Week 26 - Help a Proposal...Success!

How often do you get a chance to help a stranger propose to his girlfriend...in a flash mob?

We are halfway through the year, and this week, my sister Emily and I happily undertook the random act of kindness. We both think a well done flash mob is pretty awesome, so when I stumbled upon the Flash Mob America Facebook page, I signed up for their newsletter so I would know if and when there would be a flash mob in the St. Louis area.

The flash mob announcement was just a week from the event date, so there wasn't much time to prepare. I registered on the event page and was sent a You Tube video of the dance moves to practice during the week. Well, it was just a week before our move to the new house, so I spent a whole 5 minutes watching the video - it looked pretty simple.

So Saturday morning, we headed down the the Forest Park area for the rehearsal and spent several hours with nearly 100 people, learning the dance moves together. After a quick run to Taco Bell, we headed over to the secret location - the St. Louis Zoo.

Since it was Saturday, the parking was packed - we ended up parking on the far side of the Art Museum and hoofing it pretty quickly down to the zoo and across to the other side where the flash mob would take place. And, it was hot...REALLY hot.

We were there at the designated time and got into place...then waited...and waited...and waited for our cue. Thankfully, we hid out in the shade and sipped our Taco Bell drinks.

Then 5 minutes past 2:00 pm, the couple showed up, and the cue was given...here is a video of the event (we are both wearing blue tops):

And just like that, she said "yes" and we headed home.

Week 16 - Give a Train Ride...Success!

On Thursday, Jacob and I went to the zoo. One of the special treats for us is to ride the train tour around the zoo. So we figured a train ride would be pretty special for other children visiting the zoo.

First thing we did was to pick up a zoo membership. This made the cost of train rides less than half the regular price. And, we have extra tickets for the children's zoo and the shark exhibit for another day. Bonus! 

As we were walking, we kept an eye out for small families who looked like they would like a random act of kindness. Our first family was a father and his two girls from Kentucky. We asked if they had been on the train yet. When they answered that they had not, I said that I have tickets for them if they would like to ride. The father was surprised and happily accepted the tickets.

The others were the same - pleasantly surprised and walked away with smiles and a little bit more of a spring in their step. The second family was a mom, dad, and young daughter from Hannibal, Missouri. The third was an older man and woman from Robertsville, Missouri, whom we met while viewing the new baby elephant. And the last tickets we gave out as we left the zoo were to a father and son from St. Louis.

The day was beautiful, we had a wonderful time, and we had the opportunity to bless several families. It definitely was a successful day!