A Decade of H2OPE

I am completely mortified that my last post was in November.  So many things have happened since then.  We had an impromtu Yeager Thanksgiving at our house.  Spy turned 3.  Christmas came and went. 2012 started off with a downer as D got laid off from his job.  But then we were blessed with the news of a new little bundle of joy to arrive in Sept.  Recently D got a FANTASTIC new job.  All of this proves that life moves on regardless of what the world throws our way.

So I am caught of guard when I realize that today, World Water Day, is the launching of the African Well Fund's 10th Build a Well for Bono's Birthday Fundraiser.  10 years?  Really?  Where did the time go?  I am so pleased that 10 years later...this 100% volunteer non-profit, this "Little Engine That Could" is still going strong with it's work of bringing clean water and better sanitation to people all over Africa. 

So today when you go to fill up your water bottle at the water cooler stop for one second to think about how lucky you are to have access to this water.  I beg you to take a moment today, on World Water Day, to click on the link above.  This year proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit a water, sanitation and hygiene project in Burkina Faso that will be implemented by African Well Fund partner Africare which aims to create a healthy environment for 257 schoolchildren.  Even the smallest donation will help to make a difference in these children's lives. I thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart.

Got Water?

Hello my friends!  It's that time of year again.  The African Well Fund 7th Annual Got Water? Auction is underway.  We have over 40 items that have been collected and donated to us this year.  A lot of U2 stuff but some other good stuff also such as:

• an autographed copy of the Playbill for How to Succeed in Business - yes HP fans Dan Rad did touch and sign this with his magical hands.  As did John Larroquette - for all you Night Court/The Practice/Boston Legal fans (insert my picture here).
• An autographed copy of the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook - I dare you not to love this book. You become more fabulous just looking at it.  And if you have not read The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer- Purcell (one of the Beekman Boys) I suggest you run out and get it now.  It is such a great read.  Laugh out loud funny and inspirational.  Trust me.
• An autographed copy of Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch and Lisa Dickey.  Sue Silvester will come to your house and beat you if you do not bid on this book.  I swear she told me herself during recess.
• An autographed copy of Bossypants by Tina Fey.  Perfect for the 30 Rock fan on your Christmas list.

For a list of all the other items we have up for auction click here.

Remember 100% of the proceeds from these auctions go to fund clean water and sanitation projects in Africa.  Some of these items will make the perfect stocking stuffers AND they help out people who are less fortunate than us.  It is a win win in my book.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in the past...and a THANK YOU in advance to those who will support us in the future.  We are literally nothing without  our supporters.  Happy Bidding!

School Daze

It is back to school season and I have to say that I LOVE this time of year!!!  We have an in-service tomorrow and next week we are back in our classrooms making them ready for a fresh new group of little ones.

I am excited about so many things this year. Two fantastic new grade partners. A new principal. Maybe some lunch bunch shifts. And of course the best part - a new group of students - cuddly and adorable and ready to have fun!

I have always been that student who looks forward to the start of school.  Being a teacher is no different.  I am excited to see the wonderful women I work with again on a regular basis.  I cannot wait to re-arrange and decorate my classroom based on what worked and did not work last year.  Did I mention school supplies?  Possibly the best things ever invented!!!  Construction paper!  Glue!  Crayons! Pencils! Yay!!!



I have always felt that September was a time for new beginnings, more so than January.  And so I go into this September with high spirits and the joy of knowing what good things I have to look forward too.  May all of you feel this joy also as the school starts and the seasons change.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

Off to the AWF Board Meeting in Los Angeles.  I CANNOT wait to fly there.  By MYSELF. In FIRST CLASS.  My Kindle is giddy with anticipation of the intimate time we will spend together WITHOUT interruptions.  Or having to be read in the bathroom with the door locked.
I am also hoping to make it out the the fantastically decked out Restoration Hardware in Beverly Hills.  I know, I know...I go all the way to LA and all I want to see is the same store I work in...but the people who have been there say it is magical.  And they serve tea.  How can anyone resist?

Have a great weekend everyone!!

You can dream, so dream out loud...

Those of you that know me well know of my involvement in the African Well Fund. I have been on the board for almost 6 years now (where did the time go!) and each year is more inspiring than the next.

We are very close to reaching our "1 million dollars raised since inception" milestone.  In fact we will probably reach it by the end of this year.  This is pretty amazing in itself, but when you stop to consider we are 100% volunteer run it makes this milestone even more extraordinary.

The AWF was born because a group of U2 fans, inspired by Bono's work in Africa, decided that it was time to be the change they wanted to see in the world.  Every year we honor Bono by holding a fundraiser for his birthday, which is May 10.  Every year people who donate to the fundraiser can sign Bono's birthday card on our website and every year Lara (a very talented board member) creates a fabulously cool card which then gets mailed to Bono.  We know he gets the card because he has let us know in the past that it is his favorite birthday present (see this post).

This year we were able to present the card to him him person before the show in Nashville. Five AWF board members were on hand to personally thank him for being our inspiration and Lara was able to hand Bono this year's card herself - for pictures and her account of the meeting click here.

This year proceeds from the Build a Well For Bono's Birthday fundraiser went to clean water and sanitation projects that will be implemented by AWF partner Africare at four girls' schools in Benin that are supported by Angelique Kidjo's Batonga Foundation.

We are really close to fully funding this project so I am asking you to make a small donation to get us there.  It is as easy as clicking here and then clicking on the Donate Benin button on our homepage. 

Now is a good time of year to think about the value of clean drinking water.  It is hot out and we are consuming more water than ever - without it our bodies will not function - and we are so fortunate to live in countries where access to clean water is a given.  Take a moment to help change the lives of some very deserving young women in Benin by making a donation. 

And then go pour yourself a nice clean glass of water and drink it knowing that today, with the click of your mouse, you have given someone a great gift.  A great man once said, "Every generation has a chance to change the world."  Now is your chance.

Hello World

It is amazing to me how the simplest of things can be so extraordinary.  I took this video of Spy playing in the fountain at my mom's house.  I could have watched him "watering" the flowers for hours.  How such a simple activity could keep him entertained for so long is a mystery.  The joy I gained from watching him do such an ordinary task was also kind of shocking.  Yet when I watch my sweet boy I am not surprised that such a simple, monotonous action could bring such hapiness to my heart.



Allow yourself to see beauty in even the most mundane of things...and your heart will be filled with joy. I promise.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

My mom, Spy and I spent 4 hours in the emergency room today.  Mom picked Spy up from school and she noticed he wasn't moving his arm.  To make a very long story short he dislocated his elbow - also know as Nursemaid's Elbow - and was in a lot of pain.  I was incredibly relieved when the x-rays came back normal and the doctor just walked in, snapped this bone back into place and viola, Spy was using his arm again in under 10 minutes.

Sitting there in the emergency room with him asleep on my shoulder made me think about how lucky I really am to have such a beautiful child.  I know my last post was not so positive.  Re-reading it now I realize how easily I become overwhelmed when even the smallest things do not go as planned.  Today, however, holding my little one in my lap surrounded by the sick and in pain, I was so thankful to have him in my life, and I was begging, pleading to God for him to be OK.  And he was OK.  So I am going to do my best to try and not let the little things get to me.  I am going to do my best to see every temper tantrum in a positive light. I am going to do my best to make sure that Spy knows how much I love him and how he means the world to me. 

Don't sweat the small stuff, isn't that what they say?