New iPad!!

It was a Christmas present from Steve -- thanks Steve!!

Wilderness Volunteers

I spent about four hours today reading Backpacker magazines, and came across this cool non-profit organisation called "Wilderness Volunteers". Anyone can sign up to camp out at a national park for a week and help restore/maintain trails. Some of the places you can go are: John Muir NP, Yellowstone NP, Glen Canyon NP, Zion NP, Yosemite NP, Denali NP, Glacier NP, Acadia NP, etc etc etc!! Check out the program's website:

WV homepage | WV project schedule | WV FAQs

Great Resource for Healthful Living

I just stumbled upon a site called Evolving Wellness. It appears to be a Canadian site (score!) and it's very useful for those of you looking for ideas for healthful living -- food & nutrition, environment, chemicals & health, natural products, recipes, etc. It is amazing -- check it out!

Also, I haven't tried this particular flavour yet, but LÄRABAR has a new product line called JŎCALAT.

JŎCALAT is Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate in its purest form. Harmonizing with fruits and nuts, each flavor contains no more than seven simple ingredients. Deliciously rich. Organic. No added sugars. Free of dairy, soy and gluten. A wholesome indulgence you can feel good about eating.

NHL Fever

So my amazing boss got me corporate tickets for two NHL games -- looks like I'm going with some friends to see both Boston and Toronto take on Atlanta. I can't wait!!! In other news, I'm flying to Toronto next Wednesday just in time for the annual Kooistra girls' ornament exchange. ♥ Then, I'll attend a few dinner parties and spend some good quality time with friends over coffee (fresh Tim Horton's, perhaps, if I can stomach it). Pretty soon I'll be coming back to ATL with Katie and Kaitlynn for some New Years adventures ~ I'm thinking a roadtrip to Nashville is in order. The Opryland Hotel is so gorgeous this time of year, so I think we'll see that and spend some time sightseeing downtown Nashvegas. :)

Wintry Weather... Well, Kind Of.

I'm about to start teaching a class called "Winter Driving for Southerners -- Why the Threat of Ice Does Not Constitute Driving 30 km Below the Speed Limit". Maybe I should take my hockey skates out and see if I can get to work faster in those. :)  It's perfect walking weather, though, and I love being the only one outside at night when I take Callie and Duke out for a walk/run. Sometimes I sleep with my window cracked just so I can breathe in the cool, crisp air. Love it.

CARE International Conference

In March 2011 (during Lee's Spring Break, might I add) I am trekking up to Washington D.C. for CARE International's annual conference. If anyone is interested in going with me, please let me know! :) See links below for more info.

CARE homepage | CARE conference | CARE the girl effect

I love my iMac

The Importance of Community

As someone who is a self-starter and very motivated, I oftentimes find it hard to be in large groups. I have a small, tight knit group of friends and spend a lot of time doing things alone -- cycling, reading, working, playing piano, etc. Although I like the feeling of being alone in a crowd, i.e. reading in the library as opposed to reading at home, the "alone-ness" often turns into loneliness. I found a great article on the subject of singles and living in community (click here) and continue to remind myself of the quote by John Donne, "No man is an island, entire of itself. Each man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main". Enjoy. :)

On an entirely different note, if you're looking for easy-yet-delicious recipes for the holiday season, check out Slow-Cooker Tapioca Pudding (click here) and Slow-Cooker Apple Crisp (click here). Mmmm.

Handel's Messiah

My mom and I went to see/hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra perform Handel's Messiah and it was spectacular! I've heard sections of it growing up -- a byproduct of growing up in the church, I'm sure -- but there was nothing like hearing all of the songs in order, and live.