Banjos, Pots, and Keys

You read right. Banjos. Pots. Keys. Lately those words keep popping up in my daily adventures as the Littlest Herdman. Starting with the banjo explanation, my awesome friend Beno Seely (yes, also in my El Cheapo post) took me to see Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband at Timpview High School for the soccer benefit concert, along with other friends. I've only ever been familiar with their Christmas music, "Dream Big", and "Banjo Boy" (thanks to Andrew Tate). It turned out to be quite the fest, and I don't think any of us were prepared for all the "hooting and hollering" that went down. I've always loved bluegrass music, and I think it all started when I went to Fillmore, Utah for 2 weeks to visit my Grandma Herdman- which by the way was her 87th birthday yesterday! My Grandma took my to a "Hoedown" at one of the old barns when I was in 4th grade. We made banana cream pie together and she fixed my hair in long loose braids. I remember sitting there on bails of hay listening the music and watching older couples square dance. Since then, I've always had a place in my heart for the country. Anyway- I am so glad that I was able to go the concert! I can't wait to hear them again. Here is one of my favorite songs from them:

here

Pots. BYU's Museum of Art currently has the exhibit of Islamic art called  "Beauty and Belief". I went by myself first before one of my viola lessons. When I walked into the entrance, my mouth dropped 4 feet and I got slightly giddish. I have this strange passion for Islamic culture, along with Persian, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. I give credit to Disney's Aladdin for instilling a love of the Middle East in me. The exhibit hosts 250 artifacts from the region, displaying the diversity and creativity of Islamic culture. One thing I found fascinating was that they had plates, bowls, and sketches of animals and people. I have always thought that Islamic law outlawed those "idol" figures. Turns out I was wrong, and I wish I could remember why. (another good reason why I should walk through the exhibit again!) Here are some photos of some artifacts:

Calligraphic Scroll
Ink, watercolor and gold on paper
Syria or India, 14th – 15th century

Falnama Manuscript Painting of the
Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus
Gouache on cloth
India or the Ottoman Empire,
c.1600

Qur’an Manuscript, Volume16
Ink and color on burnished cream paper with
brown morocco binding
China,
18th century

Tile Mosaic Fragment (Alicatado)
Tin glazed earthenware
Spain (Granada),
1330-1400

Parokhet (Torah Curtain)
Wool
Egypt (Cairo), early 17th century,
Ottoman

Griffin
Cast bronze with engraved decoration
Spain (possibly Cordoba),
11th century

If you get the chance, come check out the whole exhibit. It was amazing to see a glimpse of their diverse culture and religions. The photo of the Torah Curtain is one of my favorites, since it is a symbol of Jewish and Islamic faith. Through history we that both religions were able to find unity with each other, and that gives at least me the hope that one day the past with filter into the present. The conflict between them today, is something I will hopefully study more fully once summer comes around. But until then, I can busy myself with their art!

About 2 weeks ago I had an experience with my set of keys that taught me how to be be diligent and patient with my circumstances and myself. I was parking my mother's car in front of our house, when my key got jammed in her ignition. Frantically trying to twist and pull it out, the key continued to steady itself in its locked position, mocking me. After fiddling with the break I rested my head on the steering wheel in defeat. The thought then came to me, "sometimes you need to go backward before you can move forward." I lifted my head and looked directly at the shifting gear and put the car in reverse. The car shot backward a few inches before I put it back in "park." I tapped the key once more, and it popped right out, without much force. Exclaiming my gratitude, I learned that sometimes in life, my natural instinct is to hurry past difficult challenges and trials Heavenly Father has placed before me. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the 2nd Counselor of the First Presidency, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quotes: 

 `"What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road....
When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.

One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles.

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives."

(taken from this talk)

I love this quote so much! When we take the time to discover what we can learn in our times of trial and despair, we will be able to find the essential truths that will keep us hopeful, comforted, and optimistic about the future. This year I've had to put a lot of the things I enjoy on the back burner as I've tried to work hard in school and build relationships with family and friends. At times, I find it easier to indulge myself with the things that entertain me, than the things that matter. I've realized that it doesn't matter how much stuff we can cram in day- it matters on what we take time to focus on. 

Hope this entry hasn't bored you to sleep! Happy Sunday everyone!

-The Littlest Herdman

Among Things

I admit I maybe forgot about this blog.... though not in the bad sense. It almost seems to me I've been running to keep up with the clock-but I guess that's just how life goes! To brief ya'll of recent events, I received my license this December and by Jove am I loving it! I drove by myself for a long distance the first time last week, when I was running to volunteer at the Springville Art Museum. I blasted the Tangled soundtrack and felt the warm February Utah breeze (we've had an uncommonly warm winter) from my rolled down windows. Drivers passing in the other direction can easily vouch how broad my grin was. Whenever I drive I can't help but feel slightly giddy (or giddish?)

As far as music goes, I am working on Allemande by J.S. Bach and Minet's Old French Dances. They are gorgeous. I've also recently been obsessed with Classical 89 radio. They play the best variety of classical music, along with Spanish guitar and for an added bonus they play BBC World News at the start of very hour.

I am also currently working on a project similar to the one that I started with this blog. I am collecting poetry, written works (word clambake!), and quotes into my book I made at my writing summer class in 2010. So far,I have a many poems my dear Ms. Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Robert Burns, Kipling, Byron, Keats, Moore, Andrew Marvell, and my new favorite: Billy Collins. I was introduced to Billy Collins from one of the other English teachers at Timpview. His books The Trouble with Poetry, The Art of Drowning, and Sailing Alone Around the Room are my favorites. His poem, Monday highlights his particular style that I am in love with:

The birds are in their trees,
the toast is in the toaster,
and the poets are at their windows.

They are at their windows
in every section of the tangerine of earth-
the Chinese poets looking up at the moon,
the American poets gazing out
at the pink and blue ribbons of sunrise.

The clerks are at their desks,
the miners are down in their mines,
and the poets are looking out their windows
maybe with a cigarette, a cup of tea,
and maybe a flannel shirt or bathrobe is involved.

The proofreaders are playing the ping-pong
game of proofreading,
glancing back and forth from page to page,
the chefs are dicing celery and potatoes,
and the poets are at their windows
because it is their job for which
they are paid nothing every Friday afternoon.

Which window it hardly seems to matter
though many have a favorite,
for there is always something to see-
a bird grasping a thin branch,
the headlights of a taxi rounding a corner,
those two boys in wool caps angling across the street.

The fishermen bob in their boats,
the linemen climb their round poles,
the barbers wait by their mirrors and chairs,
and the poets continue to stare
at the cracked birdbath or a limb knocked down by the wind.

By now, it should go without saying
that what the oven is to the baker
and the berry-stained blouse to the dry cleaner,
so the window is to the poet.

Just think-
before the invention of the window,
the poets would have had to put on a jacket
and a winter hat to go outside
or remain indoors with only a wall to stare at.

And when I say a wall,
I do not mean a wall with striped wallpaper
and a sketch of a cow in a frame.

I mean a cold wall of fieldstones,
the wall of the medieval sonnet,
the original woman's heart of stone,
the stone caught in the throat of her poet-lover.


-Billy Collins

There is just a crisp, concise organization of brilliance that he has. I'm sure you'll hear more from me about this chap. I just realized that I have so much more to say but I want to break up this post into a few parts. The ones coming up after this one shortly will be about my experiences writing this year, more poems I need to share that I've written and collected, my suave date with Mr. Tate (yes, it does indeed rhyme) and friends and other marvels.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thank you for reading and for your support! I'm so grateful for everyone in my life who has helped me become who I am now, who has loved, encouraged, strengthened, aided, uplifted, laughed with me, and who's always been there with a hug and a smile. I'm grateful for my family and that they have never thrown me out of the house, although they might have wanted too.... and or my country and the rights and freedoms men and women have preserved. THANK YOU! Now let's eat!

Too Many Days of Summer!

The fleeting moments of summer quickly swept me up, and now it's already September! I guess I'll recall what occupied my summer, and some things I learned and exactly "how" far I got on my bucket list. (Not very far at all. boo.)

At the start of June, I drove up to Logan to attend my Red Cross Leadership Camp. And boy, did I meet the best people. Not sure really how my week was going to turn out, I turned to enthusiasm, and the kindness of my new friends. We ate in the cafeteria everyday, filling our stomachs with various meals. Lucy Danes, my fellow LDC friend, and I ate tofu (Lucy, ha, THAT was some great tofu...) and I even tried bamboo- I think I'll leave it for the pandas to eat though. Some of the activities we did were these things called Clan Groups, where we as a group combined our intelligent skills and whooped together service projects for Utah and even a few fundraisers. It made me think, that there are many things we can do now, locally to improve own communities. Sure it's important to look after other people in other countries, but we can liven and uplift the lives of others around us. Those that are nearest to us. I read a quote by Mother Teresa that says: "Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." If we all did something once a day for someone that we love and care for, how much better would little ol' Provo get? How much better would Utah get? How much better would America get? How much better would the world get? LDC was a great experience, full of moments of laughter "SPOT ON" and a whole bucket of tears as we all said our goodbyes. It's funny to me that the social norm we live in can keep us all from being friends. Like walking into a grocery store, and not interacting with your neighboring shopper. Or going to school and turning away from the girl with her paper sack lunch alone at a table. At LDC I knew no one. But at the end, I gained a family that I never knew I had. Now, I'm not saying that you should wave and engage in an active conversation to everyone you meet- for one that would be a bit strange, and you'd wear yourself out. Trust me, I know! ;) You never know what situation you'll find yourself in, but you'll always know how to go about it, if you have a smile.

After my LDC camp, I went up ol' camp Mia Shalom and had the best year at Girls Camp ever. It was great, because I think my attitude was better, the food was better, and I might have stuffed my face with s'mores... maybe more than I should have. Well I came back and started my awesome babysitting job for a family in my ward. I watched their two boys who taught me a lot. Patience, being spontaneous, how to play Risk and Settlers of Catan, how to be comfortable playing my viola with a house full of kids all listening, that it's now cool to build a "cubicle" instead of a fort, and enthusiasm. It was a great experience and I am so grateful I was able to be apart of their lives while they built mine. Babysitting is more than just watching them. It's watching them learn and grow, while making them french toast in the process. (Nathaniel's favorite breakfast dish.)

Now for my bucket list, here are the things I accomplished:
1. Lord of the Rings Marathon- I voted for it, and then complained the whole time. Sorry Char...
2. 2 weeks off Facebook!- Way to be!
3. New craft learned- leather bracelets.
4. Star Gaze- up in the mountains it's hard not to.
5. New friends!- Um... hello LDC, Youth Conference and Girls CAMP!
6. Eat bamboo- culturally bizarre.
7. Have as much fun as possible- b-i-n-g-o.
8. Learn all of England's kings and queen's names- attempted... and failed.
9. Eat LOTS of Marshmallows- mission accomplished!

I'm thinking I might just tack my Summer Bucket List to my Fall Bucket List... yep that would work.

School has begun, and already I feel like a big nerd. My favorite classes are AP World History, AP US History, English and Seminary. World History is just like a class based on National Geographics, while US History is like a time warp back in time. English this year is on a deeper level. We are looking at the book Fahrenheit 451- and we are looking at the connections Bradbury is making to our life: the future. In a few days I'll have my essay done about that book and I'll post it. Its interesting to see in what ways we are similar.

It's a bit crazy that I'm already 16! I remember thinking to myself when I was barely in kindergarten, what it would be like to be 16, when I could drive and be in High School. To tell you truth, there is really no difference. That little 6 year old is still in me! (that might be parshly because I don't even have my permit yet....)
One of the best things I'm grateful for are my family. (friends definitely included). On Monday the 13th, my other three sister, Mia, Ty and Taralea, took my to Olive Garden as an early birthday dinner. Now usually we are well behaved, but when Mia snitched Taralea's pasta, and in defense Taralea swipped Mia's hand away knocking over her water all over Mia and Mia's pasta. It only took seconds before Ty and I were wiping away tears. That Saturday the day of my birthday, my wonderful family drove up to Big Springs Park, up Provo Canyon where we had a barbeque. Although there weren't any unlocked water spickets, and the bees were trying to eat Brittany and I, it was a marvelous day! My family got me a new ipod, which was a major blessing since my old one sometimes wouldn't turn off, or it would freeze and it didn't lock. Brooke, my sister, gave me my bed table tray that I've been looking for! She filled it up with various items to make it more personal, and I smile everything I look at it. I'll post pictures soon. Now yesterday to further the birthday celebrations, Lizzy Ungerman, my friend and I had a sleepover. To show you how great of friends we are, I asked her if we could take a nap, since that morning I didn't sleep very well. We planned to sleep only for 30 minutes, but it ended up 4 times that long. We also watched Merlin, that British t.v. show that's just as epic as Lord of the Rings, while eating homemade brownies. Liz, you are the best, and I love you lots!

Here are a whole plethora of fun pictures from this summer!


Taralea and I showcase our peddling skills at Youth Conference


Water cup, over the head-tossing.


It's that fun.


Dance party! I'm the girl with the skirt straight ahead with the satchel.


Arriving at LDC in Logan!


Ninja with my fellow LDC campers.


My Clan Group!





Lucy Daynes and I. Yep we're trying to do a "spock" high "4". Fail.


These were taken at the LDC Reunion in July.

(I'm going to make a new post with my favorite pictures from Girls Camp, my family reunion, my St. George trip and other summer events)