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Finally an Update!

Things have been a whirlwind since we got back from our travels to Arizona! Here are some pics - hopefully more to come!

Michael and I heading to his 10 year reunion!

Michael and I at Lake Powell - houseboating with the folks
Michael doing some evening fishing
Michael learning how to drive the boat while I wakeboard

Vacation

Not that I have been a super blogger lately - but I won't be blogging much in the next week becuase we are heading to Arizona for 10 days to visit our wonderful families and hang out at Lake Powell and Rocky Point! Fun! I know most of my friends out in Louisville are not from the West - and seriously - it is a dry heat - but here are some pics of pretty Arizona for you to enjoy! We will be sure to put pics up from Michael's India trip and our actual travels to AZ later in the week!

Lake Powell - where we will be houseboating

Gorgeous views by my mom's place in Scottsdale

Beautiful mountains and cacti!

Lake Powell FLASHBACK

May 2004
Mentioning that Michael and I will be meeting up in a few weeks to head to Lake Powell brought back some memories of my last trip to Lake Powell on my parent's houseboat, which sadly was 4 years ago when I graduated from the U of A! My dad took this amazing pic of everyone!

It was grand trip - me and 17 other friends from college, and my good ol' dad as the best Capitan ever... needless to say it was an awesome trip... and I am really looking forward to heading back! Here are some pics from all the way back then in 2004 (thank goodness for Shutterfly online storage!).

Michael goes to India....

Well - I am flying solo for a bit while Michael is in India - thankfully it will be a joyful reunion as he is meeting me in Arizona for his 10 year high school reunion, and then we head to Lake Powell on my parent's houseboat... get excited!!!

This pic was this morning at breakfast taken on my Treo phone (not too bad) , we went to North End Cafe together before work, one of our favorite places (and on the places to eat for under $10 blog I did). It was excellent and a nice way to share our morning!

Miss you dear - see you in a bit!

InVitro in Africa

Kyra sent me this news article yesterday on new low budget IVF treatments in Africa for women who are unable to have children. "30 percent of women on the continent are unable to have children..." I wasn't able to find the total Africa gender ratio to see just how many women this is, but the ratio by country is here. The point is - 30% of the female population of Africa being infertile is a big number, given that the entire African population is somewhere around 940 million people.

I was surprised by the number of women in Africa who are unable to have children, probably more because of my lack of knowledge in this area than anything else. In the US the number of infertile women is about 12 percent (7.3 million) which means women between 15-44 had difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a baby to term in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is no question that the inability to have children is devastating for many women, regardless of what country you are from. I don't have children yet, so I don't even know if this will be an issue for me and my husband, but of course its a possibility. The article says that for African women, infertility is especially a problem because "infertile women in Africa can face particular economic hardships — their husbands may leave them for other women and they can be cut out of family inheritances." Infertility itself is emotionally painful in many ways, besides the obvious pain of not being able to produce life. Without question women all over the World experience everything from torn marriages to abandonment from their families if they are infertile.

One other thing that crosses my mind in reading this article is the fact that so many Africans are suffering from HIV and AIDS, and wondering if the government should focus more on getting that issue under control and not try to tackle infertility at the same time (even though the article does point out that the fertility issue will take a back seat to other programs). Regardless, it appears that infertile African women are treated more harshly than in other western countries, "He said that in many parts of Africa women who are unable to have children become social outcasts, are labeled as witches, and in extreme cases, are even driven to suicide" So what is one to think about this entire situation?

There are a few thoughts that I think are important to remember as I read this article:

1. The World is Fallen - As Genesis 3 records, sin entered the world through Adam, Paul explicates further in Romans 5:12, "12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— " Because the world is fallen, we will all experience suffering and hardships in different ways (ultimately the fallen state of the world and creation as seen in death), and the inability to create life in one's womb is just one example of this fallen state of the world and humanity as a whole.

2.Humanity is Redeemed through Christ - Paul continues in Romans 5:17 to say, " 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, (Adam) much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." Humanity is under judgment because of the trespass of Adam, which allowed death to reign. But God sent Christ to be the sacrifice for our sins, and he defeated death through the resurrection. When we confess our sin, and accept the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, we too can receive God's grace and redemption.

3. Promise of a new Creation- Isaiah speaks of a judgment and salvation which includes a new heaven and new earth which will be restored by God: Is 65:17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind." Those who have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ and the truth of his death, burial, and resurrection, will share in this new heaven and new earth, a redeemed creation, with Christ.

4. The Gospel Redeems Culture - Because the world and humanity is fallen, that means that aspects of our culture are fallen as well. Sinful human beings living out their lives in various parts of the World are therefore a part of sinful cultural practices. As this article states, women in Africa often become outcasts and are labeled as witches if they cannot bear children. This clearly is not how God desires infertile women to be treated (or anyone for that matter), as all humanity is made in "the image of God" and is therefore valuable and precious to him. Thankfully the redemption of humanity through Christ and the promise of the new heavens and new earth apply to these sinful cultural practices as well.

If our hope is in people and in the "goodness" of the World, we will always be let down, discouraged, and in despair. The world and the people who populate it, including me, are sinful, and fallen. Therefore we must put our hope in Christ and on eternity, knowing that God is sovereign and in control of all things, (including our fertility) and that eternity with God in Heaven is the only place where we will no longer experience the devastating effects of sin and the fall.

Natalie Portman and Vegan Shoes

I am not really a supporter of the Vegan lifestyle, mainly because you miss out on so many important foods that your body needs in order to be healthy. Read more on the Weston A Price website about healthy diets.

However, I like Natalie Portman (maybe because is the one actress who has had hair as short as me and generally she seems to choose good movie roles) And I recently learned she started a vegan shoe line. Interesting.

So - I browse the site, and the shoes are adorable, BUT even just the sandals are $200 bucks! Crazy! I guess you have to be a hip green celebtrity to even afford them. I wonder if there is a way to make a shoe that is nice to wear and doesn't adversely effect people and the environment through waste products and junk like glue, but man, for $200 you would think the shoes were made of Gold and came with a lifetime gurantee!