Well .. I guess it's official that this blog experience didn't go as planned the first go around, but this time I'm 100% sure that it might stick. :) How will I do that you ask? Two words .. themed .. wait for it .. posts. (Yes, that is a direct How I Met Your Mother reference. I am currently addicted to this show so any funny memories about an episode are welcome.) In all honesty though, how are you supposed to continue with anything if there is no purpose behind it? My purpose? - Traveling. It has always been a passion and I think it's pretty neat. I also think there is so much to be learned and experienced during travels that can benefit not only yourself, but others as well. I recently attended the State Fair (which I have been doing for years) and automatically started looking for my favorite booth. Each year I buy at least one piece (usually two) of jewelry from the Shkaa'la Fair Trade stand. The owner travels around the world and buys (at a fair price) beautiful pieces of beaded jewelry, handmade purses, scarves, purses and things of that nature and sells them here. She gives back 5% of all profits to the women artisans who created the pieces. I got to talking to this woman about how she got started in this business. It turns out she was living a normal American life, a homeowner working at a corporate job for seven years, and decided she wanted to try something else. She quit her job and sold a lot of her stuff so that she could really see what the world has to offer. She was astonished by the women artisans she met all over the world and found herself investing money in buying and sending their products back home. Not knowing what she was going to do, she followed her gut blindly, doing what she loved and helping those amazing women that she met along the way. Talking to this woman for 10 minutes was definitely the most inspiring thing I have heard in a while and has just further confirmed the fact that it is a necessity I get out of the country for a while. Until then .. I will have to make due with the little adventures I can find here. :)
Oh, what I bought this year?
Like her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/ShkaalaFairTrade :)
