Day 151: Practiced Being a Nicer Driver

I am notorious for being a grumpy driver and it's a terrible habit that I have. Today I needed to take a little road trip and decided this would be a great opportunity to practice being nicer on the road. So I put on my favorite soothing music from the Vitamin String Quartet and took a few deep breaths! There were definitely a few trying times, but 90% of the trip was all smiles :)

Day 150: Played Solitaire for Charity

Fridays always seem to be the busiest day of the week! So in between all the hustle and bustle, I played solitaire for charity through Goodgames. For every 3 games you play on Goodgames, you'll earn a penny for the charity of your choice. It's so easy to fit small acts of kindness in your day with wonderful sites like this :) 

Day 149: Thanked Hotel Staff for Excellent Customer Service

While visiting Chicago last week, we had a wonderful stay at The Hotel Blake. The customer service from all staff was superb and made our trip memorable! I was greatly impressed by their receptionists and doormen greeting us with a smile and conversation each time we entered and exited the hotel. I was especially impressed by their housekeeping personnel who went the extra mile to help us out when we mistakenly left our jackets in the closet. The housekeeping personnel promptly mailed the items to us and happily answered my questions. I received the shipment yesterday and it was evident that our items were handled with care. I am grateful for the amazing service we received and wanted to show my appreciation with a thankful phone call and email :)

Day 148: Left a Starbucks Gift Card for Our Mail-Lady

We keep our mail-lady very busy by having lots of packages to send out for my husband's home business. Due to the size of the packages, we usually have to leave them on the front porch for pickup, which means our mail-lady has to stop her route and make a special trip up to the porch! So today, we decided to leave a little something for her to show our appreciation for her service :)

Day 147: Donated to We Give Books

I was so happy to hear about We Give Books, a digital initiative that provides free online access to books for children. We Give Books also helps many literacy organizations by providing hard copy books to inspire children to be life long readers. For every $5 donation, We Give Books will give those organizations 2 books! Check them out at wegivebooks.org :)

Day 146: Shared a Message of Thanks

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are enjoying this honorable day, but never forget those that made this day possible. Today, I shared a message of thanks to our Troops and Veterans for their sacrifice in protecting our freedoms.  For every message shared, Bank of America will donate $1 to nonprofits supporting our Veterans including the Wounded Warrior Project and Welcome Back Veterans :)

Day 145: Helped Organize Book Reports

The school year is coming to a close and that means lots of paperwork for teachers! My mother is an accelerated reader instructor and needed help organizing book reports. The book reports that I helped her organize today were completed by first and second graders and were absolutely adorable to read :)

Day 144: Left a Gift for a Grad

Today I left a small gift for a high school graduate in my neighborhood. One of my fondest graduation gifts was a small journal that I used to write down memories from my high school adventure that I wanted to be sure not to forget! I still have this journal tucked away and read it from time to time--it always seems to put a smile on my face :)

Day 143: Donated Needed Items for Military Care Packages

Today I donated items to Operation Gratitude, a wonderful organization that supports our troops and Veterans by providing care packages. Since their inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude has provided over one million care packages!  Check out the Operation Gratitude website (www.operationgratitude.com) for more information and to view their item wish list :)

Day 142: Reminisced with My Husband's Grandparents

Today my husband and I spent the afternoon with his grandparents! We heard so many wonderful stories and I especially loved learning about how they met over 60 years ago. My favorite part of the afternoon was viewing photographs from their first few years together and seeing a side of them I've never seen before! Life is incredibly short and precious, so take some time to hear the stories and lessons from our older generations while we can :) 

Day 141: Left Money at a Gas Pump

Today was my last day in Chicago, but we left with so many wonderful memories! It was such a pleasure to be welcomed as guests in this culturally and historically rich city...thank you for being such great hosts! While I was saddened to leave, nothing can turn a frown upside down quite like a random act of kindness! So when we stopped to get gas, I decided to complete a classic act of kindness and leave some money at the gas pump for the next person :)

Day 140: Left Peanuts for Someone at a Baseball Game

Day 3 in Chicago was hectic, but ended just right at Wrigley Field... that is until the rain and storms came! We still had a fabulous evening enjoying America's pastime though!! My favorite game time treat is a bag of delicious, salty roasted peanuts. So, I decided to purchase an extra bag and leave it on a seat for someone to find. I was even able to see the reaction of the person that found the bag! It turned out to be a young boy and his father...so fun :)

Day 139: Took Photos for Fellow Tourists

Day 2 in Chicago has been a beautiful one!  Sunny and 70 degrees with a cool breeze from the lake, made for a perfect day to explore Millennium Park. While visiting Cloud Gate (the Bean), I asked a group if I could take some photos for them. I hope they will be able to cherish the photos for years to come :)

Day 138: Bought a Round for Someone

Hello from Chicago! Today was our first day in the windy city and we decided to have a delicious meal of...you guessed it...deep dish pizza! And the perfect accompaniment to a delicious pizza is an iced cold beer. So, I decided to purchase a round for someone to enjoy :)

Day 137: Purchased a Wedding Gift for a Random Couple from their Registry

I just absolutely love Weddings! And Wedding season is upon us, so I decided to "crash" a registry and purchase a gift for a random couple! Crate and Barrel offers the perfect system for sending gifts to random couples as the registrant's address is on file (and kept anonymous), so all you need to do is select the item you wish to send and add to cart! I chose to purchase a gift for Megan and Bryce whose upcoming nuptials will be held on May 31st...best wishes you two :)

Day 136: Left Cash at a Bowling Alley

It's been about 5 years since we've gone bowling, so when our friends invited us to join them for a few games we were totally excited! To spread the fun, I decided to leave some cash for the next bowlers :)

Day 135: Purchased a Gift for a Friend Out of the Blue

Today I met a dear friend for dinner and brought her a gift...just because! It has been a few months since we've been able to meet and I was so thankful we finally found some free time. I saw these hilarious plates at Crate and Barrel and thought they would be perfect for my friend, who just happens to be a dietitian as well! Friends are the family we choose in life, so show them how much you appreciate their support :)

Day 134: Left Money at the Bank for Someone to Deposit

Today I had to stop by the bank and wanted to spread a little kindness while I was there. I decided to leave some cash at the teller counter for someone to deposit if they wish :)

Day 133: Surprised My Husband With a Chocolate Treat

My husband enjoys tasting new and interesting chocolates! While I was shopping at World Market today, I came across a display with an array of chocolate flavors and couldn't resist picking up a chocolate treat for him to try. And he even shared a piece with me :)

Day 132: Forwarded an Email Coupon to a Friend

I was inspired for this act of kindness from a friend who forwarded me a coupon to one of my favorite stores last week. This weekend I received a coupon from Shutterfly for a free photo book and decided to pass on the savings to a friend :)

Day 131: Honored the Mothers in My Life

Happy Mother's Day! Today, I spent a beautiful day with both my mother and mother-in-law. To show my appreciation for their love and support over the years, I purchased these adorable birthstone necklaces from Compliment. Compliment was founded by a high school English teacher to help raise college funds for her students and now provides 5% of every sale to the Compliment Scholarship Program. I also love that every piece comes with a compliment! Check out this wonderful company at shopcompliment.com :)

Day 130: Made an Impromptu Visit to See My Sister and Nephew

It's so hard living miles away from some of my loved ones. Today I decided to make an impromptu visit to see my sister and nephew and I couldn't have asked for a better day! So much laughter and smiles wrapped up in one day!! Take the time to visit your loved ones and show your appreciation for them. Life is too short and precious to miss these opportunities :)

Day 129: Brought Snacks for the Waiting Room at a Car Service Department

Smiles are not usually something I see while waiting for my car to get serviced. Long waits and large bills seem to occur all too often. I needed my car serviced today and decided to bring snacks to leave in the waiting room. Hopefully this small gesture will decrease the "hangries" (hungry + angry) and inspire a smile today :)

Day 128: Honored My Favorite Teacher By Donating to Pencils of Promise

May 5-9th is Teacher Appreciation Week! And to honor my favorite teacher, I decided to donate to Pencils of Promise, an organization that "builds schools, trains teachers, and funds scholarships." My donation is supporting the training of 500 public school teachers in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos. With over 22,000 students served to date, Pencils of Promise is a champion for education! Find out more at pencilsofpromise.org :)

Day 127: Voted for a Local Hero in Honor of National Mobility Awareness Month

National Mobility Awareness Month is sponsored by The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) and "is dedicated to showing the world how people with disabilities can live active, mobile lifestyles." In celebration of National Mobility Awareness Month, the NMEDA and partners are awarding at least 4 customized wheelchair accessible vehicles to Local Heroes who have overcome the challenges of living with a disability. Today, I decided to vote for Adam Helbling. Adam was injured in a car accident in 2011 and despite his injuries and struggles with bipolar disorder and drug abuse, he earned a degree from The Ohio State University and authored a book. Adam is also a motivational speaker for schools, medical groups, accessibility design groups and TEDx OSU. Voting ends on Friday 5/9; visit mobilityawarenessmonth.com to vote for a Local Hero :)

Day 126: Joined Tomnod and Helped Search Satellite Images

I heard about Tomnod from my blogger friend Annie of Kinder by the Day . Tomnod is a website that utilizes crowdsourcing to view satellite images of the world to help solve problems. Today, I searched images to help map tornado damage in the southern and midwestern USA. Tomnod has also provided satellite intel for other disasters including the Mudslide in Washington State and the Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Join the search today at tomnod.com :)

Day 125: Cooked Dinner for Our Friends

After a recent thunderstorm, our friends' refrigerator stopped working and they lost almost everything stored in it. Delays with service and insurance evaluations resulted in quite a few peanut butter sandwiches and restaurant meals. So today, I invited our friends over for a home-cooked meal. We enjoyed a lovely evening catching up on the day's latest news and spending a little extra time with each other :)

Day 124: Purchased a Mother's Day Card for Cancer Research

I heard about Aubrey, a 3 year old cancer patient battling Leukemia, from @thedailyst on Instagram. Aubrey told her parents that she wanted to be a "mommy and an artist" when she grew up.  So when the family decided to help raise money for cancer research, Aubrey created this beautiful card to help others honor the special women in their lives on Mother's Day. Aubrey's goal is to sell 2,014 cards by Mother's Day with proceeds benefiting the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Cards can be purchased for $5.00 on Etsy at http://etsy.me/1i1i6vi :)

Day 123: Cheered on Friends Running a Half Marathon

What a fantastic morning! I was so honored to cheer on 2 amazing women as they achieved their goal of running a half marathon today...I am so proud of you both! Many thanks to Sarah, my partner in crime, for joining my cheer-leading squad today. We almost missed both ladies as they ran by because there were so many runners this morning. But, what we didn't expect was how many smiles we received from runners after reading our sign :)

Day 122: Bought Crayons and a Coloring Book for the Waiting Room at Work

The Doctor's office is usually not a fun place to visit. This is especially true for children waiting for their parents' appointments. So today, I decided to leave crayons and a coloring book in the waiting room of the ambulatory care center I work at. I hope this activity helped the time pass quicker for a little one :)

Day 121: Left Stamps at the Post Office

Today, I stopped by the post office to pick up some stamps and decided to leave a few behind for someone to find. Everyone could use an extra stamp or two :)