One week down y'all! #AdamsActs has been a crazy success this year with over 14,000 hits on the blog, 10,000 of them being unique viewers! (If you don't know what a unique viewer is, don't feel bad because I just found out. In fact, I was a little offended because I like to think of all my viewers as unique.) What it really means is that about 10,000 people read the blog for the first time ever. I don't know 10,000 people so that means that the hashtag is working, the shares are working, and all the #AdamsActs you are doing in your communities ARE WORKING!
People are catching the kindness in India, Scotland, France, Canada, Germany, UK, Brazil, Zambia, Portugal and the Netherlands! We even have one reader from Bahrain. Which... I had to Google.
I am so thankful for each and every like, share, comment, post and act of kindness. I know a lot of you feel like it's wrong to share what you are doing to be kind, but I want to push back on that for a second. Trust me, I don't recommend shouting from the roof top every time you do something kind all year long... but, when we share what we are doing and why, it really does become a movement. So maybe consider shouting it from the roof top, just for the next few weeks and see who else you can inspire to be more kind, more generous, more charitable, more thoughtful and more intentionally focused on loving and serving others.
For Day #7 I helped out with school picture day at Harper and London's school. When I was London's age, my mom was subbing in my school building on picture day. The result of this once in a lifetime picture day opportunity is this fantastic photo of me, hovering over my mother's shoulder. Like a ghost. With puffy sleeves.
Me and Hurricane Sandi, circa 1986? Or was it '87? I don't know. Circa whenever this amazing plaid scarfbow was hot.
Unfortunately, I was not permitted to do a mother-daughter session at school picture day today... but so as not to disappoint any unique viewers, I decided to pull out as many old studio pictures as I could. For some reason, I don't have a single school pic of my sister BethAnn, which is a shame because she was probably the most photogenic of any of us children. But, I did find one sister photo that features her shining Dorothy Hamill bow cut in a way that I believe will make her feel as honored as the rest of us.
Let's start with my oldest sister Kristin.
She still wears this dress to this very day.
And the piece de resistance...
This looks like her son Eli, with pearls and eyeshadow. At least all the feathering never goes out of style.
My brother Adam, as sweet-faced as they come, was not exempt from bad hairstyles either.
Just comb it straight into the eye bud, just keep combing.
Does it get any cuter?
Just love.
Again, I don't have individual school pictures of my sister BethAnn, so these will have to suffice.
I coveted Kristin's cow suit for my entire childhood. And now you are. Doesn't feel good does it?
Have you ever seen such a stark contrast in the amount of time spent on two children in the same photograph. Dorothy Hamill over there with her perfectly curled bowl... And me, on the left, apparently just finished up a successful round of dumpster diving. I'll have you know, I gave myself that haircut. Apparently Hurricane never saw fit to touch it up.
And now it's only fair to reveal some of my school pics.
Flat brim trucker hat, high waisted paints. All before they were cool. #settingtrends
The above picture was taken shortly after Adam convinced me I needed to let him "shave my sideburns." The term "sideburns," as it turns out, was code for any hair that didn't get tucked behind your ear, no matter how long it was.
By this time, I let my sideburns grow out. I was still cutting my own hair, but I had gotten better at it.
So there you go. Some awkward school photos in honor of volunteering at school picture day! I challenge all of you to share your own awkward school/sports/dance photo in the comments, because sometimes being able to laugh at yourself and let other laugh with you, is the best kindness to give. And as always don't forget to #Adamscts!
P.S. In case anyone reading this feels sorry for BethAnn for not having school pics, I offer you one final photograph to prove that I was, in fact, the most neglected in the group. Please note my fuzzy, middle-parted rat mullet, the curly turtle neck/suspender combo, double chin and a black eye for good measure.
