Tattoo Deed: Day 14

My little brother, Max, is obsessed with the cartoon Phineas and Ferb...and honestly, I'm kinda right there with him. As far as kid shows go these days, I am not impressed. However, I make a few exceptions.  One day when I was babysitting the little munchkin, we literally sat on the couch from the time we woke up until we went to sleep, watching a Phineas and Ferb marathon and eating junk food. (Note: it was really poor weather outside, and sometimes I'm lazy).  Now, whenever I come home he always wants to watch an episode or 10 on Netflix with me.  I had to run to the store earlier today and came across a 50 pack of Phineas and Ferb tattoos. I had to get them for him. And then of course tat him up, and let him do the same to me. Inevitably, I ended up with a cartoon sleeve and he ended up with face tats...he's kind of a badass.

Errand Deed: Day 13

Yesterday my mom took quite the spill on her bicycle, and ended up hurting her leg really bad. After playing Nurse Danielle, and sitting on her hands while I butterfly bandaged her up, she was having a really hard time getting around without being in pain.  So, this morning I got up bright and early (and that means around 11am) and ran some errands for her, that she had planned for the day.  She wrote me out a list and I was on my way.  Good deed for my favorite person.

Deed Did Good: Day 12

Laundry Soap Deed: Day 11

To hear my boyfriend talk about his mom may be one of the most endearing things about him (however, there are a lot).  I haven't had the opportunity to meet her yet, unfortunately, but I have talked to her and she seems like such a sweet lady.  Justin often refers to her as "the greatest woman to ever live" adding in that I can find all of this info on wikipedia.  So, I've been in this laundry soap, sachet and crafting groove at home with my mom and made some stuff for Justin.  He uses the sachets under his pillow when he sleeps and really likes the laundry soap.  He said his mom would love it, too.  As my good deed for the day I made a package for Justin and one for his mom as well.  This is kind of a good deed for myself too, since I would like this lady to like me a little bit :)  I also threw in a necklace my mom made, that I absolutely fell in love with.  I hope she loves the soap as much as the rest of us do, I know it would make my mom super happy to hear another great review!  The bike sachet is the one I made for Justin, I had to put up a picture, because I thought it was adorable and I was a little bit proud. 

The Mom Deed: Day 10

My mom is incredible, amazing, inspiring, beautiful, talented....she's my mom, I could go on all day.  She truly is one of the most creative and talented people I know.  She has an Etsy store and an amazing blog.  You should definitely check her out, as she is a huge source of inspiration for me and many others.  She has a business called The Old White House, where she makes all natural and organic laundry soap, dryer sheets, linen spray and dry powder cleaner.  It's not just good for you and the earth, but it's all adorable and smells even better than it looks.  So, today as my good deed and just because I love my mom to death, I popped a squat at her work table and helped her fill the lavender sachets and even came up with a few ideas of my own, which once finished will be shown here and I'll even give you the link for purchase! Happy weekend everyone! xoxo 

Swimsuit Deed: Day 9

Two summers ago, I found this adorable swimsuit at Target.  And wore it maybe 5 times total.  But, every time I did, my fourteen year old sister, Hannah, would tell me how much she wanted it and she'd always sneak it out of  my room.  Well, this year when I went to put it on before heading to the ocean with the man, I realized it was a little big on me.  So, I scoured Target for an hour or so, until I found it's twin in black. I was elated.  So, before I came home from Atlanta, I remembered my sisters love of this bathing suit (especially since my mom and her had told me many a time via phone call) and packed it up and gave it to her for my good deed.  Bathing suit shopping is always the worst.  Now, she doesn't have to deal with that inevitably awkward and frustrating experience, plus she gets a super cute swimsuit that fits her figure perfectly!  

Airplane Deed: Day 8

Today I flew home to Michigan. It was quite the ordeal (I will never have a normal flying experience, I'm pretty sure).  It started out great. I got to the airport two and half hours before my flight, didn't have to stand in line for a single thing, and made it to my gate in plenty of time to relax before taking off.  And then, the inevitable delay.  Lightning struck the ramp, so they had to delay the plane for a half hour. No big deal, I still should have gotten to Michigan by 9pm.  We boarded the plane on time and were sitting there for quite awhile, when the steward came over the intercom letting us know that the Pilot and Co-pilot were M.I.A.  No joke! They couldn't locate either of them.  He was so cute and funny though, telling us he was super embarrassed and was going to tell us the truth, because he didn't know what else to say.  We ended up sitting on the plane until 9, when we finally got a new set of pilots for the flight, and were just about to take off when a man asked if we could switch seats with me so he could sit next to his wife. Perfect! I hadn't done  my deed for the day and was clearly running out of time.  I immediately got up and gladly switched, it wasn't hurting me any and it'd make two people's flight more enjoyable.  Why not?  My phone was already off and tucked away in my purse, so no picture was taken.  Hopefully you aren't the type who need to see to believe....I swear it happened!  Anyway, I am now safely in Michigan and ready to  PARTY with my besties for my friend Carly's birthday!! SO GLAD TO BE HOME!!!

Clean Water Deed: Day 7

All the good Karma I have been putting out into the world is really coming back to me ten fold.  I expected to feel a little better about the day, but I never expected the return I have gotten. I just got a phone call for a job on a commercial in Michigan! I get to go home and see the family and friends, and get some much needed hugs.  It's super short notice though, and I fly out tomorrow! EEKS!  My friend Megan is coming over with a giant suitcase for me, and in the midst of packing while I waiting for her I decided to knock out my good deed for the day and did another online charity.  This one is clickforyourcharity.com and it's the easiest thing you can do to help someone out.  All you do is choose a 30 second ad to watch and BAM! a weeks worth of clean water is sent to someone in need!  I may have even cheated the system (all for good though!) because I watched once on my computer and once on my phone...so two weeks of clean water were sent on my behalf, all while I sat on the couch and decided how many pairs of shoes I needed for my trip.

Salsa Deed: Day 6

OUR SALSA TRIO

I have been insanely busy lately, and work doesn't help with that one bit. When I'm not freelancing on a makeup job, I am a waitress at a local taqueria/tequila bar.  Surprisingly, I absolutely love this job. I am full time, head waitress/new bartender and have the greatest customers.  My regulars are amazing and my co-workers are the most fun people to work with.  I struck a deal with my manager when I got hired: I work full time and come in whenever they need me, provided when I get a job in film/television doing makeup I get time off, no matter what. This has worked in my favor a few times, and I always have a job when I come back.  So, today at work, thinking I was going to have an easy day, I walked into a 50 top that I split with my best friend here in Atlanta, and we were STRESSING! Three tables, all drinking heavily and all wanted separate checks.  The ultimate nightmare for a server.  But, when I went out and greeted my table they were so much fun.  They were a local swim team, who had a friend swimming in the Olympic Trials.  They  all seemed SUPER nice and pretty easy going, so I decided to treat them to some apps....which, occasionally I do for my favorite tables.  Nothing super expensive, usually just our Salsa trio and chips, but it's the thought that counts (I'm not made of money).  I decided this was my deed for the day. So, I bought three Salsa Trio's for the table and even treated them to refills on their favorite Salsa (a couple of times).  I was so busy working with them and the three other tables I had at the same time that I didn't have time to take a picture, but they were super happy. It might not have put a big dent in their bill, but it was greatly appreciated, and it really worked in mine and Megan's (my bestie in Hotlanta) favor in the end.  KARMA, KARMA, KARMA!

Free Rice Deed: Day 5

So, another day in bed due to my ulcer.  But, I still wanted to do some good. So, I went to freerice.com, this awesome site, where you play games to donate rice to the hungry.  You can play everything from English Vocab games to math to learning a new language.  You earn 10 grains of rice for every correct answer, and you can play as long as you want. Today I chose to play the vocab game, I knew I could donate more than if I tried my hand at math...not exactly my strong point.  So, instead of playing 5 hours of bejeweled and earning nothing but satisfaction for getting the top score, I played a little freerice vocab.

CHANGE.ORG DEED: DAY 4

Sorry for not posting over the past couple days. Don't worry, I have kept up with the good deedin', but some craziness has been going on and haven't had the ability to do a daily post. So, I'm playing a little catch up here. I went to the hospital for an out of control ulcer, and so my deed for the day was done online through change.org.  This is a great site with many petitions waiting to be signed to help issues that you are especially drawn to.  I receive daily email alerts about different petitions wanting to be signed, and today I chose to sign one very important to me dealing with Gay Rights.  The fact that it's even an issue drives me insane, but this story really got to me.  All this couple wanted was for their 2 year old son to be able to go swimming at the country club, but due to their sexual orientation they were denied acceptance.  Read  here and sign the petition for yourself.

Inspire Atlanta Deed: Day 3

Today I walked around my little neighborhood in Atlanta (in 100 degree weather, mind you) and hung up inspirational quotes and words of wisdom for the members of the community.  I even put a couple on bikes that were parked around the neighborhood.  I hope these little notes bring a smile or source of inspiration to those who pass by.  

Food Voucher Deed: Day 2

So, I got to the airport last night to find that my flight was being delayed. Then delayed 3x over. Eventually I got put on a flight for today instead. They gave me a food voucher for the inconvenience. Very sweet of them... Aaannyway, once I landed in Atlanta I was starving, and decided to grab a bowl of soup. I realized I wasn't going to use the whole amount, so for today's good deed I used the remainder to buy this nice gentleman a cup 'o joe. When I asked him if I could buy him a cup of coffee, he got a huge smile on his face and called me a sweetheart, which brought a smile to my face.  Good deed tackled, and I still have a whole day ahead if me.

The Suzie Homemaker Deed:Day 1

I just spent the week in Wilmington with my boyfriend, who is working on a film in town.  It was his birthday last Tuesday, and he had no idea I was flying in.  Better yet, his roommate was in on the surprise and had someone from the transpo department pick me up, so I could surprise him at base camp for his birthday.  We couldn't spend too much time together during the week, since he works about 16+ hours a day, but we had a fabulous weekend.  Going jet skiing, bowling, out to eat and just lounging around the house.  But, I spent a lot of time around the house just hanging out, catching up on The Real Housewives of wherever...

Throughout the week I did some cleaning and tried to help out, since I know it's the last thing Justin or his roommate want to do in the little downtime they have.  So, my good deed for today was making them some dinner to come home to, it's no gourmet meal, but hey it's better than nothing.  And I cleaned Justin's room, framed a picture his little niece sent him for his bday and hung up some pictures for him...because like most guys rooms (especially since this is a temporary living arrangement while filming) he has nothing on the walls and no more than a bed and a side table. He needed it to feel homey.  I'm off to Atlanta now, so my Suzie Homemaker deed will be a surprise to them both when they get home. 

A Deed A Day

So, I’ve had a string of bad luck over the past couple of months ( really since I’ve moved to Atlanta in January).  They say when it rains it pours, and they (whoever they are) weren’t kidding… AT ALL.  It seemed like, if it could go wrong, it would go wrong.  From car troubles, to housing mishaps, to my boss stealing from me…you name it, it happened.  After five months of this daily dose of bad luck, I finally found something to get excited about.  I’m not saying that nothing good ever happened, or I was completely miserable for three months, because I wasn’t. I am a “silver lining, everything happens for a reason, eternal optimism” kind of girl.  However, it gets to a point for anyone, when you just have to say “WHAT DID I DO WRONG IN THIS WORLD?! I recycle, when I consciously think about it. I brake for animals and small children.  I even think about volunteering sometimes.  Aaaannnyways, I had a trip planned to see my boyfriend, Justin, who I hadn’t seen in over a month (long distance, blah) and I couldn’t have been more excited. I’d literally tell complete strangers that I was going to Wilmington, NC to see my boyfriend. I’d get blank stares or confused looks in response, but I didn’t care…soon I would see Justin’s face and be able to kiss it and all that other mushy gushy love stuff no one wants to hear about.  I made a reservation for a rental car (because as I stated earlier, car troubles were one of my many misfortunes since moving to Hotlanta) and made sure I had unlimited miles and my insurance covered my car.  I was stoked. I found a car on priceline for   $17/day with everything I needed.  On the day of my impending road trip I went to work, hurried through the day without thinking about much else (probably why I made little to nothing in tips…hmmmm)  and then took the train to the airport to pick up my car.  I got about 90% of the way through my check-in with the rental company when the guy started talking some nonsense about 450 miles.  Ummm…no.  I had made sure I had unlimited miles.  “Well, because you have a Georgia state license, we can’t give you unlimited miles. Should’ve read the fine print.” Said the attendant, with a smirk.  I wasn’t sure why he felt the need to smirk at my tragedy…yes, at this point I’m allowed to call everything from a stubbed toe to a car accident a tragedy.  I mean, honestly, would you think to read the fine print of a reservation that says UNLIMITED MILES, just to make sure that the state you live in allows you unlimited miles?   Needless to say, after much bantering back and forth, I cancelled my reservation and went from rental company to rental company in search of a car.  Not a good plan on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, by the way.  “Well, I have a mustang for $355 for the day” offered one very helpful sales lady. PASS.  “I can get you into a mid-size for $500 for the weekend,” offered another.  Better, but I still think I’m gonna PASS .  After two and a half hours I couldn’t take it anymore.  I was sobbing. In hysterics. Full on panic attack.  I called my parents upwards of twenty times asking for advice and help.  At one point my mom was on her laptop looking for cars, my dad was on his doing the same and I was frantically looking online on my phone.  My dad finally found me a car and made the reservation.  It was about $120 more than I had originally anticipated on paying, but I didn’t care. I put a smile on my face, texted Justin that I would be on my way shortly and headed for the rental counter.  The sales guy was super friendly and said he’d seen how horribly the first company had treated me, promising he wouldn’t do the same.  He found my reservation and I willingly handed over my debit card.  “Oh” he said, “we can’t take debit cards from people with a Georgia license, it’s airport policy.”  WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE FROM GEORGIA!?!? “

“Can my dad phone a credit card in?” I asked hopeful, but already knowing the answer.  The guy shakes his head; I start sobbing all over again, harder than before, and walk away shaking.  I didn’t know what to do. I had been defeated. The trip I had my heart set on for weeks wasn’t going to happen, I’m a waitress at a Mexican restaurant…a mustang isn’t in my budget.  I went out to ground transportation to take a cab home, sat down on the bench to gather my thoughts and smoke a cigarette.  I reach in my purse, and what do you know…I’m out of cigarettes.  Well, isn’t that just my luck?  It seems so dumb, and petty, but that really was the icing on the cake. I lost it. Full on panic attack, sob-fest, pathetic girl at twelve o’clock style tantrum.  I looked over and saw a guy next to me smoking, and with that sad look of desperation in my puffy tear filled eyes I choked out the words that would unknowingly change my fate, “can (deep breath) I (another deep breath) bum a (just for dramatic effect, another deep breath) cigarette?”  He happily gave me one, lit it and then offered me a few more for the road, but I declined.  Just then my roommate called, and I started to tell her the long and tragic story that is my life.  I didn’t notice the guy still lingering behind me as I went into my tale of heartache and misery.  He eventually started to walk away, and I choked out another thank you and figured that was that.  I bum smokes to people on a daily basis; bums, co-workers, bummy co-workers; it’s kind of an unwritten code amongst smokers, in my opinion.  You just do it.  After a long talk with my roommate I got in line for a cab, contemplating what my next move would be.  And then I heard someone yelling in my direction.  “Hey, let me get you a cab, sweethaahht. “ I looked up to see, cigarette donor motioning towards me to get in a cab.  “That’s ok, I’ve got it,” I said, my voice still shaky from all of the crying and anxiety. 

“Come on,” he yelled “You’ve had a hahhhd day. It’s the least I can do. “ (FYI- I am a great speller, I’m just trying to portray an east coast accent for my readers).   I still declined, but suggested we split a cab, because really the $40 I was about to pay to get home was weighing on me.

“So what has got you so down, dawhl?” he asks once I’ve slightly composed myself.  Still short panicky breaths are all I can muster. 

“I…just...hate…this…town,” I stammer. 

“Why are you so upset,” he persists on me telling him my story.   So, I make this poor stranger endure the saga, as I have you…and I apologize to him…and now to you. 

“What if I buy you a plane ticket to Wilmington?” he offers.  My jaw drops, this literally can happen, and did. I just shake my head no, my mouth still agape.  “seriously, I have so many skymiles, that I never use, just let me buy you a plane ticket.”  I am floored.  Flabbergasted.  Stunned.  What other words can I use  to describe this emotion? Because I felt them all, separately. 

“why are you being so nice to me? Someone you don’t even know.”

“Isn’t life about helping people out that are need it? When I can help a stranger out, I do” he says very matter of fact.

“Well, yeah…that’s how I feel. I just didn’t know other people existed that felt the same way.”

“I just have one condition,” he started.

Oh great, I thought, this is where I’m going to get propositioned, or raped or any number of terrible things I’ve seen on Law and Order SVU marathons. 

“I was on my way to the bar,” he continues “come in and have a drink with me and I’ll get out my laptop and book your flight.”

“Uh…okay, I’ll think about it,” I say, immediately realizing how dumb, naïve and also ungrateful I’m sounding.  I really just wanted to scope the bar out before saying yes.  I mean, I’m a young girl out on her own in a cab with a guy she’s never met; I wanted to make sure it was a packed place full of people and not some “bar” in the basement of his house.   When we get to the bar in the middle of town in broad daylight, with a ton of people filtering in and out, I decide it can’t hurt to go in. worst case scenario the guy’s a creep and I get the hell out.  My mom and dad texted and called relentlessly, worrying about their baby girl…understandably so, but I just wanted to believe that there was some good in people left in this world. I sent them his full name and where we were.  I kept in contact with them non-stop throughout the night.  But, sure enough, the guy pulls out his laptop, searches for flights to Wilmington, and next thing I know, I’ve got a flight booked for the next day to go see the love of my life.

 I just kept saying “This feels like an Oprah moment! A REAL LIFE OPRAH MOMENT!”  You get a plane ticket, you get a plane ticket, and you get a plane ticket!!! We’re all going to WIIILLLLMMMIIINNNNGGGTOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!

The next morning I left for Wilmington, NC and had an amazing weekend with my amazing boyfriend, I’ll spare you the details, which involve a lot of eating dinner out and playing kissy face and telling each other how great the other one is.  When it came time to say goodbye I was heartbroken, as I usually am when we have inevitably have to part ways. I cried a little, okay a lot, and then he left for work. I took a cab to the airport a few hours later and figured that was it until the next time.  But, wouldn’t you know, they were oversold and there was a tropical storm a-brewin’, and they needed flexible travelers in exchange for vouchers for another flight.  I literally ran to the counter. Oh my god, I can stay another night with Justin and get airline money for my next flight out here?! I’m down. So, needless to say, my first trip to Wilmington was free, and now my second one is going to be as well. 

In all that has happened to me in the past couple of months, I may have gotten discouraged and upset at times, but I never lost faith in myself or other people. I kept a positive attitude, for the most part, and always ALWAYS believed in karma.  But, since the generosity of this complete stranger and then the crazy luck at the airport on the way home, I really decided to take a closer look at karma and my life.  I may be a happy, nice and good hearted person; but I rarely went completely out of my way for a total stranger. Maybe some change here and there, or a few kind words to someone, but never along the lines that I received.   I also don’t have a stack of skyline miles setting in my account, or more than $20 in my bank account most of the time, but I could still make an effort to do more.  So…….the reason you’ve endured this long and winded story is because I am making it a priority to do at least one good deed a day. Some for people that are close to me and whom I love dearly and some for people I don’t know from Adam.  And, I’m going to blog about the whole thing…and whatever else may be going on in life.  I’m doing this for two reasons. One: I hope someone else will be inspired to do something similar.  I think this could be a much better place for everyone in it, if we all did just one selfless good deed to make someone else’s day better. Two:  Writing about it will make me more responsible. Knowing that other people are expecting me to do something good, will help me remember what it’s all about. Even on the worst days. 

So, I hope you enjoy this experiment/journey/new project as much as I know I will. 

THANKS FOR READING!

D