BDGD 11/35

Delivered a forgotten lunch to an extremely sexy husband.  Mine, of course! 

BDGD 10/35

Gave my rockin' Mama a gently used rockin' purse. 

BDGD 9/35

Gave a generous tip to my carhop at Sonic.

BDGD 8/35

Brought Starbucks for my work peeps.

BDGD 7/35

Paid for the person behind me at Starbucks.

Happy Birthday, Sis.

I have been looking forward to making this blog entry all day! 

Today is the day to celebrate my sister.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Shannon!!!

It's fun to think we've gone from this.....



Circa early 90's


To this.....

Yes, this is a year old but you get the point.  :-)

 

Let me tell you a little bit about this amazing woman. 

From the day I was born, she loved me, unconditionally, and I loved her right back.  She was always my protector and still is.  She read me Green Eggs and Ham until she had the whole book memorized.  She did it because it made me happy.  If I was in trouble with our parents she would yell at them, because to her I was perfect.  When I was sent to my room, she snuck in to make sure I was ok.  When a kid in the neighborhood picked on me and gave me a bloody lip she chased him to his house to make sure his parents knew what he'd done.  When I gave away her sweet sixteen ruby ring to a kid on the bus (I honestly thought it was just a novelty ring!) she wasn't at all upset with me.  Ok, maybe she was, but she sure didn't let me know it.  When I wore her clothes she beamed with delight because she knew I just wanted to be like her, if even for a day.  When she moved out of our house, she made it clear that I was always welcome in her new place.  She made sure I had a way to get there to spend the night, because I just wanted to be near her.  I still run to her house, a lot.  :-)  She has always been my biggest cheerleader.  If anyone needs something, one phone call and she will make sure everything is in place to make sure they are ok.  She's phenomenal.  She is one of the most amazing Mama's I have had the pleasure of knowing.  I strive to be as patient as she is with her darling little angels.  If you don't know my sister, you're missing out on one of God's greatest creations.  She is beautiful in every single way.  I am so blessed to have her not only as my sister but also my friend.

Thank you, Sis, for enriching my life by simply being you.  I hope your day had been happy, blessed and full of all the good things you so selflessly give to this world.  I love you!

BDGD 6/35

Baked and delivered cookies to my sister today because it's her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Shan!

BDGD 5/35

Baked cookies for a mother mourning the loss of her son.  Even if she doesn't feel like eating them, I hope she's able to share them with the many visitors she has right now. 

BDGD 4/35

Gave my shopping cart to a fellow shopper.  The grocery store seems to present me with of loads of Good Deed opportunities!

BDGD 3/35

Returned a cart for a fellow shopper.

Opportunities

This whole BDGD thing is fun!  One of my favorite parts so far is that I find myself constantly thinking of good things I can do for others.  How cool is that?  Super cool.  The opportunities are endless.   

BDGD 2/35

Donated some clothing and one of my favorite purses to a very deserving young lady. 

BDGD 1/35

Helped a darling, sweet woman pick out produce in the grocery store.  Believe it or not, people approach me in the store quite often asking for help.  I love it. 

BD + GD = HD

That makes total sense, right?  No?  Ok, then, in other words...


Birthdays + Good Deeds = Happy Days.  Better?  Good deal.  Birthday's involve cake.  Win!  Good deeds involve making others (and usually yourself) feel super awesome.  Win!  Happy days result in all of the above.  Winner, winner, ice cream dinner!  Or something like that. 

Now where was I?  Oh yes, this... 


My 35th Birthday...it's ah-comin'.  This year (inspired by my friend Katy) I plan to do one good deed each day leading up to my actual day of birth.  I should have started on the 12th of this month in order to do 35 deeds but, alas, I'm late.  SO, I'll start now and do more than one on a few days in order to get caught up.  I'll be writing about them here.  PLEASE, feel free to give me ideas!  I'm worried that my brain will stop working all together and I won't be able to think of super cool things to do.  If you were the recipient, what would you appreciate someone doing for you?  I'd like to hear all of your ideas.  Especially those which could remain anonymous or don't cost a lot of cashola.  GO!

One day...

I WILL own this! 

It's my dream!  Scott, if you're reading, buy me this and I promise to make you a cake like that. 

Reminders From Unexpected Sources

I watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Jaycee Dugard this past Sunday.  Jaycee's mother, speaking through tears, was expressing regret because she had not kissed Jaycee goodbye before leaving for work the morning Jaycee was kidnapped.  She was in a rush to get to work because she had been late the two previous Monday's.  She then said something that I needed to hear at that exact moment.  Basically, she said, take time for your children, even when it seems inconvenient.  A short and simple statement that resonated to my core.  There are lots of times as parents that we choose not to do something because it's a pain in the a$$ too much of a hassle.  I had a particularly rough afternoon with Landon (frackin' teething), who did not want to nap and decided it was best to scream and cry and pick on Mommy.  Hearing the words from Jaycee's mother, watching that interview of all the adversity Jaycee overcame, gave me a renewed appreciation for Motherhood.  I have always felt uber blessed to have been given the gift of life.  However, that appreciation sometimes wanes in the chaos of daily life of a little one.  Our reminders are everywhere, the key is being open to receive them.