Family Holiday Traditions: Thanksgiving and Apple Hill

Tradition, TRADITION!

The Journey is Half the Fun…? It is always a rather dramatic event, piling my two sisters, brother, parents, and I into the car to venture to my aunt and uncles house in Vacaville. The drive usually takes about two hours, and once my family and I are finally on the road, the first domino in a long trail of boisterous activity falls. Despite the stress and craziness families can bring on, my family is very close, so we have no trouble being ourselves–our absolutely ridiculous goofy selves.

The Excitement of Arriving When we arrive at my aunt and uncle’s house, unload ourselves and our overnight bags (my oldest sister’s bag under-packed, mine over-packed) from the car, and knock at the front door, we are greeted first by my aunt’s high, bouncy laughter. My cousin and uncle follow, faces beaming with similar grins as my aunt and mother laugh and hug each other the way only close sisters will. Goldie, their very old, graying Golden Retriever who thinks she is still a puppy, bounds into the room, howling with a pitch in harmony with my aunt and mother’s squeals of excitement.

Cooking, and Card Games, and Craziness, OH MY! Usually there are 23 of us together to celebrate holidays, and our location varies from house to house over the years. For this year’s Thanksgiving celebration, only 12 of us were able to make it. Though we missed the rest of the family, we still kept our traditions alive and had a wonderful time. As my two of my aunts and one of my uncles cooked our Thanksgiving dinner feast, my sisters and cousin started off the first card game of the night. Now, card games are a common enough pass time, but in a family as boisterous as mine with a considerably diverse amount of personalities, playing cards has become an undying, competitive, hilarious, loud tradition of ours. Did I mention loud? Honestly, this year, after we all ate and started playing cards, I felt sorry for the whole block my aunt and uncle live on. Between my already bubbly aunt getting tipsy, my mom continuously straightening the deck of cards after my other aunt knocks it over just to spite her, and my cousin, sisters, and I getting terrible fits of what we affectionately call “the infamous giggles,” it really gets quite noisy. And the noise that rises from the kitchen table lasts long into the night and doesn’t stop until we’re too exhausted from the insanity and retire to the living room where all us girls watch a movie (or two) and fall asleep on the reclining couches.

Starting a New Tradition When we awoke that Friday after Thanksgiving, we all got ready to start our newest tradition–going to Apple Hill. After an hour drive N/E of Vacaville, we piled out of the cars and into an orchard with trees (and the ground) filled with yellow fall leaves. Apple Hill has a market dotted with white tents where venders sell food, hand crafted jewelry, holiday decor, and more. We walked around the market until our stomachs grumbled us into a shop where they sold all things apple–carmeled apples, apple pie, apple butter, apple cider, apple donuts, apple everything. I think my whole family would agree that the apple donuts alone are worth the drive up there.

It’s not “Goodbye,” it’s “See You Later” After snacking on multiple apple related foods, walking around the shops, and (in my case) taking way more photos than necessary of the beautiful trees all around, we piled back into the cars to go to lunch, after which we gave long hugs and said our goodbyes, eagerly awaiting Christmas when we would see each other again to relive old traditions and create new ones.

My uncle and his sister carving the rather enormous turkey.

Goldie scavenging the ground, hoping for a treat.

My aunt, busy baking.

Passing out taste tests.

Another of my aunts sampling the turkey.

One of my cousins and my two sisters getting the first card game of the night started. Obviously, it’s an unusually calm moment in the game.

Messy card deck. Clearly, the more perfectionistic members of the family haven’t joined the game yet.

The day after Thanksgiving, we decided to start a new holiday tradition and drove up to Apple Hill. Apple Hill is in Placerville, situated about half way between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe.

My older and younger sisters

Apple Hill has a market with countless shops filled with creative home made items, such as this tea pot wind chime.

Seriously delicious.

My mom standing in line to get some apple donuts for everyone.

My sister and brother, patiently (and impatiently) waiting to eat an apple donut.

The trees up there are beautiful!

__________________________________________________________________

After mentioning so many mouth watering apple treats, it’s only fair that I give you my favorite apple pie recipe that my mom and I bake during the holidays!

Betty Crocker’s Apple Pie Recipe

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of salt

6 cups thinly sliced apples (about 6 medium-sized apples)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Heat oven to 425. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry-lines pie plate. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. 40 to 50 minutes. 6 servings per 9-inch pie. 600 calories per serving.

__________________________________________________________________

Feel free to have fun answering the polls below, and leave any thoughts or stories of your own about family, holidays, recipes, or traditions!

From Russia to America: An Immigration Story

Luda Grigoryeva left behind her family and home in Moscow, Russia to move to America with her mother when she was ten years old. Now twenty, Luda has spent half her life in Russia, and half in America. She is now fluent in both languages. I interviewed her to gain her perspective of the United States before she came to America, her perspective of the US now that she calls it home, and a look at what her life might be like if she had never ventured to America.

What did you know of the US before you came here?

Nothing really. I was just kinda following my mother when she moved out here. So I really had no perspective. I just knew I’d have to know English.

Did you want to move to America?

Not really. It’s more like a family thing, because the entire family, except my mom and grandma, is back in Russia, so I was kinda splitting away from the family when I was ten, and that was sad. That’s the only reason I didn’t want to move. But now, I’m glad I did.

How did you feel about moving to the US, besides not really wanting to?

To be in a different place I was kinda scared. To be somewhere that I did not know the language, and did not know where I was going or gonna live, and the outcome of it. And [coming to a new] school was scary. It was like coming to a different world basically.

What was it like to be in school in Russia?

Um…very strict. The teachers really demanded full attention. There was never any cell phones or anything. You have to sit up straight, do your work in class, be really quiet, and you have to really pay attention, because there is no law that the teacher can’t hit you. And she usually would scare us by hitting the desk with a ruler, so we would be quiet.

You said before that you were nervous to go to school when you were moving to America. Did you think that it was going to be the same as it was in Russia—that the teachers would be the same?

That too, and also not speaking English and not understanding what they were [saying], and what they were telling me to do. Some things that they told me to do, I just couldn’t understand it. And they kinda showed it to me, little by little, and I could stop getting afraid because they weren’t trying to abuse me, they were trying to help me to learn the language, they weren’t trying to attack me or anything.

What did you think America was going to look like before you came here? Did you have any preconceived ideas about it from anything you saw?

No…I mean, I watched American movies. But when I was ten I thought they were Russian movies because they spoke Russian. I didn’t think that they were English movies, so I never kinda had that full “this is what America’s gonna be like.” When I came here, it was kinda just laid back, relaxed, because I had so much view of Russia, since I was ten, and then I came here and it was just the total opposite of how people acted and the way they were dressed.

Before coming to America, did you stereotype Americans?

Not really. When I came here, I started watching American movies and the one movie that always scared me to go to high school was “Mean Girls.” They would have those groups, and I would always wonder, “how is it going to be in high school?” and is “it going to be like this or way different?” and when I got there I realized it wasn’t the same way it was in movies.

Do you remember the experience of moving here from Russia?

Um, I do remember. I remember being in the airport, I remember saying goodbye… And I remember being in the plane for eleven hours to Seattle. And then going through the customs with my mom. I was used to the airports, so I wasn’t really knowing where I was going, because I go so many places with my dad. So [moving to Ameirca], I didn’t really know where I was going, I just knew I was going somewhere with my mom for the first time. And when I came to the house, it was kinda just very different, because it was a house we were living in, it wasn’t like a condo type thing, like in Russia we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. And here you have a house with two floors and a garage, and it’s just very different at first. And then I just kinda adapted to it really, really fast. But I would have some nights where I would wake up and think I’m back home, but it’s like, I’m here…in this different world.

After coming to America and being submerged in a new world, was that hard for you? Was it sad?

I think maybe the first few weeks it was, because I was home all the time, I wasn’t going back to school. But when I went back to school it was just back to that normal situation, where I would be in school half the day with my friends, and then come home and finish homework or whatever.

So, you didn’t really have a view of America before coming here, and it seems, perhaps partly because of that, the unknown is mostly what scared you. But after coming to America, what did you think about it when you were actually here?

When I started school, it was better. I was still kinda scared the first couple weeks because I didn’t know the language. But the kids were helping me, and started playing with me, so it was really comforting to have people to understand that you’re coming from somewhere else and it’s just like they’re comforting you and telling you “Oh you can do this, or do this” and they kinda lead you to learn the language. So, it was a really good experience to have that as a child. To remember those people and having had those people help you to learn the language and see the other world with basically different eyes.

Did you adapt quickly here? Or did it take you a while to get used to it?

Really fast. I think maybe because I was young, and the language came really fast to me. Cause my mom took a little time, and she still has the accent. Compared to me where I have the smallest accent and people don’t usually don’t hear the accent. And to me, I adapted really fast because I had friends and I adapted to the school routine, and I kinda just went with the flow. My mom was different, because she didn’t have a lot of friends here, and for her she had Russian friends, not American friends. So I think the age matters, depending if you’re a child or if you’re an adult [depends] on how you would adapt to the different culture.

Do you miss Russia?

Sometimes. Depending if I think about it, like right now, the snow and the cold, I kinda do miss it. Like I do wanna have the snow and the fall feature. Instead of having like one day 80 degrees and then another day 60 degrees, I wanna have the cold already and the winter aspect of it. And also during the summer, having the sun out and going swimming. But here you don’t really get that as much as you get it there.

Do you like America here now that you are here?

Somewhat. I mean, I wouldn’t move back to Russia now because of the government and the different ways. But just for a vacation I would go to Russia, but not to move there.

Are you happy in America?

Yeah, I would want my family here. That’s the only negative thing about being here. But everything else is [better] here than it is in Russia.

Do you feel at home here?

Somewhat. I think the only thing that’s missing is the family to make it fully feel like home. Because Russia is where I was born and that was my home my entire life, and I think it is still, but I just wouldn’t want to go there—just visit, not live there.

If you were still living in Russia now, where do you think you would be with your life?

Probably working as an assistant somewhere. Maybe have some connections with my dad, cause he has connections. So maybe somewhere someway I’d be working in some company as just an assistant.

Would you have wanted that path for your life?

No. There wouldn’t be that much money and I think that I would always be angry at the world, because people in Russia are very angry at everything, and being here knowing that I can be so happy, rather than being angry. Because I see the difference when I go there. Just going to the mall or something and just seeing the people, how angry they are. It just doesn’t make me that happy, I just don’t want to be there!

 Is it just a mindset that’s there, the people’s mentality?

Yeah. Yeah, it’s everybody. My dad, my family, it’s everybody that has that anger in them towards Russia. There are times when they are happy, like when they’re with their family, but if they’re at work, they’re pretty much just angry.

Since you came to America, do you think your life has changed for the better?

Yeah. As in having way more options in life, in where I can go, instead of only having one way, and having difficulties getting into that career. Because it’s very hard to find a career in Russia, [rather] than it is to find one here, because you have so many options in America.

Project 2: Artist Emulation

Tags

Artist, Emulation, Immitation, Laurie Simmons, Vee Speers

Laurie Simmons “Room Underneth (Red), 1998”

My Emulation

Vee Speers “Immortals”

My Emulation

Skeleton In The Closet: When Did ‘Skinny’ Become The New ‘Sexy’?

Tags

Body Image, Eating Disorders, Fashion, Health, Model, Robyn Lawley, Sexy, Skinny, Women

When did SKINNY become the new SEXY?

I remember the first time a friend ever told me about her eating disorder. She was just past 13 years old, and I was only 11. We stood in a hotel lobby with unfortunate maroon carpets, and she mentioned being bulimic so nonchalantly, she may as well have been remarking about the relentless rain sputtering against the tall windows outside. I was shocked. As a curvy girl at age 11 with two skinny sisters, I was a bit insecure with my body, but I could not fathom why my naturally thin and beautiful friend would ever think so detrimentally of herself that she would resort to an eating disorder. I remember forcing back tears as I tried to form a response. When I recovered enough from the shock and found words, I told her she was beautiful and didn’t need to hurt her body. She got help through our church’s youth pastor and learned to accept her body. But countless girls facing the same struggle aren’t always so lucky.

Society and Media’s Affect on Body Image

As a popular image that has been circling the Web, many of you may have seen this and wondered not only when, but why skinny women are now revered while curvy, healthy ones used to be. Well, the truth is, it’s happening because of us. By accepting the ridiculously high standards and imposed idea of beauty that society and media force upon us, we agree that being skinny is the only way to be beautiful. This idea that skinny = beautiful has subconsciously grown in our minds from as early as our childhood days while playing with Barbies. Pictured here is a Barbie  doll from the 90’s, alongside a newer, significantly skinnier, version that came out only 10 years later. As young impressionable girls, being subjected to this plastic idea of perfection was only the mere beginning of our obsession with beauty, body image, and self perfection.

Statistically Speaking

• The average American woman is 5’4″ tall and weighs 140lbs, while the average American model is 5’11” and weighs only 117lbs. [1]

• Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women. [1]

• A study found that 69% of female television characters are unusually thin and only 5% are larger than the average-sized woman [2]

• It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men [3]

• A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5–10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30–40% ever fully recover [3]

• 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25 [3]

• 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight [3]

It wasn’t always this way (click to enlarge)

A Woman Standing Up for a Healthy Body Image

Robyn Lawley, a gorgeous 6’2″ size 12 model from Australia, is quickly becoming a recognized face–and body–in the fashion industry today. She is the first plus size model to ever appear on the cover of Vogue. As a teenager, Lawley struggled with her body image. She wanted to model, but felt embraced by her curves and judged for them, as so many of us do. She succumbed to eating disorders for a time, but eventually overcame them and began loving her body. “Embrace your body for what it is,” she says in her Facebook fan page Bio, “Exercise and eat as healthy as you can and have fun, there is so much more to life then fitting into size 6 jeans.” Lawley writes a food blog, entitled “Robyn Lawley Eats” to encourage women to be healthy and to EAT! With someone like Lawley gracing the covers of renowned fashion magazines, I have to believe there is hope for us to again embrace healthy bodies and celebrate the fact that we’re all unique. Our society needs to drag the skeleton out of the closet, feed her, and realize that being healthy and happy is beautiful.

3 Ways YOU Can Help:

1. Accept your body! Be the best you that you can be.

2. Stop Judging Others! Realize that everyone is different and respect them.

3. Don’t Accept Society’s Standards! Help put a stop to our society’s impossible standards of “perfection” by setting your own healthy standards.

Want to learn more? Check out these links.

• Perceptions of Body Image Throughout History: http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/40307

• How Female Body Shape Changed in the 20th Century: http://www.diet-blog.com/07/female_body_shape_in_the_20th_century.php

• Robyn Lawley’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/RobynLawleyPlusSizeModel

• Robyn Lawley’s Food Blog: http://robynlawleyeats.tumblr.com

Works Cited

[1] Inch Aweigh. “The Average America Woman Dieting & Weight Statistics.” 2012. http://www.inch-aweigh.com/dietstats.htm

[2] WebMD: Fitness & Exersice. “Your Body Image: A Live Chat with Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, PhD, Author of Fed Up.” 2003. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/your-body-image

[3] DMH: South Carolina Department of Mental Health. “Eating Disorder Statistics.” 2006. http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm

Timeline

Some Information from Timeline Obtained From:

• “Perceptions of Body Image Throughout History”: http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/40307
• “How Female Body Shape Changed in the 20th Century”: http://www.diet-blog.com/07/female_body_shape_in_the_20th_century.php

Timeline Photographic Sources:

• 1500 – Mona Lisa: http://www.nationalturk.com/mona-lisa-icin-yeni-iddia-mona-lisa-erkek-mi59026
• 1900 – S Shape:http://www.diet-blog.com/07/female_body_shape_in_the_20th_century.php
• 1940 – Marilyn Monroe http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u52/PBtypepad/May%202009/?action=view&current=marilyn-monroe-swimsuit-1.jpg&newest=1
• 1960 – Twiggy: http://imggot.com/single/15978
• 1970 – Ferrah Fawcett: http://www.uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=111861.0
• 1980 – Cindy Crawford: http://valeriewaters.com/tag/cindy-crawford/
• 1990 – Kate Moss: http://starsweare.com/2010/09/01/corrine-day-photographer-1965-2010/
• 2000’s – Stephanie Naumoska : http://theoriginalgreenwichdiva.com/malnourished-miss-universe-finalist-who-is-just-skin-and-bones/3979/
• 2010’s – Megan Fox: http://www.focusonstyle.com/blog/megan-fox-lingerie-emporio-armani-underwear-and-armani-jeans-cristiano-ronaldo-other-team/

Hello!

Through this New Media and Social Change class, I hope to broaden my perception and understanding of the world and of myself as I learn about new media’s affect on society, particularly within photography. Photography has become a crucial part of my life–I cannot bear to go long without picking up a camera and peering into the world through its lens–so I am excited to see all that this class has to offer. Areas of photography that interest me are nature, documentary, fashion, and artistically expressive works. I am especially inspired when photographing people and capturing a moment that tells a story or shows emotion. One of my greatest desires is to use my passion for photography to inspire social change and make a difference in the world.