Aquarium Awesomeness

I love the aquarium, especially the Shedd Aquarium in my hometown of Chicago. Thanks to Brad Garland for tipping me off to the following visual brilliance. Let it load and watch the full screen. You will thank me later.

Enjoy:

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

As an aside, my two daughters just sat in awe on my lap as we watched this. I hope you do too :)

Gulf War Penpals Married after Facebook Encounter - 19 Years Later!

Yes, I realize that I've been posting a lot about weddings & marriage for the last few posts. What can I say? They tug at my heartstrings and are wonderful.

This one is no exception. It's almost unbelievable...but it's true and amazing. You couldn't write such a tale:

Nearly two decades ago, when she was just 13, Jaime Benefit wrote a letter addressed to “Any Soldier” serving in the Persian Gulf War to express her support for the troops. Her letter found its way to Pfc. Jeremy Clayton, then 19, of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. After becoming pen pals for a while, the two stopped writing. But Benefit always wondered what happened to Clayton, and this year, she found him on Facebook. They met in March and fell in love, and on July 15, they were married. “It was fate that I got her letter,” said Clayton, as was “her finding me 19 years later.” (from the Week)

> Read More about the Happy Couple. (NY Daily News)

Aww...I'd even go see that romantic comedy. And get this - "

The Internet may have brought the newlyweds together, but they still rely on good old pen and paper to keep their bond strong.

"She writes me notes every morning and puts them in my lunch," he said.

Up on the Roof with Carol

Carol Schillios, an all around amazing person I've been lucky enough to meet a few times in credit union land, is doing something very cool. From her site:

Hi, I’m Carol Schillios, founder of the Fabric of Life Foundation. Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m living on a roof.

I’m living in a tent on the roof until 1 million people each send $1 and share how they are making a difference in their world. An angel donor has already pledged to match $1 for every resident in the City of Edmonds, WA.

Why?

1. To inspire action and celebrate what people are doing to make a difference in their world.
2. To create bridges of understanding through learning about our global community.
3. To raise $1 million; $1 at a time from 1 million people for the Fabric of Life Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization supporting cooperative development projects around the world.

Watch a video:

Up On The Roof With Carol from Carol Schillios on Vimeo.

> Visit the "Up on the Roof With Carol" website for the latest news & more

...and more importantly, can you spare a dollar to get her off the roof?

Also, my friend Brent has a great idea to take Carol's goodness and make it ripple across the world via the internet. Check it out.

Childhood Sweethearts Wed... Almost 90 Years Later!

I love stories like this. Sweet, sublime and serendipitous.

They lived long lives...and came back to where they started. Here is their story:

Two childhood sweethearts have gotten married, 88 years after they first met. As third-graders at English Ridge Public School in Wisconsin in 1921, Roland McKitrick and Lorraine Beatty talked of how they would tie the knot one day. But they drifted apart and raised families of their own. Three years ago, after both had been widowed, they got back in touch through siblings. Last week, Roland, 93, told Lorraine, 92, that he needed to speak with her. “I thought, What have I done wrong?” she said. “He just said, ‘I want to ask you to marry me,’ and I said, ‘Go ahead.’” They were married three days later. (from the Week)

> Read more about them here at the Daily Herald

This is my favorite part from the Daily Herald:

For McKitrick, marrying Beatty marks the culmination of a lifelong love story.

He recalls a day, many years ago, when the two of them stood in the Wisconsin sunshine and talked about how one day, they would marry each other.

"I still picture her as my third-grade sweetheart. I've carried that in the back of my mind since that time," said McKitrick, who counts among his prized possessions a photograph taken of the two of them about that time.

"That snapshot stayed in my memory," he said, "and her face stayed in my memory."

Related Sublime Goodness Posts:

• Happy Couple Celebrates 70th Wedding Anniversary
• Mother & Son Reunite via MySpace...After 32 Years!
• World's Oldest Person
• Reunited Siblings Were Living Only 300 Yards Apart...
• Firefighter Meets Woman He Saved 40 Years Ago