So what's new?
     .... The further realization that time really does fly and that there are so many facets to preparing for a trip like this ... and about 80% of them out of your control!  Sponsors, city officials, schedules ... the list goes on.

Being at the fundraising stage is kind of an unsettling place to be ... you can't help but wonder if other people will feel as passionate about your cause as you do yourself. Success or Failure of the 5K can really make or break our entire venture. Suddenly the ideas of marketing and advertising become important ... It's up to us to share our passion and get the community excited about the services we will provide in LaRomana!  At the moment, thanks to awesome leaders, it is coming together nicely!

Psst .... 

Hey - if you are still reading, I need your help.  I need ideas you might have on ways to effectively raise money with big prizes, like plane tickets, in conjunction with the 5K. Thanks!

The book project .... I am getting ready to launch the project on kickstarter in a week or so.  It will result in one of 3 outcomes:

1. a complete bust - but great learning experience
2. a wonderful project to commemorate our service in the Dominican Republic
3. a fabulous success that will allow me to complete the book and have extra money to donate to our humanitarian project

You never know until you try, and I'm a cup-half-full kind of gal - so I'm going to concentrate on outcome #3.  :)  I'm trying to come up with a name for the book.  So far "What Binds Us Together" keeps washing through my mind over and over.  I found a quote that fits well with it too :  

Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.

Nelson Mandela 

Unless someone else cares to share their opinion - now that I found the quote - I'll probably stick with the title.   

Hmmm .... what else to share?  I could just rattle off dates, times, supplies, and such in regard to preparing for our service project - but what about the human element?  I mean - humanity is what our whole adventure is about! At this moment the story is about us - the Humanitarian Hearts, so I think we should share a little bit about our members. 

I have to share that most of the Humanitarian Hearts made faces of horror when mention of writing a blog was voiced.  Which is odd, since we were IM'ing.  It must have been the force of the distaste everyone felt for spending time writing that made me visualize faces.  haha!(Honestly, I'm only slightly less horrified at the thought of blogging when I have so much else going on ... but I'm always up for a challenge!)  What I'd like to do is introduce each fabulous person I am sharing this experience with. 

If I can get everyone to fill a short survey out - I'll share a little bit about each person, what they have going on in their lives, and how they are feeling about our objective.  (A survey shouldn't evoke the fight-or-flight instinct like writing a blog did, should it?  It's kind of fun teasing the group like this ... maybe I'll find out if they actually read what I write.  Haha!!) Since I came up with this idea last  night - I started with myself.  Each day, I will add information about another member.

About Me (Heidi)

Lately I seem to exist in a bubble full of fear and excitement ...

                I have a lot going on in my life which is causing this roller-coaster of emotions ... 

I am attending school full-time, work full-time, and am a member of the Values Committee at JetBlue. I'm spending a lot of my personal time focusing on education as well. I've had the opportunity to present tuition reimbursement structures at work (for when the time is right to add that benefit).  I am creating a group that will support students and others who are proponents of education and professional development.  I'm also campaigning at school for those in non-traditional educational programs to be eligible for induction into honor societies. (The Dean agrees - it's time to change!)  Lastly, I am the weird, funny, crazy mother of a new Junior High student, Arianna - and two High School graduates, Alissa and Andrew.  (They're my A Team.) I'm also the lucky wife of the most patient, loving, understanding man on Earth! (Devin will have put up with me for 21 years this December - unless you include the 2 years we were dating before that.  He's definitely an amazing man! ;)  )

Why am I fearful? My fear stems from a few things: fear of failure, lack of time, letting people down and eventually traveling to LaRomana - a place I've never been.  Not that I haven't traveled at all ... I've lived in Maryland, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Utah and with 3 tours in Germany (my father was in the Army) I spent a total of 12 years there.  While in Europe I visited France, Spain, and Italy - but never any place that was impoverished.  This will be a new experience for me.

Surprisingly - the excitement comes from exactly the same things!  I'm excited for all of the opportunities around me!  I'm excited to accomplish my goals.  I'm excited to work with amazing people who also have a love of providing service.  I'm excited to meet Bob Beck, with laromana.org, who is helping us set up our visit. (Check out the site.) I'm excited to get to know the people of La Romana!

When people ask for a word to describe me I say "optimism-driven"!  (Though the first thing my kids would say is "weird".)  I like doing a large variety of things like crocheting, scrapbooking, sewing, reading, drawing (I may put some drawings in the book I mentioned above), painting, working on my car, camping, and hiking.  I also like to play instruments.  I have a couple of flutes, a piccolo, a couple of guitars, and a violin ... but at one time I had been able to play the saxophone, clarinet, piano and french horn too.  (Though none of them at the level of my flute and piccolo.  11 years versus 1 year of experience makes a difference after all!)  Every now and then I take out an instrument and play.  It's sad how you lose skills when you don't use them. My youngest daughter is playing the flute now so I have more occasion to play!  :)  

Well, that's about it for me.  "Tune in" next time for another Humanitarian Heart!