fundraising!!!

I'm posting up some pictures of cookies and some other things I have made in an effort to start a bake sale benefiting the Ronald McDonald House! If you would like to "order" anything from me, for now, or even for the upcoming holiday season, I would be happy to oblige! If an outright donation is not in the cards, please consider donating in exchange for a beautiful cookie bouquet, gift basket of treats, or anything else you can come up with! I am up for the challenge!

Thanks for all of your help!


as you can see.. i have gotten progressively better with practice



i made a whole bunch of these flower pots for mother's day, but i can't find the rest of the pictures!


this was my nephew's "spongebob" themed first birthday party, we had little bags so people could take cookies home with them after.





summertime cookies! sunbathing bears, towels and flip-flops!





this bouquet has a hint of sparkle to it to give it that extra special "wedding" gleam (their wedding colors were red and white.. i could do any color scheme)



of course I had to make cookies for big sister too!


this was my first "cupcake cake" - it made for easy single servings!

this was my first fondant cake.. i'm still learning.

i made an array of pastries for a family dinner.. chocolate éclairs, miniature apple strudels, ginger-molasses cookies and 5-layer bars.

such an inspiration...

On Saturday after our incredibly greuling training we had the pleasure of making bag lunches for the families at the Ronald McDonald House. (Really I shouldn't say we, considering they were done by the time I returned to the House - way to go team!). I hung around for a while after to get some photos of the families getting lunches - they were so appreciative! It truly is the little things.

On the way out, we encountered some familiar faces (well, familiar to me). The adorable twins, Yurelia and Fiorella, were sitting out front of the House with their grandmother. I had seen their photos in the newspaper, and in press releases from the hospital. They are staying at the House while waiting to undergo surgery to separate them.. as they are conjoined. They are the sweetest little girls, and their grandmother was a delight to talk to. That is why I'm doing this...

http://www.lpch.org/NewsEvents/NewsReleases/2007/twins.html

this article has an adorable picture of the girls:
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=5865

SO CUTE!

pictures of saturday's training at the dish...

When we were doing our training at the Stanford dish on Saturday I was taken aback by the breathtaking view. Not only could you see Stanford's beautiful campus, but you could also see to the bay and beyond. It was such a gorgeous day, and super sunny out! (I can still feel the burn on my cheeks!)

Here are some pictures I found on the internet.. to give you a taste..

it's funny how crazy life gets...

Although I have been M.I.A. from my blog, I have not been M.I.A. from my training. It's been tough because with my work schedule it's practically impossible for me to go to track workouts, but I try my hardest to get to what I can, and then do the rest on my own. A couple of weeks ago we had this awesome (or what I thought was awesome) training in coyote hills. I really impressed myself with how much of it I was able to run considering it was a little over 7 miles, and it was raining!! I actually enjoyed running in the gloomy weather because you never get too hot... plus the view was really nice. We ran right alongside the water for the majority of it, so just taking that all in was great!

I was soaked, and sore.. but I left that same day to go on a road trip with Kris down the coastline. When we stopped in Monterey we walked along part of what our route is going to be for the half marathon, and let me tell you, it is GEORGOUS!! I'm so excited to do the run simply for the scenery!! Monterey is one of my favorite places. I'll post pictures soon!

Yesterday we had our longest (and most brutal) training yet. We started at the Ronald McDonald House, which was encouraging, and from there we ran through the Stanford Campus (which is beautiful by the way) to the Dish. Ahhhhh the dish.. those hills were insane. I really didn't think I was going to make it. I walked most of the dish (3 miles) simply because there were so many hills, and I didn't want to completely wear myself out knowing I had to make it back to the House after. I took it slow, and finished running, so that was nice.

I'm sore.. and sunburned - that sun was out and raging yesterday!! But I'm getting there! 9.5 miles baby!

inspiration...

Although my training hasn't been going as well as I would like.. it's always nice to have a dose of inspiration to keep me going. When we had our first meeting for the team in training at the House, this family came and spoke to us about what a life-saver the RMH was for them. They had to come all the way from Minnesota for their son's heart surgery, and ended up staying longer than they expected to. Well, they finally went home about a month ago, and fortunately they have kept in touch with the staff in the NICU (did I forget to mention that he was inpatient at the unit I work in??).

I was looking at the website they keep to update friends and family of his status, and it seems he is doing really well and glad to be back close to home. It just reminds me that the people who need the RMH come from all walks of life and all different situations... it makes it so much easier to continue on with your every day when you don't have to worry about lodging and costs in addition to everything else that is going on with your child. They were a sweet family.. so deserving... they all are!

So, I walk/run in spite of my frustrations.. reminding myself of why I decided to do this in the first place.

far too long...

It really has been far too long since I posted last. A couple of weeks ago I had a great track workout with the group... It was really encouraging to have support as I ran. Running alone isn't nearly as fun. I had planned to go to the team training that weekend but once I looked I saw it was all the way in Campbell! Unfortunately, to get up in time to make it there I would not have allowed myself a full night's sleep, and I didn't want to run tired...

What I have discovered is pretty much every time I run I'm tired. This is the problem I have working the hours that I do. You never quite catch up on your sleep, and the sleep you do get isn't very deep considering how off your sleep patterns are. The last time that I ran, I got a total of 4 miles of running in, breaking after about every mile or so. I'm really proud of that, but I'm including a clause to this sentence since that was over a week ago.

I missed the last track workout because I had a massive headache which was followed by some sort of stomach bug that seems to enjoy being in my digestive tract. Therefore, I have done nothing more than walk over the last week. I miss my team, and am considering going to the track workout tonight for the moral support, even though I don't think running is in the cards for me at the moment.

Send over good thoughts as I attempt to get back on track, and fast!!

track workout! ahh!

anticipating the first group training session.. I'm a bit nervous - can you tell??

We had our first track workout today.. We all met up at a track in Palo Alto bright and early! 8am on a Saturday.. when I'm not getting off work.. that truly is bright and early! We did some warm up laps, then stretching, and a timed mile. I normally would be a little embarassed to reveal my time to the world, but since this is all about improvement in the name of a good cause, I will! I ran/walked the mile in 12 minutes and 51 seconds. Not bad, considering I haven't been conditioning prior to this week. It wasn't complete misery, but I can't wait until I get to the point where I'm not struggling as much.

I must say, that it's great to have the moral support of the team, and it makes me look forward to group trainings in the future!

By the way, here's my sweaty face on the way home:

hanging out at the house..

visiting the house!! (with my "team RMH" hat on!!)














A few members of the team went over to the house yesterday to cook "breakfast for dinner" for the families there. Although there weren't too many families around the house while we were there.. it was really nice to pitch in a little and provide them with a meal. The house provides the facilities to cook, but the meals are not included in the $10 a night it costs to stay there. Our cooking was greatly appreciated by those who ate, and I enjoyed seeing the families there.

I recruited Kris (my boyfriend) to help, and we cooked mickey mouse waffles and bacon. It was fun! I think the best part was seeing kids having a place to run around a play.. an environment so unlike the hospital. Imagine what it would be like to spend so much time in a hospital that you're constantly reminded of why you're there. So many of these children are going through chemotherapy, or waiting for surgeries and transplants.. but they were running around and playing like any other kids.

It's always nice to be reminded of what you're working towards.

I took a few pictures, and I'll post them up as soon as I get them onto the computer.

added.. 08/11/07

and so it begins...

Hello all!

You're probably here because somehow you've found out that I decided to run a half marathon to benefit the Palo Alto Ronald McDonald House. My plan is to keep you updated on my training as well as my motivation as I continue along my 3-month trek!














I started training this week.. 2-3 miles tuesday, thursday and saturday. So far so good! Hopefully soon I'll post up some pictures of the Ronald McDonald House so you can get a visual of what you're contributing to. Even if it's moral support, I appreciate every little bit, and I want to thank you for taking the time to come and look at my page.


In case you're wondering what I'm getting myself into, here's a link to the "Big Sur Half Marathon" in Monterey.. so you can get a visual of what I am working towards! http://www.bigsurhalfmarathon.org/site4.aspx

here's a map of the course:
















Also, here's a link to the Ronald McDonald House website:
http://www.ronaldhouse-stanford.org/

here's a picture of me in front of the house!




















I'm feeling a mixture of things.. nervous about the marathon.. excited about the fundraising...



here I go!