Londons' Run 09'

London’s Run is only 1 week from tomorrow and I am very excited/nervous. I have been training for the ½ marathon and I am so ready to just run it already. Our family will be running 2 water stations so look out for them as you run by. If you haven’t signed up yet it is not too late. The 2 mile fun run/walk is sounding really great right about now. Even if you don’t run they have all the same activities going on like last year. Here is a list of the events:

Saturday Jan. 31, 2009
7:00 am — On site registration and packet pick-up.
8:00 am — 1/2 Marathon begins.
8:10 am — 10k Begins.
8:20 am — 2 mile fun run begins.
7:00 - 11:00 am — Silent Auction
7:30 - 10:30 am — Pancake breakfast (for purchase)
10:30 - 11:30 am — BBQ lunch (for purchase)
8:30 - 10:30 am — Kids Corner Activities (parents must supervise)• Rock Wall• Bouncy• Face Painting• Crafts• Toddler races• Mechanical Bull Riding (for purchase, parents must sign liability waiver for minors)
9:30 am — Awards Ceremonies.• 9:30 am — 2 mile run, top tree finishers only• 9:45 am — 10k• 10:00 am — 1/2 marathon to finishers, additional awards given as runners finish
8:00 - 12:00 pm — Blood Drive (see qualifications below)

This is such an amazing event and I am so grateful to all the organizers. I’m sure it is a TON of work and yet they do it every year. What awesome people!!!! I hope they raise a lot of money for the children’s hospital and the Merkley family. So come and run or eat or just hang out. It will be an incredible day!!!

www.Londonsrun.org

Andrea's Closet

In the very beginning when Troy was diagnosed with leukemia Andrea's Closet was something I had never heard of before. After his IV was put in at the hospital he was able to go into a room full of brand new toys and pick any one he wanted. Then came his first bone marrow aspiration and again he was able to pick out of the closet. This repetition continued with each new procedure and soon Troy looked forward to (in a way) getting poked because he knew he could pick a toy from the closet. Andrea’s Closet has made a HUGE impact on Troy and how he deals with getting poked all the time. He knows that if he gets a “beep”, as we call it, in his chest he gets to pick out of the closet. The moment he gets to pick out of the closet he forgets about the pain of the poke. I love, love, love Andrea’s Closet. On their website they say, “A toy is only a small gift, but it can go a long way to help a sick child get through a painful medical procedure. That's why Andrea's Closet was created. When children face frightening medical treatments, such as procedures to treat cancer, burns or other life threatening illnesses, Andrea's Closet brings them comfort and distraction from their pain by allowing them to choose a special gift from a toy-filled closet.” If anyone has 6 minutes to watch a video about Andrea’s Closet here is it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LRqO55Dk7g&eurl=http://www.andreascloset.org/&feature=player_embedded They say it so much better than I could.

So, this year for Christmas our two families decided to buy a whole bunch of toys for Andrea's Closet. This was such a great way for our family to help out and seeing the pile of toys grow was truly humbling. We continue to be blessed with the most amazing family we could ask for. Thanks to everyone for the toys and for thinking of this idea to help out other sick children.