Happy Halloweenie Folks! (Another costume made out of a box!)

Happy Halloween to you all! I know most of you are probably here for Charleigh pics, but her daycare is having a Halloween party at 3:30 today and we will take her trick-or-treating tonight, so you'll just have to check back tomorrow : )

 

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job and coworkers? Because I do. My boss came up with the team building activity of having a mummy race yesterday! I had no idea what this was, but apparently I am the only one in the world who had never heard of such a thing. You have teams and you take a roll of toilet paper and wrap someone up as fast as you can. You are obviously competing against the other team!

One of my coworkers couldn't participate, but we did girls vs. boys. I got to wrap my boss in toilet paper. Ha! How many people can say that? We won by a land slide! If you ripped the toilet paper while you were running around, you had to pause for 3 seconds! I was laughing hysterically the whole time and feeling green from running in circles. We all got very dizzy!

So what Halloween costume do you get when you mix a box,

A bunch of balloons with some straws hanging down?

 A hot air balloon! Ta Da!!!

I'm proud to say this costume cost me $6 to make... Meg for the win! Float on...

Backpack Buddies 2013 and someone missed.

Backpack Buddies 2013 was awesome! Here are pictures from last year's race. In 2012, I gave the organizers a check for $802...thanks to all of you.

Rod helped run with me last year too! This year was a bit different as Rod was still in Kentucky and it was bitterly cold. Not wanting a frozen baby, Greg and Charleigh couldn't come cheer me on. I felt a little weird being there alone, but then I realized how many people had supported me this year and I quickly knew I was NOT alone! You all were running with me. Thanks to an out pour of support again this year, I was able to give the organizers this...

A check for $1,001.00! It was an unbelievable moment.
The organizers started to cry, dudes were crying, I cried (Naturally) It was moving. They were beyond thankful. I only wish all of you who donated could have seen this moment filled with ugly crying. Ha!

This was Charleigh before I left giving me a little good luck lovin'! She's good like that ; )

 

Thank you doesn't seem like enough to offer all of you that helped me, but it's all I've got. Thank you. Do you realize how many children $1,001 will help? Do you realize how many children will go home with a backpack on a Friday night and not worry about what they will eat that weekend? YOUR donation made this possible. I am humbled by every single donation.

To keep up with the sappy-ness of this post, I have to say a few words regarding Greg's Grandpa... my Grandpa too. He has been gone 3 years today. I've said it before and will probably say it every year on this day, but there are few people who come into your life and love you unconditionally. There are even less that love you unconditionally that aren't your own blood relative. Grandpa always made me feel unconditionally loved. Bet he is sitting in a Bonefish Grill somewhere eating all the Bang Bang Shrimp he wants : ) He is greatly missed. Float on...

Flashback to Charleigh's 1st Halloween. Halloween 2012

TGIF

Lol! Isn't this hilarious? Anywho, less than 24 hours until my Back Pack Buddies Race! I am about $190 from my goal, but have a few donations still on their way! If any of you out there wanted to donate and forgot to get a check in the mail, let me know! I'll be happy to spot you until your check comes! Don't let children go to be hungry. Help me help them!

It got cold here. Lows close to freezing. It's interesting this year because we went from a 4th story tiny apartment that we never had to turn the heat on in (literally never - heat travels up) to a small drafty house that feels like a meat locker! I love our little house. We just need to layer up! I can't imagine what January will be like. Isn't there stuff you can buy to put on windows to help keep drafts out? Like something you tape? Can you just duct tape your windows? Ha! I obviously have no idea what I am talking about.

Float on...

ONLY 4 DAYS TO GO...!

This was featured on my work's Facebook page today!

 

Hi Friends! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! And we would like to raise your awareness of a VERY important cause. Ever heard of Back Back Buddies?

Our AWESOME employee Meg is running in a Back Pack Buddies charity race is THIS SATURDAY! Every donation, no matter how small, goes a long way for these kids. How does it work? Plastic grocery bags filled with nutritional, easy-to-prepare or ready-to-eat foods are delivered to the school each week. The school places these bags into the backpacks (also supplied by the schools, churches, and groups) and the children take them home on Friday afternoons, returning them to the school on Mondays. This is also done for holidays and extended breaks from school.

Meg participated in last year's Back Pack Buddies race in Severn, Maryland. Thanks to all of the participants and fundraisers of that race, between October 2012 and June 2013, this very program DISTRIBUTED 650 BACKPACKS OF FOOD TO LOCAL CHILDREN in risk of not having sufficient food to eat over the weekend and school holidays.

How amazing is that? Please help Meg help more kids this year! STOP BY THE OFFICE WITH A CHECK BEFORE SATURDAY! Thank you in advance!

 

Pretty cool, huh? If any of you readers feel inclined to give... GIVE! I'll run a little faster because you did ; )

 

(Actually, I'm slower than molasses. I probably won't run faster. I'll be sucking wind. Ha!) Float on...

Weekend Update

We all had a great weekend with my mom and Rod visiting. We took Charleigh to Gymnastics on Saturday morning, played at the local pumpkin patch, and made one awesome haunted ginger bread house! Charleigh was spoiled and happy, so were Greg and I ; ) Thanks Mom and Rod. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Gymnastics time. Working on her "pencil rolls."

The spider climb.

Grandpa helping.

The care package that came too!

Greg slaving away cleaning. Back-breaking dusting folks. Poor guy. Ha!

 

 

Somebody loves her grandpa.

Mom and Charleigh in the truck.

LOL! Charleigh's hair and face is sweet.

Our pumpkin

There are slides set up at the pumpkin patch and grandma, grandpa, and I all took a turn. Thanks Greg for being an awesome camera man.

Grandma and Charleigh.

Weeeee!

Checking out the animals.

Working on their ginger bread house.

So glad this guy joined our family.

 

Papa and Charleigh.

 

 

 Sunday, I got to do something I've never done. I got to play paintball with a few of my co-workers and my boss. It was awesome! I had so much fun and got shot over and over. I was SO not good at this game. I have some wicked bruises! Lol. I can't wait to go again sometime and take Greg with me. He would love it too.

Although I look like a total dude here, I've never had so much fun. I'm on the left and in the picture below, my boss Margie is second to the left.

 Float on...

The Braveheart of paint ball.

Hey there. All day yesterday I thought it was Thursday. I hate when you get a day off like that. Now I think it's Friday and we aren't there yet. Must. Keep. Going!

I'm playing paint ball for the first time in my life on Sunday. I assume this is what I will look like when I do. I have no idea why I haven’t played this game sooner. My boss started a promotion a few months back that if we beat our local competing office at a particular goal, we would all play paintball on her dime! I’ve heard getting hit with a paintball stings, so I’ve decided to layer up like the Michelin Man (Side note – I spelt Michelin right on my first attempt)

Also, my mom and Rod are coming for a short visit tomorrow through Sunday. We will be doing the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, and doing all things Halloweenie! Should be a great time.

Happy fall! Float on...

Back Pack Buddies Race 2013 - 11 DAYS AWAY!!!

Forgive me in advance… I’m awkward at asking for money, yet that is exactly what I am doing.  I am asking for money… hear me out!

You may remember learning of my passion for helping the Backpack Buddies Foundation last year. The charity is nationwide and is fighting to alleviate childhood hunger. Backpack Buddies is a program run throughout the country by individual schools, churches, and groups using several program names. How does it work? Plastic grocery bags filled with nutritional, easy-to-prepare or ready-to-eat foods are delivered to the school each week. The school places these bags into the backpacks (also supplied by the schools, churches, and groups) and the children take them home on Friday afternoons, returning them to the school on Mondays. This is also done for holidays and extended breaks from school.

How did this become my thing? I VERY passionately believe that NO child should go to bed hungry or face the fear of not having enough to eat. I am a runner and last year when looking online for a  race to run here in Maryland, I stumbled upon a church in Severn, MD doing their first ever run/walk to benefit Backpack Buddies. I made it my goal to help this first time program succeed so that they would continue to do it year after year for our community. After months of fundraising, I was able to hand them a check for $801.00! Upon handing the check to the charity run organizers, I was met with tears and a LOT of hugs. Between October 2012 and June 2013, this very program distributed 650 backpacks of food to children at risk of not having sufficient food to eat over the weekend! How amazing is that?!

I’m proud to say that the same church is doing this event again! The 2^nd annual 5k race takes place on October 26^th, 2013. Hell yes! You can read more about the event here http://www.gpccn.org/Missions_5k.html.

I tried to make it simple last year by asking for donations from four different levels -

1. Give $10.
2. Since I am running a 5k, which is 3.1 miles - give $31.
3. Give $100 or a donation of your choosing.
4. Give me all your money! (Definitely the best option ; )

If you feel inclined to help, please write me a check for any amount or give me cash no later than October 25th. 100% of your donation will go to funding for Backpack Buddies. There is NO PRESSURE. Money is tight. Money is ALWAYS tight. I completely understand if it’s not a good time.

And just to pull at your heart string a little more, here are a few stats to think about –

• Although Maryland is one of the wealthiest states in the country and home to three of the richest counties in the nation (Howard, Montgomery and Calvert), 12.5 percent of households in Maryland (or 1 in 8) face a constant struggle against hunger.
• 243,000 children are at risk of hunger in Maryland.
• 13.6% of Maryland children lived below the poverty line last year.
• More than 343,000 Maryland students qualified for a free or reduced-price meal during the 2010-2011 school year

I NEED YOUR HELP. FLOAT ON...

Weber's Farm 2013