Zikomo Kwambiri.

Zikomo Kwambiri.

"Thank you very much," in Chichewa.

That's what I would like to say right now.

Thank you to all the people who helped me get to Malawi. I never would have made it without those of you who bought a raffle ticket, sat with me at my garage sale, bought jewelry from my fundraiser, donated money, and prayed for my safe travel.

Thank you to the people of Malawi who showed us how true the nickname, "The Warm Heart of Africa," really is.

Thank you to British Airways & South African Air for not delaying any of your flights.

Thank you to Brian for being such a wonderful traveling partner.

If the experience of raising money and traveling to Africa has taught me one things, it's to be grateful and thankful always.

When I returned home from Africa there was definitely some culture shock. Working in an American restaurant will do that to you after you've just spent any amount of time in a country where the vast majority of people live on less than $1.25 a day. I found myself becoming a little jaded about our culture.

Thoughts like, "Oh, you'd like your fourth refill of ice water brought to you right this minute? Isn't it nice that you don't have to walk two miles in the African heat to hand-pump water from a well, water that isn't even clean, water that will probably make you and your children sick? Isn't that nice?!"

Yeah, I had a lot of thoughts like that during my first couple of days of being back to my regular life. I like to call then my: run-on-sentence-rants. I was feeling almost ashamed of my own culture, which was making me feel like my time in Africa was a distant memory.

After reading a book called, "Unearthed," and talking a bit with Brian I was able to reason with myself a bit. I was able to really figure out what it was that was bothering me so very much. It wasn't that we have so much here, although it does seem unfair, it isn't even that we expect the finest things. What bothers me so much is how ungrateful we have become. I don't honestly believe that just because there are parts of the world where people only eat rice and beans that we should only eat rice and beans. I like nice things just like everyone else. The problem is that we don't appreciate how good we have it, we just want more of it.

I realize that it is not fair of me to be the judge of our culture... especially since I am a product of it. So, as always, I found clarity in a book I'm reading. The book is called, "The Postmistress," and it is wonderful. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to read, except that I needed to read this specific page today. The story is complex, but one of the characters is a female WWII correspondent who has just returned to New York after spending time in Europe. She wants to quit, she's had enough and has become sufficiently jaded by her experience. She feels like the people in America are too far removed from the war and will never really understand. These few lines directly relate to my experience:

"People can't imagine what they haven't seen," he answered. "That's why they need you."
"You signed up to see what they haven't," he observed. "You can't blame people for it."

So today I challenge you to think about some thing in your life that you you are thankful for, something that maybe you take for granted. Maybe even something so small as clean water.

Africa taught me many things, but the biggest lesson I learned was to be thankful.

Love on.

Last year I was a real slacker when it comes to reading. It is only April 29th and I've already read as many books this year as I did in all of last year. I feel like I've finally found a really good reading pace. I'm not forcing myself to read, but I'm also not feeling like I should be reading more. Two or three books a month feels perfect. The books I've read so far in 2013 have ranged from autobiographical to creepy thrillers. I will say that I haven't read a book so far this year that I've really loved. I've read some that have kept me entertained and some that I've struggled to finish, but nothing I'm raving about. So, as always, feel free to pass on any book recommendations you think I might enjoy.

If you've read my blog in the past you know a few things about me:

1. I'm not very good about regular blogging.
2. I like to read.
3. I like to make lists.
4. Most of those lists are resolutions.

I gave myself some REALLY easy resolutions this year.

Run for fun. Read for fun. Show more love. Plan a trip somewhere I've never been before.

Well... the list of places I've never been is pretty long, but I have something exciting to tell you! I'm going to Africa! More specifically I'm going to Malawi. It is located in the Southeast of Africa, right next to Mozambique and Zambia. It is a beautiful country with warmhearted people. It is also an incredibly poor country. With an economy based mostly on agriculture, about 65% of the population lives under the poverty line.

While going somewhere new is exciting, this is not a vacation. As some of you may know, my amazing boyfriend Brian works for an organization called Children of the Nations. They work within Uganda, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to raise children who will transform nations. They do this through partnerships with villages as well as children's homes. These are children who without COTN wouldn't have a chance to survive. COTN gives these children a roof over their heads, food to eat, clean water to drink, as well as an education. These are things that we take for granted everyday.

This trip will check off two really big resolutions. I can't wait to experience a completely different culture at the same time I'm also showing love to children who don't receive enough of it.

This trip will challenge me in a number of ways. Traveling to new places always takes you out of your comfort zone, but I've never been this far out of my zone!!! I will also have to receive several vaccinations, I'm not even sure how many yet. The hardest part will be raising the money necessary to go on a trip like this. Fundraising is something I haven't had to do since my days slinging cookies in a Brownie's uniform. The more people I talk to about the process the more relaxed I get. A mission trip like this is not for everyone, but most people would like to support the cause in some way. That could be by donating supplies, sponsoring a child or donating money. The most important thing is that people hear about the amazing work COTN is doing.

While I'm excited to meet all of the children, I'm most excited to get the opportunity to meet this little guy!

Mphatso is the little boy I sponsor. He lives in the village of Mgwayi. He and I share a birthday.... which is a pretty big deal because I don't share my birthday with just anyone.

If you'd like to hear more about my trip or about ways that you can contribute to Children of the Nations email me at ehmichelson@yahoo.com

A Fresh Start.

I'm pretty big on new year's resolutions. January 1st is a fresh start for most and I partake accordingly with resolutions and optimism for the new year. January 1st is an arbitrary date and your fresh start could begin any day at any moment.... The beginning of the year just so happens to be a popular date.

At the beginning of the calendar year I'm like everyone else and set goals for the coming year, it's not until my birthday that I feel like I get my fresh start . As you may know, I'm a little superstitious.... so every year I do a little preparing for the 11th of February. Basically I get super OCD. It might be because it is a touch closer to Spring or maybe because I don't have Christmas clogging my time, but I get kinda crazy with the cleaning. Most years that means my floors are clean, the laundry is all folded and my sink is clear of dishes. This year I seemed to take it a couple of steps further, I cleaned out every inch of my house. I went through my closet, bookshelves, jewelry box, under the bed, all my drawers and every basket! Enough to pack my car with donations for Goodwill. I can't even tell you how good that feels! Everything in my house has a place and there is no clutter to be found. I completed tasks I've had on my to-do list since I moved into this house. That box of CD's that I haven't touched for years?! All imported on to my computer! I feel like a load has been lifted off of my shoulders!

When I wake up tomorrow it will be to a clutterless home! I can't think of a better birthday present.

Missed it by That Much....

It is day four of February.... four days into my first week of my new budget system. Always enjoying a bit of a challenge, I was actually pretty excited about my first grocery shopping trip. I felt as though I was set up for success. I had created a meal plan for the week and had created a shopping list that I remembered to bring to the store! As I walked the aisles I kept a mental tally of an approximate amount I was spending. When I reached the checkout stand I was pretty excited, I knew it would be close.... but I felt pretty confident I was under my $50 budget. As each item was scanned I watched the monitor, making sure my club card discounts were being applied. Then when the final item was scanned and the total came up.... I couldn't help but sigh a little. I missed my budget mark by 87 cents. Pretty disappointing, but I wont beat myself up too much after all I am still learning.

So, where did I spend my money?

Produce:
Apple (2)
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Romaine lettuce
Onion
Sweet potato
Banana (4)

Meat:
Pork chops
Ground turkey
Lunch meat

Dairy:
Eggs (6)
Butter
Milk
Sour cream
Yogurt

Frozen:
Peas

Grocery:
Soy sauce
Tortillas
Baguette

At this point in my shopping I was feeling pretty please with myself. I had managed to stay on the perimeter of the store (which most nutritionists will tell you is the healthiest place to shop) and I hadn't purchased any "off list items." I figured I had spent about $42 so far. So when I passed a wine display that had a decent bottle of Two Vines Merlot on sale for $7.50 I knew it was close. Whelp, that bottle of wine put my over with it's added tax.... something I hadn't really taken into consideration.

Here are a few lessons from my first week of budgeting:

1. If you shop every week you won't need to buy so much! I hadn't been to the grocery store in almost two weeks so I really needed lots of stuff.... including things I don't buy ever trip like butter (which is kind of expensive).

2. Remember to count the tax.

3. Meal plans are the only way to stay on budget.

4. You still need to get some of the things that you enjoy... so save some $$$ for wine.

My week isn't up yet so I can't say whether or not I stuck completely to my budget, but so far so good.

You'll notice that the .87 went over in to my second column. The second column is my budget for other expenses throughout the week, other necessities that are not food related. This is also an overflow area for groceries. Soooo technically I'm still on budget for the week.

Book update:

5. The Five Love Languages-  Gary Chapman

I can't stop telling people about this book. I had learned a little bit about love languages while in a Communication class back in college, but like most things I learned in school I remembered the theory but not the details. So I bought it on my NOOK. Such a mistake! This is book to share and reread and maybe even take notes on.

The Five Love Languages is based on the theory that everyone has different ways of showing love and how they feel love. If they are not getting love in the way they need to, then their "love tank" is on empty. The book is filled with examples of couples who have been together for years who's marriages and relationships are suffering because they aren't showing love to their significant other in the way that their significant other receives love. That might not make total sense so obviously read the book or head on over to the book's website that has a lot more information.

Here are the languages:

Physical touch.
Quality time.
Acts of service.
Words of affirmation.
Receiving gifts.

Maybe just by reading the list you can say to yourself, "Obviously mine would be acts of service, I love it when my wife makes me dinner."

I don't think anyone would be surprised to know that my love language is receiving gifts. Before I read the book I might have been able to tell you that, but after I read it I don't feel like that is such a shallow way of feeling loved. It doesn't mean I need to get big boxes of presents all the time to feel loved (although I don't mind! :-)). It can be anything from a love note to bringing me my favorite soda. I've also come to realize that this is how I show my love for people.

This book is a great way to get your mind thinking about how you can better love the people in your life and how you can be better loved.

Love=Happiness

38 years. All You Need is Love

Lately I have been feeling extremely blessed. It seems like all the pieces of my life are falling into place at the same time. I can't help but believe that God decided that right now was the time to answer all my prayers.

Yesterday Brian and I took my parents out to a nice dinner as a thank you for bringing us on an amazing tropical vacation to Kauai, Hawaii. It was nice to treat them for a change, they do so much for me. After dinner I got to thinking.... What if I was still me, but had grown up in a different situation with different parents? What if I had been raised in a family that couldn't afford braces? What if I didn't have a Mom who told me I was beautiful and wanted to spend time with me? What if my Dad wasn't kindhearted and the best man I know? It's obvious I wouldn't be the same woman I am today. I also know that I would not be anywhere near as happy as I am right now.

Today, February 1st, 2013 is my parent's 38th wedding anniversary. We live in an culture where divorces are as common as births and I have been blessed to have been raised by two people who have set a wonderful example of what a marriage should be.

So today I'm feelings lucky, blessed, and proud to be a part of such an amazing family.

All because two people fell in love.

Kauai 2013

While I like to make resolutions at the beginning of every year, I also keep two other resolution lists. The first is a list of life resolutions. These are things that I want to accomplish all the time. This list includes things that have been year-long resolutions before, like traveling more and drinking more water. The other list is sort of a mini-bucket list. It is a list of activities that I'd like to do in life that are achievable. Things that I checked off from this list in 2012 included, canning peaches and Ride the Duck in Seattle.

To update my life list I need to write a little something about my recent trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Kauai in January is a great place to be.... especially if you come from a region that is cold and grey during the month of January. Brian also wrote a great blog post about his experience in Kauai with my family.

My favorite part of visiting somewhere tropical has to be.... just laying in the sun with a good book!!

I've been to Hawaii several time and for some unknown reason have NEVER tried shaved ice before. I was only living half a life before!!! That stuff is amazing! If you are saying to yourself right now that it looks like a snow cone.... Well stop right there! The only similarity is that it is indeed made of ice and flavored with syrup (OK, same ingredients....) but the TEXTURE! It is something heavenly. As well as addictive.

The view from our condo. Heaven on Earth.

It was great to spend 12 days with some of my favorite people... including my cute little nephew! Soon I will have two cute little nephews so it was wonderful to get some quality time with my #1.

Football season also came to an end while we were in Hawaii.... If the Seahawks aren't in the Superbowl... then football season is over. Don't argue with me... and don't tell me you are a 49ers fan.

Two well fought games.... one terrible heartbreak!

If you know my family at all... then you know we are crazy Seahawks fans.... So of course we all packed our jerseys and other superstitious lucky items.

Brian, Joe, and I also had the chance to go ziplining!!!! Last year, Carly and I had a great time so Joe wanted to try it out. This time we tried out the longer course with different ziplines. The longest was 1800 feet long and 350 feet in the air. I still can't believe I did it without much fear!

When you are traveling with a 2 1/2 year old and there is a train anywhere within a 20 mile radius... you will be riding said train.

One of the last nights of our trip we went to a luau. The first time I went to a luau I was 15 years old and the luau itself was not very traditional. Not knowing any different we still had a good time but never really felt the need to have the luau experience on any other trips to Hawaii. Since this was Brian's first time on the islands, since he learned to walk, we decided to try one of the local luaus. We ended up at the Smith's Tropical Paradise. While this was also not quite the traditional experience I imagined, it was still a great time.... and I might have had a little better of a time since I was over 21 this go around.

I love Kauai and while January is the best time to go to a tropical location.... January is the WORST time to come back home!!!

Book Updates: 
Here is what I enjoyed while in paradise.

1. Dreamers of the Day-Mary Doria Russell
I'm attempting to make a dent in my bookshelves. It has been hard to do since lately I haven't been in the mood to read much and have been doing some of my reading on my NOOK. So there are literally hundreds of books that are staring at me from my bookshelves. When I travel I like to read... pre-NOOK I would usually pack AT LEAST 4 books for even the shortest of journeys. You just never know what could happen. And I always lugged those books, read or not, back home with me to sit on my shelf either as a trophy or as a reminder. So the NOOK has been great, I can pack a couple more pairs of shoes instead of a couple of books while keeping under the airline's weight restriction. The biggest problem I have though is the 20-40 minutes of total time when you are taking off and landing that they ask you to turn off these devises. It is always at the best moment in a book when you have to shut it off and focus your attention on the fact that you are now hurtling towards the ground in a man-made cylinder. So, I choose to bring at least one paperback to avoid this fear-filled time. 

One of my favorite genres is historical fiction. I love it when I can learn some details about the past while also being caught up in an intriguing story. Dreamers of the Day is a very interesting tale. I'm not sure exactly how to give a synopsis without giving away too many details. I will say it is the story of Agnus, an old maid (age 39) in the 1920's who is left without family after the influenza outbreak. The story tells of her time in Egypt during the Cairo Peace Conference. There she encounters people who we definitely would recognize from our history books such as, Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill.

This was a fun novel that painted a very vivid picture of what that time in history was like. There were parts towards the end of the novel that I felt were a bit rambling (who am I to talk) but besides that I enjoyed this book very much.

2. Where We Belong-Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. I'm not sure why... all of her books seem to include some sort of adultery, betrayal or lie. But they are all great reads. They are compelling stories that make you glad you've lived your life the way you have. While sometimes predictable, Where We Belong is a page turner and an easy read.... two of my current favorite qualities in a novel.

3. Hopeless-Colleen Hoover
This book was NOT at all what I was expecting. Even while I was still half-way through I thought that I knew where this book was going.... then BOOM flipped upside down. I began the book thinking this was yet another young adult romance novel.... reminiscent of Twilight. But, it definitely makes a turn. This book was unsettling and at times I found it to be hard to read. The content is very adult and even as an adult I found it to be difficult to get through. Hopeless deals with the issue of sexual abuse. While I think this was a well written novel and handled the issue well, it is not something I would choose to read again.

4. The Next Always- Nora Roberts
Oh, Nora. You did it again. You sucked me into a predictable trilogy.... and I love you for it. The Next Always is predictable and cute. I already know how the next two books will end and I'm still going to read them.... and enjoy every minute of it! 

The Envelope.

I just did a little simple math. I added up how many books I've read since January 1, 2010.

135.

That seems like a pretty big number to me. Until I realize I wanted to read 100 books in just one of those years. Anyways, that little bit of math leads me into a subject I wanted to talk about....

Budgeting.

I really believe that is one of the ugliest words in the English language. It is simply a word that can not be made to sound sexy... even with a British accent. The act of budgeting is even more off-putting, it is restrictive, judgmental, and really depressing. What it comes down to is that budgeting is no fun. In a perfect world it just wouldn't need to happen. Alas, I live in an imperfect world. So budgeting is a necessary reality. My problem is that I'm not very good at it. Right now my method goes a little something like this:

I don't spend more money than I make, I pay all my credit cards off every month, I pay all my bills, and I don't ALWAYS buy everything that I see and want to buy (despite what it may seem like).

I would say that isn't the worst ever budgeting plan..... I'm not in debt and some months there is money left over that I do save. But! I'm reckless with my cash. If I want to go out to eat or grab a coffee, I do. I don't consider in that moment what a good idea it would be to save the $22 instead of eating it..... What if I didn't spend that $22 dollars once every month? Maybe that could be a plane ticket at the end of the year. Anyways, it would be nice if I was working hard now for the future rather than just the present.

I've tried budgets before and always fail, usually on the first day. It is easy to think something will work when you are sitting at your desk looking at a bunch of numbers then when you are walking down the aisles of your local grocery store.

Today on PINTEREST I found a PIN with a budget plan that seemed completely doable for me. She calls it her "Easy Envelope Budget Technique."

Watch the video, it explains everything really well.

The video also opened my eyes to something else... This woman only spends $400 dollars a month on  groceries for her family of four. She says that the national average spent on groceries per month is $400. I can't believe my eyes or my ears!! In all the FAILED attempts at budgeting I've FAILED to meet my grocery budget of $300 dollars for JUST ME! No joke. I'm kind of embarrassed to be honest. To make myself feel a little bit better I will say that Brian does help eat some of the food I buy.... but wow! If that didn't make me think twice about my un-budgeting ways, I don't know what will.

I'm going to let you read her post about how it all works and attempt to make the Envelope Technique work for me. While I don't know that I could live off of ONLY 100 dollars in groceries (including toiletries etc) a month.... I can definitely try to cut back a lot.

$100 a month isn't doable at this point so I googled it and found a neat little page from the USDA. If I am reading this correctly then I was definitely on a liberal plan and as a single 19-50 year old women I was pretty normal. I'm not sure I could manage thrifty.... but I would like to aim for the low-cost model... around $200 a month in groceries. This might seem really high, but it is SO easy for me to go into the grocery store and drop $35 dollars on just a few items.... and sometimes $100 when I'm making a bigger trip that includes quality produce and meat.

So, starting Friday February 1, 2013 My monthly budget for groceries will be $200 and my budget for other things like eating out, haircuts, manicures, gifts, and other essentials will be $150. Monthly bills and gas are already set aside (that reminds me to turn down my heat).

The bottom line here is I need to be more conscious of where my money is going and maybe make some hard decisions every now and then.

Words of encouragement are always welcome :)

Adios 2012! Hola 2013!

With every new year I can't help but look back on the previous year and do a little inventory. In recent years I've rated them by how well I completed my resolutions, reached goals, and of course by how many books I read. In this past year I learned something very valuable.... things can change so much from the beginning to the end of a year. Your priorities, friends, family, and interests to name a few. Keeping that in mind, I can't really use my old rating system to judge 2012. 

Here were my resolutions....

#1: Run a FULL MARATHON

#2: Make chores a priority

#3: Save Money

#4: Eat out less often

I can almost say for certain that I did not fulfill any of these resolutions to standard I set when I created them. I ONLY ran a HALF MARATHON. Chores were never a priority. I saved some money, but spent too much. I ate out just as much as ever.... if not more. So what does this mean? Are resolutions silly? Should I stop making them? Should I just aim lower next year? I don't think so. Things come up, priorities change, experiences happen and all the while you can't say no to things and experiences just because they interfere with a list you made on January 1st. Did I run a FULL MARATHON? Nope... But I did run another HALF-MARATHON.... not only did I complete it.... I kicked my previous Half-Marathon time in the ass. Which is something I'm very proud of. 

I've realized that chores will never and should never be a priority. Don't get me wrong here.... I like a clean house and I will say that it is never gross... but if I have to choose between spending time with people I love or folding laundry, you better believe I'm not hanging out sorting socks. There will always been more laundry, more dishes, and more dusting. They should never be a priority.

I can say for certain that the year 2012 will go down in the record books as one of my very best years. I'm almost willing to say top five. So many changes. So much love.

The Year 2012 in Review:

The first two weeks were spent on the island of Kauai soaking up the sun and relaxing. I then came home to three snow days! Which meant I didn't work for the first 19 days of January. I can't really think of a better way to start a new year!

I started eating meat after being a semi-vegetarian/pescatarian for over 12 years.

One of the most positive adjustments I made was changing jobs. While I love the couple I worked for, it was definitely time for a change. I feel that I am appreciated at my new job.... and it doesn't hurt that I work less hours and make more money.

I ran a half-marathon in 2 hours and 11 minutes. Which is 11 minutes fast than my previous time... which is crazy!

2012 was the year of love. I found the man of my dreams and fell head-over-heals. He is an amazing man who makes me feel beautiful and loved every single day.

2012 was also the year of wine. My appreciation for the red variety has grown exponentially. 

Last year was pretty great, I can't wait for what 2013 is going to throw my way. Although I never really complete them, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't have some sort of resolution list for the new year. I think I'll go a little abstract this time around...

#1: Run for fun. Don't get injured. Run another half-marathon.

#2: Read for fun.

#3: Show more love. 

#4: Plan a trip somewhere I've never been.

Alright, I know those resolutions are not really anything new for me. But, I really feel like I get discouraged by my failed resolutions and these seem to fit better in my life than a resolution to lose 10 pounds. I feel like these are doable.... and just enough of a challenge to keep me on track. 

So there you have it! 

Adios 2012! Hola 2013!