and the winner is...

First of all, THANK YOU! So much! To everyone who participated in my giveaway. I was absolutely blown away by the incredible support. With your help, I raised almost $1,000 of the $4,000 I need for the trip.

Do you know how amazing that is? You're all AMAZING.  And that is still an understatement.

So thank you. THANK YOU! For your support.

And now, what you all want to hear. Our winner! As chosen by the random number generator: Ashley!

Of all of the non-family members who entered, indeed, my own sister won. I swear I didn't hand pick her :)

Congratulations and happy cooking, dearest Ashira. I just might have to personally deliver it to Denver! 

And THANK YOU again to everyone who helped along the way! I love you! :)

{so very thankful}

For an amazing beach weekend with new and old friends.

For a new rat-free, not-for-sale, year-long-lease house. And for being totally settled in it. Closet color coordinated, dishes washed, floors mopped, settled. 

For Duke and Sam coming for Cheers for Children this weekend.

For this sweet Africa image from my coworker. And for amazing friends who have donated. (Thank you, thank you!)

For a long weekend and a short week.

For life finally, blessedly slowing down so I can take deep breaths, enjoy things longer and reinstate my sleep challenge. Because I'm not exactly even kind if succeeding.

Happy day to you!

31 Day Challenge: A Thankful Sandwich

Work has been chaotic in the strongest sense of the word lately and it's led to the kind of personal life disorganization that drives me wild - unreturned phone calls, gmail inbox scrolling...

Not.my.jam.

It has also led to me having less of a positive attitude than I'd like, but then on Friday, I stumbled upon this verse:
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..." (1 Thes. 5:16-18)

And I was sure convicted. Remember back when I graduated in a recession and all I wanted was a job? And now I have one I love - and here I was getting down about being busy.

I think sometimes the holiday season is like that, though. There is so much excitement and buzz and busyness, that we call it a burden instead of a blessing. Too many gifts to wrap, dishes to make, parties to attend...

How fortunate we are!

I decided for the month of December, I am going to start and end each day by writing down two things I'm grateful for. I'm so excited to see how it makes me feel after 31 days (or 124 pieces!) of gratitude. After such an amazing 2012, it feels like a great way to wrap up the year. I'm hoping it will help me feel passionate in the morning and peaceful at night - which seems like a pretty great way to sandwich the day.

What are you grateful for? Feel free to join me in the 31 day challenge!

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home again home again

Oh how I love going home. The smells - the people - the love. It's such a wonderful feeling.

This break was no different. It was so happy, with so much to be thankful for.

The trip to Indiana was full of the same traditions we're accustomed to, as well as an announcement from my cousin, Chris, that he and his wife are expecting a baby just a few days after Court (!) is. Yaay! Those babies are going to be great friends.

My dad, Duke and I helped my mama in her classroom Wednesday after I got in town, then went out to lunch.

Wednesday afternoon my parents bought a last minute ticket for Sam to come home on the redeye, which was amazing news!

 

Wednesday night, I convinced Duke and my mom to go to yoga with me. Then Thursday, we picked Sam up bright an early, just in time for Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my cousins, lots of happy time with my family, got to see Katie Z. :) and all in all, just had a great break.

 

the cousins who were able to come to thanksgiving :)

 

happy entrance to our neighborhood decorated for Christmas - whoop!

 

muff and dave cracking up so hard she almost spit out her wine

 

getting my mom's classroom all decorated for the season!

 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a happy, happy Thanksgiving, too!

happy thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving you guys!

 

I took the day off work and am posted up in Indiana with my dad, mom and Duke. I am so thankful for them - and all of you fine family scattered all over America.

 

I'm itching to do a Turkey Trot tomorrow, but with my bum foot am going to have to settle for yoga or spinning. Luckily just a few weeks to go until I can run - and for that, I am also very thankful.

 

I hope you have a great holiday weekend, with lots of eats and gratitude!

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yaaay birthday

Whoeee. What a happy week last week was. Thank you so (so, so, sssoo) much to everyone who made my birthday amazing. I felt so overwhelmingly loved. It makes my heart full just thinking about it.

I don't want to call any individual activity out, for fear of making one seem less special to me - because I really just loved everything that has transpired during the last week. 

So I will just leave it at that. That I can't even really explain how grateful I am, but I am 100 percent positive that birthdays have to be one of the happiest days ever.

 

I hope you had a wonderful September Five, too. Thank you again for the sweet loving. I love you all :)

friday find

I recently stumbled on Thought Questions and am hooked. A big question asker myself, I'm wondering if I can somehow incorporate these into my life outside the blogosphere.

 

Here are my favorites...

 

Week at the beach with my family!

  

The amazing people in it, and the opportunity to live in such a great city.

 

Sometimes it's better to say less, but make what you say really count.

Oh, and patience is a virtue. But I'm still working that one.

 

Happy Friday!

 

 

what shall we call you?

Last month, I updated you on my one tri: one well campaign for charity: water, where, together, we raised $5,841. And now, I am so excited to fill you in on the next steps.

The funds have been distributed, and during the course of the next 18 months, they'll begin digging the well. Once it is complete, they'll send me a report, with photos, village information and GPS coordinates for where the well is located. Check out an example of these details here. I can't wait to Google earth the coordinates!

But before any of that happens, I have to name the well. And I wouldn't feel right doing it without your help. Obviously.

Below are a few ideas I have. Be sure to vote, or, if you have something better, leave it as a comment. It just has to be 50 characters or less, including spaces. I'm not sure I am sold on any of them yet, so I am certainly open to suggestions.

And thank you - in advance - for the great ideas I know will flow like water from your minds.

charity: water well name

Also - check out this amazing video about charity: water's latest well. I watched it. And I cried.

ATL Hold It Down

I've expressed before that I have an irrational, and yet very real, fear that I am ungrateful. And this past weekend, my fear skyrocketed with the culmination of three projects.

First, I completed my triathlon. I was blown away by how supportive my friends&family were - from texts to wall posts and everything in between, it felt so wonderful to know that people were supporting me during the race.

With the tri came the end of my campaign, one tri: one well for charity:water. Eee! I was so nervous to try to raise $2,500, and you all ended up donating more than $5,000. Instead of funding half of a well, we've funded an entire well for a village. A village will have water forever! Can you believe it!? I can't. I'm so so appreciative of your support, and when I started losing steam during the tri, I thought of all of those kids that walk miles&miles every day carrying buckets of water. And I knew I could do it for them. Thank you for motivating me!

And finally, Cheers for Children was Saturday night. I am so very grateful to everyone who attended! I was blown away by how supportive my friends were. To have you all there was absolutely amazing and I really, really appreciate you supporting the cause.

 

Whew. Quite a weekend. THANK YOU!

happee day mondayy

Oh my heart. It is so full.

This weekend was wonderfully happy and I felt so enveloped in love by the support of friends and family. I can't wait to give a full report tomorrow. But for now, a happy Monday to you all! I hope the weekend high carries you through the day.

PS: Is it seriously June 11? June is halfway over this week. What!? Where'd it go? Sheesh!

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$500. Let's Do This.

It's a double post kind of day, because I just received a HUGELY generous donation to my charity : water well. For the next $500 I raise, my dad will match $6 for every $1 donated. This means that if you donate $20, he'll donate $120, and instead of serving one person with your donation, we'll be able to serve seven.

I.am.ecstatic.

He is the best!

Every day things get me really, really excited. But that normal, day to day happiness has been completely blown away by the incredibly generous donations of my friends and family during the last few weeks. Yes, when XXX happens at work, or in my personal life, it's great. But being supported and wrapped in love by all of you, and being able to give that love to those in need, is so much more fulfilling.

I really cannot begin to express how excited I am, and would greatly appreciate your continued support. I'm at $1,704 now, so until we hit $2,204, Dave's matching program has officially begun. Let's go! :)

THANK YOU DAD!!!! I love you!

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The Water Project: by Mrs. Gentry

The support I've received for my triathlon has been completely overwhelming, to the point that I have had moments where I just want to cry with happiness.

Yesterday, I experienced this feeling when my dear, dear friend Megan informed me that her elementary class was doing an entrepreneur project, where they each start their own businesses, and will be donating their proceeds to my well. From hearing her talk about how they're worried about the kids who have to walk four hours to get water, to them asking if it would be OK if they donate all of their money (as opposed to the recommended 50 percent), my heart is overflowing. I had goosebumps when she told me about their excitement. 

I am so grateful to have her support, as well as all of yours. It's a lifelong fear of mine that I can't adequately express gratitude, and this campaign has me in overdrive, but I hope you all know how truly thankful I am. I am so excited about the upcoming weeks, and want to reiterate that I am truly, incredibly grateful for your continued support. 

I cannot wait to see all of the amazing projects Mrs. Gentry's class delivers and will be sure to keep you posted on their progress. Check out photos from the project below - they'll make your heart melt!

Thank you again!

one tri: one well

As someone who has a lot of obsessions (see here, here and here), I realize my words might lose their oomph when I get to raving.  

But, if you know me, you know that one of my greatest obsessions in life is water.

Good, clean, h2izzo.

I recently went on a date and he asked me if I'm one of those people that carries a water bottle around everywhere they go. To which I said: No. I am not one of those people; I am that person.

To say it's an obsession would be an understatement I'm not comfortable making.

That being said, one of my favorite charities, which I discovered through the one and only Courtney, is charity: water. When she was on the Mercy Ship, Scott Harrison, the founder, was there as well. After leaving the ship, he started the charity, and the rest is history.

This year, in an effort to combine three of my favorite things (water + courtney + working out), I've decided to dedicate my triathlon to building a well.

The cost of one well is $5,000, and I hope to take a good chunk out of that through fundraising. Feel free to check out my campaign. I'd would love your support, if you feel compelled to do so. 

If everyone that reads my blog on an average day gives $13, it'd be more than enough to cover the cost. However, I certainly realize that money is really tight right now, and $13 is a lot of money to a kid like me. So, if you want to provide support, I'd love for you to pass along the link to my well, so others who relate to my passion for the cause can share the love. The thought of giving clean water to kids who walk miles to find dirty water every day warms my heart, and I know it'll keep me going during the race.

Thank you in advance for your help! I truly, truly appreciate it.

PS: Looking to get inspired? Watch charity: water's fifth birthday video below. It'll make you want to tri, too!

images and video via charity: water

Oh happy!

It’s official. Wonderful Kari sent me Hunger Games part two, Catching Fire, as a housewarming gift. 

I also still have things I want to do in my apartment, such as repainting a bench that I made a drippy mess out of this weekend. Eek! When am I ever going to blog!?

Thank you, Kari! I'm already addicted.

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thankful

A picture is worth a thousand words, and yet, there are no words for how much I love these people.

I hope your holly day was magical!

Pre trot :)

Christmas tree shopping in Indiana in November in shorts = happy

 

Our best elf. 

Complete!