JANUARY 2011

My friend Troy made these beautiful luminaries for New Years and I got some pretty decent pics of them with my hokey little camera!

FEBRUARY 2011

The hubby and I had a super fun fondue party for Valentine’s Day with a few close friends!

MARCH 2011

In March, I performed a wedding for a couple from North Dakota.  Hubby and I had a fantastic time!

GOTTA have the Jameson!!!!!

APRIL 2011

In April, me, my hubby, and my son participated in the Fraser Walk for Autism at the Mall of America.  My nephew, Luca has Autism and we wanted to show our support for an organization that has helped many, many children with Autism and families of children with Autism.  You can learn more about Fraser here:  http://www.fraser.org/.  It was really well done and a lot of fun!    I plan to participate again this year!

MAY 2011

My hubby and I attended a Toga themed party.  It was a blast!

I also performed a wedding for two friends on May Day in Duluth, MN.  It was cold, but beautiful!

Also in May was Easter.  Time with family!

My son and my niece

May was a SUPER busy month!  I went to a “Facebook Mom’s Night Out” with a bunch of friends from high school I hadn’t seen in forever!  It was an absolute blast!

Me and my friend, Amy.  Even though she’s giving me bunny ears, I still like this pic, LOL!

JUNE 2011

In June, I took my son to the Twin Cities Pride Parade for the first time.  I very firmly believe in equal rights for everyone.  EVERYONE.  I wanted to pass some of this on to my son in a fun, yet educational way.  He had a blast!

JULY 2011

In July, we went to Cumberland, WI to have a family reunion on my dad’s side of the family.  It was wonderful to see so much of our family all in one place and the weather was perfect!

Hubby shucking corn.  :)

My youngest sister Angie and her boyfriend, Tom.

My middle sister, Jennie with her best friend, Vanessa.

My son, about to take a whack at the pinata!

Dad, Mom, me, and my sisters

Of course, it’s not July without celebrating the 4th!  We went Downtown, Stillwater to watch the fireworks!

AUGUST 2011

Unfortunately, the laptop I purchased in April of 2011 ended up with a failed hard disk in the middle of September.  Consequently, I lost all photos from August 2011, photos of a wedding I performed for a friend from high school, and photos of my son’s birthday.  I was sad to lose them.  :(

SEPTEMBER 2011

Procrastination paid off a little in September because I didn’t upload a lot of the pics from that month right away, so they were not lost with the others from the failed hard disk fiasco.  Hubby and I took our kiddo to the Renaissance Festival as we do every year and we had a blast!

In September, I caught a fun moment with three of my friends at a going away party for one of them.  I love these ladies!

Me and my friend Emily

Last but not least, in September I also had the honor of being personal attendant for a wedding for a wonderful couple!

OCTOBER 2011

In October, me, hubby and kiddo went to my aunt’s retirement party.  It was nice to see family, as it always is, and it was the last time I got to see my Uncle Sal alive and kicking.  I will forever cherish that.

My great aunts!

Cousins!

More cousins!

I love October… it’s the month I married my husband and there’s also Halloween!  My favorite holiday!

My favorite boys carving pumpkins!

My gruesome zombie kid!

The Red Queen and Mad Hatter!

Me and my sisters

NOVEMBER 2011

November really didn’t have many events, but I did manage to take quite a few random photos with friends and family.

Our fur babies, Lily and Asher

Hubby and Lily

Love my purple streaks!

Ready for a night out!

DECEMBER 2011

December flew by faster than I could keep up with, which is what usually happens.  First thing I got pics of was a Christmas celebration for my dad’s side of the family.

My dad, his brother, and two sisters

Me and my cousin Frankie who is like a brother to me

And of course, there were a lot more Christmas celebrations, and a lot more pics!

We had Hot Dagos for Christmas with my Dad’s super awesome sauce!

My mom’s Bruschetta

Panzanella Salad

Mom and Dad in the kitchen

The tree at my parents’ house

My dad’s sauce! YUM!

Pasta!!!!

Lily loves to curl up on Hubby’s jacket

Some nice family pics  :)

Christmas at my sister in law’s house

This past year has been a very good one for me.  Lots of changes, lots of tough decisions.  One thing I didn’t portray in pictures is my biggest decision of the year; to go back to school after twenty years.  It has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made!!!!!  I am very happy with the way things are at present and am looking forward to seeing what 2012 will hold for me, my family, and my friends.  I wish you all a safe and happy New Year!  May 2012 bring everyone extraordinarily wonderful adventures!

In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about the things I am most grateful for throughout my morning.  My life in just the past six months has completely turned around in the most positive ways.  There is so much more to life for me now and I can’t help but smile about it and try to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible.

Here are the things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving 2011:

1.  First and foremost, FAMILY.  They are always my first priority and I love my family through the good, the bad, and the ugly.  They are my rock, my reason for striving for better in life.  This includes my extended family as well.  I feel that I on both my mom’s side and my dad’s side we are a very close, tightly knit family unit.  We always have each other’s backs and that is a pleasantly rare thing.

2.  Second, I am grateful for my FRIENDS.  Like my family, my friends are always there for me and have my back.  There are a small handful that I could not ever do without.  My sista from anotha mutha, the Princess, the Monkey, Ms. Blekum, X and T, DL and his wonderful girl, and then there’s our “alternate family” friends as a whole group.  They are so much more than my hubby and I could ever ask for!  I love you guys, and if I don’t say it enough, I will rectify that!  I appreciate all of you for the unique, fantastic, fabulous, beautiful people you are and I am so thankful to have you all in my life in one way or another.

3.  Third, I am grateful for MY JOB.  I absolutely 100% feel as though I have finally found a place to work where I can have fun, I fit in, and it’s so perfect in so many ways, one of them being that it is SUPER close to home!!!  Who can complain with a commute like that, right?  I have awesome co-workers and I absolutely LOVE what I’m doing!   YAY for being employed in a still iffy economy as well!!!!

4.  Last but most certainly NOT least, I am grateful for SCHOOL.  Going back to school after twenty years was scary as hell.  I was worried that I was too stupid to do well.  I worried that I would cave and not finish, that I wouldn’t like the classes, that I wouldn’t be able to do all of the homework.  I am delighted to say that I was SO WRONG!!!!!!!  School has opened up an entirely new world to me and also has shown me just how much I am capable of.  If my sister, Jennie wouldn’t have bugged me to get off my ass and try, I would never have taken the steps to do it.  Thanks, Jen, Jen!!!!!!!  I’m loving school and so happy I took the chance!!!!!!

So there is my short list.  There are a lot more things I am grateful for, but we would be here forever, lol!!!

Today when you are all out doing your various visiting, cooking, eating, drinking… whatever other activities that strike your fancy, really take a moment to stop and truly SEE the wonderful things in your life.  It makes it so much more worth living!!!!!!!

Have a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Image from buzzstation.net

***Warning:  This post contains spoilers.

Wow.  What an episode last night!  Sutter has been powerfully jamming so much content into an hour’s span of time, it’s almost been tough to keep up!  But, it has also kept his fans engaged and perpetually on the edge of their seats.  The most intense feeling I got from this episode from the very beginning is that something is off.  Ever since season three’s finale last year, I have been hesitant to take anything at face value.  I underestimated Jax’s talent for Machiavellian moves.  I am not making the same mistake this season.  In this respect, everything starts to turn into a giant mind fuck.  The only question is, who is going to be dishing it out and who is going to be taking it?

Things with the cartel are getting far too out of hand, we all knew that.  How are the boys going to get themselves out of that mess?  It has been a question which has plagued my mind since the club voted in the drugs.  When the IRA wanted nothing to do with the cartel, maybe that should have been their first clue????

Then we have the issue of Juice, the sheriff and Lincoln Potter.  What the hell is going on with that?  He had no reason to play the rat anymore!  Why is he caving?  In relation to Potter…. I’m dying to see what comes of Bobby.  I feel like there should be some hidden meanings we should be seeing in these turns of events, however, it’s boggling to try to understand the way Kurt Sutter’s mind works at any given point in time.  And I LOVE that!!!!!

The whole issue of Jax’s ex wife Wendy coming back into the picture to be an irritating pain in everyone’s ass is something I really could have done without, but I’m sure that is why Sutter chose to throw her in there.  Wendy had to reappear at some point, as her storyline never really ended.  It’s just logical that she would come back to Charming.

Poor Opie.  He’s officially cracked, and with more than good reason.  The way I can see things is Gemma sort of orchestrated and is still orchestrating events that are occurring and will continue to occur.  Gemma is the matriarch, the Lioness protecting her den, even if what she is doing is a bit twisted at times to those of us on the outside looking in.  For instance, what did she mean by the fact that she was “protecting what it took twenty God damned years to build.”  That could mean quite a few things…. any guesses?

The whole Bobby and Otto thing was just weird.  I can’t help but feeling things are not what they seem and I’m hoping there is a very good reason (other than what might be the obvious) that Otto gave up intel on the Sons.  Did Otto really want revenge on Bobby?  Or is there an underlying scheme here?  What the hell???? In a way, it seemed like justice was served.  An eye for an eye, so to speak.  But is that all there is to the story?  We could look at it in the way that Otto really had nothing left to lose anymore.  He really didn’t.

The “baby factory” element was just stupid.  I’m hoping it has some higher meaning, because it just made no sense why Sutter chose to stick that in the middle of the episode.  The main thing I got from this part was that the IRA is now thinking Jax is a loose cannon which may come back to bite him.

Clay meeting with Tara was really nerve wracking.  I couldn’t tell what he was going to do, if anything, but the set of balls on that man is just uncanny.  He is so full of shit and arrogance.  He’s never honest and has proven time and again that he is only out for his benefit and his alone.  I love the sort of “Godfather” reference when Gemma kisses him and tells him she loves him. It felt like she was issuing Clay a death sentence.  And I think he knew it.

I wanna know what kind of “truth” Gemma could tell Tara or Jax.  The “buckets” of it!  Let’s have it, woman!!!!!  I can’t wait to find out what she’s got up her sleeve!!!!

I’m sad that Jax and Opie had the confrontation they did, but it was one of those things that was going to happen eventually.   I can’t believe Jax stood up for Clay.  Yes, he has a duty, but Clay is not doing anyone in the club any good.  Opie had a perfect right to feel what he did.  It was sad when Opie threw Piney’s cut into the fire.  :(

I love that Opie wanted to kill Clay while he was at the gavel.  Nice touch, Ope.  I was truly disgusted but not surprised that Clay still tried to lie his way out of it and then had the balls to call Donna’s death “ancient history.”  What an ass.  I will admit, I cheered when Opie shot Clay.  I was pissed as hell it stopped right at that moment, but what do we expect, right?  Now we are left with this ugly feeling.  Bobby is thrown in the clink, Juice is hiding out in the cell next door to him, Tara sits at home, still in danger and in a daze from all that has happened, and Opie shoots Clay despite Jax’s efforts to prevent it.  BUT, is Clay dead?????  That is the real question we want answered.  Too bad it’s going to take a whole week to find out!!!!

Picture from George Stuart's Gallery of Historical Figures

It’s been quite a while since I have written anything, so I felt it was high time I did something to change that fact.  This past Fall, I made a life changing decision to go back to school with a focus on my writing and have been enjoying it immensely.  One of the classes I am taking is British Literature.  Can we say, “No brainer?”  I love the class just as much as I thought I would.

My professor talked to the entire class about an Honors Project which is purely optional, but I was immediately intrigued.  After obtaining more information about the requirements, I decided to go for it and my topic would be…. what else?  Anne Boleyn!!!!!!  Keep this in mind:  I had not went on to college after high school, nor have I set foot in a classroom in about 20 years.  I knew I was striving for a lot when I agreed to try for an honors grade in British Literature, but I was confident I would be able to handle it.

As it turns out, the project was just what I needed to validate my feelings towards my skills as a writer, a researcher, and a presenter.  My best friend helped me with the artsy fartsy part of my project, and helped me to create an amazing Power Point presentation, but the rest was ALL ME.

My obsession with England’s most controversial Queen Consort paid off in a big way and all the years I had spent researching the history of her life helped tremendously when putting words to paper.

My professor loved my presentation!!!  He told me it was very well done!  When I later asked him about my chance of getting the Honors part of the grade, he let me know that I have it!!!!  :)  It’s so exciting!!!!

I have decided to post a few excerpts from my honors research paper during the next few weeks.  I hope you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

As some of you may know, I live in the beautiful St. Croix River Valley…. Stillwater to be exact.  Ever since I was a child, I have always loved being here, of all the places I have lived (and there are many), Stillwater has always felt like home to me.  Don’t get me wrong.  It has it’s share of traffic issues, political issues, small town gossip, etc, but honestly, there is no place else I would rather live.

There is a lot of history here, some of it widely known, some of it untouched.  I have been thinking about this a lot lately, partly because of the fact that I love researching history, and partly because I am concerned that some of the beauty and history will be wiped out very soon.

Yesterday, I was compelled after leaving work to go Downtown Stillwater and snap some pictures.  The quickly melting ice and rising level of the St. Croix has me really worried about the possible outcome of the flooding this year.  Maybe the devastation in Japan has me appreciating my immediate surroundings more, who knows?  All I know is that I really feel for the proprietors and homeowners along the rivers that will be affected by this year’s flooding.

And.. then there is the bridge.  The Stillwater Lift Bridge is a historical landmark that has had much controversy over the last 20 years.  I won’t go into that right now……..but I will say that I feel it’s dangerous and in terrible shape.  If the river gets high enough, or the currents get strong enough, it may take that decision right out of anyone’s hands.  It could very possibly be swept away.  Thus, the end reason why I decided I wanted to go down and take pictures of it.  It sounds grim and rather negative, but I wanted to appreciate it before it came to a point where I couldn’t appreciate it any longer.

Without further adieu, I give you my pictures of Downtown Stillwater and the Stillwater Lift Bridge.  My humble tribute to the place I call home.  :)

(The Water Street Inn’s parking lot is completely blocked off right now.)

(This is by the Water Street Inn.  They are so close to the water, it’s scary.)

(You can see how close the water is to the bottom of the bridge here.)

(This is over by the Dock Cafe)

This Winter, I have noticed many things that seemed different to me than any other previous Winter.  It seems people have just gotten REALLY cranky, not to mention downright ANTSY waiting for all this snow to melt.  But, this year, it’s a double edged sword, especially since there will be a LOT of flooding of the rivers this year.  Living so close to Downtown Stillwater, I have seen the river rise almost overnight and it’s scary.  It makes me concerned for those who have property or a job down there.  Not even half the snow and ice on the river has melted and it’s already getting too close for comfort at the Water Street Inn.

I’m just really grateful to have survived this grueling Winter with most of my sanity intact!  It wasn’t easy, but keeping active has really helped with this last part of the frosty season.  So, my readers…. how did you survive this Winter?  What kept you moving forward instead of hiding in your nice warm beds?  If I get enough interesting answers, I may have to come up with a prize for the most unique.  

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!

Getting back on track, I will be posting biographies on Mondays and having Weeds Wednesdays coming back as well, so stay tuned!

For anyone who has had Gastric Bypass surgery and wants to learn how to enjoy foods you once loved again, I have found the blog for you!!!!  Happynomnom is a blog that was created by my wonderful friend, Emily,  that offers alternative recipes to every day foods and desserts!  She has worked very hard on some of the recipes, including her delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes!  I can tell you personally, she left some at my house last weekend and my husband and I were fighting over them, lol!  :)

Emily experiments with the recipes, using alternatives to sugar and other things that are very difficult to digest for a person who has had Gastric Bypass.  She shares the best results with her readers along with super delectable pictures of her creations!  It’s a great way to eat healthier even if you did not have the surgery!  I have found myself really enjoying the things I have tried so far!  So, what are you waiting for?  Get your foodie selves out to the website and see for yourself!

Here is a direct link: http://happynomnom.wordpress.com/

Bon appetit!

When most people think of Katey Sagal, they associate her most popularly with three characters she has played.  First and foremost, Peg Bundy, from the popular TV sitcom,  Married With Children.  Who could forget Al Bundy’s oversexed, cigarette smoking, bouffant wearing, bon bon eating, crazy wife?  Some people also think of her character, Leela, on the animated, short-lived series by Matt Groening, Futurama. Most recently, she is associated with her newest and I think her most controversial character so far, Gemma Teller, on the FX series, Sons of Anarchy. No matter which character you think of first, she has captivated the music, television and film industries for years, and I really enjoyed doing my research on her!  She is a person who has so many wonderful and deep facets to her personality and her life, and it was really great to learn more about her.

(Image found via random Google Search)

Her Early Years

Katey Sagal was born Catherine Louise Sagal, on January 19th, 1954 to Boris Sagal, a noted TV and film director, and Sarah Zwilling, a director and singer, in Los Angeles, California.  Katey grew up in a large family, being one of five children.  Three of her siblings also became actors.  She was bitten by the “showbiz bug” at the early age of five, studying voice and acting at the California Institute of Arts in Valencia, California.

(Image from bundyology.com)

Early Adulthood and Career

Katey’s early adulthood was such a mix of heartbreak and win.  While she met with success as a singer, she lost both of her parents far too soon.  Her mother, Sarah, died of heart disease (date unknown), and her father, Boris died on the set while filming the television movie, World War III in 1981.

While working as a waitress, Katey started performing with the band, The Group With No Name, and caught a break when she met Gene Simmons of Kiss in 1978. He asked her to sing background vocals on his self-titled solo album.  She was then hired in 1979 by Bette Midler for a tour to sing back up vocals as one of “The Harlettes.”

Katey quickly gained valuable experience as well as a name for herself as a backup recording singer, working with established musicians such as Tanya Tucker, Olivia Newton-John and the great Etta James.  It is very clear that music was and is a first love and a passion for her.

During the time of 1978-1981, Katey was married to bass player Freddie Beckmeyer.  This would be the first of three marriages.

Sagal was discovered in 1985 while performing in an onstage musical and was cast opposite Mary Tyler Moore in a TV series called Mary. It was not long before she was spotted and cast as the colorful character, “Peg Bundy,” in Married With Children. Katey showed up for her audition wearing the big bouffant wig as a way to convey how she saw Peg.  It worked fantastically and the producers loved the look and transitioned it into the show.  It quickly became one of Peg… and Katey’s signature trademarks.  Everyone who knew who Peg Bundy was thought first of the big red hair.  Although the character was essentially very shallow, and selfish, there was always something about Sagal that made you root for Peg.  She was my favorite character on the show, so maybe I’m a bit biased, lol!

(Image from makethelist.net)

In 1991, Katey discovered that she was pregnant.  This was an unexpected development, so the producers decided to write her pregnancy into the show.  Unfortunately, she had to have an emergency C-section in her seventh month of pregnancy, resulting in the stillbirth of her daughter, Ruby Alexandra.  It was devastating to Katey, and the producers once again did some quick thinking and wrote it out of the show, regarding it as a “dream.”  In 1993, Sagal married her second husband, Jack White, an actor and hockey technical advisor.  They had a daughter, Sarah Grace in 1994, and a son, Jackson James in 1996.  Their marriage ended in 2000.

In 1994, Katey, never to stay away from music for long, released her first solo album, Well…..

In 1997, Married With Children had run its course and the show ended its eleven year run.

(Image from spaciousplanet.com)

After Married With Children, Katey contributed to the children’s cartoon, Recess, and worked on several television films.  In 1999, she guest starred in That 70′s Show as “Steven Hyde’s” mother, and was offered the role of “Turanga Leela” in Matt Groening’s science fiction animated TV series, Futurama. Although it only aired for a brief time, Futurama gained quite a cult type following and the few episodes are still broadcasting on such channels as Comedy Central and Adult Swim. The increasing popularity of the show led Comedy Central to commission a series of direct-to-DVD films, and Katey reprised her role as “Leela.”  The episodes were released in June 2010.

(Image from imbd.com)

(Image from connect.in.com)

In 2002, Katey was cast as John Ritter’s wife in the TV sitcom 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter. In this television show, she was essentially playing the opposite of “Peg Bundy,” which showed us the sort of acting range she has.  She could have very well ended up typecast in roles like “Peg” for the majority of her career, however Sagal has shown us that is NOT going to happen, which is fantastic!  Tragedy struck the show in 2003 when Ritter died suddenly.  Katey, always a trooper, bravely moved forward as the single head of the household in the show, carrying on despite the loss of a treasured friend and co-worker.  She garnered rave reviews  and the show lasted until 2005.

(Image found via random Google Search)

(Image from aceshowbiz.com)

In 2004, Katey married writer/producer, Kurt Sutter in a private ceremony at their home in Los Feliz, California.  She also released her second solo album, Room.

From 2005-2007, Sagal had several guest appearance roles on TV shows such as Lost, The Ghost Whisperer, and The Shield.

In 2007, Kurt and Katey had a daughter, Esme Louise, who was carried by a surrogate for health and safety reasons.

(Image from zimbio.com)

(Image from collider.com)

(Image from buzzfocus.com)

Later Life and Career, Present Day

The year 2008 marked the beginning of something special for both Katey and her husband, Kurt.  Kurt created the hit FX  TV series, Sons of Anarchy, writing the role of “Gemma Teller,” especially for Sagal.  The series is based on the lifestyle of the outlaw motorcycle clubs in California.  While the show centers around the motorcycle club’s Vice President, “Jax Teller,” Katey once again captures the audience with her wide range of acting abilities.  ”Gemma” would not be anything without Sagal playing her… that’s just my humble opinion.  I know, it’s easy to say since the role was written especially FOR her, however, I truly can’t see anyone playing this Machiavellian, scheming, hard core “Mama Bear” other than her.  She gives a vulnerability to “Gemma” that you really can’t believe you are seeing.  On the one hand, she’s bashing young girls in the face with a skateboard, on the other, she is a fiercely loving and devoted mother and grandmother.

It appears I am not the only one who feels Katey Sagal has done amazing work in her role in SoA. This year, she won her very first Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.  I was rooting for her and was so excited when she won…. not to mention she looked DAZZLING in her burnt orange gown.  I don’t think she really expected to win… I follow Mr. Sutter on his Twitter, and I KNOW he didn’t expect her to be recognized for her immense talent.  I’m so glad we were all pleasantly surprised!

At present, Katey is going into her fourth season of SoA, and still working on her music.  The producers of SoA have included quite a few songs that are sung by Sagal in the episodes and I LOVE it.  It’s a really fantastic touch to an already phenomenal show.

Sagal is one of my most favorite actresses and she is someone I truly admire and am in awe of.  She is one hell of a strong woman, has an incredible acting and singing range, has an unfailing work ethic and from what I can find in all of my research, she is an all around amazing person to know.  Would that I could be so lucky!

My Favorite Katey Sagal Quotes:

“And I like to interpret music. So I think it’s all interpretive.”

“Each time I seem to go through one of life’s huge things, I want to play music.”

“I think we respond well when we do something well.”

(Image from justjared.buzznet.com)

Filed under: Biographies, celebrity gossip, TV Tagged: biographies, Katey Sagal, Kurt Sutter, Married With Children, Sons of Anarchy, tv ]]> http://leogirl1975.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/monday-biography-feature-katey-sagal/feed/ 5 leogirl1975 daemonstv.comKateySagalSOA Young Katey Sagal bundyology.comkateyharlette makethelist.netkatey-sagal-as-peg-bundy_100181678_m leela-futurama128053296234419spaciousplanet.com imbd.comKatey and John 49169connect.in.comKatey 8SimpleRules Katey and Kurt aceshowbiz.com Katey and Kurt zimbio.comSOAKatey collider.comsons_of_anarchy_tv_show_image_katey_sagal_ron_perlman_01 buzzfocus.comsoa-jaxgemma1560_fr4 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Press Room http://leogirl1975.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/monday-biography-feature-dr-maya-angelou-2/ http://leogirl1975.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/monday-biography-feature-dr-maya-angelou-2/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:59:14 +0000 leogirl1975 http://leogirl1975.wordpress.com/?p=630 ]]> (Image from newsinfo.iu.edu)

In eleventh grade, I had my very first experience with Maya Angelou’s work.  Our teacher, Mr. Martin, assigned to us “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”  We were to read it and do a book report on it.  English was my favorite subject in school, so this assignment was something I actually wanted to do!  I had no previous knowledge about the book, but had heard many wonderful things about it’s author.  After arriving home from school that day, I immediately started reading it.  ( Did I mention that I LOVE to read?)  I didn’t get very far.  There is a specific point in the book where she tells of an experience of sexual abuse.  At first, I couldn’t get any farther, the part in the book just having this enormous effect on me.  I didn’t want to pick it up and read it.  The book had hit home with some of my own personal experiences, and I just couldn’t do it.  So.. the next day, I went to the English teacher and spoke with him privately about my wish not to read the book.  I asked to be assigned something else.  He did try to explain to me that if I could get past that particular part, it’s truly a wonderful read.  I told him I would take his word for it.

After a couple of months passed and I had completed my English assignment and had read a different book… something in the back of my mind started to wonder if I hadn’t been wrong about Maya Angelou’s book after all.  A lot of my other classmates had read it and loved it.  So, I checked it out from the local library.  Once I started reading it again, and got past the part I had previously had trouble with, I really just devoured the book.  It was and IS a FANTASTIC book!  I am so glad that I had changed my mind about reading it!   Since then, I have become a huge fan of Maya Angelou’s work and I am excited to share with you all what I have learned about her during my research!

(Image from Harlem World Blog)

Her Early Years

Dr. Maya Angelou, originally named Marguerite Ann Johnson, was born on April 4th, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri.  She was born to Bailey Johnson, a doorman and Navy dietician, and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson, a real estate agent, trained surgical nurse, and later, Merchant Marine.

At a young age, her parents’ rocky marriage ended.  Maya and her brother where sent alone by train to live with their father’s mother, Annie Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas.  They lived with their grandmother for four years until, their father appeared unexpectedly and uprooted Maya and her brother Bailey Jr. again, this time returning them to their mother’s care in Saint Louis.

At the age of eight, while living with her mother, Maya was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman.  She confessed what had happened to her brother, who then told the rest of the family.  According to what I found on Wikipedia, Freeman was found guilty, but was only jailed for one day!  I can’t even fathom how Maya must of felt at him being released from jail so quickly.  It had to have been frightening to say the very least.

Four days after Freeman was released, he was found murdered.  The whole experience was so traumatic to the young Maya, that she became mute, thinking her voice, naming him, had killed him.  She felt her voice could kill others too.  She remained mute for nearly 5 years.  Shortly after Freeman’s murder, Maya and her brother were sent back to Stamps to live with their grandmother.

With guidance from a teacher and family friend, Mrs. Bertha Flowers, Maya began speaking again.  Flowers introduced her to authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Poe, and Douglas, as well as introducing her to African American female artists like Frances Harper, Jessie Fauset, and Anne Spencer.

When Angelou turned 13, she and her brother returned to live with their mother, who was residing in San Fransisco at the time.  She went on to study dance and drama, on a scholarship at San Fransisco’s Labor School.  At 14, she dropped out to become the very first African American female cable car conductor.  Maya later finished school and gave birth to a son at 17, naming him Guy.  Now the young, artistic, and intelligent woman had another road ahead of her… that of a young single mother.

(Image from anthurium.miami.edu)

(Image from achievement.org)

Early Adulthood and Career

As a young, single mother, Angelou supported herself and child by working as a cook and waitress.  However, she had a strong passion for poetry, music, dance and performance and it would soon take center stage in her life.

During 1954 and 1955, Dr. Angelou toured Europe with a production of the opera, Porgy and Bess. She studied modern dance with Martha Graham, danced with Al Ailey on television variety shows, and also recorded her first album, which she named “Callypso Lady.”

In 1958, she moved to New York and joined the Harlem Writer’s Guild and delved very deeply into her writing.  Although her writing was her main concentration, Maya had also managed to find time to act in the historic Off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks and wrote and performed Cabaret for Freedom.  Quite a busy woman!!!!   And what an amazing life so far!

In 1960, Dr. Angelou and her son Guy, moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she worked as the editor of the English language weekly newspaper, The Arab Observer. By 1962, she was on the move again, this time to Ghana, where she taught at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama.  She was also a feature editor for the The African Review and wrote for The Ghanaian Times.

Throughout her years of extensive traveling, Dr. Angelou read and studied insatiably, mastering French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and the West African language, Fanti.  While living in Ghana, she met Malcolm X, and in 1964, she returned to the United States to help him form his new Organization of African American Unity.  Unfortunately, soon after Angelou’s arrival, Malcolm X was assassinated, and the organization dissolved.

After Malcolm X’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. approached Dr. Angelou, asking her to serve as the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  King was assassinated before their plans for a peace march could reach fruition, and Maya was devastated.  Dr. King was killed on her birthday, and for that reason, she did not celebrate for many years.  Instead of celebrating, she sent flowers to Dr. King’s widow every year until Mrs. King’s death in 2006.  At the encouragement of a friend, novelist James Baldwin, Dr. Angelou dealt with her grief and then went on to channel her energy into her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which brought with it her first international recognition and acclaim.

(Image from famouspeople.com)

(Image from Boston College Chronicle)

Later Career and Life, Present Day

A groundbreaker in both television and film, Dr. Angelou wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film, Georgia, Georgia. Her script, the first by an African American woman ever to be filmed, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Dr. Angelou has continued throughout the years appear on films, such as Roots, and Poetic Justice, and has been a guest on television shows such as Sesame Street and The Oprah Winfrey Show. The list of her public writing, both fiction and non-fiction now includes more than 30 best selling titles.  In 1996, she directed her first feature film, Down in the Delta.  In 2008, she composed poetry for and narrated the award-winning documentary The Black Candle, directed by M.K. Asante.

My choice to write about Dr. Maya Angelou for my first biography feature was a very personal one for me, because her work truly touches me in many ways.  Her struggles in her life and in her books have always resonated with me and inspired and encouraged me to strive for better in my own life.  If you have never read a book written by Dr. Maya Angelou, I would highly recommend picking one up at your local library.  You won’t be sorry you did.

My Favorite Maya Angelou Quotes:

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“I can be changed by what happens to me.  But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

(Image found via random Google Image Search)

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