5 Things

I saw this post by Heather at Heather's Hurrah, and I decided to steal borrow its structure to share things that have been going on with me since I've been mostly absent from the blog game. 

Most of you know, I went home to Texas for a visit in late May.  Here's 5 things I did while there:

1. ate a lot of food
   
2. visited family
   
3. fed the family cows
   
4. shared some quiet with my stepmom
   
5. saw niece 2 graduate high school as valedictorian
   

In honor of my niece's graduation, my mom, my niece, my sis-in-law, and I shared a getaway in San Francisco.  5 things touristy things we did there:

1. rode a double decker bus for a bus tour around the city
2. visited Muir Woods
3. drove the world's most crooked street
4. rode a trolley car
5. had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

Here's 5 pictures from that fun time:

5 people I've been lucky enough to see:

1. had a meal, a chat, and some laughs with these beauties, Rachel from A Nesting Nomad and Kristen from See You in a Porridge:
   
2. shared a meal in Texas with this gal that I've known for 25+ years, jenn from quirky pickings:
   
3. while in Cali, I got to see my stepsister, her lovely husband, future bambino, and fur baby:
   
4. shared a girls' getaway in Sonoma, CA with two of my most favorite people in the world, college friends, Katy and Kari:
   

Okay, that's six people, but they were all worth mentioning.

I absolutely adored Sonoma and would happily go back and spend time there again.  Here's 5 reasons that I fell in love:

1. wine tasting rooms
2. cute cottages with beautiful gardens
3. independent shops with shop cats
4. good food and near perfect weather
5. a Friday night farmer's market that seem to bring locals and tourists together

Remember when I had a pile of books that I was happy to give away to share with other readers?  Well, I'm doing it again.  I send it to you for free!  The only catch is that I encourage you to share the love, pay it forward, and give it to another when you're finished with it.  First come, first serve.  5 books up for grabs:

1. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
2. Lie in Wait by Eric Rickstad
3. Violent Ends edited by Shaun David Hutchinson
4. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
5. The Cleaner by Paul Cleave

Hold up, wait a minute.  I've got more books to give.  How convenient is it that I have 5 more on offer?! 

1. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
2. An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire
3. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
4. Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos
5. All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

I've read 5 books for Book Challenge by Erin 7.0 (goodreads group, facebook group, my reading list), and I have 5 more to go to complete the first round of the challenge.  These 5 books are next to be read:

Speaking of my book challenge, I'm breaking away from "5 Things" to give a shout out to the reading rock star known as Bev from Confuzzledom.  She's the first to complete our challenge this time around.  Way to go, Bev!

Now, tell me 5 things going on with you!

Thoughts #18 - Pay It Forward

Wikipedia says (and we all know how reliable Wikipedia is):
Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book In the Garden of Delight.

For the last few years, I've seen the concept of "pay it forward" floating around more often.  There was a rather emotional movie titled Pay It Forward.  There have been a few initiatives on facebook encouraging people to "pay it forward" that I've participated in.  I think it's great.  Doing something for someone and expecting absolutely nothing in return.  Others have done nice things for me as well.  It's a super nice feeling. 

I have been fortunate enough to receive care packages from a few people since moving here.  My mom and my stepmom have both sent things.  That's sweet, and I love them for it...but they are moms.  They are supposed to do things like that :)  I still get super excited to open one when it arrives.

Typical care package from mi madre

I had an acquaintance that I knew in Houston.  She's pretty crafty.  She saw me make a couple of comments about the Houston Texans football team, and she sent me Texans earrings that she made herself.  Another friend that I knew in high school sent me a care package with books, handwritten messages, favorite movies, and crunchy Cheetos (man, I love myself some crunchy Cheetos).  Another girl I knew in high school sent pasta shaped like Texas and pasta from my university, Texas A&M.  All of these packages have been so thoughtful and meant a lot to me...someone taking the time out of their day to send something to brighten my day.  Just fantastic!

Texas pasta from Barrie

So, this year, I saw something on facebook again about a "pay it forward" group. I decided that I wanted to pick someone that would not expect it and send a care package to them from Australia.  Honestly, I didn't think too hard about it.  I was scrolling through facebook and stumbled upon a picture that I just love.  In fact, I love almost all the pictures that Shelby posts.  I think the wacky, wonderful, fun relationship that she and her son share just jumps out of the pictures and grabs me.  I wasn't particularly close to Shelby, but she's one of those people that I reconnected with on social media, and I wish we lived in the same city because we'd totally hang out.

I reached out to Shelby and told her that I was wanting to "pay it forward", that I thought Preston looked like a cool kid, and that I thought she was the type of mom to teach him about "paying it forward".  She was appreciative and thrilled.  Months went by, and I did nothing (because I am a procrastinator and can have great intentions that don't always get acted upon).  Then, Shelby posted about some medical challenges she's been facing and how that has affected her son as well.  I thought "dang, Erin, send that boy his care package." So, I gathered a few odds and ends from Australia - a magnet, a keychain, some Tim Tams (which are like the Australian go-to biscuit/cookie), a Christmas ornament, and a super cool shirt with the Aussie flag in the Superman logo.  I should've taken a picture.  I didn't.  I wrote him a card and sent it through Australia post.

The reaction from Shelby and Preston since receiving the package has been phenomenal.  Not over-the-top.  Just totally, sincerely appreciative.  Shelby tells me that Preston is already coming up with ideas of how to "pay it forward".  I stand by my belief that he is a totally cool kid, and she is a special mom.

I am not writing this to receive any "way to go, Erin" comments.  I am writing because I challenge you to "PAY IT FORWARD".  If you are reading this, do something, anything, that is nice to someone that is not expecting it, and you expect nothing in return.  Buy a cup of coffee for a person in line at Starbuck's.  Send an actual handwritten card to a friend "just because".  Bake cookies and take them to a neighbor.  Send a care package.  Volunteer.  Whatever you feel motivated to do.  If each person who reads this (even if it's only two people) do something like this, then that is two nice things put out into the world.  And, I think the world needs more nice things in it.