No, not at the same time, silly! Last week I was really craving pizza, which proves to be problematic when you can't have dairy... So I decided to see what I could do about making dairy-free pizza! I searched long & hard for mozzarella-flavored soy cheese, which I finally found over with the tofu (which is seriously located in a different spot in every store I go to). Once that was secured, I got pizza sauce, pepperoni, and finally Pillsbury pizza dough (after ensuring that it didn't have any dairy product in it).
I got home & immediately baked it, just following Pillsbury's instructions. I have to say, soy mozzarella is a lot like soy cheddar- it's alright, unless you know what the real thing tastes like. I survived & had a few pieces of the pizza, mostly because I was hungry and had spent quite a bit on the ingredients, mostly the dough-- seriously worth a lot of dough... pun intended :) (Gosh I'm funny sometimes).
I wish I could say I just left that to rest, but over the weekend, I bought myself some delicious bagels from Noah's bagels, and for dinner tonight, made myself bagel pizzas! Though I did only put "cheese" on one half of the bagel. I wish I could say the pizza was a good decision. It tasted great, but now I'm having some good, well-deserved, stomach-is-hating-me heartburn. I think it was probably worth it.
Tomorrow, I'm planning on creating some deliciousness for breakfast. I'm going to make dairy-free/egg-free blueberry pancakes in the morning for me & my housemates (sorry Danny, but I won't be getting up before 7 to make some for you...) I ran to the grocery store tonight to buy some Almond Milk so that Bridget can have some (since she is allergic to soy...) Yay! I'm excited, even though this means I have to get up about 15-20 minutes earlier than usual. I think it will be worth it.
Perhaps one of these days I'll remember to bring my waffle iron down with me so that in the morning, I'm makin' waffles! (Shrek, anyone?)
AND (I almost forgot to mention this...) I found chocolate sorbet! Yay for an almost ice cream-like substance that I can eat!
:)
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Nomad's Call to Arms
The wonderful, lovely Spring 2011 LiNK Nomads are doing something amazing! They have taken it upon themselves to make the last 2 weeks of their tour count.
Now before you totally disregard this as just one of those LiNK things that I post... I'd like to share why I care soooo much about this issue, this organization, and this campaign.
People in North Korea are suffering. They have hardly any food or shelter, they essentially have no electricity, running water, or any necessities of life. So they are leaving North Korea in search of food, shelter, and jobs. They risk their lives crossing over the Tumen River into China, a country that doesn't want them. China considers North Koreans to be economic migrants (because they come looking for jobs and food). HOWEVER. North Korea considers leaving the country to be the TREASON, a crime punishable from labor camps, torture, and sometimes even DEATH.
China knows this, and yet, they continue to send North Koreans back to their home country, where they will be punished for leaving. Because of the punishments that they will receive, INTERNATIONAL LAW considers North Koreans who leave to be Refugees Sur Place, meaning they cannot return to their home country.
LiNK exists to help these refugees get out of their situation in China. We identify the most "at-risk" refugees who are in the most danger of being repatriated, get them to Southeast Asia, and then resettle them into South Korea or the United States.
LiNK also helps to amplify the voice of those refugees. In the fall, I toured around the country with 12 other crazy people like myself, living out of a van to share the stories of 5 such North Koreans. We were their voice for 10 weeks. People don't know what is going on, and without grassroots support, nothing will ever get done.
There are now 16 new Nomads traveling around the United States and Canada telling the stories of North Korean refugees. And they are kicking it into high gear for their last two weeks on tour. Their goal is to raise $16,000 in the last 16 days of their tour. That might seem like a lot, but all YOU have to do is donate $10 (or whatever you are able to donate). Every dollar, every penny helps to get them closer to their goal, and helps LiNK to rescue one more person who is in danger (or in this case, 6.4 refugees).
Hopefully you read to the end of this... because now here is the link to start out: http://www.causes.com/causes/609382.
Meet Katie, a West Nomad:
Now before you totally disregard this as just one of those LiNK things that I post... I'd like to share why I care soooo much about this issue, this organization, and this campaign.
People in North Korea are suffering. They have hardly any food or shelter, they essentially have no electricity, running water, or any necessities of life. So they are leaving North Korea in search of food, shelter, and jobs. They risk their lives crossing over the Tumen River into China, a country that doesn't want them. China considers North Koreans to be economic migrants (because they come looking for jobs and food). HOWEVER. North Korea considers leaving the country to be the TREASON, a crime punishable from labor camps, torture, and sometimes even DEATH.
China knows this, and yet, they continue to send North Koreans back to their home country, where they will be punished for leaving. Because of the punishments that they will receive, INTERNATIONAL LAW considers North Koreans who leave to be Refugees Sur Place, meaning they cannot return to their home country.
LiNK exists to help these refugees get out of their situation in China. We identify the most "at-risk" refugees who are in the most danger of being repatriated, get them to Southeast Asia, and then resettle them into South Korea or the United States.
LiNK also helps to amplify the voice of those refugees. In the fall, I toured around the country with 12 other crazy people like myself, living out of a van to share the stories of 5 such North Koreans. We were their voice for 10 weeks. People don't know what is going on, and without grassroots support, nothing will ever get done.
There are now 16 new Nomads traveling around the United States and Canada telling the stories of North Korean refugees. And they are kicking it into high gear for their last two weeks on tour. Their goal is to raise $16,000 in the last 16 days of their tour. That might seem like a lot, but all YOU have to do is donate $10 (or whatever you are able to donate). Every dollar, every penny helps to get them closer to their goal, and helps LiNK to rescue one more person who is in danger (or in this case, 6.4 refugees).
Hopefully you read to the end of this... because now here is the link to start out: http://www.causes.com/causes/609382.
Meet Katie, a West Nomad:
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Brownies!
So today I decided to bake again. This time I went for the brownies... from scratch! I found a wonderful recipe that uses no eggs (yay), no dairy (yay), and no nuts (yay)! They turned out alright. I have to say, I love my brownies to be more fudge-like than cake-like, but these ones turned out very much so cake-like. Which is fine. I'll have to figure out how to adjust baking time & ingredients to make them more fudge-y :)
I have been doing pretty decent at eating dairy-free, though I have been eating a lot of pasta. It's been difficult trying to balance my diet without cheesy goodness. I have figured out a few foods that definitely upset my stomach (chicken nuggets), and foods that sometimes upset my stomach (tacquitos), and foods that don't upset my stomach (everything else, for the most part). It's a slow learning process-- I have to eat something at least 2 or 3 times before I determine that it is, in fact, that food that is killing me (figuratively, not literally).
I'm still looking to expand my horizons, and am still waiting for my doc to let me know that I can start on a LOW lactose diet instead of NO lactose. That will make my life easier, though it will be hard to contain myself. Today on the way home from work, I realized that I was desperately craving Mac & Cheese, which I most definitely cannot have. I have found some dairy-free recipes, but I need to find Tahini paste (sesame seed paste), which has proven to be most difficult. Though Lucya did recommend I try it with the soy cheese that I have... I might have to look into that. I wonder how soy cheese + mac would taste. I guess there's only one way to find out.
Mac and Cheese is probably the next item on my food-creation list. Looks like a trip to Whole Foods is in my near future. While I'm there, I'll be sure to look for those dairy-free chocolate chips too.
I've been feeling pretty good lately, so I thinking that the new meds plus my super restrictive diet are actually starting to work! Now if only this annoying pain in my side would disappear, everything would be perfect.
:)
I have been doing pretty decent at eating dairy-free, though I have been eating a lot of pasta. It's been difficult trying to balance my diet without cheesy goodness. I have figured out a few foods that definitely upset my stomach (chicken nuggets), and foods that sometimes upset my stomach (tacquitos), and foods that don't upset my stomach (everything else, for the most part). It's a slow learning process-- I have to eat something at least 2 or 3 times before I determine that it is, in fact, that food that is killing me (figuratively, not literally).
I'm still looking to expand my horizons, and am still waiting for my doc to let me know that I can start on a LOW lactose diet instead of NO lactose. That will make my life easier, though it will be hard to contain myself. Today on the way home from work, I realized that I was desperately craving Mac & Cheese, which I most definitely cannot have. I have found some dairy-free recipes, but I need to find Tahini paste (sesame seed paste), which has proven to be most difficult. Though Lucya did recommend I try it with the soy cheese that I have... I might have to look into that. I wonder how soy cheese + mac would taste. I guess there's only one way to find out.
Mac and Cheese is probably the next item on my food-creation list. Looks like a trip to Whole Foods is in my near future. While I'm there, I'll be sure to look for those dairy-free chocolate chips too.
I've been feeling pretty good lately, so I thinking that the new meds plus my super restrictive diet are actually starting to work! Now if only this annoying pain in my side would disappear, everything would be perfect.
:)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
More Delicious Food-age
The other day, I went off to the grocery store (Trader Joe's) in search of food/ingredients that I can have. The most disappointing non-find was dairy-free chocolate chips. Who would have thought that you can't find them ANYWHERE? I searched high & low at Trader Joe's, Target, and Ralphs! Looks like I'll have to head over to Whole Foods for a search there. The most exciting find was a brownie mix that was DAIRY free, SOY free, GLUTEN free, EGG free, and NUT free. Wow. Who would have thought? I can eat them, Bridget can eat them (since they have no soy), Stephanie can eat them (since they have no gluten), and the whole world can eat them! (or something like that). So Bridget & I determined that we will buy & bake them once all the Nomads are back from tour!
While at Target, searching for dairy-free chocolate chips, I also discovered something pretty sweet (literally and figuratively). Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free chocolate chip cookie mix AND brownie mix... made by some company in conjunction with Arthur! (remember that friendly little animated aardvark & his animal friends from when you were a small child?) So I spent part of this week making them!
The brownies were surprisingly stellar! They were a bit dry, but I don't think I added as much water as I was supposed to. The brownies were still very delicious and gone within 24 hours of being baked :) I even made them in the heart-shaped pan that Lindsay had left at our house, seeing as we are pretty low on baking-pans... Fun times.
I've also made a lot of grilled cheese with the lovely fake cheddar tasting soy cheese that I have been having to eat. It's actually not as bad as I first thought- maybe I'm just getting used to it. I think the hardest part is knowing that I could have real cheese if I really wanted to. It wouldn't kill me, just make me feel pretty sick. But I don't really want to go there, so I'll stick to my soy cheese.
This morning, I decided to try something very daring-- something that I have not been able to enjoy since I discovered my body's dislike of egg... a Breakfast Burrito. Granted, it wasn't from Chile Works (the best burrito place in the WORLD), but it was from Fantastic Cafe, which is probably the second best burrito place in the world (or so I've heard. I can't really compare the 2 anymore). Soooo I ordered my burrito with NO egg, NO cheese, and BACON. It was pretty delicious, but gave me pretty bad heartburn for a good part of the day. Worth it? Maybe. I'm still convinced it would have been better with cheese.
I'm going to have to go out and buy myself some shredded soy cheese to carry around with me & add to things... like breakfast burritos, tacos, etc. Perhaps I'll take care of that at some point.
This afternoon after work, I picked up my new meds, which are supposed to make me start feeling better in about 2 weeks. Yay!? Hopefully that will all go well & I'll be able to try some cheese again... When I got home, I decided it was time to try out some new recipes. So I pulled out the Arthur cookies, and mixed those up, as well as a brand new thing that I have never, ever made before... BAGELS. From scratch. With no dairy & no egg (I think that might be how bagels are normally, but who really knows).
The cookies turned out alright- I think I'll have to try to make some from scratch. They have an interesting taste to them, maybe like too much vanilla or something (who really knows... I'm bad at tasting ingredients, just good at enjoying the final product).
I'm currently waiting for the bagel dough to rise so that I can finish making/baking those. They are probably the thing that I am most excited about trying, with a close second being egg-free, dairy-free pancakes (which I also have a recipe for).
Wish me luck... I'm off to be a chef! (or something like that...)
:)
While at Target, searching for dairy-free chocolate chips, I also discovered something pretty sweet (literally and figuratively). Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free chocolate chip cookie mix AND brownie mix... made by some company in conjunction with Arthur! (remember that friendly little animated aardvark & his animal friends from when you were a small child?) So I spent part of this week making them!
The brownies were surprisingly stellar! They were a bit dry, but I don't think I added as much water as I was supposed to. The brownies were still very delicious and gone within 24 hours of being baked :) I even made them in the heart-shaped pan that Lindsay had left at our house, seeing as we are pretty low on baking-pans... Fun times.
I've also made a lot of grilled cheese with the lovely fake cheddar tasting soy cheese that I have been having to eat. It's actually not as bad as I first thought- maybe I'm just getting used to it. I think the hardest part is knowing that I could have real cheese if I really wanted to. It wouldn't kill me, just make me feel pretty sick. But I don't really want to go there, so I'll stick to my soy cheese.
This morning, I decided to try something very daring-- something that I have not been able to enjoy since I discovered my body's dislike of egg... a Breakfast Burrito. Granted, it wasn't from Chile Works (the best burrito place in the WORLD), but it was from Fantastic Cafe, which is probably the second best burrito place in the world (or so I've heard. I can't really compare the 2 anymore). Soooo I ordered my burrito with NO egg, NO cheese, and BACON. It was pretty delicious, but gave me pretty bad heartburn for a good part of the day. Worth it? Maybe. I'm still convinced it would have been better with cheese.
I'm going to have to go out and buy myself some shredded soy cheese to carry around with me & add to things... like breakfast burritos, tacos, etc. Perhaps I'll take care of that at some point.
This afternoon after work, I picked up my new meds, which are supposed to make me start feeling better in about 2 weeks. Yay!? Hopefully that will all go well & I'll be able to try some cheese again... When I got home, I decided it was time to try out some new recipes. So I pulled out the Arthur cookies, and mixed those up, as well as a brand new thing that I have never, ever made before... BAGELS. From scratch. With no dairy & no egg (I think that might be how bagels are normally, but who really knows).
The cookies turned out alright- I think I'll have to try to make some from scratch. They have an interesting taste to them, maybe like too much vanilla or something (who really knows... I'm bad at tasting ingredients, just good at enjoying the final product).
I'm currently waiting for the bagel dough to rise so that I can finish making/baking those. They are probably the thing that I am most excited about trying, with a close second being egg-free, dairy-free pancakes (which I also have a recipe for).
Wish me luck... I'm off to be a chef! (or something like that...)
:)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
What to Eat
When I was discharged from the hospital, I was put on a strict No Lactose, Low Fiber diet. Now normally, I am on a Low Fiber diet (Fiber can really irritate your intestines, and mine are already messed up enough), so that part of the diet hasn't been so bad. However, lactose and I are pretty much Best Friends. I have cheese on everything, I love yogurt, enjoy Instant Breakfast milk-drinks... the list goes on and on (chocolate? ice cream?!). So it has been a little bit of a rough patch for me the past few weeks, trying to figure out what is okay to eat.
Here's a few things of what I've come up with:
Vegan Banana Bread Muffins.
This idea came about when the bananas that I bought before I was admitted to the hospital had turned very black by the time I got out & finally went back to the LiNK house. I was trying to decide what to do with them, and really wanted banana bread muffins, like Cheyanne used to make when we lived together at CLU. However, banana bread muffins usually required at least eggs, and oftentimes milk. Clearly that wasn't going to cut it, so I started thinking. Lucky for me, Dylan was standing right there and said "why don't you make Vegan banana bread?" What a genius. I finally got around to making them last night... and wow. They tasted so delicious. So there is one thing that I can eat. Check out the recipe HERE*
Chicken and Rice.
While at the grocery store the other day, I was looking through all of the instant pastas, wishing I could eat them, (but alas they all have cream bases) when I continued down the aisle to the rice section. I was very excited because I saw that Rice A Roni had some sort of herb and rice concoction, which sounded delicious! So like the good kid that I am, I read the ingredients list, and about 3 ingredients in was "MILK." What?! Who puts milk in rice (unless its that delicious Cheddar/Broccoli one)?! So I had to rethink what I was going to do. Most of the boxes that they had on the shelf were some sort of cheese or that herb one. Then I came across another box, Chicken-flavor. I decided to give that one a shot. So I read the ingredients (twice), and there was nothing! (well, nothing harmful for my gut, anyway).
Finally when I got home from work today, I decided that I needed to try said Chicken-flavor rice. So I cooked up a nice HUGE chicken breast and made the rice, finally mixing it all together at the end to have a nice chicken & rice meal! I was amazed at how well it turned out. The chicken was pretty juicy after spending its last 5 minutes cooking in with the rice, and the rice was flavored really well (thank you Rice A Roni). Lucky for me, it made about 3 or maybe 4 servings, so I'll be able to have delicious chicken & rice for a few days now! (yay not having to cook!) Check out a similar recipe HERE*
I found several recipes online that I will be trying over the next several days/weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to find some delicious stuff to keep me filled up & happy (but not too broke). I might venture into making my own pancakes, bagels, and bread from scratch... we'll see how that all goes.
:)
Here's a few things of what I've come up with:
Vegan Banana Bread Muffins.
This idea came about when the bananas that I bought before I was admitted to the hospital had turned very black by the time I got out & finally went back to the LiNK house. I was trying to decide what to do with them, and really wanted banana bread muffins, like Cheyanne used to make when we lived together at CLU. However, banana bread muffins usually required at least eggs, and oftentimes milk. Clearly that wasn't going to cut it, so I started thinking. Lucky for me, Dylan was standing right there and said "why don't you make Vegan banana bread?" What a genius. I finally got around to making them last night... and wow. They tasted so delicious. So there is one thing that I can eat. Check out the recipe HERE*
Chicken and Rice.
While at the grocery store the other day, I was looking through all of the instant pastas, wishing I could eat them, (but alas they all have cream bases) when I continued down the aisle to the rice section. I was very excited because I saw that Rice A Roni had some sort of herb and rice concoction, which sounded delicious! So like the good kid that I am, I read the ingredients list, and about 3 ingredients in was "MILK." What?! Who puts milk in rice (unless its that delicious Cheddar/Broccoli one)?! So I had to rethink what I was going to do. Most of the boxes that they had on the shelf were some sort of cheese or that herb one. Then I came across another box, Chicken-flavor. I decided to give that one a shot. So I read the ingredients (twice), and there was nothing! (well, nothing harmful for my gut, anyway).
Finally when I got home from work today, I decided that I needed to try said Chicken-flavor rice. So I cooked up a nice HUGE chicken breast and made the rice, finally mixing it all together at the end to have a nice chicken & rice meal! I was amazed at how well it turned out. The chicken was pretty juicy after spending its last 5 minutes cooking in with the rice, and the rice was flavored really well (thank you Rice A Roni). Lucky for me, it made about 3 or maybe 4 servings, so I'll be able to have delicious chicken & rice for a few days now! (yay not having to cook!) Check out a similar recipe HERE*
I found several recipes online that I will be trying over the next several days/weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to find some delicious stuff to keep me filled up & happy (but not too broke). I might venture into making my own pancakes, bagels, and bread from scratch... we'll see how that all goes.
:)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Rain, rain, go away!
Oh the rain of southern California. Isn't it supposed to be spring now? It only rains in the winter here! Don't I wish...
In other news. Things are starting to look up for me! I am so incredibly excited about starting a new chapter of my life in September. I officially decided that I am going to attend the School of International Relations/Pacific Studies at University of California, San Diego for an MPIA (Masters in Pacific and International Affairs). Saweet!
I got the admissions packet last week, so I have spent a lot of time perusing all of the information that they piled on me in that. It was funny, because while reading over the list of courses that they offered this year, I got super excited (Policy Making Process, International Politics and Security, Program Design and Evaluation, etc). How geeky am I?
Now the only real thing for me to do is to figure out what I'll be doing this summer... I can't decide what kind of job I'll be wanting. Clearly I want to be able to do something in my field at some point, but up until I have my degree, its going to be a lot of working for free, which I can't really afford. Ever. So I need to find a semi-decent job with semi-decent hours with semi-decent pay. I'm taking suggestions! haha.
In other news, being NOT in the hospital is really nice. I spent far too long there last week, and I don't ever plan on going back. Ever. For anything. Except perhaps if I have children someday... maybe. Being cooped up unvoluntarily is one of my least favorite things. At least when I stay home all day long, I have the OPTION to leave if I ever wanted to. But in the hospital, I was pretty much confined to the 5th floor. Not so fun. Perhaps one of these days they'll come up with a way to prevent future hospital visits for me. Until that day, I'll be avoiding anything and everything that has to do with hospitals, or that could potentially send me there (at least as much as possible).
Now then... off to my summer reading list of 10 books, plus all the other books I want to ready & movies I want to see & people I want to hang out with & jobs I need/want to apply for... yes yes.
:)
In other news. Things are starting to look up for me! I am so incredibly excited about starting a new chapter of my life in September. I officially decided that I am going to attend the School of International Relations/Pacific Studies at University of California, San Diego for an MPIA (Masters in Pacific and International Affairs). Saweet!
I got the admissions packet last week, so I have spent a lot of time perusing all of the information that they piled on me in that. It was funny, because while reading over the list of courses that they offered this year, I got super excited (Policy Making Process, International Politics and Security, Program Design and Evaluation, etc). How geeky am I?
Now the only real thing for me to do is to figure out what I'll be doing this summer... I can't decide what kind of job I'll be wanting. Clearly I want to be able to do something in my field at some point, but up until I have my degree, its going to be a lot of working for free, which I can't really afford. Ever. So I need to find a semi-decent job with semi-decent hours with semi-decent pay. I'm taking suggestions! haha.
In other news, being NOT in the hospital is really nice. I spent far too long there last week, and I don't ever plan on going back. Ever. For anything. Except perhaps if I have children someday... maybe. Being cooped up unvoluntarily is one of my least favorite things. At least when I stay home all day long, I have the OPTION to leave if I ever wanted to. But in the hospital, I was pretty much confined to the 5th floor. Not so fun. Perhaps one of these days they'll come up with a way to prevent future hospital visits for me. Until that day, I'll be avoiding anything and everything that has to do with hospitals, or that could potentially send me there (at least as much as possible).
Now then... off to my summer reading list of 10 books, plus all the other books I want to ready & movies I want to see & people I want to hang out with & jobs I need/want to apply for... yes yes.
:)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Sun Will Come Out
You know those times when nothing seems to be going your way? Everything you do just turns out wrong, or you are criticized for the way you did it? I've been having one of those weeks... or months. Not sure, really.
Today is Tuesday, but the past 2 days collectively have felt like about 5. Monday morning started out with a doctor's appointment (day 1). Then I went off to work (day 2). Afterward, I went to dinner & out shopping with my mom who just came to visit (day 3). Today was very similar. I went to work, then drove mom to LAX (day 4), and then went back to work to finish up the day (day 5). Wow.
It's been feeling like this since the switch of the month too. Usually March rocks my socks because it starts to get warmer, my birthday is coming up, and its just overall awesome. So far, this month has been the exact opposite. It has been cold & dreary, and rather miserable.
But I do know (thanks to Annie) that the sun will come out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun! I'm just waiting for "tomorrow." Maybe that will actually be the day after today this time!
For now, I just have to keep trucking along, waiting for that rumored "tomorrow" to arrive. :)
Today is Tuesday, but the past 2 days collectively have felt like about 5. Monday morning started out with a doctor's appointment (day 1). Then I went off to work (day 2). Afterward, I went to dinner & out shopping with my mom who just came to visit (day 3). Today was very similar. I went to work, then drove mom to LAX (day 4), and then went back to work to finish up the day (day 5). Wow.
It's been feeling like this since the switch of the month too. Usually March rocks my socks because it starts to get warmer, my birthday is coming up, and its just overall awesome. So far, this month has been the exact opposite. It has been cold & dreary, and rather miserable.
But I do know (thanks to Annie) that the sun will come out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun! I'm just waiting for "tomorrow." Maybe that will actually be the day after today this time!
For now, I just have to keep trucking along, waiting for that rumored "tomorrow" to arrive. :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
A New Post for You to Read
I was informed that I should write a new blog post... so here it is:
Nothing too exciting has been happening in my life. I just finished 3 1/2 weeks of working 14-16 hour days (if you do the math, its about 400 hours of work in just 4 weeks). Crazy, right? But I love it. My job is so fulfilling, especially now that the Nomads are (mostly) all on the road. Just knowing that I helped them get to the places that they are now presenting at has been incredible. They have only had a few screenings, but every time I hear a story, or every time Sean gets another email for a 9 Lives sign up in Ohio, I feel proud that I had even just a little something to do with them getting there.
It was so easy to get lost in it all, making phone call after phone call, sending email after email, but in the end it's always worth it. As all those wise guys always say (paraphrased), the journey on your way to the destination is the important part.
Tomorrow, the last two teams (Heartland and MidSouth) leave for the road. The house has slowly emptied out from 20 people to 14 people to 12 people, and tomorrow, we will be down to 5! It will probably be a bit lonely, but at the same time, it will be nice to have space.
People keep asking me if I miss the road, or if I'm sad that I'm not going on tour. I have to say, I don't miss it at all. I wouldn't trade my experience for the world, but I definitely will not be doing it again. I think the biggest reason is that my interests have moved beyond traveling. I still will raise awareness about the North Korea crisis, but it will be through my own means (Facebook, blogging, chatting it up with people I meet).
I'm also trying to figure out what to do with my life now... I was officially accepted to UCSD last week (YAY!), but I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 other schools. However, so far, I have been heavily recruited by UCSD. I got a call from a current student, AND from the chair of the admissions committee. Aren't I special? (haha)
But for now, I'm just focused on getting this tour booked up, and then I'll figure out the next step when it gets here.
:)
Nothing too exciting has been happening in my life. I just finished 3 1/2 weeks of working 14-16 hour days (if you do the math, its about 400 hours of work in just 4 weeks). Crazy, right? But I love it. My job is so fulfilling, especially now that the Nomads are (mostly) all on the road. Just knowing that I helped them get to the places that they are now presenting at has been incredible. They have only had a few screenings, but every time I hear a story, or every time Sean gets another email for a 9 Lives sign up in Ohio, I feel proud that I had even just a little something to do with them getting there.
It was so easy to get lost in it all, making phone call after phone call, sending email after email, but in the end it's always worth it. As all those wise guys always say (paraphrased), the journey on your way to the destination is the important part.
Tomorrow, the last two teams (Heartland and MidSouth) leave for the road. The house has slowly emptied out from 20 people to 14 people to 12 people, and tomorrow, we will be down to 5! It will probably be a bit lonely, but at the same time, it will be nice to have space.
People keep asking me if I miss the road, or if I'm sad that I'm not going on tour. I have to say, I don't miss it at all. I wouldn't trade my experience for the world, but I definitely will not be doing it again. I think the biggest reason is that my interests have moved beyond traveling. I still will raise awareness about the North Korea crisis, but it will be through my own means (Facebook, blogging, chatting it up with people I meet).
I'm also trying to figure out what to do with my life now... I was officially accepted to UCSD last week (YAY!), but I'm still waiting to hear back from 4 other schools. However, so far, I have been heavily recruited by UCSD. I got a call from a current student, AND from the chair of the admissions committee. Aren't I special? (haha)
But for now, I'm just focused on getting this tour booked up, and then I'll figure out the next step when it gets here.
:)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
To the Nomads
To the Northeast Nomads, Southeast Nomads, West Nomads, Heartland Nomads, and MidSouth Nomads, as you go off on your adventures for the next 11 weeks:
“If ever there is a tomorrow when we’re not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.” -A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Good Luck! I can't wait to hear about your adventures, and to see what kinds of things you can accomplish! Don't ever forget what you are working for-- you have the ability to change lives. You have the ability to save lives.
It has been said many times, but it is you, the Nomads, who inspire us every day, to keep going, and to keep fighting the good fight.
<3 Kelley
Monday, February 14, 2011
How to Save a Life
We all lose focus sometimes. I have been so obsessed with booking screenings for this tour that I forgot what I was doing it for. This weekend, I was trying to justify my loooong hours to my boyfriend, when I said that I was doing it for the North Korean refugees. I keep saying that, but never really thought about it.
At the end of the fall tour, it hit me, especially when it was revealed that we were able to raise the funds to rescue 16 refugees total. Since that time, I have had a little reminder sitting on my desk, saying that number, but I never thought about it since then. Over this past weekend, I remembered what that really meant.
Here at LiNK, we are saving lives. It's not all about the numbers. It's easy to get lost in the numbers, but that's not what we're about. Soon, we will be implementing the money from the fall tour and additional funds to rescue a total of 32 refugees this year (as soon as possible)! That is 32 people who will have freedom who otherwise wouldn't.
I am so blessed to be surrounded by a group of people who are working alongside me to help see this crisis come to an end, starting with helping out those who are most in need, as we can help them now. I can't wait to see what this new group of Nomads can achieve!
:)
At the end of the fall tour, it hit me, especially when it was revealed that we were able to raise the funds to rescue 16 refugees total. Since that time, I have had a little reminder sitting on my desk, saying that number, but I never thought about it since then. Over this past weekend, I remembered what that really meant.
Here at LiNK, we are saving lives. It's not all about the numbers. It's easy to get lost in the numbers, but that's not what we're about. Soon, we will be implementing the money from the fall tour and additional funds to rescue a total of 32 refugees this year (as soon as possible)! That is 32 people who will have freedom who otherwise wouldn't.
I am so blessed to be surrounded by a group of people who are working alongside me to help see this crisis come to an end, starting with helping out those who are most in need, as we can help them now. I can't wait to see what this new group of Nomads can achieve!
:)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
I'm baack!
I'm back at LiNK! Not as a Nomad, but as the Booking Coordinator for the West Coast, Northeast, and half of the Mid-South routes! I'm pretty stoked to be back at the office & to be helping out as much as I can. It's gonna be a good Spring (& Summer). I'm super excited to meet all the newest Nomads who are about to embark on the adventure of their lives! But for now, I need to get going... to book 27 weeks worth of tours! Contact me if you want to host a screening :)
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