Instagram 2012

^ Happy Thanksgiving!

^ Dutch plate (Delft blue from Delft, Holland)

^ Canadian Thanksgiving (October)

^ Roadtripping to Tennessee... and Emily's crayon art.

^ Hiking at Fall Creek Falls State Park with Em & Kristin

^ the things you see in middle-of-nowhere grocery stores.

^ pictures at the office

^ my morning running attire; cooking a pot of organic & vegetarian chili 

^ whilst reading Pride and Prejudice

^ my fortune... and early morning garage sales with the ladies 

^ visiting Chattanooga with Khan, Aiman, and Hasaan

^ Mini Wheats heist in Publix! And the GA State seal at Marietta Square.

^ stressful work week (office fridge, lol) and great sales at TJ Maxx

^ Marietta Square on a beautiful autumn Saturday.

^ Our condo in Ft. Lauderdale, FL... and trying not to get sick.

^ visiting a Ft. Meyers beach with the Garcias

^ me at Lee's new chapel - courtesy of Kristin Mueller

^ Lin's "healthy" ice cream/granola sundae. And my Callie darling.

^ rooftop ponderings

^ both pictures from Florida

^ beach bound with Lin, Randy, and Dad

^ poolside view, and view from above at our firepit

^ receiving mail from China

^ Christmas tree goes up! Callie gets festive!

^ at the Everglades for the first time

 ^ making Christmas cookies... and packing up my room.

^ being this cute is tiring... and my favourite album

^ reflections in our front hall

Fun & Laughter

The most recent addition to my Amazon.com Wishlist?

On My ♥ - Women's Rights

I've been looking for jobs and internship opportunities for the past few years days (both are true, actually) in the development world... and I've really realised that everything I have been working toward in my life has been pointing to this calling. It's my dream to eventually work for a non-profit centred on improving the lives of women-- in areas such as reproductive/sexual health, enterprise development, legal aid in cases of unfair property seizure (common in many underdeveloped nations), healing programs for rape and domestic abuse victims, and education of women. There are so many areas I want to help in... it's awfully overwhelming.

I did, however, have a list of organisations to start researching. I had compiled it back in 2010 after reading an amazing and incredibly interesting book last year called "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". It was written by a husband and wife- both journalists who were interested in exploring the issues and challenges surrounding women in the developing world. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this gem at my local library and soon discovered how relevant it was to my personal and career interests.


"With Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, [the readers] undertake an odyssey through Africa and Asia to meet the extraordinary women struggling there, among them a Cambodian teenager sold into sex slavery and an Ethiopian woman who suffered devastating injuries in childbirth. Drawing on the breadth of their combined reporting experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope. They show how a little help can transform the lives of women and girls abroad." –Amazon.com (see the book here)

Basically, the book not only shares stories about the problems women face, it also touches on development programmes and initiatives started to combat these problems. The end of the book has a long glossary of the featured organisations—which is from where I gathered some of the names on my list.

I want to highlight one particular non-profit that I’m interested in working for. It’s called the Women’s Refugee Commission. You can check it out for yourself (it's way cooler and more comprehensive than the name sounds-- although it's not a bad sounding name!) or wait til my post tomorrow. I'll talk more about this organisation and its work in a separate post.

Dinner time! :)

Avicii - Silhouettes

New Years Resolutions

Despite my goal-oriented personality, I've never been one to make resolutions simply because we're starting a new calendar year. However, this year I feel ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead (some moments I feel bolder than others, my kleenex box will tell you) and ready to move forward in my life. My resolutions are ones that I feel are attainable and that I won't obsess over (which is admittedly one of my worst flaws). Here they are:

1. Drink tea, not coffee. (Thanks Mom for my new electric kettle! I've been making tea every morning in my ensuite)

2. Get involved in group exercise 3x per week (ish). (My chosen activity is YOGA. It's going great!)

3. Swear less / Be more thankful. (For some reason these two go hand-in-hand for me)

4. WASTE LESS. Someone brought to my attention that I waste food. I can't keep doing that.

I really want to become good at yoga because not only is it relaxing, it's a fantastic core workout and it incorporates deep breathing and meditation. The symbol below is often used in yoga-- it's a sanscrit word pronounced "Om" (or "aum"). It's used to increase consciousness (understanding of reality and the Divine) and to increase the body's supply of healing energy.

Pop Danthology

Simply the most amazing mix of this year's popular songs. I LOOOOVE THIS!

Christmas 2012, Part 3

We attended lots of Christmas parties and visited some family friends. It was so good to see everyone again. I even went to go see the Toronto Marlies play a hockey game at the Air Canada Centre with some cousins! With the NHL lock-out currently happening, I guess we just have to take what we can get these days. ;) My trip to Ontario ended on a high note with a 2-day get-together with my two best friends Katie and Kaitlynn. It had been a while since we were all in the same place at the same time... since Kaitlynn did a 1-year program in Spain and Austria last year, and Katie was in the Dominican Republic doing volunteer work. We did lots of catching up, movie watching, and went cross-country skiing in the wilderness behind Kait's house in Holland Landing. It was so beautiful! Here are the rest of my pictures from Christmas!

^ my grandfather's grave in Alliston, Ontario.

He passed away when I was in China last November.

^ the ladies of our annual Ornament Exchange

(Kooistra-side Christmas party)

^ playing a good game of Sjoelbak at the Kooistra Christmas party

^ enjoying a variety of wines and cheeses from around the world

at the Fishers' house :)

^ Mr. Fisher picked up this antique necklace while in Turkey this year

^ neighbour get-together on Thompson Drive!

^ Dad and Mr. Fisher

^ Air Canada Centre

^ Toronto Marlies hockey game... with Tony the Tiger at the puck drop

^ My Aunt Rachel owns a beautiful country home that she and my Uncle Al re-decorated... 

this is my favourite room in their place. It even has a rope (by the window) you can pull

to ring the bell in the steeple.

^ Conrad connects with his Dutch roots by wearing some klompen at the Ryzebols' house

^ He is also learning how to make wine!

^ Kaitlynn & Katie... making cheesecake!

^ hanging out with the Ryzebol clan

^ Aunt Mare's dog, Oadie!

^ Cross-country skiing in Holland Landing

^ wearing so many layers

^ Riley

^ on the way driving to the U.S. there were lots of accidents on the 401-E

^ driving in a winter wonderland

Trust

Christmas 2012, Part 2

These pictures go hand-in-hand with my first "Christmas 2012" post. The first few pictures were taken in early December, before we left for Ontario. My mum decorated our house very beautifully for the holidays, complete with a real Christmas tree with all our personal ornaments. It's a family tradition to receive an ornament each year (from Mom), which I think is such a cool idea. Anyway, enjoy the pics! I'll post the remainder tomorrow. :)

^ Duke and Callie at home :)

^ Christmas Cookie casualty

^ Callie looking adorable 

^ Lin & Randy at Niagara Falls

^ Niagara Falls

^ Celebrating my b'day at the Hampton Inn

^ Cool Buddhist temple beside our hotel

^ Conrad and his most recent love interest, Leia from Hawaii

^ Pyjamas, Canadian-style

^ Conrad and his ancestor, the mighty polar bear

^ Conrad likes to snuggle with the northern animals

^ Finally arrived in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)... here's the house we stayed at!

My parents' friends went on vacation to Florida and let us use their mansion. :)

This is Lin with their adorable puppy.

^ I won't mention what the dog actually does with this toy...

Uplifting Quotes

I have lots of pictures to post from my trip up to Canada for Christmas... but I thought I'd post some inspiring quotes to help start off 2013! I'm praying that this year will be one of growth, healing, forgiveness, and moving toward life goals. :)