Day 333: Took a Step of Faith for My Husband

Today is Small Business Saturday and I thought it would be the perfect day to reflect on the new adventure my husband and I began this week. Today marks the end of my husband's first week in his new position at work. He recently stepped down from his role as a manager to a part-time position to further pursue his home business! It has been such a blessing to see his excitement! I thought this photo I took at the Skydeck in Chicago described my feelings perfectly...I'm taking a step of faith and love (stepping into the void), but we have support for each other and also from our family and friends (the glass keeping us safe). 

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." --Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo :)

Day 332: Helped Someone in a Different Generation Shop Online

I've only shopped Black Friday sales in person once and I decided that would be the last. I'm always game for online deals though! And it turns out that one of my guests also wanted to take advantage of these sales, but has never shopped online before. So today we searched for the perfect deals and almost finished her entire Christmas list :)

Day 331: Invited Someone New to Thanksgiving Dinner

Today, my husband and I invited someone new to Thanksgiving dinner! It was so fun to enjoy delicious homemade goodies and great conversation. Truly one of the best days of the year :) 

Day 330: Added Thanks to Our Thankful Tree

One of my favorite holidays of the year is upon us! In celebration of Thanksgiving, I made a Thankful Tree this year to record the reasons I am thankful. Today, I spent some time reflecting and adding thanks to the tree. I made sure to leave a few blank for our guests to fill out tomorrow at dinner :) 

Day 329: Gave Someone a Token of Friendship

Yesterday, I received this beautiful pair of earrings from Compliment with a sincere message that read, "We hope you enjoy these earrings. Keep them or pass them on...all we ask is that they are a reminder of the good in the world." I decided to pass them along to one of my best friends that just happened to be visiting from Texas this week...perfect timing! I am so blessed for her friendship and wanted her to know that she was loved :)

Day 328: Laughed at Myself

We shouldn't take life so seriously, right?! That twisted, jumbled mess in the picture is various cords to my electronic devices that hang out beside my favorite chair. I attempted to turn on my computer and noticed that my battery was dead, so I reached down to plug it in. I was surprised to see that it didn't start charging. I have an old computer with the original battery and decided that the battery must be really dead. I went to fetch my replacement, but when I changed the battery, it still didn't turn on even though it was plugged in! I knew it was the charger then, so I went to retrieve my husband's charger. That's when I saw my husband's charger in my twisted, jumbled mess. I had one of the chargers plugged into the wall and the second charger plugged into my computer! Wasted time or a hilarious event? Your attitude determines how you spend your day and can create a ripple effect in those around you :)

Day 327: Created Digital Copies of Priceless Photos

Today I created digital copies of family photos for my husband and his grandmother. Our scanner is broken, but my camera works just a well! I decided as a special gift to create a Shutterfly photo book with these photos too! I can't wait to see the final result :)

Day 326: Gave a Free Meal Coupon to Someone

I received a free meal coupon from one of my favorite restaurants and decided it would be fun to share it with someone else. So today, when I met some friends for dinner I gave the meal coupon to someone getting ready to order :)

Day 325: Helped Pass Out Coats to Families in Need

My incredible mother coordinates a local food pantry and each month, she organizes meal pickups for families in need. This month, with generous donations from the community, over 60 coats were also available to give to these families. So tonight, I helped pass out coats during the pickup. Service to others is truly gratifying :)

Day 324: Helped a Friend Who was Locked Out of Her House

I carpool to work with a friend and today when I dropped her off she noticed she had misplaced her house keys! Her husband wasn't going to arrive home for another 30 minutes or more, so I had her tag along with me while I ran a few errands. It was nice to spend extra time with her today. We never seem to run out of stories to laugh about :)  

Day 323: Mentored a Student

To give back to my profession, I decided to mentor students this year. I've had the honor of mentoring 7 students so far, but I thought today was a fitting time to reflect! Today, I witnessed one of my students truly succeed. As part of my teaching philosophy it is imperative for my students to create their own education and counseling style. I practiced multiple teaching techniques for diabetes with my student over the past few weeks and it was magical to see her perfectly adaptive these techniques to meet the needs of our client today :)

Day 322: Returned a Library Book for a Friend

My friend needed to return her library book today to avoid late fees. The library was on the way home for me, so I gladly returned the book to save her an extra trip :)

Day 321: Shoveled My Neighbor's Sidewalk

I can't believe I'm saying this today, but we woke up to snow this morning! I'm not ready for winter just yet...it's not even Thanksgiving! I decided to make the most of this wintery weather and shoveled my neighbor's sidewalk :)

Day 320: Attempted to Pay for Someone's Groceries

While at the grocery store, the woman in front of me was ready to pay for her items when she realized she forgot her debit card. Without another method of payment, she told the cashier how embarrassed she was and then started to leave.  I stopped her and offered to pay for her items. She was very appreciative and gave me a hug, but ultimately declined to let me pay for her groceries. There is a great lesson to be learned here...sometimes just a small gesture can make someone's day. Sometimes the world needs to be reminded that kindness exists :)

Day 319: Made Gourmet Burgers for Family and Friends

Tonight we had family and friends over to try some homemade gourmet burgers! My husband and I grilled up a delicious Thanksgiving style turkey burger topped with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mushroom gravy. And we also made a chicken and waffles burger with freshly made pecan waffles, a crispy chicken patty, applewood smoked bacon, and maple syrup. There were a lot of smiling tummies :)

Day 318: Hosted a Friendsgiving Dinner

Tonight I hosted a Friendsgiving Dinner for my book club gal pals. We had a delicious pot luck meal and one of my favorite dishes was pumpkin chili! We spent the evening laughing, catching up, and playing cards. It was a great way to end a tough week :)

Day 317: Donated Canned Goods to the Green BEAN Delivery's Constant Canned Food Drive

We found another reason to love our grocery delivery service! Green BEAN Delivery collects canned goods each week for those in need. We add non-perishable food items to our bin and leave it on our doorstep, then Green BEAN picks up the donation and delivers it to a local food bank. Such a great way to help people in our community :)

Day 316: Left a Happy Birthday Message for My Mom

Today is my mom's birthday and unfortunately, I wasn't able to see her. I decided it would be fun to sing to her over the phone, but she didn't answer! So I sang happy birthday to her answering machine instead! I don't have the best voice, so hopefully she got a laugh in addition to a smile :)

Day 315: Made a Donation to Homes for Our Troops

I am incredibly honored to be married to a Veteran! The photo above was taken during my husband's service in the United States Marine Corps Naval Academy Company (he is 3rd from the right in the second row). In honor of Veteran's Day and my husband, I made a donation to Homes for Our Troops! Homes for Our Troops provides specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more at hfotusa.org :)

Day 314: Gave a Friend a Gift Just Because

Today I decided to give a friend a gift just because! I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the gift before I wrapped it, but I found these adorable magnets from Pop Doggie. My friend has a Boston Terrier and each magnet has a cute drawing of a Boston with a funny saying that highlights the breed's personality. So fun :)

Day 313: Made Pumpkin Butter for My Husband

Someone ate the last of the pumpkin butter from our favorite local farm today. The pumpkin butter that we can only purchase for a few weeks in the fall before the farm closes. The pumpkin butter that we managed to burn through 3 jars of since October. Well, I'm guilty as charged! So while my husband was out today, I decided to try my hand at making pumpkin butter. He was quite surprised to see the jar had been refilled when he returned :) 

Day 312: Introduced a Friend to a New Food Item

Our friends invited us over for dinner tonight and I decided to bring some dessert to share. I had some cranberries left over from baking earlier in the week, so I thought a cranberry almond cake would be a delicious treat to bring. I called my friend to make sure she liked cranberries and I was surprised to hear that she has never tried them before. I knew this recipe would be a great way for her to try a cranberry, so I was off to the kitchen to bake away! After dinner was the moment of truth and she loved them...the perfect mix of tart and sweet flavors :)

Day 311: Donated to the Jim Barnes Fund

I heard about Jim Barnes today from a friend. Jim has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and acute leukemia. On his bucket list, Jim asked to meet, for the first time, the wife and 5 children of his son who all live in Alaska. His family is raising money to help pay for airline tickets for these family members so that they can visit with Jim. To learn more and donate to this cause, visit gofundme.com/fwfx7o :)

Day 310: Purchased a WATERisLIFE Filter Straw

A friend told me about this brilliant straw which is a portable water filter and provides safe drinking water for those in need. The straw is worn around the neck and helps prevent infection from waterborne bacteria and viruses like cholera, e-coli, and diarrhea...did you know that a child dies from diarrhea every 21 seconds? Each filter cleans a minimum of 800 liters of water! Find out more at waterislife.com and make sure to check out The Drinkable Book project :)

Day 309: Donated to a Worthy Cause Earning 501c3 Status

I love hearing how people across the country are changing their communities for the better!  Brunch Club provides food, water, hygiene products, education, and words of encouragement to the homeless in San Diego. Brunch Club is currently fundraising to expand the services they provide and to earn 501c3 status! Check out their amazing story at http://brunchclub.mydagsite.com and consider making a donation to help a worthy cause :)

Day 308: Baked a Special Treat for My Coworkers

Today I decided to bring some freshly baked cranberry and pecan blondies to share with my coworkers!

Day 307: Gave a Grocery Store Clerk a Gift Card

I was inspired for today's act of kindness by my Instagram friend @sometimescreative ! Earlier this year she gave a grocery store clerk a gift card as part of her 14 Acts of Love project. Now for some reason this dietitian hates grocery shopping and my hubby usually does this chore for me. Since he has been working so many hours I decided to do this chore for him today and honestly, I wasn't excited about it at all. Then I remembered the lovely act of kindness completed by @sometimescreative and it changed my entire outlook. So while checking out, I purchased a gift card and then handed it right back to the clerk! She told me, "I feel so special!" When thinking of others, it's easy to kick negativity to the curb :)

Day 306: Surprised My Husband with a Coffee Bar in Bed

My husband worked almost 75 hours last week! He is such a hard worker and I wanted to help make his day off a little more enjoyable. He is the king of breakfast, so I knew a breakfast in bed that I prepared wouldn't cut it.  I can make a mean cup of coffee though (with the help of our Keurig lol)! So, I brewed 2 cups of his favorite coffee and put together some fun add-ins like cinnamon, vanilla sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and candied vanilla beans for a coffee bar in bed :)

Day 305: Introduced Our Friends to a New Restaurant

Tonight we were finally able to hang out with 2 awesome friends that we haven't seen in almost a year! To celebrated we decided to take them to a restaurant they've never been to! Such a fun evening with good friends, good food, and of course good beer :)