Monday, July 28, 2008

My Sister's Closet

Nearly two years ago, I became interested in a non-profit organization here in Bloomington. My Sister's Closet is an agency that helps low-income women with regards to business attire in order to obtain a job. Through a voucher system they provide interview attire and then business clothing once the women get a job. Also, anyone can purchase clothing at their retail store. It is a wonderful organization.

So, in the late-summer/early-fall of 2006, I became a board member as the Event Coordinator. Around that same time, Lee lost his job at Baxter. I was working full-time, working a second part-time job, and going to school part-time. It was a very stressful and low point in my life. In order to stay "sane", I gave up my position on the board.

Just recently, I graduated and found myself with a lot of free time. I have started up my hobby of counted cross stitching, and I recontacted My Sister's Closet. This past year I had been in contact with several of the board members. I created a MySpace page for the agency, and Lee had been doing work on their website. Last week, I became an officer of the organization. I am now the Secretary, and I keep the minutes of the meeting along with any written correspondence with constituents, clients, and other agencies. I couldn't be happier!

My father and mother were once very involved in my hometown community through various organizations when they were younger, and I looked to that for an example. In addition, my best friends are involved with the humane society and library respectively in their local communities. I am glad that I am finally able to give something back to my community. It is such an important part of who we are as human beings, and it is very important to me.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Taylor's a Big Sister

Yep, that is right. Taylor became a big sister one week ago. Her mom and stepdad had a bouncing baby boy, and Taylor couldn't be happier!! She loves being a big sister, and she can't say enough good things about her baby brother. It is great to see her so excited!

Surprisingly, she still wanted to come to our house this weekend. Lee and I decided that we would make Saturday a "Taylor" day. We surprised her with a day that was all about her. First we went to Build-A-Bear, and she could have anything in the store (reasonably priced) that wasn't a new stuffed animal. She chose the Beararmoire, which is a closet for all the Build-A-Bear clothes and accessories. She went straight to work on filling it up when we got home. Next, she got to choose where we would eat, and of course, she chose Wendy's. Finally, we took her to see Wall-E. Very adorable movie with a great message! All in all, I think she had a great day!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Happy Birthday America!


Well, it has been quite some time since I last posted. Lee, Taylor, Richard (Lee's dad), and I just got back from our trip to visit Lee's aunts in Oklahoma. All of us have never traveled together before, and I think we all had a great time!

Not only did we visit Lee's aunts, but we also saw the George Washington Carver National Monument, Precious Moments Inspiration Park & Chapel, and the Cherokee National Museum & Heritage Center. We were gone a total of 5 days (Wednesday - Sunday) and drove over 1500 miles.

We celebrated the 4th of July in Oklahoma ,and besides dressing alike (see above picture), we had quite a fireworks show put on for us. It was nice to celebrate America's birthday with family and new friends.

But, honestly, what event with us involved could go without some sort of drama. On Saturday, Lee was inspecting an old radio of his grandfather's in a storage trailer. He jumped out of the 6 foot tall trailer and landed on his ankle wrong, which also meant that I had to drive the trip back myself. After hobbling on it for several days, he went to the doctor this morning. The x-ray was inconclusive, but they think he "may" have broken his leg. We should know more tomorrow, but regardless, he is on crutches for the next 5 days. Like I said, drama!

But nonetheless, we made some great memories with this trip. I'm glad we got the chance to go together. Taylor and her second cousin Amber have been emailing since we got back, so I think a new friendship was even made :-).

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!