What is the deal with the big First Giving badge?

If you've been to my blog recently, you cannot miss my First Giving badge, front and center -- smack in the middle of the home page.  Once again this year, I'm participating in Dress Up 2 Cure, the annual fundraiser for the Rett Syndrome charity, Girl Power 2 Cure... which (as a point of disclosure) was founded by my dear friend Ingrid Love Harding after her daughter Sarah was diagnosed with the disease in August 2005.

What is Rett Syndrome?  One of the most descriptive synopses of this neurological disorder I have read comes directly from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, “Imagine the symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders…all in one little girl.”

A new source of motivation for me this year has been the tag line from the movie Extraordinary Measures:

Don't hope for a miracle.  Make one.

The more I learn about John Crowley and his quest to save his children from Pompe disease, the more parallels I see to Ingrid.  If he can make a miracle, so can she... with a little help from the rest of us.  To that end, I’ll be dressing up in a costume and going to the office on April Fool’s Day once again this year., and invite you to join the fight by supporting my effort to:

Get Silly.  Spread Hope.
Cure Rett Syndrome.

Prizes come in many forms

I have to admit, by any definition, it has been a big week on the win front: 

1)  My application to become a Tropicana Juicy Rewards Insider / Savvy Auntie ambassador was accepted.... so keep an eye out for my #TropJR posts on Twitter... although, I'm sure I'll blog about my adventures here as well.

2) Beautiful Nimli Azuri Organic Cotton Scarf from Natalie Ahotaeiloa's blog, The Adventures of Paul and Natalie.  In addition to being quite witty, she runs a lot of great giveaways through her blog.   If you're not already following her, you should check out.


3)  I emailed General Motors to register my disappointment in their corporate customer service... and I was HEARD.   Unsolicited, in an effort to appease me, I was awarded 24 months GM SmartCare package.  That's right -- 2 years of free oil changes for Gigi (my G6 GT).  Susan Docherty (VP Vehicle Sales, Service, and Marketing) and Tom Brown (her associate)... you get a big thumbs up from me!

and last, but not least....

4)  To celebrate reaching 10 Million Images in their library, @Shutterstock gave away an Apple gift card worth $499 (the advertised price for a 16GB, Wi-Fi enabled Apple iPad)... and guess who won?  Apparently, one tweet can be worth $500.