4:30 a.m. and it just hit me

Good morning. Wow, it feels like 2 years ago when I opened Blooma and I would lay awake in bed for hours and hours with my head spinning with excitement and nervousness. It is all happening again as the "Blooming in Uganda Gala" drawers closer and closer.

There are so many things that keep me awake and full of questions about the night.....but like I say to all of my mamas, "trust and breathe and it will all be fine". Hard to take that advice when I am hosting over 200 people at the Weisman to raise the rest of the $20K for the birthing mothers of Uganda and it is less then 2 weeks and away and there is still so much work to be done. And, all of it will be done. From the ordering the flowers, to getting more people to rsvp, to making sure we have enough food and beverages, to wondering what time the volunteers are coming.....wow, it is all going to get done. One day at a time (and god knows I am a procrastinator).

What keeps me grounded at these moments when my head is spinning is thinking about the mom that is home alone while she labors and births her baby in Uganda. She has no accesses to medical care of something were to arise. We all know that Blooma and I trust in birth, but I also trust that woman have the support around them if something were to arise. What about the woman that is walking at 4am to a hospital over 10 miles away so she can be supported? That is the woman that needs the Shanti Uganda Birth Center and needs the $20k that Blooma is raising, so that she can be safe and birth her baby with dignity.

Please read more at:
http://www.shantiuganda.org/pages/birth

OK, let me see if I can try to close my eyes and get a few more moments of rest before the day begins and the things-to-do list is tackled!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Doulas Birthing in Uganda

Thank you wise doula sisters for all of the love and celebration this past Monday night.
Angela did an amazing job decorating us. Are you enjoying the henna? I love looking down at my hand and feeling you all with me. What a great image! Thanks to you all!

With love (and a little bit of exhaustion),
Sarah

The is a MUST website to look at..... A Walk to Beautiful!

My dear friend and amazing woman in the community, Suzanne Swanson just sent me the link to this powerful website. Please take a moment and check it out.

A Walk to Beautiful:
The award winning feature-length documentary A Walk to Beautiful tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. They make the choice to take the long and arduous journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life.

Thanks Suzanne for thinking of me!

There are 2 that have raised the $20K and going to Uganda in February!

I am really excited about the following email that I just received from Annalise at the Off the Mat Head Quarters in California:

Dear Seva Challenge Participants,

I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate Jessica Welborn from San Francisco for reaching the $20k goal today! As a team, we’ve raised close to $330,000! Keep up the great work. This is getting so exciting!

Annalise

I am so excited for Jessica and can't wait to see when Blooma and all of us reach this HUGE goal of $20, 000. We are getting sooo close to half way there!

Off to celebrate and inspire with the doula community!

Be well,
Sarah

Doulas Birthing in Uganda - TONIGHT at Blooma!

So many fun updates but running around today with my nephews and getting ready for the private affair tonight at Blooma....Doulas Birthing in Uganda! Don't forget to sign up if you haven't done so doulas!

We made great strides this weekend on our fundraising! With my prenatal class and the Foat Sample Sale/donation class we brought in over $400! What a great day.

Off to get yummy treats and vino for tonight. Be on the lookout for great pictures form the evening.

Be well,
Sarah

3 Weeks from tonight....where will you be?! The Gala at the Weisman!

Tonight though... I am home and cozy. Well, my sister and Nick's home. My house is being "rented" this month on behalf of a new baby (long story for another day). Anyway, a cozy Friday night (to bad FNL is not on), and Nick and I are hanging at the Browns dining room having a brew and a glass of red wine just thinking about where we will be 3 weeks from tonight......THE WEISMAN!

I have spent many hours today at this table. I had visits form Lauren (my "assistant" for the fall), my mom, the nephews..... and a BIG stack of silent auction donations for the gala. It has been a great day and I am in awe of all of the donations. We will have everything from Nan and Steele's Landscape Love (winter/holiday garden pots), to dinner at Heidi's, Vikings tickets, massages and on and on. You will not be disappointed. (I am already getting ready for my bid on the Dec 13th Vikings game in honor of my Dec 15th Birthday).

I am off to bed soon as I have a big day tomorrow:
8:00 Yoga at Blooma with Kim (if you can't make that head to lulu for Nan's free class at 9:30)
9:30 Blooming in Uganda: PRENATAL YOGA
My usual prenatal class tomorrow is donation based and offering up our practice for the sweet mamas of Uganda (and watching the Uganda birth video and moving to special beats from a fabulous Uganda band). Come one come all!
11:00 Childbirth Collective Meeting to encourage them to come to "Doulas in Uganda" a special event on Monday night at Blooma
1:00 Belly Cast and Meeting with my next client due on 11/6
4:00 Back to Blooma for a sample sale and yoga class with Kaja Foat! Again, a donation class that you will not want to miss.
6:30 Home to watch the boys
7:30 Down to Brits to see my brother Blake in action and drinking his Crispin Hard Cider (that will be served at the Gala).

OK, enough.... no my bad spelling and punctuation errors. Of to bed!

Thanks to all for the love and support!
I think we sold another 10 tickets to the gala today!
AND I sent in another $1,000 to Off the Mat.

hugs and kisses,
Sarah

Back from a fantastic night of INSPIRATION from Deepak Chopra. It is crazy when you really think about our minds and our intentions and how we can change so many things if we simply stop and be present with our souls and truly move from a place of love.

Speaking of.....The 2009 Off the Mat Seva challenge group (which there are 124 of) have already raised $314,000!!!!! 80% of these funds go directly to Uganda! Can you believe it?

Out of the 124 there may be 5, or 20 or over 55 that go to Uganda in February. BUT to go you have to raise the $20k.

So.... you must be wondering "How much has Blooma raised in the 4 plus weeks that we have been in action"? Well, let me be the honored one to tell you we (that means you) have raised over $8,000! I am over the moon with the response and the support.

We have over $12.000 to go though in less then 8 weeks so come get on bored......sign up today for the Gala and lots of other great workshops we have over the 2 months at Blooma.

For more info and to register for the Gala please click here and scroll to November:
http://www.blooma.com/uganda/EVENTS.html

***Tickets are limited so I encourage you to move fast peeps!

What else???? So many things/thoughts/feelings to share but I am wiped after a great long day at the studio. Off to bed with my new Deepak book.

But before I go I wanna share this link with you so that you may see the work that needs to be done in Uganda (not sure how this whole blog thing works with links and what not so please let me know if I am doing something wrong. New to this whole thing don't forget):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apqEiWGaqHQ

Love to you all.
Sleep well,
Sarah