Little Letters

Dear rockstar husband,
     Monday morning I came home from work to clean folded clothes on my dresser. This made me feel so loved. I nominate you to be the official folder of laundry in our home. :)

Dear Mom,
     I loved cheering for the 3-day walkers with you last weekend almost as much as I loved walking it with you two years ago. You are such a great encourager, and handing out those little oranges was brilliant! I love that we will always share that experience.

{2011 walking and 2013 cheering}

Dear Baker,
     You've been so good trying not to bark at the neighbor dogs. I just think you're the cutest and such a sweet little snuggle puppy. You're so silly though - you're attached to me at the hip all day until bedtime when you go sleep on the couch. I wish you could tell me your little thoughts!

Dear backyard,
     You still scare Emma, as evidenced by her running quickly back inside after she goes potty. But I think you are growing on my pups. Thank you for your convenience, your freshness, and your beautiful view.

Dear sweet growing baby,
     You are 19 weeks! I'm told you are the size of an heirloom tomato this week. Last week you were a sweet potato... I hope you aren't shrinking. :) I can't wait to feel your little somersaults and kicks. You are my little treasure!

Dear Emma,
     You turned five this weekend! You are my kindred spirit puppy and I love you SO much. Thanks for rescuing us, bearsie.

Dear sister,
     You came over at 7am for breakfast after I texted you a good deal earlier than that. Then after breakfast we went to Target and McDonalds. Thanks for being awake so early and always being my hangout buddy. I love our sister dates!

Dear Jesus,
     During this month of thankfulness, I can't help but be overwhelmed with the fact that you are the reason for thankfulness. Thank you for your faithfulness, your grace, your love, and your truth. You are the reason for my joy.

Dear marshmallow fireside candle and hot chocolate with marshmallows,
     You two have made me such a happy girl over the last few days. Can this season never end so we can continue our little morning tradition together?

Dear J,
     Last week you smiled when I pulled our bright orange new brita pitcher from the frig and explained why orange was the best option for us. Last night you scooped me up for a picture in the kitchen after picking me up for our dinner date. Today you texted me to make sure I ordered my snuggle pregnancy pillow so I can {try to} be comfortable when I wake up again. Have I told you how much I love you?

3-Day for the Cure: Day Two

Day Two began at about 5:00AM when Mom and I began to try to get ready. 

Come to find out, it's pretty challenging to do all the prep necessary in a little tent.

Our goal was to leave at 7 with our team for the route.

For some reason, it took us longer than ever to get ready.

At 7:27, we rushed out of our tents to the sound of blowhorns and a lady driving a golfcart yelling 

"3 MINUTES TO GET ON THE ROUTE OR YOU WILL BE BUSSED TO LUNCH!!!!!"

Needless to say, our poor feet ran us to the beginning of the route and we started at the back of the line.

But hey... we made it and didn't get bussed once!

Despite a crazy morning, it was a wonderful day and

a truly beautiful morning on the bay.

There were typically long lines to take pictures in these little booths, but we caught this one!

Just a few more of our police friends. They really showed themselves to be awesome today.

What quickly became our favorite snack: half bagels with peanut butter!

The 3-day national spokeswoman and our newest hero, Dr. Sheri Phillips!!

After hiking up Narragansett in Point Loma, it was so fun to watch SDPD toilet paper the paramedic girls' ambulance in the rain. They went back and forth all three days :)

But what really made our day was SJPD dancing around us with their radio in the bathroom lines at one of the pit stops. We couldn't stop laughing!

I love Point Loma!!

Ocean Beach!

Greatest surprise: J popped out from behind some random bushes and surprised us on the walk, then walked for a bit with us! Thanks for finding me, honey.

Flowers from a sweet lady after lunch. gerbera daisies = my favorite!

FREE ice cream cones for 3-day walkers from Golden Spoon?!?!? h.e.a.v.e.n.

Steve, Carly, Steve's mom Ellen, and Sammy came to visit us on the Boardwalk in the afternoon. So encouraging to see familiar faces! If only we weren't at the BACK of the line... we coulda visited longer. Unfortunately, the pit stop was closed before we got there, so we had to race to catch up. [how this happened, we still don't know]

Carly speed walked with us for a little bit. We love her!!

Another reminder of God's amazing goodness and creativity: sunset over the Bay

Back at camp: 40 miles down!! Just 20 to go!!

Camp that night was full of laughs with mom. I'm so thankful to have been able to share this experience with her. It wouldn't have been the same without her.

Stay tuned... day three and the big finale!!

3-Day for the Cure: Day One

For months we prepared. 

Mentally. Physically. Monetarily. Emotionally. Spiritually. Relationally.

And finally, the day was here. 

Friday, November 18, 2011.

How best to explain the 3-day?

In pictures... 

with a few words scattered throughout [because, really, you have to hear a few stories!]

[disclaimer: most of these pictures were taken while we were actively walking... 

therefore, these are not my best work. 

and yet, i feel they still capture the essence of the experience :)]

Checking in and dropping off our bags at 5:30am Friday. Thank you Steve for taking us so early in the morning!! They were so organized and we had a letter-number combo on our little tags that told us where to put our luggage and where our tent would be later that day.

 We're here!

 Our motto.

 My buddy and me at the opening ceremony. We're really gonna do this!!

 Part of the opening ceremony... the survivor circle.

The flag in the middle has the names of those who have passed that are close to the 2011 walkers.

Both Mom and I wrote names on there.

 And we're off.... AHHHHHH!!!!

 3 miles in... pit stop one in Del Mar. That wasn't so bad!

 Around mile 5... our first official police friend. The police ROCKED.

 Leaving pit stop 2 and headed up Torrey Pines... about mile 6.

 Mom's best friend Saranne tracked us down around mile 10 and was our first personal cheerleader! 

It was so encouraging to see a familiar face and meant so much to have her there.

 Mile 12... lunch at La Jolla Shores! Lunch was fun. :)

Although, Mom and I had this thing where we would get to the stops and there would be tons of people... and by the time we were ready to go everyone had already left. This was the case at lunch. The rest of day one was a bit of playing catch-the-group and so 

 La Jolla in the afternoon. God continually reminded me of His faithfulness.

 From La Jolla to Bird Rock to Pacific Beach...

Just a few of the vehicles from the incredible team of police, fire rescue, bikers, and others who volunteered their time throughout the entire walk. From here, it was just a walking path to camp.

 Heading all the way down Mission Bay to Crown Point - the last miles of the day.

What a truly beautiful city to walk through.

[notice how few walkers there are compared to earlier? we sorta ended up close to the end... unintentionally...]

 We made it to camp! 

Day one [officially 21.5 miles]: complete!

 We got to camp right as the route was about to close (5:15pm), so it was dark. 

[most others had been at camp for a couple hours and were all settled in already]

We still had to get our tent, find our tent site, set up our tent, shower, eat dinner, change/unpack and get set up, and get to the evening entertainment... in one hour.

Therefore we didn't take many pictures.

However, praise God for the YMCA kids who volunteered to set up our tent for us!!!

 Finally showered, fed, and a bit more settled for the evening.

My twin/best pal/mom and me in our matching jammies.

[btw... we totally didn't need the scarves... but we brought them, so we wanted to wear them]

After the mishap of the air mattress [aka Jordanna pumped it up, pump died, Jordanna plugged air plug while we charged pump, came back to find the plug had come off and Jordanna had deflated the whole thing by laying across it before realizing such. battery lasted 5 min more... we needed 25 minutes. therefore: night one -- deflated air mattress]

[to take it further... this is happening at about 9-9:30pm... everyone around us is sound asleep. We quickly learned we could be playing catch up for a bit ... so is life for us! this is not complaining though... just to try to give you a glimpse of the day in our eyes. We had a great day!]

And then it was off to sleep for a sound solid 8 hours...

did I say that?

I meant,

an hour on the rough ground... tossing... turning... an hour here... what time is it, not time yet...

Nevertheless, it was a night to remember. In the best way possible. :-)

Only 40 miles to go...

A thankful heart: My Bed

After walking sixty miles over the course of three days

with a 6.5' x 6.5' tent for mom and I to sleep in together

on the cold hard ground of Crown Point,

it really was amazing to come home and climb into my bed.

My soft, cozy, warm, blanket and padding filled bed.

{this is not to say the tent was bad... 

it was most definitely part of the experience,

and so incredibly worth it}

I have fallen asleep so fast the last two nights and slept the night through 

{minus my sweet Emma girl's nose nudging me at 3:30am ;)}

with my J by my side.

I don't know if I've ever been more thankful for my own bed.

Lord, thank you for a warm place to sleep at night.

Bless those who are not as fortunate as I am.

Thank you for a tangible reminder of your protection, provision, and enveloping love.

May I never grow tired of saying thank you.

3-Day for the Cure: Preview

This past weekend, my mom and I walked the 

Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure in San Diego.

I signed up back in March,

aware that this would challenge me in every way

and change my life,

but unaware of the depth and details of that change and challenge.

$2300 raised...

over 100 miles trained (I sorta lost exact count)...

and the grand finale...

60 miles in 3 days.

We completed the walk last night.

I am still a bit in awe of the whole thing,

so for now, 

just a glimpse of a piece of the experience.

at the opening ceremony, friday november 18th, 6:30am

A thankful heart: New Discoveries

This morning, Mom and I mapped our own 15 {turned 16} mile walk

through Old Town, Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Balboa Park, and Banker's Hill

{by the way, mapping a 15 mile walk is not as easy as it sounds}.

I am loving our weekend walks

because they are filled with new discoveries.

Discovering more about each other.

Discovering new eateries, coffee houses, and neighborhoods.

Discovering new friends and stories.

Discovering how our bodies react to walking and carrying so much.

Just today, I discovered:

Mission Hills is a darn cute little neighborhood,

Hillcrest and 1st through 6th avenues are actually delightful to walk through,

there is a coffee bean on washington {hello favorite!},

a new {becoming not-so-new} friend who joined us for the second half of the walk

 {mom and me with our new friend, Leti at espresso mio}

there is a real town called Rio in Brazil... not just in the movie,

mom is really good at braiding her hair without a mirror,

the living room cafe has yummy breakfast burritos {#whoknew?},

I don't get such bad blisters when I walk a little slower and use second skin,

I will walk through any neighborhood I'm considering moving to in the future,

espresso mio is owned by one of the sweetest marathon-running ladies,

places that seem so far away are actually only a couple miles,

my cell phone battery only lasts 6 hours when i use the gps mileage tracker,

I love walking and talking with mom,

every home has special character

{the house mom fell in love with},

it's sometimes fun to wander off the beaten path for a picture or two,

and God is  e v e r y w h e r e .

I'm so thankful for new discoveries.


{ps: 13 DAYS until the big 3-day!!!}

A thankful heart: Thoughtfulness

When I checked the mail today,

I was so surprised to see a little package.

Snail mail makes me oh-so-e.x.c.i.t.e.d.

Inside was the most thoughtful little gift from my mother-in-law.

What a sweet surprise.

Thank you, K!!

It will be perfect for my 15 mile walk with mom in the morning!

And even more perfect for THE walk in less than TWO WEEKS!

Thoughtfulness is always such a special gift

no matter what form it comes in,

but an actual gift is one of the more rare forms.

I am so thankful for thoughtfulness!