Sunday, September 18, 2011

Day of Remembrance...

Dave and I took a trip downtown today to visit two sites dedicated to people lost to unimaginable violence.

First stop:  Virginia War Memorial, built in remembrance of Virginians who died in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or the Persian Gulf War.

The tour begins with a series of dramatized movies to give us insight into the long-term emotional effects of losing a loved one in battle.  They added special effects like insects chirping in surround sound to make you feel like you were there with the soldiers in the Vietnam jungle, strobe light to emulate an incoming helicopter by moonlight, and blasts of cold air and snowflakes (sounded like Pop Rocks when they hit my hair) to help us feel the cold conditions of the snowy Korean mountains.

After the video, we went outside to the glass and marble monument that pays respect to each and every Virginian who died in these wars.  It was reinforced in class this week, based on a learning inventory, that I am a visual learner and this is a great example of how seeing a tangible reminder of the magnitude of an event means so much more than reading about it.  It was powerful to see all the names of those Virginians lost, listed by county, and to think about how many soldiers from across the country were killed.

The Missing Man Table was set up for prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action:

It contains:
  • round table to show our everlasting concern
  • white tablecloth to symbolize the purity of those who sign up to fight for their country
  • red rose to remind us of the lives of soldiers and their loved ones
  • red ribbon to symbolize our dedication to account for them
  • slice of lemon to represent the bitter fate of those captured or missing
  • pinch of salt for the tears of the missing and their families
  • Bible for the strength gained through faith
  • inverted glass to symbolize the missing or captured's inability to share our toast
  • empty chair for the missing
My favorite display was full of telegrams and letters sent from soldiers to their families:

The messages range from short telegrams from a son to his mother reassuring her that he's being fed well and has warm clothes, to a letter sent to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, asking the editor to publish the letter so his family will know he's safe.  This one has a positive message, including "We Will Win":

This one seemed innocent enough, talking about breakfast and building a tent in Okinawa, but most of the page was censored by the military:

It's rare that museums and historical attractions offer a first-hand glimpse into the psyche of the soldiers, so it was great to see this collection of personal letters to family rather than rely on the official records for the story.

Our next stop was the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

After watching a brief video containing interviews of local Holocaust survivors, we picked up audio guides and the voice of Jay Ipson, the museum's founder and a Holocaust survivor, narrated our tour.

The first room, and I already learned something I never knew.  Not only were Jews persecuted and sent to labor camps, but also any other group of people Nazis thought were detrimental in building the Master Aryan Race.  Each group's uniforms (Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, asocial individuals, American prisoners of war, etc.) was identified by a uniquely-colored triangle-shaped patch.

Prisoners were held in very closed quarters like these bunks and were rarely allowed outside:

This guy was standing guard at the ghetto, collecting valuables from people as they walked through the gates:

As we're hearing Jay Ipson's narration and the emotion of his voice as he tells his family's story through this tumultuous time in his life, we see this scene which depicts the Nazi occupation of a neighborhood.  These simple figures, made of mesh and decorated only with Stars of David appear almost ghost-like and it was very eery.

Also eery was the story of Mr. Ipson's father, who lied to a Nazi soldier about being a car mechanic, only to be visited later when that soldier needed an auto repair!  I was sure the story wouldn't end well, but I was surprised that Jay's father was so resourceful and fixed that car - he was even rewarded with a loaf of bread and a free ride back to the ghetto from the soldier.

At one point in the tour, Mr. Ipson recommended that we walk over this Nazi flag.  He was very persuasive, and who am I to disregard his instructions?  Dave may or may not have stomped on it, rather than simply walking over it.

Visiting these sites was a great way to remember the sacrifices of young soldiers who volunteered to protect our country in times of war and ensure freedom for all of us, as well as the senseless deaths of 6 million people who were guilty of nothing but being who they were.  I couldn't help but feel vindicated when I walked into the Nuremberg Trials Courtroom exhibit and witnessed (sort of) justice for the countless evils committed by these officials.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Patriotic Berry Trifle

We were invited to a Labor Day cookout and I started brainstorming dishes I could bring to the potluck.  Potato salad, baked beans, watergate salad, fruit and burgers/dogs were already claimed, so that narrowed it down to me bringing a dessert. :)

I wanted to bring something patriotic to celebrate the holiday, and had a few things in mind:
  • Red, white, and blue layered round cake, like this one from I Am Baker:
  • Or, my old faithful dessert - tie-dye cupcakes, dressed up for the occasion, like these from One Ordinary Day:

All great options, but we lost power due to Miss Irene on the 27th and still didn't have it back by the following weekend, so I had to go with something that required no baking, no microwaving, no refrigeration, etc.  You see, even if we got power back Friday night (when I went shopping for my dessert) or the next day, I was not comfortable with putting anything in the newly cool fridge until I cleaned it top to bottom.  All the shelves had to come out and get scrubbed down before I'd put fresh food in there.  Lord knows what kind of bacteria was lurking in there after 7 days without power.

When I got to Martin's for my brainstorming, all I had to do was walk in the door and saw that they had done all the work for me...they had pre-baked pound cakes on display right next to huge cartons of strawberries and blueberries.  Light Bulb!  I could make a patriotic berry trifle!  I couldn't buy anything then because I had no way to keep the berries cool, but I had the idea to think about until Sunday morning on the way to the picnic.

Here's my inspiration photo - I'd source it, but I found the identical photo on at least 10 blogs and can't figure out who did it first versus who stole it without credit:

After stopping at the store in the morning and bringing home the berries to wash them, we made our way to the picnic.  I assembled my trifle at the hostess' house - is that rude?  I tried to bring all the tools I needed with me - cutting board, knife, trifle dish, etc. - so I wouldn't be in her way, but it might have been a tad annoying to take up her counterspace.  Sorry Sharon! :)

Here's the finished product...

...and here's what you'll need if you want to make this the easy way, like I did:
  • 1 loaf (4x8) of pound cake
  • 2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 2 pints blueberries
  • 2 containers of fat free Cool Whip
So easy to assemble - just cube the pound cake and throw half of it into the trifle dish, top with 1/2 of your sliced strawberries, 1 container of Cool Whip, 1/2 of your blueberries, then repeat each layer.  I saved some blueberries and 1 unsliced strawberry to decorate the top, just for fun!

It was yummy!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Florida Date Night

Whenever we vacation in Florida we have a date night.  My parents are early dinner-eaters and then they chill out in the evenings, so we take an opportunity to see the exciting night life of the area (read:  sushi for dinner and usually a movie or putt-putt).  We like to try local places that we couldn't eat anywhere else to make every date night original.

This year we vacationed very soon after the release of my most anticipated film of the summer, The Help.  I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since the cruise last year when I read the book.  I'm not sure a movie had been announced at that point, but based on the content of the book and its popularity, I as 90% sure some Hollywood producer would board The Help train and make some money.  Whaddyaknow, that's exactly what happened.

Dave agreed to go see the movie with me for date night, after I had talked about the story incessantly while reading the book and waiting for the movie.  I kept teasing him about the 'terrible awful' but wouldn't tell him what it was...this might have been a main reason for him seeing the movie.  So after our St. Augustine day, we went on our movie date!

We got there early, so early that the credits were still rolling from the last showing.  There were only a few people still in the theater, making their way out, and I stopped one pair of ladies to see what they thought of it.  I believe they were mother and daughter - the daughter (who hadn't read the book) LOVED the movie, and the mother (who had read the book) said it was better than the book!  Those are pretty good reviews - only 2 people of many, but I was even more excited to spend the next 146 minutes watching Hilly and Minnie and Aibileen.

The verdict:  I LOVED IT!  The casting was perfect, the story was almost identical to the book other than a few minor details that didn't change the flow of the story, and the way they executed the terrible awful was great!  The relationship between Skeeter and her boyfriend Stuart was a little rushed, the secrets between Celia and Johnny about Minny were simplified, but the point is the relationships between the women, good or bad, and that part was executed flawlessly.

After I finished bawling watching Aibileen walk all the way down the street towards the bus in the final shot, we made our way to the car, trying to decide where to go for dinner.  We had thrown around some options based on places we saw on the way to the theater, but we ended up using the AroundMe app to find the perfect place!

Near the theater is the Flagler County Airport.  On the grounds of said airport is a restaurant called High Jackers.

I'll pause for a moment for that to sink in.

Ready to move on?  Ok.

It was a very casual, everyone knows your name setting - sit where you want and we'll get to you eventually.  Usually that means the food is really good - because surely people wouldn't put up with bad service if the food was bad, right?  We'll see.

While we waited for someone to take our drink order we perused the menu, which had airport/flight-related title headings like Main Flight Dinners and First Class fancy dishes, Crop Duster salads, etc...

Since we had popcorn and candy at the movie we weren't hungry for entrees, er, main flight dinners, so we ordered chicken nachos and spinach artichoke dip to share.  While we waited for our food we listened to the LOUD BLUGRASS BAND PLAYING 10 FEET AWAY.  It was hard to have a conversation with the BASS AND BANJO IN OUR EARS.  Thankfully they took a short break so we were able to have a 5-7 minute conversation about the movie before they STARTED PLAYING AGAIN.  I took a video, and I wish I could share it so you could hear how LOUD THEY WERE PLAYING but unfortunately I deleted it.  Consider your eardrums lucky.  Good music, just TOO LOUD.

Food was good, huge portions, great prices, but the irony won my heart.  Whoever decided to plop a restaurant next to an airport and call it High Jackers can serve me burnt soybeans and I'd show up just to say I did.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Mapped Out

When Dave and I started thinking about DIY art for the wall above our yet-to-be-purchase-king-bed, we agreed on one thing:  don't do it just to do a project, make it mean something.  I know how many projects I've pinned versus how many I've executed, so it seemed like a good idea to put some thought into this and choose the right project for the space so we won't hate the fad in a year.

The first one I closed in on was this one, from Let Birds Fly.  It's personal, it's crafty, it can be modified to fit any color scheme.  I went so far as to purchase the letters from Schlobby Bobby...then, after thinking some more I wasn't sure this would stand the test of time.  What if I decide the frame I find a some thrift store isn't the right size in a month?  What if I spray paint it black, but then it feels too morbid?  What if...

So the letters went back and I abandoned this idea.  Then I saw this:
Not a fan of the hearts, but the sentiment behind this project by Tickety Boo tugged at my heartstrings.  When I saw a different picture I knew how I could execute this without the hearts:

The gallery wall is all over the internet.  See?  I love the walls where the frames are identical or complementary so the subject inside the frame can be the star.  It's such a great way to display many things that mean something to you rather than picking and choosing one or two mementos to display.

So that's how we landed on our map gallery wall to substitute for a headboard.  Not just any maps - places that are important to us individually and as a couple.  Here are our favorite cities:

  • Fredericksburg, VA:  I was born there and live there until I moved here for work.  It still feels like home to me, and it might always feel that way.
  • Dallas, TX:  Dave's family lived there until he was 6.  He is a lifelong fan of the Cowboys, and his brother has made his way back there for work, and is now starting a family.
  • Harrisonburg, VA:  Duh.  JMU.  Dave and I both went there - different years so we never met, but it was one of the first things that broke the ice when we started dating.  Even though we had never been there together it was something we shared and could talk about endlessly.  We spent the weekend there together to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and have been back many times since...
  • Kill Devil Hills, NC:  Before we were officially dating (he considered us to be 'hanging out' - what a crock), we took an impromptu trip to the Outer Banks.  I had planned to go down just for 1 night to get away from life for a bit, and randomly asked if he wanted to come.  I was surprised that he said yes, but am glad he came. :)
  • Sugarcreek, OH:  After a couple years of dating we decided to buy a house together.  I was surprised that I even entertained the thought of committing to a 30 year mortgage to some dude who hadn't put a ring on it, but it felt right at the time.  During the closing process, we took a vacation to Ohio Amish country with the Millers, and during that trip, he put a ring on it!  Apparently he had been given some strongly-worded advice from Sylvia (love that woman) at work - she told him to make an honest woman out of me - and bought a ring that we had picked out together months earlier.  Even though we had been shopping for rings, supposedly so he could get an idea what styles appealed to me, I had no idea that he planned to propose during that trip.  Of course, after he did and I thought back to recent weeks, there were warning signs, like the Littman's mailer that came in an envelope with a hand-written To: address, the sneaky phone call to my dad where he was (I thought) asking about homeownership, etc.  
  • Asheville, NC:  While we were planning the wedding, we threw around many different ideas for the honeymoon.  Originally he was in charge of the honeymoon but since I was having mood swings that gave him whiplash - Jamaica? Florida? West Coast? Europe? Alaska? - we decided to make the decision together so we'd both be happy...we landed in a cabin in the woods near Asheville, NC.  It was equipped with a gas grill and a hot tub, and was SO secluded.  We were 20 miles from anywhere, including gas or food, and took many trips up and down the mountain to see the sights like Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure (where Dirty Dancing was filmed), the Biltmore Estate, and downtown Asheville in the arts district with the best antique stores ever and a trolley ride that featured the hospital where Zelda Fitzgerald sought refuge from the world.
  • Fairbanks, AK:  Our next big vacation after the honeymoon was to Alaska, where Dave's Uncle Bob and Aunt Louise live. He was gifted a trip there for his high school graduation and always talked about the things and places he saw during that trip.  When we were deciding where to go for this vacation, it was almost too easy to choose Fairbanks as our destination!  This trip was awesome!  We went to Denali National Park, took a glacier tour out of Valdez - the site of the 2nd largest US oil spill ever, and toured the Chena River aboard a riverboat that looked like a hotel...
  • I'm forgetting the last one....
  • OH!  Richmond:  It's where we met, where we did most of our dating, where we first lived together, got married, etc.  

This was the big project I took with me on vacation to keep me occupied after dark when we couldn't be in the pool.  Before the trip, I picked up my supplies:

I promise I can count to 9 - 2 were already in progress before I took the pic :)

    • 10 Maps from AAA:  
      • FREE - technically I paid for them through my membership, but I've well surpassed that $92 annual fee this year!  I'm saving $120 alone in Dallas next weekend on the hotel bill :)
    • I also needed a ruler, pencil, and scotch tape, which I borrowed from my crafty mama
    I love the Ribba line because the frames can either be used as a shadow box or traditional frame.

    Since the frames will be hung behind the bed and it might be hard to see the maps in a shadowbox, we opted for traditional.  Time to assemble!

    I used the mat as a guide to cut my maps out.  I just drew some guide lines with my pencil and then cut about half an inch inside the line.

    Then I taped the map to the back of the mat (rocket science, I know)...

    Then put it in the frame!

    Repeat this process as many times as you want, or until all your frames are full.

    We have 2 runner-up cities in which we have spent a lot of time, but these are the top 8.  If we decide to make the arrangement bigger than 2 rows of 4 frames, we'll pull someone from the bench.   Now we just buy the yet-to-be-purchase-king-bed so we can put up the frame wall!  We thought about putting it up now, but since the scale of the king will be much different than the queen, and we don't know the height of the bed, we're waiting...can't wait until it's on the wall!