NICE Testimonial: Katherine and Frank

Hi everyone! What's going on in your world? Things at work are getting a bit overwhelming, so I keep breathing deep breaths and reminding myself that busyness is a good thing. Job security, right? And I'm hoping that my energy levels will continue to improve because of my recent delve into daily exercising. Still can't do a pull up, but I'll get there! :)

Today's testimonial comes from Ana, a young Operation NICE reader! It is such a beautiful story, I couldn't help but tear up. Okay, okay, I did more than tear up. I flat out bawled.

Hi! My name is Ana and I'm 11 years old. I read your blog everyday! So I wanted to share with you a story about the nicest people I know.

My Aunt Katherine and Uncle Frank.

My Aunt Katherine and Uncle Frank live in Maine, and are truly wonderful. They love their community, and I don't have to think twice about saying their community loves them. Katherine and Frank (those names sound beautiful together don't they?) met at "The Poinsettia Ball" in 2001. Katherine went to "meet the movers and shakers of Hancock County", and Frank went as a member of the Poinsettia Ball committee. One woman who worked at the ball that night asked Frank to sit next to Katherine, and well, the rest is history. They were married in 2003, and have a beautiful old fashioned home. They have friends who care about them and were truly lucky.

But, some very bad news came.

On November 16, Frank found out he had pancreatic cancer.

Frank was "a poor lawyer for poor people" and didn't make enough money to afford health insurance. Katherine was devastated, and was unsure about what would happen to the two of them. But it just goes to show you how wonderful there friends are, for Katherine and Frank's dear friends gave them a gift I don't think they'll ever forget.

They gave them tickets to The (SOLD OUT) Poinsettia Ball.

When I heard about this, I nearly cried. It was so beautifully nice! Their friends gave them a hotel room, and pulled some strings to get them tickets to the SOLD OUT event! Katherine even asked if the band could play Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance (For the Rest Of My Life)" - The song they danced to at their wedding. Their friends have since supported them, by plowing their driveway, preparing meals for them, and have hosted a dinner AND an auction to benefit the two! How nice!

Well, that's my Nice Testimonial. Best wishes to my Aunt Katherine, who is my role model, and my Uncle Frank, who knits the most beautiful mittens you'll ever see, and always brings a smile to my face.

First of all, would you ever think the above testimonial was written by an 11-year old? How talented is Ana?? She writes better than I do! Secondly, what a beautiful story of love and friendship. I wish Katherine and Frank (and Ana) the absolute best!

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

NICE Photo: Favorite Things

Hi all! Guess what. I woke up early every day this week to exercise! That positive attitude is workin' out for me. :)

And speaking of positivity, can I just gush about my life for a brief minute? I don't know how I got so lucky, but I really do have an awesome life. And I feel really grateful for it all. Sometimes while I'm driving to work, I make mental lists of all the cool things going on in my world, and it just makes me smile and feel fortunate. Okay, that's all.

I got an email the other day from Jess H. in Omaha who sent me along a photo. It made my day! Check it out!

I know its a couple months since you posted the NiCE Assignment of writing "My favorite things of 2010", but I am writing you to share how I brought that assignment to the office! I work at ENCOR in Omaha, NE which is a community supportive organization in which we provide vocational and residential services to individuals with developmental disabilites! I have spread some NiCE posters and things around the office before! With my line of work I have noticed that when you pour soo much compassion into your job, it can sometimes lead to a backlash of negativity. So Operation NiCE has given lots of great ideas to help positivi-fy the office!

I started a giant GRATEFUL board that I change monthly with different themes!! With "My favorite things of 2010" I passed out copies to all my co-workers and to the individuals with disabilites that work at the workshop, and I received a great response! So I thought I would share the photo with you!! I took it will my blackberry so the picture quality isn't too great! But I want you to know that your website is soo uplifting and inspiring!! I listened to a local author and speaker, MK Muller and she said, "What goes around.. comes around... Misery loves company... BUT SO DOES JOY!!" And your site is a testimony to that!! You are what you surround your life with!! Soo THANK YOU for all of the heart and soul you pour into this website!!!

This photo gives me such warm fuzzies! I never know if people are actually participating in the assignments. So to see that over 30 people took the time to write out this list, well, it gave me goosebumps! Thank you so much, Jess, for encouraging the spread of positivity and for sharing the results with us! You are awesome!

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

NICE Assignment: Think Positive

Can you believe it's already MARCH?? Hoo boy! On one hand, I'm sad to see this year going by so quickly. On the other, I am ready for short-sleeve weather! C'mon summer!

So remember how last Friday I mentioned how I was going indoor rock climbing for the first time? I was so worried, considering I can't even do a push up. My twig-like arms were in for a real shock. And you know what? It was freaking hard!!! The two athletic dudes I went with had no trouble scaling those ridiculous walls. I, on the other hand, was lucky to make it up the training wall. And after a failed attempt at an "easy" wall, I was feeling pretty down on myself.

I ended up giving it another shot. This was another easy wall that the two guys were using for speed climbs, of course. Well, half way up, I was done. Too exhausted to keep going, I asked to come down. But they wouldn't let me down. So I was forced to try again.

Guess what.

I made it to the top! Yeah sure, it was a simple climb for most, but for me, it was a challenge. A challenge I wanted to give up on. So when I touched the top, I felt accomplished! And now, I've decided that I want to be able to climb rock walls. And not just the easy ones. I've changed my routine so I can wake up early each morning to work out, and one day I'll use that easy wall for speed climbs, just like the guys did.

Today's Assignment: Think Positive

I was so ready to give up on myself on Saturday. I had no confidence. I had this idea in my head about what I could accomplish and what I couldn't. But you know what? I realized that I need to be more positive! I CAN do these things! Sure, it'll take a little bit of work. But what's keeping me from being an awesome indoor rock climber? Just myself! And yeah, my friends will laugh at me when I post a Facebook status about working out. It's so out of character! But venturing out of my comfort zone was kind of cool. And I wouldn't mind surprising a few folks (including myself) along the way.

So, is there something in your life that you've been wanting to do? And maybe your negativity has been holding you back? Tell me about it! A positive attitude can go a long way. If I can do it, you certainly can too!