Video Version

Here's the video trilogy of St. Baldrick's...  :)  Ooh, sounds so exciting!  My first trilogy...  ;)

St. Baldrick's Part I, Fellowship of the Shavees

A brave group of people of all sizes and ages join forces (and lose hair) to raise money for kids that battle cancer.

St. Baldrick's Part II, The Two Shavees

Two friends from work continue the journey of shaving their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer.

St. Baldrick's Part III, Return of the Shavees

The two friends, clean shaven, are free from their chairs, to be returned safely to their loved ones for much rejoicing.

Happy day!

Of St. Patrick!  And....ST. BALDRICK!!!  While not a "real man," St. Baldrick calls people to donate money to help fund research and treatment for kids that battle cancer.  In exchange?  You get to see your friends bald.
The phrase of the night tonight was "bald is beautiful!"  I've never been so proud or happy to see so many people come together and give of themselves, quite literally.  It was amazing - and I loved getting to see all those beautiful little bald heads running around the building.  Okay, well the heads weren't running, but you know what I mean...
Here are some photos from the evening...

Me before: (with hair)

"Activities other than shaving" (Thank you, Clarion!)  ;)

Hangin' out with Bampa...

Amanda & me...bald as can be!  ;)

SO glad he didn't flip out...  :)

Dan et moi

And here's the donation/hair/stuff... (18-20 inches of hopefully usable hair!)

I hope you all had an amazing St. Patty's day as well!  :)  If you didn't happen to get to donate for St. Baldrick's and it's REALLY REALLY bugging you, Relay For Life is coming up!  ;)

These Courageous Kids

Soon I'm gonna be bald.
Some might not understand a desire to do something so...off-the-wall to promote cancer research and treatment for kids.  Imagine your child (if you're a parent, if not, imagine a child you love DEARLY) battling a disease that not only takes so much of their energy and vitality, but also often takes their hair, causes pain, and even sometimes takes their life...  I've seen so many children go down this road.  Stronger than I could ever hope to be - all of them.  Little troopers all the way - not complaining, not whining, not huffing around; but embracing the life they have.  Of all of the kids I have followed and prayed for over the last few, short years, there is only one still on the road.  It's a heartbreaking disease, and while I can't fix it or end it or stop it in its tracks, I can help find funding.  I can donate my renewable resource so that some brave kid somewhere can have something to cover that beautiful little noggin.
I guess people just need to know, and then to act.  We might not cure cancer right now.  But what we do now makes a difference - in the lives and hearts of those fighting right now.
And someday, we'll be able to look back and say, "we kicked cancer to the curb!"
And for all those COURAGEOUS kids out there - you keep on keepin' on!!!

http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/525028/2012

Finding my Mary

Some of you may have heard me comment on the fact that I need to find my inner Mary.  So often in life I get caught up in the tasks at hand that I fail to stop and just listen.  Observe.  Enjoy.  My Martha takes over.  When I meet my Maker, He's not going to care how many dishes I did or that my house was spotless more often than not (which it is, save for the small scattering of toys left stranded by a toddler in full motion - which I *LOVE*), His focus is going to be on whether or not I connected with this life and lived it to the fullest for His glory.

I am so thankful that I have a husband that reminds me of that.  We are so opposite in some respects but it's so good for me, to hear that it's okay to just leave things for a moment and enjoy the people in your life instead of obsessing over whether or not that pan in the sink is done soaking quite yet (which it's not)...

I am so thankful that this wonderful husband is also so good with our son, and takes his time, not wrapped up in the task itself, but enjoying the moments and the learning going on.  THIS has helped me so much to just slow down and enjoy all the wonderful blessings in my life - having Michael and being with Sean.  My son will only be learning things for the first time ONE TIME.  He's not going to stop growing into the boy, then teen, then young man, then man we're shaping him to be, and I don't want to miss a bit of that.

It's good to serve those around you.  In fact, that's my primary love language - acts of service.  I want to teach Michael that having a servant's heart is so valuable.  But it's also good to just be together (quality time was a CLOSE second).  Relationships are also so valuable and I find myself neglecting my relationships for the tasks I have at hand.  And for that, I am sorry...

Now, I know some of you will tell me that tasks do, in fact, have to be completed and that it's good for Michael to see some responsibility played out.  THAT'S not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about not getting so wrapped up in the little, insignificant don't-matter tasks that I miss out on a few someones who really want to just bond.  I'm talking about letting go of the little things, so that I don't miss out on the big things in life...  Don't sweat the small stuff, right?  I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' on it...

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 

⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

Shiny

Doggie, horsie, tractor, up, down, Mama, Daddy, Bampa (Grandpa), Memaw (Grandma), gok (yogurt), bus, car, truck, shirt, duck, church, amen, frog, cat, and at least 100 other words...  Our son's ever-growing vocabulary has undoubtedly blossomed to include (today) the word "shiny"...  Our geeky little hearts all a-flutter at the sound of this word, and I wondered how he picked this one up, since we've yet to sit him down in front of our all-time favorite show, Firefly (he's a little young yet).  And here as I type this, the answer dawns on me: from one of us.  Shiny.  :)
Yep, still makes me smile.  Oh, son, our little geek in the making...

Shiny.

*photo courtesy of jolymi08

Jessica Nugent Aagaard likes this

Yesterday at our Christmas morning church service, we were blessed to view this artistic representation on what Jesus' birth would have been like if social media had existed.  It's so moving, yet simple, and I can't really elaborate on it and do it justice, so I'll let you watch...  Good stuff...

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas...  

Sufficient For Me

2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


I constantly find myself facing this world and wishing, longing for a closer, deeper relationship with the people in my life.  I've long felt that others are far more important to me than I am to them.  This is not me fishing...just voicing, rather writing, something that has been on my heart for so long...
Perhaps I'm not the only one that feels this way.  Invisible.  Unimportant.  Unworthy.  
I find myself avoiding people.  To avoid feeling like I'm being avoided I avoid first, so that I can avoid the whole rotten feeling of avoidance altogether.  And yet, it usually backfires, and I feel worse.  Maybe I'm made to.  God has made me one to reach out.  I can't be a very effective witness or even just an empathic ear if I'm avoiding people just so I don't get hurt.  
And so what do I do?  I realized that in this weakness of mine, God has the strength I need...I just need to continue to seek Him out.  Stop avoiding people and just be.  Be who God made me to be and realize that He hungers for my attention and interaction just as we hunger for the attention and interaction of those around us.  
Distractions abound now, so I'll write more later...  OOO