A Not-So-Shameful Appeal to the Masses

Alrighty, y'all...

Most of my life, I have been ashamed, embarrassed, reluctant, what-have-you regarding fundraising and asking people for money. 

Well... besides my parents... or my husband...

But they don't count. Anyway, moving on...

I've been involved with a thousand different fundraisers all my life through a thousand different activities I've done - Brownies (Yes, the same Brownies where you don those awesomely horrible feces-colored uniforms and proudly display a sash of patches proving you are a stellar kid-citizen who remembers to turn off the water faucet after brushing your teeth or pick up a piece of trash.), choir (fa-la-la-la-la!), cheerleading (rah! rah! sis boom bah!), sorority (Go Chi-O!), going to Africa, etc..

During all of these fundraisers, I wanted to crawl under a rock and never show my face again after directly asking people for their hard-earned money, because let's face it. It's embarrassing. In our society, we are so geared towards being independent and not needing help - it sucks asking for money or assistance in anyway. #PridefulAndAssholicSociety #IJustMadeAssholicAWord #Boom

But not this time, I'm not ashamed to throw it out there. 

I think going to Africa helped me with this. After being there and seeing faces of children suffering, it's almost harder to NOT ask for help in order for you to help suffering children.

So here it is... another chance for you to help me help kids.

I need your financial assistance, if you are able. I've pledged to raise no less than $500 for St. Jude Children's Research hospital by November and then plan to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on December 7th as a St Jude Hero. 

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon raises money through it's St. Jude Heroes. Last year, nearly 5,000 Heroes raised more than $4 million. This year, St. Jude Heroes are hoping to reach $5 million for the kids of St. Jude.

And after all, it's all about the K. I. D's, right? 

Here's a little blurb from my fundraising site about St. Jude, just in case you've been living under a rock and don't know anything about the hospital.

It costs $1.8 million a day to operate St. Jude. Did you know that 70% of the funds come from the public? That means your donation, no matter what the size, will help! 

How your donation helps:

• Thanks to donors like you, no family ever pays St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.

• St. Jude will continue to improve treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases through it's groundbreaking research.

• For every child treated at St. Jude, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries.

Insane, right? 

This children's hospital is absolutely one of the best in the entire state, region, country, world, galaxy and I want to do what I can to help.

Sooooooooo.... should you find yourself melting at the site of this precious picture.....

5-year old Ian was found to suffer from a rare brain tumor. After treatment at St. Jude Ian is now cancer free and back to his energetic self. He even joined his father for the final few yards of the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon last year.

Or this one.....

Or, heck... maybe even this one....

St. Jude patient Hayli, age 1, acute myeloid leukemia

Go ahead and hop on over to my personal fundraising page and feel free to donate something to help out these precious children. :-)

Thank you so much in advance!!

#BlogReadersAreTheBest

#AllAboutTheKIDs

#HoneyBadgerDOESCare

#OkayIWillStopWithTheHashtags

#GoDonate

Meet Meda Grayson!

Well, she's here. 

Meet the newest addition to our family, Meda Grayson.
(Pronounced Mee-da... like "me" and then "duh." Yeah, just like that.)

She arrived May 9th, at 6:32pm after eight hours and a rather rough delivery at 6lbs, 1oz and 20 inches long.

Below are a list of things I learned after experiencing giving birth to my second child and a few words of advice I have for pregnant peeps everywhere.

*Proceed at your own risk. 

** No seriously.... At your own risk. Gentleman - I recommend shutting your browser now.

*** For real boys, go ahead and shut 'er down. Now.

Good. Now, we can proceed.....

• I still believe epidural's should be available to pregnant women everywhere starting at 38 weeks.
• Epidural's are quite possibly the most fabulous invention in modern medicine.
• Just because you are in a flubby hospital gown that only covers half of your body all day and then your woman parts suddenly become public display for anybody walking by your hospital room, that doesn't mean that your face shouldn't be covered up while in labor. I believe every woman should be wearing makeup at all the times in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. You don't want to risk going into labor without it. Cameras are everywhere. And with smartphones and social media at the level it is these days, Lochness monster pictures of you can pop up on the interwebs without approval at any given moment. So don't become a statistic. Let us ban together to end the era of woman looking like crap before, during and after labor. The whole process is going to rock your body physically, so let's not add to it by being lazy with our faces. So please, at the very least wear some mascara. Remember: eyes and lips at all times, ladies... eyes and lips! 
• Epidural's are the most fabulous invention in modern medicine.
• IV injection is one of the most highly deadly forms of medicine insertion. Upon looking at an IV and after it's insertion with the nurse muttering self-encouraging words under her breath, "We have to save it. Don't lose it!"; one's blood pressure is at risk to bottom out and cause fuzzy vision, yellow skin coloring and possibly even death.   
• Epidural's are, in my opinion, the most fabulous invention in modern medicine.
• When/if your child is positioned so incorrectly they are unable to come out and your doctor offers to help "vacuum" your child out of you or else be forced to perform a c-section, BEWARE. Proceed with the vacuum ONLY if you have the stomach for teams of 8+ medical personnel to swoop in SWAT team style, decked out in head to toe battle gear (face masks included!), doctors tripping backwards as vacuums come unsealed and high flying fluid...........Yeah......... All that happened. BEWARE.
• Epidural's are still the most fabulous invention in modern medicine.
• Ladies - before going in for a vaginal delivery (Ugh. I just said "vaginal." Gross. #YesIAmStillTwelveYearsOld....), make sure to stock up on adult diapers for the weeks and months after. NOBODY EVER TELLS YOU THIS INFORMATION UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE! So here it is. You need to be prepared to bleed out from between your legs for an enormously ridiculous amount of time. I'm talking weeks and possibly even months. And there's a cleansing process every time you go to the restroom that is just straight up NOT cool.  So be ready. *Note: This may not be needed for c-section deliveries. I wouldn't know because I chose to VACUUM my kid's head out of my woman parts. Gross, gross.
• Finally, have I mentioned yet that epidural's are absolutely the most fabulous invention in modern medicine?

Below are some pics from the war zone. Don't be fooled by the happy-go-lucky atmosphere the pictures portray. The 2 hours in between these "before" and "after" pics, shit got real.

But we now have the battle prize; an amazing, healthy and perfect little girl.  Praise God. :-)

Don't look too close or you'll see MK also had a "baby in her belly"

And of course, the unicorn had to be there to witness everything.

McKenna meeting her sister for the 1st time. One of my fav pics!

Why the husband decided to take pics of me while I checked my all social media sites, I'll never know.

This board perfectly appeased my O.C.D.

Watching 

McKenna wasn't about to skip out on IG's #VSitMonth 

First family photo

You Can Take the Girl Out of Kentucky, But Not Kentucky Out of the Girl

So, in case you don't know already, I'm originally from Kentucky.

And proud of it.

And also, in case you didn't know, I used to be highly involved in horses.  

Like I said, I'm from Kentucky.

It's basically mandatory to love horses.

(Okay, okay... not everybody is into them there... but I definitely was.)

I used to ride them, show them, own them (more accurately, one), read about them and basically obsess over them every chance I got. Starting on my 10th birthday, my dad used to take me every year to the races either at Keeneland or Churchill Downs to appease my obsession. #BestBirthdayGiftEver  

After moving to New Mexico, my love for them didn't die, but my involvement definitely did. That's when my sister went all obsessive over them and started purchasing them and becoming a rock-star rider. (Have I mentioned she competed at the NCAA College Nationals in Equestrian? AND did really well? #RockStar #OnlySlightlyJealous) I, on the other hand, got more involved with cheerleading and gymnastics... and who has time to muck stalls and pick hooves when you're wearing crushed velvet leotards and short skirts cheering on the boys from the sideline??? Not me...

So anyway - that aside and with that info in mind, I wanted to let you know how much I LOVE Derby Day.

And not the Roller Derby...

The Kentucky Derby, that is.

This is a race I actually haven't been to... yet. However, I plan on going sometime in the not-so-distant future and doing it up.... attending the Oaks the day before, mint juleps, the big hat, singing 'My Old Kentucky Home,' all of it.

And no in-field for me. I would have maybe joined that colossal mess of a party while still in college maybe, but not now. I want to get all prettied up and go sit in a box seat and do it right.

So yeah. There you have it. I'll be celebrating this Derby with a frosty (virgin) mint julep in hand, looking jealously at pics of old KY friends of mine on FB attending, and yelling for the horse I placed a bet on, all the while wishing I was there.

So here's to the 139th running of the Derby. :-) The greatest two minutes in sports. 

Where Did April Go? Definitely Not Anywhere On My Blog.

Wow - I've been slow on the blog posting this past month....Okay, "slow" is the wrong description. I'm always slow about it.

Completely "AWOL" is a tad more accurate.

So let me try and update you on what's been going on....

Work: Well, I've been busy with BFR shows and sales. If you're in Memphis, you probably saw me at Spring Market, Crawfish Festival and will see me again this coming weekend at Collierville's Fair on the Square,'' which I'll be at in this torrential downpour. Super awesome. Come out and get wet with us if you're in the mood to shop!!! :-)

*Speaking of BFR... if any of you are interested in ANYTHING to do with Be Free - purchasing merchandise, mission trips, hosting a trunk show, etc. - please don't hesitate to contact me! I can hook you up! #ShamelessPlug

Small group stuff: This is pobably crap that would bore you since you're not a part of my kick-butt Jesus-loving small group at church....(which you probably should be if you're not. It's awesome.). I've been able to get together with this amazing group of women a few times this month to study The Word and it's been great. #TotalJesusNerds Every time we're together, I learn something new or get a new perspective on God's will for my life and for others. 

PS - if you've never studied through Beth Moore's work, GO DO IT NOW. She is hysterical, down-to-earth and real.  I recommend her video series' since she's so animated and southern. She also has a blog, which I follow. I relate well to her personality type. #SassyAndSouthern

DAMN YOU Writer's Block!

Writing:  It's been slow.... to say the least. Currently, I'm sort of stuck in a rut on the book, and trying to break out of it. Some might call it "writer's block." Just trying to sludge through it and not loose ALL motivation to do it.

BIRTHDAY'S!!! So on the 27th, I celebrated the big 3-0 birthday. Weird, right? But I'm pumped for thirty. I'm convinced that your thirties are probably the coolest decade. You're an adult, but still not "old".... (okay, maybe a little old).... and people are forced to take you seriously, right? I mean, because you're thirty years old. So, I'm pumped. People might take me seriously now. 

Thirty is definitely the new twenty. 

Also, the husbandal unit turned thirty-one two days after my birthday. So Happy "People Have To Take Us Seriously Now" Birthday to him, as well! With both of us in our thirties, that means we're a serious couple, right? :-) #YeahIDidntThinkSo

Fetus Cooking: Well, I'm 38 weeks along in this pregnancy now. Weird. I'm about to have my second kid. NEXT week. That is if she doesn't show up before. With these contractions I've been having, I won't be surprised if she does. In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't already. But whatever... she's giving me a little more time. 

I go into the hospital for an induction on Wednesday, the 8th of May. Now, that is strange. Two kids... in just a few days. We'll be like a real little family... with parents in their thirties. #weird

I'm excited.

Britney & Lacey, with BFR, hosted a baby shower for me earlier in April as well. It was so fun and I am blessed to have such great friends who showed up and showered Meda & I with gifts. :-) I've included a couple pics. (Clearly.)

This last month has been rather uncomfortable for me physically. This kiddo is MUCH more active and brutal to my insides than McKenna Rayne was. Don't get me wrong - MK was very active, but sheesh.... this little one has it out for me or something. There are times where it feels like she's literally going to pop through the skin. I find this strange because apparently Meda Grayson is much smaller than MK was, according to the doctors. 

Speaking of doctors, I've been on the weekly doctor appointment plan for a little while now, and receiving ultrasounds EVERYTIME I go to the doc, due to the high risk factor I've got going on, because neither Meda or I are fat enough for anybody's liking. I won't lie - I enjoy the ultrasounds, especially considering I only had 2 with McKenna (at 9 weeks and at 20 weeks), but my house is FULL of ultrasound photos now. In drawers, on counters, under beds... And let's be real, those black and white fuzzy TV-like photos of uterine aliens aren't quite the type you'd hang on your wall. Though I feel like a bad parent if I throw them away! Ugh.... #dilemmas.  

But anyway, Meda Grayson will be here next week!!! Craziness!

Running:  OMG. Y'ALL.

I registered a few days ago for my first FULL marathon. EEEK! I'm so pumped. The last bit of this pregnancy has been a little rough for me since it's race season and everyone around me is gearing up, training and racing now! Friends, my husband, everyone... I hate just sitting on the sidelines without my own training in full force. #JealousyIsAHorribleThing

Yes, yes... I know, I know... I have an amazing reason NOT to be running, etc... and I'm so, so, so grateful for that... but that doesn't mean I don't want to be out there as well. So sue me. :-) I plan on, as soon as the doc gives the okay, starting back up again and training for some triathlons as well, and not just running. Whoop! 

But anyway - back to the marathon. I had originally planned on running my first full marathon ON my 30th birthday, but... well, that didn't work out after I got myself knocked up. So the new plan is the St Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec. 7th. I will have plenty of time to train after Numero Dos arrives. I'm going to be training with BPC Performance Systems in their St. Jude training groups, headed up by BPC Running Coach & probably the best/fastest runner in the greater Memphis area (as well as a good friend of ours), Ben Knoernschild. Whoop! It's going to be fun training with this group!

In order to race, I'm required to raise $500 for St Jude, which I'm totally pumped about, as well. St Jude is an amazing hospital and I want to do what I can to help those kiddos! I even dragged my friend Molly into registering with me! Haha! #Sucker #YouAreWelcomeMols 

Something else I'm excited about when it comes to this?? I've already been contacted to write "my story" regarding coming back from pregnancy and training for my first full marathon. Plans are in the works with the editor for me to submit a short series of articles and then a final "recap" article after the race about the overall "journey." He even wants photos of me with Meda Grayson at the finish line. HA! This makes the whole marathon-deal sound so epic, doesn't it? HA! Little does this guy know I am the world's biggest "I-hate-running-runner," so he might not realize what he's asked me to do! HA! #IReallyDoHateRunning #ButNotReally #ButReally #OkILoveIt #Sometimes...

This is the ABSOLUTE truth!! HA!

~~~~

So that's been my last month in a nutshell. Exciting, right?  #NotReallyForAnybodyButMyself

Just trudging through each day now, playing the waiting game until Meda Grayson arrives. Not to worry - I'll be posting those annoying mom-new-baby pics once she does arrive. :-)

Happy MAY everyone!

#OMGItsMay #WhenDidThatHappen