Multnomah Falls

We made a few stops along the way to Portland. Sam really enjoyed seeing the wind turbines along the Columbia gorge. And we stopped for lunch. But the best stop along the way was at Multnomah Falls. It is so pretty. Multnomah Falls is one of my favorite spots to stop. I love waterfalls, and this place is just so pretty.

Samantha thought it was beautiful too. She had a great time on the walk up to bridge. I got some great pictures. And some great memories.

I am so glad that Samantha enjoyed Multnomah Falls as much as I did. She didn't want to leave. And she wanted to walk to the top. Ya, that's not happening. I've done it once and that was good enough for me.

Stay tuned for pictures of our day at the beach.

Until next time,

Jaime

Liver Life Walk

We had a great time at the Liver Life Walk on Sunday.  The walk went through Washington Park.  It was so pretty and peaceful.  I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't thinking "how much further?"  Seriously I really need to work out.  But I also was thinking about what Rick goes through and what some of our other PSC friends are currently going through. 

We really did have fun.  Sam did a good job.  She made it the whole way, only complaining about being tired during the last 1/2 mile.  Rick also was able to make it, without even breaking a sweat.  I am proud of him!

So here are the pictures I took at the walk:

Our friend Carl was the walk honoree.  He spoke before the walk kicked off.

See how beautiful it was in the park for the walk.

We also got to finally meet and hang out with our PSC friends Dawn and Carl.  It was so much fun to finally meet them face to face.  I had meant to have Sam take a picture of the four of us together but I totally forgot.  I am really bummed about that.  It was really neat to meet someone that I felt like I had known for a long time.  We had a good time.  There is a certain kind of bond that wives of PSCers seem to have.  There is nobody else that knows exactly how you feel except for another wife going through the same thing.  I have really appreciated all the support that Dawn has given me.  And Carl has been a great support as well.  I don't think I would be in the same place about all of this that I am right now if I had never met Dawn.  She inspired me to meet others and I have developed a great support system online.  Thanks Dawn and Carl for inviting us to your house and for being so supportive.  

Thanks to everyone that donated to Team Rick!  We had a great time and we each earned a walk t-shirt.  Sam wore hers to school today.  She is really proud of the shirt.  And the shirts I made got a lot of looks, and even some questions as we walked around the zoo.

I will post more this week with the pictures and activities we were able to squeeze in this weekend.

Until next time,

Jaime 

Team Rick

Team Rick has surpassed our team goal of raising $450 for the Liver Life Walk.  Yippee!!  Samantha is actually $15 away from her goal of $150, but despite that we are extremely happy and grateful for all of the donations.

I have also completed our team t-shirts.  Our friend Brad, whom we have known since high school, sent me a design for the shirt.  I had to re-work it a bit, but I used the same layout.  I used a printable iron-on transfer paper to make the shirts.  They don't look quite as "professional" as I would have liked, but I still like them.

So here is Sam's Shirt:

The back is a little different for each of us.  This is the back of Sam's shirt:

Rick is number 01, I am 02, and Megan is 04.  I am making Megan a shirt too because I want all of us to have a Team Rick shirt. 

We are very excited for this weekend.  We are leaving friday morning after dropping Megan off at school.  The plan is to make a couple stops along the way, especially at Multnomah Falls.  Sam is really looking forward to that.  Saturday we are going to spend the day at Cannon Beach.  We are staying with family in Portland, that is a huge help so that we don't have to pay for a hotel.  Sunday is the big day.  I am super excited for the walk, and for being able to check out the zoo.  I hope they have monkeys!!

The three of us aren't the only ones having a special weekend.  Megan gets to take a little motorhome trip with Nana and Papa, and cousin Noah.  She is excited for the little trip.  I am glad she gets to do something special too.  I was feeling a little guilty for leaving her behind.

I won't have time to blog again until after we get back.  I am not bringing my computer (sniff, sniff).  But I will use my cellphone to update Twitter and Facebook.  So check back here for my tweets.

Until next time,
Jaime

First Day of School

The first day of school is a bittersweet day for me.  I am glad they are going back to school but I am going to miss the fun summer days. 

The girls woke up with smiles on their cute faces.  I am wondering how long that is going to last.  We had a nutritious breakfast of donuts and milk.  Yep, I'm a real health freak.  Of course we couldn't leave until we took the traditional first day of school photos.

Megan was so excited to finally get to wear her "twinkle toe" shoes that she made me take a picture of her shoes.

We got to school with plenty of time to take some classroom photos.  I got to see Sam's classroom before she darted out the door with her BFF Ashlea.  And then I ventured down to Megan's classroom and stayed with her until school started.  It was harder to leave her in that room than I thought it would be.  But alas I had to leave so I could get to work on time.

Megan was tired when I picked her up at the end of the day.  It was probably not the best day ever for her, but I think she still had fun.  She didn't really want to talk about school on the way home.  Sam sure did though!!  Sam had a blast!!  She really enjoys school.  Megan is not quite as fond of school as her sister.  But I think as she gets used to being there all day she will get better.

It will be nice to get back into a routine.  We are already busy around here with soccer practice twice a week.  I am thinking about getting Megan into dance.  And they will start Girl Scouts in a couple weeks too.  So I guess it is back to the grind around here.  No more lazy summer days.  Oh well, it can't last forever.  Only 179 more school days to go.

Until next time,

Jaime

Sad Reality

Yesterday was a sad day for the PSC community. A fellow PSCer passed away. I couldn't help but immediately burst into tears. Not just for Fred losing the fight, but also for his wife Shelley. I am sad for all the friends I have met along this journey. It hits us all hard when someone fighting this disease loses the fight. The motto is "Together in the fight, Whatever it takes" And that is so true. It is a wonderful support system that is really hurting right now.

As for me I am sad that there is a wife that has lost her husband to this vicious disease. I can't even imagine her pain. Shelley is a strong woman and there are lots of PSCers to support her through this. I just feel incredibly sad.

It is a very sad reality check for me. I really can't put into words how I am feeling about this. No I didn't "know" Fred, but that doesn't make a difference. I am just really sad.

There needs to be a cure for PSC!!! Go to PSC Partners Seeking a Cure website for more information.

Until next time,

Jaime

Help Wanted!!

I have reached a creative block and I need your help. I am designing a t-shirt for us to wear at the liver walk and I am having trouble coming up with something to write on the front. So far I have Team Rick with a line underneath it. But I wanted something underneath that. I had "Walking to cure PSC" "Find a cure for PSC" but neither of those are doing it for me. I was REALLY hoping that maybe someone out there in blogland could help me out. If you could come up with something witty to be printed on the t-shirt I would be super excited.

I am being serious about this. I really do want/need some help with this. If you can think of anything could you please leave me a comment under this post. I only have a week left until we leave and I would like to make the shirts before next Thursday.

It could be anything from super funny to somewhat serious. On the back of the shirts it is going to say Team Rick and have a different number for each of us. Rick will be 01, I will be 02, and Sam will be 03. I am thinking that I am going to make a shirt for Megan too so that she doesn't feel left out.

Thanks in advance to anyone that responds. And I will post the winner and a picture of the finished shirt before we leave.

Until next time,
Jaime

Liver Life Walk

Only 12 more days until the Liver Life Walk. We have not yet met our goals. I don't feel super comfortable begging for donations. So don't take this as begging. Pretty Please will you donate to our team. Remember that myself, Rick, and Samantha are registered for the walk. You can find the links to our fundraising pages on the sidebar of the blog.

Remember the reason we are doing this?? We are walking so that someday there will be a cure for liver disease. And then maybe Rick won't have a lot more days like this:

Thank you so much for supporting us. Even if you can't donate I would love for you to show your support by just commenting and letting us know that you are rooting for us. But if you can donate we really appreciate any amount. $5, $10, any amount would mean a lot to us.

Until next time,

Jaime

P.S. I am totally bummed that it is September. That means the end of summer. *tears*