#70 - Give a “just because” gift (44/101).

Have you heard of the 5 love languages? It is a method that Dr. Gary Chapman came up with where he identified 5 love languages (Words of Affirmation, Physical Touch, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts and Acts of Service) and demonstrates how knowing how you and your loved ones give and receive love will strengthen your relationships. Everyone tends to have a primary and secondary way in which they love and for some people, the way they give/show love differs from how they receive love. I read the book, took the quiz and realized that the primary way I receive love is by quality time and that my least tendency is receiving gifts. Dr. Chapman's theory says that it is important to recognize the love languages of those around you, especially if they differ from the way you primarily give or receive love, in order to ensure you are giving love to others in ways that they most appreciate them.

Since reading this book, I have been more cognizant of making sure to show love and appreciation in a variety of ways so I am glad that I was able to connect number seventy on my list with the love language theory. I supervise a rockstar at my job, one that works extremely hard, always supports me and our team, goes above and beyond in what she is asked to do and cares deeply for those around her in her personal and professional lives. We were at lunch a couple weeks ago and she told me she was going to the beach for vacation and could not wait because things had been busy lately and being by the ocean puts her in her happy place. A few days later I was running errands and saw this sign that immediately made me think of her and our conversation. I bought it, wrote her a note and gave her a "just because" gift to show her that I was (a) listening and (b) to gift her some desk swag. I love gifting small surprises - when was the last time you gave a "just because" gift?

#91 - Go fruit picking (apples, peaches, berries, etc.) (43/101).

This weekend we headed to The Retreat at Guidestone Hills to go blueberry picking! Located in Chattahooche Hills, Georgia, about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta (close to Serenbe), I came across this farm on the Georgia - Pick Your Own website. Their shtick is called CharityBerries with the idea that you can either pick and buy what you pick or buy one of their special packages in which you pick more than you keep and donate the rest of your picked berries to your choice of three nonprofit organizations. We picked three pints of blueberries and donated one of the pints to 180 Degree Farm, a cancer relief organization. It was so much fun going blueberry picking, I'm so glad we went! We made two delicious treats with the fresh blueberries:

• Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars: One of my favorite desserts are these raspberry oat bars from Whole Foods so I looked up a recipe for blueberry oat bars and found this one. They were delicious, so delicious that I forgot to take a picture! They were extremely easy to prepare but did take a while to bake (about an hour). I definitely suggest making them, I think I will make them again with raspberries.
• Bluberry Lemonade Vodka: These were delicious! We muddled fresh blueberries, lemon juice, mint from my garden and homemade simple syrup together, added vodka and shook with lots of ice. I realized two things from this process: (1) I need to buy a muddler and (2) I need to experiment and make more mixed drinks. 

#49 - Travel to surprise someone (42/101).

Last weekend my grandma and aunt visited my parents new house for the first time in Richmond. It had been my grandmothers birthday the week before and when I spoke to her on her birthday, she told me how excited she was for me to come and see her with my parents. I had to tell her that I wasn't coming because at that point, I had no plans to go and visit. But her comment got stuck in my head and I began to research flight costs to see if it would even be an option to visit for the weekend. Through my research, I found out that the flight costs were lower than I thought they would be so I started to think through the idea of surprising my parents, grandma and aunt on their visit. I decided to pull the plug and booked flights for a quick trip. 

The next step was trying to figure out how to find my family once I landed. With some healthy sleuthing, my sister helped me figure out that they were seeing a movie and found out which movie and what theater. When I got to the theater, I went to find out what time the movie would let out and played some arcade games while I waited. When I saw a couple of people begin to leave their theater, I found a bench to sit on and waited. I heard my family before I saw them and as they rounded the corner, I heard shrieks and small huge smiles. It was so much fun surprising my family! 

We went to lunch, relaxed at my parent's new house, ate some delicious food and I helped my parents clean out some of the rooms at our old house while I was home. It was such a nice treat to see my parents, grandma and aunt and made me happy knowing I had made the right decision to surprise everyone. I look forward to more surprises in the future, the only thing that would have made it better would have been if my sister could have joined as well! 

#90 - Go paragliding (41/101).

My sister talked me into going paragliding with her while we were in Switzerland for a family trip after her graduation. She did not have to try too hard to convince me though, I love saying yes to adventures! We tried to go paragliding one night after spending a day traveling up to Jungfrau, the highest railway station in Europe but it started raining so we rescheduled for the next day. Bright and early the next morning, we got picked up from our hotel  and drove up to the top of a cliff after changing into hiking shoes. Sara and I took off each with our own pilot and glided over Interlaken for about 15 minutes. It was a gorgeous view, surrounded by the Alps overlooking the surrounding towns of Interlaken, lakes, canals and more. We were excited to land right in front of our hotel so our parents could watch us land after an incredible flight. It was an incredible experience and I could definitely go again!