THREE WEEKS NOTICE

I went to J.Crew today to put in my three weeks notice...Dear 50% discount, you will be missed.

P.S....they have a pair of really pretty pumps in and great colors for fall.

I am excited about doing something worth getting excited about! I am working on getting all the information together for those of you who want to help out here, whether it be sponsoring a child or donating supplies, there is much to be done so stay tuned!

GETTING CLOSER!!!

This weekend, I made a little trip to Birmingham to meet some friends.....we had a great time! Friday night we ate at Bottega, a great restaurant and bakery that I have wanted to try for forever. If you ever go to Birmingham, you should try it!! Throughout the night I continued to run into old friends, and enjoyed catching up with them. On my way home, it hit me that I would be leaving in 5 short weeks for Ecuador--woohoo! I guess talking about it with everyone made it more of a reality, and let me tell you...I could not ask for a better reality check!!!!

All along, I have known this is what I am supposed to do... everything has fallen perfectly into place for this to happen, from my Job at CHOA (where this whole idea began) to my two nanny jobs (where I have gotten my funding) and let's not forget the wonderful people down in Ecuador whom I will be working for who have already accepted me as family. There is no doubt the big man is involved in this one!

WHY I LOVE AMERICA!

While I am so excited to travel to another country and experience a whole new culture for 6 months, I have to say, I love being an American. Tomorrow being july 4th, I thought it would be fitting to pay respect to some of my favorite American traditions.

1) Football- ok, so I admit I wasn't really into the whole idea of football until the later part of my college career. By my junior year, I had embraced this tradition... Getting breakfast at Rama-Jama's, getting all dressed up, drinking a few yellowhammers at a little bar called Gallettes, going to the game, then going back to Gallettes, then topping the night off with bbq nachos....those were some great saturdays! In the Gaddis house, we watch Ole miss, Vandy, and Alabama...Alabama being the best. I wonder what America would do if it took football out of the universities? Yikes.

2) Food- I am a big fan of food. My favorite class in college was my cooking class where, on the first day my cooking partner Susan and I ate are presentation before we knew we were supposed to present it-oops. While some of my favorite memories of food are those of me eating a Croque Monsieur in Paris, cheese fondue in Chamonix, or a cannoli in Rome....I love American food. There is nothing better to me than a low country boil at the beach in South Carolina, or bbq, or peach cobbler. yum.

3) J.Crew and Anthropologie- My 2 favorite stores. For 11 months I have folded and scanned the items in J.Crew, and I have yet to grow tired of their clothes, and jewelry, and SHOES! (we cannot forget the shoes, they have great shoes)....I will be sad when my days of working at J.Crew are over....I get a great discount. As for Anthropologie...well, I just love it.

Yes, I do love America...I am pretty thrilled to see what Ecuador has to offer though. So far I have heard that the people of Ecuador are amazing, They are very warm and and gracious. The city of Quito (where I will be living) is beautiful, and the culture is nothing short of vibrant. I also am told that there is so much potential for giving throughout Ecuador, as it is a country in great need. So, I am going to take everything that I have learned and been given in America, and give it to those in Ecuador. Anthropologie can wait....