Tag Archives: make mondays matter

06.03.13

Make Monday Matter....thank a firefighter

Posted by Christina // 8 Replies

Hope your weekend was amazing! If it wasn’t then go enter our giveaway and maybe that will make it better. Heck, even if it was amazing….go enter.

This Monday, I wanted to do something very near and dear to my heart. I hope maybe my story may move you to join me in this Monday’s Challenge. A few years ago, I went through a series of events that forever changed my thinking. One of those major events was when my gramma passed away in a fire. I was unbelievably close with my grandparents and it still hurts my heart to think about her last phone call to 911. She knew she wouldn’t make it out alive.

Three months earlier, we had a fairly casual conversation regarding adding steps to her back porch. I had helped my grampa build the porch nearly fifteen years earlier. By “helped” I mean brought him lemonade and handed him nails in between dance breaks, but the one thing we didn’t build on that porch was steps.

During that simple conversation, my gramma confided that she was terrified of a house fire because she knew that there was only one way out of the house. If she went anywhere but out the front door, she would be trapped. Painful, painful memories now. Oh how I wished I had built those steps.

My gramma didn’t head towards the front door, I would assume the smoke disoriented her and I pray she just fell asleep. Then I get to the really horrific part, the part no one talks about, the thoughts that I bury deep inside. The thoughts of fire eating me alive. Do you ever think about that? Is it something you are scared of?

Did you know that there are people who actually run into fires? I am sure you did, but did you know that almost 73% of them are volunteers. They don’t even get paid to run into something I am completely terrified of.

My gramma was one of 3,430 people that died in a house fire that year, and every year over 100 firefighters are taken. To say it is dangerous work is an understatement. Not everyone can be saved, especially in a rural area, but there are thousands of people saved every year thanks to firefighters.

When was the last time you actually thanked a firefighter? Have you ever? This week I am sending a card to the brave men and women who ran into my grandparents house, who tried to save my gramma. I am also sending a card to our local firehouse, you know getting on their good side!

Do you know a firefighter?
Ever been affected by a fire?

04.15.13

Make Monday Matter....fifteen

Posted by Christina // 12 Replies

So if you know me well, you know how quickly I get bored with things.

For instance, my parents let me try anything and everything as a kiddo. I think they were hoping that one day I would become an Olympian in something…anything. I played the violin, took ice skating lessons, soccer, gymnastics, tennis, piano, cheerleading, debate, volleyball, and the list goes on. The only thing they refused me on was playing baseball, I still say that could have been my hidden talent but the world will never know because I was not down with softball. Back to the facts Jack, do you want to take a guess at how many of those things I still do today? Yup, zero. None, nada.

Why I thought it would be a great idea to stick with the same graphics for the same project for a whole year is beyond me. I am not over the project, but I am definitely over the same old graphic week after week. So meet the new fresh look of Make Mondays Matter…along with this weeks challenge. Did you know only ten percent of workers rideshare? There are so many advantages to carpooling that it is shocking more people don’t do it.

The obvious reasons are saving gas, preventing wear of you vehicle, and maybe even making a friend. Carpooling will also lower the amount of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and all those other fancy sciency emissions that your mother warned you about. Then you can start getting all idealistic and dream of less traffic and no more potholes, as long as we can get everyone on board.

This week I am going to chit chat with our HR department to find out if we have any sort of ride share program set up already, if not I know I can find at least one person living in my neck of the woods. Then all I have to do is tell them that $2,520 can be saved every year by each person in a 40-mile roundtrip rideshare and then start thinking of ways to spend that money. If nothing else, maybe I will channel my inner New Yorker and jump on some public transit.

Have you ever carpooled?
Are you lucky enough to walk to work, or even work from home?
Got a crazy bus or train story? I am all about those.

03.18.13

Make Monday Matter....eleven

Posted by Christina // 10 Replies

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My ears are still clogged….can you believe it?

I thought this Monday’s task would be impossible, but since I am still under the weather I am now thinking it might not be so bad. You ready for this… I know, I know…it’ll be hard. If you’re like me then your phone is attached to your hand at all times. When I forgot my phone at home a couple months ago my whole day seemed off kilter. I was all “the world needs to see this perfect frozen custard…the girls who are dieting will be so jealous ohhh wait”. I get it.

But really think about how often our phones are glued to our hands, and how much we are missing. I wonder about all the beautiful sights that pass me by while I am checking Facebook. I mean what if P. Diddy is throwing white party invites out and I just walk on by staring at my little screen packed with gossip. I could be hanging out with the Beibs instead of stalking who Selena is snuggling up to nowadays.

Can you think back to when we were tots and roamed the streets with no way of contacting anyone, those were the days. Aliens could have abducted us and no one would know until we made it back home for dinner. Now you can check-in on the spaceship, and show breaking photos, and get their digits while you’re at it. Holler for the little green guys.

So today, and only today because I may go through severe withdrawals (sad, but true) I am leaving my phone home. I have plenty of gasoline, and if I do break down I feel like at least one car will have a cell phone that I can borrow after promising I don’t have bird flu. I wonder how much Tim is going to miss me blowing up his phone with dreams of goldendoodle puppies.

Are you addicted to your cellular?
Can you go a whole day without it? A whole week?
Will Facebook file a missing persons for me tomorrow?