Crafts, Christmas, and Canyons

Just a warning, this blog is going to be a little all over the place. Also, be prepared to be photo overloaded.

Since I've been home for the past couple of days, I've been a bit crafty. Of course, the fact that is was Christmas also contributed to my craftiness. I won't be blogging one of the things I made until I get back to school, as it will then ruin the surprise of the gift. Anyhow, the two sort of nifty things I will be sharing is a personalized cork board and fabric scrap keychains.

Personalized Cork Board

I made this cork board for my eldest brother, who recently moved into his own apartment. He needs a message board to place important notes, as well as something to cover his bare walls. To personalize the cork board, I took a piece of fabric, sewed the edges to create a nice seam, and used it to cover the cork. To the fabric I added a few useful pockets, one big enough to hold paper and some smaller ones to hold pens, pencils, notecards, and other things of that sort. This is a pretty simple project, but it makes a plain cork board more personal and also more useful on those bare walls.

The plain cork board. 

At this point, I have already sewn three sides of the fabric to create a nice seam and fit it to the board. I am measuring out the last side of the fabric to sit the board.

The finished piece! At the bottom left are not 3, but 4 pockets. Tricky tricky.

Another project of mine that I am currently working on is inspired by Pinterest, an amazingly inspiring blogging site similar to Tumblr. I am currently in the process of making keychains from pieces of scrap fabric with several different designs on them. This is my first. Its a bit.. off, but I'm working on it! W^2 is for Walla Walla, and its a square. Get it? I hope to sell them on Etsy or something of that sort. Any thoughts? Would you buy something like this?

Since I have been back home, it has been busy with family for the holidays. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, at around 75 degrees F for the past couple of days. It has been a very long time since I have had a white Christmas, but this will do for now. 

I felt like this Christmas passed by way too quickly for me to realize that it was actually Christmas. Once I finished school, it felt like BOOM, okay now its Christmas. Surprise! To me, the holidays (Christmas + New Years) mean family, which means all the world to me. Now that my family is growing up and more of the kids are in college or moved out, time spent with the whole family is rare. However, I feel that its meaning often gets lost amongst all the shopping, gifts, and toys. This year, I haven't spent much time thinking about why we celebrate this holiday, but it all goes back to here... 

Matthew 1:18-2:12

"18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 2

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a]from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

And that is why Christmas is celebrated. I mustn't forget.

Anyway, I spent Christmas eve with the Stephan side of the family, where we had a big gathering with a great white elephant gift exchange, clam chowdaa, stuffed mushrooms, and lots of laughter! Christmas day was spent at my grandparent's house on my mama's side of the family. The day after Christmas, my dad, David, and I went on a 12-13 mile hike in Black Star Canyon in the hills of Orange County where we stumbled upon a waterfall without water, an old bus pushed down over the side, and several other cool sights. This place is known to be haunted and contain cool stories and treasures. Apparently there is also a remote waterfall extending out of a mine, which I would love to find someday. 

Anyhow, here are photos taken over the past couple of days!

Every year, my mommy makes a gingy house that our family decorates with a bunch of candy! At this point, one side of the roof is half eaten and there are several bald spots all over the house.

These are my sister's sugar cookies she made for the Stephan Christmas Eve party! Very nommy!

My papa roasted pistachio nuts, and I loved the contrast of color and shapes that they produced. 

This is a picture of an ornament on my grandma's Christmas tree.

Nutcrackers!

Apparently my brother sparkles. 

The Stephan family! Almost the whole gang.

I think this explains a lot about my family.

My family :) It has been a long time since all of us have been together.

One of my favorites.

Zombies.

Hike in Santiago Canyon along Black Star Canyon Road!

An amazing succulent growing out of the rocks.

View along Black Star Canyon Road. You can see the ocean, Catalina Island, and of course power lines.

That's it for now!

homeward bound

My journey home began at 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon. It hasn't ended. I will finally be home in "sunny" southern California this Friday, a week later, after another road trip home. I stayed at one of my friend's houses for a night, and I will be staying at my second oldest brother's house for the rest of the week until my oldest brother will drive both my and my second oldest brother, who goes to school in Berkeley, back down.

After a 12 hour drive through the night to northern California, a gas stop by papa's fish fence in Hood River, one of the best encounters with the Dutch Bros Coffee Shop which included the best coffee we could get for three bucks, a mini dance party, and an unforgettable memory, a rest stop in Humboldt County with a beautiful walk down to the ocean, another 7 hour drive through San Francisco and on to Berkeley, I finally arrived at one friend's home for the night!

Here are some photos from the journey.

As tired as I was, I slept in on Sunday until a whopping 11 o'clock. I got around 11 hours of sleep, which was an amazing feat. It was the first time I have slept in all semester long. It was the first time I did not have the wake up and actually have to something for school or for work. Though I have a lot to do for this winter break, it is such a great feeling knowing that I don't have any school work, tests, or papers to worry about. It is the first time in a very long time when I can really enjoy sleep. I LOVE break.

I spent my first day in Berkeley walking around the city and the campus. The weather has been chilly, but absolutely beautiful. The campus is beautiful and huge compared to Whitman. It is so different than Whitman in so many ways that they aren't really comparable. The lifestyles are completely opposite and the college experience is much different than that that I have. Today I spent the day walking around in San Francisco, where I also had a wonderful time seeing all the sights. I look up from the street and feel so small amongst all the tall hotels and buildings. Unfortunately, I don't feel comfortable enough to carry around my camera on my walks through the city, so I didn't take any pictures, but the sights will forever be in my memory.

Also, another photo from Whitman before I left.

another semester down, only a few precious more to go

I find myself here sitting in my living room, trying to wrap my head around the fact that yes, indeed, it is winter break, but I simply cannot. It is absolutely unbelievable how fast this semester has sped by. I feel like I just arrived the first semester of my sophomore year and just moved into my triple with two of my best friends, yet I find myself already packed up and ready to move out. This makes me realize how truly precious time is, especially my time here at school. 

It is these small moments, walking to the library with your best friends and acting silly, that are so precious.

I am three semesters down, and I only have four to go - four precious semesters left. Two of which I will spend so much of my time to my lovely Theta sisters, and two of which I will probably spend devoted to a thesis, orals, and all of the good stuff seniors must do. Frankly, I am terrified. I'm terrified that I won't take the time to appreciate everything around me, and before I know it, my time here will be up.

The past two weeks have been crazy, and my two weeks were not even as crazy as other people's last two weeks. And, now, it is finally.. finally over. For now, that is. This past semester was the last semester that I will ever have to take calculus, as well as organic chemistry. I really do appreciate these subjects and the people who specialize in them, and I have actually enjoyed the classes, but they are just not for me.

This semester has had its ups and downs, and of course it was filled with more schoolwork as well as actual work, but I generally have had a wonderful, wonderful semester. And that is all because of the people I have met here, the people that I am friends with, the people who support me, and the people I am living with. I am so, so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. I have also been given amazing opportunities this semester. I have been given the opportunity for my family to come see why I love the the place I am studying in. I have been given the opportunity to learn about molecules, calculus, photography, and spanish. I have been given the opportunity to be able to graduate in seven semesters without much trouble. I have been given the opportunity to go to China over spring break, a place I never thought I would ever possibly be able to go to. I have been given the opportunity to deepen my relationships with so many people in different areas of my life. I have been given the opportunity to intern and even start a research project that could be turned into a thesis. I have been given the opportunity to have a wonderful and honorable leadership position in Kappa Alpha Theta, which has become my second family. Basically, it has been a wonderful semester filled with chaos and busyness, yes, but also filled with friends, love, and opportunities I never would have dreamed of.

It is also amazing the kind of people that are put into your life and in such the most random ways. Just a couple days ago I met up with one of my classmates to talk about occupational therapy (in class I had just found out that she wanted to be an OT) and the kinds of things she did to help prepare herself for the field. We talked about internships and how to find one around the area. I was planning on trying to find some sort of internship, shadowing, or volunteer work over the summer or during the school year at some point. I had tried to contact people before, but I didn't get too much of a response. Today, however, I met someone whose spouse is an OT in the area! There is a reason for everything. For me, this is just another way God has shown me such blessing in the people I meet and the place I am at. 

Anyway, I will be home soon. I am getting a ride down to the bay area, where I will be staying with one of my older brothers for a few days until my oldest brother will be driving up and take all three of us back down. It will be a long week of bumming around, but I think it will be enjoyable and all the more adventurous. It will be a while until I am actually home, but it will be ever so good to finally be home with the family in the warrrrrrrm southern california 60 degree weather. 

theta love is in the air

An Ode to Theta

I was inspired in chapter to blog and share a bit about my time and experience in my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. I have been thinking a lot of what Theta means to me over the past year. It was not actually that long ago that I initiated on April 28, 2011, only seven months and approximately 6 days. I never thought that Theta would mean as much to me as it does now. It is quite amazing how quickly I've grown to love Theta in these mere months that I have been a part of this wonderful sisterhood. And it is about to become so much more in this coming year. I am honored and proud to be a part of it. It is a place that I could really find support, encouragement, and confidence in my sisters. I never would have thought that I would be in the place I am now. I have definitely grown more confident in myself by being in Theta, which has helped me be more confident in pretty much all that I do.

I came to Whitman curious about the Greek system, but after coming back from a scramble and feeling like I had a good group of friends who were indie, that curiosity was lost. I had ups and downs during the first semester, however, and even though I felt that I was close to people in my section, I felt that my world was very, very small. I needed an outlet, a separate community, that was supportive and connected to the campus. I didn't feel like I knew a lot of people and I didn't know how to meet others except through classes. Generally, I was just unhappy with the lack of connection I felt to the broader Whitman community. So, I came back from winter break with an open mind, and luckily, so many things were already in place or unexpectedly fell into place that led me to Theta. I received an email from Theta to be a part of spring recruitment. And this only happened because I met one of my best friends in a very long, 2 hour line at the poster sale in the beginning of the year. I am so grateful for her, and I tell her that she is the reason I joined Theta. And really, it is true. She was the hook, and the rest of the Theta ladies tied me in. Also after coming back from winter break, I happened to be on the same plane as another Theta, and we both happened to loose our baggage. If that didn't happen, I wouldn't have talked to her about being curious about joining; I wouldn't have had another great connection to someone who also really tied me in. I am pretty positive that if I had not met these people, I would not be where I am now. It is crazy to see how fate unravels itself in such unexpected places and events.

I went through spring recruitment wanting to find a supportive community of people, but I did not know that I would gain so much more than just that. I remember being invited to a section "game night" one day, and afterwards as I was walking through the Anderson doors, I remember saying that I was falling in love.

I have met so many wonderful people, both underclassmen, upperclassmen, and also those who are in my year that I probably would have never been able to get to know. I love having a deeper connection to people on campus, especially in such an organization that stand for the values I believe in. Love.

I am so excited for the next upcoming year and to be able to share it with my sisters!

the stephans visit walla^2

Organic chemistry exam. Check.
Last assignment for digital photography. Check.
Find an alternative way to get home by car. Check.
Finals to study for. Unchecked.
Theta, theta, and more theta stuff. Unchecked.


Basically for the next week or so will consist of studying, theta, studying more, theta, studying more, eating, sleeping, going to the gym, moving/packing, and getting excited to go home and be done with calc and ochem forever; hopefully, that is. 




It's already Thursday and I cannot believe how the week just flew by. It feels like it was just Thanksgiving yesterday. By the way, I did have a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving meal with one of my professors and her family. We played so many games that I can't even remember how many we played and we ate the most delicious pumpkin and pecan pies both before dinner and after dinner. The idea behind eating dessert first is so that everyone can enjoy eating the desserts without being too full from dinner. It was actually a pretty neat idea! However, it makes you want to eat dessert twice, so... I'm not so sure about that. 


Last weekend, my wish of having my family, all except my second oldest brother, come up to Whitman came true! It was so cool to show them my world, which I could only explain to them in pictures and words over the past year and a half. I wish I could have made it a little bit cozier for them, but its okay. Its just the way it goes. I had a wonderful time showing them where I study, sleep, work, go shopping, walk, and simply just live. My sister said her favorite part of the tour of campus I gave them was the axolotls. Here are some pictures from the visit!

The family, minus me and Brendon.

Mindblowing.

Taken by Kerianne Stephan.

The family. Minus Brendon. Thank goodness for the camera timer.

Love,

Shelley

a time for thanks and giving

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Stuff your faces, fill your bellies, create good memories, and enjoy your family and friends.

Though I should be giving thanks everyday, Thanksgiving is just one of those days when I really think about how I am thankful for all that is around me.

I am thankful for...

1. My family. I am so so thankful for them, and I am so thankful that they are able to come up to Walla Walla tomorrow. I never thought that they would be able to see my life here until graduation, but what'dya know, they're coming tomorrow!
2. My friends. You guys are awesome and always so supportive. To my roommates, I love you gals. Thank you for always always being there for me. I will be missing you guys next semester. It's hard to imagine my life without you two as my roommates.
3. The fact that I have a roof over my head, a life filled with friends and family, food to eat, and a place to go to school where I am challenged every day.
4. The opportunities that Whitman has given me. Through Whitman, I've been able to go to Sweden and will go to China this Spring, places I have always wanted to go to but never thought I would be able to travel to.
5. Theta. I am thankful for such an encouraging, supportive, sisterly community to be a part of.


I am so thankful for so many things this year. I am humbled by the amount of grace and love God has shown me throughout this past year.

i feel it in my fingers, i feel it in my toes..

Can you guess where this blog title comes from? Friday night I had a movie night with some friends and we watched Love Actually, such a sappy feel-good holiday movie. I feel it in my fingers.... I feel it in my toes.

Interestingly, this quote actually relates to the photos I am going to post tonight. In my digital printing class this week, we presented panoramic photos. My photo was of trees in the Fort Walla Walla Natural Area, also known as the Arthur G. Rempel Nature Trail. A friend in class had a panoramic picture of both sides of a road with his feet at the center. Having feet as a subject of the photo reminded me of this foot fetish I have when it comes to photographing them. Somehow I end up taking pictures of my feet or other peoples feet in various places. I love the idea of feet - that ones feet leads them on many different paths. To me, one's feet resembles the places one has been, the experiences one has experienced, the things one has accomplished, and the dreams that have been reached and yet to be achieved. So, here is a small collection of the "feet" pictures I have taken.

My bessfrannn and I at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach, CA.

My feet in the land down under, Australia in the summer of 2010. 

My feet in Dayton, WA.

My friend's feet in Mexico City, Mexico.

My feet at Whitman College in the fall!

Anyhow, it is finally Thanksgiving Break, and it is a very much needed break from school, away from busyness and chaos. Right now, I'm just sitting on my coach with my feet propped up on a small coffee table and my laptop in my lap. Because it is so cold in coho, I am wearing two layers of sweatpants, an undershirt and a sweater, some socks, slippers, and I have a blanket over me. My yellow "theta love" mug is next to me, radiating heat to my cold hands and the cold air. There's no one here but me in this giant room.

Whitman is quite desolate with everyone going back home. It is amazing how quiet this part of the town becomes when students leave for home during the breaks. Because the school is so small, the difference is clearly known. It is really nice, however, to get some "me" time to just relax and be in peace.

Anyway, I don't have much else to say for now. There's not too much going on. It's just cold.