Only 7 more days until my birthday!

that's me when i lived in Monterey, California. i think i was around 6 or 7. My grandma had done my hair in those french braids. I had very tempermental hair and i remembered she used TONS of dippity-do and had to really pull on my hair to get it to stay in the braid. i think i had a headache when it was all said and done! i am wearing a shirt that i loved and wish i had today to use the material in some keepsake project!

but what is it about birthdays that we no longer get into them? i know so many women who say "i hate my birthday" or "i don't celebrate it anymore". Why not? I don't like getting older any more than the rest of us do, but it is my one special day (although i do have to share it with my twin brother.....). I embrace my day and love parading around in all my birthday glory! this wear i will be wearing my newly soldered tiara! I think i deserve one special day out of 365 days! Every 5 years i like to throw myself a party - unfortunately, i am 3 years away from another one of those! This year for my birthday i am heading to Ohio to stay with my friend, Kim Bueme and Julie. I met Kim online through a yahoo group and then we got to meet for the first time at Artiscape this past spring. Artiscape was held in Ohio and i drove 10 hours there by myself. it was really fun finally seeing her and then we chatted like we knew each other forever. We both even won an award for our trades, which was cool. (grin, grin, kim!) I rarely get to spend a lot of time with girlfriends, so i am looking forward to hanging out with her and julie and their 5 doggies! Pretty soon i will be doing the same thing with all my Artnsoul online buddies: Lennea Michelle, Laurel, Adrienne & Jean, Laura Bray and then all the Charmsters, of course! The most exciting part will be to finally meet my new BFF, Jan of Polkadotbarn. Again, we met online and have just hit it off. we email anywhere from 3 times a day (a slow day for us) to 9 times a day! we have fun talking about our charms, our projects, or sending each other cool links, our lives, etc. We have a lot in common, so it is easy to relate.

anyway, back to my birthday! i wanted to do another "blog candy" giveaway in honor of me and my special day. So i've been trying to figure out what i would do for a contest and what the prize will be. the prize will remain a secret until i pick a winner of the 19th (my actual birthday). Here is what i decided was to be the contest:

I am big into Random acts of kindness or "RAK's". So i would like for you to share with me a RAK that you've done for someone else. I will begin with myself. I enjoy doing RAK's. the world needs more of them as far as i am concerned! it is a way to say here, let me help with no obligation. because let's face it, everyone has a moment in time, where they could use a little help. I like to give people change or a few dollars in line, when they come up short. especially children, who might be trying to by some candy with there friend and they don't have enough $. so i'll give it to them. Or the lady in the grocery line in front of me is short $2, whatever. the point is, is that i've got it and she needs it - why not share? i'm sure they will remember and do the same for the next person. My favorite though, is when i lived in Las Vegas. I was at Kmart shopping and it was close to Thanksgiving. When i was leaving, i noticed a couple with a child living behind the store in boxes. It was heartbreaking, especially to see the child. So I immediately went to a grocery store and bought some things for them and brought it to them. I know it was only a short term solution, but i felt good that i didn't just walk by without lending a hand. I woke up a homeless young man in Philadelphia one cold morning to give him a nice cup of coffee and a doughnut. I wish i had more with me (like a blanket and a pillow) to give to him. I especially love to do these things when my son ,dillon, is with me - because it teaches him how to give. and i've seen him do it. He'll pull out change from his pocket and give it to someone on the street, etc. and without being asked! the last story to share was the time i was out to eat with dillon and my friend, michelle. it was the holidays and we were enjoying our lunch and some shopping. I saw an older woman eating her meal alone and for some reason, i felt kind of sad that here in the hustle and bustle of the season, she was by herself. (now granted, she could have been relishing her alone time!) So i decided i wanted to buy her meal for her. So that is what i did. i always wondered "what did she think of that?" If i had a lot of money, i would definitely be the type who did a lot of anonymous type of things like that. now it is your turn! So keep posting your comments to me about RAK's and then on the 19th, with the help of Tucker (who recently benefit from the donation of a hot tub), i will pick a winner.