Tuesday's Tune - U2's Joshua Tree

A Joshua Tree. Image by Joho345 - @U2 at Wikimedia Commons

Today is a bit of a cheat because I chose an entire album rather than just one song. I have to thank my friend Natalie and her mom, Leslie, for introducing me to U2. I vividly remember sitting the in backseat of their car (a Honda Accord with a manual) sometime in our middle/high school years and having the bass beat from "With or Without You" shake the car. I loved it. I became a fan, the type of fan that even liked "Lemon."

Joshua Tree is arguably one of U2's best known albums and is one of the few albums I can listen to all the way through without skipping a song. Released on March 9, 1987, Joshua Tree was the band's fifth studio album, and was inspired by their American experiences. The album shot U2 into super-stardom and earned them a Grammy for Album of The Year in 1988. It is also one of the best selling albums of all time with more than 25 million copies sold.

Wordless Wednesday - Kuhn family church photos

Dad and Mom

Bro and Sis

Photos taken for the Englewood Baptist Church directory. Yep, that is a sweet Strawberry Shortcake dress.

Tuesday's Tune - "Moonlight Serenade," Glenn Miller Band

As I have mentioned before I am an old soul. For some reason, I have always leaned toward older things. This manifests itself musically through my love of big band music. I love the sound of the horns, the popular singers of the times and the idea that to me, this music stands for a period of life I often wish I had been alive during: the 1940s.

My favorite band of the time is the Glenn Miller Band. My father has told me that when he was little his mother would move the furniture, turn the radio up and make him dance with her to the Glenn Miller Band around their living room. My grandmother died many years before I was born so this is an image burned into my mind for a person I never met. Perhaps that is why the music is so important to me.

Glenn Miller, as a Major in the Army Air Force.

"Moonlight Serenade" was written by Glenn Miller and recorded on April 4, 1939. It was actually the "B" side of the album for the song "Sunrise Serenade." It became an instant hit and was listed as the number 5 record according to sales on the 1939 Billboard chart.

I'll jump on the Goal Wagon

Many of my fellow genealogy bloggers have been posting their goals for 2012 over the past week. At first I thought, "how silly...now everyone will know what you procrastinate on." But then I realized it is more about holding your own feet to the fire. As stated before, I have a serious case of genealogy ADD. There is something wonderful about just looking at my tree, picking a random branch and exploring. But there is also something uber unproductive about it. So I'll remember that it's a hobby, it's okay if I don't accomplish these (no one will take away my birthday), and it will provide me one of the things I need more than anything else: focus. So, here we go...
1. My grandmother's 80th birthday is in July and I would like to create some type of "life to this date" memento for her and her guests.

2. Finally order the two Sicilian films from the LDS that I have very much procrastinated on.

3. Research first hand accounts of migration from Virginia to Kentucky to Missouri. Many of my family lines made this trek, and while I have no way of knowing what precipitated their moves specifically, perhaps I can find some explanations in the accounts of other migrants.
4. Determine the origins of my Tosh, Bodine, Creed and Reece family lines.

5. Begin a study of occupations of my ancestors.
6. Actually write some posts for my Civil War Remembered series (and yes, this may mean "backdating." It's my blog and I can backdate if I want to.)

7. Change my blog layout. I'm bored.

8. Attempt to track down living relatives in order to locate photographs, stories, journals or just to share what I have.
Here we go. Not too many goals, let's be honest, I can't take that much structure. But I have 12 months to make some kind of dent in this. We'll see how it goes. I have also declared this the Year of Craft in my house. I constantly feel a need to create something, but very rarely act upon it. It's time to put a stop to that and crank out some quilts, embroidery, kids art projects, the list goes on and on and on. Here's to a productive year!

Wordless Wednesday - Like father, Like daughter

Like Father...

Like Daughter...

The lovely giant foot is from the remains of a giant statue of Constantine the Great and resides in the courtyard of the Musei Capitoline, Rome, Italy.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Grab bag - Advent Calendars

My family has always used advent calendars to count down the days to Christmas. As I have mentioned before, my mother worked at Hallmark Cards for many years and our first advent calendars came from there. The early ones were simple paper calendars like this lovely number (which can be bought on eBay I might add):

Some years school fundraisers would offer the advent calendars with chocolate, but I always thought the chocolate tasted a little sketchy, so I wasn't a big fan of those.

When we moved to Germany in 2005 the tradition of the chocolate advent calendar came back around, but with sketchy chocolate removed...somehow their chocolate tasted better.

This is an advent calendar that we bought in Germany and carried with us from there to Kansas City for the holidays. We couldn't miss any days of chocolate!

Now we have added our children in the spirit. Here is our current advent calendar, which is even more sweet as you can put chocolate or small toys in each door. The first thing my son asks me every morning is if he can "do the train."

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas at School

In my family, Christmas at school meant music. Choir and orchestra filled our days throughout our school years. If I wasn't going to my own concerts, I was heading to my brother's.

My favorite school Christmas memories come from show choir. The Harmonaires, a show choir at North Kansas City High School in North Kansas City, Missouri, sang Christmas music the entire month of December. Not only did the choir sing at the annual Christmas concert, but small groups also sang Christmas carols for local Christmas parties as a fund raiser. There is something about Christmas carols in four-part harmony that makes the season even brighter.

I vividly remember the fear I felt when at one such fundraising carol-singing session, my director, Jerry Carpenter, made me sing a solo. It was one of the only times I have ever sung on my own (I was born to be a back-up singer). I can't remember the song now...but it was one with an interesting Alto part, because I sang it as an Alto. My junior year I missed all of the caroling sessions because I had the chicken pox. Sweet.

Christmas choir concerts were so much fun. There were always some traditional Christmas classics and then some wacky songs as well.

Harmonaires singing Fruitcake in 1992 (I think).

How many choir geeks have awful photos like this, I ask. Regardless, this is a photo of the Harmonaires singing the song Fruitcake, arranged by Philip Hagemann & Penny Leka. It's a song about the different ingredients of a fruitcake, but with the proper inflections here and there...it's a riot!

This song has a long tradition at our school. I'm not sure when it started, but my brother sang it in the late 80s, I sang it 1993 or 1994 and they are still singing it today. Luckily Unfortunately, I don't have any video proof my year singing the song, but here is a taste of a more current year (2010).

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - The Tree

My family is very particular about traditions which is most evident in our celebration of the Christmas season. I love this time of year and love carrying on our traditions. This series of posts will relive those wonderful Christmas memories.

The Tree

The Christmas tree in our house was ALWAYS a live tree. No exceptions. Although there is the drama of sap and the joy of finding needles months later, there is nothing like the smell of a real Christmas tree to get one into the Christmas spirit. As a family we would travel to any of the myriad of Christmas tree farms in the area to get our tree. We would hunt and peck through the selection for hours until we found just the right one. Then my father, usually with my brother's help, would cut down the tree. Our tree was set up in my parents room for many years because my mother and father loved to look at the tree while they fell asleep. Later we moved it to the living room.

My mother worked for Hallmark Cards for 34 years and is an avid ornament collector so our Christmas tree was always covered in the special ornaments she collected from that year. Her collection made our tree was different every year. The exception were three special Hallmark ornaments that we used every year (and still do). They are made of pewter and were always the last ornaments to be hung on the tree. My brother hung the drummer boy, I hung the angel and my parents hung the snowflake.

Our tree, 1996

When I was very young I remember my father hanging a special ornament that he said came from his childhood: a white reindeer with a red nose. I believe it came from Montgomery Ward.

My father and I with our dog, Sandy. The package was a dog bed! You can just see the Rudolph ornament to the upper left of my dad's head.

One of my favorite Christmas tree memories is from my first Christmas living in my own apartment. I was too busy to get a real Christmas tree so my plan was just to put up a small fake one. One day when I came home from work I found a Christmas tree on the porch of my apartment! My parents had gotten two during their annual trip to ensure that I didn't break tradition. Wonderful! Here is how that tree turned out:

 I know, crazy classy. But I really did love PBR!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my 35th birthday...my how time flies. My son will be celebrating his first birthday on Saturday, so in his honor I thought I would share my first birthday. Gotta love the shag carpet. Note all the albums and the massive speaker in the background...told you music was important to us!

Remember 4th of July?

Photo by Dori, wikimedia commons

I love the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays, perhaps because it is rooted in history...and I love potato salad. When I was younger, the 4th of July was a holiday spent with friends and family to have fun and celebrate not just our country's independence, but to celebrate generation after generation of Americans that have made our country what it is today.

Yesterday, on a drive around town I became completely disenfranchised with the American way. I could count on one hand the retail stores and restaurants that were closed. When I was younger the only things open were gas stations and my family even felt guilty about using those. "No one should have to work on a holiday," my father always says. There are obvious exceptions...hospitals, police stations, etc. But do the warehouse box stores really need to be open? Do we really need to buy a box fan or a can of paint on a holiday? No. Things can wait a day. I couldn't help but be sad and remember the old days where you made sure had what you needed to celebrate holidays BEFORE the holiday. It comes down to the almighty dollar and America's need to get it.

I suppose what upsets me the most is based in selfishness. Everything was open yesterday, a national holiday. How long will it be before business men and women wonder to themselves: "everything else is open why should I lose a day of business for this holiday?" Before you know it, we'll all be working...bar-b-cues and parades a thing of the past. I truly hope that 10 years from now I'm not writing my fourth of July rant blog post from my office desk.

If I live to be 100...

The beginning of a 100 years...

Today Jackson Mississippi celebrates his golden birthday. My goodness how time flies. His favorite things are trains and cars, although he also dabbles in construction equipment. He loves getting dirty (what four-year-old doesn't) and refuses to learn to peddle his tricycle. His favorite food is peanut better toast and he won't eat anything that starts with a V and ends in E.

“If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” - Winnie the Pooh

I Took His Hand and Followed - Thankful Thursday

I came across the following poem last night and was reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to be able to spend my days with two wonderful little boys. I was so inspired that I marked today as Little Dude's choice on what to do. He chose his favorite outing: a trip "downtown" with a visit to the library for new books, a smoothie snack and a ride on the trolley. Today I took his hand and followed and I am so glad I did.

I Took His Hand and Followed

by Mrs. Roy L. Peifer

My dishes went unwashed today,

I didn't make the bed,

I took his hand and followed

Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,

My little son and I...

Exploring all the great outdoors

Beneath the summer sky

We waded in a crystal stream,

We wandered through a wood...

My kitchen wasn't swept today

But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade

And now my small son knows

How Mother Bunny hides her nest,

Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,

We climbed a sunlit hill...

Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,

We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,

That I didn't brush the stairs,

In twenty years, no one on earth

Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy

To noble manhood grow,

In twenty years, the whole wide world

May look and see and know.

Every wedding is a royal wedding

"In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future."
- Dr. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, at the wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011

I was queen for a day six years ago today. Happy anniversary to my own sweet Prince William.

Deep down, we wish we were British

HRH Prince William of Wales and
Catherine Middleton married April 29, 2011

I am not a Royal watcher or a Monarchist. I am from Missouri, a state in a country where we do not have Royals...in fact, many men died to ensure that we would not have a Monarch. Yet, even I, and probably millions of my fellow ex-Britons (albeit 235 years ago) sat and watched today's royal wedding, riveted to our televisions. I heard several commentators ask the same question throughout the coverage: why are Americans so enthralled with this wedding?

It is because deep down, we wish we were British. We wish we had an opportunity to celebrate with such pomp and circumstance. There are many things that Americans can stand for and stand behind: the Statue of Liberty, our beautiful national parks, and just plain "being" American. Yet we do not have a singular institution with such robust history and ceremony. We don't have grand ceremonies, and if there are some at our nation's capital, we're not invited to them. As a young country, we can not even fathom the history behind the British Royal crown.

Yes, today may have just been a wedding. But it was also a time to celebrate the history and heritage of Britain and the one thing every member of the country can stand behind: the Royal family.

Today was a day for all Britons to stand behind the Union Jack and just be proud to be British. And I, for one, will be British for a day.

My how things change - Wordless Wednesday

Family Vacation

I can't help but sing "Holiday Road" today as my family prepares to embark on the pilgrimage known as The Family Vacation. There is something so horrible and wonderful in those words. We are avid travelers, and avid travelers with our children, so the idea of being in a car for hours on end is nothing new, or dreaded. This will be our first vacation as a family of four, though, so it will be a new dynamic.

Our adventure will take us to Orlando, Florida, which also happened to be the location of the first family vacation I remember as a child. I'm not positive how old I was, but I believe I was almost four as the vacation includes some of my first memories. It was my first plane ride and I remember the blue and green shag carpet in our hotel room. We also went to the beach and collected a million seashells.

My mother and I hunting for seashells. I love my dad's foot in this photo!

It was also my first and only visit to Walt Disney World. I vividly remember It's a Small World. I also remember my dad telling us a story of riding a roller coaster (Space Mountain?) with my brother. As they rode through the mountain part Dad could hear a kid screaming and elbowed my brother, "Wow, listen to that kid!" Turns out the kid crying was my brother. (I will note that my brother heartily refutes this story).

My most poignant memory of Disney World was my encounter, or lack there of, with Mickey Mouse. My main objective was to meet Mickey Mouse. I was still young enough to be riding in a stroller and after searching for that dodgy mouse for a very long time we finally came across him. I could see him in the distance like a shining beacon of happiness. My parents quickly motored my stroller towards him, but it seemed like we were moving through molasses and everything slowed in motion. He turned, we made eye contact. The moment was nearly here. And then, without so much as a wave, Mickey turned and went in to a building. I was crushed, and have clearly never recovered. And like a good fishing story, this one grows a little each time I tell it.

Unequivocal joy. Taken somewhere in Florida, possibly Disney World

I remember returning home with Mickey Mouse ears that were embroidered with my name...and that I wouldn't take off. But the best memory of all is the pure joy that this adventure brought to me. There was nothing better than flying away with my family for a respite from the everyday. I only hope that my children's memories are half as sweet.

Something great about Home

This past week I was visiting my family in Richmond, Missouri, a small town just east of Kansas City, Missouri. My mother and her parents and their parents were all born and raised in Ray County, of which Richmond is the county seat. I also had the opportunity to drive through Kansas City itself. I was born and raised there as was my father and his parents.

There is something so great about home. I have not lived in Kansas City since 2003, yet it will always be my home. I never have to look at a map while I'm there. My father took care of that when I was learning to drive...even earlier than that. Every time we went anywhere he would insist that I tell him not only the streets and highways we were on, but also the direction we were heading. Even after I left KC my friends would call and ask me how to get somewhere.

All of my firsts happened in Kansas City. First steps, baseball game, kiss, prom, job. I honestly don't remember my first kiss, but I do remember my first job. I worked in the Small Mall at Antioch Center, a shopping mall in Kansas City North. The small mall was a tiny building inside the shopping center where children could go and buy gifts for their families at Christmas. The gifts were things like erasers and small plastic toys, but the kids loved it. I hated it as I didn't like children, and I was soon moved to gift wrapping. I just read that Antioch Mall was set for demolition...another of my childhood memories gone.

If nothing else I am as loyal as a cocker spaniel. Especially when it comes to my home. We may not have won a sports championship since 1985, perhaps our city is blighted by well, blight, and perhaps we'll always be a town where folks from the east thinks cows still roam our streets. But we have the best damn bar-b-cue in the country, a beautiful skyline and really friendly people. Taking a drive through town always makes me misty eyed. It's my home and I wouldn't have it any other way...other than to still love there.

52 Week of Personal Genealogy & History Challenge – Week #12

Week 12: Movies. Did (or do you still) see many movies? Describe your favorites. Where did you see these films? Is the theater still there, or is there something else in its place?

I remember fondly times at our small local theater. Every summer they would run specials where you could buy X number of weeks worth of movies for one low price. The movie theater was on the corner of Antioch and Englewood in Kansas City, Missouri. My brother and I were lucky because our house was situated under a mile from the theater. To get there we only had to traipse through a grassy lot and an apartment complex. At the time, our house did not have central air so a visit to the movies was always welcome.

One particular memory includes my best childhood friends: Kim and Natalie. The three of us were inseparable during the summer. I was a softy for animals so when I heard that Oliver & Company was playing at our theater I cajoled Kim and Natalie to go with me. We met at my house and then walked to the movie. If you remember, the movie starts with a young kitten in a give-away box...no one wants him. I cried and cried for the poor kitten and Kim and Natalie laughed and laughed at my emotional outburst.

On the way home from the movie we decided to walk through The Woods. The Woods were a small wooded area right next to our elementary school. Our parents had repeatedly told us to not go in The Woods. But my brother and I had explored them up and down and I knew every path by heart. After all, it was between school and our house, who could blame us? On this particular adventure we entered The Woods on the east side and headed west toward our school and my friend Natalie's house. One of us, maybe Kim, had ribbon shoelaces and just as we were entering The Woods she noticed that her ribbon shoelace had been unravelling...probably all the way from the movie theater. This hilarity, along with still mocking me for my Oliver & Company tears, kept me laughing so hard that I couldn't assure the girls that I knew where we were in the woods. They kept insisting we were lost and I was laughing so hard I could not convince them that we were not. Finally, it was too much for my bladder. You can imagine what happened next. I have still not lived down that day. But I did get them through The Woods.

Movies were such a big part of our lives. Our first adventures without parents, first air conditioning, first kisses...all in a movie theater. We all had Stand By Me memorized. I bet we still do.

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

My life Monday - Rocky Rocket

I am creating this blog prompt as a reminder to myself. Like most genealogists I am an expert on my ancestors. I am also an expert on myself, of course, but I epically FAIL when it comes to detailing my own memories. I do keep an old-school journal, but I have found over the years that I am very good at writing in it when things are not really going my way, but will go for years without an entry when things are good. This prompt is an opportunity to write some of the memories I have.

The first pet I ever had was a cat. Or rather a wacky, disappearing kitten. When I was 7 or 8-years-old my family and I made a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks in southern Missouri. My father was visiting a National Guard buddy of his that, I believe, owned the hotel named Rocky Point. I don't remember the actual vacation, but I do remember the cabin we stayed in. It was your typical cabin with one bedroom and a fold-out couch in the living room. At some point in the trip I came across a small kitten. He was adorable and I somehow got him in to the cabin and spent the bulk of our trip playing with him. I asked my parents if I could take the cat home with us and they agreed on the condition that I ask the owner if I could have him. That was a devastating blow, as I was a very shy child and the idea of talking to a stranger, or at least a stranger to me, was horrifying. But one look at my kitten was all I needed to muster up the courage. I finally asked the owner of the property and he happily agreed.

On the morning of our last day of vacation we all got up and straightened the cabin in preparation to leave. But my kitten was nowhere to be found. I knew I had brought him in to the cabin, but now he was gone. I was heartbroken and cried the whole way home. We already had one dog and one cat at home, but that was no consolation for the cat that I felt a special connection to.

A day or two after we got home my dad got a call from his Army buddy. They were cleaning out our cabin and when they took out the fold-out couch to change the sheets out popped my kitten! He must have been scared by all the ruckus of our pack up and hid in the couch. Good news, except for that we lived in Kansas City; a four-hour drive to Branson. But I was a lucky girl and my parents are and were nothing if not adventurous. The next weekend we drove back to Branson and picked up my disappearing kitten, who the hotel owners had kept under a watchful eye. I still vividly remember the drive home in my Dad's 1986 GMC truck with my parents and my kitten in a box on my lap.

We named the kitten Rocky after the place we had to visit twice to get him. Rocky lived to be nearly 20-years-old and we had countless good times together. In an odd twist, my parents sent me a birthday card from Rocky, with a lovely inky paw print, that I received on the day he died. I loved that cat. And I love the story of him. It reminds me of how much my parents love me and how a pet really can make such a big difference in your life.