Tag Archives: embossed

Day 82: Dr. Maria

Posted on March 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

Sight is one of the most crucial abilities that we possess. Last Tuesday I was working with Dr. Maria who owns Unique Optique – a funky optical shop in charming downtown Frederick, MD. I don’t wear glasses any more but if I did, I’d buy them here. Very cool place.

photoboothI love that they have an old school photo booth that you can pop into snap a photo of how you look in your new specs. Lots of people have left their photos to be posted all over the photo booth.

Dr. Maria is not only a respected optometrist and entrepreneur, she’s also got a clear vision (see what I did there!) for social media. “I manage about 10 different social media platforms,” she told me. Wow! I even told her that I thought that might be a few too many. Step 2 of my INSPIRE social media storytelling methodology is to say no to the platforms that you’re not going to focus on. It’s a hard one – but essential to really focusing on the other ones.

Check out Dr. Maria and Unique Optique’s website, blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and You Tube.

Day 81-2

Dr. Maria,

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you last Tuesday and was extremely impressed with Unique Optique. You can’t help but feel relaxed and comfortable in your beautiful downtown shop.

My attempt at an embossed tree on Dr. Maria's card.

I embossed this tree on the card – turned out great!

Your commitment and passion for social media impressed me – you understand the commitment as well as the reward that can be earned from telling your story effectively through social channels.

If I can ever be of any assistance, please let me know.
Reed

P.S. I had Lasik a few years ago, but if I still used glasses I’d buy them from Unique Optique – here’s a photo of me with my last pair of glasses.

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Day 80: Lupita

Posted on March 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

guasave

This map shows Guasave. Before going there in 1990, I asked my Spanish tutor where it was. I remember him pulling out a map of Mexico. We looked through the index of towns and didn’t see Guasave. He said something like, “Well, either I have a really bad map or that town is pretty small – probably a little bit of both.” He was right. That said, there were even smaller towns around Guasave like El Burrion, Palos Blancos, San Rafael, Las Brisas, etc.

I spent my junior year of high school as an exchange student in the small town of Guasave, Sinaloa on Mexico’s western coast. I lived with a family for the entire year and this Sunday is the birthday of my host mother Lupita.

One of the best year’s of my life – the experience without a doubt helped shape the person I am today. Lupita and her husband Ramiro were great parents for me while I was there. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve been there and I have not been good about staying in touch with them – except I would see their son Aurelio somewhat regularly as he was living in Miami and he would stay at my house in DC when he was here for work and I would stay at his place in Miami when work sent me there. Unfortunately for me – he recently moved to San Diego. I’ll have to find a reason to go there too!

Anyway, I owe a lot to Lupita and Ramiro – they took care of me as if I was their own son. I should be a better son and stay in touch more often.

Day 80

Here’s the translated version of my letter…

Lupita,

Happy birthday! Sorry that this letter didn’t arrive before the 22nd. I hope that you enjoyed the day.

It’s been too long since I have written. I’ve noticed that now with Facebook I don’t hardly write or call friends and family. And even though I see the Facebook updates, it’s just not the same. It’s sad that culturally we have lost the tradition of maintaining contact through letter-writing and calls – not texts.

Day 80-2I’m doing well – working a lot and doing various personal projects. I was in touch with Aurelio recently – I hope he’s enjoying living in San Diego. I’m going to miss him when I visit Miami – I enjoyed that I would always get to see him during my business trips there.

I think it’s been eight years or more since I’ve been to Guasave. I have to plan a trip there.

I hope everyone is well. I remember with great fondness my time living with you all – I’ll carry those memories with me forever. Big hugs to Ramiro, Katia and all the extended family.

Hugs,
Jason

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Day 78: Gerry Hicks, The Trail House

Posted on March 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

Day 78

I made a bicycle embossed card for Gerry! I didn’t have a stamp of a backpacker or a campfire.

You saw in my post on Tuesday that I was up in Frederick, MD doing some work. I’ve got a few thank-yous to write. Here’s one to Gerry Hicks who opened The Trail House with her husband Clyde in 1984.

It’s a great outdoors shop and you’ll love the people who work there. If you’re in Frederick, stop in and say hello. They gave me a cool Nalgene water bottle – I’ve promised to photograph it some place interesting. I don’t rock climb or do a lot of hiking, but I have made about 100 skydives, so maybe I’ll take this thing to 14,000 feet and enjoy a cold, refreshing beverage on the way down. Stay tuned for the photo!

Day 78-2

 

Dear Gerry,

I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for taking time to speak with me last week about The Trail House and your experiences with social media. I enjoyed our discussion and meeting your staff. I thought a lot about our conversation since Tuesday and how your business has changed since opening the store 30 years ago.

Your Facebook post on Tuesday evening sharing Jennifer Pharr Davis’ course on preparing for a hike of the Appalachian Trail is a perfect example of the 80/20 rule I mentioned – giving your audience something they can use.

Keep up the good work. Let me know if I can ever be of any assistance.

All the best,
Reed

P.S. Be on the look out for some photos of me with The Trail House water bottle!

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Day 71: Peik

Posted on March 12, 2015 | Leave a comment
Day 71

I embossed this card myself!

I spent seven years working for a great company from Helsinki, Finland and through that experience I met some outstanding people and made friendships that I hope to keep for the rest of my life. One of those people is Peik. A Swedish speaking Finn with an affinity for classic cars, Peik was a fantastic colleague. He knew a little something about everything in the company and was always willing to help out when needed – even if it wasn’t directly related to his job. I had the pleasure of working with him in Arlington, VA and then from afar when I was based in Brazil and he was working for the company at the headquarters in Finland.

Today is his 41st birthday and I wanted to wish him well. He and his wife, Kitty, send me a nice holiday card every year and I am usually so bad about those kind of things I never get to mailing my own – I do buy them though! Hopefully this is a start of being better at keeping in touch with Peik and Kitty and a lot of other friends I haven’t written to in years.

Day 71-2

Moi Peik!

Grattis på födelsedagen! 

I hope you had a great birthday and apologize that this surely arrived well after your birthday – but hopefully you are so surprised to get a letter that you will forgive the timing.

I hope that this letter finds you, Kitty, Leo and Elsie doing well. Life here is good. I continue to do consulting work – mostly for WWF. No Mrs. Sandridge yet and not little Sandridges that I know of. My brother Ryan and his wife Mandy are expecting their second child within the week. I’m really enjoying being an uncle to my beautiful 2-year-old niece Jacqueline.

I read a little about MODZ – sounds like a great company. Congratulations on the new challenges.

It’s nice that you and Kitty post photos on Facebook of you and the kids – seeing Leo and Elsie grow up!

I hope to get to Finland some day soon…you are always welcome here in DC. I have such good memories of the time you and Kitty were here.

Terveisin,
Reed

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Day 66: Michele

Posted on March 7, 2015 | Leave a comment


You may recall that on Day 50 I wrote a letter to Anthony – a friend that I met five years ago. Anthony has had a difficult life and worked hard to get off the street and into housing. This July – he will celebrate two years of being housed as well as his 58th birthday..so I am trying to organize a little surprise for him. Keep your fingers crossed!

Photo of Anthony and me by CBN Videographer Denis Pacuraru.

Photo of Anthony and me by CBN Videographer Denis Pacuraru.

Dear Michele,

Thank you so much for taking time to speak with me on Thursday about creating something special for my friend Anthony. He is truly the mayor of the area in DC called the Golden Triangle – everyone that walks by his corner at 19th and M knows him – and if you didn’t know better you’d think you were blocks away from Heinz field given all of his Steeler swag! I look forward to circling back with you in July to see where things stand – actually that timing is perfect as his birthday is July 29th and if we can work something out then I will present this to him for his birthday. Until then – enjoy your spring.

Thanks again,
Reed

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