Davis Makin' Us Laugh!

Here's what's funny about this video...right before I caught it on tape...Davis answered all the questions correctly. Lately, he's been holding up one finger when we ask him how old he is...but in this video he surprised us with a new answer!

Davis and the Crawfish

A Letter From My Mom

Dear Family and Friends,

Here I am, a week before the MS150 bike ride, feeling slightly nervous, wondering if I will have the wind at my back and if rain might be an issue or will I be able to sleep the night before the ride. I checked my bike odometer and see that I have over 2000 miles logged in. I have trained every weekend since December. Because I am a slower rider than many of my Tough Cookie team,(It is the age thing, I am sure!!) it takes me 4-6 hours or more each day to ride the miles required to be trained. Next Saturday, I will be riding 100 miles which I expect to be on the bike 8 to 9 hours and then another 6 hours on Sunday. When I started this crazy adventure, it was about me and could I do this at my age and level of fitness, but soon after I started training, I connected with Kathie, my very special friend. I also met others with MS. Now I realize I ride, because I can. I often think of Kathie as I get up for these long rides and sometimes complain about the amount of training and the persistent wind in my face. MS patients are wondering will they be able to function when they wake up in the morning or will they be able to get out of bed. Kathie's future and the future of others with MS puts this ride in perspective for me. For this reason, I will ride the MS150. I will be carrying a bandana on my bike signed by Kathie. While I ride along side my team of Tough Cookies, Tom, my husband, and 13,000 other riders, I will see people with MS on the roadside holding signs and cheering us on. I will talk to other cyclist riding for their loved ones with MS. I know that when I am riding from Houston to Austin that I get more than I give on these two long days. Kathie has been and will be praying for me and all the Tough Cookies. I ride in honor of Kathie because I can.

I wanted to send a gentle reminder to those of you who wish to donate but may have forgotten. I know many of you donated in the MS Walk so please do not feel obligated to donate again.

Sincerely,

Ann Francese

Laughter

Room Make-Over

When you walk through our front door, you enter one huge room. Let me do a little bit of explaining when I say "huge." I basically mean, the largest room in our house, which isn't saying a lot since we live in a tiny 2 bedroom 1 bath. This first room has been a puzzle for me since we first moved in. We've re-arranged it in so many ways! This room has many possibilities, but needs to fulfill our needs. It needs to be a second living space, a dinning room, a study, and a playroom. Wow, that's a lot of pressure on one room.

Here's a glimpse of the room...

1. When you walk in the door, this is the first wall you see. The candle sticks, lamp, and side table are all antiques. I still need to find a good shade for the lamp.

2. I found this small love seat at Ballard Designs. I love antiques and if I can't find an actual one, this store usually has the new look alike! The wingback chair on the left was $25 from an Estate Sale.

3. We need tons of playroom space for this kiddo! He can play the piano with one foot in the toy bucket!

4. Our dinning room table is at the far side of the room. This was obviously decorated for Davis' first birthday, but it usually has a centerpiece on it and my computer at one end. This is where I work all day.

After 2 and a half years of living here, I think I've finally figured out what to do with this room! Here are some fabrics I found...so stay tuned and see what you think...

Goal: $5,000

On May 30, 2011, I will be competing in the Cap Tex Triathlon to raise money for the Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund.

WHY WE TRI

We are raising money in memory of Mark Felice who died of cancer at the age of 17. He was a close friend to many and truly a friend to anyone he met. The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund was created in his name, by his family, focusing on the needs of children and their families in the research and treatment of childhood cancers.

In the U.S., there are approximately 12,400 children, from birth to 19 years, who are diagnosed with cancer each year. About 1 in 330 children will develop cancer before their 20th birthday. Cancer is the most common cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America. There is a decline in the childhood cancer mortality rate by 2-3.2% per year. The Mark Felice Childhood Cancer Fund is dedicated to aid in the continuation of this trend downward and aid those fighting childhood cancer.

Like the past years, we will continue our efforts to fundraise for such a wonderful cause. Thank you to all of those who helped us to raise money last year and reach our goal of $5,000. Our goal this year again is to raise $5,000!

Interested in getting involved...here's a couple ways to do just that:

Fundraising:

On my sister's Tri-ing for a Cause blog she has listed ways to get involved (fundraising letters, tshirt forms, etc). You will be able to download the information and customize it with your details. I used to be weary of sending out letters to ask for money until I read this article that said, "Be proud of raising money for a cause. Think that 'I'm proud to raise it' and that 'you'll be proud to donate'." You know its a great cause and everyone would love to donate so loose your inhibition to ask for money!

T-shirts: If you want to buy one please do! On race day all of the spectators who come to cheer us on usually have a shirt and makes it easier to spot them as well as spread the word. Let me know if you have any questions.

Training:
If you want some guidance on training you can visit here. It is a beginners training guide that you can follow and mold to match your lifestyle and level. Down at the bottom are some workouts you can download to listen on your iPod.

We have already raised $300 which is a great start. With your help, soon we will be well on our way to reaching $5,000!!

Thank you!!

My Golly Miss Molly

This past weekend we were in Austin for a baby shower. Kelly and Collin are expecting a baby girl this June, Molly! We had so much fun preparing all the little details for this day...of course we went with a PINK theme. It was a morning shower, so we offered pink mimosas (tea for the preggos), quiche, crepes, and macaroons for dessert. We had napkins with Molly's initials and towels in the bathroom that said, 'Thank Heaven for Little Girls.'

Here's a little sampling of the decor...

The hostesses are all friends from St. Michael's, our high school

Davis and Forrest went to Cabelas during the shower, but made an appearance at the end for some football and a wagon ride with Collin. They also bought Molly a pink camo sippy cup. Just what every country girl needs!