Corps in World War 2. This is the only award I know about.

My father first completed his year 12 studies at Newburgh Free Academy in Newburgh, NY. Next, he enrolled in the US Navy. As you can see by the jacket below, he has many different ribbons he was awarded during his service in the US Navy and with the submarine corps.
Some of the patches and badges which are shown in this picture are:
  • Stripes on sleeves- The bottom hashmarks are equal for 1 hashmark for every 4 years served. The gold means the person serving had good conduct. 
  • Chest decorations: 
                  Silver Fish means enlisted Submarine Qualification.
                  Ribbons are: Occupations, Good Conduct, Navy Achievement, Cold War
                  Bottom pin under ribbons: Polaris Patrol Pin

Further, he was accepted as a US Submarine Veterans Holland Club member which is earned rather than bought.
Myself
During Elementary School I did receive recognition for some activities I had done. However, it wasn't until about Grade 5, I received a few awards which I could call Awards. The first was the P.T.O (Parent Teacher Organization) Award. This was given to a boy and a girl in the 5th grade who has worked the hardest and shown the most improvement.

The P.T.O Award

I was also a Girl Scout Brownie and Girl Guide. However, there was never any pictures, that I know of, that were taken and over the years I don't know what happened to my sash with my badges on it.

I loved to run and skip rope. I entered a few races that were held in the town of Walden, New York on the 4th of July and placed in some of the races.

One of the race results.
I did have a great amount of honor roll certificates but these were lost in the fire we had in 1997.

I did get an award for Financial Information Processing for placing 5th in the state of New York through an organization called FBLA or Future Business Leaders of America in 1991.

Then I was granted membership to both the Honor Society for Valley Central High School and for the Vocational and Technical Center I was enrolled in for Business Computer Technology. This was the first time someone int he Vocational and Technical Center was granted membership from Valley Central. Also, because of my grades they had also allowed me to be asked as a member for VCHS Honor Society which was a first.


 



This also meant that I could wear what they called cords for the graduation ceremonies for both of the schools. 



Vocational Society Cords
At Vocational Center graduation


VCHS cords
VCHS graduation


Then at the Vocational Technical Center I was also awarded Outstanding Student at graduation in 1991.


Further, I was given a small scholarship to help with my expenses when I attend Orange County Community College in Middletown NY.
I did get an award when I was working for Manpower Temp Agency for working for so many hours and having high level of feedback from all businesses I worked with. They gave me a Tiffany necklace as a thank you.

Also, I was part of a group when I was attending OCCC with the computer club and we won Club of the Year in 1994.

1994 Club of the Year award - Club Activities chairperson, Joe G Secretary, Heidi B Secretary, Myself Vice President


  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

Wednesday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Hairstyles

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf
The prompt for the week is:    
Hairstyles
The Brief:
  • Go on share your hairstyles over the years!
  • Do you have regular hairdresser habits?
  • Colour?
  • Do you dye it? (your secret is safe with us!)
Boy have I had hairstyles over the years... But they aren't too bad I have to admit, but as you will see they haven't changed much either.

I don't colour my hair but it is turning a nice white grey like my paternal grandmother, Jean. However, I know one of my sister's and brother all have my mother's salt and pepper and like wire grey hair. I love my hair colour.

Here are some of my hair styles over the years.

Aged about 1 1/2 - 2
Aged about 4


Aged about 5
Aged 6
Aged about 8 (with sister Jean)
Aged about 10


Aged about 13 
Aged about 15


Aged 18 High School Sr Prom
Aged 18 High School Sr Picture

Aged 22 Graduation from college

Aged 22 before graduation

Aged 24 with soon to be husband, Brett

Aged 24 with soon to be husband, Brett
Aged 25 on wedding day

Aged 25 with soon to be husband, Brett



Aged 27

Aged 28


Aged 30

Aged 33
Aged 35

Aged 37
Aged 40

Aged 42


I did warn you I haven't changed much over the years!


 Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

Monday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Childhood reading

The prompt for the week is:    
Childhood reading
The Brief:
  • Did you read as a child?
  • Did you experience the wonder of bedtime stories?
  • Favourite books
  • Did your childhood reading influence you?
  • Special moments and memories
I cannot remember being read to as a child. I can remember going to the library in Kindergarten and having them read to us. In the next grade we still did that but we could get some books to take home to read or have read to us. I always took them home to read or even just sit there looking at the pretty pictures.

I still remember the years one of my teachers would read to us from the series "Little House on the Prairie" and loved how it took you through another person's life. I couldn't believe all that information was in this tiny book.

The Library in Walden, NY
By the time I was in about the 2-3 grade, I found libraries. I found I could go there and read a book and be taken anywhere in my imagination. I started to read anything I could get my hands on, so I could read or try to. I say try to because they found when I was in grade 1, I had a learning disability where I had a hard time comprehending what I was reading. Was I reading? Yes, but understanding what you are reading and reading are two different things. Because of this, I was kept back in the first grade and then after this grade kept in the lower graded bracket of classes because of the problem. However, by the time I reached grade 8, I found young adult romance books.

Over the years, I did try and get my nieces and nephews interested in reading. With my nieces, they seemed to get into it a little bit but I put it down to still trying to find the genre they liked. They now love reading and have passed that along to their children. My nephews, they never took to the reading thing as far as I know. I know their mother, Jean, wasn't big into reading and thought it was a waste of time. I have lost contact with those nephews, so I have no idea if they ever took up reading at all.

The you adult books were great because they almost always had a happy ending and I was taken from my not so happy home to places where people did have other problems but they didn't seem as bad as mine and most of the time by the end of the book, they had happy endings. It really took the focus off of my own life and put it some place more optimistic.

By the time I was in high school, I had moved on to reading adult romance novels. I started reading Harlequin Romances and found they were interesting. However, after this some of the other lines from the same company came out and they were more expressive on the sex part and less on the romance and relationship part. Even today, I bounce between different lines. I do both electronic books (iTunes, ibooks, harlequin app, and amazon) and paperbacks but in the last 8 or so years mainly stick with the electronic books due to paperbacks taking up most of the house. In fact today, I still find them in suitcases, closets and nightstands I haven't looked into for awhile.
One thing I am sure of is I'm glad I can read in any language as my grandmother and great grandmother's could not for either most or part of their lives. They missed out on taking adventures or catching up with news because they could not read.


  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.