February Thoughts & Happenings

----The chickens are still making a racket multiple times per week. I'm thinking we'll be getting rid of them. The feed store owners (the mom of my gal N) said she'd re-home them if we want and offered new chicks, but I think I'm done til we have legit property one day. There's a good chance that hub would prefer to, um, eat them.

----We've offered hub's pride and joy old jeep to one of my vets who is in need of a vehicle. He's been hard pressed for months and as much as that Jeep is an extension of hub, these are the moments when I love hub's huge heart.....even when he tries to keep it hidden. However the jeep has its own quirky issues, is uninsured/unregistered/parked in the garage, so we'll see what happens.

----I don't know that this much TV has been on in our house non-stop and daily channel turning to MMA (mixed martial arts). We're still adjusting to four of us in the house but I'm oh so hopeful. My coworker has been looking at places and hopes to get a place in April. We have yet to discuss a timeline with hub's friend. My coworker is amazing though as a housemate. Luckily the guys and hub have been off enjoying themselves at the Newport Seafood & Wine Fest this weekend, so it's been nice for the doggies and I to roam the house freely.

-----My supervisor asked me to reconsider leaving my vet position, which I had a feeling she would. She also said I could re-create the job to better meet my and the center's needs. The pay is amazing and I actually found out that it bumps up my pay in my other job too.....but I'm still not sure I could do another year. There are pro's and con's to every thing---and honestly I keep hoping that something else might open for me to do a lateral transfer.

----Although I did "put the smack down" in the center last week, as mentioned in my clothing post. Ironically one thing I love about working with vets is a) some of them respect me more now because of it and b) they're so used to that sort of thing that most of them were back to being jolly and normal within two minutes......but for the most part, they DID get the picture and that's good to see.

----Book club was today. I was (sigh....) almost 30 minutes late....and yet this seems to be a return to hub's and my standard. We also were 15 minutes late to a joint vet mtg together yesterday....although in our defense, we were 10 minutes early to my work dinner! (Which work dinner went AWESOME btw!) Being late does make me feel bad...slightly. Only because I know that a lot of people that love me.....also despise being kept waiting. Anyway the gals also chose to go with Joy for Beginners---so we'll be reading that this month.

-----Today I was thinking of 3 high school gal pals and how much we've loved each other through different phases of ourselves. When I think back on all of our changes in 15 years.....it's amazing, and yet they've accepted me for me (almost) every step of the way. I love these girls because I can be any side of me and it's always okay. If I'm caring and idealist, withdrawn and needing space, or blunt and bitchy.....it doesn't matter. They accept who I am at each crossroads of life....and I am beginning again to realize just how much I appreciate it. I don't have to be anyone but me with them and I never have to worry about offending....and I seriously hope they feel the same way.

-----I have a weekend trip in April to San Antonio. I am beyond excited to see my gal....and in a total moment of irony, I'm seriously looking forward to being back in the south. Amazing culture/food in San Antonio AND 80 degree weather. Also on the docket: see my childhood friend again AND make it to Austin (definitely on the lifetime list)!

----I seriously love when Roxi comes running back into the house in the evenings and just careens into her cushy dog bed.

----I took a nap today and have been 100% lazy and it's been absolutely perfect.

----I found another awesome remix fashion blogger that y'all should check out: Putting Me Together.

----I'm still in my anti-social stage--I'm just not feeling it. I know I'm in a total selfish stage period---want my little moments with hub, want flexibility to spend lazy weekends grading and working out and running errands and flexible, and honestly I'm just not wanting to get too deep into thinking about life. I seriously love and missed my friends who care so deeply, but right now I'm just not there and it's hard for me to want to go there. I work with people who need a lot and who are hardened to the world in many ways....and well, I think it's rubbed off. My idealism is a whole lot more realism than I ever would have cared to have....and in a lot of ways I don't feel as much like talking about what could be or should be or thinking about how to make life better, etc ... it is what it is.

-----Hub aced both his bio exams this last week. He's such an academic rockstar---I'm legit proud of him.

-----The Air Force is supposedly recruiting for Public Health officers....I emailed the health professional recruiter for more info. Side bar: every 2-3 years I research and contemplate joining the Air Force or Coast Guard.... thus far it's never been the right fit. I still don't expect it to be the right fit, but it is interesting to say the least. However 5am and I have never been friends, and I'm also learning that while management might be an okay fit for me, I'm not sure it's my favorite.

-----We're headed into Week 8 of the term---although I'm headed to a conference in Salem on Thursday, so it's just two evenings of teaching this week. I'm thinking about trying to spend the night at Granny's and hopeful I can see one of my other gals who is pregnant and who I have only seen twice in the year we've been back.

-----On the docket this summer: two of my gal pals from high school and I are road tripping to our other gal in Arizona. We've been talking about a Summer 2012 trip for two years, and I re-arranged my teaching schedule within the timeline the other gals have available (K-12 schedule starts late August). One of the gals is in San Fran so picking her up is the perfect halfway mark, and it just happened to coincide with my 30th. (Three of us turn 30 this summer actually.) I'm seriously so stoked to be making this happen! And my parents deserve an award, because they're tentatively agreeing to swap the Sorento for their Prius---cha ching!

------On the docket in the next three years: potential opportunities for international travel, but I've been sworn to not mention any of it. Although I can tell you that one place would add a new dream continent, include potential mission work (my heart swoons), and get me that much closer to achieving my lifetime goal of traveling to all continents. The other trip would be a lifetime dream for a friend and would be an amazing celebration of her, of which I would feel honored to be a part. (And it's all of course dependent on what I do for work/finances in the next few years....and what all else life might decide to throw at us) Add on to this my heartfelt desire to buy hub a vacation, the fact that we currently have friends stationed in Italy, AND that in the next 9 years I legit need to return to Argentina. (Hmmm......when does hub start racking in the bucks?! :))

-----Have I mentioned my department head is amazing? He seriously recognized that I need a vacation this year and so allowed for me to plan my summer schedule to grant me most of September (to potentially visit my gals in Georgia) and to rearrange our original plan so my gals and I could make it to Arizona. He deserves boss-of-the-year award! And just in case you're wondering I'm teaching twice a week in person and two classes online.

----Tomorrow I need to run. Period.

-----But have I mentioned yet that at 10am today it was 39 degrees and slushing?!

-----And how totally bad a$$ is it that it's a Leap Year?!

And with my brain dumping successfully completed and you up-to-date (for the most part and only if you made it this far), I'm off to get teary some more about The Heart and the Fist....because damn it, I'm gonna read it first anyway! ;)

Money: Of Budgeting & Donating

Just this week I was looking over my finances....

As I've mentioned hub and I are in the midst of a "only buy used" month as our one green change this month (although I did give him the okay to buy a new spiral notebook for his notes for school....after encouraging him to buy a recycled paper one so it's somewhat "used"). But I'm also hopeful that this experience and next month's proposed buy-nothing month, will help us cut back on our free spending ways.

In life before hub, I was a phenomenal budgeter and rarely bought anything unless it was a true necessity, as I was entirely focused on paying off debt and living to the great quote of "living simply so that others may simply live." I was the gal who would walk parched for two miles rather than spend $1 on a bottle of something. I cringed going out to dinner or coffee with friends when I could host them in my house instead for cheaper (and without as much waste). I cried over Christmas presents. Then, in walked my handsome-mister-wonderful, who also happened to be like most soldiers and spend his paycheck til it was gone. Over the last two years while we've paid off quite a bit of debt between the two of us, we definitely have also gotten into the habit of being able to spend very freely. Where I could happily live on a lot less, there is another person in this house who likes to be able to buy rewarding things as he desires them, which in turn leaves me spending more cause I just plain don't want to be the only one going without. This isn't always a bad thing, but I'm well aware that a lot of money gets "wasted" on Starbucks, special cheeses, and random Amazon purchases between the two of us. (And I have to admit that I'm much better off when I stay out of Target!)

That all being said, we've done a great job of being mindful of where future gaps might be. Hub receives a housing stipend that is pro-rated for each day that he is in school as part of his military education benefits. However in months such as September, December, January, March, and June, that amount is less as he's not in school for the entirety of those months due to breaks. He also won't go to school during the summer, so that leaves summers without a housing stipend. Thus part of what I save for during the year is to be able to cover the gaps and our summer housing needs.

I think I've mentioned that hub and I keep our finances separate, as it makes it easier and much more pleasant for us. So beyond saving for gaps in housing payments, I also focus on paying our vehicle payments, my student loan, and anything I've aquired on my credit card, and as much as I can extra for each of those monthly bills. (I've taken to paying for gas, any groceries I buy, etc on the credit card as it grants a very small amount of cash back....and then I pay it off at the end of the month.) I also pay the car insurance when it comes due every six months. Hub pays our cell phones, our utility bills (natural gas, electricity, water/sewer, garbage), our DirecTV (since he's the one that wanted it) and internet, most the monthly groceries, and generally buys at least one meal out and one tank of gas for me each month. He buys his own gas for his truck and anything else he wants/needs. We don't ask questions where the rest of the money goes and after implementing this method for our budgeting, it's actually worked out well for us. Thus far, we've always paid our bills on time, paid stuff down faster, been able to budget ahead of upcoming trips or major purchases, and have been able to save for when we knew there would be short-comings.

With the new part-time job, we're definitely in a much better financial situation then we might have been. (But the reality is that we'll be okay if/when I go back to just one of the positions, and in talking to my boss today for that one position, my job and hence finances should be secure through at least the next academic year.....). We've also gotten to the point where when friends come into town, we're able to treat them to dinner and/or drinks, especially since they've generally already paid a decent amount in plane tickets or gas to get here. It's nice to be in a position to take care of others as we see fit or as is needed. (Although we've also had several conversations about what all this should look like and encompass....there's sometimes a difference between what we can and what we should do....and between what might be expected of us in other situations.)

Regardless of the overall finances however, one thing I have been incredibly mindful of since our return to Oregon is to donate each month to organizations that support my beliefs. As a Christian, I believe it's my duty to donate/tithe each month, in order to give back to God's greater work, and honestly it's just a nice thing to do....period. My needs are more than met and I feel incredibly fortunate/blessed to have the jobs and home that I do. I have no question as to God's providence in my life and know that He has provided enough for me to be pass it on to others. I will readily admit that I'm not donating 10% of my income, which is the Biblical mandate, but I'm giving more at times than I am sometimes comfortable with.....and amazingly He always provides more than I could have ever imagined. Most my monthly donation goes toward an international social justice organization and then to an environmental organization, but we also were blessed with an incredible rental situation at a slightly lower-than-expected rate so I also try to donate an extra amount to support the mission account created in memory of the mother of our landlords.

....and I just have to reiterate that every single time He continues to provide. I don't give in expectation of getting back, but it never ceases to amaze me that every time we've been nearer a pinch, something else has arrived just when we needed it. Case in point: this month I'd saved and budgeted to cover rent (as hub's been on break), my regular bills, and a smaller than usual amount to cover any other expenses, while only expecting to have 1/3 the amount that I usually receive coming in (since there's a break between teaching and thus checks.....). However today I discovered that they'd changed up the way our teaching was paid this term and I have another check sitting in my account. Score! Here goes another donation check and the rest is going to savings for this summer!

I know that everyone has their own way of mananging finances, and there's still much that hub and I could improve on and change. At some point, hub will want to buy a house, so we'll need a down payment, but for right now I'm just focusing on paying off our vehicles and attempting to pay down my quarter-of-a-mortage sized grad loan.

What are your finance secrets? Any good ones to share? Any good frugally green tips for our monthly goals this year or ways to help increase incentives for decreased free spending?

Christmas Gifts

This year the exchange of gifts turned out different than I had planned or expected. Any long time readers still left of this blog know that it wasn't that many years ago that receiving gifts at Christmas left me in tears, as my needs were already met and yet so many others in the world go every day without. This is a sentiment that I still hold in my heart, but somehow the ways of the world have grasped me back in their embrace---partly due to marriage, partly due to time, partly due to changes in surroundings, etc.

Long time readers also know that usually hub and I do not exchange gifts for any holidays, etc. So imagine my surprise earlier this month when hub mentioned that he wanted our return to Oregon for the holidays to be like a new start and he wanted us to pick things up for each other---hmmm, but seeing that hub rarely likes me to provide any material goods for him, I decided that it'd be worth it. We have a bad habit of spending a bit more freely than we should and of purchasing whatever we need/somewhat want during the month for ourselves, so to help this process, we put ourselves on a "no real buying anything for ourselves" freeze. Ironically we both ended up buying each other a book that actually really interests and then rubber liners/mats for our respective vehicles.....plus one other thing a piece.

The other thing that I wanted to do this year was not buy any gifts at all---instead I was going to donate a much larger amount to charity. However as it got closer to Christmas I started feeling guilty about not having anything at all for my sister's kiddos or my brother's kiddos. I still feel that we all mainly have everything that we need however, so I decided that this year we would assist in the procurement of tasty experiences for my relatives instead. Thus a gift card for Burgerville went to my sister's family, one for Olive Garden to my brother & his wife, Sizzler for Mom & Dad, and a multi-diner-option to my brother's family in Colorado. Maybe not "things" but still a gift they can use to treat themselves at some other time. Hub's family and their needs are very different than my family's, so this year we actually set them up with a membership to Costco & a gift card toward groceries there. We also still donated---a larger check to the gospel mission, clothes for the sponsored family, items for the deployment boxes, money in the offering plate, but in a sense we donated to our families' joy as well. I guess in some ways I need to still remember that AND begin to settle it internally a bit more---that even when there is such a need in the lives of others, that it's still good to bless the lives of those that we love too.

I also feel like I did a better job of being gracious about the gifts that I did receive this year and the thoughtfulness behind the gifts did not go un-noticed. Almost all the gifts we got were based on thoughts toward our needs and happiness---hand-made earrings & a bottle of wine, a waffle maker (my sister's old one & something hub's been wanting) & an amazing looking organic cook book, Dad's usual standby gift of special calendars, a shirt a piece, bathroom towels (although there might be some regifting here.....:)), a hand made key chain holder, a special used book to help hub with anatomy, cash, and then a fun flying helicopter for hub......not so sure that was a need but it brought my parents much joy watching him fly it around all evening! While we might have failed at mailing out any Christmas cards this year---the thank yous will definitely be written and going out soon!

And so it appears that somewhere between who I was at Christmas and who I currently am---there's been a compromise, but it too feels like it's an alright place to be this year.

(Although the best gifts always are and will continue to be....the multitude of memory making moments.......)

Cheap Forks & Cinnabon Rolls

This morning I spent five minutes reflecting on cheap forks & cinnabon cinnamon rolls. (Yes, you can officially declare that I'm back to my analytical self!) Last night hub had a hankering for Cinnabon rolls, which we can get at our local Fred Meyer (sort of a one-stop PNW shopping). We went and bought a box of four, which also became our breakfast today. When I warmed mine in the microwave this morning to eat alongside my coffee, I knew that I wanted to eat it with our cheap, college-esque silverware....and here's why:
Remember being a poor college student when paying for a Cinnabon cinnamon roll was a luxury (and the splurge of the month) and the only silverware you had to eat it with was a plastic dorm fork or a cheap, Wal-mart fork variety in whatever locale you were currently living? Well every once in a while I feel it's important to remember those days....and to reflect on where life is now and how much I have become accustomed to the lifestyle we currently have. Sometimes its good to remind ourselves of what was...and to maybe reflect upon how the Cinnabon roll probably tasted a lot better back when it was a splurge......

Life continues to be busy.....and I'm tired.....and whining way more than I ever really want to be. This last week I lectured on stress-prone & stress-resistant personality types and ended by asking my students to reflect upon which type of personality they think I am. Ironically, they reported they think I'm Type B, which is laid back, creative, and a dreamer. Type B is where I strive to be and is why I love the idea of a life based on simplicity....but its not where I currently am. The irony is that I must be doing a good job of still allowing others to see me as being in a Type B state-of-being, which is better than the Type A that I'm quickly becoming again. Type A's are multi-taskers, time-oriented, highly stressed, easily frustrated and angered, rushed, among a host of other traits.

Type A personality means that I'm constantly juggling the different parts of my two jobs and never feeling that I'm able to give the animals enough attention, keep the house & yard picked up and organized, or ever feel completely rested. Type A makes me just want a break and increases my irritability. Both hub and I are realizing we're eating whatever we can easily grab these days and that's not exactly where we want to be. ......Knowing all this reminds me again of why I opted for the more relaxed lifestyle in the first place! :) There will be some changes with the two jobs coming up in June and at that time I'm pretty sure I'll have to make a choice....until then I'm interested to see how the differences in scheduling for the next two terms will pan out. Six more weeks in this term!

Some enjoyable things have happened in the midst of the last two weeks though that have brought smiles to our faces and created some "down" moments when possible.

--Last weekend I took my baby cousin to create her bridal registry--she did a great job of primarily registering just for the basics and it was fun to help her along!

--Last weekend we had one of hub's high school friends in town and per her request were able to take her out on the town. Since it was near Halloween, we got to enjoy some wonderful costumes, good food, and great drinks. This week one of my high school friends is here, splitting her time three-ways. Wednesday night was a long one picking her up from the airport after teaching and catching up in the wee morning hours. She'll also be here on Monday evening and we'll grab dinner at the house of another high school gal. On Tuesday after my morning meeting, I'll get her back to the airport, and then on Friday, hub and I head "home" to spend time with family & at the baby shower of his high school friend. It's been nice to grab a few moments with friends, and it's increased my excitement to see so many others who are flying in from Georgia, Arizona, California, and Canada over the next two months.

--Book Club happened also and it's always such a highlight to my month to spend quality time with these gals. We enjoyed an evening together over chatter, food, and wine, and threw in a bit of convo about my chosen selection "Crossing the Heart of Africa." Since I love Africa and travels, I thought the book was alright, but I'm the first to admit it wasn't the best book club selection. We scheduled out November and December dates and books however, and this month's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is A-MA-ZING. In two nights, I'm about 100 pages in and not really wanting to put it down. Who knows---It's already 3pm and no grading or prepping has yet occurred today, so maybe this month's book will get some more reading in! ;)

--New goals & financial pay offs achieved. New bed and mattress were paid off this month, and the ring will be paid in full next week. On Halloween, we also went ahead and bought a new vehicle..... Knowing I wanted a crossover, I've been trying to find the right fit for my wish/need lists and ended up taking a Sorento for a test drive. It had everything I've been wanting, is a top pick by my insurance, and financing all fell into place. Originally I was looking at buying new, but in the end I went with my original values and a 2011 which had been a rental in its previous 1.5 years. The only catch: its a V6 rather than the 4cyl I'd planned to get and my environmentalist side feels a bit guilty. My frugal side is happy, as we got a great purchase price and trade-in on my car, so much so that we could sell our new vehicle and come out ahead. While I had originally intended to pay off our truck first before purchasing something new, the deal we got ended up making it worthwhile and I still plan to have the truck paid off by next summer.

--Donations continue to occur and this year for Christmas I'm planning on a large donation to charity in the name of all of our families rather than purchasing any separate Christmas gifts. I've done this in smaller parts in the past, but this year it will just be one whole she-bang, as giving to others in need and spending TIME with loved ones seems to be more what Christmas is supposed to be about. Through the Center on campus where I work, we plan on doing a donation drive for deployment care packages, so I'll be ransacking our cupboards and book shelves to find what all I can to share. And the campus is also participating in a large book drive that is being sent to a local corrections center--so I continue to purge our bookshelves for that. If anyone is local and has used books you'd like to donate, let me know!

--And in the midst of the madness, hub and I seem to be trucking along. I'm not an easy person to live with when stressed, and we've definitely had some rough patches in the last six months for more fundamental reasons. Yet, at times in the midst of the chaos of late, it feels like our underlying care for each other continues to grow & develop. Hub always handles stress amazingly well (he's more of the "Survivor Personality" type) and most days he's being a wonderful support for me. Case in point: the other day I came home Hangry (hungry & angry/frustrated). I had a hankering for our favorite pub with solid food & good beer, which hadn't come to fruition earlier in the day. The minute I shared this with hub, he loaded me into the car no questions asked and drove me to "our" pub. We ordered food, shared about our days, and hub even picked up the check. We then came home to get ready for bed and spent a solid hour in laughter. It was the perfect ending to a somewhat-frustrating day. These are the moments I live for and the ones that go unforgotten. 

Right now in this moment, hub's off to the store with the dogs happily in tow, Major's curled up purring on my lap, good coffee's been enjoyed, texts with friends have been shared.....and while no work has yet to be completed today, it feels fulfilling in its own right. Some days I need to remember to give myself a break and realize that somehow, someway all the details will get completed in their own accord.

My wish for each of you is for slow, happy, enjoyments of your own---today and all days throughout this fall and holiday merriment to come!

On My Mind....

It's amazing how slow June was and yet July and August have decided to make up for it. With everything going on, I've been trying my hardest to be better organized and have returned to the use of the TO DO list, steadily checking items off my list.

However amongst the to-dos, there's a lot on the mind too, even if frequently it all goes hand-in-hand :)

Reading

My first book club novel arrived on Wednesday (The Help). I'm really looking forward to reading through it and for the comraderie that I hope will develop amongst our members. First meeting is in a few weeks!

However before I start on The Help, I wanted to finish the main book that I have been reading. I recently borrowed a book from my gal, N, who is also an avid reader. You all know that I'm really into personal narratives and non-fiction, but this go round I was in the mood for something a little different. Yesterday I blew through the rest of Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and I LOVED IT. It was an incredibly easy read, covered family and mother-daughter issues which are right up my alley of things I like to read about, and taught me something new via it's historical fiction context (Russia: Stalin era).  Plus the author is from the PNW--love supporting all things local. ;)

There were a couple of passages that completely resonated with me:

"....They would always be a family, but if she'd learned anything in the past few weeks it was that a family wasn't a static thing. There were always changes going on. Like with continents, sometimes the changes were invisible and underground,  and sometimes they were explosive and deadly. The trick was to keep your balance. You couldn't control the direction of your family any more than you could stop the continental shelf from breaking apart. All you could do was hold on for the ride." (pg 329)

"...And maybe that was how it was supposed to be, how life unfolded when you lived it long enough. Joy and sadness were part of the package; the trick, perhaps, was to let yourself feel all of it, but to hold on to the joy just a little more tightly because you never knew when a strong heart could just give out...." (pg 383)

Family Shenanigans

And a good portion of the quotes probably resonated with me, because in my head I feel like I'm still trying to sort out my transition back into my immediate, extended, and husband's family. After being away for two years, it's definitely a change to figure out how those relationships should look now, and how to integrate my husband to best meet his needs AND the needs of my family members. Additionally, there have been some changes in some family relationships, near and far over the last six months, and I feel like the first quote is a good bit of advice for me (and maybe for some of them too) on some of those changes.

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and positive family--one that is truly based on acceptance and unconditional love. In the last two weeks I definitely have spent more time with family members as I got together with two cousins, dropped off garden goodies to my aunt and a cousin, and my brother took me to a Portland Timbers game against my other national love: Argentina. ;)

This weekend we will all come together for the celebration of Granny's 100th birthday, starting with a smaller family BBQ this evening for those of us in Portland and ending with back-to-back bashes on Sunday. My husband and I will provide airport transportation and a place to sleep for my eldest brother's quick 24 hour trip. I'm glad to provide for family... but I have to admit to some apprehension based on a strained relationship between my brother and I this year. However, I know it will be great to have each member of the immediate and extended family here to celebrate the life, lessons, love, and optimism of our granny!

Socialization

They're coming in droves from out-of-state! On Wednesday we'll pick up our friends from Chicago and show them as much of Oregon as we can in a week. We're definitely excited for them to come, and based on their personalities, we know they're absolutely going to love Portland and the PNW! Plus hub will get the added benefit of being able to take them to our home town and hang out with some of his high school buddies. One of my favorite gals from my MPH program will be visiting from California next weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting together with her over breakfast next Thursday. A high school friend of mine who also lives in Cali will be in our hometown mid-month, so I'm going to need to figure out how to schedule in a trip down south to catch up with her and meet her guy. ;) (On the plus side, we'll get to hang out with one of our other favorite high school gals and I'll get to see Mom & Dad too!) I'm heading on Tuesday to see one of my gals who recently had a beautiful baby girl, and I'm seriously bubbling up with excitement about the possibilities of this book club! From what I can tell most the other gals seem pretty stoked too. Add onto that the Bridal Shower I'm throwing for my gal N and it's going to be a pretty socially full next few weeks.

Social Justice---Donations

The Horn of Africa continues to be on my heart and mind. Mercy Corps, who rarely sends me a "tin cup," continues to send updates. The most recent stated the following: "Families in Wajir County are among more than 2.4 million people in Kenya in need of food, water and other critical aid, according to the UN. Our team reports hungry women and children are streaming into towns around northeastern Kenya. Many husbands and fathers continue to search for water and forage to keep their precious herds alive. Up to 80 percent of livestock in the region have already perished." If you look at the updates and pictures on UNICEF, Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, or any of the INGOs, the information is heart-breaking.....

While I am seeing this occasionally show up on the major news stations and papers, it seems so sad that it is not more publicized. It takes so little to make a large difference for others that suffer around the world---a skipped outing to Starbucks, one less microbrew, or bypassing that great deal that one finds at Target but doesn't really need. I know many of us are tight for cash these days, but I still see how well are basic needs are met and how little we fight for basic survival. I know there are mixed feelings out there, but I can't help but ask that if you find it in your heart, you might be willing to give, no matter how little the amount.

 

"But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."--Luke 12:48

 

Working Hard for the Money

Term continues--trying hard to prep now for the next two weeks so I don't have to worry too much about the course while we have friends in town. Same with the training I'm in, trying to cram as much in before they get here---but truthfully it's almost over anyway. A few more activities to do and then I believe it'll be concluded. :) September will mainly be planning for my fall courses, especially the ones that will be new.

 

Ironically, while we're on the topic of employment......I've been missing working with soldiers since our return and have found that frequently my veteran students have really enjoyed working with me, since I have a greater understanding of their military lives, mentality, and potential issues than the average civilian instructor/worker. I've been telling hub and a few friends for the last two months that I wonder how I could work with veterans without going back to school to complete my MSW (tried that, didn't finish, and the way I'm feeling I may be completely done with school....). The irony is due to the fact that this week an internal hire position just got sent out via email for a part-time Veterans Resource Center Specialist at my campus....hmmm. I'm not 100% qualified and I have apprehensions (ie would vets prefer working with me vs an actual vet in the position, its a completely new program/center/etc meaning that year 1 would be a LOT of work), but I also feel that I could be a great fit and bring lots of skills to the program. I do plan to apply but I'm not entirely holding my breath either.... ;)

 

The Garden

We've been passing out lettuce and rhubarb like it's nobody's busy, and additional irony arrived yesterday with another full head of lettuce arriving in my Organics to You box. We also just entered into zucchini season---there are already 5 in our produce drawer and this is the first week of harvesting! ;) Marionberries are putting out about two bowls a week right now and the green beans and snap peas are coming on. Tomatoes are going to go nuts in a few weeks and even the pepper plants are starting to show lots of peppers starting. Hub harvested about 15 heads of garlic this week---they're laying on the deck to dry.

 

We're finally having a few more days of sunshine--helping to promote garden growth and put a smile on this face, and today we started an introductory conversation about creating covers for the raised beds for winter gardening ;)

 

SOOOOOO---lots to do, lots on the mind, but its nice to be busy and purposeful. Hope each of you is doing well!

 

PS I've seen COCONUT cream pie show up TWICE this week.

Here and here. Definitely might have to beg hub to give one a try!

The Hospital By the River

(For some reason, I can't get the picture to rotate correctly)

Two months in the making and I finally sat down to finish this amazing story this afternoon. This is the story that made me think about going back to school, this is the story that melted my heart, this is the story that left me thinking again beyond our nation's borders, this is a story that I hope you too will take the time to enjoy and be moved by.

Taken from the back of the book (British spellings in context and possibly written by John Little):
"Gynaecologists Catherine and Reg Hamlin left Australia in 1959 on a short contract to establish a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Over 40 years later, Catherine is still there, running one of the most outstanding medical programmes in the world. Thousands of women have been able to resume a normal existence after living as outcasts.

The Hamlins, both active Christians, dedicated their lives to women suffering catastrophic effects of obstructed labour. The awful injuries that such labour produces are called fistulae, and until the Hamlins began their work in Ethiopia, fistula sufferers were neglected and forgotten--a vast group of women facing a lifetime of incapacity and degradation.

Catherine and Reg, with their team of dedicated surgeons, have successfully operated on over 25,000 women, and the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, the hospital they opened in 1974, has become a major teaching institution for gynaecologists from all over Ethiopia and the developing world. Since Reg's death, Catherine and her team have continued the work...."

Catherine and Reg were two incredibly self-less individuals who devoted their lives to women living in Ethiopia. These women frequently were married off and producing babies by 15 years of age, before their bodies were entirely developed for childbirth. These women who frequently live in rural areas without access to medical facilities nor professionals, who birth alone or with a few family members in dirt-floored huts, and who frequently face days of difficult labor. The women who do develop vaginal area fistulas (leading to incontinence) are frequently abandoned by husbands and family, moved into huts on the edges of town, and left to suffer and survive in isolation.

The book is an incredibly easy read, and while it includes Christian views which may dissuade a few of you, the reality that these women experience is one that I feel all of us should be exposed to and do what we can to help, while the story of Reg & Catherine's amazing outreach and repair work will warm your heart. You may also find additional information (and donate to the cause) via the Fistula Foundation.

Another Good Day

Steadily making it down the to-do list.

Today I was dropped off by my mother at the grocery store on her way to run another errand, where I bought the missing ingredients needed in order to make my soup. I filled up my little tote bag, bundled up, and walked home for the return trip. In my jaunts around town, I get lots of strange looks, but I'm getting to the point where I really enjoy the strange looks just because I'm walking. I want to give strange looks just because they are driving. Especially to our neighbor who lives up the street, who I kid you not, we have seen get in his truck and back it out across the road in order to get his mail....

I spent a good portion of the afternoon looking into organizations to donate to for Christmas gifts for my remaining niece and nephews:

I chose a larger donation at Save-a-Manatee for two of my brother's kids. In exchange they will also get a quarterly newsletter throughout the year and a calendar. Something that is both environmentally supportive and educational for two of the boys. Since we used to live in Florida, I figure it makes a nice segway for my brother to also share some of what he knows with his kids.

My brother's other two children and my sister's eldest son sponsored donations via World Vision, which is a Christian organization focused on alleviating poverty and injustice throughout the world via a sustainable development model. My eldest nephew sponsored art & music instruction for kids (he's a musician), my youngest nephew sponsored two ducks for a family, and my niece (just entering that cheerleader/tween fashionable age) sponsored a contribution for clothing and other basic needs for kids in poverty stricken areas of the world.

I had looked into donating via Unicef USA which I feel is a very worthwhile organization, yet I was fairly unimpressed to see how much corporate America has infiltrated the donation process of that agency. I definitely think it's great to raise everyone's standard of living, but I don't know how much corporations need to be hawking their wares on those in poverty either.

Through all my research it appears that 8% of most organizations' expenses go toward fundraising. An annoyance for most of us that already give, yet other research is showing that it's one of the only ways to continue to get donations from individuals...by harping on us to continue to do so. However for World Vision, I specifically sent a follow-up communication asking that they do NOT contact me or my sponsored donors via mail and minimal email if they want to continue to receive donations....we'll see if they follow through. I don't need them spending my donation on postage and on wasting more paper. However an additional nice thing about World Vision and the Save a Manatee organizations was how readily accessible their financial information was in order to see exactly how much money goes where and to who.

While a donation might not be the same as having an actual gift under the tree, I hope my niece and nephews can truly understand the difference they are creating in the world. They are positively impacting other people and the planet, and that is the best gift of all.

In the midst of my donation research, I chatted with my sister online, who pointed out this posting on Down to Earth, which led me to this posting, which led me to this website for Handmade Toy Alliance, which led me to write to Representative Blumenauer, Senator Wyden, Senator-Elect Merkley, and to sign the petition...all to try to save a crafters right to construct healthy toys, clothing, and diapers for infants in the USA without hefty regulation costs. If you read this and live in the US, please look into this! It's really not that hard to send a form email to your elected officials, although I generally try to include a request at the bottom that if they choose to respond they should do so via email and not via a form letter that will just waste more trees and CO2.

After finishing my hemming and hawing and tailoring of donations, I finally got to chopping up vegetables for the soup. I like to think of my soup making as "everything but the kitchen sink." Tonight's soup included: red potatoes, broccoli, peas, celery, onions, garlic, carrots, a bit of white wine, two cans of vegetable broth, and some spices thrown in. Cooked all of the veggies down before adding the wine, seasonings, and then broth......then whirred it up in the blender. Served with some warmed french bread and waa-lah....a nutritious meal! I always make a large batch so I can freeze the rest for future meals.

Last evening I was able to get the hemming of my pants done and one of the shirts fixed. I had found the pants at Goodwill and just needed to re-hem them to the right length. The shirt was one I've had for years and wanted to take the arms off of to create a sleeveless black t for summer. Now tonight I hope to make some decent headway toward finishing up Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. So far a pretty decent read! Definitely makes me want to focus on buying local!

Hope everyone has a had a fabulous Hump Day!

The Beginning

I suppose I could say that this whole part of my life started six months ago, but then I know that wouldn't be quite true either. Even as a young child I remember moments of being enthralled with nature and having what one of my undergraduate college professor's called "sacred moments" in which one recognizes and is taken in by the beauty and spirituality of being one with nature. I remember, too, moments of recycling and my environmental science courses while a middle school student in Eugene. At one point, we developed a worm farm and an advanced school recycling program-something I have yet to see replicated in another educational institution. It was during that class that we also went door-to-door in an attempt to educate community members and persuade them into trading in their old shower heads for water-reduction shower heads. What a change it was then to move from liberal Eugene to a more conserative community on the coast, where "tree hugger" and "recycling" were thought to be bad words. Thus began a period of attempting to keep my liberal ideals to myself and trying my hardest to be a closet environmentalist, although I don't know how well I actually did at trying to disguise all of my ideals.

Now a bit older, I have begun again to demonstrate and advocate for issues such as social justice, sustainability, health, education, and spirituality. However the most profound of my individual changes began approximately six months ago, and slowly I am trying to incorporate more avenues into my life in which to make my individual foot print smaller from a consumer impact. What was this change you might ask? Well those that know me well already know that it initially stemmed from watching the movie Blood Diamond. Now how could Blood Diamond completely alter someone's life you might ask? Well let me tell you! It was through that movie that I again was faced with how lucky I have it living in the United States, where (although I may complain about choices of those who govern us) I am generally free and can live without the fears that face so many of those who share this planet with us. I have shelter, clothing, transporation, food, employment, and I also realized how MUCH of all of that I had. How could I have SO much when others had so little? That began to be the question that wormed through my mind and has remained settled on it throughout the past months. Directly following that movie, my mother and I went through our linen and coat closets and donated a trunk load of items to the local gospel mission. And from that time on, I have embarked on a mission to lessen my load and to try to live a life that is more friendly toward others and the planet.

To me, all of these subjects correspond with one another. When we are acting in a way that is best for the Earth then we are looking out for the welfare of all who inhabit it. When we are looking out for the welfare of others, then we are encouraging the health and vitality of those that inhabit the Earth. When we remember that the Earth is a gift and embrace it, we are again embracing our spiritual connection to each other and to God. All of these concepts, as well as all of these life changes can positively alter all areas of our lives.

You will find attached to my blog several links to other blogs from individuals that are reducing their impact upon the Earth, as well as links to other resources. Among the blog community, there are many who making huge changes (such as trying to reduce their carbon footprint by 90%) and others that are making small changes on a gradual continum to decrease the negative impact we as humans can leave on the planet. Wouldn't it be great if we only left our positive impacts on the world?

Through writing here, I am not trying to impose my beliefs on others-only to create awareness. I do truly hope that every person is engaged in some aspect and care of improving our relationship to each other, to our environment, and to our spirituality. Our recent Sunday sermon inspired me through it's call to "live distinctly" thus through my blog I hope to increase awareness of issues, share a variety of "Elizabeth" thoughts, and to hold myself accountable to live in a "simply authentic" nature.

May you all have a wonderful rest of the week!