Things I Love Thursday

Lots of lovely things I'm loving this week! Hopefully you'll spot some stuff to swoon over, too!

♥ these fun vintage swimsuits! ♥

♥ this precious kitten ♥

♥ this beautiful photo! ♥

♥ this powerful statement ♥

♥ with all of his words of wisdom... michael scott! ♥

♥ this photo of miss denise bidot ♥

♥ these treats! yum! ♥

♥ this gelato! ♥

♥ this house! (i'd be terrified though!) ♥

♥ this 15 year old girl, Alice ♥

If you frequent Twitter or watch The Today Show then you probably already know about this 15 year old girl, Alice Pyne. Alice has been fighting cancer since she was 11 and it's finally catching up with her. She started a little blog which has grown into a sensation in it's 3 day span which documents her "bucketlist" of things she'd like to do before she goes. I found Alice's blog last night after a friend retweeted her hashtag (#alicebucketlist) and I did some exploring. One item on her list was to trend on Twitter. Well, it happened! And because of that, the world has heard Alice Pyne. I was reading her blog and her bucketlist, and I could tell she was sweet and inspiring. But what really got me was at the top of her bucketlist, just under "Have everyone be a Bone Marrow Donor" was to "Swim with sharks." Okay, so if you've read my blog for any length of time then you probably know that my life goal is to swim (free dive) with sharks (Great Whites). Here's a 15 year old girl with the same dream as me. I have my whole life to make it happen... she may not. I started reading up on the qualifications to become a donor and after reading everything I promised myself that if I met the qualifications and deemed healthy enough to register, then I'd do just that. After a lot of thought, I signed up. Even Mike doesn't necessarily understand my eagerness to help someone I'll probably never meet, but maybe it was just because I felt a connection. Without a doubt I probably won't be a match for Alice, but I could be for someone else. The odds are 1 in every 500 registered donors is actually a match, so the likelihood of actually donating is low, but it could make all the difference. Just knowing that I share the same dream as someone but they may not ever get to live it is heartbreaking. It's so inspiring to read all of the people offering to help Alice check things off of her list. She's meeting her favorite band, a family friend gifted her an iPad, etc. But the truth is that there are millions of other people just like Alice out there who need help. An endless supply of tech gadgets won't cure the disease. Instead, we of legal age and able body should truly consider giving the gift of life... while we're still here! I'm a firm believer in organ donation and I hope that anything I have can go to someone who desperately needs it after I've passed. But why wait? Of course bone marrow donation is not something to be taken lightly. It's a surgical procedure and often touted on being quite painful. But one or a few days of discomfort is quite small in comparison to millions of people fighting terminal diseases every day. Many of them being small children. We have the ability to change the lives of so many people. Just think, if every single one of us signed up, we might have 10 or 20 matches! Just in this blog's audience alone! If you're interested in learning more on how you can help with the transplant for a patient in need, visit Marrow.org and read up on Things to Consider Before Joining and check out the Bone Marrow Donation Process. It can be scary, but I'd like to think that if I ever got that call then I'd jump at the chance. Please keep in mind that it takes roughly $100 to add each donor to the registry. This money is paid for by people just like you and me, so only join if you are truly willing to make the commitment to anyone, anytime, anywhere. You could be the reason someone gets to graduate high school or go in a hot air balloon. Or in this case, swim with sharks. Just some food for thought! xo (Please know that I'm not judging you if it's not your thing! or if you're deemed unable to be a donor! Nothing like that! This is just something that is very special to me and I'm hoping that by writing about it and giving you the tools necessary, you can make an informed decision for yourself! Even if you're an unfit candidate, you can do so much for so many! Don't let that stop you! xo)

What are you loving this week?


PS; The winner of the LOVE dress giveaway is: #23 Peppermint Vintage!