Hey ALABAMIANS - help us make history!

To all my friends and family who read this blog from Sweet Home Alabama - this post is for you! Tomorrow - February 2nd, is the very first Alabama Gives Day. This is a day that is dedicated to the hundreds of participating non-profits in our wonderful state. Organizations like the Alabama Broadcasters Association are hoping to increase awareness and funding for non-profit organizations in Alabama. They’re also hoping to show their fellow Alabamians just how much good we can do if we all give a little!

Because our non-profit The Sound of Hope is based out of Alabama, we are eligible to take part in this historic event. Alabamians have played a huge role in helping us get our non-profit off the ground, and we are so excited about the impact this event could have in the lives of the children we care for around the world. Even small donations make a BIG difference for our kids in Swaziland, India, Thailand, and Burma - so I'm hoping every Alabamian reading this will choose to give HOPE to these precious boys and girls by giving a donation on February 2nd.

As our way of saying THANK YOU - we're offering a chance to win a prize during this event!* Every person who donates at least $10 through this link will be entered to win an Alabama Gives Day Prize Pack! (valued at $50.00)

You can choose between an AUBURN Prize Pack...

 

 

(navy handwoven cotton scarf from Thailand + orange camel bone bangles from India + SOH American Apparel T -shirt)

or an ALABAMA Prize Pack!

 (red handwoven cotton scarf from Thailand + elephant earrings from Thailand + SOH American Apparel T -shirt)

It may be February, but I know you're already thinking of your tailgate attire for football season this Fall! So give a donation February 2nd, and get a chance to win these unique accessories! (Men - these would make a great Valentine's Day gift for your wife or girlfriend! ;) You can see more photos and descriptions of these items here. The winner will be announced on our blog Friday, February 3^rd.


If you're reading this, then I am asking you to please read and share our Sound of Hope Blog about this event with everyone you know tomorrow! Post it on facebook, tweet about it, share it on your blog, or email it to your friends and family. We may just be from "small town Alabama" - but together we can change the world!

 Be a part of ALABAMA GIVES DAY!

*Watch Good Morning Alabama on Thursday to hear them mention this giving opportunity! 

We made it!

I don't have time for a big update today, but I just wanted to let you all know that WE MADE IT! After a 2 day - 15 hour drive (about 7 and 1/2 hours each day through quite a bit of rain) we finally pulled into our driveway in ALABAMA!

We've been working non-stop since we arrived, trying desperately to get unpacked and settled in (I forgot how much WORK moving is!) but I promise as soon as everything is set up I'll share some pics with you. For today, I thought I'd leave you with our moving shots.

Here we are at the edge of our front yard in Michigan - standing by our (full) moving truck! We were tired but ready to hit the road!

And here we are in January 2009 (newly engaged) when we moved to Michigan! (This is actually in Kentucky. There was a LOT more snow when we arrived in Port Huron later that day!) I think it's funny how much bigger our truck is in the picture above.... married life means lots more stuff to move!

We're taking a break from unpacking today to drive over to Arkansas, and we would appreciate your prayers for Rusty's grandmother. She is in the hospital and hasn't been doing very well (she actually gave us quite a scare in the middle of our drive down) so we're going to head over and spend some time with her. We weren't planning on traveling again so soon, but it sure is nice to only be 5 hours away (and able to visit) instead of 16!

If you could pray specifically for HEALING in her foot (there is a chance it might have to be amputated), for the fluid to stay off her heart and lungs, and for her heart and kidneys to be strong and healthy, we would really appreciate it!