Breathtaking Views

Derek Jeter, the captain of the Yankees and one of my absolute favorite players, has listed his gorgeous Manhattan penthouse for sale. This penthouse measures at a whopping 5,425 square feet and is listed at $20 million dollars. Oh. my. word. Apparently he was having a little trouble selling this place (ya think??) so he enlisted the help of a Home Stager to make his place dazzle. 

While I personally think spending this much on a home is borderline psychotic, I have to admit that the views are stunning. And when you've played for the New York Yankees, this price probably doesn't even phase you. (Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.)

Bedroom

Bedroom #2

Living Area

Kitchen

Study

 Living Area, Part 2

My absolute fave...can you imagine having dinner right here? And that table!!! *sigh*

 Look at the view!

While I am pretty confident that I will not be living in a place like this anytime soon, it sure is fun to look at these pictures. A girl can dream, can't she? 

*All pictures from here*

Disturbing News

Last night I read an article that made my heart hurt greatly. And while I understand that the media can twist the facts, there is much truth to what I read. Please know that I never intentionally want to be a Debbie Downer, but this is where my passion lies, and this not a "rainbows and sunshine" kind of post.

The article I read was about a 20/20 episode that focused on the Peace Corps, and featured a young woman named Kate Puzey. Kate was a volunteer serving in West Africa where she taught English at a local school.

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Upon being informed that a fellow teacher and Peace Corps volunteer was sexually assaulting students, she sent an email to the local Peace Corps office notifying them of his actions. She requested that her identity remain anonymous so that she would stay protected.

Not long after, Kate was found murdered.

Local police held a suspect in custody -- the man Kate emailed the Peace Corps office about. This man was recently terminated from his job at the school as a direct result of Kate's email. The police and her family believe that her murder was absolutely linked to the breach of confidentiality by the Peace Corps. This beautiful girl was murder in March of 2009 and almost two years later the Peace Corps has yet to come forth with any responsibility or information for the family.

The 20/20 episode went on to tell the story of the women who have come away with their lives, but who have been raped while serving in the Peace Corps. While it was disturbing to listen to their stories, what was even more disturbing was that the Peace Corps practically discarded these women. They encouraged false stories to cover up the rapes, and also did nothing to help these women recover offered only a few counseling sessions to help the women cope. To make matters worse, the girls were told that they must have done something wrong to have been raped.

The only word that comes to mind when I think of the way the Peace Corps has handled these situations is pathetic. I highly doubt that this is what President Kennedy envisioned when he created the Peace Corps. I am well aware that we live in a fallen world and things like rape and murder happen, but it is the responsibility of the Peace Corps to protect their volunteers instead of failing those who have been abused.

I am not writing this post to point fingers and scream judgment. I know that the Peace Corps has done amazing things in this world, and I believe that a few bad apples shouldn't ruin the whole barrel. This 20/20 program focused on the murder of Kate and the rapes/cover ups of other volunteers. I'm sure that they could have easily produced a show that highlighted all of the wonderful things the Peace Corps has done. I don't know all of the facts, and I'm sure 20/20 does not know all of the facts. However, certain things remain true:

Kate Puzey was murdered.

Volunteers have been raped, and feel betrayed.

I believe that the 20/20 story has shed a vast amount of light on what is going on within the walls of the Peace Corps, and I can only hope that the government will step up and make things right with those who are victims, and protect those currently serving.

*****

It is stories like these that push me to go further when I feel like quitting. It's this type of injustice that boils my blood and drives me to continue on this path that I have been called to. God willing, I will graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice in May 2012, and will enroll in law school in August 2012. The day where I can stop dreaming of helping and start fighting for what I believe is right will be a powerful day, indeed.

(To watch the 20/20 story click here)



A Wordy Miscellany Monday

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* This weekend was the kind that I wish happened more often. It was relaxing but yet productive. Keith and I spent some wonderful, quality time together, watched a movie, watched some football, did our homework, went to church, I finished editing a wedding, Keith spent time with his small group, and I used my new crock pot. *sigh* It was lovely.

* The movie that we watched was Avatar, and I am a bit embarrassed to say that this was my first time seeing it. I tend to be that person that doesn't see those "talked about" movies until way later (I've yet to see Inception)  but I'm going to work on that. Anyway, Avatar was great! I truly enjoyed this movie and am glad that I finally had another James Cameron experience. According to IMDB, there's going to be an Avatar 2 and 3 in a few years...can't waiiiiit!

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* Remember last semester when Statistics broke my heart? Remember how I said in round two that I'm going to own this class? Well, I am. This first two weeks of class are already finished, and I've made nothing but A's. :)  This is a drastic improvement from the last class, and it has to do with my new sense of determination and my new professor. Each week we are required to answer a discussion post question. For week one I used the exact same answer I'd written in the previous class, and received an A+ as opposed to a B-. Hmmm...

* Have you guys ever heard of SparkPeople? It's a free online diet and fitness community that I absolutely adore. I've done their program a few times, but have always fallen off the wagon. Sticking to my 2011 goals and my 30 Before 30 goal of meeting my target weight, I rejoined Spark. This past week I've stuck to the nutrition guide and will begin the fitness program this week. While I haven't weighed myself yet, my pants are already fitting a bit looser. :D YAY!

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* Speaking of my 30 Before 30, I've decided to make a little change. After much thought, I'm going to remove #18, Read 50 of Time's Top 100 books. This goal only requires that I read 10 of the listed books a year, but after just reading over the list I felt a bit nauseous. This is not something that I think I'd enjoy, nonetheless, happily accomplish. So I am replacing #18 with "Take a dance class." This could be ballet, swing, or modern...with Keith or by myself. :) Additionally, I'm going to increase #17, Watch 100 of IMDB's Top 250 movies, to Watch 155 of the Top 250.

Enjoy your Monday lovelies! 

It's Finally Friday!

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Is it just me or did this week draaag? As always, I am thrilled that today is Friday. :)

I'd like to take a second and thank you guys for sharing your clumsy/semi-clumsy stories with me. While I felt super bad that y'all have been hurt before, it made me smile knowing that I'm not alone. I am so grateful for the support I have through all of you. I am still feeling a bit sore, but I can tell my body is healing and I should be back to normal soon. 

On another note, I wanted to post an update on something I wrote back at the end of October called The Unspoken. In this post I shared problems in my life that were just too personal to write on my blog. These problems had become a constant cloud hanging over my head and were quite frankly taking over. Well, I am overjoyed to report that those problems are no more. 

They are GONE. 

Do I still have problems? Absolutely. But those suffocating very large problems from October are over. God has not only handled the issues, but He has made things a thousand times better. People issues have been resolved and relationships are forming. Geographic issues have improved drastically and I am starting to have roots in my current location (and I'm starting to like love it here!). And the issues I had with myself? Let's just say that the walls I've built have been getting shorter by the day. 

Life is good and I am unbelievably thankful. More so, God is good. But let's face it -- even when things were difficult, even when things just flat out sucked, God was still there and He was still good.

I hope you lovelies have a fantastic weekend. Take some time and enjoy life. Relax. Be productive. Sing. Nap. Kiss your worries goodbye. Whatever you do, enjoy it. 

All my love,

Just Call Me Grace

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I would not consider myself a graceful person, but I am also not extremely clumsy. I'm somewhere smack dab in the middle where I tend to have random injuries. Last night was one of those nights, and I ended up falling down the stairs.

This is the fourth time it's happened in the past 2 years. 

My explanation? 

I am absolutely convinced that the carpeting on the stairs is extra slippery. (And I tend to walk/run fast down them.) I have never had a serious injury, but last night was the worst fall yet. :( I have a lovely "A League of Their Own" type bruise on my left leg, a bruise on my foot, and I'm pretty sure the right side of my back/ribs are bruised as well. Did I mention that I was holding my computer when I fell? 

Needless to say I am feeling pretty sore today. Remember Carl's stair lift in the movie Up? Well, I'm halfway considering having one of those bad boys installed. Prayers are most definitely appreciated. 

 Has this ever happened to you? 

A Darling Wordless Wednesday

   all from here

A Little Makeover

I'd like to thank the talented Sarah Ann over at Bon Blog Designs for my new and improved blog! :) 

For the most part the layout is the same, but I've added a few new pages at the top. The "My Story" section has been updated, the "Near and Dear" is new, and a work in progress. I want to list projects/organizations/places that are close to my heart. "30 Before 30" will follow my journey accomplishing the featured 30 goals, and "Contact Me" is my email. :) 

I am so happy with this new design! If your blog needs a little makeover, please head over to Sarah's site right now!