Warm bed with cozy blankets, hot chocolate and a kitchen full of food, a husband who is funny and commited, a roof over my head, a computer to type on, my dogs, my vacuum cleaner, clothes on my back and in my closet, Starbucks, laughter, sorrow, to love and be loved. I am thankful for it all because with out it I wouldnt be me. Many people dont have these things, I do. Thank you.

You dial the phone and someone is there to greet you. You cry, you scream, you make no sense what’s so ever, you even hang up on that someone...then they turn around and do something as crazy as still love you. They pull through for you as you do them. You might not talk to another for weeks but you see them and they respond like no time has passed. Why? Because you need them and they need you. They get it, they understand. Trust has been built over time and that time earned gives way to a heart that is loved unconditionally. You forgive one another, take one another for granted, then not for granted, during the joys and the losses, argue, disagree, laugh and hope together. I have family and friends who are like family. Many people don't have that. I do. Thank you.

Today I am thankful for my car. 4 wheels, brake pads, door handles, gasoline. Each on their own they may not amount to much, but together they make for a vehicle which gets me to work everyday, allows me to go to the grocery store and carries my groceries home for me, lets me see my friends and family and keeps me warm and safe while doing so. Today I am thankful for having reliable transportation. Many people dont have that. I do. Thank you.

Forgiveness is an interesting thing. It is so much more about yourself than the person you are forgiving. My parents and I have had our ups and downs...times when we weren’t speaking and the pain so warm and
friendly that anything different would have been terrifying. As I get older, I see my parents more as faulty human beings trying to figure out their way in life and isn’t that what I am? Isn’t that what we all are? To see my own
parents begin to forgive one another is also an incredible thing to witness. My heart, once pained and resentful, now is beginning to feel peace. If only I had learned sooner that forgiveness works wonders on the forgiver, maybe I would have started on it a long time ago.

Santa came early to my house! My Kindle Fire arrived yesterday and I'm like a kid in a candy store. Granted, I'm way behind the times when it comes to technology, no touch screen phone, just recently began texting, dont know how to use the camera on my phone. You get my point, right?  It was a little creepy when it said "Holly's Kindle"  on the screen before I ever told it it was me. I still can't figure that one out. Please pray for me that I dont hit the "one touch purchase" too often. This could get really bad really quick. And how much does my hubby spoil me? After much whinning about how I couldnt take it anywhere without a cover, he pulls out the coveted Vera Bradley tablet cover I wanted in Folkloric. So today my favorite thing is the Kindle Fire and my tablet cover. Oh...and my hubby too.

I need to hear from you! I have been quite melancoly lately and want to hear from you who read my blog. How has your day gone? What have you been up to? What inspires you? How do you stay positive? What beautiful things are you seeing in this world? Please leave me a comment! I need to hear from you!

Well, it turned out to be harder than I thought to complete 11 Random Acts of Kindness in one day. So instead I just tried to do as much as I could as often as I thought about it during Friday and the weekend. I will try again for 11 in one day, but it was still fun getting out of my own way & looking for ways to make other people happy.
Here are some examples of what I did...
-Left M&M's on a coworker's desk.
-Cleaned a coworker's window.
-Paid for the person behind me in the Starbucks drive thru (yes I broke down and got Starbucks!)
-Let someone out at an intersection that had been waiting a while.
-Picked up poop that didnt belong to my dog at the dog park.
Did anyone else accomplish any Random Acts of Kindness on 11-11-11?

There's so much negativity in the news I am not sure how much more I can stand. When I visited the webpage for my local news to find out the weather, these are the headlines I read...
-Man who killed Marine could be released from prison.
-Thanksgiving dinner gets more expensive.
-Mother charged in alleged assult on her newborn.
-6 teens says man held them at gun point.
-Heroin problem heads to Columbus suburbs.
I am sorry I had to relay those to you, but I just get so overwhelmed with all the darkness in the world.  It sure would be nice to hear some good stuff too.  I just want to go here and hang out for a little while...

Ruby has asked me to encourage all of you to take note on November 11th, 2011. She would like humans to be canine-like and love unconditionally and be more kind to one another. Ruby wants all of her human friends to perform 11 Random Acts of Kindness on Friday to celebrate 11-11-11 and then come back here and tell us about it. What will you do to make someone's day? Some of Ruby's random kindness has been licking my hand when I least expected it, making people smile at the dog park when they see her and say "Aww, look at that cute puppy," laying her head on my lap when I am watching tv, and the sound of her tail hitting something when it is wagging so happily that it makes everyone happy.