1). LEADING THE FIRST EVER #fhbloggers TRIP TO ETHIOPIA JULY 9-16

One of the first new projects I began to work on when I first started with Food for the Hungry a year ago was a blog trip. I feel like everywhere I turn I have a close friend that is a solid blogger. I definitely understand the influence that bloggers with a passion have online, and the amazing thing is that this group that has been assembled for this trip has come together beautifully. It was truly God painting on a blank canvas from the beginning. It has now turned into an amazing piece of art that only our creator could have painted. This trip is going to be a great time for amazing communicators, story tellers, and heart felt believers to share what they see and experience first hand as we take them through the communities of Ethiopia that Food for the Hungry serves. I can’t wait!

2). SERVING NEXT TO SOME OF MY FAVORITE BLOGGERS.
HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF WHO’S GOING ON THE TRIP!

ALECE RONZINO: A New Yorker changed by Africa, Alece is the founder of #OneWord365 and a communications coach for non-profits. She blogs candidly about searching for God in the question marks of life & faith.

Alece is a close personal friend, church mate at Crosspoint Church and one of the most inspiring and community building bloggers that I know. She not only has a way with words, but also has a way with engaging a tribe in conversation. You’ll truly love following Alece’s blog during this trip, as you’ll not only be extremely inspired by the stories she tells, but also by the way that she’ll engage you in conversation and before you know it you’ll be a changed person for the better. I’m also honored to be co-leading this trip with her, as it would not be what it is without her.

ALLI WORTHINGTON: Alli lives outside Nashville with her husband and five young sons. She is the CEO of Picha Global, cofounder of BlissDom Events, and Blissfully Domestic magazine. Alli was also just listed as a Young Influencer of Today by Brad Lomenick of Catalyst.

Now, this gal makes me laugh in person and online more than anyone I know. There’s never a dull moment with Alli, and she’s never missing a smile on her face. She not only has WAY too much on her plate by raising 5 boys, but also running three companies and “somehow” she finds a passion in her heart to help those in need in everything that she does. When you follow Alli on this trip you’ll find the good in EVERYTHING, however she will not hold back from the hurt in the world and how important it is for us all to pitch in and help.  I’m so happy to have Alli on this trip, as she brings a unique view through the window of what we all see in life! Be yourself Alli. I can’t wait to “hear” what you write about what you “see”.

ALYSA BAJENARU: Dietitian, Personal Trainer, Cook, Crafter, Wife, Mom, proud wearer of onion-goggles. New Celiac. Official dietitian of Mamavation & Baby Boot Camp.

Alysa has one of the top nutritional blogs in America, is the personal nutritionist for Mamavation, and has been, for the past few months, the personal nutritionist for BlogHer. Alysa directs her passion to helping other mothers all over the planet provide the proper nutrition to their children. Alysa has always wanted to serve a global cause that was directly connected to food and development. When you follow Alysa on this trip you’ll learn that while the western culture is trying their best to provide the proper nutrition to their children, a mother in the Developing World is just happy to send their child to bed each night with a full belly. We will learn so much from Alysa on this trip and we’re so excited she’s with us!

EMILY LOERKE: A Dallas girl that believes it would be the perfect city if it were only in the mountains, right by the ocean with a downtown ballpark, four real seasons, and a ready supply of Blue Bell Ice Cream. Emily has been on staff at Watermark Community Church for the past seven years, and co-authors a marriage blog called Today’s Letters with her husband, Tim. Emily & Tim’s blog was voted the Best Blog by The Blog Guidebook in 2010.

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to start with this gal. I guess I would say, if I had ever had another sister, this would be her. I’ve never had another girl address me as “homie” in my life other than Loerke….yes, I called her Loerke. She’s awesome and you can tell that she and her husband Tim truly LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST! What’s crazy is that Emily and her husband Tim just recently got back from a trip from Uganda with her church. I love their passion for making a difference in the world and can’t wait to hear what amazing stories and new perspectives come from her blog. Thanks Emily for your time and thanks to Tim for letting her come with us. You’re an amazing and inspiring couple!

KRISTEN HOWERTON: A mom of four children within four years via birth and adoption, and has been blogging at Rage Against the Minivan as a coping skill since 2004. She teaches psychology at Vanguard University and lives in Southern California. Kristen’s blog was chosen to the in Babble’s Top 100 in 2011 and was just featured on The Huffington Posts blog recently for Mother’s Day.

Kristen’s passion to make a difference blows my mind. Not only was she quick to say yes to the trip, but she has adopted two boys from Haiti in addition to the two girls that she and her husband already have.  Kristen is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a freelance writer, and a musical theater geek.  She is also the managing editor of ShePosts, an online news magazine for women in social media, as well as the editor of Mama Manifesto, a collaborative parenting blog. On top of that she finds the time to devote herself to going on a trip with us to Ethiopia to impact others for the better. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kristen!

DAVID MOLNAR (PHOTOGRAPHER): David is a music & advertising photographer based out of Nashville, with clients like Dolby, Sony, EMI, March of Dimes & Atlantic Records. Because of his deep faith in living out love like Jesus, David uses his photography to aid in philanthropic work to wipeout hunger, disease, and extreme poverty.

David  and his wife Tammy are great friends of mine and great friends to many others! David is always a “man about town”, with photos in People, USA TODAY and Real Simple Magazine, yet he still finds time in his crazy photog travel schedule to support what we’re doing on this trip. You’ll be seeing his daily trip photos on every blogger’s pages throughout the trip. I can’t wait to see what stories he captures throughout this experience. Thanks David for coming along with us!

3). HUNDREDS OF KIDS FROM ETHIOPIA TO BE SPONSORED

How can you get involved and help?

Sponsor a child by clicking the banner below or even take it a step further after sponsoring. Copy the HTML code below and paste in your blog or facebook page and share this experience with your friends.

[COPY & PAST THIS CODE BELOW ON YOUR BLOG OR FACEBOOK]

<a href=”https://www.fh.org/give/sponsor?checkoutcode=EO03WGZM3&promocode=EO03WGZM3″><img src=”http://www.fh.org/images/fhbloggers/300×350.jpg” alt=”fhbloggers-Ethiopia” width=”300″ height=”350″></a>

Thanks so much and I hope that you’ll follow this trip and keep a solid dialogue with us throughout. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and what is going on in your heart as you read the stories and experience that we’re talking about that we’re seeing.

If you’re on twitter or instagram be sure and follow the #fhbloggers hashtag or to connect with each blogger, you can find them at our trip landing page www.fhbloggers.org or stories at #fhbloggers

These are some images that have been burned in my mind from a recent trip to the Dominican Republic. Part of my job with Food for the Hungry allows me to take people of influence overseas to the communities that we serve. In this case these people of influence were Jonny Diaz and Logan Martin, two amazing musicians that impact people all over the U.S. The images below are just a few, but some of my most memorable and inspiring moments.

ENJOY and please let me know by leaving a comment, which photo moves you the most and WHY.

This little guy doesn't know it yet, but FH is building his family of four a new home very soon (shhhhh)

This couple are both 23 years old, been married for 7 years, and have 3 kids under 7 years old. Their favorite hobby is to watch their kids be able to play on their homes concrete floor, as opposed to the mud floor before we built them a home.

SUGAR CANE is a treat for many, but also helps to clean the plaque off of teeth

This is the local watering hole for the small rural community of Monte Plata

These are my two friends and artist that partner with Food for the Hungry that we took to show them our work up close and personal. They were both put on the spot by a local to sing a song

These two extremely creative & funny girls just gratuated our FH AMO program "Spiritual Foundations School"

Many people are flooded out of their homes frequently, but it's the cheapest place to live. I also discovered that many people commit suicide from this bridge and kill others by falling through their tin roof home

The funny thing about this pic is the man that drove by yelling in spanish "TAKE A PICTURE OF HIM JUMPING OFF THE BRIDGE" ---- funny, ha ... ha!

We had the honor of playing the local Domincan kids in baseball, their national sport. We won, and they were not very happy

This is the innovation of 3rd world kids. I had to help fix it & all I had was vine. I hope it lasted them a while

I’m always honored to have been asked to shoot the monthly boutique spotlight for the DIY Style Blog StellaShops.com. They chose a really cool and eclectic shop in the 12th South district just outside of downtown Nashville, Serendipity. READ POST HERE! The owner Julie is a sweetheart and I just loved working with her. It also helps that they carry my wife’s favorite candles Archipelago (wasabi mint). Also, you may have seen the latest Nashville Scene Magazine with an ad from Serendipity. I was honored that they chose one of my pics to showcase their place. Thanks Julie, owner of Serendipity, and StellaShops.com for the opportunity to work with such creative and awesome folks!

Also see Debbie Kidder of Re-creating Juliette feature post of her amazing hand made jewelry. I was honored to have taken these showcased photos as well. I loved how these turned out!

Asheville, NC, a true vacation place and there’s something for the whole family. My wife and I try and visit Asheville, which is just a five hour drive East of us in Nashville, any chance we can. My wife and I recently spent a weekend in Asheville for our 12 year anniversary and we had a blast. On our normal trips I usually head out to a local stream to fly fish of a morning, come back to the cabin and have coffee and breakfast on the deck that overlooks the scenic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and then we’ll head to shop in the city or nearest town. This place is magical and whimsical and a must visit. Below I’ve listed a few things below with links that will share our most recent adventure to Asheville, as well as some suggestions from past trips. ENJOY! (Navitat Canopy Tours, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Tupelo Honey, 12 Bones BBQ, Farmer’s Market, Hunter Banks Fly Shop)

Other amazing places to spend your time in Asheville, NC (Grove Park Spa & Inn, The Biltmore House, My Father’s Pizza)

WHICH OF THESE THINGS APPEAL TO YOU THE MOST AND WHY?

::ADVENTURE::

NAVITAT Canopy Tours (zip lining)

Chimney Rock / Lake Lure

Fly Fishing

::FOOD::

Genny's Family Restaurant

12 Bones BBQ

Tupelo Honey

Farmer's Market

We have it so good in America. We take so many things for granted, like running and clean water, endless supply of food at our finger tips, cover and air conditioning for when it’s too hot and shelter and heat for when it’s too cold. As you’ll see, in the pics that I took below on my trip in 2008 to Honduras, the people are beautiful and the colors are amazing. However these people are living in sheer poverty, hungry and living in mud huts with dirt floors and swimming and bathing in contaminated rivers and drinking unclean water, yet they still smile and play like our kids do. The things that these children hold stock in are not toys and netflix movies like my kids do, but fun games and family time. These are what these children are all about, because there aren’t as many, if any, toys and definitely not any kid show options on netflix. I’m sure that we can learn a lot through these people. You should get involved in their lives.

Enjoy my pics of my adventure in Honduras!

HOW DO THESE PICS RESONATE WITH YOU?

all photos ©danielcwhite.com

Twelve years ago yesterday (July 17th) in a little church in San Antonio, TX, I married the love of my life. The little college girl that bought me, yes, bought me for $110 at my fraternity date auction at the frat house in August of 1997. Oh, and also, if you didn’t notice, we shared the same last name even before we were to wed. And no, we aren’t related. Our healthy kiddos have proven that (smiley face).

We’ve had such an amazing twelve years and we are both extremely excited for many more fun, exciting, challenging, sleep deprived, fast paced, adventurous, laughable, lovable, whimsical, spiritual, thought provoking, victorious years to come. The years haven’t always been the same as others, yet there are so many that I can’t stop thinking about due to how much fun we’ve had. I sure do love adventure and the great outdoors, as you can see on my blog. However, I didn’t realize that when I signed up for marriage, that there would not be another adventure that I can think of out there that could contend with this one. Traveling through trails and rough terrain of mountain ranges that we’ve never traveled before, rough on our feet, hotter than Hell , and at times unbearable, but we always get through and are better for it. Storms that come out of nowhere, yet still have a stunning view only to learn that these adventures & storms that we’ve weathered have made us stronger individually and have brought us closer together throughout the journey. The adventure that brings us to the most peaceful of streams, the feeling of gliding through the air on a hang-glider without a care in the world thinking nothing will ever come between us and we’ll never lose this feeling. Oh, the ups and downs of marriage, life, love and relationships. We can’t live without them and I wouldn’t change a thing from the good and the bad. It’s ALL of it that makes us who we are and who we’ve become as a couple. I know that I’ve made some of the most unbelievably ridiculous decisions in these past twelve years and I’m pretty sure that I’ll make some more. Yet she is still with me and SHE STILL Likes ME!

Happy Anniversary My love, and here’s to many more adventures with you my queen!

[Enjoy some pics below of our past adventures]

(ABOVE: our 12 year anniversary trip to Asheville, NC)

(ABOVE: our honeymoon)

(LEFT ABOVE: our wedding night – RIGHT: moments after I proposed)

(LEFT: the moment we met – RIGHT: our first date)

I’ve recently been asked to do a photo shoot for a great DIY style blog called Stella Shops, and their spotlight on Boutique Bella, here in Nashville. They are a blog that actively gives you daily tips for style, decoration, and just overall deals for those in the surrounding Nashville area. The blog is run by great friends of mine, Carla Antenelli and Mizzie Logan. They are both amazingly driven and creative individuals, and are both multi-talented.

Thanks again gals for including me in this. I had a blast and can’t wait to do another one soon!

Don’t forget to go check out the actual post at StellaShops.com HERE

OTHER (Daniel C White) PHOTOGRAPHY POSTS ::
Landscape Photography Never Fails to Inspire Me AND Free Textures and Backgrounds

I love the great outdoors, and I love photography. These photos are just a quick snapshot of my latest turkey hunting trip to El Dorado, Kansas with my brother to participate in the 25th Annual Governor’s “One Shot” Turkey Hunt event. I never knew that Kansas was such a beautiful State until this trip, and the people are so amazingly nice! I can’t wait to go back.

All photos taken & copyrights by ©Daniel C White

I am a fan of textures and background images. I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world throughout the years, and while doing so I’ve gravitated to an eye for textures and backgrounds. I thought, since I don’t really consider myself a photographer or even a designer, that this would be a great time to serve my readers and friends by giving away some of my photos for textures or backgrounds. If they don’t come across high res enough, please just email me and I’ll send it to you directly. Have fun with it and feel free to share this post with others in the meantime! Just right click, hit save and enjoy! Feel free to give props or share comments if you do. Thanks!

{4 images below – Honduras}

{3 images below – Tennesse Mornings}

{4 images below – Napa Valley, CA}

{3 images below – Honalulu Hawaii}

{1 image below – Random Images}

Thanks for checking out my pics. Feel free to share your thoughts by commenting or to let me know how you’ll be using the images you’ve downloaded. I’m just curious, that’s all!

Enjoy!

When I first clicked on Kelli Trontell’s Photo Blog (to the left) and began scrolling down the page admiring the amazing photo blog that she put together for her friends, clients, future clients or just those that enjoy her style of work called Lifestyle Photography. Before I made it half way down the page I had already made up my mind that, Kelli just has to shoot our family. We’ve had great family photos in the past, but I just knew that Kelli could truly capture our family and all four of our unique personalities, and that’s exactly what she did. I fully trust her from the decision of the location to the direction throughout. She just became a part of the family that day and in no way was it ever an “us and her” during the day. That truly made the day, with kids, very smooth. Her price is amazingly affordable, yet I so think she’s selling herself short for the quality and personality that you get in each photo.

I would HIGHLY recommend Kelli for any wedding, family or creative photo shoot that you may need. Check her out at www.kellitrontell.com, and take a further look at our family lifestyle shoot below or on our Flickr to the right.

THANKS SO MUCH KELLI

the whites