Help Haiti

My heart truly breaks for the people of Haiti. I've never been through anything like an earthquake, or a tsunami, or raging fires, or blankets of heavy snow, but I know that the people in Haiti are in awe of what has happened in their home.

From being in the Dominican Republic last May, I think I know what the area looks like, but I'm pretty sure that the DR was quite luxurious to the conditions of Haiti. I simply can't imagine.

Many people want to help but don't know exactly what to send or where to go. However, everyone can help by donating just a few dollars - an easy way is to text "Haiti" to 90999 to give $10 to the Red Cross. It will be on your next phone bill

***OR***

you can text "disaster" to 90999 to give $10 to Compassion's disaster relief program. They will be working directly with the local churches who know where these families live and will be providing immediate relief to them. I saw a story last night about a family in Iowa that had recently adopted a little girl named Esther from an orphanage in Haiti. Until yesterday, they had no clue if she was hurt or even alive since the earthquake. A few workers found the little girl, the caretakers, and the other children of the orphanage without a single scratch. Since the earthquake they had been sleeping outside on blankets and mattresses, they needed food and water, but they were alive. Her sweet new parents were brought to tears because they were so far away but so thankful to our great big God for keeping her safe. Compassion is a great ministry and so many children's lives have been changed because of the generosity of so many. Continue to pray for the people of Haiti!

The Day After...

The day after Christmas was supposed to be the day that mom and I headed to town to catch some after Christmas sales. However, we were absolutely exhausted and didn't really want to wake up early. We just decided to be the "scrooge's" that many have called us and take our Christmas decor down!! It took us ALL. DAY. LONG. However, I was so happy that it was done as soon as it was over.

That night I joined some of my high school girlfriends for dinner...

Kristen, me, Casey & Amber

... and I managed to sneak in a purchase... OR TWO :)

I got both of these FLATS above for $34.00... when the lady handed me my receipt, she announced, "You save $93.00 tonight!" Oh yeah, I think I did find some after Christmas deals after all!

So, I decided that I needed to clean out some of my other shoes that I NEVER wear.

... I'd say that I needed some flats... those heels absolutely KILL my poor feet!

That night when I got home from dinner, I went to bed and quickly woke at 1:30 with FOOD POISONING. It. was. horrible. Three solid hours of everything you can imagine that comes with food poisoning. I'm happy that it's over with for sure!

Merry Christmas

Christmas has come and gone my friends. It was one of the busiest ever!! However, I had the time of my life. Here are a few pictures...

My family had a great christmas. We make so many memories through the year and it's always so much fun to get together and laugh!! However, one of the best memories of this year's Christmas would be work related. This year, the church staff took Christmas meals to some of the shut-ins. Usually they get the meals 2 days before, but this year we did things differently. I went to deliver food to Mrs. Margaret-- a little firecracker!! She's too funny. I spent nearly two hours of my afternoon just "chewing the fat" with her... she even let me take a ride in her little elevator in her apartment. Such a great way to spend my Christmas day!