A Deseprate Plea

I don't know if anyone even follows my blog anymore, but as the title of this post indicates, I'm getting desperate. So, if anyone is still out there, this post is for you.

As many of you know, my dad recently fought a brave battle against lymphoma and carcinoma. What many of you may not know is that since his remission, he has raised thousands of dollars for cancer research by participating in Pelotonia, a grassroots cycling tour, to support Ohio State University’s research efforts to end cancer.

My mother-in-law was taken by cancer before I could meet her. I just heard from my sister today that my grandmother's cancer has spread. Many good friends and colleagues have also been affected by the consequences of a cancer diagnosis. The frustration over this disease has led me to try to think of some way—any way—I can help.

So this year, on August 20, 2011, I’ve decided to join my dad.

My participation in the 2011 Pelotonia provides me with an opportunity to do something to help make a positive difference for those diagnosed with cancer today and far into the future.

Please join me in this unique opportunity to be part of something truly great. Any contribution, large or small, to help me reach my goal of $1,800.00 would be awesome. Together, we can help improve lives through innovations in research with the ultimate goal of winning the war against cancer.

This is not a donation to me or even the university, but a 100% tax-deductible contribution to cancer research at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

So, if you can in any way support me, please access my Pelotonia profile on line by clicking on the link below. From there, click on the orange “Donate to My Ride” box and follow the prompts.

http://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=118019

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this important cause. Any support you can provide by Saturday, August 20, 2011, will be appreciated more than you know.

Love,

Amber

Rider ID AW0018

Amber finds a friend, and her way back to blogspot.

So, if anyone out there is still reading this blog, guess what? I'm making a NEW POST! I wasn't sure this day would come, but the mood hit me, and here I am- makin' a post. If it were basketball, I would be posting up. If I made breakfast cereal, I would be Post. If I were a mail carrier, I'd be the postal service.

Anyhoo.

Yesterday, Jeff and I went with my friends Lindsay and Kirstin for a bike ride around West Mountain. It was a very hot day with no shade. About five miles from the end of our ride, and out in the middle of nowhere, we stopped briefly for a water break, and Jeff and I heard a mewing coming from the tall weeds. Within a few seconds this teeny, little kitten emerged, mewing his head off and coming for us as fast as he could. He headed for my foot and rubbed against it, looking at me earnestly and mewing. I was too busy geeking out about how so, so, adorably cute the little thing was, so Jeff got to him before I could. He scooped him up and instantly the kitten was all purrs and nudges into Jeff's chest. Well, we couldn't just leave him.

So, kitten in one hand, steering his bike with the other, Jeff rode the little guy back to our car.

(And what a fine car it is!)

Lindsay, Kirstin and I tried to get a little open water swim in, but the water was so annoyingly shallow for so long, and the bottom so rocky and slimy, that we called the swim off and headed back to shore.
Next, Jeff and I set our sights for Genola, a few miles away, where his sister lives and where the kids were playing with their cousins. And on the way, we named our little traveler Garmin, for he had been lost, but at last we found each other. Once there, and as expected, everyone else fell for his sweet, little face and cuddly, loving personality as much as we had.



The day turned out to be a pretty awesome one, complete with water balloons, sprinklers, a trampoline, good food, an ice cream party, and some porch sitting at dusk, watching the sun set and the moon rise.
Sadly, my little buster breaks out in a massive allergic reaction when he tries to get near the kitten, so we asked Jeff's sister if she would allow Garmin to make his home with her family and their cats. She said yes, so we let him nudge our chins once more, and we headed for home.

Elaina's Christmas Gift

Elaina needed a haircut. If she went to bed at night with her hair down, it would take me hours and plenty of tears the next morning to get a brush through all her tangles. Once it was brushed out, it was really beautiful, but we both decided it wasn't worth the drama. So, we scheduled a hair appointment with the fabulous Robyn, our neighbor and friend.

Right before Elaina's appointment, however, she brought up something she had heard one of her friends mention: Locks of Love. So, we went to the website (www.locksoflove.org) to see what it was all about. As it turns out, Elaina's lovely locks were three inches beyond qualifying, and she decided now was the time to give something of her own so someone else in need could have a happy Christmas.
Robyn braided Elaina's hair,
...then snipped the whole thing off!

The finished product was so cute! Robyn even put sparkle hair spray in Elaina's hair.
We all dig the svelte new 'do and Elaina is so excited to send off her hair to the little girl who needs it.

What are you doing with YOUR English degree?

"Step right up, step right up. That's right. Grab your roll of paper and put it down the flusher. You ladies want to try your hand at the toilet paper toss?"


"She shoots, she...misses! Just off the lid."



"Your tickets, ladies, thanks for playing. Alright, who's next? Step right up, step right up..."

Confession time. Since my last blog post, my life has landed in the crapper and I'm working at the carnival.

The Amazing Adventures of Flat Stanley!

My first adventure once I arrived in Utah was going on a trip with Uncle Jeff in his new car.

Had I known I was taking my life into my hands, I may have stayed in my envelope!

First, we checked out a video.

Next, I was acquainted with some of the local culture...whooooooo-hoo!

Yee-haw!

The next day, Elaina and Carter took me on a very special adventure: the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. This is the biggest dinosaur museum in the world!






Can you find me in the massive teeth of this prehistoric Great White shark?


Surprise! I thought I'd help dig for some dinosaur bones, too!

Well, I had a great time in Utah! Now, it's off to Japan. I can hardly wait to tell you all about my next adventure!

Oh. And about a month ago, I turned 30.

The cruel irony of this sign on our garage is that it was the one I'd made for Jeff when HE turned 30. He found it somehow, somewhere, and I guess this means turn about is fair play. In fact, Jeff both scored and struck out this birthday. On the one hand, he served me breakfast in bed. On the other, he forgot to get me a gift, so he gifted me something he'd previously purchased for himself: a universal remote. This would be great but...yeah. Remember how I watch about 3 hours of TV a year? Ah, well. He did give me permission to buy myself something!

Yeah, so over a month ago, I totally graduated.

I know, most everyone in the world already knows this. But I thought I would post on it anyway. It is my offering to the blog world, since I seem to have disfellowshipped myself from it. In truth, since graduating I've been afraid of my computer. The thought of sitting down to it still makes me shudder. Most days, I jump on, check e-mail and Facebook, then shut it down just as quickly. I think I'm afraid I'll have to write a 20-page report if I stay on too long or something.

My Optical Life History

All other things I should be writing notwithstanding, I'm taking a break from my papers and projects and writing something else. I came across these old pictures and couldn't resist the diversion...

It began in 4th grade, when my older sister left her glasses sitting on my dad's desk. I picked them up and put them on. (Who could resist the purple-tinted, big-as-saucers, late-80's frames? Not I.) I looked around and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! I can see the stereo buttons from here! And the lights aren't blobs!" It wasn't but a few days later, and this was me:



As beautiful and wonderful as my peach-colored frames were, (chosen because I had rationalized to myself that they were the same color as my skin and could thereby go undetected...) I eventually abandoned the deception in middle school and talked my parents into dark blue, I-am-wearing-windowpanes frames. Ah, yeah.



In my family, it was extremely hard to get a new pair of glasses. With five others in spectacles, insurance wasn't exactly accommodating to changing fads. So, it wasn't until mid-high school and a highly unfortunate event where my lens popped from my broken (yet black, electrical-taped-together) frame, and rolled the length of the auditorium and I, embarrassed to the point of tears, had to announce the problem, and then retrieve it. In teenage fashion, I sobbed to my mom that it was time for a change, and she finally agreed.

Here we are, my brother and I, in the height of mid-90's eyewear fashion. Mine are Guess brand, and his- are awesome too. Who didn't have a pair of wire frames? The sad news is that I continued to wear these through college. Although by then, I had contacts, and (wisely) chose to wear those most of the time.



Those huge-o's lasted a long time. It wasn't until I had been married for a number of years that I convinced Jeff I needed new frames. It wasn't that he wasn't convinced of their hideousness, it was that we were barely scraping by and these suckers aren't cheap! But, we went to one of those hour-eyewear places, and soon I was sportin' yet another new look. If my last pair had been Huge-o-spectacle-ism, these were post-huge-o-spectacle-ism; or, the answer to the prior movement. I went as small as possible!



Those frames, while cheap, turned out to be (shock!) pieces of crap. They were lopsided and flimsy, falling apart quickly. My next ones were these green Hush Puppies. This picture is terrible, BTW. Most all the pics I have are of me in contacts- perhaps I wasn't eager to document my glasses crises?



The next frames were these. I really liked them pretty well. They served their purpose with diligence and consistency. And here, I'm holding my cousin Will's baby last year. She is sooo cute!



As much as I liked the other frames, I eventually needed "English Major Glasses." These made me look like a serious student--and they also successfully covered up the enormous bags I'd developed under my eyes from consecutive late nights spent reading and writing.



So finally, here I am, going under the knife/laser for vision correction surgery. No more stumbling around looking for glasses; no more stinging, itchy contact lenses; no more losing contacts while boating or skiing; no more steamed glasses upon entering rooms or eating soup; no more lenses rolling down auditorium isles. Hallelujah, it's a modern miracle! (But being totally honest, I do miss my cute, English major glasses sometimes...)

Former Roommates and a Fresh Crop of Apologies

This past weekend Deon and Natalie, two of my former roommies from Ricks, and I got together. I haven't seen them in years- but it was almost as though no time had passed at all.

We are all the same dignified, mature young women we were...

...back then.

Now here's my apology: I've been a real cruddy blogger the past few weeks and I think the cruddiness may continue until I graduate. I miss checking in on your blogs and reading about how all of you are doing- but school has nearly consumed me whole. I will try to check in when I can, but it will be sporadic at best. I hope to be back en force this spring when school is out!

P.S. My graduation party is sometime the first weekend in May and you are all invited.

The Donnie & Marie Show

Today's Reasons to Love and Hate the Snow

I took this picture at Sundance, which was sunny and beautiful today.

And here I am, cross-country skiing with one of my professors, Christa.

And now, here's Carter. He was also out in the snow today, only his sled bounced him off and he took the icy snow pretty hard in the face. He is cut up from forehead to chin and is starting to bruise, but is taking his wounds like a champion.

Seven Random Things About Me

My sister Elise tagged me. Now you must all be subjected to my life's mundanity.

1. I was born in Iowa. Say, "Iowa, Ohio, Idaho, Utah" three times really fast and you almost have the story of my life!

2. I have secret desires to be a rock climber and a cyclist. What I lack in equipment and skill I hope to make up for in old-fashioned drive and gumption. (Okay, I guess this still doesn't fix the equipment issue.) By the way, check out the guns on that chick!

3. Some of my biggest weaknesses are J.Crew, peanut M&Ms, and the call of a chair on the porch on a nice, sunny day.



4. I felt the Twilight books were so-so, and I (gasp!) still haven't seen the movie. I guess I'm waiting until it comes out on video.

5. There are VERY few foods I don't like. Actually, it's limited to mayonnaise, ranch dressing on salads, and cole slaw. And if you think about it, these are really one and the same animal. Yichy.

6. No picture for this one. I don't really like TV or movies, either. I don't know why they drive me crazy, they just do. So, unless it's The Office (and a few seasons ago- whichever is out on video right now), asking me if I've seen something on TV is a real conversation killer.

7. This is my last semester of school! I graduate with my Bachelor's (finally!) this spring!!! I've loved the experience and have loved UV, but seriously...done.