Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Proud Parents
The idea of "generosity" has really been on our hearts lately. It seems like every message we listen to or book we read is about giving and we have tried to make a conscious effort to be generous with the ways we spend our time and money.
It is also something close to us personally because our day-to-day lives are dependent on the generosity of other people - there is no way we'd ever be able to afford our beach condo without the generosity of David's grandparents and our families continue to support us by paying for our insurance, cell phones and even gas. We are extremely fortunate to have been given so much and it would be crazy for us not to give back.
Although we don't "make" a lot of money by America's standards, we are still in the top 11% of the world's most wealthy people (find out where you stand here). 11%! There are so many opportunities for us to give back, so last night we decided to "adopt" a child.
Adopting a child is something David and I have always been interested in, but obviously actually bringing home a kid is something we can't do right now. So we found one online instead! Compassion International is Christian-based adoption agency that helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries, and our sweet new "son" is 7 year old Thomas, from Uganda.
Just saving $1 from every hour your work in 1 week is enough to sponsor a child for a month. It is a great reminder that if you think you can't afford to make a huge difference in the life of a child, you're wrong.
Learning about Thomas has also put a lot in perspective - his mom is a farmer and in his free time, he plays with a HOOP. That's it, just a hoop. And his job is to carry water when he's not in school. The adults make an average of $5/day and they live in houses with cement floors and tin roofs.
We are so excited about serving and supporting Thomas, getting to know him and maybe even meeting him one day! If you are interested in "adopting" one of Thomas' friends or the thousands of other children that need help all over the world, check out Compassion International. Or if you're not ready to commit to a child of your own, consider making a contribution to serve poverty-stricken families in a number of different ways.
To whom much is given, much is required. Luke 12:48
Isn't he CUTE?!
It is also something close to us personally because our day-to-day lives are dependent on the generosity of other people - there is no way we'd ever be able to afford our beach condo without the generosity of David's grandparents and our families continue to support us by paying for our insurance, cell phones and even gas. We are extremely fortunate to have been given so much and it would be crazy for us not to give back.
Although we don't "make" a lot of money by America's standards, we are still in the top 11% of the world's most wealthy people (find out where you stand here). 11%! There are so many opportunities for us to give back, so last night we decided to "adopt" a child.
Adopting a child is something David and I have always been interested in, but obviously actually bringing home a kid is something we can't do right now. So we found one online instead! Compassion International is Christian-based adoption agency that helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries, and our sweet new "son" is 7 year old Thomas, from Uganda.
Just saving $1 from every hour your work in 1 week is enough to sponsor a child for a month. It is a great reminder that if you think you can't afford to make a huge difference in the life of a child, you're wrong.
Learning about Thomas has also put a lot in perspective - his mom is a farmer and in his free time, he plays with a HOOP. That's it, just a hoop. And his job is to carry water when he's not in school. The adults make an average of $5/day and they live in houses with cement floors and tin roofs.
We are so excited about serving and supporting Thomas, getting to know him and maybe even meeting him one day! If you are interested in "adopting" one of Thomas' friends or the thousands of other children that need help all over the world, check out Compassion International. Or if you're not ready to commit to a child of your own, consider making a contribution to serve poverty-stricken families in a number of different ways.
To whom much is given, much is required. Luke 12:48
Isn't he CUTE?!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Food & Wine
The last 2 weeks have been crazy busy. Whatever happened to our days of just laying around and enjoying the beach?!
Our friends, the Ganleys, came down last weekend to visit us at the beach. We had a blast catching up with Joe and Christina and spending time at the beach and pool with Jackson and Anna.
And then this weekend, we went up to Orlando and stayed with them while we visited our friends Arianne and Diana and Brandon. What we thought was going to be a nice, relaxing weekend turned out to be better crazy but it was definitely fun!
Friday night we hung out with Arianne at Downtown Disney, Saturday we got up early for breakfast at Boma and then spent the rest of the day at Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. To say it was incredibly hot and crowded is a huge understatement but we got to try lots of new food (like escargot!), ride some of our favorite rides and see Sister Hazel live! And then Saturday night we met up with Diana and Brandon at the Magic Kingdom. I guess everyone had the same idea as us because it was packed too, so we rode a few rides and called it a night.
There are times that I miss Orlando but this weekend helped me remember a lot of what I don't miss too. Like crowds. And insane traffic. And tourists. It's good to be home!
Our friends, the Ganleys, came down last weekend to visit us at the beach. We had a blast catching up with Joe and Christina and spending time at the beach and pool with Jackson and Anna.
And then this weekend, we went up to Orlando and stayed with them while we visited our friends Arianne and Diana and Brandon. What we thought was going to be a nice, relaxing weekend turned out to be better crazy but it was definitely fun!
Friday night we hung out with Arianne at Downtown Disney, Saturday we got up early for breakfast at Boma and then spent the rest of the day at Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. To say it was incredibly hot and crowded is a huge understatement but we got to try lots of new food (like escargot!), ride some of our favorite rides and see Sister Hazel live! And then Saturday night we met up with Diana and Brandon at the Magic Kingdom. I guess everyone had the same idea as us because it was packed too, so we rode a few rides and called it a night.
There are times that I miss Orlando but this weekend helped me remember a lot of what I don't miss too. Like crowds. And insane traffic. And tourists. It's good to be home!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Backyard
Well, the Georgia/LSU game was terrible but the sunset here tonight was amazing and too beautiful not to take pictures of. I think I missed the last few seconds of game, but obviously nothing important (like Georgia getting a touchdown) happened.
Our backyard is so beautiful and we are so thankful to be living here!
Our backyard is so beautiful and we are so thankful to be living here!
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