One Hope Wine

Love wine? Have a friend that loves wine? Have a friend that, like me, loves anything having a good cause? Going to a dinner party and want to bring a gift for the host that also has a meaning?? Enter One Hope Wine.

One Hope Wine sells 6 different wines and each one benefits a certain... cause. The wines cost 18.99 to 30 dollars for a normal size a bottle, and you DO have to pay for shipping, but 50%, yes 50% of the proceeds from each bottle go towards the specific cause. I personally have not tried any of their wines, but I plan on at least sending at least one bottle as a gift!

Their wines are:

• Chardonnay- half goes to breast cancer research charities
• Cabernet sauvignon- charities that fight autism
• Reserve Pinot Noir- charities for cancer research
• Merlot- AIDS research
• Zinfandel- charities that support troops and their families
• Sauvignon blanc- charities that help save our planet

Can't decide which one you want to buy?? You can also purchase Gift Baskets that include more that one type. They have a TON of baskets that have more than just wine. Some have "goodies", and there is also the "spa gift basket" with spa stuff and a bottle of wine that supports breast cancer charities.


Each of their wines also has a special label with the ribbon color of each cause!


and what is classier than having a nice bottle wine after dinner that also benefits a cause? guys can you say chick magnet? haha

They also have other merchandise like hats and shirts and... gift cards!!

So go online, buy a bottle, and drink for charity!

For purchasing information, visit: www.onehopewine.com

In Bruges

So anyone who knows me also knows that I LOVE, no I am entranced by, old buildings, architecture, culture, etc. And when I say old, I mean VERY old, like 1700s and sooner old. Now Bruges, Belgium (which I discovered in the movie "In Bruges") fits into that category quite nicely. It first got its city charter in 1128. I just have to visit this place. Anyways these are some of the best pictures I found from here.

Now this picture is of the Church of Our Lady and dates back to the 13th Century. It is the second tallest brick structure in the world.

These places just have such incredible and rich history, like this: The Basilica of the Holy Blood has a relic of the Precious Blood that was brought there after one of the crusades in 1150. Every year this relic is paraded through the streets of the city.


This is the upper Neogothic chapel of the Basilica of the Holy Blood. I just love all the colors used all over this chapel.


some pictures of their canals



the market square

of course there are plenty more wonderful beautiful pictures of this city, but I thought these do a good job of truly capturing its essence. One day I will go and get my own pictures, instead of stealing pictures from online!!

we are one

so my mom got me this really cute bracelet from this website: www.weareonedesigns.com The bracelet is actually designed for Camp Twin Lakes where I work! CTL hosts all different camps for children with serious illnesses and life challenges at two sites in Georgia. not only was it designed for ctl, but when you check out you get to pick a charity that 20% of the profits go to! That is donating without doing much at all!

more about me and camp twin lakes: when i was little i was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer, and since i was 8, i have attended Camp Sunshine, a camp for kids with cancer, that is hosted at Camp Twin Lakes. CTL has everything that a regular camp does, except EVERYTHING is air conditioned and wheel chair accessible. they have boats, climbing wall, ziplines, everything. also the staff is specially trained to work with these different kids. we learn how to send kids in wheelchairs up a zipline among other things. they also have medical facilities to accomodate each illness that has a camp here. CTL hosts a ton of different camps including those for kids with diabetes, asthma, kids who have been abused or neglected, kids with muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, craniofacial disorders... i could go on and on! for more on the best camp in the entire world: www.camptwinlakes.org

another favorite of mine

one other awesome thing about this website is that a lot of the stuff isn't too expensive, so for those of us on a budget, you can get unique boutique jewelry AND donate to a great cause.


of course i would LOVE for everyone who sees this to go out and buy something and pick Camp Twin Lakes for your charity... but there are also a bunch of other charities you would like:

• American Cancer Society
• American Red Cross
• Atlanta Pet Rescue
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA)
• Doctors Without Borders
• The Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund
• Susan G Komen for the Cure
• Yele Haiti

just to name a few!! also every month they have a 'charity of the month', and they tend to donate extra to it! CTL was last month, and this month is the Atlanta Humane Society!

i love jewelry and i love doing things for a cause! on this site they also gift-wrap for you and send a special little memo with the piece of jewelry.

these are just some examples of the beautiful jewelry they have on this website, and there is still plenty more- including earrings. bottom line: check this website out!!! everything is unique and one-of-a-kind. so next time you are considering going into some expensive boutique..... remember this site!! here it is again: www.weareonedesigns.com

mumford

i just found this band a few weeks ago: mumford and sons. as soon as i heard one song i was hooked! luckily they have an album... which i bought on itunes immediately. it's their debut and it is stellar. i only hope that they come out with more like it.

i feel like a lot of people will just say, "they're one of those indie bands". like they are a fad or something. but they are actually really talented!

what makes them so great?

• 4 guys that hail from west london= accents
• they have performed on balconytv in dublin
• they constantly sell out their concerts all over england
• they don't just play guitar! they also play banjo and other instruments: like... accordion. and they make it sound cool!
  
• they have sick harmonies and great voices
• the blend of country and bluegrass with folk to make something truly sublime, especially for anyone with interests or training in music
  
• their songs range from upbeat and happy to slow and somber, but no matter what there is always that sense of raw emotion
  
• they have the voices that you want to sing you to sleep every night but still have the edge and power that is found in many rock groups today
  

live performance on balconytv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEAZhgu9E88
yeah the toy piano is in there but really only at the beginning


this is their debut album ^^. so good. if you want to listen to more of their stuff, i suggest the songs "white blank page" and "roll away your stone". and "little lion man". well there isn't really a song on the album again that i don't like, or don't love for that matter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Od0PJp6GI for white blank page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY&feature=channel
an official video for your viewing pleasure

string bass anyone??
love

talent just oozes out of these guys, and they combine to make one hell of a band.

music rocks

i promise to devote most of my blogs to music that i love and that you should, too! both known and unknown.

first up: wallis bird

whoever is reading this, you need to check her out! she hails from Ireland, and is INCREDIBLE. she can wail on guitar and has amazing vocals. the only problem is... well she is only big in europe and that makes getting her new album a little tricky!!
her first album, spoons, is on itunes! each one of her songs is unique and different and she mixes rock and blues together. i LOVE this album.
my favorite song from this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qibxnxAkwZU



her second album new boots is not available for me to get yet on itunes. :( so i get my fix by watching youtube videos!! this is her newest single: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4siZi8_PSck

it's so good!! and what i can tell from her concerts on youtube and what i have heard, she puts on one hell of a show! unlike a lot of artists out these days, her live videos are just as good as the recorded ones.

oh yeah, AND she plays the guitar upside down. ballin!

if you want to know more about her, check out her website!! www.wallisbird.com

Another wonderful thing from Ireland: Balconytv. Yes they have this in cities all over Europe, but at the one in Dublin they speak English! this is wallis bird on balconytv, but they also have TONS of other artists and not just from Ireland.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2RG94YuAw&feature=fvw
it helps that most of these people have awesome irish accents.

just another taste of the wonderful music that balconytv provides: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EmpoBGoiH4&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGGfy0lR5rA&feature=related

so go out there and find some new music!!

up and up

It is one of my goals this semester to focus on the positive. That's easy to forget when so many things are going wrong at school and the rest of the world. So here are some of my favorite quotes and books that help me stay positive!!

How do I change?
IF I FEEL DEPRESSED I WILL SING. (i had to put that line it caps for myself)
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labour.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.
-Og Mandino
that is one of the best quotes of all time! of all the things out there that we cannot control, it is helpful to remember that we can control our attitude and emotions.

"I don't sing because I'm happy; I'm happy because I sing." ~William James
any music major will tell you that we don't do it because it's gonna make us money! you gotta do what you love.

"... without darkness
Nothing comes to birth,
As without light
Nothing flowers."
just a reminder that life's trials make the successes and happiness that much better.

"I believe in the sun even if it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent."
:D

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called."
~A.A. Milne
this just makes me smile! who knew winnie the pooh was so profound?

le mo ghrása mise agus liomsa mo ghrá
it translates to 'i am my beloved and my beloved is mine' from song of solomon in gaelic.

< now i do not typically like poetry, especially modern stuff, but this collection is AWESOME. it has well known poems about love and life and happiness; a few by shel silverstein, "jabberwocky", and other great favorites! this book really does have the power to 'lift your spirits'.




"impossible is nothing"
put so eloquently by my late friend Austin on the Camp Sunshine Outward Bound trip.

i love to read. why is it that when you get older, more books tend to have sad endings? i LOVE this book. i think it's for teens actually. i just know that i have had it forever. and yes it is a fantasy novel, but it's not crazy weird and bizarre. and the story is really great! while harry potter is also AWESOME, 700 page books take a while to read. this book is an easy read, but the best part is that the ending leaves you satisfied and happy.

Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. ~Victor Hugo

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11
always a nice reminder. God has a plan for us and He loves us!!