Halloween

After years of wonderful service, I've retired my Jelly Fish costume. It was a great costume and may return one day. But for now, a change-up was needed. 

Ladies and gentleman, I give you, the Franzia Wine Box. A fully functional, wine box.

And Another One's Gone

This morning my uncle passed away from complications related to a brain tumor.  One short week after Little Sam. My fingers are crossed there won't be a third post next Sunday. 

I admire my uncle for fully living his life since being diagnosed 16 months ago. He has traveled to places he and my aunt have long wanted to visit, spent time with family and friends, camped, and ran numerous 10k's. 

Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Kevin

Sam

This is a sad day for a friend of mine and her family. Her sweet boy Sam succumbed to an inoperable brain tumor this morning at the tender age of 8. Prior to cancer he was a vibrant, funny, beautiful child. 13 months of living with cancer stripped Sam of all those attributes, and more.

Sabrina has maintained a blog about this experience: Enough For Now.  It's miserably sad and Sabrina's pain over her boy slipping away is palpable -- more than anyone should have to bear. Yet there is much for us to learn from her experience, particularly about raising awareness for Childhood Cancer. I can't do anything to ease Sabrina's pain amidst this horrible tragedy but I can tell you this:

Childhood cancer is the #1 cause of disease-related death in children. 1 in 300 children will be diagnosed this year. The only risk factor for childhood cancer *is being a child*. To learn more check out these sites:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
The Truth 365
St.Baldrick's

I have an eight year old niece. It was at her baby shower that this picture of Sabrina, and then baby, Sam was taken.

Thinking of my niece's sweet, goofy, curious self and what a precious thing she, her brothers, and her cousins are in my life, all I can say is, hug your babies. Great big bear hugs.

And to Sabrina, John, Ben, Abby, and their sweet Samalamadingdong -- may peace be with you.

Visiting the 'banks

Mom spent a few days with me in the 'banks. We hit all the hotspots: took in a play, went to Chena Hot Springs where we soaked in the pools and sat at an ice bar in the Ice Museum. We traveled the Chena River on the Riverboat Discovery with a stop at a re-created Athabascan village. Saw the pipeline, and viewed fall color. Unfortunately mom didn't get to see any moose.

 

At the pipeline outside of town.

Runner

"We have a runner!"

Anyone who has ever worked in the field of Special Education knows what it means to hear those words and feel your heart stop.

Got Milk?

As someone who used to write directions for a living, you'd think I'd be better at following them. You would be wrong.

Let me start at the beginning. I'm intrigued these days by the blog (Zero Waste Home) and the author's efforts to have a zero waste household. It's pretty amazing what she does. Yes, she is extreme, And yes, she does things that I am not likely to ever be comfortable doing (turning down a glass of wine at a party because it's in a plastic cup? Oh, hell to the no!) 

Dandelions, Pig Weed and Cats

These are three of the things I'm allergic to. Not to mention birch, alder, aspen, spruce and grass. All things Alaska has in spades. My reaction to the allergy tests were some of the worst the doctor had ever seen. I was told weekly allergy shots should take care of the plants and trees (and we know how that turned out!). But the cats? No cure for that aside from getting rid of them.

I've had the cats now for nine years. I don't think I'm going to dump them because of some post-nasal drip. Besides, how can I be allergic to this?