Jo's Personal Blog at Blogger.com

Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Perfect Day Out

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

The prompt for the week is:

Perfect Day Out

The Brief:
Cast your mind back to a day when you experienced the perfect day out.

Describe the setting
Who you were with?
Why were you there?
What or who made it special
How does the memory of that day make you feel?

I don't think I've ever had a perfect day out which is pretty sad.

I know when I was about 8 years old or so, I used to go down to the ball field called Bradley Park, alone, and lay on the grass and watch the clouds go by which was pretty nice for a day out.

The wind was gently blowing a light breeze, the sun was going in and out of clouds. The grass was soft and tickled on the backs of my legs of which were bare due to me wearing shorts. I was laying on my back, head tilted back with my arms behind my head and eyes closed. It was pretty quiet and you couldn't hear much other than the odd lawn mower in the distance.

I think I liked it because it was so quiet and still rather than the constant go and/or shouting that seemed to be around me all the time.

Taken from Google Earth in 2014

Above is the place I'm talking about in 2014. However, now it has more baseball diamonds (when I went there was only 1, a small playground and the tennis courts), more parking and other outbuildings as you can see.

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

Wednesday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Your First Home - First house, first residence and current house

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.

The prompt for the week is:

Your First Home

The Brief:

This can be either or a combination of any of the following
Your parent's home - the first home you can probably remember
A home away from home - perhaps collage
Your first big purchase
The first home with the love of your life and perhaps your descendants
Perhaps talk of the excitement, stress and emotional attachments to locations
Was your home in your family for lots of years, was it an old house or a new build?
Can you visualise the rooms, or have photos?

Your Parent's Home
My parent's house where I was born, they had on mortgage I believe. I know my grandmother, Jean, wanted to help both her sons out when she was bought out during the Urban Redevelopment of Newburgh, New York in the early 1960's. I believe my parents took her up on the money and used it for their first house where I was born in Newburgh, New York.

House that I lived in when I was born. Taken from Google Earth in 2013.

It had 3 levels. The main one, which you walked into had basics - a closet behind the front door, huge living room area, a good sized dining room, and a kitchen.

The other 2 levels had the other areas - upstairs contained a bathroom and 3 bedrooms and a hall closet. Also, there was a laundry chute which was later closed off. I think this was for safety reasons - mainly for my brother - which frequently rode down the chute.

The last level, which was added to, was in the "basement" area. It had a crawl space under the living room which you got to from the laundry room, another bedroom with a bathroom, a bar area and a play area which usually had my father's pool table and dart game. It also had a door leading outside up about 15 steps and into the backyard.

I lived here with my mother, father and brother and middle sister, until my mother left my father. My father continued to live in the house until 1995 when he moved to a nearby town. He was downsizing the house because he felt he didn't need all the room that was in the house with his second wife.

Although I still spent time in the house, I frequently remember the morning when we left my father - the cold, rainy, and overcast morning.

My First Residence in Australia
When I first came to visit, and then move, to Australia it was to be with my fiance and his father - my now father in law - in the place they lived for most my husband's life in Ferntree Gully, Victoria in Australia. My father in law was fine with this as he knew we needed to get on our feet before moving out.

Picture I took in 1996 when I visited. In Ferntree Gully, Victoria Australia

However, just more than 24 hours before I left the US for Australia, there was a fire - we now know it was intentionally lit - and we stayed with my husband's Great Aunt Sue until we could find a place. Which we did for a tiny bit before moving back in with my father in law in late 1997. We lived there until we built our current house.

The house was on one level. The main bedroom was by the front door, then a linen closet, with the living room being across from both. Then came the kitchen and dining room with a hallway leading to the 2 back bedrooms, laundry room, toilet and bathroom. There was a door going outside in both the dining room and laundry room.

This was special because it got me used to the Australian houses and how everything worked which was a bit different in some areas than what as normal for me.

Our Home
Then in early 2000, our home was finally done being built. This is where we currently live. Its in Narre Warren, Victoria in Australia.

The house is on one level. When you walk into the house, you come into an entry way, study and the entry into the main bedroom. The main bedroom, has a bathroom or en suite and a WIR (walk in robe) or closet.Coming out of the main bedroom and you go down a small hall which has the laundry room and dogs beds in, and then it opens our into a open planned kitchen, dining and living room. there is a sliding door leading outside and there are huge windows throughout the house.There is a
hallway which leads to 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet.

This special because we built it and chose what we wanted. Also, as I moved so much during my growing up years, I'm glad to say, I don't ever want to move again and have told my husband as much. I plan on dying here because I hate moving.

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

Tuesday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - School Trips

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.

The prompt for the week is:

School Trips

The Brief:

Did you go on any school trips?
Where did you go?
Memories and trinkets of those special days?

This, I believe, will be a very short entry as I didn't take many of these when I was growing up.

Elementary School

During my elementary school days, at Walden Elementary School, there were very few school trips.

I remember going to the following:

Space Farm - which we visited twice and once when I was in Girl Scouts

Catskill Game Farm - which we visited twice. Sometimes my mother did take me here over the summer vacation.

From Wikipedia

Madison Square Garden to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

From Wikipedia

Museum of Natural History in NYC

Middle School

During my time in Middle School, we did not go on any school trips. It was said to be because of budget limitations. Unless, of course, you count the walk we did from there to the high school to see films on Martin Luther King, Jr. Not there is anything wrong with this, but when you think of a school trip, you don't count on going to the building next door to see a film on a projector.

From Wikipedia page

High School

High school was almost a mirror image of the middle school days except we didn't even get the films.

In grade 12, senior year, there were trips to Florida and other get "togethers" that were held. However, due to financial and other family limits, I could not go to any of these.

I did go to trade school at Orange Ulster BOCES during this time and belonged to a club called FBLA. The club did go to a conference which enacted just like a school trip. This was to Rochester to participate in contests for all of New York in certain areas. My area was Financial Information Processing at that point.

College

College was completely different than my other school years. Once I joined into a club at Orange County Community College, we did try and do things. The first few years it was visiting IT tech areas in firms in the towns nearby. By the time I was in my second and last year of the college, we did do a few other trips - one to Boston to see the Computer Museum (now closed) and the other was to Washington DC to see the Smithsonian.

Group of us after visiting the Computer Museum in Boston, MA

Remember these are not the same as the places we sometimes went over summer vacations.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.