Fundraiser for Ukraine
The war and humanitarian crisis going on in Ukraine right now weighs heavy on our hearts as we watch events unfold on the news daily. For us personally, it is Alex's birthplace where he still has friends and family. We are limited in what we can do for them as things stand now but in an effort to help raise funds to support the humanitarian efforts for those displaced and in need from Ukraine, we've created a few fundraiser items.
100% of the proceeds from those items will be donated to:
International Committee of the Red Cross
Records of the donations will also be recorded here.
| Date | Donation |
Receipt |
| 04/03/22 | $108.00 USD |
 |
| 12/31/22 | $48.00 USD |  |
We were fortunate enough to visit Ukraine in 2011 for Alex's childhood friend's wedding. It was my first time traveling internationally without my parents and it was a wonderful trip. While I know every country has its own caveats, during my trip there I encountered many wonderful and kind people, was offered more food and hospitality than I have ever seen in my life, and got to see beautiful historical sites.
We visited many old churches from various periods of history and got to see lots of open markets, artists, and even a brief trip into the mountains.
The city we visited was Lviv. It was an interesting mix of old and modern, rural and city life. The sunflowers pictured above were the biggest I have ever seen in my life! They were way bigger than my head and were very heavy. I was so excited to see them that Alex let me buy the biggest ones and then only later told me that I need to cook it before I could eat it... Our friend and host was pretty surprised to see me walk in carrying them but kindly helped us remove the seeds and cook them haha...
We found some mushrooms... I don't think the one I have there in the picture was edible though? I don't remember. Luckily our friend was an expert girl scout kind of person and new what was good and bad.
I'm also very afraid of heights. Alex hoisted me up on top of some rocks on the side of the mountain for a photo op that I did not enjoy...
As someone who's grown up in America my whole life, it was quite the culture shock for me but I welcomed the experience.
We only got to see a very small part of Ukraine that trip and it saddens us to think of all the things we may never get to see or if we'll be able to go back and visit his friends and family... but we can only hope and do what we can to help those in need now.