Updates to come... but in the meantime...

Yes, I know, I promised to update then I did really well, and then I dropped off the radar... Pregnancy will do that to you, especially when your sick the entire time. Anywho... that's not what my post is for today, it's for something vastly more important and dear to my heart.

Most of you know that Nick & I and My Brother & Sister in-law have started a charity to combat human trafficking, and more specifically, the sexual exploitation of children.

I will devote another post to that and explaining it in more detail, but in a nutshell... all over Canada & the US, children as young as 5 are being sold for sex... these kids are not just runaways or from "broken homes" some are kidnapped, and all are in danger.

June 1st we're holding a police training in Utah where officers will be better educated on this (we have our partners and good friends, Apogee Consulting from the LAPD running the training) as well as a survivor of trafficking who was kidnapped from a restaurant. The training will have police officers from all over the US and even from Canada in attendance.

The training costs money, and we have this thing called tipping bucket where we set a goal, and if we meet our goal, we get all the donations, and if we don't... no one's credit cards are charged and we get nothing. We now have less than 24 hours to reach our goal. Every dollar counts, every drop in the bucket counts...

Please help us to reach our goal, and more importantly to protect our children.

www.tippingbucket.org and for more info on the charity visit www.childrescue.org

Thanks so much in advance, we truly appreciate your help with this!

A Thankful Thursday

Well, thanksgiving was on Monday and all weekend/week I've been filled with gratitude. You all saw my last post on one particular friend who's just been amazing to me, and I am very blessed to have many others whom are just amazing and have helped me in so many ways. I'm also especially grateful for my wonderful husband. Saturday marked 6 incredible years of marriage for us. Sometimes I can't believe it's been that long, others I think "that's it?!". But yes, Canadian thanksgiving always marks another anniversary for us and I get my two favorite things (time with my hubby and turkey dinner!). (We also had turkey dinner at our wedding... and let me tell ya, those Hutterites know how it's done!)

Lately, I've just been looking at how blessed we are and how it's not fair that others seem to struggle so much, I mean we definitely have our trials and in just about every aspect of our lives... health, finances.. you name it it's been an up and down kinda journey, but when I look at where we are now, so young with so much, I just know the Lord is wanting us to share. I mean how can we not? Everything in this life is given to us from our Heavenly Father and we have a choice with what we do with it, but how can we not express such gratitude and humility by not giving back?

"Where much is given, much is required"

Ok, I'm totally being random with this post, I started out with the complete intention of just expressing my gratitude in this time of thanksgiving period. A little mush (sincere mush but mush nonetheless) about my family, friends, my husband, and all we are blessed with. Instead I find myself quoting scripture and feeling this intense desire to do more.

I know many of you may be thinking "well don't you own a charity?" Well... yes, BUT I've been really lazy lately. I've been tired (exhausted) and just not feeling quite like myself for the past little while, but is that really an excuse? There is so much to be done in the world, so very much to be done... how can I afford to be lazy? I mean, I've hardly done much work, hardly done much with the charity (the occasional tweet here and there and/or blog post.) I've hardly done much spiritual-wise. So how can I really be thankful? I know all well that all we have is from the Lord, but do I thank Him near enough? I thank Him for my "blessings" but that's like a catch-all. And why do we wait until Thanksgiving when the calendar tells us to give thanks before we do? Once I heard a talk where someone talked about a gratitude journal, where everyday they'd write what they were grateful for and they'd do all they could not to repeat themselves, thus causing them to become very specific in their thanks and causing them to see so many more blessings in their lives. Maybe I'll start that, end each post with an expression of gratitude... of course it would probably be more useful if I wrote more... (this is the third time in a week though!)

Also, I think I'm going to try each day to do one thing to make the world better. Whether it be bringing a special treat to a friend (that was today's) or actively furthering the progress of Child Rescue. I mean, what if God had said "I'm too tired today to answer your prayers... I'll get around to it someday"... I know I'm not as our Heavenly Father and that I am Human and we all have our shortcomings and that there is a time and a season for all things, but maybe if I push just a little harder, maybe if we all push just a little harder the world, or at least our tiny portion of it may be just that much better.

Crazy Crazy Summer!

So this summer has been INTENSE! We have been back and forth to Utah and organizing all sorts of stuff for Candlelight Serenade (The benefit concert we put on for Child Rescue). It was sooo much work, but at the same time... just so excellent! We had amazing volunteers and help and really put on an awesome show! And we got so much awareness out there.

Child trafficking is such a difficult cause to talk about, but it is very real... right here in North America, so it was great to be able to voice that in a way that causes people to action and not to depression. We had some AMAZING bands! We had Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessionals, Nick Hexum of 311, Relient K, Neon Trees, Vedera, Sherwood, Making April, Priscilla Ahn, Steel Train, Fictionist and Allred, who even wrote a song for the cause that many of the artists came on stage to sing.

Candlelight was such a fun night and definitely the highlight of my summer. I just loved it! Everytime I think about it, it makes me get a little teary-eyed because so many people came together... saw our vision... joined our cause... and helped us on our journey to once again abolish slavery.

Check this out for pictures of Candlelight. or Check out our FB Page. -more pics will be up once I finish setting up our Flickr account.

For ways on how you can volunteer or help out with Child Rescue, check out childrescue.org or contact me.

SWEEEEEEET GIVEAWAY!!!!

Do you like Anthropologie? Can you find a way to spend $300 there? How about Dashboard? Wanna see Chris Carabba for free? How about 311 or Third Eye Blind? Hmm.... have I enticed you yet? Maybe need 2 new swimsuits from Lime Ricky? Or a family Photo shoot? Photo Lessons? OK so I know you want at least one of those! Well.... you can win em! And a bunch more if you head over to modsblog and enter the SWEETEST GIVEAWAY EVER!!! Now Go! Try to win some awesome stuff and support an AMAZING cause at the same time! What are still doing here? GO!

Guess who's back??!!

Guess who's back... back again... Keshia's back... tell a friend!!

Haha why hello! Long time no blog! I know, I know... it's been far too long... you're probably wondering what's up with me? Where have I been? Why haven't I been blogging? Why don't I love you anymore??!! haha ORRRR I'm not as important as I think I am and you could care less that I haven't been blogging. I choose the prior!

So.. in answer to all your questions... (in the order you've asked of course..) Not a whole lot.. been busy working and doing new things... I've been here, there and around, but mostly right here at home in front of my puter! I HAVE been blogging! Just not here my friends... I know, I know sad but true.. I'll fill ya in later on. And last but not least... Why don't I love you? I DO!!!! I love all of my adoring fans! I just have been ridiculously busy with all sorts of projects and one REALLY big one in particular! But I am trying to come back for good! Really I mean it! I wanna blog and I wanna keep writing. I love to write and I do miss the old blog. So... here I am -back in the flesh... well.. type I guess.

So now that it's later I can tell you all about my busy life and where I have been blogging. But first, I'll start from the beginning.

Nick and I as well as his Bro and Sis-in-law have started a Charity! Our charity is called the Child Rescue Association of North America, or Child Rescue for short. Now, I want to tell you about the charity, but I don't want to make you sad because it's not a happy issue... so I will do my best to tell you some facts so you understand the necessity for charities like this, but not so you get depressed.

Basically, what our charity does is raise awareness and funds to help fight child trafficking. In laymen terms... child trafficking (or human trafficking) is forced prostitution. Children are being abducted from their homes, sold by their families or mislead and coerced into prostitution and treated as slaves. Often their lives and the lives of their families are threatened to keep them in this trade. -basically, without getting into too much detail, that is what we are trying to end.

Lots of you may know that this is a major problem in Cambodia and overseas, but few... very few people realize this is a problem here in North America as well. It is happening right here in the city that I live in and you can be pretty sure it's happening where you live too. As a mother, this terrifies and sickens me, which is why I have chosen not to turn away and pretend it doesn't happen, but to fight and do everything I can to stop this from continuing to happen.

Human Trafficking is the second most profitable organized crime world-wide... with the first being drugs and third being weapon sales. Annually, human trafficking is more profitable than Nike, Google and Starbucks...combined!

How can't I fight?

I know this is a HUGE problem, but ya know what? It only takes one person! (Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Rosa Parks...) I'm not saying that I'm worthy of any of the prestige that those amazing people deserve. No... I'm using them as an example that a single person can make a difference... and Child Rescue is far from a single person.

We have developed an AMAZING team of staff and volunteers and are doing exciting things!

Our first event to raise awareness will be Candlelight Serenade Acoustic Festival, which will happen on Saturday, August 21 2010 at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. This concert is going to be EPIC! Sooo good... the line up is AMAZING! It will include Dashboard Confessional Chris Carabba, Nick Hexum of 311, Third Eye Blind, Vedera, Neon Trees and a bunch more! We're soo excited about this concert and the awareness and funds it will bring to Child Rescue and this amazing cause!

So back to blogging... I have been in charge of websites and the online presence for Child Rescue and Candlelight Serenade, so I have been taking care of Facebook Pages, Twitter, Blogs and whatever other social media we choose. Luckily I've had an awesome partner who's been heading up a lot of the Candlelight stuff leaving me with only half the social media workload! I tell you though, it is all sooooo much work, but I am absolutely LOVING it! I get so excited any time I see that someone has mentioned us or any time I see the ticket sales. This charity is becoming like another child to me... something I absolutely ADORE with all my heart... I crave it! I can't wait to tell people about it and create events and it just makes me soo happy to know that I am helping such a worthwhile cause... protecting our children!

So... that's what I've been up to... busy busy busy! If you'd like to learn more about the charity or the concert here are some links for ya:

http://childrescue.org
http://childrescue.org/blog
http://candlelightserenade.com
http://candlelightserenade.com/blog
http://twitter.com/childrescue_na
http://twitter.com/childrescuecalg
http://twitter.com/candleserenade

Search for both Child Rescue and Candlelight Serenade on Facebook