seriously... it's been a long time

this is the easiest way to show you pictures without a facebook account.  mom, you probably should get one... i'll help you=)

)

 

here's what my hair looks like now!  i won't see you for about 3 months, so who knows what it'll be like then!

school, geography, art history, 2-D design, college algebra... AHHH!!! 

   almost done, biology is all that's left to make me miserable =)

it's really quite beautiful here.  wish you were here.

english paper- rough draft

None of my pictures or page #'s were able to post.  The format is way off.  I fixed it all for this post, but it didn't show up, it just looked all screwed up. So try to look past the formating, I'll show the rest in class. I haven't figured out how to publish my paper (blog/website/print/email all doesn't work)

Media V. Women

(I need a better title)

Jodi Duby

English Composition II

click here

Rising numbers of anorexia and other eating disorders are just one example of results from pressure put on women, from prepubescent all the way to later adulthood.   Television shows such as “Sex in the City”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “The Bachelor”, and just about any romantic comedy movie gives women the impression life, relationships, and our bodies have to be a certain way in order to be happy and accepted.  (Rohter)

What comes to to mind when you hear the word attractive?...

We have McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell, then we have liposuction, plastic surgery, and breast implants.  I met a 24 year old woman who just had breast implants.  Her and five of her friends and their friends all had implants within three months of each other!  It’s 5 to 6,000 dollars for a good doctor and better quality implants.  Already this woman is complaining of pain from bra straps digging in to her shoulders, back pain, and having a hard time finding bras that don’t hurt or look like “granny bra’s”.  Maybe she should have gotten these adjustable implants (not real)!  A woman (24) with beautiful curly brown hair wants “easier to work with” straighter blond hair and so spends anywhere from 120 to 180 dollars every two months to get her hair relaxed and colored.  Where as her friend has straight hair and spends the money to get it permed so she can have her friends curls. 

Media has a negative impact on the way women view themselves and there need to be some changes made.  People may be unaware of this.  Prime time TV has a target audience.  The script writers know how to write a show that will reach and entice people.  I want to discuss three negative effects that really demonstrate how important it is that the media depict women in a more realistic way.

First of all, young girls even as early as first grade have had enough images pass by their eyes to formulate a distorted view of what they are supposed to look like.  This is an ad from Target for girls underwear.  These are size 6 PADDED BRAS!!  That is the size the average first grader wears!  

The idealized 35-45 year old feminine figure of Barbie dolls are...  well...

“We're sick of fat, plastic Barbies.  Everyone wants Bratz.”

Fat Barbies... hmm... I remember wondering when my body would start looking like hers!  

June 20, 1991

dear diary, 

i'm 9! mom got me some bratz dolls for my birthday, jenny gave me a bratz sleeping bag, sarah gave me a hannah montana purse, and mom doesn't know, but there's makeup inside! sarah said if we get to school early we can put it on.  mom said she's gonna get me some clothes too.  sarah said she got a padded bra and i want one too.  she is so pretty.  i said i was full and didn’t have any cake.  sarah said that’s how people get fat.  i don’t want to get fat.

Bratz dolls are a younger more sexualized doll with unrealistically proportioned bodies and facial features, airbrushed makeup and skin, perfect plastic hair, short skirts, small shirts, a slender figure, and tiny waist, and all the accessories.  Fergie has her own Bratz doll fashioned and named after her.  Fergie also sings this:

What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside that trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
What you gon’ do with all that ass?
All that ass inside them jeans?
I’ma make, make, make, make you scream
Make you scream, make you scream.

They say I’m really sexy,
The boys they wanna sex me.
They always standing next to me,
Always dancing next to me,
Tryin’ a feel my hump, hump.
Lookin’ at my lump, lump.
U can look but you can’t touch it.

There are still the whole series of Barbie movies and they keep making them because they are making money.  Fairytopia, Mermaidia, the Princess and the Pauper, with all the characters displaying the same typical Barbie figure, with exception of the occasional more portly, less attractive king and queen who are represented as evil.  An interesting message to send.

Although sexual content in the media can affect any age group, adolescents may be particularly  vulnerable. Adolescents may be exposed to sexual content in the media during a developmental  period when gender roles, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors are being shaped.  This group  may be particularly at risk because the cognitive skills that allow them to critically analyze  messages from the media and to make decisions based on possible future outcomes are not fully  developed. (Gruber)

Posted by IamMoose:

Someone once 'proved' - presumably jokingly - that given her dimensions (miniscule waist, large chest) if Barbie were a real woman she would not in fact be able to stand upright...

Posted by Lucybird:

 Yep I've heard that before, and Bratz of course wouldn't be able to hold their heads up... wouldn't they make great models ?!”

Posted by Bonta Kun: 

Well since Twiggy was renowned for her skinniness I think the doll's proprtions could be pretty realistic for her!  I heard, but I've never checked if its true, that she and a lot of models in the 60s would deliberately have worms so they could eat lots and stay skinny. Kind of gross!

A mother who has been influenced by the media’s message that women should look perfect and thin can easily pass that message on or reinforce it in her daughter’s already impressionable mind.  Designer clothes, makeup, high heels and manicures at the age of 3 or 4 may seem cute and fun to have your daughter trying to act so grown up, but instead of playing and being carefree, she is trying to be like her mother, like the women she sees on the billboards, on television, in advertisements and movies. Around the age of 6 young girls have pretty concrete ideas about what they think they should look like.  Girls have reported that the media models the right look, how to become popular and attract boys.  They relate to the teens on television, movies, and the internet as examples of how to behave for example, in sexual situations (Gruber). It is important to start talking to them about these influences and about what really matters before the media has completely imposed their standards of beauty.  The media should start helping mothers rather than standing as the opposition.  Watch “Onslaught”. 

September 8, 1996

Dear Diary,

Sarah and I are at different schools now.  I think she might be throwing up after meals too.  We don’t talk about it.  Actually we haven’t really talked since we started 6th grade.  She had a boyfriend and I started exercising a lot.  We both lost a lot of weight and now I have a boyfriend.  We started having sex a couple months ago.  He’s had sex before and says it’s not a big deal. Its on tv all the time. He said Sarah and Jamie have sex too. Mom thinks I’m getting skinnier cause I’m getting taller and that I should “fill out soon, but I’m already fat.  The fat girls at school get made fun of.  Not me!

Second, I want to discuss the impact these implied expectations have on women’s body image.  Let’s start with eating disorders.  To state the obvious, we are all naturally insecure at some level and the media communicates that we have good reason to be.  Even as young as 7 or 8, young girls start some form of dieting.  Eating disorders start as early as 7 to 12 years old.  This obsession with an unattainable beauty consumes a girls life, effecting self-esteem and in turn effecting her choices in activities and life goals.  Bulimia starts with one time of anxiety over what was just eaten, what it will do to her body.  It consumes until the decision is made to get it out.  Throw it up.  It starts to happen maybe once a week, then  more and more until a binge/purge method is a typical meal habit.

Anorexia is commonly found in young women who are motivated, have a lot of self discipline, and are ‘most likely to succeed’.  Fasting, eating very little to sustain themselves, and obsessing over exercise are characteristics of anorexia.  Overeating is yet another disorder where food is used as a comfort (think of that feeling after a thanksgiving meal where you feel relaxed and tired, even peaceful) and even seen as a friend.  (Harrison)

Now for the very thin, especially thin because of diet, breast size is usually one of the first things lost, so we have a surgery for that.  For those who eat too much (or are still not as thin as desired after dieting and starving), we have liposuction.  For those who have aged we have a whole slew of surgeries and creams to help firm skin, reduce wrinkle appearance, along with some nip and tuck surgeries, botox injections, and even tattoo makeup.  There is a whole market out there to help women edit their bodies to imitate what is done on computer to images before we see them.  Check out Evolution.  We know the media uses airbrush and photoshop, but we are at the same time convinced we can look like that with some work. 

"Tweens Spend $500 Million a Year on Beauty Products"-says New York magazine

Along with this image we as women are after, comes a good deal of spending, from surgeries, to trying to keep up with constant changes in the clothing trends.  Now we’re in debt.  This distorted self image sends women all over looking for things to make us feel better, a diet, a magazine, a surgery, new makeup, new hairstyle, new clothes, and of course, a beau.  

June 28, 1999

Dear Diary,

I had an abortion this morning.  Jeff broke up with me when I told him I was pregnant 2 months ago.  I hate my life.  Mom’s making me see a doctor really often.  I don’t care.  They just don’t get me.

Finally, I’ll address the unhealthy effects of the media as they play out in the relationships of women with a poor self image.  Girls have reported that the media models the right look, how to become popular and attract boys.  They relate to the teens on television, movies, and the internet as examples of how to behave for example, in sexual situations. Women seeking approval, validation, acceptance, and love, are quickly attached and drawn to physical affection.  If someone wants to be with you physically, it communicates that you are indeed desirable, accepted, and loved.  Young women (and women in general) can quickly turn to sex as something that makes them feel better.  Physical closeness is closely tied to emotional closeness, so women can find some safety in this.  Add Grey’s Anatomy or Sex in the City, and a woman is open to sleeping with other people who appeal to her emotionally.  You connect with someone, you sleep with them.  Even if you are in a relationship, and even if they are.  If there is insecurity because of poor self image, a woman is insecure in a relationship.  She doubts herself, she doubts another person really can accept her.  She doubts a man’s faithfulness because she sees other women as more desirable and beautiful.  Studies show that adolescent girls who are sexually active watch more TV with more sexual content, whereas abstinent adolescents watched much less.  The younger girls are introduced to TV with sexual content.  TV is seen as a means of learning the rules, rituals, and skills of romance and relationships.  (Gruber)

July 22, 2008

Dear diary,

I’m still here.  Still going to counseling.  Doc says if I can keep my weight where it’s at now I don’t have to keep coming in so often.  We have different ideas of a “healthy” weight, but I don’t want to get so sick again either.  My hair looks gross from it. Mom seems happier with me getting better, everyone does.  I guess I do to.  It’s so hard.  I still feel fat.  It’s hard to look in the mirror and smile at what I see.  Doc said it’ll be a hard fight, being happy with myself and not going back to old habits.  Jen came with me to my last appointment and she’s keeping me accountable now.  Okay, well on with life I guess...

I have come a long way.  I grew up in a home influenced by the media in most of the ways I described.  I would say by God’s grace is the only reason I’ve passed through it, worked through it and today feel like I have a pretty healthy self image.  I see exactly what is going on with the media and am passionate about helping young women see it too, and find a place where they are satisfied with themselves.  I recommend parents or youth workers to read Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher and I have other great resources to recommend if you would like to contact me.  But the media also needs to do something to help change this unhealthy model of a healthy or normal woman.  When selecting models, actresses, and spokes people, they need to use real people.  They need to present a broader range of size, age, ethnicity, and “beauty”.  One step in the right direction has been made by Dove.  There are different commercials showing things such as the process of a woman, starting from plain jane with skin blemishes and dark circles, to a billboard beauty.  They have a website with information and tools for parents, mentors, and girls, to combat the negative messages being sent by the media, and they are raising money to spread awareness and help change this unhealthy trend.  Until the media has anything constructive to offer though, I think I’ll just keep my television set off.

Bibliography

Dove. Advertisement. Onslaught 12 July 2008

Rohter, Larry. “In the Land of Bold Beauty, a Trusted Mirror Cracks.” The New York Times 14 Jan. 2007

Harrison, K., and J. Cantor. “The Relationship between Media Consumption and Eating Disorders.” Journal of Communication. 47.1 (1997): 40-68

Dove. Advertisement. Evolution 12 July 2008

Pipher, Mary. Reviving Ophelia. New York: G. P. Putnam’s sons, 1994.

Cosmopolitan.com 12 July 2008.  Hearst Communications, Inc. 

Eldredge, John and Stasi. Captivating. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005.

Dillow, Linda, Lorraine, Pintus. Intimate Issues. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook Press, 1999.

(names changed to “protect the innocent”), Personal Interviews.  22 July, 2008

Questionnaire

Gruber, Enid, Joel, Grube.  “Adolescent sexuality and the media.” Western Journal of Medicine v.172.3 (March 2000): 210-214. PubMed Central. 21 July, 2003 <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov>

okay, this distracted me from my homework, so i thought i'd share it =)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hmm... does this work?

This weekend

frontier ranch!  what an awesome awesome place.  i don't have time to write all about it, but i'm excited about being able to be involved this fall.  being a part of students lives.

i've started a project for my psychology class in which we're supposed to break a bad habit, or start a good one.  i chose health... exercise, more water, healthier choices with food, getting 8 hrs. sleep, stop eating by 7pm... if i am able- being with friends or away from home makes some of these hard.  we've been up till two a couple of the last few nights...

spontaneous goodness =)

after working out we got a phone call to hang out at a house where some friends were house sitting.  amazing.  they had a huge tv, we played guitar hero =)  and beautiful backyard with jacuzzi... that was fun... the water level was too low until all 8 of us got in.  

drew got in, the jets got turned on, and since the water was low, the jets shot the water right at his face... sweet.

it was such a good night.  it was so rejuvenating. 

        now to get back to work with these last few weeks of school, papers, finals... lots of work.  this weekend was much needed.

English comp blog-non english folk ignore

magical magical =)  

it's late.  i probably should wait to write this till tomorrow morning... oh well.  i'm looking forward to the multi-genre paper.  i think it's interesting.  i enjoy being random... really it's just that i can carry on 8 conversations at once and most people can't keep up... so it's not me, it's you =) haha

    i think this paper will be liberating =) i'm as excited for this assignment as i can get for an assignment in a class that is required.  really though... remember i said it's late.  i was up till 4:30am this morning doing homework...

    doing the workshop in class gave me some ideas, even though i wasn't up for workshop... so thanks to you brave souls that blazed the trail... hmm...

     really though my paper topic makes me sad when i start working on it.  i guess on the flip side though i can get excited about volunteering/teaching, and the opportunities i'll have through that to reach some of these women so effected by media culture.  but as for multi-genre... there are some pretty sick (as in spiffy) things that will be fun to add.  

our garden!!

mom this is for you especially.  i wish you could see our garden in person.  i think it looks better that way... oh well =)

this picture was taken June 7th....                         

...and this one (w/out prickers) June 18th

i just got done pulling a ton of picker bushes (weeds-we call picker or pricker bushes in michigan-they 'prick' you when you touch them- for any one unfamiliar with this term )

some of the pictures in this slideshow were taken 11 days ago, some of them taken today.  look for the growth in our plants from just those 11 days!

just click on the flower =)

our garden 2008

english class-potential paper topic

a topic... a topic...
the topic i will be writing about is issues of identity in women. i'm still trying to narrow the age range i'll be focusing on.

i've listened to many women around me who have opened up about things that they struggle with, the common thing seems to be that they feel like they are the only ones feeling what they feel, or that their struggles are unique to them.

i've worked with high school/junior high girls through college age women and have loved the chance to speak into their lives. the issues still linger into adulthood and now that is what i'm around.

i have wanted to write something that could be available for the women who live on campus, visit campus, or attend school where my husband does (where we live), that could encourage them, let them see they are not alone, and help them start to share deep fears, etc, with their friends.

i'm going to be handing out a survey on campus. the audience i'm intending on reaching is there, and i need their input. i want to use the results of the survey even to show them how many people are in the same place emotionally/mentally as they are.

i'm sure my paper topic/thesis/claim will evolve a good deal... i'm okay with that.

any thoughts?

buena vista (and fib ark!)

woo hoo!!

back and finally clean=)                                       

steve/laura, jen/tom, and my steve and i went camping this weekend in buena vista, co.  we got there friday, set up camp, hiked saturday.  the views were amazing while driving around.  we went in to salida to where fib ark was hosted and watched some kayakers, make-shift-raft rafters, and a couple guys surfing down the river with an oar... the arm strength!  i'm gonna start lifting=)   watch out!

the meals were great, the campground and weather were perfect for us, and we had such a good time with our friends.  

i feel like i've come a long way since we moved here 1 1/2 yrs. ago.  i was starting a new nanny position, just working to pay the bills, dreaming of when we would start our own family and being a stay at home mom.  now after different experiences, i still want kids, but not any time soon.  i've found my passion again, and it's attainable!  i've found joy again and passion for life and everything around us.  i love my friends.  

i've been moving around since i was sixteen.  now  at 26 i grow weary when i think about moving to another place, let alone another country (scotland in 2 yrs), after finally getting to a point here where we've found some friends we really connect with on a deeper level.  friends who are real with us, and with whom we can be real (and still have them invite us back... hehe).

so refreshing! 

this is life.  i embrace it.  run with it.  

eng comp. assignment- issue - recycling

i had a hard time picking an issue. 

i know recycling is important, some people don't care about it. personally, my husband and i recycle as much as possible. so i'll talk about it.

last weekend i went to downtown denver for the sidewalk chalk exhibit in larimer (spelling?) square. it was amazing what people did with chalk!

here are a few of my favorite 'chalkings'.

 at the exhibit there were different booths set up for different vendors including a booth unmanned that just had a display box with different items in different little cubbies. each cubby was labled with what the item was and how long it would take to decompose if thrown away and put in a landfill. it was amazing how long. the shortest amount of time was something like a leaf. the longest was styrofoam which doesn't decompose. diapers were rediculous, like 400 yrs or something (don't quote me). glass bottles, plastic bottles, shoes, etc. oh, and plastic bags are aweful!!! i was shocked!

it was even more encouragement to recycle. our trash just builds up over time and the amount of trash we compile in the short time we do is so vast compared to the time it takes for all of it to decompose. we are burying ourselves... this is the same world our offspring will have to live in, and many generations after. is it SO inconvenient to rinse things out well, put them in a bag or bin, and recycle it?! i understand some people don't have access to easy recycling, but there are recycling centers, so just put the stuff in bags, set it aside in your garage (it should be pretty clean after you've rinsed it out, so you shouldn't have a smell problem), and take it in when you get a good amount. less trips, still doing a great thing for future generations, and this planet. how grose to think about a planet that has so much trash built up that people have to build homes etc. on top of landfills, live next to them. a stinky mess.

reduce, reuse, recycle. good idea.

english class intro

hey guys, this is for my english comp class. we are supposed to introduce ourselves, so this may seem like somewhat of an odd entry for anyone not in my english class =)

i am 26 years old. i am married. my husband steve and i were married in august of 2005 in michigan where we are both from. we love colorado and hope to stay. he is working on his master's degree and will be done in may of 2010, so i have until then to finish my undergrad. we are moving to scotland after that for his phd work.

i am working on my BFA (fine arts with a painting concentration). i hope to teach high school art some day. i love working with young women, mentoring, and look forward to having the opportunity to encourage that age.

i love my husband. i love being with him. we love being outside. camping, hiking/backpacking, any water sport. we live right next to the platte, so we enjoy tubing when it's too hot to move. we live on campus at his school and love the community. we both love music. we met in a band... cute. he plays guitar, bass, vocals, and i play mostly piano, guitar, and once i played the accordian to fill a part in a song... anyway. i started taking tap dancing in january 2007 and love it. i love older movies with all the crazy dancing.

i had been working a lot to help pay bills etc. as my husband works on his master's. now he is working and taking classes so i can kick butt and finish my degree before we move to scotland. he is a huge blessing in my life. he is a huge source of support and confidence. he is so good to me.

i love where we live and am excited with the goals and dreams that are ahead of us, God willing!
it's nice to meet you all =)

an update for update's sake

alright drew...

anyway,

i'm done "officially" working (i'll still be working some hours here and there... including yesterday and tomorrow for babies of seminary students).  

my classes started this week.  wednesday.  i only had one this week... and i forgot about it.

 poop.

better luck next week i suppose!  i have all my books and I've been looking forward to classes starting, and then i missed my first one.  

this summer has started out a lot of fun.  last summer we didn't really have a good group of friends yet.  we're excited about having more friends and more time to spend with them.  also, we have our garden and it's so satisfying to watch things grow.  i picked 3 strawberries today and they were so sweet!  let the harvesting begin!

i had a really awesome day talking with a friend.  i think everyone can relate to feeling a connection with someone.  i'm really excited about getting to know her.  she's really a genuine person. really an amazing woman. 

tonight we had a cookout with a ton of people... much more than i was expecting!  we met several new couples/people.  it is such a special skill to succeed at grilling on such a grill as we have on campus... charcoal is touchy anyway, but throw in a bit of wind, and the sprinkler system turning on and grilling is darn near impossible!  good job guys!

i continue to see God at work heavily confirming that the direction i am headed is what he wants.  i feel like he keeps making it so obvious.  i feel so strong... it's the only way i can word it.  because it's where he wants me, i have passion to do it and passion in my life in general, even to exercise, and energy for my relationships.  

when i think about all this i pray and hope that especially certain people close to my heart will find this passion and clarity in their lives in regards to their calling.

  

    ...i still need to get in a groove with my completely new schedule though!

okay, see ya, bye

my new baby niece!!

APRIL 9th, 2008

Blythe Watson VanSumeren was born!

she's so beautiful!

we'll be in michigan next week for a short visit and get to see her for the first time =)

this is my last scheduled week at work.  i start school full time in 2 weeks, 15 credits.  i'm going for my BFA (bachelor of fine arts) with a painting concentration.  eventually i will go on and get my teaching certificate so i can be a high school art teacher.  i'll have my degree by spring 2010 if things go as planned, and my teaching certificate after we have kids and steve is done with his ph.d.

   we're going to be playing on a co-ed soccer league this summer with some friends.  

we also have one of several garden plots on campus that we are growing different things in, swiss chard, basil, cherry tomatoes, onions, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, red peppers, broccoli, and zucchini!  we'll see what makes it.   it snowed all day just 10 minutes away from campus, but not here... weird.

      i'm running the 'boulder boulder' with some friends may 26th i think.  it's in boulder=) people dress up goofy for it, so i'm gonna run in my flapper costume and spandex.  it's a 10k (about 6 miles).  i hear it's a tough run.  i've never run that far at one time before.  

      my dance recital is June 14th.  i'm in an adult tap class.

 

    well, i think that updates things.

this fall i plan on seeing if i can help out at the art club at a nearby high school.  i'll write more about it then.

     hope everyone is doing well, sorry the posts have been so scarce, or maybe you've been busy too.

Mountain Biking Extravaganza

yesterday, i (steve) went mountain biking with a friend, steve s, and we got a great workout and really enjoyed the trail, especially since we conquered for the first time a tricky rock section.  we came through that unscathed, so we were pumped and ready to soak up the home stretch which is all downhill with some fun jumps.  we got going pretty fast and i heard steve give a shout of excitement and i assumed that he was happy about getting some nice air.  but apparently he was close enough to me (i was out front) that i blocked his view of a second jump that came up quickly.  so after hearing his shout of excitement i heard a shout of...something not good and i looked over my shoulder to see perhaps the most intense fall i've ever seen in person.  i saw a cloud of dirt and a human body and a bike flying all over the place at, shall we say, an unsafe speed.  the bike ended up about 20-30 feet away from steve, his sunglasses somewhere behind him on the trail.  he broke his water bottle and his helmet, but he lived to tell the tale and walked away just fine, except for some lower back soreness where his seat hit him!  only two things can be said of such a fall: 1) thank God everything was okay and 2) bragging rights.

steve  

For ladies, and Ben, in my tap class

this video is for me to remember and practice all the steps to our upcoming recital piece in June (I'll be gone for possibly 3 weeks of class closer to the recital), but i thought maybe i should put it here for you all (people in my tap class) to use.  if nothing else, it's entertaining? =)

the first part is of the run through with the music, the second part is the breakdown, it's a bit slower.

kids at work

just a quick post.  the mother of one of the families i work for sent me these pictures.  these are two of the kids i take care of... so sweet.

  

this is the whole family

i am going to be returning to school starting the end of may as a full time student!!!  i will soon be leaving the families i work for now and working my tail off to try and finish my BA before we leave for scotland in 2010!  i'll be in school year round.  i never thought of school as a possibility for me because of the cost.  steve is very supportive and were tightening our budget to make it work.  i am getting some help from the state of colorado.  they have a stipend program set up for in-state residents.  i am applying for scholarships too.  so here i go!

to procreate or not to procreate (next year)...

when steve and i were first married we decided to start having children after 4 yrs. of marriage.  I always dreamed of finding my prince charming and having children.  now that we're getting closer to our 3 yr. mark i find myself almost fearful of bearing our own little people.  we are just getting started with doing fun things together and exploring, traveling, oh, and still figuring out marriage!  i have just decided to help out with young life www.younglife.org and we've also been talking about me going back to school full time... just waiting on a couple confirmations =) we are deciding this week.  i want to major in fine arts/art education.  my art teachers had a big impact on me (it's was easy to converse as we worked on projects) and i want to be able to do the same with high school students.  i had worked with high school students (girls) in our church back home and am looking into opportunities to invest in/mentor/hangout with, high school girls in our area.  it would be neat to have teaching art as an outlet for that also.  i have felt hesitant for while about pursuing art, thinking i couldn't really use it to reach out to people, like going overseas to a remote country in africa.  just recently i've had my eyes opened to the fact that there are so many young people (young women especially) seeking truth, guidance, love, constancy, and that is a people group i have a heart for.  

      hmm... just when i thought we had a plan...

i think we'll wait a few more years to start having kids.

Car trouble

steve and i both have a vehicle.  he was blessed with a car that hasn't given us any problems thus far.  i however brought to our marriage... a work in progress.  when do you call it quits and get a different vehicle?  i feel like so much work has been put into this jeep.  we had more work done on it before our trip last weekend to make sure we could make it to our destination with no problems.  before these repairs the headlights were all askew.  if you were driving at night and there was a tree on the side of the road, one headlight would shine upward toward the top of the tree... which is great for... birdwatching?  i don't even know where the other light would shine.  but that is fixed now among other things.  two more main things to fix and we're good.  

        it's nice how it worked out though.  we ended up receiving a sum of money through an insurance company due to damage from flooding to something in storage that wasn't sentimental or anything important to us, and we were able to use the money to almost completely cover the cost of work on the jeep.  God worked it out for good...

        ah life...

Spring Break 08

denver seminary's mwok's (married w/out kids) went to Utah, et.c. for spring break... it was a blast!  i ended up wearing all my layers everyday... leaving no clean clothes.  we did some awesome mountain biking at slickrock in Moab.  it's famous for it's great mountain biking.  i'll hopefully put our pics in a slideshow on here soon.  there two links you can click on the left for now.  this is me showing everyone how to do the "cupid shuffle".

among other things like awesome views, sweating hard, my life flashing before my eyes... we (the women) had some really wonderful conversations about life and marriage.  i felt stretched... but mostly blessed by the trip.  that's the longest i've gone without a shower for a long, long time!  we're really looking forward to spending time with new friends and hopefully seeing more national parks this summer!

Laird Duby

well, jodi bought me a rather creative birthday present.  since we've talked seriously about me doing my doctorate in scotland, she got me a sort of memento for that dream.  one of the castles in scotland, dunans castle, allows people to buy a small chunk of the castle, making a buyer either a laird (lord) or lady of dunans castle.  jodi got me a one foot by one foot portion of the castle (and they planted a tree in my name), so she made me a laird of dunans castle!  assuming things work out and we do move there for a season of life, we'll get to spend time there; it looks beautiful.  the whole operation included a sign for our door ("here lives laird duby of dunans castle"), a mug with the title written on it, and an official document that details everything!   

steve, guest blogger 

Duby Duby Duby for me Duby Hubby is now 23!

sunday, march 2, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STEVE!!

church. katie kostal kame =) with us to church again today... she's come the last 3 sundays since she is in town with americorps. she leaves for texas tomorrow morning. it's been really fun having her only 12 minutes down the road.

this evening we had a progressive dinner (4 courses, each course at a different apartment- on campus) with the people (and spouses) from steve's spiritual formation group. we had all kinds of good food and fellowship. we played a game and got to hear an embarrassing moment from each person. we were assigned desert so i was able to surprise steve with a cake and everyone sang happy birthday to him. charlie had his first show tonight (charlie is our aquatic african dwarf frog).

i also served another desert that a few people asked for the recipe... for.

so here's the recipe:

FROZEN MOCHA CHEESECAKE LOAF

2 cups finely crushed oreos (or similar cookie)

3 T. butter melted

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 14oz sweetened condensed milk (NOT evap. Milk)

1 T. vanilla ext.

2 cups whipping cream, whipped

2 T. instant coffee disolved in 1 T. hot water

1/2 c. choc. flavored syrup

line 9x5 inch loaf pan with aluminum foil, extending foil above sides of pan.

combine crumbs and butter: press firmly on bottom and 1/2 way up sides of prepared pan.

in large mixing bowl beat cheese until fluffy.

gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth; add vanilla.

fold in whipped cream.

remove 1/2 mixture, place in medium bowl; fold in coffee liquid and choc. syrup.

spoon 1/2 choc. mixture into prepared pan then 1/2 the vanilla mixture.

repeat.

with table knife cut through cream mixture to marble.

cover; freeze six hours or until firm.

to serve: remove from pan, remove foil, garnish as desired, slice to serve, freeze leftovers.

NOTE: i sprinkle with extra oreo crumbs and add 10 oreos placed in the middle where the 10 slices of the loaf would be before freezing... i think it works better personally.

i hope you all had a very wonderful steve's birthday.

it was also 3 years ago today that my dear hubby proposed. i had spent weeks working on a music video for him and when it came time to surprise him on his birthday and play it on the big screen at church... he seemed SO uninterested... distracted. well... long story short, he proposed that night, on his birthday. i'm including the main part of the video i had made for him with 2 of my then high school students-now college age peers, Erin and Beth. i hope you enjoy!

my family is also thinking a lot about my grandpa. he had a stroke yesterday. it's caused some damage that has changed the way that he will live and eat. please pray for him and my grandma, and their kids. i really love my grandma and grandpa a lot, so this is a bit difficult for me too, even though i'm thankful he's still with us.

this year for valentine's day...

... i worked all day.  we ate dinner at home together, then steve had class,  so i did 4 loads of laundry in 1 1/2 hours... apparently everyone else had better things to do than use the laundry room on v day.

           

      ... but, we did get a fish tank together (last friday-you're supposed to let the water/filter/plants sit for a few days before you start adding fish- so we bought it early, so we could have the fish by valentine's day).  Now we have molly-goldfish, her late husband arthur didn't make it... she was quite aggressive toward him during feeding times... =(  charlie-our aquatic african dwarf frog- is quite cute, then there's bob the plecostomus (sucker fish... he cleans), and last but not least moose and squirrel our snails... we haven't seen them in a few days... not sure what they're up to.  there is a coliseum in there that i think they've been hiding inside of... i'll post a pic sometime.  it's so soothing to watch the fish and plants swim/sway and to listen to the water pour out of the filter.

      ... and we dressed up and went out to dinner last night to celebrate and spent the rest of the evening at home... it was so nice.  i love steve so deeply.  it's funny that we've got this holiday set aside to show you loved one you love them...  it's nice to have an extra reason to celebrate him though and have time set aside for just us.  

                    happy valentine's day

new family member!!!

we are pleased to announce the newest addition to our little family.  squirrel the snail came home with me today from work. the family i worked for today had bought a fish tank, fish, and live plants for the fish a few weeks ago... and this week they discovered 16 snails (that they can see so far) moving around... very small at this point.  they told me i could have as many as i wanted... they figure the snails were on the plants they bought, but hadn't hatched, or whatever, yet.  how funny!  i used to have a snail that was quite large (about 3" diameter) named steve, so i'm glad to have a snail again.

hope everyone is doing well!!!

toodaloo!

downtown denver

yesterday we (drew, natalie, steve, and myself) biked downtown.  it's 18.5 miles there... yeah, so 37 total... it took us 2 hrs.  It was so beautiful outside.  63 degrees with a breeze.  the snow was melting, therefore making all sorts of puddles and mini streams across the pavement, that when you ride over with a bike, creates a sort of 'stripe' on your 'fanny'.  the ride downtown was extremely pleasant, a new trip for all four of us.  it was a moderate pace, enough that we could still converse.  we went to jamba juice for a smoothie, rei for a bathroom (and gloves).  then we realized we had to ride all the way back.  it was somewhat colder at this point and we all had shorts on.  we pushed ourselves to go fast, as the sun was setting and we knew we had about an hour's ride.  we rode into the wind, realizing that the ride to downtown must have been mostly downhill, because we were now riding into the wind... mostly uphill.  it was dark, cold, and those puddles that would so amusingly splash up on us before, were sending chills through us.  we finally got back at around 6ish and i felt like i was frozen and almost could not carry my bike up the 3 flights of stairs to our apartment.  

    

needless to say it felt nice to get all those mud spots off our faces, legs, and wherever else they may have landed... to be clean and warm again.  

it was a great journey.

i have been really struggling lately.  stressed... seems pretty common.  i've been having a hard time with work.  i had the opportunity to workfor a new family, but chose to stick with the 2 families i have been working for.  things have felt somewhat stressful there lately and it has been this way for the last 3 weeks.  the sermon yesterday was about being/feeling oppressed by circumstances/employers/family/friends/past events... we talked about Job and with everything he went through, i saw someone else (him) going through much more than i am in regards to suffering and oppression.  james 5:7-11 challenged me to have enduring patience, to be strong, even if circumstances don't change... i need to find a way to be at peace with my situation, be strong, patient, content, and i need to persevere. 

when i call on Him, ALL things are possible

snowshoeing: root word- snow

we went snowshoeing today with our friends steve and laura again (we went with them last weekend too).  It's really beautiful in the mountains and i feel somewhat rugged going through the trees in many feet of untouched snow.  the rocky mountains are usually beautiful standing alone with the sunshine and life growing and moving all around, but today there was light and snow dancing around the tops of the mountains so they looked misty, magical.  God really outdid himself.  

snowshoeing is a blast... requires much exercise and now that we've had ourselves some replenishment (from a place called "noodles & company"), it's time for a nap.  

   hmm... a blog is like a journal pretty much... whether people read or not... isn't the point... it's a personal thing for the public.... hmm...

inspiration/encouragement

lately, up until this class that i'm taking (art appreciation), i have been going through the week without any particular inspiration in the way i see things or even feeling inspired by anything.  i had forgotten how freeing it is to feel something creative and express it.  i am really looking forward to what lies ahead and enjoying the present.  right now i am looking around with my eyes open again, instead of being only focus on where i need to be, taking in the whole journey.  i walk home from my class (25 min. walk) and see things completely different after having spent 3 hours examining other artists work.  i am enjoying others artwork, paintings, drawings, photography, and even collage works.  i feel like something has been awakened in me again that brings me joy.  my mom and dad also just sent some old canvas and art supplies of mine from their house, so i just need to make some time for it.  i'm glad to be back in school... even just for one class this semester.  thanks beth for encouraging me to do it.  you have become such an awesome women.  i'm really proud of you.

    after getting the mail (usps) yesterday i opened a package i recognized as being from steve's grandma... it was for him. i didn't realize this until i saw a birthday card.  before seeing the card i found a small book by max lucado, 'safe in the shepherd's arms' in the packaging.  i read the subtitle 'hope and encouragement from psalm 23' and my eyes watered.  i've been feeling really dry spiritually and after opening the book and read the beginning of the psalm felt like the book was a godsend...'the Lord is my shepherd, i shall not want...  He restores my soul'.  even though i could have opened my bible to the same place... and even though it was meant for my husband,  it still was used to encourage me.  so thanks grandma and grandpa minnis!  ...i put it back so steve could open it when he got home... oops.   He likes it too!  

i haven't figured out what this blog is gonna look like yet... so far... just completely random.  diana i'm thinking the name of your blog is brilliant!  hmm... now i can't find your blog...

What's in a name?

It's highly possible to come up with a better name than "life with they dubys".  How about if you come up with one we like, and we pick it, we'll send you something cool.... okay, go.