All the flavors they love from Dreyers.

I have this wonderful, dear heart on my friends list. In the many years that I have known her, I have seen her grow so very much as a human being. I've had the blessing of knowing her through the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. I'm a better person today for having her in my life..

In the last year, I have been witness to an incredible journey of health improvement. She has shown me on so very many levels that anything IS possible, if I'm just willing.

She's about to embark on yet another fabulous endeavor. Rather than blather on, I give you a letter from her:

In the past year I have taken drastic measures to improve my health.  It occurred to me while doing this that I am able to change my health for the better on my own, but there are many people who do not have that same ability due to illness.  That is why I have decided while pursuing my goal of good health that I would like to help others who cannot help themselves.  On September 20^th, 2009 I will be participating in the ING Philadelphia Distance Run in Philadelphia, PA.  At this event I will be representing The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through their Team in Training.

      The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society strives to find cures for blood cancers including: leukemia, lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin), and myeloma, while providing support, services, and information to patients and their families.  It is estimated that currently there are 894,543 Americans living with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

      Funding provided from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and its supporters to research has resulted in an increase of 5 year survival rate for leukemia from 14 percent in 1960 to 51 percent in 2005.  The survival rate of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia has increased to 86 percent from only 3 percent in 1964.

      For these reasons I am asking my family, friends, neighbors, and the businesses* in my local community to contribute what you can to the fight to find a cure.  If you are unable to donate at this time I want to thank you for allowing me to share with you my journey and goals.  Please also feel free to share this letter with your family, friends, neighbors, and local businesses. 

      Donations can be made using  my secure website http://pages.teamintraining.org/cpa/phildist09/spriniski. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.  Without the support and involvement of people such as you The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society could not succeed.

 

If you have any more information on this case...

I left for work early today so that I would have enough time to swing by Target and get some allergy pills. My usual work shoes have worn down to the point that the bottoms are broken in half, my feet hurt horridly an hour into my shift, and I end up with gigantic holes in my socks by the end of the day. Because of this, I decided to try to wear the Dr. Martens I bought (new) for $10 back in Phoenix.

Part way into my walk to work, I remembered - painfully - that my feet have grown over the years. I ran out of room very swiftly. By the time I reached work, it felt as if my pinky toes were shredded to pieces and I was finding it difficult to walk. Well, crap. Money is tight and I didn't really want to invest in a new pair of shoes, especially since I know that I HAVE to buy new work pants before next payday, too.

I hate shopping. I HAAAATE SHOPPING. The only places I ever LIKE to shopping to are used book stores. Other than that, I abhor grocery shopping and absolutely refuse to to clothes shopping unless I'm completely out of lucrative options. I have a severe hatred for spending MONEY on such things. I don't know if it was my welfare upbringing (because my brother's the same way), but I cannot stand to pay more than $25 for a pair of shoes, or $20 for a pair of pants.

I get to Payless and - HUH? I get to buy $70 worth of shoes for $18? Two pair, both of which I can wear as work shoes (one absolutely so ugly and awkward looking that I just feel in love with them and both in men's shoes) that are normally $34.99 each. Both are on sale for $12, and the have a BOGO 1/2 off of ANYTHING.

I leave in a good mood and head to Target. What I snagged for a quick lunch (brat + soda) is usually $2.50 before tax, but it's on sale for half off! Yay! I drag my feet to pants and.. what is this? A pair that would work perfectly and amazingly in my size for $10?!!? I need allergy pills, which I believe are $6. .... only FOUR?!? ROCK!!! I look up and see a neti pot. I had been wanting to buy one, you see, but didn't want to invest the $35+ that I had been hearing they run for. Target sells one (albeit plastic, not porcelain) for $14? And it has a $2 off coupon attached to it?

WIN.

So, instead of only getting a pair of pants and a pair of shoes for about $60 as I had planned, I scored two pairs of shoes, a pair of pants, a lunch, food for work for three days, a box of meal bars, a neti pot, a bottle of pretend Benedryl, and coffee for a month for the same price.

Now I see how shopping for bargains can be addicting.

Not to mention the sheer joy of taking my cramped, shredded feet out of my old shoes and sticking them into spacious, comfy new ones? HEAVEN.

Yanno that episode of Family Guy where Peter gets three wishes from a genie and his second one involves his own theme song? Where the music gets all happy as he's skipping down the sidewalk, gaily swinging shopping bags back and forth? That was so me.

I had planned on posting it here for you to see, but it seems impossible to find a clip on the nets.

Let me see the paperwork.

I had read AGES ago that my beloved OK Go were coming out with a new album in Spring of 2009. I've been trying like mad to find additional information on it, hoping greatly that it would live up to my love of the other two; so many times I wait on baited breath for a new album from a beloved band and am completely let down by the results. (*cough*SloanPrettyTogether*ahem*NickelCreekWhyShouldTheFireDie?*hoof*)

Finally, I find that it is currently set to drop in September (/cry) 2009, and is titled The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the Sky. The title is much longer than their other two releases (OK Go and Oh No).

I bring you, once again, OK Go in the backyard dancing and OK Go on treadmills. If you would rather see the band singing and playing instruments, you can watch them blow up things.

It all makes for great walking to work music.

I also love them for turning one of their rocksy songs into this. (Be warned - awesome hand bells but annoying girly screams.) If you would like to hear what the original song sounds like, go here and click "What to Do" and lissen. LISSEN.

Instead of going to bed at a reasonable time, I have been dinking online, composing this pointless post, and wasting time. My alarm goes off in less than six hours, woo! Yay, freight day!