I just might be a hippie, yet.

I leave for London in 3 DAYS! Unbelievable. I spent Thursday and Friday with my family in Fayetteville - which ended in a tearful "see you later" with my sister, Kathleen.

For a "have fun in Europe" present - my mom and my sister each got me a pair of shoes while we were in Arkansas. My mom gave me a pair of Birkenstock sandals, so my feet will stay nice and comfy. (AND I can pretend that I'm a hippie when I wear them, which is always fun!) My sister's present was a new pair of TOMS Shoes - I'm excited to take pictures with my TOMS Flag & show everyone the places that I wear my TOMS!

Microfinancing - the World's Best Kept Secret!

For the past couple years, I've grown more interested in the difficulties experienced in the world's Least Developed Countries- and more importantly, how I can help fight global poverty.

Through the Global Perspectives minor at Drury University, my professors have done a great deal to inform students about the gross global inequality that exists - not to show our failure as wealthy individuals (by the world's standards) but to show the many ways we can help our fellow humans, even on an individual-to-individual basis.

As with many non-profit organizations, water.org strives to work with locals in order to develop the most effective solutions for a given area.

Here are some pictures from water.org:

Kids in Dhobari slum put on a skit about getting sick from unsafe water.


A young boy collecting water from the contaminated pond in Board Guard.

Kids celebrating their new water point.

Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh

This video shows the absolute brilliance of microfinancing - in this case, regarding water and sanitation - Enjoy!

Students of the World Presents: Water.org and UNC in India (2009)

Water (especially CLEAN water) is such an essential ingredient for life. But just how important is it?

Here's a link to some water facts.

More great poverty-fighting organizations: Two of my favorites are KIVA and Heifer International.

One of my KIVA loans went to Dora Okojie in Nigeria to purchase pigs for her pig farm!

29 people also funded Dora in order to complete her loan of $1,000. 50% of the loan I made in March has already been paid back due to the success of the newly funded pig farm.

Decorating, Schmecorating.

In preparation for decorating my sister's apartment, I've been going to different antique stores around Spring-town.

There were Ball Jars in nearly every booth - I found one booth that even had 3 different sizes!

They've got so much character. The only question is what to do with them!

Flowers?

Shells for a splash of color?

Or perhaps a lantern? (This looks like it would take a little more wiring skill than we currently have - But it's a cool idea anyway!)

A Candle Centerpiece?

More flowers?

Or maybe to hold Scissors or Taffy!

I bought this votive holder as a present for myself - but I might let her borrow it while I'm gone, if she's nice in the meantime!

So You Think You Can Dance, dance, dance, dance...

I'm no dancer, but I love the show So You Think You Can Dance!

I've been catching up on Season 7 via Hulu, and here are a few of the routines that have blown me away (from a creative, artistic standpoint, of course! I have no technical knowledge!)

Outta Your Mind. Alex Wong - the SYTYCD contestant dancing this is trained in ballet!

Jar of Hearts. Love this song too.

Boogie Shoes. This dance was just pure fun!

Mad World. The story behind this one gave me chills.

Collide. Kent and Lauren are my two favorites this season...

Les photos de ma famille.

My friend, Erica, took some pictures for my family on Saturday. We drove around Springfield for about three hours, capturing photos at some of our favorites spots!

THE MORNING STARTED OFF with a trip to the Mudhouse - our favorite hangout in downtown Springfield!

AFTER THE MUDHOUSE, we hit the streets (& alleyways) of downtown.

NEXT STOP, the beautiful campus of Drury University.

WE WENT FLEA MARKETING in search of an old picture frame, and dad stumbled upon this old door lying in a pile of weeds.

Of all the pictures we took, this is perhaps the closest representation of our true personalities!

ERICA ALSO TOOK us to a cute bookstore on the north-side of town...

MOM WANTED TO VISIT Farmer's Market while we were out and about!

Erica, my sister, and I all had our Toms Shoes on when we went to the Farmer's Market - so we figured we should capture the moment!

WHEN WE GOT HOME, Derek, my sister's boyfriend, decided to join in the fun!









Mom says that this picture has "all of her kids" in it!

We had a wonderful time! Thanks again Erica for doing such a great job!

i. heart. cupcakes!

I decided to try out a new cupcake recipe for my Uncle Jim's birthday tonight. And they were....very rich - & delicious!


These are "Cupcake 11" from Ming Thompson's website! There are many more that I can't wait to try out!
{Recipe acquired via Cup of Jo blog}

And a trip to my Papa's in Oklahoma isn't complete without a game of Mexican Train dominoes!