FUGAZZA Diaries

I have recently been invited to talk on a podcast about why my husband and I have decided to homeschool our children. He sent out an email prepping us for the episode, and he gave us some questions to consider as to why we chose this path. I liked the formulation of these questions, and decided, for journaling purposes, to write a blog article about these questions, and what my answers are concerning them. #1 What was your own schooling and education like? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? My husband was born and raised in Brazil, where he said that his education was poor. He basically learned to read and write, and basic core subjects, like math and history. There wasn't much enrichment in his formal education. But mostly, he said that he never learned good study habits, and that contributed to several years of him trying to earn his bachelor's degree, because he had to take time in his adult like to learn how to learn. For me, I was raised in the United Stat

 I am going to be completely honest and say that I am doing this post for school. I have been HORRIBLE about keeping up with this blog (as in, this is my first post in over almost a year and a half), but I am glad that I am posting right now, even if it is for a school assignment. Because...I'm back in school! It's crazy, because it wasn't really in my plan to start on the BYU Pathways program and then get accepted to Ensign College, where I am working towards a degree in Applied Communications.  Yet, here I am! I am currently learning more about Social Media Marketing, and how, surprisingly, blogs are very much still in mode, and can be very useful platforms, just like Facebook, Instagram, etc. I am very much out of my element in taking the classes that I am in, but I am learning so much, and so quickly, too! It's a direct testament to the fact that the Lord has been blessing me with understanding and comprehension. He even had me pass my math class back during my BYU

  It's not too off mark for me to stay that my start to 2021 has been devastating. On January 26th, my Uncle Dave passed away. He was the father of my best friend, Kristen, who died tragically back in 1990. His death wasn't unexpected, but it was tragically sudden, and I am just grateful that we had said the things we wanted to say, and had the relationship in the later years of our lives that was difficult to do when we both lost Kristen.  I was a month younger than her, and so every big event in my life-high school graduation, for example-he just couldn't bring himself to attend in person. It was too painful. He would come over the day after with roses and a very sincere congratulations for my accomplishments, but 'landmark' events where he imagined Kristen would have done if her time hadn't been cut short, were impossible for him to see me doing. But, there was a moment. It will continue to be the sweetest moment I will ever have of my Uncle Dave. After I had

 I have loved reading the Doctrine and Covenants this year so far. And even though we're only a couple of weeks in, I have seen Joseph Smith in a new light.  But, before I go on, I must say, you MUST read The Saints vol. 1. And then you MUST read The Saints vol. 2.  Okay, now that I've thrown that out there, let's get on with the reason for my post, shall we? As I said, I have loved seeing Joseph Smith in a new light. As in, seeing him as a normal kid, who, at a young age, had an infection spread to his leg that settled in his bone. Back then, pain medication was limited, but before he even knew about the Word of Wisdom, he refused to drink any alcohol for pain management, because it didn't feel right to him. Wow.  Joseph spent the following years of his life searching for a church to not only join, but more importantly, to help him to repent for his sins and find forgiveness from God. His family joined churches, but Joseph just couldn't really commit to any one org

 So, the holidays have come and gone, and so has the horrible/crazy/not so horrible/slower 2020! I always love Christmas...celebrating the birth of our Savior for pretty much the entire month of December is just so refreshing and so peaceful. If people don't believe in Christ, then how would they explain the extra happy, extra peace and love that seems to just 'happen' to people during the holiday season?  I notice that His light and love must be much closer to the earth at the close of the year, and even though we were disappointed and 'wanted our money back' after celebrating the beginning of 2020 last year, New Year's Eve was also a breath of fresh air; the promise that 2021 would be better, and so far, we're off to a rocky start, but we need to hope, right?  Anyway, I finished reading the Book of Mormon at the end of the year, and started it up again just a few days ago. I am now in 1 Nephi, chapter eight, which is when Lehi has his very famous dream of

 SO.... I have had depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. Whether it was triggered by the loss of my cousin back when I was 11, or even beforehand, when I would experience chronic stomach aches because I hated my second grade teacher. Either way, chronic depression and anxiety have been one of my personal battles for pretty much my entire life.  So, let me start with sharing what I did wrong...for most of my life. And then, I will share with you what I am currently doing, that is working for me. It's a work in progress, and I know that this will be a struggle for me for my entire mortal sojourn, but finding methods that work, has been life changing.  What I did wrong... I ate. A lot. I clearly remember the day that I consciously ate an entire box of macaroni and cheese by myself in one sitting AS A SNACK. I was sixteen years old at the time, and luckily, I had youth and a great metabolism on my side, but I clearly remember thinking that I needed to numb my pain. And