SENIOR. PROM. was. AMAZING!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was watching Mrs. Doubtfire with my nephew one night. He is 14 years old, so he's not much younger than me. We're basically sisters and brothers because we grew up together. My oldest sister is 31, plus she had him young. Anyway, when my nephew and I were younger, we found it absolutely hilarious and thrilling to dress him up like Mrs. Doubtfire.
If you haven't seen the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, I'll fill you in a bit. The movie is about a husband and a wife who get divorced. The husband decides to take on a babysitting job for his ex-wife.. only, she doesn't really know it is him. He disguises himself by dressing like an old lady. The movie is so funny and as children we watched that movie only like a million times! Anyway, the reason I caught myself thinking sociologically is because we have been talking about gender roles in class and I remember the fact that we dressed my nephew up as a girl when we were younger and that was not acceptable to my older sister. It was so much fun dressing Jared in my summer dresses and putting girly Halloween wigs on him with a tiny bit of lipstick. Sometimes we would even paint his nails (something his dad would freak out about). We truly found it hilarious as kids. But when my sister would come pick him up after work, and he was still dressed like that.. she would not be okay with it. She would laugh and say he looks real cute, but I also remember her mentioning, "If Jared turns out gay, I'm going to remember what you girls did to him!" She would blab on about how we can't teach him that wearing dresses and nail polish is okay. Well 10 years later, Jared is not gay. He has a girlfriend (unfortunately), and is doing well in school. This goes to show that some activities are more acceptable to one gender, rather than the other. In the end, we all had fun and everything was harmless!

Even on my weakest days I get a little bit stronger

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when we were watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding in class. It reminded me of a wedding I went to over the summer. I didn't actually know any of the people there except for my date. I was invited to this Hispanic wedding. It was actually my first wedding I attended. The other weddding I've been to I was the flower girl and I was about eight years old. So I didn't really know what to expect from this wedding. When I got to the reception everyone was very friendly and the food was good. After food, drinks, toasts, and many pictures everyone started to dance. At this point I was having a blast dancing with my date Dan. Suddenly, it was time for the bride and groom to do their traditional dances. Their families started dancing around them and the bride's family was dancing with a basket of chicken legs (I think). I asked Dan why they were doing that and he said it was a culture tradition for her from the little town in Mexico she was from. I don't remember what the groom's family did for him, but now that I look back on it.. that was sort of a culture clash! Each culture had their own way of celebrating the wedding, but in the end they worked it out! And I must conclude, that was ONE GREAT WEDDING! 

Ps. Have a great Spring Break Mrs. Haas!!

I forgot to do my blog for last Friday (March 18th) ... So here it is!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was standing next to a manican in the Express store at Westfield Mall. I was going to do my folkway project as a manican and see how people react. Well actually I did break that folkway, however, I decided not to do that one as my project. Anyway, as I stood there as a model for about 5 minutes. Several people walked by. Many gave me weird and awkward stares. Others laughed and most seemed just super confused. I thought this was a great example of breaking a folkway because nobody randomly becomes a model manican in the middle of a shopping center.

I am oovoo-ing right now :)

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was working at Sears on Wednesday! I noticed two people talking in front of my cash register while shopping. On the opposite end of my cash register I spotted a group of punks walking towards the other couple shopping. As they walked closer and closer and started to pass I witnessed one guy walk through the couple rather than around the couple. I immediately realized that the kid just broke a folkway. Normally when two people are talking you have the common courtesy to walk around them rather than through them. But I also realized that it's only a folkway because society won't shun you for it. He was simply being a goofball. :)

American Symbols!

This fabulous picture of the obese Statue of Liberty holding a large coke and an extra large burger reperesents America because Americans are so fast paced and lazy. Many Americans eat McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and countless other fast food places daily. American's rely on fast food when they can't actually make themselves a real meal. Others are too lazy so they also rely fast food restaurants for food.  

This Ford SUV also symbolizes America because Americans rely on vehicles for transportation. Without cars, not too many Americans would leave their homes. Other countries like China and parts of Africa don't use cars too often, yet us Americans wouldn't be able to do normal daily functions without a vehicle.

This colorful display of ipods is another perfect example of something that symbolizes America. Americans are so obsessed with advancing technology. Nothing is ever "good enough" for us. Every few months big companies like Apple come out with more unique, more slick, and more advanced electronic devices to satisfy Americans.

Public Display of Affection. Sex on TV. Whatever you want to call it.. America is obsessed with it. In America today, it is socially acceptable to talk about sex and show large amounts of PDA in public. Sex is all over television, magazines and millions of movies. Sex on television is normal now. Americans crave sex scenes. My mother told me that back in the 1960's a husband and wife in t.v. shows and movies were not even allowed to show themselves sleeping in the same bed. Other cultures look down upon American culture because we allow women to wear less clothing, men and women to display sex in movies and we socially accept PDA. For example: the Indian culture does not even allow men and women to kiss in public and their women have to wear plenty of modest clothing.

You Smile, I Smile :]

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I left class Thursday. I could not stop thinking about how different some cultures really are and how we really have to understand other cultures in order to communicate with them and to show respect. For example, in the American culture it is socially acceptable for women to wear very little clothing in the appropriate weather conditions. It is acceptable for woman to show themselves in bikinis and it is appropriate for women to show their faces. In other cultures like Indian cultures women have to hide themselves in dark clothing and can show very little of themselves. Most of the time those women can only show their eyes. This is a perfect example of totally different cultures!

Exactly 41 days until my 18th birthday! :)

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was sitting in a desk at Geneva High School on Saturday morning. I was trapped in a classroom with 14 different people I did not know. I was attending a driving course called "Alive @ 25" because back in September of 2010 I got a speeding ticket. This class was at 8am and ran until noon. Anyway, while sitting there listening to other's stories of why they were required to attend this course, it totally reminded me of the movie The Breakfast Club we watched in class! I was brought to one classroom with a group of people I didn't know and we all shared stories of why we were there. It reminded me of the part in the movie when they all get together and shared their stories! Some people were at that class because they didn't completely stop at a stop sign, or they ran red lights or they failed to use their turning signal. Others, like me for example, were there because they got a speeding ticket(s). Just like in The Breakfast Club, everyone was in Saturday morning detention for several different reasons.

This is the story of a girl who cried a river and drowned the whole world!

All of a sudden I found myself thinking sociologically when I was enjoying my two days off because we got too much snow! Actually I don't know if I can say I found myself thinking sociologically, but I was definitely thinking about sociology class! Since we got too much snow that nobody could really do anything or go anywhere, I decided to start doing a puzzle with my younger sister Alice! She is 12 years old and starting and finishing a 300 piece puzzle with her really gave us some bonding time! And I was happy because I always find myself busy, busy, busy with work and school and schoolwork. So I'm not only glad that we didn't have school for two day, I'm also glad I got to spend some quality time with my family. :)

Also, I just want to say I am really excited to get our surveys back so we can pass them out! I can't wait to see the responses of teenagers about their reactions to theft! Oh, and I can't wait for the [second] weekend!

I will always have random titles!

All of a sudden, I found myself thinking sociologically when I was sitting in sociology class. We were beginning the worksheet "Meet the Sociologists". When we began to learn about Jane Addams it had me remembering.  I was remembering a mission trip I went on with my church in the summer between my 7th and 8th grade year. We traveled to the bad, run-down neighborhoods of New York. We were all put into groups and were assigned different missions. My team was sent over to this house called the Hannah House.

The Hannah House was a house for women and children to go for a place of food, shelter, warmth, love, care, clothes, showers, and whatever else these needy women and children needed. This house was ran by a lady who just had a huge heart for helping others. While there, my team saw and met many women who stopped in to get free clothes and a glass of milk or even just pick up a pamphlet about God. (We were on a mission trip after all!) Anyway, this lady and the Hannah House reminded me of Jane Addams and the Hull House in Chicago! Jane Addams was a sweet lady who had a huge heart for helping women and children as well. Her main focus was women's suffrage and the imbalance of power between men and women. She also worked hugely on world peace. And although this lady at the Hannah House couldn't really show the world peace, she definitely showed this neighborhood a place of peace and a place of love. I definitely respect both of these women for the work that they have done to make this world a better place!

Who am I?

My name is April Joy and I am an interesting person! I love people! I also love wiener dogs! I was born in Geneva, IL in the fabulous year of 1993. And if you were wondering.. yes! I was born in APRIL! The tenth day to be exact! Anyway, I like spending my time driving. It really relaxes me. I can play whatever music I want to hear and for the most part as loudly as I’d like to hear it. Plus, I love my car. I drive a 2001 Mercury Cougar. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family. Traditional values like religion and God are very important to me too. I am an active member at Living Lord Lutheran Church and I have been going there for 17 years. America is also a huge part of my life! I’ve never traveled outside of the U.S. and for the most part I do NOT want to. I am a happy person here and I am so thankful to live here. I am very thankful for all the freedom we have and I never want to take it for granted.
Some of the biggest influences on my life are the actions of my friends and family members. My best friend Stevie Rae, really knows how to treat people nicely. Everyday she shows me how to love one another with way she treats others.
My mother is also a huge influence on my life because she teaches me how to be strong. My mother struggles with obstacles in her life, but the way she handles them shows me how to be strong and overcome negatives that life throws at us.
My future hopes are that I can be a successful lady and show the world that loving one another is possible. In the Fall of 2011 I plan to go to college in Nashville, Tennessee. I got accepted to a school called Lipscomb University! I really love the south so I hope that I can afford to go to school down there. I've applied for a few scholarships and FAFSA, so hopefully I can go there! :)