Good Deed Week #11

Update on a Good Deed

What Kind of World Do You Want (Good Deed #29).  The video on What Kind of World Do You Want has reached over 5,000 views!! Therefore, approximately $5,000 will be donated to the Fisher House!!!  Simply awesome!

Good Deed Week #11

Good Deed #71.  I donated to Allan's sister who is walking in an amazing journey to fight against breast cancer.  She is taking part in the Breast Cancer 3-Day, which is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days.  The net proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation to fund breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.  Heather is walking in honor of her grandmother who battled and won!  If you would like to help her please make a donation on her page.

Good Deed #72.  A while ago, Rich told me about a friend of his at work who lost her son devastatingly too early in life.  The young boy had so much to offer and was just starting to make his mark in the world.  One night, a few decisions, and one horrible outcome.  His parents now work for the non-profit Guitars not Guns.  The organization provides guitars and lessons to foster kids, at risk youth, and other deserving children in a classroom setting with qualified teachers.  To help this organization and to honor Aaron's legacy - I bought a t-shirt and made a

donation in Rich's name.  

Good Deed #73.  I made a donation to Story Pirates--a great organization that helps kids in New York City.  Basically, kids loan their written work to Story Pirates --everything from comics to novellas to barely legible sentences--and then they turn those stories into a play with actors, costumes, etc (watch the YouTube video of one of the live plays).  The kids get to see their written work become something much larger than just words on a page.  Their imagination is brought to life.  It's really a great idea.    

Good Deed #74.  Keeping with the kids theme this week, I donated to the Art of Elysium.  A nonprofit that encourages working actors, artists, and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions.  They provide artistic workshops in the following areas:  acting, art, comedy, fashion, music, radio, song writing, and creative writing.

Good Deed #75.  I was the 1,023,119th person to join the Stop Global Warming Virtual March.  I also bought Brian and I bracelets - all the proceeds go to Stop Global Warming.org.  As we all know, global warming is one of the most urgent issues of our time and since we are all contributors to the problem we must all be a part of the solution.  The mission of the march is to use the strength of numbers to urge our government and businesses to start a new industrial revolution of clean energy that reduces our dependence on oil and help stop global warming.

Good Deed #76.  To do more for the environment, Brian and I bought a compost bin.  Shhh.  Don't tell our homeowners association because we aren't supposed to have one - but I think the environment is more important than a stupid HOA rule.  Anywho, we also are now taking our own reusable coffee cups to coffee shops - so we aren't using their paper cups, plastic lids, and cardboard sleeves.  

Good Deed #77.  I knitted another square for Operation Baby Blanket.  I need to hurry up or the war might be over by the time I finish this thing.

Good Deed Week #10

Good Deed #64.  Andy forwarded an email to me this week from his girlfriend (Jenn) who is raising money for the March for Babies (aka March of Dimes).  She is the Henrico County Public Works Department Coordinator for the March of Dimes and she is walking in the event in April.  Before the event, she needs to raise $500, so if you have $5 (or more) to spare please visit her site and make a donation.  In case you don't know, the March of Dimes / March for Babies is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  The organization is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.  

Good Deed #65.  Did you know half of all child deaths worldwide are caused by malnutrition?  Project Peanut Butter is a program for malnourished children in Malawi and Sierra Leone.  It was founded by Dr. Manary, a pediatrician at St. Louis Children's Hospital and a professor of pediatric medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. He was the first to conduct clinical trials of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a peanut/dairy/vitamin/mineral food that offers a 95% recovery rate for severely malnourished children and is administered at home.  This represents a vast improvement over the milk-based formulas of the recent past that offered recovery rates of 25% - 40% and required hospitalization.  To help this cause, I donated $15 which covers the cost for all the food ingredients to provide a malnourished child with RUTF for the duration of treatment.      

         

Good Deed #66.  Keeping in the same theme, I also created an account and donated to the Fill the Cup campaign with the World Food Programme.  It takes just 25 cents to fill one of the "red cups" that the WFP uses to give hungry children a regular school meal of porridge, rice or beans.  I donated $15 which will feed 10 children for one week.  

Good Deed #67.  I don't think I can go a week without doing something for the troops.  Maybe because of the way I was raised or maybe because I admire the sacrifices they make immensely.  Either way, more than 8,000 wounded Marines have returned home and are now facing daunting challenges in their recovery. Having entered the Marines with patriotism, many young Marines lack the professional skills and have no alternative career to turn to upon leaving the hospital.  As a result, I have donated to the Wounded Marine Career Foundation, which is a pilot program that will train two classes of 25 or more wounded Marines per year in media, filmmaking, sound design, editing, graphics, and photojournalism.

Good Deed #68.  To continue our efforts to cut down the amount of waste we receive in the mail, I registered on Catalog Choice and selected the mailings that come to our house that we do not want to receive.  Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers.  That means 53 MILLION trees are used, 3.6 MILLION TONS of paper, and 53 BILLION GALLONS of water, enough to fill 81,000 olympic-sized swimming pools.  HOLY COW!  If you want to reduce your environmental footprint, please visit the site and select the catalogs you no longer wish to receive - its free and incredibly easy (It took me less than 5 mins to register and select the catalogs).     

Good Deed #69.  Saturday was the 97th International Women's Day.  It is a day when women in 52 different countries celebrate the achievements and progress of women and women's rights. To support women in my local community, I bought 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies.  Yes, I wanted the cookies, but it also supports a great organization of our future women.  I also donated some of the boxes to Girl Scouts Gift of Caring - which will send cookies to the soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Good Deed #70.  Brian and I were doing some spring cleaning this weekend (with our new green cleaning products - love them!) and decided it was time to donate all of our glass bottles.  We have been delaying this task for about 9 months (if not more) and we finally donated the 200+ bottles that we were storing in our garage.  Don't worry Mom and Dad - it was mostly spaghetti bottles (wink wink).

Good Deed Week #9

Good Deed #57.  Who do I love (besides you)?  The answer I was looking for was - Oprah (and Ellen).  No need to get into the details of what she does around the world, but to help out her generous donations - I donated to the Oprah Angel Network.  

Good Deed #58.  Modest Needs is an award-winning charity with one mission:  to stop the cycle of poverty before it starts for the low-income workers.  For many families in America, one unexpected bill can put them behind for years.  Whether it is an unexpected car repair, doctor visit, or large heating bill - it only takes ONE and they are in the endless cycle of debt.  Modest Needs joins the general public with those who need help.  I contributed to a woman in Illinois who had to bury her mother and hasn't fully recovered from the expense of the funeral.  To help this mother out, I contributed to her heating bill that is now several months overdue.  My thoughts are with her and her family.

Good Deed #59.  For those who do not know my friend Allan - let me introduce him.  He is the one that Brian and I always go backpacking with, he went on the First and Second Lake Trip, he took me on my first skiing trip, and he is becoming a FIREMAN!  An all around incredible guy who makes me smile every day. 

 

Well, like I said, he is becoming a fireman in Colorado and he heard about the recent death of Captain Stewart.  The Captain was responding to an emergency medical call and was the only occupant of the Fire Engine.  While driving to the emergency, he was involved in an accident, in which his truck left the road and turned over.  Captain Stewart was ejected from the vehicle and passed away from his injuries.  In Allan's name, I made a donation to his memorial fund.

Good Deed #60.  On Saturday, Brian and I volunteered our time for the Annual USA Climbing Youth Competition held at Boise Peak Fitness.  We were volunteer judges (meaning, we made sure the little kiddies stayed on the right routes) and belayers (meaning, we kept the little kiddies from hitting the ground).  Overall, the event was a great success and we saw many great climbers.  

Good Deed #61.  I spent most of my Sunday baking tasty treats (brownies and cookies) for a soldier overseas and writing notes to my other adopted soldiers.  All is well with the four men I correspond with and I don't have much else to report.

Good Deed #62.  I am still working with Habitat for Humanity's Public Relations committee.  Which means, I am still preparing a database and outreach strategy to get new families to apply for a house.  I will keep you posted with our progress.

Good Deed #63.  The final good deed of the week, hasn't actually been done yet, but I promise to knit another square for my baby blanket.  As you may recall, I am knitting a blanket for Operation Baby Blanket / Baby Blankets for our Troops.  

Good Deeds Week #8

Good Deed #50.  In conjunction with good deed #49 (and my own understanding of poor vision), I donated to the Himalayan Cataract Project.  The Himalayan Cataract Project is establishing a sustainable eye care infrastructure in the Himalaya that empowers local doctors to provide high-quality eye care through skills-transfer and education.  Programs in Nepal, Tibet, China, Bhutan, India, Sikkim, and Pakistan have restored sight to tens of thousands of blind people every year since 1994.  

Good Deed #51.  I have this thing.  This thing for Andre Agassi.  I'm not going to lie - he hasn't always been one of my favorite athletes, but once Pete Sampras retired, I turned to Andre.  And, well, I have this thing now.  Anyway, a while ago I saw him on Oprah (are you seeing a trend yet?) when he was talking about his school in Vegas and its success rate.  So, for good deed #51, I donated to the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk children through its support of recreational and educational programs.  More than 180,000 children have been touched by its funding of programs designed to enhance their character, self-esteem, and career possibilities.  

Good Deed #52.  On a much more serious note, as we continue to fight the War on Terrorism, many more military men, women, and families need our support.  To help, I donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund which has provided close to $60 million in support of the families of the military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans.  I have been blessed that no one I know has been lost or even wounded in this war and I pray that it stays that way.  

Good Deed #53.  Our servicemen and women are not the only ones impacted during war time. Across the globe, armed conflicts have reached an unprecedented number.  There have been more than 250 major wars since the end of World War II.  Ninety percent of those injured or killed in conflicts are civilians -- 75 percent of whom are women and children.  For good deed #53 (and I'm sure many more to come) I donated to Women for Women International.  This organization helps women in worn-torn regions rebuild their lives by providing financial and emotional support, job skills training, rights awareness and leadership education and access to business skills, capital and markets.  

Good Deed #54.  We all know St. Jude's and the great work they do for children.  A dear friend of mine lost a childhood friend in High School because of cancer.  As a small tribute to Jessica and her friend, I bought the magnets below that were designed by patients at St. Jude's and all the proceeds will go to its mission.

Good Deed #55.  I'm not sure how I stumbled onto this site, but it is FANTASTIC.  GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny a search, to the charities its users designate (I picked AmeriCares and the Central Asia Institute - but they have an endless list of charities to choose from).  I have GoodSearch.com as my home page now and I use it just like I would use google (you can even watch the donations add up).  They also have a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite charity.  Hundreds of great stores (REI, Best Buy, Gap, Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) have teamed up with GoodSearch and every time you place an order, you will be supporting the charity you choose.  It's simple.  It's easy.  It's a great way to earn money for your charity.

Good Deed #56.  Brian and I are trying to make a honest attempt at being more "Green" this year.  We love the outdoors and want to protect our environment as much as possible.  Now, we can't put solar panels on our house tomorrow, but we can do the little things.  We started by using the new light bulbs, driving less around town, turning down the heat, and using reusable grocery bags.  Now, we have bought and started using earth-friendly cleaning products.  For starters, we are using dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner.  As we run out of the other stuff, we will replace with earth-friendly products.  So far, we are very happy with the results of BioKleen, Seventh Generation, and Green Works.  

           

      

Good Deeds Week #7

Update on a few good deeds

1.  Special Olympics.  I am very sad to report that I received an email the other day stating the Special Olympics had too many volunteers so my services were not needed at this time.  Although this was a huge disappointment, I am hoping to get out to the Games as a fan instead of a volunteer.   

2.  Donors Choose.  Alright, so the teacher / project I initially picked fell through, so I selected a second project.  I chose a science teacher who needed a way to make sure his students have actually learned something and will be able to apply what they have learned.  To do this, he requested funds for a class set of white boards that he could pass out to each student and have them interactively share their answers to questions.  Several of my teachers did this in High School and I vaguely remember liking it - so I figured it was worth a try.  

I am happy to report that the project was fully funded and the teacher wrote the following note to me:

Dear Becky,

Thank you so much for helping fund this project.  Having the ability to easily check students' understanding is an important component of ensuring that learning is taking place...not just teaching.  My students are going to benefit greatly from your gift.  It warms my heart and theirs to know that there are people who are personally invested in the success of every child in America.  

Most sincerely,

Adam Geller    

   

3.  What Kind of World Do You Want.  As of this afternoon, the video has received 4,631 views and 49 comments.  I am still on the Five For Fighting MySpace page as the video pick of the week.  Woohoo!  

Good Deeds Week #7

Good Deed #43.  I sent a care package to my second adopted soldier.  His wife said he needed mostly hygiene products so I sent him shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, a loofa, coffee, creamer, chocolate, and a few energy snacks.  I did hear from him for the first time today (exciting!) he sent pictures of him, his wife, and two kids. 

 

Good Deed #44.  If you know me, you know I LOVE Steve Irwin.  I fell in love with his enthusiasm and passion the first time I watched his show.  I always envied the love he had for what he did for a living and for life in general.  Not to mention, Terry and him were a match made in heaven.  So, for Christmas my big brother Andy got me the book Terry wrote in memory of Steve called Steve and Me.  It was a very moving tribute and it sparked me to dedicate good deed #44 to Steve.  In honor of Steve's work, I became a Wildlife Warrior.   As a warrior I am part of a global wildlife force that is working hard to preserve our natural environment. 

   

Good Deed #45.  I thought I had adopted all the soldiers I wanted at this time.  However, I was browsing anysoldier.com and came across an incredibly enthusiastic guy that looked like he was really excited to be heading to Iraq.  If I didn't know better, I would have thought this guy was going to a party - not to war.  And, as you know from the previous good deed, I am a sucker for people with enthusiasm for what they do for a living.  I just couldn't resist him.  I had to send him a package complete with sunflower seeds, coffee, creamer, energy bars, gummi bears, hot chocolate, oatmeal, and beef jerky.     

  

Good Deed #46.  How many times do you get the mail and take a stack full of paper and toss it right into the trash?  We all do it, every day.  In partnership with CatalogCutDown.org, I sent an email to the CEO of Sears asking him to stop printing the 425 million catalogs a year.  I am pretty realistic and doubt MY email will make a difference, but you never know - the writers aren't on strike any more and I did send quite a few letters out :-)

Good Deed #47.  With President Bush touring Africa, The One Campaign asked its members to sign a petition asking the next President to visit Africa during their first term.  It is a small step and sacrifice, but one that we believe is important.  The campaign wanted to reach 50,000 member signatures and I was number 49,829.  I know they did reach their goal and are now striving to reach 80,000 signatures by tomorrow.  

Good Deed #48.  I was watching Seven Years in Tibet the other night with 

Brian and was moved to help the Tibetans that have been persecuted so intensely for too many years.  Many of them are just trying to make a simple living and take care of their families. After doing some research, I found The Tibet Fund and an urgent need to help 42 Tibetan Sweater Sellers that lost their shops in a massive fire this past November.  I donated to these individuals and pray that they are able to recover from this disaster.

Good Deed #49.  On a much lighter note, my next good deed was a simple one.  Not even sure if I should be counting it as a good deed, but I belayed for two strangers at the rock climbing gym.  For the non-climbers out there, when you are climbing you need someone (a belayer) holding the ropes and keeping you from smacking into the ground.  It was a simple gesture, but without me they wouldn't have been able to climb the routes they did that night.                

Good Deed Week #6

Good Deed #36.  I wrote two letters to both of my adopted soldiers from the Soldier's Angel Network.  I have only heard back from one of the soldiers, so hopefully all is still well with them.  I bought goodies for my first care package to my second adopted soldier, but I am waiting to hear from him before I send it.

Good Deed #37.  I was watching Ellen the other day and saw she is raising money for the Brad Pitt Foundation - Make it Right (MIR).  We all saw the tragedy in New Orleans and we all know they need our helping hand to make things right again.  I have an event in the works to help out down there this year, but in the meantime, I did what I could - I bought a t-shirt.  It's a small gesture, but that is $20 that they didn't have yesterday.  Building on Pitt's desire to have environmentally friendly products, the t-shirt is made from 100% certified organic cotton and each shirt is dyed using low impact dyes and dyeing methods.  And, the graphics are produced with eco-friendly printing methods by using water based, PVC free inks.  I bought the brown shirt, but their are multiple colors to choose from.

Good Deed #38 + #39.  I went to my second Habitat for Humanity's Public Relations Committee meeting.  It was another great opportunity to learn the inner workings of the nonprofit and to find a role that I would be valuable serving in.  I volunteered for a subcommittee whose task is to raise awareness in the community that we are preparing for our family selection application period.  Every family that wants to build a house in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, needs to go through the application process which only happens twice a year.  As the second phase of the good deed, I worked with the subcommittee to build a list of places for the outreach campaign.  I will keep you posted on our status / success.

Good Deed #40.  Alright, so last week I mentioned I had another upcoming meeting for my Special Olympic Games volunteering.  Well, I went and I learned what exactly logistics mean.  For two 6 hour shifts I will be the Venue Logistics Manager.  I will have a team of 20 Department of Defense guys and whatever isn't breathing in the venue is my responsibility.  And, if we need more non-breathing things in the venue, I am responsible for getting it.  And, I thought I would just move things around at the direction of someone else!  Ha!  I'm the one giving the directions!  Ha!  It will be a learning experience for sure.

Good Deed #41.  Using the donations I received from Erin Walker and Chris Bruno and some of my own funds, I bought enough school supplies and book bags for 4 kids in Afghanistan.  And, I got a completed kit from Mahan!!!!!!!!  Making it a total of 5 school kits for Operation Dreamseed.  Since the package I am mailing will be rather large, I am going to wait until the USPS to release the bigger / discounted box for APO / FPO mailing addresses which is set for March 3rd.  If you are still interested, please either send me school supplies or a check.  I was able to buy all the school supplies (book bags, notebooks, pens, paper, pencils, math compass, rulers, protractor, math triangles, pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, water color sets, glue sticks, erasers, and scissors) for only $15 / kit!!!!  Just think about how the cost of one night of going out can change the life of a young kid!  Thanks again to Erin, Chris and Mahan!!!

Good Deed #42.  I have decided to do the Operation Baby Blanket project Baby Blankets for Troops.  As a reminder, baby blankets are handmade, sent to an expectant dad that is deployed, they choose which one they want to send to their baby, and then the mommy and child receive the baby blanket from dad.  Just from personal experience, I think that would really mean a lot to Dad and Mom.  So far, I have knitted 4 squares - its slow progress but its progress.  I'm 3 squares ahead of last year :-)

Good Deed Week #5

Update on a Good Deed

1.  What Kind of World Do You Want (Good Deed #29).  I'm speechless.  What can I say?  Wow!  In one week the video received more than 4,000 clicks which roughly translates to $4,000!!!!  One week!!!  Not to mention, I was chosen by Five For Fighting to be the video of the week on their MySpace page!!!! To be honest, I simply wanted to post a video that honored my dad's 20 years of service and honored the men and women who are serving now.  It was a way for me to show my dad how proud I was of what he did and is still doing for the military and for the United States.  I send my most sincere thanks to all those who have watched (I know many of you have clicked several times, even if you had to minimize the screen and mute the sound).  Please keep all the men and women, present and past in your prayers and thoughts.  Wow!  

Good Deeds Week #5

Good Deed #30.  This was a simple good deed (how could I top the one before it?!?) and it is something that is becoming very trendy these Green days.  Brian and I bought 6 reusable grocery bags from the store and we plan on using them each time we go grocery shopping.  It is estimated that nearly 12 million barrels of oil are required to make the 100 BILLION plastic shopping bags Americans go through in a year!!!!  Worldwide, between 500 BILLION and 1 TRILLION plastic bags are consumed each year!!!!!  

Good Deed #31.  For my second adopted soldier, I bought a ton of hygiene products like his wife said he needed and now I am just waiting to hear from him (so I know I have the right information) before I send his first package to him.  

Good Deed #32.  I went to my first Special Olympic Games orientation meeting and fingerprinting session.  It was interesting to say the least.  Did you know they don't use ink for fingerprinting anymore?!?!?  They use this fancy dancy machine that apparently doesn't like my hand (or I'm too stupid to operate the machine).  The orientation meeting was not informative at all and did not orient me with anything - but such is life.  I have a second meeting this Wednesday on my actual duties - I am volunteering in Event Logistics (umm yeah, I don't know).

Good Deed #33.  Most of you know good deed #33 already, on Friday, Feb. 1st it was Heart Health day and you should have worn red (lie if you didn't) and I sent a link to most asking you to click on the Red Dress to donate a dollar to Campbell's Heart Health.  If you missed out, its not too late, you can still click.  

Good Deed #34.  I started this last year, but I didn't get very far.  So, I started over again this year and we will see if I get any further.  I am knitting a blanket for Operation Baby Blanket (caution: this is a horrible site - please mute your computer before viewing).  I'm not sure if I am doing the Mommy Packets - which consists of a baby blanket, hat, and 12 announcements -  or the Baby Blankets for Troops - which the Baby Blankets are made and sent to expectant dads that are deployed and they in turn choose one to send home especially for their own baby (It helps the dads to be involved and to give a gift from DAD).  Right now, I have 2 completed squares and many many many more to do.

Good Deed #35.  I'm still in the works on this one, but hopefully soon I will be a proud owner of Gregers the tree in Niger, Africa from Tree Nation.  I named my tree Gregers because it is Norwegian for "watchful vigilance" and I hope to bring even in the smallest way, some peace, security and vigilance to the area of Niger.  I will keep you posted and will let you know when my tree is planted - we can even follow his growth online and see exactly where he was planted (anyone that knows me and my tree Gunther know this obsession with naming and loving trees happened way before I became engaged with a Tree Guy).

 

Good Deed Week #5

Good Deed #29.  Dad, this one was for you!  I know it wasn't easy for you to be away from us for all those months and years, but we were always so proud to call you dad.  Everyday I would look at the cross stitch mom made that said "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy" and would thank God that I was YOUR sweet pea.  I made this video for you, the men you served with, the men who are serving now, and for all the children left behind.  Friends and family please watch this video till the very end so Five for Fighting can donate $1/view to the Fisher House.   

Good Deeds Week #4

Updates on a Few Good Deeds

1.  Kiva.org (Good Deed #12):  All the funds were raised for Aminjon Azimov and the funds have been disbursed to him in Tajikistan.  Over the next 12 months, the organization will collect repayments and will continue to post updates.

2.  Book Care Packages to AnySoldier.com Members (Good Deed #13).  I have heard back from one of the men that I sent books, coffee, creamer, fruit snacks, and cookies to.  He is a wonderfully sweet guy who I am sure will receive more goodies in the mail (as a friend not as a good deed).  

3.  Operation Dreamseed Donations (Good Deed #21).  I have received cash donations from Erin "Bestest" Walker and Chris Bruno (from Lloyd Dobler Effect) who literally sold his blood for the cause.  Yes, that's right, he donated his blood for research purposes, got some cash for it, and sent it to me - tell me that isn't freaking awesome!  If you have sent me stuff and I didn't mention your name - then check with me so I can keep an eye out for the package.  If you would still like to send money or supplies, you have plenty of time.  I am planning on sending the packages after the Valentines mailing rush (yes Valentines has a mailing rush).   

Good Deeds Week #4

Good Deed #22.  In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I took a 40 day pledge of nonviolence.  You would think I would be able to do this pledge easily considering I am a nice person, but unfortuantly I was with Allan all week and he caused me to hit him on several occasions.  I mean, honestly, they were all provoked by him.  But, since Saturday I have been violence free.  The pledge states the following:

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and work, I do pledge to do everything that I can to make America and the world a place where equality and justice, freedom, and peace will grow and flourish.

  

I pledge to make nonviolence a way of life in my dealings with all people (including Allan).

I will reject all forms of hatred, bigotry and prejudice, and I will embrace the values of unconditional, universal love, truthfulness, courage, compassion, and dedication that empowered Dr. King.

I will dedicate my life to creating the beloved community of Dr. King's dream, where people can live together as sisters and brothers.

Good Deed #23.  I have offset 5 pounds of carbon emissions which is roughly equivalent to 3 days of computer usage and one long shower.  In addition, I have saved 14.8 sq. ft. of marine wetlands and 7.5 sq. ft. of american prairies.  With a simple click of a mouse, you too can save marine wetlands, american prairies and help offset carbon emissions.

Good Deed #24 + 25.  I prepared a care package for my first adopted soldier and wrote my second adopted soldier his first letter.  The care package was filled with Valentines candy, the Anchorman DVD, a handmade card, some coffee, creamer, fruit snacks, and cookies. 

Good Deed #26.  I was the 19,550th person to sign the "Stop the Attack on Utah's Wild Lands" petition.  In short, the current administration is planning to sharply increase oil and gas development and off-road vehicle use for 11 million incredible acres in Utah.  This will permanently alter the canyons and wildlife that I have been enjoying over the past year.  The goal is to have 25,000 signatures on the petition before it goes to the Bureau of Land Management Director.  If you could please sign the petition, it would be greatly appreciated.

Good Deed #27.  Brian told me about the site WhatKindofWorldDoYouWant.com that was set up by the band Five for Fighting.  It is the first video community that gives back.  All you have to do is tell the world what kind of world you want and raise money for a charity by making and uploading a video yourself, your friends or your family answering the question "What Kind of World Do You Want?"  OR, you can raise money for charities that John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting has personally selected.  All you have to do is watch any clip on the site and money will go to the charity listed with that video.  So I watched 10 or so videos - meaning I donated $10 to the chosen charities.  I highly recommend you spending some time by watching the videos and raising money.

Good Deed #28.   I signed the ONE campaign declaration.  ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life - united as ONE - to help make poverty history.  The ONE campaign has over 2.4 million people and growing from all 50 states and over 100 of America's most well-known and respected non-profit, advocacy, and humanitarian organizations.  As ONE, we are raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the worlds poorest countries.  To support this great organization, I signed the ONE campaign declaration and bought a ONE campaign Nalgene bottle.  The declaration that I signed stated:

We believe that in the best American tradition of helping others help themselves, now is the time to join with other countries in a historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty.

       We recognize that a pact including such measures as fair trade, debt relief, fighting corruption and directing additional resources for basic needs - education, health, clean water, food, and care for orphans - would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the poorest countries, at a cost equal to just one percent more of the US budget.

We commit ourselves one person, one voice, one vote at a time - to make a better, safer world for all. 

    

Good Deeds Week #3

Good Deed #15.  On Monday, January 14th I went to my first Boise Habitat for Humanity public relations committee.  This small group is in the process of developing a new media kit, website, and advertising campaign.  I'm excited to be a new member and look forward to contributing on their great projects.

Good Deed #16.  My next good deed was donating to Heifer International.  Specifically, I donated to the Ukraine - Carpathian Project.  Through this project, Heifer International will help 110 families in the the villages of Borynia and Komarnyky improve their knowledge of agricultural production and processing, and green tourism.  The project also envisages establishment of an education and production center to provide training on small scale milk and meat processing for participants and the larger community.  A total of 55  rural families will receive 25 simmental breed heifers, 50 bee packages, 10 gilts, 1 boar, and ornamental plant saplings.  An additional 55 families will benefit from "passing on the gift."  Heifer will also provide project participants mixed fodder for their animals, veterinary medicines, equipment for artificial insemination, and agricultural inputs.

Good Deed #17.  I wrote my third handwritten letter to my adopted soldier.  I haven't learned much more about him, but I am preparing his first care package.  I hope to send him a Valentines package this coming week so he will feel some love on the special hallmark day.

Good Deed #18.  Plastic bottles, bags, containers, toys, and wrapping are everywhere because they make our lives convenient and easy, but they are creating all sorts of problems for our environment.  Plastic items are used for a short term before they are discarded and become a significant and costly form of litter, pollution and waste.  To make a difference, I signed a pledge on Leonardo diCaprio's website and committed to one day of NO PLASTICS.  That meant no plastic bags, no beverages in plastic containers, and no products packaged in plastics. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but even I was surprised how many things in our lives are made out of plastic.  My razor, shampoo bottles, contact solution bottles, milk bottles, and the list just goes on and on.  I recommend you signing the pledge and trying it for a day!

Good Deed #19.  My next good deed was an idea given to me by my old coworker Michael Goldfarb.  He told me about the site donorschoose.org where teachers post projects that they need funded and donors register and give donations (no matter the size).  Once the project is fully funded the students give each donor a report on how the money was used and how they were impacted by the generosity.  To help out, I found a teacher with a project called "Handwriting Without Tears."  This teacher needs help buying materials to teach writing skills to her special education students.  The materials she is requesting are part of a multi-sensory handwriting program developed by an occupational therapist.  The program teaches students not only good writing skills, but other important social, motor, and academic skills.  The younger students learn position words, manners, shapes, and letters.  The older students learn phonics and grammar.

Good Deed #20.  I received an email from the Soldiers Angels organization requesting that angels (if possible) adopt another soldier because they have an abundance of soldiers and limited angels.  To do my part, I adopted a second soldier.  My new soldier was posted on the site by his wife and he needs simple hygiene products like shaving cream, shampoo, etc.  All I know about him is he is in the Army.  I don't know where he is located, what he does in the Army, or what he is interested in, but I will keep you posted as I learn more.

Good Deed #21.  My final good deed of the week was one that I am very excited about!  Operation Dreamseed is an organization dedicated to providing school children in Afghanistan with school supplies.  Stationed at Kandahar Air Base soldiers spend much of their time in direct interaction with the Afghani people in nearby villages.  They noticed that the children all love receiving small gifts from the soldiers, but their favorite giveaways aren't candy or toys.  Their faces really light up when they are given items for school.  These kids, many of who are girls attending school for the very first time, cherish pencils, notebooks and craft supplies.  To help this great cause, I started asking several friends and family members to help me create packages for the children.  If you are interested in helping me send school packages to Operation Dreamseed contacts, please feel free to buy items off this list or mail a check to me and I will purchase the items for you.  When I mail the packages, I will be sure to include your name on the cards and I will give you a shout out on my blog entry.

                             

Good Deeds Week #2

It is day 13 and I have completed 14 good deeds in 2008.  Unfortunately, due to delays in plumbing installation construction was cancelled for my Habitat for Humanity Women's Build project.  Here is what I have been up to instead of building houses:

Good Deed #6.  Last Saturday I picked up an application packet from my local coffee shop and signed up to volunteer for the Special Olympic Games being held in Boise.  Not sure what I will be doing, but I signed up for venue logistics, warehouse logistics, and public relations.  If needed, I am scheduled to volunteer on Feb. 23rd, 24th, and 29th.

Good Deed #7. Chances are high that cancer will affect you or someone you know (if it hasn't already).  Whether it's a family member, friend or colleague, this disease touches us all.  As a result, I volunteered to assist with the Climb to Conquer Cancer event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  Again, not sure what I will be doing, but it will take place on August 9th.  It is a non-competitive event to fight cancer.  Walker, hikers, runners, wheelchairs, and strollers make their way up to the top of Table Rock and wind their way back down to complete the event.  Every dollar raised helps bring us one step closer to more effective prevention, detection, and treatment of the disease.    

Good Deed #8.  Most of us starved our way through college and even the first several years after college--some of us may still be starving--but I have complete respect for those that are choosing to starve as they chase their dreams.  In honor of my friends chasing dreams (Andy - your gift is coming soon so I don't want any nasty comments on my blog) I decided to send a Sheetz gift card to my favorite band - Lloyd Dobler Effect.  These guys are always on the road, playing songs across the country in random bars and I figured they could use a free meal or some free gas.  It's a small token of my appreciation for them and its the least I could do considering their music gets me through some ridiculous days.

Good Deed #9.  My next good deed was a simple one that we can all do at home or work.  I followed Tamara's idea and I am now changing the margins on the documents I print.  It's simple, but if we all do it we could do a small part in saving our environment (and our bank accounts).  For more information visit http://changethemargins.com.   

Good Deed #10.  I bought special, fancy-dancy stationary and wrote my second letter to my new Air Force Penpal!  As part of the Soldier's Angels Network, I am committed to writing my buddy once a week and sending care packages once a month.  I was stoked on Friday when I got my first response back from him!  Luckily, it seems like we have several things in common (including home states!) so I should have something to write about next week.  As I mentioned before, because this is a public forum, I can't share much information about him--but if you are interested hit me up and I can tell you all about him.  

Good Deed #11.  Each year, between 140 and 160 police officers are killed in the line of duty and their families, friends and coworkers are left to cope with the tragic loss and monumental expenses.  C.O.P.S was created to provide resources to those left behind and help them rebuild their shattered lives.  To help this amazing organization, I bought a candle from Castine Candles and 100% of the proceeds will go to C.O.P.S.  

Good Deed #12.  A few months ago (actually many months ago) I was watching Oprah (shocker!) and she had guests on that had small ideas with big impacts.  One of the organizations that caught my eye was Kiva.org.  This organization links individuals like you and me to entrepreneurs in small, rural cities who need loans to start or build their business.  By supplying these individuals with small loans they are able to make a huge impact in their towns.  After 13 days of trying to loan money to an entrepreneur, I was finally able to snag one up (it is a popular site so you have to check it constantly to find an individual that needs a loan).  

I provided a small loan to Aminjon Azimov, who is 31 years old, has a high school education, and is married with 4 children.  He sells children toys, hair accessories, mirrors, and food products out of store he built inside of his house.  Using funds from the loan, he plans to increase the assortment of his inventory.  His main customers are children and their parents from his village and surrounding areas.  He hopes this loan will help local residents to purchase toys, hair clips, and mirrors for girls along with other goods necessary for their homes.  At the same time, they will not need to commute to the center of the region.

Good Deed #13.  I went through all my books, selected the ones I knew I would never read again, and took them to a used book store.  I traded my books for books I thought our men and women serving in Iraq would like to read (I have a hunch they wouldn't want to read Nicholas Sparks).  Once I had 10+ books together, I went to Costco and picked up a few food items I figured they would like to have along with the books (coffee, creamer, fruit snacks, and cookies).  Then, I made a few handmade Valentine's cards to complete the care packages.  Below are pictures of the three packages I am sending to three different units serving in Iraq.  Each of the units were picked from the anysoldier.com site that I used last year.

     

  

Good Deed #14.  My final good deed of the week was for another great organization out of Hawaii.  Keiki Cards sends handmade greeting cards to children who have life threatening illnesses.  The goal is to give children support through the mail and to let each child know that someone is thinking of them.  The children range from infant to eighteen.  Keiki Cards sends cards out every week to approximately 400 children in the United States and Canada.  To support this great cause, I made 10 valentine's cards (shown below) and will send them out first thing Monday morning.  

      

Good Deeds Week #1

Four days have gone by in 2008 and I have done four good deeds. I'm on a roll. Here's what I have been up to:

Good Deed #2. On January 1st, Brian and I donated six, filled-to-capacity, extra large trash bags of clothes, pillows, and stuffed animals to our local Goodwill. It was pretty easy, we just looked in our closets selected the clothes we regretted buying or haven't worn in years, tossed them into a bag, and dropped them off at a donation center less than 3 miles from our house.

Good Deed #3. This is one of the good deeds I was looking forward to the most. I adopted a soldier on the Soldiers' Angels Network. Due to safety and restrictions, I can't say much about my soldier, but he is in the Air Force and he is serving in Iraq. What does it mean to adopt a soldier? That means I am committed to sending one letter a week and one care package a month. They even give you a Soldier Angel Mentor to help you with the process. On Tuesday, January 2nd, I wrote my first letter to my soldier - which was basically a page of me blabbing about anything and nothing. I will keep you posted with my little buddy and I will let you know what it's like being a penpal with one of our courageous servicemen. If you are interested in learning more about Soldiers' Angels feel free to visit their website.

Good Deed #4. My fourth good deed was signing up for the Boise Habitat for Humanity's Women's Build project. The project is being sponsored by Lowes and its giving women the chance to build the house from scratch. (We don't need no stinking men. ) As of right now, I am scheduled to help build on January 12th. If you are interested in helping your local Habitat for Humanity or if you want to build pretty much anywhere please visit http://www.habitat.org.

Good Deed #5. I'll be honest, my fifth good deed was kinda selfish. I'm pretty tired of the writer's strike, but I agree 100% with the writers. So I went on the Writer's Guild of America website to see what I could do to help. It turns out they have a list of all the Hollywood Executives along with their addresses and they need people to write letters in support of the strike. So that is what I did. If you are tired of the re-runs and want to see your favorite shows back on TV or if you just simply agree with strike and want to do something about it here is the list of names and addresses where you can send a letter.

New Year's Resolution

Its that time again. We all mentally review the past year -- the decisions we have made, the places we have gone, the people we have met -- and begin to make plans for the coming year. New Years invites reflection. It presents another chance to get things right, to start over and to wipe the slate clean -- complete with fresh ideas, goals and wishes. To kick off the New Year, most of us will hold ourselves to a resolution -- usually they are so lofty we can't keep them going for longer than a month. But, hopefully this year will be different for me. My resolution this year is to do 366 good deeds in 2008. The good deeds can range from the very small - holding the door open for someone with full hands -- to the very large -- building houses for habitat for humanity and volunteering at the Special Olympic Games. Each day (or more realistically, each week) I will update my blog with my progress and let you know all about my good deeds.

After making this decision a few weeks ago - I have been very excited to get started. And, let's be honest. I will need all the time I can get to do the 366 good deeds. So, I began the resolution a few days early.

Good Deed #1. My first good deed occurred by circumstance, not by planning. Brian and I went to a local Irish Pub to watch the New England Patriots game the other night. We sat across from a group that had approximately 10 people in their party. They ordered beer and shots one after another. When it came down to paying the bill - they of course all wanted to pay separately. We've all been there before - breaking down the bill, counting the cash, writing the credit card charges down by name and amount -- it's not that hard. But, at the end of it all, everyone was gone except for 2 people (both well over the age of 40 and were previously bragging to us that they were from the Laguna Beach area and now living in one of the rich areas in Boise). The waiter politely approached the remaining 2 people and said their party still owed $8.25. After a short discussion and raised voices, the waiter finally let it go. He would just make it up later or would be short for the night.

Thinking this is ridiculous, I decided this is a perfect opportunity for a good deed. I got a ten dollar bill and called the waiter over. I explained my New Years Resolution and handed him the ten dollars and told him that was for the drinks and his tip. Simple as that. A good deed was accomplished and I only have 365 more good deeds remaining.

I wish you all a wonderful and safe New Year!

Becky

Lake Powell September 14th - 18th

After a long year, it was finally time for another Lake Bash. This year we moved it to Lake Powell, Arizona / Utah. Before I get into the details of the week, I think it is important to highlight the crew members and explain their roles. Without solid teamwork, the trip would have been a disaster. Thank goodness we all played nicely together.

1. Captain Dan (aka Ice Man). As you can guess from his title, he was the main leader in our group. He organized, planned, and executed this fine excursion.
2. Brian - Electronic Navigator. With a GPS handy, Brian led us up and down the Lake with ease.
3. Scott - Paper Navigator: Scott preferred to use a more basic form to navigate up and down the river – a napkin map (whatever works, right?).
4. Allan – Knot Expert: Allan used his fancy knot tying expertise to secure the boat each time we beached; we would have been drifting aimlessly without him.
5. Rich – Smoothie God and Squirrel Wrangler: What would we have done without the smoothies on the last day? As a smoothie snob, I must admit it was an excellent idea and they were very tasty. The Squirrel Wrangler part is explained under Night 1.
6. Amanda – Cleaning Master: Amanda somehow kept the 8 x 10 room that eight people were sharing all day and night cleaned the entire trip.
7. Becky – Pancake Maker: Well I couldn’t beach the boat, but I sure could feed the crew. Who needs measuring cups when you have coffee cups?
8. Mario – the Part-timer: Although Mario was only with us a few days, he definitely helped us get started and organized. We would still be wondering in Wal-Mart if it wasn’t for him.

Okay, so now you know who everyone is, let’s start with day 1.

Day 1: Taco Bell, Subway, Horseshoe Bend, Wal-Mart, Rental Cars, Alstrom Point.

As you can see from the title, it was a very busy day, and somehow we got it all accomplished in half a day. Brian and I arrived in Page, Arizona and stopped at Taco Bell for some fine Mexican cuisine - which isn’t exactly the place a vegetarian prefers to eat. So, once Allan and Amanda arrived we all went over to Subway for some vegetarian friendly food.

After we were all fueled up, we went to Horseshoe Bend (pictured below). Not much to say about Horseshoe Bend other than it was about a mile from the main road and it was a total tourist overlook. We didn’t spend much time there, just enough to appreciate the true beauty it had to offer.

Next, we divided into teams: half went to Wal-Mart to get food and supplies for the night and the other half went to the rental car place to get two high clearance, 4-wheel drive SUV’s. The cars were very important in order to reach the isolated Alstrom Point.

Again, we rejoined as a group, loaded up the rental cars and began the 2 hour drive to Alstrom Point. I’m not sure how many miles we had to drive to get there, but I would guess less than 30. However, the drive took so long because we had to drive off-road like we were in some sort of cheesy SUV commercial (see picture below).

For those who were in my car….this is for you… “You can do it, but I am getting out and walking back.” No need to point fingers, but we almost drove willingly over a cliff. Minor detail.

Well, after a long and very bumpy ride, we made it to Alstrom Point right before sunset. We all stopped, watched, took pictures, and admired the incredible views.

Night 1. NO! Get Out!

After we watched the sunset, we cooked some food and set up our tents. However, due to the wind factor, we almost lost two of our tents over a cliff. (Allan, you can thank me later for saving yours.) Anyway, we threw a bunch of crap in each tent and put rocks on all the stakes and that did the trick. The rest of the night we sat under an incredible blanket of stars. I have never in my life seen so many stars. What an experience.

Naturally, as the night went on and we knew we had a long day ahead of us, we all slinked away to our sleeping areas. Brian and I were in one tent, Amanda and Allan were in a second tent, Mario was in a third tent, Dan was on the ground outside, and Rich and Scott each slept in a SUV.

Here comes the hilarious part. In the middle of the night, Brian gets up to go to the bathroom, which of course wakes me up. Brian returns and about 5 minutes later I hear one of the guys yell “NO! Get Out!” My first thought was, I guess someone is playing a late night prank on someone. Oh how wrong I was. The next morning we discovered Rich was being attacked by a squirrel all night long. The squirrel kept jumping into the car and as Rich described “I could tell he was losing respect for me.” The squirrel may have compromised our bread, but he sure did give us all a good laugh.

Day 2: Alstrom Point, Boat Rental, First Attempt at Beaching the Boat

Alright, so we took some pictures of the sunrise over Alstrom Point, packed up our gear, and headed back down the bumpy dirt field they called a road. We ran some quick errands, returned the car, and headed to our houseboat. What a beauty she was. From this point on, the houseboat will be referred to as its call name “Ice Man” and the powerboat is “Jimmy Sprinkles.”

We got a 45-minute, crash course lesson from Gary on how to operate the boat (he even used some German words for our listening pleasure). I think each person retained about 5 percent of what Gary said, luckily, we didn’t all remember the same 5 percent. So here comes the fun part, taking Ice Man out for a ride.

The first day we only could take Ice Man and Jimmy Sprinkles a few hours down the lake. Then, came our first beaching experience. I am not sure how many mini-disasters it takes before you have a real disaster on your hands, but I think we were close that night. Something about having 6 guys pulling 4 anchors in different directions and tying knots in different areas, and digging random holes on the beach – just didn’t work out so well the first time or the second time…but the guys finally got it and we didn’t budge at all. Key phrases from that event was “Whatever you do, do that” “No, whatever you don’t do that” “Yes, you have to do that” “No, do NOT do that”……can you see how it wasn’t exactly a smooth and seamless beaching.

Night 2. Group Photo

Not much happened the second night, we had a few drinks and took a group photo on the top of Ice Man. And, we put Rich in a squirrel free sleeping area.

Day 3. Water Slide, Gunsight Bay, a random Island, and a Storm

The next morning, we all got up and I cooked delicious pancakes while the boys (and Amanda) slid down the waterslide on the back of Ice Man. After, the morning fun, Rich, Scott, and Mario jumped into Jimmy Sprinkles and took Mario back to the main dock. While Jimmy Sprinkles was cruising the lake, Dan, Brian, Allan, Amanda, and myself cruised our way in Ice Man to Gunsight Bay (the same water we overlooked when we were at Alstrom Point a few days earlier). Shortly after we arrived in Gunsight Bay, Jimmy Sprinkles caught back up to us.

This is when yet another mini disaster arose. We decided to beach Ice Man on a small island, take a few pictures and explore. We beached the boat with relatively no problems, took a few pictures, explored, and all was good. But, then when we came to leaving the island….we had a few minor technicalities. The currant was pushing Ice Man into the island so we used Jimmy Sprinkles to pull the houseboat away. This is where things get fuzzy. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I do know that Ice Man pulled successfully away from the Island without an anchor and without Rich and Scott on board. Yes, that’s right, Rich was holding an anchor and some rope on the island with Scott standing beside him. Luckily, Brian in Jimmy Sprinkles was able to cruise back to the island to rescue the guys.

As we are cruising down the river, we notice the sky is almost pitch black behind us and lightening is flashing all around us. We decided to play it safe and beached Ice Man once again in Warm Creek Canyon. Although it wasn’t a picture perfect beaching attempt, Amanda and I did notice the boys had vastly improved from the night before.

The storm approached and we all sat on the back of the boat watching the lightening show. Somehow the storm went right around us so we had the benefit of watching the show but we didn’t have to actually get wet.

Night 3. Fire pit and drinks

We found some dry logs, and Brian dug a very deep and wide fire pit in the sand. We all grabbed a few drinks and sat around the fire. I’m not sure how long we were out there, but it started to sprinkle and we had electronics (iPod speakers) with us so we all went inside for the night. We continued the drinking and again headed to bed.

Day 4. Hiking in Warm Creek Canyon / West Creek River

This was the day I was looking forward to the most. The day we got off the boat and explored the incredible scenery around us. We loaded our packs, got in Jimmy Sprinkles and headed into the narrow canyon. Soon enough we were faced with low water levels and a massive amount of downed logs. We beached Jimmy Sprinkles and began our trek in waist high water (well waist high on me, it was mid-thigh on everyone else). We hiked about 7 miles I would guess round trip. Most of the hike was in a substance most like quick-sand, but we also waded in a ton of cool water and hiked over a lot of rocks. It was a hike unlike anything else I had ever done before. It was freaking awesome. (Thanks Allan for pulling me out of knee-deep sand).

Day 5. Return Ice Man, visit Hole-in-the-Rock (aka Wahweap Window), Return Jimmy Sprinkles

Okay Day 5 was supposed to be one of the more relaxing days, but it was actually the most terrifying day. Let me begin by saying, returning Ice Man was a breeze and we passed inspection with flying colors. We then headed over to Hole-in-the-Rock in Jimmy Sprinkles, took a few pictures, played around on the lake, and then headed back to gas up. This is where it turns scary. So we are on the boat as the lady is filling our tanks. Another powerboat comes tearing into the dock area and the workers blow a horn at him telling him to “SLOW DOWN.” He does slow down but he still rams his boat into the dock as he tries to get gas. He then decides to turn the boat around, sadly, he doesn’t have very good control of the boat. As we are all watching this unfold, we all know this isn’t going to end well for him. Then all the sudden he hits the gas and his wife falls on her a$$. As I am laughing at her falling (we know how I can’t control my laughter sometimes), I quickly realize he is heading right for our boat. Next thing I hear is Allan yelling “Brace yourself, Brace, Brace for impact.” And then WHAM! He T-bones Jimmy Sprinkles. Next a few of us start yelling “What the f- are you doing” and he replies nonchalantly “Sorri.” As if we were the crazy ones for yelling when he just damaged Jimmy Sprinkles and scared the crap out of all us. Thankfully, we were all fine and we all got a lot of laughs out of it. (This is the autobahn, yes?)

All in all, it was an incredible experience and I want to go on another lake trip NOW. Thank you to all the guys that went on the trip, it wouldn’t have been the same without each of you. As I said on Day 2, my stomach had never hurt that much from laughing and you guys kept me laughing for three more days.

If this blog wasn’t enough for you, here are the links to all the pictures.

Day 1: Horseshoe Bend and Alstrom Point:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bwelch23/FirstDayHorseshoeBendAndAlstromPoint

Day 2: Alstrom Point and First Day on the Boat:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bwelch23/Day2SunriseAtAlstromPointAndFirstDayOfBoating

Day 3: Island and Gregory's Butte:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bwelch23/ThirdDayIslandAndGregorySButte

Day 4: Canyon Hiking
http://picasaweb.google.com/bwelch23/FourthDayHikingLakePowell

Day 5: Houseboat and Hole-in-the-Rock
http://picasaweb.google.com/bwelch23/FifthDayHouseboatHoleInTheRock

Enjoy!

Becky