Dubuque & Final Answers

Here are the rest of my answers, interspersed with photos from a recent trip to Dubuque and other adventures. I had the pleasure of visiting Eagle Point Park, St. Raphael's Cathedral, the Dubuque Botanical Gardens & Arboretum and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. 

The botanical gardens were beautiful. The Johnson Strings filmed one of their music videos here, so visiting was a bit of a pilgrimage for me...

Ashley asked: What do you plan on doing in the future? 

In the somewhat immediate future I'd like to:

A Week at the Newspaper - Part 2

Another paper is out, and I have a whole week to get the next edition's batch of stories ready! On top of that, the weather here is gorgeous and our trees are in full bloom, so I'm a particularly happy person. Here's the rest of my week at the newspaper.

Saturday, April 22

Saturday was a beautiful day. I read the whole gospel of Mark in the morning (it only took about one hour).

Such is Life

I suppose it only fair to mention (as otherwise I may confuse you, my dear readers, in future posts): a little over two weeks ago, I started working as news editor for two local newspapers, the Clarksville Star and Butler County Tribune-Journal.  It's a dream come true.  Everything I've always loved doing--interviewing people, visiting neat places, and exploring small-town Iowa--I now do every working day.

Not only am I doing something I love, it seems I'm working for a great company.  My co-workers have all been pleasant and very helpful as I've worked on learning my new duties.  I remember at an interview for another company I applied with, I was asked what kind of people I liked to work with.  "Nice people?!" I replied.  They told me my coworkers would be grumpy.  In retrospect, I am so glad I did not get that job.

eShakti Review

A few long-time readers may remember my debut as a model in March 2015 when I did a review for eShakti, an online women's clothing store based in India.  I haven't done any more modeling since then, preferring to leave fashion blogging to...my favorite fashion blogger, Paige.  

And...you should probably thank me for that, as I am one of the most boring dressers in the world.  When I find an outfit I like, I stick with it; and I still haven't figured out why when a celebrity wears the same outfit twice, it's newsworthy.

2016 Model Train Show in Hampton - Part 1

My paternal grandparents have been vendors at model train shows for years, though of late they've narrowed it down to two shows a year.  In 2014, they recruited my sister and I to help at our first show--in Hampton--where I ended up coming home with a pan full of left-over cinnamon rolls (delicious)!  Last year, I only joined in at Dubuque.  So, after a two-year hiatus, I was excited to be back at the Hampton show again.  

The whole family started everything off on Saturday evening setting everything up.  Then we went out for dinner together at a nearby restaurant.  Grandma helped with the set-up, but didn't feel strong enough to spend the whole next day at the show.  Sunday morning, Grandpa, my sisters, and I got an early start at about 5:30 A.M.

Answers: Life & Death

With this final post I'll have my bases covered from the cradle to the grave.  Many thanks to all who participated in making this series happen.  Next week I'll be g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶r̶e̶v̶e̶n̶g̶e̶  hosting my annual survey!  I hope you'll join in.

Debbie says: I have always wondered how old you are? 

BJ says:  I would be very interested in knowing your age.

I'm 22.

Answers: Music, Chess, Pets, & More

We are nearing the end of my series of answers in response to questions posed by readers.  In this post I will answer all the questions about hobbies, pets, and random topics, before going on to my final post Wednesday.

Martha asks: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

Ashley asks: What are your hobbies?

Playing chess, running, blogging, photographing, visiting neat places, hiking, singing and playing instruments, watching Studio C and old tv series, volunteering as an admin on FICS, occasionally doing genealogical research, visiting cemeteries, and creating websites.

Answers: Faith

A few people asked questions about faith in response to my Your Turn post.  Victor Hugo once said, "The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." 

And that's true.  God loved us so much even in our miserable human condition that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  I've found the greatest happiness in the world in the conviction that Jesus loves me.  I never deserved His love.  I never was good enough to earn it.  But he loved me in spite of myself.  He's changing me, so I can behold the beauty of Himself.  

Answers: A Confession of Humanity

You know, sometimes I may not like to admit it...but the questions asked in response to my Your Turn post have forced me to confess: I too, am human.  I had fun figuring out how to answer these!

Martha asks: What three personality traits do you admire in people? 

#1 Kindness

#2 Intelligence

#3 Diligence/reliability

Answers: Travel

Today I'm back to answering questions asked in response to my Your Turn post.  Our topic?  Travel, one of my favorite things to do--in Iowa!  We'll also cover languages and general knowledge of the world.

Anonymous asks: What do Americans know about Europe? What do you learn at school only geography connected with continent or others, too?

I was homeschooled, and I learned a lot of European history.  The history of Europe is the history of Western Civilization, so it was very important in my studies.  

Answers: My Favorite Things

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Your Turn post and asked me some very interesting questions!  I will be answering in one post a week.  Today I'm covering the bases on all the questions asked about my favorite things.

Martha asked: What is one of your favourite words? Sesquipedalian

Your Turn!

Every year I check out readers' preferences on my blog (and in candy bars) with a survey.  The next annual survey is coming up in only a couple months.  But in the mean time, I've decided to have a little fun with an Ask Me Anything post!  (Since I always love joining in on Martha's Q & A series!)

So, feel free to ask any questions you wish, either in a comment or (if you prefer to ask anonymously) in the form below.  I will attempt to answer in upcoming blog posts.  Ask anything that comes to mind...serious or trivial.  Have fun!

Distance Running

I've run seven 5K races this year...and I'm still alive!  Last year, I reflected on my parents and sister running--and my effort at joining them in a practice, that "running/walking a 5K without any training is a nice, slow, painful way to die."  But I've been training!

My whole family--parents, two sisters, and brother--runs.  We train together, and often run 5Ks together.  My mom and sister are perhaps the most serious runners.  They do half marathons.  And you'll never guess what my sister did to celebrate her birthday...she ran 15 miles!

Thai Basil Chicken

At the risk of this becoming a food blog (considering six of the eight posts this past month directly involve food), I'd like to share one of my grandmother's wonderful recipes, Thai Basil Chicken.

Can you guys imagine how heavenly it has been to eat authentic Thai food on a regular basis for the past couple months?  I asked Yai to show me (and my readers) how to make one of my favorites of her delicious dishes.  She graciously obliged.

Book Review: The More of Less

Do you want more money, more time, and less clutter and stress?  Blogger Joshua Becker's The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, published this year, may be the book for you.

Winning The More of Less in a giveaway at Cheryl's blog, Homespun Devotions, came as a big surprise.  I had commented on her giveaway post about minimalism without giving it much thought, so when Cheryl wrote to say I had won, I did a double-take! "Wait...I entered a giveaway?!  Oh, come to think of it, I guess I did."  A few days later, I received it in the mail.  I was a skeptic, but decided to read it through. 

Amatuer Radio Field Day

A couple years ago I decided to get an amateur radio license.  So, I bought a couple study guides, learned all about radios and their components, antennas, bands, and all that good stuff, and passed the test to get a Technician's license without a problem.  Then I bought a radio, and it has patiently sat in my desk for two years waiting for me to program it.

To be honest, there are a lot of other things I'm much more passionate about, and I'm *very* rusty on everything I learned about radios.  But...my name is in the FCC database with my call sign KE0BCA, so my interest in amateur radio is public record till at least 2024.

Debt, College, and More...

"The Lord bless these vittles we've got, and help us to be beholden to nobody," is Mother York's prayer in the 1941 Gary Cooper film Sergeant York.  With our national debt well over $19 trillion and student loan debt in the U.S. over $1.2 trillion owed by over 40 million students, the ideal of being "beholden to nobody" may seem strange.

Marianne from the financial website Personal Capital recently asked me, "Would you be interested in sharing your opinion on the student loan bubble (tuition prices are outrageous!) currently plaguing millennials and the economy?" 

Blogging Love!

I never win giveaways.  That is just one of the facts of life, and I've grown accustomed to it.  But I still enter them every now and then just for fun.  Early this month I entered Kelly-Anne's Celebrating Love giveaway at  Beautiful Girlhood.

A few days later, I was *shocked* to receive an email from Kelly-Anne saying I had won this lovely wall-hanging created by her sister.  If I were not a semi-libertarian I might suggest that bloggers be required to have giveaway insurance liability policies to cover the potential health risk caused by shock to the winners.

SPGI 2015 - Dorm Life

St. Louis Trip, Day 2, Saturday, July 25, 2015

We were in St. Louis for the Susan Polgar Girl's Invitational because my youngest sister had won the Iowa Girls Chess Championship and was representing Iowa at the event.  My other sister (Charity) and I were both returning as alumnae, since we had participated in the Invitational in 2012.  Papa traveled with us as bodyguard and chauffeur.  

Moonlit Eve, Foggy Morn, & Family History

As I've mentioned before, my family and I enjoy excursions around lakes and on trails in the area.  We have three runners in training  (best time so far: one of my sisters ran a 5K in a little over 24 minutes).  Those of us--including myself--who don't run, like to ride along on bicycles.  Below you can find an assortment of photos from various trips.

The trees above are in Deer Park.  For many years the city kept a herd of real reindeer in this park; the past couple years though, Santa has had to look elsewhere to replenish his herd.