NICE Assignment: Say it with Chocolate

Hey guys! So I disappeared for a little while without giving you a heads up. I actually went to Mexico last week on vacation, and it was AWESOME. I had expected to get wifi down there, so I planned to post a little bit, but it turned out wifi wasn't available in our room, so we decided to unplug while we were there. That was scary at first, but I ended up loving it!

The trip was amazing. It was incredibly relaxing, and the resort was beautiful. We even did an adventure tour! Here I am zip-lining through the jungle!



But now I'm back to the daily grind. My husband and I had a few day dreams while we were there about becoming wealthy so we could take vacations like that more often!

Anyway, today's assignment is inspired by something I did on my trip. I had read something a while back about airline crews and how they aren't exactly compensated greatly for the wonderful work that they do. It recommended bringing a treat to brighten their day. So before I left, I picked up a box of chocolates.

As we approached the doorway of the plane, I had the box in my hand. If you've followed this blog for a little while, you know that I have major anxiety when it comes to talking to strangers, so I practiced my line in my head about 20 times. When I reached the first crew member, a gray-haired gentleman with a kind smile, I handed him the box and said, "Here, this is for the crew. Just wanted to say thank you for your hard work." The man looked shocked. He said, "Well, this is a first!" and thanked us, as did the other crew member standing nearby. As we were in our seats, another crew member brought us bottles of water to say thanks. How sweet!

On our flight home, I had planned to do the same thing, so box of chocolates in hand, I walked up to the door of the plane only to see the same man! I smiled and said, "More treats for you guys!" He laughed and said, "Wow, I have to give this girl a hug!" which he did! It was so great!

Today's Assignment: Say it with Chocolate

Unless you're allergic or you're one of those rare beings that just doesn't like it, chocolate almost always brings a smile to a person's face! From trick-or-treating to a heart-shaped box on Valentine's Day to the little care packages my mom used to send me at college, I don't think I could receive chocolates and NOT be in a great mood.

So why don't you surprise someone this week with a sweet treat! It could be a stranger (like an airline crew) or someone who helps you out every day (like a barista or coworker), or maybe even your significant other (so you can swipe a piece for yourself). ;) Whoever! Make someone's day with some chocolatey goodness.

P.S. I will always gladly accept chocolate donations.

NICE Person of the Week: Amber Smith

I actually haven't done a NICE Person of the Week post in over a year! There wasn't a great response initially, so I kind of let it die, but I've received a few lately, and I thought it was time to bring it back. What do you say??

This submission comes from Michelle B. of Oklahoma and she nominated her friend, Amber. I don't think "nice" even begins to describe how wonderful Amber truly is.

What makes Amber so NICE:

Amber is a spectacular person. She and her husband decided to foster children in their home, instead of having biological children. She has quit jobs, started new ones, and sacrificed so many thing to stay at home with these kiddos. She is only 27 years old and already, at least 7 children have passed through her home. She loves these children as her very own, even if they stay only for a week. She gives every ounce of energy, love, compassion, and joy she has to these children. It is awful every time a child leaves, because she feels like she's losing a child.

Despite the pain and the terrible flaws she sees daily in child protective services, she continues to bring children into her home. She brings them into her heart and they always leave feeling loved and special. Most of the children have never felt loved. In addition to all of this, she is a wonderful friend. She helps people every chance she gets. She gives her money, time, and support to every person she meets. She is constantly looking for ways, to make other people's lives easier. She is kind, compassionate, giving, hilarious, the list could go on forever!!! Please make her the nice person of the week!!!

What a beautiful human being! It really takes a special person to be a foster parent. I have the highest respect for Amber and what she is doing. As a small way of saying thank you for being so nice, I'll be sending her a NICE Certificate and some other goodies. Thanks for the submission, Michelle!

Do you have someone that you'd like to nominate as the NICE Person of the Week? If so, CLICK HERE for more details.

NICE Photo: Kindness ROCKS!

The other day I got a text message from one of my BFF's, Kay Marie, with a photo that she took of her newspaper's "I love you/I hate you" section. I'll admit, when I first read the "This goes out to the genius..." part, I took it sarcastically. Until I read the rest of the entry!


How AWESOME is that?? Now I know what I'm going to do the next time I can't make an event! :)

Do you have a NICE photo that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Testimonial: A Frozen Treat

Last week I received this Testimonial from Erin of The Short Version, and it was so touching that I needed a tissue pronto! You're going to love it!

One terribly hot day a couple weeks ago my husband and I had some errands to run, but we were also craving snow cones. As we drove to our favorite snow cone stand we saw a man welding at a local school building. He looked hot dressed in the leather covers and gloves that protected his skin. When we finally arrived at the snow cone stand my husband said, "Do you think we should get one for that guy?"

I wasn't surprised by his kindness, but I certainly didn't expect it in that instance. I agreed that it would be a nice gesture, but I left the decision up to him. I could see the wheels turning in his head and I knew he wanted to do something nice for a fellow hard-working man.

At the stand we each ordered a snow cone for ourselves and then Hubs gave me a funny, bashful look and asked, "What do you think?" I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. Then he ordered a third grape/coconut snow cone.

A few minutes later we were headed back toward the school building hoping the man would still be there working alone. And he was. I pulled the car into the parking lot just in front of the man's truck. I had no intention of doing this deed with Hubs because it had been his idea, and I knew it would make him feel good to do it alone. I watched as he approached the man, who immediately stopped welding when he saw my husband standing nearby. He pulled the protective helmet off his head to reveal a long, braided beard and a curious stare. Hubs said, "You looked like you could use a break," and held the snow cone out to the man. I could see the man was obviously surprised and overwhelmed with this gesture as he took the snow cone and thanked my husband.

As we drove away I watched the man in my rear view mirror. He pulled off his gloves, sat everything aside, took a seat on the stairs and began enjoying his frozen treat. I felt immediately satisfied and full of pride for my husband. I had never been so proud of someone as I was of Hubs that day. His kindness, which is not at all rare, took yet another leap and bound beyond what I ever would have expected. It was just another reminder that I am a very lucky wife.

Ack! Even re-reading it I'm getting misty! I just keep picturing Erin's husband handing a snow cone to the bearded welder! That should be in a banking commercial or something. :) I really love this story because of the initiative that Erin's husband took. And that's what Operation NICE is all about. Not just being nice, but being proactively nice. Taking that step to go out of your way a little bit. Being mindful of the people around you and knowing that the welder dressed in leather might be a bit hot. This story inspires me to be on the look out for those in need of a nice deed!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Assignment: LML!

Hi guys! Did you have a lovely weekend? I did! Got to spend time with some friends, relax in the city, and took in a flick (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which rocked my socks). And in one week, I'll be lounging in my water hammock with a frosty beverage in my hand at an all-inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya. Say it with me now, "ahhhhhhhhhhhh."

If you guys follow me in Twitter or Facebook, you may have seen a post I made last Friday. As I was checking in on my pals, I noticed quite a few people were using "FML" in their status updates. That was kind of sad. I mean, we have so many things to be thankful for. You know, like life in general. And yeah, there are times when bad luck falls upon us and we really may be in an FML mood, but concentrating on the negative isn't going to be helpful.

So I think we need a counteractive LML (love my life) campaign going on!

Today's Assignment: LML!

Maybe it's because it's so much easier to complain online than to showcase the great things going on. Flat tire? FML. Root canal? FML. Wallet stolen? FML. But how often do we say, "My kids gave me a big hug! LML!" or "I won a blog contest! LML!" or "Just enjoyed the most delicious ice cream sundae! LML!" We need gratitude and positivity to overcome all the bellyaching online.

So here's my proposal. If you have a Twitter account or a Facebook profile or a blog, I want you to use "LML" or an #LML tag seven times this week. Once a day. There has to be something that makes you love your life every day.

For me? Well, you know that whole upcoming water hammock, frosty beverage, Riviera Maya thing I mentioned? Yeah, LML. Hardcore. :)

NICE Campaign: 1000 Paper Cranes

Last night I received an email from Sandy, telling me about a project that she recently began called Sandy and the 1000 Paper Cranes. Her goal is to create 1000 of these cranes using all different types of paper, write a different positive word on each, and then leave them in different places for people to stumble upon. How inspiring! And she's blogging about each crane and each word.

First of all, I'm super impressed that she created a list of 1000 positive words. I'd probably have trouble thinking up 20! I tend to use awesome, amazing, incredible, and wonderful a lot, if you hadn't noticed. :) Secondly, I think this is a brilliant creative project that will definitely put smiles on people's faces. Reading the blog alone made me kind of weepy, and I have no idea why!

And since Sandy lives in Central Jersey, I have hope that there's the slim possibility that I'll find one of these cranes somewhere, somehow!






Paper cranes are the only type of origami I can do. My mother taught me when I was very young, and I still make them occasionally. I really want to follow in Sandy's footsteps and leave a few with inspiring messages around town. I think it's such a clever way to spread kindness. Thanks Sandy!

NICE Testimonial: Kindness works!

Sometimes when you do a nice deed, like paying the toll for the car behind you, you don't really know how the recipient of that act responded. Did they think it was weird? Were they creeped out? Did it inspire them to pass it on to someone else? Well, Sarah learned the result of her kindness.

Every payday I would treat myself to an early morning Starbucks run, and one day I was feeling extremely upbeat and positive about life, so I decided to pay for the car behind me. The girl at the window was used to seeing me and was happy to pass along the good cheer to the people behind me. It felt so good that I continued to do it for the next two paydays.

The next time I was paid I had planned to continue the run of niceness, but got a bit of a surprise at the window. My usual barista told me that I was not to worry about paying, because it just so happened the person behind me was the same guy that I had been 'nice' to previously! It turns out that he had somehow ended up in the drive through behind me every time I had paid for someone! She said he had been telling his wife about it ever since the first time and that she didn't believe that someone would do something nice like that. That day it just happened that he was driving his wife to work and when he saw my car ahead of him he told the barista that took the order over the intercom that he would buy my drink for me.

I couldn't believe that things had worked out that way, but the surge of happiness I got from him doing something so small for me made me realize that what I had been doing was more than just picking up the tab, it was making a difference to someone. His act of 'paying it forward' made my entire day, and I let everyone at work know what he had done. We all ended up discussing things we can do to 'pay it forward' and I have taken several to heart!

How fabulous is that?! The recipient of Sarah's kind act actually paid it forward.....right back to Sarah! I love how she says that she wasn't just buying someone's coffee, she was reinforcing the value of kindness. So cool! It really is amazing how powerful one small gesture can be.

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Video: Use Your Influence

The incredible Nate, founder of the amazing website/project/movement ItStartsWith.Us was looking for participants in a video he was putting together last week. The whole concept is the same thing I try to emphasize here. Little things can make a big difference, especially when we all do them together. Nate encourages people to spend 15 minutes a week using their influence to better the world.

So here's the video which shows people all over the globe talking about what you can do with YOUR influence. And if you watch closely, you'll see a little glimpse of me in there. :)

NICE Stuff: Kind Over Matter

I love when I have fun freebies to share with you, and this one is courtesy of my favorite ladies, Amanda and Jenn, over at Kind Over Matter.

They made a Compliment Poster download that you can print and hang in the public place of your choosing! It's full of fun compliments, like "You amaze me," and "You are like a big hug." So cute! And there's even a blank version, in case you want to be creative and fill in your own compliments. How thoughtful!


I printed out three copies and cut the little tabs last night. It came with me to the movie theater where I hung it up in the ladies' bathroom. I hope someone puts those compliments to good use!

So visit Kind Over Matter to download this poster and let me know where you plan to put it! I still have the other two in my bag, just waiting for the right spot. :)

Thanks Amanda and Jenn!

NICE Testimonial: An Unexpected Thank You

Hi everyone! Here's a testimonial from Jill H. from British Columbia. She does honorable work, never expecting a thank you from it, but it sure is nice to receive one. Here's her story.

I'm a first aid attendant at my workplace. I get paid a little bit extra for it, but mostly I do it because I like giving back to the community I spent most of my day with. A couple weeks back, I got a call to attend to a coworker who was lying on the floor in the washroom. She was vomiting uncontrollably and couldn't move. We ended up calling the ambulance because she was going into shock. It was really scary, and the most stressful first aid call I've ever attended. As it turned out, she was suffering from vertigo, and with some medication was back to normal in a few days. I never expect a thank you or anything for first aid work--most times people are too stressed out to even remember who was there. But when this woman got back to work, she sent me this, and that made it all worthwhile:

This note is to thank you for helping me on Wednesday morning. I heard your name while I was lying on the floor. I can’t thank you enough for your help, support, and kind words. I was in so much pain and it hurt to even open my eyes. Every time I moved my head my vision would start to spin. It turns out I was suffering from vertigo.

I’ve never had it before and hope I never have a problem with it again. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all your help and support. You made me feel calm, and I knew I was being well taken care of.

Please pass this note on to anyone else who was there assisting. My very sincerest heartfelt thank you.

Talk about being mindful of your situation. That woman, going through all of that chaos and probably feeling terrified, took the time to remember Jill's name so she could thank her days later. Great job, Jill, for helping the people in your community and thanks for sharing your story!

Do you have a NICE:Testimonial that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE Assignment: Practice Forgiveness

I am a hard-core grudge-holder. It's unhealthy. Luckily, there haven't been too many people who have wronged me in my life, but I still remember the tiniest things that made me feel like crap. And every time I think about those times, you know what it does? It makes me feel like crap all over again.

Since I'm the type of person that will dwell on the smallest thing, I really need to work on my forgiveness.

Today's Assignment: Practice Forgiveness

In the Mayo Clinic article, "Forgiveness: Letting go of grudges and bitterness", author Katherine Piderman, Ph.D. discusses the benefits of embracing forgiveness in our lives.

"Letting go of grudges and bitterness makes way for compassion, kindness and peace. Forgiveness can lead to:

• Healthier relationships
• Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
• Less stress and hostility
• Lower blood pressure
• Fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and chronic pain
• Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse"

Well gosh, I think it's time to clean out the grudge archive and make room for some more kindness, right?

So Dan C., when you stood up in front of our 7th grade Geography class and fake asked me out, which had the entire class laughing at me, I forgive you. And A.C., when you didn't remember who I was at our reunion, even though we had every single class together for five years, I forgive you. And Toni, when you gave me a bad reference in 1999 so I didn't end up getting that job at the Gap, I forgive you. And Pete and Mike, when you slid mean and nasty notes under my college dorm room door, I forgive you. And Jenny N., my former friend and adolescent arch-nemesis, when you sat behind me in 8th grade English class and threw little pieces of paper at me so they all stuck in my hair and I could hear you laughing with Shana......I.....I.....

Okay, I'm gonna need a little more time on that last one.

NICE Campaign: Here You Go!

Ever since I was a kid, I always said that if I ever won the lottery, the first thing I would do is go out and buy a bunch of umbrellas and hand them out to people caught outside without one on a rainy day.

Julie Kresen didn't wait to hit the jackpot, she's doing exactly that right now! Julie started a project called Here You Go! where she hands out umbrellas along with a pre-addressed, pre-stamped postcard, asking the recipient to pass along a nice gesture to someone else and tell her about it. So not only is she doing a good deed, she's encouraging others to pay it forward.

Read the article about Here You Go! on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.


I am so in love with this project, you don't even know. And I was lucky enough to meet Julie when I was in Pittsburgh two weekends ago! She is just the sweetest, and I felt so happy after our chat. What she's done is incredibly inspiring. Here I am, saying that when someone gives me millions of dollars, I'll do some nice deeds. But she's just doing it on her own because it makes her happy. I need to take a cue from Julie!

Visit the Here You Go! website to view postcards that have been sent in and learn more about this amazing project.

NICE Notes!

Last week I got this NICE Note submission from Amber G! I love when these photos pop up in my inbox. :) It helps me with my weekly assignment of smiling more! Speaking of that, I had some trouble forcing my smile this morning because I was so exhausted. But I was exhausted because I was lucky enough to see a taping of The Colbert Report last night, so really, I have every reason to smile! Haha!

Here's what Amber said: "I work for a small lawn care company on Martha's Vineyard. One of our customers is a super sweet older couple who have always been so nice to me and appreciative of my work. They've even given me a tip! So last time I went there to do a lawn application I left this note with the normal paperwork I leave." Reciprocated appreciation. Gotta love it!


Do you have a NICE Note photo that you'd like to share? If so, click here to send me an email!

NICE News: Secret Agent L goes national!

Did you guys see??? My partner in NICE and all around great friend, Secret Agent L, now also known as Laura Miller, was interviewed on CNN yesterday!! WHOOP WHOOP!

I am so proud of her. I remember when she first started her blog and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys! And now look at her. She's FAMOUS! She's done so much in a year, and words can't describe how impressed I am with her project. Truly.

So read the article and watch the video. She's a pretty lady, right?? :) A model and an actress, no less! She really does have it all!


Congratulations, Laura! HUGS!

NICE Assignment: Smile More

I'm a smiler. So much so that multiple people have given me the nickname, Smiley, throughout my life. Even when I'm in a cruddy mood, I can't help but smile when I talk with people. And I'm okay with that.

But I've noticed lately that when walking by myself in the city, I've been sporting what I like to call "City B*tch Face." I don't think it's on purpose. It could be to subconsciously keep the crazies away. Or maybe it's because it's been so sunny and hot lately that I can't help but squint and show my disgust with the weather through my facial expressions.

A few days ago, I was walking from my parking garage into work in the morning and I passed a road worker. I was in a particularly good mood, so I smiled at him as I passed. And to himself, I heard him say quietly, "Que linda." I know enough Spanish to understand that it means "how pretty," which made me feel even happier!

So today, as I walked into work, I was thinking that maybe I should try to retire "City B*tch Face" and make a conscious effort to smile more often.

Today's Assignment: Smile More

It might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if you're in a cranky mood. And walking into work for the day is the time when I'm not typically concerned with smiling. But I gave it a shot. I smiled as I got my coffee. I smiled as I passed strangers. And then when I went out to grab lunch, I made sure I was still smiling.

It feels a little funny, smiling for no real reason. But I know that seeing other happy people makes me happy, so maybe I could bring a little sunshine to someone else's day.

Then, as I walked back to work after picking up lunch, I made eye contact with an older gentleman who said, "beautiful!" as we passed each other! Let me say, this is NOT a common occurrence for me! I'm the nerdy gal with the thick glasses. Sure, I get compliments, but it's usually on my shoes or purse. The two days I decide to smile a little more, my decision gets positively reinforced!

So the assignment is easy. I'm just asking that you try smiling a little bit more this week. Maybe as you're grocery shopping, or waiting in line at the post office, or wandering the halls at work. See if you feel any different. I'm sure other people will take notice!