OVER 100 Members of Congress Support Funding for SASP!

The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) was authorized in the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA) and for the first time, provides a direct and dedicated funding stream for rape crisis centers.

Although funding for fiscal year 2007 is yet to be finalized, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Rob Portman, has heard from a bipartisan group of 110 Members of Congress expressing support for funding the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) at its authorized level of $50 million in FY 2008.

The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) and their partners have been hard at work crafting strategies and building support for SASP that will provide much needed funding this year and in the future. OMB is a crucial piece of this puzzle, as they impact greatly how much money is asked for from each federal department each year. The amount of funding asked for sends clear signals to those in Congress who actually vote on funding months later. Achieving an "ask" of $50 million which would appear in the President's proposed budget to Congress next year would be a tremendous victory and signal strong support for the program.
To view the letter: www.naesv.org/News/OMB06.pdf

I viewed the letter and carefully looked over the signatures and much to my disappointment did not see my State Representative’s name. Shame on you Adam. Mr. Putnam will be getting a letter from me very soon. If you would like to contact your Representative, follow this quick link: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

With all this holiday free time we might as well dabble in some politics, right?
Happy Holidays!
Kelly

Help the planet via free light bulbs!

Between 12/7/06 and 12/21/06 you can purchase 4 packs of compact fluorescent light bulbs at Lowes for $7.98, with a rebate of $7.98 per pack. This means FREE light bulbs.

Why are these light bulbs so great? They will save you money on your electric bill because they are very efficient (use a quarter of the power an incandescent bulb uses), they last up to eight times longer than inefficient incandescent light bulbs, and their efficiency saves energy created by coal burning power plants that pollute our air. The best lights to replace are the ones you use the most often while at home.

A link to the rebate coupon is below for 4-packs of 60-watt "Sylvania Mini Twist Lightbulbs" Item #146558. There is a limit of TWO 4-packs per household.

*Rebates must be postmarked by 1/21/07.*

http://www.lowespromos.com/PDFs/1327-2.pdf

Peace-
Becca and Kelly

Unite for Change

I hope you can feel our excitement as I type this. Kelly and I have unveiled the first phase of our campaign, Unite for Change and we could not be more pleased. When you can, please check out our site www.UniteForChange.com and learn more about our latest effort to end sexual violence. We welcome your feedback. We hope to complete the site within two weeks so let me know your thoughts and suggestions.

Much love now and always-

Becca (and Kelly)


Life is best if lived without fear but with awareness.

Still recovering from Katrina

While we were in New Orleans, we drove accross the LA/ MS stateline to see how Bay St. Louis was recovering after Katrina and to pay our respects so to speak. The photo above made my heart melt. (The board on the tree reads: Please protect tree, planted by grandson.) This photo captures the cry for help and the chance for hope that can be felt throughout the Katrina stricken region.

New Spray-on Condom: A Car Wash for your Penis

It was almost exactly a year ago today that the world’s first “spray on condom” hit the market in China. The product, which was called the Nanometer-silver Cryptomorphic Condom (NCC) was actually a spray for women, which coated the inside of the vagina and created a “physical membrane” that prevented fluid transmission and provided contraceptive and disease prevention.

Yesterday’s LA Times reported on a new venture, by a German company, to develop a spray on male condom. The product, which is both described and illustrated on the company’s website http://www.vinico.de/home/index.php actually sounds a little like spray-on tanning, but for your penis. It is a canister that you insert your penis into, and then latex is sprayed onto the penis, forming a condom around it.

Jan Vinzenz Krause from the Institute for Condom Consultancy who is developing the concept explains:

"It works by spraying on latex from nozzles on all sides," he said. "We call it the '360 degree procedure' - once round and from top to bottom. It's a bit like a car wash."It’s an interesting concept, and at a projected $13 for 20 applications, it would be a surprisingly inexpensive condom product. But it sounds like a product that would be unlikely to ever make it to the North American market, both for financial and safety reasons.

To develop an inexpensive mechanism that could evenly spray latex consistently without clogging would be a challenge. And the fact that each condom is made “live” raises questions as to how the failure rate be determined and evaluated. In North America there is an acceptable failure rate for products like condoms and surgical gloves. The FDA would need some way of determining the quality of the condoms, and it’s not clear how they would be able to test this affordably.

Finally, given the fact that both men and women say lack of spontaneity is a reason for not using condoms, one has to wonder how “hold on honey, I just need to spray on my protection” will go over.

Read more – LA Times: German sex educators plan spray-on condom

Related - About Contraception

Source- Cory Silverberg About.com

Quack Attack!

Kelly, Tiffany, Hart and Becca at the SWAT (Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team) table after the program.

Our last gig of 2006 was at the University of Oregon in Eugene...the Ducks. Quack attack! That's so much fun to say. What a beautiful part of the country and gorgeous campus! We really enjoyed spending time with our fabulous hosts, Tiffany and Hart, the VP's of Education for Panhellenic and IFC. Thanks for the great conversation, campus tour and delicious dinner guys. While we were on campus we had a chance to meet with Sheryl Eyster, AVP of Student Life and she told us about some of the Sexual Violence and Prevention Education programs in place at the University of Oregon. Very progressive stuff. Kudos to Sheryl, her staff and students on your work to end sexual violence!
The Ducks were very good to us. This was our last gig of the semester and another reminder of how totally lucky we are to have what we consider to be the best jobs ever. We're looking forward to a little winter break and time to get things moving with the new campign we're launching (details soon to come) then it's happy travels next semester!
A west coast sign off,
K & B

We "heart" Richard Simmons!

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day. This morning, we were in Portland hanging out in our hotel room watching the TODAY Show and a perfect day had officially begun and it’s all because of Richard. Richard Simmons! Who doesn’t love Richard Simmons?! Bless his fuzzy afro having, silky sporty-shorts and super scoop tank top wearing self! A snow flake rhinestone tank top no less. How seasonally appropriate of him, but that’s not the best part. The part that brought a smile to our face, laughter to our bellies and even tears to our eyes was when Richard began dancing to Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake. WOW, my friends, wow. He invited Al Roker, Ann Curry and Natalie Morales to join in…and they did! It was awesome. The entire crowd was sweat’n to the oldies pseudo hip hop style. This was truly a sight to be seen and the perfect way to start off our day. Thank you TODAY Show and thank you Richard!

PS- Crazy free-style dancing aside, the segment was very touching. Richard Simmons is working on a campaign to BRING PHYSICAL FITNESS BACK TO OUR SCHOOLS! He created a National survey that will help find out what's happening in schools today and he plans to compile the information received and take it to Washington to share with the only people who can make the needed changes: the men and women in our government. If you would like to help out, check out the survey by going to http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey.zgi?p=WEB225QLXH5W87 and filling out the questionnaire.
Keep on Dancing!
K & B

Dove Campaign

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf

Check out this link from the Dove Campaign and watch the mini clip. An extremely thought provoking and painfully real moment. This makes me want to go out and buy some Dove body wash to help support the cause! : )
You are beautiful my sisters, just as you are! Hope you're having a gorgeous day.

Kelly

Stop Breast Cancer for Life!

Stop Breast Cancer for Life! Get informed. Spread the word. Make a difference.

Sign the petition - http://www.lifetimetv.com/breastcancer/petition/signpetition.php

For additional information regarding legitimacy of this effort, see http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/mastectomy.asp .


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mastectomy Hospital Bill in Congress

If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women (and men) the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

Mastectomy Bill in Congress

It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important...please take the time and do it really quick!

Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill - Important legislation for all women.

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the "drive-through mastectomy" where patients are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

http://www.lifetimetv.com/health/breast_mastectomy_pledge.html

This takes about two seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family, and on behalf of all women and men, THANKS.

Wingate University

Some days are simply awesome...and that was the case when we rolled into Wingate University. The staff, the students are simply amazing. We met so many incredible folks on this visit including our Alpha Gamma Delta sister Christine as well as our new home girl Jessica. As always, it is an honor to do this work but this campus made today day particularly memorable.

Always-
Becca and Kelly

Kick'n it with the Wolf Pack

We had a chance to visit one of our favorite states and meet some really amazing athletes. It was an honor to work with the female athletes at NC State, fondly referred to as the lady wolfpack. These women play hard! Several of them came to the program with giant ice packs taped to their limbs, ace bandages wrapped around their ankles and knees, and one of them was sporting a new pair of crutches. Woah! That's serious sport my friends and probably one of the reasons collegiate team sport never found its way into my life, that and my lack of athletic coordination and skill, not to mention my on-again-off-again relationship with the gym. I admire them for their dedication! Thank you so much to our new friends at NC State for coming to our program, bruises and all.
Always,
K & B

How "IT" came to be.

Once upon a time on a road trip to our spiritual home of New Orleans, Louisiana, we pondered our place in life. We asked the question “how are we going to make the world a better place?” A lofty goal, we know, but never short on ambition, we pushed the discussion forward. Kelly, a social worker at the time, had a deep passion for helping others in need. Becca, a theatre major with a flair for the dramatic, needed a creative way to express herself. Together we had a strong commitment to our campus and community…but what was our purpose?

It was there, in the darkness of I-10 west, that we uncovered our mission. One of us is a survivor of sexual assault, the other a supportive best friend. This traumatic experience forever changed our lives and now would give us the chance to make a difference in lives of young people throughout the nation. We recognized the opportunity to share our story and empower students to revolutionize campus climate and culture. Deep down we knew that if we stopped making students feel guilty for being sexually curious or sexually active, we could unite them. Not men against women but together, men and women as a campus community. We believed that if we simply explained what sexual assault is and how we can prevent it, change would occur. So as we crossed the Louisiana state line…Let’s Talk About “IT” was born and this incredible journey began.

3 Day Walk

(My 3 Day Team, "Body Allies" Me, Katie, Lisa, Kim and Debi)
After 3 days and 60 long miles, we still smiled for a photo at the finish line!

I did it, 60 miles in 3 days! After months of training and weeks of worrying and excitement I can’t believe it’s come and gone. As strange as it sounds, it was kind of sad for it all to come to an end. The weather was perfect, the people were awesome, the pit stops were so helpful and even the snacks provided on the route were delish! My feet got some damage for sure. I now have 3 blisters per foot. Ouch. The hardest part: the end of the second day. I have never been more physically exhausted in my entire life. The best part: the extraordinary support from the volunteer crew and folks from the community who came out to show their support. I got so used to people cheering and honking that when I went to the grocery store on Monday and did not get applause, I was slightly disappointed and a little depressed.

The spirit, passion and strength of everyone involved were like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was truly beautiful. This was an incredible journey. Thank you so much to my friends and family for your amazing support and generosity. I could not have done this without you.

I believe that a cure is within our reach, within our lifetime and with each event complete and every dollar raised, we’re several steps closer to a cure. Three days of walking. Three days of friendships made and stories shared. Three days of blisters and sore muscles. Three days of kindness. Three days of the world the way we wish it could be.

Love and hope,
Kelly

Flashback

Ok, so yesterday I turned 31...so this was really a flashback. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Always-
Becca

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's or Early 90's if
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
2. You watched the Pound Puppies
3. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton
4. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tried to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom
8. Two words: Hammer Pants
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock"
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars... and spokey-dokes or playing cards on your spokes for that
incredible sound effect
11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales" (Woo ooh!)
12. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles on the big screen..and still know the turtles names.
15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
16. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
18. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
20. You wanted to change your name to JEM" in Kindergarten. (She's Truly Outrageous.)
21. You remember reading Tales of a fourth grade nothing and all The Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of WAX ON, WAX OFF"
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore fluorescent clothing.
(some of us...head-to-toe)
25. You can remember what Michael
Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks
shifted.
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pailkids in the schoolyard.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
32. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship
bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
42. You remember Popples.
43. Don't worry, be happy
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down (and
sometimes still do..getting yelled at by younger hip members of
the family)
46. You remember boom boxes and walking
around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
47. You remember watching both Gremlins
movies.
48. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!!"
49 You remember watching Rainbow Bright and & My Little Pony Tales
50. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha
Micelli was hot.
51. You remember Alf, the lil furry
brown alien from Melmac.
52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to
them as "NKOTB"
53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL
class.
54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi -SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
55. You just sang those words to yourself.
56. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
57. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
58. You remember when mullets were cool!
59. You had a mullet!
60. You still sing "We are the World"
61. You tight rolled your jeans.
62. You owned a bannana clip.
63. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
64. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
65 You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
66. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!


ROCK ON!!!

Grand...

Courtney(left) and Stephanie(right) with their advisor Jessica(center)

We recently discovered that many things are referred to as "grand" in Michigan and that definitely goes for the Take Back the Night event at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan as well. It was truly an amazing event with so much impact, all put together by one of the coolest group of students we've had the pleasure of meeting. The students involved with Eyes Wide Open at Grand Valley are doing remarkable things for the campus community. It was an honor to work with the students, walk with them in the march and especially to listen to two young survivors speak out for the first time. The standing ovation they recieved from the audience was a sign of the support that could be felt throughout the room. We were deeply moved and inspired by the young ladies who shared their personal stories tonight. You are beautiful, courageous, strong and powerful women. We are so proud of you! Thank you so much for sharing a part of yourself with us.
Forever grateful,
Kelly & Becca

BAMA!

If I could do it all over again, I think I might want to be a bama girl! We were at the beautiful and enormous University of Alabama yesterday. What a gorgeous campus with historical charm and the appeal and ease of modern world conveniences, the main one being that they have a full out Publix on campus. Those of you, who live in the southeast, truly understand the magnificence of a Publix grocery store. The bakery alone is sheer splendor. This was an exciting discovery for us Publix loving gals indeed. Then we found a nail salon, hair salon, tanning salon- so many salons all in one place and all on campus! And just around the corner a smoothie shack, Kinko’s/UPS, book store (of course), restaurants, bars and even a dance club or two. Greek row happens to be right across the street from the stadium. Sweet! No cars needed at Alabama that's for sure!
(UA Student Services Center)After checking out the greatness that is the University of Alabama, we found our way to the Student Center ballroom for our program. We had the pleasure of speaking to 1,000 new members of sorority life at Alabama and got a chance to visit with one of favorite students from SEPC, Julia. What a great day! We are incredibly lucky and forever thankful to be doing the work that we do and to have the chance to meet so many wonderful student leaders like Julia. Thanks so much for the opportunity sister!

Bama girls at heart,
K & B

Luck is on our side...

Picture- At Grins with the lovely ladies of Panhellenic

If it's true what they say about crickets being lucky, then Texas State University could quite possibly be the luckiest campus we've ever been to! We heard it was "cricket season," a season which we had honestly never heard of before our visit to San Marcos, but it became hugely apparent soon after dusk. We had to be careful to watch where we stepped, because there were literally crickets everywhere; seriously. It was truly bazaar.
Enough about the crickets, we don't want to lose focus of telling you all about a truly amazing group of women we met while visiting TSU during this fabulously lucky season. : ) The smart, beautiful, respectful, polite and of course extremely hospitable ladies of Panhellenic at TSU were so good to us! They really made our visit a memorable one. We spoke to about 500 awesome sorority women. The energy in the room was empowering in its own right, the Greek women at TSU rock. Having the chance to work with this amazing group of women was an honor and another reminder of how lucky we are to have THE coolest jobs ever! The lovely and talented women who make up the Panhellenic Executive team invited us to join them for dinner after our program at this great local hot spot which is known for their $1 Margaritas. Yes, only $1, we could hardly believe it ourselves. No margaritas for us this time, but the food was excellent and the company was even better! (P.S.-Visitors of the lone star state should not be permitted to leave without partaking in some superbly delicious Tex-mex… hmmm, hmmm, good!) Not only did we have a great time talking with them about Greek life, Tamara's fear of crickets, Recruitment, life after college and the importance of taking advantage of every single minute of your collegiate career (God, I miss college), but we also had a chance to learn more about the new campaign they've started at TSU called SUAVE (Students United Against Violence Everyday). A fabulous name for an important cause; you go girls! We look forward to hearing how your first week of SUAVE events turned out.
Still feeling lucky,
K & B

Nacho, burrito, what's that up in your Speedo?

This is one of our favorite sing-a-long songs which we happened to learn while waiting tables at a Mexican restaurant years ago. Waiting tables, well, not so good. Sing’n in the kitchen, awesome! Come on; give it a try, we think you’ll like it too. It goes a little something like this: Nacho, burrito, what’s that up in your Speedo? You’ve got trouble, on the double… (then we usually just make up the rest). Fun, right? So why are we singing this oh so memorable and delightful song you ask? Well, its a little celebration of our minor on the road accomplishment, well I guess we can call it an accomplishment. We started our day in the Houston airport where we enjoyed a tasty Mexican treat, breakfast tacos. Yummy! In honor of delicious Tex-Mex throughout the land (especially in Texas) we decided to challenge our pallets by sticking with the taco theme throughout the day. You may be thinking, wow, that could get tough, but hey, we’re dedicated! So, for lunch, we found ourselves at Kirby’s Café, a hip local diner serving traditional Austin cuisine. This place was artsy, quaint and fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed our bean-n-veggie tacos. Mucho Delish-e-oso. When dinner time rolled around, yep, you guessed it, tacos! The perfect ending to a truly fabulous day! The simple things in life make it so much fun.
Adios for now,
K & B

Success, friends and sadness.

Ok so today my pal Shawn's book comes out. I feel like I know a celebrity since everywhere I turn, there is another review of the D-Man's book (all good of course). So that makes today exciting. Besides, Shawn and wife Gwenn would make great celebs. It would make my buying the magazines that I know I should not buy a less guilty pleasure.

Naturally, I am psyched about tonight's Grey's premiere. I cried my eyes out watching the finale last night. This show is so good. My husband came into the room to see what was wrong. I love the writing and the development of the characters. So strong. But, mostly I cried because of the dog- Doc. For those of you who do not know, my dog fell very ill this summer and had to be put to sleep so watching that is still awful. However, giving the week I have had I found the flowing tears a therapeutic release and helpful.

I also chatted via this cool tool myspace with an old high school buddy yesterday. It was his birthday, "Happy Birthday". Tony is a guy who I always really liked and respected in high school and was sad that over time we had lost touch. No more thanks to this age of instant gratification.

Coming off a crummy week, I have to say that the next few days look amazing. Our Godson is coming to stay this weekend for his birthday and has no idea my better half is taking him to Tallahassee for a football game. He will be wicked pumped. Then I take off with Kel for a few campus visits that we could not be more excited about. The women we have chatted with there are out of this world. We are looking forward to learning and working with them.

In reflection I guess what I learned this week is, when someone or something gets you down you have two choices. 1. Either learn what you can from it and use the pain and anger to propel you forward or 2. let it erode who you are and subsequently let them win.

We went with 1.

Much love always-
Becca

Kitty City!

We have our first little break in the semester and we’ve been home all week, it’s a good thing, because it’s kitty city at Casa de Addington! My husband Court and I recently became the proud foster parents of 5 adorable baby kittens. Court rescued 5 abandoned kittens earlier this week and they're currently living in our guest bathroom. They seem to be enjoying cuddling up on blankets in the bathtub. (Sweet as peaches picture attached.) The little babes are so adorable and super sweet! They’re pretty fragile and understandably scared and nervous, but all of them are extremely gentle.
I contacted an amazing completely volunteer run agency, CAT CALL which rescues and cares for cats and also manages cat adoptions. Tonight, I took the in for their first check-up and we found out that we have 3 girls and 2 boys! We also learned that they're only 3 1/2 weeks old and they weigh about 13 ounces each. Tiny, tiny little lumps of love! Their guesstimated and now "official" birthday is September 1st. Just today, they've started to meow and play. They're becoming very social with each other and even with us. I don't know how much longer we’ll be able to keep them confined to the tub, but for now, its working. CAT CALL asked us to keep them until they’re 8 weeks old and ready to be adopted. How could we say NO?! The next 5 weeks should be very interesting, especially for my cat, Abby!

Proud foster parent of the fabulous five,
Kelly

Time with T.J.

Today was great, our mentor was in our hometown and we got to break bread with him and see him speak (always a treat) at The University of Tampa. He finally met both our husbands and gave us a big thumbs up- not that we had any doubts.

If you do not know T.J. or have not have the chance to hear him speak...PLEASE check him out on myspace or through CAMPUSPEAK at www.campuspeak.com. He will make you laugh and make you think.

Always-
Kelly and Becca

PS- The gorgeous gal in the photo with us is Casey the Director of Greek Life at UT.

Our Famous Friend Shawn

We were sitting on a plane in Baltimore waiting for the flight crew to replace what the pilot referred to as, “some minor navigational equipment” (thank God!). Becca was reading the USA Today and I was focused on a highly entertaining and newly important task of creating a wrestling name roster. What is a wrestling roster you ask? We weren’t really sure either, but we decided to strategically and creatively come up with wrestling names for some of our friends. We sometimes do imaginative, albeit strange things when we’re bored (read more about this on our blog entry titled, “A dog named Wonton”).

Anyway, I had a few names done and Becca gets all excited. I’m thinking, wow, she’s really into this- this is going to be fun. But, she was excited because she was reading the Life Section of the USA Today and our buddy Shawn, who we will now refer to as our Author friend, Shawn Decker and his book, My Pet Virus: the True Story of a Rebel without a Cure were mentioned in the new Books section of the paper. Awesome! But, not at all surprising. Now, if you have not promptly left this blog to purchase this masterpiece, may we suggest you do so very soon?

Seriously, Shawn way to go!! We will definitely have to work a bit harder on your wrestling name, to be sure it’s worthy of your celebrity status, but still relatable, humorous and edgy, just like you.

It's Fashion Week in New York

The students at Skidmore College reinforced why we do what we do. They took the Let’s Talk About “IT” message to a whole new level by taking it to the streets of campus, spreading the word and engaging the college community. The Skidmore peer educators were decked out in t-shirts that were made to spread the word about our program and more importantly, to get students to talk about “IT.” A special thanks to our sunshine sister, Carli for the t-shirts and for making our visit to Skidmore possible. Students like her are our inspiration.

8 to 1

8 to 1. A statisitc we learned during a recent visit to Berry College in Mount Berry, GA. So what does 8 to 1 mean exactly you ask? Well, let me tell you, it's 8 deer to every 1 student at Berry. Yes, I did say deer. Like, the one's that scamper through the woods. It was a surprise to us too! Kind of strange for us city girls to see deer straight up chill'n on campus. But they certainly fit right in and there's plenty of room since the campus is on acres and acres of gorgeous Georgia soil!
The campus was beautiful and the students were awesome (and beautiful too). We had a fabulous time at dinner with a very dedicated team of peer educators. Thanks for the good times ladies and keep up the great work.

So hard to say goodbye!

Our first couple of weeks on the road and all has been excellent so far. The only minor travel misfortune for August was the forced farewell to a brand new, not even opened yet lip gloss- a somewhat traumatic experience for an avid lip gloss lover. Many of you can feel our pain, I’m sure. It was a little hard and kind of sad to say goodbye to cherries in the glow. So remember folks, no liquids, gels, or pastes permitted on flights- that’ll take some getting used to. Other than that, all is splendid in our travels so far and we’re looking forward to an excellent semester!
Have happy and safe liquid free travels my friends!

Close to the Home Front

We were thrilled with the opportunity to speak to the incoming students at the University of Tampa this week and proud to work with a campus so close to home. Having a chance to directly impact our community means a lot to us (and hey, the super duper easy commute was a plus too). I never thought I would feel odd going to work without getting on a plane first!
Just like many other colleges throughout the nation, UT has an amazing incoming freshmen class this year. They just keep getting smarter and smarter, kind of makes me glad I went to college in the 90’s. The competition is fierce!

HOW SWEET IT IS!

Summer’s over and we’re back on the road. Exciting! Our first gig of the semester could not have been more amazing. We kicked things off at Sweet Briar Women’s College, which is one of the most beautiful campuses we’ve been to. The buildings are gorgeous and the grounds are perfectly green and lush…just makes you want to read a book! The student’s were fantastic and the administration could not have been nicer. We had a chance to meet and talk with some really outstanding women. We commend the administration and student leaders at Sweet Briar for addressing such an intimate and important topic before classes even start. We were honored to be a part of the orientation programming (and ecstatic about being named honorary sweet peas). A special shout out to our lovely student host Caroline, thanks for everything!

A dog named Wonton

Our furry friend Wally...a.k.a Wonton.
Oh, the things we do to procrastinate. Some people do dishes, while others re-organize their office, I’m sure a person or two has absorbed themselves in the ultra time- consuming task of cleaning out their e-mail in-box, which always seems to lead to an entire new list of things we need to do. Let’s not forget perhaps the most popular means of procrastination, which I often refer to as “the perfect Sunday afternoon,” we click on the TV to engage in a favorite re-run marathon (my top pick being, Law and Order with Project Runway coming in a close second). Putting off work or school projects is extremely common and totally acceptable, so whatever you do, don't feel guilty. Delaying tedious to-dos is a part of life. No matter what we choose to occupy our time with, from the bottom of my heart to the tips of my toes, I believe we all at one time or another do it. We procrastinate.

I share these thoughts of procrastination with you to tell you about a brand new activity Becca and I came up with this afternoon for the sole purpose of postponement. Summer’s coming to an end and we still have lots to do before the semester begins, so much in fact that we sometimes aren’t sure where to start. Rather than get back to work after lunch, we proceeded to spend 10 minutes, okay in all honesty, it was really more like 30 minutes. 30 minutes of quality dilly dally time, coming up with dog names that start with “W.” It’s a thing hard to do! Since a small chunk of our busy afternoon was spent doing this, I figure the least we can do if share a few of our favorites names- Wally, Winston, Winky, Woody, Willow and of course Wonton.

Going to the Big D...

Last week we had a rocking good time at the International Headquarters of CAMPUSPEAK Inc located in beautiful Denver. We cannot thank the gang enough for making it a wonderful learning experience.

The interns especially know how to bring the noise.

Which reminds me...if you are fabulous and looking for real world experience that is second to none. Intern at CAMPUSPEAK (details at www.CAMPUSPEAK.com).

myspace safety 411

Social Networking sites have taken society by storm. They have afforded us opportunities to reconnect with old friends, loves and in some cases, missed chances at love but these mediums are also alive and well with internet predators. Not to burst any bubbles all these sites such as Facebook, myspace and Friendster are all safe when used well, safely.

Ok, starting with the basics. Never give out your complete name, address, phone number or credit card numbers to anyone. This all seems obvious but you might be surprised how many predators can coax this information out of someone. I would never share that information with a stranger but someone I regarded as a friend, well that may be a different story. Truth be told, we are all very comfortable behind the computer as it seems to establish a wall of protection but if not administered properly it can make you an easy target.

So before we get in too deep, I want you to log in to your myspace account, Friendster or otherwise and set this puppy to safe mode. Or if you want to be searchable then simply clean up your profile. Now I am 100% a fan of these social mediums. I have found dear friends from college and high school as well as been able to see how that hot guy from back in the day turned out (still fabulous). But, I have learned to proceed with caution and you my friend, can too. For example, let’s say you decide to blog about a pretty rough day at work. Clients making you crazy, your boss even (I know that would never be the case with you all but suspend disbelief for but a moment) and your loving and sympathetic friends, comment on your blog about how your law firm should get a grip. How just because William’s name is on the marquee does not make him king and you are so talented as a young family law attorney if they don’t watch it- you will walk.
Now to a non-stalker type you and your posse are holding your cards pretty close to the chest, keeping it nice and vague. However if a stalker really wanted to find you at this point they have more than enough information.

Ok, killers, stalkers and perverts aside, let’s talk about who else may be reading all about your girls gone wild Friday night or how a night with the boys got a little out of hand. Your boss, your future dream boss, your professor or even you own family. None of whom need to know about that table-dancing scene that seemed so right at the time. So be smart and aware and take precautions to protect yourself and your future.

However if you fall prey to a predator, (which is frighteningly easy to do) perhaps you simply accepted a stranger, as your friend who will not leave you alone then you need to take this threat seriously. Follow these steps to stop the harassment. Keep everything! I know your inclination when a creeper will not back off is to rid yourself of everything that reminds you of them but for your safety- DON’T! Do not delete messages, chat logs, comments or otherwise. Store them on a disk and print out hard copies. Then call the police and ask for the Computer Crimes unit or for an officer who addresses online incidents. Most experts say if you have received a direct death threat or threats of physical harm call the FBI Computer Crimes unit. When calling in a crime make sure you stay calm, know your facts (who, when, where ETC) and let them know you have your documents for review. If you feel you need additional resources then visit www.i-safe.org, www.haltabuse.org, www.cyberangels.org or feel free to contact me directly at Becca@KellyandBecca.com as I would be happy to walk you through this process. The internet is an incredible source of knowledge and information but it is also a bit of a danger zone when explored recklessly. So proceed with caution but by all means proceed.

Becca and Kelly are I-SAFE certified, to learn more visit www.KellyandBecca.com

T.E.A.R. Teens Experiencing Abusive Relationships

I love me some Tyra Banks! For those of you who have not had an opportunity to tune into her daytime talk show, in addition to great make-up tricks, positive body image motivation and fabulous hair tips, she shares her incredible passion for women's issues. Many of her shows focus on helping young women to be strong, confident and empowered. You go Tyra!
I caught a few minutes of today's show and it reminded me how important it is to believe in ourselves; if we do that, anything is possible. Some of the guests on her show today were young women in their teens that have been in abusive relationships. These former victims of abuse decided to take action and started a support group for teen girls who need help getting out of abusive situations. The organization is based in Brunswick, NJ and has blossomed into an incredible non-profit organization with the mission to prevent dating abuse through education. Their goal is to one day provide services nationally.
This is the perfect example of what a strong, confident, impassioned group of women can do when they come together and support each another. Congratulations ladies! Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do!
For more information about TEAR and to learn how to help teens experiencing dating violence please visit: http://www.teensagainstabuse.org/index.php

Staying safe on-line

In a world where cyber stalking and cyber predators appear to be everywhere I would like to share a tool with you to help you protect any kids in your life (your own, your students, extended family and even employees). Today's "kids" often speak in a on-line code known as leetspeak.

Leetspeak is almost impossible to discern with the naked eye. However if you visit the site http://www.learnleetspeak.com you can translate any messages your loved ones may be sending or receiving. I hope this helps keep you and your loved ones safe.

Happy and safe surfing. If you have any more questions, let us know.

Always-
Becca
Let's Talk About "IT"
Meet me on myspace www.myspace.com/beccatalksaboutit
www.Kellyand Becca.com
Life is best if lived without fear but with awareness.

Finally Cool Part Deux

Myspace is absolutely everywhere and now, I too am a proud member. I don’t know why, but I have been feeling somewhat hesitant and unusually cautious about the whole cutting edge technology based communication thing. Man, I sound old! For months, (okay maybe weeks, I tend to exaggerate) I have been avoiding the inevitable. It's not that I don’t want to be ultra cyber hip, and technologically savvy as all get out; really I do! It's just that I want to commit to these sorts of critical life changing moments on my own terms. The time has come, as I knew it would. Today, the commitment has been made. Myspace is no longer your space, it’s my space too, or how about our space, yeah that's nice.
Feel free to check out my amateur myspace page at-http://www.myspace.com/kellytalksaboutit

Actively recruiting myspace friends,
Kelly

Violent crime rises with one exception

Nationally violent crime is rising according to the FBI with one exception, rape. Reports indicate rape is showing a decline. Now this data remains heavily disputed as well as celebrated depending on where you stand. From where I sit, I am just glad we are talking about it. Regardless of trends rape is so devastating when it occurs, even one is too many.
The good news?
Many times it is preventable. Start a dialogue with your campus police, local police, Women's Centers and motivated peers to impact your community and therefore making this a better world to live in.
You can change the world.
Need help?
Contact us at www.kellyandbecca.com and we will gladly assist in anyway we can. In addition, go to www.girlsfightback.com and buy the newly released sure to be a best seller, Girls Fight Back! The College Girl's Guide to Protecting Herself.
No matter what action you take, make sure you take action. Because until we all declare violence unacceptable it will continue to rise.

Wishing you a safe and empowered day.

To read the news article on this topic visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13389272/

Becca is finally cool!

So after spending a week in Virginia learning all about Cyber Safety, I decided to explore myspace. I knew all the cool kids were doing it and so I decided to move in on the action. I have to say it has turned out to be a great experience. I have reconnected with some friends from long ago and far away as well as several students we have met while traveling. It is an interesting tool to learn more about musicians and artists as well as that hot kid in English. There are a lot of safety things to consider and we would be happy to help with that (just write to us at info@kellyandbecca.com).

All and all I am glad to have arrived to hip communication land and now I see what the hype is all about. If you want to help me on my quest of cool, hit a sister up at

http://www.myspace.com/beccatalksaboutit

Always-

Becca

My new mantra.

There are moments which strike each of us, I am personally deeply affected by words that are sung or written. Tonight I stumbled across this quote-I am my message- M. Gandhi. I felt it beautifully summed up my life and my own mission. Thank you Gandhi for yet another flash of magnificence, your words and your legacy are immortal.

Kelly in the DR

Court & Kelly enjoying the mountain views

Miles and miles of beautiful white sand beaches and crystal blue water

My husband and I recently returned from vacation in the Dominican Republic. This was our first time in the DR and we had a fabulous time. We were spoiled at the absolutely beautiful all inclusive resort we stayed at and spent much of our time enjoying the endless food and beverage! Probably a litte too much, but hey we were on vacation! Lots of relaxing, eating, exploring and napping. The perfect vacation.

Panelists discuss Duke rape accusations - News

Click here to read about it- Panelists discuss Duke rape accusations - News

Water Heater a Go Go

This week has been intense and a little off. After the best Easter ever (being Jewish the bar was low), I returned home to a water heater gone caput. Following a unpleasant clean up we finally went to bed. Monday I got the run around and ultimately no one could help me. Yet, my loved ones showered me with empathy. Friends and family were like, "oh no" and "that is just awful". People called to see how we were and if there was any progress, they all really cared and rallied around us. It was all incredibly nice and much appreciated but all I could think was, it is just a water heater. It could be much, much worse. I thought a lot about the amazing survivors we have met on our journey and how they would take a busted water heater any day. I guess that is another perk to the work we do, we see pain and survival everyday. I have seen the human spirit flourish in difficult situations and it makes for a tempered perspective. Sometimes that very perspective saves us from ourselves.

It is Wednesday and the hunt for a water heater and install marches on. Today, I have had the worst customer service experiences of my life. I was frazzled, mad and frustrated but then I remembered it is just a water heater.

What we do does define us.

Experience is not what happens to a woman.
It is what she does with what happens to her.
-Aldous Huxley

Wonderful quote, the only thing I would add is that I am always amazed by women and men. That within each of us is the power to change the world.

We miss Bill

We're in Little Rock, Arkansas this week and had some extra time to check out the Presidential Library of our friend and yours, President Bill Clinton. It's an awesome library/ museum and we highly recommend you take a few hours to check it out if you're ever in Little Rock. A gig at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is what brought us to the quaint, all-american town. A special thanks to Sarah at UALR for being so great to us and for introducing us to the tastiest spinach dip we've ever had!
Missing Bill,
Kelly and Becca

Hip New Resources created by RAINN

An article from RAINN's recent newsletter that's worth sharing...
RAINN Prepares to Launch the Web's First Secure Online Hotline
Twelve years after creating the nation's first decentralized national hotline, RAINN is once again about to redefine just how hotlines work. This fall, RAINN will launch the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, which will be the web's first secure hotline service, offering live help 24 hours a day.
We're creating the Online Hotline in response to user demand for a new way to access services. While calls to the national telephone hotline continue to increase (the hotline provided free, confidential help to 137,039 people in 2005, up 44% in the last three years), research and observation are finding an increased reluctance among young people to use the phone.
Because nearly half of all rape victims are under 18, and fully 80% are under 30, we have no choice but to respond to the growing desire to communicate online instead of by phone. It's the natural — and necessary — evolution of hotline services.
One click will take users from rainn.org to the Online Hotline. There, they will anonymously request help and be connected to a trained volunteer for live, one-on-one support. While there's lots of advanced technology at work behind the scenes, the user's screen will be as clear and intuitive as instant messaging, so there's no learning curve.
The pilot launch of the Online Hotline will begin in May, with a national launch expected in September. For more info, visit rainn.org/programs/online-hotline/.

Warm Southern Charm

GIG'EM AGS! Kelly's husband is so proud!


We recently had an opportunity to spend some time at the South Eastern Panhellenic Conference in Atlanta. This conference is always fun for us as we're southern sorority women ourselves and enjoy spending time with our peeps. We had a chance to meet several remarkable ladies at our break out session on Friday morning (you know who you are). The women who came to our session, came for many different reasons- they wanted to learn more about sexual assault, the program sounded fun, they're concerned about date rape on their campus, they are a survivor, they want to help a friend who is going through this, they're ready to break the silence on their campus and start talking about "IT". Whatever the reason, we thank you for coming and we hope that the session was all you wanted it to be.

Being at Greek leadership conferences is a constant reminder of the important role Greek students play on campus. It's up to each of us to make our Greek experience count. Meeting so many wonderfully talented, energetic, intelligent and fun folks in one place is confirmation that we (all Greeks) have the passion, integrity and power to make our campuses the safest and best place to spend some of the best years of our lives.

Your sisters,
K & B

Kelly on CNN Headline News- Nancy Grace Show !

So, here we are two homies trying to make a difference in this world and we get a call from a CNN producer! Coolio! We're still not sure how they discovered us, maybe through the article that appeared in The Herald Sun covering our program at Duke during the start of the media frenzy, maybe through a google search or maybe out of sheer desperation to find a rape survivor who was willing to talk on the show. Nonetheless, they found us! We got the call Friday afternoon and they sent a car to pick us up early that evening so that I (Kelly) could be in make-up by 7pm. Yes, they sent a car and we felt like super important people, especially when I was sitting in the make-up chair shortly after we arrived! How very Hollywood! When we arrived at the CNN building, they knew exactly who we were and whisked us away to get ready to go on set. I was so nervous, but tried to play it cool, like I had done this sort of thing before. Becca was with me of course, and our dear friend Anna who recently graduated from law school was kick'n it with us in Atlanta when we got the call from CNN so she came with us too. We felt super prepared having legal council present as we embarked on our first national media experience! So, they powdered my face and teased my hair a bit, applied some super shiny lip gloss - I was now camera ready. Becca and Anna were wandering through the research area and tip towing around the studio snapping photos and keeping an eye out for other VIP's. One of the producers came to get us and brought us to the set. They slip an ear piece in, clip a mic on my jacket, tell me which monitor to look at and say, "we go live in 5"(just like they do for Katie Couric I'm thinking). About 10 minutes into the show, the host, Nancy Grace asked, "What's your take on that Kelly." I responded as best I could under the live, national news for the first time circumstance and that was it. What a tremendous opportunity. It was an amazing experience. I was honored to be a part of the show, even if it was only 20 seconds, it was 20 seconds on CNN, live!
Life is good and keeps getting better!
Peace out,
Kelly

Duke, the Durham community and the Nation....

The entire nation has taken notice of the horrific sexual assault incident involving the Duke lacrosse team that recently took place on campus. Many months ago we were booked to speak at Duke to kick off the Duke Women's Center sexual assault and violence prevention week. Our arrival and presentation just happened to be more timely than one could ever expect. Instead of this important week being a time of prevention and awareness, it was a time of tragedy and outrage, but also a time of campus unity and overwhelming support. Being on campus amongst multiple media vans, reporters, camera crew tents,campus safety folks--multiplied, students, faculty, staff and members of the Raleigh- Durham community was a bit surreal. In the midst of one of the most beautiful campuses we have ever visited was an overwhelming presence of controlled chaos. There was an abundant outcry of support from the Duke community. Members of the community who wanted to be heard...who wanted to "talk about it!" Now that we have the nations attention, it's time to take action. We respect and admire this courageous woman for coming forward. We are heart-broken over the community and what they're going through, what we're all going through. We can't go backwards and change what has happened. We need to move forward, take action and be a part of the solution. It's time to talk about "it". To face the issues of sexual assault on campus and in the community. This particular incident happened at Duke, but it could have been anywhere.

Please feel free to check the article that appeared on the cover of The Herald Sun the day following our program at Duke University: http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-717666.html


PS- The Duke Women's Center ROCKS THE HOUSE...to say the very least. Mad props to the staff, student volunteers and all of their hard work not only this week but throughout the year.

Speakers use humor to discuss sexual assault - News

Speakers use humor to discuss sexual assault - News

3 Manatee's

Yesterday was an amazing experience. Together with other caring citizens we helped bring awareness to The Clothesline Project www.clotheslineproject.org. Thousands of shirts made by survivors of violence. Their pain, triumph and healing was on display for an entire community to see. The event took place around this beautiful inlet of water. After set-up three manatee's entertained us by wrestling- it was awesome. Just a reminder how lucky we are in live in Florida. After volunteering we headed down to Greek Town/Tarpon Springs and ate like two Grecian Goddesses. If your ever in the area, put this on your to do list. It was a wonderful day a celebration of healing, life and culture.

Southeastern Sisters

What a week. Becca had oral surgery on Monday and all went well. She has just been running on half her normal cylinders. Tomorrow we are headed to lend some support to the local Clothesline Project. It is an honor to participate in this event specifically here in our hometown. Sunday begins the official training for the Breast Cancer 3-day (hum Rocky theme song while reading). Very exciting. Monday we are off to North Carolina to meet some super cool folks at Duke and Elon. As a very special added bonus we will be spending some quality time with our dear fiends Courtney and JJ. Then we are taking a jaunt to Virginia and we will end up in Georgia on Thursday for SEPC. As if this week were not awesome enough we are seeing two of our Alpha Gam sisters in Atlanta (Anna and Kelly). Finally making our way home on Saturday night. Sounds like we better rest up and get ready to rock n roll. Peace and love.

Kelly and Becca

LUCKY IN LOUISIANA! (an incredibly appropriate title for St. Patrick's Day)

KELLY HITS BIG!!! 240 points, cha-ching! That's 12 bucks!






Gambling is not something we do often (at least not the kind that requires money). So, when we had an afternoon to burn while we were in Shreveport, LA we were all too excited about the nickel slots! Yes, we said nickel slots. We quickly by-passed the penny slots as we were feeling like lady luck was on our side.
Our dreams of a Louisiana shopping spree were shattered when we discovered that we were not the winners of the $2,000 Isle of Capri daily drawing-- one that we thought was ours to win without a doubt. So we put our Lucky Magazine with Yes, No and Maybe tabs clearly marked away for the time being. We were highly optimistic about what the nickel slots had to offer.
The nickel slots were good to us. We still can't figure out which part was more fun, jumping up and down and cheering the machine on whenever we hit 25 cents or more...the fun part of that was getting everyone around us all excited about our big win only to discover that our winnings were less than 20 bucks and usually less than 2! But, hey we were winning! We also found great joy in teasing the drifters who were circling our slot block waiting to jump on our stools. There really should be some sort of slot machine etiquette don't ya think? We played one of the eager and aggressive drifters for a good twenty minutes. Every time he would peep over our shoulder (which was every 30 seconds) we would look at our watch and say, "We really need to go, but man oh man, this machine is being so good to us and it's about to hit big!" After about twenty minutes Mr. Drifter gave up and moved on. We spent a record breaking (for us anyway) three hours at the nickel slots! We left with a little less money than we sat down with, but not much- something like 20 bucks total. It was highly entertaining and worth every nickel!

A special thanks to Kimberly, the Assistant Director of Student Leadership and one of her students, Bobby who is the Speakers Chair at LSU who brought us to Shreveport. We had a great time at LSU-Shreveport and appreciate the true Southern hospitality! Thanks y'all!

Let the Good Times Roll,

K & B

A quote worth noting

Found this especially significant following today's news and events.

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. – Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918, French Poet and Writer

Peace-
K & B

Heartache, walking, bowling and good times

Today was filled with emotions some good and some that were very sad. We heard that a dear friends daughter lost her battle with breast cancer today. We cannot even begin to wrap our head around how hard it must be to lose your child. As a tribute to our beloved friend and the other survivors we know, we made a commitment to participate in the Breast Cancer 3-day Walk fundraising event- www.3day.org. This invovles walking 60 miles over 3 days. Kelly is no stranger to aerobic activity, but Becca....OY VEY! We hope that what they say is true, what does not kill us makes us stronger. We do know that love is stronger than fear and it is a divine motivator. The commitment has been made and we are ready to rock (or shall we say walk).

We participated in the Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. This agency is near and dear to us and it feels good to do something for the kids in our community. Following the bowling bonanza we went to the movies with two of our Alpha Gamma Delta sisters. It was a great girlie good time. KD and Karen exude love and warmth and are a delight to spend time with. The only complaint came from Becca who mentioned about 50 times that we missed the previews. We even did a little shopping too. To wrap it up we went our separate ways and enjoyed time with our husbands. Relished putzing around the house and of course watching all the ABC shows. Desperate Housewives, Grey's and Extreme Home Makeover...all especially rocked tonight. Kudos to the writing team! All this begs the question, what will we do over summer break when we are not traveling and the shows are on hiatus? We are taking suggestions.

Much love....

Bec and Kel

Da Bears

What a great week! Went to Texas and met some rock solid folks at Baylor, go Bears. It was a great program filled with energetic and bright students (the school's excellent rep. is well deserved). The best part is how we got there. Several students lead by our new pal David decided that Baylor was ready to talk about sexual assault and date rape. So these proactive cats put it all together. They even sent out press releases and the media came out, not to mention that the good folks at the Baylor Lariat covered the story both before and after the visit...it was all very cool and very impressive. If David and company are an example of the future then I must say, things are looking bright. To David and all our new friends in Waco, thank you. Students like you keep us believing.

Much love- Kelly and Becca

http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=39354

http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=39428

Time in Tampa

"Becca typing away"


We're home for a few days and catching up on office work. It is an incredible whirlwind time for both of us. We have been so passionate about making this venture a success that we worked right through the entire Mardi Gras season. So other than putting away a few obligatory moon pies, fixing some gumbo and dirty rice the biggest celebration of the year has passed us by. No special trip to our spiritual home but musings of a Jazz fest 2006 adventure have begun to surface. If you have not looked up the line up for this years festival we encourage you to do so. Who knows, maybe you too can meet us at the foot of Canal Street? Just remember what happens in NOLA, stays in NOLA.

Satin Shorts

As many of you know we spent a couple wonderful years in Houston, TX. The highlight being the people we met. One of the best places we discovered is The Shakespeare’s Pub. A gritty, honest and welcoming place. One we miss often. A big part of the magic of “the pub” was Burke and Chris two incredibly bright, funny and kind men, who were willing to indulge our crazy excursions and dreams. They taught us to dance to zydeco, appreciate good blues and to better accept ourselves for who we are. We would often kid about going roller skating- taking it back to the old school. Chris promised to wear a pair of satin shorts. We laughed hard and often at this thought. We should have gone, we always wanted to and now we never can. Chris died suddenly last week. The world lost a witty, satirical "skater" who made the world a better place, simply by being a part of it. We will miss you buddy and adore you always.

http://www.legacy.com/houstonchronicle/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=16847508

IOWA...so much more than corn!

(PHOTO- Kelly shares a moment with SMART student, Courtney after the program)
On February 13th (aka Valentine Eve)we had the pleasure of speaking at Wartburg College in Waverly Iowa. Wartburg is a small Lutheran school just outside of Waterloo Iowa. We had a chance to meet a small, but enthusiastic group of students. We'd like to send a quick shout out to Sarah and Sonci and thank them for being such a great host's. We would also like to commend the SMART organization (Sexual Misconduct and Assault Resource Team) at Wartburg for all of the great things you're doing. They shared one of their most recent activities with us, which we think is worth sharing with all you blog readers out there! During the Hallmark week of love, the ambitious members of SMART had an amazing group of students who visited all of the dorm rooms on campus to "check-in" and make sure students were being safe and locking their doors. They left notes behind explaining what they were doing and why and also left scrumptious valentine treats for those who had their doors securely locked. Great job SMART, keep up the fantastic work! Although we feel safe in our cozy campus environment, it's important to remember the little things, like keeping our doors locked.
Signing off from the road,
Kelly and Becca
P.S. We enjoyed some down home Iowa kettle corn before our departure, delicious!

BEWARE...Beginner Bloggers

Okay, we have to admit this blog thing is very new for us. Normally, we have so much to say, but the "publish" button has us a little blog shy. We know better than to believe our bashful blog behavior will last and predict that we'll be blogg'n fools in no time. How technologically hip and trendy are we?!
Stay tuned for regular updates on travel stories, deep thoughts, current events and topics related to campus issues, funny situations, and great happenings that are so good they must be shared! Amazing happenings like, Kelly's fabulous Christmas gift that keeps on giving -- She finally got the fabulous CHI hair straightener she's been dreaming of. To life changing experiences like the time when Becca and Kelly both quit their corporate day jobs to follow their dreams.
We'll try our best to keep it interesting and at the very least, we're sure to keep ourselves highly entertained!
Signing off...wait a sec, do you sign off on a blog?

Live'n the dream,
Becca and Kelly