Day 21 (Thursday, Mar. 4): Unknown Kindnesses and Reciprocation

Day Twenty-One
I'm big into reciprocation, so when my friends do things like call me up to chat, or what have you, it means a lot to me. I had 3 great conversations on the phone yesterday with some great people, and though I used to hate talking on the phone, I enjoy it now.

Interestingly enough, on the way home from work, I was thinking about a friend and how long it's been since she and I really got to chat. I began to really miss her, and then she called me up! It was so fun catching up! We're going to try to get together next week.

My cousin also called me up to see how I was doing, and as always, it was so great talking with her. I've always appreciated how good she is about reciprocating, as well as the way she's always so sweet and uplifting to me. I literally have the best family and relatives in the world. :)

I had been looking forward to going home all day since my long-time friend Dan Berger got in at midnight that day. It was kinda surreal when he was the one to answer the door when I got home. I loved it! The boys were sweet enough to let me tag along for our twilight walk by the pool and on the beach. It was also cool that Dan and I were in agreement that lotsa pictures had to happen, haha.

A personal fave

Proactive Deed for the Day
My friend had some things she asked me to look over for her, and as usual, I enjoyed playing editor a TON! So really, you could say we BOTH were proactive, since she gave me that thrill.

Day 20 (Wednesday, Mar. 3): Proactive Deed Time

Day Twenty
I got the day off and pretty much did nothing but sleep and read. It was amazing! So, when I got a text from my co-worker Elizabeth, asking me if I could come in Friday for a bit to help out before the event, my first reaction was how to say no in a let-her-down-easy kind of way. I mean, my brother leaves on Saturday, so obviously this seemed like the thing to do. However, after talking with my wise family members, I decided to say yes. When I talked on the phone with Elizabeth, she was soooo grateful to me because they really need the extra set of hands, what with Omar's event on Saturday. I'm actually excited about it because I get more money and it's not a bad job. Plus, it's just for part of the day, and that gives Scotty and his best friend Dan time to just hang out the two of them.

Laurs, out.

Day 19: Faraway Observations

Day Nineteen
One of the totally different things about Florida (compared to Illinois) is how much selling activity there is at stoplights. People here are pretty nice about it and I never fail to see at least a few people give money to various "vendors" whether they be people who lost a job, are jobless and pregnant, or whatever.

Today, just as the stoplight turned green, I happened to see someone in a beat up car still in the same place, despite the green light. I wondered what he was waiting for, when he opened his window and stuck his hand up in the air with cash in his hand. He flagged down the man with a sign that read "Just lost a job" (among other things). As I said, the man who gave him some cash was in a beat up car, and unlike many others who are often guilted into giving money, he volunteered pretty forcefully. The best part? This isn't an abnormal sighting.

So, my family ate at a place called Chimas (pronounced Sheemas) in honor of my brother's soon-to-be departure to Hollywood, CA. It was a very nice steakhouse similar to Texas de Brazil. Anyway, there were about 4 parties there who all got sung "Happy Birthday" to. One of the tables next to us loudly requested to have the birthday song sung in Brazilian. There were only 3 servers left (out of the 10 or so who had originally joined to sing in English) by that time, and 2 of the 3 looked suddenly queasy and confused by the request. But the third guy just jumped into it and sang it alone. I love that kind of person!

I also have to say how much I love when people accommodate my picture taking quirks ;) such as tonight with my parents (and brother, who is far more reluctant, lol). When I saw a giant coffee cup randomly placed near the valet outside Chimas, I had to get me some of that. Haha, I love my family.

Laurs, out. 

Day 18: My Boss Feeds My Stomach and Soul (Cheesy As That Is)

Day Eighteen
I think I take it for granted how often my boss takes Elizabeth and me out for lunch, his treat. We ate at 5 Spice in Boca again today and it was bloody fantastic. I hadn't even realized I was hungry until we started eating.

Additionally, Omar was pretty understanding about my having to bow out of the (optional - for me) Saturday event. I told him how my brother is leaving sometime on Saturday and he was overall great about it. Once it was decided I wouldn't be there, he asked me a lot of questions about Scotty (my brother). Having met him, Omar knew how important this was to Scott and he kept saying how happy he was for my brother making his dream happen.

Laurs, out.

Day 17 (Sunday, Feb. 28): Networking Made Easy

Day Seventeen
There were several great parts to yesterday but one of the main ones that sticks out to me is when my friend Valerie gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. She and I were talking about my brother and how he's moving to LA soon. She soon led into telling me that her brother is there, working for the Grammys and Emmys! Whaaaaaatttt? She also knows someone who works with directors on movies like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and other big movies that I am blanking on, much to my annoyance. She said I could get her my brother's info and she'd put them in contact with each other. Ummmmmm wow!!! I didn't even hint at this but she came out with it because she's that kind of person :)

I always enjoy Church, whether it's because of a great sermon or fellowship. I talked to a lot of friends, as well as people I rarely talk to or see. For instance, I got to talk to someone who I hadn't seen in awhile. In fact, she'd always intimidated me somewhat (because she's so pretty, etc). But for some reason, I was in a talkative and friendly mood, as has been the case lately, praise God! We caught up briefly, then exchanged numbers and will hopefully see each other more often. Haha, and as an unofficial event planner with my friends, she will definitely be getting texts from me. (It's so fun getting people together, I am surprised to find out. There's something cool about seeing unlikely people get along so well and having fun.)

Another highlight was when Andrea told me what she meant by her text the night before. She told me something she'd been observing about me, and we agreed that we would get together when she gets back in the country, to talk about it further. I am really interested in developing that for sure. It's so nice when people actually invest themselves in others and try to help them grow.

Laurs, out.

Day 16 (Saturday, Feb. 27): Shutter Island and a Just-in-Time Text

Day Sixteen (Saturday, February 27)

I have been super swamped this whole weekend, so it was difficult to blog. Yesterday was pretty full. I started it off by waking up super early on a day I didn't have to (7:30am?) and then going to see "Shutter Island" with my dad and brother. I totally recommend it by the way. Scorcese (sp?) did a beautiful job, as did all the actors. I really loved DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as an acting team. I'd say my parents are two of the most generous people I know and I felt like giving the first kindness slot to my parents because they are always so loving and generous in general. 

So, on Wednesday or Thursday, I found out my brother is moving to LA next Saturday, and it didn't hit home until Friday night. So, I cancelled my social plans for the weekend and hung out at home on Saturday and Sunday. We had guests (co-worker family of my Dad's) and honestly, I was soooo tired and out of it. My family and I stayed up late after getting back from bowling the night before, watching "Music and Lyrics" so our bedtime was 3am. Therefore, when it was only 8pm, I wanted to go to sleep really badly but obviously couldn't. Then I was kinda bored since I couldn't really connect to what everyone was talking about.

Plus, I was bummed when a friend mass texted people about doing something. I really really wanted to! (I value my weekend social life so much, as does everyone who works. Before, when I wasn't employed, I liked my weekends okay, but I didn't value them, you know?)

So, I put away all the food and cleaned the kitchen up while our 4 guests chatted with my parents and brother. It was a three-fold motive since I wanted to wake up, get out of boring conversation, and beat my mom to cleaning. (She has fiber-mialga so it hurts her wrist to lift heavy things.) And it did wake me up some.

But it wasn't until I got 2 text messages from my friend Andrea that I really woke up and felt a mood lift. I was dead-bored and just wanted to sleep, but when I read her messages, my mood lifted from bored, tired, and restless to charmed, touched, and more awake. She totally encouraged me and made me grateful for friends like her. Plus, she gave me something to look forward to at church. (She told me to ask her about something.)

Laurs, out.