Plum Creek Literacy Festival, or Why I Spent My Weekend With Cramped Legs

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Plum Creek Literacy Festival in Seward, Nebraska with 5 amazing friends and 2 crazy professors (seriously, I don't know how they survived the trip. They had to have been nuts to put up with us that long!)

"But, Jess," you wonder, "Why in the world would you want to drive 14.5 hours up to Nebraska, go to a day's worth of sessions, then drive all that way back...when Austin was having its own book festival this weekend? You didn't have to go all that way, and you certainly wouldn't have had to pay as much as you did for the experience of enjoying books and reading."

Fair point. But I say: Why not?

Why not go to a place where the first thing you see when you walk into the student center on Concordia University Nebraska's campus is all the authors you wanted to meet and get autographs from? I wasn't even done picking up my packet of stuff at Registration and I could see the authors spread out at all these little tables all over the place. I ran to the "bookstore" set up next to registration to make sure that the authors would have something to sign. I ONLY bought 2, which has to be some kind of record for me, but it wasn't for lack of variety or trying.

Why not go and be surprised that one of your favorite YA lit authors, Neal Shusterman, can answer your question during a session? I had always wondered about where the emotions behind the Skinjacker trilogy came from, and now my burning curiosity has been satisfied. He was engaging, dynamic, and funny...a Storyman in every way. (I added even more of his books to my reading list and will probably have to go find them all very soon.)

Why not go to hear your current favorite children's lit author, Judy Schachner, discuss everything from life as a kid to her own kids to her kittens? (And everything in-between, of course). Her creativity and zeal for life are something that I love about her and her writing. Every kiddo I've read Skippyjon Jones books with (and that includes that host family that I stayed with last night) has come away giggly and happy to have that experience. But then I don't think it's hard to capture the heart of a child when you've got the mindset of one and can channel it in such a brilliant way.

Why not go and find out how to get kids engaged in researching history through primary documents and comic books? Marc Tyler Nobleman was a pleasant surprise. I hadn't thought to go to his session, but after buying his book and getting him to sign it and talking to him a bit, I had to know. I consider myself a bit of a nerd...okay, maybe more than just a bit. I'm also writing about using comic books as literature for a paper for my Children's Literature class. I figured he'd be a good perspective on that issue, and I wasn't disappointed. Totally worth my time and money, especially the Batman book.

Why not go and laugh so hard you almost snort water out your nose? Okay, maybe that's a bit of a gross example, but Kevin Henkes was totally worth the risk. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse was one of my favorite books growing up and I'm glad to know that he's still making wonderfully illustrated books for everyone to enjoy. Oh, and he's funny. And his new book is awesome.

Why not go and learn strategies that you know you'll use when you teach someday? This lady they call the Book Whisperer gave me wonderful ideas on how to get my future students to read. I will carry those tips with me wherever I go now. Thanks, Donalyn Miller! You were so nice, your advice was so sweet, and I'm glad to have learned about the #nerdybookclub now. (And that, ladies and gents, is probably the first and only time you will EVER see a hashtag in my blog or Facebook or anywhere...but if you have a Twitter, look that up and you won't be sorry!)

(This festival also had a session on dyslexia that I found very informative. The statistics are jaw-dropping and I had no idea that the indicators and warning signs can be seen so early. And all this stuff that I've listed was just the things I got to see. Anna Dewdney was there but I just could not get to her session in the morning and she was gone by the afternoon! And there were so many other speakers that I wanted to go to. I think they need another day!)

So, in conclusion, when life gives you an opportunity to road trip with friends and go places instead of staying home for the weekend, just GO. You'll be glad you did.

*Note: I am plugging these authors shamelessly because I love them and because this festival was seriously the high point of my college experience.

That's me and Judy. She is awesome.

Empathy

It is a wonderful blessing and a terrible curse. It is beautiful because it brings understanding, but horrific because of the heartache it can inflict. It's a rare find nowadays, in our self-centered, me-me-me world.

To be able to see both sides of an issue and feel, truly feel, compassion and understanding for both parties is not so common anymore. People are so quick to take sides and deal out judgment and want to be right that they don't want to look at the other side of an issue. They want to stay comfortable in feeling right, in feeling better, in feeling outraged and angry. Maybe even in their shock or disgust, they feel there is no other way, no other side to approach an issue from.

I believe a key component of empathy is acknowledging your own sin, your own brokenness, your own struggles and disillusionments. When you've looked your own evils in the face, then you can see things a lot more clearly. The moral high ground you were standing on suddenly gets leveled. Your ego deflates. Your rage cools. Your surprise turns to sad acknowledgment. You know that the darkness isn't just out there, but also inside and needing to be fixed.

I've been seeing a lot of instances lately of people not wanting to deal with the fact that there are two sides to every issue and that the side they are standing on may not be entirely right. Everyone is in need of mercy, and everyone is capable of horrific acts of evil. Both are facts I try to carry with me daily in the face of what seems to be increasing darkness in this very ugly, sinful world.

Who allows us to look at our evils? We don't look of our own volition. If left to our own devices, we would continue to pretend that the evils inside just aren't there.

There's a reason Jesus said to take the plank out of your own eye before taking the speck out of your neighbor's. It's not our place to judge another for the crimes they've committed. We have to let Jesus clean up our own mess first before we can even think about what's going on with others, and even then it's still not our place to judge them.

Empathy looks at others, not in judgment, but in compassion. It desires that same clean-up for others that it has experienced. It hopes that God will work ALL things for good, not just the good things. It wants that lost sheep to be found. Empathy starts with, "Lord, have mercy."

A Call for Compassion

Warning: If you are easily offended, you might not want to read this post. I already know what I'm going to say is not popular. I don't care. It needs to be said.

I don't often post about newsworthy events (heck, I hardly ever post!), but I feel compelled to talk about what happened in Aurora last week. It's hard for me to comprehend that someone could bring so much terror on a place where people go to escape their normal lives and have fun. I can barely wrap my mind around the idea of a dozen people dead (a little six-year-old included) and almost 60 people injured.

James Holmes, the accused shooter, has something wrong with him. "Normal" people don't do things like this. Just take a look at him sitting in the courtroom with orange hair and a blank stare. People who knew him said he was kind of a loner. It's hard to deny that a man who plotted this atrocity is, well, evil.

And yet, I can feel compassion for him.

Say what? How? How can I feel compassion for a killer like that?

I know this is going to take a lot of explanation. Bear with me.

I'm reminded of a song by Casting Crowns called "Jesus, Friend of Sinners." It's been stuck in my head for a few days. The chorus goes: "Oh Jesus, friend of sinners/Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers/Let our hearts be led by mercy/Help us reach with open hearts and open doors/Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours." If this kind of tragedy doesn't break God's heart, then I don't know what does.

But I think God's heart also breaks for the one who felt that he had no choice but to commit this terrible act. Not only that, I think we all have been in a situation where we have felt alone and misunderstood, probably much like James felt most of his life. But most of the people I know also know that there is a God who created you and who loves you and understands you better than a soul-mate or best friend. You are never alone when you have God in your life.

Deep inside, in my darkest human nature, a person much like James resides. Someone who lashes out at others, who hates without reason, who would booby trap a home just to take out anyone who tried to gain entry. The same thing that is wrong with James is also wrong with all of us. As much as we all try to deny it, evil lives in all of us. We all do terrible things; in our eyes, we try to justify the wrong things that we do as okay or even right. What then makes me or you any different from a person like James?

There's an answer: in God's eyes, my sins are much like James'. My cheating on a math exam back in high school (not that I would ever do such a thing!) is no different in God's reckoning than taking someone's life. Sin is sin. Evil is evil. Human nature is human nature. Without the grace of Jesus Christ, God looks on me the same as he does James.

But this is why I have compassion: because God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. As much as God looks on all sins the same, he also extends his amazing grace the same. The same eternal life and salvation from sin that was promised to me is also promised to you, to James, to the homeless man down the street, to the politician you despise, to your grandmother. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I hope someone shares the love of Jesus with James Holmes. I hope there is someone willing to show him how the God who created him can forgive him and show him the Way to a place where he does belong, where he is never alone, where he is even very loved. I have to hope that he can change if he hears the Word, because even though many would doubt his sincerity (even as they probably doubt my sincerity in writing these words), many others would hear God's Word through him and believe in God's power to save. If even he, worst of sinners in our eyes, can be saved, then doesn't it show that there is salvation for all of us?

God has used this kind of position before. Moses killed a guy. Samson was a womanizing jerk. Saul persecuted the church before the light of Christ overtook him. Maybe I'm just radical in thinking this, but our prayers might be well-spent on James as well as the victims and their family and friends. Maybe this will be an opportunity to learn more about God's power to save.

[Some of you may be thinking, You didn't lose a loved one or a friend, so you're speaking from the outside looking in. I know that, but I felt compelled to share this, and I hope that the families and friends of the victims will be able to forgive him as well. I don't speak for them, and I would never claim to. I'm also not asking for the judge to let him off easy. He does have to pay for his crimes and I'd be a moron if I suggested otherwise.]

I know that this is not a popular position to take when things like this happen. It's easier for us to give in to hate and finger-pointing and blame (Again, human nature). I know I'll probably get flak from people for posting this. I don't really care. I know that God will take care of James; all I can do is pray that God's will be done, in the midst of this awful tragedy, and that James would come to realize the forgiveness and love that can be found in Christ Jesus.

A Year In Review

Sorry I haven't written in more than 6 months. Being a senior in college tends to mean all my free time gets devoted to writing papers, not blogs. Anyway, here is my year in review:

January--Went on choir to California. Highlights included San Francisco, Laguna Beach, and Disneyland!

February--Begin to see how much love and patience I have for Special Education students. Sang in the Valentine's concert. It was my first solo performance in years. I went through the application process to become a Resident Assistant.

March--Don't get the RA job. My roommate and I turn 21 within a day of each other and keep the party to a minimum (mostly because our birthdays were in the middle of the week!). We both wind up going on a surprise birthday trip to Sherwood Forest Faire, a Renaissance festival in Texas. My boyfriend and I go home to Colorado for Spring Break so I can show him how beautiful the mountains are. We visited the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods.

April--I switch majors to Special Education, partly because of the job market and partly because of discovering my passion for it. Sang in the choir's performance of "Elijah" and had tons of fun! Finals week is particularly rough.

May--Osama bin Laden is killed on the same day I move home from college. I spend most of the month volunteering at the high school I graduated from, helping my mom and brother out in their classes. Mom forces me into a workout schedule. We have a Memorial Day BBQ party at the house. I start my summer camp job.

June--I get my First Aid certification for my camp job. My friends get married and I have some troubles getting down to Austin to be a part of the wedding party (summer thunderstorms stink!). I dive into the summer camp job literally with swim days. Skate days with my campers are pretty fun too. My parents renew their wedding vows after 25 years of marriage. My cousin gets married. Yay wedding season? I fulfill a promise to myself by seeing my first and only midnight showing of a movie...Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2!

July--More camp job. I am really going to miss those kids this summer. My parents went to Belize for their anniversary. While I'm in charge of the house and dogs, I decide I need to find a new hobby. So I take up drawing. Haven't had much time to practice lately, but I'm getting better. My grandfather figure passes away unexpectedly, and my best friend's son turns two.

August--Camp job ends and I leave to Austin before school starts to try to find a job. My senior year of college starts with a whole bunch of classes having to do with how we learn language. It's actually a fascinating subject. I didn't expect it to be as interesting as it was.

September--I find an on-campus job in the IT department. My main job is helping professor figure out how to use technology. Major fires occur around the Austin area. Tenth anniversary of September 11th. Roommate, boyfriend, and I go to the Celtic Festival at Sherwood Forest. My friend from Midland and her boyfriend come out for a visit (first time I've seen her in a few years, and it's always a blast when we get together).

October--Car starts needing things like battery replaced. Wasn't expecting that expense. I get assigned to a first grade classroom for my teaching observations. My IT job becomes more interesting and more challenging with learning new kinds of technologies. My school gives me the opportunity to give up Fall Break to go help out with fire relief in Bastrop. I go see an Opera for the first time with my class. Halfway through Halloween, I realize my costume isn't just an anime character, it's also Abby from NCIS. :)

November--First choir concert of the school year reignites my passion for music. I give a student symposium about the history of Japanese anime, then the next weekend perform as Hansel in a scene from the opera Hansel und Gretel. I travel home for Thanksgiving for the first time since my freshman year. I hate traveling over Thanksgiving...

December--The end of 2011 was very good to me. The biggest news was I am now engaged!!!! Other good things that happened: my brother turned 17, I got an iPad for Christmas, and my cousins moved out to Colorado from California.

All in all, 2011 has been a good year to me, and I hope it has been for you too. I hope 2012 is great for everyone!

Keeping a Promise, Potter Style

Years ago, probably in middle school, when it was just really starting to become "cool" and mainstream to admit to everyone that you were a Potter fan, I made a promise to myself. I never really told anyone about this promise, but I knew that I had to keep it. I wasn't about to let myself down. I promised I would go to at least one midnight showing of a Harry Potter movie.

Last night, I finally made good on that promise (never mind that it was my last chance to do so!).
I went and stood in line for several hours to get an awesome seat at the 12:15 showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was the first midnight showing I'd ever been to, period, so of course I had to make a Midnight Showing Survival Kit the night before. Here's what I put in it:
1 camera to capture the excitement and memories
1 Deathly Hallows book
1 box of Kleenex (definitely necessary!)
1 box of lemon drops (or in this case, Lemonheads candies)
1 chocolate bar to ward off effects of possible dementor attacks
1 water bottle
2 orange-flavored vitamin waters
1 pen converted into a wand
1 rain jacket
1 umbrella (though not containing Hagrid's wand within it, unfortunately)

I didn't dress up, really, despite the red lightning bolt shaped scar that got drawn on my forehead and the Deathly Hallows symbol that sparkled on my arm, both in eyeliner. I did bring pizza in the hopes that I would make some friends and get a good spot in line. It worked--I met two fantastic military wives who kept me company for several hours, all because I offered free pizza to let me sit with them. I got to know them well enough that we're even friends on Facebook now. We rated costumes, watched a hilarious Quidditch match, were serenaded by an improv singing group, and even got rained on together. Someone counted everyone in line and I was basically 850th in line, but I didn't really care; I was having so much fun.

When I finally got inside, I found a pretty good seat. Three girls sat next to me and we proceeded to watch the last half of Part 1 together. When the previews began to roll, I could feel the anticipation spiking in the theater. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. The crowd felt as one from the moment the opening logo appeared. We cheered and clapped together, we cried together, we laughed together, and when all was said and done, we left the theater smiling, knowing that we had all journeyed with Harry through it all.

Yeah, it ended last night, like the posters all said. Potter-mania at the theaters will probably never reach those kinds of levels again, unless Rowling releases another book about Hogwarts and they make another movie out of it. Either that, or when the movies are re-released in 10 years, when my generation will take our kids to watch Harry on the big screen all over again. They may not grow up with him like we did, but I don't think Harry Potter fandom will ever really fade away completely. He's too universal, too loved to go extinct.

So, in short, all I have to say is: mischief managed.

My Wii Exercise Program--Days 1 & 2

Mom's been dying to get me interested in fitness and working out since I got home from college. The other day, I thought it would be fun to try The Biggest Loser workout for Wii instead of going with Mom to the gym. The game has been sitting down in the basement with the rest of the games for a couple of years and no one's dared to touch it. We were probably either afraid it would work too well or that it wouldn't work at all. But I can report that it works; oh yes, does it ever. I wasn't brave enough to create a profile on it yet, so I just freeplayed some of the exercises for about 45 minutes.

It seemed legit enough. I mean, Bob was leading me through squats, punches, yoga, stretches, and jumping jacks that really got me working hard. I am not totally out of shape (although my shape is pretty curvy), but I was still out of breath and shaky by the end of it. And on that note, I left it alone for a few days.

So last night, I decided to go all-out and get on The Biggest Loser workout program for Wii. I made a personalized profile with all my information, from height to waist and chest size--kind of embarrassing to have my mom measure me for the thing! I worked out for 30 minutes doing all sorts of intense stuff, but the worst was the standing mountain climbers. It makes you go through the motions of rock climbing, only WAY faster. Oh wow.  The only time I've ever been more out of breath and in pain was the first week of soccer practice the only season I ever played sports in high school. But after it was all over, I decided this is exactly the kind of workout program I want to continue to do. So I'm going ahead with it.

Today is technically Day 2 of my program. I worked out this morning for 30 minutes again, and it had a lot of the same stuff I had done last night, with a few minor changes. The hip stretches were a little different, and the dreaded mountain climbers had only gotten harder, not easier. Next time, I will conquer them!! They also have challenges like the show, and they can be really fun. I actually won this one! I had to push a cannon up a hill and then crank it to fire it. (It was much better than the one I tried the other day with the freeplay, where you had to jog up a hill and a giant fan was blowing you back. I lost that one big time.)

It also has a handy little calorie-log for me to keep track of what I eat. I'm not liking this tracker as much as some of the other logs I've seen, because it pretty much only logs in 10s and 100s, so you can't get very exact. I don't know how well I'm going to keep up with that, since I'm not too good at totaling things up and remembering to put it all onto the game. But at least they have it. There's also exercise tips, recipes, and diet ideas. It's a great way to start out getting fit, especially if your rear end is parked on the couch while you perpetually play video games and eat chips.

Here's to a summer of getting in shape!

Happy Memorial Day?

Memorial Day.

A lot of people think of it in terms of barbequed meat, baseball games, getting an extra day off work, and camping trips with the family. But I come from a military town and a military family. Recently, a family friend lost her husband in Afghanistan--and he wasn't even supposed to be in combat. He was a professor at one of the military academies who chose to take some time over there so he could be a better teacher and understand what his students were going through.

We shouldn't take just one day to honor those who have given lives to protect freedoms that we are guaranteed. We should be remembering them and their families and friends who have lost so much. Every time I hear on the news about a soldier who isn't coming home, it makes me tear up. And every time they show a homecoming, I cheer.

Even if you don't agree with the wars and support missions we've gotten involved in or started, the troops still need all the support and love they get. They have probably one of the hardest jobs in the world, and without your prayers and support, they will get discouraged and wonder why they're even doing their job. I'm praying for them. Are you?