A Good Cause

I just got home from an amazing fundraiser. My daughter, Tori, and a bunch of her friends set up an afternoon/evening of music, art, and raffle prizes to raise money for Invisible Children. For those of you who don't know, Invisible Children is an organization founded in 2003 by a group of people who went to Uganda on a mission trip. They learned about a man named Joseph Kony who led the Lord's Resistance Army, intended to overthrow the Ugandan government. To man his army, he would invade villages and abduct the children to become soldiers. The group of missionaries were outraged and created a documentary called "Invisible Children The Rough Cut."

The cause has grown immensely over the past 8 years, due mostly in part by "roadies" who are volunteers who travel the country telling the stories of the Invisible Children and the horrors of Uganda. Tori has a passion for this organization, and will probably end up doing a tour as a roadie someday soon.

Next Monday, April 25, Tori will be participating in 25. This is a fundraising effort in which participants will remain silent for 25 hours. Now, I love my daughter, but Tori even talks in her sleep, so this will be a huge challenge for her.

So back to the fundraiser. Tori worked her hiney off (not that there was much there to begin with) getting donations for the raffle. And, today, for 5 hours, at Co Ho coffee house, these kids sang, drew names, told jokes, and sold cookies, caricatures, and hand made crafty stuff to help these people across the world from them. Tori is a fundraising animal. By about 8 pm she was completely drained, but kept pushing for donations. There were actually more raffle prizes than people. Tori started selling prizes for a dollar each. By 7:30 these kids raised $568.00. Really? I am so proud of all the college age kids who have a passion for this cause!

As a mom, I have tried to teach my girls to give back, regardless of income level. And my girls surprise me all the time with their generosity and selfless giving to others.

To find out more and contribute to Tori or Sammee for the 25 fundraiser, go to http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/. Thanks for your support, and thanks to Tori and her friends for having a passion for this cause.

More Tidbits

So the past couple of weeks have been pretty much non-eventful. Work, bowling on Saturdays, chasing kids, balancing the checkbook. Last weekend Kat and I went to Boise for State bowling. Her 4 person team took 3rd (WOOT!), and she bowled very well in doubles and singles. It was kind of bittersweet though. Up until about last year the annual trip to Boise was a family affair. This year it was only me and Kat. It was nice to have time alone with her, but it reminded me that my girls are growing up and becoming independent adults. No matter how many times I remind myself of this, they are still my little girls.

On another note, Tori, Kat and I went to see Sammee in yet another play tonight. Are you ready? "Cannibal the Musical." Written by Trey Parker (South Park), it is the irreverent, probably totally false, story of Alfred Parker, the first person ever convicted of cannibalism. If you don't know the story, he and 4 colleagues left Utah to go to Breckenridge, CO to search for gold. Packer was the only one who made it out of the Rocky Mountains. He is pretty infamous in Colorado. The U of C in Boulder has Alfred Packer day every year. A celebration of this person who ate his colleagues (ew) to survive the Colorado mountains through the winter. I just love it when local theatre is willing to perform something that could (will) offend some people. In this case, there are Mormon jokes throughout the play. It is also supposed to be badly acted, sung, and danced. It was cheesy, blasphemous, and kind of gory. They even had a "splatter zone," complete with rain ponchos to protect clothing. The funny thing is, by the time the girls and I entered the theatre, the splatter zone was full. All in all, a fun evening, and the actors did a wonderful job and really enjoyed themselves. Makes me want to fly to NYC and see "The Book of Mormon, the Musical" on Broadway. Also written by Trey Parker. I love unusual theatre.

So that's about it for now. Updates on Tori's college application process as they occur.

Another Year

So I am reflecting on the past year. Last year at this time I had given my notice at Funk Farms, Kat had moved in with my parents so she could pass 8th grade. Tori was frantically trying to graduate (like she needed to worry), and Sammee was trying to decide where to do summer theatre. Also, my gramma, Shorty, passed away 2 weeks after my birthday. This year, I love my job (even though it will end in a couple of months), Tori is putting down deposits on colleges for tuition, Kat is at home and doing much better in high school, and I'm not sure what Sammee's plans are for the summer. But, I am financially secure (for the most part).

So where is this going? I'm really not sure. I just kind of got reflective tonight. I realized that after my job on the construction site is over, I will never find a job in Pocatello that will pay me what I am making right now. I don't know what will happen this summer, but I know God knows what's up.

And, speaking of God, our church, good ole FBCPoky, might actually have a new Senior Pastor soon. We have a pastor coming this week to candidate. He will preach tomorrow and April 10. After over a year of transition, some change will be nice. I will be in Boise next weekend, so I won't know the outcome of the congregational vote until I get home, but it looks good. Lots of excitement right now.

So, I become another year older, my life continues to move forward, and so do the lives of everyone around me. The past 12 months were a huge step forward for me. I still love my life, my job, my girls, my family, and my friends. I wonder what will happen in the next 12 months?