Pride and Hatred (turn off music at bottom of blog before watching)

Heading Back To Egypt.......Medical Mission #2

It is official. I am hoping to return to Egypt on my second medical mission in that area. Last year was such a great experience, I learned a lot about the needs of the women (we had a few men in our classes too) in their communities. I feel that I can bring more knowledge and help through education. We worked hard and still had fun with these sweet women, who are trying to better their communities and lifestyles for their families and the people of Egypt. There were long days, but the smiles and gratitude from these people made it feel so right to do this type of work. This investment in the people of this area is required to equip them with the skills necessary for the future success of the region. We will be working with CEOSS, a group in Egypt who's mission is to promote the sanctity, equity, and harmony of life. It seeks to contribute to the transformation of society by nurturing moral and spiritual awareness, enhancing a sense of belonging, promoting respect for diversity, addressing conflict, and advancing social justice for individuals and communities.

The mission of CEOSS is implemented according to the following major goals:
To improve the quality of life in impoverished communities
To empower communities and individuals with sustainable development
To promote a culture of dialogue based on pluralistic democratic approaches and respect for human rights
To promote religious and social enlightenment

Through HANDS, an organization that is committed to building bridges between the people of Egypt and the US. their programs of exchange and dialogue have helped create an environment in which democratic ideals can flourish and those susceptible to radical ideologies find peaceful and productive means of pursuing their life goals.
I truely beleive that this calling is something I have to do and I am grateful for the oportunity in my life right now to be able to do so. So thank you for your prayers and help to achieve this goal of returning to the communities in Egypt to further develop a relationship with the people of Egypt.

Time is free, but it's priceless.

Time, we have it everyday, but we seem to run out of it so often. Well, now is the time for me to get back into a healthy lifestyle. I have been "dieting", really paying attention what goes into my mouth (still having trouble with what comes out of it though).
I am doing an organized bike ride in October in Arizona,(Tour de Scottsdale) so back in the saddle. I have a problem with my hip but it seems to be that surgery is the next step and I want to try and do everything to avoid this. I am hoping less weight on my bones and healthy eating and some stretching and PT, acupuncture can help to avoid this procedure. My time is mine. I love to share it and want to use it to be the best I can be!
Off I go.............

Thirty two years!

It's our anniversary Sat, Aug 15th. I can not believe we have been married for 32 years. I remember some highlights from that day many years ago. Family and friends accompanied up to the courthouse, we forgot wedding rings so made do with rings we had on our fingers at the time. We then had a reception at a restaurant in Long Beach near the Queen Mary and then stayed on the Queen Mary before heading to Tahoe to camp for our honeymoon. ( it was a long drive for us and we were so tired). As we opened the equipment which we borrowed from Mark's parents, notes were tied to things, the hammer , the tent and in various places within the truck, again something we borrowed from Mark's parents. Each note had something witty about the item and about us written on them. We laughed as our campsite came together. Thanks Tom for doing that, it was perfect. We felt so special as a couple and three girls and almost five grandchildren later we still feel special.

Colorado July, 2009

We headed off to our yearly adventur in Steamboat Springs this year in our Volkswagon, Eurovan. Mark had it all worked on and we packed it up, brought an extra family member (Maty our grand niece from Missouri) and we were on the road for our drive north. We heard some noises, but it wasn't bad they came and went, mostly went, so we listened to a book on tape and drove! Here are some pictures from Colorado and after this post will be a few more from Colorado along with soom from Albequerque, a place we ended up after dropping Maty off at Denver airport. Our van started making more noise and it was constant, so we drove to a dealer to see if they could help. (yes they did but had to order apart and it too three days for it to arrive.