Day 304: Gave a Big Discount to My Best Customers

I love sales and finding great deals, so I thought I would offer a big discount to my best Mary Kay customers. Today I surprised my customers by offering them 40% off their entire purchase :)

Day 303: Celebrated Halloween with My Mom

My parents live out in the country and haven't had a trick-or-treater stop at their house ever! Tonight our neighborhood celebrated Halloween and I thought it would be fun to invite my mom over for dinner and to pass out candy! We had so many trick-or-treaters this year that we ran out of candy in the first hour. All that was left in our candy bowl was 2 lonely spiders...haha! Such a fun night :)

Day 302: Participated in a Like, Share, Give Campaign

Green BEAN Delivery service provides organic produce and groceries to members and delivery right to your home or office! I have been using this service for a few months and absolutely love it! The best thing about this company is a continued commitment to the communities they serve. Green BEAN Delivery launched their Like, Share, Give campaign to donate up to 6,000 pounds of produce to local food banks. Green BEAN Delivery donates  up to 3 pounds of food for each Like and Share of their Like, Share, Give campaign post on Facebook. Learn more about Green BEAN Delivery and the locations they serve at greenbeandelivery.com :)

Day 301: Helped a Friend Search for Jobs

Job searching can be a daunting task and it can be helpful to have an extra set of eyes to scan through postings. Today, I checked a few job search engines for my friend and collected some possibilities :)

Day 300: Held the Door for People Leaving an Event

Tonight was an absolute blast! My husband and two of our best friends headed downtown to watch the Lion King musical! Make sure to snag some tickets if it comes to town!! The crowds leaving any event can be slow, so I decided to hold the door for people leaving the show :)

Day 299: Payed for Half of Someone's Gas

Today I took a mini road trip to visit my sister and thought it would be fun to help pay for someone's gas when I stopped for a pit stop :)

Day 298: "Booed" Our Neighbors

I noticed that our neighborhood is full of doors with cute ghost signs hanging on them. I was curious as to what this sign meant, so I went to investigate! When you get "Booed" by someone, a small gift is left on your front door to brighten your day. Today I found a couple of houses that haven't been "Booed" yet and left a few Halloween goodies for those neighbors to find :)

Day 297: Left Movie Treats for Someone

I was inspired by my Instagram friend @nysmilemovement for this act of kindness!  Today we went to see the movie St. Vincent with our friends! It's been a while since we made it to the theater, so to make our night more fun, I decided to leave some movie treats in the seats in front of us :)

Day 296: Shopped Local

We have the cutest artisan shop in my community that sells everything from handmade jewelry to local brews! It's been a while since I visited the shop, so when I passed by it today I thought it was the perfect day for some local shopping. It was really fun to see handmade goods from small businesses and it actually reminds me a lot of my husband and his side business. Community support can make all the difference for the growth of a small business :)

Day 295: Made a Rose with Fall Leaves for Someone

The leaves have been absolutely gorgeous this fall and I wanted to spread a little autumn joy! My aunt had a great idea about using leaves to make flowers, which inspired me to make one for someone today :)

Day 294: Shipped a Needed Item to a Friend

My friend has been telling me she needed a new "dad friendly" diaper bag to carry and fell in love with this Land's End tote. Today I decided to purchase the tote and had it monogrammed and shipped to her house :)

Day 293: Left Thank You Cards for Someone to Find

Today I needed a thank you card to send to someone and when I checked my greeting card stash I didn't have a single one! I never seem to have the card I need! So I headed to my favorite spot to pick up some new cards and thought someone might appreciate having an extra pack too :)

Day 292: Ordered Sample Invitations for My Sister

Wedding planning is definitely fun, but can be expensive! My sister has been searching for save-the-dates, invitations, and other wedding stationary and ordering so many samples adds up quickly. Today, I ordered a bunch of samples for my sister and shipped them to her home :)

Day 291: Helped a Friend Decorate for a Baby Shower

Today I helped a friend decorate and prepare food for a baby shower! The shower was a coed BaByQ, so my husband even put his grilling skills to the test and cooked burgers and smoked chicken wings...delicious! My favorite game at the shower was writing funny messages on diapers for the late night diaper changes. What a great idea to offer laughter to the parents-to-be during an unpleasant task. It was truly a wonderful evening and so fun to shower many friends with love and support :) 

Day 290: Collected Money for Jeans Day

During this time of the year my workplace offers "Jeans Day" to staff on certain Fridays, but to participate, you have to make a small donation to charity! So this morning, as people were coming into work, I collected donations from staff :)

Day 289: Offered Support at a Cancer Support Group

Proper nutrition is essential for all, but especially important for those battling cancer. Unfortunately, many people are not connected with a dietitian when it matters most, so today I offered nutrition advice and tips at a cancer support group :)

Day 288: Made a Donation to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and October 15 is a day of remembrance as thousands of families each year face the loss of a child. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep connects families with photographers to provide remembrance portraits of their child and resources to assist with the bereavement process. Learn more at nowilaymedowntosleep.org

Day 287: Helped a Family Raise Funds for Adoption

My neighbors are currently raising money to adopt twin boys from Uganda. To help raise funds for the adoption, they are selling t-shirts with an awesome message..."Hope Changes Everything." Today I purchased a t-shirt and wished them blessings for their journey :)

Day 286: Donated Baby Chicks to a Family in Need

I was inspired today by my Instagram friend @365firsts, who is doing 1 new thing he's never done before every day for a year. On day 151 of his project, he donated baby chicks to a family in need. I absolutely loved this idea! Even more so because of my profession as a dietitian! Eggs from these chickens will provide an excellent source of protein and other vital nutrients to impoverished families and help them receive the nutrition they require. So today, I headed to samaritanspurse.org to donate baby chicks as well. Keep up the great work @365firsts :)

Day 285: Made a Monogram for a Friend

A friend is throwing a party soon and asked me to make a chalkboard monogram for the guest of honor. My friend is planning to use the monogram on decorations at the big event. It's so fun to help a friend :)

Day 284: Gave Arcade Tickets to a Child

My husband and I decided to try our hand at a few arcade games with some friends. Instead of cashing in the tickets for a prize, we all gave our tickets to children! Their smiles were contagious :) 

Day 283: Paid for Someone's Valet Parking

Tonight we enjoyed a fun night out with two great friends. The shopping center where we had dinner offers valet parking to guests, so I decided to spread some kindness by paying for someone's valet. The family I approached was too cute! They couldn't believe someone was paying for their valet :)

Day 282: Gave a Warm and Cozy Gift to Someone

Fall finally arrived this week and one of my favorite past times is getting warm and cozy with a mug of hot chocolate and a great book! I found this adorable mug at Target and decided to add some salted caramel hot chocolate packets for someone to enjoy :)

Day 281: Packed My Husband's Lunch

The daily grind can be monotonous, but we can help bring some excitement to someone's day by doing a boring chore for them. I decided to pack my husband's lunch today to make his morning routine a little less routine :)  

Day 280: Left Coupon Pamphlets in a Waiting Room

It seems like I get a coupon pamphlet in the mail every day! I thought it would be fun to share the savings with someone else, so I decided to leave some pamphlets in the waiting room of a local clinic :)

Day 279: Clicked to Donate to Breast Cancer Research

I came across the website Care2 today, which provides tools to help people impact their communities. One section of the website allows you to click to donate to a cause for free! Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I decided to click to donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Learn more at care2.com :)

Day 278: Delivered Souvenirs to Family

I picked up some yummy macarons from Ladurée before leaving France as souvenirs for our family. These little gems tasted incredible! My favorite flavor was salty caramel and I wish I had bought more to eat! We had a blast snacking on macarons and flipping through pictures from our trip :)

Day 277: Finished All the Laundry

While my jet-lagged hubby got a few extra z's, I unpacked the luggage and finished all the laundry. Surprise :)

Day 276: Left Cash at Baggage Claim

One can have mixed feelings at baggage claim. It can be the start of a great trip or the end of one.  With this in mind, I thought leaving some cash for someone to find could help make the start of someone's trip a little extra happy or the end of one a little easier :)

Day 275: Smiled in Line at Customs

There's nothing fun about standing in line. Especially when the line is over an hour long, it's hot, you're hungry, you're tired, and there is a couple behind you that has not stopped complaining since you got in line! So isn't this the perfect opportunity to change your attitude and perspective??!! I decided to start smiling because even in this moment of unpleasantness, I still have many things to smile about. For one thing, I just finished a fabulous trip to France! My husband and I even started telling the silliest jokes we could think of and got a few chuckles from the people standing near us (Why does Tigger stink?...Because he's always playing with Pooh!). Oh what a difference a smile can make :)

Day 274: Thoughts of Love at the Lock Bridge

Today we took a stroll to the lock bridge and I was amazed at how many locks had been left. Couples have been attaching locks to the bridge and tossing the key in the river as a symbol of everlasting love. While I love the romanticism of the lock bridge, I feel that it is taking away from the beauty of the bridge and it's surroundings. So I didn't leave a lock, but instead named all the people in my life that I loved and gave a big kiss to the guy that has stuck with me through thick and thin :)

Day 273: Left Euros in a Vending Machine

While waiting for the train today, I was in need of a little snack and thought it would be fun to leave a couple euros in the vending machine for the next person :)

Day 272: Left a Tip for Our Waiter

We used Rick Steve's Europe travel guides to plan our trip and received a ton of vital information to help us navigate. One interesting piece of information was that tipping is much different in France than in America. According to the travel guides, servers are paid much better in France and the menus usually include a service charge already, so tipping 15-20% is unnecessary. But leaving a few extra euros for truly great service is absolutely appropriate. So at our favorite cafe (which we had 4 meals at lol!), we left a few extra euros for a job well done :)

Day 271: Mailed a Postcard Through "Send Kids the World"

Send Kids the World is a fantastic site that allows you to send encouraging postcards to kids with life threatening illnesses from around the world. One of my favorite sites in Paris was watching the Eiffel Tower light up at night, so I thought this would be a perfect postcard to send to a child. The postcard read, "You Sparkle as Bright as the Eiffel Tower." Find out more at sendkidstheworld.com :)

Day 270: Helped a Fellow Tourist Navigate the Metro

Being in another country and a big city can be overwhelming and scary! When sightseeing today, I came across a fellow tourist on the metro that was having a difficult time navigating the system. I gave them a quick lesson and helped them figure out their stops :)

Day 269: Toasted a Newly Engaged Couple

We are back in Paris to finish our trip in France. Our first order of business was sailing on the Seine for a lunch cruise...a fun and tasty way to tour this beautiful city! But the best part was when the couple sitting behind us got engaged! We toasted the newly engaged couple and thought, wow this city really is the most romantic city in the world :)

Day 268: Sent a Photo to a Fellow Tourist

While touring the D-Day Beaches, one of my fellow tourists was unable to capture this photo due to his location on the bus. I had the perfect vantage point, so I asked him if he had an email address for me to send him the photo. Luckily, our hotel had free wifi service, so I was able to email him the picture that evening :)

Day 267: A Moment of Silence and Prayer at the Normandy American Cemetery

Today, we headed across France and arrived in Bayeux to tour the D-Day Beaches. It was an incredible experience to visit the beaches and relive a moment in history. We had the opportunity to also visit the Normandy American Cemetery and spent some time in silence and prayer to remember the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms :)

Day 266: Left a Gift for Our Housekeeper

Our housekeeper provided us with exceptional service since arriving and even gave us tips for navigating the town and restaurant recommendations. I decided to leave a small gift in appreciation for her assistance :)

Day 265: Sent a Video Message Home

We finally arrived to our destination and are starting our trip in Chamonix! With the beautiful French Alps in the background, I decided to send a video message home to say hello to our family :)

Day 264: Left Games for Someone to Find on a Flight

We are off to France today! It will be a long journey on the plane and I was thankful to have my trusty Kindle in hand to keep me occupied. I thought of how boring this ride could be without an activity, so I decided to purchase some games to leave on the plane in case someone could use a little fun :)

Day 263: Packed My Husband's Suitcase

I'm back! Sorry for the long delay and lack of postings, but I've been on a grand adventure with limited access to the internet. My husband and I took a trip of a lifetime to France!!! Now that I'm back, let me catch you up on how I've been making people smile...get ready for a posting marathon :)

Day 263:  Tomorrow we are leaving for France! My husband, unfortunately had to work today and didn't have time to pack his bag, so I did it for him. Hopefully he likes what I picked out for him to wear :)