VOTE today!

Today I am heading in to the voting booth for local elections.

I'm only voting for one candidate for Pickerington City Council - Gavin Blair! I so hope Gavin pulls this off today!

And there is Issue 16 - the Library levy here in Pickerington. I will be voting yes for that issue.

Issue 2 - a statewide issue. This is for safe, locally grown and raised food. I am voting yes on this issue.

Issue 3 - This is to bring casinos to Ohio. I've been so back-and-forth on this issue and still do not know what I truly think. So, I'm skipping this one. Not casting a vote.

Good luck to everyone involved in Elections across the Nation today. I believe it's going to be very interested in New Jersey and Virginia!

Funny.

My sisters and my sister-friends. I love you all.

All. Over. The. Place.

Lately my mind is all over the place.  I have so much going on in my little head, that I'm jumping constantly.

I'm working on a few things for work.  Some marketing ideas and suggestions that are completely not part of how my place of employment has done things in the past, but something I've put a lot of time, research and thought into coming up with, and something that I believe will take us to the next level in an organized, scheduled, simple manner.  I'm very excited about it.  If I could just focus on completing the package for presenting to my boss.

Creative writing.  I'm taking a course at the local community college on creative writing.  I haven't taken a class since college, where as a journalism major, I did a lot of writing.  However, I wanted a refresher and wanted to explore some creative styles of writing, as I'm a more matter-of-fact "reporting" type of writer.  This course has me so intrigued.  This has my head just spinning with excitement and various ideas for projects and such.  It also includes a ton of homework. So that definitely is keeping me busy.

Planning.  Planning.  Planning.  I'm also planning my wedding set for September 2010.  This is very exciting, but also a lot of work.  And, my attention is more into the creative writing and marketing plan right now. 

Habitat.  My involvement with Habitat for Humanity is very exciting right now.  I just love being a part of this organization.  Currently I am working on the Autumn newsletter for the local affiliate where I serve as a member of the board of trustees.  I want to come up with more relevant and innovative ideas for the newsletter, fundraising, and awareness.  This has me researching all over the internet, at the library, etc. etc. Very fun!

Then there is my other passion.  Financial planning and management.  I can't get enough information on this, even when some things I am reading are reiterating other things I've already read, I'm still intrigued!

And, other future planning.  Real estate, career development, etc are also increasingly demanding my attention.

Well - I am rambling ... I better get back to it!

Note:  Great Book:  "The Question Behind the Questions" by John Miller.  Check it out, it's a quick read!

Love this song!

In the Clouds ... Again!

In the Clouds, Again?

Brandon asks me ... again.  ;-)

Why, yes.  Yes. I am.  I like it up here, actually!

Diddle-daddling my way through this rolling rock of a World my soul is currently balancing itself in!

Seriously.  I couldn't be more excited about life.  I have so many thoughts and ideas going right now.  Which has always been the case.  However, this time I'm actually prepared and experienced enough, and steady and settled enough, to start actions and taking steps towards accomplishing some of things I've been thinking about and planning for in my head, on random sheets of paper and napkins, and in my journals over the years.  Not to mention the many many conversations with KT, Heather, my mom and various great friends over the years, seasonal or not, all my friends have been great!                 

So, again, I raise my heart and praise the glory of God - for he is great! Life is good!

*I like this picture.  I took this while boating on Buckeye lake as the sunset in September (2009).

World Habitat Day

Monday, October 5th, 2009.  Celebrate World Habitat Day!

The United Nations has designated the first Monday each October as World Habitat Day.

This year on Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C. and around the world, please join Habitat for Humanity in support of this global observance as we come together and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless.  Millions more face a severe housing problem living without adequate sanitation, with irregular or no electricity supply and without adequate security.

Worldwide, more than 2 million housing units per year are needed for the next 50 years to solve the present worldwide housing crisis.  With our global population expanding, however, at the end of those 50 years, there would still be a need for another 1 billion houses.

Raising awareness and advocating for change are the first steps toward transforming systems that perpetuate the global plague of poverty housing.  World Habitat Day serves as an important reminder that everyone must unite to ensure that everyone has a safe, decent place to call home.

U.S. Housing Fact

• About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004)
  
• One in three American households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and one in seven spends more than 50 percent. (Joint Center for Housing Studies: 2006)
  
• The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems.  About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al.:1999)
  

Global Poverty Facts

• By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world's population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour (UN-HABITAT: 2005)
  
• One out of every three city dwellers - nearly a billion people - lives in a slum. (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.) (UN-HABITAT: 2006)
  
• UN-Habitat has reported that because of poor living conditions, women living in slums are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than their rural counterparts, and children in slums are more likely to die from water-borne and respiratory illness. (UN-HABITAT: 2006)
  
• Housing formation generates non-housing related expenditures that help drive the economy. (Kissick, et al: 2006)
  
• Investing in housing expands the local tax base. (Kissick, et al: 2006)