For quite some time now I’ve made it a point to be a member of any community I live in. I was always part of fundraisers for as long as I can remember. I remember raising funds for the Drama class in middle school, I’ve also helped to raise money for breast cancer research in high school. On top of that I always sold items for the school to bring in some extra funding for sports and academics alike. Even to this day I donate to random charities around the US. I know that there are other countries out there in need of help but with all of the poverty and other problems that American’s have, it’s hard to give something to another country when we’re just as much in need thanks to the bone head running our country. That’s a different rant though.

You’re probably wondering where this is coming from?

Today I came across a company named Shout Back. They’re a website that runs many different options for you to raise funds for your cause. The point of their site is to have a medium where all of your group members and supporters can come together and get the job done. You can type in your ZIP code and look for the activities going on around you. Unfortunately I was unable to locate any for both Rehoboth Beach and Glen Cove, but that’s OK. I know that my money is still going to fundraisers that are valued throughout the US. You can start your own group or sponsor an existing one. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find ANYTHING but I’m sure there’s something that I’m just overlooking. I was hoping to get around to an auction but that’s ok.

For Christmas, Sean and I are taking a trip down to Ocean City to see the “Festival of Lights”. We went last year and they were pretty busy. Instead of going on a Saturday night we’re planning on going earlier in the week. There’s also an Italian restaurant down there that I’m interested in trying. There aren’t any good places in Delaware so maybe Maryland would give me something to look forward to. We do hope to take another road trip though, I’m actually considering going up to Washington DC, it isn’t really that far from here, I’m just dreading going over the bay bridge in order to get there.

I’ve always wanted to completely submerge into all of the attractions that D.C. has to offer. Walking the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial. Going to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum even the International Spy Museum. I’d also love to go to the top of the Washington Monument and look at everything from a birds-eye view. Maybe even head to Capitol Hill to shop at the Eastern Market or visit Union Station. There are just so many endless possibilities.

I’ve just recently signed up for the Trusted Travel eNewsletter. They give you information on all of your destination spots from around the USA. Destinations from Atlanta to Washington DC, even Tampa and New York, the possibilities are endless.

Driving home last night was pretty difficult. It was a bit chilly and the rain didn’t help very much either. I started thinking about how nice it would be to get back to the house so I can curl under my comforter and just drift off to sleep. This weekend was a bit exhausting, even though I got more sleep in the last three days then I have in the last three weeks – but I guess that’s besides the point. It was more than likely the depression from losing money that was taking it’s toll on me, sleeping it off was the only option last night.

Sean and I were talking about taking another vacation in the future though. I’ve been poking around the net in search of a warmer vacation spot. While I absolutely love the cold, it’s nice having warm weather at some point in time as well. I actually got pretty lucky though, I found this place called Amelia Island in Florida and they’re having a Lodging Special. If you stay for two nights you’re given the third one for free. This is good for either a Hotel or even a Bed and Breakfast, it just depends on who’s participating in the offer. Supposedly Amelia Island was voted one of the top 10 islands in America. There’s golf courses and shopping plus a lot of activities as well. The offer they’re running right now is valid until the end of February – we were looking to take a vacation for Valentines Day so I want to say that this place is moving towards the top of the list – that’s for sure.

I’ve been searching the ‘net for Christmas ideas so I can figure out what to give my grandmother. It’s hard to shop for her because she has specific taste and while she appreciates everything she receives, that doesn’t mean she’ll actually find a use for it. So to avoid getting her the typical and traditional gifts of clothing or knick-knacks to keep around the house, I’ve actually been looking into grandfather clocks. She recently got rid of one that she’d had for years, while it was worth quite a bit of money – it was also in poor condition so she decided to bite the bullet and say goodbye to it. So I figure I’ll poke around for different clocks and I came across Howard Miller clocks, they’re gorgeous quality clocks that really make a statement in every room they’re in. I wouldn’t want to replace the mantel clocks though, the areas surrounding her fireplaces are typically done in a very traditional Italian style that everyone could appreciate. But after that, I’m unsure of what route to take. Home decor could always be an interesting gift but you have to make sure it matches the rest of the decor in the house or there really is no point in buying something for her.

So I started thinking outside of the box and realized that she was going to be redoing her deck this upcoming spring while they’re fixing her underground pool. She always has it decorated nicely out there so naturally she’s always in search of gorgeous accessories to create the whole look and feel of the backyard. So I figured I’d look into an Indoor/Outdoor Pool Clock. It’s water-resistant and can be mounted to a solid surface. It’s battery operated but I think it’d be cooler if there were a solar powered option, but that’s the “green” side of me kicking in. Either way I’ve been doing my homework before buying a clock for my grandmother so hopefully I’ll be able to find something interesting.