Jessica Jackley- Founder of Kiva microfinance loan project

Watched this inspiring story last night. Definitely worth checking out if you get a chance.

 

Changing Lives Mitt by Mitt- by Nicholas Kristoff

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Quote of the week

At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.' Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing - but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks - but homeless because of rejection.
Mother Teresa

Sunday afternoon creekin'

     Yesterday, Ben and I headed out from Richmond around noon headed for Staton's Creek in Amherst County. It rained the whole drive there and continued to rain until we got home. Wen we arrived, the level was close to 200 cfs. The first time I ran this creek it was close to 125 cfs, so I knew it would be somewhat bigger, but I didn't really know how it would compare. When we put on, we skipped past the entrance rapid as there was sticky hole at the bottom. We ended up scouting most of the run since there was quite a buildup of wood in a lot of the drops. We also skipped over two of the other big drops because of wood, but ended up having a great time on this micro Virginia creek. When we got off, we found out that it has risen close to 300 additional cfs since we put on. We had no idea we were running it close to 500 cfs! All in all, a really fun run. When we got back to Richmond, we were greeted by a surprise party for Ben at our apartment which Peyton had planned out. Definitely a fun way to end a good day of paddling. Additionally, it looks like we've got some big water headed to Richmond, with the James expecting to crest around 13 feet tomorrow afternoon.

Afternoon in DC

  Yesterday afternoon, my Dad and I left Richmond headed for DC to watch Reggie's team play against the Wizards. Reggie Williams was in my class at VMI. Being that we only graduated 215, we were a tight knit class. I had a few classes with Reggie and went to most of the home games at VMI. He was the highest scoring player in the nation our junior and senior year and then played professionally in Europe for two years after college. Last year he was called up from the NBA development league to play for the Golden State Warriors who had some injuries and were in need of a high scoring forward. This is his 2nd year in the NBA and currently has an average of 10.6 ppg this season.
We got to DC around 5:00 and stretched our legs walking around Chinatown and the museum district. We stopped by the Naval memorial and the National Library Reserve. We grabbed some dinner before the game and got to the Verizon center about an hour before the tip off. We were hoping to see Reggie practicing before the game but he stayed in the locker room till the team came out right before the game. Being the first NBA game I've been to, it was actually really impressive. I always thought NBA was a slower paced game than college hoops, but it was actually a much faster paced game than I expected.
The Warriors won the game by 6 and Reggie (55) scored 11 pts. 
A good experience indeed, along with some good times with my dad. Hope to get back next year if Reggie's still in the league. Below are some pictures from the afternoon.

Inspiring Ted Talk. Tony Porter: A Call to Men

A quote to think about

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
— Mother Teresa