Giving Life

I value life greatly.  Hopefully, you do too.  There is no question the life we have here on earth is often times far too short whether it is 40 years or 99.

It seems like, more often then not, we spend more time contemplating what we are going to make for dinner or what our next big purchase is going to be then we do on teaching our kids or loving our "neighbors".

Life is too short.

We need to be intentional about taking a moment to teach our kids about loving others.  Or, for that matter, intentionally looking for ways to love others.

We need to literally stop and smell the roses...or at least notice that they are there and that they are all unique and beautiful. Can you believe each one of us is also unique and beautiful? Yes, you!

I got a call a few months ago from the HLA Bone Marrow Registry. Apparently, my bone marrow was a match for a 64 year old man with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Amazing!

I underwent some additional testing and I have now officially become this man's donor.

In my role as Legacy Retreat Coordinator for Inheritance of Hope I have met far too many individuals that are battling for their lives (most of them much younger than this gentleman!) I have always said if there was anything I could do to help these sweet people have more time with their families that I would do it in a heartbeat.  Well...here's my chance!

I will be getting a shot for 5 days to boost my stem cells.  Apparently, I will feel pretty lousy during this 5 day period, experiencing body aches and bone pain.  Then on Day #5 I will have a 4 hour procedure to remove my stem cells to help save this man.

I am humbled and awed that I have been allowed this opportunity!

I only wish I could do it for all of the families that I love serving through Inheritance of Hope.

I would love your prayers for me and my stem cell sharer! I'll keep you posted...

Cheerleader

I am not a runner!!!!  There is no question about that.  

I actually have said, "One thing I will NEVER do in my life is a marathon....I have no desire!" I do, however, have several friends who have committed to running marathons for Inheritance of Hope and I woke up at 3 am and stood in freezing conditions for hours to cheer them on during their route.

God created me to be a cheerleader.  I like to stand on the sidelines and cheer (LOUDLY and EXCITEDLY) for people.  So, why am I now signed up and training to run (walk) 26.2 miles???  Two reasons:

1) My best friend has been running a proverbial marathon for the past 8 years as she battles terminal liver cancer. She has devoted her life to sharing hope with other families in her circumstance through Inheritance of Hope. I saw her the weakest she has ever been this Fall and it scared the daylights out of me.  I knew God was in control but I was worried He was going to take her home and I would miss her so much! She is getting stronger everyday and she is going to participate in this race!!!  On October 30th I am going to wake up early and cheer on my friend. This time I am not going to cheer from the sidelines....I am going to encourage and cheer every step of the 26.2 miles as we do it together!!!  I will rejoice with each step as I celebrate God's healing in her body.  FUN!!!

2) Inheritance of Hope needs more support if we are going to continue serving young families with a parent battling a life-threatening illness.  I have made this my life's work and it pains me to have families waiting to attend one of our Legacy Retreats but not enough funds to make it happen.  We need your help!  Through this marathon I hope to raise awareness of this awesome organization and gain support to help serve more families!!!

I am STILL not a runner.  I am still a cheerleader.  I am a cheerleader with running shoes on. I have already started training and I can't imagine going for 26.2 miles!!! It's going to be a great adventure!

Swagger Wagon

I am in love.....have been for quite some time.

Actually July 11th 2005 was the date we first met and it was NOT love at first sight.

It was a practical relationship.

My sleek trendy stylish Acura SUV had kind of died so...

My man pulled in the driveway with my new set of wheels...a 2005 Honda Oddesey Minivan!  She had all thebells and whistles complete with a built-in DVD player with wireless headphones for each of my kids. The people of Honda thought of everything including a lazy susan in the floor for extra storage, a mirror to view the backseat, and extra middle seat in the second row and 12 cup holders!!!

Now I feel like a princess in her chariot when I drive around town in my minivan!

I honestly do feel pretty cool.  There may have been a time in my life when I thought that a minvan could never be cool but that was when I was young and foolish.  Now that I have some wisdom and experience I recognize that this vehicle has charisma.  The doors alone provide numerous points of excitement.  They slide instead of fly open when my kids exit. They open or close with the small touch of a button.  They automatically stop when a small (or large) appendage is in the way.  I could go on all day!

I still have several mommy-pals who are resistant to the minivan and the stigma that it brings.  I try to encourage all of those individuals to embrace this vehicular gift.  They don't know what they are missing.

Personally, I think I may choose to drive a minivan even after my children are grown and gone.  I don't think I want to part with my "swagger wagon".

If you also love your minivan I would love to hear from you!

Next Friday on this blog I am going to share my newest GREAT ADVENTURE!!!!  It's something that this wild-minivan-driving-mom-of-two said she would NEVER do!!!

Sharing

We went over to some friend’s home the other night for dinner.  My husband and I both agreed that the meal was awesome so I requested the recipe from my friend.

Well, I don’t know what this says about me as a person but, I did not just make the meal for my family and then file the recipe away.  No!!!!  I made the meal for my family, gushed about how yummy it was to anyone who would listen and then emailed the recipe to all my buddies near and far.

As I went to the grocery store to restock on the pantry items that I would need to have on hand when I make this meal again, I talked to the lady in line behind me about the meal and she left the line to go buy the ingredients.  The checkout lady overheard our conversation and inquired about the meal so I shared the recipe with her too.  When I think about it, it is really funny!

Once I find something that is special I feel this overwhelming urge to tell everyone about it.  I don’t want people to miss out on good things!  It’s just how I am wired.  I guess I am a marketing managers dream. If word of mouth is the best form of advertisement then my mouth is making them big bucks.

I realize that my mom has this tendency as well and my son seems to be catching on to the spirit.  We really don’t want people to miss out on a good thing…whether a recipe, a restaurant, a big sale, a good vacation spot, a service or organization...

So in that spirit let me share a few recent things you don’t want to miss:

1)    The Marine Corps Marathon- This huge 26.2 mile trek through the heart of our nation’s capital is the place to be on October 30th.  All the cool people will be there! ;-) By registering with Team IOH you can not only participate in this awesome event but you can also raise the money necessary for a family to attend one of out Legacy Retreats.  There is a greater purpose than 26.2 miles!!!  It is HUGE!! I’ll be writing a whole blog about this one soon!!!

2)    Have you heard this song.  It has a fun beat and a sweet message.  Put it on your ipod and rock out while you train for the marathon. ;-)

3)    If you are ever in St. Augustine, Florida you can eat the best fried seafood you have ever had in your life at Osteen’s Restaurant.  It is mouth-watering, super scrumptious, out of this world food!!!! It’s worth a drive from anywhere. ;-)

4)    Try this recipe (super easy and mentioned above)
Angel Chicken Pasta
Serves 6
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¼ cup butter
1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian style salad dressing mix
½ cup white wine
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 (4 oz) package cream cheese with chives
1 pound angel hair pasta
Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Add wine and mushroom soup. Mix in cream cheese and stir until smooth. Heat thoroughly but do not bring to a boil. Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 dish. Pour sauce over the chicken. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

5) Did you know on your iPhone when you use the "map" application, you can click on the lower right button and choose "show traffic" from the menu to see accurate up-to-date traffic on all major highways.  It's amazing!  Green for smooth sailing, yellow for slow, and red for bumper-to-bumper.  Check it out!

Well, those are my most recent tell-everyone-you-know tid bits.  I'm quite sure there will be more and you will be reading about them. But for now go sign up for a marathon, get yourself a good song to train with, make some yummy pasta, take a trip to St. Augustine when your route is all green on your iPhone map! ;-)

By the way, when you're telling all your friends about great things, don't forget to mention Inheritance of Hope and send them to our website www.inheritanceofhope.org!