Fill in the blanks

My Mom taught my brother Scott and I to say "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" at a very young age.  These statements had to be made sincerely and followed with a hug.  Later my Dad taught us how to deal with stress and pain by forgiving others.  He told us to follow this formula:  say "I forgive  [name of person] for [whatever happened],"  Sometimes this was a process that started with "I forgive Joe for being a total jerk and stupid idiot" and progressed to "I forgive Joe for hurting my feelings when he teased me about my new haircut."  Even better was when you could finally add, "I'm grateful to Joe for being my friend."  (For the record, no one named Joe ever teased me about my hair.)

So the pattern is:  I am grateful to _______________  for _______________.
Today I want to fill in the blanks by sharing a few of the people I am thankful for and why.

I am grateful to:

Brooks for making the most comfortable shoe on earth (even if it is ugly).
My mom for being steadfast and immovable in her testimony of Jesus Christ..
Bryn for her great faith.
John for holding my hand and walking beside me for almost 25 years.
My body for allowing my worst pregnancy complications to be only heartburn and aches and pains.
Evan for his enthusiasm and energy in playing the piano.
Heather for her endurance and sense of humor.
Muff (and her family) for caring for grandma as she approaches 90.
Molly for starting the family tradition of walking lots of miles while pregnant.
Aaron for giving up solitude and the great outdoors in order to serve the Lord.
Carolyn for lifting my Dad from the pit of loneliness.
Amazon for making the Kindle so I can carry my library with me at all times.
Marianne for getting up for seminary day after day even when she hasn't slept well.
Cows for making milk that becomes cottage cheese.  (I'm still craving it!)
Mormon for abridging and organizing the Book of Mormon.
Moroni for not making Ether the last book in the Book of Mormon.
Ryan for being my guinea pig and letting me practice my momskills on him.
Brianne for looking like her daddy, but improving on it with her curly hair.
My Dad for always believing in me.
Costco for selling beautiful flower bouquets at a great price.
Sheree for being my example and showing me what is possible.
The calendar for telling me that Christmas is almost here!
Leighton Anne for sharing her sweet smiles with me.
Jenny for walking thousands of miles with me over the past 15 years.
Everyone who actually reads my blog!
My Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ for all of the above and for many more blessings I didn't mention.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Angels Did It!

Although we are missing our wings and halos (and Brenda!) in this photo, we are still Annie's Angels and together we raised $12,255 to fight against breast cancer!  We are still accepting donations, so it's not too late to help out.

It was a tough 3 days with not enough sleep, too many porta-potties, lots of blisters and very sore muscles, but it was worth it!  We joined 3,600 walkers in San Diego and we raised a total of $9.2 million to defeat breast cancer.

I stuck with my plan to walk about 10 miles a day for a total of 30 miles.  At times it was hard to leave my team and take a shuttle to lunch, but I know it was the right thing to do.  My back hurt during the walk and I had Braxton-Hicks contractions (the first of my pregnancy) so I know I needed the rest during lunch.  I usually waited about 2 hours for my team, but it gave me a chance to meet so many great people and hear some wonderful stories.  Telling people that I was 6 months pregnant was a great ice-breaker.  There weren't too many pregnant moms on the walk!

One of the sweetest stories I heard was from a woman from Colorado.  She was walking in honor of a friend with breast cancer.  She had been training for 7 months and was so excited.  On the first day she fell off a huge curb (some of them were over a foot high!) and sprained her ankle.  She kept walking and ended up injuring her other leg in an effort to compensate.  That evening the medical staff told her she shouldn't walk any more.  She was crushed to have to give up her dream.  Her husband went out and rented a wheelchair so he could push her the rest of the way.  She started crying as she told me about it and I was really touched.

I met many other women who lost their mothers to breast cancer and walked in their memory.

Crowds of people cheered for us along the way.  They played music for us, sang, danced, offered gifts, candy, water and kleenex.  Some cute Girl Scouts even gave me a sleeve of thin mints which we enjoyed for our FHE snack tonight.  On Saturday John, Marianne, Evan, my Dad and Carolyn came to cheer us on.  They walked with us for a mile or so and it really lifted my spirits to see them.

The crew at camp was fantastic.  They fed us and took good care of us.  They even found the money and credit card I dropped!  However, I do not regret our decision to stay in a hotel.  It was worth every penny sleep in a real bed and have a real bathroom after a long day on our feet.

I am grateful for my experience on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walk. Hugs to my fabulous teammates and thanks to everyone who donated!  Most of all, I send my love to the three women I walked to honor:  my mom who was a 15 year breast cancer survivor, my grandma who at nearly 90 is still going strong after defeating breast cancer, and my daughter Marianne who I pray will someday live in a world without cancer!

Our Annie's Angels theme:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.               2 Timothy 1:7

Day 3 of the 3 Day!

5:30 AM

Day Two!

And we're off!

My Plan

Yes, I know today is Veterans' Day and also the very cool 11/11/11, but today is special to me for another reason.  Exactly one week from today, I will begin the 3 Day for the Cure Walk!  Nine months ago my sister and I committed to participate in this walk in order to raise money for breast cancer research and to honor and remember our mother.  We formed the team "Annie's Angels" and our aunt, cousin and two friends soon joined us.  One of our friends decided to drop out, but the rest of us have held strong despite some pretty major obstacles.  You might want to call us team gimpy.  It has been a struggle for all of us to train for this event.  My aunt had to have surgery on her foot, Jenny broke her leg, Brenda's daughter needed major surgery with an extensive recovery time.  And then there's me.  I will be doing this walk as I start my 6th month of pregnancy.  Slightly less than ideal circumstances, huh?

I talked to my doctor about the 3 Day walk at one of my first appointments this summer.  She told me that she didn't want me to do the entire walk and asked me if I could modify it.  I've given it a lot of thought since then.  I presented my plan at my last doctor visit and it was approved by both my doctor and my husband! 

• My first modification is staying at a hotel instead of camping.  My fellow team members were happy to support this change.
• Each morning I will walk approximately 5-6 miles and then take a shuttle to the lunch location.  I will rest there and wait for my team.   I have also promised my doctor that I will drink lots of water and gatorade and eat at every rest stop.
• After lunch I will walk another 5 miles or so and then take the shuttle back to camp where I will wait for my team so we can have dinner together.  
• After dinner we'll head to our hotel for a (hopefully!) good night's sleep.

If I stick to this schedule for all 3 days it should allow me to meet my goals.  It is important to me to be able to participate all three days of the event.  I don't want to wear myself out or push myself too hard so that I put the baby in any danger.  I would really love to finish all 60 miles of the course, but I know that wouldn't be wise.  I will be satisfied with doing 30 miles in three days.  That is still a lot of walking and I have still raised over $2300 for breast cancer research.  Best of all I get to spend 3 days with some of my favorite people and honor my mom's life! 

I think my mom would get a good laugh out of me doing this walk with my big belly, but I also know she would be supportive.  I can imagine her making embroidered shirts for all of us to wear and giving all of us big hugs.  My mom did many hard things during her life and overcame many challenges.  She suffered much physical pain, but continued on with a smile.  I'll be thinking about her as I walk.  I love you mom!

No news

. . . is good news? 

Today was supposed to be the big reveal.  I did have my ultrasound and everything looks good, but the baby refused to give us a clear view.  Those little legs were held tightly together.  I am disappointed, but not too upset.  I will try to focus on the positive.

• I got to see my sweet baby's face and watch him or her move.
• All the measurements were spot on.
• The placenta is in a perfect position.
• All organs seems to be working well.
• I have only gained 9 pounds in 5 months (although I did come home and drown my sorrows in leftover Halloween candy).
• My doctor gave me the go ahead for the 3-Day for the Cure walk.
• We got a letter and pictures from Elder Aaron today.

As soon as I got home from the doctor, the baby started moving around like crazy.  Sigh!  I was hoping to post a picture of baby #5 today, but instead you get pictures of baby #2.  He's not a baby any more, but at least we definitely know he's male.

Drop off at the MTC

Outside the Provo temple with his companion

Still Thinking Pink

I've been working with my team, Annie's Angels to raise money for breast cancer research. Each member of the team needs to raise at least $2300 in order to walk. One of my teammates (way to go Aunt Muff!) has already surpassed her minimum, but the rest of us are still working at it.

We are having a garage sale this Saturday. If you would like to donate anything for us to sell, please contact me. Thanks for your help and support!

A Month From Now . . .

I will have a beautiful new granddaughter.
Elder Aaron will be in the MTC learning Korean.
My dad and Carolyn will be married in the San Diego Temple.
I will only have one month left to train for the 3-Day Walk.
I will have my bedroom closet and my kitchen cupboards cleaned and organized.
I will be 5 months pregnant.
I still won't know the sex of the baby. (That is about 6 weeks away.)


And to answer Rachel's question:  I only had 1 ultrasound with Ryan and none with Aaron so I didn't know they were boys until they were born. (My doctor was old-fashioned and low-tech.  He didn't even have one in his office.  BUT, he was awesome.  He called me personally before he went away for the weekend, just to make sure I didn't have any signs of labor.) I found out Marianne was a girl about 6 weeks before she was born.  My doctor thought Evan was a boy, but never got a good enough view to be certain.  Now with ultrasounds being much more common and accurate, I am excited to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl.  I definitely don't need to wait to be surprised.  Just being pregnant is surprise enough!

Answers

After my last post, I know there are lots of questions.  I have already been asked all of them.  I'll go ahead and give the answers; you can figure out the questions yourself!

A:  Yes, I really am.  We saw the ultrasound last month and listened to the heartbeat last week.

A: It was a big surprise, but a happy one.

A: 15 weeks

A: March 2nd

A:  I was 31 when I had Evan.  He's 13 now.  You do the math.

A:  Yes, I realize that my granddaughters will be older than their aunt or uncle.

A:  Yes, it has been more difficult this time.

A. Yes, I am still planning to do the 3-day in November.  More on that later!

A:  I think God has a sense of humor and a perfect sense of timing (even if it isn't the same as mine).

Looks Aren't Everything

Have you ever paid a lot of money for something really ugly?

(Well, I didn't spend this much.

This is from 2007 when I was in charge of ticket sales for one

of our Shakespeare plays. The kids LOVED helping to count the money!)

I finally got up the nerve to go back to the shoe store with the expensive shoes I hated. Jenny came along for moral support (and to try on a few pairs for herself). Fortunately, the people there were really nice and immediately went to work helping me find a pair I really liked. The girl who helped me was wonderful because instead of just telling me to walk around a bit, she told me to go up a staircase and down a hill before coming back through the parking lot. That helped me get a better feel for the shoes.

After trying on several pairs, I asked if I could try on some of the more minimalist running shoes. Several of them were really cute and I tried to convince myself that they felt perfect on my foot. Unfortunately, the ones that felt really great were also really ugly.

But you know what? They feel terrific on my feet. They have plenty of support and cushion on the bottom and are very light and free on top. That is really important for the 3-Day since we will be walking for 6-8 hours every day. They also cost even more than the first pair, but not much.

Aaron was surprised when I called them ugly and said he thinks they are "sweet". He helpfully informed me that Brooks was probably aiming for a much younger demographic. That made me feel so much better.

The funny part is, Jenny has the exact same shoes. We may have to change our team name from Annie's Angels to the Orange Uglies. Plus, we may require our team members to buy orange shoes. You can buy your own pair HERE. Let me know if you want to join our team!

The good news is we walked 17 miles last weekend and we're planning to do 18 this weekend. Best of all, we'll be looking sweet in our awesome orange shoes.

My Life As a Movie Title

It was a Clint Eastwood movie my Grandpa loved, but this week it describes my life.

THE GOOD:

I walked 7.25 miles yesterday and 8 miles today. That may not be much for you runners, but it's good for me!

THE BAD:

Our dog Roxy has suddenly become deaf as a result of antibiotics. We are hoping it is temporary, but it is not looking good.

AND THE UGLY:

I got a personalized fitting and spent $85 dollars on new walking shoes and after one short walk, I HATE them. My ankles are actually bruised. I pulled the old ones out of the trash can to wear until I work up the courage to see if the store does refunds/exchanges.

As a bonus, this one has yet to be categorized as good, bad or ugly. I'll wait and see how it turns out:

I recently chose two books to read based on reviews. It turns out that both of them have underlying themes that directly relate to my life. None of this was mentioned in the reviews and I really didn't want to deal with these issues right now. I guess God had other plans.

Sweet Sunday - The Elephant in the Room

No, not that elephant.

This elephant!

This picture was taken a couple of days before our big garage sale.
Marianne had decided to donate the largest member of her elephant collection
and took a few farewell photos.
She also captured the disaster area that was my living room.
The couches were piled with baby clothes and the room was full of
hangers, cardboard boxes and bags full of (hopefully) saleable items.

The mess wouldn't have been so bad, except I was feeling "messy" inside.
I was overwhelmed, worried and sad.
The joy I strive to feel in life seemed pretty elusive,
I was even irritated by the (literal) elephant in the room.

I had already forgotten the joy I felt a few hours earlier
when Brianne stopped by for a quick elephant ride.

In that moment I had been very grateful for the elephant
and the joy it brought to my granddaughter.

The scriptures are full of admonitions to remember:

"Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." 1 Chronicles 16:12

"And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ." Moroni 10:18

Sometimes it takes an elephant to help me remember, but remembering really does help me find the joy in life! Do you ever struggle to find joy in life? What helps you to remember?

"[Wo]men are, that they might have joy." 2 Nephi 2:25

Think Pink Garage Sale

I learned that:

• garage sales are hard work
• people love pink cupcakes
• Brenda is the lead fundraiser on our team
• Jenny looks great in pink
• our friends are very generous in donating items to sell
• our husbands are very patient
  
• you should wear sunscreen unless you want your face to match your cupcakes
• we can raise over $800 in one morning!

My Walking Secrets - Part 3

Jenny and I have had some weird things happen while walking. I've shared a few of them here and here.

When you walk regularly, you tend to see the same people day in and day out. Of course you say hello and almost feel like friends although you don't know their names.

A few years ago on a cold (well San Diego cold that it!) December morning I hadn't met up with Jenny yet, when I saw a fellow walker approaching. He wasn't one of the "regulars," but he had a smile on his face. I politely said, "hello" and he responded cheerily, "Thanks so much for your Christmas card. My wife and I really enjoyed it!"

This man was a complete stranger, so I was surprised. I felt like I should say something, but what was the appropriate response?

"You must have me confused with someone else."
"Hey, I didn't send you a Christmas card!"
"Who are you, buddy?"
"You're welcome!"

I slowed down wondering if I should turn around to respond, but he was on his was without a backward glance. I decided that the next time I saw him I would say something.

We both kept walking and I never saw him again!


3-Day For the Cure Update:

• I have walked over 200 miles
• I just started my official training schedule
• I have raised over $1000
  
• Our team, Annie's Angels has raised over $4000.
• We are having a Think Pink Garage Sale this weekend. All the money raised will go toward breast cancer research. Please email me if you have items to donate or want to come shop.
• I just read Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer. It is exciting to see how much progress has been made in the last 30 years.

Benjamin Franklin was Right!

Apparently haste really does make waste.

Awhile back I ordered business cards and other supplies to help with fundraising for our 3 Day for the Cure Walk. I was in a hurry to finish my order when I realized that I could add some calendar magnets for free! I quickly entered the information and completed the order.

Days later the box with all my supplies arrived. I was pleased with how everything turned out, until I saw the magnets. At least they were good for a laugh!

I know I am not a particularly speedy walker, but I'm certainly not that slow! The walk is designed for a 3-4 mph pace. I can do that!

Update & Giveaway!!

It has been just over two weeks since I committed to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for a Cure walk. Here's what I have accomplished in that time:

I walked 38 training miles. By August, I will be walking that distance in a week.

I formed a team called Annie's Angels with 6 members and room for more!

I raised $900 for breast cancer research! I am nearly 1/3 of the way to my goal.

I ordered and received these:

Cute t-shirts with glittery "Never Give Up!"

Hot pink, fuzzy 10.5 inch bear

To enter the giveaway:
1. Leave me a comment and/or
2. Click on the pink box on the right to make a donation

The winner will receive both the shirt (I have sizes S-XL) and the bear! Contest ends this Saturday 3/12.

My Walking Secrets - Part 2

Some people like to exercise in the evening, but I've always preferred the morning hours. A few years ago, Jenny and I were crazy or desperate or something. Anyway, we started walking at 5:30 AM so that we could finish our walk and be home before our husbands had to leave for work.

One morning I heard my alarm go off and I got ready and headed to Jenny's house. She usually met me on the corner, but she wasn't there, so I walked down the block to her house. Her porch light wasn't even on and I was worried that she had overslept. I knocked on the front door hoping she was just tying her shoes or putting on a sweatshirt, but there was no response. I knocked again and finally I heard her husband Brian's voice through the closed door.

"Mel, is that you?"

"Of course it's me" I answered a bit impatiently.

He opened the door a crack and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?! I'm just picking up Jenny for our walk." I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Brian or why he would be surprised to see me. And why was he wrapped in a blanket? He was usually up getting ready for work at this hour.

"Mel, do you realize it's 2:30 in the morning?"

At this point Jenny joined him at the door. I assured both of them that my alarm had gone off and suggested they double check the time. It was only then that that I realized it was darker and quieter and colder than usual. Hmmm. Maybe they were right about the time.

But I was already up and ready to go. Can you believe Jenny didn't want to go walking, just because it was a tiny bit earlier than usual?

So I went home. As I crawled back into bed, I woke up John (why not since I'd already woken up Jenny and Brian?) and told him my story. His only comment was, "The alarm never went off."

So why did I get up at 2:15 to go walking? Click HERE for an explanation or just take a look at this picture.

That may also explain why I'm walking 60 miles in 3 days!

Here's my update:

*Annie's Angels is now a 6 person team! My Aunt Muff, my cousin Heather and my friends Kathy and Brenda have joined Jenny and me. We'd love to have more friends and family join us!

*I'm making great progress in my fundraising! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!

*I haven't missed a day of training (except Sunday) since I signed up for the walk. A special thanks to John who suggested a walk during the short break in Saturday's rain.

*Our dog Roxy is even getting back into shape. She can make it 3 miles now. That's a lot for her short little legs.

Sweet Sunday - Bonus Edition!

Today at church I approached a friend of mine. She had made a generous donation to my fund raising efforts for breast cancer research and I wanted to thank her. But I was also a little worried, because I noticed she had made two donations of the same amount. I was concerned that perhaps she had hit "submit" twice. When I asked her about it, she explained that she had made a donation for each of her young daughters. She nearly made me cry and it gave me hope for a world where our daughters don't have to live in fear of breast cancer.

And now . . . here comes the bonus part of the post!

I didn't have a chance to blog about all of the sweet things from last Sunday. We got to spend some time with family. We sang a belated "Happy Birthday" to John while he ate his cherry pie.


We even got a picture of 5 generations, since my grandma was visiting for the weekend.

A big thanks to my Aunt Muff (no that's not her real name, but isn't it cute?) and Uncle Paul for bringing my grandma to see us. She and grandma were happy to see my mom's headstone and bring flowers to the cemetery.


And as yet another bonus, here's something I haven't seen often enough in the past few months--my dad smiling and being silly. He looks especially proud of the snack he chose. Now you know exactly who buys those giant tubs of cheese balls at Costco.

"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours." D & C 78:18

My Walking Secrets

Since I've decided to walk hundreds of miles this year, I should probably tell you exactly what kind of a walker I am. I have one story for you today and I'll share another one in the next few days. But first, here is some background information.

My sister Jenny and I have been walking together for almost 14 years. I used to haul my double jogging stroller over to her apartment every morning so we could walk in her lovely green, golf-course ensconced neighborhood. I'm glad we now live in the same neighborhood. It's much more convenient, although I do miss seeing those swans in the golf-course pond.

We have had some interesting experiences while walking. We've met vicious dogs, been followed by a weirdo, gotten in arguments and had lots of wonderful, long talks.

One of the funniest things that ever happened to us was about 12 years ago. We were walking along when suddenly Jenny thought of something really important that she needed to tell her husband. I don't remember what it was, but I remember agreeing with her that it was really important. Of course we didn't have a cell phone to call him, but we knew he would see him soon. He drove by us every morning, waving as he headed off to work. He was usually driving pretty fast though. How would we get his attention? If we waved at him, he'd just wave back like he did every morning. We determined that once we saw his car coming, we'd run out into the street to make him stop.

We continued walking, watching for his car in the distance. We saw him coming and ran into the middle of the street with our strollers. We planted ourselves there and waved our arms furiously. Sure enough, the car rolled to a stop. It was then we noticed that the driver was a woman. We were so embarrassed! I started laughing hysterically, grabbed my stroller and ran away, leaving Jenny there to apologize to the driver and wave her on.

Just wait until you hear what I did to her a few years later!

While you're waiting, here are some exciting updates:

*Jenny raised over $500 in the first 3 days after she registered for the 3-Day walk.

*Our friend Brenda joined our team, Annie's Angels! Several other friends and family members plan to join soon. Would YOU like to join? It will be a fun adventure!

*An anonymous donor gave $60 to the fight against breast cancer. Thank you, my friend. I really appreciate it!