Day 235: A Herkie... and A Surprise Giveaway!

What makes you want to do jump for joy and do a Herkie? For me it is usually things that get me excited. Sometimes it is something big like a new job or news that a friend or family member is coming to visit and sometimes it is something small like getting to have a buffer evening and going out to eat dinner instead of cooking. But it is always something that whirls around and boils up inside me until it cannot be contained and I have to jump in the air with glee. Here is a list of some of the bigger things that have made me want to do a Herkie:

1. Winning a scholarship to one of the top professional dance schools in Los Angeles, California - September 1990

2. Receiving my acceptance letter to the University of California at Berkeley - April 2000.

3. Graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in art history AND with honors - May 2002

4. Getting engaged! March 2008

5. Getting married! November 2008.

6. Finishing the last day of work before going on vacation. Any vacation. Encompasses all years.

7. Jumping on a trampoline. Pretty much encompasses all years. At least up to now.

I was also a cheerleader in the eighth and ninth grades, during which time I performed many Herkies. But I'm not sure that counts. So here's the deal, I felt like we all needed some excitement today so I am doing a spontaneous surprise giveaway to shake things up. Nearly everyone is now back from vacation, back to the work grindstone and maybe even feeling a little down. So leave me a comment below and tell me what makes you want to do a Herkie, any time between now and midnight tomorrow, Thursday, August 23rd to be entered to win a pick-me-up prize. Since everyone seems to be moving a bit slower these days I am giving you an extra whole day to participate. And if you might possibly want to send a photo of yourself doing a Herkie you can send those to graceann(dot)ekstrom(at)gmail(dot)com. I really hope you do. That would make me do a Herkie for sure.

Okay, to be fair this isn't a true Herkie but the height of this jumper, his expression of sheer joy and his yellow shorts just make me smile.