Celebrate The Small Things - June 14 & Photo-a-Day - 14: texture

It's Friday, the end of the work week and the start of the weekend, those things alone are cause to celebrate! I do have a few more things to add to VikLit's Celebrate The Small Things blog hop. It's really quite lovely to make a point, every week, of reflecting on the reasons, no matter how small, that give me cause to celebrate.

This week I'm celebrating the receipt of two more donations to the WUSC Student Refugee Program after re-launching my fundraising website. In connection to my fundraising efforts, I ran/walked 5km 4 times this week. I'm up to solidly jogging 2.5km which is somewhat disheartening considering I used to be able to run 17km with little issue, BUT, we're celebrating, right?! so I'll focus on the fact that I am slowly rebuilding my endurance.

I'm celebrating my contest win and associated feature blog post over on M.J. Joachim's Writing Tips.

I'm celebrating the honour of representing WUSC at the Manitoba Council of International Cooperation Annual General Meeting. In direct connection with that, I am celebrating that I am part of a generation of youth that is dedicated to making this world a better place. The youth panel included young men and women who have done volunteer work and/or research in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Nicaragua (to name a few). Perhaps the most empowering statement that I took with me is the following: "The youth in developing nations know what they need; they just need to be asked." Brilliant!

Finally, I am celebrating the fact that I am sitting and writing this blog in the comfort of my Mom's living room. I got to eat her scrumptious chilli for dinner tonight and tomorrow I'll be spending time with some of my family at a cousin's wedding. I really needed this "break from reality" so I intend to cherish it!

Now for today's June: Photo-A-Day prompt:

The stitching on a dress that I purchased in Botswana - so delicate, so soft, so comfortable. 

Blog Hopper Marathon Scavenger Hunt

I'm participating in another one of M.J. Joachim's Blog Hopper Marathon events. This one is a scavenger hunt that involves finding at least 5 bloggers who maintain 3 or more blogs, commenting on each of their blogs, and then highlighting one special blogger.

I'll push off from the starting blocks with M.J. herself, well, because she's the genius leading this hunt!
Here are M.J.'s 3 blogs:
M.J. Joachim's Writing Tips
Being Catholic by M.J. Joachim
Effectively Human

Rounding out the second lap is Kirsten Hart who manages to update 3 blogs regularly:
Just Ermie
Black Coffee and Cigarettes
Short Story Ideas

A third time around the track brings me to Sandy who maintains a whopping 5 blogs (I think she may have super powers):
Sandy's Space --Stories, Stitches, and sometimes Silliness
Flat Stanley and Friends
Oozing out my Ears
Bridge and Beyond
Traveling Suitcase

Coming up on the last lap is Bill Nicholls who I discovered because he promoted his multi-blogging skills on M.J.'s post:
Spud's Daily Photo
Spud's Rural Explorations
A Grave Place
Cholsey New Pavilion
Forgotten Fairmile

I'm crossing the finishing line and giving big ups to Laeli:
Travel with her: Into The Great Wide Open
Live life with her: Words To Live By
Run with her: The Super Shiny Amazing Real Life Adventures Of A Fat Runner
From the first time I stumbled on to her three blogs, I felt that we were cyber-soul mates. She loves travel. I love travel. She loves life. I love life. She's a fat runner. I am a fat runner. We belong together! Laeli's birthday is in June and she has renamed it Lune (because she's a bit of a loon - her words, not mine). The celebrations she has in store for her birthday month are outdone by no one. Take a peek at her blogs and you're sure to love her as much as I do!

Laeli's "Lune" Cake