let them eat cake (not just a post title but a real place... you should check it out!)

you may recall this little disaster from p's first birthday. while it was tasty on the tongue, it was not so easy on the eye. it was suggested to me by my mother-in-law's bff that i might consider a cake decorating class at micheal's. not a bad idea!


not willing to accept defeat, i tried again. i made a cake for poppy and our friend gabe a few weeks later. i learned a little from my mistakes, but i had a long way to go.



fast forward to an email from my friend katie. she was perusing the community class schedule from a local community college. she wanted to know if anyone wanted to join her at a holiday cupcake decorating class. yes. YES! i'm ALL in!

and so today, i joined three other friends at let them eat cake in livermore for a three hour cupcake class. (good things come in three, right? right!)

cupcake master sarah (also the proud owner of this uber creative cupcake shop) walked us through cupcakes from start to finish. she taught us how to avoid some of the pitfalls that batter can present, how to make her version of the tastiest butter cream frosting (it was out of this world), and then how to make tons of adorable cupcakes. she was fab! her instructions made sense and were easy to follow, while her creativity was off the charts.


we started our cupcake journey with some spiders. these are chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (e's favorite). and then you added eyes, legs, a mouth... need i say more. here's katie showing off her first success. isn't this spider amazing?

and over the course of three hours we made trees, snowmen, tom turkey, mini ornaments, ghosts, and webs. i went home with enough sugary concoctions to induce a sugar in all three buser babes.

and isn't that cupcake stand quite nice? i won it. that's right. as an added bonus sarah had a little raffle for all of the participants. i'm thinking e's class will love it at their halloween party.

oh, and my taste testers? e, d, and p were happy to play the role.

i think it is fair to say that girlies likey.

3 little pumpkins

i think that every blogger with kids posts the "trip to the pumpkin patch" i did it last year with these...

and here i am, again, doing it with these: to make this post more interactive, as you view the snaps choose your fave... leave it in the comments if you choose. (i'm super curious because my hubby and i always pick totally different ones for totally different reasons.)

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

and i totally didn't plan this, but there is no P (e, d, & p). so if you think that the first photo of P sitting in front of her pumpkin pile is your fave, you can can choose P (not trying to sway you, seriously, choose YOUR fave).

unique of the week

last year wasn't a highlight in e's educational experience. she did a great job and loved learning but it sort of lacked some of the things that tingle my teacher soul. if you recall, i wrote about one them way back when from the preschool days and i still think about that experience years later. i longed for something similar last year and kept hoping it would come but it never really did. not in the same way. not with the same excitement.

don't get me wrong, e thrived in kindergarten. and while her teacher didn't do the things that make my heart sing, she was a good fit for e at the time. but i would be lying if i didn't say that i was praying for a different kind of teacher this year. i hoped my e would get someone that went the distance and poured her heart into her classroom.

at back to school night this year, i had high hopes. the presentation of the curriculum and classroom environment was dead on in its alignment for what i think is "best practice". as a former teacher myself, i have expectations. sometimes my expectations are too high, but this teacher seemed to hit that target. i went home excited and hopeful. i want e to love school, to reach her amazing potential, and to excel in an innovative environment.

this week (and at other times so far this year), i've seen that beginning to evolve. i love it!

each kid gets assigned the role of "unique of the week" at different times throughout the year. this week was e's turn. she came home last week with a blank poster that she was to complete. she was also tasked with filling the estimation jar with an item of her choosing. lastly, she was tasked with choosing 4 things to share with the class that are important/special to her.

filling out the poster was so much fun. over the course of a couple days, e and i went to work. we colored, brainstormed, and completed the above items. on sunday night, she did a run through of her presentation for her dad and i. it was adorable!

on monday, she skipped off to her class with her poster under her arm and her items tucked safely in her backpack. she was so excited.

she made her presentation to the class. then she showed off her webkinz dog, her photograph of her bff from chicago at the american girl cafe, told the story of her trip to niagara falls (sharing her wooden maid of the mist boat), and held up the first chapter book that she read all by herself (meet kit from the american girl series). she delighted in knowing the number of barbie shoes that she had deposited into the estimation jar and loved watching her peers make guesses at the magic number (all the while holding in that secret).

then, her classmates got to ask her questions. they asked her about her favorite games, her favorite fish, favorite bird... you know, typical hot topics in the life of a first grader. while she answered, her teacher created a poster all about ellie. while writing on the big poster paper, she modeled proper sentence writing- capitalization, spelling, punctuation etc.



later this week, all of the kids will create a page about ellie. they will draw a picture using ideas from her posters and then copy three sentences to tell about her. this will be compiled into a book that will return home for e (and her momma) to cherish for years to come.

e will remember this for years to come. her momma will, too.

i think it's going to be a good year.

p-nut

how did this girl

turn into THIS girl?

nothing to report, just that my little p-nut it getting too big too fast!

my own little angelina

while e has been off at school, my little d has been having some adventures of her own. she has begun her first independent class- ballet. i wish i could tell you how much i have loved every minute of watching her dance, but the truth is that i've missed lots of minutes. p is trying to get herself onto that dance floor and momma's been playing a lot of defense.

but here are some glimpses of what i've seen:

a pensive

determined

decorated

ballerina.

scriptless

a while back, my friend leslie blogged about what you can learn about a person from looking into their ice box (and some other exciting news). i was intrigued. so much so, that i took my own photo of my ice box and shared it with you. i was looking at my nightstand this week, and had similar thoughts. what does this little space, the last space i am in each day before retiring to sleep, say about me?

i'll let you come to that conclusion on your own. i'm curious if it is accurate or if it is more of a little snapshot of the "me" that i think i am.

but thinking about all of this made me want to see a whole lot of people's bed side tables. i think it would be interesting. i can just imagine that my friend jen would have a burp cloth laying next to hers and that my friend amy might have some cool graphic designs she's working on. i'm thinking that jodi's would contain some detailed documents about the layout she's working on for her new business and that Camia might have a stack of poetry journals. i'm pretty sure holly has kid's books on hers (she's a family bed sort of momma) and that a few of my friends might have some saltines by their bedside (not naming names here as they might not want their big reveal to be via t's blog post). anyway, as i said, i think it would be interesting.

if you care to share, i'd love to see.

the thing that is fresh on my mind from my own bedside table is the book that i just finished. it's titled scriptless. it takes me back to the summer before i made the big switch from Southerner to midwesterner. scott was doing a summer internship in chicago and every couple of weeks i would make a visit.

during the days he would work and i would wander around this amazing city (it was summer, so that word fits... not sure i would use the same adjective if i had been visiting in the winter). i took in the art museum and the lakefront, michigan avenue and the stores on armitage. but in the evenings, scott would always plan these fabulous date nights.

my favorite date was to second city. second city is where improv comedy was born (i don't really know that, but i'm declaring it as fact). it is where many of the saturday night live greats began. chris farley, tim meadows, tina fay, and adam sandler all did time here and that's just a few of many. it was hysterical! seriously, it is fall off your chair, don't take a drink or you might snort, go to the bathroom before the show begins or you might pee a little... funny!

after our first date there, i was hooked. we went back many times over our 8 years in chicago and each time was just as good (if not better) than the last. we also took in lots of other improv offspring from around the city. we went to the improv olympics, comedy sportz, and a show or two at the annoyance theatre. my husband is a good man- he's less of an improv fan than i am but he likes to indulge me. all of that to say- i love improv!

fast forward to this spring. i met a girl named andrea. there were about 8 people sitting around a table and we were giving the super condensed version of our lives. the girl was funny. she was talking really fast (which she doesn't normally do, but on this night, she did). in between two sentences, i thought she said she was a former cast member from second city las vegas. but then she went on to talk about other elements of her life. i wasn't sure i had heard her correctly, but did i mention she was really funny? it could have been true, but i wasn't i sure.

a few months into our friendship, andrea revealed to me that she was working on a book. i thought that was pretty cool. when we began to discuss the topic- she told me that it was about her time with second city and what that time speaks to her about a relationship with God. it was a "you had me at hello" moment. i had no idea how that book would unfold, but i was certain that i wanted to read it.

i finished the book today. i promise you, i'll be thinking about its contents for weeks and weeks. it's funny. it reveals a great deal about the behind the scenes in the life of improv. it challenged me in the way that i approach my relationship inwardly with God and how that relationship is manifested through my life. you should read it. it does not disappoint.

race day

on friday night i was driving home from livermore and listening to the radio. as i pulled into my driveway, i was moved to tears by a song. i'll come back to that later.

saturday morning was very exciting. i awoke early, ate the recommended peanut butter toast, enjoyed my allotted cup o' joe, took in a decent amount of electrolyte enhanced water, double and triple checked to be sure i had everything that i needed, and then sat on my front porch a few minutes before keri was to pick me up. i sat there as the dark was turning to day and gave it all over to God. those minutes were precious to me and set the tone for the day.


we arrived at quarry lakes regional park (after a few wrong turns which may have been my fault) but thanks to my former oakland police department driver (seriously, read between the lines here) we made it on time, white knuckles and all.

we made our way to the registration table and picked up our race packets. this was a highlight for both of us. since this was our first race, pinning our numbers on was rather fun. getting our race t-shirt held some excitement.

once we were numbered up, we perused the sponsor tents, stretched a little, made a final potty run and then circled around the stage. they made some sponsor announcements, welcomed everyone and then called all of the cancer survivors to the center of the circle. they surrounded these women with a pink ribbon. the mc then went around the circle where each survivor said their name and the amount of time that they have been a survivor. one by one, each woman publicly proclaimed their survival. some of the women were timid, others proud, and others too emotional to speak- they ran the full range from "survivor for two months" to "survivor for 35 years". it was beautiful. the crowd circling them cheered for each woman and celebrated in their fight with this ugly disease. each woman was then handed a white dove.

and on the count, each survivor released their dove. individuals from all ages and walks of life, unified together by the victory that they could claim in fighting this battle and united by the joy that the word "survivor" brings. the doves took flight.

they flew out of each hand separate and then formed together in the sky. they danced for us for a few minutes- flying together in the air to the left and then circling back to the right. it was beautiful and emotional. wind beneath my wings bellowed out of the speakers. it was difficult to keep dry eyes. i thought about my sister and each of these women. i am eager for the day when she gets to declare "survivor".

and then each participant made their way to the start. there were 10k runners, 5k runners, 10k walkers and 5k walkers- teams that participated together and individuals showing their support for cancer survivors alone. the setting was tranquil. the track for 10k runners was two loops around the quarry. mountains burst up from the earth in the background. the sun was bright and warm. keri and i were ready. we took off from the starting pad faster than usual and slowly found our comfortable pace. keeping with our regular pattern, we slowly began a meaningful conversation. we felt good.

as we rounded the quarry to finish the first half of the race, i started to feel the burn. i laughed as i mentioned to keri that i hoped stacy remembered that time she spit on me when we were kids. i was starting to feel the heat of the day and began to doubt if i could go the distance. and then we crested a tiny hill where scott, e, d, and p were cheering for us. it gave me the motivation that i needed to keep going.

and after we passed, d did a little bit of running herself. every night that i run she asks if she can come. it is sweet. i guess she wanted to get her own taste of the race.

a mile into that loop, we started to feel invigorated. we went at a faster pace than we usually do, and kept trying to slow ourselves down a little bit. but it was difficult. the excitement was pressing in and the finish was getting closer. towards the end we were blowing by some other runners and walkers, with the big balloon arch in sight. running across that finish pad felt amazing. knowing that we had raised a pretty penny (to date $1530 and the donations are still rolling in, praise God) for my sister made me euphoric! for those of you that prayed- thank you! those prayers were felt and sustained us through this run. for those of you that "chipped in"- i don't even have words. keri and i running would have been worth nothing if it had not been for the generous support of so many of you beloved friends. i am in awe at your generosity! thank you from the bottom of my heart. being supported in this way and being able to support my sister in this way brings me to my knees with gratitude.

crossing that finish brought back that song that i heard on friday night. it wasn't the first time i heard it, but i'll think of this race and of the support you've shown each and every time i hear it from this point forward (it's playing as you read)...

...but it's all you need. and Love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm and i'll be my brother's keeper so the whole world will know that we're not alone. it's waiting for you. knocking at your door. in a moment of truth when your heart hits the floor. and your on your knees- and Love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm and i'll be my brother's keeper so the whole world will know that we're not alone. this is the first day of the rest of your life. this is the first day of the rest of your life. 'cause even in the dark you can still see The Light. it's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright. Love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm. and i'll be my brother's keeper so the whole world will know that we're not alone.

i thought about my sister. i can't make this cancer thing go away. i'm not sure that i want to because the beauty that i see it bring- through friends that have made her meals, held her hands when she was low, sat next to her in the chemo chair, loved on her with gifts, conversations, cards and helped with house cleaning... well, that? that's beauty. that's being "your brother's keeper"- stepping in and being Love. none of us can stop the journey, but man, watching people make it a little bit easier? wow! that points me towards heaven.

and then we were greeted by these sweet faces who celebrated with us and cheered on our accomplishment. it was wonderful!

scott took a few pictures- on a side note, selecting the best "sweaty post 10k run picture" to put up on the web for the world to see was an interesting moment. here we are in our full stinky glory. vanity is out the window.

oh, and those hats? well that's a cute story. remember that drive home from livermore on friday night? the one where i heard the song? yeah, i was on my home picking up those hats. i wanted to find a way to "bring my sister to the race". i found a place that could make me some cute hats- problem though. their vinyl printing machine was having some problems. they could have just called and said that they couldn't do it. instead, they offered to bejewel them with another machine. problem with that was that the bejewel machine was having some issues too. when i went to pick up the hats, i discovered two young girls doing them by hand. it was a friday night and i felt really bad. it took them over three hours to hand make these adorable caps that say "the betties". as i stood there watching them finish up, i apologized and thanked them profusely. as it turned out, girl one was cheerful as she knew the abbreviated version of why we needed the hats from my phone order. she shared with me that her grandma and aunt were both survivors. she was sweet and encouraged me in the run. girl two looked a little less thrilled with the way she was spending her friday night. we got to talking and i told her about the race and my sister. after a few minutes i noticed white bracelet on her wrist.

me: does that say "i love boobies"?

girl: YES! my family has had its share of exposure to breast cancer, too. i'm glad i learned your story. it makes me happy to know these are for a good cause.

pause.

girl: is your sister's name betty?

and then i told the gals about "the betties"- about how my sister blogged about her weekly fillings and had coined the name in an effort to talk about her implants tastefully. they both almost fell off of their work stools. they asked for post-race pictures and wanted to know the final amount raised. oh, and as i stood there i noticed that hat's done by hand went for the fee of $30/hour... i was guessing i would just have to pay for it. she rang up my total-

girl: $12 please.

me: what???

i tried to make her charge me more. i didn't want to pay $30/hour but for the love of pete, they had been placing gems by hand all night. but the girl insisted. the hats i had ordered over the phone were $6 a piece and that was all she was going to let me pay. (hey God? thank you!)

i'm headed there this week with some pictures.

oh, and keri, girl! i don't know even know what to say! your friendship is a gift, your support in this has been amazing, and if it weren't for you and you're "can do" heart i am certain that i'd still be sitting on my comfy sofa each night. wanna run on monday?

the day before the race

tomorrow is the hers breast cancer race that i am running to raise funds for my sister. i feel good- strong, ready, energized, a little bit nervous and a lot excited.

i've been praying a lot this week about the fundraiser component of the race. i long to stand in complete surrender-

an interjection with a little story:

for christmas last year, i bought my hubby a garmin running watch. it comes complete with a foot pod, heart monitor and watch. the three pieces work together to compile the details of your running life- the heart monitor... well it monitors your heart rate silly, the watch holds your data for each run- it is more technology than i can even understand (time, rate, average heart rate/run... as i said, way more than i even understand, and the foot pod- well that little device is stinkin' amazing. it logs each step. after your run you can plug a little data stick into your computer and it uploads your run information. you can graph it, chart it, again, do way more than i even know.

i "borrowed" this little contraption from my hubby who stopped running a few weeks before christmas (and by borrowed i mean, good luck getting it back babe).

it is fascinating and unbelievably helpful. by getting a grip on my heart rate i have been able to find my "sweet spot". when i run too fast, i tire easily. but when i run at the perfect rate (easily found by looking at my wrist) i can go much longer and still feel energized. that's good stuff, right?

the foot pod is what blows my little mind. when you upload the information into your computer you can sync it with google earth. google earth then maps out your steps. seriously. you can look at a map and see exactly where each foot landed on the pavement. one foot in front of the other- but if you dodge and land a little to the right (say, to avoid some less than pleasant remainders from a four legged friend) it shows that too (the steps, not the remainders). it marks each and every step that i take. amazing.

as i have been using this run after run and uploading my stats every couple days, my head has been spinning. i've been trying to figure it all out. i've been sifting through the data and looking for ways to improve. it's mind boggling.

through this past week, i've also been doing a lot of praying about the fund raising component of all of this (as i said at the beginning). i've been asking God to show me the number that He has in mind for me to raise. i've been daily giving it to Him and asking Him to bring forth people to provide that number (whatever that number is). daily, there have been donations. it has been beautiful to see friends and strangers give so generously. i am in awe of a gracious God.

this week, i started to see a parallel between that foot pod and the God whom i love. He knows each and every step that i am to take. He knows each and every step that my sister will take. He uploaded it to google earth long before we were born. He knows. rest on that for a minute. it's mind blowing. this journey is unfolding before my eyes and before my sister's eyes day by day, but God? He knows all the "stats", all the "data", each step already. He sees her need and He's meeting it. He knows what her bills look like, what her treatment looks like, what her fear might look like, what sort of support she needs, the encouragement that will sustain her... He knows it all. already. He doesn't need it uploaded. it's already there waiting to unfold. it unfolds through you and i- the hands and feet of a Jesus that is living, real and very much full of love for each and every one of us.

i rest in that today. it makes my heart rejoice knowing that in this trial (and every trial that is to come), He knows. praise God! and in the surrender- in the giving it to Him, i can be free of worry, or fear, or doubt. the "is this enough God" is removed. and i can walk forward in faith that He has it covered.

and so this afternoon, as i prepare to run, i am thankful. if you've given this week to my sister, i am humbled by your support. if you feel led to give, please, continue to do so. you can click on the "chip in" box in the top left corner of my blog page.

my race is at 9am tomorrow (pacific time). if you could, pray for me as i run. it is sure to be hot and will be a little different than my normal running conditions. i typically run as the sun sets and the temperatures drop. tomorrow that will be in reverse.

much love and thanks,
tasha

go, girl, go cont'd and a little announcement

if you are just tuning in, you might want to read out of breath and go, girl, go (installment one) first. if not, you can just read this and catch up later...

so there i was running each week in the hopes of loosing my baby belly and in the process, gaining a valuable friend. after the first week or two, i suggested to my running mate that we might consider doing a 10k- heck, she got me to do 3 1/2 miles on that first run. what's a few more miles? i looked into it and we decided to do the livermore grape stomp in october. basically, you run and then at the end celebrate your accomplishment by tasting the fall crush. it sounded good to me- running and then a little wine. i'm down with that- it's one of the perks of living in this fabulous little known wine region here in the tri-valley. my pal and i agreed this was a good fit.

while i was busy running, my sister was busy getting her cancer treatment underway. she was meeting with various oncologists and comparing their recommendations for treatment, she was meeting with surgeons and learning the ropes for what was in store for "the betties" (as she humorously refers to her new but temporary implants), and she was doing a bit of research on alternative treatments.

when my sister had her 4th son and i had e, she and i simultaneously started looking into more natural and homeopathic ways to medicate. we both took our own organic routes in this area, but there were a lot of intersections. frequently, we compared notes. it seemed natural that this would also be part of her cancer journey.

in the early part of the summer, she met with a doctor that specializes in this field. after meeting with him, he confirmed what she already knew in her heart- she needed the chemo. i think that was good news, in spite of the bad that comes with chemotherapy. the other good news is that this doctor specializes in treatments that boost the immune system that chemo tears down. i almost choked when she told me that the preliminary meeting was $500. i really almost choked when she told me that each of these treatments was about $90 a pop and would take place weekly. we started talking about the other bills that come with cancer for an insured patient- it goes something like this... co-pays for each doctors visit ($35/3 times a week), co-pays for surgery (in the hundreds if not thousands), co-pays for the weekly fillings of the betties, co-pays for the implants, and down the road co-pays for radiation- yikes! if my head wasn't spinning before, it certainly was now. and that got me thinking...

how does the average family pay for treatment- traditional or other? as if the strain of the cancer isn't enough, right? on top of that, you get to add this pile of financial stressors right into the mix.

now, i've said before, my sister is a woman of faith. she believes that God will carry her and provide for her needs. her husband believes the same, so i think it is fair to say that this family doesn't get caught up in the worry of it all.

and right then and there, when we stand firm in our faith, we can usually see more clearly how God provides.

as i was thinking about these things day after day, i was still running. somewhere along the way, another friend of mine planted a little seed- "tasha, you should do a breast cancer run". but she didn't stop there- she found one on-line and sent me the link. this 10k was taking place in another town nearby in september (this coming saturday, to be exact). running for wine is good and fine, but running for my sister when i am so far away? i was over the moon. it was a tangible way that i could support her journey. and with that little seed, and with a lot of prayer, and with more running an idea began to bloom.

i could run the 10k and raise funds for my sister. my original plan was to raise funds for her wig- a mom of 5 is best suited for a natural hair wig that could put a pretty sizable dent into the pocketbook. she was fine with this suggestion- reluctant at first, because she didn't want to put a financial strain on people. but after some time and after some prayer she thought it would be a blessing.

simultaneously, my aunt (not knowing my plan) decided to do some fundraising of her own. she sent out an email to my aunts, cousins, siblings and grandmother. true to how God works, God made these people willing participants in my sister's journey. in fact, i think it is fair to say that they were grateful for a channel that would help support my sister in a real way. and so my fam (and my sister's in-laws) all pitched in to pay for most of my sister's new hairpiece.

and while she is beautiful without it (for real! look at the joy in her eyes!), this need has been met.

at that time, i did some more time praying- was there more that God wanted me to do in spite of the fact that this initial need had been met? and i immediately felt like there was- as i thought of her bills that would soon be coming her way, i knew i had to continue with my plan. again, she and i talked about this. we both saw the value of helping her, and we both felt like maybe there is more. it's not concrete at this point, but we both have hopes of doing this for other women down the road. we both felt like you shouldn't have to go this alone- that becoming part of community that surrounds women walking this path is essential.

and so without further ado- an announcement. on saturday, i am running the hers breast cancer 10k in freemont, ca. if you'd like to support my run and help launch this fundraising campaign, i would cherish that support!

you can do so in one of four ways-

1.) pray for this fundraising effort. pray that God would be glorified. pray that my little old legs can run like the wind. and pray for my sister as she walks this road.

2.) click on the "chip in" link (top left-hand corner of my blog page) and make a donation to "the betties". your donation will help cover the costs of my sister's medical treatments. my hope and prayer is that there will be funds left over to help start the support for the next person that God places in our path with breast cancer (we will be activly looking and praying for this component to fall into place with God's perfect timing).

3.) today (and today only) you can also buy a necklace from sarah on etsy (click those words right there and it will direct you to her etsy site). sarah makes necklaces in an effort to raise funds for tons of different charities. today, her sales with raise funds for my sister. if you choose to help in this way, you can purchase any of her regular items (special orders are not included). in the etsy checkout, indicate that you are purchasing on behalf of my sister. sarah will in turn donate 50% of the sales to my sister.

4.) send people via facebook to this page and encourage them to jump in. if you do so today (monday) they can be a part of options 1-4. if you don't get this today, they can still participate by participating in options 1,2 and 4. the more that know, the more that can join me and my sister on this journey.

and i can't just end there... you know me by now, right?

i was in church this morning. i'll confess, i almost didn't go because i felt like i could use the time writing this very post. but i felt like i needed to be there. God was tugging at my heart and i was certain that there was something i needed to hear. well, the sermon this morning was the exact confirmation that my heart needed. the title was "hello my name is____ and i've tried doing this alone". the very core of the message was that in life, we so often try to be self-sufficient. we try to doing it alone. but if you look at the example laid out by paul, we are called to do this together. alone doesn't work. we need to rely on God and we need to rely on the people in our community to support us, encourage us, and propel us forward. my pastor (and good friend) ended the message with this- we need to have someone's hand to hold (a sponsor, if you will) and then we need to sponsor someone else that comes our way (hold their hand and support their journey just like we received support).

and so today, i ask you to grab hands. run with me, support my sister if you are able and don't be shy about reaching out your own hand when you need support.

much love to you today, and thank you.

go, girl, go!

last week i told you about the genesis of my running experience. i told you that i have been running ever since that day about 3 times a week- but as is typically the case with my stories, it doesn't end there.


you see, as i began to run my relationship with my running partner started to unfold. our conversations went more deep and we really started to know one another. and while there is still a lot more to learn, i feel like she is an old friend. it's funny, and i didn't know it on the first day of running, but i was going to need that sort of friend that i could go deep with.


parallel with the onset of my running was the diagnosis of my sister. it was discovered that she had breast cancer at the age of 38. it was determined that she was going to need a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and a whole slew of other things. her life was turned upside down, so to speak.


now it is important for me to remind you of a few things that i have shared over my years of blogging- (if you know these, just disregard. if you don't, then it will help make the picture more clear). my sister is 38. she has six children, one that she surrendered to heaven because of trisomy 18- 5 boys, 1 girl. my sister home schools all 5 of them. my mom lives in my sister's garage (that sounds cruel but i promise it's not- really it is now an in-law suite designed and built specifically for my momma). my sister is also the head of women's ministries at her church, blogs, and carpools three boys to football, attends motocross races with three of her sons, add in ballet for her girlie-girl, guitar lessons for three boys, music classes for the littlest boy, awana, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, carpooling my mom all over the philadelphia burbs, and did i mention laundry (i can't even imagine what those piles would look like if i was running that whirlpool over there)?... just writing it all out makes my head hurt and makes me long for a nap.

anyway, back to june and a cancer diagnosis and her life being turned whoopsi daisy- if you had the opportunity to watch her, you'd know that she didn't miss a beat. she simply grabbed hands with God and said, "ok, God, we're going to do this? you're going to carry me. i'll follow." now i may be simplifying it a bit, but from my daily conversations with her, i can tell you that is pretty much how it went. she struggles just like the rest of us do, but she has stood firm in her belief that God has this covered. he has a plan. he's going to (and has) given her strength for the journey. he's surrounded her with cheerleaders and supporters. he's pulling him into his arms and she in return is falling into that embrace. it is beautiful to watch, but complex.

it's complex for a whole bunch of reasons- it's hard because she is my sister. as i've told you in the past, we were so not close growing up. but as adults? she's my go-to girl. i look up to her and cherish our relationship. the thought of her having to go through this trial- well, it stinks. watching anyone fight cancer is not fun. watching it happen to someone you know and love- that stinks even more.

i also think that when someone is in the midst of a trial you get an interesting close-up at their heart. in the normal day-to-day of life, you see a glimpse, but in a trial there is some form of transparency and vulnerability that is like no other. watching stacy at this time is revealing what i've always known to be true- it's just magnified for the rest of us at the moment... she's firm in her faith, obedient to her maker, true to her beliefs. she's the real deal.

it's also complex because i know the laundry list of things that are on her plate. i also know that i live on the exact opposite side of the country. there are days when i just want to run out the door before scott and hop on a plane to go be by her side (wouldn't he LOVE that!). but the truth is, i have my own laundry list of things on my plate, three of which (e, d, and p) don't really make the cross-country trip super feasible. another truth is that in the grand scheme of things, her needs are being met and there is little i could do to help her.

back to running-
so week after week, my gal-pal and i would run together and week after week i would share what was on my heart. funny how things work, but my running partner is no stranger to cancer. she has watched several family members fight it, too.

regularly on our runs, i was share these difficult truths with her about my sister. each time it was met with the most gentle responses, encouragement, support, understanding. you see this running momma got it. slowly, i began to believe that it wasn't a coincidence that she invited me to run one day out of the blue. it started to look more and more like a divine intersection. you see, i started to believe that God knew what was down the pike for my sister and He knew how it was going to wreck me at times. He knew that i would need a friend that "checked in" with me regularly. He knew that i couldn't carry this alone. and while i take a lot of of it to Him daily, He saw fit to give me that perfect companion who would walk (or in this case "run") this journey with me.

*please check in tomorrow, for i have a little announcement to make (monday).

lordy, lordy, i love nordy!

nordy, how do i love thee? let me count the ways.

i have always been a huge fan of the nordstrom and nordstrom rack department store chains. first, there is the team of buyers that get a perfect mix of high quality items with exceptional style and a variety of price points to fit the average shoppers needs. second, there is that amazin' sticker that they put on each and every purchase negating the "hunt for the receipt" if you find yourself in need of a return. seriously, i can't say enough about that nifty sticker and their return policy. ah, if only more stores could get on that train! third, there are the backroom sales like the annual anniversary sale- i love the ease of pre-shopping and then picking up my purchases without the hassle of lines and grabby-gerty shoppers who snatch right out from under you... the cafe, the nursing momma area... i could go on and on and on about my love affair with the great nordy.

and then i discovered this. it catapulted my love affair to a level that even I didn't know existed!

it's the shoe tying class. that's right, folks. you read it right here! nordy offers a shoe tying class for kiddos- free of charge each and every saturday smack dab in their kids shoe department. it even comes with some loot to keep the kiddos motivated, but i'll get to that in a minute.

march yourself to your nearest nordy kiddo shoe department. at the till you'll find a notebook (if it isn't there just ask the nearest nordy expert, who's probably already asked you if you need some help 'cus they are good like that). sign up for a saturday that you and your kiddo have free and then show up on that specific saturday.

the kiddos arrive and in a fun class, learn some catchy rhymes to help them learn how to tie their kicks, or tenny pumps... or whatever you might be callin' them at your house.

it goes like this-

laces everyone- ready, set, tie!

calling all kids. check out these simple clues. when one lace meets the other you can tie your shoes. first, make an x, and hold it on top. put the right lace through the middle and you've got your knot!


think of the bow just like a balloon, hold it at the bottom or it might go zoom!



wrap the other lace around, use your finger like a spool. pull a loop through this hole, you tied the bow- how cool!

they practice and practice and practice, gaining momentum and success as they go. and at the end of the class they get bucket of loot i was talking about... complete with an organic juice box, gummy snacks, a shoe tying card, a lelli kelli lip gloss/eye shadow kit (just what you always wanted!), and a hip digital watch (for reals, we have this exact watch in purple and i paid $22 for it- apparently i got robbed b/c nordy gave it to the shoe tiers for free).

anyway, i told e's friends momma about this and asked if she wanted to sign the girls up together. bonus for me, she did. double bonus for me, she offered to pick up e and take the girls for me. ding, ding, ding! jackpot. my gal pal picked e up this morning- and i tied her shoes for her as she headed out the door. an hour and a half later, e arrived home mostly able to tie her own shoes.

thank you, nordy!

p.s.- if anyone wants to give nordy a heads-up that i'm giving them free publicity on their amazingness right here at diary of a suburban momma, maybe they would like to throw me back a little gift certificate (ahh, wishfull thinking).