"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke
Friday, July 08, 2011
Quotable Quotes: triumph
Thursday, July 07, 2011
updates
I haven't done a great job of writing regularly since moving...so, I will dedicate this post to general updates.
Unemployment Rates
Back in December when Kenyon and I were both unemployed and looking for work, I wrote a post called "Unemployment Rates: reality check." I still believe the unemployment rate is under reported - meaning it is larger than the current 9% estimate. Why? Because, there are many who have just given up looking for work or have been unemployed so long they no longer qualify for unemployment benefits. That does not even count the number of individuals who are under-employed. However, since that post both Kenyon and I have secured good jobs. I began mine in February and he started his in July. I am the grants director for a local health foundation and Kenyon is working on the nursing staff of a nearby hospital. We are blessed to have these opportunities.
Of the five adults at the dinner party the night of my "reality check" blog post - two remain unemployed. Granted, they live in a different part of the U.S., but both hold higher level degrees and certifications (CPA and law), both have a wealth of experience. It symbolizes that the effects of the recession are still being felt by many families.
Setting Routines
In April, I wrote about my efforts to establish routines. In that time I have made exercise and cooking a regular part of my life. Kenyon and I rarely eat out and most of our meals are made from fresh fruits and vegetables. I am also exercising 2-4 times per week. We don't have a gym membership, so I find ways to incorporate fitness in my life through being outside or using the exercise videos that have traveled with me around the globe. The result, I have lost about 6 pounds since that post and I have no idea how many inches. But, I feel better physically...and that was the ultimate goal. I hope to keep it up and continue to reap the rewards.
Finding a Church
In May, I posted about our efforts to find a church home. I am pleased to report that the internet strategy worked. We have been attending the church for a few weeks consecutively and are starting to get to know folks who attend. We've participated in community dinners and other outreach events. We also recently attended their newcomers meeting. Having a church home does make a new place feel more welcoming and friendly.
Well, that's all folks...what have you been doing lately?
just Sheri, apparently too busy to write regularly
Unemployment Rates
Back in December when Kenyon and I were both unemployed and looking for work, I wrote a post called "Unemployment Rates: reality check." I still believe the unemployment rate is under reported - meaning it is larger than the current 9% estimate. Why? Because, there are many who have just given up looking for work or have been unemployed so long they no longer qualify for unemployment benefits. That does not even count the number of individuals who are under-employed. However, since that post both Kenyon and I have secured good jobs. I began mine in February and he started his in July. I am the grants director for a local health foundation and Kenyon is working on the nursing staff of a nearby hospital. We are blessed to have these opportunities.
Of the five adults at the dinner party the night of my "reality check" blog post - two remain unemployed. Granted, they live in a different part of the U.S., but both hold higher level degrees and certifications (CPA and law), both have a wealth of experience. It symbolizes that the effects of the recession are still being felt by many families.
Setting Routines
In April, I wrote about my efforts to establish routines. In that time I have made exercise and cooking a regular part of my life. Kenyon and I rarely eat out and most of our meals are made from fresh fruits and vegetables. I am also exercising 2-4 times per week. We don't have a gym membership, so I find ways to incorporate fitness in my life through being outside or using the exercise videos that have traveled with me around the globe. The result, I have lost about 6 pounds since that post and I have no idea how many inches. But, I feel better physically...and that was the ultimate goal. I hope to keep it up and continue to reap the rewards.
Finding a Church
In May, I posted about our efforts to find a church home. I am pleased to report that the internet strategy worked. We have been attending the church for a few weeks consecutively and are starting to get to know folks who attend. We've participated in community dinners and other outreach events. We also recently attended their newcomers meeting. Having a church home does make a new place feel more welcoming and friendly.
Well, that's all folks...what have you been doing lately?
just Sheri, apparently too busy to write regularly
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Anniversary Number Four
In June, Kenyon and I reached a milestone - four years of marriage. In that time we (together) have visited 12 countries, lived on three continents, and moved seven times. Whew! That is a lot of life in a short amount of time.
If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that each year we make a top ten list of our favorite memories for the year. I also then take the list and turn it in to a photo book that we have as a keepsake to someday (hopefully) tell our kids about our great adventures. You can read past entries here, here, and here. We are a bit behind this year, but the list is complete. Last year, we only had nine memories - this year we made up for that with eleven. Here are our favorite memories from the past year:
11. learning speed charades from Claire (the Dutch, Irish, English girl in Mozambique), which we have imported to America for game nights with new friends
10. attending the International Folk Art Market with my family in New Mexico. Folk Art is my favorite kind of art and this market has quite the collection from around the globe.
9. Busch Gardens roller coasters and getting caught in the rain
8. Sheri learned to cook and transformed in to Pioneer Woman. It's amazing what one can accomplish when necessary for survival. The good thing is, it has stuck. Now that we have more convenient options - cooking (and eating) foods with raw, fresh ingredients is still part of our daily lives.
7. trolley tour in Fredericksburg on slavery and slave places
6. attending the Laotian festival at the local Buddhist temple
5. exploring Colonial Williamsburg - the origins of our nation
4. a pit stop in Amsterdam while moving continents
3. visiting friends and family on home leave in 2010
Our top memories for the past year are related to times spent with a family that is special to us - the Wonderful Whitlocks. They made the list last year, too. Hopefully, they will be on the list for many years to come...
2. fourth of July celebration in Mozambique with the Whitlocks thanks to the U.S. Embassy and the American School
1. getting stuck in sinking sand with the Whitlocks on a visit to Zavorra Beach, Mozambique
If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that each year we make a top ten list of our favorite memories for the year. I also then take the list and turn it in to a photo book that we have as a keepsake to someday (hopefully) tell our kids about our great adventures. You can read past entries here, here, and here. We are a bit behind this year, but the list is complete. Last year, we only had nine memories - this year we made up for that with eleven. Here are our favorite memories from the past year:11. learning speed charades from Claire (the Dutch, Irish, English girl in Mozambique), which we have imported to America for game nights with new friends
10. attending the International Folk Art Market with my family in New Mexico. Folk Art is my favorite kind of art and this market has quite the collection from around the globe.
9. Busch Gardens roller coasters and getting caught in the rain
8. Sheri learned to cook and transformed in to Pioneer Woman. It's amazing what one can accomplish when necessary for survival. The good thing is, it has stuck. Now that we have more convenient options - cooking (and eating) foods with raw, fresh ingredients is still part of our daily lives.
7. trolley tour in Fredericksburg on slavery and slave places
6. attending the Laotian festival at the local Buddhist temple
5. exploring Colonial Williamsburg - the origins of our nation
4. a pit stop in Amsterdam while moving continents
3. visiting friends and family on home leave in 2010
Our top memories for the past year are related to times spent with a family that is special to us - the Wonderful Whitlocks. They made the list last year, too. Hopefully, they will be on the list for many years to come...
2. fourth of July celebration in Mozambique with the Whitlocks thanks to the U.S. Embassy and the American School
1. getting stuck in sinking sand with the Whitlocks on a visit to Zavorra Beach, Mozambique
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
visitor from Kenya
In recent weeks I had a great surprise - Gerald from Kenya was coming for a visit to America!
I met Gerald on my first trip to Kenya. He was assigned to be my driver for the weekend, or as I used to refer to these poor chaps as "my babysitter." Essentially, his job was to drive me wherever I wanted to go - dinner, shopping, touring. The babysitter made sure I didn't go where I might get in trouble and often had to give up their weekend to be at my beck and call. I had so much fun with Gerald that we kept in touch. Over the years I would often see him as I would pass through Nairobi on my way to other parts of the country or continent.
At our first meeting he told me that it was his dream to visit America one day. He has been saving his Kenya shillings for years to make it happen. Through persistence he secured a tourist visa. See America, he did! He went to Florida, Colorado, NYC, Washington D.C., Baltimore, North Carolina and more. A friend in Kenya told him that they must start calling him "a man of his word" because he (finally) made it to America.
On my visits to Nairobi he would tell me that one day he would see me in America. And he did. We had dinner at the inner harbor in Baltimore with his cousin.
Gerald now has other dreams to fulfill - becoming an airline pilot and family man. I look forward to the day he tells me he has also accomplished these.
just Sheri, a witness to perseverance (and it's rewards)
Monday, July 04, 2011
Quotable Quotes: Liberty
 "There are those who will say the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American Dream." ~ Archibald MacLeish, American Poet, 1892-1982 On this, the 4th of July, a day dedicated to celebrating our freedom - I wonder if we have lost sight of the dream? This day means more than just time off work, grilling out, and watching fireworks. It stands for something powerful - freedom. Freedom is granted in varying degrees around the globe. The one common thread is that the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable are most often denied the virtues of freedom. Instead, these are enslaved, oppressed, or cast out. This confinement of liberty and restriction of freedom isn't someone else's problem. It is happening here, in America. We are establishing or undermining the virtues of these ideals with the policies we endorse...and especially those that become law. "I would rather belong to a poor nation that was free than to a rich nation that had ceased to be in love with liberty." ~ Woodrow T. Wilson, 28th President of the United States just Sheri, contemplating the reason for celebration |
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