More house stuff

So I have slowly been shopping around for living room stuff-- since I had last blogged we had received our pillow cases (although I had to ship 3 of the pillows back for wrong size, so they are not in the photo yet), three small decorative mirrors I got from Target, and some awesome curtains from World Market. I have realized more and more throughout this decorating process that not only do I like clean, cottage looking themes, but I also like Indian designed themes... so that is what I went with for our living room. Since we had purchased a lot of darker furniture from IKEA, and I don't typically like too much dark furniture in a room, I had to go with a theme that complimented it... hence the indian (from India, not Native American) theme in our living room.

Oh yeah, and I painted since my last blog too-- just a slight tan/yellow color to warm up the walls. And added another lamp next to our desk ($50 Home Depot.. love it)

Anyways, what do you think so far? It is coming along but there is still a lot to be done... all in due time. We're poor students!!

What have I been up to?

Researching the Ivory Coast, illegal immigration (Mexico/US Border), and the Buganda tribe in Uganda. FUN!

School can be fun but very overwhelming.. especially when it is coupled with work and all the other things I have to do. I am realizing where I am slacking off..and I need to get those priorities straight... so sorry if I have been distant in the past month or so...

Anyways, changes are fast approaching in Andrew's life.. he leaves for boot camp at the end of May... it is too soon, honestly.

Enough for now. I need to get back to my work/school-work. What fun!

I Have a Story to Tell...

I have a story to tell. It is a story filled with hardship, triumph, and hope... I'm talking about the story of the Rwandan people.

17 years ago today one of the most violent and brutal campaigns against humanity happened in a small unknown country called Rwanda. Between the span of 100 days close to 1 million (roughly between 800,000 and 1 mill) Rwandans were slaughtered, mostly by machete. This ethnic conflict was devastating to this small country, and resentment and hatred still exists there.. but overall most of the Rwandan population have overcome the hardships of a post-conflict society and are moving towards reconciliation and healing. They are hopeful and optimistic.. I love these people with all of my heart and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to travel to this small country and meet these individuals. Half of my heart is still in Rwanda, and will remain there for the rest of time. I am thinking of them today as they struggle to cope with the atrocities that happened 17 years ago, but I am optimistic that they will overcome this and build better lives for themselves.

By the way, last year I was in Rwanda during this commemoration period and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the commemoration ceremony. What a great experience. I have never seen people gather together in the way that they did that day. Read about my experience at  SEND ME TO RWANDA BLOG

I also have pictures on my facebook in my Rwanda 2 album.

PS I have Rwandan music on my IPOD today