Chapter 25: The Giving Keys [not just another piece of jewelry]

What do the homeless, old keys, & jewelry have to do with one another? Read on to find out!

I'm absolutely in love with my new giving key, but before I tell you the story about this piece of "jewelry" & explain what it is, I have something to say...

Not everyone knows this about me, but I've always had a special place in my heart for the homeless ever since I was a little kid. During our honeymoon last year, I convinced my husband that we should buy a blanket for a homeless man we saw on the street. We all know that San Francisco gets pretty cold & I felt a strong pull at my heart to help him. I felt we needed to take the time to do this even though we had somewhere to be & were already running late. In college I was part of a campus club called 'Helping Hearts For The Homeless'. I remember getting mad the first time I heard the word 'bum' come from a friend's mouth when used to describe a homeless person we saw from our car window back when I was a middle schooler. I know everyone has different opinions of homeless people [sometimes valid & sometimes just plain mean], but what it all comes down to is that no matter what social class, we are all human. Rich or homeless—we all deserve to be loved, respected, & cared for. Homeless people are down on their luck & they each have their own story, so how are we to judge the bunch the same?

About the Necklace

I heard about The Giving Keys on t.v. a few months ago & absolutely fell in love with the idea. First off, I've always loved vintage/antique & odd things. I'm pretty old fashioned at heart. I'm fascinated by letters, stationary, pretty paper, stamps, interesting envelopes/packages, lace, miniature things, airports, journals, trees, birds, polaroids, vintage clothing, feather pens, wax seals, old typwriters, etc... & of course, keys—mostly skeleton keys, but keys of all kinds. I even have my own collection of keys that I started as a kid, simply because I liked having a bunch of keys, but it may also have something to do with the movie 'The Secret Garden'?

What I love about The Giving Keys is that it links 3 things that interest me:

• 1. Keys
• 2. The Homeless
• 3. Positive/inspiring/encouraging messages

A singer/songwriter first started making these keys for fun & would sell them at her merchandise table while touring. It wasn't before long that they started becoming a big hit. She later got the idea to employ homeless people to engrave the keys for her & to help them transition out of homelessness. How incredible & touching is that? It really is amazing & you can read the full story on their official website Click Here.

The idea is to pick out a word that fits you— a message that you need most. The most typical ones are dream, believe, faith, love, courage, etc.. but you can custom make your own for an extra cost. You wear the key around as a constant reminder to do whatever it says on the key & one day you pass it onto someone who you feel needs that same message. It takes the idea of giving a very 'personal gift' to a whole new level! I know not everyone will be fascinated by this idea, but I'm sharing this with you all because I know that there are other people out there who would appreciate The Giving Keys just as much as I do. I've read quite a few heartwarming stories on their website of who people have given their key to & just how much it meant to that person. There was once a time in my life when I wanted to wear as many rings on my fingers as possible because I wanted to pass them onto people during my lifetime. This is the same type of idea but even better, because these keys have inspirational messages on them & are hand-engraved with love by a homeless person. You know that you're helping make a difference in someone's life when you purchase one of these giving keys.

I flew into Los Angeles last Saturday & hung out with my friend. When we came across these keys in a little store I got so excited because I remembered seeing them on t.v. What is great about getting a giving key in a store as opposed to online is that you get to pick out your key. When you order online you pick your message, but you don't get to see what your key will look like. Maybe that element of surprise is something that intrigues you, but as for me, I like to pick by whichever one is calling me. That may sound weird, but I don't know how else to describe it? My friend ended up picking a key with the word 'fight' on it. I, on the other-hand, was having a lot of trouble picking my key. I was torn between 'strength' & 'let go'. Since it was taking me so long, I ended up deciding by having my friend do something my husband made up for me. Whenever I had trouble deciding between two things, he would put them both in his hand & tell me to choose. If I ended up getting sad over what was in the hand that I choose, then that would tell me that I needed to get the other one :P Sure, maybe that's silly, but it works for me! My friend opened her hand & when I saw the key with the words 'let go' I got excited :) We decided to buy each others key as a gift, so technically we didn't spend any money on ourselves ;) Right? I'm so happy that I have my very own giving key & I can't wait to pass it on to someone else someday in hopes that it can help them & make an impact on their life. I'll be sure to post my story on here & on their website when that day comes!

Is anyone else interested in getting a giving key of their own? If you know someone who might be interested, be sure to share this with them! What do you love most about The Giving Keys? Leave a comment & let me know! Please tell me if you end up getting one for yourself or as a gift to someone as well because I'd love to know :) You can visit The Giving Keys on their official website [click here] OR on Facebook [click here]. Don't forget to 'LIKE' their page!

Stay beautiful & keep on spreading the love!

Chapter 24: Staying Navy [my husband's reenlistment]

Hello [to at least] 4 more years of Navy Life!

Last Friday was a big day for this household! I went aboard my husband's ship during the workday to stand next to him during his reenlistment ceremony. You could call me a stereotypical "Proud Navy Wife", especially on that day because by the smile on my face & the way that I felt, I was probably the picture perfect poster girl for that term. The "Proud Navy Wife" label doesn't bother me because I wear it without shame. I proudly support my husband/best friend in all his endeavors, whether it's to reenlist again in 2017 OR to go back to college to get his degree & start working in a field he is passionate about. He has always been so supportive of me & that makes a world of a difference.

His reenlistment was a day to honor him for all that he has done for the Navy thus far & show appreciation for his decision to pursue his naval career. I was so happy to have been able to witness his reenlistment ceremony especially because I didn't get to watch him get sworn into the Navy back in 2009. I was honored to be there for him, but he turned things around by saying a short speech of appreciation & love in dedication to me in front of his shipmates. I'm sure I had a million dollar smile on my face that you could see from miles away :)

After believing this day was going to be all about him, you could imagine my surprise when the reenlistment officer offered me a certificate of appreciation from The United States Navy that states:

"By the authority vested in me, it is my pleasure to express the grateful appreciation of the United States Navy, to you, for your unselfish, faithful, and dedicated assistance during the naval service of your husband. Your unfailing support and understanding have helped immeasurably to make possible your husband's decision to continue a naval career."

I was truly touched to have received this & I really love that they give something to the spouses of the sailors as well. It's really nice to be acknowledged & appreciated. It's also perfect timing to have received this because May is Military Spouse Appreciation Month! It was definitely a nice cherry on top of the day :)

The ceremony was relatively short. First he had to be discharged & was a free man for less than 1 minute. I actually have a really funny story about this. I had a mini-heart attack when he was getting discharged & when he turned to smile at me. I was so confused! I thought to myself, "What?! I thought he was reenlisting?! Wait a second...Woah! He tricked me!..." I wondered if my face gave me away? :P Less than a minute later he started to take his oath to get back IN the Navy. Phew! Mini heart attack over. Lol.

I can't tell you how many people shook my hand & said kind words about my husband. If I wasn't a proud wife already, that definitely would have made me one! It was so wonderful to hear so many people say great things about my husband as a person & as a sailor. I'm not surprised, but it's still good to hear that he is held in such high esteem among his shipmates & especially his higher ups. Every time I see his captain he always has something good to say about my husband & it makes me even more proud to be married to him ♥

After the ceremony he got the rest of the day off work so we enjoyed some us time before going out to eat dinner with friends at BJ's Pizza & Brewery. Then it was off to the movies to watch Iron Man 3 in 3D since the original showing we planned to go to was sold out! The movie was a lot better than I expected it to be! It was a great day celebrating & we made a lot of amazing memories :)

More pictures from the day...

Celebrating with good friends & good food!

Silly faces at the movie theaters!

serious face... 

Gangster face.

♥

Chapter 23: Disney World's Flower & Garden Festival.

My husband: "Do you want to go to Disney World on Saturday?"
Me: "OF COURSE! I always want to go to Disney World!"

Last weekend my husband & I decided to make a day trip to Disney World's Epcot theme park for the 20th anniversary of their Flower & Garden Festival! It was so much fun! There were so many beautiful flowers, flower arrangements, & Disney shaped topiary [the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes]! It really is a sight to see & this trip was definitely much needed for us. The last time we went to Disney World was for NYE, but we only went to the Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios theme parks. My husband bought us premium annual passes for my birthday last August & we're trying to take advantage of them to get our money's worth! We originally wanted to plan Disney World trips once a month, but that didn't end up happening. Now we're just trying to go as often as we can before August rolls around because we won't be renewing our passes this year since we're preparing for deployment #2. 

I don't think I can ever get sick of Disney theme parks, no matter how many times I go & I hope that never changes! It's always such a magical experience. There's so much to do! If you've never been to the Epcot theme park, it's best described as a "World Fair" showcasing international culture. The park is split up by different countries. There aren't a lot of rides at this park, but there are a bunch of shows you can watch, history you can learn, & food you can taste in each of the countries. We absolutely LOVE going to Japan :) Ever since I was a kid I've always been fascinated by bonsai trees [I love miniature things] & pearls. Lucky me, I get both of those things at Epcot Japan [along with yummy sushi]!

My new bonsai seed kit!

I've had 2 bonsai trees in the past:

• The 1st one I got as a birthday present from a friend when I was 15, but it died shortly after I got it because I didn't know how to take care of it :/
• The 2nd one I got was a college graduation present from my husband. I was determined to do a better job at keep it alive this time & I took really good care of it, but I left it in California when I moved here to Florida to be with my husband after we got married.

Needless to say, I was very excited when my husband remembered his promise to buy me this bonsai tree kit the next time we went to Epcot :D I can't wait to plant it! Now I just wonder how long it will take for it to start looking like a tree?! I hope this really is a tree that I can pass down from generations to come, like the box indicates so!

My newest pearl that my husband surprised me with :)

Don't get me wrong, I love diamonds as much as any other girl... but I definitely think that I love pearls more than the average girl! I opened my first oyster when I was 12 years old during a trip to Maui, Hawaii to see family. After that I was hooked & I've opened sooo many oysters since then that I have lost count! I have a collection of them :) Pearls on their own & pearls set in jewelry. I can go on about my love for pearls & I have many stories about my opening of oysters, but that will have to wait. It calls for a new blog post focused on that subject alone!

During this Epcot trip I was mesmerized [once again] as I watched the Japanese women open oysters for each customer, anxious to see what kind of pearl was inside. Whenever we are in this store my husband always knows where to find me & I always know where to find him [by the anime movies, manga, or swords =P]. He came up to me & I told him I just wanted to watch 2 more oysters being opened. When he came back I felt caught because I definitely stood there & watched more than 2 more =P I thought he was going to call me out on it, but instead he surprised me by handing me a sales slip which meant that I would be next to pick out an oyster to be opened :D AHHH!!!! I wasn't expecting he'd buy me an oyster since we weren't celebrating a special occasion of any kind, but I sure wasn't going to deny the gift! I love that I have another beautiful pearl to add to my collection :)

Photo bombed!

Before we left the park we tried to take a photo with the sign that says "20th Flower & Garden Festival" & we discovered that we had been photo bombed! This picture was too funny not to post. Haha! Those girls did good... sneaky, sneaky!

More photos from the day....

Giving Buzz Lightyear a high-five! :) 

New pin for our collection! My husband got me
into his family's tradition of collecting Disney pins :)

From the movie "Cars"

From the movie "Cars"

The Lion King

Butterfly flowers & floating flowers

We can't wait for this movie to come out!

Snow White & the Seven Drawfs

Beauty & the Beast

Beauty & the Beast

Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

Whinnie the Pooh & Friends

Peter Pan

Captain Hook & the crocodile

Lady & the Tramp