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Thursday, May 30, 2013

48 Hours Until Relay for Life

I am nervous for Saturday.  There, I said it.  With the Fight for Air Climb, I had my whole family surrounding me - and some joining in the fun.  Saturday, it will just be me for much of the day, as my incredible family has other places to be.  I'll be honoring Mom while Kevin honors the anniversary of his grandfather's passing with his family.  And the Bookheimer men (and my dad) will be honoring the ever amazing Maynard Rothenberger at his services.  Each and every one of us will be honoring and supporting a wonderful person, just not together in person.  

It is going to be a hot one on Saturday, and I'm channeling my race track/running track self to get prepared.  I've got Gatorade, Sunscreen, and sneakers ready to go.  The rest of it we'll be playing by ear - since I'm a rookie at this.  
 
Thank you to all of you that have supported me thus far - and thank you to those that continue to support.  My poor new house will have to wait for another week to really look like home, but I know Mom will understand why the mountain of laundry is a mile high and the garage looks like some hoarders live there.  If you are still interested in donating, please use the link below (or on the right side of the blog site), and know that I appreciate all you have done for me, for our family, and for the fight against cancer! 


Love,
Jess

Friday, May 3, 2013

Letters to my 8, 10, and 16 year old Self

There is no end to the things I have learned about myself, my family, and life in the last two years.  But really, there are a few things I wish younger me had known - so here goes nothing. 

Dear Eight Year Old Self - That bratty kid with the dog bite, you probably should not throw Trouble at him.  I know he deserved it, and Mom/Dad are acting like he got half his face bitten off - but seriously, he did.  Someday when you're a grown up, you'll look at those scars on his face and remember the most frightening car ride of your life - the one where no one was allowed to stop singing, and keeping Chris awake was the most important mission of your life. Enjoy the fact that Mom is going to let you eat Mickey Popsicles for dinner and have Kool Aid before bed.  

 Dear Ten Year Old Self - I know you are incredibly sick of having "gym head" and that one more all day wrestling tournament may make you lose your mind.  Those gyms stink, the mornings are early, and for the love of god you'd like to eat a donut! But pay attention to the scoring, the refs, and the smiles on parentals/kids faces! When Christopher is rocking the STATE of Pennsylvania in High School, you'll be really glad you can keep score, know exactly what needs to be done to win/tie/score ride time or a stalling penalty! You are however allowed to smack him around a little when he is being a moron about losing - and then walk away.  Yep, Mom is right on this one - let him fume under the bleachers, he'll be just fine and you know he and dad are going to take over the living room anyway to reenact whatever he did wrong. 

Dear Sixteen Year Old Self - You are partially correct in that Chris's main use in life is to clean the snow and ice off the Camry before you leave for school in the morning.  And correct that his major malfunction is thinking that he is the boss of anything (kidding). Do yourself a favor, enjoy your 15 minute jam session on the way to school - there are a finite number of days you'll be able to do this.  Try not to be mad when Mom and Dad have to flip a coin for Saturday sporting events, they find it just as hard as you do.  Also, embrace your mandated bedtime - you, mom, dad, and Chris will all be a hell of a lot happier when everyone has slept before a long day.  *For you and boy wonder, this does mean that you need to stop reading under the covers.  The books can wait, and will still be there in the morning.*

I would write a letter to 18/19/20 year old self but that is called living - and would be more of a book than a blog post.  What are your lessons/letters to your younger self?

Thursday, April 18, 2013

We Survived! Fight for Air Climb Recap

First - let me apologize for the seriously belated update on the Fight for Air Climb from March 23rd.  It was an amazing day, reaffirmed the support of amazing family, and empowered me to continue the fight! There were more than 500 people that participated, and with 5 of us on team For Little Debbie - we raised just $5 short of $3,000 for our team!
 The current total raised for the whole event is more than $163,000! 



For anyone who is interested in the timed results (it is a "competition" while being a fundraiser), the full results can be found here - Fight For Air Climb Results Philly 2013




Considering the incredibly early morning to get into the city by 7am, we had a great turn-out for our little team! Obvious early risers were Terry, Titus, Tweet, Kevin, and myself since we were running.  Tommy and Fred also came down - and those of you that know Jon will be shocked to hear that he was EARLY and at Terry's before 6am! 

The event began with speakers, then the Century Climbers (those of us crazy enough to do the 50 flights twice), then traditional climbers, and First Responders. Titus and Kevin rocked the first set of stairs in less than 10 minutes, while it took me a little closer to 13.  The second flight Kevin and Titus tried to stay with me, but still finished about 2 minutes ahead.  Terry and Tweet did amazing on their trip up the 50 flights of stairs and did the whole thing together! They finished 4th and 8th in their age groups respectively - HECK YES! 

 I will have more pictures as I get dad's, but here are some of my favorites courtesy of my phone. I think the shot down to the Art Museum is my favorite! 


Thank you again for all of your emotional, financial, and continued support! Get ready for the final push as we great ready for Relay for Life on June 1st!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Sewing is for the birds...

How on earth do people enjoy this cross stitch business? Perhaps I just can not sit still long enough to really get the hang of it.  Or maybe because I don't ever pick it up until 10:30 at night and before I know it, time for bed o'clock. 

On that note, this is the pretty piece that I decided on.  At the current rate I am sewing, I should probably finish before I turn 50.  Wish me luck. 

*via amazon.com

________________________________________________________________

..Sorry this wasn't a more exciting update.  Right now all I do is run up and down the stairs to train and attempt this sewing gig. Oh, and harass family members about donating money and/or running up and down stairs with me too! Go Team Little Debbie!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A to Z - Donations Goal

I want to start with a profound, there are not enough words, I am brought to tears thank-you for all of the people that have donated to our efforts for Mom.  You are the people that picked me up when I was down, supported Kevin when his wife was a mess, and have loved my mom through good, bad, & awful.  There will never be enough ways to thank you, but there will also never be enough ways for me to repay my mom for the legacy she left me. (speaking of that legacy, I'll get to the stitching project that was January's "thing" eventually.  It is an interesting project and I might have it completed by December. ha)

That being said - we are so close to our $1,000 donation goal for the Fight For Air Climb, and today my amazing cousin Titus joined our efforts! THANKS TITUS! In true crazy Moyer fashion, I've decided that my $1,000 goal wasn't enough.  We still have 5 weeks until the Climb and 3 months until the Relay for Life. 

Are you ready for the new goal (the title sort of gave it away).  I want to get a donation from someone whose last name starts with EVERY LETTER IN THE ALPHABET! Is that crazy? Silly? Ridiculous? Probably.  But my mom taught me to embrace my ridiculous creativity and run with it - did you ever see our Halloween costumes people - we are creative through and through!

That being said - I've posted the current list  below of letters we've already received (the number of donations from people with that last name is the number provided)and letters we are still waiting for.  You can chose whether to donate to the Fight For Air Climb or to Relay for Life (links to the right of the page). I'm not picky which cause or how much, but $1 is less than you'd pay for a soda at Wawa.  And $5 is less than you'd spend for your grande latte and muffin at Starbucks. I'm done guilt tripping now, I promise.


Love,

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Climb to Glory - Training Part 1

For those of you that don’t spend your days stalking the Fort Drum Facebook Page (aka anyone other than me) that is the motto of 10th Mtn. And for the next 7 weeks, I’m using it as my motto for the Fight for Air Climb!

 After spending last Wednesday evening with 20 other people climbing the 50 flights at Three Logan Square, I have been seriously revamping my training technique. Technically the 50 flights was only half of what K and I will be doing, but gave me a great barometer for where I need to improve and approx how long the 100 flights should take me. See, while this event is a fundraiser and not technically a race, you’d better believe hubs and I want to beat everyone. Team For Little Debbie is going to be passing people in the stairwells. Well, maybe not – that whole passing thing is a whole ‘nother ballgame.  

Anyway, end randomness and back to the topic at hand, training. Mr. Firefighter from KOP and Mr. Firefighter from NJ had awesome tips for me since they’ve both done this at least twice, and both have done it in full fire gear. Do you understand what that means – it’s 70lbs (at least) of gear. Yeah, go ahead and think about how crazy that is, then come back to me. Okay, you back? My previous training routine looked like this –
After talking to “my firefighters” my new training routine looks like this –

Benefits of new training routine, my knees don’t hurt nearly as bad and I can do the stretching part and the low impact cardio (riding my bike inside) while watching trashy television and likely making the neighbors think I’m crazy. I am giving myself two full weeks of this routine and then am going to hit up my new favorite training place and see how fast my time is. New training location – the 7 story parking garage in West Chester (yes, I know this is weird, but it is the tallest building I can find to run up and down in). And yes, I am using the term “building” very loosely here. Anyone want to lend me a staircase in a taller building – let me know! Obviously my new training time won’t exactly balance out with doing the full 50 flights straight since I’ll have to take several breaks to come down the stairs, but its close enough for me. Then, I’ll still have 5 weeks to get myself into shape for the full 100 flights. There is no scientific method behind it, but I think I’ll do 80 flights as my maximum (kind of like how when you train for a marathon you only run 80% of the full distance). Sort of make sense?  

That being said – is there anyone I can convince to join our little team and make it 3 people strong? If I can do it, you can do it! Minimum to raise is $100 and technically, rockstar hubby and I have already done that for you!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Fight for Air - Introduction & Information


Today I have a super duper important meeting to attend in Philadelphia after work.  That meeting is for the Team Captains for the Fight for Air Climb Philadelphia 2013.  I am nervous about meeting other team captains, since our team is just Kevin and I - but I know we have as much heart as any 10 person team! I've included some information below to clue you in about the Climb, and have a post in the works for our basic training program and how we're getting our butts in shape for this adventure!

Kevin and I are excited to have signed up for the American Lung Associate Fight for Air Climb in Philadelphia.  The climb is on March 23rd, which thankfully gives us plenty of time to train and fund-raise!

Who: Team Little Debbie, which is currently made up of just Kevin & I (and anyone else who would like to join).  
Plus or minus 1000 other participants.


What: Philadelphia 2013 Fight for Air Climb -
Century Climb (This means we are doing the full climb TWICE) 
A total of 100 flights/2176 Steps



When: March 23, 2013 at 8:30AM until we finish or fall over



Where: Three Logan Square, Philadelphia
AKA -------> That building


 
 Why: Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women, responsible for more deaths than breast, ovarian, cervical and prostate cancers combined!  Each year, about 160,000 people die from lung cancer in the U.S., accounting for more than one in four cancer deaths. Also for those suffering from asthma, emphysema, and COPD.



How: We are now officially registered, and are responsible for raising $100 each.  Our goal is to raise $500 each, which seems like a large amount of money, until you consider that is less than $7/day from now until March 23rd.


You had to have known that this part was coming, so please forgive me for asking.  For those of you that knew my Mom, I hope you will consider making a small donation in her memory.  Won't you help us make an impact in Debbie's name and help motivate Kevin and I?  I will not recount all of the wonderful things that the American Lung Association does, but please visit their website if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to learn more about this organization.   
 <hr>
 In case you missed the 42 links included in the post - our team page can be found on the For Little Debbie blog or here - http://action.lung.org/goto/forlittledebbie

Friday, January 18, 2013

Support: 10 feet High

I could have easily told you 27 years ago that my parents had amazing friends.  Well, except I was a year old and obviously could not speak. But seriously, these people are amazing and have been the most supportive group for my entire life. 

I could not say thank you enough for the last 6 months, as day after day these people called, emailed, baked, held hands, and were extra wonderful.  But even I was amazed in November when these men pulled through to replace the shingles on dad's shop roof.  This roof had seen better days both in terms of shingles and plywood underneath and if you know my dad, you know how important the contents of the shop are to him (especially Emma Jean!). Not only did we have manual labor, we had 4 wheelbarrows, a dumpster delivery, and more materials than we needed.  Add in Dunkin' coffee and donut holes, and maybe a few adult beverages, and there were quite a few laughs to be had along with all of the work! 

Also, I think it is important to note that we started about 9am pulling shingles off the roof and were cleaned-up with materials in trucks by 1pm.  Yes, 4 hours to do this HUGE roof - 
Just a few more pictures to remind everyone how hard they worked. I do want to take a minute to thank Richard, Tommy, and Scott as they provided so much support in terms of materials and equipment - without them there would have been no way to complete this project.  If I haven't said it enough, allow me to say THANK YOU again. With tears, love, and more emotion than I can convey, I want all 14 of you to know how much it meant to me to see you all there supporting Dad. 

Thank you again for all of your support, no matter how you showed your love. Physical, emotional, FOOD, financial, it all means more than I can say.

Love, 
Jessi

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Fight For Air - Donations (aka HOLY CANNOLI)

At 11:00 yesterday morning, I posted a reminder on Facebook about donations for the Fight for Air Climb that is March's activity.  I had hoped to guilt a few people into making donations, because it is no secret that Kevin and I cannot reach our $1,000 goal alone.  I know people get busy, they forget, hell it was just Christmas and who has spare cash during December (not this girl).  Really, it was just a reminder - maybe instead of going to Starbucks, someone would donate their $5 to the fight for a cure for lung cancer.

 

I expected to receive one or two donations, and was really hoping to see some $5 and $10 donations, since all I was really asking for was $1.  Imagine my surprise when my phone started vibrating every 5 minutes, donations big and small just rolling it. 15 people have donated to our cause in the last 24 hours.  Guys, we are $30 short of being halfway less than 24 hours from when I posted.  Our friends and family have knocked it out of the park.  Each and every time I get a donation email, I cry a little bit.  Good tears, happy tears, "oh my gosh we are so loved" tears.  
 

I have big plans for 2013, and you are all my drive, my motivation, and my support.  I can not thank you enough for continuing your emotional support with financial giving. I hadn't thought about it in the beginning, but I want to somehow take each one of you on this climb with me in March.  I think t shirts/tank tops with the names of those that donated might be the easiest and cheapest option, but let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions, I am all ears!  (HEY PAM - THIS MEANS YOU).

From the bottom of my heart, with tears in my eyes, thank you! Thank you to those of you that knew my mom her whole life. Thank you to the people that met my mom just once, but support Kevin and I. Thank you to the people that helped raise me, love my crazy Moyer/Gehman/Bookheimer family.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Changes to the Schedule

As much as I hate to write this, I am going to have to change the schedule for 2013.  I am so thankful to have had Boy Wonder home, but scheduling got away from me.  Unfortunately, there were scheduling conflicts with some of my favorite people, and I am going to move Gone With the Wind to April. 

Those of you that are interested in seeing Gone With the Wind with us, please email me (Jessica dot Gehman at Gmail dot com) and I will keep a list.  I hope to send out an email at the beginning of February with available dates and then we can identify any scheduling conflicts and move forward. 

That being said, I am prepared to tackle my stitching project in January.  Yes, I am giving myself 17 days to complete one of the below projects.  Any opinions or suggestions regarding either of these? I'll be hitting up Joanne fabric and Michael's after work on Wednesday to make my choice. 



Thanks so much for all of your support! I have a few fun posts coming in the next week, so keep your eye out for some more updates! 

Love, 
Jessi