Dancing at My Desk

It never fails. Whenever I have a ton of things going on, something unexpected pops up. So, I think that I should have the right to schedule the following things:

1. Illness. This includes me getting sick, the kids getting sick and the husband too.
2. Car breakdowns. Then I can budget and plan for backup transportation.
3. Bad weather. I would plan this for days when I don’t have anything I want to do outside. Obviously.
4. Bad Moods. For me and for others. And they would only be planned for days when those in question are completely sequestered from other human beings.

I think that’s a fair list. Don’t you?

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Many of you know that last year I walked in the Breast Cancer 3 Day with my mom in Cleveland. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. You can read all about my journey on my positive blog. Well, I’m doing it again. But maybe you don’t know why I am doing it. So here is my story.

In September of 2001, I received a phone call from my mom while a senior in college. The words “I have breast cancer” completely rocked my world. My mom, who is in so many ways my hero, was ill. I wanted to fall apart, but my mom wouldn’t let me. She says the same thing about us, but it was her inner strength that kept all of us going.

At the time, there was a lot of knowledge in the world about Breast Cancer and what could happen, both good and bad. But with events like this, I now feel like I can add to the good column. I can do something amazing that I honestly didn’t think I could do and help others in the progress. I am not the hero. I am simply someone who wants to make a difference, even a small one.

Just like with breast cancer, it’s not about starting and it’s not even about finishing. It’s about doing it once and then getting up the next day and doing it again. And we all can do it, one step at a time.

But I can’t take this journey alone. Yes, I can walk the 60 miles alone, but I need help to make it the whole way. I’m asking for people from everywhere to donate to my walk. My goal is to raise $3,000 that will benefit both breast cancer patients and their families. I know the money will help not only people like my mom and my aunt who went through treatment for the disease, but their families who watched them go through it.

My dear friend at Bella Strada Studios has generously offered to donate 20% of all the proceeds from sales of her Flying Wish Paper to my walk between now and July 15th. When you checkout, be sure to use the code “3Day” to make sure your donation is counted. You can also donate directly through my fundraising page.

Thank you so much for all you have done so far and all that I know you will do to help make this world a healthier place.

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I love coffee. I know a lot of people say they love coffee, but I really, really love coffee. It is truly the first thing on my mind in the mornings. So yesterday morning, I got a nasty (and really quite saddening) shock.

The alarms started buzzing at 5 am. My husband had to get to the airport so we were all up and on the go pretty early. I stumbled into the kitchen where my beloved coffee maker sits on the counter loaded and ready to go. I pushed the button to get it going and took the dog outside. When I came back in, the coffee maker was just sitting there. No dripping, no sounds as the water started to heat…. nothing. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in. I tried shimmying the cord (hey, sometimes that works). I tried everything but still nothing.

My beloved coffee maker was dead.

You have to understand, this was not just any coffee maker. This was my very first one I ever owned personally.

My mom bought me this coffee pot the summer before my sophomore  year of college. The first one I ever owned. It cost $10 and it lasted just shy of 10 years. Talk about getting your money’s worth out of it. This coffee pot was my decaf pot during both of my pregnancies so my husband could still have regular coffee. This became our back up when we got a new one for a wedding gift (which incidentally, stopped working after 9 months – some blame the older pot for sabotaging the new one but I don’t buy it) and it was promoted our primary pot again.

It was there for me through all-nighters in college and with the kids when they were babies. It was there for dessert coffee while having a celebratory dinner with friends. It was there the first morning we woke up in our new house (in fact, it was the first thing I unpacked- yes, I may have a problem). It’s been there for morning coffee when I’m still trying to pry my eyes open and decaf evenings when we just wanted to chill in the house.

Yesterday I was a bit sad. I hated tweeting out the horrible news knowing that  many would gasp in sympathy. So last night after visiting with a non-appliance (aka human) friend, I stopped at the store and bought a new machine.

Sure, it’s pretty. It has lots of gadgets and gizmos (like a delayed brew so you can stumble directly out of bed and have coffee ready). It’s clean. It’s new. But it’s not the same. There’s nothing like your first when it comes to coffee. But I think we will learn to like each other. This morning it had my coffee ready at 6 am before I even got out of bed a few minutes later. Yes, I think this could be the start of something beautiful.

But I will always miss the first one I had. I never named it or anything – I’m not that weird. Sturdy, reliable (until yesterday morning anyway), and unassuming, it was a great friend. But goodbye little coffee pot. I’ll never forget you…

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