I am a strong promoter of Kiva, a website that engages in microfinance to help out third world development. You go on Kiva’s website (www.kiva.org) and look through a list of hundreds of “entrepreneurs” in third world countries who need small loans to grow their businesses. An example of this would be a woman who needs $300 so that she can produce more fruit to sell at her fruit stand. You choose to donate $25 to this woman, along with a group of 11 others who fund $25. Once the loan amount is reached, the money is transferred to a local bank that disperses the money to her. She makes monthly payments on the loan to the bank and they keep the interest, but the original amount that you loaded is put back into your Kiva account where you can withdraw it or fund a new loan. What a great way to donate money that you eventually get back! Everybody should check them out.

I live in Seattle and I can promise that it is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. I know this, because I grew up here and never appreciated the beauty until I travelled all around the world for 2 years. Upon my return to Seattle, I could not believe that I never recognized the beauty before. We have the ocean, plenty of lakes, tons of trees and mountains galore. Lots of the beauty can go unnoticed during the rainy, cloudy, foggy season (which is from October-May or so), but in the summer months, this place is gorgeous!

Today I wore a few different things. I started out with putting on my running clothes, which consisted of a bright pink running shirt, a pair of black and white striped shorts and my favorite running shoes. After my shower I changed into a pair of blue jeans, a turquoise t-shirt and my favorite black flats. I accessorized with my wedding ring, 2 thumb rings, a turquoise ring on my middle finger, a white watch and some dangly silver and turquoise earrings. About an hour before bedtime, I changed into my pajamas, which consisted of some black fleece pants and a pink tank-top.

My favorite TV show is the reality show, The Biggest Loser. I find this show to be so much different than other reality shows because these people are all making real positive changes in their lives, rather than just trying to get famous. The Biggest Loser is a huge inspiration to me, even though I have never struggled with my weight. It is amazing to me that these people can leave their loved ones at home and come to a ranch where they work their butts off to change their lives for good. They work out for 6-8 hours every day and completely change their diets. I am very inspired by the fact that they are willing to take on major changes like that.

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A typical day for me starts with getting up and going on a 3-10 mile run. Lots of people think it’s crazy, but it makes me feel wonderful! When I get home, I take a shower, get dressed and put my makeup on. This is usually followed by breakfast, coffee and a few minutes of watching the news while I finish getting ready for work. After work, I like to come home and get some housework done or work out in the yard. Usually that is followed by dinner, a little bit of watching TV or surfing the internet and then off to bed.

The most enjoyable place that I have ever been was not due to the scenery, but due to the emotional connections that I made while there. This place is Pakistan, where I went for a few weeks around Christmas of 2005. My husband and I were living in Taiwan and decided to “vacation” there to volunteer at a tent camp after a devastating earthquake destroyed over 100,000 homes. Working together with other Pakistanis and doing something to make a difference in those people’s lives was truly amazing. It was a strange feeling to be in a country that most Americans fear and not be worried the entire time we were there.

My favorite hobbies mostly include things that you do outdoors because I absolutely love being outside, being active and enjoying nature. I love taking weekend in the summer and fall on some of the nearby trails. In the winter time, my husband and I buy season passes so that we can go snowboarding all the time. We will head up to the mountains for a few hours after a long day at work or make a 12-hour run on the weekends. In the spring I get to start running outside again, rather than inside on the treadmill at the gym. When summer rolls around, my husband and I both love going out on the boat to waterski and wakeboard.

Now that summer is coming to an end, we decided to have one last barbeque with lots of friends over. We grilled chicken kabobs with red peppers, pineapple and red onion, beef burgers, bratwursts, boca burgers, sweet potatoes and zucchini sticks. Some friends brought over potato salad, chips and bean dip, a fresh veggie tray, a fruit tray, spinach dip, cheese and crackers and a macaroni salad. I made some brownie cheesecake for dessert that we served with french vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top. The night was completed with playing some fun games and drinking homemade sangria.

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