I was on vacation from February 6 until February 17, so the only Valentine I really thought to complete ahead of time was Brian's. I did make a handful of Valentines for friends when I got back (pictured below) which weren't really anything too significant, but were the first Valentines I've ever MADE. I also STILL haven't gotten around to giving them to their recipients... I'm not sure if it's too late for that. But I did make them! I have proof.
I did put a lot of effort into Brian's, though. Because I'm very addicted to Pinterest, I have the opportunity to come across some really good ideas, and this was one of them. Brian and I also play a lot of cards, so I thought it would be kind of significant to our relationship.
The idea is to take a deck of cards, and on each card write something you love about the person. So I bought a deck of cards, spent a while coming up with a list, printed it out, cut them so they would fit, and taped each one to a card. It took me a few weeks to put it together (mostly because my free time away from Brian is somewhat limited), but I think it turned out pretty well! And he liked it.
I also bought him a waffle iron, which was definitely a weird Valentines Day gift, but he really likes waffles! He bought me a really pretty necklace-- not quite as weird. We ended up spending the day at the Miami Zoo, Miami Beach and bringing take-out Thai food back to our hotel. So in all, it was a pretty good Valentines Day.
#15- Volunteer
I used to do a fair amount of volunteer work when I was in high school. Most of the events were through my youth group, which had several different options available throughout the calendar year. I also had the opportunity to do things through school. But since I was pretty actively involved in youth group and was friends with people who liked to do these things, I was able to do quite a bit of volunteer work.
In college I was able to do a few things (such as lead a small group, which participated in a Christmas charity) but since I was so busy with work and classes, I wasn't able to do quite as much. But since I have graduated, I have been involved in absolutely nothing. I feel like I am so poor and have so little time, but in reality there is always SOMETHING you can give, no matter what your life happens to be like. So this was something I really wanted to do, and something I'd like to continue to incorporate into my life.
I was kind of hoping something would just "come up" but as the months went by, nothing really did. My friends Jen and Andrew organized a trip to Feed My Starving Children, but I wasn't able to go. And, of course, there are always plenty of ways to volunteer at church. The problem is, I'm not as actively involved in church as I used to be. I go, but not to every single thing they offer like I used to. So it is no longer something I just do because it's incorporated into the lifestyle I'm already living-- right now it's something I have to go out of my way to be a part of.
I ended up finding an event that Wells Fargo sponsored called "Drive to Serve," in which Luther Auto in Plymouth organized a time and place for several businesses to come together to pack food for "Kids Against Hunger." And it seemed kind of uncomfortable because no one I knew was going, but since Brian and I both work at Wells Fargo, we were both able to go.
It was a really good experience. I wouldn't say it was "fun" to stand in a warehouse and seal bags of food, but it was so encouraging to see how much we accomplished in a short amount of time and how far it would go (each bag was about 3 meals.) They also gave us stories of people who had received the food, and told us a great deal of it is going to Haiti right now.
Honestly, I think we as Americans forget how blessed we are. Yes, our economy is not the greatest and many of us don't have the jobs we would prefer. But we are still one of the richest countries in the entire world. I came across this picture and it really puts things into perspective:
I think people forget this when they see so many people in America that are better off (I know I do), and don't actually see on a daily basis what the rest of the world is like. But we really SHOULD be giving so much more than we are, because we have so much and so many have so little.
I really want this to be a part of my lifestyle again. I know this was a one time event, but it inspired me to continue looking for ways that I can give and serve. It's not as easy now, but there are still plenty of opportunities. And I feel like the more you go "out of your way" the less it becomes "out of your way."
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