you wanna piece a me?

A trip to Ethiopia is no small feat. As the detailed information rolls in, I realize that like any other volunteer venture, this is going to be expensive. Looks like about $6,000 total for the two of us, not counting time away from work. This isn't terrible, but that kind of cash isn't just hanging out in our bank account. The obvious solution - a FUNDRAISER! I've done it for enough other people that I feel pretty confident. And since this is not a vacation (which we haven't actually had, except for a quick road trip now and then, in over ten years), but a volunteer gig where we'll be working hard and helping lots of lovely people, I also feel OK about asking for help.

I spent all afternoon digging through my rather large personal collection of jewelry. I have a lot. I love it all. And I've been collecting it all my life. I've decided to part with several favorite pieces in order to make the money required for this trip. In a few days, I'll have a page on my website devoted to this project. I'll be asking for donations of $10 or more. And while this is not technically a raffle, I will hold a drawing at a designated time, and pick new owners for these favorite pieces of jewelry. My way of saying thank you for helping!

This isn't easy, giving away these pieces that are some of my favorites. But you know... the way I chose the ones that will be offered was to pick them up and see if I got that twinge of "I wanna keep this!". If I still want it, it's a good one to let go of. Not easy at all, but this trip means a lot to me, so I feel I need to offer something meaningful in exchange.

I'm cleaning everything up now, and I'll have nice pics of the goods soon. For now, this is what it looks like when I pull out (almost) all of my jewelry and spread it out on the dining room table...