Hola Amigos!

We are back from Isla Mujeres, Mexico after an amazing week with my family.

My brother splits his time between fighting wildfires and traveling the world (why doesn’t my life sound as exciting?!) so spending a week with him and my parents was such a treat as we are rarely all together.

We watched the waves. We ate. We swam. We went to the beach. We had cocktail hour. And we repeated it all a lot.

My trip in numbers: 

4: days I ate ceviche

50: times I stated that I needed to eat ceviche every day of the trip

16 : hours spent at the beach

4: times I was ridiculed for reading a book on making friends by my brother (FYI: I loved MWF Seeking BFF)

2: trips to the market for pescado frito (fried red snapper)

1: night spent dancing until 4 am

6: mornings of coffee on the roof

about 22: ounces of sunscreen I applied throughout the week

questionable: Mexican beers consumed (Modelo, Dos Equis, Pacifico…)

6: days I rocked a two-piece

2: shades my hair lightened throughout the week

2: amazing meals had at Mango Cafe

0: times I took my running shoes out of my suitcase

7: dips in the pool

4: snacks that included guacamole

3: sunsets watched on the roof

1.3: margaritas consumed (not a big fan!)

many: attempts at espanol

28: comments on how blue the water was

If you are a newer reader, you may not know my background with Haiti.

It’s not extensive, but has been such a huge part of my life since first experience two years ago. It may seem crazy, but the two short weeks I’ve spent in Haiti have completely changed me. (I’d say for the better ) I fell in love with the people of Haiti and I’ve got no doubt that it will continue to remain a big part of my life. (You can read about my trips here.)

One of the reasons why I love this time of year isn’t because of the amazing food, the cheery spirit, decorations or time with family, all of which are wonderful…

It is that we are truly reminded to think of others and think of those who are less fortunate. During the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas we are urged to help those in need. I think that donating time, money and/or energy to those who need it is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced. It can be as simple as a few dollars, or an afternoon volunteering, but it all helps.

Every year, the wonderful Holly (The Healthy Everythingtarian) holds a fundraiser for various organizations and this year we’ve teamed up to raise money for the Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin, which is the group I’ve traveled with in the past. From their site:

Our basic mission is to provide free health care to the people of Thiotte, and the surrounding area. In reality, the smooth execution of a mission like this is only made possible by the extraordinary people who make up the mission trips. In the United States, there is a physician for every 400-500 people. In Thiotte, there are typically only two Cuban medical residents to care for the 25,000 people in the village, and 20,000 others in the surrounding countryside. While these doctors are well respected, they have little access to medications to prescribe, and most people cannot afford to see them.

This holiday season, Holly and I am hoping to help raise $3000 by the end of the year to donate for medical supplies for upcoming mission trips to Haiti in 2012. And if you are so inclined, we would be honored and endlessly grateful if you would help us out.

If you are feeling merry and bright,
click here to donate to Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin!

Or here.

And perhaps here.

You can click here too.

Donations are completely secure and private and start at $10. In our food-obsessed world, that may mean cutting back on buying a new nut butter or two (= $10) at the grocery store, skipping kombucha for a week (= $20) or forgoing a nice dinner for two one weekend (=$40).

We would appreciate any linkbacks you can give on your blog, emails you can send to family + friends as well as any other ways you can encourage others to donate (Tweet! Facebook! Fax! Yodel!). Again, we are hoping for $3000 so we can provide Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin with critical funds to help them continue doing their selfless, amazing work.

Thank you all so much.

Love to all!