The next day, my mom and I walked to Navy Pier. It was pretty crowded because there was a fitness expo. We checked out some of the exhibits and looked at some amazing stained glass at the museum.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Chicago
My mom and I went to Chicago for a few days. We met up with Kelly for lunch and tried to get a good view of the city. Well, there was zero visibility for the day so it didn't really make a difference if we were on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. It was funny becasue the same thing happened when we were in San Francisco with Kelly a few years ago. She took us to a spot that was super close to the Golden Gate Bridge - only it was too foggy and we couldn't see a thing! It was great to catch up and spend the day together (We went to the Art Institute - the perfect indoor activity)
The next day, my mom and I walked to Navy Pier. It was pretty crowded because there was a fitness expo. We checked out some of the exhibits and looked at some amazing stained glass at the museum.
.jpg)
The next day, my mom and I walked to Navy Pier. It was pretty crowded because there was a fitness expo. We checked out some of the exhibits and looked at some amazing stained glass at the museum.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Jersey Boys
We walked around the city for most of the day...went shopping and took some pictures. There were a few seats available for JERSEY BOYS at the theatre, so we decided to bite the bullet and pay for tickets. It was a great production...worth every penny! The music was fabulous. My mom was laughing and smiling the entire time. It was great!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Freedom Museum
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In just 45 words, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects five freedoms essential to a democracy: freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. These five freedoms have played a key role in every chapter of our nation’s struggle for freedom. But what do these freedoms mean?
We spent some time at the Freedom Museum in Chicago to learn more. It is always good to expand our thinking. My goal is to stay up on current events and make a difference in November with my vote.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Bean
So, I first heard about the "bean" at CIGNA when a few of the girls were talking about Chicago. On our last day, we decided to check out Millenium Park - home of the infamous bean. This structure stands in the middle of the city and has a beautiful way of showing off the tall city buildings. It was also fun to take a picture of our own reflection. Fun times in Chicago, MOM! Love you.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Justin's Birthday
We had a party at my parents house.
Can you believe he is 5 years old?!
Lori is so great with the kids.
My dad put Justin on his shoulders and they went outside to put some money in the mail. He thought it was so great that there were icicles on the house, so my dad pulled one down and it was taller than Justin.
Can you believe he is 5 years old?!
Lori is so great with the kids.
My dad put Justin on his shoulders and they went outside to put some money in the mail. He thought it was so great that there were icicles on the house, so my dad pulled one down and it was taller than Justin.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
30 hour famine
I'm gearing up for the 30 hour famine this weekend. I first learned about this event in college when my roommate and I signed up on a whim. The purpose is to increase awareness about global hunger, so here is my attempt...
Each day, over 29,000 children die from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.
In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before his fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. one child in 165 will die before turning five years old.
The wealthiest fifth of the world's people consume an astonishing 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consume 1 percent.
Of the 6.39 billion people in today's world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
This is Monica. This is her story:
There is nothing to eat, nothing to drink and nowhere to graze. The sweltering heat bites through the corrugated iron sheets, making the house without a ceiling an uncomfortable oven. Thirst is killing but the safest drinking water is fifteen kilometers (about 9 miles) away.
Monica with little sister AgnesWhen fifteen-year-old Monica Kimiti leaves school, she has to trek this distance to get water for her family. And she is the only one who is guaranteed a meal during the day, through the World Vision supported school feeding program.
The environment in the Loodariak area of Kenya, representative of the entire country, is dry. Temperatures soar to over 100 degrees. There is nothing green in the vicinity. Most livestock, including wild animals like antelopes, are too weak to walk.
Each waking day this drought spells doom for families like Monica’s. They have sadly watched their precious livestock – source of livelihood for their Maasai community – drop dead, one after the other. This has now left the family destitute and vulnerable.
Large families aggravate the grave situation. And none of the parents have any formal employment and are totally dependent on livestock.
"We now have three goats and two sheep from an initial flock of twenty goats, twenty five sheep and seventeen herd of cattle," Monica laments.
She recalls with nostalgia the good old days when her father would sell off an animal and provide such basic needs as food, and pay for the water from a community project. This is now history for the student at Olepolos Primary School.
World Vision Kenya has effectively combated the rampant early marriages in this area, but poverty is a major risk as young girls are tempted to get married so they can be provided for instead of starving to death.
Monica says she knows of a girl her age who was driven into marriage by poverty. She married an elderly man. She is grateful that her struggling father has not considered this option, although he has sold part of his land at a throw-away price.
In November, Monica’s father dispatched his eighteen-year-old son, Moses – who had his grade twelve national examinations last year – with two surviving cows to search for pasture.
"My brother, who is awaiting his examination results, is in Nairobi. I understand he treks from area to area grazing our cows and those of other relatives,” Monica says.
She says the grazing in the city violates the government’s by-laws that prohibit livestock in the city centre. This led to his arrest last month. She adds that he was locked up until her elder sister paid the fine. But she also knows that with the only other option is to let their remaining livestock starve to death, which would be disastrous for her family.
Monica also notes with regret that several businessmen are capitalizing on the calamity to fleece the people even more, while the government has abandoned its task of providing more water.
"Some businessmen are ferrying jugs of water to the very desperate areas and selling them for twenty shillings in an area where people have no money,” Monica says.
Monica is hopeful that God will be merciful to the suffering among people and animals and send rain. She describes hunger that has hit the area as the worst form of human degradation, as those starving violate their dignity to access food to survive.
“It is very sad that a goat now fetches [two and a half dollars], instead of [forty dollars] before the drought,” she says.
Currently, 3.5 million people including 500,000 school-going children in Kenya require emergency food aid. The drought has been persistent for the last six years with five consecutive failed rainy seasons depleting all sources of livelihood.
The United Nations and other experts have warned that unless aid comes in now, a human catastrophe is eminent.
World Vision is working in these hard-hit areas of Kenya and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa to relieve the suffering. The funds raised by groups participating in the 30 Hour Famine will be applied to US Government grants to help leverage those funds by as much as eight times their impact.
Each day, over 29,000 children die from preventable diseases such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Malnutrition is associated with over half of those deaths.
In developing countries, one child in 10 dies before his fifth birthday. By comparison, in the U.S. one child in 165 will die before turning five years old.
The wealthiest fifth of the world's people consume an astonishing 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consume 1 percent.
Of the 6.39 billion people in today's world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
This is Monica. This is her story:
There is nothing to eat, nothing to drink and nowhere to graze. The sweltering heat bites through the corrugated iron sheets, making the house without a ceiling an uncomfortable oven. Thirst is killing but the safest drinking water is fifteen kilometers (about 9 miles) away.
Monica with little sister AgnesWhen fifteen-year-old Monica Kimiti leaves school, she has to trek this distance to get water for her family. And she is the only one who is guaranteed a meal during the day, through the World Vision supported school feeding program.
The environment in the Loodariak area of Kenya, representative of the entire country, is dry. Temperatures soar to over 100 degrees. There is nothing green in the vicinity. Most livestock, including wild animals like antelopes, are too weak to walk.
Each waking day this drought spells doom for families like Monica’s. They have sadly watched their precious livestock – source of livelihood for their Maasai community – drop dead, one after the other. This has now left the family destitute and vulnerable.
Large families aggravate the grave situation. And none of the parents have any formal employment and are totally dependent on livestock.
"We now have three goats and two sheep from an initial flock of twenty goats, twenty five sheep and seventeen herd of cattle," Monica laments.
She recalls with nostalgia the good old days when her father would sell off an animal and provide such basic needs as food, and pay for the water from a community project. This is now history for the student at Olepolos Primary School.
World Vision Kenya has effectively combated the rampant early marriages in this area, but poverty is a major risk as young girls are tempted to get married so they can be provided for instead of starving to death.
Monica says she knows of a girl her age who was driven into marriage by poverty. She married an elderly man. She is grateful that her struggling father has not considered this option, although he has sold part of his land at a throw-away price.
In November, Monica’s father dispatched his eighteen-year-old son, Moses – who had his grade twelve national examinations last year – with two surviving cows to search for pasture.
"My brother, who is awaiting his examination results, is in Nairobi. I understand he treks from area to area grazing our cows and those of other relatives,” Monica says.
She says the grazing in the city violates the government’s by-laws that prohibit livestock in the city centre. This led to his arrest last month. She adds that he was locked up until her elder sister paid the fine. But she also knows that with the only other option is to let their remaining livestock starve to death, which would be disastrous for her family.
Monica also notes with regret that several businessmen are capitalizing on the calamity to fleece the people even more, while the government has abandoned its task of providing more water.
"Some businessmen are ferrying jugs of water to the very desperate areas and selling them for twenty shillings in an area where people have no money,” Monica says.
Monica is hopeful that God will be merciful to the suffering among people and animals and send rain. She describes hunger that has hit the area as the worst form of human degradation, as those starving violate their dignity to access food to survive.
“It is very sad that a goat now fetches [two and a half dollars], instead of [forty dollars] before the drought,” she says.
Currently, 3.5 million people including 500,000 school-going children in Kenya require emergency food aid. The drought has been persistent for the last six years with five consecutive failed rainy seasons depleting all sources of livelihood.
The United Nations and other experts have warned that unless aid comes in now, a human catastrophe is eminent.
World Vision is working in these hard-hit areas of Kenya and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa to relieve the suffering. The funds raised by groups participating in the 30 Hour Famine will be applied to US Government grants to help leverage those funds by as much as eight times their impact.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
KS95 for Kids
It was one year ago that my cousin Magda left us for the next place. She lived one incredible life and her story inspires us. www.caringbridge.org/mn/manderson
Several years ago we started to volunteer with KS95 for Kids, which is an event that raises money for kids with cancer. Magda was interviewed for the radiothon and her message was played on the air. We always took pledges over the phone with other families. It was a tradition.
Magda sure had lots of friends and supporters. Last year was hard since it was the first time without her ( plus the event happened a few weeks after her death). This year didn't seem the same either. It takes time to heal. There were some familiar faces but they didn't need volunteers (or should I say, I wasn't on top of things and didn't get signed up in time). Maybe next year. Follow this link to learn more: www.KS95forkids.com
Several years ago we started to volunteer with KS95 for Kids, which is an event that raises money for kids with cancer. Magda was interviewed for the radiothon and her message was played on the air. We always took pledges over the phone with other families. It was a tradition.
Magda sure had lots of friends and supporters. Last year was hard since it was the first time without her ( plus the event happened a few weeks after her death). This year didn't seem the same either. It takes time to heal. There were some familiar faces but they didn't need volunteers (or should I say, I wasn't on top of things and didn't get signed up in time). Maybe next year. Follow this link to learn more: www.KS95forkids.com
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