what's new. 8

What's new this week:

-College friends are the ones you'll keep forever

-When you're not sure who you are or where you're at, you can always ask someone who knows you.

-Things are things, memories are best.

-My nephews are without a doubt, the cutest.

Happy Birthday!

This weekend I went home to celebrate my youngest nephew's 1st birthday.  It was awesome.  You cannot not have fun at a rockstar themed first birthday with music, cake, and adorable nephews.  I make it a rule to get my brother's kids the loudest birthday presents I can find.*  I picture them both waking up early to play the xylophone or mini acordian while my brother tries (without success) to sleep, and it warms my heart.


*My sincerest apologies to my lovely sister-in-law :)

G-ma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Grandma died at Christmas.  It was unexpected and it was sad, but it happened, and now everyone is moving on and doing well.  My dad and Uncle have been slowly going through her house and all her things, and since I live far away, I've been removed from the process.  When I was home this weekend I wanted to go over and see what they had done.  It was as much to hang out in her space, as it was to poke around and see some of her stuff.  Please note the accordian, my handsome Grandpa, a baby me, and my dad and uncle- then and now.   

college.

 

I am a procrastinator.  Ask anyone in the pictures above and they'll tell you.  Last week, week 8, was all about catching up, and while I did(ish), I didn't write about it.  So here you go:  The friends above are all my college besties.  The ones who have enough stories to fill a book, enough evidence to get me in big trouble, and enough patience to still be friends with me now.  I seems like we used to be able to always be together.  There was always someone free to hangout, and wandering into an apartment or bedroom to watch t.v. or talk happened at any and every hour.  Now there are husbands, and babies, and dogs, and jobs, and suburbs.  Mostly, there is just life, and sometimes it gets in the way.  So Monday, I spent the evening at dinner telling stories, catching up, and having a good time.  I love these girls.  

what's new. 7

I feel a little guilty writing a wrap-up of a week that I didn't really blog about. (unless you count random pictures of a rented house and a bunch of oranges blogging.)  I will say though, for whatever reason, my week in Montecito turned out to be the least stressful work trip I've taken to date.  I'm still trying to figure out why so I can do the exact same things next time I have to travel.  Some of you might say, 'Well Shannon, it's probably because you left two feet of Chicago snow for sunny 65 degree weather'.  While that is true, warm weather doesn't always equal an easy time.  As evidence: the trip I took to Bermuda where I wanted to pull all my hair out, or the 'Mexico stress fiesta'.  My job is not easier done on the road, and I am easily overwhelmed when not in my 'normal' surroundings.  Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful I have the opportunity to see such beautiful places, and to experience so many new things, there is just usually at least one tearful call to my friend Megan every work trip.  However, Montecito was the amazing exception.  Whether or not it was because I made a conscious effort to stay calm, or because so much of my time was spent working- but unscheduled, or because after 2 feet of snow, grass might as well be gold, is unclear.  It is safe to say that I am back relaxed, and ready for week 8.

what's new. 6

So, If you're keeping track, you know I'm a million miles behind in my posts.  However, I'm also back in Chicago, with internet, thank the sweet baby Jesus!  I'm going to spend today attempting to catch up* and bring you at least a few of the blog posts I owe you.  For now, I'm super excited to share the wrap-up of my week of living philanthropic and what I learned.

-I am overwhelmed with the generosity of all of my friends!  Most of my donation requests came in the form of random texts at 3a.m. Chicago time, with minimal explanation, and each and every reply I received was an enthusiastic yes!

-I really love being a 'micro philanthropist' and am figuring ways to incorporate it into the blog, possibly weekly.

-Many of my friends, not just the ones mentioned in the blog posts, are interested in being micro philanthropists.

-All I had to do was ask.  Simple.

-Micro Philanthropy is totally do-able, and sometimes all it takes is figuring out a few great places to make a donation.

-Drum roll please... So the one you've all been waiting for, I've tallied all the donations and in a little over a week with the help of some amazing people, 52 weeks donated:

$170.00 !!

Thank you again so much to everyone who helped out with this week, whether it be donating, suggesting charities, or checking out the organizations that we donated to.


*on the subject of catching up.

Przygoda.

I was going to add this one into my what's new of week 6, but it made me so happy, I decided it deserved it's own post. If you've been checking out the blog, you know that last week was actually when I was supposed to Live Philanthropic, but I got a little behind on my posts and have been trying to catch up. A few days ago I sent a message to my friend Mike who among many things is a most talented musician. I asked if he had a music-y or arts-y charity that I could donate to, and if he wanted to donate as well. Now, Mike is a busy guy, and I wasn't sure he would have time to help me out. When I hadn't heard back from him in a day or so, I assumed he wasn't interested... I was wrong!

Mike got back to me today, and actually recommended Barrel of Monkeys where he is a company member. When I let him know I had already donated there, he said he would still make a donation because he believes in the work they do. This is big to me for a few reasons: 1. Mike is a friend, but not one of my 'have to' friends*. He doesn't have to talk to me on the phone for hours if I break up with someone. He doesn't have to come see every show I'm in and tell me I was the best part even if I wasn't. And, he certainly doesn't have to bail me out of jail at 3 a.m., so him helping me out is awesome. 2. Mike is giving back to a place that he already gives his time and energy to, just because it's a great cause. I mean, would you give your boss $10.00 because you were proud of the work he did? 3. This all just reiterates how cool Barrel of Monkeys is, and what good work they do!

www.barrelofmonkeys.org

Charity: Barrel of Monkeys
Mike donated: $10.00


*A big thank you to my 'have to' friends for their willingness to do all the things I just mentioned, and still wanting to donate with me this week(ish)!

Stillerstrong.

Today's charity is Stillerstrong, and today's guest philanthropist is my good friend Becky.  You probably know Becky from when we went to Zumba, or our cannoli adventures, but besides accompanying me on my blog shenanigans, Becky is also a teacher for the most confusing and dangerous students ever recorded... junior high students.  Without Becky's tireless efforts, these kids would be a lot less socialized, and as a public we may actually have to deal with pubescent pre-teens roaming in the wild city.

All jokes aside, every kid, Justin Beiber loving or not, deserves an education.  Stillerstrong, Ben Stiller's charity on crowdrise agrees with me.  Ben is raising money to build schools in Haiti, and Becky and I both think it's an excellent cause.  I also wanted to wrap up my week of 'Living Philanthropic' by donating to a charity featured by my friend Carlo.  Please take a second to consider donating to Stillerstrong, or anyone of the charities Carlo has supported in his year of living philanthropic


Charity:  Stillerstrong
I donated:  $10.00
Becky donated:  $10.00

total:  $20.00

fender music foundation.

My guest philanthropist today is my friend Jessie.  She and I met last year while we were working on a show together in Chicago.  There are scores of reasons why I like Jessie, but here are just a few:  She’s super talented, plays guitar, drives a hybrid, is wickedly funny, laughs at my jokes, is a great teacher, and she’s cool.  When picking today’s charity (which I also think is really cool) I immediately thought of Jessie and asked her to join me. 

The charity for today is The Fender Music Foundation .  The FMF ‘was created to provide funding and resources for music programs across America, so that kids and adults alike will have an opportunity to experience the joys of music’.  Fender is essentially trying to make music available to everyone they can through music education, media initiatives, and financial support.  In a time where arts programs are suffering and the state of music in schools is in limbo, FMF is coming in guns blazing to make sure music is available to everyone, not just those privileged enough to afford it.  You should definitely check them out, consider making a donation, and use their website as a resource on why funding the arts is cool.     

Charity:  Fender Music Foundation

I donated:  $10.00

Jessie donated:  $10.00

total:  $20.00

today was weird.

Today was weird. I spent a good chunk of my day at the coffee bean and tea leaf blogging, researching, and just generally hanging out. At some point during my coffee break I realized there was a semi-crazy woman sitting next to me. I talked to her for a little bit, and it was only after I heard her mention to a friend she 'wasn't going to call Carnie, because she was on the war path' that I realized it was Chynna Phillips. She was apparently having a business meeting while drinking tea, eating some brownish green health sludge, and talking about Ian Zeering, herbal supplements, and of course Billy and what he was up to. I'm not quite sure why I'm sharing this with you, it was just so odd. Then while I was walking home I happened to see Andrew Firestone of bachelor fame... Apparently his family's business is near by. It begs then question- Is Montecito where C-List celebrities go to fade into the sun set?

p.s. The pictures are of the rest of my day (who really needs a c-list celebrity picture anyway?)

Openlands.

My guest philanthropist today is my friend from college, and favorite roommate of all time Marla.  (I've talked about her and her beautiful family here before.)  She and I actually got our 'start' while living together in college.  Mar was a horticulture/landscape design major, and basically the opposite of my acting/dance major.  While I was memorizing lines, she was memorizing types of trees and ways to maximize an open space with landscaping.  When looking for a charity for the two of us to donate to, I had my eyes peeled for and eco-y, nature-y, Chicago based organization.  Openlands came up, and when I researched it, I was really impressed.

'Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of Northeastern Illinois, and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich our lives.'  Not only does OL believe in 'conserving nature for life', they are also a great resource for information on outdoorsy spaces, places, and adventures around Chicago.  Check out Openlands, and give the earth a high five.


Charity:  Openlands
I donated:  $10.00
Marla donated: $10.00

total: $20.00

Barrel of Monkeys

Today’s guest philanthropist is my best friend Megan.  We’ve been friends for over 10 years, and truth be told we’re going to have to stay friends probably forever, because at this point she knows too much.  Any sort of riff, and I run the risk of people finding out about my closet Rod Stewart obsession, what grade I actually got in Theatre History, or what I really think about your boyfriend/outfit/party/etc.

Megan and I met in college where we were both acting majors, so I wanted to pick some kind of artsy, educationy organization to give to.  I did some searching on Crowdrise* and came across Barrel of Monkeys. Much like Found, I know of Barrel of Monkeys, but for whatever reason I hadn’t thought to donate to them. 

Barrel of Monkeys is ‘an arts education theatre ensemble that works with some of the most underserved students in Chicago’.  BOM’s mission ‘is to create an alternative learning environment where children share their personal voices and celebrate the power of their imaginations’.  In the simplest form, BOM teaches kids creative writing in a super safe and supportive setting.  Then, they take their stories, and using professional actors, adapt them for the stage.  You can see these new works at their ever changing   "That's Weird Grandma!", which performs weekly, and which I highly recommend checking out.

Organization:  Barrel of Monkeys

I donated:  $20.00

Megan donated:  $10.00

total:  $30.00

*Also check out my friend Carlo's Crowdrise page.     

Montecito Love.

  

 

  

   

Here's the deal:  I've been in Montecito for work, and I'm a little out of sorts.  Like new place, different schedule, not enough time, sporadic at best Internet, discombobulated out of sorts.  I'm working on getting a hold of myself and taking a few deep breaths, but I don't exactly know what it means for my week 7.  Also, If you're keeping track, I'm missing a few philanthropic posts.  Have no fear though, I didn't give up, I'm just waiting for the internet God's to smile on me, or for a minute to stop at a coffee shop and do some uploading.  I'll try to post them as soon as possible, and because I feel guilty about being behind, I'm going to throw in an extra charity and donation.  So, here's to catching up, calming down, and of course, love- happy Valentine's Day!

found.

Gigi: 2 year old American Staffordshire Terrier.

Kaylee: 12 year old Beagle

Birdie: 2 year old Pit Bull

Bumble Bee: 9 year old Chihuahua

Deedee: 1 year old American Staffordshire Terrier

Jackson: 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog Rottweiler Mix


My friend Carlo uses this really awesome website called  Crowdrise for a lot of his fundraising and donating needs.  Not only can you use the site to create fundraising pages, you can also join fundraising teams, search for different charities, and make donations.  It's kind of a super hip philanthropy clearing house.  While I was checking out Crowdrise and searching for a charity, I came across Found, and decided it was the perfect place to give to.

I know Found through their sister for-profit called Stay: A Modern Dog Hotel.  I've used Stay a ton and can't say enough good things about them.  While at Stay it's not uncommon to see one or two of the dogs above hanging out waiting to be adopted, but I'll be honest, since I'm not interested in adopting right now, I didn't really think about Found seriously until today.  Their mission is simple: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Re-home.  What they do is amazing.  Found specializes in dogs that have a harder chance of being re-homed.  Whether it be 'medical or behavioral, Found provides individualized rehabilitation and training to dogs that would otherwise be euthanized'.  You should absolutely consider adopting one of the pooches above, or think about donating to help Found continue the work they do.

My guest philanthropist today is my friend Crystal.  We both love a cute pup, and agree Found is a great cause to support.

Charity: Found
I donated: $10.00

Crystal donated: $10.00

total: $20.00

the ride to conquer cancer.

Today's charity is brought to you courtesy of my friend Jodie.  The Enbridge Ride To Conquer Cancer is a 2 day cycling event through Canada's Pacific Northwest, and all of the money raised benefits the British Columbia Cancer Foundation.  Jodie is participating in this ride in June, and I am excited to support her.  This Charity is also cool because my guest philanthropist today is my mom Mickey.  Not only is she a 3 time breast cancer survivor, but she and my dad are also avid cyclists.  If you're lucky, some day I'll share with you the story of the WORST family vacation ever when they forced my brother and I to spend a week riding through Wisconsin on rented Huffys.  Until then, check out the ride's official website, or please consider donating to Jodie's page.

Charity: The Enbridge Ride To Conquer Cancer

I donated: $15.00

My mom donated: $35.00

total: $50.00

living philanthropic.

The week's new adventure was inspired by a friend of mine from college.  Carlo is an actor living and working in Chicago, and exactly 292 days ago he started a blog called Living Philanthropic.  Carlo's mission is 'to give to charity everyday for a year, because you don't have to be rich in dollars to make a difference, you only need to be rich in spirit'.  While Carlo 'won't always be able to give a lot, he will give everyday'.

I really like the blog and have been following Living Philanthropic along the way.  In a recent interview about LP the term 'Micro Philanthropy' was used to describe what Carlo is doing.  I love this idea, essentially giving what you can, keeping in mind that no amount of help is too small to be discounted.  It's with this spirit of giving in mind that I'm going to follow Carlo's lead and donate to a different charity everyday.  While I can't donate millions, I also really believe in the ripple effect and its ability to make change.  So, this week, for every charity I donate to, I will also get a friend or family member to donate too, in hopes that they may find a friend to donate as well, and so on.

I'll keep sharing information about Carlo and LP throughout the week, but for now check out Living Philanthropic, and feel free to give!

what's new. 5

 

 

 

While much of this week was spent anticipating, watching, and digging out of Snowmageddon, I also got in some delicious cannoli tasting.  Even as I'm sitting here writing this, its still snowing... (or rather re-snowing?)  Either way, with the snow and the cannoli, I learned a few things:

-I love cannoli.  (o.k., that I already knew.)

-I don't care how old you are, an impending 2 feet of snow is exciting!

-Finding out I have a snow day still gives me the same relieved/excited feeling in my stomach that I got when I was in 2nd grade.

-Mother Nature is no joke.

-You will never, ever catch me on Lake Shore Drive in a snow storm.

-I'm a cannoli purist

-When you go to someone's house with cannoli, they will always be happy to see you.

-The best way to spend $30.00 is to have the neighbor kid dig out your car.

-The best way to spend $5.00 is on cannoli.

-For my money, the best cannoli in Chicago is D'amato's!

D'amato's

 

 

 

 

 

The final stop on my cannoli tour was D'amato's in the West Loop.  (Just a note: they close at 2:00 on Sundays, but if you are totally unaware of the time and knock on the locked door at 2:11 and with a sad face explain that you have a blog and need to try their cannoli, they will let you in.  However, chances are all they will have left is chocolate shells, and they will make you pay in cash.)

After puppy dog eyeing my way into a bag full of chocolate cannoli I headed out to visit my friends John and Marla.  It didn't take much convincing to get them to help me taste both the Pasticceria Natalina and D'amato's cannoli.  It has to be said that these two know their cannoli and I knew they would not be easily impressed.  Because we didn't want to have all the fun, their son Logan got in on the taste testing action.  As you can see from the pictures, Logan liked D'amato's, and so did we.  The cannoli was out of this world.  The filling was perfect, not too sweet, not too sour, not too thick, not to runny.  The shell, even though it was covered in chocolate, was still crispy and delicious.  Overall, D'amato's gets a perfect 5.


D'amato's: 5