Random Acts of Kindness

I've written several times about how important I think random acts of kindness are.  Just click on the random acts of kindness tag on this post to read my thoughts and opportunities for doing this.  When you can do something nice for people who aren't expecting it, it makes them feel good AND you feel good.

So a recent opportunity I took advantage of was on Mother's Day.  After returning from spending the weekend in DC, we met up with Steven & Thad for dinner Sun evening at a restaurant we've frequented many times.  We had a waitress we've had several times who looks like Reese Witherspoon.  As we ordered our drinks Spouse casually asked the waitress if she was a mother.  She said yes, she has 2 kids, but that she hadn't seen either of them yet that day (it was after 5:00).  She seemed to become a little emotional, so to diffuse the situation I suggested "Well, you're working right now so maybe they'll be there waiting for you when you get home from work."  She smiled and said "Maybe so."

When it came time to pay our $23 bill, I added at $27 tip and wrote "Happy Mothers Day" and a smiley face on the bill.  While the money won't make up for (possibly) not seeing her kids on Mother's Day, hopefully she'll use the cash to treat herself to something.

Remember, random acts of kindness don't have to involve tipping or money!  They can be simple, thoughtful gestures like holding the door, allowing someone with fewer items than you to go ahead of you in the grocery store line, picking up a dropped item for someone rather than just telling them they dropped it - you're only limited by your own imagination.  

I challenge everyone to open yourself up to all the possible opportunities to do good, feel good, and help others feel good too.

 

Just because

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!

While Memorial Day is actually a day to remember those men and women who have died in military service to our country, it is also the unofficial start of the summer season here at the beach, bringing thousands and thousands of people here from neighboring cities and states.

I always hope for good weather on Memorial Day weekend because its typically our 1st time going to the beach and we usually go to or host a cook-out.  Unfortunately this Memorial Day weekend the weather has not been very good, with rain and/or overcast skies.  So we didn't get to the beach and our cook-out became a cook-in.  Steven grilled the hamburgers and hotdogs outside during a brief let up in the rain, and we ate indoors.  Spouse made potato salad and I made peanut butter brownies.  

It wasn't the best holiday weekend weather-wise but we did have a day off work and good BBQ food.

We offer our sincere thanks to all those who've made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.  Happy Memorial Day.

Anniversary

Today is mine & Spouse's 21st anniversary!

We count our anniversary as the date we met, rather than our wedding date, since marriage was not an option for us for many years.  Besides, I like celebrating the day we met as our anniversary because it was also Spouse's parents' anniversary.

As always, I sent flowers to Spouse at his office.  This gets him lots of attention from his colleagues!

This isn't a milestone anniversary so we don't have any 'big plans' to go away or anything.  And after 20 previous anniversaries, its not quite as 'exciting' as it used to be to go somewhere fancy to dinner.  So we'll likely just go to dinner with Steven & Thad, as we typically do on Fri evenings.  It will be great because I'll be with my favorite person... my husband.

This photo was taken a few weeks after we met.  Yikes - we're barely recognizable!!

Beardy boy

Fury

Just because

Homecoming

Yesterday was 5th anniversary of Marvin's homecoming!  You can read about the day he joined our family HERE.

I prefer the term 'homecoming' over adoption day.  It just sounds nicer.

Marvin Parker is such a good boy, and I love him more than I can say.  So instead of using words, I'll share some great photos of him.

 

 

 

Friday

Beardy boy

New house

On Mon afternoon we bought a new house.

Well, its not really a new house.  Its a used house, 25 years old, but its new to us.

No, we're not moving out of this house.

Grey Gardens, as our friends Steven & Thad refer to it

This is our house.  Where we live.  Its roomy enough to easily have guests stay over and works for us.  Maybe when Spouse retires in 10 years (and we're in our early 60s) we'll downsize.  But not now.

The new house is going to be a rental.  Its in a very convenient community, has a big back yard, a deck, and spacious rooms.  But the decor is reflective of its previous owner: an old lady.  So before we put it on the market for rent we're going to make some updates.  Nothing tos crazy or expensive; mostly cosmetic stuff to modernize it.  We're keeping the carpet and flooring and kitchen cabinets and appliances, for now.  Maybe in a few years we'll remodel the kitchen.  But for now we're replacing light fixtures, ceiling fans, towel bars an toilet paper holders in the bathrooms and the like.  

Oh, and we're adding an island.  The kitchen is big enough for one, but the reason we're doing it is to accommodate a dishwasher.  Apparently the old lady who had this home custom built liked to hand wash dishes because there's no dishwasher.  And no way to retrofit one into the cabinets either.  So we're creating an island that will house the dishwasher.  We hope to have it finished in about 2 weeks.  It should make a great home for a young family or older couple.  It'll be a fun project for me & Spouse too.

Just because

Back in DC

This past weekend Spouse & I were back in DC again.  I say 'again' because we were there a month ago for Easter, and 2 weeks ago for his mom's viewings and funeral.  But we went back again for 2 important reasons.

The 1st was a 35th high school reunion cocktail party.  This was not an official reunion planned by the class.  This was a cocktail party reunion held at our dear friends Kerry & Hugh's home.  Kerry sent out an Evite and I created a Facebook event to get the word out.  Probably 25 or so classmates came and everyone had a ball!

I had an idea of taking selfies with my classmates AND my cosmo, so you'll see several of those, plus some other photos.

Donna looking incredublously at something Gary is saying, with Susan

Me and Patty

Me and Corky

Jeff, Kelly, Wayne, Corky

Me and my sister from another Mister Lisa

Me and Ginny

Scott and Allison

Lisa and Kerry

Me and Jeff

Carl and Kerry

Me and Kelly

Me, Kerry, Kelly, Jonathan

Me and Gary

Me and Carl

Me and Susan

Apparently only Carl could hear the amazingly funny joke...

Me an Allison

Me and Scott

The next day was Mother's Day, and only 1 month after Evelyn's passing.  This was another reason for coming back to DC; to spend Mother's Day with Spouse's sister Mary and her family.  We figured it would make the loss of our mother easier to endure on Mother's Day if we were together.  We had a very leisurely morning, talking and laughing a lot, and then ordered a bunch of Chinese food and ate lunch out on the deck.  Anna made this cake for her mother:  chocolate with mini M&Ms - her favorite.

We left at 3pm and after some traffic congestion finally arrived home at 6pm.

Good

Have a 'good' weekend!

Beardy boy

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