Post #48 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.

Photo credit: UGM on Flickr

23.5 hours ago I began blogging for a cause and thanks to my readers and their generosity, over $3,000 has been donated to the Union Gospel Mission through my campaign.

With 12 facilities placed between downtown Vancouver and the city of Mission, UGM is ideally positioned to help those who need it the most. Employing a full-time staff of approximately 130 and relying on a broad base of loyal volunteers, Union Gospel Mission provides meals, shelter, education, counselling, housing and more to hundreds of people each day.

From pancakes in the park, Easter dinner, clothing drives, and support services. I truly believe in the work the UGM is doing in all corners of the Lower Mainland and these funds will help support their efforts.

Over the last 24 hours, and especially now in the wee hours before it all comes to an end, I found myself craving my own warm bed, a hot shower, and a change of clothes. I then realized that UGM supports people who simply may not have access to any of those things, all of the time.

I would like to thank everyone for their contribution to my campaign – whether you re-tweeted a post, left a comment, stopped by Workspace, or donated to the cause. Your kindness kept me going this entire time and continues to motivate me to provide quality content on Miss604.com.

Post #47 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.

My husband John joined us here at Workspace in the late afternoon and he’s pretty much here for the long haul at this point. He’s offered companionship, post ideas, a guest post, and support while my eyes became heavy.

Once Blogathon is all over, and I’ve recovered my sleeping patterns, we’ll be heading to a tropical location for five days of sun, sand, and hopefully some good old fashioned disconnection time. John and I have never had a honeymoon and well, unfortunately this upcoming trip doesn’t quite qualify.

You see 99% of all of our trips are working holidays and this is no exception. So even though I’ll be in the tropics for the first time in my life, with the love of my life, he’ll still be spending some time on the clock. I remain optimistic however that one day, this won’t have to be the case.

Post #46 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.

If you use the popular microblogging service Twitter you’ll notice that it tracks the top trending topics at any given time around the world. These hot topics are listed on the sidebar of your profile page and also on their Search directory.

But what happens when you see 10 topics trending and you have no idea what they mean or what their significance might be? Do what I do and check out What the Trend. Users can update and explain why topics are trending so that you’re not so lost and wondering why “NKOTB” or “cupcakes” are suddenly in the middle of the latest media buzz.

Post #45 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.

I’ve been waiting all day to link to Karen’s cookie recipe and it looks as though it has now been published on TinyBites.

Her mother in law’s Winnipeg Folk Fest cookies are really delicious and were the perfect treat this afternoon.

Post #44 of #49 – Over the next 24 hours I will be raising funds for the Union Gospel Mission during Blogathon 2009 by writing a blog post every 30 minutes. Please consider donating to my cause to keep my going until 6am PT July 26th.

“You’re probably not expecting to drown today” is the slogan used in a recent campaign to raise awareness for water safety this summer, and at all times of year. The Community Against Preventable Injuries and the Canadian Red Cross want British Columbians to think safety when engaging in activities on or near the water.

Though a grass-roots initiative, The Community Against Preventable Injuries has become a province-wide, multi-partner organization designed to raise awareness, transform attitudes, and ultimately change behaviours. Its goal is to significantly reduce the number – and severity – of preventable injuries in BC.

You can find out more about this campaign and others over on the society’s website, Preventable.ca.