ALONG COMES MARY

(Special thanks to Lindt Chocolate for sponsoring today’s post!)

Most people in my life would agree that I am an outgoing, friendly person. If there is ever a day I doubt that description, I pause & begin to recall how I have indeed met many new people; There is my Tori Amos friends I have met at her concerts, My blogging friends (Some of whom I have only ever met ‘on-line’), Pen pals from growing up & I did meet one of my best friends, Harmony, in the middle of the noisy & crowded Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach!

Then, on those days I don’t feel too chatty, or am on my own for the day working, running errands; strange, new connections & moments can happen that change your life forever…all with a simple “HELLO” to fellow human beings…or perhaps a 4 legged friend!

Yes, I am going there! This is not only a post about the delicious new “HELLO” line of chocolate from one of my most favorite companies, Lindt, but, I want to share with you how you do not always have to literally say HELLO to make that instant bond & connection.

It was April, 2013. It was time for me to move on from 5 years in Long Beach, & I had my eye on moving back to where I partially grew up, Pasadena. Attempting to find a dog-friendly place proved to not be a piece of cake; I really had decided next place I move, I WANT to get a dog, so, I held out hope for somewhere to work out.

And, on a Monday morning, I had plans to head out to The Hammer Museum with a friend. completely ready & all but out the door, I literally stopped what I was doing as headed out to check my phone for directions. Then, I sadly see that they’re closed Mondays. I sent a text to my friend & was bummed to have no plans; make up, cute outfit & all. I scanned through Craigslist for Apartments & found a GREAT one, so cheap! So many rooms! Why not check it out?!

But, alas, I arrive & do not even ring the bell. It was awful & not at all like the “come on” ad. Bad part of town, run down homes….no thanks. I drive away but pull over to look through my email. Then, I see him again. An adorable little black dog, chasing people & looking helpless. I’d just seen him when I got off the freeway, running aimlessly & I was worried his owner should pay better attention.

Then, I discover. There is no owner around, poor little guy looks scared & thirsty. I get out of the car & this little face slowly comes closer to me, even peeing himself as his tail was stiffly between his legs….we intuitively said one little word to each other:

HELLO!

He decided to jump in my car, not even moving over to let me drive. Once he finally did, I took this lil guy to the Vet who also felt he had no home due to his fleas, lack of micro ship & hunger….& over a year later, he is my dog, my son. My Hammond…aka Hammy. Dogs are my most favorite animal, & I have not owned many in my life, so, Hammy was a giant wish come true. I completely believe he found/rescued me.

And, since dogs cannot enjoy or have the new HELLO Bars from Lindt, why not give some to your local shelter volunteers? Or, bring a bag of these bite size candies to the dog park with you next you go, & share with the other canine owners! There’s never enough dogs in my life, & Hammy needs more friends, so I just might try these out to share on my walks with Hammy. All the neighbors know him, & he knows their dogs, so why not neighbors make friends, too?!

Lindt is truly one of the best for chocolates. I have even been to their beautiful gift shop in New York. Heaven, off 5th Avenue! 😉 Along with Ashley Tisdale, they have launched such an exciting, trendy new line taking chocolate to a new level. With Tisdale, they’re producing a web series discussing with some of the hottest stars today about a fateful connection made by simply saying HELLO! You can check out their web-site here.

There’s an exciting sweepstakes, too. How about a spa day with your best friend? Or dinner for 2? Lindt is pulling out all the stops with chances to win exciting prizes. Simply enter your email HERE for your chance to win!

(*Disclosure: Thanks, once again, to Lindt, for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own)