25 Years Later.

On Monday a co-worker asked me, "how does it feel to be 25?" after the Saturday celebration of my birthday.  Of course, it doesn't really feel like anything.  Just like 23 faded into 24, I can now rent a car at a lesser premium.  I'm not getting married, I don't have a kid, I work a pretty normal job in the most beautiful city ever; 25 looks pretty fantastic so far. Like an adult should, I decided to spend the day surrounded by friends at bars frequented by those just out of college.  The bar crawl supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, an organization near and dear to my heart, that I mentioned in past posts.  I won't echo my philanthropic speech but just wanted to say "thank you!" to all my friends who attended and got a little [or a lot] drunk for an amazing cause.  For anyone who sent a text, wrote on my facebook wall or whatever "thank you!" also because it means so much to have amazing people like you all in my life.

Enough of the sap. Cheers to the mid-20s!

"Let her eat cake!"

If you have a Macy's in close proximity please...

It is very rare that I use this blog as a call to action. That's really not the reason I write. Today is a little different. I am urging you, if you have a Macy's in close proximity, to visit sometime during the Christmas season. Remember writing letters to Santa as a young tot and addressing them to the North Pole? Go relive your past!

Today my roommate and I stopped by to send Santa mail (asking for a clear career path and a nice boy, respectively). This campaign, Believe, is inspired by little Virginia's now famous "Is there a Santa Claus?" letter. With each letter written and submitted in the bright red letter box, Macy's grants $1 in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation "grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy." I began my relationship with M-A-W as an two semester intern in college and continue to support the Illinois chapter as a wish granter. I cannot describe, in words, how the wide smile of 4-year-old can brighten your life. This one little boy in particular will visit Walt Disney World in the summer of 2010, after completing treatment for leukemia. Every dollar truly makes a difference as wish costs typically fall in the $4,000-$5,000 range. Sixty percent of children visit Walt Disney World and many stay at Give Kids the World, some of the most magical places in the world (in my opinion). Others have big parties, receive room makeovers, or whatever a child can dream. One little boy asked for a basketball.

So I encourage you to make a difference, one letter a time.

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."