Thursday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Clubs and Societies

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:    
Clubs and Societies
The Brief:
  • Do you belong to any?
  • Do you have to belong to any?
  • Are there any you belonged to and now don't?
  • What made you join them (and perhaps leave)?
  • What were they about?
  • Do you have membership details of organisations that family members belonged to?
  • What does it mean to belong to group / society / organisation?

To belong to a group, society or organisation means that you are with a group of people who have  a common interest, bond or view of topics - unless you are family and then its a common ancestor you are related to and usually have common values.

In my lifetime, I belonged to many groups and organisations. Some where when I was in high school and it was due to high marks and standards (think honor societies), others were due to group who liked technology and business (Future Business Leaders of America), and then there were the sports or exercise.

In college, I was a member of (in different levels) and was the VP of the Computer Club (again common thing was technology and computers. When I was going to the SUNY or state university, I was accepted as a common member of the radio team, but that was only because I hung out with them on campus.

Lessons Learned
While I learned much about how to run the club like a business, how to organize and run meetings, and politics of it all, I also learned sometimes you just have to say NO. Why? Because I was running myself down and ended up really sick, and even at one point, threw my back out because I was constantly on the go. People came to see me and I had to fit them into the schedule - usually with a 10 minute chat which was sometimes fitted in while walking to class. My health - both physical and mental - was not worth it. I would try my hardest but I wouldn't put my health at risk even though I had to remember this lesson learned when I started work in 2006 as I started to get into the habit of just go, go go!

Below are some pictures from these clubs I belonged to.
Basketball

Chorus



VCHS Honor Society listing names.

VCHS Pool aide manual that was used




FBLA voting delegate member

VCHS honor cords for honor society

National Honor Society sash


Computer club membership
Computer Club committee member

Winning OCCC Computer Club of the year
 I have also done running, raising money via riding bikes and running for charities, and countless other committee or membership things like Girl Scouts or Girl Guides.



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

Wednesday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - What do you See?

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:    
What do you See?
The Brief:
    Public Use Allowed

    • Having seen the image what is the thing you thought? Write that down.
    • Does what you have written have any resemblance to how you view life?
      • Half full or half empty
    • Describe how you feel after you have reflected. Does that differ from your immediate thoughts?

      Take a look at the picture of the glass and what do you see? A glass? Half full? Half empty? Take a good long look...

      I used to dislike these types of questions because there was no one right or wrong answer. It frustrated me. I'd sit there and think about it and see it from angles and try to come up with the one right answer. After years of sitting there and thinking things through - I do tell people do NOT try and get into my brain as its a VERY scary place! - I finally came up with why I was having such a hard time with it.

      I can hear you sitting there asking yourself - Well? Why? WHY? Why! Tell me! Because I'm a realist. The glass and water can be anything you want it to and it will change. Sure the glass is - at this point the camera captured it - full or empty a you wish. BUT what happens after this picture was taken... did someone fill it and drink from it? Or did they say we have our picture for the day and empty it? Guess what? It doesn't matter because whatever you were going to do with the glass and water was going to happen whichever decision you were going to make. This includes if you dropped the glass and it shatters - it was going to happen either now or later so it doesn't really matter.

      Decision Making - the next step
      This being said, I do try and look at all angles/sides which annoys people to no end if they realize I'm doing it. Most people go if I do step A and take a left it will head me into that direction. Others will go to step A and take a right and it will go there and then make a decision. Myself? I go to step A and then try and see what the decisions are from there and then make the next decision and so on until usually I get so confused or its so clear I'm either really comfortable with the decision or really uncomfortable with the decision I have to make that I sit there for a long time. Then its the uncomfortable one people intend to get frustrated with me because I'll just sit there.


      I think the fact I used to read books called "Choose Your Own Adventures" which depended upon the decisions you make for the story have something to do with it. I used to sit down with the book, a piece of paper and pencil and list out options for each before making the decision and then make it. At the beginning I usually wasn't in a good spot at the end, but by the time I got finished? I was doing the route A to options are and what would I think do to route B and so on. I sat down and tried to route out the entire journey and I got about 1/4-1/2 of it correct which freaked other kids out. The lesson that was learned was you can map things out but just think out your journey far ahead.

      Have All Decisions been good ones?
      From Flickr account - Copyright All rights reserved by Dilan Lyman 

      Of course not! Life had many twists and turns like a river. Some days that river runs fast and other days its almost stopped but overall that river is still moving - just like life and our decisions within it. You just have work with what you've got and try and have fun and lots of laughter while you are doing it.


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

      "The Book of Me, Written by You" - Life Chapters

      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:    
      Life Chapters
      The Brief:
      • Is your life divided into chapters?
      • How has that happened? Has it naturally evolved?
      • Can you easily reflect where one chapter ends and another begins?
        • Are there any surprises?
      • Are those Chapters determined by people and / or places / or significant events?


      The chapters in my life have all naturally accord by decisions people have made. I like to think of it Sliding Doors" effect. Its just like the movie - you come upon one ultimate decision - do you go left or right because each of these will take you onto a different journey. Then your life go spiraling this way or that and sometimes they intersect again and sometimes they don't.
      as the "

      Growing up, I started reading things like "Choose Your Own Adventure" which is a story in which the reader makes decisions and it would send you in different directions based upon the decision. Life is exactly like that.


      I have to say, my life has been divided into chapters. They are:
      • From prebirth to when my mother left my father
      • From when my mother and I were together until I left the US to get married
      • From walking off the plane until current

      Prebirth to Mother leaving Father

      I know from more than one person, how much fighting, yelling at one another and laughing and jokes were done. Usually the fighting and yelling were done when my father was home and the laughing and jokes were when he was away. That's how I can remember tiny snippets from that time. Nothing major just feelings really.


      Mother until Migration to Australia

      This was mainly one of moving and sameness. My mother did and does thrive on nothing changing and everything staying the same for about 3-4 years. Once the 3-4 year mark hits, and all of a sudden she has to move. She complains about it all, but rather than make adjustments or finding out how to stay, she up and moves again and again.

      She has a routine and those of you who break it, hold on to your hats because its going to get loud. If she doesn't eat by 4:30pm then either you miss out or it gets cold - tough if you want something different. If she has a show she watches, don't try and get her to tape it or miss it or else there will be hell to pay and you'll be sworn at quite a bit.


      Migration to Australia to Present

      This one is more often than not thought of in happiness. We've been married over 15 years and I've only had to move 5 times and most of those were because of the time when we had a fire and moved around a bit. However, since buying our house, I haven't had to move in over 12 years and its been THE BEST in that regard.
      Us in front of our house

      Like all couples, it hasn't been happy times all around. We've had me first getting a job, because no one wanted to hire someone not Australian. Then I lost my job 4 1/2 years after I got one due to them selling 1/2 the business and so I was unemployed again. Then I got another full time one working for the state government only to loose that one at about the 5 1/2 year mark due to budget cuts when they cut the whole position in the state and again I'm unemployed. I've now done study for web design and finished it with A (or HD) marks, only to find the jobs need some kind of real experience in order to get them. This is where I am at now.
      2014 Web Based Tech Qualification

      Further, you had us try and have kids. Unfortunately being classified infertile and about 10 years ago we were told we had about 1-2% of ever having kids. This year we decided to roll the IVF dice again to try again - only to fail. At the moment, we're trying to get over accepting this disappointment.
      One of our campsites at Bathurst.

      That being said, we have had some good times - camping and attending a few V8 motor racing meets at Bathurst in New South Wales in Australia. We visited 14 of states in the US and the final goal will be all 50 of them. We've built a house, and am happy. The only thing I ever require is a stable roof over my head, happiness, food in the belly, and kids. It looks like they are all going to be met except the last, so I guess that's something.



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

      "The Book of Me, Written by You" - Emigration / Migration / Immigration

      The prompt for the week is:    
      Emigration / Migration / Immigration
      The Brief:
      • Have you ever lived overseas from your place of birth?
      • Would you want to?
      • Could you?
      • Did your ancestors or even a more recent generation?
      • Do you feel akin to another Country from that in which you were born?
      • If so have you found any ancestral links in your research that perhaps explains those feelings?
      • As always share (or not) examples, photographs and perhaps events or rationale
      This is an interesting topic as when I was elementary school, I was actually asked to write about Immigration old and new. Recently, as I'm starting to scan old documents into the computer for archiving, I found the report. What interesting reading.
      A sample of my essay in elementary school

      Anyhow, when this topic first came up, I postponed it as I was still looking around for information and it seemed I was getting information from all over the place. It seemed the faster and harder I'd work the more information came up online. Within the last few months in 2014, its finally started to slow down a bit and I can catch my breath and write on this topic.

      My Living overseas
      In 1995, I met a man that wanted an email pen pal. Since I had a few, or 7, I decided it was ok to add another. Over time the relationship evolved from that into IRL or in real life meet up in late 1995 when he (Brett) came over to the US to visit. Then in 1996, I visited Australia to see where and how they lived. Also, it was a test to see if I could live there. It was fine and we put in paperwork for me to migrate from the US to Australia, which was done in May 1997. We married and now we live in a house we built.

      For me, it wasn't hard to adjust and I think that's mainly due to all the moving around I did growing up. For some reason, my mother loved to move from place to place every 3-4 years. Even since I've moved out, she still does this even to this day.

      Maternal side living overseas
      My Paternal Great Grandfather
      From Wikipedia
      I have been able to trace our ancestors back to my great grandfather Julius Gauquie who comes from Belgium. From what I've been able to piece together, my great grandfather came to the US in 1888.

      Before migrating to the US, he probably lived in the Flanders region of Belgium. I've been able to narrow this down as on the census, he said he spoke Flemish which was common and dominant in this region. Further to prove this theory, was this area was rich in farmers which is what he was in the USA.

      I've always tried to take a breath, sit back and go - why leave everything he knew and come to the US where he knew nothing or no one. Then I go to researching the times, country, and do some more searching.

      In Belgium in the late 1880's, Catholics were forming a domestic policy in the government's cabinet. This was fine as we are all Roman Catholics. However, by 1878, I found this was succeeded by liberals in the running of the government. The further follow up question I ask - was this enough to force him from his homeland? I don't think so. Then I did more looking and found the following:

      King Leopold II was dealing with the Congo and Belgium was doing the most trade with them.

      Belgium declared itself as bilingual - Flemish was added to French which made both the official languages. Ah! Success! When I was in high school, I was asked what other electives did I want to take and I didn't know. I heard some of my friends talking about how they were going to be taking the Spanish language and I asked what other languages were there. I was told there were only French and Spanish. I had always wanted to learn French (for some reason), so I took that. After much administrative crap (the administration didn't want me to take it for fear it was too hard for me due to my learning disability even though I had an A average) I was allowed to take the class. Now I know why I wanted to learn the language.

      Education was on bilingual footing in its teachings.
      There was much labour unrest among the working class. 
      There was a limitation on women & children working. 
      Belgium was being flooded with American grain when the Catholics were in charge. The Catholics promised the people they would protect agriculture. However I don't think the people believed the Catholics and this was probably one major reason why they were succeeded by the liberals.

      If you put all of these things together, I believe the last point (agriculture) was probably the reason why my great grandfather probably left Belgium. I think he was probably thinking if the US had such a great flood of that much grain, why shouldn't he go over there and send back his products this way and actually give the people grains and such from their own country person. However, when he got to New York, he found himself in "upstate" and married within 6 years of arriving. Then he took a job on the land to see how things worked there and ended up owning a huge spread in Blooming Grove, New York. Upon his death, the land was first split up and then sold off bit by bit. As far as I know, some of that land has moved down from generation to generation as current as 1997.

      What is ironic is most of his grandchildren and great grandchildren are in real estate. If my searching as proved correct, there is still one of his relatives who farms.

      Further, a tiny bit ago, I found out Julius DID know someone in the US - his cousin! - so when he left Belgium, he did so in knowing he did have family in the US and in the area he was settling in. 
      Julius and his cousin. Upon Researching I found his cousin was in the US from 1895.

      Taken from Wikipedia - The tiny bit of dark green is Denmark
      Julius was married to Annie Larson of Denmark. She arrived in the US from Denmark in about 1890 or 1891. Most people in Denmark in the 1880s were farmers. However, as the surname Larson, is like Smith in the US, there are thousands with this name and the spellings are also different. Many people
      had the surname Lars which means the son of Lars and its revolving. In other words the surname for a child would be different than of the father as they are the son/daughter of their father. For instance, my great grandmother Annie  was Annie Larson, but her father might have been Jenson which means the father of Jens.

      Another interesting fact is in the 1860's a large amount of people converted to Church of Latter Day Saints and then they migrated to the US. When my great grandmother came over, this was during the peak period of people from that part of the world going to the US.

      This is where, I think, my mother heard the story of one of my ancestors being in Poland and married to a potato farmer. They had an infant son which ended up sick and dying. Then the husband died and the authorities were threatening to take my grandmother's land. Then the Church of the Latter Day Saints came by and she went with them and ended up in the US.

      I think it wasn't my grandmother but maybe my great grandmother and it wasn't from Poland but from Denmark. This would then make sense if my great grandmother had gotten married really young (she was 18 when she came to the US) and then had to leave everything to come to the US. Its a theory I still haven't fully completed figuring out.

      Maternal side living overseas
      My Maternal Great Grandfather
      From Find a Grave

      On this side, I have been able to trace my 2 times great grandfather & mother - Stanislaw & Walerja Ostrzycki who both come from Russia Poland. Remember during the 1870's and then in the early 1900's Poland didn't exist - It was made up of Russia, Prussia and Austria. Many times you will see documents which state Russia Poland or Poland Russia or any of the combinations with the other 2 countries which invaded Poland. I was able to find Stanislaw's Declaration of Intention paperwork which states he was born in Lipno, Russia. However, when you take into account all the census he put Poland, I would say its Lipno, Poland Russia (some history) rather than Lipno, Russia. Further evidence shows his daughter - my great grandmother - put down they were from Poland and not Russia in her obituary, it would lock it in it was Lipno Poland rather than Russia. 

      Again, I sit back, take a breath, and go - why leave everything he knew and come to the US where he knew nothing or no one. Then I go to researching the times, country, and do some more searching. However, with Poland, its easy to see why they left after so much fighting and getting overrun, so there is not much research to be done once you understand Polish history. 

      From Wikipedia
      When the arrived in the US, they settled in a small town in Pennsylvania. Why? Well Pennsylvania is one of the places there was a huge Polish community, so they might have known people in the area. If nothing else, it would have felt like a bit of home with places to eat, food and the language they might have heard spoken. 

      I grew up eating, and then later, cooking Polish foods. In fact, one of the restaurants we currently go to is a great little Polish place not far from our house. There is even a Catholic, which is what they were, church on the other side of the street from the restaurant. 

      Paternal side living overseas
      My Paternal Great Grandfather
      Taken from Wikipedia
      On this side, I don't know much about my grandfather, Matthew Schmitz who was born in Germany. I do know my father's cousin, Helmut, still lives in the house that "has been in the family for Mendig or Niedermendig, Germany. This is exactly where the surname/last name of Schmitz said it originated from - Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He left Germany between his birth in 1906 and 1930 when he married my grandmother, Jean. I'm sorry to say, I don't have much more information than that.
      generations". I believe the house is located around

      We always knew our background was German with the last name like Schmitz. However no one ever talks about this side of the family. 

      Paternal side living overseas
      My Maternal Great Grandfather
      Taken from Wikipedia
      On this final side, I can trace my ancestor's back to my great grandparents - Adam Wojtkowski and Maryanne or Maryanna Åšlepowron both of Poland. Reminder - during the 1870's and then in the early 1900's Poland didn't exist - It was made up of Russia, Prussia and Austria. Many times you will see documents which state Russia Poland or Poland Russia or any of the combinations with the other 2 countries which invaded Poland. I was able to find documents that showed Adam was born at Ciechanowiec Russia Poland. Further, my grandmother and great grandmother's travel to the US state they came from Malkina. Only upon talking to a local of the area, he stated because of my great grandfather's surname/last name he was actually from the town called Wojtkowice Russia Poland. 

      Taken from Wikipedia
      My great grandmother, Maryanna, I had narrowed down to the same area as Adam. However, I had her surname/last name down wrong as whomever spelled it for my grandmother's obituary spelled it wrong. The Åšlepowron surname/last name was actually from Polish nobility which my father was told about growing up, but didn't know anything more than that. Åšlepowron is from one of the oldest and most respected names in all of Poland. The surname has a coat of arms for it and its used for almost 1000 last names/surnames.

      As my great grandmother's surname spelling was only just pointed out to me, I'm still researching it.






      During my research, over the last 5 of the 10 years I've been doing this, I've been jokingly telling my husband, who is also researching HIS side, I wish I had some royalty or something on my side just to make one side a bit easier. Then we found out about the nobility link in Poland. I am now content - the only way to be fully content is to get all these sides of these families talking and linking up again.

      The best part about all of this? Is my DNA does back it all up - including the tiny bit I've read about the Korwin part of the Åšlepowron surname.
      Taken from Jo Ann's FTDNA Origins map

      I wonder what else I'll find. If nothing else, you can always keep track of this in my other blog Of My Flesh and Blood where the whole site is dedicated to each ancestor which I'm writing up as fast as I can.

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

      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
      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.
      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 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.
          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:    
          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


          From Wikipedia

          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.
          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.