Author: Staci

Staci blogs about travel at TheVoyageer.com.

Holiday Wish List

No, I’m not asking you to buy me things. I mean, if you want to, by all means. These are just some things I have been digging lately and would (in my opinion) make a great gift for whoever.

1. French Bulldog bookends $55.99
This is too hilarious and too cute! As seen on design*sponge.

2. Z Gallerie Rangoon Lantern $25-$75
So beautiful and warm! These would look great in an unused fireplace.

3. Cafe Du Monde French Roast $5.88
A coworker of mine recently came back from the South with this delectable coffee. Best I’ve tasted in a long, long time. Mmmmmm… There simply aren’t words. And, the price is right!!!

4. Lomography Fisheye Camera $49.99
I have been dying for one of these for a while now and the price just dropped ten bucks ;) As the website says, using this fisheye lens automatically makes “whatever you are shooting look extra awesome.” I’m ALL for extra awesome.

5. Inception Blu-Ray/DVD $24.99
Yes, I would settle for the DVD but I have aspirations of someday owning a big TV and if ever a movie deserved to be watched in high-definition, THIS is the one.

Hare-brained Idea?

"The Day's Mail" by windblownpages on flickr

Somebody sold somebody a list with my name and address on it, and I have begun to receive mass mailings from charities asking for my money. For the record, Doug and I give money to our church and our two sponsored children every month, and don’t have tons extra to send to every cause, regardless of how worthy I agree that it is.

“Everybody receives charity letters,” you tell me, “just ignore them!” Well, they are hard to ignore if I get one every other day. Within the past week I have gotten letters from Doctors Without Borders, The IRC, UNICEF, UNHCR, Habitat for Humanity, and Oxfam, and I still feel like I’m forgetting one. Among this list are some of my dream employers. I have supported UNICEF for years and if I got a job there, I would feel like I’m making a difference in the world. I applied for a competitive internship at The IRC in San Diego (and didn’t get it).

I got this crazy idea and would like to have your opinion on it. Instead of enclosing money, which I am unable to do (each charity recommends $25 or more–altogether I would have donated $150 in a week!), I thought of enclosing a cover letter (essentially–“You’re asking for my help? I’d LOVE to help and here’s how!”) and resume and mailing it right back (with my own stamp to save them each return-mailing) to the non-profit in question.

Is it too bold? Is it just a waste of time–will it just get thrown away when it reaches its destination? Is it creative genius? Please, I’d love your opinion on this crazy idea.

60 years of Trick or Treat for UNICEF

In high school, I would annually carry around my little orange box for Trick or Treat for UNICEF (at school mostly) and feel it slowly but surely fill up with spare change that would get donated to the organization. A few times, I actually went door-to-door as well.

UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) is a global organization that saves kids’ lives in over 150 countries by providing clean water, nutrition, medicines, education and aid in emergencies (taken word-for-word from the UNICEF website). I found out that in 2005 kids set a record by collecting $18.25 MILLION in order to help kids affected by Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami (stat from here).  That’s a lot of donations!

Image from the UNICEF e-newsletter

Evidently, this year marks 60 years of the tradition. I found this out in my UNICEF e-mail newsletter today. This is remarkable! A small gesture that was started 60 years ago is continued even now by elementary, middle, and high schoolers, and of course adults.

I’ll be taking my 2 (very heavy) jars of change over to the Coin Star soon to donate them… Did you know that when you choose to donate it to charity Coin Star doesn’t take a percentage like they do when you just do it for yourself?

Get involved!