I love my campers!

I love when I hear that one of my former campers isn't afraid to express their religious beliefs.  It makes me feel like I had a part in their religious formation.  They are pretty great kids, the ones I get to work with.  And I feel awesome in knowing that whatever I'm doing is working somehow.  Even if you're not religious, I encourage you to take the time to help a kid in some way.  It is truly a rewarding experience.

Christmas was a blast?

This Christmas found me in the kitchen doing all the work.  A couple of weeks ago, my mom broke her ankle and is now in a walking boot and can't put much pressure on it or stand too long.  So that left me and my dad in charge of Christmas dinner.  Or shall I say "Christmukah/Hanumas" because we celebrate Christmas with our Jewish friends.  Anyway, this was not my first time preparing a holiday meal, as I have been doubed the "Thanksgiving" person by my mother.  But Christmas is a different deal.  We usually have about twice as many people over at Christmas than we do for Thanksgiving which therefore means more food has to be made.  Oh well, it went well, nobody went home sick or hungry and I got lots of compliments on the various items I made:  The Turkey (which I prepared and my dad barbecued), Apple Pie, Homemade Bread (from scratch, no bread machine needed), Cranberry Sauce (also from scratch as I find out that it is actually rather easy to make), Cookies (Sugar, Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Chip, Butterscotch Chip, and M&M), the Dressing/Stuffing (that was from a box though because I do not like Stuffing), and I made homemade Butter.  Dad made the Mashed Potatoes that my mom is so famous for (and they were just as delicious)

I did a lot this year and it made me grateful for my mother because she usually does most of this stuff.  However, it was so nice to have people compliment my cooking.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it and that made me happy.  And it was nice to have everyone at the house and see that they are all happy and healthy (with the exception of my mother's ankle, and my friend Nicole who had foot surgery a few weeks ago.  Nicole has a super ginormous cast though!).  I hope that everyone's Christmas was good this year!  TTFN!

Giving the gift of life!

I'm on a crusade to change the world. I want to do good things. But first, I need some help. I've started a fundraiser with Nothing But Nets. If you go to www.mynothingbutnets.net/mariannescrusade, you will be asked to donate money to pusrchase mosquito netting for beds in Africa to prevent people from getting bit by mosquitos and getting malaria. It's a good cause that I think would be worth while. I'm setting a goal of $1,000 to start. It would be greatly appreciated if you could give to the cause.

Also, I have a friend, Kim, who's serving in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. She's in dire need for supplies/money for Lwang’a schools. If you'd like to help her out, contact me and I'll get you the info you need.

Thank you.Marianne.

I hate when I start doubting my decisions...

...well I don't think I'm actually doubting them, I think it's just that I'm longing for the way I used to feel. I had a dream last night in which I was with my ex. I don't necessarily think it means that I want to be with him again, I think it just means that I want someone to share my life with. Is that I sign that I'm ready to move on? Or, based on the activity we were doing in the dream, maybe I just want to do that activity but not necessarily with him. It sucks when you feel this way because sometimes, once in a while, you think that maybe you made the wrong decision but you always come to the conclusion that you made the correct one, but you still have to go through the process of wondering. Ugh, this sucks.

This makes me so angry!

People killing people just to get Christmas gifts? Seriously? WTF? I think everyone has forgotten what this season is supposed to be about and it makes me angry. The holiday season should not be all about what stupid new consumer product you receive from your Aunt Frances that you've never met. It's about being with the ones you love, and sharing things that hopefully mean a lot to you. Which is why this year, I'm not asking for any gifts. In fact, I DON"T WANT anything.And, if you insist on getting me something, then I am going to ask you to go to www. alternativegifts. org and donate some money in my name.Or, you can go to Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadena (or to their website: www. tenthousandvillages. com) and buy me something from there because everything from there comes from rural villages in impoverished nations and the money you spend goes straight to those villages to help them make money. I want to get people in the habit of giving to a good cause. I want to do good in the world and I think this is a good place to start. And for those of you few people who I plan on giving things to? Be prepared to receive a Yak in your name or something of the sort because I'm sick of Christmas being a consumer holiday. Thank you.