FEBRUARY 28th-- COME ON OUT!!!!

I am so excited to announce that my first fundraiser for my trip will be at the CELLAR DOOR in Downers Grove on February 28th!!!! This is a great little wine shop, with yummy cheese and appetizers and amazing staff. And as a super added bonus, my good friend Dave will be performing for us that night. He does a great acoustic set of everyone's favorites and some original numbers-- you will definitely enjoy yourself.

We will drink wine, listen to music and have a raffle of wine-- being very kindly donated by a wine rep from Signature Luxury Wine and Spirits.

VOLUNTARY DONATIONS WILL BE COLLECTED.

CELLAR DOOR
(630) 241-2030
5150 Main St, #A
Downers Grove, IL

Questions or need more information-- please email me: tiffany6575@sbcglobal.net
Please RSVP so that I can let the CD have an idea of how many people will be attending.

Fundraiser update......Stay Tuned.....

I'm working on the details for my two upcoming fundraisers... Hopefully one will be in Downers Grove for everyone in the suburbs and one will be in the city. Stay tuned for details shortly so hopefully you can all add it to your calendars!!!!

More thanks to give....

Sharon and Rich Maier-- thank you Mrs. Maier and I hope you are feeling better!

Peter Park-- and props again for being the only one to add yourself as a follower.

Brian and Lisa Bollow-- thanks Bollow, Dr. Jones is very happy for the donation.

Immunization update; Got my first two immunizations on Thursday, DPT booster and the first of the Hep B series. My left arm still hurts.

Meet Marianne

(This picture is Marianne at a restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

I want to introduce you to a new friend-- one who has been instrumental in my journey to Ethiopia but whom I've never met in person(yet)! Her name is Marianne and she is a third grade teacher near Atlanta. Marianne is amazing, she just turned 27 and has been a world traveler, including spending last summer at AHOPE.

Last summer when I was researching this trip, I Googled volunteering in Ethiopia and found a site that was called a Teacher Goes to Ethiopia, and when I clicked on it, it was a fundraising page for a teacher who was volunteering at AHOPE in Addis Ababa. So, even though I knew she was in country, I emailed her that I would love to talk when she got back. And she actually emailed from her layover on the way home.

Seriously the kindness of strangers!! So, nice Marianne says I can ask questions and boy was I obnoxious, because I sent her something like 30 or more questions. Poor thing ended up sending me pages and pages of single spaced answers. I can't tell you how good I felt about my decision to have this experience after talking with her.

She is smart, very dedicated to her students and globally aware-- she was even offered teaching positions while she was traveling last summer-- which she contemplated accepting, way more adventurous than me!!! I'm super excited to get a chance to meet her in person, when I visit my friend Croft in Atlanta later this spring and see all her pictures.

Marianne S. -- Someone you should know.

A New Era...... begins......

I am so happy and excited today that everyone's hard work paid off and we begin a new presidency today. I hope that everyone enjoys the inaugural festivities, but then allows President Obama and his team the time and patience to try to work on the many messes our country and world are currently in! I am both excited and very envious that my friend Claire is currently on her way to DC to experience this in person, she even got tickets to the swearing in!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures, Claire.
Hmmm.... I wonder if I can work this inauguration into all my lesson plans today??? Think that's possible?

Happy MLK!

I hope that many of you listened to President Obama and spent today helping your community. I think the president will be okay with giving me today off, as I choose to spend MLK getting lattes with my best friend, Kristen and her babies. It was another enjoyable afternoon at the coffeeshop-- which is pretty much the word her children say when she says they are going to see Aunty Tiff. Hannah and Kyle, your behavior was great today as usual!!!

Thank you --

CLOSED?

I just had to report that I went to my local library today as I just realized that my library card has expired, and I parked my car, walked up to the big wood double doors and found a handmade sign that said-- CLOSED, OUR DOOR IS FROZEN SHUT. Are you kidding me? I live in Mayberry!!!

Frigid out!!

Hi,

So today on the way to school, I stopped at a light and happened to be next to one of those temperature signs and it said -12*!! Yes, that's right-- the actual temperature said -12, not factoring in the wind chill. BRR!!!!

I got a recent donation from my good friend Amy-- who I've been friends with since HS- Environmental Club-- Thanks Amy!!! Hope we can visit soon.

Lately I also have been so pleased to say that everyone new I've told about my trip have been so supportive--I hope you will all keep reading my updates!! But speaking of that, PLEASE add yourself as a follower, you don't need to have a blog-- as recently proven by my new friend Peter-- I think all you do is click on the add yourself as a follower link on the right hand side of the page, give yourself a user name and then you are listed as a follower and can make comments.

STAY WARM!!

Vaccinations etc....

Okay, so I have been doing some research and asking my traveling friends for vaccination info... and I am thinking that these are the shots I will need:
Typhoid
Hepatitis A
Diphtheria
Tuberculosis
Hepatitis B
Yellow Fever
Meningococcal meningitis

And possibly Rabies, Malaria pills and Traveler's Diarrhea pills.

Now, my question is-- who out there knows where I can go for these, I've made an appointment with my primary care doctor but I have the feeling that she will not be able to vaccinate me for all of this.. so who can tell me how you get them and what it costs out of pocket, as I am doubtful my HMO will pay for them.

Stocking full of fun!

Although these photos do not do it justice, this is the largest stocking I've ever had. My mom entered at contest at her bank in Plainfield and came home from New Orleans to a message that she won!! It is full of games and toys that I am going to bring to my school. I plan to use them for good behavior raffles, birthday gifts etc. My mom thinks it was a fix since she told her banker how I worked with low income kids who sure would be excited by this stocking, but either way-- Yea Plainfield bank and mom!! We are excited for all the loot!

AHOPE Video

Check out this video. There is a family in it that has adopted two children from AHOPE, the care center that I will be working at this summer!! And I think it was filmed in Chicago, so I wonder if this family lives around here. The host of the show was filming next to the L. This photo I found on the AHOPE website of the younger compound.. aren't they cute?




http://www.facinglife.tv/episode/season_3/episode_7/episode_307_video_full.htm

Wishes for 2009!!

Family and Friends,

As we begin a new year-- I hope everyone will take a moment and think about what they can do this year to make their world a little bit better.

*Can you remember to bring your reusable bags to the grocery store and Target?
*Collect pennies so that we can make a big donation to Ethiopia Reads when I visit their children's library in Addis this summer?
*Donate books to kids who don't have books to read at home?
*Support a cause like Darfur or AHOPE or the Humane Society?
*Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in NOLA or another area touched by hurricanes?
*Teach your kids to think of others-- I have this great workbook for kids on giving back that my friend Steph found for us at school, I can give you a copy!!

I want to thank everyone who has helped me so far in my fundraising for my trip to AHOPE this June. I am about 40% of the way towards my goal!!! Only 5 months to go!

Love, Tiff

PS. If you read this blog, can you please add yourself as a follower and make a comment(thanks Aunty Moiree), will just make me feel less weird writing!

Thank you Friends!!!

A great big thank you to my most recent donors!!

Mr. and Mrs. DiCicco
Shannon and Tom Ambrosie
Goodwin School Staff
Linda and John Berglund

And a huge thank you to the most generous donation from the Blythe family and their late mother/grandmother, Marie Blythe. You are all amazing and I really appreciate your support!

DONATE A DOLL #2

Thank you to the following who purchased dolls for holiday presents this year. If you haven't made sure that I have addresses of your recipients-- please send them to me so that I can send them their photo of the children with their dolls when I get back in AUGUST. I will make this offer again at Easter or Mother's Day.

Claire Parker
Dale Jones
Shannan Cassel-- who was innovative and used it as a gift for her principals, and donated books in honor of her office staff!! Great thinking Shannan.