The Spirit of Charity

"The spirit of charity exists in all of us. Sometimes the brightest sparks come from the smallest fires. There is power in every act of kindness no matter how small."

'I wish' .... I had never-ending funds to donate to ______ charity!

This is such a great question! I really do wish I had more to give to all the great charities out there! But since I don't have all the money in the world, I have decided I need to start volunteering my time more often! I am applying to work with Arizonans For Children, which is a wonderful organization that works with foster children to provide them with tutors, mentors, and give them some measure of stability in their lives. I would like to start tutoring a child, but I may have to wait until fall to start. This is a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. My mom is a social worker and I have known from a fairly young age that there are kids out there who don't have a mom and dad who can take care of them. Most of us can take for granted growing up in a home with one or both of our parents, with enough food and a safe place to sleep at night. A lot of foster children get bounced around and don't have anything stable in their lives. Mentors and tutors at AZs for Children stay with the same child no matter where the child is moved.

I was happy to see this question this week because there is still time to vote for your own favorite project at Pepsi Refresh. Pepsi is donating millions of dollars to the winning projects, so head over there and have your voice be heard! (I voted for the Big House Project, but there are so many wonderful projects being proposed!)

Now onto another fun round of questions with The Random Dozen:

1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay? I used to hate them, but now I own two pairs. I think they can be cute, but some of them are crazy over the top!

2. What is your favorite pizza? The buffalo chicken pizza at No Anchovies in Tucson. I have not lived there in two years but I still crave it!

3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
This is easy! I love the Wizard Of Oz, and have since I was a little girl! My first dog's name was Toto and I always had some Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch dress up stuff! I even dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween... So my item of choice would have to be the Ruby Slippers! I got to see them in person at the Smithsonian in Washington DC and they really are beautiful! 4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for. This is an easy one too! I always get excited when I see an AZ restaurant on Food Network or another food show. The most famous one here is probably Pizzeria Bianco. It was on Oprah's show about the best foods in the country and it has been on countless other "best of" lists. Sadly, I have never been there, but it is on my list of To Do's!

5. What is your current favorite snack? This is something my friend's mom showed me and I love it! It is white cheddar popcorn, cheddar cheese popcorn, and butter popcorn all mixed together. It is simple but delicious!

6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.") A. Dancing with the Stars B. Biggest Loser C. Survivor
I love watching both Dancing With The Stars and Survivor, so it would be a tough call between the two of them! DWTS has the awesome costumes and I would love to learn how to dance like that, but I would probably end up being the first one voted off due to my lack of rhythm! I would have to say Survivor because I would actually have a shot at winning. Look at how many girls "flew under the radar" to win. That could totally be me... plus I would love to meet Probst! 7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior? 8, if you are not counting the trunk at the moment!

8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _________. The flowers start to bloom. Desert flowers are so beautiful to me!

9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is ____. I normally hate commercials, but that car one with the Sock Monkey and other toys living it up at night is awesome! I love when the monkey gets a tattoo stitched on and when he is riding the mechanical bull!

10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward. As I mentioned above, I would love to become a tutor/mentor to a foster child through the Arizonans for Children program.

11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week. This is one of my favorites:

May today there be peace within you.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let his presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, and bask in the sun. It is there for each and every one of you.

12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. I am not a mom yet, but I do know that what kids want more than anything else is your time. I hope I can be the kind of mom that is always there for my kids.