Shoes

There are so many things one can tell by about a person just by looking at his or her shoes. For instance, this weekend I went to a silent auction and dinner at The Ashland House in Morton. Most of the ladies that attended were over the age of 50 and they were sporting bright colorful yet comfortable shoes. Yeah, these ladies have a lot of personality and are very influential people.

However,  I really don't think the men cared too much about the shoes they were going to be wearing to this event as most of them wore their tennis shoes or it was strikingly obvious their significant other had picked them out.

There was one woman who stood out from the rest. She was parading around in an ensemble that was totally age inappropriate. I mean, no woman over 30 should be wearing what looks like a prom dress to a church related event. The dress was strapless, she was not wearing any pantyhose, and the black toe less heels stuck out like a sore thumb. I was thinking to myself, does she really feel that inferior about herself to show up in such an attention grabbing ensemble?

As I stood in amazement at the lady's choice of attire, it hit me. I was judging someone because of  her choice of clothing. I felt like a complete heel! I usually do not sink to that level and I am always telling my daughters to never judge a person unless you have walked a mile in her shoes. Now,  here I am being that person I despise.

 So, I did some long and hard soul searching. I began to reflect on what made me think so harshly about that woman's clothes. My harsh and inexcusable judgement had nothing to do with the woman. Soon I became to realize that the problem was with me.  I was judging her because I was having a bad day. Given, I did not share my careless comments with anyone else but that did not excuse my age inappropriate reaction.

 I guess we are never too old to be caught off guard or to take a brush up course on the things we learned in kindergarten. I did learn my lesson and thankfully no one's feelings were hurt in the process. So, in closing, I would like to remind all of you to learn from my mistake and to never judge a person until you have walked a mile in his or her shoes. Because one day, when you least expect it, someone will wear or do something outrageous. How you react, might make you take another look in the mirror.

Something to blog about...

This last week was exciting for me as a student and a mom. I had the opportunity to showcase the research I had worked on with two professors at Bradley University's Student Scholarship Exposition. This was my first time participating in such a event. I had no idea what to expect. There were a lot of smart students there with huge wallpaper like posters. Every one of these posters was carefully pinned to a foam board. When the judges came by to evaluate my poster, I was excited to tell them about our research study and the results we found. I found it easy because all I had to do was present the study on the Facebook Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt in a storytelling fashion. The judges became engaged with my story and asked a lot of questions. I answered these questions with the greatest of enthusiasm because the topic was relevant to things happening today.

Anyway, we ended up winning an Honorable Mention. The provost was so excited for me. He hugged me several times and posed in pictures with me. I felt overwhelmed with a sense of recognition and accomplishment. After the awards ceremony was over, Dr. Bashri and I took the award over to the communications department to show the department chair, Dr. Gullifor. When Dr. Bashri tilted her head in the door, Dr. Gullifor looked up at her and asked how the ceremony went. She didn't respond. I entered the office throwing him a shirt and said, "We are throwing in the towel on this whole exposition thing." He then looked at Dr. Bashri for a response to which she shouted, "We won!" I have never seen a man jump to his feet in such excitement as I did that day. Everyone in the communications department was overwhelmed with excitement. Dr. Gullifor then said he thought this was the first time the communications department has ever won an award at the exposition. After hearing those words, I became more proud of the goal I had accomplished. It is not everyday one gets the chance to pave a road in a department at a University.

 I was so touched by all of the feedback I received from all of my current and past professors in different departments. At Bradley, we are all one family no matter which department one attends. My professors are above all the politics played in most schools. They went out of their way to offer me their words of congratulations. These professors are the reason I love being a student at Bradley. Without them I don't think I would have been able to finish school. It is their words of encouragement and constant faith that pushed me through not only my student career but allowed me the opportunity to pave a path for the graduating class behind me. Now, that is something to blog about!

Pumpkin Layered Cheesecake

 I must share my all time favorite recipe. Whether we are hosting pinnacle, celebrating the holidays, or making a meal for someone else, this cheesecake is always a hit. It is super easy and I do get a lot of compliments on it. 
The Philadelphia cream cheese recipe calls for...
2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened         1/2 cup of canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar                                                     1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla                                                    Dash of each ground cloves & nutmeg
2 eggs                                                                1-9 inch ready to use graham cracker crust

*Mix-cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix until well blended.

*Stir-pumpkin and spices into 1 cup of the batter. Pour remaining plain batter into crust then top with pumpkin batter.

Bake-for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until center is almost set. Cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Although, overnight is best. Makes 8 servings.

If you love cheesecake and pumpkin pie, this recipe is for you. It is a match made in heaven. I love to serve the cheesecake with a tablespoon of whipped cream on top to compliment the pumpkin flavor. Either way you top it, it is as easy as pie to make!

Easter

This Easter my family and I decided to take a time out. We started out the day by attending the late service at our church. Our oldest daughter served as the acolyte for the Easter service. She did an amazing job. Unfortunately, one candle would not stay lit. I could tell she was becoming frustrated and a little embarrassed. She managed to remain cool and calm.

After the church service, we grabbed lunch and went home to rest. We usually do not have time to rest and unwind as we are trying to sell one house and remodel another. Now when I say remodel I really mean to completely gut it. The only thing we kept in the house were some of the walls and floors. These projects can take a toll on a family. Especially since we have our own daily responsibilities on top of that.
Our day of rest consisted of doing normal things together. The girls put on a dance performance. We watched some episodes of Chris Angel "Mindfreak". This definitely was a conversation piece as we were in amazement of the magic tricks he performed. My daughters told me that they could not imagine having a son like that. I agreed with them. His mom must have nerves of steal. A child we wants to defy nature has got to take its toll.

Anyway, we really enjoyed the day of rest together as a family. I never want to sacrifice time with my kids and when I get the opportunity for some down time, I am taking it. They are my strength and my world. A house is just a house without a family. I can't wait until the other house is done so we can call it "home." Until then, we will have to continue to manage our time wisely so we can finish all of our projects. However, a break is always a good idea when you start to feel frustrated about the small things in life. It does increase productivity and the energy levels will start to increase as well.

In conclusion...

Wow, I am surprised of all the things I have accomplished during my time here at Bradley University. My senior Public Relations campaign gained local and national media coverage. It also was awarded a multi-county award. I am also proud of the letters I received from First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama. The list of accomplishments for the campaign goes on and on.
When I think of my time at Bradley, the several interviews I have had with Representative Bob Michel will always stand out. He is not only my husband's second cousin, but an ideal example of what being a great leader should be. He is a very down to earth person. He is not at all like most politicians. He is a genuine person who cares more about his country than the popularity polls.
Also, I am so blessed to have had the experience of making such wonderful friends and having great, astounding, and first class instructors. In my personal opinion, the professors are what make Bradley University such a great school. They have given me the strength and the encouragement I needed to succeed. It is not easy being a non-traditional student, attending a school that is tailored to the traditional students. My professors respected me as a person and were always glad to have me in their classes. Each and everyone of the professors has contributed to all of my success here at Bradley by just encouraging me, helping me to further develop my skills, and by just being  great role models.  For example, I had the honor to work beside two of Bradley's finest professors on a Literature review that will be published in the May/June, 2012 issue of the Journal of Muslim and Media Research. On April 18, 2012, I will be presenting the research I composed to the Bradley University public. This will be the last chapter written in my book about my journey as an undergraduate and it is my chance to have a big exit. In conclusion, this is my opportunity and I plan on making the best of it.

Get connected

All classmates at Bradley University learned how to use Linked In for a job search this week. It is very important for those who are job seeking to stay connected with other people. You never know when one might help you land a job or introduce you to someone that is hiring. All of this reminded me of a posting I recently saw on Linked In. The posting was from someone who belongs in my Phi Kappa Phi group. He posted on the group's wall, "Lets get connected. Post here if you would like to get connected with other members of this group." How ingenious! He ended up getting over 245 comments on this posting. The posting has remained a conversation for over 3 months and more members are still commenting. My point here is that if you want to get connected to more people, try to reach out to group members on Linked In. Post on the group's wall that you are interested in connecting with other members. You will be surprised of how many will respond to your offer.

I posted my "Lets get connected" on the Bradley University Alumni group page, Bradley University group page, and the BUCAN group page. I am anxious to see if I get the same response as the guy who so craftily posted on Phi Kappa Phi's page. After all, I was informed that Bradley students are usually pretty nice to each other and are always willing to help.

Under construction

My family and I are currently living in one house and remodeling another house we hope to move into soon. However, the work and the time we put into the house does not leave much room for our usual free time. We have other obligations we have to fulfill. It is very frustrating to know that there is never enough time in a day to complete all the tasks you thought you could get done. I think one project will take a few hours and it ends up taking a whole day. This is life. Our lives will always be under construction because there is always room for improvement. The tasks will seem to take longer than we originally thought but well worth the effort in the end. I remember when my youngest was potty training. I thought she would be potty trained in days as she was very eager to learn. Instead, she took half a year to reach that goal as she loved the attention she was getting. We all have our obstacles in life and so many of us do not realize that others are much worse off than we are. Instead of complaining about the obstacles, why not turn them into advantages to do something great. Be creative and make the challenges you face somewhat fun. One of my younger sisters has always had trouble in the relationship department. She thought she would never find the right man for her. One day she decided that she was not going to let this absence of a man hold her back from happiness. She turned her obstacle into an advantage by investing more time in herself. She went back to school and started to work out. No, she has not met the man of her dreams yet but she looks and feels like a million dollars. So, being under construction while facing an obstacle has its advantages. You just have to be a little more creative in the way you handle them.