Week 3 Storytelling: A Child with Purpose

"Go James, Go!" John yelled to his son as he chased after the soccer ball, just a few strides away from actually kicking it for once. 

If you have never been to a toddler's soccer game before, they can get pretty intense. After a close game with a score of 3-4 James' team was getting closer to a win each and every game. James dreamt of winning his first ever soccer game. "Patience, son," John told him. He made sure James knew a win would be earned with hard work and dedication, not just handed to him. 

James was a determined 6-year-old with more drive than most grown adults. He was a special boy, full of life, too nice to strangers, and like most kids, constantly charged with energy through the roof. His heart of gold was what made him stand out compared to the other kids. It is amazing how a heart so big and full of love could fit into someone so small. James has been through a lot compared to most other kids his age. 

His mom sure was a fighter. 

When James was just three years old and John was still new to being a father, a husband and a man, she got the news that turned their world upside down. She went for a typical check-up at the doctor and later received a call that left them all in shock. She had stage three breast cancer and would begin treatments immediately. She went to chemo after chemo, hoping, praying, even begging for her life. John and James stayed by her side day in and day out. The two of them went to every single appointment, helped her as she lost her hair and grew weak, and loved her more and more each day. The boys stayed strong for her and John and his wife decided not to shield young James throughout the process. Cancer can be a confusing thing for a three year old to understand, but they did their best to be honest with him and help him understand in the most positive way they could possibly think of. They showed him courage, passion and strength. They showed him that life didn't stop because of the challenge thrown their way. They also showed him that John was going to be his rock, his best friend, and his most influential teacher. Throughout the process, John's wife wrote letters to James that he would open throughout his life. The first was for his 10th birthday, she figured at 10 years old he would be more curious than ever about what happened to his mother and she wanted to remind him that she was an angel watching over him and that she loved him more than anything in the world. The next was for his his first day of high school, the one after that was for his graduation day. Then, his wedding day shall he ever get married, and finally for when his first born child would come into the world. 

She wanted to use each of these letters to teach him something valuable, give him a mother's advice, and the feeling you get when you hug your mom after a rough day. 

Although he hadn't received them yet, John let James know each and every day how special his mommy was. John stayed strong and did not ever let the mourning of his wife change the way he treated his son. 

A few weeks later at James next soccer game, he was playing harder than ever. He had a look in his eye that day and John knew today was the day. Sure enough, they came out with a win and James had scored the winning point! John ran over to his son and threw him into the air with joy. He held his son and congratulated him and James looked up toward the sky and said, "that was for you, Mommy." 

That night at dinner, James blurted out in a moment of silence, "I want to make sure other boys don't lose their mommies." 

"Where did you think of that, James?" John asked.

He replied and said, "I was talking to Jesus about it like you taught me and he told me I could do anything if I just believe." 

By the time James was 10 years old, him and his father had created the JJ Foundation which raised millions of dollars for cancer research and treatments. 

(Photo from: John the Baptist and Jesus by Lorenzetti)

Bibliography: The Gospel of Mark King James Version from the Bible

Author's Notes: After reading the Gospel of Mark for my week 3 reading, I decided to use some of the names from the Bible in my story. John played a big role in the Gospel of Mark, so I decided to use his name as one of the main characters in my story. In the Bible, his brother is named James, but in my story this fit well as the name of John's son. I was inspired to incorporate the teachings of Jesus, so at the end of the story Jesus is the one who guided James through prayer in his decision to want to make a difference in the world and believe his age wouldn't stop him from changing peoples lives. I wasn't originally planning on making the story so emotional, but I thought it could still be considered positive because of the way they used a hard challenge in life to do something good in the world.

Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark, Part B

The Teachings of Jesus: In this story, Jesus tells Moses that a man and woman bound by marriage are together as one through God.
Jesus and the Blind Man: Jesus takes the twelve to Jerusalem and he gives a blind man sight.
Jesus Enters Jerusalem: Jesus asks if the baptism of John was from Heaven or from men and the people answered saying they couldn't tell. So Jesus said he couldn't tell how he did things either.
Jesus and the Scribe: Jesus tells the first and second commandments. To love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor.
The Last Supper: Jesus sends two disciples into the city for a pitcher of water. While they are eating dinner Jesus asks if anyone is going to betray him. Then Jesus blessed and broke the bread and gave it to the people, saying it was his body. Then he gave the wine to the people, saying it is his blood of his new testament.
The Arrest: Jesus is arrested with people carrying staves and swords.
The Crucifixion: In this story, Jesus is crucified and named "King of the Jews". Then, they also crucified two thieves. John wrapped Jesus body in linen.
The Resurrection: Jesus resurrected and the people spread the word of him all over. He was received in Heaven and sat at the right hand of God.

(Photo by: Marie Ellenrieder- The Teachings of Jesus)

Bibliography: The Gospel of Mark King James Version from The Bible

Reading Notes: Gospel of Mark, Part A

John the Baptist and Jesus: This story begins with John baptizing the people of Jerusalem in the river of Jordan and they confessed their sins. Later, Jesus heals a leper and tells him to not to tell others about it. The leper did not listen and told so many people what happened that Jesus couldn't enter the city without people who needed help swarming him.
The Followers of Jesus: In this story, the people of Capernaum question Jesus, wondering how anyone other than God himself can be capable of forgiving sins. Jesus proves as the Son of God, he too is able to forgive.
Jesus and the Twelve: Jesus taught a multitude of people by the sea. At the end of a story, Jesus sets peace over the sea and the people feared how one man is powerful and faithful enough to stop the winds and calm an entire sea.
Jesus the Healer: A man with an unclean spirit meets could not be tamed by any man, but worshiped Jesus when he saw him. Jesus relieved him of his unclean spirit and did not send him away.
A man drops to his knees and prays to Jesus to heal his daughter who is dying. With the touch of Jesus' clothes her plague was gone, but he had been touched. He said her faith made her whole, but she later died and Jesus said, "do not be afraid, just believe." He said she was not dead, but sleeping and she arose.
The Death of John the Baptist: Many who were sick got healed. John the Baptist was said to have risen from the dead.
The Miracles of Jesus: Men were eating the bread with unwashed hands. Washed hands were a tradition of the elders.
Jesus and The Pharisees: The Pharisees asked why the traditions of the elders were important. Moses said to honor your father and mother.
The Loaves and the Fishes Again: The people with Jesus hadn't eaten in 3 days. He fed them 7 loaves of bread and a few fish.
The Transfiguration of Jesus: Jesus took James, John and Peter up the mountain. In this story, Jesus says are things are possible if you just believe.

Jesus calls Levi

(Photo from: The Followers of Jesus from The Gospel of Mark) 

Bibliography: Gospel of Mark King James Version from the Bible (1611)

Feedback Thoughts

I personally really like both giving and receiving feedback. I like to know what people like and don't like about something, so that I can improve and continue doing things right. I think there are ways for feedback to always be positive, even if you are telling someone an improvement or change they should make. I definitely don't get offended by negative feedback, it may not feel great to hear in the moment, but when you realize the feedback is right and can make you better, it is much easier to accept. Complacency is one of my biggest pet peeves in life and I think feedback is a great way to avoid being complacent with whatever occupies your time. 

"5 Tips for Taking Feedback like a Champ" 

I really liked this article because it was honest and didn't sugar coat the reasons why people should accept feedback. My favorite of the 5 tips was the first one, "Realize that feeling uncomfortable is healthy, normal, and part of the growth process..." I always like to push myself out of my comfort zone, because it helps you grow and improve when you do something you have never done. I often push myself to speak in front of large groups of people because I know that is something I don't really enjoy doing, but the ability to do it often comes in handy. I also push myself out of my comfort zone when it comes to cheerleading because having boys on the team throw me around in new stunts and pyramids can be scary at times, but after you get the first couple tries out of the way, you realize you are capable of more than you thought. 

"Silence the Critical Voices in your Head" 

I loved this article because I am a firm believer that mindset is everything. When you have a positive mindset, everything is better. The voices in your head can be negatives at times, but you have to see the good in every situation. When you let yourself believe you aren't good enough or let others bring your down, you are just bringing yourself down instead of building yourself up. My favorite thing about your mindset is: you have control of it. 

"The Difference Between Praise that Promotes Narcissism Vs. Self Esteem" 

This article was interesting to me because I hadn't thought much about the way I give compliments and how it effects the person I give them to. The article gives examples of ways to phrase compliments for them to be effective, but not boost the persons self esteem TOO much to where they think they are better than everyone else. 

"7 Key Characteristics of Better Learning Feedback" 

This one is probably my favorite/most effective article out of all the ones I read. Each of the 7 tips were all very useful and helped me learn just how important feedback really is. I knew it was helpful before, but it truly is vital to improving. If you think about if you never got anyone's advice or opinion on what you are doing, how do you know if it is effective and useful? 

(Photo from: Flickr)

Week 2 Storytelling: Relentless Love

Relentless Love

Andromache loved Hector more than she ever thought was possible. He was the son of King Priam and the leader of the Trojan forces. His name and power were very important to many, but she loved him for him. She would have cared for this man just as much if he were poor and powerless. They dreamt of spending their life together raising a family and exploring the world together, but as the leader of the Trojans, Hector couldn’t focus all of his attention on the lovely, but a bit high strung, Andromache. As time went on, the couple had their ups and downs, but for the most part they had a strong, happy relationship. The two spent all the time they could together and eventually had a baby boy. Hector loved his little son more than anything in the world. They were like two peas in a pod. I don’t think the boy could’ve been any more like Hector even if he tried. Andromache loved to watch them spend time together. Her heart throbbed at the sight of Hector with their precious child.

One day, there was trouble with the Greeks and all the Trojan soldiers geared up for battle. Each time Hector had to go fight the Greeks, Andromache would get worried sick about him. She would even travel to the top of a nearby building and watch the fights happen, just to make sure she was there if anything were to happen to her husband. As usual, she watched from her spot and hurried home when the fighting ended so her husband would think she had never left the house when he arrived back.

When he returned home, he had a grim look on his face.

“What’s wrong? I thought today went well?” Andromache asked.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Hector replied, “It looks like I’m going to have to leave for a while.”

“What?!” Andromache shrieked. “How long do you mean, Hector? You can’t leave me here with our son, take us with you!”

“I’m afraid I can’t. I think you two will be safer here. The Greeks are relentless and they won’t stop until they are satisfied. I know they will attack wherever I am, and I don’t want my family to be harmed.”

            Andromache cried herself to sleep that night, and every night for what seemed like eternity. She knew she had to do something about it; she wanted the life she had dreamed of with her family. As soon as Hector left, she began plotting what she was going to do to make sure the Greeks stayed away from the Trojans so her husband could come back. She knew her husband wouldn’t leave the forces because they didn’t stand a chance without him.

            She took matters into her own hands.

            First, she figured out what exactly the Greeks wanted. They wanted the city that she lived in, but obviously she couldn’t agree to give away the place so many people resided. So, she thought of a backup option. There was a neighboring town, just a few miles away, with not much civilization at all. She had a plan now, and would stop at nothing to make sure she was successful. She wanted to build up the abandoned city with houses and all the other places people needed to live off of. She wanted all of her friends to help pitch in to building this new town… and she was going to give it to the Greeks so the Trojans could have their life and safety back in their own city. It wasn’t going to be easy, but with everyone in the city there to help, she knew it would be possible.

            Sure enough, after just a few weeks around 20 houses had been completed. After that, they kept building more and more until there were hundreds. They were so proud of all that they had accomplished they didn’t want to stop. They built tons of places and after only 6 months, the city was a place worth living. Instead of telling her husband what she had accomplished, she went straight to the grounds the Greeks were staying in, and told their leader she built them a city. At first he was furious, they didn’t want any old city; he just wanted what the Trojans had. But she convinced him to at least come look at it. To her surprise, he was quite satisfied and agreed to move his people there!

            Andromache was so excited to tell her husband the news. When she got to the location of the battle, she explained to him everything she had done. He cried tears of joy and she felt so proud, she had never seen him so emotional before. All of the troops praised her and thanked her and they built her the most beautiful palace anyone had ever seen to show their gratitude to her. She proved that anything was possible and her husband thought more highly of her than ever. Hector finally realized she was much more strong and determined than the weak, sensitive woman he saw her as before.

The palace Andromache earned for her family after solving all the problems between the Greeks and Trojans.

(Photo by: Flickr)

Bibliography: Homer's Iliad- "Hector and Andromache" by A.J. Church.

Author's Note: I read the story "Hector and Andromache" from Homer's Iliad in my Week 2 reading assignment and I really enjoyed it. It gave me the inspiration to make up a new story about the relationship Hector and Andromache had. It was clear in the original story that Andromache truly loved Hector, so I used the same characters and some of the same information from the story to recreate it in a new way. I wanted to put my own spin on it, so I made the wife the hero, which is unique because stories often give men all the power. I thought it would be inspiring to have a women accomplish so much, even though no one really believed in her. My story is meant to portray the idea that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and don't doubt yourself. Andromache is able to prove to Hector just how much she is capable of by using her emotions as fuel in her plan and ends up never having to worry about being underestimated ever again. The message this story sends is more important than the actual story itself.

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad Part B

Reading Notes Part B:
"The Rousing of Achilles": This quote from the story really stood out to me. "As a lioness stands before its cubs and will not suffer the hunter to take them, so did Ajax stand before the body of Patroclus and defend it from the Trojans." In the story, the warrior Petroclus is killed and Achilles wants his arms. I liked how the story ended with a cliffhanger, it made me want to know what happened next.
"The Slaying of Hector": The part of this story that stood out to me the most was after Hector dies, Achilles pierces his ankle bones and drags his body to the ships. The story is about the war between the Greeks and the Trojans and all of the issues between Achilles and Hector leading up to his death. 
"The Ransoming of Hector": Unlike Patroclus, Hector's body was treated very poorly after his death. Zeus tells King Priam to buy Hector's body from Achilles. The story was concluded with a compromise between the King and Achilles to be at truce for 9 days leading up to Hector's funeral.

This photo depicts Hector's dead body being dragged behind a horse and carriage driven by Achilles. 

(Photo by: Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church- "The Ransoming of Hector"

Bibliography:
Homer's Lliad by A.J. Church

Reading Notes: Homer's lliad, Part A

In the story "The Quarrel" there is a big problem with the girl, Chryseis and the cities of Troy and Chryse. Eventually, the girl is taken away, but Agammemnon wants her back. Achilles is mad and doesn't want to follow Agammemnon's word.
The story "What Thetis did for her Son" starts with Thetis praying to Zeus for honour for her son Achilles. Then, Zeus's wife Hera gets in a big fight with him about keeping secrets from her. He basically tells her that she doesn't need to know everything he is doing when it isn't always her business. I think it would be fun to recreate this story into some kind of drama between Zeus, Hera and Thetis.
In Hector and Andromache, Andromache says she would want to die if she loses Hector because Achilles has killed everyone else she loved and cared about. I think it would also be fun to recreate this story and Hector and Andromache would seek revenge on Achilles.
As I read all of Part 1, I realize it is becoming hard to differentiate all the different characters that are being introduced. I am very unfamiliar with any of the Greek Gods but I am enjoying learning about all of them and what they are for.

This photo depicts Andromache falling to the ground after Achilles stabs and kills her husband Hector. 

(Photo by Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church- "The Slaying of Hector")

Bibliography:
Homer's Iliad by A.J. Church- Link

Growth Mindset

Before this assignment, I had not heard of Carol Dweck or the grown mindset before. I found the concepts from the videos on this assignment very interesting and relatable. Since I have been a cheerleader for almost my entire life, the desire to grow and improve myself physically and mentally is always a goal. I think there is always room to improve and cheerleading has made me realize that no matter how physically demanding and even dangerous it can be, it is much more mental than it is physical, much like other sports. Since I've been at OU, I have learned a lot about managing my time and the downfalls of spreading yourself too thin. It is easy to get the desire to be involved in everything possible, but I have realized that sometimes you need to give yourself some time for yourself as well. I am looking forward to exploring the growth mindset even more and applying it to my classes this semester.

(Photo by: Growth Mindset Memes blog) 

Time Strategies

I think online classes require just as much or more time management as regular classes because you are given more freedom to work at your own pace. This online class has a very large amount of assignments compared to online classes I have taken in the past, but I am prepared to finish everything by the deadlines. I read the articles "The Psychology of Checklists" by Lauren Marchese and "The Myth of Too Busy" by Tim Grahl. The article "The Psychology of Checklists" provides tips on how to make a great, effective checklist that will help you complete everything you need to do. The article "The Myth of Too Busy" encourages us to replace the term "busy" with "prioritizing my time". I really like this phrase because I think people often use being busy as an excuse to not be able to do something. If you really manage your time well and focus on the most important things, you will be shocked about how much you can accomplish.

(Photo by: The Psychology of Checklists- Lauren Marchese) 

Reading Options

Reading Options for Week 2:
1. Homer's Iliad (retold by A.J. Church)
I want to read this story because I am very unfamiliar with the Trojan War. I am looking forward to reading about the Greek hero Achilles and the Trojan hero Hector. I find the stories a little bit challenging to understand since the topics are not familiar to me, but I think the plot seems to be very interesting and worth exploring.

(Photo From: The Iliad for Boys and Girls) 

Middle Eastern and Indian Units

2. Arabian Nights (Scheherazade)

I am looking forward to reading the Aladdin and the Lamp stories in part 2 of this section. Aladdin is a character that I am familiar with and I am looking forward to seeing what unique stories are told. I am not familiar with any of the characters in part 1, but I think it will be fun to find out about these Middle Eastern tales.

Native American Units
3. Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest (Judson)
I am looking forward to this unit because I am currently taking Choctaw and I took Native American Studies in the past. These classes have expanded my horizons and introduced me to Native American lifestyle. These stories are about how the world came to be, which should be an interesting read.

Storybook Favorites

My favorite storybooks are...

1. "The Dog That Learned To Share" from The Diary of A Dog: A Daily Recount of my Ruff Life.
I like this story because I love dogs. I knew I would enjoy any story about a dog, and I think the dog in the story, Mercedes, is so adorable. The title provided a good preview of what the story would be about. The introduction also caught my attention and was a great lead in to the stories. It provided some background information about the author and her dog, the inspiration of the story. I liked how she even included the dog's perspective, it made the story more enjoyable and fun to read. All of her stories were based on true events. I think the design for the story was quite simple and the formatting could be better, but overall it looked clean and wasn't distracting.

Mercedes (Cedie) from the story 

Photo by: Emily 

2. "Move in Day" from The College of the Elite. 

I thought this story was interesting because it put a mythological spin on a real-life scenario. I chose to read this story because I found it relatable since it was about girls going to college. Although neither of them wanted a roommate, the unlikely duo of a siren and a banshee turned into a normal friendship. I think the introduction did a great job of introducing the characters from the stories and the design and layout looked great. 

Screenshot of text messages exchanged between one of the college girls and her mother, which leads readers to believe things are not starting out well.

Photo by: Katie 

3. "Leah and Rachel: Part 1" from E! News Special: Diary Reveal. 

The "E! News" part of the title is what inclined me to read the story. I like E! News so I figured the story would be filled with drama and excitement. As I began to read, I realized the story was based off a story in the Bible and I was very entertained by it. The physical layout of the pages were good and it was easy to get from one story to another. The introduction was fun and kept the news report theme going. 

Introduction to an OU cheerleader

Hi! My name is Jamie Andries and I am a Junior Public Relations major. I love being a PR major because one of the main focuses is communicating with others and I enjoy being able to meet and socialize with new people. I am a cheerleader here at OU, so I spend a lot of time at practice and cheering at games for football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and soccer. I have been a cheerleader since I was 7 years old and I love being able to continue doing what I love while I'm in college. Besides cheerleading, my favorite things to do are workout, shopping and traveling. I love shopping so much because I am very interested in fashion and I would love to have my own store or clothing line after I graduate. I travel pretty often and have been to some really fun places, but I have never left the country. My goal this summer is to travel to at least one other country and I would really like to go to Paris or Australia. My favorite places I have been to are New York City, Florida and California. I love how busy it always is in NYC and I also love to go shopping there. It definitely isn't a city that suits everyone, but I think it would be fun to live there at some point.

I am from Allen, Texas and I have lived there since I was 5 years old. I have a Yorkie named Nike and I love her so much! I have my parents bring her to me in Norman any chance I can get since she can't permanently stay here with me.

I am also a Pi Beta Phi here at OU. I like greek life because it allows me to get involved on campus through philanthropic activities and other events just for fun. Being a cheerleader and a Pi Phi definitely keeps me busy, but I wouldn't want it any other way!

(Photo by: Jamie Andries)

I never thought I would be one of the girls wearing oversized t-shirts, decorating myself with greek letters and glitter, but it sure is fun!

(Photo by: Unknown)

The sidelines are definitely my happy place. I love football season so much and I cherish all the moments I get to cheer on the Sooners. It is such an amazing feeling to do what I love in front of thousands of Sooner fans. Boomer Sooner!! 

(Photo by: Jamie Andries) 

As you can see, I love to go to the gym to workout. (lol)

(Photo by: Jamie Andries)

New York City. You can't take cheerleaders to the city and not expect some stunts get thrown! The past two summers I have had the amazing experience of coaching cheer camps all around the country. I made tons of new friends and memories as I traveled to new places with the friends I work with. 

Week 1 Story: Robbin the Bobbin

(Photo From: Pixabay) 

Robbin is most definitely the largest man in the entire world. He is a man who is demanding, controlling and just plain pushy. No one ever wants to be around him because, to put it simply, he is a big burden. Not only that, he eats everything in sight. Robbin lives in a small neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts and none of his neighbors like to associate with him. Most people say they don't see Robbin anywhere except the grocery store and restaurants. The problem is, he is eating all of the food that is supposed to be for the entire community and there is never enough left to feed anyone else. He eats enough to feed about 100 people each day. Every time he makes a trip to the grocery store, he almost clears out every aisle. His home is filled with food; each room has been made into extra pantries to store all his food in. If someone doesn't put this man on a diet, the food shortages will never get better! His neighbors are worried about him hogging all the fresh food. They say, "He doesn't care about anyone but himself!" 

One day, a women is determined to put a stop to his ridiculous eating habits. She puts on her favorite workout outfit and marches over to his house with her personal trainer by her side. They pound on his door until he dramatically swings it open. The two women couldn't help but stare at Robbin in shock. He just never stops getting bigger and bigger. They start by asking if they can come in. He scolds, "What do you two want, I'm busy!" The trainer took a deep breath and asked the man if they could discuss a dietary plan. 

That was a big mistake. The man roared with anger and slammed the door in their face. Although their plan was not successful, a moving truck was seen in front of his house just a few days later. Men were loading up all of his food into the truck and he took off, never to be seen again. 

Author's Note: 

In the original tale, Robbin the Bobbin eats a cow, an ox, the church, the steeple and all of the people. I recreated the story, using the same character and theme, but I changed the plot to something a little bit more realistic (but still very exaggerated). 

Bibliography: This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Robbin the Bobbin" in The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang. Web Source.

My Favorite Place... La Jolla California

 La Jolla, California. My favorite place that I have been to is La Jolla, California. I absolutely love the beach and I hope to live somewhere with beautiful beaches someday. I have some amazing memories from La Jolla and I could never get tired of the view. The last time I was there this summer, there were so many sea lions on the shore, so close you could touch them (even though you shouldn't). Although I hate getting in the water, I love being at the beach to get a tan and relax. I can't wait to go back to La Jolla again next summer to enjoy the perfect weather. Life is better by the sea!

Photo From: Flickr

The sea lions weren't bothered by all the people around. They laid in the sun and let everyone take their photos. This is a photo of me trying to get a sea lion to look at the camera (it didn't go as planned). 

My friend and I explored some of the cliffs and caves at the beach and took a lot of photos of the amazing scenery. 

The sea lions are sunbathing again in this photo. There were also a lot of people snorkeling to see all the sea life. 

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