Broken Hearted

Does your heart ever break for things that you see happening around you? Do you ever watch something on the news or hear something awful that breaks your heart for others?

This happens to me, and time and time again, my heart breaks for children and hurting people all over the world.

I had the opportunity to hear Greg Mortenson, the author of Three Cups of Tea, speak last night.If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. To sum it up very quickly, Mortenson sets out to climb K2-the world's 2nd highest peak-in memory of his sister. Putting it lightly, things go very wrong on the 70 day climb and the seasoned mountain climber finds himself lost, disappointed, and recovering in a tiny village called Korphe nestled in the mountains of Pakistan. Throughout his time in the village, Mortenson not only forges a bond with the Pakistani people, but finds the children of the village teaching themselves with sticks in the dirt, without a school and without a teacher. To thank the village for their kindness and generosity, he promises to return to Pakistan and build them a school. Holding true to his promise, he returns to to the U.S. with a single-minded drive to raise enough money to return to Korphe and build his school. So, what began as a simple quest to repay 1 tiny village, has transformed into a humanitarian effort to provide education for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan, specifically focused on educating girls, and promote peace through education.

As I sat listening to Greg Mortenson in the auditorium, so full that people were viewing live-feed video from other rooms on campus, my heart was breaking. It was breaking as he shared stories of the number of un-educated children in these countries and the tragic effects that that lack of education was having on their society. It was breaking as Greg shared stories of the many trials and tribulations he had faced in bringing schools to such a controversial and war-torn region of the world. And it was breaking as he shared stories and statistics on the lives of children and young girls all over the world.

But beyond the heartbreak, I was completely inspired and filled with an overwhelming sense of joy for the children whose lives were being changed because 1 person decided to make a difference. One person. Who took a broken heart and did something with it. And that "something" not only changed the world, but changed the lives of many children around the world and gave them opportunities that once seemed like a distant dream.

Greg Mortenson is inspiring and he has used his life to make a profound difference in the world. He is proof that one person, with a lot of passion, can make a difference.

I want to be broken hearted. I want to hurt for those who hurt and feel for those who struggle. And I want that broken-hearted spirit to lead me on to find my own way to make a difference and impact the world around me.

I want to be inspiring. I want to make a difference.

And because I haven't shared pictures in a while, Here are some from my first "official" photography session-Senior pictures of my good friend Brittany who is graduating next month with her Bachelor's and her Master's degree from the University of Dayton.

I know you can't see her very well in this one, through some books in the library, but I like the laughter you can see in this picture!

So much to share!

It's been long. Too long. And I have a lot to share. I'll catch up on the past few months very soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some recent pictures that I've been loving lately:

Ben and I in his new apartment...I think this one shows our personalities well!
Krystal and I having fun at Ikea...I love seeing the laughter on our faces...and how proud my Dad will be when he sees this!
Gavin's 2nd birthday party. Love this picture. Gavin looks so happy and my Mom, well she's just beautiful.
Gavin reading a book! I've always loved books, since I was a little girl, and I love seeing Gavin enjoying books as well.
Jason and Daniela on top of a lookout tower in the Rainforest in Puerto Rico. I love the feel of it.
A sunset in St. Thomas.
Ben, Daniela, and Jason climbing into the water to snorkel in St. Thomas...LOVE the colors in this one.
The four of us trying to take a "jumping" picture in the Bahamas...I love this one because of the HUGE smiles on everyone's faces!

Coming soon: More from my Caribbean cruise vacation, Gavin's 2nd birthday party, a Fortune Cookie goal, Snowed in in Ohio, and a new running challenge. I hope that this post finds you well and enjoying the rest of winter.

Get My Picture on the TOMS Blog...CHECK!!!

Woohooooooo I've made it on the TOMS Blog :-) If you've been following my blog for awhile now, you know that I love TOMS Shoes. If you haven't heard of them, TOMS Shoes is a company that gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that you purchase. You buy one pair, they give one pair a way. One for One, thats their motto. To me, that alone is pretty sweet. But what makes TOMS Shoes even MORE awesome is that you can actually participate in the giving of shoes to children in need all around the world by going on something called a Shoe Drop. AND these shoes are given to children in countries like Argentina, South Africa, Ethiopia,Africa, Haiti, the United States and more. So, you buy a pair of awesome looking and super comfortable shoes for yourself while at the same time TOMS is giving a pair to a child in need somewhere in the world. And you can be there. Putting shoes onto the feet of children who have never owned their own pair of shoes. It is truly something beautiful and I can not say enough good things about them. You should check them out here: http://www.tomsshoes.com/default.asp

Anyways, TOMS Shoes has a blog. A blog where they communicate with their fans (people like me who spread the word about the One for One movement) and occasionally post pictures that fans send in of people wearing their TOMS in cool places or posing with their TOMS flag (which comes in the box with your shoes when you purchase them). It's been my goal for quite some time now to make it on the TOMS blog. And finally, after getting creative and having someone (thanks Ben!) take a few pictures for me on my recent vacation in the Caribbean, I'VE MADE IT ON THE TOMS BLOG!!

You can view the posting here: http://www.tomsshoesblog.com/http:/www.tomsshoesblog.com/toms-in-the-carribean

I love TOMS shoes and I'm so proud to be spreading the word of their One for One movement. You don't have to take my word for it, If you don't believe little old me about just how awesome they are, you should probably get a pair and see for yourself :-)

I hope that everyone is doing well! I'll be posting pictures and stories about my vacation soon!

Much love,

Albion Abroad

I found Albion College in a run-down orphanage in Ludus, Romania.

It was a one hour drive on narrow, two lane roads that wound through small roadside villages to reach the town of Ludus. We traveled by Maxi Taxi, or small bus,as a group to visit one of the worst orphanages in the country of Romania. Simply called "Ludus", this orphanage had a reputation for being a terrible place for any child to have grown up and non-profit agencies fought the government for many years to have the place shut down. We were allowed no cameras, had to show our passports to get in, and our mere presence was cause for commotion. In fact, the first time we had tried to visit the children there we were forced to leave without making any contact at all. This time, as we made the drive from Targu Mures, where we were staying, to Ludus, we were hopeful that we would have the chance to play with some of the children living within Ludus' walls that so desperately needed the love and attention we were there to provide. As we pulled into town and drove down a narrow street we saw the gates and long tree-lined driveway that lead to the three story building that was Ludus orphanage. Our Taxi driver let us out at the end and we were left to walk up the pathway to the orphanage staff and children that awaited us. It was an eerie walk, one I remember as if it were yesterday, as we looked around and realized how dire the situation was for the children who resided here. There was a distinct unpleasant odor that filled our noses as we walked together on the cracked, uneven pavement. We glanced around to see merely 1 swing set and play area that had been so poorly taken care of you wondered how it remained standing. The weeds were overgrown to such an extent that many of them reached above the windows of the surrounding buildings. We reached the entrance and formed a line to show our passports to the administrator who was unhappily awaiting our arrival. It was then that I saw her: a young teen stepping out of the orphanages main doors among a few other curious children who eyed us oddly as we stepped into their world. I noticed nothing else about this girl except the gold t-shirt she wore with purple lettering that read "Albion College Basketball". I immediately stepped out of line and walked up to her. In my broken Romanian I said "Where did you get that shirt?". Her response "from a boy who come here". A boy. From Albion College. Was here. HERE. In this very orphanage. In this very city. of Romania. And he had given her a shirt, probably because it was all that he had to give, to leave with her, as a memory and token of his visit. My heart jumped out of my chest and I had never been so proud of the small nineteen-hundred-fifty student population that was, and is, Albion College. I found Albion College that day, found what it means to be a part of a place that gives you the education and experience to impact the world.

I read THIS article today about Albion College helping out in Haiti. The picture you will see with the article is of a woman, in an Albion College t-shirt, holding a small child in what is probably some sort of relief shelter for survivors of the devastation in Haiti. This article reminded me of my encounter with Albion College in Romania and made me even more proud of my Alma Mater. It makes me proud to know that even the tiniest of schools can have a presence in helping people in need all across the globe.

And because all posts deserve a picture, the picture below is from my Freshman year at Albion taken of my good friend Aimee and I at a swim meet where we both competed for the Albion College Britons.

I left my own Albion College t-shirt with an orphan in Romania. I hope another student sees it one day and feels the same pride that I felt that day standing on the steps of Ludus, one of the worst orphanages in Romania, to be connected to Albion College as it reaches out to help the world.

Merry Christmas!

I know that it is a little bit late but I hope that everyone has had a great Christmas!

I traveled home Christmas Eve to spend Christmas with my family. To follow in tradition, we met at my Grandma's house and had a biscuit and gravy Christmas Eve dinner. It is one of my favorite traditions in its own un-traditional way. We enjoy my grandma's homemade dinner and then open gifts and enjoy each other's company. It's always a beautiful evening filled with laughter, good company, and pure joy.

Christmas day my sister, Mom, Dad, and Gavin open gifts from each other before enjoying a quiet breakfast all together before the day turns into a busy celebration as friends and family stop over for a visit. This year after breakfast I had the chance to make a few visits myself and enjoyed catching up with a good friend and one of my favorite cousins. The rest of Christmas Day was filled with family, games, and Mexican Sandwiches-another non-traditional Wright holiday meal.

I hope that you have enjoyed a Christmas filled with family, laughter, and your own family traditions. And love; lots and lots of love.

In front of the tree
Gavin learning to play music with Grandma
Playing his new piano
Mom and Dad
Sisters with Gavin
Yay blocks!!
hugs for Curious George
Krystal and Gavin.

Pay it Forward

It was a typical Monday morning as I got dressed and packed my lunch to head to work. Until I stepped outside and realized there was an icy mess covering the ground. I quickly turned around and stepped right back into my apartment to replace my high heels with warm boots. As I walked back outside I smiled to myself taking in the beauty that the tiny bit of snow had added to the world. And it was beautiful. Until it turned my 6 mile, 12 minute drive to work into a half an hour on ice-covered roads as I gripped the steering wheel a bit too tightly and tried to remain calm and not scream at the crazy drivers around me as I slowly drove my normal route to work. Since I hadn't eaten breakfast I decided that I needed to drive right past work and head to Tim Horton's for a honey wheat bagel toasted with cream cheese. Real cream cheese, not even the low fat stuff, because after that drive in, I felt I deserved it. I placed my order at the drive thru and drove around the corner to pay the cashier. As she opened the window I held out my $2. "The lady in front of you paid for you," she says. Slightly taken aback I glance to the car driving away in front of me to see if it is someone I know. It isn't. A complete stranger just bought me breakfast without even knowing who I was or what I had ordered or how much it would cost. I quickly gathered my amazement and spoke to the cashier: "well, can I do that for the car behind me then?" I ask. She told me the total was more than my bagel would cost but I told her that was okay as another worker stared over her shoulder with a shocked smile on her face. I paid my bill and drove off as the cashier wished me a great day. I smiled to myself knowing that it would be just that. I was given a random act of kindness on a morning that was starting off poorly when I hadn't even made it to work yet. And I paid it forward, to give someone else the same kindness that was given to me. I hope it went on all day, people giving to strangers and paying it forward at a small Tim Horton's restaurant in Dayton, OH.

As you rush around preparing for the Holiday's, I hope that you will take some time to pay it forward. Next time you're at a drive thru maybe you will spend a few extra dollars and pay for the person behind you. And maybe they'll pay it forward. And maybe you'll reach more people than you ever imagined through your random act of kindness. Because someone in that drive thru line is having a bad day or a bad week or a bad month, and your kindness may be the only cheer in their day.

Thank you to whoever bought my breakfast yesterday. Thank you for the reminder of how easy it can be to give back and spread cheer through simple, random acts of kindness. And Thank you for the chance to pay it forward.

And to anyone reading this, this is your chance to do something unexpected for someone else and continue to pay the kindness of a stranger forward to the lives of others. I hope that you will, and I'd love to hear about the ways you've found to do so.

Holiday Happenings and More!

There has been much going on here so here is a warning: This is going to be a long post :-) To keep you interested, I'll give you an overview of what is included:

1. Recap of the Turkey Trot and Thanksgiving

2. Perseverance through the Bad Days

3. A story of loss and encouragement from a good friend of mine

4. Miles 6 and 7!! (to go along with my Mile 5 post)

5. A Romania Reflection

6. Holiday Lights

7. LOTS OF PICTURES!!

So Lets get started:

The Holidays are a good time of year to be thankful for what you have and the year behind you. They represent tradition and family and togetherness in ways that you often don't have time for throughout the year. We sit down to share meals together, give gifts, play games, and enjoy the presence of one another in our own ways. I love this time of year. I love the lights that twinkle as you drive by and the people out and about together. I love the smells of cinnamon and sugar cookies and enjoying a hot cup of tea. There are seasonal flavors of everything (including ice cream) and bright colors everywhere you turn. This time of year it seems like everything gets brighter and happier all around us and I love the effect that has on people as it makes them brighter and happier too.

This Thanksgiving Ben, my sister, my Dad and I woke up extra early to run the Turkey Trot in Detroit. It was my sisters 2nd run but it was Ben and my Dad's 1st run of their lives. While it was a bit chilly, it was a great experience to share together. There were 14,000 runners this year and Detroit was packed but somehow we were all able to stay together and cross the finish line within seconds of one another. I felt proud crossing the finish line. Proud of my Dad for getting out and doing something he didn't really prepare to do. He thought he would have to walk a bit but was able to run the whole thing and really set the pace for the rest of us. I was proud of his accomplishment in knowing that not only could he run a race, but he could run it in a decent time. I also felt proud of my sister. She didn't want to run in the cold weather and it took weeks (literally) to convince her. But she did it. She got up early and froze with the rest of us and I was happy to run alongside of her and proud of her for doing something she didn't really want to do. And I was proud of Ben. He's never really run before...not a race, not 2 miles, nothing. But he did great! And he ran the whole way by my side and we crossed the finish line together at exactly the same time. I was proud of him for stepping outside of his comfort zone and accomplishing something he'd probably never even thought he would care to do. And as for me, I was just proud to be there. Proud to have such great people in my life; people who will get up early to run with me and laugh along the way. And I was proud to share in a moment together, right after we crossed the finish line, when high fives were given all around.

Beyond the race, it was a great weekend home with the family. Gavin got to see Santa; we picked out our Christmas tree, and enjoyed A LOT of food together. It was a great Thanksgiving and I definitely felt thankful.

After Thanksgiving I headed back to Dayton with a busy week ahead of me. A week that turned out to be busier and crazier than I expected. You know, the kind of week you'd like to tuck away in a steel box and forget it ever existed? That was my week. Life seems to do this; to bring everything onto you at once when you feel like you've just gotten your head above water long enough to breathe. There was my car back in the shop for the 2nd time in a week, learning that my job would be changing some, and the email from a friend telling me that her little cousin had just passed away. And those are just the big things. I opened my car door to get out groceries and they had all fallen out of the bag and then onto the wet pavement. My drive back to Dayton was bumper to bumper traffic nearly the whole way. I found out that I'll need to buy new running shoes as soon as possible. I had turned the heat down in my apartment not realizing the temperature would drop so suddenly and found myself freezing cold a few nights this week. And my week was filled with many more small disasters that left me feeling completely blindsided and frustrated. But this is part of life isn't it? The unforeseen, the uncertainty, the constant change in your plans? When these things happen I am often left with my mind buzzing through a ton of questions as I try to regain my balance and move forward. Why did my car have to break when I needed to spend the money elsewhere? Why do jobs sometimes turn out to be what you didn't expect? Why do you feel like you're doing things right yet things always go wrong? I can't answer any of those questions which may be more frustrating than actually asking the questions themselves. But I've realized that this uncertainty and these "bad days" can be the true beauty of life for if you can look deep enough into them you'll find reason after reason why it isn't as bad as it seems and why each moment, no matter how awful it may be, is preparing you for the next change that life will throw your way and giving you the strength to persevere.

For me, this week, this moment came in the form of an email from a good friend of mine who just lost her little cousin to a rare heart condition. After a year and a half battle with the disease the 6 year old little girl passed away on Thanksgiving Day. While this news in itself is sobering, this isn't what made me second-guess my own bad week. It was my friend’s reaction. A reaction of love and gratitude and well-wishes for the family. She had been close to the family as they had all been taking turns delivering meals and spending time with her little cousin as well as her sister. A few days before the little girl passed away my friend had brought over ice cream and princess outfits and everything princess she could find for the two girls. She dressed them up and was able to feed her little cousin ice cream and make them both feel like princesses. My friend’s reaction to her passing away was “I hope her last memory is of being a princess and eating ice cream" as she remembered her smiling and enjoying her time with them. Here, in the midst of a very hard time and unforeseen life changes, my friend was able to experience and share love. I was so inspired as I wiped tears from my eyes and read through her email. I wished that I had reacted better to my own bad week as, in comparison, it was nothing compared to hers.

With the week behind me, I set out to enjoy my weekend. It started Friday with a visit with a coworker after work. We shared stories of our lives, frustrations with our work, and spent time learning from one another. It was a great way to end the week on a much more positive note, before I headed off to a tree and cookie decorating party at my friend’s house.

Saturday Morning I set off to running group determined to run 6 miles, leave the week behind me, and give something else up in my life. If you're not familiar, read about what I'm doing by clicking here . It was early and only 20 degrees when we began running and it never really got any warmer but I didn't care. I was going to run and I was going to run more than 5 miles. I was determined. It turns out, the group that I run with on Tuesday's was shooting for 7-8 miles on Saturday so I not only ran 6 miles, I ran 7! So, here is my post for Mile 6 and Mile 7! For Mile 6, I'll be giving up comfort. What I mean by that is that it is easy to be comfortable, to stick to a routine, get comfortable and never go outside of that. And it’s easy to buy more clothes or more food even though I have enough of each of those things. It is easy to live our lives in a comfort zone. It’s nice there. It’s safe there. But I don't want to always be comfortable. So I’m going to try to do something, anything, outside of my comfort zone every week. Maybe I’ll make a new meal. Or try something new. Or shake up my routine a bit. Maybe I'll volunteer. Or give to someone through a random act of kindness. I don't know what it will be but I am going to try to give up some of my comfort so that I can learn more about the world around me and learn more about myself. Running 6 miles puts me out of my comfort zone so from now on, every time I do that I will remember what it’s like to be uncomfortable and how much I can learn about myself by going outside of my comfort zone.

One thing I've been learning about life is how easy it is to become negative when things aren't going the way that you had planned. When I am outside of my comfort zone because something changed in a way that I don't like, I become negative about it. "Why do we have to do it THAT way?" "Why did that happen?" "Why me?" These are the types of questions I begin to ask myself that eventually lead me into the downward spiral towards negativity. And negativity isn't a good friend to have. So, for Mile 7, I'm giving up negativity and I'm going to try my hardest to be positive no matter what life throws my way.

So, here’s to Mile 6 and Mile 7 and to being a person who isn't afraid to be uncomfortable. And here's to leaving behind negativity so that I can become a better, more positive person with an unshakable outlook on life.

It’s funny, when I think of being uncomfortable and of being positive I think of my time in Romania. To be in a place where all of the comforts you've ever known are stripped away, where plans never go as you'd hoped they would and disasters are happening every minute, you really learn a lot about yourself. To my teammates during my time there, I was often the person who would laugh at the disasters and say a familiar Romanian saying "This is life" with a smile on my face. It was true. This is life; change is life, and I often remember those moments where I laughed at the disasters all around me and wonder why I find that so hard to do back here in America. Life wasn't comfortable in Romania; we often slept on metal cots with only a piece of foam as our mattress. There was never enough hot water so showers were done on a schedule and extremely quick (and often freezing). We had our things stolen. Our bus broke down. Every day was literally an adventure and you never knew what was going to come your way. And none of that mattered; we had the time of our lives! I want that...I want to be uncomfortable and I want to laugh at the things that go wrong just like I did that summer. I want everyday to be an adventure and I always want to have the time of my life. Every. day.

So, after I ran 7 miles in the freezing cold I felt better about the week. I felt refreshed and uncomfortable in the best possible way. I then headed out to see some Christmas lights with my friend Laura and met my friend Max at a place called Clifton Mill. It was beautiful! They had lights everywhere and had created such a beautiful scene including a light waterfall, a miniature town all lit up, and Santa's workshop. And since this is Laura's last week co-oping here in Ohio, we also went to Young's Dairy for some ice cream. It was a great winter night with good friends, delicious ice cream, and beautiful lights.

And today, I capped off the week with a visit from my friend Eleanor, Christmas shopping, warm fuzzy boots, watching Home Alone, and filling out Christmas cards to send to those that I love scattered all across the country.

As you can tell, it’s been a crazy few weeks for me here in Ohio complete with many disappointments and frustrations alongside of accomplishments, adventures, and learning life lessons. So, here's to mile 6 and mile 7 and accomplishments that push me on to be a better person. And here's to thankfulness, Holiday fun, and the new adventure that tomorrow will bring.

And, as promised, LOTS of pictures :-)

All of us in Detroit Thanksgiving morning before the run
Ben and I before the run.
This is what it looks like to run with 14,000 other people...CRAZY!
Dad and Krystal running.
Ben running.
After the race...leave it to the Wright's to break the rules!
All of us after the race!
at Thanksgiving dinner. Gavin eating an onion and crying while he ate it...what a cutie!
Gavin with Santa!
Ben and I at the Christmas tree farm!
We found our tree!!
Gavin playing with the hole in my Dad's jeans Thanksgiving weekend
Playing peek-a-boo!
Future builder? Playing with Grandpa's tape measure!
black and white of the miniature city all lit up at Clifton Mill
Color!
Cute little girl!
Egg nog ice cream at Young's dairy...yumm!!
My friend Max and I at the lights
Laura and I enjoying the Christmas lights!

I hope that this long post finds you doing well and enjoying the Holidays! Have a great week!