Creepy old men.

My sister and I have been talking for a while now about having a "big kids' movie night," with a movie the little guys aren't up for seeing quite yet, and a glass of wine in hand. Not something we typically do, but a fun once-in-a-while occurrence. Tonight was the night. The sister's job: grab the movie. My job: grab the wine.

Now I am NOT a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I'm pretty sure today was my first day buying alcohol. I'd only been into a BevMo once before, when a friend introduced me to a delicious dessert wine over the holidays. So I knew what I was looking for, just not where to look for it. Roamed for 10 minutes before I finally asked for help...and then discovered I was only about 6 steps away. Figures.

Then there was the old man at the checkout--definitely an interesting fellow. Our conversation went something like this...

Him: "You've got such a great smile!"
Me: "Thanks."
Him: "Really! Your smile just brightened my day!"
Me: "Ummm...thanks. Glad I could brighten your day."
Him: "So do you come here a lot?"
Me: "Nope, this is my first time ever!"
Him: "Well are you going to come back?"
Me: "Ummm...maybe."
Him: "For the wine, or for me?"

Lol. Oh slightly creepy old men working at BevMo. You sure are an interesting breed.

The Giving Week: Saturday

Today, on my one day to sleep in all week long, I rose at 6am, donned what are pretty much my work clothes, and headed out the door. My location was a little bit different than normal, though. Instead of heading out to any of a dozen parks, nature centers, or beaches, I set off for a work friend's house for a day of epic adventure: hiking the Bridge to Nowhere. Little did I know it wouldn't just be with a few work friends and their spouses, but also with some old high school buddies of one...adventures with strangers, always exciting. We forded rivers, passed crusty old gold prospectors and fly fisherman, and about midday made it to the bridge--just in time for the bungee jumping! Now THAT'S a tiny danger we'll have to save for another day...

Oh yeah, and this morning before heading out the doors, Betty Crocker and I made blueberry muffins, which were met with great rejoicing. After all, who can say no to fresh muffins on a Saturday morning?

The Giving Week: Friday

This afternoon I gave a friend a ride when I was already basically running late. And you want to know something? I still made it in time to my next scheduled appearance. And we got a few minutes of good face time to catch up. Amazing how it all works out.

The Giving Week: Wednesday

Today the golden shoes finally found their home. And they were met with much rejoicing--on all sides.

The Giving Week: Tuesday

I guess something I'm learning from this whole giving week thing is this: while sometimes giving is rather spontaneous, so often it's a well-planned out action. Not just something we do in the moment--although those are some sweet moments--but often something we do as the result of a seen need. Sometimes it's a lifesaver; other times it's just a blessing.

Today at work a friend mentioned a podcast he's been wanting to listen to, but can't get old episodes of anymore. So tonight I'm burning him a cd of 21 episodes, and am excited to hand them over when next our roving paths cross.

The Giving Week: Sunday

Today I shopped around a bit and, in the process, came across some shoes on clearance that my sister's been eyeing but unable to find in her size. I was debating on whether or not to save them for her birthday in about a month, but I think it'll be more fun to just surprise her with them out of the blue one day. I don't do stuff like that too much, and I'm kind of excited to spring them on her.

Funny...if I'd just bought the shoes for myself, I would have been excited at the find and the price, but that wouldn't have lasted too long. But buying them with the intention of giving away...now that thought makes me smile. I'm going to have to remember this for my next bad day...

Day 3: successful plotting for a soon-to-be-successful give.

The Giving Week: Saturday

At this point, I'm not quite sure what this summer is going to hold. I don't know where I'll be living or what I'll be doing, whether I'll still be in So Cal or trying on another state for size. But one thing I do know: I won't be living here anymore. So in preparation for whatever lies ahead, I've decided it's time to clean out closets, whittle down all the stuff I've accumulated over the last almost-2-years living in this apartment. Today's project: my closet. I filled a giant Target bag with clothes that no longer fit or I just plain didn't wear anymore, and handed it off to my sister. One thing's for sure: it was way more fun to see how excited my sister got at the contents of the bag than it has been for me to keep shoving them around in my closet.

Day 2 of The Giving Week: success.