St Jude Walk

Only a week left to sign up for the Give Thanks Walk for St Jude.  I am very excited to see everyone with their Team Avery gear -- she will absolutely love it.  She recognizes her logo and well let's be honest, she thinks anything with a skull and crossbones belongs to her.  The walk starts at 9:30 or so but registration opens at 8:00 am.  Same place as last year - T-Bones stadium at Legends.  Plenty of parking in the lot.  I've been told by the event coordinator that they have added a lot more kid stuff this year to keep them entertained - wait walking in a circle around the ball field isn't fun????  They are expecting even more people this year and last year was a great turnout.  So if you aren't busy Saturday am and want to join us we'd love to see you!  It costs nothing to join the team and walk - although the very cool St Jude T shirt is yours for a $35 donation!  There is a link to our team on the right hand side of the blog on the main page under Team Avery Page.

For those of you in other cities...I bet you didn't know it but they have walks at the same time in over 90 cities on Saturday November 23rd.  Yep  - you people up there in the Frozen Tundra (MPLS) are more than welcome to throw on your gear and show your support for Avery at the Target Field - Gate 29.  Walk starts at 8 am - registration is at 7 am.  And for all the ATO's and AXO's in Des Moines,  Tony Steffes plans to represent Team Avery - you can join him at Valley West Mall by the JCPenney enterance at 8 am - 7 am registration starts.  Sorry Omaha --- no walk yet in your city, but I bet it will happen soon!  If you do happen to venture out, please send us a pic.  I would love to show her all of the other Team Avery's helping out her favorite place!

On another note, we are getting prepped for our next Memphis trip.  We leave the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Again the 3 months have flown by and I can't really recall what we have been doing.  Absorbing "normal" life I suppose.  I have to admit I feel ok about this one.  All of the scans this year have been what we are calling stable.  (debate about that term for sure - but no obvious sign of tumor growth is stable for me)  The last time I felt this way was the October after her 2 month stint in Florida for Proton Radiation.  Luckily Jeremy and I decided to both go to Memphis at the last minute and thank God we did.  It was the first time she relapsed.  We were devastated.  I can honestly say that we felt like we had been sucker punched.  Like all the work, the endless hours of chemo, brain surgeries, poking and puking, sedation and the runs had all been for nothing.  Luckily we have a Dr that looked at us and said "put your gloves back on."  We've come a very long way since then.  More surgeries, more bad news,  more living out of a suitcase, more chemo, more puking... and then...just a little reprieve after 2 and half years.  She then hit 4 years old.  Welcome to the terrible 3's ( in our case 4 because she's a little delayed).  The spunk, the determination, the fire that has kept her going since she was just 11 months old has finally got no where to go.  Her poor brother.  I swear Emmett has been tackled more times in the last 3 months since he started walking.  And the sassiness is in full swing too.  Have you ever had your kid look at you and repeat back the words you have used on them before?  "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you" came out of her mouth the other day while arguing with her over putting on her coat.  How can you not laugh at that?   I'm pretty sure she spends a fair amount of time in Time Out at therapy for being a turd as well.  Ornery and bossy and I have no idea where she gets it from.  Bottom line is to keep the prayers coming.  I will most likely start to panic in the upcoming week.  Almost like a "its too quiet" scenario that always results in a not so good way. 

Lastly, I'll do a little plug about the Thanks and Giving campaign.  St Jude partners with a lot of retailers and restaurant chains across the country during the year.  From Thanksgiving through the holidays they roll out a cash register campaign that asks you to give while you are checking out.  There are a ton, and I mean a ton of companies that do this so if you are out shopping and eating and can afford to donate a $1 or 2, please do.  That money is what keeps them researching ways to kill this beast.  It's what allowed us to live in Memphis for 6 months, to buy groceries, and to keep us entertained while there.  All of those things would not have been possible if the supporters of St Jude didn't exist.  Avery's medical bills are atrocious.  St Jude does more than just take care of our baby.  It allowed us to LIVE  - in whatever fashion we could in between all the aforementioned yucky crap I listed above.  So give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those that are not.

Can't wait to see everyone on Saturday!

Jenn