Salem! Halloween!

This past weekend, I, along with one of my best friends, okay she is my best friend out her, Betsy headed up to Salem to see how crazy it was for Halloween. As you know, Salem is where the infamous witch trials were held and they go all out for Halloween. They really do. Many people were dressed up in costumes. They are haunted houses and Betsy and I went on their candlelight tour that highlighted the Salem witch trails. It was so much fun!

This is Betsy and I standing with the Samantha Stephens statue. I love Betsy. She is so awesome. We hang out whenever we have the chance. Betsy and I are in the same program at Simmons. We met our first semester in our intro to archives class. We initially bonded over the fact we are both from California and formed a friendship from that point on. I am thankful to have met her and to be her friend. I have learned much from her and can talk to her about anything, especially about guys, school and life in general. She is always willing to listen and give advice. I appreciate her honesty! We will be friends for the rest of our lives. We had so much fun in Salem.

This is the main Salem drag, Essex Street. A street fair was set up and many people were in costumes. The weather was actually pretty nice too.

Some dressed up people.

Edward Scissorhands!

A dead bride. A funny story about this person. Later this night on our candlelight tour, we passed this "bride" lying on the ground with a cop rimming him out. She told him to get off the ground. He may have been a little tipsy!

The lit up Salem Witch Museum. The statue in front of it is of Roger Conant, Salem's founder and ancestor of mine.

The mime march!

And my favorite, old bay alley!

More to being an archivist...

Tonight, I had an amazing oppurtunity to attend a lecture by Dr. Saad Sakander of the Iraq Library and Archive. He hosted a diary about his experiences for BBC. He is the director of Iraq's National Library and Archive. He holds a Ph.D. in World History. He discussed the many challenges him and his staff are faced with in rebuilding the Iraqi archives. In Iraqi, they cannot separate politics and culture. As archives document both, Hussein wanted any evidence left by past regimes destroyed and old ways of lives forgotten. He wanted to show that his way was the "correct" way and that no good life existed outside of Iraq. Because of Hussein's efforts, the Iraqis veiwed the National Library as a place of oppression due to this censorship. Dr. Eskander has worked hard to shed this perception. He wants it to be viewed as a place of learning and education.

After the U.S. invasion, many records and artifacts were looted. The archives was left in shambles. Their biggest problem is retrieving all the former regime's, aka Saddam Hussein, records. After the invasion, Iraqis, political parties, Americans and neighboring countries looted them. Many Iraqis took them because they wanted to know what happened to their missing relatives and friends. Political parties took them so they could blackmail others into doing their bidding and the Americans took them to try and justify their invasion by finding a link between Hussein and terrorism.

Why does the archives want the records back? That is a very important question that has such a simple answer. You see, part of an archives' purpose is to hold people or institutions, i.e. the government accountable for their actions. How do we do this? We document them by collecting and preserving their records. This is why their is so much uproar over missing President's papers or emails. The U.S. has laws in place that place these records in the custody of the National Archives and we can thank Richard Nixon's 17 minutes of missing tape for these laws, but we need to document their actions so we can hold them accountable for their choices. It is to protect the public. Dr. Eskander wants these records back because they document the brutality of dictatorships and of the former regime. They show what they did was wrong and that is should never be repeated. They can never forget, but it will allow them to move forward as they transition into a democracy. They need these documents to show hold the former regime accountable for all their brutality.

Other things I learned was that corruption still runs rampant in Iraq. Old ways will not die, especially in education. It was funny to learn that the old regime feared photocopiers. The archives now has computers and is building a digital library. The staff has gone to Turkey and Italy for training. Dr. Eskander fears for the safety of his staff though. They are bussed to work. After the invasion, they had no power and very damaged records. They worked wearing gloves and masks and no money. However, Dr. Eskander has worked with the prime minister to get funding and to get him to pass laws that make it illegal for anyone outside of the archives to hold the former regime's records.

Dr. Eskander is doing amazing things at the Iraq archives. He wants it to be a place of learning, a place of hope and a place where people feel free to express themselves. He is revamping the archives for the better and allowing Iraqis to see their entire history and documenting their transition from a dictatorship to a democracy. This is why I am studying to be an archivist. I get to play a part in documenting history. In opening up the past to others.

3,000 mile perspective

Over the past few weeks, I have been reflecting over all the changes the have occurred in my life over the past year. Yes, I have officially resided in Boston now for well over a year. I have had my ups and my downs, but I have grown a lot. The funny thing about moving out has been, it has really give me a new perspective on the relationships I have with people in my life. 3,000 miles will do that to you because it has allowed me to really see people and to see what relationships I really do cherish. I realized that I had many "toxic" relationships where I constantly gave and gave but a few people never gave back. I was putting in all this effort to maintain relationships because I thought well as long as the other person is happy that is what matters. But you know what, I realized that I was being treated like crap by some people. Because I was too nice some people took advantage of that. It became all about them and how I was not meeting their needs or doing what they wanted. As I did everything, they really did nothing for me and even when I asked, they still blow me off, but heaven forbid I did the same thing to them. Then I was accused of being mean or being rude or of forgetting someone. Also, these people did not want you to be happy or let other people be happy. It had to be about them.

Like I said, the 3,000 miles really allowed me to see these people for who they really are and I had to decide what I wanted to do. I really did. I started to evaluate these relationships and found that the people who love me and wanted to have a relationship with me, made an effort to know me and see how I was doing. This move has strengthened relationships too and brought me closer to people. Renee and I are as close as ever. She is just so wonderful and she is my best friend. I tell her everything. Really, I do. I do not keep anything from her. It is scary how well we know each other, but I love her dearly. Lewis is a lucky guy. My parents and I are closer too. I love my mom and dad so much. My mom always seems to know when to call me when I'm having tough days. We always laugh and exchange stories. My dad too. Though he is not the best with words, I know he is proud of what I am doing out here. Both of them are. I have made it to where I am because of their love and support. I feel like they should receive part of my Master's degree too. They have never questioned my choices, which I appreciate because they want me to be happy.

In a way, I have grown closer to Nathan and Laurel too. This is due in part to Laurel's blog and facebook, but also through emails and random phone calls. We know what is happening with each other, especially with my cute little nephews. They are the best. They really are. We make the effort. Also, my Grandma Lakey is always there too. She calls me every few months to check in with me and to see how I am doing. I enjoy our chats because it gives us a chance to catch up with each other. I love her very much. I could go on and on about other people like my cousins Jessica and Lynleah or even my Aunt Amy. She texts me weekly to see how things are going. Also, I have developed some really great friendships out here. I was meant to know these people out here as they have made such an impact on my life.

I have some great church friends, but I have developed some wonderful friendships with people in my program that will last well after school. They have really made an impact on me and I am so thankful for them.

Good relationships is the key for me. I am done with the bad. I am done with constantly giving, only to get nothing back or just to get venom spewed back at me. I was even told by a very wise person out here, who has made such a difference in my life, that it is okay to be a "little mean and to draw lines." So thanks 3,000 miles. You allowed me to finally take some control, see who I really want in my life, and brought new friends into my life.

The Hills are Alive...

Above is the Von Trapp Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. Yes, that is thee Von Trapp family of the Sound of Music fame. After they left Austria, they relocated to Stowe, Vermont. The lodge is a hotel and you can also buy a timeshare their. It is beautiful. It is located on this mountain right above Stowe.

Front view of the lodge. It is so pretty!!!

The beautiful foilage that is Vermont.

Side view!!!

The beautiful valley!

Another view. I took like ten billion pics of the foilage!

Getting the group to smile. There were eight of us in all and we had a great time. I love all of them so much and am glad we did this together.

A few of us decide to frolick in the nearby meadow. The movie was very inspiring to us. Here is my attempt.

This is Jen and Jane!

For Laurel...

The following pictures are for my sister-in-law Laurel. She has been craving fall. I spent this past weekend with seven friends in Stowe, Vermont. It is this cute little New England town that is a major ski resort. We went to see the leaves changing. The place was literally on fire. I cannot even describe how beautiful it is. Stowe is what you think of when you think New England fall. Laurel, enjoy them. I'll post more pics from the trip later. We visited the Von Trapp lodge, a covered bridge, and Sharon, Vermont. All in a 24 hour period.

Pumpkin mania...

I decided to celebrate fall's official arrival by making my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They are my favorite by far as I love anything pumpkin. Next week, it is onto zucchini bread and banana bread. I made them for this Relief Society dinner we had while the guys were at Priesthood session during General Conference. we had a bake-off. I won second place for best seasonal flavors. I lost to the pumpkin swirl bundt cake, which was so good. So, so good. I am going to try to make it one of these days!

You think after slaving away on cookies, I would not want to make anything else, well, you guessed wrong. I decided to make pumpkin pie, which is one of my favorites. I love making pumpkin pie. I made the crust from scratch, from my mom's recipe and did not burn it because I followed my mom's advice and covered the edges with tin foil while it baked. This pie crust recipe is great because the crust is so flaky. I have not tried it yet, but it looks and smell the delicious.

Fall baking!!!

So, I am so excited that fall is here. In Boston, the leaves are beginning to turn and hey, I can deal with the rain to a point. Thank goodness for rain boots. However, I am most excited about baking. With fall comes pumpkin and apples. Today, I made a huge batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Tomorrow, comes pumpkin pie followed by many other things like banana bread and zucchini bread. I felt inspired by Ali Goodell (my sister-in-law's sister) and her mom Becky who posted about their breads on facebook. Both made my mouth water, so they are forth coming. Also on the list is cinnamon crunch muffins, apple bread/cake, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cream cheese swirl bundt cake. I had it tonight and it was awesome. I am sure the list will grow, but I am ready for it.

Along with thinking about things to bake, I have been looking for good ingredients to use. When I made my cookies I used organic sugar and brown sugar. Can I say, I loved both of these organic sugars. The brown sugar was granular, but you could not even tell. Plus, I like to use half butter and half unsweetened applesauce instead of the full serving of butter. It makes your baked good a little fluffier and tastes fantastic. So organic sugar and brown sugar have become my new must haves. Plus, thanks for my mom, I now have slit pads and a sifter. I love my sifter, I really do and my cookie scoop. They are my must haves. So take advantage of the fall, even in Cali and break out some fall baked goods!!! Also, after talking with my roommate Annie, I am going to try and attempt to make a pumpkin ice cream pie, which her mom makes. It sounds delicious. Canned pumpkin is the best. I may even try to make a sauce with it. Who knows!