Project 30/30 Day 7: Donating clothes and collecting shopping carts
I have a pet peeve. I can stand when people don't return their carts at the store. I know it's none of my business, but I feel like it is the ultimate act of laziness when people can't take an extra 30 seconds and AT LEAST put the cart where it belongs in the parking lot. God forbid you walk 20 yards back to the store. Since I felt like donating clothes wasn't quite acceptable on its own, I decided that Liam and I should collect the straggling shopping carts in the parking lot next to the clothes bin.
Liam thought it was pretty fun and I felt better about Day 7. Hopefully we made some employee's night a little better!
It is a little bittersweet explaining to Liam the importance of donating items to other people. He cannot grasp that other kids don't have the luxury of new, clean clothes, or toy boxes overflowing with new toys. Every act we do together makes me even more appreciative of the life I have with my family.
Day 7: Donating clothes and chasing shopping carts
Project 30/30 Day 6: Surprise story time at Barnes and Noble
I've always wanted to read to kids at the Barnes and Noble story time and thought it would be a great, simple idea for today. For a Saturday, there were not a lot of kids at all, but fortunately I ran into one of our neighbors with two kids who were more than happy to join. I read Knuffle Bunny and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.
Liam and Chloe and I spent a lot of time reading books. It's so important for kids to read and like books. I always encourage a book over toys- sometimes it works:)
Day 6: My own story time at Barnes and Noble.
The Johnston Family 2013. Daniel Island.
Talk about photogenic, happy, and enthusiastic! This family was wonderful to work with on a beautiful early fall day on Daniel Island. Jenn is the gorgeous mom who interviewed me for the Daniel Island Newspaper for a story on my artwork on display at a local cafe. I was delighted and honored when she asked if I could photograph their family.
The littles girls were precious. Best friend sisters who were sweet and loving with each other. I cannot say enough about this family and how awesome it was to photograph them! These pictures make me smile.
The Johnston Family. Fall 2013
30/30 Day 5: Snack for the MICU waiting room and remembering Liam's NICU days.
This morning Liam and I headed to the hospital with snack bags and drinks for the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit). My original plan was to head to the NICU (neonatal) but I'm pretty sure the guy at the front desk didn't quite hear me, so this is where we ended up. Liam was in the NICU for 9 days after he was born. It was nothing serious, but I did go into labor about 4 1/2 weeks early so his lungs weren't up for the challenge yet.
While there, we quickly realized that we were, by far, some of the luckiest parents with one of the healthiest NICU babies. Timothy and I almost felt guilty because we could hold Liam, feed him, walk around with him, etc. A lot of parents hadn't even held their babies, and a lot of the babies were unbelievably tiny...
There really is no kind of consolation you can give to a parent, especially a mother who is watching her baby through a plastic window, looking at all the tubes and lights, hearing the machines beep over and over again. Bringing a basket of snacks to waiting family members is small and simple, but it may just make someone a little more comfortable. This being a hospital visit I could only take a picture of Liam standing in front of the MICU sign, no other people today. He did want to contribute a silly-face photo. So enjoy:)
Day 5: Thank you Intensive Care Staff. Snacks for the MICU waiting room. MUSC.
30/30 Day 4 Part I & II
Day 4 : Thank you Teachers and Surprise Gift Cards!
Day 4 of Project 30/30 was and still is awesome. This project is a little harder to execute than I originally thought it would be. It seems like it shouldn't be difficult to find nice things to do for people, but it kind of is. This is going to take some careful planning, but I guess that is the point- to step out of my comfort zone and really stretch myself.
Today I handed out gift cards to people in the drive-through line at Starbucks. I actually had to go to people's windows and convince them to roll them down and listen to my spiel. 2 out of 3 drivers were super happy and receptive, one woman would barely roll her window down and waved me off. Hey, that's cool, it's not about me anyway. My sister, Chloe, pointed out a mechanic at the garage next door who was more than happy to accept the card for his sister. Then we saw two AMAZING weed-whacker guys who totally thought I was coming to yell at them for something, then were pleasantly surprised by the gifts.
I get so nervous approaching people at the beginning, then I actually enjoy it a lot. My wish is that I made their day a little brighter and may inspire them to pass it along to someone else.
Since I didn't post an entry yesterday I did a second act today. I thought about the teachers and staff at Liam's school and what a phenomenal job they do every day. The ladies at the front desk are always so cheerful and helpful I thought it would be nice to write a Thank You note and bring them some flowers. It's simple, but that's the point. A little appreciation goes a long way. Everyone needs to be acknowledged for what they do and it can make all the difference in the world.