Friday

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - How do you measure success?

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:    
How do you measure success?
The Brief:
  • Can success be measured?
  • Medals or Trophies
  • Money or reward
  • Status
  • Personal Knowledge
  • Achievements
  • How others view you?
Award for participation in Basketball

When I was growing up, I used to measure success by going to school and bring home good grades. Then when I started to run, play basketball and other athletic things, I measured it, at first, by making it through first a game and then the season. This included some of the runs I did where I actually did get mentioned in the newspaper and by getting a trophy.

Two of my running trophy's (see newspaper clippings)


My placement in one of the 4th of July races in Walden NY (Wallkill Valley Times)

Award for most trying & most improved in Elementary School

I was also trying very hard at school. I did get a medal for the most improved student and found that when I tried harder, I could do it, but I had to try ALOT as I know what I want to say its just hard getting it out and down. I always got very frustrated at myself, others and subjects because I knew what I had to do, but I couldn't put it down on paper. However, it took me years to get it to the point of being able to put it down either on paper on the keyboard. I've only just become more able to do this within the last handful of years. I also starting thinking success was in the bank balance - meaning I had to find a job that paid big bucks to be successful.

Placed 4th in the NYS conference award
Outstanding Student Award


By the time I got towards the end of college, I started to realize it was the small things that really count - being acknowledged for a job well done - handshake, hug, slap on the back - all counted. Yes, you couldn't revisit them, unless it was by memory, but at least it was an acknowledgement.
 
Trade School Honor Society
High School Honor Society

Does you family celebrate?
I didn't realize until after my high school and trade school graduations in 1991, that you were supposed to be congratulated, praised and usually there was a celebration mixed in. It was really weird to me because when my graduations happened, and I went to other graduation parties and were talking to others, they were all celebrating and having parties. I quickly figured out that was what people did.
When I graduated and celebrations before and after
My family didn't, and still don't, do things like normal families. My family does buy the cards, and may put either money or a gift with it, which was handed, or almost shoved, at me afterwards. They said congratulations and walked away.  My mother, for my high school graduation, complained the whole way home because she was cold and would probably catch pneumonia because it had started to rain and we had to go inside while her and my sister went and sat in the car. There was no dinner, no party, no nothing - a normal day resumed after we got home.  For my college graduation, my mother and nieces went (I drove my car) and I forced the issue with celebration - I met a group of friends and we finished getting ready together and after took pictures together. However, after I dropped my neices off and we went home, again it was like a normal day. This time, however, a few days after I had planned to have celebrations where I worked by renting a few rooms and, after clearing them out, I had one for food, one for dancing and partying (games, etc) and one for people who wanted to sit around and talk quietly. My mother did go and sat in the one room and talked quietly to some of the others. I paid for the whole thing myself, but at least I had a celebration of sorts.
When I started to work for Manpower Temp agency I got this award for my work.
After that, I gave up. I don't celebrate my birthday and if I get a certificate or anything else, I just don't celebrate it. Its just too depressing. Only because of my husband did we even have a proper wedding and reception because if it was left up to me, we probably wouldn't have had one.

Do you celebrate anything later in life?
Even to this day, I just don't celebrate anything other than holidays because I've found each time I counted on something, from growing up and into adulthood in my life, it just wouldn't either happen or something bad would happen. In fact, when I got my Certificate IV in Web Based Technology, which I got high distinction (think high 90's out of 100), nothing was done other than me saying thank god I'm done and receiving the certificate in the mail.
My latest Certificate in 2014
Now I measure things in I'm alive what else can life throw at me rather than how far can I reach, which is sad.

How do others see you?
When I was going to school, I had a few friends that would call me brainac (lovingly). It didn't really matter to me because I had nothing to judge and only what I saw others do. I think it annoyed them I had so many good grades without really trying or so they thought. However, what they didn't see was even though they didn't have the upper grades like me, they were the ones that were richer - they had a family that was happy for them with hugs and kisses on the day and the celebrations. In my eyes, I saw they were the richer ones than myself. However, I do know of at least one that thought I was in the better position because of the grades.

This is what a friend wrote after I failed either a mid of final exam.

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

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 Ślepowron 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 Ślepowron surname/last name was actually from Polish nobility which my father was told about growing up, but didn't know anything more than that. Ślepowron 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 Ślepowron 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.