Hello friends! Just wanted to update everyone on the little bet I have going with the good Dr. Griz at Alpha Chiropractic. Actually, there were 2 bets going and one is still on....we have decided to keep the battle to see who can drum up the most support for their team from now until Race Day (10/14/12)! So, keep those donations coming in support of the Lumberjacks!!

On to the update of the other bet....the one I have lost for 2 years since becoming the "special" patient at Alpha. Every year, I have had to wear the hat of shame (UM Griz hat) when my team failed to break the losing streak and they are all here on the nifty donation jar at the desk:

Pretty creative, I must admit. Anyway.....once I was able to get rid of the "Up with Montana!" Fight Song off my phone, he had to drink out of the mug.....of course, he had to put in a little jab of his own:

Next appointment....he wouldn't comply with a picture opportunity with our matching coffee mugs, so I made one of my own. Patients will appreciate this:

Now, fast forward to game day - 9/22/12. Did I have another appointment? Are you kidding? That would be suicidal to get worked on the day of the game! I did have a massage with my friendly troll remover, Jenny, so I was able to walk in with my bright gold NAU shirt on and not worry about paying the price later. Drinking out of the mug on game day must have sucked for this Griz:

He looks kinda angry.....makes my blue and gold heart warm and fuzzy!

Later on, we had a friendly exchage of words about the outcome of the game:

For the first time since 1986, we beat the Griz in their territory. We hadn't beat them at all since 1997, when I was a student. This picture was sent to me by the voice of the Lumberjacks, Mitch Strohman to give to the good Dr. Griz. Pretty stinkin' cool if you ask me. Now, I can finally use the picture I took 3 years ago, hoping that it would someday happen:

Yes, that is the ugly hat that I have had to wear with shame the past 2 years. Not this year!! So proud of my team for their hard work and can't wait to see the rest of the season. I know people think I am crazy for being such a fan but sports was a big deal to me in college and going to a small school makes you root for your team even more, through the W's and the L's. So, that is what makes me the proud Lumberjack that I am!

What makes me even more proud are the friends both Griz and Jacks who have donated and helped me to raise more money for LLS. Cancer is still out there and no matter what team you root for, we are all on the same team when it comes to getting rid of this disease. Please help me continue to help raise money for patient services and cancer research while at the same time, staying ahead of the good Dr. Griz so that I can win this bet....I have good things in store for him if I do.....you will want to see this, so make sure and support the Jacks and share this with your friends and tell them to do the same!!

Go TEAM and Go Jacks!!

Okay Lumberjacks, I need your help! Since I have done 6 races with TNT, I have had to get creative in how I raise money. Here is the deal: My chiropractor happens to have graduated from the University of Montana; a team we love to hate. I will call him Dr. Griz. He is a big supporter of Team in Training and has been an integral part of the "Dream Team" that keeps me going when I am broken after a race.

Here is what I did to his mode of transportation last year when we played UM for Homecoming:

So, in retaliation to this vandalism, there are Grizzly strings attached to his donation with a little competition to see who can get the most support. When you donate on my website, there is a section where you can post a comment. Here is where you will show your love for the Lumberjacks. Come Game Day, 9/22/12, whoever has the most support wins. If the Griz get the most support, I must change the profile picture on my facebook page to one of me in a Montana shirt. Please don't call me to discuss this as when my phone rings, it will be playing the UM Fight Song. If the Jacks get more support, then the good Dr. must drink coffee out of the dreaded NAU mug all day and I get to decorate (he calls it "desecrate") the motorcycle again…except he will be in the picture this time.

Any amount will be appreciated however, no matter what team you root for, your name will be entered into a raffle for a cash prize of $500 for every $10 you donate.

Why now you say? Well, all of this is leading up to the Big Sky Opener of the Lumberjacks playing the Griz in Montana on 9/22/12. Please prevent me having to have any sort of Montana anything on my page or on my phone when the big game arrives as that will hurt my Lumberjack soul. Go Jacks!

I do all of this in memory of my Grandma and in support of all those heroes I have met along my journey with Team in Training who have battled blood cancers and won, who are currently fighting, or those who fought a good fight but lost the battle. Cancer doesn’t care who you root for or what colors you wear; which is why I am hoping that the fans of the UM Griz and NAU Lumberjacks can come together for one cause, and that is to help find a cure for blood cancers. Thanks in advance for your support!! Go TEAM!

PS...if you are in the East Valley and need a good Chiropractor who just had a lapse in judgement when picking undergraduate institutions, visit http://robertsonfamilychiro.com/

Who doesn't want to win $500? I might have one or two runner up prizes up my sleeves for those who buy tickets from me.....stay tuned!

Why do I train? Meet Amber…..a happy go lucky little girl who has been through hell and back. On 3/3/03, she was diagnosed with ALL. After treatment, she went into remission for 15 months until August 2006 when she relapsed. In December of 2006, she had a bone marrow transplant. In May of 2007, a rare fungus called Rhizopus took the left side of her face. She has a fake eye, new teeth, and a love for life that doesn’t seem to stop her; no matter what. I met Amber’s mom, Susie while working at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and while I knew her story before meeting her, I had no idea how passionate Susie was for this cause until working with her.

This link talks about their stay in the hospital and how they stuck together as a family to get through a horrible time in their lives. They are an amazing bunch of people that I am blessed to know.

http://www.azcentral.com/storytellers/video.php?vid=783711557001&tcat=st-family,st-courage&tname=Living%20in%20Room%20202

Not only does Susie advocate for LLS, but Amber’s big sister, Alyssa does as well. So much so, she was recognized by both the State of Arizona as well as the President of the United States for her efforts in support of her sister.

http://www.azcentral.com/video/#/Peoria+teen+top+volunteer/1559420732001

Amber is one of the names you will see on my jersey in San Francisco in October as her and her family’s story and determination inspire me to continue to train and raise awareness for LLS.

The great meltdown of 2012…..yeah, it happened to me this weekend. Most of you know that I do a lot of baking as fundraisers for the races I train for. Since I don’t have the opportunity to have massive bake sales like I did at my last job, I have been baking for my friends when they need a cake or cupcakes. This past weekend was no exception. Two of my good friends that I have met through Team in Training both had 1st birthday kiddos and both asked for my baking assistance. Like I am going to say no to these cute kids and fundraising opportunities, right?

Well, as most of you know, I am still adjusting to a new job, a new schedule, and trying to fit my life around that new schedule. I haven’t quite perfected that yet and I learned the hard way this weekend. I started my “bake-a-palooza” on Friday night when I took care of the cakes and cupcakes for Zachary’s party. I was so exhausted, I decided to decorate them on Saturday since I would be up at the crack of dawn to run and would have plenty of time. So, my alarm went off at 4am to run with my TEAM and then after my 5 miles, I headed home. I worked on the cake and cupcakes until it was time to deliver them to the Rynders’ house for the party. The theme had baby blocks in it....Here is the before:

So, apparently, buttercream and AZ summer heat in the afternoon on a 30 minute car ride don’t mix. This picture was after some fixing; I was busy being upset to take a true after picture. Luckily, the cupcakes made it okay. Here is the after of the baby block smash cake:

So, the meltdown happened sometime in the car with the buttercream, and then by me in the kitchen showing Melissa what had happened. She is so awesome and didn’t even care and was so appreciative….I felt like a fool losing it over a cake that a little boy was going to pound into anyway. It wasn’t until on my way home as I was having more of a pity party that I realized again why I was baking my tail off…..I was just in tears over a cake when the person who I was baking for had been through chemo and radiation herself. She was celebrating a little boy who very well may not have ever been here because of the treatment that she went through but luckily, he is. Hearing her say to my blubbery self, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” was what I needed to hear to remember that I am doing this for a reason....one of those "reasons"....

Totally makes the cake worth it:

So, I headed home and after a much needed dinner with friends, I was back in the kitchen to bake some more. This time, it was for the little girl who was the reason I was able to stay partially employed after being laid off last year. I baked for awhile and then was up early the next morning finishing up. After the melting buttercream trick, I got a little smarter and used my ice packs for more than just icing sore muscles.

Her party had a "cookies and milk" theme. The middle two cookie jars were filled by me!

This little girl is more of a cupcake lover than a #1 cake….either way, I love pics of kids digging their hands into cake/cupcakes that were made by me that raise money for LLS.

So, the moral of the story is first, thank you to my friends for continuing to support me, even when it means you get a blob of buttercream and cake for your party and then of course, remembering why I am doing what I am doing. It is in memory of my Grandma and for survivors like Melissa that I slave away in my tiny, cracker box kitchen to raise money for research and our patients.

Will you become part of my support team? Will you give up a lunch out or your favorite caffeinated beverage so that one more patient can get that co-pay assistance they need to help ease the burden of a cancer diagnosis? In the appropriate words of Nike, “Just Do It!” So, I will work on not sweating the small stuff and save my sweat for running…..because in the words of my friend, Melissa, "Running....it's better than Chemo."