Looking In My Own Backyard: October

 We are getting closer and closer to the end of the year. I was starting to get worried at the start of the month that I was going to be running out of stories from members of my family. Ancestry has been a real help, but a lot of the stories that are on there are from other family members, and sometime they are only like a sentence to two long. I was worried that I wasn't going to have enough. Well, I ended up I ended up finding out a whole lot on my dad's side and I am excited to share with you some of what I found. 

First, let's talk about Meet the Robinsons. 

This wonderful tale about family follows a boy named Lewis. Lewis is a young man who loves science and inventions. He loves to create new things that no one have ever come up with before. Lewis is also an orphan who inventions usually ward off potential families. After many interviews, he is inspired by trying to see if he can find out who is real mother is. In his search to create a memory machine, he finds meets another young man by the name of Wilbur. We find out right away that Wilbur is from the future and comes from a place with all sorts of amazing inventions! He ends up meeting all of Wilbur's family and falls in love with them. However, he can't stay there no matter now much he wants to. We might find that it's all for the best. 

This is one of those Disney movies that I forget how much I love them. I always enjoy watching this film and all of the wonderful jokes that are told. I love the story in how, again, family is not always the people you are born into. However, this movies does pose a new way of thinking about family that many of the other movies I have watched have not done. That the family can love you enough to do what's best and leave. We never find out why Lewis's mom left him at the orphanage. We may never will. We do know that she did it out of love (because of the snuggle before she leaves). Doing what is best is not always the easiest thing and leaving is not always the wrong choice. Sometimes choosing to love family is choosing to let them go. Not easy but sometimes what is needed. However, when you find the right people to call family, it all can make a lot of sense.

I feel like in the last few month's of this journey I have meet a lot of people on my tree that have been influential in some way when it has come to American History.... I never thought it would be World History. 

Meet my 8 times Great Uncle, Samuel Pepys. 

Now, I have never heard of him until about four days ago. I was just going along and trying to find some more people in my tree and see if there were more stories that popped up. There he was... just sitting there waiting to be discovered. Samuel Pepys is best known for diary that he kept from January 1 1660- May 1669. He wrote about many historical events that happened in England in the 17th century such as the execution of Charles I, the The Great Plague, The Great Fire of London, The Anglo-Dutch War, and even some interactions he had with Sir Isaac Newton. I got this picture of the Wikipedia page, because there is a whole page about the man! He was a royalist (not to Charles the I he did not like him) However, he fully supported King James II and was actually one of the barons that held the Canopy at King James's Coronation. 

His diary from that time is one of the most revealing personal accounts during this time. There have been several books written about his writing and what his life is like. His diary is actually held at Magdalene College at Cambridge. 

The funny about all of this is the fact that Samuel Pepys also has a blog. Yup, a blog. The site is run by a gentleman by the name of Phil Gyford. All of the entries are available for free on his site because they are made available by Project Gutenberg. So, you an read all of what Samuel Pepys had to say. I thought I was the only one in this family with a blog... come to find out I'm not. 

I know that we hear stories all of the time about how people find all of these crazy stories about our ancestors. The stuff I am learning is stuff I would have never dreamed about. I would have never guessed that anyone in my family would have had such an influence on the world. I would have never believed that there would be so much to learn. I am glad that I finally did. I know that there is more to learn that just talking about one person every month for a year, and I don't plan on stopping after this year is over. However, I am so glad about what I have found so far and I can't wait to see how much more there is to learn. 

Up Inside the Cyclone: September

 You know what usually happens this time of year is that August is busy, September is a little bit more chill, but then in October to the end of the year is fun chaos. Well. not this September. I was busy doing something or going somewhere from the very start of the month to the very end.... and I mean the very end.... 

The reason as to why my month was so insane was because of the Plot Twists presented to me by Nora. Nora is currently the award winner for the most time consuming plot twists for the whole year! I will be diving into that once we discuss this month's plot twist movie Once Upon A Time... in Hollywood.

Plot Twist.... this ended not being a plot twist movie.

1969 Hollywood was starting to undergo a lot of changes. What once it was best known for was not selling as well, and the moments of yesteryear were going dark as the "new and now" started to rise over the horizon. Some tried very hard to hold on to their prime. and kept pushing forward to stay ahead of the rising sun. Staying current is harder than getting started it seems. That is what Rick Dalton is trying to do. He is trying to stay in the mainstream but without being type casted into what typically happens to old "past their prime" movie stars. He is also trying to do so with his stunt double, and best friend, Cliff Booth. We follow their story has they try to hustle the movies while, also trying to get to know Rick's neighbor, Sharon Tate.

Now this is why I don't think that this movie is a plot twist movie...

In order for there to be a plot twist you know to think you know what is "supposed to happen". A plot twist would be a movie a movie booked as a romantic comedy, and starred Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, right. You're watching and everything is going great. They are flirting, fighting, falling in love. It's funny, it's light hearted this in the last minute of the movie they are eaten by a shark and "surprise" they are the first victims of the shark in the movie Jaws. You are not supposed to see it coming. Something changes what you think you know. 

The reason Once is not a plot twist story to me was because I had never heard of the murder of Sharon Tate. I have never even heard of her. I have heard about Charles Manson but I had no clue about this murder or the people involved until this movie. Meaning that this movie was a attempted murder gone wrong by not going after the original targets. They went into Dalton's house and were met with Dalton and Cliff and died. 

You know when you light a match and when the flame goes out, because you don't allow it to burn the whole stick? You know that long drag of smoke that seems to go one forever, even though you would think that the wood would have lost it's heat? The smoke is silk like as it goes through the air and dances a little when it catches a draft. How pretty it is just staring at it? That is what this whole movie felt like to me. It's so pretty and mesmerizing to look at, but once the smoke cleared there was nothing there to keep you warm, or a light to help you to see. The whole movie I was wondering the heck Sharon Tate was and why we were spending so much time on her and her life but not doing much with her. She took us to a movie, a party, and book shopping and that was really about it. I had to do the research after the movie in order to understand why it was a plot twist and not just Quintin Tarantino wanted to play with guns at the end of the movie. 

I guess you can say the plot twist was that it's wasn't really a plot twist for me. 

Now, what was a plot twist to me was all of the stuff that Nora made me do this past month. She did start us off really early with her first one. 

It took me forever to read that book. I am not sure if she was waiting until I was done with the book to give me the next one. I finally got the second one on the last full weekend of the month.

I was put through a panic on the last one because of the timing of it. I explain the third video why it was so hecktic.

The best part about that last one was I told the group chat with Nora and Angela that I added them and Ang went to watch it. She laughed and thought it was hilarious that Nora made me wait so long to get the puzzle done. Come to find out Nora thought that I would just do the puzzle, no matte how long it took, and just keep going. She didn't realize I had to finish it in that whole month's time! Ang got a huge kick out of that one.

Hard to believe that we are in the last few months of 2021. I only have one more person who has a whole month to themselves. I know that they have been waiting a while to get to theirs and we will see what they come up with. However, we both have to get through this month before that happens! 

You're the Best Friends Anybody Ever: Nora

 September has been one busy month for me! One of the reason's that I have been going crazy is because of this month's highlighted friend, Nora. We will be getting to her plot twists later, because they have been taking up most of my time. However, I am going to introduce to you one of the happiest, crazy, energetic, and wonderful people I know.

The brilliant Nora.

If you remind yourself all that way back to the month of March I had talked about our lovely friend, Angela, and how we played Power Puff Girls on the playground. Nora was the Bubbles to our Buttercup and Blossom! The three of us have been friends for 21 years, and that is a fact that I still con not fathom. I know that I am very blessed because there are many people who have friends for that long and I have two.

Nora is one of the most confident people that I know. She has never been afraid to be nothing less that who she is. She doesn't care what you think of her she is just going to be her. She loves Disney, puzzles, movies, and she is obsessed with reading. She always seems to have a book within 5 feet of her. She loves sharing her passions and obsessions. Anytime that she gets the chance to share a good book she is in her happy place.

Nora is someone that just loves spending time with the people that she loves. She is always up for big adventures of going out of town, however, she also is down to go on random car rides late at night when you are heart broken. She will go all over to celebrate with you, and then will also go to the McDonalds drive in cause all you can eat are French Fires after wisdom teeth surgery. So long as there is good music on the radio who will go almost anywhere with you. 

She is also someone who love to laugh and will also want you to laugh. She can give you great advice, but is the person that will "bury the body first" and give advise later. She has great timing. She knows when something needs to be said and when. We all need to hear something we don't like hearting, but she will not saying when she know you won't listen at all. She know when you need to be cheered up and when you need to be pushed in the right direction. This is always followed with some sort of amazing food and lots of smiles and laughter. 

Nora is loyal and wonderful in so many ways! I know there are not many out there like her and I am so blessed to be counted as one of her friends! These days is so easy to loose people that you love and God has blessed me by keeping her and I together all of these years. We have been "seen each other everyday" friends and "long distance" friends. I have been very blessed to call her one of my best friends and I am so glad that I get to honor her. I pray that we have many more years to come and I hope we will have a lot of fun doing so! 

Looking in My Own Backyard: September

 This story of today is one that I have found out a while ago. I was reasons that I didn't share but now I feel like I can. 

A per tradition, we must talk about this month's movie first. So, let's talk about Annie.

If you have not heard about the plot of this movie by now, you have been living under a rock! This is the story about a little orphan girl, who does not believe that she is an orphan, who finds her family in a peculiar way. She is trying to leave the orphanage one day near Christmas to go and find her real parents. The clues she has are have a locket necklace and a note saying that they were going to come back to get her one day. Once the police return her to the custody of the evil Ms. Hanagan, the secretary of Millionaire Oliver Warbucks comes to pick a child to spend Christmas in his home. Annie is introduced to a whole new world of how people but also to what it's like to have a family. Mr. Warbucks tells her that he wants to adopt her but Annie refuses because she is waiting for her parents to come back home. Mr. Warbucks starts the search for her parents. However, the search is met with many impersonators who are out for the $50,000 award to the parents of Annie. One of those scoundrels being Ms. Hanagan. 

Now, I know that some might be mad that not only did I not pick the original but I also didn't pick the newest one. I know but Honestly, this is the first movie I experienced this story with. This is also the only movie that I could pick out Kathy Bates and Victor Gardner out from for a very long time. Watching this movie again and seeing so many other stars names in this movie I was shocked I could not pick them out from here either. However, I love this movie because it shows that everyone can have more than enough room for family. I also love that Mr. Warbucks was willing to give up Annie and help her find her parents even if it broke his heart. It's a sweet story and it one of my favorite childhood movies to watch growing up.

Now let's talk about my 5 time great grandfather, on my mom's side, Alexander Kennedy. 

Alexander is someone who really did help to influence the history of our country. However, it's not going to be in the way that you think. Alexander is from Moore County, North Carolina. Actually, he was there to help give the county it's name. Alexander, and his son David, operated a gun factory that made guns to Revolutionary War soldiers. I mean out independence was fought from the soldiers that dared rise up to conquer it. There are many different types of fight in the art of war. There is the use of words, politics, books, and weapons. Even the weapons were varied when it came to the fighting but guns were one of the most prominent. I have known for a while about dad telling me about some people he found during the Revolutionary War. I have also said on here that I was not sure about what to find on mom's side of things. However, finding that my grandfather was one of the top names in producing guns during the time our country fought for our initial freedom was not on my Bingo card. Not only that but members of my dad's side of the family could have fought using a gun that was produced by a member of my mom's side of the family is amazing. I guess you never know how entwined everyone really is with each other until you see something like this.