Finding the Cure for Cancer

This Friday, September 12, my family will be walking as a team in Kansas City's Light the Night Walk for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The organization is close to my heart for several reasons. One, I worked there and know firsthand the good work they do. Not only do they raise money for research, trying to find a cure and put an end to blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma), but they also provide outstanding patient services at the local level to those living with blood cancers, including financial aid, support groups and educational programs.

The second reason I walk in Light the Night is that my grandpa died of leukemia 15 years ago, and sadly, the stats haven't changed much since then. Despite the good work that the Society has done, hundreds of thousands of people are still diagnosed with blood cancers every year. Treatment and understanding of the diseases have improved, but still, every 10 minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer.

Light the Night is a nationwide fundraising event that celebrates and commemorates lives touched by cancer. Participants walk along a 2-3 mile course while carrying illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold for teams walking in memory of a loved one.

My hope – and the hope of everyone who walks in Light the Night – is that someday, we will no longer have a reason for this event. If you’d like to join the fight against blood cancers, you can donate to my team here. Every dollar counts – so a BIG THANK YOU to anyone who can help!

Two Thumbs Up

Smart People – I never saw a promo for this movie in theater, but I saw a commercial for it being out on DVD. So when Smitty and I decided to rent a movie on Friday night, this was my choice. (She’d already seen Nim’s Island, and we agreed that for various reasons, What Happens in Vegas would be just too terrible to watch.)

Overall, it was good. There was some weirdness between an adult character and a child character that I could have done without. And it definitely took the slow and steady wins the race attitude. I wouldn’t quite say “plodding,” but fast-paced it was not. However, we laughed a lot during the movie, even though it focused on serious topics (a family of “smart people” trying to learn how to live again after losing their mother).

I will say that I worry a bit about Ellen Page. Her character in this movie was not much different, personality-wise, as her character in Juno. You all know how much I loved Juno, so that’s not a criticism. I just hope she doesn’t get stuck playing only one type of character. Have you all seen her in any other movies?

21 – I liked this one a lot. My husband had told me about this story a long time ago; apparently there’s a book about it and I think he saw something on ESPN. I wasn’t overly enthused about this; we were disappointed with Lucky You, another gambling movie we saw a while back, and I was afraid 21 would be similar.

I’m happy to say I was wrong. This movie was really good. It didn’t drag out the actual gambling scenes (like they did in the last James Bond movie), and it didn’t go overboard with the slick editing and plot reveals (like they do – a bit – in the Oceans 11 movies). And the thing I most appreciated – the characters didn’t behave like they belonged in trashy CW shows. Sure, the characters started enjoying the money they were making, and they made some bad choices. But they didn’t act ridiculous – instead, I think they acted just like kids their age would act if they suddenly found themselves “printing money.”

And on top of all that, there really is a good moral to the story about losing yourself and your priorities by associating with the wrong people and placing value on the wrong things.

I could say more, but I don’t want to give away anything for those of you who want to watch it. I’ll just say, in response to a question asked in the movie: yes, 21, you dazzled me.

Aruba, Jamaica, Ooohh, I Wanna Take Ya...

Being responsible is not always the fun thing to do.

I realize that’s an obvious statement, but it needed to be said. I want to celebrate my 30th birthday and our 10th anniversary by going to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. Is that asking too much?

Okay, so maybe it is. At least, it is when you have too much debt and want to someday (soon?) buy a bigger house and have more kids. And when you want to travel to another city to take weekend classes to change your career. And when you're trying to be a better steward of all that God has blessed you with.

[Insert heavy, dramatic, unnecessary sigh here.]

So, instead, I’m looking at San Diego. There’s still a beach. And lots of fun things to do. And oh yeah, it would cost about $1000 less than Jamaica! Has anyone else been to San Diego before?

I have an update on the woman whose car broke down in front of us in the drive-thru lane…

It turns out…she works with my husband!! Is that not too crazy?!

He thought he recognized her as the new security guard at work. So he finally asked her yesterday and sure enough, it was her. He said she wasn’t apologetic or embarrassed. Nope, she just said she’d been having a bad day, her stupid car breaks down when it overheats, and oh yeah, she had three screaming kids in the car with her.

Three children.

For the record, we heard screaming, but it was coming out of her mouth.

The weirdest part – to me – is that my husband was wearing his work uniform when he approached her car to help. Sure, he’s one of many who wear that uniform, but it’s odd that she didn’t even notice. Or if she did notice, she didn’t even consider that she might be screaming profanity at a co-worker. Or if she did consider that, she didn’t care.

The whole thing makes me think of a song that always makes me smile anyway. And now, I think it’s the only response I have to this situation. I’ll just sing what I think: “How bizarre!”

Finally – a step forward in my journey to becoming an editor. I’m going to Nashville next month to visit some friends, and I’ve been hoping to set up an informational interview with someone at one of the four Christian publishing houses there. I e-mailed someone at my first choice, Thomas Nelson, but never heard back. (Boo!) Then I read that my previous fourth choice, Abingdon Press, is developing a new fiction line. (Yay!) So, I contacted the editor in charge of that new department. And what do you know, but that woman e-mailed me back right away!

Unfortunately, she says she became an editor 30 years ago, so she wouldn’t be the best person to give me advice.

BUT, she told me about an online course that other editors have taken. AND, she referred me to a freelance company that might be able to help me get started in the industry. (BIG yay!!)

So, this goes back to my comments about a goal without a plan just being a wish. I’m trying to move forward and have a plan and actually DO this thing. But, it’s a slow process. And, I won’t deny, really scary. But, I’ve taken a step.

Next goal: sign up for that online course and contact the freelance company!

Wow!

Okay, fine, so you guys don't want to talk about Barack Obama. But surely you've got an opinion on McCain's announcement of his vice presidential running mate. A woman!

Wow. It's all I can say.

On one hand, I'm concerned to read that she has 5-month-old baby. I don't know about other moms out there, but this mom could not take on a responsibility like this.

Then again, she's already serving as governor for her state, so she's clearly able to mother and politic. And according to the article I linked above, she has a high approval rating in her state.

Why did McCain make this choice? Was it a good one? Does it change how you view the election? What do you all think about this? (Is anyone out there?)

Product Review: Free Credit Report

First of all, the place to go for your free credit report is here. Every 12 months you can find out your credit score. For free.

This is not to be confused with the catchy (or annoying, depending on who you ask) commercials on TV for FreeCreditReport.com. If you get you get your credit report there, you eventually get charged for it. As in, no longer free.

In theory, you have 30 days or something to cancel whatever it is they're selling. But lots of people have gotten scammed by this company by forgetting to cancel the membership...myself included. (That was what taught me never to sign up for something "free" with the plan to cancel it before the trial period ended...because odds are, I would forget. Lesson learned.)

However, my irritation toward that company and their product has not stopped me from thoroughly enjoying their musical commercials. You know the ones - with the guy and the guitar and the catchy (or annoying) tunes about his dream girl or his new car or his job in a restaurant dressed as a pirate. You can see the videos here:

Singing Pirates
Dream Girl
New Car
Bicycle

What do you think of these commercials? Funny? Catchy? Annoying? Too sarcastic? Just sarcastic enough?

Politics and History

I don't want to start a political debate. I actually don't enjoy talking politics much at all. I never feel educated enough and I never seem to agree completely with anyone.

I do want to say, though, that the nomination of an African-American for president is an incredible thing to see today. It is a significant moment in this country's history. And I just saw it happen!

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if you are Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative - it's a cool thing to witness our country make this move. Aside from Obama's politics, I mean. Aside from who I will vote for or who you will vote for. The fact that a black man is running for president of the United States is noteworthy. And I, for one, am glad to see it.

A Cheesy Message from Above

Remember when people started seeing spiritual images in their food? Well, I think that’s a little crazy, but I do believe God can and does use interesting ways to speak to us. After all, most of us (and by "us," I mean "me") are a little hard-headed and need a whack in the face to get our attention. (I’ve long requested a billboard, but that doesn’t seem to be coming my way any time soon.)

And this week, God used cheese to talk to me. On Monday night, I put Photobaby to bed and got ready to make myself some delicious fajitas. I sautéed the peppers and onions and then added the chicken. As it cooked, I opened the fridge to get the rest of my ingredients – tortillas, cheese, sour cream. But the cheese was missing.

Someone had taken my cheese.

Well, not someone. Mark had taken my cheese. In fact, he’d taken the whole bag of shredded cheese to work to eat with his leftover taco meat. The whole bag. Didn’t put his portion in a Ziploc. No, he took the whole bag.

This has happened before (not always with cheese – once, the whole bottle of ketchup was missing when I needed it). And I’ve asked him not to do it. So, being the good, loving wife I am, I picked up the phone and when he answered, I said, “Did you take the cheese?” When he quietly said yes, I said, “Just checking.”

And then – rudely – hung up the phone.

Just like that. *sigh* Why can I not control my temper? I mean, come on, Photo! It was just cheese. Now, I will say that as a big cheese lover, nothing is ever really “just cheese.” But in this case, I probably could have let it go. Probably.

I was reminded of this when I snagged a piece of chicken from my fajita fixings…and promptly burned the heck out of my tongue. I’m not sure what I expected, taking a piece of food directly from the skillet and placing it in my mouth. But what I got was a sore tongue and a reminder of how to use that tongue!

As David said (in Psalm 39:1), I need a muzzle: I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence."

'Tis the Season

Fall is my favorite season. I like it so much that I wish there more seasons for it to compete against. You know? Because by saying I like it more than three other seasons...well, that doesn't seem to cover it. I love the weather, partly because it doesn't make me sweat and partly because it allows me to wear sweatshirts and jeans. I love the colors - so bright and vibrant. And I love the memories that come with fall - going back to school (buying school supplies!), meeting my husband, several vacations we've taken in the past few years. (Oh, and chelley's birthday, of course!)

Last year, though, I felt like I missed most of my favorite season. My doctor put me on bedrest on October 2, I went into the hospital on October 5, delivered Annalyn on October 8, came home on October 13 and spent the rest of my October days recovering on the couch until Annalyn came home a couple weeks later (minus my daily visits to the hospital). So, in the blink of an eye (or the birthing of a baby), I missed my favorite season.

That's why I was so excited for today's weather - sunny, clear and cool! Yay! It's only August, but I just know my wonderful fall weather is around the corner!