My Cup Runneth Over

It’s been quite a while since I’ve written my New Girl column and I think it's well enough time to get back in the act.

My recent experiences with Manassas Park-area small business owners are so wonderful I have to write about them.

 I have to say, small business owners treat journalists well. They appreciate our value (can you say, "free advertisement!") and are always eager to parlay.

 In my six years of reporting, business owners have given some very unique gifts such as a handmade spoon holder, a bag of grits, handmade lollipops, photographs, beer, wine and a jar of honey. I've also received flowers, cards, mugs, hats and totes.

 Meeting people is why I do what I do, but meeting the benevolent ones is why I smile myself to sleep at night.

Lately, my cup has runneth over, as I have received many gestures of generosity.

 The “Wacky” Baker

I’ll start with Aymee VanDyke, the owner of  Wacky Cookie Company of Manassas.

 I met Aymee and her husband this month at the fundraiser at Signal Hill Park. Amyee was kind enough to donate 300 of her delicious cupcakes for the event.

 Aymee told me of her passion for baking and her dream of having a Wacky Cookie store front one day.

 A few days later, she sent me a jar of her awesome rainbow sugar cookies in a box wrapped with a beautiful ribbon in my favorite color, green.

 They were so good, I devoured all of them and found myself wishing Aymee actually had a store front so I could run in and by more.

 For a second, I  even thought about paying her to deliver another batch to my apartment.  Yeah, I enjoyed them that much.

 Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

 If Aymee adds pleasure and albeit—pounds—to my life, then Marvin Clement adds progress and pain.

 Marvin, a Manassas Park personal trainer is giving me, or least trying to give me, the gift of health.

 We all know how expensive a good trainer can be, but Marvin works out with me,  pro bono, a few times a week.

 I think he does it because I remind him of his puppy, Nala—cute, whiny and,  some respects, helpless.

 He can’t help but feel sorry for me. I think he’s even looked at me a few times and said, “awwwww."

 I may act like a fitness charity case, but Marvin doesn’t treat me like one.

 One night when he and I were running full speed down Carondelet Drive,  I say, “My muscles are screaming!” Marvin , who is basically chasing me,  shouts, “Tell them to shut up and keep going!!”

 Another night as we are running down Manassas Drive, I decided to whine and throw myself a pity party—one that Marvin refused to attend.

 “OK, you know what?  We’re not even going to go there tonight. We’re not going to talk about what we can’t do,” he said.

 So I shut up and kept running. What can I say? I appreciate his time and support. It makes me a better person.

 Yes, my cup is well filled.

 Photo Finish

If I need a platform for showcasing the body Marvin and I are working on, then Manassas Park photographer Amahl Miller has given me that.

 Amahl, owner of , was kind enough to offer me a free photo shoot after seeing my previous Patch profile picture.

 “Is it that bad?” I  asked Amahl via the Patch page where he made his offer.

 “It could be better,” he replied.

 After picking my jaw up off the ground, I decided to take Amahl up on his offer.

 I mean, I didn’t think my Patch photo was worthy of Vogue or anything, but I also didn’t expect a stranger to flat-out tell me they didn’t like my picture.

 A few people, including Amahl, later asked me if I was insulted by his comment and I wasn’t, but was actually humored by his “calling me out” on the World Wide Web.

 Two Sundays ago and several months after our initial exchange, I finally sat for Amahl and his Canon. And yes, he did take my Patch profile picture.

 I loved the pictures. It is the first time I’ve been professionally photographed since I was 17.

 Kabob Kindness

 I met Sue Abbasi a few weeks ago when I did a story on the opening of , her cousin Javid’s new Afghan restaurant in Manassas Park.

 One of my favorite dishes in the entire world is a good gyro wrapped in Afgan naan or pita bread.

 Javid and Sue gave me the biggest Gyro I have ever seen in my life to take home with me after the interview.

 They also laced me with some basmati rice, chickpeas and stewed pumpkin.

 They gave me so much food, that it took me three days to eat it all.

 I ate one half of the gyro the night they gave it to me; it was so good that I woke up the next morning and ate the rest for breakfast.

 I guess these little tokens mean so much to me, because I feel like these people are giving, even when it's not necessary convenient for them.

When you are a small business owner, every little bit matters— be it your time or your ingredients.

 I guess this column has a dual purpose: To tell the world about these people and to remind myself there are many, many things to be grateful for in life.

 It reminds me not to spend too much time thinking about what I don’t have and what I want and spend more time thinking about the things that make my life the wonderful one that it is.