dear howard

dear howard,

thank you for the read. i found it ... insightful. tell our "mutal friend" thanks too.

erin

my challenge

It is sometimes difficult to ask those you know, and even those you do not, to support you in an endeavor you may embark. Below is the letter I sent to family & friends, but what I should have said:

Dear family & friends ... I am volunteering to walk 60 miles in 3 days in the Texas heat to support breast cancer research. They will not let me participate in this challenge if I do not raise $2,200. That would mean the hours asking for donations, developing a team and walking miles and miles to train for this event will be all for not. Please donate what you can, even if it is 25 cents. I appreciate your support. For those of you that know me well enough know how breast cancer has directly affected my family, as well as my personal health. Be an "Under Wire: Support Breast Cancer Research". (Thanks Branden!) Click below to view my website or send a check directly to me. Thank you and God bless.

Instead I sent this ...

This year, I will be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day in Dallas, TX October 27-29, 2006.

I will walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

I've agreed to raise a minimum of $2,200 in donations. So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation? Please take a look at my website, and designate the amount that's right for you. Please keep in mind how far I'm walking -- and how hard I'll have to train, and know how much I appreciate you!

According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me -- by supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support The Breast Cancer 3-Day.

god help us

does going to church make you a better person? does being religious make you a better person? a person's relationship with god or whatever they believe in is very personal. as my husband says, "church is a place for community", and i choose to find my "community" in other places. i am not a fan of "organized religion".

i am not a religious person. i am more of a spiritual person, that happens to believe in god and pray everyday. religion should not define a person. i think it is inappropriate when people "push" their religion on others. i have lived in the "bible buckle" and know what pushing means. i also think that there are people who use religion to cover up dark secrets, no, i am not talking about priests.

i was raised catholic, went to a catholic high school and have gone through 5 of the 7 sacraments. i have not been to church on a regular basis since high school. i have attended mass since then, but have wanted to walk out on several occasions because i disagreed so strongly with what was being said. i did not walk out or stand up, yell "bullshit", and challenge the preist to a verbal sparing match since neither option seemed appropriate. i was once told by a priest that it was okay to disagree with the church, but i could not make my opinion public ... whatever!

eric and i are now at the point in our lives when we have to make a decision on how to raise our child, and future children. do you have a child baptized because it will make your family happy? in our case, yes. however, if i found that perfect church tomorrow ... we would be there instead.

while we are raising our children, we may go to church once in a while. we will be accepting of all religions, cultures, and lifestyles. i will teach them to have love in their heart. the word hate will not be tolerated (i would prefer the word fuck). i will make sure they are educated, and let them form their own opinions about religion. as they mature and become educated they can become jewish, protestant, or whatever they want ... even baptist if that is what is best for them. i will make a promise here and now to never let them know how much the baptist religion freaks me out. my apologies to my baptist friends.

high

what gives you a natural high? take time to read each one listed below, smile, giggle and just feel good today, or something cheesy like that!

1. Falling in love
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts
3. A hot shower
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance

6. Getting personal mail

7. Taking a drive on a road with a view

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio and singing it at the top of your lungs

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer
11. A milkshake

12. A bubble bath

13. Making a baby giggle

14. A good conversation

15. The beach

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter

17. Laughing at yourself

18. Going for a walk on a nature trail

19. A phone call from a friend you haven't spoken to in a while

20. Running through sprinklers on a hot summer day

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all

22. Having someone tell you that you are beautiful

23. Laughing at an inside joke

24. Snuggling on the couch on a cold or rainy day

25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you

26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep

27. A first kiss

28. Making new friends

29. Spending time with old friends

30. Playing with a new puppy or kitten

31. Having someone play with your hair

32. Closing your eyes and enjoying a moment of the sun shining on your face

33. Hot chocolate with big fluffy marshmallows

34. Road trips

35. Swinging on swings

36. Making eye contact with a stranger and making them smile

37. Making cookies

38. Eating freshly baked cookies with a big glass of milk

39. Holding hands with someone you care about

40. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things never change

41. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present

42. Watching the sunrise

43. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day
44. Knowing that somebody misses you

45. Knowing that somebody loves you

46. Getting a hug from someone

47. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think

48. Hearing a child laugh

49. The smell of clean sheets at bedtime

50. Walking barefoot through the grass

51. Making snow angels

52. Playing cards or a fun game with family and friends ... and winning

¡hola! ¿cómo estás?

¡hola! ¿cómo estás? ... that is the beginning of my very little knowledge of espanol.

i once worked with a man from mexico. he was a physical education teacher in mexico, and when he came to the US he was a hotel housekeeper ... WTF? we were "smoking buddies" for the most part. my buddy spoke no english, and i spoke well ... not enough spanish to have a conversation. so we smiled and nodded until one day he showed me that he was able to read and write english fluently. how cool! so, from the point forward we would write on a napkin back and forth during our smoke breaks. usually just a simple conversation, and i would proudly say "adiós" as we parted. he was such a sweet man, i wonder where he is today?

i really wish i could speak a second language fluently, and preferably spanish. it seems to make the most sense, and not just because i live in texas.

did you know??? spanish is the third most spoken language on the planet. it is spoken as a first language by about 352 million people, or by 417 million including non-native speakers (according to 1999 estimates). the majority of Spanish speakers live in latin america. This was copied word for word from Fixed Reference, check it out ... it's a cool site too.

so you have to know some espanol for this not-so-new phenomenon, but apparently it is becoming all the rage, especially for medical students ... hiring women from mexico to be a suggorgate mother. apparently, the women from mexico agree to ridiculously low wages to sacrafice their bodies and bring sweet bebés to the world. most are afraid of an epidural and deliver el'natural. all so the soon-to-be-doctors can work 75+ hours per week and perserve their fabulous bodies. i see the point of a suggorgate mother, but for these reasons? hmmmm ...

as a once prego woman, and someone who is struggling to take off the baby weight ... i can see both sides to this. i think a woman should do what is best for her (and her significant other). i personally did not like being a pregnant woman, until the end when everyone, including strangers, wanted to do nice things for me. i had a great pregnancy for the most part. not too much morning sickness, mostly nausea until 12 weeks. no mad cravings forcing eric out of bed to the grocery store at 3 am. no stretch marks. i did not feel more than mild contractions, and i never had to dialate or "push" since i had a c-section.

i did however fall down the steps 4 times because my "center" was off, retained a pond of water, had HUGE swollen ankles, an appetite that would put most men to shame, insomnia, SCIATICA for weeks ... wow, that SUCKED! my boobs, oh they hurt really, really, really bad during and after! after hitting a DD i thought the only thing they could do was EXPLODE! there are other things that i will refrain from mentioning. despite all of that, i am glad for the experience, and am thankful that i was able to concieve and carry a healthy baby to term. especially since he is the cutest thing ever! i would do it again, but no more than 3 times. i am also open to adoption, and maybe even hiring a woman from mexico to perserve my soon-to-be-rock-hard-ab-hot-soccer-mom-body. i would at least pay a fair wage, and make sure it was the right thing for her as well.

some think the practice of hiring a woman from mexico is immoral. i am sure those people have never been pregnant. so i say, way to go chicas ... it may be easy for you during the pregnancy, but just wait until that lovely little bundle is screaming at 3 am and you haven't slept in days! it all balances out in the end. just something to ponder ...