Connect!2011 Letter 1

This month I'm participating in Connect! 2011.  Here's why I'm doing it:  you do some things (really really difficult things like writing 4 personal letters, attending a party, etc.) and at the end of the month you can enter to win $30 at Amazon.  Ok, that's not really why I'M doing it, because as the wife of the creator I'm not eligible to win, dang it.  But that's certainly why YOU should do it.

The challenge is designed to bring us closer to the people around us and strengthen our relationships.  The first goal I'm working on is writing 4 handwritten letters (and actually sending them).  At first, I thought I'd write to my husband, my 2 sisters, and maybe my mom.  BUT that is kind of a cop-out.  (Possibly.  They still deserve letters though, so I'll probably just write more than 4.) I think for this to really be awesome I should do something that requires a bit more thought.  And then I decided to write a letter to the owners of Donut King in Pleasant Hill.

Donut King is run by a Cambodian family--they are magnificent people.  Mom has taught 2 of their kids in her kindergarten class, and they still give her money off and free donut holes.  They remember that Danny's favorite is the cinnamon crumb donut, so they always throw in an extra one of those.  When I go in without Mom, they recognize me as her daughter because I look so much like her, which gets me free donuts too.  More than all that though, they are just really kind people. Because they know who we are, they greet us with huge smiles.

I went in there last week to grab some croissants to bring for Mom's lunch.  (Oh, in addition to being really nice, the make the best croissants I've EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.)  I ran in, ordered my stuff, and realized I didn't have any cash on me.  They only take cash.  SHIZ. I was going to be super disappointed and just turn around and race to Taco Bell, but then Mr. Cambodian Owner Man (I still don't know their names!) told me to just bring the money the next time I came in.  "ARE YOU KIDDING ME??" is what I thought.  Do people really still do that in this day and age?  Are there honest people out there, and people who will actually trust them?  I thanked him profusely, and then he still gave me extra donuts because he's great.  I ran back in later in the day with the money I owed.  I also went in there for croissants every day the rest of the week because I am obsessed with their croissants, but also because I wanted to give them business.

The Donut King people restored some of my faith in humanity, as silly as that sounds.  They were so kind, so small townish, and so decent.  They deserve a letter telling them how great I think they are--and how incredible their croissants are.

(Plus I think this should count for the one goal I'm not excited to do--reaching out to a neighbor. Don't you think?)

If you want to participate in Connect! 2011, read about it here.