Have any of you ever seen that show, Secret Millionaire? The show basically documents a millionaires experience where they go undercover in a city that has high poverty and crime and they volunteer at organizations. In the end, they donate however much of their own personal money to the organization. My friend, Jessica, told me about this show last week and I was pretty obsessed with watching it. Every show puts you on the brink of tears because even though in the end these organizations are getting thousands and thousands of dollars from essentially a stranger, it’s amazing to see how much people have sacrificed in their own lives to just help other people.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to Give Kids the World, a local non-profit organization in Orlando, that exists only to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. They bring their entire family to Central Florida, for free, and give them the experience of a lifetime with trips to the attractions, a wonderful home to stay in for, and lots of activities around the grounds, including ice cream for breakfast, movies at the pool, and even pirate vs. princess dinners. They have helped over 115,000 children get their wish and the organization is truly truly amazing. On a weekly basis they have about 7,000 volunteers help them make these memorable experiences happen for these children and family.

Even though I didn’t get to work directly with any kids, it was just amazing to walk around and see everything that they have built, from the ground up, to help other people.

When I went, we split up in two groups – one was to do some hard manual labor outside and one was to set up Christmas for the kids in their theatre. (They set up Christmas every week for the kids.) Of course, I ended up in the manual labor group where we took up juniper bushes and their roots and then built a drainage ditch. Talk about sweating!

Between watching Secret Millionaire and the volunteer work I had the pleasure of doing a few weeks ago, it just makes me realized how much more we can give and do for people less fortunate. Even if it’s only a few hours.

How do you give back?

*To learn more about Give Kids the World, visit http://www.gktw.org/

I was driving up to Gainesville early this morning and it hit me that it’s really Thanksgiving again. Wow. Seriously? I’m not sure how this year has flown by so fast that we’re already worrying about holiday traffic and planning what time to set the coffee maker for the day after Thanksgiving shopping. Or how we’re already figuring out what color hand turkey we’re going to make and eating ourselves to a complete food coma just in time to catch some afternoon football.

But I’m sitting here, tired from spending a day with my little cousin full of shopping and movies, and I really can’t help but to be thankful. Now, I know every other blogger is probably writing about the same thing – I mean, there is even a Tweetsgiving! (Yes, I’m being serious.) But as weird as this sounds, I think sometimes it’s hard for people to be thankful. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the drama and bad things that are going on that we tend to skip over the small things that happen every day, every hour, or even every few minutes.
So, today, I have a bit of a favor to ask. I know, selfish right? I’m talking about being thankful, and I’m asking YOU to do something for me! But I would like you to look at what’s in front of you, reflect on your day, what you did, who you spoke to, and write down five things you’re thankful for. Maybe you’re thankful for an early paycheck, or just avoiding that car accident on the highway, or even getting to sleep an extra hour. Those little things mean something. Here is what I’m thankful for today:

• I’m thankful for my old chiropractor squeezing me in this morning to help relieve some of this pain – who would have thought a pinched nerve in my neck would have caused all this drama!
• I’m thankful for the laughs my little cousin and I shared while sneaking our smoothies into the theatre today and then laughing about how giant our straws were that we took from the concession stand.
• I’m thankful for finding the jacket I’ve been wanting at Forever 21 today (hey, I never said all of the thanks had to go to the heartfelt stuff ;) )
• I’m thankful that my family still comes together for Thanksgiving – whether it’s from Orlando, Tallahassee, or Ocala, we somehow always make it work.
• I’m thankful for my twin brother helping my mom in the kitchen. Lord knows, I need a nap after spending the whole day with a 12 yr old.

Ya know, maybe five is too much, or maybe you super busy getting ready for tomorrow…but just write down something. Even if it’s one thing. Expressing gratitude and being thankful is not something we should only do once a year while we’re stuffing our faces and watching football – it is absolutely something we should do everyday. So, take a few minutes and remember the small stuff – it’s just as important as the big stuff.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend.

I went home this weekend for my brother’s wedding and there is always one thing I know I will find – CHAOS. It’s good chaos though – it’s fun, happy (usually), and definitely eventful. My Mom is probably making something delicious in the kitchen or blaring the Beatles (and dancing might I add), my Dad is messing with some new gadget, my nieces, nephew, and cousin are all playing the Wii or building a fort, my sister is probably off telling a story to my other siblings, and I find myself sitting on the floor, coloring.

Yep. Coloring.

It’s weird because when I’m coloring, I find that the noise of the world (aka my chaotic house) just disappears and all I really care about is if I want to color with Blush or Brick Red. Of course my 2 ½ yr old niece, coloring beside me, decides I should be coloring with the Red Orange marker and colors ALL OVER…I mean, colors with me.

It really does amaze me how things we used to do as a kid are just as fun as when we are adults but then I was wondering why in the heck don’t we still do it? Who cares if I’m 20-something and have a coloring book? I surely don’t. Target, get ready, because here I come for my coloring book and crayons!

What was one of your favorite things to do as a kid? Do you still take time for it now?

One of my most absolute favorite things in the world is surprises. I’m not talking about the birthday gift surprise that you awkwardly have to open in front of a large group of people and pretend to love even if it’s the ugliest thing you’ve seen in your entire life. Or the phone call you get from some long lost relative “Surprise! I’m coming to stay with you for two weeks!”

I’m talking about those little “put you in your happy place” things. You know…the “thoughtful” stuff. The card you receive in the mail for no particular reason with a Starbucks gift card tucked inside, or the chocolate bar that’s traveled all the way back from Canada, or simply the discovery of amazing new music. These are the little things that I think bring you back to life – that lift your day and give it a light push in the direction leading to a smile on your face.

I think I can thoroughly thank my parents for my love of the little things in life. My Mom and Dad are known for bringing back little “treats” from the dreadful trips to Wal-Mart, Publix, Target – you know…the ones you NEVER wanted to go on because they’ll probably be gone the entire day and hell, they might even come back with a new car (yes, this really happened one time)…I digress. My Mom was always the one to bring back a cute pair of earrings, or shirt she found on sale, or even just a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. My Dad on the other hand was a little easier to read. It was usually a trip to the gas station for an after school snack (slushi’s were always my number one pick).

So, what little things in your life or day have lifted you up and pushed you in a happy direction?

“Remember even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling the sun will soon show its face and smile back at you.” ~Anna Lee