Interviewing some of my family helped me to see how things have really changed over time. It is interesting to learn about your family history to see where you come from and decide where you want to go with your life. 

Part 1: Family Interviews:

I interviewed my Mother, Grandmother, and Grandfather.  It was really interesting to see the difference in the generations from my grandparents to my mom to how I’ve grown up today. When my Mom was growing up my Grandpa would bring home Italian sandwiches and soda when he got home from work. It was a special treat for the week and my Mom would always makes sure she stayed up for it. My Grandpa told me that back then Italians were 25 cents and a can of soda was 20 cents. Its crazy how much the cost of things have changed. Another thing is that back then they use to play outside way more than we do today. My grandparents would play games like red rover, red light, kick the can, and go sledding. They use to even close down the streets after a big snowstorm so that kids could go sledding. There were no electronic devices to occupy their time.

My Grandpa grew up in a house with thirteen other siblings, so there was not a lot of room. He shared a bedroom with three of his brothers. When it came time to have dinner the whole family couldn’t fit at the table because it was too small, so some of them would have to stand. On Thanksgiving my Grandpa’s mother would put tables around the house to make room for everyone. In comparison, my Grammie grew up always eating at the table with her family and carried on that tradition while my mom was growing up. On Sundays, my Grammie’s family would always use fine china in the dinning room. China dishware has been passed down through her side of the family. My Grammie also grew up cooking a lot and making dinner so she learned many recipes and continues to enjoy cooking them today.

A big part of my Grammie’s childhood was how she learned her faith from her mother. She loved to sing in church and her mother use to play hymns and quote the bible to her. Growing up my mom and Grammie enjoyed going to school and were both involved in activities, but my Grandpa did not enjoy it. Around the time that both my grandparents were growing up the TV came out.  My Grammie remembers being nine years old when her family first got one, but my grandpa’s family could not afford one. They didn’t really go on family vacations either because cars were not as common to have back then. My Grammie said her family occasionally took day trips because they did have a car. My Grandpa’s mother got her license in her late 50s because she never had a car to need one before then.

 

Part 2: Family Artifacts

1. Hunter—My childhood dog growing up. He was a basset hound and we got him when I was in second grade. He lived for 12 years and died my sophomore year of college. It was really hard for me and I still miss him today. He was with me through some hard times growing up. My parents got divorced when I was in eighth grade, so in high school a lot of the time it was just he and I in the house, because my mom worked a lot of hours. He provided a lot of comfort for me growing up.

2. Celery dish—from Hazel Douglass and my Great grandmother was named after her, passed down to my Grammie, and then my mom. Originally given to Hazel Douglass as a shower gift in 1916 just before wedding. This dish relates to family heirlooms that have been passed down through the generations. My mom mentioned some china and so did my Grammie in their interviews. My Grammie mentioned that one of the special things she remembered growing up was using the fine china on Sundays for dinner.

3. Bible— Given to my Grammie from my Great Grandmother. This Bible is fairly old and has been passed down through generations in my family. I think it is significant to represent the religious beliefs in my family. As a child I went to church with my family around fourth grade, and have grown in my faith through the years.

 

Part 3: My Story

Turning Point

A turning point in my life was the beginning of my third year at UMaine. College is the perfect time to really discover who you are, find friends, and to learn what most interests you. My first two years of college I had friends and did have fun sometimes, but inside I felt really lonely and never really talked to anyone about it. The beginning of my third year at UMaine, I started to get more involved with Cru, a Christian group on campus. I had been to the group before, but never really invested my time into it enough. I started to take my faith more seriously and read my bible on a daily basis. I hung out with the people in Cru more and started to become friends with some of them. I started being more vulnerable with people and opening up about who I really am and how I feel. I learned that no one is perfect and its okay I’ve made mistakes. I am thankful for the community and fellowship I have found with this group of people. This year I have been part of the leadership team and am very involved with the group. I think back today on how much I’ve changed in the past year in a half and I will never forget the moment I decided to really pursue my relationship with God.

A Tough Decision

At the end of my sophomore year at UMaine I changed my major from Accounting to New Media. It was really hard for me to make the change at first, growing up my sister was my role model and I felt I needed to be smart like her and do what she does to make my mom proud. So I was really academic focused. She pursued business when she went to college so I decided to pick accounting for a major since I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do anyway. But, I went to the career center and looked into different majors to find what I am really interested in. After I took a test the counselor told me that he thought I should look into New Media. It was a big change for me, but I really wasn’t liking my accounting classes and I realized that I want to be doing something with my life that I am interested in and that matters to me. Since I have become a New Media major I have gotten to express my artistic side so much more and I have learned about things that I have also wanted to learn more about. Like photography, web design and graphic design. I am very thankful I made that step to pursue my dreams, even if it means I am in school an extra year.

An Event that is Really Important to Me:

Last summer I spent two months in Traverse City, Michigan for a Cru summer project with 24 other college students. The main purpose of the project is to learn how to share God with people in my everyday life. I worked as a housekeeper at a hotel and got to reach out to people in the area, learn about them, and tell them what I believe. It was amazing to really learn about people and hear about their lives. The major reason why this project is so important to me is because we all became a family on project. I have never felt so close to people after knowing them for only a week.  It was a safe environment to be able to share how I really felt because I knew they cared. We all went through so much together and grew together that a bond has been created between us that will never be forgotten. I miss all of them so much since they are in the Midwest, but I wouldn’t change my decision to go for anything. It was the best way I could have spent my summer. I strengthened my relationship with God and I made friends that will last a lifetime, even if I don’t get to see them very often.

 

Part 4: Your Education

Recently, I have been wondering about my future and what kind of career I hope to have. I believe that I found answers this weekend when I attended a conference called Epicenter in New York. It is put on by Cru, the Christian organization I am involved with on campus. One of the seminars I went to was about the Operations team within Cru. There are many different things to be involved with, such as media, design, technology, and event planning. These are all things I enjoy being involved with and leaving that meeting I felt this is a path I might want to take in my life. One step to find out if this is right for me is to go on a Operations summer project and get an internship. By doing this I will be able to grow my new media skills and get experience actually working on things I enjoy doing. Cru is a non-profit organization, so I will need to raise funds to go this summer, but I am up for the challenge. Also, after I graduate I can pursue becoming an intern for a year within Cru Operations. It is amazing to find a career path I can possibly take to do what I enjoy and pursue what I believe at the same time.

 

Part 5: A Day In Your Future

1. I would like to keep the family tradition of gathering together once a month (for holidays, birthdays, etc.)
2. I hope to have a family someday. A husband and kids.
3. A career that I enjoy and can be happy to wake up and go to.
4. A career that isn’t a priority over my family, so I can spend time with them (My mom worked a lot when I was growing up)
5. I hope to learn to cook family recipes and pass them on to my kids.
6. I would like to continue to go to Webb Lake every Fourth of July for a week vacation with my family.
7. I want to share my faith with my children and show them the importance of a relationship with God.
8. I want to have family game nights. (My family has always enjoyed playing games)
9. I would like to keep active in the future. (Hiking, running, going on adventures, etc.)
10. I hope to travel in the future and continue to see the beauty of the world in all different areas.

A day in my future would start off with waking up an appreciating how beautiful nature is by going for a run. Then I would send my kids off to school and I would go to work. My job would involve working with media and design. I would get to collaborate with others on designs and help create them. Also within my job, I am a photographer and take pictures to use in designs and other materials. After work, I would get home in time to take care of my kids and hear about their days. Then I would cook dinner and show them one of Great Grandma’s secret recipes for dessert! My husband would come home and we would all have dinner together. Then we would have a family game night! Before the kids go to bed we would all read a few passages of scripture together. Obviously everyday would not really go exactly like this, but this is the lifestyle I hope to have in the future. Family and values are very important to me.