Aurora season is on!

This is incredible! From Stamnes and Vidbukt, Sortland, Vesterålen, Norway, Oct 2015

Florida Culture for the Week of October 26, 2015 by Josh Garrick

NOW to Oct 31 – Phantasmagoria VI – ‘The Darkness Returns’

In the past 11 months, Orlando has twice announced to the world that the city the world will always know as the vacation land home of DisneyWorld is ready to stand up and say, “We are MORE than a place to stay while you visit a theme park.” The first miracle event happened last November when, led by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, philanthropist Jim Pugh, and Executive Director Kathy Ramsberger, we opened the magnificently world-class Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.  

If you’ve ever wanted to know about volunteering when you travel but weren’t sure where to start, I have THE BOOK for you.  Author Amy E. Robertson has penned the best volunteering guide I’ve ever read: Moon Volunteer Vacations in Latin America. And while it focuses on Latin America, this book should be the first thing you pick up if you’re ready to learn about volunteer travel.

Jessica Pelland is a senior biology and psychology major at the University of Pittsburgh. Jessica is very involved on campus serving as the President of Pitt’s Animal Lovers Club, a Laboratory Assistant in a neuroscience and psychology lab, a Peer Leader for the Academic Resource Center, and a Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Biology 2. She intends to complete her PhD in the future and do research and teach in veterinary medicine for a career.

Oh, what a night! Last night, we headed to WMU's Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo to see the musical Jersey Boys. We came away singing, dancing, and pondering the vicissitudes of history. 

As a Massachusetts native who relocated to Pittsburgh in 2013, Deb Hopkins spent more than two decades in New England focusing on leveraging the energy and passion of dedicated volunteers to create meaningful change in the community. She served as the Executive Director of three organizations that relied heavily upon volunteer resources to improve the quality of life for at-risk children – CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected children), Junior Achievement, and Girls Inc.

Ever find one of those restaurants you never want to leave? When we were recently in Columbus, Ohio, we drove around campus visiting Ed's old haunts from his college days, viewed some extraordinary art, stayed in a fine art boutique hotel, Le Meridien The Joseph, and had an extraordinary meal. While I love Columbus, I really want to curl up on the white leather couches at The Guild House, to eat well, work in a new "office," and never leave.