buy a hat. change a life.

I finally went skiing last weekend, which means I had a chance to whip out my awesome hat from Krochet Kids International! 

So anyway, Krochet Kids is pretty cool. For starters, I absolutely love that it's a not-for-profit organization originally started by 3 college-aged guys that had a passion for crocheting. Being an avid crocheter myself, I would've killed to have one of my college buddies teach me some pointers from a guys' point of view! And I'm sure my brother would have, too, being the sole recipient of all of my beginner hats... [sorry for the rainbow-colored, doll-sized beanies, Charlie] 

So yes, for starters, kudos to these men for pushing gender stereotypes.

These 3 friends learned to crochet in high school, got nicknamed the "Krochet Kids" by their local newspaper, separated ways a bit in college, and later found themselves brought together after one member of the trio returned from a summer in Uganda...

He told his friends about the need for empowerment through employment. How amazingly cruel conditions were for these individuals living in poverty due to over 20 years of conflict and reliance on the government and other outside sources for aid. These young men saw the opportunity of taking their "small" hobby and turning it into something that would eventually change the lives of so many people in the region of Northern Uganda. A "desire to see Northern Uganda transformed by hook and yarn"...

[find out all the details of their story here!]

I am inspired by this organization because they took a simple, average, everyday skill and turned it into a literal lifesaver for individuals experiencing extreme poverty. Krochet Kids International is now helping more than "150 people in Uganda and Peru work, receive education, and be mentored toward a brighter future." [http://www.krochetkids.org/who-we-are/our-story/] They empower women with this skill, which instills in them a sense of empowerment and self-worth, all while creating an idea of a global community that I believe to be so necessary for success.

More reasons why I love Krochet Kids International:

• "Every product is hand signed by the person who made it."

• This video.
• THANK YOU, Akello Welsy

• The appreciation doesn't stop there! You can look up the woman that made your hat, learn a little about her, and immediately send her a thank you note. How. Cool.

• Design! Not only are the hats super stylish, but so is their website! Check it out: http://www.krochetkids.org/
• Did I mention it 3 college MEN who loved to CROCHET started it? Yeah...

Listen, I know it's mid-March and we're all getting spring fever, but buy a hat. I know I'm planning on finally treating myself to the highly versatile 5207.5 once my next pay check roles around... 

a hairy situation

Warning: the post you are about to read may be very much like the warning given in my mission. You have been warned.
>(Has the word "warn" started to look weird yet?)

A favorite quote from one of my favorite movies. And it was all I could think about during my appointment at the hair salon today...

My hair has been driving me crazy for quite some time now. It's super thick, and I have a lot of it. So much so that I often feel like I'm dangerously close to being related to this guy:

So I was looking forward to my appointment tonight. As I was walking over to the chair, I was saying the usual to my stylist: it's too thick, has no style, feels like... well... like Cousin It [unfortunately I did not express that particular concern verbatim].

The second she unraveled my hair from my high bun, she burst out laughing. Actually, it started off as more of a snort [I think it was to protect my feelings?]. And just as quickly as the snort let out, she apologized to me for having such a horrible haircut.

What?! I've been wearing this "horrible haircut" for more than 3 months now! And why was she apologizing? I never met her before. Her salon wasn't the one that ruined my head. I guess it was really bad, and she was just sorry that I was living life that way. Not only did she apologize for my lifestyle choice multiple times, but she called over her other stylist friends to evaluate the situation. I was really embarrassed - my face red, palms sweaty...

BUT good news: I love my haircut. She turned the "worst haircut ever" into a totally manageable head of hair.

Which I guess is why I'm writing a blog post about this [still not sure if that proved my point yet...]. Believe it or not, I was not thrilled about being made fun of by an entire salon of gorgeous stylists with really pretty hair. I was even hard at work reconsidering what kind of tip I would leave her. But, I decided to laugh along.

I totally could've felt attacked and reacted poorly, or not at all, but I thought that that would've made for one long & awkward hair appointment, so I laughed, too. And we had fun, doggone-it.

I swear I have a point...

I think that we need to stop taking life [and ourselves] so seriously. Let's not be afraid to talk with people we don't know, laugh with them, even smile in their direction. From a young age, we're taught that strangers are bad - still something I totally encourage - but then we're never reminded at a later age of the possibility that they may turn out to be good. Laugh at yourself! Laugh at other people [but be nice...]! Maybe one of the coolest things about life is realizing that you're all in it together.

[Kurt Vonnegut]
::choose hope::

smooshed up words

[hey, go here: http://shop.holstee.com]

Never ever, in my whole entire life, would I think that a bunch of smooshed up words on a piece of $36.00 paper would mean so much to me. But, as time has passed, I've realized that it has been a $36.00 very well spent.

I've had this poster for about a year and a half now. I've moved a few times in between, but every time it's time to unpack and [my favorite thing in the whole world...] decorate(!), I make it a point to hang it in a place where I know it'll be the first thing I see when I get up. Yes... I read it every single day. 

Now, that may sound crazy... or obsessive... or all of the above... and you're probably right, but how can you blame me? Following these smooshed up words has truly reminded me things about life that I would otherwise forget. 

& by that, I mean...

"This is your life. Do what you love and do it often."  

Sometimes I'm a little hard on myself. I don't exercise much. I don't read as often as I'd like to. I don't follow the news as closely as I should. But, this first sentence reminds me to give myself some credit: I do what I want to do. I work for the common good, even if it means never being a millionaire. I listen to "old" music, even if my friends think I'm outdated. I cuddle my ugly little cat. I move around - a lot - which makes me miss out on things at home. I'm not afraid of going places by myself, even if I look like a huge dork doing so. Some call it being passionate, others call it being stubborn, but by doing what I want to do (what I love to do)  I create ownership of my life, and I never miss out on a darn thing.

"If you don't like your job, quit."  

A few months ago, I read this specific line every.single.day. Things aren't always easy working as a full-time volunteer at such a large institution. I was frustrated. Really frustrated. But this simple little sentence really made me question if it was bad enough to give up. I mean really, if we absolutely hate our jobs, then it really can [and should!] be that easy... which is awesome. But I didn't want it to be that easy, so I kept challenging myself until I learned to love it. I like that it reminds me that I should never be miserable at a place where I spend 40 hours of my week, but that it also challenges me to question my role in a position and why I accepted it in the first place.

"If you don't have enough time, stop watching TV." 

This is actually a line that has really shaped my current lifestyle. I kept telling myself that I wanted to do all these things: become better at crocheting, read a good book, start a blog, etc. What was standing between me and these things? Yeah, you guessed it. I mean, I think we can all agree that Duck Dynasty is nothing short of a godsend, but not exactly the best use of my time (sorry Uncle Si). Pretty proud with my progress so far...

"Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people. We are united in our differences."  

I am an introvert. Being an introvert, I hated myself when I arrived to my little dorm/apartment that first day in Oregon... and for a week, or two (or three) after that. All I wanted to do was stay locked up in my room and Skype my friends and family. However, I quickly realized that life would continue to be less-than-stellar if things continued down that path. Again, I read those lines over and over again. I got up the courage to take myself out to dinner, to the movies, even to the bar to enjoy live music one night! I ended up meeting my very first friends that night. Whenever I feel discouraged about life in a new territory, I remind myself of this reality and find inspiration in the new people I meet.

I can promise you that I have a story for each and every thought explained here, but I won't continue to pour them out. Instead, I will confidently say that each of these sentences has touched me greatly, and I hope they do the same for you. One of the greatest compliments I ever received was from one of those very first friends in Oregon that told me that he thought this manifesto suited me very well. I hope to continue to be true to these words throughout the rest of my life. 

Take the chance and buy it*. Hang it somewhere you'll see it every day. Chew on the words a bit, and see if you can't challenge yourself to live just a little better because of it.

*Did you buy it yet?! What if I told you that 10% of all of Holstee's sales are given to budding entrepreneurs in the developing world thanks to Kiva.org? Track their progress here. Pretty awesome, huh?