i believe

...in miracles.

remember my friend ricci?  i wrote about her here and here.  as i've been doing ever since i heard that she was ailing, i've sent prayers and thought good thoughts and checked her facebook page for updates on the regular.  she's actually been on my mind more than usual over the last few days.

and now i know why.  thanks to a late-night e-mail from lilcee, i'm teary and full of new hope for her.  turns out that her physical condition is stable enough that her family's begun preparing to bring her home to care for her full time.  and even more wonderful - she's been verbally responsive to her husband, mom and sister on three separate occasions.

while she's still got a long, hard road ahead, this is amazing, positive news.  baby steps!

keep on truckin', girl.  you've got a lot of people pulling for you, and i can't wait to hear even more good news!

cookies for just 'cause. AND for a cause.

in between the hullaballoo over running, wrapping up our summer, the new school year starting (for both girls), and all sorts of other stuff, i actually have been doing quite a bit of cookie-ing.

i was asked to provide a dozen for an art history student recuperating from a car accident:

the suckiest part about this order was that it was stolen from the doorstep that UPS delivered it to.  i'm not evil or anything, but if the thief who jacked those cookies choked a little while munching on them, i might laugh.  loudly.  hmph.

pretty obvious - for an engagement party:

sweet little dresses for a baptism celebration.  i debated putting pink crosses on them, but for some reason decided against it.  i kind of regret it, so maybe next time.

these were super fun to make.  without an actual "surfboard" to use, i improvised with a candy corn cutter.  and i love how the palm trees turned out after i added the extra embellishments with thicker icing.  even the hub complimented me on these.

in my continuing quest to find ways to help my friend ricci and her family, i made these to be sold at a bake sale this weekend.  a few years ago, at the last big-ish SFAMily holiday hoorah that she attended, ricci brought makings for margaritas and posed as our "margarita fairy."  i know i have a picture of this, but i've searched high and low and can't find it.  gah!  so anyway, i made half a dozen of these:

and then half a dozen of these.

yeah, my "zebra striping" sucks balls.  i know.  i'm just not good at it.  but they look pretty good in the little bags and tied with matching ribbon, so i hope they bring in a little bit of cash.

as i made those, i decided to throw in a little practice for a couple of other friends i'm making cookies for in the coming weeks.  like, i get to make 5 dozen of these at the end of the month:

and some of these next week.

before you say it, i know - i put his eye on his tail.  oops.  and i actually don't think i'm going to use this shape, because i didn't love it. but i bought a giant pack of various cutters a couple of weeks ago that includes two other dinosaur shapes, so i think i'll just go with those.  we'll see what i end up with.

and while we're on the subject, let me run this by you.  if i can secure a spot on that autism speaks team for the tinker bell half marathon, i need to raise a minimum of $1,000...by january.  i'm toying with the idea of doing custom cookies by the dozen for $35 (including shipping), with every penny going towards my fundraising quota.  i'm also thinking of doing a stella & dot fundraiser, and 25% of those sales would also go towards funding research of the causes, treatment, prevention, and cure for autism.  of course, i'll take any other donation that comes my way too.  bah, i hate asking people for money.  but it's for a really good cause!

i have about four months to do it.  think i can pull it off?

conquering that bridge

i did it!  and i didn't die or faint or anything!

the hub and i decided it'd be best to find a hotel to stay down in san pedro the night before my big race.  i was a little afraid that we'd be SOL, considering it was labor day weekend and all, but i was stoked to book a room at the crowne plaza hotel - just a block-ish away from the starting point.  

so we packed a bag, got the dog settled in for the night, and headed down to pick up my bib and timing tag.  check-in was, conveniently, at a running gear shop (which offered a 10% discount to all of the participants in the race).

after i'd picked up my goody bag, i perused the merchandise to see if i could find a pair of pants for the big run.  i don't really have any decent workout clothing (for obvious reasons - i'm a lazy ass who doesn't really do a lot of exercise) and didn't really want to have to bust out my old, faded forever 21 leggings.  except that the cheapest pair i could find was $50.  yikes.  no, thanks.

so i got back in the car, where the bean was continuing her afternoon nap, and we drove around the corner to a big 5, where i was happy to find a big ol' labor day sale.  i managed to pick up a pair of nike capris and a pair of wristbands to soak up the buckets of sweat that would be too much to mop up with my sleeves for under $40.  score!  and look at me, all official and stuff.

the hub thought it would be fun to drive over the bridge i'd be running the next day, to see what i was up against.  he made a bunch of wisecracks while i sat, paralyzed and terrified in my seat, wondering what the hell i'd gotten myself into.

as we turned around and headed back over the bridge to get to the hotel, clouds rolled in and it started to rain.

and then we came across the start/finish lines and the fear in me was replaced by excitement.

home for the night!

they provided a little bag with stuff to help you sleep - lavender sheet spray, earplugs, an eye mask.  cute.

looking out at our view, i considered this a sign of good things to come.  i thought of my friend ricci - the whole reason i'd even signed up for this race - and wished that she could see it.

the bean already had something good:

i set the alarm to wake me up the next morning, but of course, i woke up on my own without having to rely on it after all.  i'd been dreaming of having run the race through someone's house (yeah) with a running buddy (someone i didn't even know) who graciously stepped aside so i could win (huh?).  but as i crossed the finish line, i looked down and realized that i didn't have my bib with my number on it nor my timing tag to prove that i'd run the race at all.  how bizarre.  so i made sure to put all of my identifying gear on, plus a sparkly pink headband that i'd been surprised with in the mail from my friend kate.  it was much, much prettier than the shitty mini claw clip i'd been using to keep my hair back.

as we walked down to join the crowds, i got a bit of stretching in.

i found my group - team ricci.  well, part of it, anyway - there were actually 75 people on the team, plus others who'd signed up on their own. 

just before the bell rang to signal the start of the race:

and then the chaos as it finally began.

i was fully prepared to follow my C25K app on my phone and start with a brisk walk, but found myself caught up in the excitement of being surrounded by runners and took off at a jogging pace instead.  i scanned the crowd for the bean, wearing a bright pink jacket and sitting on the hub's shoulders, and when i found them, i waved like a madwoman.  she spotted me instantly and pointed me out to her daddy, who scrambled to get a shot of me.  we were happy to see that he was successful:

i was good all the way till i got up to the bridge, where it got pretty damn steep.  and knowing i still had quite a distance to go, i let myself slow down to a walk for a bit.  as i got closer to the top, i picked it back up and managed to run all the way down to the other end of the bridge and out to the halfway point.  i was thinking of ricci again, and thoughts of what she and her family are going through kept me focused.  plus, i could see folks on the other side downing cups of water being handed out by volunteers, so it was good motivation to keep running.

except that by the time i got there...they'd run out of water.  eff.  just my luck.

so instead, i pulled my phone out and took a picture to send to the hub to let him know where i was.

sexy, right?  yup.  and then i spotted the mile marker and banged my head on it as i took this:

the trek back up the bridge on the way back was grueling.  it was a longer, steeper incline than the first go-round, and i struggled as my calves burned and my dry throat cried out for water.  i just kept pushing, going through my playlist on my C25K app, and was so proud of myself when i finally neared the top.

of course, i was able to run most of the rest of the way - downhill.  hee!  i slowed down long enough to grab a shot of another mile marker, though.

and it was awesome to see my little cheering section smiling and clapping for me as i finally crossed that finish line.

this is actually about a minute after i actually finished, because i was too busy guzzling down as much water as i could.  i'd really hoped to get there in under an hour, but that's okay.  next time.

i was so glad i had a bigger bottle of water up in our room, which i grabbed right before flopping down rather ungracefully into this very unladylike position.

after i'd gotten a chance to catch my breath, stop sweating and hop into the shower, we packed up our stuff and got outta there to find me some grub (which ended up being a fantastic double bacon cheeseburger and an ice cold coke).  and as we drove up through rancho palos verdes, admiring the view and the awesome houses that dotted the coastline, the bean ended up taking an early nap.  when she woke up, we were in malibu and looking for parking so we could play a little.

here's how i wrapped up my big day.  this didn't suck at all.

and now?  i'm so stoked over my success that i'm on the verge of joining the autism speaks team to run the next race at my favorite place in the world...disneyland.  because in january 2012, the inaugural tinker bell HALF MARATHON takes place through both parks and the surrounding streets of anaheim. 

just wait and see.

every little bit helps

so i have two things to share with you.  don't kill me, but both are fundraisers for causes that are near and dear to my heart.  you can click "close window" now, or maybe you'll be moved to help. i won't judge either way.

first:  my friend ricci is still comatose.  her family continues to pray hard for a miracle, and friends have been organizing one fundraiser after another to help them out.  i still check her facebook page for updates, and the only news has been that she's breathing on her own and that her vitals are strong.  she's also been moved to a different facility that's closer to her home.  i hope that's helpful for her husband and children, to have her nearby.

i read a post on her wall about a 5.3-mile run/walk in san pedro on labor day, across the vincent thomas bridge.  that's quite a bit longer than the 5K i was originally training for, but that's okay.  a group of her friends started a facebook page to organize a team to do this race in ricci's honor and raise money to donate to the family.  i'll admit that it took me a few minutes to mull it over before i decided to commit to the run.  after all, i'm just barely on week 3 of training for 3ish miles, and now it's almost double that.

eek.  i'd like to think that ricci is laughing her ass off at the idea of ME doing something as physical as running.  heh.  and while it's too late to sign up for the team, it's definitely not too late for donations.  my race fee is covered, and 100% of any donations i'm able to collect will go straight to ricci and her family.  interested in helping out?  drop me an email.

the other fundraiser is also for something i've talked about recently.  remember last week's peanut butter pie?  well, this time, food bloggers are joining forces and auctioning off all sorts of stuff to raise money and help jennifer perillo not only with words of support and prayers, but with cold hard cash.  in the wake of her loss, she's facing a pretty shitty situation - no widow's benefits from social security, staggering health insurance costs for her and her two daughters - you get it. 

while i don't really have a whole lot to offer, i thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.  and the only thing i could think of to auction off is probably pretty obvious:

no, not the bean, silly.  just the cookies.  a dozen of 'em.  you pick the theme and the colors (of course, not limited to what i've posted above), and i'll make 'em for you.

• bidding starts at $20.  i make delicious cookies that are super cute, so it's totally worth the money - and it's for a really good cause.
• leave me a comment with your bid.  i'll need a way to contact you, so if you don't want to leave your e-mail address in the comment, you can send it to me directly.  but definitely post a comment with your bid amount, so others can see it.
• the auction will end on wednesday, august 31, 2011 at 5:00PM, PST.
• you'll need to claim your prize anytime between now and december 31, 2011.  because my cookies are so scrumptious, i'm sure you won't lag.
• every penny of your winning bid will go directly to #afundforjennie, via the bloggers without borders paypal account.
• if you want to skip the auction and just send in a donation, here's an easy peasy link, via paypal:

and hey, thanks for reading.  even more thanks for your support.

oh, and if you should happen to be in the san pedro area on labor day - well, uh...i sure wouldn't turn up my nose at a fun sign or a high five or something.  i'm warning you now, though:  i won't be cute - i'll have just trudged across the bridge and back for 5.3 miles.  ya dig?

a friend in need

it's been almost five weeks now since my friend fell into a coma a day after giving birth to a healthy baby boy.  she's been on my mind constantly ever since, and i've been checking her facebook page several times a day for news.

sadly, there is none.  each passing day turns into another week of her husband and three children having to live without her presence and love and smile.  it just breaks my heart, and i can't stop thinking of her daughters, only 9 and 2, and her sweet newborn son.  i've not met her husband, but remember from what she told me that they've been together for a long time, and only married for a few years.  the days have got to be so bittersweet for him - taking care of those kids, trying to keep a normal routine for them, and staying at his wife's side as much as possible.

i actually hadn't been in contact with her much in the last year or so.  the last time i traded an e-mail with her was when i was helping my cousin r find a day-of wedding coordinator - and of course, my first thought was ricci.  and she gleefully informed me that she wasn't taking on any more weddings as she was hoping to be pregnant soon.  i was so happy for her when i found out that she'd been successful.  she was also the one who rushed to tell me about the jonas brothers' free concert on easter sunday last year - and then managed to score tickets for me and the teen to join her and her girls.  i'm sad to admit that i haven't seen her since that day, especially as she was so instrumental in the planning of the beautiful baby shower thrown for me by the SFAMily.

now, you know i'm not typically one to post real names or do any hard-core soliciting via this blog.  it's just not my thing.  but in this case, i feel compelled to share the websites that have been created in an effort to share their story and get as much help for the family as possible.  prayers and good thoughts are always wonderful, and i'm sure they're appreciated.  but if you feel so inclined, this family needs all the material help they can get.  here is one of the links that takes you to a paypal account set up for monetary donations.  ricci's employer created this site, also set up for paypal donations.  her family has created a blog to share their thoughts and as much information about ricci's condition as they feel comfortable with.  and lastly, friends and family set up a registry on diapers.com for anyone who wants to help with supplies for the baby.

oh, ricci.  please wake up so that you can be with the family who needs and loves you so much.