RAOK #8

I've really fallen behind on my ROAK series but it's not because it isn't on my mind at all times. I've just been lazy which is especially awful considering that this is the Christmas season. But I promise to stick with it.

Today's RAOK was especially random. I was headed to the ATM to do a check deposit when I saw a small group of people gathered around a car that was having some obvious mechanical problems. Admittedly, I found the blocked driveway to be a bit of an inconvenience. And although it was 27 degrees and I was in shorts and covered in sweat (coming from the gym) I stopped to see how I could help.

As it turned out, I was the only one of the group with jumper cables and naturally I volunteered to help. So I swung my car around, stood in the cold and helped the poor girl get a move on. It wasn't my greatest RAOK but it beats driving off and staying warm for my own selfish reasons.

RAOK #7

I'm a little late in reporting this RAOK. The latest act happened about 2 weeks ago. The story goes like this.

A couple days a week, I travel to downtown B.A. to participate in an early morning bootcamp workout session. And every morning, on my way home from the workout, I drive by an old auto service shop on the corner of Main St. There is an older gentleman who opens up shop and he regularly stands outside and offers me a friendly wave as I drive by. After months of sharing this exchange, I found myself honking and throwing a wave out my sunroof window in hopes that he catches my gesture. And he does. He will come running into the parking lot to recriprocate my wave with a smile and wave of his own. And he has no idea how much joy this brings me. Maybe it's his smile, his trot or perhaps it's the routine of the cxchange that I enjoy. Regardless, it makes me happy and gets my day started in such a pleasant manner.

So last Tuesday, I bought a dozen donuts and made a pit stop at the auto shop. I met Marvin. I told him how much I enjoy seeing him during my drive by. And though I'll probably never speak to him again, I found him offering up a wave and a smile on Thursday. He's reliable. He's friendly. And maybe he'll pass a little kindness someone else's way.

RAOK #6

This weeks RAOK was the most emotionally moving one thus far.


I purchased three QuikTrip prepaid gas cards. I decided to randomly pass them out to unassuming people.


My first recipient was a 30ish Hispanic woman who had her 1-2 year old in the car with her. She spoke little English but fortunately my Spanish is still strong enough that we were able to have a short dialogue. When I first gave it to her, she was baffled. She looked at the card, looked at me, looked back down at the card. Then she asked what it's for. I told her she could use it for whatever she wanted...gas, food, whatever she wants. She smiled a huge smile and turned around. A few seconds later, she turned back around. "Do you speak Spanish?", she asked. "Solamente un poquito.", I replied. And so she asked me again, what for? And I said to her "It's a gift, a gift for you".


I went inside to buy my coffee and pay for gas. When I came back, she was still there. Smiling a smile so big I almost didn't know how to receive it. She asked me my name. And even though I'd just gone running and was a pile of sweat and stinkiness, she reached over and pecked my cheek, gave me a hug and said "Gracias" in a the most pure, sincere and grateful way.


I cried.


The second recipient was a police officer dressed in uniform but pumping gas for his personal vehicle. Although we had a much shorter exchange, he was grateful. And I was sure to thank him for his service.


And the last recipient was an old African American woman who I spotted while she crossed the parking lot to prepay her gas. I just thought she looked sweet. So I stuck my hand out the window and asked if I could give her "this". "What is it?" she asked. A gift card. "Take it and have a wonderful day!" And she did. I drove away with her smiling in my rear view mirror.

RAOK #5

We hit the "Trash Pot"!

I absolutely LOVED this week's RAOK. This past weekend, our family plus one went to the lake to enjoy looking out different windows and spending our downtime some other way. We packed in all sorts of activities...fishing, boating, roasting marshmallows, watching movies, etc.

We also participated in our RAOK #5 and this one was for Mother Nature.



Doc was out fishing so the kids and I found some gloves, gathered some plastic bags and drove the golf cart up to the main road that takes us to our private drive. I gave the kids a few safety instructions (cars, poison ivy, etc.) and off we went on a treasure hunt to see who could find the most litter hanging out roadside. We had a separate bag for the recyclable items so that we could dispose of them separate from the garbage.

The kids absolutely loved this project! They were practically racing one another to see who could find an object first and who could fill their bag the highest. On multiple accounts they told me that "This is FUN!". And Miss Elle was insistent that part of our group cover one side of the road while the others checked the opposite side so as not to miss a single item.

We found lots and lots of beer cans and practically made a game out of seeing how many brand names we could locate. BTW, the kids had never seen a jumbo BUSCH Light can before (that may have been the only surprise)! Dakota was happy to find this Coke can that's been litter so long it's sun faded.

I'm so proud of my lil' clean up crew. All in all we spent $0.00, one hour of our time and filled 5 bags, gathered recyclables and taught the children (with a gentle reminder to myself) about the importance of giving back to Mother Earth and our community.

God & Me Ceremony

Dakota was recognized this past week for the completion of his God & Me series with pack 10 at Asbury United Methodist Church. Dad was his mentor during this self guided study and I am so grateful for the time the two boys had to bond together in their readings of Christ. Our son is turning into an amazing young man and I couldn't be more proud.

The group of God and me students and their mentors were brought to the alter for a brief prayer and recognition of their achievement. The scouts were awarded a God and Me medal and a dog tag necklace with Mark 19:26 engraved on it. The scripture reads "With God, all things are possible".

The Doctor crew (minus one) was in attendance and we are very grateful for the support they showed Dakota that evening.

And here we are...our fam (minus one) in honor of Dakota and his mentor (Doc) for the successful completion of an amazing program.

RAOK #4

This week's random act of kindness was somewhat impromptu. I suppose they all are to a certain extent but this one had zero forethought.

I find myself going into the PennWell canteen each morning so I can get my fill of java to help kick start the day. Undoubtedly, the flavor of my choice for that day, no matter which one, is almost always empty. And naturally, I spend time restocking the flavor that I'm drinking so that the next poor soul in need of a caffeine fix will be pleasantly surprised to find that flavor completely restocked.

But today I restocked all of them! Now all my co-workers will be happy (not just the drinkers of my variety). Well...they'll at least be happy until noon when restocking is required again.

RAOK #3

I'm trying to decide if random acts of kindness are only classified as such if the you give anonymously. I'm thinking yes but then again, some very basic things can be done at random to those you love and it's still considered kindness. I suppose the rules aren't important anyhow.

So today was a good day. First off, I elected to stop by the donut shop after my morning workout and get some donuts for the kids...a suprise breakfast if you will. This doesn't count. But, while I was there I bought donuts for the neighbor kids too. Hopefully that counts for something even though they know they came from me.

And tonight I prepared a gift bag of fall season goodies. I included a candle, some earmuffs, body wash and peppermint lotion. I also added a Happy Fall notecard addressed to my neighbor, any neighbor.

When Elle arrived home from soccer practice, I let her choose a random house of those who would receive today's RAOK. We went down the street, she delivered the bag and rang the door bell and took off! I caught a horrible, dark picture of her running away from the house and unfortunatley, the ones I captured of the homeowner at the door did not turn out. But boy did we have fun with our giving!

Rhino the Dwarf Hamster

Dakota has been asking (for a while) about getting a new pet. He's mentioned a lizard, a snake, a dog, a fish and various types of rodents. So a few weeks ago we ventured to the pet store to see what we could find. It didn't take long for him to set his sights on a tiny dwarf hamster. He chose the one in the cage that was the most active. He liked how he raced on his wheel. And so, I introduce you to the newest member of our family. RHINO!

Naturally, the kids are having to sleep down the hall and close the door to the room that Rhino sleeps in (or not). It appears he's quite nocturnal AND active. But we like him. And we're gonna keep him. Unless of course we lose him like we did the other day. After 24 hours he finally found crouching down under the couch. Whew...I thought the cat had him for dinner!

RAOK #2

Yesterday evening was the school carnival at the kid's elementary school. While I was supervising the silent auction tables, a woman talked to me about her son's disappointment for not winning an inflatable toy prize given at this particular carnival game. He was too little to successfully complete the game's task and kept walking away with only a Tootsie Roll.

Dakota had already won 3 inflatable toys. So I asked him if he'd mind giving one up to a little boy who was struggling to win one. He said yes and so we found the mom and her son and Dakota presented the boy with a blown up football on a stick. The kid was SO excited.

This is a photo of the boy playing with it just moments after receiving this RAOK in OK.

RAOK in OK

So, my friend over at Two Little Miss Fritts had a link to an inspiring blog about random acts of kindness on her Facebook page. The owner of the blog wrote about how she celebrated her 38th birthday doing 38 random acts of kindness all in one day. I was so inspired by the idea that I decided to share it via email with several family members, friends and co-workers. A few folks were impressed and a few others were equally inspired to do more.

Thus begins my journey to make a conscious effort to do some random act of kindness (RAOK), Oklahoma (OK) style at least once a week for an unspecified amount of time. I'm hopeful that the newness of this quest doesn't wear thin. And I'm hopeful that I continue to be inspired by how I feel while and after doing these acts of kindness.

Tonight I paid the bill for the lady in the drive thru line behind me at Braums. I didn't stick around to see her gratitude once she realized that her bill was already taken care of. But when the cashier asked if I knew the woman in my rearview mirror and I replied "No", I was pleased to see her joy at the thoughtfulness of the jesture. And so...here we go!

Oh how I wish I had that.

I know you're not supposed to covet thy neighbor but dang, these people impress me. Check them out because I'm certain they will inspire you too!

Under the Sycamore
Foster Kade Designs
Kara's Party Ideas
Mila's Day Dreams

Her Soccer Debut

Elle is officially a soccer player. She has a gift...well comparatively speaking to some other children I've seen. Her team is The Renegades. Her coach knows what he's doing but most importantly, he makes if fun for the girls.

The Renegades lost a little to a lot but rallied during the second half. Elle played well and I'm proud of my little kicker! She is going to have to work on keeping her tongue in her mouth while she runs though.

It Takes Two

Does anyone remember my entry years ago about teaching Dakota to ride a bike? It appears that he and Elle are on different ends of the spectrum...as if anyone hadn't figured that out already. You see, Dakota can do anything but often chooses not too. He's intelligent and charming, coy and crafty (to get what he wants). He requires a push and then excels beyond belief. For her on the other hand, not everything comes easily. But damn, she has some gusto.

And this, my friends, is why she is riding a bike after only her second time on wheels! I'm so proud of my fighter. She was extremely frustrated on Sunday when I made her get outside and ride. She even kicked the bike a time or two and frankly, I had to stifle a snicker. Today...she asked to go practice. She didn't cry. She overcame.

She too can do anything and I have no doubt that she will. She will have to climb a mountain or two, but her view at the top will be beautiful.

My first 13.1...Done!

Today is a day that will go down in my record book. I completed my first half marathon! 13.1 miles and all in honor of the OKC Memorial. "April 19, 1995. 9:02am. A bomb was detonated in the street in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, destroying the Federal Building and killing 168 people. Hundreds more had their lives altered forever. The entire nation was changed by this worst act of terrorism by an American toward other Americans." - Thomas A. Hill III

I had three goals for today's race.

1. Finish
2. Finish in under 2 and 1/2 hours
3. Finish without having to walk

And I was successful in achieving all 3. I can honestly say that this is one of my greatest achievements and is certainly my greatest physical achievement outside of birthing my two beautiful children. And I can also honestly say that I never would have thought it would be possible. I realize that people do it all the time. Those people aren't me. I'm a fast twitch muscle girl. Endurance was never my thing. But I did it and I am proud. The body and Faith can go a long way.

I was so grateful to have my husband and children standing near the finish line rooting me on. I blew them kisses as I went by. Their smiles and my own made it entirely worth while.

During the run I was inspired but the spectators, their hospitality, signage, cheering, etc. My favorite was a sign that said "Run This Bitch". I literally laughed out loud and kept on going. I also so a woman with a Nike tattoo and thought to myself "JUST DO IT". And then took on the mantra, "I got this, I can do this".

I also realized that all runners are not fit or fit looking. One woman's running skirt hiked up her backside so much that she was showing her built-in panty and saggy hiney the entire time. There is also a lot of litter the results from the race. My "Save The Earth" sentiments were high.

I've marked 13.1 off my bucket list. I'll consider another at another time. For now, I'm icing my knees.

Thanks to all of you who supported me and cheered me on during my training and during the race. I'm glad to have done it with your love in mind.

My Cat Eats Kleenex

Granted, Buster is going to be 15 years old in just a few months. However, he ate cat food this morning, promptly threw it up, then went to the Kleenex on my desk to have a few after dinner shreds of paper dessert. I suppose it tempers his tummy? I have a bulimic, binge eating feline on my hands and I'm quite perplexed over it!

Mornings with my son.

It's pretty rare that I have Dakota all to myself. Elle is spending the night at a friend's house and Doc just left for the gym. Dakota and I snuggled in bed while I watched a movie on my laptop and he watched another on his PSP. We shared time over cereal at the breakfast table and now I'm enjoying the quiet that exists in the home whenever it's only him and me. Serenity with my boy...I love it.

Buster

I've had Buster for almost 15 years and I realized, not long ago, that I had such few recent pictures of him. I suppose that having children does that to people. They quickly turn the lens on the kids and forget to capture the emotions of their cat. Anyhow, the photo above was taken just today and the one below was taken during the Christmas holiday week. I think he looks so regal and just couldn't not share this with you all! I do love him dearly...even when he walks all over my keyboard, gets in my face while I'm laying down to read. He's my snuggle buddy.

All My Children

Christmas this year was better than I could have imagined. And even better than the holiday itself was the time we got to share with those we love. My kiddos got to spend some time with my godson, Kai Tindall over the holiday. It's always nice when he can come for a visit and although our time together was shorter than I would have liked, we definitely made the best of it. In this photo Kai is enjoying a sausage biscuit breakfast while Dakota shows him a fart video no doubt...and then there is Elle wearing her Easter ears. Well...at least it's in the spirit of Jesus.

A Year of Healing has launched

http://12monthsofhealing.blogspot.com/

Inspired by "A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart", Amanda and Candice have committed to sharing images, on a daily basis, of the things in their lives that bring them happiness.