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 --