December 20, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-Holiday Movie Review

I grew up watching classic movies. I feel so connected to the stars like Audrey Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, and Humphrey Bogart…I could go on for miles.

I mean who doesn’t like a movie that has tap dancing and singing?

I am also obsessed with the style of the time. Absolutely gorgeous.

Love everything.

To say that I have an obsession with classic Hollywood would be understatement. I mean seriously, we named our dogs after Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, and we walked out of our wedding to a Frank Sinatra song.

So it should come as no surprise that my two favorite holiday movies are right along with this era.

holiday-inn-movie-poster-1942-1020143655

I also love classic movie posters, and hope some day have a vast collection.

Holiday Inn is a musical about an inn that only is open during the holidays. They circle the year and put on grandiose dinner shows about several holidays. It is interesting because you definitely see the culture of the time throughout the movie. Gotta love a little historical context. The focus does fall around the Christmas time though, so it still counts as a holiday movie to me. And this is where the famed song “White Christmas” debuted, not with the movie White Christmas like most think.

The story line has humor and romance. Jim and Ted were partners in a show in the city. Jim decides to retire to the country once he learns that Ted romanced Jim’s partner Lila (and thought life partner). Jim then opens the Holiday Inn, as a supper club of sorts. He creates a dinner show for only holidays. Ted was dumped by Lila and comes to be comforted by Jim, only to find his next “love.” I will let you watch it to see who ends up with who.

It is just a funny movie showing the antics of early showbiz. Crosby has a laid back casual approach with perfect wit and charm, which is perfectly paired with Astaire’s more satirical humor and the acrobatics he brings to the table.

I love it all, and Bing’s voice is a dream.

(Also it doesn’t hurt that Tom has a striking resemblance to Bing-in voice and looks. I’m one lucky gal!)

Facts about Holiday Inn from IMDB:

It was released in 1942.
It was the first time Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire were paired together.
When Irving Berlin won an Oscar for his song “White Christmas” from this movie, he became the first artist to present himself with an Academy Award.
The firecracker dance sequence required 3 days of rehearsal and took two days to film. Fred Astaire’s shoes for the dance were auctioned off for $116,000 worth of war bonds.
The set of the Holiday Inn (1942) was reused by Paramount 12 years later for the musical White Christmas (1954), also starring Bing Crosby and again with songs composed by Irving Berlin.

Which brings me to my next holiday classic….

This is my ALL TIME favorite holiday movie.

Following a very similar story line to Holiday Inn, this movie also occurs at a Vermont inn. White Christmas tells the tale of two Army buddies (Bob and Phil) turned song and dance team when they meet the Haynes sisters who are also a singing duo. They all end up at this inn, which is failing miserably. Bob and Phil find out that that the inn is owned by their former Army general so they stick around to help drum up some business. They of course do this by putting on a marvelous Christmas show.

Again, romance and humor fueled by the singing and dancing.

Facts about White Christmas from IMDB:

It was released in 1954.
The “Sisters” comedy act that Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye perform was not originally in the script. They were clowning around on the set and the director thought it was so funny that it was written in. Many takes were attempted, but Crosby was unable to hold a straight face due to Kaye’s comedic dancing. The scene shown in the film was the best take they could get (which includes some laughter from Kaye as well).
While preparing to go on stage for the Sisters routine, Betty and Judy mention their brother being out of the country working in Alaska. This movie was released in 1954 and Alaska wasn’t admitted as a state until 1959, so he was in fact out of the country.
One of the dancers accompanying Rosemary Clooney is George Chakiris. He went on to earn the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, as “Bernardo”, in West Side Story (1961).
Even though Betty was the elder of the Haynes sisters, Rosemary Clooney was actually seven years younger than Vera-Ellen in real life.

Both of these movies are great films to sit by the ~~fire~~ heater with a cup of something warm to breath in the holiday spirit. They are both on my list of must sees during the holiday season! It is so surprising to me how many people have never seen these two movies, so I urge you to check them out if you are guilty of that!

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

What movies are on your “holiday-must-see” list?

Also, I have a plug for an upcoming post. Next week I am co-hosting a Faith and Fellowship devotional with Susannah. We will be exploring a few verses in the first couple chapters of Luke and are focusing on Mary and her submission to God, which I feel is a great thing to focus on this holiday season! We will be opening it up on Friday, December 27th, so I hope you come back for some thoughts on faith!

December 17, 2013 by Stephanie

Within Eyesight

Sight, seeing, view, watch, see, look, vision, stare, observe.

Lay eyes on, take a glimpse of, take notice, catch sight of, get an eyeful.

These are just a few words and phrases that I thought of in regard to sight. And these are words that are spoken so casually every day.

This semester I have had one of the most challenging but yet one of the most rewarding experiences as a Student Affairs professional.

And maybe as a person too.

It has been “eye” opening so to speak.

This entire semester, I attended a Math class with a student who is blind. I am this student’s class aid.

Basically, I have been the student’s eyes all semester.

Did I mention it is in a Math class?

Now I was never well-equipped myself in the math area. And here I found myself trying to explain geometry shapes from dot paper and the properties of an isosceles triangle. I would catch myself on more than one occasion talking with my hands in the air to describe a shape-dang hand motions.

Every day in class, as the professor explained problems and wrote out equations, I attempted to show this student via math manipulative kits what exactly was going on.

We used various tools such as these:

This Geoboard became my best friend when trying to explain graphs and shapes.

These came in handy when we had to do reflections of shapes, and where the student was requested to draw things.

We used so many of these things as hand “visuals.”

Even here, I am using a visual to explain my point…see where I am going with this?

Math is so difficult. (I wish I would have paid more attention to my best friend’s math songs.)

So many days I would come back to the office just stuck and frustrated.

Stuck because I had no idea how to explain math. (I went into Social Studies for a reason.) As a visual learner myself, I very often was stumped on how to translate the visual of shapes and volumes .

Imagine adding circles to the this, and each angle being labeled and having to explain corresponding angles….my worst educational nightmare.

I was frustrated by how quickly the student was left behind to our own devices. We were usually two or three steps behind the rest of the class because it would take me a second to collect the information and then get the manipulatives set quickly to explain things while regurgitating the lecture with the objects we are using. I was frustrated that I couldn’t go faster, and frustrated that the rest of the class just moved along without us. Most of all, I was frustrated because I could see the answer but I had to keep my mouth closed. It was their math lesson to learn, not mine.

I was also an aide for a different student in a biology lab. Due to mobility issues, they needed someone to be their hands for various lab practicals. Ha, watching me put knocked out flies on lab slides and draw blood from a student’s finger was a trip…

These two classroom experiences allowed me to witness the myriad of things that students with disabilities face. Since I was just an observer, I picked up on so many things that I missed while attending school.

On one hand, you have professors who have no clue how to provide accommodations to make the material accessible so they just don’t (even though they are supposed to). For the most part this professor put forth the effort to make the math available, but there were moments where they were just as stumped as I was–like how to evaluate the student’s shape drawing abilities.
You have other students who want to rush through group work and wont take time to include the student. They will just do the work for them. Or they will get mad and say “this isn’t fair” if they have to do more clean up or set up because the physical part of the lab isn’t accessible to the student. In some instances, group work was like getting picked last at recess for these students.
Comments degrading students restrictions and limitations-just creating more barriers. I was dumbfounded at some of the things that are being said at the college level…
You have instructors who will eliminate parts of assignments and just let the student “skip” that material.
People are nervous about disabilities. You have the range from staring stupidly to full out ignoring the student. This nervousness factor alone causes so many reactions across the board that I could not even begin to explain them all.

However, I did see some awesome moments throughout the semester. There were several students who would speak up to help slow down the class if they saw us struggling. Some would offer to help tutor after class and plan study sessions together before big tests. I also had the chance to get to know these two individuals really well, which was a bonus for me to hear about them personally and academically. I saw professors do their best to find techniques like hooking a computer up to a microscope or spending hours puffy painting worksheets and providing wiki sticks for class work.

I am not perfect. This semester was so difficult and challenged me more than I would like to admit. I was frustrated when I couldn’t get the message across and felt like I was at a dead end. There were times that I said, “Well just look at it this way.” I often tried to move faster than I should have. Sometimes, I was nervous to challenge the student and wanted to go the easy way out.

But it wasn’t my educational experience on the line, so I had to buck up and admit that I needed help. I often stayed after class to ask the professors for advice and voiced my concern. On more than one occasion, I met with these students one on one outside of class to adjust our strategies and ensure we were on the same page with communication and expectations. At least once a week, I sat in my boss’s office to brainstorm strategies specifically for these students or found myself digging through boxes to find other manipulatives that we could use. It was a huge reminder that it isn’t about me. I am not in this field to help me. So I had to put away my fear of math and science and just dive right in with the students.

Bring it on bugs and math charts!

For these students, we need to work to make educational readily available. If that means that we have to stay a little extra, do more research, change the format to create the same result (without making it a freebie), and acknowledging the skills they bring to the table, that is our responsibility as educators. What works for one person, doesn’t work for all. Just because you get it, doesn’t mean that everyone is on the same page. So regardless of whether the student has a disability or not, I feel that this was a huge lesson/reminder for me.

Just because we are at a college level, that doesn’t give us the right to just leave people behind. I understand that students have to step up their game once they hit college courses. But I think educators should do the same, and often they are standing behind the guise of this is college so deal with it. We have to give them an equal chance to put in the work. If the student isn’t willing to perform, that is obviously on them. I am more than happy to tell a student they need to do more. They have the responsibility to ensure they ask the questions and speak up for their education. And when they do, we need to be sure to provide them with adequate tools to play the game.

You wouldn’t give a football player a tennis racquet to head into the Super Bowl. Why would you expect a student who is blind to understand what you are writing on the whiteboard?

Not only was the experience a life line for me among all the administrative work I had found myself in, it was a life line for my educator sole.

It taught me to always be vigilant towards injustice, because in this era of “equal rights for all”, those with disabilities are often forgotten.
It reminded me to be aware of what I say and how words as simple as “look at this” and all those listed at the beginning of this post can have an affect on someone’s perception and participation.
It taught me to slow down because although it may not be my first rodeo, the person whom I am working with, it may be their very first time out of the gate.
It taught me that you need to understand each student’s strengths and barriers in order to encourage them the best way possible.
It taught me that sometimes you have to keep your mouth shut in order for the student to learn, even if that means watching them fail.
It taught me how to be a better advocate for my students.
It encouraged me to ask questions when I was uneasy about a situation.
It taught me a whole lot about communication-verbally and especially non-verbally.
It taught me all things are relative within eyesight…

(Additionally, I have learned a lot about math and biology. Apparently when I don’t have to take the test, it soaks in a lot more. Not that I would ever need to know how to tell the sex of a fruit fly, but I can.)

On an unrelated note, there are a lot of “That’s what she said” moments in a biology lab. The pipette day alone…oh goodness.

December 16, 2013 by Stephanie

It’s a No Go

So EIB is over. If you didn’t read about EIB you can find more here. It is basically a week long test that soldiers go through to say they are an expert at their craft. (Honestly, it reminds me of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.)

On Monday, the brigade had around 850 soldiers start EIB.

Monday consisted of a PT test, day land navigation, and night land navigation.

After PT around 450 people were left. After the navigation part, 200 people passed through to day two.

Tuesday-Thursday were lanes with specific tasks that are judged on every minute detail. If you do not get through a detail or task, you are given a No Go.

You are allowed 2 No Gos.

For the entire week.

Each day more people fell off the ranks.

Going into the 12 mile ruck march on Friday, there were less than 20 soldiers left.

Only 12 soldiers out of 850ish were pinned with their Expert Infantryman’s Badge.

Unfortunately, Tom was not one of those. Only one person from his company made it through the week. Tom made it until Wednesday, so he did not get to do the last lane or Friday’s march.

Personally, I think the entire unit was doomed from the start. They have been working up to this for awhile following all the codes and learning the rules one way. Then just a couple days before, they changed the rules so that they could only get two No Gos for the entire week, instead of the initial 2 No Gos per task. They also didn’t allow them to challenge their No Gos like the rules stated, so they weren’t able to be heard by the graders if they thought their No Go was unjustified. They got to protest, but no one listened like the rules say they are supposed to. Tom wasn’t even allowed to talk to the next highest rank about his only no go. And when his Platoon Sergent tried backing Tom up and fight for his right to challenge, both Tom and his Platoon Sergent were kicked off the lane. This was the end of the test for Tom.

I am still astonished by the fact that the passing rate for the week was less than 2% of the brigade. It just seemed pretty messed up to change the rules. I mean the graders got 6 No Gos when they passed, why would they change it all of a sudden? Not my fight, but it seems a little ridiculous to put all this time and effort to get the brigade ready for this week and make it nearly impossible for anyone to pass. Any Army class is supposed to be a 20% pass rate, and here they sit with only 12 people newly minted with the badge. A lot of time and money for just 12 people, but what do I know.

So in true infantrymen fashion, all of the men have been poking fun at the notion of “No Gos” since they aren’t “experts.” Tom has been shouting it for the past few days at anything that he finds disapproving. And this weekend at a get together with some of our Army family, of course this was a running joke for the night. No go this, no go that.

So they all seem to be taking the defeat well.

Before this all went down though, Tom was really excited about land navigation. He is really good at it. It just comes so naturally for him. However, he was still concerned about the course time limit to find the four points, and was looking for ways to shave off time and make things as easy as possible.

Tom’s brain went to work to invent a handy map holder to attach to his uniform.

He is a map checker. He is constantly re-evaluating his route, just to make sure that he is doing what is right with the land. So he will look at his map at least once every 2 minutes. His thought is that if you aren’t willing to always re-evaluate your route, you may screw yourself over without realizing it because even a minor mis-step can take you way off course.

He was keeping the map in a ziplock bag in his pocket, because inevitably when they do land nav the weather is miserable and wet. So you can see over a couple hour stretch how checking a map ever 2 minutes can be cumbersome.

So we bought:

one old army duffle bag from a surplus store in town
clear plastic vinyl
snap buttons
velcro
cotton webbing
We also had to buy a new sewing machine…

Crosby was not impressed with Dad taking over the living room for Army stuff.

Here is he making sure all the pieces fit where he wants them before sewing everything together. The green pieces are the old duffel bag cut up in squares. Then the vinyl plastic is on top to keep it water proof.

He added Velcro so it would fold up nicely and stay put.

He put the snap buttons on the straps so it can be attached to the FLC (vest).

Then it was just a matter of sewing everything into place.

He even made pen holders on the backside. So clever.

This is the FLC. He just used the snap straps to slide into the FLC molle. (those horizontal strips you see)

Modeling off his creation

It just flips out so he can read it just like that. Now he doesn’t have to fumble through his pockets and a crumpled map in a ziplock bag anymore.

So even though he didn’t get new bling for his uniform, he did get something new for his uniform. This one seems more practical if I might say so myself.

Also I might add, it was pretty hot to see Tom use the sewing machine. Just saying people, a man doing crafts deserves a one way ticket to my heart. Lucky for me, I already snagged this crafty soldier.

December 15, 2013 by Stephanie

One Year Ago

One year ago, I was gearing up for the holidays, and was dreading every moment being alone.

One year ago, I woke up every morning to my beautiful Gracie, but without my husband.

One year ago, my husband was here.

One year ago, we were having our holidays worlds apart.

One of the hardest parts of being part of the military is knowing that you will miss out on days together. Days to make traditions. Days to be lazy. Days that are holidays. Days that are just days.

Here is where Tom and 9 other soldiers stayed during on of their missions. He received “holiday” meals a few days after while on guard duty.

Last year I was so apprehensive to go home for the holidays. I didn’t want all the reminders that Tom wasn’t there to share them with us. These were also the few weeks where I had very little to no contact with Tom. Come to find out later, these were the biggest weeks for Tom’s unit because this is when they got their CIB and had some pretty out there missions.

But all I knew were the days of silence.

One year ago, I jumped every time my phone rang, vibrated, or shuddered when I looked at it and saw nothing. One year ago, I was grasping for peace of mind.

One year ago, we both had to make the best of our distance.

Deployments are hard. They are hard for so many obvious reasons.They are hard for reasons I could never begin to explain.

And because of that, I don’t want to take this year granted. I want to make these moments we have been blessed with ones that we will cherish forever. I have loved being able to experience holidays with Tom. I love the sense of being normal. I love knowing we are both safe. I love having the peace of mind.

I know that there are so many soldiers that are still overseas. Many military families are going to have distance between them this year. I think about this often, and know that this year I am extremely blessed to have my family whole again. My prayers, thoughts, and heart goes out to those who wait for their homecoming.

This company was shared with me recently, and I thought it was pretty neat to think about how far technology has come in the past few decades. It makes deployment a smidge easier to swallow when you can have glimpses of each other through the various means of technology like Dropcam.

This was taken from their website:

Dropcam’s simple live streaming abilities allow soldiers and their families to experience the joy of the holiday season together, even when they’re miles apart. Military members can tune in and watch the excitement on their children’s faces as they tear open presents on Christmas morning. Dropcam’s Two-Way Talk feature allows our soldiers to speak directly to their families as they watch the action unfold online right before their eyes. If schedules don’t permit our service members to tune into the live stream, 24-hour Cloud Recording makes it possible for them to relive the moments whenever it’s convenient for them. Dropcams can even be purchased by military members and their families using a special discount at the Apple Store

How cool is that? Looking back, Tom was not able to do much on either Thanksgiving or Christmas because of their mission at the time. Plus the time difference may not have allowed for our holiday contact either. We also only used Skype one time during the whole deployment due to the internet connection and availability. So the chance to have these moments recorded and saved for when it becomes possible for the soldier is really a great idea. Much better than pictures, or trying to mail tape recorders, although those are great too!

Dropcam also has shared some heartwarming holiday homecomings. Grab your tissues and be ready to weep! Obviously, the one that got me the most was the one with the dog. Such a powerful moment, to see your loved one again after so much heartache, unknown, and waiting. Such a relief and a renewed sense of life and focus on what matters. I remember one year ago watching videos like these on Christmas morning so thankful for these families to have their family together, and praying that mine was ok.

It is a gift to have our soldiers home, and one that I am not taking lightly this year!

December 13, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-My TV Guide

So the seasons are starting their Winter hiatus. How did this become a thing?

Anyway, I figured I would give a brief update on where I am at with all of my TV shows.

Sundays

Once Upon a Time-Still one of my favorites out there. I am having a hard time watching “Henry” in his “Pan” moments. I also kind of want Emma to be with Hook more than Neil.
Walking Dead-So glad the Governor is gone…or is he? Also, I may have teared up a bit when Hershel died.

Mondays

Dancing with the Stars-My man Derek and his partner Amber Riley won! I have an obsession with Derek Hough and also Tristan MacManus. I want them both to be my dance partners, and I honestly watch the show more to see them than the “stars.” Maybe they will help me fulfill my 30 before 30 task of dance lessons.
Castle-My favorite show currently. I called it that Beckett would return to New York, which happened in either the third or forth episode of the season. If you do not watch this show and you are looking for something new, ADD THIS ONE!
Hart of Dixie-I watch this show at lunch every Tuesday. It is such a pick me up. I just love the quirkiness of the small town. I am glad Dr. Hart’s family has come around!

Tuesdays

New Girl-I am really enjoying Nick and Jess together. Winston is my favorite. He generally makes or breaks every episode for me.
The Biggest Loser-I am in love with this season. I mistakenly tried watching this at lunch a few times, and ended up crying in the Union dining court. Whoops. I am rooting for all of them, but really mostly Rachel.
Awkward-I stopped watching consistently after the third episode. I have them all on the DVR ready to binge watch the Awkwardness. I just need to be in the right mood right now for teenage affairs.

Wednesdays

Super Fun Night-I honestly forgot that I started watching this. My DVR stopped recording it for some reason, so I haven’t seen it for a few weeks. It isn’t a bad show, but I am obviously not missing it.
Nashville-I watch this every week live, and I am slowly getting Tom hooked. I really wish Rayna and Deacon would just be together though. Also, I am hoping that I see them on my excursions to Nashville. Real life right?

Thursdays

Grey’s Anatomy-I will go week’s without watching and then binge watch 3 episodes while Tom plays video games. I am apathetic about the show, but I am still hooked enough to come back to see what’s up. I am invested until the end.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland-I just wasn’t into this show. I stopped after the third episode I think. It was too Willy Wonka for me. There was not as much overlap into the original as I was hoping so I didn’t feel I was missing anything by not watching.
Crazy Ones-I really enjoy this show. It is ridiculous, but it is short enough and light so I will watch it when I need a quick pick me up. Robin Williams is totally worth it.
Parenthood-Max working with photography? Perfect. I see myself in Julia with her struggles of being a stay at home mom (except without the mom part obviously). I just love this show.
Glee-I stopped watching this show two episodes ago. I think it was the muppets episode that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I am not sure what is going on but it has just gone way downhill for me. The music also doesn’t really call to me anymore, so there was no reason to keep watching the absurdity. I was really sad about it, which is why I held out as long as I did. The last couple just did me in.
Scandal-I am in a constant state of shock with this show. I have drug Tom into the goodness! I caught him up on the first couple seasons so he knew what was going on. If we weren’t married, Tom would want to work in CIA/Huck like jobs. Scary I know, but that’s what it is. So he loves it for that, and I just love it for all the OMG moments. I did not see last night coming!

Every Day

Ellen-this is the best part of my day. I watch it in small segment–a little before I go to work and right when I get home. And when I don’t get through it, I will binge watch that week’s episodes on Saturday mornings while Tom is sleeping in. I just love Ellen so much. She is great and fantastic, and a great role model for human beings. I want to dance with her/meet her/embarrass myself ridiculously for her. Also, when I am home alone, sometimes I think Tom is secretly in the house to video tape scare me like Ellen would do. He has gotten me more times than I would like to admit-no video yet, just lots of scaring and screaming. So I am in a constant state of panic because of Tom being inspired by her pranks. Thanks Ellen.

Not on right now

Pretty Little Liars- CAN.NOT.WAIT.
Switched at Birth-This comes back soon too. I love this show for so many silly reasons. One being that it is based in KC. They mentioned World of Fun (not the real Worlds of Fun) once. Although they are in KC, Kansas, and not Missouri. But I will forgive them for their ignorance when showing the KC, MO skyline. Here is your education on Kansas City. Yes it has Kansas in the name, but most of the city is actually in Missouri. All the sports teams are in Missouri, all the famous BBQ-Missouri, all the jazz history-Missouri, all the goodness-Missouri…haha JK (only kind of)

So there you have it. I only weeded out a couple shows. What can I say, I am TV junkie!