on birthday gifts and a birthday surprise!

the other day i had a conversation with a coworker friend about birthday gifts. what kinds of gifts you give, whether or not you enjoy opening gifts in front of people, etc. i personally don't like receiving birthday gifts because 1) it feels awkward (this comes from a history of not really celebrating my bday), 2) if it's not a thoughtful gift then i don't really care. the obligatory gift is pointless. 3) i cannot pretend i love a gift that i hate. if i'm uttering "thanks" but my face displays "what the f*ck" then you know where i stand with your present. within our conversation we agreed that we only like giving gifts that are considerate to the person. the best gifts are those that are relatable to the person receiving. for example, this year my friend Adrian gave me a surprise present and i decided to open it in front of people because i know Adrian is a thoughtful person and would never gift something he didn't absolutely know the person would like. and i was right! he got me an old school stove top popcorn maker because i like all things popcorn and also because i was talking about how a bunch of articles say the microwavable ones cause infertility/cancer/etc. sure, people like to shop at Target but don't try to pass off a gift card there as thoughtful unless you have something specific in mind that you're contributing to (ex. last year my friends got me a substantial gift card for William Sonoma with the intention that i buy a kitchenaid stand mixer because they know i love to bake). but theeeee best gifts are those that don't require a lot of money and are just plain thoughtful. and if they can be funny too, then that's just icing on the cake!

a couple days ago i came home to a hallway full of balloons and the doorway of my room lined with strings of "30." Nattypants (my now former roommate. boooo to Edgar for stealing her away to take the next step in your relationship or whatever) rushed home after work to put this together and it was awesome!! when i walked into my room i found a bunch more balloons and attached to them were silly photos of myself that i assume she stole from facebook. this. was. hilarious! it was super unexpected and got me literally laughing for a few minutes. i love stupid cheesy stuff like this so she was on point with this one! this is the kind of gift that you'll remember right? and all it took was a little thought! 

calm down, i'm wearing shorts. this is not an inappropriate photo shoot, mmmkay? 

30's everywhere

thanks Natty! i loooooves it!!

he who knows me well...

...knows that i don't like flowers because i am then forced to clean a vase. and (in the voice of Sweet Brown) ain't nobody got time for that! i'm not huge on jewelry either. pretty much all i ever wear is the necklace that stays on me 24 hours a day. as i've said before, it's the little things that get me. because it's the little things that let you know that someone is really paying attention to who you are and the things you place value on. for some people it is the jewelry or the flowers. but for me, those specific things are lame and generic. for me, keeping our plans our plans is important. or coming with me to family dinner without hesitation. or actually caring how my day is...every day. or it could be sending me a giant box of my favorite popcorn while you're away in Beijing because you know i love it. and you know my roommate also loves it. so rather than fighting for the last bag of popcorn, you've supplied us with more than an ample amount (though the box says 79 servings, which in our reality is really 28 servings). so thanks so much for knowing me. like actually knowing me. =)

chain of kindness

i got a call from my friend, Kim, today. she told me that she wanted to share an awesome happening that had just occurred. she was at Target and stepped away from her cart for a moment. when she came back she found an envelope in the cart that said "open me." inside there was a gift card for $25 written out "to: You   from: Your Caring Neighbor" and a card that read "Dear Neighbor, We hope this small gift helps brighten your day! Enjoy!"

how fucking awesome is that? *picture me with arms spread out as wide as possible* this awesome!! except it's even more awesome than that. multiply the distance at which my pictured arms are spread by infinity and there you have it. it's infinitely awesome! aaahh how refreshing. a simple act of kindness for no reason other than to make someone else smile! in a world full of pettiness and selfishness, little things like this really help to restore faith in humanity. and what makes this even better is that there's no face to associate the gesture with. the person/people who wanted to spread a little love into the world didn't even need any acknowledgement. i'll bet that from afar they watched Kim open that gift and to see a smile on her face was just enough to make them feel accomplished. it's a win, win. i'm sure that in that moment all parties involved felt a warmth in their hearts.

after Kim got the gift card she felt like she, too, should do something nice for someone. share the kindness, right? pass it along. so that's what she did. she saw a woman with two children in line and figured that they could use the $25 more than she could. Kim explained how she obtained the gift card in the first place and the woman was really grateful for being chosen next in the chain of good deeds. it would be amazing if that woman then did something nice for someone else and then that person did something similar. the chain of goodness would amass many links. but y'know, even if that specific chain stopped at that woman, the story lives on and hopefully it'll inspire more people to just acknowledge others and maybe do something nice for a stranger every so often.

Kim told me about this immediately after leaving Target because she knew i'd love the story. she also knew i'd write a blog post about it (ha! she was right!) and that it would reach just a few more people.  after hearing about her experience it definitely made me want to do something nice for a stranger. tomorrow i'll start a chain of kindness and hopefully it'll put smiles on faces. maybe you should too! it doesn't have to be monetary. it could be something as simple as making sure an elderly person crosses a busy intersection safely or cracking an appropriate (and hopefully actually funny) joke with a stranger. just a small gesture to make someone else feel good for just a moment in time is worth one small moment of your time, right? share happiness!

how thoughtful...

i woke up this morning to the sun shine rather than a blaring alarm clock. already a good sign that the day is going in the right direction. soon after i went to the mailbox and saw a package for me. even more awesome! getting packages in the mail when i haven't ordered anything online is rare nowadays and makes me feel special. my friend Gabe has always been a fan of my photography, though he's aware that i'm actually pretty inadequate when it comes to using a DSLR. while i can see the image i want to capture in my head, sometimes i can't find the right settings to make it happen with the most clarity or depth or vibrance or whathaveyou. recently he's reiterated that i've got a good eye for it and a few weeks later....voila! a digital photography book comes to my door! how thoughtful, right?

man, do i have some amazing friends and people in my life in general. sure, a digital photography book doesn't seem like a huge deal to most, but to me it's the little things in this world that matter between people. the experiences you share, a mutual moment of intense laughter, or just some genuine thoughtfulness.

thanks, Gabe! that truly made my day!!

it's the little things....

you know what girls i love? it's the little things. thoughtful things. i'm never looking for diamond earrings or a $90 bouquet of flowers. i don't care if you can spend a ton of money on me. i can take care of myself thank you very much! and while yes, i appreciate reservations to a nice restaurant (we all know how much i love food!), sometimes most of the time it's the little things that matter the most. whether it's from a significant other, a family member, or friends. it's the thoughtfulness that is remembered, never the item itself.

you know who's really good at the little things? it's Marjie. yep, the same person who got me that "awesome" necklace for no reason at all. and you know how she gave it to me? she sent it in the mail, which made it even more awesome because how often do you get actual mail nowadays that don't involve me handing over a check to a utilities company. 

recently we went to dinner and she said she had a surprise for me. again, it's the little things. it's knowing that i love all things mint. as she wandered World Market, she saw mint KitKats and picked them up for me because she's thoughtful like that. when she pulled them out of her purse i was elated! little did she know i've been searching high and low for mint KitKats. see, years ago they started making them during the Christmas season and about three years ago they just disappeared from shelves with no major announcement and i was so upset. yep, you can be upset over discontinued candies. i checked, and it's totally normal. anyhow, i was so SO happy to have them again! and quite honestly, that's probably one of the sweeter (no pun intended) gestures that i've been met with recently. it may seem like such a small gift but the thought is greatly appreciated.

thanks, Marj! you know me so well! love you lots! 

ummm i will most certainly be savoring every last bite!