it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

normally i'm the no christmas music/decorations before thanksgiving kind of girl but this year i was ready to start blast elvis' blue christmas as soon as starbucks' red cups arrived. i'm not sure why, maybe because it's our first christmas together or because i have a real house to decorate. i know it's all marketing but the christmas decorations and music everywhere aren't helping the urge to cover everything with glitter and garland. i'm restraining though and hoping to go for the old fashioned christmas look instead.

our christmas celebrations began with the richards' annual christmas tree retrieval. we typically trek to the u-cut farm together to debate about which tree would be the best, even the year when it was pouring outside. this year we headed to the mountains to cut down our trees. the snow added to the christmas spirit and only caused one close call. there was much less debating too for we each got our own tree for our respective houses. oh, we really are growing up!


on the way back we the icecream cones at a nearby hamburger joint called our names -- you can clearly see why.

UW Guatemala Project

in 2005 my brother, tim, and his girlfriend, carrie, visited guatemala to study human rights with a group of students from the university of washington. while there they saw first-hand the effects of genocide and war upon a country and its people. they also met with some of the country’s most prominent human rights leaders, including survivors, attorneys, and many others fighting to improve living conditions for the country's impoverished majority.

as you can imagine this experience greatly affected the lives of the students. together they made a commitment to provide scholarships for their peers on coffee plantations in guatemala. these scholarships would support the primary and secondary education of youth who plan to invest their communities' future. to find out more about the uw guatamala project, please visit http://students.washington.edu/uwgp/index.html.

the group is currently planning an auction, hoping to raise over $50,000. this money would establish the scholarships for at least 10 years. as a supporter of my brother, education, and human rights i invite you to join me at the auction on saturday, march 31 at the knights of columbus hall in seattle, wa. your $65 ticket will not only support the aims of the project, you'll also receive a catered dinner, participation in a live and silent auction, and the company of me, frank, and my family. to reserve your ticket you may contact me or email maya.sparks@gmail.com.

if you are unable to attend the auction or would like to help in another way, i invite you to:

• donate merchanise, services, or gift certificates to be auctioned on the night of march 31.


• make a tax-deductible donation. checks should be made out to "uw foundation" with "guatemala project" written on the memo line. please mail your check to the group's supervisor, professor angelina godoy, box 353650, university of washington, seattle, wa 98195-3650.

thank you!