Venessa, as
a unicorn,
shows off
the kitchen.
By Char Adams and Susan Katz Keating Have a story that makes you smile? Send suggestions to [email protected]
A real estate agent’s kids help
her sell their home by dressing
as a T. rex and a unicorn!
LEXINGTON, KY.
When real estate agent Lynn Keyland, 33, was looking for a clever way
to sell her family’s four-bedroom home last month, she asked her kids David, 10,
and Venessa, 12, who suggested they dress up in costumes for the listing photos.
“They picked the first thing that popped up [on Amazon], and we went with it,”
says Keyland. In the photos—which went viral overnight—David’s wearing an inflatable
T. rex costume, while Venessa’s dressed in a blow-up pink unicorn suit, as the two mow
the lawn, check out the kitchen and even sit on the toilet! “There was a lot of laughing,”
says Keyland, who has since found a buyer. “My kids love that it’s been able to go so far.
And I love that it brings so many smiles to so many people.”
When 12-year-old Darius Brown
learned that dogs who were displaced
following hurricanes Harvey and Irma
in 2017 had been sent to shelters
around the country, he wanted to
help. “I thought if the dogs wore
bow ties, they’d look dapper and
cute—and people would adopt them,”
says Darius, who’s known for wearing
bow ties himself. Inspired by his
hairstylist sister, Dazhai, 22, who
makes hair bows, Darius began
crafting his doggie neckwear—then
mailing and delivering the colorful
bow ties to shelters. “I want to help as
many dogs as I can,” says Darius,
who’s given out 200 bow ties and
helped dozens of dogs find their
“furever” homes so far. “It’s a beautiful
thing,” adds his mom, Joy, 40. “He
started this out of the kindness of his
heart. I’m really proud of him.”
It was the first time 7-year-old Landon Bjornson had
flown alone, from Las Vegas to Oregon, to see his dad.
So his mom, Alexa, 28, wrote a letter for her son to give to
his seatmate explaining that Landon has autism and
included $10 as a thank you for their patience. “I was
holding my breath,” says Alexa. But passenger Ben
Pedraza, who sat next to Landon during the two-hour
flight, put her heart at ease. “He’s a great kid,” texted
Pedraza, who snapped a selfie with Landon—then
donated the $10 to the Autism Society. “It was unbeliev-
ably kind,” says Alexa. “Ben has a wonderful heart.”
A boy makes bow ties
to help shelter
dogs find homes
NEWARK
A stranger goes the extra mile
for a boy with autism
LAS VEGAS
Darius and
Tootsie (who’s
now in a foster
home) at a New
Jersey shelter.
Tr a v e l
buddies Ben
(left) and
Landon
Stories
to M
ake
You
Smile!
David—
dressed as
a T. rex—
mows the
lawn.
31
CLOCKW
ISE FROM TOP: CHRISTINA LEADINGHAM(2); COURTESY ALEXA BJORNSON; COURTESY JOY BROW
N
