Get lost in a book! (a.k.a. media memoir)

How could you not want to see that movie? I had the 1973 version when I was a kid. That song, Chin Up, brightens my day every time I hear it.

Before we could read on our own, my parents read to my sister, Leah, and I. My dad’s favorites were out of a book of bedtime stories—this included Rumplestiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and other classics; it was a treat for our Dad to read to us, as he was often tired when he came home from work. My Mom read to us most days out of our favorite picture books: Goodnight Moon, Snowflake Bentley, Where the River Ends, and more. We had quite the collection. I learned to read pretty early on during elementary school and I remember the first chapter book I ever finished was E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (and it is still one of my favorite stories). The Little House on the Prairie series followed in its entirety, as well as The Boxcar Children.

As a child, I was a complete and total bookworm. I would spend entire days lying on my bed, lost in a book. During our many family camping trips to Vermont State Parks during the summer vacations, my activity of choice was to read for hours. My sister always got frustrated because she wanted to explore, but I was content sitting near the fire having my own adventures within fantasy novels. Although my parents always encouraged my love of reading, they didn’t really have to. I went above and beyond when it came to meeting my 20-minute reading quota for every day.

When J.K. Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was released, I truly fell in love. I thought I loved reading before, but I had no idea. Every year, I went to the book premiers at midnight and stayed up all night reading. While I was reading, believed I was part of the story. The photo on the left, taken by Ruby Kane, is my dear friend, Hannah Faesy, and I getting our copies of the 7th Harry Potter book at midnight. (Don't judge us based on our smiles...it was late, we had braces...) It’s still one of my traditions to re-read the entire Harry Potter series every summer. However, as soon as I hit junior year of high school, it all went downhill. I began to resent reading, because I only had time for what was assigned for various classes, and Ernest Hemmingway and Joseph Heller weren’t really my cups of tea. I also discovered a tool called Sparknotes that summarized unappealing chapters online.

As for the rest of my family, they didn’t love reading like I did. Although my parents supported my reading habits, they rarely read themselves. My parents are both hard working and busy, they did not have a lot of spare time and when they did they were often too tired to read. However, when they did get a chance to read, which was really only when we took vacations, they really enjoyed it. I took this photo of my Dad, Kelly, reading The Sun Also Rises on the beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico. My sister dappled in reading when she was younger but it was never really her thing. However, both my sister and my parents were involved in my love of reading. Sometimes I read out loud after dinner. Most nights, they shut my reading light off after I had fallen asleep. I was always frustrated in the morning when they forgot to save my page.

My love of books increased my use of other mediums, as I’m sure it did for many of you. Books I loved were turned into movies that I would then watch. Musical scores were created for those movies that fit specific passages in books. Podcasts were developed to discuss and analyze book series. The picture on the right are my roommates, Jill Spies, and Sophie Stern, and I dressed up for the premier of the latest Harry Potter movie, taken by self-timer. Podcasts were perhaps the most influential on my life today. Since I got my very first iPod, in my sophomore year of high school, I have been listening to a podcast about Harry Potter theories and discussion. Because of this, I found other podcasts I like, as well. I also have expanded my use of technology. Without reading, I do not think I would be as studious, imaginative, creative, sensitive, or empathetic. Even though it is an activity that I often did on my own, my family definitely had an effect on my extensive experience with books.

At this point in my life, I would still call myself a reader. However, it is challenging enough to keep up with assigned readings for classes, so I do not often have spare time for recreational reading. Whenever I do have the time, I take advantage of it. To me, getting lost in a book is like a miniature vacation I can take any time I want.

Hello out there!

Welcome to my first blog post! I called it Ginger Snap because, as you've probably realized, I'm a ginger. And I also love baking (and eating) ginger snaps! Wow, I just sat here for ten minutes wondering what to say to the world. I guess I will start by introducing myself to y'all. I'm Amelia, a junior at the University of Vermont, an environmental studies major and a community and international development minor. I grew up here, in this very beautiful state, in the town of Starksboro. My original interest in both the environment and community development started right there, in that little town. My family makes maple syrup (and runs a small country store...how Vermont can you get?) so I've spent quite a bit of time among the trees. Vermont's landscape was what inspired me to study the environment and ways to protect it. That's me in the picture above at the Bristol Cliffs. The photo was taken by my best friend in the whole world, Bella Stachowski.

Since my childhood, I've done a lot to pursue my interests in the environment. In high school, a couple of my friends and I piled into a car and drove down to Washington, D.C. for Powershift 2009! The picture on the right was taken by an unknown powershift-er at the Powershift Rally on the White House lawn. I was also a founding member of my high school's Environmental Action Club. With the club, I visited Costa Rica through the organization EcoTeach, where I learned about sustainable agriculture and wildlife conservation! Because I grew up in such a rural area, I also wanted to learn more about development.

The summer after my freshman year of college, I wanted to get out of Vermont for a little bit, and while considering my interests in agriculture, as well as my travel bug (I've had one ever since I went to Ghana in 2007), I decided to volunteer at a couple farms through WWOOF in Belgium and the Netherlands. It was an absolutely amazing experience. I ended up exploring Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and Spain while I was in Europe! The photo below is me with all of the lettuce at De Stek Farm in Lelystad, the Netherlands; it was taken with a self-timer.

Alright, here's a little bit more about me! Fall is my favorite time of year. My favorite past times include swimming, (at Bartlett Falls [the photo above was taken by a self-timer there!] or Kingsland Bay) grilling, camping, hiking, traveling, roadtrips, adventures, dancing, dance parties, doing Zumba, going to farmer's markets, baking, picnics, reading Harry Potter, skiing, and most of all, being with friends and family. If you want to get down to an awesome band, watch the video below!

Yeah, that's Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, my favorite band in the world! I've seen them seven times.

Anyway, I'm happy to be back up in Burlington. This is a great city to live in and it's going to be an exciting semester. Alright, that's all for now! Have wonderful days, all of you!