Pink Champagne

Yesterday, I got to witness one of the coolest things EVER . . .

No silly, not this fish!

Well, I mean, I did see that too.
But you just never know what you'll see at the market. ;)

Sunday afternoon, I headed over to Pike Place Market and got some fresh fruit and food, and of course, some of my favorite Mac 'N' Cheese from Beechers! (Deliciousssss)

But truthfully, all the great stuff happened after the market and I made my way over to Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center. That was the site for the Puget Sound 3-Day Walk for the Cure Closing Ceremony. I got to watch as the green field was covered with people dressed in different shades of pink, all united to help fight breast cancer. Having lost a relative to breast cancer, and knowing what a serious disease it is, I felt a sense of pride and hope as I watched my friend Alisa walk into the stadium with her team, The Dancing Sheep, having completed the 3-Day walk. I'm lucky to have friends with such big hearts that do phenomenal things that bring joy and peace to my heart.

Alisa with one of the crew members who
had helped her along the walk

The crowd gathered and everyone in the stadium took time to congratulate all the walkers and to honor those who have died from breast cancer. We also rejoiced in celebration for those who were breast cancer survivors! It was a great time, and I walked away with so much love, peace, and hope for the future of women who are battling such a vicious disease.


Afterward, I got to hear Alisa share stories from her time on the walk, and it made me wish that I was good at giving massages . . . because she totally deserved one! The flowers I had picked up for her at the market all of a sudden seemed so puny compared to what I really felt she, and ALL the women there, deserved for their sacrifice. They are truly champions!

We Are The World

I love Twitter. There, I said it. I do. I get a lot of flack from people often telling me I'm wasting my life by having/using Twitter. And you know, maybe I am to a certain extent, but I'm okay with that. I actually find Twitter to be a powerful resource. It helps me stay connected with my friends and other people that I like to learn from but would never get a chance to be around in full-time in my current position in life. A lot of people tell me I just need to have Facebook and not Twitter. But I find them to be two completely different social networking tools and since I know how to use them both "properly" (in my opinion), I get different things from each. I think for most people, social networking scares them. Maybe it's right for you, maybe it's not—that's for YOU to decide. It's also up to you to decide how to use them and what boundaries to set. I know people who maintain the balance without "losing their souls." (As I've heard others state about the dangers of social networking sites.)

One of my favorite people that I follow on Twitter is JEREMY COWART. I probably wouldn't have even ever heard of him if I wasn't following Parachute on Twitter. They tweeted one day about a photo shoot that Jeremy was doing for them. They posted his Twitter handle and I went over to look at his site. I was completely stunned at how amazingly talented he is. And it was a huge bonus plus when I discovered that he is very much into faith and social justice.

Today he tweeted something that has just been resonating in my own heart lately concerning the situation in Haiti:


Jeremy was a huge supporter of serving and taking care of the people in Haiti after the disaster struck. He flew over there to help, not just take pictures. In fact, he stated in a message to people in his social network about how his primary concern in going was the people, and not the job of being a photographer. That is honorable—yet he remained humble about it all. Ever since he went over, he's been doing all he can to provide help for those in Haiti.

With the rainy season approaching and many of the Haitians still without shelter, I've been thinking and praying a lot about how Haiti has been slipping off the radar. I realize that all of a sudden there seems to be an influx of natural disasters and that we can't always save everyone. That doesn't make me want to remember any of them any less though. Our world is huge and crazy stuff happens, but I am not alone. We are not alone. It is our job as human beings to care for each other and help each other become the best we can with as much as we are able to give—whether that be with money, time, possessions, thoughts, or our voices.

The other day I was looking on MSN, as I do every day and reading the news updates and such. On the bottom side bar, they were tracking which topics were trending and which were fading away on Twitter. Justin Beiber and Avatar were up and Haiti had a big red down arrow next to it. My heart sank. Really? Justin Beiber and Avatar are more notable? I get that the majority of users on Twitter are teenagers and are currently obsessed with the Beibster. If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of pop culture. But after seeing that, I just couldn't help but worry that I might one day reach a point where I also become so consumed in pop culture that I forget about the world around me. It is my utmost prayer that that never happens.

It's amazing to me how all these thoughts that have been building up in my head all week have kind of made their way to the forefront of my mind even more, with a little help from social networking. In fact, this morning, my friend Cory tweeted this:

And I wanted to Re-Tweet it, but I'm 95% sure it would just come across as arrogance and elitism, and that's NOT what I'm going for. It really challenged me. I can't do anything but agree. I am sometimes WAY TOO in love with myself and not others. I've got work to do. I never want to get to the point where I lose sight of the things and people that matter. I'm just a small spec on this planet, and I have an opportunity every day to sow seeds of love, compassion, honesty, and kindness. I never want to miss those opportunities—I can't get them back.

All You Need Is Love

Have chalk, will travel. That was my motto this afternoon. I woke up this morning thinking about how much I love my neighborhood and I decided I wanted to do a little art project this afternoon around my neighborhood. I wanted to leave little sayings and encouragements about love, to share the love on this widely celebrated day of love. My friend Sean made a great point this morning on Twitter:

Valentines day is overrated. everyday should be valentines day for your sweetheart!

In some respects, I agree. The fact that I don't have a sweetheart makes it kinda different for me though. However, I figure that instead of wallowing with melancholy in the fact that I am single (as many people I know are), and don't have any people that I'm romantically connected to in my immediate circle of friends, I wouldn't waste an opportunity to share love with people in my neighborhood :D

Here are some little love notes I left around my neighborhood :D










There are more, but in order to see them, you'll just have to take a walk around my neighborhood :D

Bittersweet Symphony

I just realized that I'm about to lose one of my best friends to one of the most amazing endeavors ever. And by lose I don't mean they're dying or anything, I just mean that contact will be slim to none—and that's hard for someone like me who enjoys the convenience of constant contact with friends (it's my sole purpose of having facebook/tumblr/twitter, etc.)

But soon my friend Joshua will be leaving the United States to travel to Kenya, Africa to serve the people there. I've know Joshua for about 10 years and I've gotten to watch him grow in character, talent, and I've also gotten to see his heart for people grow as well. It's going to be bittersweet when he leaves, but I know it's the right thing and I know that what he's doing matters.

I consider myself blessed to know people who are unafraid to do daring things. I went to lunch with Joshua when I was home for the holidays and I got to 'hear his heart' for the people in Kenya and I am so excited for all that he is going to do.

One thing he is doing to raise funds before he heads out is to sell some of his beautiful artwork. These are the prints he is selling:




(you can see larger versions HERE)
I'm going to buy one later this week after payday. I think I'm going to buy this one:



I'm 100% sure it will be the BEST $20 I've ever spent. Supporting friends warms my heart. Supporting friends who are living their dreams and making a real difference warms it even more!

If you have a spare $20 and would like to give it to a worthy cause, please e-mail Joshua at joshua77177@gmail.com and let him know which one you'd like and he will let you know where to send the dinero. I know it may seem like a ton of money in our current economy, but if you can, you should. His photography is beautiful and the work he is doing is meaningful.