Gracie turns 100

As you may know, I drive a Toyota Camry. And her name is Gracie. She is such a great car and friend. She has been reliable. She has comfortable seats. She can hold a lot of stuff. And, she is wise beyond her years. 

Here are some of the things I love about her:

1. Tape Deck: Great for my $20 Aux Cord that's attached to a tape so I can play music from my ipod and iphone. 

2. CD Player: Yes, I still have a TON of cd's. And I love them. 

3. Trunk: It is huge and holds a ton of stuff.

4. V6 Engine: Smooth ride. Lots of power. Great get up and go.

5.  Space: Such a spacious vehicle. Seats 5 comfortably and has great storage. 

But most of all, I am thankful for the 100,000 miles that she has been on the road. And driven in style. With such class.

Thank you, Gracie, for being my ride!

To celebrate this milestone (literally, haha!) and to thank Gracie for her service, she got washed and her oil changed :)
Lucky her

Here's to 100,000 more miles with you! 
Love you, Gracie xx

The Gift of Life

Back in January of this year I said that I wanted to DONATE BLOOD as one of my "Things to do in 2013" goals. Well, folks...I did it! I made an appointment back in May but missed it (darn you, work). So, when I saw the mobil bus driving down the street and realized that I had my phone in my hand...I typed in the phone number that was painted as clear as day on the side of the bus, as it drove away. Great Marketing, American Red Cross!

The Giving: October 1, 2013 was the day. I had the appointment in my calendar and a reminder was set. I arrived at the mobil station on-campus at UCSB and signed in. Then I ate some peanut butter sandwich crackers- yum!, was ushered into a very small closet of a room to fill out paperwork and give my consent, had my vitals taken, and finally, while laying on a quite comfortable donation "bed", had both arms "tested" to see which was the winner. 

Congratulations, left arm, you win!

I was a little nervous to take pictures, so I snuck just a couple. The ladies taking my blood were so serious and made sure that I didn't move my left arm at all.

They hid the needle. It's pretty big. So hiding it is probably best. 

There's my blood. Just filling up the bags.  

And here was my view from inside the mobil bus that has been transformed into a mini hospital/blood and plasma donation site. 

I am a big advocate of doing what you can. If you aren't afraid of needles, give blood. If you can stand and pass out water, volunteer to work a race in town. If you can bend down and pick up trash, do that. If you can smile at someone as your paths cross, please do. If When you clean out your closet, donate the clothes you don't want/need anymore to a shelter or thrift store. 

Together, we can help each other and create the community we desire to live in. Ready, set, go! Be the change you want to see in the world.