Day #11

Quotes

I absolutely love quotes!

Leaving surprises for people to find is my new favorite thing!

I love the mystery of not knowing the reaction or who will find my gift.

On the night of January 31 I wanted to do something different.

I found a note card.

Then I found a quote.

I put the two together and ended with something unexpected.

"When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." -Helen Keller

Today I wanted something simple that still made an impact.

I wrote this on a note card and hid it at my local Walgreens.

Everyone has rough days and obstacles that come up.

I hope that finding this note was just the thing that they needed to hear.

What is your favorite quote?

Always, 

Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of Flikr.com

Day #10

Pennies

Pennies get a bad wrap.

1 cent doesn't add up to much to a lot of people. 

It is the smallest amount of money we have.

However, when there are A LOT it normally adds up.

Coins are dropped all of the time. 

If a penny is dropped we will most of the time leave it and keep walking.

If a quarter is dropped we STOP and pick it up!

When I see a penny on the street I stop!

I look down and FLIP the penny over if it is facing down.

I believe in finding lucky pennies and I always flip an unlucky penny to be a lucky penny.

Some may think I am crazy, but we all have our things.

I know that there are others in the world that think the same way I do and will be happy to find a lucky penny!

Do you have something small that you do for others to stumble upon?

Always,

Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of flikr.com

Day #9

Transportation

Planes. Trains. Automobiles.

Unfortunately we do not have a machine that can take us across the world in 1.5 seconds.

It may resemble this...

In the little town of Chicago we like to use the CTA to get around this fine city.

This could be either by the...

Bus.

OR

The 'L'

Either way you go the ride is going to cost $2.25 each way. 

CTA Pass.

So...On January 29 I was spending the day walking around my neighborhood with Alex, Jenna (my sister) and my mom.

I bought a Cta pass and wanted to give it to someone.

It is always nice to find one laying on the ground that has money on it. 

I have a unlimited pass for being a full time student so I normally give a found pass to Alex.

I love surprises and therefore I put the pass into a paper for someone else to find.

The Red Eye. Free paper printed daily.

Most likely they will never know where or who the pass came from. 

I am ok knowing this because the purpose is to put a smile on someone else's face.

I would hope that maybe whoever finds this will use it to go somewhere and explore, but that is only my hope.

Whether you have a car, take the transit, or walk...Go explore today.

You may find a place that takes your breath away.

Always,

Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of Flikr.com

Day #8

Brownies

The one thing that I can make and will always taste delicious!

I am not the most amazing cook. 

My sister got all of the cooking talent from my father and I got creativity from somewhere....?

BUT...When it comes to making brownies it is all ME!

Add ice cream and you are golden.

Warm just out of the oven brownies are probably in my top 5 biggest temptations. 

On January 28 I had a thought...

I have just moved into a new apartment.

I made a batch of brownies.

And...I had not met my neighbor across the hall yet.

It may be hard to believe, but I am rather shy sometimes and that is why it took me a few weeks to get up the courage to introduce myself and boyfriend to our new neighbor!

I wrapped up some of these lovely delights...

Opened the door...

Took a few steps...

Knocked a few times...

He opened the door and introduced himself...

His name...Mike.

We found out that he works nights and we had just woken him up. 

Great first impression huh?

Anyway...He was appreciative for the brownies and it is always nice to know the guy living across the hall from you.

Do you have a sweet treat that you could surprise someone with?

Please let me know of ideas for my 365 days, it would be greatly appreciated.

Always,

Jayme Lynn

Photos Courtesy of Flikr.com

Happy Birthday

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday dear Mom...

Happy Birthday to YOU!

This will be the first year that I will not get to give my wonderful mother a happy birthday hug.

I am in Chicago and my mother is in Mexico. Unfortunately she will be traveling tomorrow so hopefully this will be a wonderful gift for her special day.

I was able to surprise her last week by traveling home to spend the weekend with her!

Make a Wish!

Ironically I am not a big fan of my own birthday, but I do love celebrating other's birthdays.

My favorite part of birthdays is the making of the WISH.

Wishing is very important to me. In a way it reminds us of our goals and dreams in life. 

Some may think that you can simply wish for something to happen and it will, but that is not the case. Making the wish is only half of it. The other half is helping to make it come true.

My Mother.

Beautiful in candids.

She is a woman of many qualities...

Formula One Fan

World Traveler.

Dancer.

Business Woman.

Family woman.

As well as her Mary Kay family.

My Mom.

My mom and I share a few things.

1. DNA

2. Green Eyes

3. The same middle name (Lynn)

4. Awesome blonde hair

5. Love for clothes and accessories

6. Memories

7. The bond that only a mother and daughter can share

A bond that begins before we arrive...

The strange thing about mother and daughter bonds are how they change over time.

When we are young we want to play in mommy's make-up and dress up.

She is everything to us.

Then we grow into teens.

That is when the world begins to revolve around us and only us. 

Independent becomes the word of the day for what seems like 10 years.

We forget how much we relied on our mother just a few short years before. 

I am guilty and know that when I was becoming a teen and wanting to figure everything out of my own I didn't think my mother had any idea. That is what every girl thinks.

My mother and I are very much a like and that sometimes means we butt heads.

Then we begin to mature and realize that yes, our mother did go through things just like we did and they are just as human as we are.

I am told very frequently that I resemble my mother.

When I was younger there was a picture of a young girl wearing a mickey mouse hat and I asked my mom, "when did we go to disney world?" she then told me that I was not the girl in the picture. It was in fact HER!

Over the years I have learned a lot from my mom. 

I know that I will be teaching my children some of the very same things that turned me into the woman I am still becoming today.

All of my life I have been told to set goals that seem impossible and to always always keep an open mind and have a positive attitude. 

Although my mother did instill this into my being, the wonderful company that she is in teaches it to everyone! My mom has been in Mary Kay Cosmetics since before I was born.

This is what I went home in after I was born...

You get the drift.

I am so proud of my mom!

She has not only taught me to reach for the stars, but she has been accomplishing goals and setting new ones all of the time. 

So many people look up to her as a role model.

Since she is a Senior National Sales Director in Mary Kay she is asked to teach classes to women that aspire to be where she is in the business. 

I love to hear her teach because she knows how to get your mind working and hopes and dreams flowing. My mother is an amazing motivational speaker and a fantastic women.

I hope that everyone will get a chance to meet her someday and maybe even hear her speak. 

The point of this post is to let my mother know what a great woman she is and how she has left a mark on so many other women in the world.

She tells me all of the time how glad she is to have me as a daughter, but I am the lucky one to have her as my mother. 

Happy Birthday Mom.

Thank You for helping to shape me into the woman I am.

I love you.

Photos courtesy of Flikr and my personal photos.

Blizzard of 2011

The Blizzard of 2011.

Living in the MidWest all of my life has taught me one thing. 

Never expect normal weather. 

After accepting the fact that the weather will always be strange, the only thing left to do is take advantage.

The morning of February 3, 2011 Alex and I bundled up and headed out to conquer the tundra!

Being the explorer I am and photographer Alex is we documented our entire day.

Intro.

To some up the city........

Correction. City Closed.

Chapter 1

Before making it 10 feet we couldn't find the bench near our door. Oh! There it is...

Alex lost his foot.

It sure is a good thing we don't drive.

Below are the cars around town.

Chapter 2

We then headed for the main road.

There wasn't much of a road left.
Not for cars anyway.

It was non other than a sidewalk.

Only snow today.

Chapter 3

During the day we met many friends. 

The first being...

A man loving the weather with his dog.

SNOW BALL FIGHT!

Chapter 4

The trip down town.

Our mode of transportation.

State Street.

I am 5'6". The snow pile...6'???

That dot in the center....A HUGE piece of ice coming straight for alex!

Hard hats required for crossing.

Hard to see...a small boy lost in the snow with his dad.

Chapter 5

Heading toward Lake Shore Drive.

Left a little love for the next explorer.

Ben and Kelsey before we met.

yumm!

SMASH!

Happy Travels on your snow shoes!

Chapter 6

Buckingham Fountain.

For those of you that have never had the magical experience of visiting Buckingham Fountain...Please do in warm weather. The experience is beautiful. 

Unfortunately no one is allowed inside the fountain to enjoy the water.

Unless.....There Is a BLIZZARD!

Destination: Buckingham Fountain.

Is this really happening?

YES!!

Kelsey and Ben after meeting.

Kelsey and Ben. A very adorable couple out enjoying the day. Kelsey is a student at Columbia. We noticed them debating whether or not to come into the fountain when I screamed, "IT IS WORTH IT!" They then proceeded to jump in and became our first acquaintance of the day.

If you look at the first non snowy picture you will be able to see where we are in the fountain.

Kelsey.

Chapter 7

Lake Shore Drive. 

Most people know it as a beautiful highway to travel on. This was not the case after the blizzard. Lake shore was shut down to everyone that wasn't driving a tractor.

The snow is going on a road trip!

Man + snow = Snowman

Lake Shore Drive.

Tractors only.

Chapter 8

Lake Michigan.

Finally made it to the lake!

THAT ^^^ Is the storm.

The lake was not melted and the cracks made the lake look like it was breathing when the water moved. 

Don't worry. It wasn't yellow.

Dog catching snow balls

Not so smart people standing on the NON frozen lake.

I forget to mention...I had a growth spurt.

Chapter 9

Grant Park.

Skipping ladies. "It's Like We Are In A Fairytale!"

READY.

SET.

GO

GO

STOP! 

L

O

V

E

This was another Unexpected act during the blizzard. I LOVE leaving creations behind for others to find.

Everyone heading to play in the snow.

This is Kevin.

Kevin was the second official person that I met during the Blizzard. I did talk to many people but only got a few names from people that made a difference in my day. I met Kevin after leaving Grant Park. I wanted to cross the street, but there was a HUGE pile of snow (to the left of the picture) that was about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. I was stuck in the middle when Kevin walked by and helped pull me out! Thank You again Kevin! He is a resident of Wrigleyville and was out and about taking pictures just like us! 

Chapter 10

Millenium Park.

The ice rink with a GIANT HELLO!

This is what it normally looks like...

The Bean

Chapter 11

Heading back home.

Someone else spreading the love.

A Homeless Man trying to stay warm.

Jack isn't going anywhere today.

It isn't normal to see tractors on State Street.

Shovel was the common accessory during the aftermath.

EVERY fire hydrant had to be dug out. *that's a lot of digging.

Please don't fall. Please don't fall.

Our road.

The End.

Tell me all about your memories and exciting adventures of the blizzard!

Always,

Jayme Lynn

Photos courtesy of Flikr and AC Photography The-Wide-Angle.blogspot.com