TET

"Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New Year)

The Vietnamese New Year (referred to as TET) is the most important Festival of the Vietnamese people. This scared Festival occurs sometime between late January or early February, depending on Lunar Calendar. This year, Tet, begins on my birthday, Thursday, February 3rd!

Although officially a three-day affair, festivities can continue for a week or more with every effort made to indulge in eating, drinking, and social activities. It is also a time for family reunions, and for paying respect to ancestors and the elders. Gifts of food are made to friends, neighbors and relatives in the days before Tet. Above all, Tet is an opportunity to get together and celebrate! Loved ones, gather to enjoy traditional foods like bánh chung (a square cake made of sticky rice stuffed with beans and pork), mang (a soup of boiled bamboo shoots and flied pork) and orange sticky rice.

Other interesting things about Tet: Everyone is in a rush to get a haircut, buy new clothes, clean their homes, visit friends, settle outstanding debts, and stock up on traditional Tet delicacies. In Vietnam, businesses hang festive red banners which read "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New Year) and city streets are filled with colorful lights.

Tet 2009. Halle-Grace celebrates Tet with other children from her birth country.

Tet 2010

Tet 2010. Halle-Grace received a special package from Vietnam! Ms. Hau (a very special lady we met while living in Vietnam who took extra special care of us) sent Halle-Grace an au dai, a Vietnamese doll and a beautiful picture frame!

Tet 2011: We are SO excited about Tet this year. We will celebrate with friends on February 5th. Please stay tuned…you don’t want to miss the upcoming “Tet Celebration” blog entry!

Don’t forget to wear RED tomorrow, Feb. 4th. I will be in New York City serving as the event emcee for National Wear Red Day! Lots of photos coming soon…


Until next post, remain blessed,


Shannon

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I cannot describe how excited I am to have a job!! I feel like all my emotional struggling & questioning myself over the past months was all to lead me to the most amazing job for me right now! The women that I work with are fabulous & my bosses are so understanding and supportive of my Miss International schedule that is about to take off!

With so much focus on my job hunt, appearances were hard to plan & volunteering opportunities were hard to find. HOWEVER, I am so excited that now all my focus can go into being a great Miss International out & about in my community instead of just behind my computer & over the phone!

On that note, Avon’s Walks – In It To End It – are about to take off in a city near YOU!

They will need volunteers to help before the walk happens. I am getting involved NOW with the DC Walk that is planned for the very end of April. I hope everyone will find it in your heart to help out where you are needed!

For more information, visit: http://www.avonwalk.org/

Ashley Smith

Color Day: Be My Valentine (Red & Pink)

Last week, our color day focused on shades of pink.  This week, we will add in a bit of red (and lots of hearts!) to give it that super Valentine's Day feel. We generally avoid wearing these colors together any other time because, well, they just look like Valentine's Day. So, with that, this is about the only time of year that we consider it truly acceptable. But, regardless of what we think, these colors are romantic and traditional and, when combined, give things an overall happy and delightful feel that we can't help but enjoy.

Valentine's Day Red, Pink, and White Color Inspiration Board

Images from: ThePathLessTraveled, Nella Designs, Wedding Cabaret, The Slightly Obsessive Bride, Elizabeth Anne Designs, The Perfect Palette, Wed Loft, All Women Stalk, Cactus Creek

    XOXO

     Jen & Saira

Genzyme & National Wear Red Day

I love my career as a Musculoskeletal Specialty Manager with one of the world’s leading biotech companies….and I love my company even more for supporting NATIONAL WEAR RED DAY and allowing me to have the day off to be in New York City! Ask your employer about participating in National Wear Red Day, February 4^th. Make it your mission to stop the #1 killer!

Genzyme & American Heart Association

Wear Red on Feb. 4

February 4 is National Wear Red Day

Did you know...

That heart disease is still the #1 killer of women, taking the life of 1 in 3 women each year?

Did you know...

That heart disease claims the lives of 433,000 American women alone each year?

Did you know...

That we can make a difference?

The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women works everyday to fund research and fight this killer so that more women can be saved. But they need our help. Please celebrate National Wear Red Day on Feb. 4 to raise awareness about heart disease and the funds to ensure the research that could save a woman's life won't have to be denied.

It is in the American Heart Association’s mission and belief that together we can make a difference. This Feb. 4, we can join their mission, raise awareness and rally support to combat this silent killer!

How we can make it our mission to fight heart disease:
• Wear red on Feb. 4 and encourage your teammates and other co-workers at Genzyme to do the same.
• Purchase an official GO RED pin. All proceeds go to the American Heart Association.
• Share information with the women in our lives about heart disease and how we can fight back.
• Love our hearts by being physically active, eating a heart-healthy diet and being educated about heart disease and its risk factors.

On Feb. 4, let's make it our mission to save lives. Together we can make a difference.

www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/

Shannon