Friday Video

Friends - I'll get back to posting about the Simpson family happenings next week, but I wanted to give the time this week on the blog to devote itself to something serious - child sex trafficking. As you know from my previous post, tomorrow starts my participation in the campaign to Tread on Trafficking. I'm excited to begin the campaign, and I am very dedicated to authentically carrying out the commitments I have made to myself and others. This topic of child sex slavery is one that has plauged my mind for several years. Once you know what's going on, it's nearly impossible to erase from your mind the awareness of what is happening to so many innocent children and young people. For many, the issue of child sex slavery and human trafficking is one that you don't know much about, and it may be difficult to take in the information. As a parent of young children, it can sometimes even be intollerable to think about because inevitably you imagine the horror if something like that actually happened to my child. But here's the point I want to leave with anyone who reads this blog (yes, all three of you), those kids are someone's child. They want a life, someone to care for them, and a childhood just like my children want.

So, please take a few monents and view the videos below - especially those of you who may not know too much about the issue of child sex slavery and human trafficking. I think you'll be glad you did. Thanks for taking the time out to read and watch something that is near and dear to my heart. Happy Friday!

This first two videos are from Love 146, who is sponsoring Tread of Trafficking. The third video is a look at what one group in CA is doing in response to the domestic issue of sex slavery.

Love146 History from LOVE146 on Vimeo.

Imagine from LOVE146 on Vimeo.

Break the Chains - Human Trafficking Project from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.

Bono Says, "Get on Your Boots"

I say, "Get on your Adidas, Nike, Saucony, New Balance, or whatever you've got."

I'll be wearing this shirt a lot in the next 8 weeks, hoping to spread the word and generate some conversations about trafficking. Don't be surprised to see me in it often!

For 8 weeks - from May 1 through June 30 - I'm going to be participating in Love 146's campaign to Tread on Trafficking. Human Trafficking is now the 2nd largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, so I'm going to be counting on the help of friends and family to do something about it.

Here's how it will work: The time I elliptical counts towards a better life for survivers of child sex slavery and exploitation. Since the unfortunate encounter with the tree 10 years ago, I won't be running to log in miles, but I will commit to being on my elliptical machine for 35+ minutes, 6 days a week for the next 8 weeks. I'm asking that you consider sponsoring me $1 for each full elliptical session. It's 8 weeks of 6-day sessions ($48) plus the last M, T in June ($2) for a total of $50. My goal is to get a minimum of 15 sponsors for a total goal of $750 raised, but I'd love to exceed my goal and have these hours on the elliptical transfer into even more help for children who have been victims of sex slavery and exploitation.

You can learn more about Tread on Trafficking and Love 146 HERE.
You can visit my sponsorship page HERE.

A Great Friday

Mark had the day off yesterday, so we decided to take a trip to Great Country Farm in Bluemont, VA. We had such a fun time. The girls loved playing on the humongous jumping pillow.

After a lot of jumping, Lyla wanted to lay down in the sun on the jumping pillow and get bounced by other kids who were jumping.

We went to the petting farm section and saw some cute baby goats, ponies, donkeys, sheep, etc.

We took a wagon ride through the farm and heard about the produce they grow.

Both Nina and Lyla loved the rope swing - no shocker there.

The big pipe slides were fun too!

Mark got to catch some fish in their catch and release ponds. This was his 4-lber.

We had a nice picnic lunch then headed back home in the early part of the afternoon.

The other part of Friday that made our day great was hanging out Friday evening and night with our friends Jill, Mark, Jonathan, and Kate. The kids all had a great time playing while we adults hung out, then they all got in jammies and got ready to head home for bed.

Cute Soccer Fan

P took these pictures of Nina before the game last Saturday. She was so proud to wear her new jersey. She calls it her uniform. Clearly I'm biased, but this has got to be one of DC United's cutest fans!

A Special Baby Shower

On Sunday, Teresa and I had the very great pleasure of hosting a baby shower for P. With the baby's arrival only two months away, we excitedly celebrated the upcoming arrival of this long awaited little one with P's friends from VA. For Teresa and I, this was such a special shower for us to plan. P has been one of both of our closest and dearest friends, and we couldn't be happier for Baby Sallade to join their family!!! Here are the rest of the pictures from the shower.

The "Must Have" Look for Spring

While everyone is most likely not wearing this look for the spring (thankfully), Lyla loves it. Accessorizing without the clothes makes it much more fun, evidentally. Lyla loves these rain boots that Nina used to wear. She calles them her kitty boots. However, when she says "kitty" she replaces the 'k' sound with a 't' sound, so put it together and that's what she calls her boots!

Talking Africa and Stella Time

This evening we spent hanging out with our good friends, the Clarkes. They just got back on Monday from a week in Uganda where they are pursuing the adoption of their children. We were so excited to hear them share their stories and their pictures about their time in Uganda! It was a beautiful evening, so we sat out the deck and ate and talked while the kids played in the dirt, and more excitingly, got to play with Stella (the Clarke's lab).

Nina actually asked me this morning after she got up if we could go over and play with Stella, so Mike and Meg were sweet enough to bring Stella over this evening to play with the girls while we talked and had dinner. Here is Nina mimicing Stella. She has already started asking us for a dog!

When Stella had to stay off the deck while we ate, she still had a friend in Nina!

The Strawberry Shake

Lyla has started trying to upgrade her dance skills lately. Although she danced around before, it was mostly running and bee-bopping up and down. She's got zero rhythm right now, but it's cute how she's trying..

Record Setting Day in DC

It was a record setting day for heat in DC today for this early in April (my car temp. gauge said it was 97 degrees outside), and guess where we were...the Zoo! You'll notice there aren't many pictures of animals. They were all smarter than we were and were trying to stay relaxed in the shade. We went with Joey, David, Justin, and Ryan (Mark's family from FL). Even though it was hot, we had a good time, and my guess is that all the kids will sleep well tonight. Ryan Justin and Lyla checking out the animals.
Ryan and Joey

Nina striking the pose again!Can you tell the kids are hot and getting tired?

The end of our zoo journey - we survived!

Easter Memories

For Me, Easter is a special holiday.
Aside from the candy, the bunnies, the baskets, the dresses, etc., it holds a special meaning for me because of what it represents, and it is a day that makes some
great memories. I'll let the pictures from today's Easter with the family tell the pictures of today, and while you look at the pictures, I'd love to share just two (of many) memorable Easters. We'll start with the earliest memory I have of Easter.

My sister and I were unashamedly spoiled by my mom's parents on Easter. My grandma, Buba Anne, would crochet us matching spring colored dresses, and PB would be sure we had an Easter basket large enough, and filled with enough candy, to keep us happy for a long time. One particular year, not only were our Easter

baskets filled with tons of candy, but they each contained a real baby chick in them. I'm sure my parents were thrilled! One chick was black and one was yellow, so Shenley and I named them Jack and Jill. Having a real chick was every little girl's Easter dream come true. However, we didn't live on a farm, we lived in suburbia. One afternoon after Easter, I was taking Jill for a walk in the front yard in my plastic shopping cart, when a German Shephard from down the street waltzed on over.

I guess I was too young to predict what was going to happen next, but in one large gulp, Jill was gone. In case you're unsure, yes, the German Shephard ate Jill. Anyway, without Jill, Jack really didn't last long in suburbia either. He ended up living the rest of his life out on a farm, or at least that's what we were told...

Another Easter I'll never forget is one of the first Easters after moving out to Haymarket. Back then, Haymarket was considered the "country" and my parents had picked out a five acre lot of land, had a house built, and had years of comedy and error while trying to figure out all the tricks to life in the country. Our property had a seemily enormous amount of rocks that were just below the surface of the dirt. It didn't take long for the rocks to surface, and when they did, my dad wanted them gone. He had a strong affection for this antique John Deere tractor that he acquired when we moved out there, and rocks and tractor blades just don't mix very well. Additionally, rocks in the field don't quite

mesh either with my Dad's good sense, so the rocks needed to go. Shen and I did have rock collecting as one of our jobs, but it took an infamous turn when he turned Easter into an excuse to pick up rocks. You see, while most other parents were feverishly hiding candy filled eggs for their children Easter morning, my dad was out in the field armed with a Sharpe marker, leaving marks on select rocks in a five acre field. So instead of prancing around in our dresses collecting eggs, Shenley and I were pushing wheelbarrows around a rocky field collecting rocks, hoping to find some with a special mark on them which we could then turn in (when we filled our wheelbarrow full of rocks) for some small little treat. Then, it was back out

to the field to collect more rocks. My dad called it the Resurrection Rock Hunt. Shenley and I called it cruel.
Anyway, for me, Easter has always been about Jesus and family. It's been about the love Jesus has for us and how lucky I know I am to have such a great family to spend Easter with each year. That definitely makes for some great memories...