12 Months of Giving :: April recap + May goals.

I'm a little late here.  I've been focusing on recovering and rehabing the injury and spending well-deserved time with D while he's in town.  

Let's go back to April though.  I wasn't quite sure what to do about April's goal of running a race for a cause since I'm out of commission as a runner.  I switched it up and made the decision to volunteer for the Run Raleigh half since I couldn't run it.  The race director promptly contacted me and said she could use a volunteer for packet pick-up the night before the race or giving out water at the end of the race.  I preferred to be a part of the race itself, so I chose to hand out water.

There is definitely something amazing about watching all of the runners start and finish the race.  It was worth the early rising on a Saturday (to not run a race).  While I don't think it was the best idea to stand for 4 hours in the boot, it was a great experience watching the runners.  I was amazed by some of the quick finishing times but also by those last runners who were committed to finishing. I loved congratulating and spreading cheer to the runners.

I knew I couldn't transfer my race entry, but it turns out you get a free race entry when you volunteer at one of the races in the series!  Sadly the Rock N' Roll series is coming to Raleigh displacing this local, spring race.  Happily, I'm going to have a second shot to run this race in October!  I'm scared but excited!

I didn't end up switching May and April goals (which is good since I still can't run).  This month I will be contributing to my local shelter.  Raleigh has a handful of local shelters.  I'll be picking one and donating some items off their wish list.  Many shelters have wish lists, as well as links to directly (and easily) donate money, on their website.  This is a way to give back that takes little time and little money.  

Need to find a homeless shelter near you?  Check out Homeless Shelter Directory, Salvation Army, or simply google homeless shelter in ________.  It's that easy!

Do you plan to give back in May?

12 Months of Giving :: Racing when you can't.

March's 12 Months of Giving goal was to give a Kiva gift.  I was lucky enough to end up giving two gifts.  After a final success, April's challenge has left me in a quandary.

First, the boot/injury is certainly putting a damper on that whole running thing.  I already had a race picked out for April (and paid for).  Ok, but I can't dwell on what I can't do.  I've been throwing around two options in my head.

1. Switch up May's goal with April's goal.  I do have the Small Dreams 5k coming up in May, that I may or may not be able to run.  May's goal is to donate to a local shelter.  I think this could work; however something just doesn't jive with me when it comes to switching monthly challenges.
2. Volunteer at a race.  Races always need volunteers to hand out water, etc.  Initially this seemed depressing to me, but I believe D is going to be out of town the weekend of the race. I don't want to wallow in my depression.  Plus, I still love running.  What a great way to get out and support those runners who can and are doing it.  Races are always so inspiring.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I want to do both!  (UPDATE! I did decide to do both and I have some exciting news to share about it!)  I know my girl Alex is already going to be running in a {big} race for a cause in April.  If you don't or can't run, go give her a little support for helping find a cure for cancer.

How are you going to give back in April?

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Life Lately :: Giving back & working it out.

I'm so grateful for all the support and encouragement I got after I talked about my injury last week.  Since then, I've stopped being so depressed and jumped into the pool.  Between some strength work (I usually do ab or arm sets after the pool), aqua jogging, and yoga, I worked out every day last week and am more motivated than ever to keep working.  I can't thank you all enough for your comments!

As for what else I've been up to?  There's not much...

 [My last decent outfit before I was booted.  Love the combo of my favorite Gap skinnies and this beautiful San Francisco scarf that I won in a giveaway from Stephanie.]

 [After a hard day, I came home to the best mail day ever!]

[Lauren had a genius idea of Hello Box.  I was paired with Jessica and she sent me the most perfect gift that brightened a depressed week!]

 [Wearing my shirt I won from Justyn and rocking the boot.  On another note, I am so happy to have Justyn around to meet up and drink with me and keep me sane!]

[So excited that I found this solo (couldn't even find one regular priced) Polar Global heart rate monitor for that price!  It's not the most advanced version, so I need to figure out how to work it (and the appropriate heart rate for exercise).]

 [Spending a long, long weekend in the Outer Banks]

 [Since I can't quite rock the bike with the boot, we had to opt for the less healthy ride...]

 [My first time rocking the boot over jeans + my fav owl shirt.]

[The absolute best Easter...reading Little Women and enjoying a beer in the sun]

In case you forgot, my 12 Months of Giving challenge was to give a Kiva gift.  It was really cool to scroll through and look at all the different people I could donate to help.  It's amazing how such a minimal amount of money (only $25) can change someone's life and help them make a living.  I mentioned that Cambodia was special for me, so I looked through loans that were almost fulfilled in that country.  I think for my next loan, I'll look for something that education-related since I think education is so important.

Have you made a Kiva loan?  If not, go here to get started!  Link up and tell me how you gave back in March!

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12 Months of Giving :: Kiva what?!

After February's challenge was a semi-bust for me, let's move on to March's 12 Months of Giving challenge!  Are you up for it?

What in the hell is a Kiva gift you're likely asking?  This is another goal that has been on my 101 in 1001 list since I began it.

First, you should just check out Kiva's website.  It's pretty thorough and easy to understand, but I'll try to summarize it for you as well.  There's basically fours steps in the Kiva process.

1. You first make the loan to someone for a great cause.  You get to go here and choose a borrower.  Cambodia holds a very special place in my heart, so I'll likely choose a borrower from there.  Go here to get long and short versions on how borrowers are chosen.
2. Check your email for progress updates on how your loan is being utilized.  You can also view updates through the Kiva website.
3. You may even get money back!  The borrower does repay the loan, so it's possible that you'll get repaid for your donation with a "Kiva Reward.*" *Which is in no way guaranteed so not a legit reason to lend and help out others in need. 
4. Use your Kiva Reward to pay it forward (or withdraw it for yourself).

Need something to help you understand better?  Watch this.

Guys, it only costs $25!  And you can keep on giving.  As someone who feels passionate about helping others in third world countries but can't quite travel to volunteer, this is an amazingly easy way to help others who really need it.  $25 to help fund someone's livelihood seems more than worth it to me. We literally do not even have to leave our home to take on this challenge.  With a few clicks of the mouse, we could help a family be one step closer to security, to being able to provide for their family.  $25 is nothing for many of us.  Give up Starbucks for a month.  Those Target sandals.  Wait a bit longer for that JCrew skirt you've been coveting.  Help me commit to changing someone, or an entire family's life.   Are you in for the challenge?  

I would absolutely love to hear and share your stories from any trips or volunteer experiences in third world countries.  If you're interested in guest posting (or re-posting) a story or experience you've had please email me!

Life Lately + 12 Months of Giving.

Since February's #12monthsofgiving challenge was a bust for me, I decided to combine my link-up with my usual Life Lately.  Here's what the last two weeks have thrown my way.

 [Finally breaking out and styling my Printed Palette shirt I snagged from Brickyard Buffalo]

 [It's really been a gin + tonic kind of week.  There's been lots of stress between family and laundry drama]

 [And let the blood donation begin!  My hemoglobin was good (13.8 and the lowest is 12 something).  I got past the pricked finger and everything. My nerves had sort of subsided, and I was ready!]

 [And then this happened.  I was crushed.  Apparently even if you just fly into the Cancun airport on this trip, you're a malaria risk for an entire year!  A whole year?!  I was so incredibly sad.]

[Except I didn't get to make a difference...]

 [Drinking a brew for good karma in honor of Justyn's good news!  Ps. This girl has been helping to keep me sane in the drama of the last couple weeks.  So happy to have her around!]

 [Even though the chickens have been little bitches this week adding to my drama, we got pink eggs!  Easter eggs!]

 [This little baby misses his dad so much when he's gone.  He's constantly cuddling when D comes back in town!]

[Pretty thrilled with my runs these days even though my calf is still bothering me.  Only 14 seconds slower than race pace & massive hills we didn't walk on!]

Even though I wasn't able to donate blood in February (which means I need to get my new tattoo asap so I can donate as early as possible in 2014), I did donate something!  LensCrafters will take your old glasses donations for their OneSight program.  It's a cool program, and it's as easy as dropping your glasses off in a store.  It feels good to know that at least I gave something back...even if it wasn't blood.    

Grab a button and link-up below for 12 Months of Giving.  Check here for March's giving challenge (although I'll be giving more details this week) and that link-up will go live on Monday, April 1.  Happy Giving!

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12 Months of Giving :: the bloody truth about donating.

Donating blood that is.  In case you missed it, February's challenge is

This has been on my 101 in 1001 list for quite a while.  It has always been something I wanted to do, but have never quite mustered up the courage to do it.  2013 is the year this is going to happen!

Source: beautifulmistakes94.tumblr.com via West Point on Pinterest

Why donate blood?  People donate blood for various reasons.  Giving blood can:

• Make you feel good about yourself
• Support your local community and hospital by enlarging the blood supply utilized for a variety of needs and emergencies
• Help you "pay it forward" if you or someone you know has ever needed blood transfusions in the past

These are just a few reasons why giving blood is helpful.  Rare blood types are even more in need! 

Source: google.gr via Kiki on Pinterest

What happens when you give blood?  According to AABB, in one hour you give one unit of blood.  From this unit:

• You could save multiple lives
• Red blood cells can be extracted to use in trauma or surgical patients
• The liquid part of your blood, plasma, can be used with patients who have clotting difficulties
• The platelets from your blood are often used in cancer and transplant patients because they assist in clotting the blood

Source: healthytimesblog.com via Crippen Buick GMC Mazda Volvo on Pinterest

As a first time donor, I am not quite sure what to expect.  The American Red Cross has an abundance of information!  This information for first time donors is going to be a frequent reference.  As a vegetarian, I hope that my iron levels won't hold me back.

Go the the ARC website to find a blood drive or donation center near you!

And as a reminder, the February recap will go live on March 4!  Go forward and save a life!

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12 Months of Giving :: January recap!

I've been really excited to share about my success with this month's challenge!  January's challenge was to clean out my closet and donate old items.  In the past, I've cleaned out my closet every now and then, but it is always difficult to go make the actual donation.  I've been hanging on to lots of extra clothes that either don't fit or are hideous just because I'm a bit sentimental.  It was well past time to rid myself of the closet clutter.

It's obvious that my closet (and bedroom) were a major disaster.  This is probably an understatement.  I'm slightly embarrassed to display my unorganized ways.  That's also only half of my bedroom closet and I'm not even counting the guest room closet (which I cleaned out in December).

While it's still not the epitome of organization, I got rid of so many things!  Since then, I've been pulling out some awesome pieces that I forgot I had and hadn't worn in years.  This was huge!

I ended up with five bags to donate!  Some of these were D's items to get rid of, but the vast majority was mine.  It's scary.  I know there are still a hand full of items that I just didn't get rid of but should have (like those items I vowed to only keep if I got them hemmed).

There's my old stuff!  I donated to my favorite Raleigh thrift store, Cause for Paws.  Their mission is to, 

"protect, nurture, and find homes for unwanted and displaced canines and felines. We have a NO-KILL policy and we partner with other animal wellness organizations who maintain a working no-kill policy. Our goal is to create a task force to rescue animals from shelters in Wake and surrounding counties. We aim to have a sustained program allowing animals due for euthanasia to be rescued and relocated to a no-kill animal shelter."

The best part about this month's challenge for me?  Purging items I just didn't need!  I had moved with much of these clothes from Georgia.  While they may have fit me then, I still didn't wear even half of them.  It felt great to purge the non-fitting items and pieces that were so out of style, I'd never wear them again.  Now I know what clothing and shoes I have and this task should be much easier next year!  Knowing that I was giving back and supporting a cause I am passionate about (plus the community) was an added bonus. Lesson learned :: giving is good for others as well as myself.

February is upon us, and it's time to focus on this month's goal!

I've never donated before, and I'm a little nervous.  I'll share more about my story when it's time for the February link-up which will happen on March 4.  Keep an eye out for a post later this week with more details.  If you haven't signed up for 12 Months of Giving, do so here!

Grab the button and link-up my giving friends!

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Tell me, what was the best part about the challenge for you this month?
Did you donate?
Did you remember to get a tax document?

12 Months of Giving :: The nitty gritty.

I'm so grateful for the positive response I received about my 2013 commitment to 12 months of giving.  I hope that others are inspired to give back this year.  For me, blogging not only allows me a platform for inspiring others to join in this challenge, but it will also hold me accountable.  I plan to document my participation, and I would love to see how others take on the challenge as well!

In order to make this challenge a bit more organized, here's how it'll go down.

First, sign up, grab a button and inspire others to join the challenge!

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You can go here to sign up and receive email reminders and tips for completing each month's challenge!  Nothing like a little email reminder inspiration to get stuff done!

Second, take on the monthly challenge!

Can't join in on a particular challenge for the month?  No worries!  Feel free to switch months around or come up with your own way to give back.  Just give back and enjoy!

Third, blog it and join the link-up to share how you gave back!

I'll be blogging with a link-up on the first Monday of the following month to share the previous month's giving.  Confusing?  For example, the first link-up will go live on February 4 to share how I accomplished my January giving.  

That's it my friends!  I'll be tweeting updates on my monthly tasks with the hashtag #12monthsofgiving  

January's Challenge ::

Be sure to grab a document when you make your donations!  You can write it off on your taxes next year.  

Thank you again to everyone who has given their kind words & support in this challenge.  Let's give back!