Check out the sneak peak of photos I took this weekend of a darling tea party:
http://kimberlygrove.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Joshua Tree Climbing Adventures
My handsome babe, 4th from right!Our future Eagle Scout had an amazing weekend rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. Of course with no running water, flushing toilets or anything of the like, water was a precious commodity and could not be wasted on things like showers or wiping down....teeth did get brushed but that was it, lol! In his quest to get totally filthy, he scaled walls, hopped rocks, explored caves, tried to catch BIG lizards, hiked and explored and just had a blast! Sounds like ther perfect boys weekend! He also was in charge of breakfast and made picture perfect pancakes for the troop. We have the same outdoor stove set-up so he knew exactly what to do and impressed the troop. He was VERY proud!!
He came home and decided that rock climbing is the new sport of choice (this week :D)! Actually, boy scouts is right up his alley as he has been sleeping in tents since he was 6 weeks old (a right of passage for all of our children), went on his first backpacking and whitewater rafting trip (class 2 and 3's) in the Tetons when he was 5 and is our regular mountaineering child. He has such an outdoor spirit and sense of adventure. So, I am sure that I will be spending a great deal of time at the indoor and outdoor climbing walls this summer......he has a new passion! We are so proud of him!
Here are a few photos of his weekend - unfortunately we were not able to attend with him but are delighted that someone shared these few with us! Enjoy ~
Xander in the back flipping the flapjacks!!
Hey you, yeah you! Checking me out? I look GOOD in these don't I???
The ascent - look at those gams! He has his daddy's legs!!
The descent - Look out below!!
the wall was more vertical than it appears -
there are other photos that show the angle of what they were climbing.
"Man they're slow, do you think we'll get to climb again?"
Biscuits on a stick - yum!
You take canned biscuits, wrap them on a stick and cook 'em up over the fire, the boys love them! Xander waiting his turn.
Hanging out 'round the very meager campfire. Xander entertained the crowds later with his guitar playing and campfire songs.
The motley crew
Monday, May 5, 2008
Win the lottery!!!
In honor of our dear friend Evan who was diagnosed 1 year ago this past week with ALD (you can Google it) and subsequently passed away in November just hours before his 10th birthdy that he shares with his twin sister Alaina, I am encouraging each and every one of you to think about "saving a life". It's simple and until May 19th, it's free! You can choose to donate more to help others that can't afford it but that is your choice. Please consider being on the bone marrow registry. Here is more information from Gina (Evan's mom) about signing up:
Take 5 minutes and learn how you can save a life... Be A Hero, Become A Donor
During our Cyber BM Drive, between the dates of May 5-19, you can join the registry as part of Evan’s Entourage. Simply email sbaker@nmdp.org with Evan’s Entourage in the subject area, and your name, address and how many kits you would like sent to you in the body of the email. The application and swab kit will be sent immediately to you. It must be dated and placed in the mail by May 19 to qualify.
Tell a friend. Remember, in regards to the fee/donation….the normal cost to join the registry is $52. Always, non-Caucasians are fully funded by the federal government, which includes everyone except Caucasians (those of Middle Eastern descent are considered Caucasians). This is because only 20% of the registry consists of non-Caucasians. When drives are hosted at fire and police stations, these professionals are fully funded, as well as all college students at their schools.
Our Cyber BM Drive is being hosted during the federally funded “Thanks Mom” Campaign and is free however we still ask for a $25 donation payable to the Marrow Foundation, c/o Evan’s Entourage, to help us fund future drives.
More info to help educate your community:***EVERY DAY, OVER 6,000 PEOPLE DESPERATELY SEARCH THE NATIONAL MARROW DONOR REGISTRY IN HOPE OF FINDING A MATCH. ONLY 3 IN 10 PEOPLE FIND THE MATCH THEY NEED TO SAVE THEIR LIFE.
Joining the National Marrow Donor Registry is easy and painless:
1.First you fill out the application, pay the fee/make a donation***, and then take 4 big “Qtips” and swab the inside of your cheeks.
2. Win the Lottery, because the chances of you being called as a donor are that slim.
3. If you are chosen, remember you are the one person in the WORLD that can give this person a chance for a new life. Without you, they have no hope.
4. From this point forward, there is no cost involved. All procedures will take place in a hospital near you. Everyone who crosses your path will treatyou with the utmost respect.
5. Time to donate: Doctors will determine if it will be done through Peripheral Stem Cell collection or Bone Marrow Harvest (done undersedation).
6. Walk out of the hospital the same day as your procedure and know that you were the lucky one, that without your gift of life, this person had NO HOPE.
Demystifying the Myths around becoming a Bone Marrow Donor
1. Ignorance-Probably the number one reason people don’t join the BM Registry. Our goal is to demystify the process so that everyone, when medically able, can’t wait to have the opportunity to “Save a Life” by becoming a bone marrow donor and having their baby’s cord blood donated to the registry.
2. Pain- There is NO PAIN involved in joining the registry. A simple cheek swab will gather your “cells”, which will then be typed for your DNA.
3. Afraid-“I hate needles and I hate pain.” Well to be honest, aren’t we all?? The most painful part of joining the registry is filling out the application. After that, if you are the lucky one, the one person in the world that can save a person’s life, would you not consider a little discomfort to have this opportunity??
4. Commitment/Time/Travel-If you are the lucky one to chosen to be a donor, EVERYTHING will take place at a hospital near your home. For Stem Cell Collection, it is done at a blood donation center near you. For Bone Marrow Aspiration, it will take place in an outpatient setting under sedation. For your little discomfort, you have now given someone the chance for new life!!
5. Cost- The only cost involved is the original “fee” to become a donor. Often people don’t understand why they are being charged to join the registry, but as with all medical tests, the HLA typing is very expensive, in addition to the overhead involved in running the NMDP. And often times there is partial or full funding available to reduce the normal $52 fee. After that, there is no cost to the donor. And the time commitment if you are chosen is simply the time it takes to the medical tests to make sure you are healthy enough to be a donor, and the time, one day, to collect your cells or marrow.
6. Not needed/why me?- “If the chances of me be chosen to be a match is like winning the lottery, why should I do it?” Well, for the 6000 people that search the registry every day, only 3 out of every 10 actually find a donor. And the odds for non-Caucasians to find a match are even worse. (Middle Easterners are considered Caucasian) You can only win the lottery if you play the lottery. Please come play with us!!
7. Involvement-“I just don’t want to get involved!” If you think about it for just a few moments, we can bet you that you know someone either personally or through another, who has needed a transplant or who will need a transplant. We all have a reason to get involved….as this could end up being you, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your child, or your friend or neighbor… whose only “hope” for life after a life-threatening diagnosis is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.
8. If I am chosen, can I choose which method they use? NO, it is up to the doctors to make the decision on whether stem cells or bone marrow is the right treatment for the recipient. If you have any hesitation, it is best that do not register at this. If you are the lucky one in the world, we don’t want your recipient to have HOPE and then find out that you are not willing to go forward with the best course of treatment.
Register here - you never even have to leave your home to do it!!!
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Events/Thanks_Mom/index.html
Take 5 minutes and learn how you can save a life... Be A Hero, Become A Donor
During our Cyber BM Drive, between the dates of May 5-19, you can join the registry as part of Evan’s Entourage. Simply email sbaker@nmdp.org with Evan’s Entourage in the subject area, and your name, address and how many kits you would like sent to you in the body of the email. The application and swab kit will be sent immediately to you. It must be dated and placed in the mail by May 19 to qualify.
Tell a friend. Remember, in regards to the fee/donation….the normal cost to join the registry is $52. Always, non-Caucasians are fully funded by the federal government, which includes everyone except Caucasians (those of Middle Eastern descent are considered Caucasians). This is because only 20% of the registry consists of non-Caucasians. When drives are hosted at fire and police stations, these professionals are fully funded, as well as all college students at their schools.
Our Cyber BM Drive is being hosted during the federally funded “Thanks Mom” Campaign and is free however we still ask for a $25 donation payable to the Marrow Foundation, c/o Evan’s Entourage, to help us fund future drives.
More info to help educate your community:***EVERY DAY, OVER 6,000 PEOPLE DESPERATELY SEARCH THE NATIONAL MARROW DONOR REGISTRY IN HOPE OF FINDING A MATCH. ONLY 3 IN 10 PEOPLE FIND THE MATCH THEY NEED TO SAVE THEIR LIFE.
Joining the National Marrow Donor Registry is easy and painless:
1.First you fill out the application, pay the fee/make a donation***, and then take 4 big “Qtips” and swab the inside of your cheeks.
2. Win the Lottery, because the chances of you being called as a donor are that slim.
3. If you are chosen, remember you are the one person in the WORLD that can give this person a chance for a new life. Without you, they have no hope.
4. From this point forward, there is no cost involved. All procedures will take place in a hospital near you. Everyone who crosses your path will treatyou with the utmost respect.
5. Time to donate: Doctors will determine if it will be done through Peripheral Stem Cell collection or Bone Marrow Harvest (done undersedation).
6. Walk out of the hospital the same day as your procedure and know that you were the lucky one, that without your gift of life, this person had NO HOPE.
Demystifying the Myths around becoming a Bone Marrow Donor
1. Ignorance-Probably the number one reason people don’t join the BM Registry. Our goal is to demystify the process so that everyone, when medically able, can’t wait to have the opportunity to “Save a Life” by becoming a bone marrow donor and having their baby’s cord blood donated to the registry.
2. Pain- There is NO PAIN involved in joining the registry. A simple cheek swab will gather your “cells”, which will then be typed for your DNA.
3. Afraid-“I hate needles and I hate pain.” Well to be honest, aren’t we all?? The most painful part of joining the registry is filling out the application. After that, if you are the lucky one, the one person in the world that can save a person’s life, would you not consider a little discomfort to have this opportunity??
4. Commitment/Time/Travel-If you are the lucky one to chosen to be a donor, EVERYTHING will take place at a hospital near your home. For Stem Cell Collection, it is done at a blood donation center near you. For Bone Marrow Aspiration, it will take place in an outpatient setting under sedation. For your little discomfort, you have now given someone the chance for new life!!
5. Cost- The only cost involved is the original “fee” to become a donor. Often people don’t understand why they are being charged to join the registry, but as with all medical tests, the HLA typing is very expensive, in addition to the overhead involved in running the NMDP. And often times there is partial or full funding available to reduce the normal $52 fee. After that, there is no cost to the donor. And the time commitment if you are chosen is simply the time it takes to the medical tests to make sure you are healthy enough to be a donor, and the time, one day, to collect your cells or marrow.
6. Not needed/why me?- “If the chances of me be chosen to be a match is like winning the lottery, why should I do it?” Well, for the 6000 people that search the registry every day, only 3 out of every 10 actually find a donor. And the odds for non-Caucasians to find a match are even worse. (Middle Easterners are considered Caucasian) You can only win the lottery if you play the lottery. Please come play with us!!
7. Involvement-“I just don’t want to get involved!” If you think about it for just a few moments, we can bet you that you know someone either personally or through another, who has needed a transplant or who will need a transplant. We all have a reason to get involved….as this could end up being you, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your child, or your friend or neighbor… whose only “hope” for life after a life-threatening diagnosis is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.
8. If I am chosen, can I choose which method they use? NO, it is up to the doctors to make the decision on whether stem cells or bone marrow is the right treatment for the recipient. If you have any hesitation, it is best that do not register at this. If you are the lucky one in the world, we don’t want your recipient to have HOPE and then find out that you are not willing to go forward with the best course of treatment.
Register here - you never even have to leave your home to do it!!!
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Events/Thanks_Mom/index.html
Friday, May 2, 2008
RAOK
Today at the gas station, I happened to be trying to get out of the middle pump that is 3 deep. When, as my husband puts it that I need tug boats to move me in and out of the harbor because my SUV is so large, well, you should know that it can be a challenge sometimes when people crowd you and allow you no space! So anyway....the gentleman in front of me is letting me know how much room I have and that I am all clear, I maneuver my way out then roll down my window to say thank you. Well this dear, darling older man had a truck bed full of flower bouquets that he was taking to the local churches and gave me one just to make my day better. Of course anyone who knows me knows that I will never turn down flowers as I love the smell, the beauty and simplicity of an arrangement sitting somewhere in my house. It brings me sheer joy!
I just wanted everyone to know that Random Acts Of Kindness are still out there and his generosity reminded me how much we should practice at least one act of kindness every day! Go out and do yours today - let me know what you did!!!
Have a great day!
I just wanted everyone to know that Random Acts Of Kindness are still out there and his generosity reminded me how much we should practice at least one act of kindness every day! Go out and do yours today - let me know what you did!!!
Have a great day!
Monkeying Around at the Santa Ana Zoo
The kindergarten class went on their first field trip to the Santa Ana zoo today. They got to ride on the bus, have a picnic lunch and enjoyed the day. Here are some snapshots of our adventures!
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