Friday Notes – July 17, 2009

"Where in the USA is Monica?"  Monica from Run, Eat, Repeat is taking a cross-country tour!  She is driving from California to Maryland from July 10 to July 17, and along the way, she will be spreading the Operation Beautiful love!   On Thursday, Monica hinted that she was going to a ‘windy’ place and the ‘Obama girls wouldn’t be there.’  If you guess she was going to Chicago, you were right!

Monica said, "We didn’t do any sightseeing here since we were visiting my husband’s family, but I was able to leave notes at various locations, like a bathroom at McDonald’s and a coffee shop.  I also wrote a few  Operation Beautiful postcards to my friends and mom! This is a great way to make someone close to you feel good. Try to send one to your BFF today – it will make her day!"

 
Here are the clues for Destination #7 on "Where in the USA is Monica?":

1.       Venice, Italy is the only city in the world with more bridges than this place
2.       We just came from Chicago, which has one of the biggest Marathons in the world, but this place hosts a race too!

Can you guess where she’s going?

Onto your regularly scheduled Operation Beautiful programming….

Leslie wrote, "I would like to say I am getting better at the anonymous part, but I was busted!  The owner had just picked up her post-its before I left this message – so she knew it was me and said, "Thank you so much!!!!"  It was a good time at Mimi’s Crafts, Satellite Beach, FL.  "

Rachel wrote, "I’ve been posting notes all over my office since I stumbled across Operation Beautiful three weeks ago.  Well, Friday was my last day at that office before I move on.  I left one last note in my cubicle for the next person that takes my desk.  The note was written on the same hot pink post-its I have been using all over the office.  It said "Believe in Yourself".  A coworker stopped by to chat at the end of the day and say goodbye and she saw the note and asked if I was the one that was leaving those notes all over the office.  I smiled and said I was.  I explained the mission and she said she thought it was a wonderful idea, and that she would miss seeing the notes because they always made her smile.  (She also mentioned that several people had asked her if SHE was leaving them, so I guess they got people talking.)  Before she left I told her she can carry on the mission.  I hope she does!"

Andrea wrote, "So this morning I had to go out to Walmart to get a gift for my friends twins for their birthday. I threw my post-its in my purse and made my way to the magazine aisle. It didn’t take long for me to find a magazine that would make any average woman feel badly about herself. It was Abs Magazine (which by the way, there is really a magazine dedicated to abdominals? Having a fitness background myself, I know that abs are for holding yourself upright, supporting your back and they help in childbirth. That’s it. Is it completely necessary for us to HAVE to have flat, six-pack abs just for that? Sorry, I digress…).  This magazine promised to give us flat, sexy abs in 6 minutes, shrink our bellies, and talks about liposuction. Oh, thank you, Abs Magazine! An answer to my prayers! So my note reads, "You’re beautiful…just the way you are!" I hope someone reads it, smiles and feels good about herself instead of looking at the headlines and the photoshopped model on the cover and feels like crap. I intend to post many, many notes!"

Jackie wrote, "My first post in Albany, NY at a restroom at a restaurant!"

Haley wrote, "My husband and I lost our insurance earlier this year, thus requiring us to transfer to a free clinic in order to continue our meds. The clinic works as both a mental health and addiction recovery center. Sitting in the waiting room is a true eye opener to the struggles of others. I witness tears, intense arguments and general malaise during nearly every visit. I figured this place, if any, was perfect for an Operation Beautiful reminder. I left a note in every bathroom in hopes of improving at least ONE persons day. The second picture’s message was written on the cardboard backing of the stickies I wrote my OB messages on. I figured I had written so many for others that I needed to give myself a little reminder as well."

Jodi sent out an electronic Operation Beautiful note!  She wrote, "Here is what I sent off in an email to all my family and friends:  Just a little note to say… You Are Beautiful in Every Way!"

Caitlyn wrote, "Every week at church women come to praise God and the creations that He has made. And yet, they still fawn over how they look or are unhappy with some ‘flaw’. What I don’t get is, if they are thankful for His creations around them, why not be thankful for the beauty God has blessed them with? I posted this in our women’s bathroom. I hope my little message has shown a new light on not only the world around them, but on themselves as well."

Update!  Caitlyn wrote back to say, "I went back to church today after not going for a while. It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve posted it. Today when I went down to the bathroom, it was still on the mirror. It made me smile."

Kathy wrote, "After discovering your site through a Facebook friend, I posted two notes around Salem, MA where I love.  One was at a CVS  and the other in the elevator of a doctor’s office.  Thanks for inspiration!"

If you want to participate in the mission, post a note, take a picture, and email it to Caitlin at seebriderun@gmail.com!