What's in a Mane?

Happy Autumn! The season of inevitable change has brought one very big one to my daughter Ava. This morning she cut 10" of her gorgeous hair off to donate to the Children With Hair Loss Organization. I'm so very proud of her for doing such a selfless thing for others

 

On Tuesday my daughter asked me if she could cut her hair off and donate it so that girls with cancer could have it. I almost immediately responded by yelling, “No way!” but I managed to bite my tongue and take a moment and respond logically. I love her gorgeous long auburn hair and recently measured it at 24 inches long! So I asked her if she was sure, knowing how much she loves her hair and refuses even a trim whenever I suggest it. She was sure.

 

I can’t say no to her amazing generosity as her gesture is quite inspiring. She’s only 7 but quite often reminds me of the true value of life and the difference between needs and wants. There are so many little girls out there that would give anything to have a gorgeous head of hair like Ava has so she wants share her wealth.

 

I had only previously known about the Locks of Love and Pantene Great Lengths foundations to donate hair to until a friend mentioned the Children With Hairloss foundation. I visited the website and decided it was perfect for where my daughter wanted her hair to go.

 

An Apple a Day

Over the weekend we attended the Annual “Apple Day” festival at one of our favorite local farms, Terhune Orchards. We have been visiting the festival for the last four consecutive years. Of course, the main attraction is the apple picking but there is so much more to do at this wonderful annual event.

 

Upon our arrival we headed off to greet the farm animals while keeping our eyes peeled for the friendly farm cats and dogs that wander the grounds. Almost immediately we came upon a fluffy grey and white cat whose patience and tolerance for the overly rambunctious crowd of five-and-under’s was so admirable.

 

Ava patiently waited her turn and as much as the cat appeared to want to escape the throng of children, it gladly obliged Ava’s hand as she gently stroked its back. Ava was satisfied and we moved on to the Adventure barn to check out this year’s theme. It was apples of course…a great history on the American (and New Jersey) apple. Afterward we visited with the donkeys and horses and a few other animals before our annual measuring of Ava’s height against the cornstalks.

 

Throughout the rest of our day we enjoyed a hayride, wandering through the corn maze, picking some delicious apples in the orchard and munching on some amazing apple-themed foods. And of course, our visit would not be complete without stopping by the market for a bottle of apple wine on the way out. The weather was perfect and the day was incredibly enjoyable as always.

 

 

Glamping by the River

Last weekend we went on our annual camping trip to the Brandywine River with my parents and sister. We go every year as kind of a send-off to summer. My sister stays in a tent but the rest of us "camp" in a fully furnished cabin. Or as I refer to it, glamping.

It's always a refreshing weekend as we kayak, canoe and spend time on and by the river. The trees are all still green but the nights are beginning to get cooler which is perfect for roasting marshmallows and devouring s'mores.

My favorite part of the trip is always kayaking. It's so relaxing to float on the calm crystal clear water and watch the dragonflies dart above the water and sometimes quickly dipping in. The temperature, being in the low to mid-seventies, was perfect for boating.

The riverbed is covered in stones and fools gold that glitters in the sunlight. There is a spot not too far upstream that the water gets incredibly shallow and it was there that my sister stopped the canoe to let Ava out to wade in the cool water and collect some fools gold.

I am ok with summer coming to an end. I am really looking forward to the coming fall and the inevitable changes it brings with it.

Number 17: 30 Before 30

Compiling my “30 Before 30” list was a lot more challenging than I had imagined it to be. I created the list to send off my 20s feeling accomplished and give some meaning to the day of the big 3-0. I wanted my 30 things to be of meaning to me, to challenge me and spice up my last year in my 20s. My list began as a list of things I love doing that I never make time for. And that’s when I realized that the list was too easy to achieve.

 

I really wanted to test myself and set some personal goals that would require some real effort to accomplish. So I thought about things I hate to do and the first thing that came to mind was running. I absolutely loathe it! I find no enjoyment in it whatsoever. I feel like I’m dying when I run (yes, a tad dramatic). Don’t get me wrong, I can power walk in a pair of five-inch platform stilettos like it’s nobody’s business. But running? Ugh! So onto the list it went. “Run a 5k.” And for me, that’s no easy feat.

 

As much as I hate running I decided to have fun with it. I signed up for “The Color Run 5k” after a recommendation from my friend Allison.  Any 5k described as “the happiest 5k on the planet” was worth a shot. And then I decided to ask my sister and two cousins to join me to form a team. I knew I would need a lot of motivation to do this so having them by my side was probably the only way I actually would follow through on it.

 

The training was horrid. I hated every minute of it. I started running in the spring using the “Couch to 5k” app for iPhone. At the beginning of my training I was fine because I was also using the elliptical and going for daily walks on my lunch break at work. But then I sprained my back in a car accident and sidelined the running for two months. When I started again (I am not proud to say this) I complained… ALOT. Oh boy was I miserable on those few runs I actually did take leading up to the race.

 

But guess what? I DID IT! We did it, all four of us. Well, 5 of us, because my cousin’s husband ran with us, motivated us, and of course took some lovely pictures of us getting “colored” during the run. Going into the race I did not expect to finish, let alone run the entire thing. But it was so much fun! Yes, those are words even I can’t believe came out of my mouth that day.

 

It was a great feeling to cross the finish line covered in rainbow colors with my family by my side while my husband and daughter waited for me at the finish line. I really hope that by watching me run, my daughter can learn something about setting personal goals no matter the challenge they present. I am so thankful to my sister and cousins for running with me, and I am so ready for my next 5k with them…just not the training in between! 

 

Pre-race team photo

 

Post race colors!

 

Team Amazing Grey's



Time to celebrate



 Enjoying the post-race color party!!

 

Spreading color

 

The Color Run = Happy!

The Color Run 5k New Jersey event specifically partnered with a local charity called Back On My Feet - Philadelphia, a national non-profit organization that uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make real change that results in employment and independent living.

So Long Summer

It's September. How did that happen? I spent the entire summer NOT BLOGGING. It's been quite an eventful summer and even year for that matter. I cannot believe we are in the home stretch for 2014 and about to head back to school.

The last 8 months have been pretty amazing though. We've taken so many day-trips and mini-vacations (my job-hopping prevented a full vacation this year). We've spent so much quality time with family near and far. I RAN A 5K! Who knew I could do that. I recently was hired for a job that I spent the last 20 months working toward. I eliminated soy from my diet (for the most part) so my belly is much happier with me (and even my chronic migraines have managed to disappear). And as a family we are eating so much healthier! It's been a great year, a positive and progressive one; a big year!

And this one also turned 7! How did that happen?!

 

There are still four long months left in this gorgeous year and we sure have a lot planned to fill up those coming months. Most importantly, I have some catching up to do with my 30 before 30 list. This has been such a positive year so far. It's the first good, low-stress year I've had in a really long time. And it's almost autumn... my absolute favorite time of year!

We're Saving Babies

It's been awhile since I've written and we have done so many fun things in the last two weeks that I'll have to catch up on. But I've also been spending most of my "free time" fundraising for the March of Dimes which is a charity that hits home for me. Our walk is in 8 days and I'm so close to my fundraising goal of $1,000.

My daughter was unexpectedly born 5 weeks early and we are one of 40% of preterm births with no known cause, no answer to the question, "Why did this happen?" Her story, her struggle, her battle was fought 6 1/2 years ago but each year we reflect and we share our story so that those going through the same bittersweet experience can feel some comfort in knowing that they are not alone and that someone gets it.

When my daughter was born 5 weeks too soon I was so angry, so sad, so embarrassed, and felt so guilty. I felt helpless for her. I also felt so alone like no one understood what were going through. Then the hands of The March of Dimes foundation touched my heart and gave me guidance. I found all the tools I needed to not only properly take care of my preemie and know what challenges to expect as she grows but I also found a network of families sharing their stories that were so similar to ours. It helped me heal. So I decided to put on my sneakers and to walk.

I created our Family Team for the March of Dimes March for Babies in 2006 because I felt I needed to do something after our NICU stay with my daughter. When we completed our first walk with Ava at 9 months old I still hadn't made sense of everything that had happened and she still hadn't made a 100% recovery yet. But walking that year and being with the other NICU families helped get my emotions in check.

We continue to walk each year to give thanks for the chance Ava was given and to give hope for all the babies to come. The March of Dimes also touches every family everywhere, even those whose babies were born healthy. And for that we give thanks. Every dollar we raise, every step we take, we are making progress.

 My daughter lost 5 weeks so we walk 5 miles in honor of the battle she fought to find health but we walk for all babies everywhere. Please support Team Ava Marie on our mission to save babies!

A 24-hour Refresher

It's been a while and we've been busy. My daughter has been on spring break this week so we've been on the move! I also never posted my Day 31 of the blog challenge. I kind of skipped that post on purpose. I hate endings. I try not to acknowledge them. So I didn't because I didn't want the challenge to come to an end!

One thing that has finally come to an end that I'm very happy about though has been this much too long winter. Winter came exactly one week after Hurricane Sandy hit us. We had our first winter snow and became gripped by winter's relentless cold fist during the first week of November and it hasn't let go until this weekend. We have had snow and grey for far too long this year it was hard not to feel affected by it. Lots of Vitamin D kept me as perky as I could be during the long winter.

A few hours ago I returned from a quick overnight trip out in Lancaster, PA. It's a favorite clear my head spot of mine as it's so rural with big open spaces and narrow winding roads. The simple Amish life dotting the landscape is very grounding as well. After a long few weeks at work I finally feel refreshed.

My daughter and I perused one of the local villages in Intercourse, PA this afternoon and stocked up on her favorite Jams and preserves at the local canning and jarring company. I'm excited to try their new Blueberry Pomegranate jam. Afterward we popped into a local Art Gallery where Ava fell in love with a few landscapes. She couldn't understand how someone could paint so well that it would look just like a picture. She's really enamored with modern art so the realist paintings were very new to her. But she appreciated them. One such painting she was in awe of was an original Andrew Wyeth.

It pleased me that she dragged me into the gallery and she led through it and started conversations with me about the art. Many trips to the art museums of New York have really had their impact on her which makes me smile. Their collection was mostly local but still much to appreciate.