You're the Inspiration!

Obviously....80s ballads have been in my head recently...be expecting more blog post titles such as this.
I wanted to share with you an article that was brought to my attention today. It was from my friend's (Lauren) blog. It is one of my favorite blogs because Lauren is such a passionate and open person. Lauren is also, incidentally, the sister of one of my very dearest and best friends since the 6th grade. Six years ago, their father passed away. It was honestly one of the hardest times in my life seeing people I cared about suffer that much. She posted an article one of her dad's friends posted upon hearing his passing....it is beautiful. The article can be found here. Even if you didn't know Jack, you should read it as a reminder on the value of life and security. Seriously...read it, then read the rest of this post.
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did you read it yet? Good. Because it sent my brain spinning. I was thinking about all I do working in fundraising for a nonprofit. If someone gives us the slightest gift I send out a thank you note, a tax receipt, a tax statement in January, depending on the donation we might give a personal phone call, or vouchers to our concert. For people with long term connections with the symphony we invite them to parties, heed to their requests, make a toast in their honor (just because) and label them as our organization's VIPs. It got me wondering why I don't do that in my life? Don't get me wrong, I think I'm a pretty darn good friend...but why don't I do more of the "just because I appreciate you" things? I think things overall in the world have become pretty superficial and gifts are given because you "have" to or you're trying to present yourself in a certain way...whatever happened to giving gifts to honor the people you care about? Anyway, I'll stop rambling and list yet ANOTHER resolution I want to add to my life this year

5. Appreciate the little things.


Those were just some images of simple and pure love. They make me smile :) I plan to achieve this goal by starting out small. I'm going to Target today to buy two sets of note cards: 1. that says "Thank You" and another that says "Happy Birthday." I'm really great at remembering people's birthdays. So I'm going to start remember to send simple birthday cards and simple thank you cards. They only take, what...5 minutes max?? Plus don't they make you're day when people think of you? Anyway...done. That's my start. I'll work on progression and keep you updated :) Happy Tuesday!

closing thought: As August Boatwright says in The Secret Life of Bees, “Some things don't matter much. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole problem with people is...they know what matters, but they don't choose it...The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”

All Images found here.

2011 Upgrades

The beginning of a year is all about renewal, reflection, and improvement. Yeah, yeah...I get it...it's almost March -- but that's my birth-month and probably the time I do the most reflection. The weather's changing, the spring storms seem to bring new life, and I tend to analyze how different I am from my last birthday (how existential, right?). So I'm just just now getting around to my resolutions...and they're pretty random this year.

1. I'm going to learn the "Single Ladies" dance. I am...it's going to happen...and you're going to be jealous...it's a fact.

2. I'm going to try to be able to pepper in personal details in my small talk. This resolution is brought to you by James. James is a Post Office employee at the Post Office in the Heights of Little Rock. He works almost everyday and is one of the sweetest creatures on the face of this planet (seriously guy...he's the epitome of what a male should be). Anyway, James always has smile, ALWAYS willing to go the extra mile, and there's something else special about him...every time I come in he greats me with a "Good morning, Miss Lauren! How are things at Arkansas Symphony? Is LeAnne (a co-worker) getting excited about her wedding?" Here's the thing...it's not just me, one day there was a HUGE line and he did something like that to EVERY PERSON that walked in...EVERY PERSON!! And I saw something remarkable...every person in the long, slow post office line was smiling, and just happy to be there...contagious, huh? So I'm going to work on my ability to do that. A few seconds to make someones day. Anyway, enough about James.

3. Read at least one fundraising/nonprofit book a month. It's important for me to excel at my work...especially because I actually love what I do (who knew??).

4. get even more organized and conquer more projects. This was a resolution last year, and I have to say....I did pretty phenomenal. My apartment stays spotless. all parts: storage, refrigerator, pantry, dusting, glass cleaning, vacuuming. Better than that, everything has a place....I dare say it's become a hobby...my mind stays clear. So I'm going to work on a few projects to "upgrade" my apartment. You may remember it from this post (Note to self...must post pictures of changes already made from then to now). Here are a few upgrades I had in mind:

1. A drapery accent wall such as these:
2. A front door upgrade:

I don't really have anything in mind for this yet, since we do have a very unique front door situation...but I will post what I have so far very soon.

3. Paint an accent wall on this wall:

Well...not this one...the one to the right of the T.V. Stand....we're thinking some form of gray...CAST YOUR VOTE!!

Other than that, I have big, big news....I'm going to be an aunt!!!! Congrats to my sister, Lexi, and my brother-in-law, Hank. I will be very involved because I'm super excited...more posts to come!!

A Bittersweet Symphony

Ok...so it's actually not bittersweet at all...but I love the song and you are welcome for that flashback. Today was actually a "fill out paperwork" and orientation day so there's not too much to divulge as far as my work...so I"m gonna tell you a bit about where I work.

It's located at St. Johns Catholic Center and it's tucked away in the Heights of Little Rock (for those that are unaware....GREAT location). Here's what I get to drive up to:


and here's what I see when I enter the gate:


Beautiful, right?? But this isn't my building....This is:


Which is located to the right of the building shown before it (it a oval drive-through).
And check it....I be TOO official:


I can tell you this: My favorite part of the day was listening to the violinist practice downstairs. I will try to tell you more about my actual job soon. I would love to hear your opinions.