Thursday, April 30, 2009

It's NOT Over


With just Chicago left, the stakes have been raised. This event is attracting an incredible amount of publicity for the plight of these child soldiers. The crescendo in this final city will be loudest by attracting the attention of one of the most powerful media or mogul figures below, and we are confident that this story can and will reach their ears.

What can you do? Tweet these individuals. Create YouTube videos asking them to become a part of the end of this campaign and this war. We need our collective voice to be the loudest its been.

What you shouldn’t do — Phone calls and emails to these people as well as to media outlets in Chicago are not effective at this point. Also, be encouraging in our communication to these people — inspire them to become involved by telling your story and why you’re involved, don’t try to guilt them into showing up.

With that, here’s our final mogul list. These are individuals who can truly affect foreign policy:

1. President Obama
2. Oprah
3. Michelle Obama
4. Senator Durbin (IL)
5. Bono
6. Don Cheadle
7. Vice-President Joe Biden

Oprah, rescue Chicago!



The group is doing this outside of Oprah's studios and offices... IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!


The live feed can be found here!! CHECK IT OUT!!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Support AFSP

Dear Friends & Family:

A life is lost to suicide every 16 minutes in the United States. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-four year olds and the second leading cause of death among college students. However, most Americans remain unaware that suicide is a national health problem. The impact suicide has on the lives of family members, friends, co-workers and the community is devastating. The loss of human potential is enormous.

On October 17th, 2009, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will host its fourth, annual 5K Out of the Darkness Community Walk in San Diego, CA. We hope you will consider walking with us as we travel the beautiful paths at De Anza Cove in North Mission Bay to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention.

A major goal of this event is to show support for the families and friends of the 32,000 Americans who die by suicide, and the 20 million people who suffer from depression, each year. Support of the community walks also helps to raise funds for suicide prevention research and educational programs, erase the stigma surrounding suicide and its causes, and encourage those who are suffering from mental illness to see treatment.

On-line registration is now available at www.outofthedarkness.org. You may register individually or as part of a team. Please consider inviting your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to walk with you or to support your walk. If you are not able to join us, perhaps you would consider sponsoring a walker or making a donation to the San Diego walk. Check out my personal walker page here: http://afsp.donordrive.com/participant/mcdot .

Thank you ahead of time for your support in bringing suicide Out of the Darkness.


Sincerely,
Carlee

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sea Glass Pieces

I know I have been lacking with my posts lately... But it isn't because I am just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs... I've been working on sea glass!! Ryan and I went and got me a small drill that I can use to drill holes in the glass so that I can do other things than just wrapping them with wire (we also had to order diamond drill bits that are able to drill through the glass, seeing as we already broke a normal drill bit :) ). Here pictures of the pieces I have made so far. Ryan and I are also working on a logo for The McDot Shop. We are thinking of printing business cards and using those as backing for these pendants (and plenty of others to come). I will keep updating when we finish the logo, get more art, etc. YAY!!



New Woodsman Art

Check out the new art that the Woodsman has hung in our living room... A Woodsman and A Woodswoman... I LOVE THEM!! What are your thoughts?!




More SD Updates






Want to see more videos or photos from the San Diego Rescue? Check out the website here (which is the San Diego page of The Rescue)!! THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THESE INVISIBLE CHILDREN!!

San Diego Rescue Footage

Monday, April 27, 2009

5 Locations Left

AS OF MONDAY @ APPROX 4:45pm PST THERE ARE STILL 5 CITIES LEFT TO BE RESCUED!!! IF YOU ARE NEAR ANY OF THESE, IT WOULD BE AMAZING TO GO OUT, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, AND HELP TO SAVE THE INVISIBLE CHILDREN!!

Chicago, IL, is headed towards Chicago City Church which is located at 5501 South La Salle Street, Chicago, IL 60620. These 150 participants are in it till the end. Special needs/asks: food and a location, preferably indoor due to the current weather situation. We are expecting numbers to grow as we are sending Rescue Riders their way. Hang in there Chicago!

Charleston, SC - These 25 dedicated participants are at the corner of Highway 61 and Wallace School Road to be in the public eye during the day and spending nights behind the Barnes and Noble at 1830 Wallace School Road. Their current needs are lights and a generator overnights, and toilet paper for their port-i-potties. In the morning they would love for people to bring ice, water, gatorade, and snacks.

Richmond, VA, is at the Pace Center in Monroe Park 710 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220. They will be here until sunset at which time they are headed to Oregon Hill. Rescue Riders are headed here to join these 20 dedicated souls. They have heard of at least 20 individuals headed their way. They need some water as well as some music to boost their moral and stamina after 50 hours of being “in it”!

Las Vegas, NV, is about 100 strong at 1936 Las Vegas Blvd. At this exact location they can’t be sleeping, however there is a hotel at which some are resting. They are across from the court house and are awaiting their mogul. We can’t wait to send them to the next city to provide some encouragement there. They need love sent their way as they wait.

Wichita, KS, is holding strong at Metropolitan Baptist Church found at 525 West Douglass @ McLean, Wichita, KS 67203. These 30+ steadfast supporters are in need of blankets, water, and some snacks, such as granola bars. They are stoked to be holding out until told to rescue ride onto the next people that need rescued. We love you Wichita!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

San Diego was RESCUED

Check all of the updates here. We are still waiting on about 15 cities to be Rescued!! I am currently loading about 60 pictures. Check out some of my shots here. It was an amazing night. We met downtown yesterday afternoon around 2:30 or so. We walked downtown to our camp. We then did some media shots for the newest movies. We also had some awesome speakers - a mayor from Uganda, some professional runners, and WE WERE SAVED BY VINCENT JACKSON - GO BOLTS!!! We wrote letters to our Senators, Congresspeople, etc - URGING THEM TO END THIS WAR! We started our camp on a nice, green field in Embarcadero Park on the San Diego Bay. Around 11:45pm or so the SPRINKLERS started going off, sending everyone fleeing. The hard core folks moved over to a nearby basketball court and ended up staying on the blacktop for the rest of the night. We ended up heading out around 6:30am this morning. We are praying that this war is ended and that these children that have been abducted against their wills and forced to fight and KILL in a war that they never had a choice to join will be RESCUED and sent home soon!!!





Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Rescue


Ryan and I will be down in San Diego today @ The Rescue. If you don't know what I am talking about, please check out the 36 minute video here. We will be heading to downtown around 1:30 or so and then will return WHEN WE ARE RESCUED (hopefully that means by tomorrow, but we will wait it out)...

THE RESCUE!!!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Gown Swap

I was told about this website by a friend (her friend actually made the site)... Check it out...

April 20, 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

It is with great excitement that I'm writing you to let you know about the launch of my brand new business! www.TheGownSwap.com

Grand Opening!
TheGownSwap.com is an online listing service for pre-owned wedding, bridesmaid, prom, and other special occasion gowns.

As my family and friends, I'm asking you to help me launch the website by doing a couple of things:

1. Sell a dress! Dig out those beautiful special occasion dresses from the back of your closet. It's free to list as part of our Grand Opening, and you will even make some money if your dress sells.


2. Tell your friends! Please forward this email to everyone you know! Spread the word.


Thank you so much for your support! If you have any questions or feedback please let me know as we continue to improve the site.

Thank you!

Christy Enyart
TheGownSwap.com

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Rescue is Coming


Search and Rescue from Invisible Children Europe on Vimeo.

McDot Shop

I know that I post about my Etsy shop semi-frequently, so I'm sorry if you are getting sick of it, but I am just trying to get my art out there. I would love it if you could take a minute to check out the shop. I have 31 pieces up for sale right now (I have sold 3 pieces so far). Check 'em out... http://www.padocarl.etsy.com/ I'd love feedback. Any thoughts? You like the canvases more than the jars? Or the jars more than the jeweler? I have a couple more pieces that I will be posting soon. Check it out if you get a chance.

Meat's Not Green



Is Your Diet Causing Climate Change?
Watch PETA's Video on the Diet-Environment Connection

PETA's "Meat's Not Green" video shows that the most effective way that individuals can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions—and help reduce pollution and habitat destruction as well—is by switching to a vegetarian diet.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

BEST SURPRISE


I have the BESTEST husband!! He surprised me yesterday by flying my madre out to visit!! She showed up, knocking on our door at about 4pm... She is here till Tuesday, whoo hoo!! I doubt I will be posting very much, but it's a good break :)

I LOVE YOU PETER EATER!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Cinnabon Offering “Free Bites” For Tax Day

Cinnabon Offering “Free Bites” For Tax Day

For today only, Cinnabon is offering free bites for tax day (because “tax day bites”)!

To help take the sting out of what is an obnoxious day for many people, Cinnabon, the makers of the delicious cinnamon rolls, are offering free “mini bites” from 5pm to 8pm at all mall based locations.

You can also enter to win a $100 gift card at their site.

Go BAREFOOT

Tomorrow - GO BAREFOOT!!

Smile Strong

Smiles Predict Marriage Success

If you want to know whether your marriage will survive, look at your spouse's yearbook photos.

Psychologists have found that how much people smile in old photographs can predict their later success in marriage.

In one test, the researchers looked at people's college yearbook photos, and rated their smile intensity from 1 to 10. None of the people who fell within the top 10 percent of smile strength had divorced, while within the bottom 10 percent of smilers, almost one in four had had a marriage that ended, the researchers say. (Scoring was based on the stretch in two muscles: one that pulls up on the mouth, and one that creates wrinkles around the eyes.)

In a second trial, the research team asked people over age 65 to provide photos from their childhood (the average age in the pictures was 10 years old). The researchers scored each person's smile, and found that only 11 percent of the biggest smilers had been divorced, while 31 percent of the frowners had experienced a broken marriage.

Overall, the results indicate that people who frown in photos are five times more likely to get a divorce than people who smile.

While the connection is striking, the researchers stress that they can't conclude anything about the cause of the correlation.


The rest of the story can be found here.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Up



This is going to be ANOTHER AWESOME movie!! Up, by Pixar!!! WHOO HOO!!! Check out the official website here!!

K'Naan on Somali Pirates



http://www.hardknock.tv sat down with K'Naan to talk about what is going on in Somalia with the Somali Pirates. K'Naan explains the other side of the story which is being neglected by the mainstream media. K'Naan also stopped by our studios to perform "Somalia" which is one of the new tracks on his new album Troubadour. His also spit a freestyle and sat down for a lengthy interview.

Car Payments

WHOO HOO!!! Ryan and I decided to pay off my car today!! We had the money to pay it off, and decided we would rather pay if off than keep paying the high interest. YAY!!! One more thing off the list. We figured it would be easier in case we ever want to sell it (then we would actually have the title in hand), move, etc. Instead of just spending the money that we had been putting toward the monthly car payments we are going to set up a regular transfer from our checking to savings, since we are already used to not seeing that money in our checking, to help us increase our savings. It feels nice to have NO DEBT now!! I finished paying off my school loans last year and now we have paid off my car!! WHOO HOO!!! PRAISE GOD!! HE PROVIDES!! We are so blessed in what He has given us to watch over for a few years!!

Promotion

I got a promotion today... We hired another employee last week. Matthew and Jillian decided to promote me to Office Manager (or something like that). Nothing too big, more of a title change. And more of a respect thing (for the other workers, I will be the point person in the office if there is questions, etc). I am glad that they see my hard work (and my commitment to making a difference, doing my best and trying to make a change)!! 6 months at the company and already a manager, hehe, not too bad, huh?

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Lucky Ducks

My family is at the Red Wings game tonight... Center line, 7th row... LUCKY DUCKS!!! Here is a preview of the game they will be observing!!

Predators-Red Wings Preview

When they faced the Detroit Red Wings just 10 days ago, the Nashville Predators were in seventh place in the Western Conference. They've since fallen to the verge of missing the postseason altogether.

With time running out, the slumping Predators try to help their fading playoff hopes when they visit the Red Wings on Thursday.

On March 29, Nashville (39-33-8) beat Detroit (51-19-9) for the third time this season, winning 4-3 to take a one-point lead over St. Louis for seventh in the conference. The Predators also were still in contention for sixth place, sitting two points behind Columbus.

Since then, however, Nashville has gone 1-3-0 to drop into ninth place with only two games remaining. The Predators are two points behind Anaheim and St. Louis for one of the final two playoff spots in the conference.

"Our guys are not going to quit until the end," coach Barry Trotz said after Nashville's 4-2 loss to Chicago on Tuesday. "We have a daunting task at Detroit. Hopefully, we will take care of business there and go on to Minnesota and take care of business. We also need a little bit of luck."


The rest of the story is here.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

PLACE YOUR VOTE

Ry and I did our egg competition tonight. We each choose two of our top eggs to put up in the competition. WHAT ONE DO YOU VOTE FOR?!

A.

B.

C.

D.


Check out the rest of the dozen here.

Baked Pasta

I know that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had a winning dinner - baked pasta. I tried it again tonight and remembered to take some pictures!! It was yummy and we will have some left overs for the next couple days too :) Maybe sometimes Ryan and I can bring it over for dinner at your place soon.... That is if you would want to try it....

Sauce with fake meat and mushrooms:

Pasta boiling:

Another shot of the pasta sauce:

Everything mixed together in the pan:

Cheese on top of the pasta:

Fresh out of the oven:

Close up shot:

Another shot:

Get Ready

Ryan and I are getting ready for our Easter Egg Decorating Contest. Ry has to meet up with the guy doing our taxes tonight, but we are still going to try and start our contest this evening. Any suggestions of what I should do on my eggs?? I am planning on posting the pictures of our eggs once we are done. I won't put who did which egg, so then you can vote with no prejudice :). Check back with my blog and make sure to VOTE!!

TWLOHA



Here is a video of To Write Love On Her Arms on the NBC Nightly News. It would be great if you check it out, share the movement, SHOW LOVE!!

MISSION STATEMENT:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

IC Shirts

Our shirts arrived this afternoon, so Ryan and I will be wearing our Invisible Children every day for the rest of April.

4. Grin and Wear It
Tell everyone what you’re doing by wearing Rescue promotional gear. It’s all up for grabs in our online store. And for those of you that already have your Rescue shirts and bags, it’s time to break them in. Every day, from now until April 25th, wear them and pair them with your other IC merchandise. Click http://Store.InvisibleChildren.com to wear your event on your sleeve… or head or wrist.


Check out The Rescue Plan Packet here. I would love you to sign up with me!! Ryan and I will be heading to San Diego for The Rescue on April 25th. Would you like to come along with us?

Etsy Shop

I know that I post about my Etsy shop semi-frequently, so I'm sorry if you are getting sick of it, but I am just trying to get my art out there. I would love it if you could take a minute to check out the shop. I have 31 pieces up for sale right now (I have sold 3 pieces so far). Check 'em out... http://www.padocarl.etsy.com/ I'd love feedback. Any thoughts? You like the canvases more than the jars? Or the jars more than the jeweler? I have a couple more pieces that I will be posting soon. Check it out if you get a chance.