What a go of it we've had! First the summer Olympics; followed by the primaries; then presidential campaigning; the melt down of the economy; presidential elections; and yesterday the 56th Presidential Inauguration. Phew! Our country has been busy.Just when you thought you we were done and you could go back to your quiet corner of the world, Claudia announces Highlowaha's next big event. We are 28 short days away from Highlowaha's One Year Anniversary and it is time to get our festivities underway. We can't pull off an event of this size and scope without a lot of preparation and involvement from all of you!
Here's an overview. Next week we welcome new readers as we spend the week at our Virtual Baby Shower. The week after (February 2-7) we will finish some of Highlowaha's unfinished business, in an effort to kick the new year off right. February 9-14 is Red Carpet Week. While normally I support going green, this week we'll go red. We will share ideas of fun ways you can prepare for the big event on Wednesday, February 18 at 8:00 p.m. CST. Did you get that? Wednesday, February 18 at 8:00 p.m. CST. Mark your calendars. Oh, and in addition to Red Carpet Week, we'll throw in a creative idea or two to get you ready for Valentine's Day.
Then comes the the week of February 16-21. This is a week you won't want to miss! It is when we will celebrate all our community has accomplished over the past year. There will be lots of reminiscing, but also some looking ahead. The main event for week will be Wednesday, February 18. We are hoping each of you will carve out an hour of your evening, so you can join in our festivities - not to mention celebrate your accomplishments with one another.
The fun won't stop abruptly on Wednesday, February 18. In fact, on Thursday, February 19 an important and groundbreaking announcement will be made about the future of Highlowaha. You won't want to miss it!
Having said all of that, in preparation of our One Year Anniversary festivities, we have some business to conduct. Wednesday, February 18, at 8:00 p.m. CST we will use our blog to broadcast the...
Highlowaha People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards will allow Highlowaha readers to recognize one another for contributions made to our lively blog. The event will be the perfect combination of both community and creativity. Community because you will be honoring one another's efforts and creativity because we, of course, have to figure out how to make it all happen virtually.
So with no further ado, let us get the nomination process underway. You will nominate someone by sending me an email at cbeeny@lslog.com and indicating who you think is most deserving (please put People's Choice Award in the subject). Please include a line or two about why. There are nine total awards. Do not post in the blog's comment section or the nominees will not be surprised!
We will feature three awards each day for the next three days.
Sliced Bread Award
This People's Choice Award will go to the Highlowaha reader who shared an idea you consider the "best thing since sliced bread." It is an idea you have either utilized or passed on to others. Please tell the idea he/she shared.
Raising the Bar Award
This People's Choice Award will go to the reader who shared an idea that has, in some way, enhanced the Highlowaha community. Please share the name of the person and/or the idea submitted.
Good Neighbor Award
This People's Choice Award goes to the reader whose overall participation and contributions to Highlowa have strengthened our blog's community.
Lurkers! I hope you feel like you can participate in the festivities by casting your vote and by tuning in on Wednesday, February 18 at 8:00 CST. We know there are a good number of you out there and we are interested in what you have to say!
Finally... a creative idea for the day. Yesterday was my oldest son's birthday. He turned 16. Those of you with teenagers know, they really only want money, so he can buy... in his case a car (Yes, buy. No free rides in the Beeny household!). Rather than just give Ricky cash - kind of impersonal and nothing creative about it - we decided to give him "Cold Hard Cash."
Picture it. I filled a meatloaf pan with water, laid the bill on top, and froze it. Once frozen, I added more water on top and froze it again. In the end, it was a block of ice with a bill on the inside. Cold Hard Cash. Love it.
Cheryl, jump in with the creative adaptation you shared with me.
Signing off until tomorrow...
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15 comments:
Oooohhhh EXCITING!!!!
I will be back home later today to do my nominations!!!
Nominations will come later from me. CKB, any rules with nominations here: nominate a person once, or up to 9 times? when do nominations need to be to you by? can we wait until all 9 categories have been announced before sending you a nomination email?
I'm so excited for 2/18!!
Have a great day, HLA!
GO STEELERS!!!
The cold hard cash was a hit and Ricky immediately went to town trying to get the cash out of the block of ice. I don't think they made him work hard enough for it. :) I think next time they should take $1 bills and freeze those in popcycle trays! And, think about it... you could bundle a bunch of $1 bills up with rubber bands and stand them up in a pan- half in and half out like grass. What about dying the the water. I think we can take this in many directions...
What other creative ways do we have giving away cash?
Maybe a mobile...
And, don't forget to send in your nominations!
I love Julie's enthusiasm!
everyone, can i ask for some ideas? one of my best friends is studying abroad in athens, and she is really unhappy about the way her first week is going. she got there on sunday. she has anxiety issues and is just really unhappy.... what can i do to encourage her? i can't send anything for a couple of weeks because i'm low on cash at the moment, so this should be something via the internet.
i am definitely going to use that cold hard cash idea next time i give money as a gift - it's great!
Lindsay, it's Julie here - commit to sending her a daily email. It doesn't have to be long, but just enough to let her know the daily goings-on of your life, and anyone else she may deem important. If you can, figure out when in the morning (her time) she typically checks her email first, and see if you can send it while she is sleeping, so she can start her day off with it. OR, go the other route, and send it so she sees it right before she goes to sleep.
Perhaps attach a different pic (of the two of you, of a place you guys went, etc) to each email to bring her a sense of familiarity and home.
GOOD LUCK WITH IT :)
LM-
My first thought is to make her laugh. For some snarky cards go to:
http://www.someecards.com/
You can create your own if you don't find anything designed.
My second thought is- "She's in Freaking Greece!!! Do you know what I would give? Buck up girl and take it all in!" But that isn't helpful is it?
Maybe you could find a site and email her "things to love about Athens" and then point out all the negative stuff going on in her town so she doesn't miss it... I'll try to come up with something better but that's what I got.
When my little brother was born, my mom's work wanted to give her a small gift, so they collected $1 & $5 bills then tied each individual bill to the branch of a small faux tree. Even though I was 5, I vividly remember the tree, since, for a little while, money really did "grow" on trees.
Lindsay Marie...
I like the idea of sending her email to make her laugh. Also... maybe you could send her an appropriate motivational quote each day.
Her sadness is normal, as she is a new, unfamiliar place and the stress (even if it's good/eustress) can be overwhelming. Maybe it would be helpful for her to know how proud you, and your network of friends, are of her for making the decision to take on this adventure.
Or... maybe you can send her a Challenge-a-Day to help her get acclimated. Day #1... find a Greek dessert you love. Take a digital photo and send it to you via email. Day #2. Spot a "Greek God" across campus. Describe him and then make it your goal to find out his name before semester's end. Day #3. Take a photo of a sight or pretty view you want to be sure to remember forever. Send me (you) an email describing what makes it so special. You get the point. It might give her additional sense of purpose just long enough to get through the transition.
OH! Claudia hammered it home Lindsay!! She's right, too. It's normal to feel that way so far from home and out of her routine and comfort zone. I think the daily challenge is good and I want to see what she sends you!
Julie asked some good logistical questions regarding the HLA People's Choice Awards. Below are some answers.
There are no rules as to who you nominate or how many times you want to nominate someone for one of the nine awards.
You can wait until all nine categories are shared before sending me your final list of nominations
All nominations must be to me by Monday (1/26) at midnight.
ha ha ha...I just had to laugh at the money frozen in ice idea...I've given gifts that require power tools to open them, but seriously...money....clearly visible money stuck in such a manner that it takes time and finesse to retrieve makes me laugh!!
I like Julie's idea of daily emails...couple that with a challenge of the day...do you have a regular mailing address that you could send some snail mail to one in a while??
I feel as though since I studied abroad not long ago, that I should help you out with this idea.
I agree that sending her a daily email to get her off on the right foot is a great way to encourage her. I know for me, the simplest act of getting an email every once and a while meant the world to me! For me, just knowing that yes, life was going on without me, but I wasn't being forgotten was a nice feeling.
Also, I had a friend who would send an email when she saw or heard something that made her think of me. Another friend would send along photographs of things that my group of friends were doing, and that made me feel good being able to see what they were up to and how they were all doing.
I think overall, it was most important to maintain that relationship as best we could even though I was so far away from them all. It gave me comfort to know that I had their support and that I had something to look forward to when I returned home.
As for specific ideas, here are some that I remember:
1. They took pictures at major events/activities they did so I could see what they experienced.
2. I would send home a weekly update every week and one of my friend's would turn around and send me back her weekly update. It was nice that she was returning the favor for me like I was doing for her.
3. SKYPE became a GREAT tool for my best friend and I. It was hard with the time difference, but I loved being able to chat with her once a week or so.
4. My best friend would often say to me, "....but at least you're in Australia!" She probably said that phrase more than anything else, because even in times when I was missing home or struggling with something over there, she would remind me that at least I was doing it in Australia and not in Kentucky. It was blunt (like what Cheryl was getting at), but it reminded me of the truth...I was pretty lucky to be where I was!
I'll think some more and come up with some more ideas, hopefully.
Who won t-shirts from the 18th?
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