squashberry muffins

So, I'm easing into a new diet. A migraine diet, (as found in a chapter in this book, recommended to me by a nutritionist). The idea of this diet is essentially, a bunch of things I can eat without worrying that they will cause a migraine. Yes, it's pretty much an elimination diet (which I have heretofore refused to do), but honeslty, I haven't really felt that way about it. It's a no-worry diet. (Here's a list of some things I am to avoid.) So, I'm learning how to cook new things and eat things I've either never really liked or never even heard of. No red apples- only green? Oh, I guess the green ones can taste good. Oh, and quinoa is amazing. One of my new favorites and is now one of my staples :)
So anyways... along with this, I was looking for a nice recipe for zucchini bread, with none of those migraine ingredients. I found one, and adapted it per my preferences and supplies. Below is my recipe (yes, I am now officially one of those Mormons who shares recipes on their blogs... never thought I would join that prestigious circle). I made two loaves of bread, and 9 mini muffins. I ate most of the muffins relatively immediately, but did pause to take some pictures. oh, and they are delicious.

3 eggs (omega-3 fortified) 1 cup canola oil 2 cups demerara cane sugar (it's this beautiful thing from guyana) 2 cups squash (grated and drained). i used zucchini and a couple of other similarly shaped squashes (yellow and stripey green). dunno their names. 3 tsps vanilla 3 cups wheat flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 3 tsps cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 2-3 cups fresh blueberries 1 beat eggs till foamy 2 add oil,sugar,zucchini,and vanilla 3 mix lightly 4 sift dry ingredients together and gradually add to egg mixture 5 blend well 6 add blueberries and fold into batter 7 pour into a loaf pan and bake at 350 dgrees for 45 minutes (about 12 minutes for mini muffins) 8 check at 30 minutes to prevent burning

still raising money for Guyana...

Okay, so I have been incredibly blessed by friends and family and so far have $1625 raised to help cover the expenses of my Guyana trip.  I actually raised more than that, but about $500 went to cover preparatory expenses of the trip (supplies, clothing, some medical things, etc.-- expenses which I thankfully will not have next time I travel out of the country!).  I have $875 left to fundraise.  Again, worst case scenario is that I pay it off on my own over the next few months, but to be honest, things are tight (I know- such a surprise in this economy!) and I actually have surgery scheduled for the middle of next month, the recovery of which I expect to keep me from work for 2-4 weeks.
So that's my situation.  I would absolutely LOVE it if people donated, but I would also be terribly pleased if anyone wanted to purchase services or goods, which I will list below.  All prices are minimum, but you are welcome to pay me more!  ;)

• housework- with my wonderful OCD skills~ $15/hour ($50 for 5 hours)
• tutoring- with my excellent teaching skills.  I specialize in working with kids with disabilities, but am also good with other subjects up through high school level (and some college level) as well.~ $20/hour
• photography for you, your family, your pets~ from $70 (see list of services at my photography blog here)
• 8x10 prints- floral, tropical, temples, and more (link to come)~ $20 each, 5 for $50, 10 for $90
• professional editing or restoration of photos you already have~ $15 each
• babysitting~ $12/hour
• massage with doTERRA oils~ $25 for one half hour
• caregiving (I am a trained caregiver and can assist with housecleaning, basic medical attention, home physical therapy exercises (as prescribed by a PT), transportation for errands/doctor appointments, and rearranging the home for greater accessibility for the disabled.  I am able to assist bedridden patients and wheelcheer-bound patients.) ~$15/hour, $100 for 8-hour day, $150 for 12-hour shift [+ potential cost of gas]
• anything else you can think of!

Now, my Ve'ahavta fundraising site has been taken down, so I have a new way to fund raise- it goes directly to my paypal account, from where I will send it directly to Ve'ahavta (minus 10% for tithing if it is in exchange for a product or services).

One last note- if you are not able to help financially but would like to help, spread the word to your friends!  If you know of anyone who would be willing to donate or could use some of my services, please send them my way!  Also, if some of the prices above are more than you could afford, contact me anyways and we can work something out.  Anything helps.  My email is cassanndre[at]gmail[dot]com.  (I love my name.  Thank you Mom and Dad.)

samples of photos for sale!  check my picasa web albums for more!  (i add more photos frequently)

The Guyana Journal... Post #3

24 Oct Mon 7:23 am

I am in South America.

Our plane just touched down.

Let the journey begin!

~10:30pm

What a day!  After going through customs and getting our baggage, we hopped on a beer bus donated for our services generously by a member of the Lion’s Club of Bartica.  We went to another international airport, this one was only for small planes.  We had to wait 2 or 3 hours for the weather to clear up.  We slept and ate some Indo-Caribbean food in the meantime.

The plane ride was spectacular- just like something out of a National Geographic magazine- except I’m really there!  I took a ton of pictures.  I really wanted to sleep but I couldn’t tear my eyes and camera away.

pictures from our plane ride from georgetown to middle mazaruni
from L to R, top to bottom: 1 & 2- rainforest mountains,
3- mine 4- rainforest 5- city on the coast
6- world's longest floating bridge
7- city on the coast 8- road from the coast to the interior
9- from the cockpit 10- miriam, bekkie, and dr fred on the plane

We landed on a dirt road and some mining guys unloaded our stuff from the plane into a couple of boats.  We met Bekkie’s partner, a Guyanese man whose name starts with “B”.  The boat ride was only supposed to be an hour, but it was probably more like two.  I assume it was the Mazaruni River.  The boat ride was beautiful and interesting- floating mills?  Or something.  I think Bekkie might have said “floating community”.  I took pictures.

Carol, Fred, Miriam and I were all happy to have blood flow return to our buttockses when we finally reached Isenuru…  We were greeted warmly.  Added to our team is Dr. Michael [sinc-- Maykal] from Cuba, Sylvester a Dentex, Sister Smith, a big wig lady from Bartica, and another big wig lady whose name I’m forgetting.  Ministry of Health people.  Auntie Irene prepared a wonderful lunch for us.  Delicious steak, rice, salad, and plantain.  I discovered today that I like plantain, “leechies”, and “doubles”.

The village is very humble.  Haven’t seen many people yet, but tomorrow they will all come for clinic and we will see plenty of people! …And I just drifted off and tipped over my light.  I think it’s time to sleep.

Trip of a lifetime.

Put God first in your life.

The Guyana Journal... Post #2

23 Oct Sunday

After staying up most of last night packing, my plane left Seattle this morning around 8:30am.  I flew to Chicago, where I met Miriam- our nurse.  I like her.  She has kids my age.  She is Jewish.  I’m excited to get to know some Jewish people and more about their religion- I feel like learning about Judaism is like learning about my own faith.

I got a father’s blessing from Scott this morning before we left for the airport.  As soon as he put his hands on my head and began speaking I started crying.  Oh how I had been yearning for a blessing!  And what a relief to finally receive one!  I was blessed to have a safe trip and reminded of what King Benjamin said in the book of Mosiah, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”  I don’t remember much else that was said, but I remember noting that I wasn’t promised good health.  I may still have good health, or I may struggle.  I personally hope that Guyana proves to be good for my asthma & sinuses and therefore migraines.  Guess we’ll find out.  I remember, though, feeling or sensing the flow of revelation through Scott as he quoted the scripture from Mosiah.

Early today, on my first flight, that scripture helped me through.  I was getting anxious.  Then I remembered that I am on the Lord’s errand!  I am serving Him!  I was reminded and humbled:  this is not about me.  I feel weak and inadequate, but I am going to Guyana to serve my God.

I was reminded that Christ can make weak things strong.  I feel like I may be the weakest link in our team- maybe least prepared, maybe not, but I am the youngest, with no professional experience whatsoever, little money, and on top of it all, I have health problems!  Migraines brought on by stress.  Sinus problems.  Sleep apnea… and I’m going 2 weeks without my CPAP!  I’m pretty irregular with using it, but I haven’t gone 2 weeks without it before.

As I think of all those things, my heart begins to race a little.  Anxiety.  But the Spirit- beneath the light fog of anxiety, whispers to me.  I am reminded that Moses (Aaron?) was slow of speech; Joseph Smith barely had any formal education, and other prophets have at times felt weak and inadequate.

I am also reminded of the pioneers being asked to leave the comfort of their homes in Nauvoo, trust the Lord, and move forward with the very most basic of necessities and sometimes lacking even those.

*~*~*~*

when we were still clean and our clothes didn't smell

On the plane to Trinidad and Tobago I helped two ladies fill out their entry into country form.  They are Chinese, older and I wonder if they are sisters?  Chee Kwan’s passport says it was issued in Trinidad-Tobago.  Chunru’s was issued in Port of Spain, but is a Chinese passport.  Neither of them speak much English, let alone write it, so I had the privilege of filling out the information on their sheet and asking questions like “are you married?” and trying to explain what I as asking.  It was fun.  They were visiting China and are on their way home to Trinidad-Tobago.  What’s in Trinidad-Tobago anyways?  I know absolutely nothing of the country.

Carol, Miriam, and Dr Fred

I like my teammates.  They all seem just as confused as I- excited, but not sure what we’ve gotten ourselves into. J  First there’s Miriam, she’s a nurse who does acupuncture.  She has 3 kids ages 24, 22, and 18.  Her boyfriend didn’t talk to her for a couple days and so she “threatened” to leave the country… and ended up having everything fall into place rather quickly- a lot like me.  We talked about religion and she asked me about mine- she didn’t know much about Mormons.  I was trying to communicate our religious respect for Judaism… it was hard considering I’ve never studied Judaism or had Jewish friends.  I ended up saying something I felt was good to communicate.  Essentially, learning about Judaism and Jewish beliefs adds to and strengthens what I already feel, believe, and know.  When I learn about Judaism, I feel like I’m learning about my own religion.

Okay, Dr. Fred Leitner.  When I first met him, he reminded me of the Uncle Red from the Red-Green show.  He used to do family practice, then went into occupational medicine, from which he just quit and is considering going back to family practice.  He left it in the first place because he felt like he wasn’t able to practice medicine the way he learned to do it—he said the Canadian healthcare system (which has long been socialized) has cut out much of doctors' choices and also demanded less face-to-face time with patients.

Red Green from the RedGreen show.... the guy whom Dr Fred reminded me of :)

The Guyana Journal... Post #1

I promised to post about my trip to Guyana... well, I've typed up parts of my journal so I will start sharing those journal entries in different posts.  This entries in this post are all from the week prior to my leaving for Guyana.


Note: some of the more personal, spiritual, and irrelevant entries will be withheld from these posts (indicated by a "..." or "[ ]" to sum up what I've taken out)

17 Oct 2011 Monday

dr fred doing what we all
tried to do chance we got-
 exactly one week from this entry

One week from right now, it will be noon in Guyana.  And I have no idea what I’ll be doing- sitting in a bush plane, flying to the jungle?  Relaxing for a couple hours after 20 hours of ravel to fly from Seattle to Toronto to Trinidad-Tobago, to Guyana?  Setting up camp in some rural, jungle village?  Eating lunch in Georgetown?  In the jungle?  Puking my guts out from traveling?  Being briefed on what we’ll be doing and where we’ll be going over the next two weeks?  Becoming acquainted with my fellow teammates?  Being propelled through the jungle by canoe?  Taking pictures?  Reading my scriptures?  Writing in my journal?

I could go on.

I have so much to do to prepare.

….

I pray that I will be everything I need to be for this trip.  The Spirit whispers in response that the Savior qualifies whom He calls- He does not (always) call the qualified.  I suppose that would be me.  Unqualified, inexperienced, and weak.  But mine is an errand of angels; a mission given by my Savior.  Have faith in Him and confidence that with Him and His Holy Spirit, I can do all things.  Even hard things.

18 Oct Tues

….

Now, to be honest with myself-

·         I haven’t been drinking anywhere near enough water.  (Probably cuz I ran out of H2) bottles haha.)

·         My room is much too dusty and is a part of my sinus problem.  If I want to get healthy, I absolutely must deep clean it.  That means under the bed.  I’m a little frightened and wish I had a mask.

·         While avoiding sugar has been good for mental health, I haven’t been eating enough things of nutritional value.  Low-sugar cereal is not good enough for me to live off of.

I’ve lost weight!  Yay!  I weight myself at Katie’s the other day—165lbs!  I don’t remember the last time I was below 170!  Yay!  Yay!  Yay!

Guyana is getting closer.  I’m excited.

I’ve had a couple moments of nervousness, but those largely passed when I prayed or thought of my Heavenly Father.

….

20 Oct Thurs

….

[A friend of mine gave me some advice for my upcoming trip to Guyana.  He said to get to know the people and their families.]  There are things they can teach or bring to me which will help me live and appreciate a good life.

Budgeting.  Finances.  Don’t spend more than you have.  I think I may not go to Kaieteur Falls.  Maybe another day.  I would rather roam Georgetown, have money to buy some things for myself and my family, and have money left over for when I come back home so I’m not completely broke.  There is life after Guyana.   I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it is there!

I’m excited.

…

21 Oct Friday @ the temple

This morning I didn’t want to drive all the way up here, but I read my scriptures and was encouraged to not be slothful (Alma 32 or 33) but have faith and look to Christ for healing.  So I came and blessedly arrived at the same time as a husband and wife who wanted to do baptisms.  Right after I was done with baptisms, I noticed my sinuses felt more open and the mucus and pus had started to drain.  That was nice.  And it wasn’t the chlorine water (I’ve been swimming and not had the same effect).  I believe it’s because Baptism is a cleansing ordinance and the temple is a holy, consecrated space.  I believe that even though I am performing the baptisms as a proxy for other sisters, I still receive some of the cleansing benefits.

I love the temple.  I so glad I came.  I’m so glad Heavenly Father helped me read my scriptures, get out of bed, and come.  I’m grateful that those Hungarian sisters were able to be confirmed or baptized today.  I welcome them to the Church.

I know that angels will be with me in Guyana and I am so thankful for that…. Indeed, I rely on the promise that angels will be round me to bear me up.  I’ll need it.

….

2 Corin 10:4 “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”

Nothing physical we do will pull down the barriers that exist between us and others.  Cuddling, holding hands, and kissing are not weapons.  Hitting, kicking, shooting, intimidating, and yelling will not do it either.  Rather, courage, testimony, strength- might! - given by God, will pull down those strongholds.

·         Courage

·         Strength

·         Testimony

·         Truth

·         Transparency

And always remember the scripture: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”.

Don’t be afraid to tell people what I believe and allow them to act.  God has given me no commandment or advice of action aside from share the things I am blessed to have with my neighbor so that he may also be blessed by them and stand with boldness and meekness for the things Christ has given me faith in.

Do not apologize for the words of angels.

Share with courage what I know.

Love people for themselves.

Forgive people.  Go to them privately with injuries and anxieties that they may be resolved.  Invite people to come to me with injuries and anxieties that they may be resolved.

Journey.

Trust the Savior to lead those I love and worry about through intensive healing.

Love my future children.  Share that love with others.

Open up my heart to others, trusting the Lord to care for it.  When is the opportunity to do this?  Always.

[23 Nov 2011 Weds]  Conducting oneself this way towards those you love most is difficult, but possible.  Conducting oneself this way towards those with whom you have disagreements is, at least- daunting, and at most- terrifying.  I feel inadequate.  Yet I know that this is the way those of us who have Judeo-Christian values have been commanded to live.  We know it is best, it is right, and we know that God will help us.

“Lay aside the things of this world and seek for things of a better.”

Lift up my heart and rejoice!  Cleave unto my covenants:

·         Baptismal

·         Pre-earth

·         Covenants to come

“Continue in meekness and beware of PRIDE.”

The journey to Guyana begins!

me, as of late

Well, as you can probably tell by the time of this post, I have had some trouble sleeping lately. Actually, you could just as easily think that I woke up early, and that would be true.... sort of. I woke up really early. I was doing pretty well at that during summer quarter, but then there was that 3 week period or so between the end of school and the beginning of my job with the school district. I'm pretty sure that wrecked my nice new habit. [note, i began this at about 5:30am... then finally fell back asleep for awhile, then went out and took some pictures. thus why it wasn't submitted at the early time i was talking about. just in case you actually checked the time down at the bottom here and wondered...]

anyways...

First we'll cover the latest on Guyana. (If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say Guyana, please go here.) My fundraising page is up! I'm almost halfway to the $2500 I need to raise! (The fundraising page only says 2,000 but I think that might be because they took my deductible out of the total or something.) I'm amazed at how quickly people have offered their support and how generous so many people have been (whether they have a lot of money or a little). We've still got a little ways to go, but I'm not worried. I truly believe this is what Heavenly Father wants me to be doing right now and I know the the opportunity has come straight from Him. Since this is the case, I am not very worried about it working out. I think of 1 Nephi 3:7~

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing he hath commanded them."

I also like the words from the Children's Primary song about Nephi:

"The Lord commanded Nephi to go and build a boat.

Nephi's older brothers said it would not float.

Laughing and mocking they said he should not try.

Nephi was courageous and this was his reply:

I will go, I will do

the things the Lord commands

I know the Lord provides a way

He wants me to obey."

So I finally took the leap and decided to try hot yoga. I LOVE it. Every time I do it I like it even more. The heat/yoga combination is particularly helpful for my angry, trigger-point-filled muscles in my neck, shoulders, and upper back (they are large contributers to my headahces & migraines). Hot yoga helps the muscles to loosen up and calm down enough so that I can work out the knots and also strengthen my muscles without freaking them out and making it worse. It feels sooo good!

Also on the healthfront, I have a deviated septum with a dust mite allergy resulting in chronic allergic rhinits.... an ongoing sinus infection. The amazing doctor of magic, Dr McBride, has done an awesome job of diagnosing and treating me. But because of my pretty marked deviated septum (my left nostril is half as big as my right), we can't cure the sinus infection completely without my getting a septoplasty... a surgical procedure where they fix my deviated septum... aka a "nose job". Because of the trigeminal nerve which hangs out around your sinuses, your forehead, and your jaw, there's a possibility that my headaches are caused by sinus/nasal problems. I am, in the words of a wise YSA Relief Society President, "cautiously optimistic". I am hoping to have the nose surgery before the end of this year, but that'll depend on my doctor and my insurance.

And... the sun is beautiful this morning! With beautiful fog! I just went out took some pictures. I am uploading them now :)

guyana note

had a skype meeting with ve'ahavta this morning. getting so so excited about going! learned more about what we'll be doing, who we'll be helping, and the culture, politics, history and economy of guyana. did you know that guyana is home to one of two "untouched" rainforests on the earth? that's where the indiginous amerindian people live, and that's where we'll spend our time helping. (yes, i may wake up to the sound of a howler monkey.) most of the population actually lives on the coast, however, where it's a mix of various cultures but predominatly people of indian and african descent (from the history of slavery and then indentured servitude when it was a dutch/british colony).

interesting, eh?

next thought-- anyone in the kent area have a pelican box i could borrow for the trip? (or something similar-- to keep my camera dry when there's a storm or in case my bag falls out of the canoe or whatever)

I'm going to Guyana. Please help.

UPDATE:

my fundraising site is up!

I'm going to Guyana!

for two weeks. and i'll be camping. and hanging out with lots of sick people.

october 23-november 6.

i'm stoked.

[it's on facebook, too!]

What?

So over the past year, I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life. I took a CNA class- absolutely loved it. Then I worked for a few months with the school district, and in the spring decided to go back to the local community college. Spring and Summer quarters I attended part-time so if I had any migraine problems it wouldn't set me back in school. This plan worked excellently because both quarters I got a 3.9! Yay! Overjoyed, I quite happily signed up for Fall classes, ready to keep going.

And then there was that Sunday I sat in church and felt really strongly like something would come up this fall and I should withdraw from classes so I could devote myself to that opportunity. My thoughts were something like, "wha?!" So a few days later I took a big gulp and withdrew from my classes. Yikes! I thought and prayed about it and decided that hey, this would be a really good opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do-- go volunteer abroad!

I started researching various volunteer programs like crazy. After about a month of research I'd seen a few programs that caught my eye, but none of them occurring this fall. Then I got an email from Ve'ahavta. They told me that they had an upcoming medical trip to Guyana and were in need of a support person for their team and the information they had about me suggested that I might be a good fit for this role. The trip is scheduled to leave Oct 23, so would I please get back to them quickly about whether or not I'm interested? I took a weekend to pray about it and decided that this is something I really want to do and to go for it.

Well that's nice, Cassanndre, but what're you actually gonna do?

Well, this is so cool. Short answer: I'm going to be a support person on a medical team. My job will be multi-fold. Part of it will be to help our team leader logistically, make sure we don't forget anything on the little boats or airplanes (like medicine, tents, food, and other not-so-important items), and remind my teammates to stay hydrated and wear mosquito repellant. The other part of it will be using my medical skills and enthusiasm to learn by helping the doctors and nurses in the clinic. I will help with basic patient care (taking vitals, basic first aid, etc), triaging our incoming patients, and educating patients on things like hygiene, sexual health, diabetes, and preventative measures. I will also have opportunities to observe the doctors and nurses in action.

We will travel by "puddle jumper" (little plane), boat, canoe, and.... well, I imagine there will be a vehicle here or there :) We will be going to the rural Guyanese people who have less access to primary care and working with the local healthcare workers to meet the medical needs of each village.

If you want to know more in depth, check out the Ve'ahavta Guyana project information page.

You said "please help"... are you asking me for money?

Yes, yes, I am. I will be completely honest with you about this. And y'know what makes it great? I really don't have the ability to afford it on my own!

Are you crazy?

Yeah, maybe I am. However, I feel really strongly that this medical trip to Guyana is something my Heavenly Father is giving me the opportunity to do and it is something I really, really want to do. That's an understatement. I am enthused, excited, and committed to this trip. Worst case scenario here? I go to Guyana and am in debt to Ve'ahavta and arrange a payment plan with them to pay off the cost of the trip within the next year or so. I believe in working for a living as well as working to make dreams possible. I don't like the idea of debt and try to avoid it as much as possible. I feel strongly that if I do everything I can to prepare myself for this trip and take advantage of all of the resources available to me that I will be provided for- in whatever form that comes about. It might sound crazy to plan this trip on such short notice with such little resources of my own, but I am not ashamed of my situation nor my decision to go.

The cost of the trip is termed a donation (and thus is tax-deductible). It is typically $3,000 but because I'm awesome, Ve'ahavta has reduced it to $2,500 for me. What does this cover? This covers not only my personal airfare, food, in-country travel, insurance, etc. but it also helps cover the cost of the medical supplies we will be using and supplying the Guyanese people.

What do I get out of it?

Well, that depends on what you want out of it. If you want me to have a great time, expand my educational experiences, and help people- I promise you'll get that. You'll even get some people in Guyana who are healthier, happier, and more knowledgeable about taking care of themselves. Personally, though, I want to give back to the people who help me to go. I have a few ideas about this, and honestly, I can't think of one to make the single gift back to those of you who help sponsor me. So how about this? I'll give you guys a list of things I can do, and you let me know what you would like in return.

• a printed photo of guyana. your choice from my pictures of people and land. (since i am a photographer)
• a photoshoot of you, your family, your pets, whatever.
• professional editing or restoration of photos you already have.
• babysitting. (for an evening, a day, a few times a week, a month....)
• cleaning. with my special genetic-anal-retentive skills.
• a massage. (i have no training whatsoever, but i do have a reputation for awesome massages.)
• buy doTERRA oils from me at retail price (i believe i get 25% of your purchase). feel free to ask me about essential oils if you don't know about them or what might be a good fit for you. i love them. maybe i'll put a post regarding oils here on my blog sometime soon...
• caregiving. i am trained to be a nursing assistant. i can help you or a loved one in a number of ways, from personal hygiene and basic medical attention to preparing meals and rearranging furniture for greater accessibility. and many things in between.
• tutoring. i have extensive experience working with special needs kids. i also am a college student and can help with most subjects up to high school level. i took two years of ASL and can teach you basic sign language.
• anything else you can think of.

well that's nice that you can do stuff, but I only have a little bit of money. can I just get a picture or something?

Of course! And you know what, if 50 people donated $20, that would be $1000. Now, I probably won't be able to send an 8x10 glossy to each of those 50 people because that would get expensive. But if you want one, let me know and we'll make it happen. If you want an hour of tutoring or a small handful of photos edited, let's talk about it. If you want to just donate and you don't want anything in return, that's really sweet and I'll accept that, but please give me your address so I can at least send you a picture or something. Pretty much, I'm a reasonable person, and I expect that anyone who reads this is probably a reasonable person. Want to help me out? Let's talk and see what I can do for you!

I have more questions!

Okay, post them below, give me a call (if you have my number), or shoot me an email (cassanndre [at] gmail [dot] com). I will also probably come back and add more information as I think of things people might want to know/ I want to share.