Plane Crash In Alps

You may have heard that on Tuesday there was a plane crash in the Alps. The Airbus 320 traveling from Barcelona to Duesseldorf hit a mountain, killing all 144 passengers and six crew members, after it's eight minute descent. 

Our latest sources are telling us that the crash was intentional. We've been given information from the "black box" voice recorder that the flight's Co-Pilot, Andreas Lubitz, locked the pilot out of the cockpit and started the plane's descent. Although they are searching for more history on Lubitz, his reasons for the crash remain a mystery.

No screams from the passengers were heard on the voice recording until the very last minute. Meaning that they weren't expecting it, but they seem to have died instantly after the crash. 

Many people have been worried. Who wouldn't be? But, some people have been worried enough that they didn't want to fly on that day. Some may still feel that way today, and maybe they will for a while. But, they shouldn't. 

This was a terrible event. No one could say otherwise. But... About 50,000 planes take flight, worldwide, each day. There isn't even a statistic to show how many planes crash each day because it happens so rarely. Each year, there is an average of 150 plane crashes, worldwide. Those statistics are insane. 

With the newest information about the crash showing that it was intentional, that's an even bigger reason to not be worried to fly. Not only do you have the rarity of crashes, but adding in the factor of it being on purpose, makes it even less likely to occur.

Although this terrible crash should never be forgotten, you don't have to worry about getting on a plane because of it. 

Thanks for reading!

Check back soon,
Kendra <3

Improve Your Vacation In 4 Easy Steps

When on a vacation, there are many things you can do to ensure you have the best time possible. Four of these things are listed below...

1. Be Outgoing -
Do something you would never try at home. You're on vacation, have fun. Don't worry about being embarrassed or anything like that, you don't know the people there, and chances are you're never going to see them again. Let loose! Have FUN!

2. Meet New People -
When you're on vacation, you will find so many different types of people. People from all over the country, maybe even the world. You will learn so much by just talking to those people. Not only can you learn from them, but why wouldn't you want to meet new people?!? Who knows, maybe they'll be friends of yours' for forever, it's happened before :)

3. Treat The Staff Well -
When dealing with staff members, the way to get the best service is to stand out. If you remember their names and be polite, you're going to get treated much better than the people that do not follow this step. With as many vacations as I've been on, I can tell you that it will also be more fun after you get to know the people that work there.

4. Try New Things.... Especially Foods -
Try something new! If you come across something you've never heard of before, especially food, try it. You've heard the saying, "You never know until you try", well in this case, it is very true. Do your best to be willing to try anything and everything that is new to you.

I hope you have a great time on any vacations that are coming up, and I hope these tips help you out.

Thanks for reading!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3

4 Best Things to do in D.C.

D.C. is full of many fun and unique places to visit. If you are in town touring, 4 of the best thing to do are listed below.

1. The Monuments and The Memorials:

In D.C. there are many monument and memorials. The Lincoln Memorial, The Jefferson Memorial, The Washington Monument, and many others. Each of these landmarks are very special. They each have their own importance. The best thing about them, is that they were made to be in D.C., and they represent, D.C.'s significance. 

2. The Smithsonian: 

The Smithsonian is a collection of famous museums and galleries. Out of those seventeen different landmarks located in D.C., eleven of them are located in the National Mall. Each place varies hugely in information, from the National Air and Space Museum to the National Museum of African Art to the National Zoological Park. With as many options as there are, stopping at the Smithsonian will be an experience you will never forget. 

3. Mount Vernon:

Schedule a tour of Washington's Estate, Mount Vernon, with 500 acres of land and a 14 room mansion. While you are there, visit the one of a kind Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. If you happen to be in D.C. for Christmas, the "Mount Vernon by Candlelight" tour is phenomenal and an annual family tradition in my home.

4. A Tour of Redskins Park:

If you have read my most recent blog posts, you may have seen that, in fact, my team went on a tour of Redskins Park. Knowing this, I can personally vouch for it being worthwhile. Whether you are a big fan of the Redskins or not, it is quite an experience that not many people have.

When looking for great things to do in D.C. these 4 things should be great options for you, your family, and your friends. 

Thanks for reading!

Check back soon,

Kendra <3

Georgetown Chimes

A while ago, I wrote a post about "Christmas Chimes Night" and one about "The Cherry Tree Massacre". I have since realized that although I explained enough about that particular event, I didn't give too much information about The Georgetown Chimes themselves.

The Georgetown Chimes are an all male acapella group from Georgetown University. They were founded in 1946 by a man name Frank Jones. When Frank first started at Georgetown University he joined the Glee Club. But, Frank thought it would be great if he could start a barbershop singing group at Georgetown. So, he did!

In the 80's, my dad went to Georgetown. During his time there, he auditioned for the Georgetown Chimes. To make it into the Chimes, you obviously have to be able to sing. But you don't just get accepted because you can sing. For a number of months, you're called a Neo. Neos help the chimes with a lot. Before Chimes Nights, they set up the sound systems and bring all the equipment down to the Tombs. Throughout the show, they have to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you can put up with the hard work of being a Neo, you can sing, and you can learn the parts to enough songs, you get accepted into the Chimes. Luckily for us, my dad did get accepted.

Another nice thing about the Chimes is they are a brotherhood. It's a now and forever kind of thing. The Chimes have, since then, been a huge part of my family's lives. They are some of my favorite people in the world! We try to make it to as many shows and events of theirs as we can.

I'm so happy that my dad became a Chime; we've met so many great people because of it.

Thanks for reading!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3

Redskins Flag Football Appreciation Tour

Saturday morning, my football team, and the other flag football teams in the area that made it to the play-offs in Arizona, had a really great experience. To show how excited and proud they were of us for making it to the play-offs, the Redskins invited the teams to Redskins' Park for a tour.

When we got there, they gathered all the teams and brought us to an auditorium. They showed us a video of highlights and such from our games at the tournament. Then, one-by-one, they called the teams up, gave us little awards, and took our pictures. After that, we got to start the tour.

First, they showed us the main floor, which had many trophies, awards, and artifacts that the redskins have gotten. We also got to see the studio that they record the Redskins show in. A couple of the girls on my team and Bart represented our team in an interview for the Redskins show. After they finished their interview, we moved to the bottom floor where they showed us the gym, the GIGANTIC kitchen, and where the players' room was, even though we weren't allowed in there.

From there, they brought us to the outdoor field (inside one of those "bubbles") that the Redskins train in when it gets very cold. When we got there, a couple people that work with the Redskins made small speeches, and then they took a picture of all of the teams. Our team, alone, took some pictures there too, because we were the Redskins as well. After the official tour was over, my team stayed on the field for a bit just to hang out. Then, my mom and I headed back home.

It was really nice of the Redskins to invite all of the teams to the park. I'm really happy that I was able to have this experience and every experience from football that led up to it. I know that the girls on my team and I had a really great time, and I'm sure that the other teams did too.

Thanks for reading!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3

Kiva Part 2

Setting up a Kiva account is really easy. Once you get to Kiva.org, there is a little bar in the top right hand corner that says, "Gifts. Register. My Basket". Click the register button. Then it will ask you for all of your personal information: Name, email, password, etc. From there, you'll have to put money into your account. Once you have an account with money in it, you can then lend your money to any of the borrowers listed.

I tend to choose my borrowers because of things I like to do, or that I'm interested in. Many of my recipients are women, and I have only lent to people who are trying to start businesses. Many of my loans have been to women trying to make salon businesses, because that's something I enjoy. You can also choose by country, which I have done as well. You will see that there are thousands of recipients to choose from, therefore making it hard to believe you will not find something you're interested in.

I really like Kiva because it's nice to know that I'm helping someone start, what will hopefully be, a long time business for them. I'm very glad that my dad told me to look into Kiva and helped get me started.

I definitely recommend that other people get Kiva accounts as well. It's very easy to use and it helps people that are less fortunate to get their starts.

Thanks for reading!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3

Kiva Part 1

My family has recently become involved with a company called Kiva.

Kiva is an online organization, headquartered in San Francisco, California, used to allow people to give loans over the internet. Since 2005, they have funded more than 1 million loans. These loans total about half a billion dollars. Raising about 1 million dollars every three days since November 2013, Kiva has brought in over 1 million lenders from around the world. Kiva posts personal stories of each person asking for a loan to help loaners connect with their recipients. Interest is not collected by either Kiva or loan recipients. Kiva is only supported by grants, loans, and donations from its users, corporations, and national institutions.

Microfinance institutions, social businesses, schools and non-profit organizations around the world are allowed to post profiles of qualified local entrepreneurs on Kiva's website. As a lender, you may look through all of Kiva's posts and choose which you would like to fund. To transfer your funds you may either use a PayPal or a credit card. Once Kiva receives a user's money, they collect loan capitol from individual lenders and transfer it to the appropriate Field Partner, who then distribute the loans to the entrepreneur chosen by each lender. Although Kiva does not charge interest on loans, many Field Partners can charge interest rates. Interest tends to be higher on loans from microfinance institutions than interest rates on larger loans due to the administrative cost of overseeing numerous tiny loans and the increased risk. When recipients repay their loans, the Field Partners return the money to Kiva. Once your loan is re-payed, you can either withdraw your money, or re-lend to other recipients.

Thanks for reading!
Check back soon,
Kendra <3