Meet a New Family History Librarian... :O HELP!

Well, I've done it now. I went to a Family History Conference a week ago to help myself to learn more, and ended up getting roped in as a new Family History volunteer librarian.

It was Brother M's fault. He really gave me a mental boost as he insisted that I am perfect for the job for a huge number of reasons, a few of which included:

I'm intelligent, polite, and extremely great with people! Wow! I wonder if he sees the same Corine everyone else sees! :D He really sold me to myself! With all of my superb qualifications, how could I refuse? LOL :D

So, each Thursday from 2 PM until 6 PM, I will be working in the Family History Center at the Hayden Stake Center!

I am a major beginner. I just started doing genealogy this year (and didn't do it all summer) and feel completely clueless! And now, here I am volunteering as a librarian! Aha! You would think that Brother M would have taken that into consideration!

Oh well. All I can say is,

HELP!

And, Please pray for me!

I guess I'm still not very good at saying "no."

Actually though, I am very excited. I have a strong desire to do a ton of Genealogy for my family and to help others with theirs as well.

What better way to learn to swim than to dive right in and do it! I just know this is going to help me to actually figure out what I am doing! :D I'm excited! :D

Straight from Heaven

This entry consists of excerpts from my journal on March 29, 1988, the day after my sweet baby sister Kalah Monet was born. At the time, her middle name was not yet settled upon (thus the discrepancy). I had just turned 17 a couple of weeks before.

“I am in the ‘mother baby’ room with mom and my new baby sister, Kalah Reaonah at the Tacoma General Hospital. I have been here since yesterday after school. I spent the night in a chair in the hallway. At 4:00 this morning a nurse told me it folds out, and another nurse showed me how; so from 4:00 – 6:30 I was able to sleep lying down.

“The baby is so beautiful. She looks like dad, dad’s mom and dad’s grandmother. She has Carolyn and Eli’s nose. She makes faces like Eli did, nurses nonstop like David did, has a round dark face like Aaron, and think dark hair like Carolyn. Her eyes look like dad’s and mine so far, but it is hard to tell this soon. They are deep, deep blue, and her skin is deep red. She has a chubby face, but when she gets a little older, and her baby face thins out, I think her face shape will look quite a bit like moms.

"I really love the baby. I am so glad we have her. At first, even when I saw her, it didn't seem real I think it is because I haven't ever had a baby sister. But after helping to take are of her and holding her, it now seems real and I love her a lot.

"She is about a month premature, but she is very strong and didn't have to go to intensive care. I am so glad!

"I am also so glad I have come to the hospital to help mom and the baby. The Holy Ghost told me to, and I'm glad I listened.

"Kalah has taught me something. As I held her I thought;
'I love this baby. This person just came from heaven with Heavenly Father. I love her.'

"Then a very strange thing happened. As if I was out of my body, for only a moment, I saw that the baby was me and I was the baby; and then she said to me;

'So did you. You are a child of God, and I love you too.'

"I then looked at myself and saw myself as someone else, and I recognized that I was wonderful and loved to be around me, a child of God.

"This all happened in just a short moment, but it seemed to happen in slow motion.

"It was so strange. I felt like another person looking at 'Corine' and thinking these things about her and loving her, then suddenly seeing that it was me, and looking at myself, seeing me, then looking back at her, seeing Kalah. "It is difficult to explain.

“This experience lifted my self esteem, and showed me who I really am."

Face Your Storm - Chris Gardner

One of these days, I hope to post a few blogs about some of the fun things my family and I did this summer, hopefdully before summer slips into fall, then winter! But today is not that day.

Do you remember the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith? Today I would like to share with you a very inspiring story that I read an from the December issue of Fusion about Chris Gardner, the real star, who Will acted out in be half of; I think it is well worth the post... hope you enjoy! :D
Click on the article to have it enlarged so you can read it.


We all have, or have had, circumstances or events in our lives which we didn't choose to have - which could coin us as "victims" of circumstances.

Or, our responses can bring about a much different coin - we can find ourselves coined as something like "amazing," "proactive," "accountable;" we can be coined as someone who makes lemmonade out of lemons.

Let us be proactive individuals who are thankful for every experience in our lives; who know what matters, and who make lemmonade out of lemons. This is what makes life worth living! This is living!

Caton Wescott's HS Graduation Celebration

Congratulations Caton!


...one of Caton's senior photos; he spontaneously goofed off and got this one. :D


L to R: Carolyn, Eli, David, and Corine (me :D)....

I'm so sorry the rest of the family couldn't make it to Caton's HS graduation celebration (my kids missed it too, school was still going at home)...Those of us who were there had such a great time! :D

I had to do a very quick job of loading photos, as each day is so busy lately and the wait has been really annoying me. So, though the photos are not laid out at all well...at least they are finally up to view.

I hope that those who were there will enjoy reminiscing as they view a few photos, and that those who were not there will know they were sorely missed.

In this photo (below) - just a few of the adult family and friends who were there, sitting around visiting and eating (there were several tables, I should have taken a photo of the whole in one).

Family in this photo include Spencer's sister Judy (standing on the left, only her back showing... sorry Judy), Carolyn (on the back, left of the picnic table), Miles on the left front of the picnic table, and Shelby next to Miles.


Other family members who were in attendance were Spencer's sister Judy's oldest daughter and baby, Eli (already mentioned his other half - Shelby), and their kids, (Regan, Bennie, & Trenton), David, and of course, myself (other half already mentioned). Our kids stayed home this time to finish school. I'm so sorry they missed it! I hope the last day of school was worth it!

Here are just a few of the photos I took while there:


To the left: Carolyn and Spencer, the parents of the Wescott family.
Bellow: Wescott kids, plus two cousins (the baby and the oldest girl are the cousins). Left to right... Ashtyn (14), 2 cousins (baby and ...), Brekyn (16, holding baby), Caton (18) and Jennor (17)

These kids are so beautiful and righteous! They are great examples and I am so proud of each one of them. Caton bore his testimony at church the Sunday we were there; it was awesome! He is preparing to serve a full time mission, and I know he will do a great job!

Caton, thank you so much for setting a great example for your siblings and cousins!!! :D I'm so proud of you!

Eli and his wife Shelby and their three kids: Regan, Bennie and Trenton were there. They are so sweet! I absolutely love being around Eli, Shelby and their kids. I honestly don't think "sweet" gets any sweeter!




And of course, David was there. It was so great to see him again after having him live with us for a year, and then not having him for another year. It amazes me how much he and Levi look alike. They sure are cute! :D

This visit is absolutely one of the major highlights of my summer. I had such a good time there! Miles really enjoyed it too. We both bopped back and forth between kids and adults and enjoyed it all.

Ashtyn came to me at one point (while Miles and I were both sitting with the adults) and whispered into my ear, "Aunt Cory, tell Uncle Miles to come jump on the trampoline with me." I chuckled inside, and thought about what a total cutie Ashtyn is, then obliged her simple favor of telling Miles that she would like him to join her on the trampoline. Of course, he was thrilled to join her! It was obvious that they had fun. Miles was quite clueless on the tramp, but seemed to be enjoying it anyhow. Ashtyn was obviously experienced, doing all kinds of fancy jumps on that thing. I took a few great photos and thoroughly enjoyed it! :D (I should have cropped; oh well)



I also had a blast with Ashtyn, not on the trampoline, but in the back yard playing a game of catch with... what is the name of that lawn toy? Well, I'll show you a couple of photos which will make it clear. That really is a fun game! Miles and I both enjoyed that well enough to buy some for our family when we came home.




Another thing I enjoyed doing was just taking photos of the family.
Here are a few of them:









One of the funest moments I had taking photos occurred when each time I took a photo, another kid would suddenly jump onto the "people pile" to be included in the photo, requiring me to retake the photo. It became quite hilarious, each kid laughing as he jumped onto the growing pile of people; the laughter and the urge to join in it were highly contagious! Ultimately, I too just couldn't resist jumping into the people pile, so Miles took the last photo with me included in the end.

The first couple of photos were, unfortunately deleted; If anyone wants to see the ones I still have, let me know. For now, here is the final photo of the bunch.



Miles and I both really enjoyed leaving the adults here and there to goof off with the kids! They are great!

Carolyn>>> I also really enjoyed visiting with you, esp. at night when everyone else was sleeping or watching TV. Thanks for the time together sis! :D

I LOVE visiting family SO MUCH! I can not find words to tell you how much each visit means to me, how much family mean to me.

I'm so anxious for a family reunion and really hope everyone can make it!

I can't believe how long it took to make this blog; I wish it showed! I know I didn't say much, the writing isn't anything to chew on... I've been pretty busy, but wanted to share these photos and not wait any longer, so, "so-so" is what this gets!

("so-so" is better than nothing!) :D TTFN!

Blessings We Want, vs. Blessings We Have...

A little piece of magic helped me to switch back to positive thinking; it came by way of the re-reading of a quote which I recently was blessed to come across, and then by thankfully contemplating the blessings in my life...

"Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not but reckon up the chief of the blessings you possess, and thankfully remember how you would crave them if they were not yours." Marcus Aurelius

I absolutely love this quote! I love the reminder of how we would "crave" the blessings that we already have, if we did not have them.

Food/words for thought...

Corine

P.S. I love to sit, quiet and still, and just think about my blessings. It is a totally relaxing, and yet energizing and invigorating experience. :D

Independence Day

This is the first Forth of July in which I have had a difficult time celebrating our independence. It is so sad to me that we are loosing so quickly, so much of the wonderful freedoms that we have been so blessed to have.

I am about to go out with my family though, and celebrate... not that which we are loosing, but that which we still have... family and friends, and freedom to choose our responses and what we will be.... freedom to live and to love.

May this day be blessed for us all.


God bless America!

Let freedom ring!

Memory of Anticipation – I’m a Survivor

This is a story regarding childhood spankings.

I posted, then deleted this story about a month ago, so as to give my parents a little privacy with the spanking info in this crazy day and age; but upon recently telling this story to a very amused and delighted fellow camper, I was talked into putting it back up.

The man I told the story to loved it, and thinks people need to hear more stories about kids being spanked. So... after a little thought... this story is back to stay. Enjoy :D

----------------------------------------------------------

When I was a kid, I was extremely overly sensitive (highly emotional). If anyone or anything got hurt, I would hurt too (oh gosh :S... I'm still like that! - just forget about it still being that way - OK?)

Anyhow, mom and dad were really into discipline; either you would discipline yourself to behave, or you would BE DISCIPLINED.

I remember quite well, dad's belt, used for spankings (by both mom and dad), and the horrible anticipation of.... can you guess? I'll give you a line or two to think about it.....

.............................................................
..............................................................................

Bingo! The anticipation of WATCHING my siblings be spanked in a fight that I participated in; the guilt and pain was UNBEARABLE!

You have a question? You thought I was going to say the anticipation of being spanked? No, that I could bear (though it did sting!) But watching them be spanked I could not bear! It was the greatest form of torture imaginable to me!

So... what I am about to tell you - is the truth - honest. And though it made me cry at the time, I look back and laugh my head off over it! :D


When dad was gone, and mom had to do the harsh disciplining, she would take us all to her bedroom and get one of dad's belts out of the closet. Then she would have us all line up at the bed (there were 8 of us all together, but a couple or so less than that through the length of time that I was still young enough to be spanked {which I might add was quite old}).

Anyhow, as I was saying... mom would have us all line up in front of mom and dad's bed and have us bend over the bed with our buts in easy reach, so she could go down a nice efficient spanking line. When this happened, I would remember waiting at the end of the line as I listened to the younger kids screaming out in pain; so, my pain would start prematurely.

After this happened a couple of times, the anxiety over the anticipation was so great that I would beg mom; "Please mom! Just spank me first, now, and get it over with!" the moment we entered her room.

But then something happened. Maybe she had compassion, maybe she was just learning new methods as a mom, I don't know what the real maybe was... but things changed.

As soon as I started begging her; "just spank me first and let me leave!" mom would attempt to calm me down, and say things like, "Now just a minute Cory, I want to talk to you all first." (At least, I think she said, 'first.')

I would be so worked up that I would just repeatedly plead with her; "No mom! Please! Please just spank me now and let me leave the room!"

What was a mom to do with a frantic child begging for a spanking?

She finally did what mothers do when they are weakened with begging... she gave me my way; I was spanked ahead of the others and sent from the room.

Oddly though, when the other children came out, they weren't crying. Mom had "talked" to them about what they had done, and decided not to spank them.

This happened a few times.

Though it was traumatic at the time (for me, being spanked wasn't traumatic, seeing or anticipating my siblings being spanked was), it eventually became so funny to me that the memory of it put me into hysterical laughter. To this day I still laugh my head off at the thought of what I, un-necessarily, put myself through! :D I am after all, a survivor! :D

P.S. / Note: My parents were NOT abusive... they spanked calmly, not too hard, and didn't overuse it; and I knew, while being spanked, that they did it out of love. Just thought I should probably add this! TTFN!

July 1, 2009

UPDATE -  I don't believe in spankings anymore (though I was guilty of spanking my kids when they were young and I didn't know what else to do - darn). Here is a link to another post about what a few wise people have to say about spankings.