Weird RI/New England Traditions

These are some interesting behaviors I've observed while living here (excluding some of the more obvious ones) :

People say Wicked (supposedly only a RI phrase)
Celebrating holidays that don't exist else where (Columbus Day and Victory Day -> previously known as V-J Day)
Obsession with Duncan Doughnuts, particularly their coffee
They call grits, polenta - which I had always thought were similar but not the same thing
Multifamily houses
Dancing Crossing Guards

I can't believe how much has happened in the past month or so. President Obama, Josh's birthday, Thanksgiving, and the first snow. Well the first snow was today, but the rest was much earlier.

The election was very interesting. I did a dance when I found out that NC went blue. Yes I did find out in the middle of the office, but that's ok. The election was also Josh's 23rd Birthday. We had a house celebration for the election and Josh's birthday. I gave Josh slippers, its what he asked for. Our house was pretty cold then and sad to say has gotten colder.

We had our first snow today and its freaking cold. We haven't been able to seal our windows yet we still need to borrow a hairdryer.

Things have been pretty busy with work, but right now I can't really talk much about it. Nothing has been legally settled, but I will update as soon as it becomes public. One major thing is our Family Volunteer Day which took place the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I organized the gifts for families and helped with the faith based organizations who participated. Sad to say I wasn't able to attend there were other events...

Josh's Godfather/Best Friend's father passed away just over a week before Thanksgiving. Josh and I both flew down to NC for the reception and service on the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving. The service was lovely with multiple friends and family speaking. I'm glad I was there and able to be supportive for Josh, his family, and our friend & his family who lost his father. Josh also got to spend some time with his folks. On my way to the airport on Sunday morning I got a call from my father saying my grandmother passed away. Honestly not that surprising, but still not what I expected to hear early on a Sunday morning.

I returned to Boone with Josh to prepare with my folks. My mother picked Andy up from NC State on Tuesday and on Wednesday we were off to Knoxville. I'm glad I was able to meet my father's first cousin Pat. She was very nice and such a fantastic help with all the traveling and work around my grandmother's services. We had an interesting visit with my Aunt Louanne and my cousins from Knoxville. Sad to say our dealings weren't always the most pleasant, but that's all I'm going to say about that. Now my poor father is in the midst of dealing with all the legal issues that occur after big life events like births, marriages, and deaths.

Glad to say I was able to have a lovely Thanksgiving with my parents and brother. It was much smaller than the one we expected to have with my mother's family in Conn. It was nice to see them. I look forward to hopefully spending more time with my brother over Christmas, even though my break will be relatively short.

One nice thing about my extended stay in NC, was my trip to Chapel Hill with Josh for his Med School interview. I was able to see my good friend Laura and her fiance Jordan. They were nice enough to let us stay with them before the interview. We're trying to organize seeing each other again around Christmas. In Chapel Hill I was lucky to see my friend Taiyyaba and have breakfast with her before she started her finals for her second year of Law School. I had a lovely, though short visit with Marion who has helped students with the UU group for years. Finally I had lunch and a beer with my friend Doug after one of his Med School exams. Sadly I didn't get to see everyone, but it was a very short visit and I'm relatively happy with who I did get to see. I don't think I"ll make it to Chapel Hill for Christmas, but we'll see.

Last piece of big news: I finished my graduate school applications!!! Hopefully I'll hear in the next month or so about my interviews! Josh has another interview on December 18th at East Carolina University. I'm sure he'll do wonderfully.

Hopefully I'll have the time to write more in the future, but until then...

Much love!

Weeks become months

I've been pretty busy. I've started working in the lab. Its been good. It has started cutting down on my sleep, but that will be ok. I get to do fun things like checking O2 stats, collecting spit to test cortisol levels (stress hormone), and general interaction.

Things have also been getting busy at work. We're planning for Family Volunteer Day. I'm working on getting more faith groups involved and encouraging people in faith groups to volunteer. I think I'm also closing in on being finished with my Faith Based Volunteer Kit, or at least the rough draft. Sadly I haven't been able to be as in contact with the local groups as I'd like. I have begun contact with the Baha'i community here. Its pretty small. I was really surprised that no one I work with had heard of Baha'i, so I'm spreading info about them. I was also just asked to be the secretary of the new steering committee of the InterFaith Coalition of Rhode Island. I'm really excited and kind of honored. I'm still a new and relatively young member of this community.

I have started submitting my applications for graduate school. I've finished my application for Catholic University of America, and am over half way through my UGA application. Its been kind of stressful but I feel like I'm getting close to being finished. I think I've finished my personal statement and just have to add the finishing touches for each school. I'm also going to be applying for this program called Faith Acts Fellows. It would be with the Interfaith Youth Core and the Tony Blaire Foundation. I would study in London and Africa for 2 months to learn about malaria. Then for 8 months I would return to the US and work toward eradicating malaria with in the faith communities. I think this would be a fantastic experience!

Last weekend Josh and I went to visit my Aunt Diana over in CT. It was very fun and relaxing. We went to a local cider mill and tasted different hard ciders and apple wines. We were also able to see a cider pressing. Supposedly my Great Uncle Bob's Cider press is 2 years older than the one we saw which was from 1870. Didi and Kim drove us around we saw some of the changing leaves and the beautiful countryside. Other than that we mostly spent time relaxing, doing laundry, and eating way too much of Didi's wonderful food. Sadly Josh and I haven't done too much exploring. I don't usually get home until 8 or so at night then go to sleep around 10 or 10:30. A couple weeks ago I was able to go raspberry picking with my friend Lindsay, over Columbus Day Weekend. It was beautiful! Warm, sunny, lots of little families pumpkin picking, and the ultimate decision that you can't pick berries without eating some.

Josh's birthday is coming up in just over a week, election day, but we won't celebrate until the next weekend. I'm already getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For my NC friends, I will be in NC from December 21st through the 29th. Most of the time I'll be spending with my and Josh's families, but its still very important for me to see many of you! Know that I want to see all of you, but man I may not have enough time. Hopefully I'll be using most of my vacation time for grad school interviews.

Much love to all!

Ellie

the cold has begun...

So its cold here in Providence. I knew this coming in, but man with the heat off in October its definitely cold in the house. Yesterday it was cold. So cold that Eric was wearing a toboggan in the house while watching football, though it may have been an experiential thing too. I made Calezones, both spinach & cheese as well as a tomato sauce sausage with peppers & onions. I also finished freezing the end of the fresh corn for the winter. It will be great in soups and casseroles, much better than that canned stuff. It was very relaxing.

You wonder why I needed to relax? Well Josh's folks came to visit. Don't get me wrong I love them, but I had to clean house as well as be a helpful hostess. Luckily they didn't stay the any of the nights with us. We went down to Newport and walked part of the cliff hike. At Point Judith we ate yummy seafood. I was impressed Josh had a huge plate of Calamari in front of him and was unable to eat it all. Anyways the food was good. Then on Saturday Suzanne (aka Josh's Mom) and I wandered around Wickenden St. It gave Josh and John (aka Josh's Dad) the ability to hang out without the girls.

I have an announcement: I will be in NC from December 21st to the 29th. This time will be divided between my family, Josh's family, and friends with special allocations already for Joseph, Laura, and Christina. I know there will be the traditional Howrimore (Lawrimore & Howard) Christmas party. Sad to say I won't be able to make it to CH during this break unless something goes wrong with my grad school applications.

I suppose not much more exciting news. I'll have next Monday off for Columbus Day. For everyone not in New England, it is a celebration of when Columbus supposedly set foot in the New World (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_day). I just think New Englanders want a day off in October because in August they have off Victory Day (Formerly V-J Day), September - Labour Day, October-Columbus Day, November-Veterans Day & Thanksgiving, December-Christmas/Winter Holiday.

*Book Suggestion: Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel founder of the Interfaith Youth Core* Very inspirational, and makes me feel proud and not alone in the work that I am doing.

Now it is time for bed!

Much love!

Insanity and Busy-ness!

Last weekend I went to my Great Uncle's memorial service. It was really nice. I met ( or maybe remet) our friend of the family Tom Carroll and his son Peter. Tom, my Great Uncle Charlie, and my Grandpa Gordon all lived together in a house and were best friends. Later my Great Uncle Charlie married my Grandpa Gordon's sister Kay. Anyways enough of the family history, it was really nice to see my Mom even for a short visit. I stayed at my Aunt Sara's house with my Aunt Diana, Uncle Kim, and my Mom. I also got the chance to go to a tag sale and pick up some fun stuff for the apartment. I was also happily able to see my extended cousins Marty, Cora, Jay, and Melinda. I look forward to seeing Cora and Marty when I (maybe with Josh too) go to Boston. Overall it was nice to see family even for a short time.

I am working with the InterFaith Coalition of RI. I'm really enjoying it. I feel like I want my interfaith work to remain an important part of my life. Somehow in the last meeting they asked me to be a member of the steering committee. Its really exciting. I'll be working with some of the biggest religious leaders in the state.

This week my supervisor left. It was a shock to both Lindsay and I. I was meeting with her one morning and then an hour later she was gone. She has left to work more directly with the volunteer groups she is already involved with. Supposedly there were also some differences in vision and working style. Lindsay and I never knew about any of it. To be honest it was upsetting and totally threw off our work for the rest of the week.

On Thursday I went to the Ben Folds/Missy Higgins concert. It was pretty awesome! It was outside in an empty ice skating rink in Kennedy Plaza. Missy Higgins was great and I'm listening to her more. She's kind of folksy with a smattering of blues and a healthy helping of rock. She also gave a great show and was very personable. I was really excited about seeing Ben Folds! He was starting to look a bit old, but still gave a fantastic show. He play music from his all new album which comes out Tuesday. I want to listen to the new album more before I make a final decision. In his encore he played old favorites like Rocking the Suburbs and Not the Same. He mentioned growing up in Chapel Hill and of course I had to cheer. Over all it was a good time.

This weekend I've just tried to relax. Cooking, watching the debate, and just hanging out around the house. I did go to the RI Unitarian Universalist Social Justice retreat. Sad to say it was a mistake. You would think in a 5 hr long meeting we would get something accomplished, but no not really.

There are a couple exciting things happening this week. Aunt Diana is coming up tomorrow with maybe a desk and dresser for me. We're going to hang out with Caitlin some. Then later this week Josh's folks are coming up for a short visit. Surprisingly they are driving up for a couple of days. I know Josh is looking forward to seeing his folks. It should be a good visit!

Much love!

Wow its September!

I've been very busy! I've started working at the Sleep for Science Psychology lab at Butler Hospital through Brown University. I've just started my training at the lab. Its very different than the Peer Relations Lab with Mitch, but I like it. Everyone who works there is very nice and seems to be passionate about academia, which is important to me.

I am also working on my graduate school applications. I am applying to:

1. University of Vermont
2. Catholic University of America
3. University of Georgia
4. University of Nebraska at Lincoln
5. UNC Greensboro
6. Southern Illinois University
7. St Louis University
8. Suffolk University
9. University of Toledo

Its time consuming, but its definitely as stretch.

Workwise, I've been busy. I had a wonderful experience meeting with most of the major religious leaders at a poverty reduction conference. It was fantastic! I met both one of the past as well as the present Presidents of the Board of Rabbis of RI. I met a couple UU ministers, a woman who is connected to the whole social service arena of RI, more important jewish people than I can count, multiple Episcopal ministers, and people representing the United Church of Christ (UCC). This faith based reduction of poverty group's goal is to reduce poverty by 50% in 10 years, and I'm going to help! This is a nationwide effort! During the past week they have been sending letters to politicians requesting that they devote the first 100 days of their term to poverty reduction. Obviously few politicians will not sign this pledge, but they may not work towards this goal in the way that I and others would think is appropriate (e.g. trickle down economics). Although it wasn't in my program plan, at least officially, for me to work on interfaith collaboration, I am, and all of you know that I love it! When I found out about this meeting and following press conference, I was so excited especially when talking about it to my supervisor we got goose bumps!!!

I've also been to 2 college volunteer fairs, one at Brown and the other at Salve Regina in Newport, both with Lindsay. It was a blast. Brown reminded me of Carolina and how much I miss school and college life. Walking around made me feel rather old because I realized that freshmen look the same everywhere. Brown is very into volunteer; they actually began Campus Compact. Salve Regina was very different. My closest comparison was Duke or Wake Forest. Everything was very beautiful and quiet, not much of a campus life. Newport was wonderful, absolutely beautiful. I want to go back and visit again; hopefully to spend more time on the beach.

I'm starting to get close with this girl, Lindsay, who I work with. We hung out some yesterday and I think we will definitely continue to do so. She is from South Carolina and we just seem to mesh well on things, music, politics, religion, and just kind of hanging out! It makes me feel like Providence is home-ish. I don't know if I'll ever feel that Providence is home-home because I know I'll only be here for a year, but I am happy and comfortable. Life is good...

I'm excited about everything and have been very busy!

Much love to everyone!

Far Too Long

So its been a while since I've written in my blog. Mostly I've been getting used to my job. I'm picking up work that the previous VISTA worker left off. Honestly I thought she would have gotten more work done getting a toolkit together for Faith-Based Organizations (aka a major part of my job). I really want to do well and work hard but I'm just not exactly sure where to start.

I have had a couple meetings with people. I met with this guy from Seeds of Hope which teaches people to farm/garden and then takes the produce from the practice garden to local food banks and other similar organizations. Then I went to the Blessing Way which works on prisoner re-entry and assisting the families of prisoners. They also have a basic food pantry for the general community. I've also been working on an extensive contact list of all of the places of worship in the state. Which may seems like a big deal down in NC but RI is much smaller. That said there are over 500 and I've gotten through just over 1/5, so I still have a good deal of work ahead of me. Next week I am meeting with the Diocese and the Food Bank of RI. I'm really excited about the Diocese.

Other interesting news, I have applied for food stamps and have gone to the food bank. I haven't really needed them yet because both my supervisor and the guy from Seeds of Hope have give me fresh produce, but I know I'll need them as the winter begins and I have less money because of an expensive gas bill. Its interesting people in the neighborhood recognize me now. I'm that white girl who is under 30 and over 15 and wears nice clothes when she rides the bus early in the morning. Whatever I've never had any problems with people.

I've started to get to know the fellows up stairs who go to Johnson and Whales. They're very nice, but man they like to party and don't realize how loud they get (most drunk people don't). Poor Christie usually gets the worst of it because their living room is right over her bedroom. Anyways they were having a party which Josh and I were sleeping peacefully through until around 4:30 they set of the fire alarm. I woke up going "Oh my god, oh my god! What the hell is that noise?" Then I start shaking Josh and it takes about 10-15 seconds to realize that its the fire alarm. So we start rushing to get on clothes, shoes, and find our keys. Well we're both half dressed in normal clothes when it turns off. It turns out they were cooking hot dogs and they burn them. Seriously how burnt do these dogs have to be before they set off the fire alarm?

Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful. I want to go to the beach, about a 30-40 min drive, but we are going to Aunt Diana's on Monday in CT. It might be time to save the gas and just have a picnic at Roger Williams park.

Josh and I are doing well, I hope everyone else is too!