a good week…
Last Tuesday was Alec’s birthday and he celebrated in an extremely selfless way – by asking for donations to Generosity Water, a non-profit committed to helping the 1.1 billion people in our world without clean water. It’s a cause dear to our hearts and it’s an honor to partner with them to see wells built around the world. With Facebook donations from family and friends (and a few bills handed over to him in person) he raised almost $500 to bring clean water to those who need it! It will definitely become a tradition for us. Of course, we did take time to celebrate Alec - I made sure to indulge him with a homemade breakfast feast and we joined up with friends at a small pub in Santa Monica and had a great night.
Also last week, Alec and his production partner, Bob, shot a new web show! I’m not sure how much I can and cannot say, but I saw some of the footage and it is hilarious! They shot it in our apartment, so the day before the shoot, I came home to a clean, minimalist apartment and realized it was missing all our decorative items! Posters, beer cans and half dead plants took their place and soon, I was living in someone else’s pad! I was impressed and thankful to come home to a very clean apartment the night they finished the shoot - Alec and Bob cleaned up after their crew perfectly. After seeing the footage, I appreciated this even more - those guys made a very realistic bachelor pad! I am so proud of all Alec is doing and love seeing his new projects… stay tuned!
I spent Friday visiting my dear friend Cass and her newborn son, Alex. He was an angel and I loved sitting on the couch holding him, watching Dan In Real Life and listening to the rain. It’s hard to believe Cass and I used to sit on that same couch watching movies in the rain… but that was almost 7 years ago and we were settling into our first ‘real’ jobs, living in our first apartment out of college. Times are a changing! Later, Alec and I joined up with Michelle, Thom and their sons Tommy and Erik for their Friday dinner at The Counter and were fully entertained by Tommy’s antics. We love those boys!
Saturday, we helped organize a Valentine’s couples dinner at the Odyssey in Granada Hills. Our good friends, Anthony and Bonnie, had the idea and called on a group of us to pull it together. It turned out to be a wonderful night and we really enjoyed it! We had dinner (with a great view), dancing, salsa lessons, amazing prizes to raffle off, an inspiring message from our Pastors Philip and Holly, and of course, formal photos….
The planning team!
Atheist: I truly believe Africa needs God
Interesting commentary from atheist and journalist about what’s working (and not working) in the face of Africa’s gigantic problems (AIDS, poverty, no clean water, etc.).
As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God
“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”
Hello, January!
Welcome, 2009! Well, January came and went, and here’s a little bit of what Alec and I were up to:
- We spent New Year’s Day continuing with our tradition of lounging around all day with Luke and Jill. We did manage to get ourselves off the couch to have a really great dinner with some couples from church that I’ve known for over 6 years.
- Kirsti came into town for Cass’ baby shower (Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel) and we had a wonderful time. Whitney and Brennon (who are currently living in Belfast) were also in town which made the celebration all the more special.
- We were both asked to be in weddings and couldn’t be more honored to support our dear friends Hayley and Cam and Patric and Kat. Thank God they aren’t getting married on the same day! :o)
- We said goodbye to a wonderful friend and Pepperdine administrator, Jim Brock. He will be so missed…
- We celebrated the historical inauguration of Barack Obama. We were both extremely moved watching history being made and seeing our new First Family come to the White House. I had a special appreciation of the peaceful and collaborative “change of power”, especially after recently being in Africa, where in many areas, that is certainly not the case. We are praying for the heavy tasks ahead of our new President.
- Alec’s production company, Space Shank Media, hosted their first New Media Brunch for professionals in the Los Angeles area at the Blu Jam Cafe. They also welcomed a new addition to their team: a fancy schmancy camera with tripod (HVX 200, to be exact, as if I know the difference….). It is currently in its case, awaiting it’s coming out party.
- We hosted 2 baby showers and welcomed Alexander Lee Andriychenko (Jan. 26th) and Adam Elijah Wilson (Jan. 23rd). They both came within a few weeks of their showers!
- My boss, Holly, spoke at Saddleback Church for their “Girl’s Night Out”. I was thrilled to support Holly and since Saddleback is located in my hometown, I loved getting to spend time with my parents (and their dog, Abbie) and to have quality time with Becky, Norm, and my God-daughter Charlee.
- Alec’s site, Historical Tweets, got 150,000 views in January and was written up in the UK Telegraph and the Times of India, to name a few
- Alec and his mom, JoAnn, got to see our sister-in-law, Hannah, and our nephew, Sebastian, while they were visiting in San Diego. Sebastian is getting cuter by the minute!!
Since we love eating at new restaurants (and old favorites), here are some we visited:
- Monsoon (cheap happy hour with Pat and Kat)
- Library Alehouse (post holiday catch up - and SpaceShank brainstorm - with Bob)
- Casablanca (just the two of us…at the place where we had our rehearsal dinner)
- The Griddle Cafe (Sara and I shared a ridiculously big apple french toast before she went to work on the SAG awards)
- Santa Maria BBQ (Alec and Kenny chowed on awesome BBQ in Culver City, while perfecting their comedy genius, I’m sure)
And since times are tight, we also enjoyed meals at these fine dining establishments:
- Villa Ebeling (a true budget meal… we literally brought over what was in our fridge and made dinner with what we had between us. It was amazing.)
- The McNayr Chateau (with Amy and Jeremy)
- Casa de Hammond (Doro and Katie - cupcakes count, right?)
- and lots of Potluck gatherings!!!
It was a great first month of the year and we are looking forward to what’s ahead in 2009…
Christmas in Uganda
We’re four days back in America, after spending two powerful weeks in Uganda, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t make a quick post saying a) we’re back and alive, b) we had a marvelous, life-changing time, c) thank you for all the well-wishes, support, and love from our friends and family, and d) Merry Christmas!
We spent two weeks throwing Christmas parties for the 2,000 orphans and mothers supported by the Watoto ministry in Kampala, Uganda. For many of these children, this was the best party, and the only gift they’ve ever received in their lives.
Our eyes were opened to how Ugandans live their everyday lives, and the challenges they face in Africa (HIV/AIDS, 45% unemployment, 50% of the country is under age 15, 93% don’t have access to drinking water).
We were happy to do our part in inspire the Watoto children, who are being given great resources to grow and become the next leaders of Uganda and Africa. In the same week, Katie and I met a baby rescued from a dumpster 3 days earlier and then saw a glimpse of that baby’s future when we met a University student about to graduate as an I.T. professional.
We sing this song at our church right now called “You’ll Come” and it goes like this:
Chains be Broken
Lives be Healed
Eyes be Opened
Christ is Revealed
That’s what happened. God is moving in Africa. He’s not just providing enough for mere survival, but he’s taking children who are literally thrown away like garbage and using them to lead the next generation.
Get ready to support us again, friends and family…. Oasis is sending another team to Uganda in October 2009…
(Photos and videos are coming soon: I took 3500 photos myself, which I won’t subject anyone to, not even Katie.)
It’s time!
I can’t believe it. It’s time for us to leave for Uganda. Bags are packed. Malaria pill was taken. Cars are situated (we have street cleaning restrictions). Bills paid. Apartment keys distributed to trusty friends (helps when one of your very best friends lives across the street!) We are ready!
Things I knew I’d pack for Uganda:
- Lots of snacks and books for the 22 hours of flight time (not counting layovers!)
- Gifts and supplies for the people we’ll be serving.
- Comfortable shoes and sunscreen.
Things I did NOT know I would pack for Uganda:
- a Santa suit.
Yes, we have a Santa suit in our luggage to use for one of the Christmas parties for the kids. The even funnier part, Alec had to take out his TUX to fit the Santa suit. He was really looking forward to impressing the mum’s at the surprise dinner we are throwing for them… they are the backbone of the Watoto organization and have given their lives to raise orphans. We can’t wait to honor them. and of course, can’t wait to see our friend in a Santa suit in the middle of Africa.
See you in a few weeks - we look forward to sharing our experience with you. We’ll do our best to check in through the blog, but don’t know how possible that will be. We love you all!
alec and katie
GodChicks Photo Shoot
We spent last Friday doing a photo and video shoot for next year’s GodChicks conference — on location in downtown Los Angeles and Malibu Creek State Park.
Check out the photos online!
Obamas on Election Night
His personal photographer took photos of the family on election night and posted them to Flickr. Most of the photos have well over 200,000 views.
Advent Christmas
Amazing video… and a timely reminder as we enter the “Holiday Season”
They call us mellow yellow…
This morning, we went to a travel clinic in Pasadena to get our Yellow Fever shots and prescriptions for malaria pills. We got 4 of our other teammates together in order to get a group discount (sounds kinda funny on a shot, right? But you know how I am about discounts!)
We walked in, filled out our paperwork while the rest of the group showed up and went in for our consultations while they mixed the vaccine (we all pictured them in the back with martini shakers and made one-too-many “Cocktail” references).
From the consultation we learned that there about 40 other shots we could have gotten and that we really, really should stay away from stray dogs. Ok, so I know I am a canine magnet (what with all that Dog Whisperer I’ve seen), but I learned the “don’t talk to stray doggies” lesson when I was about 4… remember that ER trip, Dad? :o) True, I may have (recently) yelled at Alec to pull the car over so we could “save” a stray dog, then had it’s owner come around the corner looking at me like I’m crazy (oops, my bad! Just thought your dog was loose!!), but I know enough to let the African variety be.
All in all, the process was fast and painless. We each got a tiny little prick in the arm, a fancy yellow card to prove it and were on our way. Uganda, here we come!
More Sebastian
Catch the latest Sebastian video from my brother, including all kinds of leg flailing and baby talk.
