HAL 9000's First Cousin

Well, two weeks ago I did something that I have always wanted to do, but never had the guts to do it. Skydive you say? What, are you nuts? No, this was not quite that reckless, but brave nonetheless.

I purchased all of the components down to that last wire, and built from scratch, a top of the line monster computer. Yep, that's right, all by myself. Now, if that does not sound too difficult for you, just stop reading now, for my shameless boastfulness will just be wasted on deaf ears.

I did a whole lot of research before I purchased a thing, and I mean a WHOLE lot. I am notorious for that, and it drives Lori up the wall. I can spend weeks reading reviews on products that I am interested in, before making my decision on what to purchase. I did the same this time, and it paid off. The new computer is super-stinking-COOL! Now before I dazzle you with pictures of the BEAST, let me tell you what is in it.

CoolerMaster HAF computer case
Cooler Master 1000W Real Pro power supply
MSI Eclipse Motherboard
12 GB of DDR3 Corsair Dominator 1600C8D memory (6) 2GB sticks
I7 940 @2.93ghz Quad Core processor
CoolerMaster V8 processor cooler
ASUS 4870x2 2GB Tri Fan Graphics Card
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10000RPM gaming hard drive
(2) LG CD/DVD R/RW sata drives
NZXT Sentry Dual Bay Digital Fan Controller
LG W2452 High Definition Monitor

It took me a couple of weeks to get the motherboard and the memory to start being nice to each other. I had to flash a new bios, and adjust some of the voltages and the timings, but now she is purring like a kitten. Without further adieu, I present THE BEAST.


Lori thinks it looks like it belongs on the set of a STAR WARS movie. I'm just thankful she agreed to let me build it. It's amazing what a bit of groveling can accomplish.

William

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Tis the season to be jolly, and so on and so forth. This message has never been more clear, as these last two weeks have been choc full of wondrous merriment, and boundless joy. With Aidan out of school, and seeing family, I have been way too busy to blog. I hope to make up for lost time tonight, and hopefully get back on track afterwards. I hope you enjoy a brief synopsis of our Holidays.

After celebrating my birthday, we had a couple of days to finish all of our shopping and prepare for another grand Christmas. Christmas this year was done a bit different. Normally we are here in town for Christmas, and travel to see family afterwards. This year we decided to spend Christmas in Temple with my mother (Grandma) and my brother (Uncle Jim). Lori's parents came into town on the 19th, so we decided to have an early Christmas here, and leave for Temple on the 24th.

Our pseudo Christmas morning (the 23rd) started out bright and early. I guess that anyone who has ever been a kid understands the reason behind that. Aidan was up bright and early, and woke us up to make sure we did not miss opening gifts. Although Christopher is still to young to really understand what's going on, he had no problem with the concept of ripping/tearing off wrapping paper. Here he is just after opening his MEGA BLOCKS dump truck.


Aidan understands fully what it means to open gifts, and he just might be the Mozart of gift opening. He is a blur. Monkeyboy had a really good year, and we could not have been more proud of his accomplishments in sports and the classroom. Because of this, he got an extra special gift this year from his mom and dad, and he was ecstatic after opening it. Here he is just after opening his XBOX 360.Yes, we have created a videohead monster.

We spent the majority of the morning cleaning up the wrapping paper devastation and playing with our new gadgets. It is always so much fun to see the utter joy on the children's faces when they get presents. After we finished our pseudo Christmas at our house, it was time to do our second Pseudo Christmas at Nana and PawPaw's house. Cricket, Wyatt and Jackson meet us over there, and we all tore into our gifts with verve and gusto. We all got some really fabulous gifts, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Here is a picture of Nana and PawPaw Claus.

Christopher wanted in on the Santa hat festivities so I snapped a picture of him in Nana's lap.


After we left Nana and PawPaw's house about 9:00pm, we decided to pack the CX-9 up and leave for Grandma's late that evening. We figured we could miss all of the Christmas eve traffic. We did miss the traffic, but let me tell you, with everyone in the vehicle asleep except for me, driving at 2:30 am was really tough. I was one tired puppy by the time we got to Grandma's house. We all went straight to sleep and looked forward to our visit.

We spent Christmas eve visiting and playing. We had a lot of fun with Grandma, and even got to visit with Uncle Jim a bit after he got off work. We all got to bed at a decent hour, knowing that the two monkeys would be up bright and early.

Jim arrived about 7:00am on Christmas morning, and wouldn't you know it, Santa was able to find both the boys and left them some pretty cool gifts. Christopher loved the Police Car that Santa left for him,

and Aidan loved the Kick and Go Scooter that Santa left for him. After playing with their Santa gifts for a minute, Aidan and Christopher were ready their presents from Grandma and Jim.

The first order of business for Aidan was to open the enormous box with his name on it. I knew at the time that Grandma had purchased a Gaming Chair for Aidan and had it shipped to her house. She wrapped the box after it arrived, and placed it next to the tree. I got the camera at the ready to record his reaction. Here he is just before opening it.


Boy o boy, here we go.....and just like that the paper started flying. As soon as he opened the box, his expression went from jubilation to confusion in a half a second. I too was perplexed until I stood up and saw what he was looking at. The geniuses at Amazon decided to ship him a HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL STUDIO DOLL HOUSE instead of his chair. He did not know how to react. As soon as I saw it, I told him about the mistake, and told him we would get it corrected. Needless to say, he was a bit disappointed. That disappointment lasted just as long as it took him to open his next present. He got a really cool LEGO helicopter from Uncle Jim, who was also insane nice enough to help him put it together. Here is Uncle Jim with the masterpiece they created.


Christopher of course loved all of his toys. He had so many, he barely knew what to do. Here he is playing with a couple of them.


The rest of the visit consisted of visiting, playing, eating, and having a great time. We stayed until the afternoon of the 26th, and then headed home. I took a couple of pictures before we left that turned out pretty good. Here is Lori and the boys sitting on the swing at Grandma's house.


Here is one of Grandma and the boys.


We had a great visit, and it was great having Christmas again in the house where I grew up.

We spent the next couple of days relaxing in town, visiting with Nana and Pawpaw and Cricket and the boys. The boys spent a whole lot of time showing off their gifts, accompanied by an inordinate amount of screaming. Boys will be boys.

The 29th rolled around, and with it came Cricket's birthday. Oh yeah, another reason to eat some more cake! We went to a very nice restaurant for dinner, and topped it off with cake and ice cream. Yummy. Here is a picture of Christopher wishing Cricket a happy birthday.


Lori's parents left on the morning of the 31st, and our good friends from Houston came in late that afternoon. It has been a while since they have been here, and we were really looking forward to their visit. It was wonderful spending a couple of days with them, and like always time flew by too quickly. Here is a picture of Ken and Hailey just before midnight.


I could not think of better friends to ring in the new year with. Aidan even stayed up until midnight for the festivities. We spent much of the night playing poker. Let me tell you, Aidan is a card shark. You might think I am kidding, but he put a hurting on me and Ken during a long session of 5 card draw. The kid is a natural. Here he is showing his poker face.


Saturday came too quickly, and we had to say goodbye to our good friends. We had a blast while they were here. I snapped a couple of pictures just before they left. Here is their beautiful daughter Carley striking a pose for me.


She is such a cutie. Here is one last photo of Ken and Hailey and Carley, joined by our two monkeys.


Good times.....good times.

Well, believe it our not, that was a brief synopsis of the last two weeks. Believe me when I tell you that you don't want all the details. You would be reading for hours. In a nutshell this is it.......We have a wonderful extended family, and fantastic friends. God has truly blessed us.

Thanks everyone for a fun filled holiday.

William

Ticking Away

I have always heard that age is just a number, each year being just another dot on the timeline of life. I guess that's true, but once you turn a certain age, those years seem to arrive with increased frequency. I know, I know, that's really not possible and every year hast the same number of days +/- 1, but once you are above the age of let's say......35, a strange phenomenon starts occurring. Days start passing like hours, weeks like days, months like weeks, and years are gone in a flash. You have no choice but to surrender to the power of the Aging Vortex. I like to call it Time's Nasty Little Secret.

Well, time's nasty little secret caught up with me again yesterday, as I "celebrated" my 43rd birthday. Man, where did 2008 go? How could it already be my birthday? Do I feel a year older? Do I look a year older? (Don't answer that) I mean really, it feels like I just blew out the candles on last year's "celebration" just the other day.

I made the most of the "festive" occasion, and "celebrated" most of the day with Lori and the boys, Cricket, and Nana. I of course made out like a bandit, and as always I got way more than I deserved. I feasted like a King, and had plenty of royal entertainment with court jesters' Aidan and Christopher there to make me smile. We topped off a wonderful BBQ dinner with my birthday cupcakes. Ohhhh boooyyyyy they were fancy and delicious! Here is a photo of the cupcakes before they met their destiny.


Yummy!

Thanks everyone for making another birthday very special, and keeping me eternally young.

William

Well It's One for the Money...Two for the Show...

Two marathons started, two marathons completed. Whooo Hooo!!!!!! Let's give Lori a big round of applause for her accomplishment. We are all very proud of her. We are also very proud of Cricket. Despite hurting her knee during the 1/2 marathon she was running, she stuck it out like a real trooper and finished the race. I believe courage, and lunacy err....I mean determination run in the family. Everybody had a great time, and like I said in my last post, I was there with camera in hand to record all the seat gripping action. So, in sticking with the theme of this blog.......ON YOUR MARK.......GET SET.............GO.

Have you ever noticed, that no matter how far in advance you make travel plans, the last couple of hours before you leave are still complete pandemonium? It never fails. There must be some kind of law that states that very thing. Heck, I've seen less chaos at European soccer matches than what's happening at our house 1 hour before leaving on a trip. Throw a 16 month old baby in the mix, and the Stress Meter is pegged at Defcon 5. Of course Friday was no exception to that rule, and the morning was spent doing all the things that should have been done last week, and sweating bullets about being ready on time. We finally did get everything in an acceptable state, and left to pick up Aidan from school at 2:00pm.

After we picked up Aidan, we made really good time getting to the airport and parking our car. Once at the airport and out of the car, the "making good time" ceased to exist, and the Stress Meter once again peaked at Defcon 5. You know, there are very few things in life that I would be willing to take a beating for instead of doing them, but right there at the top of the list is...going through airport security and flying on a plane with a very excited 6 year old, and a VERY LOUD 16 month old. It's pretty bad when you find yourself repeating the phrase "please let it be over soon" quietly to yourself over and over. In all honesty, I guess the trip there could have been worse. Aidan occupied himself most of the way playing his PSP, and he was actually pretty quiet. Christopher on the other hand, occupied himself for the first 15 minutes by trying to see if he could get louder than the two jet engines to either side of us. It was quite the competition with no real winner. He fell asleep shortly after that to a thundering round of applause. Ok, not really, but I am sure that most of the people in the direct vicinity were secretly high five'in each other.

We landed in Memphis about 5:30pm. and Nana was there to meet us. After picking up our rental car, we were all on our way to the hotel about 30 minutes after we landed. Once we got to the hotel and unpacked, we made a bee line for Romano's Macaroni Grill. Lori and Cricket needed to carb load for the race, so pasta was in order. I on the other hand, I did not need to carb load, but you know what they say....."when in Rome".

After dinner we drove back to the hotel, and waddled to our rooms. We tried to get to sleep fairly early because we knew that the 5:00am. wake up call would be brutal. It was, but only because Christopher decided for the very first time in his life, to suffer from gas. It keep him up much of the night, and in turn did the same for us. Uhhhhh.....note to self.....pack gas drops for any future trips. As bad as it was for me, it was much worse for Lori. You see, as it turns out, running 26.2 miles is hard on a full night's rest, much less 3+ hours of sleep. I bet she'll remember those drops next time.

We called Cricket to wake her up, and not only was she feeling wonderful about the early hour, she was also stoked about the 27 degree temperature outside. I believe the first word I remember her saying was "coffee", although it could have been "killme" considering what was in store for the morning. The idea of running 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles at 8:00am in 27 degree weather just doesn't sound very appealing when you type it. Actually, come to think of it, it doesn't sound very appealing to me when you say it either.

After getting dressed and having a little breakfast, we set out on our journey. Just before we left the hotel, I snapped this picture of Lori and Cricket channeling their inner Elvi for strength.


Once we got in the car, I was told in no uncertain terms, that my first order of business was to find the nearest Starbucks. Coffee was on the agenda....well at that moment.....coffee was the agenda, and as far as my well being was concerned...priority one. We went through the drive through, purchased their fix, and with Lori and Cricket in Java Heaven, we quickly made our way downtown.

We found a garage to park in that was about 4 blocks from the starting line. I snapped this photo right after we got out of the car.


Just look at those 27 degree cheery dispositions. Ahhhhhhh.....just smell that crisp morning air. We made our way to the start of the race, and actually had about an hour to spare. So, what do you do when you have that much time before the race? Do you take that time to stretch? Do you take that time to warm up? Do you take that time to go over your race strategy? An uneducated marathoner like me might think so, but noooooooooo, that would be wrong. The first order of business is to find the warm Starbucks around the corner and go relieve the cold, and the first cup of coffee that was consumed on the way over. For some reason, Cricket and Lori preferred the warm Starbuck's bathroom over the frozen port-o-potties outside. While the girls took care of business, Aidan and I got a big cup of hot chocolate. Here is a picture of Aidan at Starbucks enjoying the heat.


The race was done in a staggered start, with 2 minute intervals between groups. Lori and Cricket were in the 5th group, and they did actually stretch and warm up a bit once we got to the starting area. Here they are at their starting area.


We had 2 minutes before her start time, so we snapped on last family photo.


She joined the other masochist in the street, and gave me one last smile.


You could tell that she was actually enjoying herself, and it was great to see her so comfortable. She definitely learned from her last marathon. The gun sounded, one last "goodluck" was yelled, and she and Cricket slowly faded into the sea of people.

Aidan and I made our way back to the car, and headed back to the hotel. Wyatt and Jackson and Christopher had stayed behind at the hotel with Nana. We got back to the hotel about 9:00am and I'm not sure who had it worse.....us in the 27 degree weather, or Nana with 3 boys to take care of. Although she said that Christopher had been a little angel while we were gone, I'm pretty sure she was happy to have some help.

We stayed around the hotel for a little over an hour, and then we got in our vehicles and headed back to downtown. Cricket was going to be the first to finish, and we wanted to make sure we got there before she crossed the finish line. We found a place to park, and made our way to the Memphis Cardinals Baseball Stadium. The finish line for the 1/2 marathon and the full marathon were both set up inside the stadium. After fighting our way through the crowd, we finally found a place to sit/stand the watch for any signs of our first family finisher. About 20 minutes after we got there, I noticed Cricket entering the field and I made my way over to snap a picture of her finish.


I was very lucky that it came out clear. Most things that are moving that fast usually come out blurry. (embellished a bit) Congratulations Cricket on your 1/2 marathon, we are all very proud of you.


Instead of going back to the hotel, we decided to stay for the next 1 1/2 hours and wait for Lori to finish. That 1 1/2 hours seem to last forever. It probably had something to do with having to watch and referee Wyatt and Aidan during that time. I am not exaggerating when I say that those two together can take years off your life. They are a handful. Christopher did OK, but he started getting tired at the end. We all waited with eager anticipation for Lori to round the corner and come into view.

Seeing all of the participants cross the finish line with both pain and joy expressed on their faces is quite something to behold. It takes so much training and determination to run 26.2 miles, and strength beyond words to fight through all of the pain. Watching them finish, and seeing that rush of emotion flow from their bodies as they cross that line is really extraordinary. You can't help but tear up as you see a father pushing his Cerebral Palsy inflicted son's wheel chair across the finish line as the sound of a huge ovation fills the air. You can't avoid filling up with pride as one stranger helps another stagger into the stadium as they use sheer will to shuffle their feet the last few yards. Magical.

It was now Lori's turn to make that final turn into the stadium, and as soon as her hot pink jacket came into view, we all cheered her to the finish. Here she is crossing the finish line.


Her official time was 4:09:46 and she placed 965 out of 3000 entries. She was able to knock off almost a full minute per mile from her first marathon. Here she is after the race, wondering how in the world she was going to make it to the top of the bleachers to get out of the stadium.


That flight of stairs, at that moment, looked like a huge mountain. She was hurting, and had suffered sever leg cramps about the 22nd mile. She paused only for a moment to catch her breath, and then she made the slow arduous climb. I of course was standing at the top, waiting to give my beautiful wife a big hug and let her know how proud I was of her.

The remainder of the trip was pretty low key. Lori and Cricket both soaked in hot baths to work the soreness out of their muscles. They were both moving pretty well by the time we left on Sunday. We ate at Chilis on Saturday night, and we toasted their victories with a delicious margarita. The plane ride back was suprisingly uneventful, and I was thankful.

Lori, Dianne (Nana), and Cricket together raised almost $2400.00 for the children of St. Jude's Hospital. It's a wonderful cause, and they all deserve our gratitude for their efforts. Their selflessness and compassion is a testament to their being. They are good people and I am proud to be part of their family.


Congratulations!

William

Bring Me My Chariot of Fire

Well, here it is Friday morning, the day before the big race. Yep, that's right, Lori once again will be diving head first into the masochist's pool by competing in her second marathon. 26.2 miles is now merely a small wind sprint for this seasoned veteran. Well......that might be a "bit" of an exaggeration, but I will say that she has trained hard for this marathon, and we are very proud of her. Her competitive fires are burning bright.

Of course the boys and I, Cricket and her boys, and Nana will be there to cheer her on. We will also be cheering on Cricket, who will be participating in her second 1/2 marathon. Both need a big round of applause, not only for the dedication, but for their fund raising effort. So far, together they have raised a little over $2300.00 between them for St. Judes Hospital.

We are scheduled to fly out today at 4:25pm. It is supposed to be in the 20's - 40's while we are there, so I am sure that we will be freezing our bottoms off while we are waiting for our speed demons to finish. It will all be well worth it when we see their faces as they cross the finish line.

I will have my camera at the ready, and I am sure that I will have glorious tales to share upon our return. I will leave you with that, and I am sure most of you are sitting at the edges of your seats, ripe with anticipation.

William

PS. If you would like to donate to the St Jude cause, the link to Lori's donation page is in the right hand column on this page. Thank you for everything.

My Magic Shoes

My magic shoes are not of the red glittery variety, but rather they are a little worn and now a little soggy. They are blue and silver shoes that are lighter than air. They beckon me to put them on and take them for a spin. They promise to take me to new heights and new places. They are my running shoes and just like when I was six years old they make me feel like I can run faster and that I am stronger when I wear them. I know it may sound a little silly especially if you have never experienced the feeling.

When I run in my shoes I am free, liberated from everything except the wind, the rain, and the sound of my soles striking the pavement. I am light and can fly through the air, no matter the pumpkin pie that I ate yesterday. Guilt runs are great though!

I think that today I actually became part Labrador Retrevier, as Mystic and I were running in sync, exhilirated by every falling drop of rain just happy to be alive and part of the world around us. She of course was more interested in running after birds. I however, did not share that desire but that is not the point. We were two free spirits, woman and dog together.

On such a day when people feel the regret of overeating yesterday and participate in crazy shopping sprees, keep it simple. Take out your magic shoes and go for a spin. Your shoes will tell you that you are fast and lighter than air. It is okay to listen to them and feel like you did when you were six. Besides the endorphins are a great bonus and help to create crazy blogs about magic shoes. Happy running.

Lori

Over The River and Through the Woods.....

Last weekend we had to opportunity to drive down to Grandma's house. With both baseball and soccer seasons seeming to last forever, it's been a really long time since we made the journey to Temple. Too long in fact, and we could not have asked for a better time for Aidan's sports seasons to come to a close. You see last weekend was extra special, for Sunday was Grandma's birthday, and we were lucky enough to be able to spend it with her. Speaking of the end to Aidan's sports season, here is a picture of Aidan's new trophies. He certainly earned them.

We left for Temple on Friday evening about 7:30pm. Since we had planned on leaving about 6:30pm, I would say that we were right on schedule. Oh by the way, that would be "our usual schedule", and not "normal people schedule". While Aidan and Lori and Christopher made sure that the backs of their eyelids were not going anywhere, I was lucky enough to get behind a passenger bus that was obviously being driven by Keanu Reeves. By staying on that buses tail most of the way, we made fantastic time. We pulled into Grandma's driveway a few minutes before 10:00pm with everybody well rested......ummm....well....almost everybody....Grrrrrrr.

When we arrived, we were pleased to find that Grandma was still awake. We stayed up for a few minutes and visited, and finally got the kiddos off to bed about 10:30pm. Grandma went to bed right after that, and Lori and I made it about 1 more hour before we were also greeted by the Sandman.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning (as one does when there are 6 year olds and 15 month olds in the house), and started enjoying Grandma's hospitality. It's always great returning to the house that I grew up in. Although I have not lived full time in that house in over 20 years, it's still as comfortable as ever, and the familiarity is refreshing. Aidan and Christopher did not waste time hitting up the huge backyard. Each time we are down, a good majority of the day is spent in Grandma's huge backyard. Oh how we wish we had something like this to play in at our house. You could fit 5 of our backyards into 1 of Grandmas. Before Christopher headed outside, I was able to snap a picture of he an Grandma.

After getting outside, it did not take Aidan very long to figure out how to use the new POGO SWING.


It looked like a lot of fun, and you could see the gears churning inside Christopher's head, wondering how he was going to get his turn. In due time buddy, in due time. A brief game of soccer followed,


until Christopher decided that picking up the ball was much easier than kicking it with his little stubby legs. As I tried to explain to him the rules, he just turns and give me the "what Dad?" look.


Christopher finally decided to take a rest, and frolic in the leaves a bit. This gave me a great opportunity to capture a fantastic photo of him. Isn't he just the cutest little monkey you've ever seen?


Uncle Jim was able to stop by the house on Saturday morning before going in to work, and we all enjoyed his brief visit. Hopefully next time we will hit a weekend when he is off and will get a bit more time to visit. Saturday seemed to go by really fast. That tends to happen when you are having so much fun.....just ask Christopher. (Click on Movie)



Aidan and I both got a real kick out of taking Grandma's convertible for a spin, as we both sported huge grins on our face the entire ride. After we got home, we had a great home cooked meal, and finally got a very tired Christopher to bed about 7:30pm on Saturday night. The rest of us sat down and watched NATIONAL TREASURE TWO: BOOK OF SECRETS. It's one of those turn your brain off at the door and enjoy the ride movies, and we were all entertained.

Sunday morning we woke early and wished Grandma a very happy birthday. She prepared a wonderful lunch for us, and Lori made a beautiful flower arrangement.


After a great lunch, we saved room for the birthday cupcakes that Lori made. Here is a picture of Grandma blowing out the candles. (Please take special notice of out oldest goofy monkey in the background)


We all had a really good time on a very short visit. Like always, the time went by too quickly. We loaded up the CX-9 about 2:00pm, said our goodbyes, and got back home about 4:45pm. Like a said, a very brief visit.

I want to thank Grandma for her wonderful hospitality, and again.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY and I love you.


William

Courage, Hope, & Inspiration: A Pink Trail of Tears

I had a rare opportunity this past weekend to witness a journey for many that symbolized so many different things for each involved and offered many views of the human spirit. I was a member of the medical crew for the Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk in Dallas this past weekend. The walkers of the 3 Day, walk 20 miles each day for 3 days to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.

Estella, Shellye, Me, & Amy

My journey began at 5 AM on Friday at Southfork Ranch, as one of 5 friends supporting our inspiration and good friend Shellye. Shellye, oh by the way, is now a breast cancer survivor of over one and a half years. :)! We were all a little sleepy and a little excited by what lay ahead for the day, as we watched the incredible sea of pink and eccentricities roll in to walk and support all of the 3500 walkers. How awesome and inspiring it was to see so many family and friends walking together with signs of support for those that were survivors, in active treatment, or to remember those that had been lost to breast cancer. I saw women walking that were obviously in active treatment, and those that each step they took appeared to be a great effort but they kept going with all the determination they could muster in hope that each one of them was making a difference. Families pushed wheelchairs so that they could support their loved one when they got tired. It was an emotional and wonderful moment surrounded by crazy hats, pink bouffant hair, men in bras (which was a little disturbing), and lots and lots of furry boas. It was going to be an interesting experience indeed!


My friends and I ended up going in different directions as they were set up for various pit stops among the route and I was headed for main camp. I talked to several women on the bus that shared their experiences with me and we discussed the general lack of education that is given to patients with breast cancer. Many patients are given books or reading material but not actually educated on treatment options and potential side effects from the chemo and radiation treatments. We also talked about how so much is unknown for the cure for breast cancer and I was starting to feel a little unsettled.

Did you know that without family history that women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer? Kind of scary especially if you thought you were fairly safe. Anyway, I will keep going with the story.

At Main Camp all of our group set up our MASH unit for medical, chiropractic, and sports medicine services and began to assemble many of the pink tents ( 2 person) for the walkers and staff. Holy pink tents batman! The crazy tent decorating comes later including camouflage for some, really cool Christmas lights, blow up doll, UFO's, and virtually anything else imaginable. Of course mine and Estellas's tent had the super cool battery operated Christmas lights!


The first walkers came in to camp for the day with early blisters; strained knees, hips, and backs; and a few other less urgent complaints and life was good. Shellye, Estella, and Amy had been at one pit stops and only a fracture or two but nothing crazy. The night continued and we began having several women dropping from dehydration that required fluids, and some had to be sent out to hospitals.

Marco - The Water Boy- "If you don't drink your water you don't get in the shower!"

Day 2 started back at main camp with a rush of lots of crazy blisters, raw feet, sore knees and backs, airway issues, diarrhea and other assorted complaints. Virtually all of the walkers were determined to get back out there and walk their 20 miles for the day as a badge of courage no matter what the price. Some walkers had received medical red cards meaning that they could not participate for the days event because they were medically unsafe and they became quite emotional because of what the walk represented for them. When I really experienced that emotional roller coaster was when a group of us were brought to the 1st pit stop and a lady that was in active chemo with cancer that had spread to her belly, was red carded for dehydration. Although she was calm her family member that was with her just wept and said "she just needed to spend the night in a hotel and she would be well enough to walk". That was one of the same ladies I watched struggle as she walked through the starting gate and boy did it get to me inside. For so many of the walkers this walk was about having the courage to stand up and beat cancer and walk on. I continued to see more and more examples throughout the 3Day.

Amy and I arrived at Pit Stop 4 and started setting up. All of the neighbors were very excited that the walkers were coming through and one lady brought her trio of tiny little dogs (Okay I admit I own a Lab so yes they were tiny in comparison) to cheer and provide pet therapy for the walkers. The smallest dog, (I am uncertain as to the actual itty bitty breed) was actually named Komen and would perform a soprano-esque howl to cheer the walkers when coerced. Although many of the walkers felt like their feet were about to become detached from their body they would stop and laugh before trekking on. I met one lady that was in her late 60's early seventies that was having an incredible time with her hips and plantar fascitis but she refused to get on the bus, despite already completing 36 + miles as of day 2. She was a cancer survivor and she was not going to stop until she had finished the next 3.6 miles left for the day. There were so many people that I met that kept on going because although they were "just walking" those 60 miles represented so much more to them. I can't describe all that I saw but I was constantly reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the innate compassion that so many people possess as they encouraged and helped all of those around them.

Pit Stop 4 Medical Crew

The funniest walkers that Amy and I met were Carol and I think it was her daughter she called "wild thing". They had determined that they were the last walkers on the route that had not been picked up from the bus and they were taking pride in last place. Carol was really struggling with her knee with each step but they were laughing and having a good time. The walker in front of them was having issues with plantar fascitis and she stopped to stretch with her husband and "wild thing" informed her that they were going to be in last place so she had better move it and proceeded to squirt her with her water bottle. This of course made her laugh and allowed her to keep going a little longer. The girl once again stopped to stretch and wild thing said" I am on to you now. I can stop and stretch too. Now get moving!" Too funny. It kept everything light and helped to keep her going and they protected their title for last place for day 2.

Wild Thing & Carol with one of the Safety Crew members

The final day was more of a relief for many of the walkers as they were starting to see the finish ahead although there would still be red cards to hand out. The walk ended in celebration for all of those that walked bravely through it all, the 360 + crew that survived and became better people for the experience, and most of all to celebrate all of the survivors with the walkers and the crew. Over 7 million dollars was raised for breast cancer research for 2008 through the Komen Foundation. Many of these funds were raised by the 3-Day participants along with so many hearts and spirits raised to new heights and hope for a cure.

Some of the medical crew for the 3Day

We said goodbye to our new friends and told the walkers how proud we were of them. The DFW 3Day was now officially over. I was filled with hope and love for all of those around me along with the overwhelming urge to sleep, drink lots of fluids, eat a steak or something substantial, and rejoice over the indoor shower and flushable potty. And of course most of all I was excited to be back with William and my monkeys that I had missed dearly! But I know that I will be back next year as a crew member or as a walker to continue to support the fight to end breast cancer. I have seen the tears and the blisters and I am not afraid to stand with those that are still fighting, to make a difference for all of our friends and family members whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.


One last picture of the boys at closing ceremonies before the hypoglycemic crazies started setting in. Enjoy your family and friends.

Lori

Winds Of Change.....or Joe or Ralph or Steve....

Well it's been a while since I've written a long blog. No, I have not been suffering from writer's block or anything as profound as that, I've just been really busy. Today I have finally found time to sit down at the computer, and wax poetic. So here I go baby....waxing!

First I need to follow up on a promise from the last blog. Lori and Aidan did indeed attended the "Sock Hop" and both said it was really "cool". Yep, Lori was "Togged to the Bricks", and Aidan was one "Hep Cat", while dad stayed at home too "off the cob" to really fit in at such a happening place. (Look them up...I had to) Here is Aidan and Lori in all there 1950's glory.


October sped past in an instant, but not before inducing sugar highs and enamel lows on it's final day. Halloween is always so much fun when you have kids. Dressing up, scaring people, screaming, running around making a fool of yourself, and most importantly.......CANDY!....LOTS AND LOTS OF DELICIOUS, SUCCULENT, MOUTH WATERING CANDY. It's amazing how much candy a kid gets now days. When I was a child, you were pleased as punch when someone dropped one piece in your bag. Now, handfuls are handed out at a time. Those dirty rotten little monkeys made out like bandits. Speaking of dirty rotten little monkeys, here are a few pictures of ours in all their galactic glory.

I present Darth Monkeyboy.


The Dark Side.....The Neutral Side....and the Precious Side.


"But Aidan LUKE, I am...... your FATHER".....yours too Christopher.


Master "YODA" wielding his LightSucker like a true JEDI.


All in all, the evening went great. Christopher and Aidan got to trick-or-treat with their cousins, and afterward, we all went over to Nana's house to experience the Gruesome Haunted Garage that Cricket, Lori and NANA set up for the boys. After they were sufficiently scared out of their wits, they all sought refuge in their bags of candy.

Speaking of NANA, it sure was nice having her down for the week. Everybody enjoyed her visit, and like always it ended too soon. While she was here, she got to see Aidan play his soccer game and his Baseball game on Saturday, and Aidan sure enjoyed playing in front of his NANA. Goodtimes!

Last but not least, I want to say a little something about our little Rembrandt. Early this week we got an email from Aidan's school letting us know that his artwork was picked to be displayed at the School District's Administration Building. Only 15 students were chosen from his school. Only 3 students out of the 140+ in his grade were chosen. We are very proud of him. Here is the picture that he drew and painted, he calls it "Winds of Change" (Not really...I made that up...he actually wanted to give it a boy's name...oh well...what can you say, he's 6)



So, there you have it. All caught up for the moment. I will not be so lax with updates in the future.

William