We're Having A Baby

We've decided to adopt again! I'm so excited it makes my heart skip a beat everytime I think about it. We still miss Lillian every minute of every day and I don't see that ever changing. But if there is one thing we have learned, it is not to waste a minute. So, we're having a baby!

You may be wondering why we don't try fertility treatments. Or what is involved with adoption. Or when this bundle of joy will be ours. Well, we'd like to answer all those questions and more through this blog. Our hope is that through this journal, you would share our joy, pray with us and learn a little about this road to parenthood.

Relay Spirit

Relay is over and lemme tell ya, it was awesome. In the true sense of the word, not the 80's watered-down version. We walked and sweated and raised money and sweated and danced and sweated and sang and sweated...you get the picture. Team Walking with Angels made the most of the event and it showed because we won the SPIRIT AWARD! (C'mon, be impressed, it's the only award given at Relay.) I'll give a link to all the pics soon but in the meanwhile, check these out:

Team Pic - aren't we stylin' in our team t-shirts?

Next year, team tank tops.

Spirit Award Winners! Go Angels.

One of my baby's luminarias.

The event raised over $51,000 for the American Cancer Society. Our team raised over $4000, not bad for our first year!

Closing credits:

• Co-captain - Becci (the best co-captain a girl could ask for)
• Team members - Jeff, Skip, Linda, Michelle, Becca, Cody, Amy, Wendy, Elyse, Jenna, Liz, Jennifer (an amazing team - full of energy and passion)
• Visiting walkers - Grady and his family, Lexie's parents, McKayla's mom, Becca's mom, Lisa and her kiddos, Jennifer's husband and kiddos, Jason and Matthew (thanks for coming out and supporting us)
• Volunteers - Massage therapists Dana Davis & Nick d'Alonzo (thanks for donating your time and talents), Heresy Wears (thanks for the cool tees, we definitely stood out in the crowd!)
• Corporate donors - Al's Garden Center, Blooming Nursery, Gymboree, Patti Stanley, Landmark Ford, Nike, Rain Salon (thanks for your financial support/item donation)
• Donors - Thank you all for your prayers and financial support!

I'm sure I missed folks so thank you everyone. This was a total team effort and I am proud that we were all a part of CURING CANCER!

Question of the Week

There's something about not being able to cook that makes me think of food constantly. Jeff and I love to cook so it's tough eating out for every meal. And it's tough on the waistline. But soon enough, we'll have a beautiful new kitchen. Big fridge, gas stove, convection ovens... *Sigh*

Where was I? Oh yeah, back to my food obsession. I was eating something yesterday (I don't even remember what it was) and I thought, "hmmm, this doesn't taste that good." It wasn't bad, it was just okay. And it wasn't healthy food, it was something junky. So I started wondering just why I was eating it.

It's like the stupid grilled cheese sandwiches at OHSU. I ate a ton of those awful things. Don't get me wrong, I love a good grilled cheese. These were not good. These pathetic-excuses-for-a-sandwich consisted of a piece of processed American cheese between two pieces of stale white bread. Far from healthy. Far from tasty. So why not just get a salad then?

I'm sure you smarties are saying "stress causes your brain to release endorphins...blah, blah, blah." Trust me, I know about stress eating. And I can see splurging on an amazing meal or decadent dessert. But why blow the calories on a crappy grilled cheese? Well, I guess it's one of those mysteries of life. Right up there with Donald Trump's hair and Tammy Faye's mascara choices.

Sorry that you have once again been forced to wade through the randomness that is my cognitive function. I'll try to find a point somewhere in here...

Since I'm missing home cooking, I might as well add insult to injury and ask:

What is your favorite dish?

You know, the one that makes you feel good. Or the one that reminds you of something wonderful. Or the one that you have on special occasions. Oh, and for you non-cookers, it doesn't have to be a dish that you make. And I definitely want the recipes. No holding out on me now. C'mon people, feed the obsession! Cause if I'm going to drool over food, it might as well be GOOD food.

We're Number 1

I am officially the number 1 fundraiser

for the Lake Oswego Relay For Life!

And it's all thanks to you. Thanks to your generosity, I have raised $2,658 for the American Cancer Society so far. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of people facing cancer – and in the lives of the people who love them. Just think, the dollar that you donate could be the one that funds the cure for cancer. THANK YOU!

Pray for a Cure

I have a summer cold. Blah. It hit me on Tuesday and has slowly worked it's way south from my head to my lungs. I now have the lung capacity of a 90-year old smoker. You know why you don't meet many 90-year old smokers? Cause they can't breathe. And breathing is required to live. But hey, it's just a cold. In a few days I'll be good as new. And hopefully regain some lung capacity just in time for Relay for Life this weekend!

The most annoying thing about this cold is that I haven't been able to visit the friends in my cancer community. Colds and chemo are a bad combo. So I have stayed away. Even though I have friends who are having a really rough time right now. I know I can't make them feel better but it makes me feel better to at least visit and give them a big hug.

Lexie's Mom, Robyn is suffering as her baby suffers. She is wrestling, as we all have, with the idea that we put our babies through chemo for the selfish reason of keeping them around. That we would torture our precious children out of fear of losing them instead of allowing them to be whole and healthy in heaven. Believe me, I often had those thoughts when Lillian was in pain. It's unnatural to allow someone to poison your child. So why do it?

The challenge is that we don't know the outcome. You know the odds but you don't know whether your child is on the smaller, life-granting side of the odds or the larger, life-ending side. If chemo and radiation and all the other torture results in a long, healthy life, it's worth it. But if they endure all of that just to die, was it worth it? In hindsight, I wish we would have spent the last 6 months of Lillian's life playing and laughing instead of in and out of the hospital. But we had no idea what the future would hold. And frankly, it's naive to think that life would be sunshine and roses if chemo wasn't in the picture. Dying from cancer is just as painful as living with cancer.

So again, why do it? I'll tell you why. Because they have a chance at life. And until there is no chance left, you fight. Please pray for all the families fighting so hard. Click on the links under my cancer community to read their stories and comment on their sites. It is so encouraging to get notes from people, even strangers.

I hate seeing my friends in pain. I really hate seeing these kids go through all this torture. I really, really hate going to funerals. Pray for a cure. I know it's possible.

WE HAVE TO CURE THIS STUPID DISEASE!

Question of the Week

The interns have landed at work! And boy do they look young. Fortunately the intern in my area is a MBA student who worked for 7 years between undergrad and grad school so he's not as young as the rest of them. But I swear that the interns get younger and younger each year. I mean, I know I'm not getting older so they must be getting younger, right?

The other day at work, we were talking about how the age gap is widening due to technology. These college students are digital natives whereas we are digital immigrants. They don't hesitate to share every detail of their lives with the world through myspace or facebook. Multi-tasking is no problem as they are used to managing multiple IM's and computer games and text messaging simultaneously.

Having a blog keeps me somewhat in touch with the digital world. I'm not sure I'm ready for myspace. It looks like a lot of work frankly. But I've been thinking about giving it a shot. Just as a way to connect myself to the next generation. You know, keep me young and in touch...

In that spirit, here's the question of the week:

What do you do to stay young?

PS - Spell check just highlighted all the tech words - myspace, facebook, IM, etc. Maybe the spell check creators should get in touch with the next generation too.

Yard Sale

Announcing...

Yard Sale

Saturday, July 7th

8am-Noon

Lori's House

(e-mail me for the address/directions)

Let me first say that I hate yard sales. Haggling over pennies. Strangers pawing through your stuff. Disposing of the remaining dregs that nobody wanted. I would much rather donate everything to Goodwill and call it a day.

So why are we doing this? I'm glad you asked. We're making one last fundraising push for Relay for Life. All the money from this yard sale will go to the American Cancer Society! And that makes it all worth the effort.

How can you help? Wow, you're asking all the right questions today!

• Give us your stuff. Leave a comment or e-mail me and I'll arrange time to pick it up. It's a great opportunity to do some summer cleaning for a worthy cause.
• Visit us on Saturday. Tell your friends. Cause if you have a yard sale and nobody comes, did you really have a yard sale?