I am still participating in this challenge- though sadly my blog does not reflect it.

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Day 9- I made banana cupcakes for my friend liz who has just returned from Spain after a year. They had spanish phrases written on them in gel icing. She seemed to really enjoy them, which was great.Additionally, I left a note of encouragement for my sister Allyson while she was sleeping. She is participating in a program called "Bike and Build" where she spends a week alternating between biking across Virginia and building affordable houses for those in need. She was worried about the rigor of the program, so I just left her a little note to give her confidence.

Day 10- Not much I can remember on this day, besides getting a book from the library that I thought my dad would like, and preparing snacks and candy for the movie we were going to see tomorrow so we didn't have to bother waiting in line.

Day 11- Great day. Got to meet with a colleague, heather about grant writing which was helpful. But I also got to spend a good part of the day with my grandparents, and made sure to shower my grandma with compliments (as she always does with me). I also helped preparing the fish for lunch.Saw a really cute kid's movie with my parents; "Despicable Me" and got to Skype with my homestay brother from Vietnam who I am very close with.

Day 12- Brought green tea to a colleague who was sick, which she seemed to appreciate.

Day 13- Helped out my cousin in law, Joe who is almost completely blind by taking care of his adorable daughter, Chloe so he could finally get some work done. He really appreciated me helping out. Additionally I got to spend time with him and my cousin Emily, and they love having company. We went for ice cream that night and it was great to talk with them.

Day 14- My mom had two free guest passes to a sports club near us, so she invited my friend and I to use them. We went to an amazing African Dance class, and a stretching class after that and it was the best gift I could have ever ever gotten. I had a blast and felt fantastic after wards (Ii have not been good about working out). In return, I cleaned up a mess that wasn't mine, helped my mom out around the house and made zucchini bread for her, which she seemed to like a lot.

[Deb~ Community Manager]

You gave a lot of wonderful gifts! WooHoo!