Well… I recently got ENGAGED! hee hee. Wow. Major change. Can I just say that God has been really kind to me the last few months. I don’t think I fully understand what a wonderful man God has given me. Let me introduce you to him…

About a year and half ago in 2009 I went to a Christmas party. I wasn’t necessarily sure I wanted to go, but I thought it would be good for me to “mingle” and perhaps make new friends. Plus, my sweet friend Diane was there and I wanted to spend time with her. Well, contrary to how I tend to be, I was not in the mood to “mingle” when I arrived at the party. I felt awkward, and introverted. Honestly, I just wanted to leave, but didn’t want to go home and be alone.

Upon arrival I said my hellos and poured a drink, and tried to make myself look interested. While standing around, a tall man wearing a black suit, carrying a Cannon camera around his neck, came over said a few words to me and showed me some pictures from his camera. I was somewhat interested, since I thought he was a bit cute. But, he left just as quickly as he appeared to me. I thought he was weird. I remained at the party, but remained in a gloom mood.

Fast forward to the summer of 2010… I had some friends encourage me to get on one of those online dating sites. I obliged, and considered it a good opportunity to conduct an experiment of sorts and learn about social behaviors. Little did I know one of my matches would be the man I’m currently engaged to and the man with the Cannon camera. When I first saw his profile appear on my matching site, I thought he was a player. I judged him by the picture he posted. I thought he was too good looking, and out of my league. I filed his profile away. But, then somehow we found ourselves communicating and going out on a few coffee dates, etc. He’s a total sweetheart. He adores me and I adore him. I keep thinking to myself about how sweet he is and about how big his heart is.

Earlier this month, Ken proposed to me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Havasu Falls in Havasupai. I was soooo overjoyed that all I could do was cry right after excitedly saying Yes. Apparently my family had known about his planning to propose to me months before, and were anticipating the news about his proposal. This October he and I will tie the knot and I’ll finally be able to call him my husband. I remember when I was first introducing him to friends and family during the initial stages of our dating relationship I always had to stop myself short of saying “This is my husband” – Ha! Now I will not have to stop myself. ;)

Tonight, I’m looking at him as he naps. This evening we baby sat  a family member’s child… Ken was helpful in keeping spirits alive. I love him so much. He’s beautiful and I couldn’t be happier or more lucky.

I’ve learned that relationships aren’t easy, and they take a lot of work, but they are worthwhile. I’ve also learned that I can be quite the stubborn ass. I hope to improve in the latter, and I hope Ken will remain patient with me. It can only get better, especially by the grace by which God allows it.

Keep us in your prayers, if you pray, as we begin our life together. So much planning is happening associated with our wedding, and the little details associated with merging two independent lives together. What can I say, but I’ve been stressed a lot lately. I am hopeful and pray that the stress will subside.

I hope to post pictures soon. I also have pictures and stories to still share related to Africa and art projects I’ve worked on over the last eight months. I wish I could say I’ve been doing a lot of volunteering lately. It has subsided, and I’m still trying to get balanced with all the changes that have occurred. I have so many interests, desires, and plans that it’s really hard for me to stay focused. I ask, please be patient with me. We’ll “connect” again soon here on my blog. Until then…

Blessings to you all.

-kari

Yesterday my church, The Grove, had its annual Barefoot Sunday celebration. Attendees were encouraged to wear their best pair of shoes to church, donate them, and then leave the building barefoot. Leaving barefoot allowed a glimpse of living without shoes. Walking barefoot under the hot sun is no fun. In addition, it is a great opportunity to think outside of the box in order to gather shoes for people who need them. Last year over 1,000 shoes were collected on Barefoot Sunday, and then they were shipped and delivered to villagers in Liberia, Africa.

This year’s event collected over 3,000 shoes to be shipped to villagers in Malawi, Africa. I have met some of the individuals in Malawi who can use the shoes, and I am sure they will be grateful to receive the gifts from the states.

One individual I traveled to Malawi with, Dan, was deeply saddened by the need for shoes in Africa. I remember sitting next to him on the plane ride home and he was grieved over the fact that his two little boys have many shoes, but many of the kids we interacted with did not even have one pair. As soon as Dan arrived home he established the Light Feet Project.

Light Feet Project has already collected about a 1,000 pair of shoes, and has shipped about half those shoes to Malawi.  It has only been three months since Dan has been back from Malawi, and he has been quite busy!

Local high schoolers are now involved and have collaborated with Dan to collect and pack shoes amongst their peers on campus!  Even I participated in the first packing party he held at his home a couple months ago.  It will be very exciting to see how this endeavor will grow! Follow their blog, and learn more as they move forward!

Be involved! If you have some shoes lying around in your closet, and/or have a few extra bucks to pick up shoes from Wal-Mart or Target, then do so and give them to Light Feet Project.  Better yet, if you have a couple bucks, and would like to contribute towards shipping expenses for Light Feet Project, then you can do that here. I am sure they and the people they serve in Haiti, Africa, and elsewhere will appreciate it.

Blessings and love as vast as the ocean,

www.kariatler.com

In Africa, it seemed that EVERYONE walked around barefoot, especially children.

Now, when I was a kid I remember running around the neighborhood either barefoot or with flip-flops. I was called little Mogli, from The Jungle Book, because I was so adept to running around outside barefoot. However, I had a choice to do that, and the landscape was trimmed and mowed. The children I encountered did not have that luxury.

One morning at a village I was holding hands with a young child and we were walking through the brush. We walked through burrs and dead grass and gravel. I, in my tennis shoes, was trying to steer clear of unruly areas of grass. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up that child. But, I was amazed that this was daily life for her – walking barefoot.

A woman led me to her home. She wanted to invite me in and give me a gift. Actually, I was told she wanted to be my best friend. It was beautiful. She led me barefoot. With care, her shoes were hanging on the wall. I think those were her Sunday best or perhaps for when she went out in public to the market. I dunno. But, she was barefoot.

You know those Toms shoes? They do a good thing. Buy a pair. Buy them as gifts. It is good to know that Toms has a desire to address this issue of shoes that developing countries are without, and they give you an opportunity to participate – to be connected.  Diseases, injuries and educational needs are addressed with shoes. When you buy one pair, Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.

I just counted. I have 22 pairs of shoes. That’s almost a whole months worth. Perhaps I need to donate a few of them, since I don’t wear some of them anymore. Do you have any shoes to donate too? Dan, a teammate of mine while in Africa, is interested in wrapping precious feet in shoes. Stay tuned, because I can’t wait to share with you how you can be involved. Start piling up your shoes…

Lastly, I want to end this post by sharing a video that had me crying with joy. It’s a must see. A team of individuals traveled to Liberia, Africa while my team was in Malawi. They rode motorbikes, called themselves the Ping Ping team, and delivered pairs of shoes to people in villages around Liberia. It was called the Love Liberia Project, and IT WAS AWESOME!! The shoes were donated by individuals at my church and had been crated and shipped months earlier. Get a glimpse of their experience as documented by artist, Scott Erickson. Smile, and Be inspired.

www.kariatler.com

I’m back from Africa and I’m alive and kicking!! Africa time has not left me, considering I awoke at 2am this morning ready to start my day… I kept myself in bed until about 4:30… at which time I decided it good enough to go for a walk around the lake and grab a latte (Something I NEVER do, but would like to make a part of my daily routine).  I enjoyed the silence of the morning and the reflections of my time in Africa.

Oddly, I feel like a foreigner here in my own community.  I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure to expand upon that in a later blog post. The Arizona desert has nothing on the landscape I saw and ventured through in Malawi. I miss the African sun (especially in this very hot climate I came back to).

Hopefully you were able to view my twitter updates while I was in Africa-land.  If not, then scroll below to find a link to my Twitter page to get caught up. I’m looking forward to expanding on my experiences and the beautiful people I met.  So, check back later this week for some good reads.

Thank you for following!

-Kari

www.kariatler.com

The above paintings are part of a project I did at the Huruma Children’s Home and above you’ll find a picture of some of the children I hung out with while there.

www.kariatler.com

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