Trip Home

So ths trip home has been good. I'm heading back to AZ in the morning so I thought I'd recap. After I wrote the last blog when I was iced in the house, I did go to my brother's to see my nephews...when we got to his house my brother grabbed my arm to hold on while we walked in, like I'm an old woman, and I was thinking...I can do this, I don't think that's necessary. Wrong. Such a good move on his part! At one point the wind was just whipping us and we just stood there arm in arm for like 3 minutes laughing, unable to move because the ground was solid ice and it was just a crazy situation. So, then Celeeste braved the ice to come get me! So I went to her house, talked and hot tubbed all night, and my mom picked me up the next afternoon. While at Celeeste's I was able to go on a late night run to Toys R Us after the ice melted and get the little ones gifts, and the older ones really did get money wrapped up, but they liked that too. Christmas Eve was at my grandma's with my dad's side of the family, always a nice time. Christmas morning was chaos as usual with all the kids opening gifts, a great breakfast, and then laying around all day. That night we spend with my mom's side playing Bingo (which is sooo fun!) Friday I met up with high school friends for drinks. Then came Saturday, the big day of the in-law meet & greet. Ivan's mom Jeanette, his sister Leah (lives in Austin, TX), his sister Kim (lives in Cincinnati, OH), her husband Wade, and their two kids Drew & Dawson, all came to my parents to spend the afternoon and have dinner. My parents have met them once before at Ivan's graduation in 2005, but other than that our families haven't had an opportunity to spend time together. As it is, I don't think I've seen Ivan's mom for a couple years and when I did it was probably just a few hours, I haven't seen Kim since his graduation, and I don't think I've seen Leah since 2006...So I was excited and nervous at all once because I just didn't know if everyone would have anything in common you know? But I'm so happy they came and everything went so well beyond my best expectations. It was great. Everyone had a lot to talk about, got along really well, and I think just had an overall good time. Ivan's nephew and my nephews got along great. I suggested they be penpals and I hear there are already letters written!! Fun stuff.

So we know I've gone back and forth about what kind of wedding I would like, something big in St. Louis, or something small in Vegas or somewhere like that. The way things went with our families made me want a typical wedding (well at least a typical reception, I'm steadfast that I want a very small wedding). But it get's so expensive. So I've just been doing some research online and there are some beautiful places in St. Louis. I have a lot of thinking to do...

So anyway, Sunday I went to Chicago with a friend from high school, Heather, to see another friend from high school, Rosemary. The interesting thing is that we all just reconnected on myspace and realized we now have a lot in common, even though we weren't very close in high school. It was a great day though. Heather & I took the train to see Rosemary who now lives in the city. We had lunch at this really cool place, did some shopping, went to the Field Museum, Navy Pier, and out to eat again before heading back. I've fallen in love with train by the way! So easy, and relaxing. Heather and I were able to just sit and talk for hours without having to think. And even though I've always only lived a couple hours from Chicago, aside from a concert and a 1 day trip in '99, I haven't been to Chicago since I was like 7 or 8. After having moved away and traveling more I wonder why I didn't go more?? Oh well. It was a good day and nice to do something different than my totally standard trips home like usual.

Yesterday my friend Becky & I went to the movie "Four Christmases." Which I really enjoyed. And parts of that movie reminded me so much of myself & Ivan. This couple is totally into each other and never go to see their families and talk about how their families bring out the bad in them and their lives are so much easier without them and everything. I don't totally identify with that, but it did make me think about how easy it when it's just the 2 of us. We live far away in our bubble and all we have to do is make ourselves & each other happy. It's nice! haha The trouble is when I come back to the real world and there's gossip that I don't ever have to deal with! Oh well. You'll have that.

Anyway it has been a totally great trip home, I missed seeing a couple people due to the early car troubles & weather but I saw most everyone. I head back early in the morning and don't know what we're doing for New Year's... I got tickets to the Insight Bowl (free ones) so I don't know if we're going or not, but I wanna do something!

Happy New Year!

Early Merry Christmas!

Hey all! Thanks again for all the congratulations and everything. They are much appreciated.

When we got back to Surprise I still had all last week of work...talk about unable to focus! It would have been bad enough from the great weekend but of course it was also the week before Christmas, myself and the kids were checked out! I did pretty well I think considering all the excitement.

So Saturday was me & Ivan's 7th anniversary, and the day we had set aside to celebrate Christmas together. Ivan's knows what he's getting from me (an Xbox 360) but it's coming after the holidays, simply because I wanted to make sure I had enough money for everyone else and the trip. But I wanted him to have something too that day, so I got him this bartender's kit for making the perfect cocktail (a two-in-one gift, 'cause I will definitely see the benefit of that!) haha It came with a recipe book, a pourer, a shaker...and the first drink he picked was AMAZING! It's called a Mustang Sally-- had vodka, Watermelon Pucker, Raspberry Liqueur, and lemonade. Seriously one of those drinks where you cannot taste the alcohol at all. He got me a 3 month membership to our massage place! Basically that is 1 massage per month and then any more you buy are discounted, so like an hour long massage only costs $39! Madness! So Sunday I went and got my first one (lovely!) and then I picked up my friend Kametia and we got manicures & pedicures. (More lovely!) Oh we also rented some movies over the weekend. We watched Hancock (loved it) and Wanted (I was unsure at first but ended up really liking it). Then we went over to Gretchen's and watched Tropic Thunder (as everyone should enjoy this movie!!)

Yesterday was my travel day back home. At the time I bought my tickets, they were cheap flying into Bloomington, so I booked them there. Normally I fly into St. Louis and someone comes to get me, it's a direct flight which I like, and usually cheaper. So anyway, I made it to O'Hare with no trouble and surprisingly (not) this is where it all fell apart. The flight kept getting pushed back like every 20 minutes for almost 2 hours, and we changed gates 5 times! They gates were all fairly close to each other but we ended up back at the gate we started at! I'm convinced they did this just to keep us all busy and annoying different people rather than the same ones for a few hours. We finally get on the plane, back at good ole' H3A... only to sit there for almost 2 hours waiting for our baggage to be loaded...wow. Finally we start to take off, and then we slow down again, then we start to speed up, then we slow down...speed up, slow down, you get the picture. We pull off to the side of the runway and are told something's not right...duh. Finally we're told we will be going back to the gate and switching planes, but it's all ready for us! We go in and wait in the airport again for like an hour, and get back on the plane...to wait another hour for the luggage to be moved. Now...our old plane has just been sitting at the gate, and so has our new one...no passengers coming off or on so what were they doing the whole time we were waiting in the airport?? And why does it take an hour to do baggage? Anyway...after an hour we were finally, successfully in the sky, and landing in Bloomington after our measly 25 minute flight, 5 hours late... Oh well. I didn't have plans last night but it was entertaining to watch people. People in airports are just funny in general--rushing here & there, thinking that their time is more important and complicated than anyone else's. Every 30 seconds calling someone new with the play by play as they sit in the airport.. "ugh another gate change," "Uggh we're delayed again!" Not to discredit how annoying it is but you have to watch sometime and just laugh. I've come to the conclusion that people secretly love the 'drama' that comes with delays and changes, they re-tell it (as I am now!) and I think it makes them feel important.. "Oh I'm FLYING today, just sitting at O'HARE, and my flight is DELAYED" yada yada yada. It's interesting. Amusing. I'm guilty of it I know. (To be fair, I re-tell everything!!! haha)

So today my plan was to Christmas shop and see Celeeste, eat some Steak-n-Shake (can I get a hell yeah-- we don't have those in AZ or CA but the closest thing to it is Johnny Rocket's for those who don't know, and I think Steak-n-Shake is right up there with McDonald's for curing hangovers) Anyway...my mom's old car that I always drive when I'm home wouldn't start. I don't know what the deal is, good chance it's because it's ridiculously cold maybe?? So I've been stranded at home with my mom's Bichon Frise-- Bo, who is a cuddly, warm companion for nap time. And you guessed it, now that my mom will be home from work, the roads will be so bad I don't want to go anywhere anymore. It's been freezing rain so that equals like a 1/2 inch of ice on the roads, at least that's what my brother's telling me. So I'm sending out an SOS for a freakin' grilled cheese with bacon and a bowl of chili from SnS!! Tak-Chels-a-Sak! That's all I really want. And yet I don't want to ask anyone because I wouldn't want to be driving on the ice either. So I will munch on waffles (mom, we need syrup!) and candy canes (did you know the guy who made candy canes made them to represent Jesus--hence they are in the shape of a J and the white & red represent the body & blood-- suck on that!) I think my brother will be passing by soon and he's gonna pick me up and take me to his house so I can at least see some of my nephews.

So I'm thinking this Christmas will be $20 bills wrapped in little boxes! Good things these kids love money right? All my Christmas shopping done in 30 seconds at the ATM...but I still need me or my card to at least get to the ATM... dang. Oh well.

Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! This is what being home (when home is the Midwest) is all about!! Talk soon!

Chels

Vegas Baby!

So....here's how the weekend went...

We got there Thursday afternoon and checked in to our amazing room. Maybe I'm just easily pleased but we got there and didn't even know we were actually staying in these condo's attached to MGM Grand. There was a kitchenette and jacuzzi tub, all good things. But there was also this weird smell on the whole 18th floor. So, we called and asked if there was anywhere else we could be moved to. The only room available was an upgrade...dang right? So we moved and it was a 1 bedroom suite--living room, balcony, full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, jacuzzi tub with the TV in the bathroom, lovely king bed (very comfy) and one of those TV's that comes up out of the desk!! Long story short, very nice. So that night we gambled a little bit and were gonna go out to a dueling piano bar...but a little too much vodka mixed with heat from the jacuzzi made us think we should just stay in! haha Possibly the most boring people to go to Vegas, however, I love hotels, so give me a big comfy bed and that's about all I need.

Friday morning we ordered breakfast in bed, a little pricey, but you do it for the fun right? Plus the food was yummy. Then, I went and got a massage which was also amazing; again a little pricey, but that's the point of going out of town right? That night we went to the Stratosphere for dinner. If you don't know, this is the hotel/restaurant that's super high and rotates so you have a view of the entire city--which you know, with all the lights is very pretty. We ordered and then Ivan went into his speal about loving me :) haha He does this a lot so it wasn't out of the ordinary, and then he popped the ring up on the table, I said yes, and there you have it! So a lot of people have asked if he got down on one knee, the answer is no, but for a couple reasons. One is that I always said I didn't want him to because I would probably freak the crap out. And also, we were by the window and the only place to kneal was the moving part, so if he got down on one knee, me and our table woulda kept on moving! haha Funny to think about it now. We were joking that he should have run ahead a bit like he was going to the restroom and my table would have met up with him eventually! hahaha And yes, the ring is beautiful. Over the course of 7 years we've looked at rings here and there, so yes, I did pick it out, but I picked out a much smaller one! haha Worth the wait I guess huh? So anyway, after that we went to the Venetian took a gondola ride which was super fun--and made me very excited for my trip this coming summer to Europe!

***Little sidenote for the FAQ's: No date set, but we're guessing sometime in 2010, which is not nearly as far away as it sounds! Our anniversary is in December so we're going back and forth between that and June or July. Still debating on a small destination wedding, or a biggie in St. Louis. Next year's ruled out as I said I'm going to Europe for a month so that's a lot of time and money already unavailable, plus we're going to be moving into a house (to rent) and buying new furniture. So that should cover the FAQ's!!***

Saturday morning we decided to just walk the strip, this also happened to be the day a wind storm flew into Vegas! Needless to say, we didn't do a whole lot of walking around! That night was the Blue Man Group, which was amazing! I highly recommend seeing them. Awesome show, funny, entertaining, everything you'd want.

Overall, awesome weekend for every reason, great first time to Vegas, and I plan on going back many more times! Oh, we did do a little gambling of course...but as you can imagine we didn't leave big winners :) Anyway, thanks to everyone for the congrats and well wishes, it really means a lot to know so many people care about us and support us!!

See you soon for Christmas! Oh and here's a link to some pics from the weekend...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035012&l=8971a&id=197103045

Vegas here we come!

We're going to Vegas tomorrow!! You'll get a full report on it after we atually go but I'm really excited!! We're staying at MGM Grand, and we have tickets to see the Blue Man Group. I saw them years ago in Chicago before they were really famous and it was an awesome show, so I'm pumped to see them again, and in Vegas--I bet it'll be amazing. We have reservations for dinner at the top of Stratosphere :) Other than that we're going to do a bit of gambling, likely a bit of drinking, and we want to take a gondola ride and just walk around a bit. YAY! We haven't gone anywhere in forever it seems like. When we lived in California we did some overnight trips here & there but since moving to AZ we haven't really. I'm just anxious for the time away from work, to stay in a hotel (I love hotels!!) and for everything Vegas has to offer. YAY! You may be wondering why we're going and the answer is, just because, kinda. Ivan is a member of this thing called "Dream Trips" and basically you pay a little for big savings on vacation packages. They have them all over the world, and all throughout the year. So this is one of those. Plus we've talked about going to Vegas for years and years and just haven't. Plus our anniversary is next weekend (the 20th, it will be 7 years!) so it's a little early celebration I suppose. Anyway, I'm so stoked.

Friday night we went and saw Chelsea Handler perform. She was super funny. If you don't know who she is, she has a show on E! called "Chelsea Lately" and she's pretty damn funny--especially during the roundtable (just watch it). And for those of you who watch the show, Heather "Long Boob" McDonald opened for her, and she was super funny too. Good times.

Last night we went to the Suns game. When we went last year they didn't have Shaq on the team yet so it was kinda cool to watch Shaq play, since he's so famous and everything ya know? There was about 10 of us that went. Good times once again.

Well anyway, I'll get going. Will post some pics and Vegas update next week :)

IRC

I'm so excited! For my class right now I had to interview someone at a human services agency, so I called up the International Rescue Committe. Which I've mentioned before-- is a place that resettles refugees from all over the world in the U.S. I've been in contact with them for a year and a half about volunteering. I was put on a waiting list to be matched with a family, then I was traveling, and now I have the second job, so long story short, I've yet to volunteer with them. I'm hoping to volunteer or intern with them this summer after I get back from Europe.

After my interview, even though we talked about a lot of things I already knew, I'm so excited to get involved with them. It just made me realize what kind of work I want to be doing and where my focus really lies.

More Africa Pics!

So my friend Stephanie just posted some more pics from Africa and I thought I should share them :)

The bottom one is of another volunteer, Rhian from Wales, who is holding this little girl I saw when I was at Vicky's. You may remember me saying I saw a little girl there who I thought was the most beautiful kid in the world and have been kicking myself for not getting a picture of her. Here she is!!! I'm so excited that Steph had this picture!

And then there's more of the babies, my Lona of course, and Ntlanta :) And at the top, that is Stephanie in the red shirt.

World AIDS Day

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- Church bells tolled, workers put down their tools and court proceedings stopped Monday as South Africa marked a minute of silence for AIDS victims and ended a decade of denial about the epidemic.

Activists hold balloons, reading: "Protecting Oneself Is Also Getting Infromed," during a rally in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Monday.

Peter Piot, the top U.N. official dealing with the disease, joined political leaders and hundreds of AIDS activists at a rally in the coastal city of Durban to show his support for a government that has made a break with the discredited AIDS policies of former President Thabo Mbeki.
"We are the first to admit that a lot still needs to be done," said Baleka Mbete, the deputy president, as she lit a candle in remembrance of the victims.
South Africa has an estimated 5.5 million people living with the HIV virus -- the highest total of any country in the world and more than one-sixth of the global total. About 1,000 South Africans die each day of the disease and complications like tuberculosis. Even more become infected because prevention messages haven't worked.
And yet for years, Mbeki's government downplayed the extent of the crisis. Mbeki himself doubted the link between HIV and AIDS. His health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang openly mistrusted conventional AIDS drugs and instead promoted the value of lemons, garlic, beetroot and the African potato. Watch as reality TV star describes living with HIV »
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health last month calculated that government delays in introducing AIDS drugs between 2000 and 2005 cost more than 330,000 lives in South Africa. The study said that an additional 35,000 babies were born with HIV during the same period because authorities were reluctant to roll out mother-to-child prevention programs.
"We have to mourn the lives of those we have not saved," said Barbara Hogan, the health minister who replaced Tshabalala-Msimang after Mbeki was ousted in October. She cited the example of an 8-year-old boy battling both AIDS-related TB and meningitis who was on a waiting list for drugs when he died.
"We could have saved his life," Hogan said. She promised to improve HIV treatment and prevention programs, and to increase the supply of drugs to HIV positive women to stop them from passing the virus on to their unborn children.
South Africa has the biggest program for AIDS drugs in the world. And yet, about half the 800,000 people who need drugs are not receiving them. Experts estimate that within five years, about 5.5 million people with HIV will need medication to prevent their immune systems from worsening.
The government wants to halve new infections by 2011 and ensure that 80 percent of people with the disease get treatment and care.
But it faces a mammoth task. The Global Fund on AIDS, TB and Malaria has rejected a South African request for nearly $92 million over the next two years for AIDS projects and $68 million for TB prevention and treatment. AIDS campaigners blamed the former health minister for failing to respect the fund's strict operating rules.
The Durban ceremony marked an unprecedented show of unity between government, big business, trade unions and activists. In the past, activists and doctors had to resort to the courts to force government to provide AIDS drugs.
Church bells rang for a minute's silence at noon, and all banks agreed to cease business for that time. Murder trials were briefly interrupted. Trade union and business chiefs said they would have a 30-minute work stoppage to talk to their employees and encourage them to be tested -- which still remains largely taboo among men. Cell phone services sent text messages to their teenage subscribers.
"With the young and working age dying in droves, South Africa's death statistics resemble those of a country in a terrible war," the Confederation of South African Trade Unions said.

Hey there. Not much to say, but I kinda felt like it's been awhile since I wrote... let's see...



Joel McHale was funny. Duh right? He's a comedian...so yeah, he'd be funny. One night last week me & Kametia (the girl I'm mentoring) went to a hockey game. That was fun. Right now I'm just ready for Thanksgiving, more so I'm just ready for the time off work. I'm so exhausted just from work, the second job, and with my classes starting back up again. I think I might be back in the groove a bit. The first week back I was like...wow...I'm never going to graduate because I don't want to do the work one bit! It's getting better each week. I don't have to work at all this week for the second job and it's so weird...I keep looking at my calendar and thinking, "Ok what night do I have something going on" and then it's NO night!! Such a great feeling :) And to know only one more day of work, ahhh.

***Ok, so I started writing this last week and apparently got sidetracked. The 4 day break was exactly what I needed. Wednesday night me & Ivan went out with Breigh, who is a friend from California. She was in town visiting her boyfriend's family. So that was so much fun. On Thanksgiving we went over to Ivan's friends/co worker's house (Chris & Heidi) to eat with their 2 kids, and Ivan's friend Ryan, his fiance Kathy, and their 2 kids. The food was awesome, and we all totally knocked out on the couch after we ate. Perfect. Friday Ivan & I braved the sales to see what we "needed." Needed clearly isn't the right word for a new TV! hah But since Circuit City is closing they had everything like 40% off. So that was our big purchase for the year :) We also looked at furniture and put a couch on layaway, so I'm pumped for that. Then I went on a slight splurge at Pier One, which was very exciting. You can just never have too many vanilla candles right?

I think that kinda catches us up. Only 3 weeks until Christmas Break, can you believe it? I'm pumped. Before all of that though we have a Christmas Party at one of my co-workers and I'm pretty excited about that, we're going to see Chelsea Handler, going to a Suns game, going to Vegas for 4 days, AND celebrating our 7 year anniversary! So much to be excited about. And then, I'll be coming home too :) And can you believe it's been 7 years? Me neither. I'm very happy with us and how well we work together. YAY!

Just wanted to take a second to remind everyone to be in that giving spirit this holiday season :) I know, I know, that we're in "hard times" but I GUARANTEE you can afford to give a little money and/or time. Ivan & I are able to and we don't have anything on you guys, so trust me that I know you can do it. And with the hard times, that means we need to more than ever. If you're hurting, just imagine how bad someone else is. A friend of ours has recently come on hard times and was informed that government services we've always depended on just aren't there! Either no money, or the manpower to process the amount of help that is needed right now. The charities are suffering too, because those who normally give, aren't in the best position to do so, and there's a growing number of people in need also. Now is the time to help each other out.

Ok, that's my two cents for the moment. Peace!

Sound familiar?

Here's an article from the Pantagraph that goes along with my posts about kids needing to be able to play more:

No fooling: Experts bemoan loss of kids' play time
By David CraryAssociated Press
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NEW YORK -- In one classroom, a group of preschool teachers squatted on the floor, pretending to be cave-dwelling hunter-gatherers. Next door, another group ended a raucous musical game by placing their tambourines and drums atop their heads.Silly business, to be sure, but part of an agenda of utmost seriousness: To spread the word that America’s children need more time for freewheeling play at home and in their schools.“We’re all sad, and we’re a little worried. ... We’re sad about something missing in childhood,” psychologist and author Michael Thompson told 900 early childhood educators from 22 states packed into an auditorium last week.“We have to fight back,” he declared. “We’re going to fight for play.”After his keynote speech at New York’s 92nd Street Y, the teachers dispersed into dozens of workshops, some lighthearted, some scholarly — but all supporting the case that creative, spontaneous play is both vital and endangered.It’s not a brand-new cause — two years ago it was endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But social changes and new demands on kids’ spare time confront free-play advocates with an ever-moving target.Among the speakers at last week’s Wonderplay conference Y was Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a Temple University psychologist who contends that lack of play in early childhood education “could be the next global warming.”Without ample opportunity for forms of play that foster innovation and creative thinking, she argues, America’s children will be at a disadvantage in the global economy.“Play equals learning,” she said. “For too long we have divorced the two.”Some of the factors behind diminished play time have been evolving for decades, others are more recent. Added together, they have resulted in eight to 12 fewer hours of free play time per week for the average American child since the 1980s, experts say.Among the key factors, according to Thompson:— Parents’ reluctance to let their kids play outside on their own, for fear of abduction or injury, and the companion trend of scheduling lessons, supervised sports and other structured activities that consume a large chunk of a child’s non-school hours.— More hours per week spent by kids watching TV, playing video games, using the Internet, communicating on cell phones.— Shortening or eliminating recess at many schools — a trend so pronounced that the National PTA has launched a “Rescuing Recess” campaign.— More emphasis on formal learning in preschool, more homework for elementary school students and more pressure from parents on young children to quickly acquire academic skills.“Parents are more self-conscious and competitive than in the past,” Thompson said. “They’re pushing their kids to excel. ... Free play loses out.”The consequences are potentially dire, according to Thompson. He contends that diminished time to play freely with other children is producing a generation of socially inept young people and is a factor behind high rates of youth obesity, anxiety, attention-deficit disorder and depression.Many families turn to organized sports as a principal non-school activity, but Thompson noted that this option doesn’t necessary breed creativity and can lead to burnout for good young athletes and frustration for the less skilled.Vivian Paley, a former kindergarten teacher at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and now an author and consultant, argues that the most vital form of play for young children involves fantasy and role-playing with their peers.“They’re inventing abstract thinking, before the world tells them what to think,” Paley said in her speech to the conference. “It gets them thinking, ‘I am intended to have my own ideas.”‘She worried that preschools, in the drive to prepare students for the academic challenges ahead, are reducing the opportunity for group fantasy play — and thus reducing children’s chances to learn on their own about fairness, kindness and other social interactions.“The theater of the young receives the least attention from those planning the curriculum of our nation’s schools,” Paley said. “This very activity is being dismantled in our schools to make room for early phonics. ... Preschoolers are being asked to practice being first graders.”Fretta Reitzes, director of the 92 Street Y’s youth and family center, which serves more than 6,000 children, says many of the parents she sees are struggling to find the right balance for their kids’ schedules, asking “How much is too much?”Preschool teachers need to lead by example, Reitzes said.“Bringing play back into the lives of children, it’s not just OK,” she said. “It’s really good for them.”

News from Vietnam/Cambodia

Remember my friend the Scot--Heather--who is traveling the world still? (So jealous might I add). She sent this email and I wanted to share it. There's a couple links to another blog and a website about an orphange and a hospital in Vietnam and Cambodia. Heartbreaking! Again, just raising awareness. So here's her email:

"OK y'all listen up. This is not my usual official group mail- this is an extra just cos you are lucky people. Here are a couple of websites that I want you all to visit. Thats all you have to do is look andr aise your awareness. If you want to do more than that then great. The first is http://vietnamorphanagedonation.blogspot.com. This is ablog written by Jack Sanderson who I volunteered with in Vietnam. Heworked full time at the Ky Quang orphanage for special needs kids. I'msure you all remember my statements in the email about this place andanyone who has read by blog will be left in no uncertain term abouthow I feel about it. Jack is only 18 but thinks behaves and writes assomeone much older. Please check it out.

The second is www.beatocello.com. This is a website set up by Dr BeatRichter, a Swiss doctor living in Cambodia. He raises funds andprovides medical services free to the poor families and children ofCambodia. He has been doing this tirelessly since the 1970's. He holdsBach concerts once a week for free in the hospital in Siem Reap mailyfor tourists to let them know more about the hospital. I attended oneon my last night in Cambodia and he was wonderful, warm and humourous.I donated blood and also a small amount of money- but I just wanted tolet everyone else know and hope that they check up on these 2 sites."

Kathy Griffen Update

It just occurred to me that I never wrote about how amazing Kathy Griffen was! I realize she's an acquired taste. Some people can't stand her. I used to think she was annoying and all of that. But then I started watching her show, "My Life on the D-List" and I quickly started falling in love with her. And then here and there I would catch one of her specials...and again...she had me laughing my ass off.

So we went and saw her and she was so flipping funny. I think the reason she's so appealing is that her comedy is like no other. It's literally like you are catching up with an old friend. Like she just runs into the room and is like, "OMG! I love you, I haven't seen you in forever, we have 2 hours to catch up, let me tell you everything!" And away she goes, and everything just happens to be hysterical.

The other thing Ivan and I think...is that a typical comedian will say--they take everyday situations and make them funny. With Kathy is just seems like her everyday situations just ARE funny. She doesn't even try. I don't know. She's the number 1 female comedian in the world right now, and I know why :)

One funny thing to note--Kathy has a huge gay following--men & women alike. On the way to the show I told Ivan that just to see if he'd react. I probably didn't even need to tell him because within 2 blocks of the theatre you could just tell ya know? And when Kathy came out she always says, "Ok, where are my gays at?" And I swear to you, at least 75% of the audience was on their feet cheering. I thought it was too funny. Ivan did too...probably not as funny as I did though. And then she asked where the women were, and finally, "Where my straight guys at?" Just a few people in the room. She follows up with, "Yeah I got nothing for ya! Sorry, I know you were bribed here tonight"..etc etc etc. Too funny.

Tonight we're off to see Joel McHale. I'm anxious to see his comedy style because I only see him hosting shows ya know? Regardless, he'll be funny, and hot, and I love him.

How can it be?

How can it be that I am so in love with a freakin' TV character? That would be Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy. It was love at first sight. And if you're watching you'll see that he's back. I could watch this show for the rest of my life with no other characters at all. Just Izzy and Denny hanging out all the damn time. I love this man. It's pretty freakin' pathetic. I mean I love the real man too, Jeffrey Dean Morgen...but I love love love Denny Duquette.

WE DID IT!!!

YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

I couldn't even speak when Charles Gibson said, "It's 11:00 o'clock on the east coast, the polls are closed in California...ABC can project that Barack Obama will take California and several other western states, Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America..." Believe it or not I started crying. Which shocked me!!! I didn't realize how much I wanted it I guess. I'm so happy. And I'm happy Obama won by soooo many votes. We needed that. We needed it to be a clear win.

And now we're at that point where the bitter McCain supporters spew their feelings, judgements, and skepticism for the future. Which although is hard to stomach, is only natural and expected.

But McCain himself said it best in his speech tonight. Now is the time to come together. That is exactly what we need. What we've always needed. It may take a minute for people to get over their loss, but the end result is that we all need to come together. No matter what my views have been I've always believed in a united front.

Did I mention I'm happy?

Election Jitters!

I'm pretty anxious right now about how this election is going to go down. Regardless of who wins, all I want is for it to be a clear winner. If there's any kind of funny business I will be pissed.

I got an email this morning from a friend with a video dissing Obama. I won't even go into what the topic was because it's pretty ridiculous. And this is what ticks me off the most. People grasping at straws. If you are really talking about issues and truly agree with McCain, ok, I can't argue with you, you have your legitimate beliefs. It's the people voting against Obama simply for that reason-- not to vote FOR McCain, but to vote AGAINST Obama. Does that make sense? The people grasping at little bits and pieces they've heard in the media...Obama's a Muslim, Obama isn't a U.S citizen (really??) At least get a true reason to stand by.

I also think there's a good number of people who are just afraid of change. Change is hard. With McCain we know what we're getting and we can complain if things don't start looking up but at least we're comfortable with that right? If Obama comes in, it's something we're unsure of. Could things improve?? What if they worsen?? What if nothing happens??

Which leads me to my other point. I know a lot of people who like Obama but don't think now's the right time for him. He could waste his potential because change is hard, and if there's no changes in 4 years (which is a very good chance, not because of what he wants/believes/or tried to do but because it takes a lot to change government and turn around the messes we're in) everyone will badmouth him and blame him, and not give him another term. All of which is true. I agree with those possibilities and know it's a very likely. But what I also believe is that it will never be a good time. I believe if McCain wins we'll be dug even deeper (and if we're not, hallelujah!) Whether the promises are kept, or we make any progress it's a risk I think we need to take. I'm willing to bet on Obama and hope for the best. I just believe someone's gotta get in there and take a shot.

And going back to my point about listening to the rest of the world---let's say nothing changes or things get worse...I still wouldn't want anyone but Obama representing us.

The scary thing is that this is just the beginning. It's been such a bloodbath throughout the entire election and because we're so divided and so passionate about it, the insults, judgements, and opinions are going to keep up, full steam ahead for 4 years. Rest up! Ready your defenses! hah

"You Can Vote However You Like"

A nice little rap video about voting, to the tune of one of my current favorite songs, T.I's "Whatever You Like." I think it's worth watching :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgEGtYWonds (the song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEKNAZbn9p0 (an interview with the kids, they know their stuff)

Leona Lewis

I'm a huge fan of Leona Lewis' songs "Bleeding Love" and "Better in Time." As I listened to them back to back last night I thought to myself, 'these songs totally contradict each other!' If I'm taking all my love advice from random pop songs...what I am supposed to do when 1 person says 2 totally opposite things? (At least in my interpretation).

In "Bleeding Love" I'm pretty sure she's talking about being with someone that nobody else thinks she should be with. And he must have royally screwed her over and blah blah blah.

In "Better In Time" she's talking about breaking up with that guy and how it will "all get better in time."

So what did she do?? Stay with him or break up??

***I do realize the events in these songs likely never even happened, I just noticed how they scream totally opposite things...hmmmm*** Although I don't love them any less.

Busy weekend this weekend. I was out of town for the conference Thursday and Friday, so I got back around 7:00 Friday evening, and just slept! I was tired. Too much thinking I guess. I worked Saturday morning with the city. It was our last baseball games for the season so at the end of each game we were handing out medals. Now we're onto soccer. And the occasional special activity--like next weekend is a fishing derby. Should be good times.

After work we went to a cookout with some of Ivan's co-workers. It was fine, but also kind of the strangest cookout I've ever been to. It was supposed to start at 2, we didn't get there until 3:30...and we needed to leave by 6:30.... they were grilling (without anyone eating anything) from before we got there until we left. It was so odd. I was like...if you're having a cookout, that started at 2:00...wouldn't you have eaten probably before we even got there? And if you didn't, wouldn't you be eating soon? Very strange. So at like 6:00 Ivan and I fixed our plates since we needed to leave. Anyway so that was that.

Then we went to the Improv because we had tickets to see Kevin Nealon do stand-up. I'm putting his picture on here because nobody ever knows him by name, but if you see his picture you'll know. He used to be on Saturday Night Live (from 86-95), is now on WEEDS (my favorite show) and has been in a ton of movies, such as Happy Gilmore, Anger Management, Grandma's Boy, and many more. Anyway, he was funny. (duh right?)

So every comic I've ever wanted to see happens to be coming to Phoenix in November or December! Which is awesome! So on November 6th we're going to see Kathy Griffen, who has that show "My Life on the D-List" and before watching that show I didn't think she was very funny but now I do. I think you either love her or hate her, and I've grown to love her. Celeeste says she's an acquired taste. So I'm pretty pumped about that. And then the weekend after Joel McHale is coming!! He is the host of "The Soup" which is another favorite show of mine, and I have a huge crush on him. He was in California last year and I was going to fly out to see him...that's how much I love him! haha And then, in December we have tickets to Chelsea Handler...who has a show on E! called "Chelsea Lately" and I think is really funny. She also has a couple books out, I read one and am waiting on the other to come in the mail, which are good. So I am just all kinds of excited that they are all coming!!! (I'm gonna put up pics of all of them cuz you'll know who I'm talking about-- Kevin Nealon has the feathered hair, Joel McHale is the other guy, Kathy Griffen is the redhead, and the blond is Chelsea Handler).

Next weekend we have tickets to a hockey game too, and like 8 of our friends are going so I think it'll be a really good time. A couple times a year the school district sells tickets for cheap so I jumped on it.

And we're thinking about going to Vegas. Ivan is a member of this thing where you can get cheap vacations. We don't want to spend money a flight so Vegas is the best option. They have set weekends for each location. So it would be 4 nights in Decemeber (the weekend before our 7th anniversary) staying at the MGM Grand, and tickets to see the Blue Man Group too. Which is exciting. I've already seen them but would love to see them again. And when I was talking to Megan about it she reminded me that I saw them a very long time ago! I totally didn't realize how long it's been...it was in 99 when I saw them! And they weren't really famous yet. So I bet the show has changed a lot, and even if it hasn't it will be awesome. So we'll see... for the past 4 years we've said we're going to Vegas a million different times and never gone (I've still never been to Vegas even though it's been in driving distance for 4 years now!) but I hope we follow through this time.

I guess I'll be going. Ivan's making a big breakfast (yum) and I might be meeting up with Kametia later so I should get moving.

The Kindle

So have you all heard of the Kindle? It's basically like an iPod for books. Oprah had it on her show today and I just want to throw out a disclaimer!!!

I told my mom & Ivan at least a month ago that I wanted it for Christmas. So just this one time, if I end up with it, it's NOT because I saw it on Oprah!! haha

Ready Bodies Learning Minds

So I'm in Tucson right now for a work conference and it's the best conference I've ever been to. It's called, "Ready Bodies Learning Minds." And it's all about the concept that kids need movement in order to be ready to learn. A lot of this can get more technical, and it's not necessarily new information to a lot of therapists; But the way it's being presented is new; it's practical and straightforward. There's great everyday examples that anyone could understand, and the woman presenting is fun-- she's personable, funny, and most importantly, practical. I'm loving it.

While it's great for us as therapists to get this information, it would be awesome for teachers, and especially parents to see this stuff; because we have an idea of this stuff already. A lot of it is talking about parenting and the world today, which if people understood, they would understand why we're seeing more learning problems, behavior problems in kids, and things like ADD/ADHD.

For example, the way kids play and are handled is so much different than it used to be. Duh right? People are afraid to put their babies on their stomachs...do you know what that's doing in return? They're not developing strong core muscles, later in life this can make them fidgety little kids who can't stay in their chairs and are moving all over the place...kids who get in trouble for being hyperactive... because we're all afraid to put them on their tummies and carry them around in their car seats rather than carrying them in our arms and them having to learn to support themselves. That's just one example.

Another would be--look at our playgrounds...do you see any merry-go-rounds? Tire swings? Seesaws? They're leaving the playgrounds because everyone's afraid the kids will get hurt. Well this affects the way they learn to move and process movement...again, making them fidgety kids. (These are VERY basic terms I'm using, if you wanna get technical just ask :)

And not only that, the way your body moves and perceives movement is tied to your vision and hearing and touch, and all your senses. If one is off they all can be.

So we have a fidgety kid, who's showing behavior problems, and probably is having problems with handwriting too. Or cutting. Or is just clumsy.

Now, we've taken away their strength, and various ways of learning movement; then we add to that teaching skills earlier and earlier (which kids aren't ready for, because developmentally they shouldn't be ready for years!) Not only does this mean that maybe we're thinking kids are delayed (when they aren't, they just might be on track developmentally and we're introducing things too soon!), we also need to look at other factors in the environment. Such as...cartoons, video games, microwaves, drive-thrus, the internet----just examples of the way we live now and how we don't need to wait for anything...kids don't need an attention span anymore--until you put them in school and expect a 5 year old to sit in his chair all day. When did he have a chance to develop an attention span? On top of the fact that at 5 years old he shouldn't be expected to sit for 8 hours, and add to that that we're taking away recess all over the place, PE is on it's way out or at least decreased, and then he's the baby that didn't lay on his tummy. Let's not forget that after this, he's wiggled all over the place and is yelled at and punished because he can't, he's unsuccessful in his academics because they were started too early...so now he might even be acting out-- being aggressive or is emotional. Because he's frustrated to all hell.

What do we do? Get him therapy, get him resource, get him medication.

Yes, there are kids who NEED medication and are truly AD(H)D.

In my opinion (and those of many others) is AD(H)D over diagnosed and over medicated? Yes.

What can we do? Look to how kids used to live! They need to jump, run, skip, swing, spin, climb, and yeah, even fall. Because they learn from all those experiences. They need to push, pull, ride bikes, cry! And just be kids!!! That is why we're seeing more and more problems with our kids. The whole way kids are raised (through our faults and just society as a whole) has changed. To add to that...why's it matter if a kid sits at his desk anyway? Really? Aren't we trying to get an end product out of him? So why do we get caught up on the fact that he needs to wiggle, stand up, lay on the floor?

Anyway...I could be on a soap box about this for days. But I've had those beliefs already and they are being reaffirmed at this conference, and giving real world solutions. So happy :)

And if you want more info just let me know!

Obama-McCain Roast

They were both really funny and it was fun to watch :) Lighthearted fun in the midst of it all

Obama Roasting McCain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5SWQJWm6Tg

McCain Roasting Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXS4Q7mUKQ

Revelation Alert...

Revelation alert!!! Just in the past week since I started my evening job doing adaptive recreation, I have realized why I don't love my day job. First off, let me say it's only been a week but I've had a blast with the new job. It's fun, easy, and the big thing is that I'm getting to spend time with the kids doing what THEY WANT to do. My job all day long, while it is beneficial to them, is not what THEY want, it's what myself, the teachers, and parents have all decided they need. Can I see the benefit? Yes. But it's amazing how much more fun it is to do things with them that they are actually excited about and happy to be doing. In my day job it seems we're so focused on their weaknesses that we can't see their strengths. We're so busy correcting the problem that we don't appreciate what they are already capable of. In the evenings and weekends I get to see their true personalities--not the behavior we're trying to fix, or the stressed out kid, the kid just having fun with their friends.

Ok yeah, we have a lot of fun in OT, but the truth is I'm just tricking them with fun into working on a skill they need. And I'm not having as much fun as I could with them either because I'm trying to make sure they're doing it the 'right' way and seeing what their skills are.

So it's made me realize (thank God!) that I don't need an entirely new profession. I can still stay in the field of working with special needs people and use all my experience to do it well; I just need to look at the options in that arena.

Last night was the kick off to the Special Olympics fall season. So every SO team from the entire state of Arizona was here in Surprise for the opening ceremony. My job last night was to give them their new t-shirts, help them get their dinner, and just hang with them until it was time to march around the baseball field; then hang some more as we watched the opening performances. After that, there was a big dance on the baseball field. It was so much fun to watch and be a part of. And of course, inspiring, motivating, all of these things. And they were all so proud of themselves and each other, so excited. And I was too.

I know not every job is all fun & games all the time. I know my supervisor has to deal with the headaches of logistics and safety and working long hours, whereas I get the fun part of the job. But I still think with all the behind the scenes work, it's still something that I would feel more passionate about, you know?

For now, I am already taking from what I feel on the night job back to the day job. It's made it easier for me to talk to parents already; since I'm seeing them all the time rather than just once a year at an IEP meeting. I'm trying to have more fun and be a little bit more free too. And I'm just hoping that in the future I find something along these lines for a permanent job. I know the city has been in the early stages of looking into a major adaptive recreation center which I would definitely want to be a part of. So we'll see. For now I'm just enjoying finally getting to know my kids!

Like I was saying...

"Europe Mocks 'Half Baked Alaskan' Palin"

LONDON, England (CNN) -- There's no doubt about it. The European media has given Sarah Palin a hard time.

One European newspaper called the idea of a Palin presidency a "half-baked Alaskan nightmare."

Things started quite well, with the curiosity factor. To many Europeans there is something exotic about snowy Alaska. Viewers and readers were intrigued by the shots of the outdoorswoman with her eyes squinting fixed along a gun barrel, the thought of a vice president who had once been a beauty queen.

Columnists were approving that here, for once, was a politician in the higher reaches who probably actually knew the price of a loaf and a pint of milk. Women writers in particular responded warmly to her joke about the difference between a pitbull and a hockey mom --"Lipstick."

But soon the carping began, and it was not confined to what U.S. rightists like to dismiss as the "liberal media elite."

We were, the Irish Times warned, "just a heartbeat away from the biggest half-baked Alaskan nightmare." Britain's Financial Times said his selection of vice president raised serious questions about John McCain's judgment and added: "The Palin appointment is yet more proof of the way that abortion still dominates American politics."

Prominence was given to an onslaught on Palin's environmental and animal rights record by veteran ex-film star Brigitte Bardot. Spain's left wing El Pais described Palin as "a figure who comes from the America that is farthest removed from and incomprehensible to the European spectator."

Since then the scorn has been constant, the jokes unrelenting, the YouTube exposure devastating. But let us dispel one bit of nonsense from the start. It is nothing to do with Sarah Palin being of the feminine gender. Sound Off: Is it fair for Europeans to criticize Sarah Palin?
Europeans have been astonished that America has never had a woman president. After all we in Britain elected the redoubtable Margaret Thatcher three times as prime minister. Norway did the same with Gro Harlem Brundtland. Germany has a female chancellor, Angela Merkel, even if she does tend to underline the remark I once heard from a British Ambassador: "A German joke is no laughing matter."

Nicolas Sarkozy's socialist challenger for the French presidency was the elegant Segolene Royal.
When Sarah Palin first became McCain's running mate there were even headlines in some British media suggesting that America had found its own Margaret Thatcher.

That certainly was overdoing it. So much so that after 20 years close up reporting on the original I can't resist the temptation to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen's comment when Dan Quayle unwisely compared himself to John F. Kennedy. "I've interviewed Margaret Thatcher, Governor Palin and I can tell you that you are no Margaret Thatcher."

No, the problem for Sarah Palin in terms of her acceptance in Europe has been the deep wave of Obamamania that had already swept through the European media before her appointment, the self-inflicted wounds of her early media appearances and the apparent box-ticking cynicism of her choice.

That was summed up for some by the appearance of those women at McCain rallies wearing T-shirts emblazoned "Small Town Gun-Totin Christians for McCain."

For Europeans, who were alienated during George W. Bush's first four years by a president who showed little interest in their continent and patently cared nothing for the opinions of its leaders, the turning point probably came with the appearance on the Katie Couric show when Palin confessed to not having had a passport until 2006.

Europeans are appalled at the thought that someone who wants to be vice president of the most powerful nation on earth had so little interest in the rest of a world which is so vitally affected by the decisions of the man, or woman, in the White House. And they are not much impressed by explanations that her parents did not have the money to send her on a fact-finding tour of the world as a student. Anybody with the money to own an SUV, hunt moose and drive a snowmobile has the money to travel. It was the American Mark Twain who reminded us all that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." If Sarah Palin wanted to be loved in Europe she should have got about a bit.

The election...

I just have a couple things to say on my opinion about the election. It's no secret that one of the things important to me is global interests. You may remember I blogged a little bit about it while I was in South Africa, when I stayed at Vicky's B & B and met her kids. Her teenage daughter was wearing a shirt that said, "OBAMA 08." And her 10 year old daughter said to me, "I will hope for you that Obama wins!" This is from a teenager and a 10 year old halfway around the world. What I'm trying to say is that although whoever is elected will be running only our country, we are part of a global community and if they had a vote in this, it would most definitely be for Obama. We need to pay attention to the rest of the world!! We need them on our side. And Obama is the way to achieve that. There's a common misconception here in America that the rest of the world loves & adores us, wants to be us, respects us, and fears us. This is not true! This may be true for people in desperate situations, but for countries that are more equivalent to us in wealth and power, we're a joke. We're often seen as uneducated, lazy, selfish, and well, fat. We don't appreciate what we have and many of us are so clueless about the rest of the world. I always had an idea this may be the case, but especially after traveling this summer I know it's true. There were moments I really didn't want to admit I was American (especially when with Canadians :) hahaha Because it was like an automatic judgement, and I was expecting the groan or the "oh...." And people aren't afraid to tell you what they think either...about our lifestyle, about Bush, about 9/11...and about Obama! There is so much interest in this election, the world is holding their breath to see if we get it right this time. They are just as hopeful as we are that things will change. While we may be seen in a negative light, people are watching and ultimately what we do does have an effect elsewhere in the world (as we're seeing with the economy) and that's why we need to get it right. Another friend of mine who has traveled abroad had similar things to say. He was in Australia (working with the U.S. government by the way), and said, "I had the same experience... A LOT of Australians carry a disdain for the government and the people." We're a joke abroad. While some can see through our poor representation (Bush) to all the good qualities, you can't ignore the obvious problems we have here. So, we need a change, and the rest of the world knows it, we just need to catch up.

Which brings me to another thought. We're supposed to be a fairly progressive country I thought. We're so equal right? We have women's rights, and freedom of religion, and all these other freedoms. Yet it's a big deal to have a black president? We've still never had that? And it still 'scares' people??? Really? I read an article the other day about some of the things McCain's supporters are saying at his events (which by the way, he defended Obama, so kudos on that) One woman said, "I've read about him, he's an Arab." Are you kidding me? This is the kind of stuff that pisses me off to no end. I may not follow politics as closely as I should, you may lose me when the talk gets technical, but I know I'm not basing my choices on such trivial, and FALSE information. That's what is so scary. People who base their votes on things like that. Not only is it false (and there's so much false information out there about Obama that people just hide behind because they don't want to admit they're not ready for a black president) but so what if it was true... are we that still that backward?

Although it's hard for me to understand other people's points of view on this particular topic, I do understand voting based on different beliefs in the issues...not color of skin, or religion, which is unfortunately where some of these votes will be made from. And please trust I am the last person to throw out the race card; I will come up with every other explanation possible for things before I suggest racism, but it's blatant in this election. Which is so sad, and screwed up.

While I'm at it, I worry that people are so blinded by the fact that Sarah Palin is a woman, a mom, and seemingly 'everyday' person that they'll forget what they're actually voting for. I don't want a freakin' hockey mom as second in command. And if all you needed to see was she's a mom like you to decide your vote, you don't need to be voting in the first place. That's ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, Palin is Bush in a woman's body; sounds ignorant half the time, doesn't answer questions, and isn't sure of the answers if it wasn't studied beforehand. I can't deal with another term of people leading our country who can't present us well. Even if you aren't good at your job, can't you at least fake it?! McCain is just as bad. He literally sounds just like Bush. He loses with me on presentation alone, without even mentioning the obvious fact that he would be more of the same we've been dealing with the past 8 years.

Man, seems like I had something else I wanted to say...but I don't remember now. I know everyone has their own views and I just want to be sure we're all voting for the right reasons. And take into consideration global interest. It does matter.

Ooh, I remembered what I was going to say. I think the economic problems we're having are a blessing in disguise. We need a giant slap in the face. We've all been living beyond our means, keeping up with Jones', and living selfishly far too long. While it may be a horrible situation to be in for some people, it can only be a benefit. This is our rock bottom and it can only get better. I can only hope people learn from this.

News from Abroad

You've all heard me talk about my friend Heather that I met in SA, from Scotland, who sold her house and is traveling the world for a couple years. She's been emailing with her travel updates and thought I'd share them; since we all love hearing about other people's lives!! haha So here's what she sent today:

10/11/08
Hi y'all

So I finally get around to my emailing- life has been a tad hectic
since I arrived here (here being Vietnam)!

A quick update for some- I had a month in Egypt, had a great time, met
some really cool people (you know who you are!) and saw some amazing
sights. The heat was not so much fun- well over a hundred on some days
and I never thought I would be so glad to see air conditioning!

There was some stress when I got back to SA- I had a lot to organise
and discovered that the volunteer organisation had not sorted my visa
as they had promised they would. No surprise with this lot- I've used
them before and they were just as hopeless so it will be the last
time. So I had to run around a bit and make quite a few very expensive
phone calls which did not please me that well.

However, the immigration department did let me in the country and I'm
currently residing in Saigon, more recently known as Ho Chi Minh City
(or HCMC). I have only been here 10 days but I love Vietnam. Its busy
and crazy, you take your life in your hands when you cross the street-
there are over 3 million motorbikes on the road here and you can
imagine what its like when they all stop at a red light! That's if
they bother to stop. There are no such things as road rules here-
everyone drives on any side of the road and the few cars that there
are really struggle to keep up. Even the taxis are motorbikes, and you
can squeeze a surprising amount of people on to one bike. Whole
Vietnamese families of 5 or 6 hop onto one and think nothing of it!

The people are some of the best that I've ever met- warm, friendly,
welcoming and will literally kill you with kindness. If something is
not quite right- in a restaurant or something- they are horrified and
will run around until it is sorted. They all say hello in the street
and are desperate to talk to you. Although the language barrier is
significant here- very few people speak English and I'm trying to
learn Vietnamese but its extremely difficult!

I'm working in a charity cooking house that has been set up by the
local people to support patients and poor people who have been in
hospital or have been ill. Carlee and I work together and go across
the street every morning at 7.30 am, for a cafe sua da- very strong,
chilled espresso poured over ice and with a giant slug of condensed
milk added- yum!!!. We start work around 8 am, peeling and chopping.
The heat is unbearable in the kitchen so we work on the street
outside- also very hot and some day 100% humidity!- and then carry the
food inside. We eat breakfast around 10.30- all the food that we cook
is vegetarian and absolutely wonderful! Then a short rest before
bagging and packing the food into individual parcels. In the
afternoons we go out and deliver the food to the local hospital and
then serve the rest at a small soup kitchen where the folks can come
with their Tupperware and get a hot meal. Its the only meal of the day
for most of them and I'm always getting in trouble for giving too much
to one person! The work is back breaking as its all done on the floor-
really bad for the back!- its hot, its heavy and its hard but its very
much worth doing and the people that I work with are lovely. The
kitchen is run completely by local volunteers who give their time
freely. I can't get much conversation with them but there is always a
chance for laughter and we enjoy each others company. They are some of
the biggest hearted folks that I've ever met.

Also plenty to do on the weekends- yesterday I took a day trip to the
Cu Chi tunnels which were used by the VC during the Vietnam war. The
tunnels are tiny and I have no idea how people managed to get in
there- but the Vietnamese are much smaller than Westerners! There is a
tunnel that has been specially enlarged to allow visitors to go in. I
was not permitted to go in it because I'm asthmatic but the others did
it and said it was terrifying! Today I'm off into De Tham to get some
clothes made, next weekend the Mekong Delta and a cookery course, then
maybe a few days in Hanoi. A month is not long enough!!

Anyway I think thats all for now- don't say that I don't give all the
details! Hope everyone is well and happy, thanks for all the emails
etc.

Take care all

Positive Thinking

So we all know I preach and preach about the power of positive thinking and all of that. I definitely believe in it, but I came upon this quote that is really funny...and true! I told Celeeste, "Let's be real here...this is why we actually think positive..."

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."

So true, so funny.

Not much

Not much to say just thought I'd check in. I got the job for the recreation assistant; I have my orientation in about a week and then I'll start. I have quite a few students who participate in the sports, and students I had last year who do too. So I think it'll be fun.

Work's been pretty good. I know I get on here and complain about it pretty frequently, but I've been feeling pretty good about it. I'm so much busier than I was last year, or any other year really, which just keeps me occupied, focused, and happy. It's when I get bored that my mind wanders! Aside from having more students, more needy students, I feel like I've been putting more into than I normally have. Which you know, when you give more you get more.

I'm back to reading "A New Earth." Which if you remember is a book that was introduced on none other than Oprah (come on, by now you should know that is where I get all my information....I can't help it if me & Oprah are on the same page!) So anyway that's the book where she & the author had a 'class' online to discuss each chapter and everything. The classes are still available on her website so I am following along with those now, because the book can be a little heavy in some spots and the extra discussion is really helpful. It's really all about finding inner peace and thinking positive and all that stuff. And we all know I'm a HUGE believer in positive thinking. It's always nice to be reminded of that and learn new ways of thinking.

Ivan & I went and saw "Nights In Rodanthe" tonight...ummm.... I don't even wanna say it because I was so excited to see this movie...but I really wasn't impressed! I didn't even feel anything throughout the whole movie. I like Diane Lane and Richard Gere and I just expected more I guess? Something didn't click for me, and Ivan felt the same way. But it was so weird, I expected a lot of couples there and was surprised I guess when I saw gobs and gobs of women! And not so many couples. It was so weird--and they'd all laugh, and I'd hear them sniffling or gasping and it just kinda made me wanna puke. I told Ivan--I love Oprah but I don't know if I could go watch it live because there would be too many women! They just bug and give us all a bad name for being so....womanly?! I dunno. Weird.

Still contemplating what to do next summer. Megan and I will be making some arrangements while I'm home over Christmas so I need to figure out if I'm traveling after Europe or coming back home. I go back and forth. I'm worried if I book it I'll be ready to come home after Europe and then I'll be going to Africa for 2-4 weeks. And the communication won't be as readily available in Europe or Africa this time. You know? Ahhh we'll see!

Anyway, guess I'll go.

What to do, where to go...

What to do...so I'm thinking about my plans for next summer because I'll need to start saving depending on what I'm doing.

So I'll be going to Europe with Megan for 3-4 weeks, but I'm not sure what want to do after that. Here's what I'm thinking about (although ALL of this is based on how much money it costs and what I can save).

1- Just come home after Europe. That would leave me a long summer at home still--could visit people here in the states and just hang out.

2- Go volunteer with a program I'm looking at in either Kenya or Tanzania. Which would be fun to do something different--new people, new place, new experience.

3- Go back to South Africa for a couple weeks to visit people. This could be fun to see the few people still there and volunteer and just hang out. Although there's a chance it could be a disappointment because I'd be going back to something different you know? I have these memories and I'd not being going back to the same place I left behind...But my reasoning for going back so soon is because the kids that I know will still be there will still be young, close to how I left them you know? And I have this hope of course that I'll magically be able to see Lona...

4- Do both...after Europe go to Kenya or Tanzania, and then to South Africa. This would obviously cost the most and have me gone for the entire summer. So I don't know even know if that's a real possibility financially, but it's an idea.

I don't know. They all have their ups and downs.

Thanks Barack!!

So I went online and sent a thing to my state senators (of Illinois that is, since I'm technically still a resident, so that's OBAMA! and Dick Durbin) because I was watching Oprah the other day (duh!) about online sexual predators. Whoah. I was crying because I was just in disbelief of what happens... people actually stream live video of rape and molestation, and people seek this out to watch it, people make how-to guides on rape--both in print and video--from infants to teens. Just really sick stuff.

So anyway, there is an act that needs to be passed in order to provide more funding to bust these guys--because basically right now they have the technology to find them, but there's so many of them and not enough law enforcement to do much about it.

So, I copied the form letter to my senators and even checked the box that says "no response needed," and I got a response from Obama! Now, now I realize it's a standard response that went out to everyone writing about this act, but I still appreciated the response! And I liked what it had to say-- cosponsored this act, and guess who introduced it? Biden! YAY! So anyway, here's what it said:

Dear Chelsey:

Thank you for contacting me in support of S. 1738, the Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2008. I appreciate hearing from you and glad we agree on the need for this legislation. As a lawmaker, and as a father of two young girls, I assure you that protecting our nation's children from abuse and exploitation is a top priority.

Like you, I am concerned about the threat of sexual predators online and the easy access to profanity, violence, and vulgarity on the Internet. These threats are all too real and pervasive in our society, but we are far from powerless to fight them. By supporting and enhancing local and national law enforcement efforts, we can put an end to the scourge of child exploitation.

That is why I am proud that I cosponsored S. 1738. This legislation requires the Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction within the Office of Deputy Attorney General to coordinate Department of Justice policies and strategies for the prevention and investigation of child exploitation cases. The bill also establishes an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC Task Force), consisting of state and local task forces to address online enticement of children, child exploitation, and child obscenity and pornography cases, and requires the Attorney General to establish a National Internet Crimes Against Children Data Network Center to assist the ICAC Task Force program and federal, state, local, and tribal agencies investigating and prosecuting child exploitation.

As you know, S. 1738 was introduced by Senator Biden (D-DE) on June 28, 2007, and reported out of the Judiciary Committee on July 7, 2008. A companion measure was passed in the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority of 415 to 2 late last year. I will support every effort to get this important legislation signed into law.

Please be assured that I will continue to work to find solutions that will make our children safer and strengthen America's most vulnerable families. I hope you will stay in touch during this process.

Again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator

White Privilege?

**Interesting article a friend of mine posted. Sad but true in a lot of these examples...**

This is Your Nation on White Privilege By Tim Wise9/13/08

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives close to Russia--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because suddenly your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.

White privilege is being able to give a 36 minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and then Harvard Business school, and yet, still be seen as just an average guy (George W. Bush) while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College, then Columbia, and then to Harvard Law, makes you "uppity," and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.

White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.) and that's OK, and you're cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.

White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly twenty years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."

White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you "dangerously naive and immature."

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

Boring....

Long time no talk. Not a whole lot going on I guess. I haven’t felt the greatest lately; just a cold, cough, sore throat, headache type of thing, and been exhausted! Last weekend we were in my school’s intramural bowling tournament. So the team was me & Ivan, Jeff, Kara-who is a girl who teaches with Jeff and who is moving into our apartment complex in a couple weeks, Rowena-my supervisor who also lives in our apartment complex, and Rosemary, another COTA. It was a pretty good time. After that we grilled out at the pool with Jeff and his girlfriend Megan, Kara and a couple of her friends who are also teachers, Ryan-who teaches with Jeff & Kara and lives in our apartment complex, Rowena and a friend of hers, my friends Gretchen & Sebastian- Gretchen is a school psychologist that I worked with last year, Chris-who works with Ivan , and his wife Heidi, and a new neighbor we met, Larry, and his son Lewis. So it was nice to have everyone over. We just sat and grilled at the pool til dark, and then moved up to the apartment and played the Wii. The last of them left around 2 a.m. I think. And if you didn’t notice—our apartment complex is the place to be J Everyone’s moving in or already lives there, which is nice.

I had my interview the other day for the recreation assistant job. I’m pretty sure I wrote about that before. Our city has a great adaptive recreation program for special needs kids and they are hiring for someone to help out with that program. My friend Kelli’s husband Joe is the coordinator, so Kelli thought it would be a good idea for me since I was looking for something to volunteer with or whatever. So we’ll see.

It’s been raining and storming a lot lately so that is fun. It actually hailed last night, very exciting J Any change up in weather is welcomed by me!!

Work is ok. I can’t help but think about what I’d really like to be doing though. I was watching some fashion show the other day and it hit me that this woman literally loves what she does. She works like 900 hours a week but it doesn’t matter because she loves it, it’s not work for her. And that’s what I want!! But I don’t know what would make me feel that way… I always hear, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” I don’t know what that would be though. I know I want to get masters in Public Service. I know I want to work in international support—whether that is based in the US or abroad. I think it’s what I will love. What if it isn’t?
I asked Ivan last night, how do people just do the job they do everyday without loving it? Why do I feel like I’m the only person I know just sitting around not liking their job? I’m sure other people don’t like their jobs, but it’s like they accept it and live with it or something and they’re fine with it. I’m not. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that either, but what if I never find something I am content with? Ivan says these people are satisfied with what they have… implying that maybe I’m not or I’m ungrateful or something like that. I disagree. I definitely know I have it good and I’m happy about that, I’m happy about the opportunities my job has afforded me; I just don’t like what I do. I can do it, and I can do it very well actually, but I want to be happy with my job. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more, and wanting satisfaction from your job! I think it’s pretty important. I just don’t understand how people wake up everyday and go do their job, that they don’t love and might even hate, like it’s nothing. Certainly doesn’t excite me to get out of bed in the morning.

I’m taking steps towards what I want, I should be finished with my bachelors in about a year and have a masters program picked out—which is whole nother issue-but it’s the 1-2 years in between where I know it’s best (practically/financially) to continue doing what I do. Yuck. I just feel like I’m always wanting more, and not financially or material wise, experience-wise I guess.
Is there something wrong with me because I can’t be satisfied with what I have and where I live and what I do? Are other people more peaceful and content people than I am or something? Or is it just that I don’t settle?

Back to the masters program issue—the program is in Chicago. Originally I thought, I REALLY want to do THIS program but I don’t want to move back to the cold, at all. But recently I was thinking, a change would be nice, and I could deal with the cold. Chicago is a cool city, closer to home, and at maximum it would be 2 years. And before leaving California Ivan & I had talked about Chicago and he liked the idea. Before knowing we’d like Arizona so much our plan was to stay here long enough for Ivan to finish his masters, and then head towards Chicago. So I told Ivan yesterday that I was liking the idea of Chicago again and really feeling like this program is the answer for me. Now he’s not interested in cold weather or Chicago!! We’ll see… there’s still a good 2 years before that decision would need to be made. Ivan says he doesn’t want to move again without feeling like it’s a more permanent move. For one, Chicago could be a permanent move. It’s a big city so there’s plenty of opportunity there, and it’s closer to family. But secondly, why does anywhere or anything have to be permanent? I need to keep moving…although maybe if I was happier with my career than I wouldn’t need the change of scenery so much? Who knows. All I know is that right now I’m very, very, very bored in more ways than one.

Which always goes back to…does that mean I’m an unsatisfied and unhappy person? Or do I just genuinely like the excitement of change (I think that’s the case… but who knows!!)