Went on vacation with just my girlfriends

I was able to successfully cross another item off of my list this past weekend when I took a road trip with 10 other women to Key West.  I had a lot of reservations leading up to the trip because this was my first time traveling with some, and others I haven't traveled with since college.  I feared that the years of growth and maturity since leaving the sorority house could make the weekend uncomfortable, or lack luster.  As it turns out, when you get a group of women who all at one point partied together in college the result is that you try to party like you did together in college.

 
When most people think of the Florida Keys they think slow paced, relaxing getaway, laid-back, chill.  When you get a group of women together celebrating a bachelorette on the verge of entering married life the weekend could not be described using any of those adjectives.  We maximized our time by waking up early with a drink and hand and staying out until the bars closed down.  I didn't go fishing or snorkeling or see a show in Mallory Square - even though most of my vacations to the Florida Keys include all of those activities.  But I did see a lot of Irish Kevin's, Dirty Harry's, Fat Tuesdays and well you get the idea. 

 

As I began the drive back Sunday morning, slowly driving over the first bridge away from Key West hungover and groggy from the night before, I glanced in my mirror at the other women in my car who were all either sleeping or close to it and thought about what I am taking away from this short vacation.  I laughed so much that my cheeks were sore, I have a new Rolodex of silly inside jokes, I can still party like an 18 year old even though I recover like someone approaching their 30's, and I have an amazing group of women in my life who would do anything for me.  These memories are a small reminder of why these beautiful ladies are the people I want to spend time with.  This might be the first vacation I've ever taken with just girlfriends, but it certainly will not be the last.  

#36 Crossed off - Pay it Forward

I put on my list that I wanted to 'Pay it Forward.'  While I feel I can now cross that off my list, I also feel like this is something I should continue to do for the rest of my life.  I hope I remember the great feeling I had knowing that I made someone's day just by a small act of kindness.

One of my life's goals is to live my life as an example to others of what a Christian looks like though my actions, words and overall attitude.  One way I did this was by picking up people's coffee in Dunkin Donuts' and Starbucks' drive thrus.  When I would go to pay I would tell the cashier to give me the bill for the person behind me and then I handed them an envelope to give to the next driver.  In the envelope was a simple message:

Outside:  You are special... Smile!

Inside:  You have just been tagged.  Someone reached out to you with a random act of kindness.  Now it's your chance to do the same.  Do something nice for someone.  Leave this card behind and keep the spirit going!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I hope this can be a reminder to me that these actions help me feel closer to God, more connected to the other people around me, and humble me with the financial security I have been provided.


****Update****  I was with a co-worker going through the Starbucks drive through and went to go pay for our coffees when I saw another envelope sitting in my purse.  I took it as a sign and offered to pay for the coffees in the car behind me.  The next morning I looked on facebook and saw that a good friend of mine went to get coffee at the same Starbucks I was at and that the person in front of her bought her coffee and yogurt.  Now, there is no way to know for sure if it was the same person I treated 'paying it forward' but it felt great to know that there were others out there who felt the urge to give the same way I did.  I love watching God at work!

Found My Passion!

Philanthropy has always had a special place in my heart.  I have a bad habit of over extending my time and booking up my weekends so I never was able to commit to organizations that have regular meetings.  I always wanted to join something like Junior League but it never worked out, but I have found my calling! 

A few years ago a friend introduced me to an organization called The Spring.  They help women who are victims of domestic violence.  I was instantly attracted to it because my husband's mom works for the state helping domestic violence victims.  I've volunteered for things here and there for them but this year was my biggest commitment yet.  I actually sat on their committee for their First Annual Purple Gala!  I was in a group designated to finding silent auction donations.  I used my contacts through work and personal friends and was able to get 15 donation items all with over a $100 value.  The event was very successful and my donations were able to bring in $5,000 worth of revenue for the group.  They raised $100,000 that night and after expenses were able to give $85,000 to the organization. 

It felt so great to have an active role with the charity that I have now called that my second home and plan on dedicating my time and financial resources to supporting their amazing cause.

Two More things checked off my list!

Before Christmas I was able to check off two more things from my list.  I wrote letters to the people I love the most, bought a great camera and took a photography class. 

The camera:  This year I was awarded a great honor at my work when they deemed me 'Islander of the Year' which is the same as employee of the year.  This fabulous recognition came with a great prize - $2,000 that had to be spent on something fun.  So I bought a nice camera to start my passion of photography.  I did a lot of research and took a friend's camera on a test drive and decided on the Cannon Rebel.  Amber decided to get a new camera around the same time so we signed up for a photography lesson together.  It was awesome.  He taught us all about the different features/settings.  Now I am ready to go take shots like a pro.  First assignment will be on the cruise Logan and I are taking for his 30th birthday in a few weeks.  I can't wait to really break it in.

The Letters:  I was sitting in church a few Sundays ago where I heard Pastor Glenn talk about preparing our hearts for the holidays.  He made a great point that Christmas is not about material things, it is about relationships.  He also suggested that the greatest gift that we can give is ourselves.  This made me think about all the people I have in my life that impact me on a daily basis as well as help mold the person that I am.  I decided to write the most influential people in my life a letter expressing to them how they are my greatest Christmas gift.  These people were my Mom, Dad, Amber, Logan, Merissa and Lori.  I would not be the person I am today if it wasn't for each of them.  I spent some time thinking about what made them each so special and jotted it down in a note that I mailed to each of them on Christmas Eve.  It felt so great to tell these people just how amazing they are to me.  It felt even better when I saw their reactions!  I am truly blessed to have people I can count on and grow with.

Why is it Important to Live Life to its Fullest?

I read this article today and thought it was a beautiful reminder about why it is important to live life to the fullest.  Even more motivation to complete my list!

What Does God Have To Say About You? by Rick Warren

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21 (NIV) "The point of living your life to the fullest in every aspect is not to increase your reputation; it’s to make your life count for God." I read a book one time about how to figure out what your life’s legacy should be. It told you to imagine yourself going to your own funeral, sitting in the back of the church and listening to what everyone there had to say about you. The book encouraged you to think of what you’d like people to say about you after you die; that becomes your legacy and you should spend the rest of your life living so that becomes true. Taking that approach is better than nothing, but honestly, it doesn’t matter what other people  think of you. In the final analysis, when you die, the only thing that’s going  to matter is what God says about you. That is my ultimate goal for you as you prepare for your Decade of Destiny.  The point of living your life to the fullest in every aspect is not to increase  your reputation; it’s to make your life count for God, to invest it in what God  says is going to make a difference.I believe that God put you here on earth  for a purpose. God has given you a special SHAPE – Spiritual gifts, Heart,  Abilities, Personality, and Experiences – that he wants you to use for his glory.  And when we stand before him at the end of time, all that matters is what he’s  going to say about how you used your SHAPE. Just like the servant in Matthew 25:23, I hope God says to you, “Well done,  good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put  you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” That’s what you want said about you, and you want it said by God, not by  other people.

I will Run for Wine!

I started running about 4 years ago.  And when I say run, I mean a slow jog.  And when I say started running I mean that it was a challenge to make it to the end of the street without being winded.  However, as bad as I was in the beginning, every time I went out there I got better.  First it was passing the end of the street and making it to the next stop sign.  Then it was running half a mile without stopping.  Then it turned into a hobby that I would do a few times a week. 

After running for a few months, my running buddy Amber and I decided to sign up for our first race.  (Amber was just as bad as I was.)  We signed up for the Gasparilla 5k.  After our first race, regardless of what our time was, we were both hooked!  We loved how it made us feel to actually finish something like that.  So here we are 4 years later with 4 5ks, one 10k and one 15k under our belts.  We were ready to train for the next level - a half marathon.

While looking around online at potential 1/2 marathons we discovered that Disney was going to be doing their Inaugural Wine & Dine Half Marathon.  How perfect!  We will run at night when it is cool and we get to eat and drink wine after it was over.  Doesn't get much better.

So the training began.  We followed the training guide that was posted online and tried to get in as many runs as possible.  However, training in the middle of summer in Florida is pretty brutal.  We would have to get up at 5a.m. on Saturday mornings to finish our longer runs before the sun came up.  But after months of training, this past weekend I completed my very first half marathon!

Who has two thumbs and just ran her first half marathon?  This girl.

The judges don't think so, but I think I'm number 1.

The race was very cool but at the same time challenging because it didn't start until 10:00 p.m.  I am use to running in the mornings.  Disney did a great job with providing lots of entertainment throughout the race to keep motivated.  I would recommend it to anyone.  My time wasn't quite as good as I would like it to be, but I can say that I accomplished my goal, and have already signed up for my next 1/2 marathon at the end of next month!  I am hoping that with the amount of training I have already put in, I can continue that path and exceed my time without a problem.  This is one thing I can cross off my list and also never forget.

I bought a car!

I finally did it!  I was always blessed growing up with my parents helping me out with giving me cars.  When I was 15 my dad told me that I was going to be buying my first car myself.  So I got a part time job working at Publix and spent many hours babysitting to save up.  I knew I wouldn't have enough by my 16th birthday but I was still determined to get one as soon as I could.  Then on my birthday my dad surprised me with giving me his old Explorer and telling me to use the money I saved up for gas for my car.  What a great feeling!  I knew the value of what he did because I spent every weekend looking at auto trader to see what I could afford.

After many dings and dents I put that Explorer through a roller coaster so for my 18th birthday I was given a new Saturn to take me to college.  While I was very happy with the gift, I always missed having a big SUV to drive around in.  The little coupe wasn't the same driving experience I was use to.  My brother was turning 16 around the time I graduated from college so we passed the Saturn down to him to get his first few years of driving a test and I was given another amazing graduation gift - a Mazda Tribute.  I was in an SUV again!  A little smaller and better on gas this time, but still the big car I love.

I drove the Tribute around for about 5 years which was great as I began working.  My first job only paid $23k a year, barely enough to pay for rent and food so not having a car payment came in handy!  But now, it has become time for me to grow up a little and take on responsibility.  I've always been very grateful for the gesture my parents made by making sure I had a safe car to get around in.  But now I am a grown woman with a good paying job and a husband to help out and I can take on the car payments.

After many hours of researching car reviews, 'building' cars online and going to lots to test drive various SUVs I finally found my new love - Black Betty!  Black Betty is a 2010 Honda CRV-EXL.  She has every upgrade I wanted and is a beautiful car.  It is very comfortable and got great ratings.  This is the first big purchase I've ever made on my own and I am proud of the decision that we made!  I can drive around for the next 10 years in a car that I can finally say that I picked out and purchased all on my own!