Church Community Coming Together

Our church has worked together to convert an old building in town into our place of worship. We've gotten a lot done, and we've finally been able to go in and have worship, and it looks amazing.

The building used to be the old Hawkeye Newspaper, but we were able to buy it and convert it for our church, and when we first saw the building, it looked abandoned, and kind of sad.

  

Ever since we it got fixed up, we've had worship there, and even potlucks and it feels awesome to have a space just for us now.

   

All That’s Happened This Past Year and Going Foward

Again, I’ve neglected my writing for my blog, but I’m back at it starting right now. So, here’s some of the stuff that’s been going on with me since I last posted. We’ve cleaned and worked on the house, I’ve been taking the bus around town more, our new church is finished enough for us to attend worship there, and we have a brand-new member of our family.

So, this fall brings a lot of changes. As the weather turns from warm and sunny, then to cloudy, windy, and rainstorms, so a lot has been going on around me, and my community. For starters, my mom's car broke down, so I've been taking the public bus a few times, and although it can be a rough ride at times, it's provided me with some insight, and some independence of my own. I've gotten to Walmart on my own, so I can a bill, which for someone with autism, is a big, personal deal. I've also made it to the bank and have been to walk around downtown to see a lot of things, I usually can't when driving, so that is an interesting bonus. I've also been able to go to the library more, which I've enjoyed.

Next, is something even more awesome. Our church community bought an old newspaper building, and has been converting it, which is so amazing to me! So now, we have a place we own, and have made it our own. We had a potluck awhile back, and recently we've been to attend Sunday worship and sermon there on a regular basis. And soon we'll be having another potluck there, which is incredible.

And here is the most recent and sweetest news, we got ourselves a new kitty cat! We're not totally sure yet if it's a boy, or a girl, because she's only a few months old, but we've named her Dulce, because 1, she's the caramel orange, and cream white color, and 2, she's a sweetheart. She's made our lives richer, and we already love her so much. On top of everything else, she's learning to hunt mice, and they haven't been bugging us lately.

That's about everything right now, but I intend to start doing some more research, and history projects based on where we live right now, in Iowa. There is so much interesting local history around us, so now I can ride on my own. I'm going to try and learn more, and report back. Please subscribe, and come to read more, and also try and support on Ko-fi.

Books into Movies and Series: Jenny Han

Two different series, based on two different books, but all by the same author, Jenny Han. The first time I ever heard of this author, was when the Netflix movie, To All the Boys I've Loved, came out. After I watched the first movie in the series, I loved it, and I was hooked.

Then, I saw the trailer for, The Summer I Turned Pretty, I was intriqued, especially by the fact that the book series was written by the same author of the Netflix movies. After I watched this new series, I was addicted yet again by the stories this writer created.

I love that the main character is a female, not sure of herself, trying to figure herself out on her own terms. I think that’s awesome. I also like that in the movies, both characters are portrayed by actresses, who are not just your usual brunettes.

One More Road Trip Turned Upside Down

My last road trip was a crazy road trip/adventure. We packed up and headed to Columbia, Missouri, and the car drive was pretty nice, with fresh hot Starbucks, and open roads, filled with beautiful scenery.

We got started around seven in the morning by getting the essentials first: gas, breakfast burritos, and did I mention Starbucks coffee; and then we started driving till we go to US-24 Hannibal, Missouri. After that it was smooth sailing for a good long while, here was a lot of hill valley, lots of little farms, some goats, and lot of black cows, probably of the Angus variety.

We stopped at this gas station in the town, and I spotted on of my favorite ice cream bars, along with some awesome Pepsi and Coca Cola soda options. After refueling, we hit the road again. We drove further south through Stoutsville, MO. While going through Paris, Missouri, we saw the public library, which was a beautiful building. We finally got to Columbia, but there was a little mix up with were we need to go, but did find other places we needed to be, and wanted to go. The area was a little confusing, being an industrial area, but it was still pretty nice. 

I got go by Best Buy, and as I was looking for a charging cord for my mom, I was able to look around a little, and I got a question I've had for a while answered. I've been thinking about getting a camera for my blog, and other projects in the future, and I'd believe it will be a Sony Alpha, probably the Sony A6400, or better.

Before we started on the way back home, we were able to get another Starbucks coffee, and gas for the car. It was a little easier going home, and we still saw some pretty scenery. When we got closer to home, it was such a relief to recognize the landmarks, and places. So, now that it's over, it'll be interesting to see where we can drive too next.

Making Memory Journals and Prayers

Lately, I've been working on some projects that I've been putting off because of budget restraints, but I'm hoping to save up to get some projects done. Starting with some my junk journals and going into some other mixed media.

I was able to finally get the cover for my memory book cut and trimmed, and ready for the next step. This is something I've been meaning to to do for some time, in honor of a dear friend, who passed away recently, and it's still sad to think about. I wanted to do this in her memory, to gather some pictures, and things that remind me of her.

I aslo made some "prayer bottles", and travel altars. I found this Altoids box, that I converted into a travel alter, and Idea I got from The Witch of Wonderlust. I also found these bottles that I'm using to put in, and maker prayers with. I picked up some beautiful, and healing, stones that I'm using to help me open my mind and heart.

I've found, with the renewal of my faith, so is my creativity abound. Basically, I've been feeling inspired, both creatively, and in life. Now, I've also been able to reconnect, and find the will and motivation to keep going. Stay tuned for more writing, photo, projects, and videos. And, check out my other blogs, for my trivia, and storyline favorites.

1960s: Jet Age and Cold War

A part of aviation history, the Jet Age was the beginning of the turbine propelled airplanes, that were able to make transcontinental and intercontinental flights faster. By the 1960’s, there some pretty amazing things happening in the world.

The period drama, Pan Am, named after the originally founded as Pan American Airways, the series gives us a sense of what that era was like, through the eyes of the main characters, a group of young stewardesses, and two pilots. We see them jet around the world, and experience some pretty incredible events, such as Kennedy’s speech in Berlin, all the way to the aftermath of his unfortunate assassination.

Through their traveling, one of the stewardesses, is working for an agent of the CIA, as a courier. During this time, the Cold War was making life even more difficult for several people. The Kremlin in Moscow were very suspicious of the Americans who stayed there, due to the tension of the geopolitical issues, of The United States and the Soviet Union, in Russia.

Now switching gears, we start tracking the backstory of Katarina Rostova, a character from The Blacklist, a thriller of gotten pretty into. Katarina’s father was a member of the KGB, and he had trained his daughter from a very young age, as an intelligence officer, meaning she gathered all kinds of knowledge from different sources, until she turned into a double agent for another group in the story.

Getting to Share Your Work + T@gged Favorites 1x04

After Elisia is taken, Rowan and Hailey need to solve the clues given to them in order to find her, and now someone is getting closer then they know.  Rowan gives as good as gets, right back at Brandon and his crowd.

Vimeo is really good place to share my videos so far. I hope there enough room for most of what I would like to do. People can also find some of my other stuff on Instagram occasionally.

Publishing Personal Videos + T@gged 1x02+03

I’ve just started to post my own edited videos on Vimeo and YouTube. They first came through really nicely, but they second got snagged because of someone else has copy rights. How do I post the videos of my favorite moments, while not getting in trouble? That is the question. For right now, I don’t have to take the video down, but for those who are having trouble seeing, I backed it up on Vimeo, so check it out.

Rowan, Hailey, and Elisia get messaged a time and place. When they resist going, they get threatened with their secrets coming out. After arriving, Elisia gets grabbed, and driven away, leaving the other to shell shocked.

Binging Series: New and Old

I’ve been waiting for some new series, and season to start up again after the COVID-19 hit, and all productions halted. There have been some cool reruns lately, and I have been going through all my downloads, and Netflix to watch. Some days, I get so into what I am watching, I just binge a whole season, or series, movie after movie. I have also found some other cool stuff to watch.

Recently though, there have been some new movies from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries streaming. Two really good ones that have come out are my favorite. Aurora Teagarden: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly, that was scary good. Aurora and her friends, and new fiancé, Nick, head to her high school reunion, unfortunately where one of the football stars ends up being murdered. It ends up being someone close to them,

In Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death, our favorite photographer is invited to the play of formerly famous screen write, that her friend is in. However, when the lead lady is murdered, Allie Adams feels the need to solve the case, with police detective, Sam Acosta, right behind her.

Both of the amazing detective movies, and just part of what coming now that tv and movies productions are starting to roll again. It is exciting to see what coming next, including a bunch of holiday fun, and romance. I cannot wait to see what is next.

Autumn Apples + Everything Going On

Earlier this season, we started baking some apples that we had in the house. From the second we cut the apples, the smell was incredible, natural, and sweet, but not overwhelming. As they were baking, the scent changed, but it was still amazing, and afterwards, they tasted delicious. Maybe it was some kind of sign of how things would end because everything after that calmed down a little.

Snow already on the ground, it has been getting colder, there has just been so much that happened. Between dealing with going court, surgery for someone close, and holding down the fort at home, it was pretty overwhelming to talk or write about. In the end though, we can always get through them.

Halloween came and went bye, while mom and I enjoyed the holiday quietly, watching movies, some just scary enough. Later, we drove around looking at the cool decorations at some houses. It was interesting see the different ways people can celebrate with the social distancing, I practically like Disney Channel’s star, Chandler Kinney new song, Halloween House park.

Apples are still in as the season goes on, and will change, through autumn till winter. I’m already wondering, how long before the cold turns the rain to snow. I’ve already busted out my long sweatshirts. Here’s to getting better for the rest of this year and dealing with 2021.

GH Storyline: 2018 Baby Switch

Recently, I’ve looking back at what happened to Wiley, and how everything got started, beginning with Willow Tait's baby being delivered to GH to his adopted parents.

Michael Corinthos was dealing with Nelle Benson, the mother of his child. Willow’s baby dies, and Nelle manipulates Brad Cooper, one the adopting fathers, to switch the babies.

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Baby Tait is about to Arrive, meanwhile Chase is setting a Trap for Nelle

A post shared by MMMedia Favorite Storylines (@mmmedia.storylines) on Sep 14, 2020 at 6:12am PDT

Handling Our Situations Head On

It can be a challenge, facing everything that comes at us. We can stand firm, and let it roll over and around us, or even roll with it. Depends on what's going on.

Dealing with health crises is scary, especially for those of us who rely, sometimes a little too much, on people in our lives, those who we depend on for a lot more than others think.  Thinking about the worse outcomes, can drive any of us crazy, and that does not help anyone. Think on this, how do we help each stay focused, and not dwell on what will happen?

On another matter, when we get caught in hard place, and we end up in a bit of legal trouble, that might go to court, or some type of judgement, that can be just as overwhelming, and you have to be prepared to face that, it can make you feel like your waiting for the worst case, just like before.

So, here’s what we can do, rather the think of the worst, just take one thing at time. Don’t dwell on anything than what you can do in the moment. Focus on handling the first steps, and get your feelings out of the way, praying and giving them to God, and/or by writing them down so they are not inside of you so much. Make it a little less hard for those around you, and yourself. Remember also, life is hard, we'll get through it, we always do!

Getting in the Swing of Fall

Moving into autumn, there has been a lot going on. Between everything going on with the elections, and voting, and working on our home upkeep, and going back into time, watching old episode videos on Youtube, there has been a lot going on in my head.

Working on the hope that it is becoming more routine, I have done some added exploring on different subjects, based on living life, inspired by a lot of what has been going on around us. Now that we are about to hit October, and Halloween at its end, there’s some more interesting events coming, mysteries and drama included.

Speaking of, take a look at some of the special series, and videos on Netflix. High Seas has a third season, with rumors of four, but that remains to be seen after that ending. Another really good one is Enola Holmes, based on the book series of the same name, it tells the tale of the sister of Sherlock Holmes, starring Henry Cavill, and Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes, their eldest sibling. Wonderful, incredible stories, full of promise, and a possible option for Halloween watch party. Here’s to more series and mysteries to come.

What’s Going on GH

Since General Hospital continued in the start of August, there has been a lot going on. Starting from when Nina was giving her testimony, which ended with Michael, and Willow Corinthos winning custody of Wiley. Then, During the Nurses ball, which became a tele-a-thon, for first line workers, Nelle used Julian to kidnap Wiley.

In the race to get Wiley back and safe, Nelle and Carly had a confrontation, which ended with Nelle falling off a cliff. Wiley got home safe, and Michael and Willow connected, which has not been easy for Chase and Sasha.

After all that we had to say goodbye to a beloved character. Mike Corbin has finally come to an end, due to pneumonia caused by his Alzheimer's. It has been a prolonged farewell, and sad, but in a bittersweet twist, his daughter Courtney came to get him. RIP Mike, we’ll miss you.

Spinal Cord Injury Month This September

This month is about Spinal Cord Injury Awareness, by the US Senate in an effort to raise awareness about SCI, the need for better treatments and education on prevention, which can be really important in more ways than one. We need to work together, and all of us see, and reject the stereotype that confines people to those wheelchairs.

For myself, I have always felt sympathy for those stuck in the wheelchairs, because I thought they just needed them. It wasn’t until I did a little more digging, and tried to see those eyes, what it really means, and I’m still having to work on that. The people with those injuries may not walk like a lot of us, and they have a lot of other things to consider and deal with, but they are able to have a lot more independence then any one can think of if they have the right tools.

Wheelchairs can help them move freely, and even stop them from being in pain. Exercise can help them stay strong, and they can move in and out of the chair and do a lot of other activities. Those with types of spinal cord injuries, a lot of the time, learn how to be quite self-sufficient, even with others there to help them. There are also a number of activities that one can do, with or without the chair.

People can adapt when they have the knowledge, and are able to learn through their own, or other’s experiences. Organizations like Triumph Foundation are working getting others to be aware that everything that goes with SCI. I believe it’s very important to place yourself in those positions in order to understand.

Going into Autumn (Fall)

The whole of October has gone by so fast. The first part of the month, I've been binging Cable Girls, and other series with some of the same actors, one of my favorites is Blanca Suárez, cast as Lidia Aguilar. Another series is The Boarding School, it's Spanish title is El Internado, also El Barco, The Boat in English.

Now, there have been some crazy Halloween episodes. Two examples are Riverdale, and General Hospital. In the last part of the Riverdale, the Halloween episode, we see Jughead laying on an morgue table, while in GH, Nikolas Cassadine is alive, and I believe is behind trying to take down Valentine. 

It's just one crazy month, for a lot of series, old and new. Scary, and horror mixed in with everything else, drama, mystery and romance.

Different Types of Detective Work

Some of my favorite films are from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. I LOVE quite a few of their signature series, one of my first being the Aurora Teagarden movies. It follows the life of a librarian, played by Candace Cameron Bure, who is part of real murders club in her town, and how she finds herself tangled in several mysteries. I enjoy watching all the different points of view, and how she uses all kinds of resources to solve the case. 

Another of my newest favorites is Chronicle Mysteries. Alex McPherson, who does a podcast, played by Alison Sweeney, goes back to the place where she spent her childhood summers, to unravel what happened to a dear friend of hers when she was younger. She starts by heading to her uncle’s newspaper to review the facts and uncover new information, and she’s even able to recruit others without really trying.

Research, knowledge and perseverance can be just as important to solve any case, or mystery. There are all kinds perspectives, and ways to uncover the truth, from the legal side of police work, and even lawyer investigations, to civilians with raw interest, and keen observations, just trying to do what’s right.