Gifts that make a difference!

I am just beginning to do all of my Christmas shopping. I usually always wait until the very last minute, but this year I am trying to be better. I do a lot of my shopping online because it is just simpler than going from store to store...in hopes of finding what you are looking for.

I was talking with my dad last weekend and we were talking about the possible recession and the price of gas, etc...and how it might all effect holiday gift shopping. He said he watched a news story and they said people would probably buy just as much, but where they will penny pinch is with charitable giving. That is such a shame to me.

Well, there is a solution. You can shop for gifts at charitable sites. That way, you are getting a nice gift and also helping a great cause. A great example is the Alzheimer's Foundation of America eStore.



You can buy some really nice, beautiful jewelry while giving money to a great cause. I can remember doing that when I was in college. I bought my mom a bracelet that also donated money to an AIDS organization. I loved the bracelet, but I also loved that my gift was more than just jewelry.

There are so many worthy organizations to give to this holiday season and Alzheimer's is definitely one of them. I can't imagine suffering with this disease...and not remembering important things or people in my life. It is also heart breaking for the families of those afflicted as well. I can't imagine. You know, research and finding a cure for the disease is important, no doubt. However, what is also important is helping people who currently have the disease with treatment and care. I have a friend who used to work in a nursing home and she would often tell stories of Alzheimer's patients which were in her care.

So, if you like the jewelry and feel inclined, buy one or two or a dozen for a good cause. Remember, all the proceeds go to support the Alzheimer's Foundation! Make your Christmas gifts have an impact beyond the 20 minutes it takes to open them all up!! Hugs!!!

*yawns*

I had a lot going on this weekend...so here is an update, cause I know you are waiting with baited breath.

Friday: I got out of work...and was so excited that I am officially on vacation. I immediately went and got my haircut. If y'all are lucky...I might post a pic, but probably not. And if I do, I'll probably post it on myspace...so if you aren't my myspace friend....well, sucks to be you!

Saturday: I had such a hard time getting to sleep on Friday night. I have had a hard time sleeping lately and I am not sure why. Anyways...it sucked even more than usual because my alarm was set for 5am...in order to head to Maine with my dad for the day. I prepared him when I got into the car that I might be Ms. Cranky Pants, etc. (Luckily I kept the cranky at bay). SO, we got into Maine at about 10:30 or so. We walked around the boardwalk and bought some of the best salt water taffy. If you have never had Goldenrod Kisses...you are missing out man. Seriously!!! Then, we went over to the local cemetery where my grandparents are buried and meet up with my 2 uncles. It was hot as balls that day....I mean, I was dripping. My uncles got there...we all chit chatted and what not, took some pics and then headed out of the hot evil sun and got some lunch. We went to this cool restaurant that is shaped like a boat, so you feel like you are eating inside a boat. I got an awesome veggie burger...which was homemade, not frozen, etc. It was yummilicious. We had a nice conversation at lunch...until my uncle showed that he is still living in a bitterbarn since my grandma passed away. But, we all moved on...so, it went back to being nice. After lunch, we drove over to the house that my dad grew up in. My other uncle (Non bitterbarn one)...knew the next door neighbor, so we got to walk through their yard to behind my dad's old house. It is such a beautiful home...and it is right on the water. When my grandma sold it...back in 1979...she sold it for $79,000...and it might go back on the market soon and it is rumored it could sell for over 4 million dollars. That's insane...completely insane people. And..after that, my dad and I drove back home and I was in bed EARLY. Long day, but very good day.

Sunday: The JDRF walk was on Sunday. It was a good day, but a hard one to get through. I got up and headed over to my dad's house at 10am...and then we headed over to the walk. To this date, I raised $416.00...so I think that is awesome. My roommate said her employer has a matching program, so it might be even more....so that's great. I am thankful to everyone who donated, it meant so much to me. And...for the next month you can still donate, so if you missed it...no fear, click away! Ooh...a special thank you to the anonymous person who donated. I wish I knew who ya were, so I could really thank you. I got to the walk...turned in my donations and then headed over to the start line. I saw a woman from my church and we walked together. My dad watched and took pics....which I might post on myspace...see there are benefits to being my friend!! LOL Of course, it rained like crazy for the first half of the walk. I had an umbrella...so it wasn't horrible. It let up about the time we were turning around and heading in the other direction. I talked with the woman from my church through the whole walk...and it was nice chit chatting with her. She's truly a remarkable woman. I finished the walk...hugged my dad...and then we left and grabbed some lunch. I spent some time at home with him and then headed back to the apartment to just sit exhausted on the couch...phew. I watched some crap tv...the roomie came home, chit chatted with her...watched more TV...and then headed to bed.

So...there ya have it. My recap of the first weekend of my vacation. So, what's on tap today??? Well...I am going to do lots of laundry and start pulling my bedroom apart. This week is all about organization...and getting everything clean and in its place. At first, I thought my roommate was on vacation this week...but she's not...so I am going to have to try to get all this stuff done without waking her up or bothering her. It's no biggie...just kind of changes the way I would do things, etc. (i.e...I planned on sleeping on the futon while I worked on my room, but obviously that won't work now, etc.) Oh well...life is about adjusting.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week....even if you aren't on vacation like me.

JDRF Diabetes Walk: Sun Sept 9th! Help a great cause!

Hi everyone! I am late getting this message out, but I hope that it isn't too late to get some donations for this year's walk. I am walking in the local JDRF Walk. JDRF raises money and awareness about juvenile diabetes. I walked last year for my mom since she wouldn't have been able to walk the 5K all by herself.

My battled with diabetes for the majority of her life. I know she would still be here if she didn't have the disease. Sometimes it just doesn't seem real that she won't be there on the sidelines at the finish with me this year...and that breaks my heart, but it also confirms why walks like this NEED to happen. So, this year, I am walking for her again, but in a completely different way. Diabetes is something that affects so many lives...so many families. Please take a moment and donate anything you can...a dime, a million dollars...it doesn't matter.

Thanks...I'll be thinking of you all and your support this year when I walking around Crandall Park. And hey, if you are local...come on out and join me! The more...the better!

Here is a pic of mom and me...at last year's walk:



Much love,

It's almost vacation time!!!

It's Thursday...the Thursday before I go on vacation. Let me tell you, I am completely in vacation mode and that kinda sucks. I have so much stuff to do. I have a bajillion things that need following up on...that need filing...that need to at least be organized before I can walk out the door. But, I just don't want to do it.

I am not doing anything special for my vacation...and I like it that way. I am spending the week at home and working on cleaning the apartment (desperately needs it...and only gets worse by the day). I am also re-arranging my room. I am going to Maine for a day with my dad. I have the diabetes walk. And, I might see about going to Vermont for a day..and see an old friend.

All in all, I am just excited to have a week just to veg out and not worry about anything. I like having a week where I don't have to deal with anyone's else crisis, etc. I like a week where I don't have to go to the jail and get anyone into drug rehab or hear someone tell me why they don't need rehab, etc.

I love my job...I really do...and right now is the perfect time for a vacation because I am feeling a smidge burned out. *yawns*

Happy Thursday everyone....T minus 2 days until vacation. Yippee!!!

P.S. I dropped by my dentist yesterday and gave them an insurance check that came in. I checked my balance and it looks like my insurance will cover more than I thought it would...so I won't be out a million bajillion dollars like I thought I would. yippee again!

a really good cause....

As my loyal readers know, I have been doing paid posts for the last few months. I can say without any hesitation that this is the best paid post I have ever had the honor to do. It's something that has such value...and something I believe so strongly in.

This post is sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association and it is about their national fundraising walks going on. I am a huge fan of fundraising walks. I have done the diabetes walks, cancer walks, homeless awareness walks, etc. I like them for a few reasons. I like them because they allow people to raise money for a good cause, obviously. I also like them because it allows the fundraiser to also be doing something productive for the cause while raising money. I always feel a little bit uncomfortable asking people for money, but asking them for money and committing to a walk just seems like a great balance. And I also like them because the walk brings you together with other people that care about a common cause.

Alzheimer's is a disease that just rips my heart to shreds. I can't imagine losing your memories...not knowing the people you love, not knowing what is going on around you. One of my friends is working in an assisted living facility and when she got her assignment, she was hoping for the dementia unit. I had such respect for her because I don't think I could work on that unit. I think I would get overwhelmed by their and my frustration. Plus, the pain of watching the loved ones watching their family member disappearing right in front of their eyes. Ahh...it breaks my heart just thinking about it.

The fundraising walk for the Alzheimer's Association is called the Memory Walk. There are over 600 walks going on all over the country this fall. So...if you want to support the cause, head on over to their website and sign up. You can search their site by zipcode and it will tell you where the nearest walk event is to you. You can sign up by yourself or you can sign up as a team leader. My roommate was a team leader for a cancer awareness walk and she seemed to have a lot of fun doing it.

So, SIGN UP TO WALK! SIGN UP TO BE A TEAM CAPTAIN! And sign up early...because the earlier you sign up, the more people you can get to join and the more money you can raise for a great cause. Since the Memory Walks started in 1989, they have raised over 225 million. Sign up and help the cause!

Weigh-In: June 4, 2007

Hey everybody...I haven't done a weekly weigh-in/pudge report in a few weeks. I started thinking a lot more about fitness since completing the Relay for Life, so I am definitely going to make sure that my focus is where it needs to be.

First let's get to the business at hand...the numbers. I weighed in this morning and the scale said:

This week's loss: 2 lbs.
Total loss: 4 lbs.

So, it isn't earth shattering, but I will take it. I just want the scale to slowly move in the right direction. I am hopeful that that trend will continue.

Finishing the Relay for Life really taught me a couple of things. I had written a few weeks back that even though I am heavier than I have been in a while, I still feel healthy. This event really confirmed that for me...cause I was able to walk and walk and walk. I am proud of my cardio endurance...yes I know, I am talking about walking here, but walking approximately 30 miles. And I was also happy that it didn't kill my feet. My feet hurt the next morning, but once I rested them and got back up, they really felt okay.

I am also really looking forward to my roommate starting the night shift portion of her job. She is currently in training, which is during the day...but soon she will be working the midshift. I'm not excited because I won't see her...well kind of...I am excited because I can start my Power 90 workouts again. I love those...they kick my ass, but I love them none the less. I also know that I get really focused when I do those workouts. I haven't really been able to do them since I moved in with my roomie because I just don't feel comfy doing those kind of workouts in front of people (unless it is a mass workout class and we are all sweating and dying).

Speaking of mass working out...I haven't gone to the Y in over a month...maybe closer to 2. I think I am going to cancel my membership, especially since I can workout so much more at home now. And if I want to go on one day, I can always buy a day pass. It just doesn't make sense for me to keep paying if I am not going to use it. This saddens me some, but it also saddens me to see a service I am paying for and not using.

My goals this week:

1. Keep drinking 100 oz. of water a day.
2. Walk at least 10,000 steps each day.
3. Plan out all my meals in the morning...knowing what I am going to have for dinner each night.
4. No eating out.
5. Go to the Y and cancel the account.

Alright, that's about all that I have fitness related right now. I guess it means...back to work for Shelley.

Relay for Life Recap

Hey everybody....I finished the Relay for Life on Friday night to Saturday morning. It's a 12 hour event where you raise money for the American Cancer Society and also walk for parts or all of those 12 hours. This is the first time I have participated in Relay for Life...and it was a good time.

The team that I was on...which consisted of my roomie, another good friend, her mom and myself...we actually stayed there for the whole time...and WALKED the whole time. It was exhasuting, but also a lot of fun. I wore my pedometer and turned it over at midnight...so I could get the steps for Friday night and the steps for Saturday morning. I am so glad I wore it because I never would have guessed I walked as much as I did....even though my feet ached by 7am when it was closing ceremonies time. When the steps were all added up, I ended up with just about 62,000 steps...that's right...62,000 steps. That's somewhere between 30 and 35 miles of walking. We basically walked all night...with the exception of a break or two here or there just to rest the bones, but I never rested for long because I knew if I did that I wouldn't get up out of my chair. My poor roomie is really hurting...feet blistering and her ankle is all swollen. I hope she takes it VERY easy for the next few days. I was pretty lucky overall...my feet hurt yesterday, but they weren't blistered and once I got to sleep and rested my poor pups for about 8 hours, they actually feel pretty good.

Thanks to everyone for the support and kind thoughts...it helped me through the walking at 4am, even when my legs were fighting me! And the Relay for Life people said that donations can still be made until the end of the month, so I will make another plea for anyone who wants to donate to the cause. With all that walking, how can you not want to throw a chunk of change at it??? So, click here and donate away....all the cool kids are doing it.

And for those that already donated....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!!

It was fun...I will definitely do it again. And you know, I said last night that I probably wouldn't walk all night again, but you know what...I recovered pretty easily, so I think I would stay all night again. It was a great experience and one night of aches and pains is well worth the cause. Relay for Life said they have hopes of their being a cure by 2015 and lord, I hope they are right.

Relay for Life

Hey everyone....I hate the idea of asking people for money, but this is a good cause...so I am going to. My roommate asked me a LONG time ago if I wanted to join her Relay for Life team and I gladly said yes...and since that date, I have done NOTHING to raise any money. I just kept thinking that the date was so far away, etc....but now...the event is a little over 2 weeks away and I still haven't raised a penny.

Relay for Life is closer to my heart than my lacking of fundraising shows. My grandmother died of bone cancer when I was a little, little girl...I think I was about 5 years old. I remember her...but not like I would if she had lived a long, long life. I can remember her always having a smile on her face, but also being tired and brittle, as the cancer progressed.

And my aunt also had cancer a few years back...her's was skin cancer. She had to have surgery on her leg and her forehead to remove the effected area. Luckily, her's did not spread and she made a full and complete recovery.

I think that research is paramount when it comes to cancer...and that with continued and aggressive research, there might be a day when we talk about curing instead of treating the disease.

So...if you feel so inclined, please feel free to log onto my Relay for Life page and donate to the walk I will be doing in June. My family and I would really greatly appreciate it.

Wanna go play paintball?

I just think the idea of paintball is just the coolest thing ever. I have always wanted to play, but just never got to it. I have played laser tag, but the idea of actually hitting someone and seeing paint splatter on their chest, etc is just too cool. We have a local paintball place on the outskirts of town, so I am thinking I am definitely going to check it out. I have heard that sometimes the paintballs can hurt, depending on where you get hit, but I can handle it. I'm no wuss!

And who knows, if I love it...I might just buy my own paint ball gun. Could you imagine having your own cheap paintball guns to play with? I would have paintball wars with my friends in our backyard. We'd have a day of hanging out, BBQing and then play paintball for the rest of the day. I'd say drinking beers too, but the idea of drink paintballing just isn't cool.

Or, I could organize a paintball war and who knows maybe make it a fundraising charity event. Now come on, that sounds cool! I could buy paintball guns, paintballs and of course the best safety gear that money could buy. Teams could register and then get pledges for competing in the event. There could be prizes for whoever wins and of course, all the $$$ goes to charity.

It sounds like a plan to me...buy a bunch of gear and organize a rockin' paintball fundraiser. Who wouldn't come to that? I know I would prefer to raise money for charity by participating in a paintball competition than going to a 5K run. Just the idea of it...makes me smile!