One for One

I lurve shoes. Shoes just make me happy. They take any outfit and complete them. Your wedding, the first day of your new job, your graduation day are all days where (hopefully) you've worn shoes. Pumps, flats, chucks, peep-toes, boots, sneakers, crocs, flip-flops, you name it I've got 'em. Why am I writing a post about shoes when I'm trying raise money to go on a trip to Africa you ask? Well my favorite pair of shoes, TOMS, are also a great way to give back.

TOMS is company that takes giving back to heart. Their business model is set up with a One to One theme. You buy one pair of shoes and they donate a pair to a person in need. The founder of this movement and Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie, is a young entrepreneur who saw the need for shoes on a trip to Argentina. Their offices are set up in Santa Monica, CA and they go on Shoe Drops all over the world. Here's a video clip from their documentary:



I have three pairs and I LOVE them (pictured below). I wear them everywhere. They are comfortable and stylish. You can wear them with anything. Most of them have a canvas outer layer with a leather insole. TOMS has many different styles that include vegan varieties, boots, wool lined, and even styles that lace. I've got my eye on a pair of their cordones (the kind that lace) at the moment.

Count down to Malawi: 159 days

*Sorry for the bad grammar...it's been a long weekend.

Personal Update Time!

This post is dedicated to a personal update! An update solely about ME!

It's been a whirlwind week to say the least. Last Wednesday I moved back to Kent State. By myself. It was hard work, readers. I moved all the things I had brought back from home into my very new room in a different hall. Then I moved all the things from my old room into my car and then from my car to the new room across campus. It was a long day. Why did I have to move, you ask? Well, this little lady got herself a JOB! I'm the new Resident Assistant on the 4th floor of Koonce Hall. I'm in the big leagues. I'm in control of 60 or so girls with the median age of 19 (I think my eye just twitched from typing that).
The weekend that followed my move-in day was filled to the brim with endless training on how to be a new RA. It wasn't as bad as it sounds and I went though the process with some great people. I'm working with a wonderful staff...and not just because they could possibly be reading this. After that weekend was over it was time for classes to start. I took a step back this semester and decided not to take more than 18 credit hours like normal. I'm in calc 3, linear algebra, ed psych, ed tech, and a religion class. So far so good on that end! Soon I will have a major life changing interview that will decide if I get into the actual program and can start observing in the classroom or not. I just broke into a sweat thinking about it. I'll be sure to keep you posted on that.


Another note: I've raised over $1100 in the past couple of months! I've had some amazing support from a lot of different people. Thanks!

Days until Malawi: 176

Proper Documentation

Today I received my renewed passport. It's my first big person passport and, unlike my minor passport, this one doesn't expire for another ten years! Ten years! The world is at my fingertips!

It's THE Year!

It's the year I'll be traveling to Africa! 2010 is the start of not only an amazing year but an amazing decade! I can just feel it. At this time in 10 years I will have just turned 30 years old and who knows where I'll be. Currently, I'm writing this post from the living room of my parents house and watching my brother play our Wii Fit Plus. In 2020, I could be on a different continent (or a different planet) or married with kids or in the same place or in a box with a fox, ya never know!

This past decade was pretty incredible. I've been pretty lucky!
Here's a list to recap my decade (in no particular order):

• Competed in Math Counts :)
• Traveled without my parents for the first time. I went to Texas with my cousin Kali to visit with our Aunt and Uncle, cousin Madelyn, and Grandpa Bill.
• Conquered Middle School!
  
• Traveled to Australia in 2004 as a People to People Student Ambassador.
  
• Joined every club imaginable at VVHS.
• Became the Class of 2008's VP.
• Tried out the Track team for a couple of years.
  
• Learned how to play golf.
• Joined the Golf team.
• Traveled to Honduras in 2006 with the Rotary Club. 
• Attended the 2006 HOBY seminar and met some Outstanding people.
• Volunteered as a staff member for HOBY 2007 and 2008.
  
• Got braces...got them taken off...then put back on...then taken back off
• Learned to "play" the oboe.
• Got all four wisdom teeth cut out. Watched National Treasure approximately 4 times in a row while being on painkillers.
  
• Picked up the bass clarinet.
• Marched in Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
  
• Played in four pit orchestras for the HS musicals (The Wizard of Oz was by far my favorite!).
• Went on tour in Europe for a couple of weeks with a youth wind ensemble, The Ohio Ambassadors of Music. (3rd chair!)
• Saw Wicked in London, England.
  
• Became NHS president
• Got implants...of the dental variety. (2 surgeries, learned how to swallow pills, lots of pudding)
  
• Joined the Academic Team. Or the A-team, if you will.
• Made first chair bass clarinet in the Tri-State Honor Band.
• Ice-skated for the fist time in the middle of a mall in Houston, TX.
• Went on a couple of mission trips with my youth group.
• Gained a sister-in-law in the summer of 2008.
•  Worked at Brown's Run Country Club for three summers. Got hit in the face with a steel hand ball picker, drove the ball picker on the range, and cleaned about a bajillion golf clubs.
• Got accepted to Kent State University's Honors College.
  
• Lived (and still do) in a dorm and learned that I hate living in a dorm.
• Got my first C and D ever (besides freshman gym in HS haha)...and on the same report card to boot!
• Saw, and got paid to see, Flight of the Concords.
  
• Got two speeding tickets and pulled over approximately five times.
• Spent a summer as an Americorps volunteer.

It's not a long list but it's a good list. I can't wait to get started on this new decade!

Speaking of which, I've got some plans in store:

• Make it on to the Amazing Race with my dad.
• Do a couple years of service.
• Get a big person job.
• Buy a home.
• Get married.
•  Meet someone from my favorite famous people list.

That's all I have for now! Happy New Year!




Days until I land in Africa: 196

Ho Ho Ho

It's Christmas! I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!

This evening we will be having family over and exchanging presents and I'll be schooling my family (mainly Mirullia) in Family Feud for the Wii. I've gotten pretty darn good!

I hope everyone enjoys this time with their family and friends and those they love.

Merry Christmas!

I Can't Believe It's That Time of Year Again

Seriously, people! It's the holidays and when did that happen?

Okay so I definitely stole this idea from the wonderful gals over at Mommin' It Up but it was a great idea! This post is dedicated to different holiday gift ideas...but with a twist.

This year instead of buying your dad another neck tie or your crazy Aunt Ida another pair of pajamas give them a gift that could change the world! Giving alternative gifts is one of my favorite ways to give gifts because a)it's giving a gift to a person less fortunate (and doesn't that just make your heart melt?) and b) there's practically no wrapping necessary.

My family will tell you that I'm awful at giving gifts, and it's true. Last year I gave my sister-in-law an orange potato peeler shaped like a gorilla...and my brother two rolls of camo duct-tape. I've come to terms with this defect and giving alternative gifts is my solution. So here are some of my suggestions:

Heifer International
Here you can purchase an animal to be sent to a famiy or communilty in need. You can also buy a share of an animal.

Nothing But Nets
Purchase a net to protect a family against Malaria.


World Vision
World Vision's main campaign is the sponsorship of children so that they can attend school. They also have a wide range of other categories to choose from.

So before you head to the crowded mall browse these sites to see what you can find. Your purchase could save a life. However, if none of these sites suit your fancy you could always donate through this blog to help me on my way to Africa. On the right hand side of this page there is a link to PayPal so that you can donate using your credit card.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Days to go from December 4th, 2009: 225 Days!

Malawi fact of the day: The land was established in 1891 by the British and was named Nyasaland. In 1964 it became the independent country of present day Malawi.

I'm so glad you asked...

Since announcing my Africa plans I've had a lot of people ask me why I would want to do this. I think today, Thanksgiving Day, is a perfect day to answer that exact question.

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to remember all the things for which we have to be thankful. Some things I'm thankful for include my family and friends whom I love, having an education, and all the opportunities I've been given. As I look at all the things in my life that I have to be thankful for the need for me to give back gets bigger and bigger.

I feel compelled to serve in Africa because I have been blessed with such an amazing life and it is my duty to give back and pay it forward. I am a pretty lucky kid and I've had a pretty easy life compared to the majority of the people in the world. I've always known where all my meals were coming from and that I was going to eat, I've always had a bed to sleep in, I know my family is safe, and I am blessed to live in a great country like the United States of America. You might ask, "How could you go to Africa? It's so different from America." Believe me, I like running water and air conditioning as much as the next gal. I was worried the first time I went to a developing country, Honduras in 2006, but once I got there I was completely at ease. I knew that the amenities I had (outdoor showers and bathrooms, back of a pick-up truck for transportation, etc.) were the norm for everyone else in that region so I shouldn't expect anything different. I know that in Africa it's going to be hard to live without the internet, running water, and AC but I can do it if everyone else can do it. If most of the people in the world live like this for their entire lives then I can definitely live like them for at least two weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!


Malawi fact of the day: Lilongwe is Malawi's capital.