My aunt had to go into the hospital because she kept having serious problems with her blood pressure. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then they discovered that my aunt, who was once told that she would never walk again (she walks fine) and she would never be able to have children, was pregnant. The source of the problems is her 5 month old fetus. It Made our lives.

Saturday I bought 2 leggy newborn nubian goats to save them from further mauling by the children at a farm. (Sigh) 2 months of bottle feeding. This morning I walked into the barn to see my grumpiest, VERY shortlegged nanny nursing them. Her kids were due to sell tomorrow. The sight of the 2 leggy girls on their bellies to reach "breakfast" MMD and gave Momma a forever home. Bless you Grumpy Annie.

Since getting a phone upgrade I've been getting text messages from someone I didn't know and calls from a restricted number. The restricted number called me again, and before I could ask who it was I heard a cheerful recording that repeated "Ooh, I'm gonna whoop somebody's ass" a few times, then a teenaged girl (sounded pretty young) asking if she should audition for American Idol with that song, to which I had said "Uh, I don't see why not". I still have no idea who she is but she mmd!

Today, I passed a hearse with its windows open, blasting "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. It made my day.

The other day my sister and I walked down to the video store to rent a movie. I decided to buy Labyrinth (a movie I have been dying to see) as well, having been unable to find it to rent anywhere. Not only did they have it, but they also had The Dark Crystal! If this were not enough the girl that helped us locate Labyrinth found for us a totally awesome movie called Tales from Earthsea-by the same people who did Princess Mononoke. Blockbuster girl, you totally mmd!

Fostering Education in Ethiopia

“In a world of nearly 7 billion human beings, former Southdown Primary School principal Helen Boxwill proved once again that a single person can make a big difference. In this case, helping tens of thousands a world away.

Her non-profit organization H² Empower, which aims to empower people through education and sustainable development, has focused its efforts on Hosanna, a rural agricultural area in southern Ethiopia with 30,000 school-aged children.

Since 2003, H² Empower has shipped 13,000 pounds of books to Ethiopia and is currently building a community library in Hosanna. It has trained 430 primary school teachers and worked with government and private organizations to gather additional resources.

‘It’s very fulfilling to see the progress, very,’ said Boxwill, who makes yearly trips there. ‘And it is progress made on so many levels.’”

Today my uncles were making fun of me for loving Harry Potter. I got upset and felt like a nerd, but my dad sat me down and said when they were boys, the uncles made fun of him for reading the Lord of the Rings and called him a geek. My dad is a successful writer and columnist for a major newspaper, and my uncles are gardeners and assistants. Realizing that its ok to want to read a lot (and that it will get you far) totally MMD.