My G R A M M I E. - Census Search.

Born at Port Hill, Idaho. (at home). It was called a stump ranch where she lived.  Her dad always told her that he found her under a stump! It was 2 miles from the border of Canada up at the top of Idaho.  There was some land cleared when her parents went there, but they cleared a lot of the land after that, especially after the boys were big enough to help.  Grammie lived there through the 5th grade.  She found joy going to school in a two room schoolhouse.

She thought her family lived in a beautiful place and still thinks the same. In the winter there was lots of snow.  Lots more than they have now.  One year she can remember her brothers sliding off the roof off the house and on down.  In the summers, the sky seemed to be blue and a lot of sunshine.  When it rained in the summer, she can remember running outside and dancing around in the warm rain.  There was a big rain barrel at the corner of the house and the rain water was caught in it.  It was soft water and was good for washing hair.

There was a sistern that was close to the house.  It was lined with cement and seemed pretty deep, but probably wasn't too deep.  It caught the rain water and was a cool place to hang the milk and other things to keep them cool.  Just off the kitchen was a porch where the separator was.  The milk was brought here and put in it.  It would spin the milk really fast and the cream would go in one container and the skim milk in the other.  The cream was taken to town and sold to the creamery.  Sometimes when they took it in, her Dad would get them ice cream bars and that was a real treat she explains.  Grammie can also remember milk being set out in pans so the cream would rise to the top and then be skimmed off.  Probably that was before they got the separator.  “Mother had to wash it after every milking and it seemed like it had a lot of parts.  My mother used to churn the cream into butter about every other day.  This was done in a big wooden churn and that was a job I can remember doing.  I didn't think it was fun!  The day she didn’t' churn butter she would bake 6 loaves of bread.  They were very big loaves and it was wonderful bread.”

In the winter especially, the radio was an important thing.  A big pan of popcorn would be popped from the corn we grew.  It was black on the outside, but the popcorn was white, lots of butter was put on it and it has always been a favorite food of the families.  The corn would have to be twisted off the cob.  It was dried by now.  So that had to be done before it could be popped.  “We would sit around eating popcorn and listen to the programs on the radio.  Some of the programs I remember were, I love a Mystery, Amos and Andy, Fibber Mcgee and Molly, and Intersanctum.  That was a scary one.”

            Grammie explains that her mother spent most of her time cooking.  “Those picnics she would prepare were the best!  I can remember riding home from our other farm (the French place) on top of a big load of hay.  My dad would never let me do the farm work even when I thought it would be fun to learn to milk the cows.  He said that wasn't the things that girls should do.  But he would let me go with him and the boys, rather than stay home and help mom.  I would always rather go with him if I could. 

My Grandmother goes on to explain that at first when she remembers Port Hill, there was just her mom and dad, her 3 brothers, her and an old couple.  They were the Byers and they called them grandpa and grandma.  They lived by a big pond and would cut the ice out in the winter and store it in sawdust so that people would buy it in the summer for their ice cream.  The ice was quite a luxury then.  

She talks about renting a little white building between Bonners Ferry and Port Hill for their church.  It was by the Byers home.

“When my folks first moved up there they used to go over to Creston in Canada (it was much closer than Bonners Ferry) on Monday.  That was when everyone did their washing.  They would look for garments hanging on the line and when they found some would stop to visit as they knew they would be LDS.”  

This brief history of my grandmother’s life is very dear to my heart.  As you can see in the text she quotes much of what was written.  She was an amazing woman and has influenced many people.  My Grammie was the rock of our family.  She was every single child’s, grandchild’s, and great grandchild’s biggest hero. It has only been a month since she has been gone and I miss her everyday.  Her voice still rings in my ears as she would say, “Do all the good things, Sawyer.” She was a light that guided me to every accomplishment and feat I have experienced.  I do the things I do because of her and know that I will see her again in a short time.  Family is important and it is everything to me. 

Not only FAMILY but B E S T friends.

CA Analysis P A P E R.

            I have absolutely enjoyed every day of my English 2010 class where I was able to learn so many valuable and important things.  I enjoyed the topic of Family and getting the chance to ponder and reflect on my own personal experiences.  Not only did I learn about English and how to become a better writer, I made new friends and felt comfortable around my fellow classmates.  It was almost as if we were our own little “family.”  The only person I can thank for such a wonderful learning environment is our beautiful teacher Mrs. Bonnie Moore.  She is incredible and I will never forget her or the things she taught me in class. 

            This class really pushed me to remember many different experiences in my life that I have experienced, both good and bad.  Even though I did not get the opportunity to write about all of them, I was able to pick a select few that were very important to me.  Writing the Cultural Artifacts really made me happy because I have never wrote those experiences down on paper before.  Now I am proud to say that I have a small journal that I can continue to add my stories to in order for my own children to learn and hear about my younger years, how I was raised, and the type of family I had.  It truly made me open my eyes and see how much I really do have in life and how my little family from Idaho means everything in the world to me. 

            I cannot imagine a day without the people I hold most dear.  We are like a team and we help each other no matter what.  I call my mom almost everyday, and have started to even call her twice a day since starting this class.  I have been able to create a stronger more special bond with her and really become not only her son, but also one of her best friends.  I have also learned how to listen, give feedback and advice, and observe different situations.  A lot of things happen within a family, but I believe each thing happens for a reason.  With each step and hurdle we come up against it pushes us to become stronger, wiser, and to learn life’s higher valuable lessons.  From these lessons we are able to reflect back on any specific experience and grow even more when that certain experience seems to arise yet again. 

            My parents have done so many things for me.  I cannot even begin to describe and explain everything that they have given me.  They have taught me how to become a responsible man and to respect those around me.  They have taught me also to follow my dreams and do what makes me most happy.  They have even shown me how I would like to raise my own children in a good home with honorable standards and attributes.  I could not ask for a better set of parents and I love them with all that my heart can offer. 

            One reason I really look up to my parents is because they started out with very little of anything.  They married at the age of 18 and immediately my mother was pregnant.  In many situations like this one divorce is common due to the young couple having to cope with many hard things, but my parent were fortunate enough to surpass that.  They did not have the means to continue their college education and lived day-to-day on what little they had.  Did that stop them from finding happiness and becoming successful? It sure did not!

            My Father is a successful business owner where he owns a small car dealership on the boarder of Utah and Idaho.  My mother operates a dance and ballet studio where she is kept busy teaching many young girls how to dance.  Times were very hard for them both financial and emotionally but they knew that as long as they had each other and kept doing their best everything would work out.

            After almost 30 years of marriage they have had four beautiful children whom have all made it to the college level.  They currently have six little grandchildren who they love and babysit daily.  They are the best parents and grandparents that I have ever seen and are true examples in my eyes.

            I feel strongly that my family fits into the broad definition in which we have discussed in class because we are an army of one.  We laugh, cry, and fight together and lift, carry, and help each other.  We want to see one another succeed and find true happiness.  A family is a unit that is unified with the same common goal in life.  Our goal is to be truly happy and live with each other forever.  We know that if we do all the good things we will obtain this goal.   Frederick Buechner once said, “You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in the world but a world live in you.”  My family is my world, and I feel extremely blessed to have them in my life.  Never will I forget what a family is and the important role it plays in the life of a child, school, community, nation, or world. 

Group P R O J E C T.

This I Used to Believe.

An Unknown Land

Everyone has a place in the world where they like to call home.  A residence of comfort, ease, and peace surrounded by different objects and people that have meaning specifically to them that make up the building blocks of who and what they are to become in the future.  Home might be a large city, a small town, or the hills and valleys of the desolate backcountry.  Wherever this special place may be, throughout life this place will always have a strong connection to your memory, actions, and beliefs.

            Growing up in a smaller town with a population of near 5,000 people it is easy to tune out the rest of the world in certain ways.  It is easy to be carefree and focus on things that are simple, a life of sleeping outside or running around the yard in bare feet, or the adventure of jumping in the lake or causing mischief on the weekends. 

The invisible curtain that lay around the perimeters of my town are thoughts of wonder, imagination, and fear.  This curtain is what has formed my shelter and safety for the past nineteen years, it is where I never get lost knowing every street, twist, and turn within its boundaries.  It is where I find my comfort zone, not yet motivated to travel far outside of the borders of the county in which I have grown to love with all of my heart.  I knew that one day that would all change.  The day came I received the opportunity to explore, go, and create a journey for myself and an opportunity to note my first adventure full of new experiences, culture, food, and people. 

In the summer of 2010 I finally received my opportunity to break through the sheltered barrier that held me bound.  Traveling and living in a different country, where I only heard negative, hurtful things such as drugs, war, poor living conditions, strange yet odd and smelly people, vandalism, and insignificant sanitation frightened me.  This place that I describe is the unique country of the green, red, and white flag, pinto beans, salsa and tamales known has the vast land of Mexico! 

Filled with nerves and extreme fright I had no clear idea of what to expect. Running through my mind was the horrible news stories, the boarder connecting Mexico to the United States, and the hopeless drug trafficking.  My future at this point looked dark – I was filled with anxiety of the apprehension of the unknown. 

Leading up to my departure, I found out a few odd facts about the specific location where I would be living.  My first thoughts were extremely pessimistic about the culture and living conditions.  I imagined a dusty desert like place full of bugs and creepy crawly insects and animals.  I could smell the heat bouncing off my black shoes and stinging my skin and turning it red from the blistering rays of the sun.  I imagined huge tumbleweeds rolling in the distance and collecting near a fence line. 

Questions immediately popped into my head while brainstorming and making up my own thoughts and ideas of what Mexico was really like.  Do they travel by donkey?  Is it safe to walk outside during the evening?  Do the people live in clay huts and buildings?  My mind was racing and my heart felt as if it was beating at a faster rate than normal.

Graduating high school I felt on top of the world.  I had no fear, no worry.  I was ready to tackle whatever obstacles and situations standing in my path.  I felt this way due to the fact that I finally was an adult.  I created my own opinion and my idea of the world and future was clear.  My mind was driven and my body was energetic ready for adventure.

At this point and time those feelings and thoughts differed.  I was confused, scared, and felt a longing for my family and home, and I had not even left yet!  Knowing that I would be leaving everything I had ever known was very difficult.  My comfort zone started falling to pieces.  I scrambled quickly to pick up each piece, but failed horribly to glue them back together.  I knew that no other option would suffice but to leave and find strength some other way.  I continued telling myself that this is what I needed/wanted and somehow it all would work out if I just kept moving forward.

My strength came through the encouragement of friends and family.  I talked to many people who had actually experienced Mexico and her people.  I spent some time researching and building up a secure knowledge of what I would be facing.  Slowly but surely I built back up my confidence to leave my beloved home and make the journey to start a new life in a new land.    

The time came and I left my beautiful family behind with tears in my eyes.  I would not see them or communicate with them very often over the next couple of years and my heart felt somewhat broken.  In my head a lot of different things would change during the time period that I would be away.  In example, my friends and family, my town, my way of thinking and many more small things that I had stored away in my comfort zone. 

I remember stepping off the plane into the new country.  I was shocked.  I looked around me and saw normal people, advertisement, technology, and Americanized food.  I saw beautiful buildings, well kept gardens, and families playing in the park.  I saw brand new cars, exquisite houses and apartment complexes.  I knew that my initial idea of Mexico had been wrong.  I had to take the time to really laugh at myself for judging and making a stereotype about a place I had never visited nor lived.  The people here were just like the people at home.  Even thought the language and food were different I was able to create a new comfort zone and come to love almost everything about Mexico.  Without a doubt I learned a lesson from this experience and changed my though process that I would take with me in the future about potential places and countries I would come to know. 

I took a deep breath and sighed with relief knowing that I would be just fine and that my adventure here in this strange land would be exciting!  The journey started and I felt happy and calm.  Little did I know that this country would change my life forever and give me a constant desire to return Mexico.                 

4 G E N E R A T I O N S chart.

I have had the opportunity to grow up with most of my grandparents, and great grandparents, which has been a blessing to me.  I decided to do a fan chart for my generation diagram in order to show and represent my legacy.  I really have never thought much about genealogy and my ancestors due to the fact that it sounds a bit dull and confusing.  I was surprised to find out that the small amount of research that I put into finding my genealogy information really was very fascinating and I was able to learn some unique stories from searching for dates and names.

             The majority of my grandparents have lived in my beloved home state of Idaho.  I was able to get an idea how they lived their childhood and adult life due to the fact that I currently live in the same area.  The Idaho area is where my roots are, but a few of them moved from Idaho and finished their life in Utah.  As I look at their date of deaths I see that many did not live as long as I would have suspected and ask myself if it is because of a certain health problem.  Do I possibly have the genetics to inherit this same health situation(s)?  The time period in which many of my ancestors were born is the era in which my small town of Preston, Idaho started developing very rapidly.  I feel that my family had a lot to do with such a wonderful little city making a name for itself throughout the state and country. 

            As I reflected I was filled with sadness knowing that such great and strong people passed on.  My grandmother passed away on the 16^th of Sunday this week.  It has been very difficult for me to deal with because she was so special to my family and I.  She would tell us stories of her rich history and heritage and the values and attributes she grew up learning.   Her influence has helped me become the Sawyer I am today and will continue to form the decisions and actions I take in the future.  If only I would have been able to have this same relationship with all of my grandparents I fill like I would be on top of the world.  I would very much like to continue to research about my family and the things they did to better my life and the world around them by their influences.  I am forever grateful for families and I want to be a part of making their legacy and history known throughout time.