giving thanks. four days to go.

My apologies for keeping the commentary brief, but I have an intense four days ahead of me as I try to raise the remaining 41% necessary to fund The Global Citizen Project. I do want to take a quick "time out," though to thank the following people who believe in TGCP and backed the project over the past 24 hours:

Warren and Betsy Talbot of Married With Luggage, their blog on goal-setting, living well, managing your money, and simplifying your life. In a little over seven months, Warren and Betsy are taking off for round-the-world travel adventures. You can follow Warren on Twitter here, Betsy here and their Fremont home, which is up for sale here.

Patrick Mahaney, a dear friend of mine and dorm mate from my freshman year at University of Delaware, Los Angeles veterinarian and owner of California Pet Accupuncture & Wellness, Inc. Patrick educates pet lovers on pet issues through his LA Pet Care Examiner blog on Examiner.com. I can't wait for him, Phil and Cardiff to come to Seattle next month.

Marc Rand, constant source of love and friendship for the past (gasp) 20 years, one of the most thoughtful, creative and funny people I know. Husband to Scott Montgomery, another incredibly warm soul. Spending a few hours with these two has the restorative/relaxing effects of a full-blown vacation.

Jane

Barnaby Dorfman, CEO/Founder of Foodista.com, the cooking encyclopedia everyone can edit. You can follow Barnaby on Twitter here.

Helen Pitlick, digital media-ite, Foodista's Social Networking intern. You can follow Helen on Twitter here or read her blog here.

Sheila Beal, editor of the award winning travel blog Go Visit Hawaii. You can follow Sheila on Twitter here.

Matt Villano, dear friend who increased a previous pledge, freelancer writer covering travel, food, wine, gambling, science, business and technology. You can follow Matt on Twitter here.

Viv Draward, travel writer I met in Honduras and shared lovely conversation and company with over copious glasses of wine at The Lodge at Pico Bonito. She's also the PR and Communications Manager at Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Thank you to the 155 people who've pledged $11,866.42 to The Global Citizen Project. I still need a lot of help to reach my $20,000 goal or else I will not receive a penny and the project will not help. If you want to see TGCP come to life, please do what you can to spread the word. Thank you. XO

back from blog paradise

Blog Paradise at CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa was a blast. If you were following along on Twitter, I'm pretty sure I (and the eight other bloggers) kept you more than in the loop. Expect a few recaps/posts and photos in the coming days (the hotel is very involved with local community efforts, which really impressed me). A quickie trip south of the border was exactly the 72-hour respite this Vitamin D deficient gal needed right before the holidays.

In other news, The Global Citizen Project broke the $2,500 mark last night with a pledge from Matt Villano. Matt is a dear writer friend of mine, sometimes collaborator and constant source of friendship, laughs and inspiration. Thank you, MJV! So far, $2,506 (or 13% of the $20K goal) has been pledged. I still need your help to meet my goal by February 22, 2010. If the goal isn't met, The Global Citizen Project will not happen, and well, I simply can't imagine 2010 without embarking on this volunteer tour de force. Please pledge whatever you can -- every single dollar helps. I'm also in need to donations for backer rewards and open to any creative collaborations, so if you like what I'm trying to accomplish with The Global Citizen Project, let's talk and find a way to work with each other. I'm in total team-player mode.

Coming up on the media front: I just completed interviews with Lisa Rogak, New York Times bestseller author of Barack Obama in His Own Words and fave online travel magazine, Matador Network. I don't have confirmed run dates quite yet, but promise to post links upon cyber publication. Thanks in advance to Lisa and Julie for helping to spread the word about The Global Citizen Project.

I hope everyone is finding time to breathe this week. I rang the week/Winter Solstice with a most relaxing Monday afternoon filled with hot cocoa and conversation, followed by cocktails and sweeping Seattle city views from the 28th floor of Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Pretty much anything is possible after that.