more on the Tuscarora Nation

A Reflection on the Nooherooka 300 Commemoration

By Lyndsey Sweet

ECU Public History Major

December 5, 2012

            The events of March 21-23, 1713 on a plowed Carolina field should still be remembered today, three hundred years later. The problem began when the colonists settled in the Americas. The colonists invaded the land the natives had lived on for many years. One of the main causes of the Tuscarora War was “colonists who would not allow them to hunt near their plantations, and under that pretence took away from their game, arms, and ammunition.”[1] The colonists did not understand that the natives did not know they were not allowed to be on the colonists’ land, and as a result, hostile feelings rose between the two groups. The colonists continued to expand, depleting the land where the Tuscarora hunted and lived. This caused the beginning of the war in September 1711. There was conflict off and on for the next few years, but the Tuscarora were desperately trying to hold onto their homeland. It is important to note that there were also internal conflicts between the Tuscarora Indians. The northern Tuscarora did not feel the impacts of the invading colonists and wanted to keep up with their successful fur trade with Virginia. As a result, they did not want to fight.[2] On March 23, 1713 West of present day Snow Hill, NC in Greene County, their struggle was brought to an end.

            North Carolinians asked for help from both Virginia and South Carolina. Virginia did not have much interest in North Carolina’s problems, and it thus did not send any troops. They turned to South Carolina, who saw profit in helping North Carolina. If they captured the Indians, they could sell them as slaves.[3] With help from South Carolina, the North Carolinians launched their last attack of the Tuscarora War. Colonel James Moore of South Carolina led 900 Indians and 33 white colonists into Fort Nooherooka. There the Indians killed, scalped, sold into slavery, or buried alive at least 900 Tuscarora Indians. By March 23, 1713 the battle and the war was over. The survivors migrated northward, to upstate New York.[4]  This battle was significant because it was Indians fighting Indians, and it was the last Tuscarora stronghold in North Carolina.

            The events of March 21-23, 1713 should be remembered in North Carolina, and specifically in Eastern North Carolina in Pitt and Greene Counties because this battle took place on the land where we live. The Tuscarora people lived on the land where we work and go to school. Studying and commemorating the events of the Battle at Fort Nooherooka, and the related Tuscarora history can give insight on the way many Indians felt during the time period. All over North Carolina and the colonies, Indians were being confined to smaller pieces of land, but did not know what that meant, which caused the resulting wars. These Indian wars are often looked over by our society today, but had the Indians prevailed, we may not be going to school or living in this area.

            In the three hundred year commemoration in March 2013, several events will be held to commemorate the battle, as well as teach to Americans about the Tuscarora Nation then and today. There will be an exhibition in both East Carolina University’s Joyner Library and in the Greene County Historical Museum. These museums will attempt to tell the story from the time the colonists settled in the New World, through the Indian Wars, specifically the Battle at Fort Nooherooka, and ending with the Tuscarora Nation in New York today. The exhibitions have the potential to give an audience a view of what the times were like both before and during the Indian Wars.

This is the colonel James Moore map of Fort Nooherooka. The map is the focal point of the exhibition. Property of South Carolina Historical Society. 

            A website was created for general information about the Tuscarora tragedy and the commemoration. There are specific topics on the website such as artifacts found on the archeological dig, information about the exhibits, the Tuscarora story, and other specific topics. One key feature of this website is the videos that were created when four Tuscarora delegates came to North Carolina. They are asked a variety of questions about their lives, their traditions, struggles, and views that are related to the Tuscarora Nation today. These videos will give the audience a look into the lives of the Tuscarora Nation.

            During the commemoration, there will be a series of lectures, dealing with different topics and aspects of the Tuscarora Nation. There are lectures on the tragedy, their current homeland in New York, their language, and the repatriation process, among many others. These lectures allow the general public to learn more about specific aspects of the Tuscarora Indians, both past and present.

            On the last day of the commemoration, a monument will be dedicated near the Nooherooka Fort site. The monument will be in remembrance of the Tuscarora men, women, and children, who lost their lives, were held captive, or forced to move from their homeland, during the battle. It is important to have something on the site where the main battle took place because it is a reminder of the sacrifice those Indians made so we can live, work, and go to school on the land where they once hunted and lived.

            The last part of the commemoration, which I believe speaks the most about the events of March 1713, is the migration walk. Members of the Tuscarora Nation will be walking from the fort site back to their reservation in New York. This migration represents the walk that the remaining Tuscarora survivors made after the battle at Fort Nooherooka.

            The story of the Tuscarora Nations is largely unknown, even in the present areas where they lived three hundred years ago. It is important for the public to understand this specific tragedy, as well as many others like it across the colonies. I encourage the public to attend the lectures that commemorate these Indians and their story. The events that took place on March 21-23, 1713 are among some of the most important in Native American and North Carolina history.

---

[1] Elizabeth Fenn, The Way we Lived in North Carolina, (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2003), 53.  

[2] Ibid., 55.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., 58.

Tuscarora Nation

A few weeks ago four delegates from the Tuscarora Nation came to my public history class to meet with them.

For those of you who do not know, my class has been working on an exhibition and event for the 300 year anniversary of the Battle at Fort Nooherooka. This Nation originated in Eastern NC in present day Greene County, near Snow Hill, NC. This battle was significant because it was 900 Indians killing, capturing, and burring alive 900 Indians. After the battle, the remaining survivors moved to upstate New York, where they still live today.

Anyways, our class worked on several aspects of the battle and their daily life the way it was then and now.

Below is the link to our youtube site where you can see the interview we had with them. Each question or topic has its own video. a HUGE thank you to Danny who worked VERY hard filming the interview, and to get the videos edited for our class.
If you want more information let me know, and a website is coming soon!


Link to the Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/nooherooka300

my thoughts on the Lincoln Movie

As many of you know, I have been raving about the movie Lincoln. And some have asked what I thought of it. so here you go:

I believe the movie was as good as it could be without having someone who was actually there tell us yes that's right or no that's wrong.

My biggest rave of the movie was the details of the movie. Yes movies such as the Titanic had many of the little details correct, but Jack and Rose did not act like they would have during the actual time, they acted like it was 1995. In the movie Lincoln, they gave little details such as his notebook with notes. When he wrote out his telegrams he did sign it A. Lincoln. They gave him a higher voice like he did being born in Kentucky, and he acted like he would have acted best to our knowledge. I know growing up, I always thought he had this deep voice. I also really liked how they portrayed his sense of humor. You can't say "tell me the best Lincoln joke" because he told jokes in context. Lincoln's joke about George Washington is true and very funny. If you don't know what I'm talking about GO SEE THE MOVIE.

My view on Mary Todd Lincoln is interesting. There were not many women in the movie and she leaves an impact on the viewer. On the traditional view, it is shown that she is crazy. She struggled a lot in her life and went through many deaths. She also had to go through many changes in coming to the White House. She had thought she was high society and was from a prominent family, however, when she got to Washington, she got looked down upon. She was the first "First Lady" and speaking out was not common. She redid the white house and there was a huge party to celebrate. Both Willie and Tad had Typhoid Fever, yet they still went to the party. A few days later, Willie died. Willie was considered their favorite son, and he dies in February 1862. Mary went through a ton of grief when her son died. She was getting better, then an assassination attempt was put on Lincoln. She has 2 dead sons, is ridiculed by the press and looked down upon society and now someone is trying to kill her husband. No wonder she had nerves and seemed crazy!

Lincoln did go to see soldiers on the battlefield and the wounded. However, in the first scene when the soldiers recited the Gettysburg address is not really true. At the time, people thought this wasn't his strongest speech. The public did not really notice the speech like they did for the emancipation proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was in everyone's house while Lincoln was alive, but Gettysburg Address did not become popular until after he died. However the point to use it was to remind Lincoln of what he said and his promise, and how he would have to fulfill that promise...aka leading to the 13th amendment and point of the movie.

When Tad looked at the pictures of the slaves in the movie he very well could have played with them and looked at them. He did have access to them, but they were probably to show that he was interested in what was going on and that when Lincoln saw the pics and his son side by side he may have thought what separates my boy from this boy. He had his uniform and was into following the war. That was realistic. The only thing not realistic in that scene, is the toy soldiers. He would have those yet...but minute details.

Robert, the older son, realized that he needed to be in the war. If you did not fight, then you had nothing after the war. We see it's true looking back as most of the presidents shortly after had war stories. However, Mary doesn't want him to go and Lincoln doesn't want him to go, but he's asked mothers and fathers all over the Union to let their sons go fight. It shows the classic struggle that went on during the time in many families including the family of the President of the United States.
Side note: after talking with my professor, he said he didn't think that Lincoln ever slapped Robert as seen in the movie, but he can let it slide because it does show the significant historical tone of the controversy going on between families.

As far as the history of the 13th amendment I've been getting questions as to why he pushed the amendment in the house. SO here it goes...the 13th amendment could have been passed after the democratic congressmen lost their seats. However, Lincoln knew that the Republicans would not have passed the amendment if there had been peace talks, hence the scene of the final vote. That is why he needed to push the amendment before there were peace offerings. The first view of the North was to restore the Union and in a way it always stayed that way. The north wanted to restore the Union, and realized they needed to stop slavery if they had any hope. But if peace had been made, they probably wouldn't have given a second thought to slavery...at least for the time being. That is why the amendment was pushed before peace talks were made. If they hadn't who knows how much longer would slavery have been around?

Spoiler alert: Thaddeus Stevens really did have a bi-racial marriage. It was very radical of the time, but he believed not only in political equality, but social equality.

Overall, the movie was very good. There was no fight scenes or car chases and you had to pay attention. But it told an important story, and it helped the audience take initiative and wonder if things were true. It promotes the audience to look up information. The stories were true...there were congressmen's seats up for dispute and the names and states were true. After you looked up a few of the congressmen, you realized that they did make this movie as accurate as they could. This movie stretched the limits of film-making and EVERYONE should see it. Even if you sleep through parts of it like my sister did :)

Let me know if there is anything else you would like to add.

customizable coasters

Hey everyone!

I've been starting a project that will make awesome gifts!

I have completed and tested a set of "Big Bang Theory" coasters for a friend and am in the process of making ECU football ones for my boyfriend as well as making a set for my sister and her roommate in their new apartment (she knows they are coasters but I have to keep the theme a secret).

Below are pictures of the ECU football ones (photo credits to Daniel Maloney on the pictures used for coasters) as well as the Big Bang Theory set (taken from pictures found on internet).
I printed the pictures on photo paper to get good sturdy quality. They are sealed and protected by a sealant to you can use with your favorite beverage! Also, there is cork on the bottom so they stay put and don't scratch the tabletop.

Enjoy!
 

Mission Trip 2012...Wrapping It Up

I know I didn't post the last day, but I figure I'd update here, and give some final thoughts on this amazing trip.

The last day we were there, we got to sleep in (thank you God) and then we did a final sacred space with our families. Keeping up with the sacred space book is a great way to add scripture and prayer into your life. Read and reflect on what each passage is saying, both literally, and how to incorporate it into everyday life and keep up the radiant joy we had all week. After we did that and had breakfast, we went to Holy Family, to play with kids who had been neglected and abused in their homes. It was so sad because they thought no one loved them. But by playing with them for one day, we put a smile on their faces, and allowed them to feel loved, even if it was only for one day. We put on a BBQ for them and played basketball, ultimate frisbee, and face paint. The kids totally enjoyed all these activities. My little brother got hurt so i kept him company. When we got back, we started a volleyball tournament with all the families. Mine lost first, and congratulations to Marvin Williams family for winning! We cleaned up, and the graduated seniors and college kids went out to dinner to celebrate and give them advice on going to college. When we got back, we met with our families one last time, to talk about how we can continue the Joy and how to keep the "Jesus High" going once we get back. We then packed up cleaned up and went to bed.

We woke up bright and early and headed to breakfast, then to the cars. We were out on the road by 7:45. Colette and I kept each other awake on this drive home. We had a great time and great conversations. We were the first back into town and then proceeded to wait for the other groups at North Pitt. Once all 22 vans, our car, the big luggage truck, and Ruffalo's Van were all in line, we caravanned to the church...we had a police escort (NBD). All the parents were there to welcome us. We had a final blessing and unloaded the truck. All the kids went home and it was over.

My final thoughts on this trip: It was amazing. I had no idea what to expect and it was a millions times better than I expected. I want to thank Joe Farris for allowing me to go on the trip. I want to thank Colette and Lisa for putting on a wonderful trip. I think that this is the best experience I have ever had. To think that we affected over 7500 people while we were up there, blows my mind. The spirit of these teens amazes me because they love to help. So many places we went, the people were like "where do you find teens like this?" It was absolutely awesome to see these teens do all this work through Jesus Christ, with so much Joy and Love.

I prayed so much on this trip, for obstacles in my life, and answers to questions I didn't know the answers to, or how to handle things. I want to thank Father Justin and Elaine Hughes, for talking to me and helping me find some answers. I really appreciate it. I prayed for each of the teens, that they continue their faith and spread joy throughout their daily lives.

St. Peter's is so blessed to have teens, adults, and families that go on this trip every year. However, one man makes this trip mean so much more. Father Justin, thank you for coming on this trip. Thank you for listening to teens confessions each day, staying up till 3 in the morning some days. Thank you for your wonderful homilies. They help us to relate to our lives, and learn so much more about our faith and your love for Jesus, and how we can be more like that in our lives. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming on this trip, and I wish you the best of luck in Rome.

The kids made this trip so much better. Their faith, loving, and willingness to do work with so much Joy and little complaining. I had so much fun.

1 week. 127 teens. 27 adults. 5 college kids. 1 mission. 7500 people affected. 1 wonderful priest. 1 faith. and last but no least, MANY changed lives.

Mission Trip Day 6: if you listen answers will come

Today was the last day of work at the worksites!!! Our teens were so excited and went out with a bang! They worked hard and pushed each other and I couldn't be more proud of them!  After work my mama and aunt and cousins came to the monastery for a quick visit! I'm so glad I got to see them even for a quick trip.  It seems like I'm rushing through describing the day, but these last two sections are very important to me. A few days ago I posted on here that I thought that me having to deal with so much illness and death in my family, was my cross in my faith. A good friend of mine, Elaine Hughes otherwise known as my second mother, planted a seed in my head that maybe it wasn't a cross, just that it was time for them to be with God instead of me, and to ease the pain each family member had been experiencing. That made so much sense to me and I sometimes feel God did this so I would get the joy of sharing my grandfathers and other family members to the younger generations. Don't get me wrong it's still very hard, but it made more sense to me. So since then, I've been praying that I get the answers to know my grandfathers are alright and that it's okay or give me a sign as someone I can pray to to help me. Well, today at Mass, it happened to be the Feast of St. Anne. She was Mary's mother who had a lot of unknown answers to questions when Mary was pregnant out of marriage and had to leave, not seeing the birth of her grandson or seeing him in the first bit of his life. St. Anne was very strong in her faith and became known as a saint to pray to when you don't know answers and are unsure. As Father Justin was explaining this I felt like someone had slapped me in the face saying "hey are you listening". It is also ironic that the name who I could pray to for my questions of uncertainty is also my middle name. It almost seemed like everything was lining up. So I quickly called Mrs. Hughes to share my realization and I cannot thank you enough for calming me down enough to pray for a sign. If you are reading this, I truly appreciate it :) Finally, we ended the night with Jackie Francois. She lead us through Adoration and worship. It was truly amazing to pray in the presence of Jesus and to see the teens reactions and prayers. Each teen handles Adoration a certain way. Some cry and some dont shed a tear. It's okay because each person is moved in a different way. It was a beautiful, beyond amazing night.  Thank you for the continued prayers and support thought this week and the preparation up to this week. I honestly appreciate it, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.  God Bless, Lyndsey. 

Mission Trip Day Five

Today was a fun day. We woke up at 7 and went to a short quiet mass.   We went to our worksites after a quick breakfast. The excitement of the day came with another group busting a gas line. Our crews had to evacuate the area while police cars, fire trucks, and gas companies checked out the area. Eventually we got back to work painting staining and trimming the homes and surrounding areas.  After a long day we got home for a short rest and then packed up the cars on the way to Kennywood. We had chickila sandwiches and brownies. I also had a mountain dew so I was just a "little" hyper. My ride partners Dani and Jim praised Danny for putting up with me when I'm hyper. They said and I quote: "God bless him." Buttt anyways we rode all the roller coasters and I kept the panic attacks and freak outs to a minimum. I really enjoyed my time at kennywood.  After being back, Father Justin closed out the night with a prayer and blessing. He stayed up till 3 am for confessions for teens. We are so blessed to have him on this trip. While at Kennywood I got him his food and got his drink for him. First he checked that I was "danny's lyndsey" then proceeded to tell me how grateful and honored he was because he didn't usually get or accept the attention. He said he wasn't used to it because he's so determined to do stuff himself. He told me I was a good young adult and inspiration to him and the teens so that made me feel very special.  Thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!!! 

Day four a little late

The day started yet again with a rude awakening with pots and pans being banged outside their doors. With all the excitement from the night before, the teens were excited to see what we had in store for them.  When they were up and ready we met with our families for sacred space. We talked about the reading for the day. We talked a lot about forgiveness and how important it is to forgive yourself and others.  Next the teens continued to their worksites where they continued to paint, stain, and serve others through Christ. It rained a little bit and a lot of groups went to Rita's Italian Ice and Goodwill.  After everyone got back we had Mass and dinner. After dinner, the teens got a surprise gift that went along with the night.  The meeting tonight was truly a miracle. We watched a video on Father Kapaun and his life as a Chaplin and how he sacrificed so much for the men in his unit. We had the joy and pleasure of having Nick Dellasega come and tell his story. He told us how the events that happened on the day of his accident have been ones that are helping to consider Father Kapaun as a saint. This was a real pleasure and joy to hear and to meet a man who had a true miracle. At the end of the night, Nick gave us each dog tags for Father Kapaun to pray for us.  At the end of the night, Father Justin heard confessions from students and we had a going deeper session for the teens. This was a deeper discussion on the scripture.  Please pray for us as we continue to work for the people of Pittsburgh through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Mission Trip Day 3: Dont Ring the Bell

Hey y'all I hope you are all having a good start to the week. Today we started our work and I must say I am exhausted. We first had the duty again of waking people up, yet this time we used songs and pots and pans. We definitely got some nasty looks but most were awake!  We then had our sacred space meeting with our families. This is where we use our guide book that has a reading or gospel for each day of the week. We use these readings and talk about them and how to apply them to our trip an our lives. Today's was about how God does not want the riches and the oils and and all the grand things, He just wants the small things in life. The simple I love you or I am proud of you. It does wonders for the soul to just talk to someone and make their day. It also talked about treating people fairly and justly no matter what their status is. Once you are on the right path with God and surrender yourself to him, you will be so much more joyful.  Then we had breakfast and were on our way to our first work site. We went to the Nazareth Center where we helped them in many ways. First we repainted doors. Now while that seems easy, there was built up rust we had to scrape and sand off. We did the same thing for all the doors, some parking poles, and windows. However challenging, my family worked hard and worked together to help serve others through Jesus Christ.  We had free time, mass, and dinner family style. The food was excellent and I got to know my new family a little better. We talked about everything from grandparents to BBQ.  After dinner, father Justin took us to the crypt to see some of the tombs and relics of the founding and influential passionists. This was very cool to see and once I can connect my camera to the computer when I get home I will post pictures!  Then it was play time for the kids where there were two rocking games of ultimate frisbee and volleyball. I sat and reflected in the nice weather on a bench. It Was hard and beneficial at the same time. I was reflecting on the dinner where I couldn't give input on my grandpas because they died so long ago when I was so young. It's always been a hard topic for me and I can't always explain why I feel the way I do when I think of God taking away my grandfathers. Anyways I prayed that I would get answers and continued on to watch the kids show true joy.  Time for the nightly program. At the beginning of the night there was praise and worship and a message from Joe Farris telling us he missed us. Tonight we had singer and speaker Kelly Pease. She talked about her family and her faith and how she grew in her faith. She played a song titled "Making Space". It was about her father because he died when she was so young. It talked about how he father would view her and how she would get to know her father if he were alive today. Now, if you substitute father for grandfather these were the exact same thoughts I was thinking earlier about my grandfathers. In my life I have almost written that song in my head. It was a rough song to listen to and the years kept flowing. All I thought about was why God put so much death in my life at a young age. Why was that my cross to bear? Why couldn't someone else or better yet no one have to know what it's like to have a death in the family every two years. It just didn't seem fair to me.  Anyways the night continued we prayed and sang some more then she tells us to close our eyes and pray. It was totally silent. After a few minutes we hear this voice. Not the one we had just heard. We look up and it's none other than our fearless leader Joe. It was a surprise to EVERYONE including our stand in leader Lisa. Tears came pouring down my face and many others showing joy and shock. He came all the way from Georgia just for the night to send us a message. His message talked about not giving up, not ringing the bell so to speak. Be willing to stand up and protect others to die for others in the name of Jesus. Don't give in to peer pressure or the need to be like others. Don't stand idle in your faith. He challenged us to go out and do something this week to prove our faith. Be ourselves don't give into temptations and to not ring the bell no matter what. He said to let go of the pressure to fit in, let go of what's holding you back. We prayed with our leaders and teens and gave the teens strength to grow strong and to not ring the bell at any cost.   Today was a hard tear filled night for me. I've come to realize that I don't fall for "what's cool" or peer pressure to fit in. I don't doubt anything in my faith except for why God gave me the cross that I carry. I knew that would be the thing to make me ring the bell. And I have to find out why he did this to me. I have to figure out what I have in my life that made me strong enough to hold this cross since God does not give crosses to people who can't handle it. I agree with this but I have a hard time accepting this sometimes. I don't think it's fair that my sister and I are the only ones of my cousins that knew my Grandpa Schemmel. It's up to us to tell the cousins about him when it hurts to talk about it cause I think it's unfair. It is definitely something I will work on this week and in the future.  Tomorrow is another work day and we are going to the food bank. I will update again tomorrow.  Goodnight and God Bless 

Mission Trip Day 2: adding laughter to joy

Adding laughter to our lives to make us mor joyful. That was one of the main themes for the day. The first thing we college kids got to do was wake up the teens. They were not too happy with us but we were the brightest we could be to add joy to their lives that early in the morning. Ten we gathered for breakfast where Patty Bloom saved the day giving me one of her diet cokes and buying me an SD card for my camera! Thanks!! Then we all walked together to St. Paul of the Cross Monostary Church. The church and monastery we are staying at is the founding for the Passionist Priests in the USA. It has beautiful pictures stain glass and paintings. There was a beautiful mass said and it was a great way to start our morning. After mass we walked back and had lunch. I had a cheese sandwich cause I had no desire to eat a hamburger after not even remembering the last time if ever having a hamburger. Soooo immediately after lunch we left for Sandcastle water park! I got over some fears of heights and got to talk with some of the adults I haven't really met before. I know at least that I was radiating joy being at the park and seeing all the kids having a blast! We left the park and had dinner which was tacos. They were very good! Then the kids had free time and I played volleyball with a large group of teens and hurt my wrists...but I'll be okay!! Then came time for the daily program. It was a comedian Judy McDonald who is a catholic comedian. She put on an amazing show for us and made us laugh till there were tears in our eyes and cramps in our abs. She really did an excellent job in showing us how laughter can be the best medicine and help us find comedy in tough situations to be joyful. We met with our families to go over important reminders and to make lunches for the next day. Tomorrow we start our work in the community. Each group will go off to a different location and do a certain job whether it be paint, or chop trees, serve food to the homeless, or visit with the orphanage or elderly folks. I'm not 100% sure on what we'll be doing so make sure you stay tuned!! Thank you for praying for us and please continue throughout the coming week! God Bless.

Mission Trip 2012 Day 1

Hey y'all I'm just laying in bed after the first day of the mission trip. We left about 7:20 after a scary start when one of our own had a seizure. Luckily he's okay and he will be heading up here with his dad tomorrow. I drove up with Colette and we had good conversations the whole way up. We only made 2 stops and 1 drive through to star bucks so we made good time and were the 2 nd car here. We were able to get settled before the vans with all the teens arrived! Then there was the mad rush to find luggage and room assignments! Dani, Carrie and I are sharing a room that is actually the confessional so it's interesting. We do have a shower in our room so we are thankful for that. After everyone was settled we had pizza!! Then the teens went outside to hang out for a few minutes while the adults had their meeting. We college kids got the pleasure of monitoring the teens so we got to meet some new faces and say hello to the old. After the adults had their meeting, we welcomed the teens with some praise and worship played by the amazing and talented Billy. After Joe Hughes gave a wonderful talk about being happy and joyful. What it meant and how to achieve it. Two things he said stuck out. One was to stop trying to please others to make you happy. If that's all you do you won't be happy and they will grow to expect more and more from you. The second thing he said was that God gave us everything we needed to be happy at anytime. To be happy comes from inside you. I never thought of it that way and it was truly inspiring and gave us all something to think about. Are we truly 100% joyful and happy in our lives? I know I am going to try and work on that starting right now starting with this trip. After that we went into the church and got our group assignments! I am excited to get to know these teens. Now time for a wonderful night sleep and a bright and early morning! Hope to update tomorrow! God bless! Lyndsey

Summer thus far

It has been a very busy start to summer. I had to pack and unpack things, move out my desk, and attempt to organize things. That didn't work so well, but you can see the floor so I guess we're good. Then Barbara graduated so I spent a few days with the Maloney Family. Last week was Danny and I's three year anniversary..I can hardly believe it's been that long! He's been the best thing that's ever happened to me. We enjoyed a wonderful night with dinner and Wicked. It was my 4th time and Danny's first time. He enjoyed it, which made me really happy! Coaching at Scottish Hills started last week and it's been blast! The kids are wonderful and I can't wait for a wonderful season! Lately I've been doing a lot of arts and crafts! I've been painting canvases for myself and family! I love it! 

Hope everyone had a great summer so far!! 

Bye bye for now! 

check another year off the calendar!!

Another year finished!! Halfway done...So close but yet so far. So much more to experience and learn! This year was fun, and had it's ups and downs. Friends made, friends lost, but the ones who mean the most are always by my side! The next few days are very busy, Syd's coming home tomorrow, and it's Barbara's graduation weekend which will be a blast seeing everyone! Danny will be in Greenville all summer working, but hopefully i'll get to see him a lot. Going to concerts and coaching swimming, which will take up most of my time. The big excitement, is of course the mission trip with St. Peter's!!! I'm so excited you have no idea! This will be my first mission trip, and I'm so excited to be a part of it with a great group of teens!! 

Anyways, I hope that all my friends in Greenville travel safe as they head back home, or have a good summer in Greenville, if you stay, and I hope everyone has a great summer! 

Lent Update

Hey y'all.

I posted at the beginning of Lent that I was going to write forty letters to forty people during Lent. I tried to write a letter a day, but some days that didn't work. All were basically sent out the day before Easter so many are receiving theirs these last two weeks. I am so glad to hear from those who have gotten them, and makes me realize I know some really special people. I am so blessed to know the people that I know and have so many people who love me. If you are ever trying to reflect on how good your life is, start making a list and write letters to those people. You come to learn that you have so many people that love and care about you. I know that I made a lot of these people's days, when the received these letters, which is always a good thing.

Just wanted to give y'all an update!

On another note, only two more weeks (ish) of school!!!! I can't wait to be done. Too much going on and I'm stressed, but I'm doing well. Hope y'all have a great last few weeks of the semester!!!

artwork

As many of y'all know, I'm not very artistic or creative, but when I get it in my head I will make whatever it is the best that I can...Yesterday I painted a canvas with a Bible verse on it for my apartment next year. It was tons of fun and yet not as painful as I thought it would be. Anyways, just wanted to post a picture of it on here!! Hope everyone has a great week!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!! It was a short visit, but I got to spend time with my family...Most importantly, I got to meet the newest member of our family! Ruby is a little scatter brained puppy, but she's SOOOO cute! We also dyed Easter eggs with Lukas (his first time). It was quite a mess but it was so much fun! Went to church this morning, then brunch with the family, UB Kate and Lukas, and Sheri and Lisa...Headed back to school soon! Hope everyone has a great day!

Things that EVERY ECU student should do before they graduate

Hey y'all! If you didn't get the memo, I go to ECU and there are a few things that every student should do before graduating!

1. Go to McAlister's...get whatever you want but you HAVE to at least try their sweet tea!! Granted there are McAlister's in multiple locations, but they support the pirates in many ways so it's a must.
2. Go to Sup Dogs. Have a dog, have a burger, have cheesy tots...whatever you get smother it in sup sauce. That sweet mixture of ranch and BBQ....it's a necessity. Then when you graduate and move away, find someone who lives here to send you some cause yes you can buy it!!
3. Avoid the Cupola at ALL costs...don't get pushed under, don't walk through it...it's a myth but NO ONE will walk through it. Then when you are completely done with school here at ECU walk under if you like.
4. Go to a football game. We all bleed purple and gold. if you don't go to a game, dance to purple haze, and rock all i do is win with your fellow pirates. scream stand and don't be able to talk the next day.
5. Take at least one picture by the pirate and fountain. They are landmarks on the campus, so naturally you need at least one picture with each.
6. Get lost in Brewster. with all it's wings and unmatched floors, it takes time to find your way around. If you don't have a ton of classes there you will probably get lost. but it is the safest place on campus with the gates.
7. Go downtown or go to a party. Don't have to drink or drink a ton...and it is possible to have fun with your friends.
8. Visit the Jester outside the library at midnight...it's creepy and weird but awesome at the same time!
9. you go to every event to collect free t-shirts...can never have enough ECU tshirts. if they are ugly or too big cut them up and make them workout shirts or cute shirts!!! and if you find the free shirt its MANDATORY that you tell your roommate and closest friends!
10. At any time of day, anywhere, and at all costs, when someone yells purple, you MUST yell back gold. You are a pirate, you bleed purple and gold, and as a student it's just necessary. As people who visit our campus have said: Do y'all do that every time? the answer should be YES! Also, saying aarrghh at every convenient moment is mandatory (that one's for you daddy!)

Hope y'all enjoyed this list and GO PIRATES!!! ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!

favorite movie quotes

Some favorite movie quotes for you...

1. "I know what it is not to feel like your in the room until he looks at you or touches your hand or even makes a joke at your expense, just to let everyone know... you're with him. You're his." --PS I love you
2. Michael Oher: Sorry, Coach. I stopped when I heard the whistle.
   Coach Cotton: Where were you taking him?
   Michael Oher: The bus. It was time for him to go home. --Blindside
3. A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others. --Wizard of Oz
4. "If you build it he will come" Field of Dreams
5. "mama always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" --Forest Gump
6. "oh yes the past can hurt but you can either run from it or learn from it" --The Lion King
7. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it --Farris Bueller's Day Off
8. Shelby My colors are "blush" and "bashful."
   M'lynn Her colors are "pink" and pink."
   Shelby My colors are "blush" and "bashful" Mama! --Steel Magnolias
9. "This valley is just one long smorgasbord." --Tremors
10. “Strikeouts are boring. Besides that, they’re fascist.” — Bull Durham

I know there are soooooo many more but sleep is calling my name! Leave suggestions on some of your favorite quotes!

Newest addition of the Sweet Family

This little girl will soon join the family! We are all super excited to have another doberman in the house! We have not decided on a name yet but I'll let you know when we do! Hooper is really excited, when we showed him a picture of her, his little stump of a tail went back and forth! We'll have her by the end of March, so when I go home for Easter, she will be there!!!

The picture is a picture of her at 10 weeks old!

spring break

This week was spring break. I went to Athens, GA for a majority of the break. I went with Danny and his mom to see his dad. We left Raleigh at 9pm and got in at 3am. We scared the crap out of Mr. Maloney...then had waffles :) It was tons of fun. We went to a ton of restaurants and walked around downtown. It's an interesting place, and I like the area. We went to the outlet mall as well. They had some really good deals!!

It's the beginning of march madness!!! aka my favorite time of the year!! Many girls say they can't stand basketball season or the end of sports seasons, but I think it's wonderful! I'm definitely my daddy's daughter!

Other good news is that Danny got a job at WITN! I'm so proud of him! It's a small job but should be able to work his way up into bigger and better things!

I hope that everyone had a good and safe spring break!

Lent

Here's the deal. Lent starts tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. I've been thinking about what to for lent this year. Give up something? add something? both? I could give up soda, or sweets, or something else, but it doesn't seem 100% challenging to me or is out of my control (with the headaches I've been having, I don't want to take away caffeine because they help my headaches and I'm also still trying to figure out what causes them). I want to do something that can challenge me, but also help my relationship with people. So here's what I've come up with. I'm going to write a letter everyday for 40 days. Each letter will be to a different person who has affected my life in one way or another, then I will mail it to them. Through this, I hope to pray for that person, and thank them for being in my life. In return, I hope they realize that they have affected my life and continue to not only have an influence on me, but also that they continue to influence other people. I have prayed about this and honestly think this is the best thing to do for me during Lent.

All of you who celebrate Lent, pray and do something that will challenge you and bring you closer to God over this Lenten season.

God Bless and have a great Lenten season.

Top Fifteen Favorite Movies

Hey Y'all! so I've done things about me, ECU, favorite quotes and tweets, so now I'm gonna do movies!

1. The Wizard of Oz. One of the first color movies and the main story behind wicked...my favorite musical. Enough Said.
2. Dirty Dancing. Patrick Swayze.
3. Beauty and the Beast. As much as I love the disney princesses, Belle is definitely my favorite.
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Bueller.....Bueller....Bueller....classic. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
5. Christmas Story....so many classic lines which to choose??? it's a major award? It's a big blue ball!? OOHHH FUDGEEE? Don't want to waste electricity!? so many...24 hour christmas eve marathon is my favorite
6. A Cinderella Story...the one with Hillary Duff...Not all these remakes/spin offs. classic teen movie but it's a good one. "never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game"
7. Field of Dreams. If you build it they will come. awesome movie...especially at 3 in the morning.
8. Footloose. Kevin Bacon. "fingers crossed" definitely a great movie. "This is our time" makes it a super motivational get up and stand up for yourself dance around town movie.
9. Despicable Me. Minions are all you need in life to make you happy. that and fluffy unicorns!
10. A league of their own. There's no crying in baseball! you'll laugh, you'll cry. sibling love and rivalry.
11. Remember the Titans...classic and a tear jerker. Always get goosebumps watching this movie.
12. A Knights Tale. Medieval fighting and Heath Ledger. Pretty much all you need in a movie
13. Stagecoach...this chick flic loving girl can still love an old western classic. First scene with John Wayne when he's taking up the whole screen...first western to be an "A" film instead of a "B" rated film.
14. Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...can't get much better than that
15. Ever After...one more Cinderella movie...but a more classic old school version. Drew Barrymore makes the movie!

I wish I had the time and patience to do a top 20 or 30 but I have to do spanish homework...may add on more at a later date. Feel free to post suggestions in the comments!

Pictures from Lukas's baptism and birthday

Here are some pictures from the Little Man's Big day!! Hope you enjoy it!!

The little man had a great day! Glad to see all my family and friends this weekend.

Lukas's baptism and first birthday!

This weekend we celebrated the newest member of the Catholic Church!!! We are all so proud of him and hope to help him on his faith journey!!

also this weekend was his first birthday party! Thursday is his birthday and we wanted to celebrate while everyone was in town!! He had a mickey mouse themed party!! Lukas LOVES cake and ate his whole piece!! He was so cute and fun the whole time!!

Last night at 2 am I realized I didn't have a card for him so I decided to make my own! Inside I wrote this poem about my sweet little boy:

Today you turn one

This year has been fun.

The day you were born

I was in my dorm.

You have gotten so big

You Eat like a pig.

You love your ball

One day you will play in the fall.

You play with your toy

Such a sweet baby boy.

Always have fun and play

And never forget to pray

You have changed our lives

So enjoy your cakes and pies

Happy birthday little man

From Lyndsey and Dan

Happy Birthday Little Man! We are all very proud of you and love you!!!

Favorite Tweets thus far

Here are some of my favorite tweets...slash the ones I found before I got bored going through my twitter....Hope you can relate to some of them and enjoy them all!

1. Saddest episode of full house...when uncle jesse moves out and says goodbye to Michele
2. Be careful how you live; you may be the only Bible some people ever read. #truth
3. Awaiting to see what kind of present you get for Christmas is almost as exciting as finding out who's the father on Maury.
4. The number of times you can watch Mean Girls; The limit does not exist.
5. Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.
6. I'm moody like Squidward, a bit dumb like Partick & sometimes selfish like Mr. Krabs, but I'll always be here for you like Spongebob. ♥ :]
7. Happiness keeps you sweet, Trials keep you strong, Sorrows keep you human, Failures keep you humble, But only God keeps you going.
8. Dear girls, if a guy pauses his video game just to text you back... marry him <3
9. Two people have died for you; Jesus and Veterans. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom
10. Beast: “I want to do something for her.” | Cogsworth: “Well, there's the usual: flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep.”
11. *On a roller coaster* Other People; "AHHH! WOOOHOO!" Me: "HOLY SHIT. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG IM GONNA DIE!!''
12. When a package says easy open.. And I end up using scissors, knife, hammer, gun and a lightsaber.
13. Do not ever hesitate to let the people you love know that you love them. Cherish them. Appreciate them. LOVE them. Life is way too fragile.
14. B I T C H = Beautiful Individual That Creates Hell.
15. Some relationships are like Tom & Jerry. They tease each other, knock down each other irritate each other but can't live without each other.

Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge (rarely seen anchor picture!!!!)

Today I along with other members of the honors college went to part of the campus where they conserve artifacts, specifically for Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. It was probably one of the most amazing things ever. We got to see the artifacts and that they brought up. Cups, pins, platters, gold, among many other things. We saw how they X-ray the things they bring up to see what they've found. we also saw the different stages and techniques they use to clean up the artifacts. We saw cannons in each of these stages. Some of these cannons were actually loaded so it causes some other steps.

The BEST thing we saw was the anchor they brought up over the summer! it was HUGEEEE. I attached a picture so you can see it! It was the most wonderful thing ever!!

I posted more pictures on Facebook, so look at the rest on there!

Enjoy!!

top ten favorite quotes

Here are 10 of my favorite quotes...some of them. I have a ton of favorites, but here are just a few.

10. “I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” --Audrey Hepburn

9. “Let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.” --Audrey Hepburn

8. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” --Dr. Seuss

7. It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort. -Theodore Roosevelt.

6. “Excuse me, there's no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow. ” --Fiyero

5. We're almost here and no where near it. All that matters is we're going. --Lorelai Gilmore

4. the only thing we have to fear is fear itself --FDR

3. “If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.”

--Audrey Hepburn

2. A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others --Wizard of Oz

1. It's time to trust my instincts close my eyes and leap. --Elphaba

Hope you liked some of these!! Enjoy!

The Day the Earth Moved Haiti Interview!

Two of the authors of the book The Day The Earth Moved Haiti were interviewed on the radio here in Greenville. They talk about the book, their experiences and inspirations! They give details on other ways you can contribute without buying the book if you choose and details on how you can get the book!! All proceeds go to three wonderful organizations to help Haiti.

Every Single Penny Counts and Haiti still needs help two years after the earthquake.

Click here to hear the interview (click the sight then on the right hand side there is my podcasts and look for the Day the Earth Moved Haiti!)

http://1079wnct.com/dj/jeff-diamond

I have almost finished the book and I am proud of all 5 of these ladies and the other contributors. They did a wonderful job giving the readers a sense of what life was like in Haiti before and after the earthquake. They give insight in to what the mission workers did in Haiti and most importantly some stories and poems about the Haitian people. Just make sure to have some tissues handy while reading the book.

Congratulations to you ladies and I hope you are proud of yourselves and know that we are all proud of you!

Buy the book at Barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, or tatepublishing.com

First Week of Classes

Today concludes the first week of classes. It was rough getting back into the swing of things, but overall not too bad.

My sociology class is amazing. She is not your ordinary professor yet she is brilliant. I love that it's not just read the book listen to her lecture. We discuss and she gets us to give her the answers which is better for us to learn.

I'm in spanish level 3 (have to take 4 levels). It's probably gonna be my hardest class because I'm not the best at it. We have a substitute professor until mid Feb. because his wife had a baby over the holidays.

My European History from 1815-1914 class is really good, although we are just going over some of the basic things we learned from an intro class. I'm really excited about it though because we should be able to have some interesting discussions.

I was supposed to have a foundations of philosophy and law class...but I went to that class and felt so out of place and lost. I just didn't want to put myself into the situation where i was overwhelmed and trying to keep up with the workload when I already have so many papers and books to read. I wanted to be able to focus on the history classes.

I have a world civilization to 1500 class which is alright. i just have to put up with it and deal although it is not my favorite subject.

I LOVE my North Carolina History class. The professor is very nice and really knows his stuff. I'm super excited to see how this class goes.

On a side note, i've been to the gym a ton and it feels great. We are already back in the swing of things with Lifeteen. This semester should be a tad rough, but overall a great semester.

Congrats to the high schoolers who have finished the semester, and I hope this semester is a good one for you. to my seniors, enjoy your last semester. To my college friends hope you have a good semester too!

What are your talents?

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart;

then because of this the LORD your God will bless you

in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Deuteronomy 15:10

Yesterday in our life teen program, the authors of The Day the Earth Moved Haiti came and talked to the teens. They talked about the book, about the earthquake, and about how they could not go to Haiti for various reasons, but chose not to let those limitations stop them from doing service and helping Haiti. They used their talents as writers, to write this book where 100% of the profit goes to Haiti. Pretty amazing isn't it. Five ladies thought they would just put together a small book of their thoughts and emotions, and instead it turned into a book with 5 main authors about 19 other contributors, and is now being sold nationwide. Most importantly, they are helping Haiti. Takes a huge leap of faith to undertake such a task.

The teens were split into groups to see what they could do to help Haiti, or any country for that matter. It was about service and what they as teens could do if they could not get to the country to do mission work. It blew me away how thoughtful and generous these teens were. They came up with donating blood, having races to raise money, to have a canned food drive, and to collect change each week for the year and then donate that money to Haiti. Most importantly though, they were trying to think of ways like the authors to use their talents to help. One girl mentioned she loved playing the violin, so she thought maybe she could make a recording for them to listen to so they would be soothed, or maybe having a concert to raise money for supplies and rebuilding efforts. It honestly amazed me how attentive and caring the teens were (during the presentation you could hear a pin drop and with 75 or more high school kids that's hard to do). They responded with the want to help. It made me very proud to be part of the St. Peter's Life teen.

So I raise the question...What are your talents? What can you do each day to help someone in need? It can be a friend, someone who is having a bad day or week, a community after a disaster, or on a larger scale a country. Find your talent, use your talent, and do what you can. Do so generously, without feeling like you have to or with a grudge. Be all that you can be.

Christmas Vacation

This Christmas Vacation has been one heck of a Break. So much has happened it's hard to believe it was all crammed into one break. We celebrated birthdays, I watched my cousin many times, I interviewed and received a job, leased an apartment for next fall, celebrated Christmas and New Years, watch tons of football and basketball, and many other things.

However, one of the hardest things was seeing Danny's family get ready to sell their house. His dad got a wonderful job offer and his parents are moving to Georgia. I am super proud and happy for him, it's just really hard for someone who HATES change. Tonight I had to say bye to Mr. Maloney until they get settled in Georgia and we can find time to visit. That was super tough considering they are both like parents to me, and in many ways I feel we are very similar. Tears were shed, but in the end I am so happy for them and this new adventure. And this means that time with them is more valuable and more adventures for all of us.

Tomorrow we go back to ECU for the beginning of Spring semester. It will be a toughie for sure, but I am going to learn so much. Classes start Monday and I am so not ready for it to begin. So, I should start packing, and the next time I blog I will be back in Greenville, getting used to new classes professors and classmates.

I hope you all had a wonderful and maybe less hectic holiday.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!!!!

I hope you all have a happy healthy and loving new year!!!

I hope good things happen to each and every one of you and that it is just as good as the last year if you had a great year or a better year if it wasn't so good for you!

I always have a hard time making resolutions and keeping them if i do think of one...so if you have one good luck!

I rung in the New Year with friends and family and it was a great time!

Have a great day and enjoy the time with family ringing in the New Year!!!