Photo of the Week - Thanksgiving, 2010

Oh, how I am thankful. The family and the feast are just to start the list. Yes, we did have a turkey and a tofukey this year! Enjoy the photos!

Jada









For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo of the Week - November 21, 2010

Friends,

Again this year, Jeff and I volunteered at our Church's 'Thanksgiving Meal'. We partnered with Maranatha Fellowship Center, a chruch on the South Side of Peoria, to host Thanksgiving for 300 people in the neighborhood. I snapped a few photos, but story is best told by the news coverage that was on-site. Although I do enjoy the photo showing the work of the balloon artist we had attending!

http://centralillinoisproud.com/fulltext?nxd_id=148966&watch=1

Jeff and I came home from the event tired yet excited by the experience and filled with hope for the future of the Adopt-A-Block ministry.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Jada



Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron

Photo of the Week - November 14, 2010

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Zack Palmquist! Jeff and I had the pleasure of seeing our friends Zack and Sarah get married on Saturday. The ceremony was meaningful and the reception was lovely. My favorite moment of the day was catching Sarah just before the reception with some very special guests. This week's photos show the bride with young girls from our church that she had mentored and guided in recent years. It was magical to see the bright eyes of these girls as they screamed, giggled and rejoiced with their dear friend. It was as if for a moment the girls were living in their very own fairy tale complete with a princess who married the prince. Priceless moments.

Jada

Beauty is a radiance that originates from within and comes from inner security and strong character.
-- Jane Seymour

Just today I returned from a trip to Orlando, Florida. It was a fabulous trip, but I always find it nice to be home. I attended the Society of Women Engineers 2010 Conference. This is my fifth year partipating for Caterpillar, and each year I come away from the experience with new insights and motivation. On Friday night of the conference, the Society holds an Awards Banquet. It is, as a friend described, the Oscars of Women Engineers. This year I had the chance to chat with an award winner, Alma Kuppinger Foreman. Alma was one of the founding members of the Society 60 years ago. I had a delightful conversation with Alma, and learned that in her retirement she is volunteering in pre-schools.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/swe/conference2010/#/138

Cheers, Jada

We still have work to do, you know. I haven't seen any children's books talk about women engineers or women scientists.
- Alma Kuppinger Foreman.