It's the Little Things

So it's Valentine's Day again, I hope you got your special someone that perfect gift by now! ;) Although I do think Valentine's Day can be a bit cheesey with the silly cards and giant teddy bears, it is pretty easy to get wrapped up in the busy-ness that is life. So I look at this day to slow down, and appreciate the loved ones in my life. I'm celebrating my 4th Valentine's Day with my lovely boyfriend, Matt! :)

Sometimes it's easy to take for granted the little things in life. I recently came across a story online that made me appreciate my relationship a bit more. Laurence and Lena Nelson have been together for over 50 years, but unlike many couples who've been together that long and are full of cute stories from how they met, the Nelsons have a different story. As an interracial couple that grew up during segregation, they had to hide their love for eachother from the public and date in secrecy. Lena's father even told her that if she married Laurence, to never bother coming home again. It was a dangerous time for interracial couples, but their relationship was worth the fight and they eventually eloped in 1957.

I couldn't imagine the racism and hardships Lena and Laurence Nelson had to face while trying to make a life together. Building a relationship can be hard at times, but to have to constantly prove yourself and fight for what you believe in, on top of the day to day struggles is very eye opening. It really makes me appreciate everything that I have with Matt.

Now for some cute Valentine's Day cards I found on the internets! I hope you enjoy! And have a Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Who doesn't love a pacman throwback? via Giftseasonstore

I really love the creative shapes and block lettering in this one! Reminds me of my mom, she loves owls! via Sass & Peril

This card calls to my inner html nerd! Simple and to the point! via Code Cards

Even though I never carved anyone's initials into a tree, it reminds me of all my notebooks covered in my secret crush's initials! via Two Trick Pony

How sweet! ;) via Scrapbooks etc.

Who doesn't like a good typography pun? via Red Letter Paper Co.

The typography and cute graphics, plus the simple message makes this an adorable card! via Two Trick Pony

Do you have a happy V-Day story you'd like to share? Submit some Good News! And don't forget to share your thoughts on the cards, or the story in comments!

If you'd like to read more about Lena and Laurence Nelson, you can find it here! I also found a bunch of those cards at design milk, if you wanna check out the rest!

Bohtimore: Oh Boy, What a City

For the long weekend, I was invited by my sister Katie to head down to Baltimore, Maryland and visit a few friends. I had such a good time, I figured I'd share some of my trip's experiences! I really couldn't capture the beauty of this amazing city, but I tried! I hope you enjoy!

Note! If you are unaware like I was, National Bohemian Beer is a huge part of Baltimore culture and it's all over the place! Hence the play on words in the title of this post ;)

Our lovely hostess, Natalie, lives in Fells Point. It's full of friendly people and has a great bar scene! It's also right on the water!

Our first night out we went to Nacho Mama, a local favorite. My sister Katie (left) and Natalie (right) introduced me to "hubcap" margaritas. YUM!

The next day we took a walk to the more touristy section of Baltimore, the inner harbor. The smoke stack building is actually a Barnes and Noble!

The city was so full of character. Here's an old boat that was sitting right on the deck.

A little farther down, we came across a small light house

The view from the lighthouse, overlooking the harbor

We ended our trip for the day overlooking the harbor from Federal Hill

Overall, I had an amazing time!! It's a city like no other, with historical features, a waterfront view and a great night life! If you're in the Fell's Point area, make sure to check out Cat's Eye Pub. They play amazing music every day of the week and was named one of Baltimore's top 25 bars by Baltimore Magazine!

Have any trips you'd like to share? Let me know!

Everyday Heroes

One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was so people could share goods news they came across. And luckily I've recently had two stories brought to my attention that is not only good news, but also features a few extraordinary people. The first came from an article shared by Andrea Fugazot, a friend of mine from Monroe and the second is a video my sister, Katie shared with me.

A few friends were home from college on winter break, driving around Lake Mary, Fl. looking for another friend's house. When the GPS led them astray, they stopped in the parking lot of Reflection lake, trying to get their bearings. At that point, one of the young men, Zach Sawin, noticed a car bobbing in the lake about 50 yards offshore. He immediately darted towards the car, dove in and spotted Miguel Hernandez sitting still in the drivers seat, frozen with fear. Sawin climbed through the window, unhooked Hernandez's seat belt and swam him to shore. The other friends jumped in to check the car, but no one else was in it. By the time everyone got back to shore, the car had sunk.

If they had arrived 5 minutes later, or if the GPS had managed to get to their friend's house without any trouble, this could have been a totally different ending. Not only did the timing work out, but Sawin had been brave enough to put his fears aside and save a complete stranger! Not everyone can say that if they were in the same position, they would have acted similarly. Of course we would all like to say we would, and we may never actually know. But these men, without hesitation, saved someone else's life partly to do with some minor coincidences.

If you'd like to read the full article, you can find it here!

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This video literally brought me to tears. It is an inspiring and heartwarming story about a strong bond formed between two brothers. Just watch it, you'll get it! Or you could also read the article!

Thanks again Andrea and Katie for sharing these amazing stories!

And don't forget, if you'd like to share some good news! please fill out our form!

A Few Good Ladies

Recently I discovered that a few lovely ladies, and friends of mine, all landed nursing jobs down in Maryland, which I thought was pretty good news! Amy Exner (left), Natalie Bernier (middle) and Jessica Black (right) are all 2012 graduates of the University of Delaware, School of Nursing with B.S.N degrees and R.N. distinctions. Currently, Jess is an ER nurse at Sinai Hospital, Natalie is in the Psych unit at Hopkins and Amy is in the cardiopulmonary at Upper Chesapeake. I would just like to throw out a little congratulations to these strong, smart women!

Segue way time! This news got me thinking about a bunch of other inspiring women from this past year. So I decided to put together a short list of a few good ladies from politicians to illustrators and everything in between. I hope you enjoy!

Malala Yousufzai, Pakistani female activist
Malala Yousufzai is a 14 year old Pakistani advocate for equal education. She was on her way home from school, when she was attacked and shot in the head by Taliban militants for publically voicing her opinions on women's education. Thankfully, she was recently released from a hospital in London and has made great progress. It really makes you realize how lucky we are to have a voice.
via CNN

Michelle Obama, First Lady
The first Lady, although receiving much criticism for being too involved in politics, is also seen as inspiring and strong. She supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 and took a lead role in the initiave, Let's Move which fights childhood obesity. She can also give one hell of a speech!

Penny Krakoff, Marathon runner
Even before NYC mayor, Mike Bloomberg cancelled the marathon after Hurricane Sandy, Penny Krakoff was handing in her number to spend the day volunteering in Staten Island. A Brooklyn native, Krakoff felt it was more important to help out her surrounding communities.
via Gothamist

Kathryn Bigelow, Director
Kathryn Bigelow is best known for her film, the Hurt Locker and was the first women to be awarded Best Director in 2009. Zero Dark Thirty is already showing serious oscar hype. With her hard hitting and non traditional ideas, Ms. Bigelow does not conform to the female director mold one bit.

Jessica Hische, Letterer & Illustrator
Jessica is an incredibly talented designer best known for her typography and illustrations. Now only 5 years out of college, Jessica speaks at conferences around the world, discussing the trade and inspiring up and coming designers everywhere.
via Jessica Hische

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton is no rookie when it comes to political finesse. She has run the state department for the past four years with perseverance and serious focus. She is a strong supporter of women's rights and education and has recently launched the International Council on Women's Business Leadership. All I have to say is "Clinton 2016"!

Who inspired you this past year? Share your thoughts in our comment section! :)

A Good Year

I have to say, 2012 was a pretty good year and full of really good news! One of my best friends got engaged, and one of my sisters graduated from college. I took a few trips with some of my favorite people, and made some great memories.

I know I'm a little late on this but I put together a photo gallery, with some help from my friends, of some highlights from this past year!

Happy New Year, and enjoy :)

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

And don't forget, if you would like to share some good news, please feel free to submit!!

'Tis the Season

With all the nonsense of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and finding a parking spot at the mall, it's easy to forget the true meaning of the holidays. Put the religious affiliations of Christmas aside and there is a whole other meaning behind this time of year, giving. I don't mean giving the the most expensive high-end gadget of the season; I mean giving your time, energy and even a little money towards a better cause. Whether it's volunteering your time at the local soup kitchen or dropping a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket outside Walmart, you're making a difference to people that may not be as fortunate as you.

Even middle America is struggling around this time of year. Luckily Walmart, Toys R Us and many other stores have made an attempt to help out and put together a layaway program where you can "pay a little while getting a lot". However, we all know that this sort of thing can put a burden on people, credit is not always fun paying off. Recently I came across an article at the Huffington Post where for some lucky layaway-ers, Santa came a little early. Anonymous Santas are popping up and contributing, or completely paying off balances of customers who needed to put presents on layaway this year. Some customers where in such shock, they didn't even believe it!

"Toys R Us customers from Washington County, Pa., recently got a layaway receipt saying simply that their presents had been “paid for by Santa,” WPXI-TV reported. Thinking that the receipt was a scam, they called the store only to find out it was real, and four other families layaways were paid off as well." (huffingtonpost.com)

And this selfless giving seems to be contagious! Once people started hearing about it, more and more "secret santas" began contributing what they could; Toy's R Us also announced they will be donating $200 of toy's every time a a "secret santa" contributes to a customer's balance.

In a world that seems to always be full of "me! me! me!" this story was a breath of fresh air! The point of giving should never be about recognition, it should just be the simple satisfaction you get for making someone's day, even year! In the wake of Sandy Superstorm, many people who never thought they would have an issue putting the holiday feast on the table are now trying to assemble their lives back together. We all have those bags of clothes in the back of our closets with the word "Donate" written across them or the cans of food shoved in the back of our pantry that you haven't even looked at since last season. I hope sharing this will inspire you to help out, which ever way you can, as small as it may be. All I'm saying is making a difference to someone, especially around this time of year, is always very good news!

Visit the Huffington Post for the full article!

Putting a Little Faith Back in Humanity

So I don't know about you, but every time I turn on the news, it is filled with nothing but violence, a failing economy or some B-celebrity getting arrested for yet another drunk driving incident (guess who). After the horrific and unbelievable tragedy that took place this past weekend in Newtown Connecticut, I decided to put it in my own hands to create a forum where people can periodically escape from the misfortunes of this world and read about some light and happy news instead. I am by no means trying to ignore the outside world and I don't think that this outlet will instantly make the bad guys go away. I am simply just trying to bring together people's triumphs, accomplishments and joys to share with other people seeking a little refuge. I simply just wish to share some Good News!

So here goes the first post! I thought to start it out, I would share an article as well as some photos revolving around some random acts of kindness and bravery.

If you know me, you know I have become quite the Yankee fan over the past few years, no thanks to my boyfriend, Matt. And although he hasn't had all that great of a past season, Curtis Granderson has been one of my favorite players to watch. Along with his all star stats, Granderson has also started, Grand Kids Foundation, an organization focusing on funding educational programs such as the arts and sciences across the country. Recently I came across an article on the Yankee's website where he along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, took a trip down to Staten Island post-Sandy to donate over 2,000 backpacks to the young victims. Along with PS 39, schools across Coney Island, the Rockaways and many other schools will receive the donated backpacks. You can read the full article here.

It's really inspiring to me when I hear about genuine acts of kindness, especially from people such as star athletes, who may not necessarily have the time but make an extra effort to do so. And sure, you can argue with me all day that he should be practicing and working on his hitting (I am fully aware how he did in the post season!) but this makes a true difference to people! There are things that are bigger than us, and when we realize that, it is truly humbling. So thank you Mr. Granderson for making a difference to those kids!

And Now some photos that I came across that will hopefully make you feel good :)

A police officer who brought a homeless man a pair of shoes in Time Square, NY
via: Buzzfeed

A fireman giving a kitty oxygen
via: Buzzfeed

As one of the many who lost power during Sandy, this made my day when I saw this
via: Buzzfeed

The students from Texas A&M that stood up against the Westboro Baptist Church who tried to picket a funeral
via: Buzzfeed

Pretty awesome of Subway to do this, not sure where it is though?
via: Buzzfeed

If you would like to check out the rest of these great photos, please visit:
The 21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity or 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year both via Buzzfeed.

And remember!! If you would like to submit some good news, please feel free to fill out our Good News! submission form