Vortex

Without going into great detail, I will just appologize for the delay in posts. I have undergone chemo for the past week and before that was gone to North Dakota...

Anyways, as many of you know, besides being a mother, wife, student, volunteer, coordinator, and mentor - I am a writer. And my best friend, Slavica along with my husband have encouraged me to expand my usual essay to include fiction. Here is the first chapter (unedited...) for a glimpse into a world i have yet to uncover in my imagination. I just type as it comes to me.

VORTEX by Kelly LaFramboise
At first, the glare of the scorching sun piercing its way through the windshield blinded me. I was driving on a busy highway. The painful light forced me to close my eyes. I knew for sure that it was a pretty dangerous thing to do. How the hell was I supposed to drive 70 mph down a curving expressway with my eyes closed?
Tom Petty’s Free Falling was blaring on the radio. I put my left hand up to block the glare, hoping to see the road again. I kept shouting, “Where the hell are my sunglasses?” and “Stupid sun, just go down already!” Between my left hand blocking the sun, and my right hand feeling around the passenger seat for my glasses, I was sure I would crash the car.
Traffic wasn’t bad. It was unusual for 5:00pm. I thought more people would be driving home from work at that time. Maybe they knew something I didn’t. Maybe they saw how annoyingly bright the sun was and decided to wait for dark to drive. Whatever the reason, I was glad to have the road mostly to myself. If I swerved, I wouldn’t risk causing an accident.
By now my boss, Shelia would be calling my house looking for me. My shift started at 4 o’clock. Video Vortex was always busiest on Friday evenings. The place would be buzzing with the monotonous humming of the drones stopping to get a mind-numbing Hollywood remake of Dracula, or some other useless movie to watch after a grueling week at the office. Sheila would have – no doubt – been red in the face and cursing me for not showing up.
I had made up my mind. I wasn’t going back. I wasn’t going to stay in the Podunk, redneck town one more day. I was getting the hell out while I had a full tank of gas, $500.00 in my bank account, a suitcase in the trunk, and a 64oz Mountain Dew from the gas station in the cup holder.
If I didn’t stop, I would reach Chicago by 10:00pm; the city would be all lit up and rushing with nightlife. I had never even been there before, but I was certain that it was more animated at that time of night than Belleville, Michigan was at anytime. I knew from an episode of 60 minutes that Chicago had more residents than the entire state of Michigan. Zander had moved to Chicago a few months earlier. After a painful breakup, we had vowed to never speak again. But that morning he called me.
The sound of his voice on the phone sent chills down my spine. It was a voice I had longed to hear for weeks, but had promised myself never to seek. It was familiar and personal. I wanted him to reach though the phone and hold me. I couldn’t speak. My hands were shaking and my heart felt as though it was stuck in my throat. The room was spinning. The one person in the world that could make me happy had broken my heart months ago. Why was I letting myself listen to him tell me how sorry he was? I couldn’t hang up. He sounded so honest and guilty.
I never spoke. I just listened. His last words were,
“I wish you were here, Anna. I wish you could be with me again.”
After about an hour and a half of wavering between crying; talking to myself; and racking my brain for answers, I was pretty sure I had made up my mind. I didn’t have a reason not to go. I couldn’t think of a single reason I shouldn’t believe he was not sorry or want me back. From the time I had hung up the phone, I already knew I would be packing my bags. I had no plan as to what I would do once I arrived in the city. The only clue I had, was the number on my caller-ID that belonged to “Henry Baths.”
Before tossing my laptop in a tote bag, I did a quick Internet search on the name and phone number.
Henry Baths – (773) 655-9143. First-rate ceramic tile work for all budgets!
Call for same-day estimates! No bath too big, or too small! We tile them all!
Showroom located at 2100 W. Peterson Ave. Chicago, Il 60645.
Nothing, or no one could stop me at that point. Zander still owned my heart. He still held the key to unlock my free spirit. He was my ticket out of that dead, small town.
As desperate as I was to drive faster than the speed limit, my obsessive-compulsive disorder wouldn’t allow me to break any driving laws. It was an annoying personality trait to have – especially in times like this. No matter how urgent the situation, my foot could not accelerate faster than the speed limit. My left-hand-index finger, would (out of necessity), always turn the turn signal on. Without thinking, I always fastened my seatbelt. My driving record was as clean as soap.
My thoughts, on the other hand, were speeding through my mind like a Formula-One racecar in its final laps. What if Zander wasn’t an employee at “Henry Baths?” What if no one there had ever seen or heard of him before? I would be alone in a foreign city with nowhere to turn. Every last ounce of hope in my body was placing bets on Zander being there. He wouldn’t have called me if he didn’t know better. He knew me inside and out. Of course he knew I would come. He knew I couldn’t resist the temptation. He was like a drug, and I was an addict.
Because I was a glutton for punishment, I decided to call my voicemail to listen to Sheila’s fateful words of disappointment.
“Hi Anna. It’s Sheila. Where the hell are you? It is 4:15 and you are nowhere to be found! Get in here! I can’t work a Friday night by myself!”
BEEP
“Anna! Oh my God! Where are you? You better be dead in the morgue or half-dead in the hospital! I am so serious!”

BEEP
“Anna Katherine Edwards get in here right now! I am swamped! You knew ‘Light Jumpers’ was coming out this weekend! This place is crawling with creepy sci-fi freaks, all demanding a copy of it! Why did you choose today of all days to vanish?

BEEP
“Video Vortex does not look favorably on employees who abandon their coworkers on Friday evenings.”
I hung-up before I could listen to anymore. Sheila was probably going to call another ten times before Video Vortex closed. And Zander wasn’t going to call again.
He wasn’t the type to keep calling; he would rather sit and wait for me to show up.
“Be the tenth caller and win two tickets to the biggest, meanest, loudest show in the universe! Monster Mania 2007 – Bone Crusher, Big Foot, Grave Digger, and more! Ten great monster trucks under one roof! Be there or be bored…” the radio seemed to have more commercials than music. But traffic had started to pick up, so I decided against fiddling with the tuner.
To keep myself awake, I tried making phrases out of people’s license plate letters. The best I could come up with was “Plays Video Games 24/7 (PVG 247).” I read every bumper sticker I could see. The funniest one said, “Honk If You Love Aardvarks!” I counted how many red cars I passed between Jackson and Battle Creek. There were 24. Every now and then, a song would play that I could sing along to. But for the most part, my thoughts dwelled on Zander.
What was he doing? Where was he living? Did he still have black hair, or had he changed it to blonde after our break up? He had beautiful, silky black hair. It was cut short on the sides and back, but on top it was long, purposely messy, and fell over his eyes whenever he moved his head. I wondered if he still wore his black-rimmed glasses when he read, or if he ever got contacts. He had thought about it, but never made the commitment.
The time seemed to fly by. I was surprised how quickly I arrived. Chicago was bigger than I ever imagined. The skyline was lit up like a Christmas tree. Taxis were swarming like bees around a hive. Cars were honking for no reason other than to just hear the sound of their own horns. Traffic cops blew whistles even though it was 10:00 at night. The city was beaming with energy. It was like a magnet drawing me in further and further.
It didn’t last long. Before I could soak in all the sights and sounds of Chicago, I was already past the skyscrapers and museums. The city turned from twinkling bright, to dark and creepy. I had to find Henry Baths. I continued to follow the print out of the map I found online.
Henry Baths sat between a sub-sandwich shop and a dollar store. It was dark and empty inside. I wasn’t expecting it to be open. I went into the sub shop to ask for some advice.
“Can you tell me where I can get a hotel room for the night, please?” I asked the clerk. She was annoyed that I wasn’t ordering a sandwich. She rolled her eyes, popped a bubble with her gum, forcibly removed her plastic gloves, and took a deep breath.
“Go left out of here.” She pointed her unusually long index finger at the window facing the parking lot. “Then go about a mile. Heart O’ Chicago Motel is on the right. But you might want to eat first, The only restaurant over there is a White Castle.”
“Okay. Give me a small tuna with lettuce and onion. Thanks for the help” I replied. I wasn’t hungry, but the $2.99 sandwich was worth getting directions to the closest motel.
Heart O’ Chicago was nothing to write home about. I couldn’t have missed it on the road. It had an enormous red and pink neon sign shaped like a heart. It was one of those sleazy motels that people joke about and say, “They rent rooms by the hour.” The man behind the desk asked twice if I was alone. He asked if I would be having any gentleman visitors. Then he threw two dingy white towels at me, and informed me that the ice and vending machines were out of order. After charging my credit card $69.00, he handed me the key to room 111. It was the first room past the office.
Room 111 smelled like old cigarettes and bleach. The bedspread was rust colored and had a huge stain right in the middle. There was a small TV, but I never turned it on. I hung the towels up in the bathroom and flung my suitcase on the little table in the corner by the door. I didn’t even change into my pajamas. I kicked off my shoes, crawled into the uncomfortable bed, and hoped that nothing, or nobody would bother me. I was exhausted. My brain couldn’t process anything more, and my heart couldn’t take any more anxiety over the whole situation.
I must have slept like a rock. I woke up and glanced at the alarm clock to figure out that it was already 9:20am. I was pissed at myself for not waking up sooner. If I didn’t check out of that smelly motel room and get to Henry Baths soon, I would miss my chance of catching Zander. I yanked my hairbrush out of my purse and tried to make the stringy mess look half-way descent. I rubbed a few wrinkles out of my clothes and decided not to even change. I left the room key on the dresser, and escaped to my car.
Jingle Jingle. The bells on the door of Henry Baths alarmed the sales person of my arrival into the showroom.
“Good Morning! Welcome to Henry Baths! What can I help you with today?” the 100 pounds over-weight, middle-aged, big nosed, bald headed man asked.
“I’m here to see Zander Davis” I replied.
“Zander? Why? Did he do something wrong?” He asked, looking rather confused.
“No. Um. He called me yesterday. I just wanted to stop in and say hi.” I didn’t want the man to know I was Zanders ex-girlfriend, coming to look for answers to our difficult and often emotional relationship.
“Oh. Good. I was going to say… He better not have messed up on an installation! Whew! Well. Let me see if he is in the back. He might have already left for his job site. Wait Here.” He waddled like a penguin to the back room. I don’t think he ever saw a treadmill, or a salad a day in his life. I glanced over at the desk he had been sitting at and saw a half-empty box of glazed doughnuts and a super-sized coffee mug filled with more cream than coffee.
My heart was fluttering. My palms were sweaty. I started to bite my bottom lip. That’s what I do when I am nervous. One time I even drew blood. But that was when I was in a play in high school and had the worst case of stage fright ever. The room was spinning. Why did I make that decision? Why was I standing there waiting for the guy that broke my heart into a million pieces?
I turned around and headed for the door. I changed my mind. I wasn’t ready to face Zander. Not yet. Not wearing the same clothes I had worn for the past 24 hours. Not without fixing my hair and putting on new make-up. What was I thinking?
Just as my hand reached for the door handle I felt something grab my wrist. I knew instantly who it was. I didn’t even have to spin around to see. I knew that hand. I remembered all the times it had touched my body. It was like a piece of my heart had returned to its rightful place in my chest. But as hard as I tried to keep going out the door, my feet just wouldn’t move. The spinning of the room, the pounding of my heart, the utter hopelessness I felt in my heart – they all washed over me like a tsunami wave.
“Anna.” Zander called my name like I imagine an angel would sound saying the same word. “Anna.” He repeated.
“Zander, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. Not now. I’m sorry.” I tried to force myself from his grasp. I didn’t want to look up at him. I didn’t want to make eye contact. I stepped back to release from his grip, but he stepped with me.
“Anna. You are here. I am so glad.”
“No. I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry. I have to go.” My voice was shaky and sounded like a creaking door.
“Stan! There’s an emergency. I have to go. Tell Adam I will be back later to help with the Anderson installation. Sorry man, but I have to go right now!” Zander yelled to the doughnut eater back at his desk. Stan just waved his hand, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. Zander grabbed my waist and pushed me outside. He led me around the side of the building where there were no windows, or cars.
“Anna.” He said my name again.
I couldn’t reply. He pressed his lips against mine. His hands held my head just behind my ears. It was the kiss I had been missing for months; the kiss I thought I would never feel again.

Another Adventure!

I am going to the Spirit Lake Dakota reservation July 24 - Aug 1st to chaperone a group of high school students on their work-trip. The Dakota are a tribe of the greater nation - The Great Sioux Nation. Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota make up the GSN. Another opportunity for me to learn and increase my Plains Indian experiences! Yay!

The South Dakota/Pine Ridge Experience

The trip was amazing to say the least. I am so glad I was able to lead our small little Loyola group to the Rez to make what little difference we could. We met some really great people and made a really good connection with the ABI group from Northern Kentucky University.

Hiking in the Badlands was great. I have never been hiking before and was so happy that I didn't quit, or give up half way to the destination. It was beautiful. We went to this place called "The Sanctuary" which was basically a valley surrounded by towering rocks and gorges. We sat in silence for 15 minutes and a lot of stuff just "hit me" that I didn't realize i had bottled up inside. It was kind of freeing. (At the same time it was 96 degrees and what I thought was an epiphany could actually have been heat exhaustion...)

We went to Wounded Knee cemetery. It was really shabby and uncared for. There was garbage everywhere. It hadn't been mowed in a long time. And the steps leading to the mass grave were broken and not very sturdy. If the story of the massacre didn't make one cry, the condition of the cemetery was enough to bring a tear. It made me so angy that Gettysburg, or other national battlefields are guarded by US Marines, cared for by a crew of landscapers, and funded by tax dollars, but this mass grave that represents the Lakota history and the sadness of the massacre is just left to fade away.


The trailers we were working on were pieces of shit. They would be condemmed by our standards. But the government ships them to the reservations and sells them to Indians for $5,000. I wouldn't pay $500 for one. Plus they don't even come with a furnace, some don't have windows, none have skirting, or appliances. So the organization we were working with called Re-Member works to help families who have just received a "new" trailer fix it to living condition. We put windows in and put insulation and skirting around the bottom. We tar the roofs to help insulate them. And we install stove pipes to ensure proper venthilation for the wood burning stoves they use for heat in the winter. We also build outhouses (and dig the holes) and build bunk beds for the families where kids sleep on the floor. We heard of one house where the family had a piece of ply wood over the bath tub. 4 toddler girls slept on the ply wood at night. That is so sad.


The first site we went to was the Wounded Head family. They had just suffered a bad fire and lost 2 family members and one trailer. Not even bones or teeth remained the fire was so bad. Tangela, the young woman we talked to, has cerebal palsy. She told us so many stories of the double whamy she gets by being both handicapped as well as Indian. They were extremely poor. No running water. No electricity. No phones. No car. 12 people living in one trailer. I played with 2 little girls named Lucy and Toby. They were covered in dirt, peanut butter, and honey. And all they wanted was to be held, hugged, kissed, and have their hair braided. When I left I was covered in peanut butter. I will never wash that shirt. It is a constant reminder of what those girls did for my life.

We also planted a HUGE garden. It was a complete waste of time. Nothing grows there. I was really mad that we weren't building more outhouses or beds. But I couldn't complain; the organization has its reasons I'm sure. I just think our time would have been better served actually helping a family obtain proper living standards.

We toured Red Cloud School, the Jesuit high school on the Rez. It was great, but really white. The education is top-notch. But they can only allow 400 students. There are atleast 15,000 kids on the reservation (according to one source). Darryl Red Cloud, great-grandson to Chief Red Cloud sang us a song at his great grandfather's grave and told us about his days at the school. He couldn't say enough good things about the school. He said they have a waitlist atleast 4,000 kids long. EVERY kid wants to go to the Jesuit school because it is really high-class and they have a better chance of leaving the Rez if they graduate from there. Darryl wasn't an employee of the school. He just really wanted to get the message out that the Rez needs more Red Cloud Schools. He was our bus driver for the whole trip. We got to know him and his family history and stories pretty well.

We had 2 days off between sessions. We went to Custer State Park to see the buffalo herds. That was so nice. WOW was it beautiful. The buffalo were right in the road at one point. We also saw burros, mountain goats, a cyote, and tons of prairie dogs.
We went to Wind Cave National Park. The cave is the place of the Lakota origin story. Kind of like their Garden of Eden. But the tour guide hardly mentioned a word about the Lakota. The book store didn't have any books about the origin story either. It really hit home that the Lakota really are a forgotten people.

We also went to Ft. Robinson. It is the place of the Cheyenne Breakout and where Crazy Horse was killed. But again, little mention of the Indians at the place. it was a monument to the US Soldiers. That place made my blood boil! The museum displays portrayed Indians as evil savages. They often referred to them as a "problem" or as "unmanagable." No wonder SoDak is so racist - the school kids on field trips there are fed nothing but lies and racist ideology.

The racism in the border towns was heart breaking. White Clay, which lies just steps off the Rez, sells millions of dollars worth of beer every year. They exploit the Indians and make huge profits off the Lakota. We wanted to bomb the place. It was just a shabby hole-in-the-wall town with MAYBE 6 buildings. The Lakota who lined up outside the liquor stores were so sad to see. They looked so hopeless and drained of all life. I wanted to reach out the van window and tell them someone cares about them.

We were invited to the home of Evans and Jolene Runningshield. (Just the 5 of us Loyolans.) That was the best night of our whole stay. They invited us to a sweat lodge. But we had to decline because we weren't really prepared. I REALLLLLY wanted to go but I knew Dr. Amick would be disappointed if we smoked opium on a school field trip!!! But anyways, the time we spent with the family was priceless. They had 2 little girls with more energy than any child I have ever met. (Tina and Jade) The family gifted us sage, cedar, and orange Hawaiian Punch! We will never forget them. In fact we have sort of adopted them! We are "pen pals" with the girls now.

We went to Mt. Rushmore to take pictures of us flipping it off, and take video of us yelling obscenities at it. We also went to the Crazy Horse monument. That place was kind of creepy. The museum is more of a monument to the sculptor and his wife. Nothing at all about Crazy Horse. And we saw two white tourists that had us cracking up! They would point to the employees and say out loud, "Is that a real Indian?" Or in the gift store they kept pointing to jewelry and saying, "Ooooh, this one really looks Indian. I want it!" They were carrying their two little terrier dogs with them in the museum. I had to shake my head in disbelief.

There is so much more I could tell you. What do you want to hear? I have so much bottled up inside me. No one really understands why it impacted me so much. I didn't want to leave. If Jamie and the kids could have just picked up and moved out there, I wouldn't have come home. Ever. I woke up every morning and felt more alive than ever before. I didn't want to go to sleep at night for fear that I would be one day closer to leaving. It sounds really cheesey, but I really did feel like I belonged there.

Most of us bonded and became family to eachother right away. We went for hikes and sat in a tipi for hours talking and just sitting in silence thinking of solutions. We have a lot to discuss. I have another year at Loyola. I am going to spend the year in deep thought.

So - - - just ask questions, or tell me what you think. I would love to have someone to talk to about all of this.


Thanks for listening to me. Until later,
Kelly

Pine Ridge Pictures! (Blog will follow when I have a chance to unload my thoughts...)

The top pic is Slavica, Alicia, and me at Red Shirt Table in the Badlands. The next is a monument in memory of Chief Crazy Horse.

Mt. Rushmore is evil. The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota. It was absolutely rude and selfish for Americans to dynamite the sacred land into a monument of a bunch of white people who historically did nothing but harm to the Indians of the country. I felt dirty and like a traitor going to see the monument.

These buffalo were right at the side of the road. Signs everywhere said not to approach the buffalo. But we couldn't avoid them if they were in the middle of our path!

This is as close as I would get to a buffalo! As beautiful and "American" as they are, I am afraid of them!

This is a group shot of us outside our bunkhouse at Re-Member on the Rez.

We were honored to meet Darryl Red Cloud, great grandson to Chief Red Cloud. Darryl sang a beautiful Lakota song for us at his great grandfather's gravesite. Darryl was very inspirational and informative.

The prairie was super-windy!

This home was cut in two and renovated to house a family of 4. We painted the outside, added some insulation, skirting, a stove pipe, and new windows.

My best friend, Slavica tarred a roof!!!

This was a different home where we also installed a stove pipe. I was told that Pine Ridge loses up to 125 homes per year due to unsafe stove vents.

Chris was the model for Corbin's regalia.

We went for a hike in the Badlands National Park. It was 90 degrees outside, but worth every step! What a beautiful place!

Re-Member is a non-profit organization that works with volunteers to improve housing on the Rez. It was our home-away-from-home for 2 weeks. Check them out at www.re-member.org.

Almost time!

The past week in a nutshell:
Slavica graduated; I got a 3.9 GPA this semester; I celebrated Mother's Day at a bookstore; Patty solved another delimma with the PR trip; and Simon cut his foot on the bathroom door.

So we leave for Pine Ridge on Friday morning. I am packed and ready to go. But the trip hasn't even started before we got our first snag. One of the participants has been hospitalized and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes; so he had to cancel. I have contacted our first-runner-up and offered her the spot. If she can't make it, I guess we go with just 5 people and try to make the best of it. I am so sad for our friend who can't go. I know how much this trip meant to him and feel very disappointed leaving him behind. But his health is our first concern. And Pine Ridge is not the place to chance any health risks.

I posted some pictures of my best friend, Slavica's graduation party. Congratulations, sweetie! You make us all proud! Bravo!

Closing one door while opening another

Today is the last day of classes for the semester. I will take exams next week and then officially be a senior! It is bittersweet as I am overly thrilled to be done with a somewhat boring semester, but will miss a few routine behaviors I developed along the way. (Sleeping in on M,W,andF because class didn't start until 11:00am! or grabbing a Chai Latte for the train ride from the AIC to theology!)

I registered for my fall classes. I am taking the following:
1. German I
2. US History to 1865
3. Violence and Culture
4. Independent Study (Expressive Culture/powwow)
5. Issues in Cultural Anthropology (Refugee Resettlement)
6. Fieldwork in Anthropology (NSF Grant at the AIC to develop science ciriculuum with a Native American approach)

I will be quite busy! But each of the classes (with the exception of German) are pertinent to my research goals and will be very beneficial and rewarding. I look most forward to the independent study, and the fieldwork - obviously because they are directly related to my work at the AIC.

We leave for Pine Ridge in 21 days. I am ready. Very ready! I am looking forward to spending 18 days in Indian Country! I am hopeful of making new friends, learning new information, seeing beautiful scenery, and helping where I can. I am not-by any means-a handywoman! My skills with tools and home improvement materials are quite lacking. So I am hoping to learn a few while I am there, or offer other talents to the organization's purpose.

I have grown a lot this semester. My outlook on the future is certainly brighter and more optimistic. My work with the AIC and the Pine Ridge trip have really helped to secure my interests in Native American anthropology.

Today is a great day. I couldn't be happier!

More pictures

Slowing it down isn't an option!

Sorry it has been so long. School, work, the kids, and all my other projects keep me on my toes!

I have posted some pictures of Sarah and her first powwow contest at Saline Middle School on April 4-5th. Univ. of Michigan's NA Student Assoc. hosted the event. The AIC's drum "Cricket Hill" was there too! We felt right at home!







The Pine Ridge trip is in 4 weeks! I am already packed, mostly! Our team is very excited to get this much-anticipated event underway! All the hard work that has gone into planning, researching, and preparing will come to pass soon enough! I can't wait! Pine Ridge holds a very special place in my heart!

If you are available on June 20th, please join me at the Annual Chicago Hunger Walk! All pledges my team earns go to fund the AIC's food pantry. If you are interested, please message me and i will give you all the details!

The kids are growing up fast!
Simon can read now! And he reads EVERYTHING! In the car, he reads store signs. In the house, he reads commercials and junk mail. In the stores, he reads packages and logos. He is a reading machine!
Sarah moved to a new classroom and is doing 100% better! I couldn't be happier with her new attitude about school. This new teacher actually cares about Sarah, and it shows!
Andrew is trying out for softball. He is pretty good, so I see no obsticles in his way to get on a good team. He loves sports. And he tries really hard to be the best on his team.

Jamie is working, working, working as usual. Hopefully when the weather decides to stay warm he can get back out on the courts and hit some tennis balls with some friends. And I think he is interested in playing some Lacross with our friends at the AIC. I hope he does, anyway.

That's it for now. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air!

Joliet Junior College Powwow

We spent 10 hours at the JJC Powwow yesterday. I now know many of the dancers from my work at the AIC on Tu/Th. It was a very nice way to celebrate their lives and talents.
One lady I work with (above, Barbara) talks non-stop about her little princess granddaughter, Asia (also above). Asia is full of life and a very good jingle-dress-dancer for only being four years old. She calls me "grandma's friend," and gives really warm hugs!
My AIC Food Pantry supervisor, Hara brought her granddaughter, Naya to the powwow. She and Sarah hit it off as friends right away! Naya is teaching Sarah how to jingle-dress dance.

The junior-level Fancy Feather boys dance their little hearts out and are always the favorite of the crowd! These boys are so light on their feet, quick, limber, and very fun to watch!

I have many, many more pictures. If you are interested - just ask to see them when you are here next! I love to show off my powwow friends!

Ready for SPRING!

Last weekend we purchased a new dining room set. Our old ones were almost 20 years old!

My favorite color is yellow, followed closely by red and pink. What better way to decorate the room where I entertain all my family and friends than with colors that represent my personality!

I am thinking of adding a second table and two more chairs to make more room for friends! Ikea has good prices, so I am sure it won't take me long to complete my mission!

I am getting the place ready for spring. Bright colors, fresh flowers, and sun coming through the windows always cheers me up!

Lilies make me think of spring. I am soooo ready for spring to arrive! The 60-degree weather we have been getting is such a relief from the freezing snow and ice we had all winter!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the snow stays away for another 9 months. I am ready to play in the sun!!!

Powwow WOWser!

I am a fan of powwows. A big fan. If I owned a car, I would have one of those bumper stickers that said "On the Powwow Trail." I am not even Native American. (Well, maybe like 1/32nd or less...) But there is something about a powwow that gets my spirits soaring and my heart pumping.

My first powwow experience was in Maggie Valley, NC. A Cherokee group was having a powwow at the old Ghost Town amusement park. Up to that point in my life (I was about 14 or 15) I had never really seen a Native American person. And as much as I love powwows now, that first experience was not a great introduction to contemporary NA life. I plugged my ears because the drums were too loud and the singing just sounded like screaming and moaning. And the ladies traditional-dance just looked like a bunch of old women walking as slowly as possible in a circle. I think I laughed. I am pretty sure I insulted a few people. And for that, I am now TRULY sorry.

Later in life, I attended the U of M "Dance for Mother Earth" at Cristler Arena in Ann Arbor, MI. And I fell in love with the powwow scene. I ate my first piece of fry bread. I bought a beaded bookmark. I contemplated buying moccasins, but realized I wouldn't really wear them. And I learned about Pine Ridge, SD for the first time. From that moment on, I was hooked. I was an advocate for NA equality.

I attended the Chicago powwow in November, 2008. That is how I got involved with the American Indian Center. And I re-focused my anthropological studies on Native American issues. (Primarily on urban communities and powwows as expressive culture.)And I was growing very anxious to attend another powwow. But, since Chicago isn't exactly a great market for powwows, I remembered the U of M powwow. So I looked it up and discovered it was going to be in March. So I planned a weekend trip back to my hometown to attend the event.
I checked the website to see which drums were going to be singing and discovered they rescheduled the powwow for Easter weekend - at Eastern University's field house. So... I rescheduled my plans to go back home for Easter.

This morning, I checked the website again to see what vendors would be there. To my surprise, I found that they have, yet again, changed the date and location. It is now at Saline Middle School on April 4th and 5th. Now, I will be honest with you and admit that I was a little frustrated. Jamie had taken time off at Easter to go back to Michigan. Just for the powwow. Now we have to see if we can take another day off to drive out there for the powwow on a different weekend...
So I was all worked up and contemplating just not going at all. But I read an email from the Native American Student Association to the U of M: it made me cry. I could re-phrase it all and summarize the email for you, but I thought you could just read it yourself.

http://http://www.umich.edu/~powwow/pdfs/committeeLetterToUM.pdf



I am so proud of NASA at U of M. I am so happy they have found the courage to take back what is theirs and stand firm in their traditional beliefs and voice their powwow the way they want it, as opposed to the way corporate white people see it. My hear it swelling with pride in my native commrades! I hope you will join me at Saline Middle School on April 4th and 5th and show your support for NASA, Michigan's native community, and their struggle for cultural independence and expression.

Power to the Powwow!

House Hunting?

Rumor has it that our rent is going up significantly this summer. So with that in mind, Jamie and I are in the preliminary stages of house hunting. Maybe we will purchase, maybe we will continue to rent until I finish school - either way, we are looking at houses. And we are looking for them in Chicago suburbs. We LOVE Chicago, but to be honest, the public school system SUCKS! And the older we get, the more we desire a home to settle down in on a nice little plot of land with a garage, a garden, and maybe even a wind turbine!

We haven't decided on a place, a price, or any detail really. We just contacted a realtor this morning to get the ball rolling. But you know me - I can't wait for anything - I had to go online and look at the possibilities!

Check out this house in Barrington, IL! If we are approved for that much - We are moving here for sure!!! (:-) Side note: I am not getting my hopes up. I am just speculating on the possibility. There is something about this house that speaks to my adventurous and unique personality!

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/28453-W-Maple-Ave_Barrington_IL_60010_1105734646

Tell me what you think!!!

Some Pictures, finally!

The girls had fun at Sarah's 9th birthday sleep-over! Girls just want to have fun!!!

Jamie and Simon taking a Christmas nap.

Sarah and my niece, Abby had fun playing together at grandma's house. Abby is adorable. I don't get to see her very often.

Simon had a Christmas concert at his school. They all had to wear matching outfits. It was so cute!

Above is Slavica and me. She came to watch the kids and help me get ready.

This is Jamie and me on our way to his work-party.

Just an Update

Life is very busy these days. School is keeping me on my toes. The Pine Ridge trip consumes most of my free time. And I am still volunteering 2 days a week at the AIC. I am continuing to meditate, reflect, keep a journal, and hold "life-lesson-sessions" with a Jesuit. I am learning so much about social justice, living simply, awareness of my impact on the world, and ethical/moral judgement.

We celebrated 2 birthdays in our house within the past two weeks. Simon turned 6 and Sarah turned 9. Simon had friends at Chuck E Cheese, and Sarah had a sleep-over with 3 friends. It was fun, but I am glad it only comes once a year!

I have a guilty pleasure to confess: I am addicted to two TV shows. I watch "Big Love" and "Living With Ed" religiously now. I highly recommend "Living With Ed" on Planet Green if you haven't seen it. It is a reality program showcasing Ed Begley and his wife in their attempts to live a completely green lifestyle. It is humerous, but also very inspiring and educational. I have gotten so many ideas about what I want to implement in my own life just from that show.
And "Big Love" is a HBO series about mainstream polygamists in Utah starring Bill Paxton, Chloe Svignie, and Jeanne Triplehorn... It is dramatic, exciting, mysterious, and just plain entertaining. If you have HBO I think you would enjoy it even if you may not understand the Mormon themes of the scripting.

Andrew has a girlfriend now. Her name is Maria. He gave her a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day. Today they are going to a school dance together. Am I really ready for this? He still seems so jouvenile and childish to me. But I guess I am just holding on to the past and need to accept that he is growing up. But wait - he is only 11.75 years old. When did kids start dating so young? My head is going to explode if I think about it too much. Sarah is my spy. And Simon tells me EVERYTHING Andrew says to Maria on the phone. So I think I have my sources covered! :-) I don't want to be that meddelsome mother who can't trust her children... but it is so hard to not want to keep them little.

That's about it for today. Thanks for tuning in.

Carnival

I cannot contain my excitement any longer!!!

I have the best husband ever! He just paid for a 7-night Caribbean cruise for us and our best friend, Slavica!!!

August 30- September 6th we will be in Grand Cayman Island; Cozumel, Mexico; The rain forests of Belize; and Isle Roatan, Honduras!!!!!

We are going to be sailing on the Carnival ship, Legend.

So of course you know what this means... Slavica and I are ALREADY going shopping for clothes. Now is the time to buy summer stuff! (Plus, we are hitting the gym hard! We need beach bodies!!!)

This is that opportunity I was looking for to see somewhere other than the US. Honduras is pretty poor. I am looking forward to supporting local crafters and touring the island to catcha glimpse of their culture. Plus, in Belize and Cozumel, we can tour ancient Mayan ruins! Slavica is super excited about that!!!

I am so excited! I just can't help myself!

Reflection

As you may have noticed, I have been working on making my life mean something, look for the positive in all situations, and learning to love life without the material gain attached. I have been meeting weekly with a jesuit at Loyola, to learn about "reflection" and "meditation" and "conscious ethics." He has really opened my eyes and heart to what it means to dedicate my life to social justice. I look forward to rushing home after each session to pass on what he has taught me to Jamie and the kids. On Friday, the Jesuit and I talked about finding the soul of a person before making a decision abut them. I learned to recognize that each person has spirit. Each human being has goals, hopes, fears, dreams, and expectations. When you look past your own nose and seek to find another person's soul you open a line of communication seldom opened these days. All to often we place material and monetary value on the worth of a person's spirit. A big house, a new car, designer clothes, fine jewelry, etc. are items we place in high esteem. How often do we look for integrity, honesty, compassion, friendliness, or courage in a person before we look at material wealth? I was challenged to start my weekend off by noticing emotions, communications, and personality before noticing material when I encountered another person. And on my way home from school, I sat next to a woman on the bus who probably didn't speak much English, but smiled when I said "hi" and offered her one of the Reese Cups in the package I bought out of the vending machine. She said "Thank You, how sweet," and patted my hand with her ice-cold fingers. I never even noticed what she was wearing, or what kind of purse she was carrying, or if she had on jewelry. And when I exited the bus she said "goodbye" and I realized I accomplished my goal, but needed to keep accomplishing it everyday.

The Jesuit also shows me how to reflect on my day and what has happend to me and how I have affected others throughout the day. So I have begun to meditate nightly. It is really calming and comforting to look back on the day's events and recognize where I need to do better and where I have grown. Keeping a journal of all the things I notice now and all the things I wish to change has made me aware of how much I am changing already. I am so excited to report that life has been much less chaotic in the LaFramboise household in the past couple of weeks. We are all learning how to appreciate others' souls and recognize that we are fortunate to have the means to be persons for others.

This morning Jamie asked me to look into vacation ideas for this year. Immediately I thought of Disney World. Then I checked prices and was shocked to see that ith airfare it would be $7000 for the five of us to go for Thanksgiving. So I looked at alternatives. After surfing some of my old favorite travel agent sites I found a reat deal to Cancun, Mexico. But of course with my new outlook on life and a new family paradigm, I wondered how ethical it would be for us to go to Cancun on vacation. So I emailed my Jesuit and was very happy to learn of a program in Cancun where for 2 days of our trip we can work at a tortilla kitchen (a soup kitchen) and be of service to the community members wher the resort is located. He also reminded me that Chitzanitza (sp.?) is nearby andwould be a great educational tool for my family to learn about the ancient Mayan civilization and the hard work of the Mexican government and archaeologists to preserve the rich cultural history of the region. So with very little nudging Jamie and I decided it would be a great vacation destination. But the hardest part will be waiting until November. So we will have to think of something to do over the summer months to bide our time.

As soon as I can figure out how to get the pictures off my 35mm camera developed and put onto a flashdrive (hopefully I will learn how this week in photography class) I will post them on here. I had to take two rolls of B&W film of my neighborhood. For those of you who have not had the chance to visit us out here in Chicago, I think you will learn a lot about our little life here in the big city!

Until then I wish you peace, warmth, love and kindness.
Kelly

A big fat "W"

I am irritated beyond belief. The academic calendar for Loyola states that the last day to drop a class with 100% refund from the bursar is on January 25th. So today I dropped PSYC 101 for various reasons, and now my transcript has a big fat "W" on it. I thought dropping a class was different from withdrawling? Is this going to hurt my chances of getting into a grad program?
I am annoyed. But I made the right decision. I have priorities that mattered more to me than a class that is not required and is taught by a tyrannt.

On a happier note:

Simon's birthday is on Wednesday. If you know Simon (or any other almost-6-year-olds) you know that he is bouncing off the walls with excitement and consumed with disappointment that each morning he wakes up is not yet the actual day he is waiting for. We are having a Chuck E Cheese party. We haven't been to Chuck E Cheese since November of 2006. I'm not kidding. I know, it is a Michigan family value to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese, especially on special ocassions. But in Chicago - not so much. My best friend, Slavica is from Serbia. She has never been to Chuck E Cheese. So we decided to innitiate her into the All-American traditional birthday party. But get this: Simon is requiring her to wear a fancy dress. (Like a prom dress!) He told Jamie he was supposed to wear his suit and tie. He told me I needed to wear a dress and heels. And he is asking us to buy him a black suit, white shirt, red tie, and put a rose in the jacket pocket! I don't know what to say about this kid. He has seen too many movies, I guess. I told him we could dress up for dinner on Wednesday, but at Chuck E Cheese we would wear comfortable clothes for playing. He pouted for a while but eventually understood.

As I write this, I am seated in front of a full scope, panoramic, all-glass wall overlooking Lake Michigan. Most of the ice has melted, but it still looks cold and dreadful. As far as I can see out, and as wide as I can see left-to-right is water. It reminds me of the endless possibilities there are for living a life of meaning. I am happy to report that the big "W" on my transcript will not hold me back. I am happy with my new decisions about life and cannot wait to keep you posted about the epiphanies, reflections, and thoughts I have about living simply, living for others, and loving moments - mot materials.

computer woes...

Sorry it has been so long guys. My laptop died - this time it is for real. It won't even turn on. So I am forced to use our old desktop dinosaur until I get the chance to go shopping for a new computer. And with 18 credit hours, volunteering 2 days a week, 3 kids, a home to keep up, and the Pine Ridge trip... I don't have time for shopping! Nor do I have the cash since 18 credit hours meant 6 classes worth of over-priced textbooks. Alas, here I am on the dinosaur. I shouldn't complain. I am healthy, warm, well-fed, and very blessed to have a back-up computer. Things could be much worse. However, pictures won't be posted until a new computer arrives. And I am hoping and praying that my old harddrive can be restored so I can retrieve the millions of pictures I had stored on it.

I have been volunteering from 9am-1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the American Indian Center. While the AIC's main goals are to provide services and education for the Native American community in the Chicago area, they also run a food pantry out of the basement for the local people needing assistance with food, clothing, medical supplies, and so on. That is where I volunteer. I process donations of clothing and household items and help with paperwork on Tuesdays. On Thursdays I fill bags with the food items and pass them out to the community members. I am endearingly known as "Blue Eyes" by both the Natives that operate the center, as well as the community members that come to the pantry. I have made some wonderful new friends and actually look forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday. It has really changed my life. I think before I make every purchase, "Do I NEED this, or do I just WANT this?" I also have learned to look beyond advertising and packaging and consider who and what went into the process of the items I am purchasing and consuming: a farmer, a migrant worker, a factory employee, a truck driver, a grocery store employee... Therefore I have really started to make conscious decisions about what I buy, where I shop, and why I am buying certan things. Things like "fair trade," "organic," "locally grown," and "environmentally friendly" are all items I look for now. It is a little bit more expensive than what I used to buy, but I m trying to waste less, purchase less, and only buy what we NEED - not so much what we WANT. I actually felt guilty about all the stuff I had in my closets and on my shelves after my 2nd or 3rd day at the AIC. So I cleaned out all the stuff I never wear, use, or even remembered owning and will take it to the AIC for the people who come on Thursday. And I am asking my kids to do the same. To my surprise, they all came with no less than 5 good-condition toys within 10 minutes of my asking. And they promised to do more this weekend when they have more time to devote to the task. My goal is to reduce the amount of stuff we have collected over the past 12 years out of that American consumerism mindframe - that "He who has the most stuff is the winner" ideology. The LaFramboise's are going to live simply from now on. That doesn't mean we are going to starve our children, never buy them a gift, or never go on vacation. It just means we are going to reduce our materialism and make ethical decisions about each and every purchase.
And today - I have to really stop and debate an apple fritter at Dunkin Donuts on my way to class. :-)

Also, more good news...
The participants of the Pine Ridge trip have been announced.
1. Stephanie Weis
2. Taras Kozbur
3. Alicia Atteberry
4. Slavica Petrovic
5. Chris Walsh
6. (ME!)
We leave on May 15th for 2.5 weeks of service-learning at the poorest place in America. I can't wait. Seriously, it is growing more difficult everyday to contain my excitement. I think I am driving Slavica, Jamie, and Dr. Amick crazy.

Update on the kids:
Andrew tried out for the basketball team yesterday. He should know by next Monday if he made the cut. He is growing his hair out. He wants it to look like a surfer or soccer player, whatever that means. I don't mind as long as he combs it and doesn't ever ask me for a perm.

Sarah is the same as always. CRAZY about Joe Jonas and Selena Gomez. She will be 9 in a few weeks. That means I am old.

Simon will be 6 next week. He has strep throat and a double ear infection. Poor thing. But the yummy pink medicine has made him feel much better and his energy has returned. He even helped Jamie put together 2 bookshelves and relocate my monsterous desk to the master bedroom so I have a quiet place to study. He was "Handy Manny" and Jamie was "Bob the Builder."

That's about it for now. I have to get to Photography class soon. I am not sure how I feel about this class. It is not what I expected. But I will try my hardest to keep up and figure out what the heck the instructor is talking about. :-)

Have a good week,
Kelly

I'm back!

Sorry for the long wait! I have been busy, busy, busy!!!

I made 12 different kinds of cookies, fudge, truffles, and candies to give away to friends and family for Christmas. Sarah, Simon, and I worked all week to get them made and assembled into pretty packages. By now, we are very tired of cookies and chocolates if you can even imagine!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve spent with my best friend, Slavica. We made a seafood feast for dinner and watched Elf for the "bazillionth" time! My two boys can quote almost every single line from that movie now.

Then Christmas morning the kids opened their gifts and we packed the car to head to Michigan. Santa was proud of the kids this year because they wrote him a letter asking him to give some of their new toys to the kids at Pine Ridge instead of leaving them under our tree. It was a moment that a mother could only cry tears of joy about! Santa granted their request and left a note of pride and gratitude in their stockings.

Michigan was not pleasant. We did not really enjoy our visit. In fact, it may have been the most depressing 10 days of our entire year. Family drama, the slow economy, pending divorce of our dearest brother and sister-in-law, and family feuds made for a very dramatic week. 3 nights in a row we did not get to bed until 3:30am trying to comfort hurting family members. And to top it all off, I came down with the flu on our last night. If you want all the gory details, email me and I will tell you. But it isn't really appropriate for blog material. Let's just say I am happy to be back in Chicago. I am looking forward to the routine and schedule of a new semester. I have 18 credit hours, and also plan to volunteer 2 days a week at the AIC (American Indian Center). So I will be quite busy and may not have time to blog as often as I'd like to.

I have a few New Year's resolutions:
1. Lose weight (I know, every year I say the same thing...)
2. Save money, or at least spend less frivolously.
3. Take more pictures of the kids and family functions.
4. TRY to keep up with laundry and dishes daily. (I know, it will never happen. Homework + kid's clubs and sports = no time for housework!)

I have 6 awesome classes lined up for this semester:
1. Directed Readings in Anthropology (Preparing for the Pine Ridge trip)
2. Sociology - Social Problems (For student leaders of alternative break immersion trips)
3. English Literature - Human Values
4. Theology of Moral Problems - Poverty
5. Photography I
6. Psychology 101


Well, that's about it for today. Tomorrow Dr. Calcagno and I are going to Andrew's social studies class to talk about early man. Then I will go up to Dr. Amick's office to work on the Pine Ridge trip details and buy my textbooks- then come home and take down the Christmas tree. Life is back to normal - just the way I like it!