Haiti Earthquake

I'm sure you all have heard about this by now, but there was a massive earthquake in Haiti a few days ago. It was a 7.0 magnitude on the Richter Scale, which is next to the top level on the Earthquake Severity scale, and was the worst one to hit Haiti since 1770. One website compares a 7.0 earthquake to the equivalent of 32 million tons of TNT (http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/magnitude.html). Wow. Seeing all of the damage and people hurting really makes me want to go over there to offer my assistance, but I know that isn't really feasible with my schedule. The country definitely needs our help, so instead of offering physical help, I want to encourage all of you to monetarily help and donate to CARE (www.care.org) or the Red Cross (www.redcross.org). I just donated $100 to CARE, which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals in impoverished countries. They're heading a disaster relief effort in Haiti and are putting all of their blood, sweat, and tears into this effort. So, I just want to encourage you to take a few dollars out of your pocket and put it toward helping the earthquake victims in Haiti. They need all the help they can get right now.

I love watching Home Improvement at night... one of the best shows ever.

Happy New Year, everyone! It's so weird that we're now entering another decade. Only time will tell what will happen...

So, now it's time for some updates:

My Grandma turned 80 this year, so we definitely had to celebrate this one! We surprised her and took her to see the Rockettes perform at The Fox. She absolutely loved it! She said that she'd always wanted to see the Rockettes, so I'm glad we got to help her with that. She also had a birthday party (that she pretty much planned herself), and it was so much fun. I really think she enjoyed it because she was surrounded by most of her family and a few close friends.

The weekend after my Grandma's birthday marked the end of my 7th class for my MBA program. I've only got three more, but unfortunately, those classes will most likely be my most difficult ones. I think I can handle it, though. It's probably good that it's worked out for me to take my hardest classes in the Spring because it's a much less busy travel season for work. I've got a 4.0 so far, so I'm hoping to continue that streak and graduate with a 4.0. That's one of my educational goals... along with getting into Phi Kappa Phi. I think the criteria for that is that I'll need to be in the top 10% of my graduating class. The invitations for that honor society go out sometime this semester, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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I'm pretty sure the 2009 Christmas was the best one in a LONG time. Kevin came over and spent Christmas Eve with my family and me (we're boyfriend/girlfriend again, by the way), and he stayed until around lunchtime on Christmas. We had a great time hanging out with my family and just spending time together. He really stunned me because he got me this gorgeous diamond heart necklace for Christmas. He had originally said he got me "a little something," but boy was I surprised! I think my family really enjoyed seeing him again. I know Jase and Devin definitely did! :)

I also got to spend New Years with Kevin in Birmingham. We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on NYE, and I really think that was the best food I've ever had in my life. It was fabulous! If you've never been there, I'd definitely suggest for you to try it. Anyway, I enjoyed the trip - we just chilled out and watched movies while I was there. He had to work a couple of days, but that was okay because I needed to work on some stuff for my job. I also got to spend some time with his parents, sister, and brother-in-law, so that was awesome to get to catch up with them.

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2010 is sure to be a good year. I have a long list of New Years Resolutions, with one being about my fitness and weight loss goal. I want to be at a specific weight and body fat percentage before April 17th. There's a ton that's going on around that time - May Day for Brenau, our Disney World trip, Brad and Shannon's wedding, and my graduation. I want to reach my goal before then, and one of my ways of holding myself accountable is to blog about it. So, after every blog entry, I'm going to write an update on my progress. I'm excited about this transformation! :)

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Until next time...