Bledsoe Battle

Tyler lives on in happy memories

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 05:22:00 +0000

On the anniversary of his birth, I find myself remembering Tyler in so many different ways. While some cause grief, many more cause smiles and laughter. I'm so very thankful to have had the years that I did with him and hope that each of you has happy memories of him today too.

For a slideshow of photos of Tyler, visit http://youtu.be/ggeaw0Mo6yc to see a 15 minute walk down memory lane.

Happy birthday, Tyler!

T-Bone Classic

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 04:22:00 +0000

We are approaching the 3rd Annual T-Bone Classic Golf Tournament! Everyone is welcome to join in this golf tournament, commemorating the life of Tyler Bledsoe.

Where: Cedar Crest Golf Course
Date: September 19, 2013
First Tee Time: 11:00am
Cost: $85.00, which includes golf, cart, and dinner

To reserve your spot and get more details, contact Scott Bledsoe at 206-546-2629

The Day After the Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

To all of the brave Team in Training members who joined us in the inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington, D.C. -- We salute you!

http://youtu.be/m-hCuYjvw2I

Love Lives On

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:29:00 +0000

A few weeks ago at our Team in Training practice, each of the runners was given the opportunity to write the name of the person that they run in memory/honor of. I wrote down Tyler's name because my love for him is what inspired me to first start fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

On the anniversary of our wedding (February 24, 2007), I am proud to be able to say that with your generous support I have raised over $31,000 to fight cancer. Together, we can make a difference in the battle for lives. I can also share that Tyler has helped to inspire several others to raise funds through Light the Night, Team in Training, or the Big Climb, so his life continues to provide inspiration to the people that hear his story.

I was blessed to find a husband who taught me how to love and how to fight for what I believe in. While our time together was far shorter than I would have wished, I would not trade that time for anything. May you be as blessed in your lives.

For more information about my latest efforts with Team in Training, or to make a donation to fight cancer, please visit my fundraising site at http://bledsoebattle.com. My battle isn't over until I see that leukemia isn't affecting the lives of the people around me. Thanks for your help!

Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:14:00 +0000

One of the dates you never quite forget is the date that you first heard the doctor mention the word cancer. Tyler's cancerversary was February 19th. As I have done before, I wanted to mention a few warning signs of blood cancer. We found that both Hans and Tyler had experienced several of the same symptoms before being diagnosed, but we hadn't known just what they were at that time.

1. Are you tired? Leukemia causes fatigue because the increased production of white blood cells (WBCs) crowds out the red blood cells in your blood volume. Red blood cells carry the oxygen to your cells and having fewer of them can cause noticeable fatigue or breathlessness. Tyler just assumed he was getting old (at 40 after an incredibly active life). Check with your doctor before making the same assumption about any fatigue you might be experiencing. Tyler was working a physical job on the grounds crew at Children's Hospital and playing soccer. I remember him coming home from soccer games in the last few months before diagnosis and shaking and shivering uncontrollably for a long time. It wasn't a reaction to cold, but seemed to be a reaction to the exertion. It was the first symptom I noticed as his fiancé and prompted me to suggest a doctor's visit. Sadly, it took a few more months before that doctors visit happened. Could that time have made a difference in the ultimate war against the disease? I'll never know...

2. Have you lost weight? Are you eating as much as ever, but your clothes are getting baggy and you haven't been able to find a reason? Unexplained weight loss (more than a few pounds) is a common symptom of many illnesses and should prompt a visit to the doctor.

3. Do you (or your child) have a tendency to bleed or bruise easily? This is a common symptom of childhood leukemia. A youngster's skin may be peppered with tiny red dots. While going through treatment, we learned that the little red dots can be a sign of low platelet counts. Platelets are the blood part that help your blood stick together and clot. When your platelet count is low, you are at risk for bleeding too much from minor injuries.

4. Check your pallor. Have your cheeks lost their rosy glow? This may be a symptom of leukemia. An increase in WBCs can crowd out red blood cells, making you appear anemic.

5. Examine your lymph nodes. Feel under your armpits. Do you feel any lumps or bulges? Feel under your throat, where your jaw meets your neck, for lumps or bulges. Swollen lymph nodes are a possible sign of leukemia or other illnesses.

6. Evaluate yourself for unexplained chronic infections that never seem to go away. Even though your body is producing more WBCs, which are the body's infection fighters, the WBCs of a person with leukemia are immature and unable to fight off diseases. The best description I have heard of this was comparing the WBCs to either toddlers (not functional at all in the adult world of fighting infections) or teenagers (only partially functional at fight infections). Tyler was finally diagnosed after going to see the doctor about the "worst cold he'd ever had".

7. Check for an enlarged spleen. Lay down in bed and place the palm of your hand on the left side of your abdomen, below your rib cage. Feel for a lump or mass. This may be a sign of leukemia and put you at risk for internal bleeding if injured. Tyler definitely had this symptom and was unable to play soccer until the spleen returned to normal size. It can also manifest itself as abdominal fullness.

8. Keep track of unusual night sweats or bone pain. These are often signs of your body attempting to fight an internal war against the cancer.

9. Pay attention to your body's messages. Tyler's doctor asked him at diagnosis how long it had been since T had felt 100% normal. When he stopped and thought about it, Tyler said it had been about 1.5 - 2 YEARS. Imagine how an early diagnosis (from regular check ups or even a doctor's visit when started feeling some of the symptoms that weren't normal) might have changed the outcome of our battle.

New treatments are being discovered all of the time and an early diagnosis gives you the strongest chance at joining the ranks of survivor. Please see your doctor regularly for check ups and in response to any of the symptoms listed above.

For my readers that have been through cancer diagnoses themselves or with a loved one, please add your own items to the list by posting comments on this message. Together we can help others start treatment at a time when they can be successful.

Two Years Gone

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 06:13:00 +0000

Two years ago, my husband took his last breath as his body finally gave out after battling leukemia for 4 years. While his memory and his presence live on for me, I am deeply saddened by the fact that someone so loved is gone forever because of cancer.

I started fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society after Tyler was first diagnosed with cancer, but I continue in his memory. It is one of my deepest passions to make a difference in this battle against cancer and stop the loss of our loved ones.

If you share this goal, please help me by donating at http://bledsoebattle.com. Together we can ease the heartache caused by this insidious thing called cancer.

Gratitude from the Bledsoe Battle

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:00:00 +0000

As I reflect on the things I am grateful for, I realized that I wanted to thank you to each of you for your participation in this year’s Light the Night walk. Team Firefly was again the top Friends and Family team for the Seattle walk. This is the 4^th year in a row that we have claimed that honor and I thank each and every one of you for your help in raising over $22,000 to fight blood cancers.

We were the 2^nd place team overall, chasing the incredibly impressive Seattle Genetics team who raised over $49,000 with 157 team members. As I talked to their team at the awards ceremony, each of them was incredibly impressed with all that our team has been able to do without the backing of any corporate sponsor.

Did you know? When LLS was founded in 1949, a blood cancer diagnosis was almost always fatal. Thanks in part to innovative research funded by LLS, survival rates have improved dramatically. Today, an estimated 274,930 people are living with or are in remission from leukemia.

FUNDRAISING CLUBS:

This is the first year that we have had 6 team members joining the Bright Lights club. Do you think we can break that record again next year??

TEAM FIREFLY BRIGHT LIGHTS (Raised over $1000)

Christine Watson - $1691.46
Carrie Numata - $1472.46
Ken Mock - $1121.46
Andrea Coughlin - $1079.51
Becky McLellan - $1053.71

TEAM FIREFLY CHAMPIONS – THE 100 CLUB!

Vivian Oehler - $936.71
Ceci Rozendaal - $806.46
Celeste McArthur - $521.46
Bonnie Rydman - $506.46
Carol Bonenko - $491.46
Scott Bledsoe - $453.71
Paul Giering - $426.46
Thelma Westberg - $371.46
Mackenzie Martin - $366.46
Debbie Carroll - $252.46
Erin Aten - $205.46
Hans Loland - $203.71
LeAnn Miller - $201.60
Zea Carter - $123.71
Dorothy Gorman - $106.46
Benjamin Bonenko - $103.90
Aleksandra Bonenko - $103.71
David Bonenko - $103.71
Jacque Bonenko - $103.71
Laura Mitchell - $103.71
Steve Mitchell - $103.71
Jennifer Hugill - $103.71
Libby Dermenstein - $103.71
Bethanie Roddy – $103.71
Amy Donlan - $103.71
Cynthia Loland - $103.71
Michele Bleser - $103.71
Dave Carroll - $101.60
Lauren Schepman - $100
Lynn Roediger - $100

Thank you for all that you have done to help fight cancer. I’m deeply touched by the fact that family and friends continue to join me each September in my current version of the Bledsoe Battle – my efforts to fund a cure for blood cancers.

Registration for next year’s walk begins in February. I hope that you will consider joining Team Firefly again. Invite your friends and neighbors and coworkers to join us in fundraising. Let’s give those corporate teams a run for their (research) money again next year!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,

Mandy Bledsoe

http://bledsoebattle.com

Feeling the Loss

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:24:00 +0000

I've been feeling more subdued and more grumpy than normal for the last week or so. I was just blaming it on not getting enough sleep, but today I finally figured out that my emotions are on edge more than usual because Tyler's birthday was Halloween.

Although on most days I am doing really well, I have found that just the thought of his birthday (combined with the necessity of sorting through some of his belongings) have made me miss Tyler more than usual. Today I am feeling the tragedy side of things... I'm just so sad that he was stolen from us so early.

As many of you knew him or came to know him a little bit through the blog, you know that he was a kind and loving man. He inspired so many of us with his integrity or athleticism or kindness or one of his other wonderful qualities. I'm sorry that he isn't with us still.

So... I'll issue a general apology to the people that have to be around me day to day and hope that my grumpiness fades quickly. But I ask that you take one more day with me to acknowledge that cancer steals light and life from people. As we wrap up October, widely acknowledged as breast cancer awareness month, and celebrate Tyler's birthday on the final day of the month, I urge you to make a difference in some way in the fight against cancer. Wouldn't that be an ideal birthday gift to a friend lost to leukemia?

What can you do to help save the person who will be diagnosed with any form of cancer tomorrow? I've chosen fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as my vehicle to continue the fight. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Tyler, you can donate at http://bledsoebattle.com. Thanks to all that have already supported my quest for a cure! With your help, I'm taking the Bledsoe Battle to an entirely new level.

In loving memory of Tyler...

Light the Night

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 05:27:00 +0000

We have only two weeks until this week's Light the Night walk and I'm excited to see friends and family there! Team Firefly is currently in second place in the team fundraising, so we need to have a good push this week to catch up with Seattle Genetics. I'd hate to have another team win the Tyler Bledsoe Memorial Award for the top fundraising team... :)

If you are coming to walk with us, you can register for Team Firefly (please note that a second team with a similar name signed up for the Seattle walk, so you will want to be careful to join the correct team). The top team as of Wednesday 9/26 will be announced at the walk. The top 10 teams at that time will be awarded a tent on the night of the walk and get to skip the check in lines, etc. You can mail your donations in to the LLS office, or drop it off at their upcoming bank nights, or deposit it online at your website.

In the meantime, I have been keeping busy watching our online fundraising auction. If you haven't checked out the wonderful items available for bidding, please visit the auction at http://www.facebook.com/events/266809260097392/ or our auction photo album at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.117076831774654&type=1. I'm shocked to see that a guitar signed by Blake Shelton is only at $100... Isn't a guitar alone worth at least that much? You can also help us out by forwarding these links on to your other friends.

See you on walk night!

Light the Night Walk Update - 6 weeks to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:17:00 +0000

If you will be walking with us this September, please contact me to get signed up (or sign up online at http://pages.lightthenight.org/wa/SeattleL12/TeamFirefly). We are up to 25 team members so far, but several other people have told me they plan to join us.

Walk Night Details
Seattle Walk -- Saturday, September 29th, 2012
Green Lake Park, Seattle

5:00pm – Remembrance Ceremony
5:30pm – Check-in & Festivities
7:00pm – Walk

Upcoming Fundraisers
Let me know if you have an upcoming fundraiser and I am happy to share the information with team members. Use this area to know how you can support our team, to spread the word about events, and to get some ideas on what you can do! Contact me if you need more details about any of the events below.

- Tyler Memorial Golf Tournament, Marysville -- August 23rd

- Flea Market, Sequim – September 8th

- Bake Sale, Kent – September 15th
- Facebook Auction, Online
- Everyone is encouraged to participate! Call businesses you frequent to see if

they will make a donation to support LLS – TAX ID number available…

- Women’s Clothing Swap, Lynnwood – October 20th
- Contact Mandy for more information

Become a Champion For Cures
Every walker who raises $100 or more will become a Champion For Cures and recognized on the night of the Walk with the following benefits:
            - A Light The Night t-shirt
            - A Light The Night illuminated balloon
            - A wristband for food and refreshments

Fundraising Tips
Here are two quick and simple fundraising ideas to help rake in the donations:
1. Game Night/Poker Night: Suggest a minimum donation to enter and/or a donation to compete in each game.
2. Food/Beverage Sales: Baked goods, donuts, bagels, breakfast burritos, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, smoothies, etc.

Top 5 Fundraising Teams (As of August 16th)
--> We just lost our first place position, so it is a very good week to start your fundraising!

1. Seattle Genetics $5,260 raised

2. Team Firefly $4,959 raised

3. Team Nanchantress $3,750 raised

4. Team Seattle Children’s $3,410 raised

5. Biff’s Beauties $2,300 raised

Shop for a Cause

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 05:16:00 +0000

It's time to shop; but this time, shop for a cause.

I am happy to tell you that Macy's is partnering with LLS by offering 25% off for shoppers with the $5.00 purchase of a Macy's shopping pass for Saturday, August 25, 2012.

Anyone with a $5.00 Macy's pass can shop at any Macy's and get 25% off all purchases including regular, sale and clearance items (10% off electronics, watches, furniture and mattresses).

Not a bad way to shop especially with back to school coming up!

100% of the shopping pass proceeds will help fund lifesaving cancer research plus you get a chance to win a $500 Macy's Gift Card!

I might suggest not waiting until the last minute. Go online now and purchase a $5.00 pass ($5.00 is the minimum donation but feel free to donate more)! The passes can only be used in-store and not online.

It's programs like this, people like you and the generosity of companies like Macy's that enable LLS to be able to fund the cancer research that saves lives every day.

You can purchase your passes here.

Happy Shopping!

Light the Night Kickoff

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 02:59:00 +0000

The 2012 Light the Night Kickoff was a great opportunity to get some new ideas for this year's walk and be reminded of why I continue to fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Roger Levesque joined us for the event and took a few minutes to share his thoughts on how commendable it is that we are fighting cancer.

Then we heard from a lovely young lady named Rose Egge who shared her remarkable battle against Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. She was diagnosed in May 2011 at age 25. Imagine what goes through your head when something so scary is dropped in your lap. She came out of her treatments with a passion for fighting cancer - fighting for her future and fighting for the friends she has made along the journey.

For each of us that has been touched by cancer, we respond in many different ways. For me, I became extremely passionate about living my life as fully as I can and pouring some of my energies into the fundraising I do for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I'm extremely blessed to have supportive and generous friends around me that allow me to achieve my own fundraising goals in these areas. I have been a top fundraiser for LLS for the past few years thanks to your generosity. If I haven't said it recently, THANK YOU!!!

But... I couldn't do it without a team. So it has come to that time of year and I want to invite each of you to join us for a lovely evening stroll around Greenlake. The Light the Night walk will be on Saturday, September 29th this year. Last year we had over 100 walkers on Team Firefly and I would love to match that total again! Look at the statement we make in the team photo below!

If you would like to join us, please visit http://pages.lightthenight.org/wa/SeattleL12/TeamFirefly and click "JOIN" at the bottom of the page. You can also just let me know that you want to join us and I will make certain that you get registered. We are planning to have an auction between now and the walk and would love to have a few other team members participating in the posting of auction items and helping us to spread the word for online bidding.

If you can't join us for the walk (and I really hope that you can), please consider donating at http://bledsoebattle.com

Thanks again!

Light the Night Kickoff Event - July 21st

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 01:32:00 +0000

FUN for EVERYONE and FREE to join!

· Guest appearance from a Seattle Sounders player! Meet and take your picture for unforgettable memory!

· Free to attend for everyone - team members, family, friends, and coworkers

· Carnival games, festivities, and prizes

· Complimentary food and refreshments

· Meet your local Honored Heroes

· Learn fundraising tips from your LLS staff and past teams

Win a Light The Night/Sounders FC Scarf!
Raise $100 by our Kickoff date AND attend our Kickoff to receive a special Light The Night/Sounders scarf*!

*must be present to win/while supplies last.

When & Where?
Saturday July 21st, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
REI Flagship Store - 222 Yale Ave. North, Seattle, 98109

RSVP today! Email LightTheNight_WAS@lls.org or call Lauren at 206.957.4592

The Long and Winding Road

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Sat, 05 May 2012 04:52:00 +0000

After the soccer game in Barcelona, we began our journey homeward. First was the drive back to Madrid. Our final tapas run happened somewhere along that road, but it was a perfect representation of tapas all over the country. From first thing in the morning until last thing at night, there were plates of food set out all over the city. You order a little of this and a little of that, along with your beverage of choice. For the Spaniards, it seemed like the beverage of choice was quite often an espresso. They had incredibly complex looking espresso machines all over the country and my friend, Ruth, said that the coffee was fantastic over there.

It was a wonderful trip and I am so thankful that my mother and I got to explore the country. Thanks to all of you for joining us on the journey!

What's a Soccer Fan to Do?

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

If you are a soccer addict and find yourself in the city of Barcelona, what else are you going to do? We got tickets to see FC Barcelona play a home game! We watched them play against Malaga and were thrilled with both our seats and the game.

The club's motto is "Mes Que Un Club" which translates to "More than a Club". Based on what we saw, FC Barcelona is a way of life! The club has teams for several other sports (like basketball -- who has heard of the Barcelona basketball team?), they have a huge youth program, they have their own television channel, and a huge complex at the stadium with tours every day.

I didn't know it at the time (since I speak neither spanish or catalan), but we watched Messi set a record for the most goals in a season. I shouldn't spoil the score line for you but it was fantastic to watch magic happening, even if I didn't know what the magic was.

Mom said before the game that "Messi is her guy". I'm not sure how she can have a guy on a soccer team in Spain, but he lived up to her expectations and I became a Barcelona fan myself that day.

After the game, we joined the entire city in the line to the metro. :) It was amazing to see that many people trying to leave the stadium at once.

The FC Barcelona game was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I had looked into it before we left and thought it was too expensive. But, I'm so very thankful that we decided to splurge!

Exploring Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Because we couldn't miss out on Barcelona, we headed south again and back into Spain. Barcelona is a city devoted to its arts, especially Gaudi. You see his art EVERYWHERE around town, but in my tiny little bit of research about Spain I had decided that I wanted to see Park Guell. Antoni Gaudi was commissioned to design a housing community for the affluent and began building it in 1900. It was a fascinating concept and way ahead of his time, but Gaudi's habits of bringing the natural world and a whimsical spirit into his art is evident everywhere you look.

It was definitely a highlight to wander around the park and enjoy the afternoon sunshine (along with the rest of Barcelona).

On the way out of the park, we tripped across a lovely church and admired the art and the peace there. I couldn't even decipher anything to tell us where we were, but just enjoyed the moments of tranquility.

More France

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:33:00 +0000

The next morning we headed just outside of Narbonne to l'Abbaye de Fontfroide. It was a functioning abbey up until about 1901, when it was abandoned by the monks and purchased by a local family. When we arrived, they were closing for lunch so we wandered the grounds first.

It was incredibly windy, but so very beautiful around the abbey.

After the lunch break was over, we took a tour inside the abbey. The tour was only offered in French, which I was hoping would be okay after taking French classes for a few months before the trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand anything the tour guide was saying and ended up being very thankful that I had gotten the audio guide in English too. I guess I need to head back to French class again soon!

The tour was very interesting. There were both monks and lay people that lived inside the abbey when it was a functioning monastery. I found it interesting to learn that the lay people had to take the same vows of celibacy, poverty, etc as the monks, but were not actually monks.

Another highlight of the abbey tour was that they actually let us take pictures of the stained glass windows. Most cathedrals we visited had signs indicating that we shouldn't take photos, so we didn't get to share much of that glory with you. But the colors were incredibly bright and vivid in all of the stained glass we saw there. I had forgotten, but the stained glass is one of the things I really enjoyed about Europe! I'm pretty much an uneducated lout when it comes to most artwork, but the way they meld those colors together and the sheer beauty when the colors stream through amaze me.

We enjoyed more delightful french bread and cheese and various pastries. Sigh... It was good to eat food I know again!

Vive la France!

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:20:00 +0000

On Sunday morning, we were both up early and were anxious to hit the road. This probably had nothing to do with the fact that we were about to cross the border into France.

Just before the border, there was an incredibly busy town advertising duty free stuff of every possible variety. There were swarms of people EVERYWHERE, and cars pulling into or out of parking spots seemed to bog everything down further. Just after the town we crossed the border without even being sure that we had. We didn't even have to slow down as we passed the border patrol folks, let alone stop and show our passports.

As soon as we figured out that we had indeed crossed the border, I suggested to mom that we should find a boulangerie as soon as possible because I wanted some REAL French bread. We found one and added on a quiche and a vegetable filled pastry too. We were both in heaven!

We continued north into Narbonne, a mid sized town for this area and found a place to stay. I think this was the earliest in the day that we have found a room! After unloading our luggage, we headed out to the archbishop's palace. It has been converted into two museums, one with art and one with archeology. We toured the archeological museum, but were very thankful that we both speak French. A few of the signs had English on them, but the majority of the information was in French. My brain started to hurt from having to focus so intently on reading the signs, but I think I got the majority of what I read. Narbonne was very closely tied to the Roman Empire, so the museum talked a lot about the Roman influences on architecture and home door.

After the museum, we also visited the cathedral of Catherine-St Just. I find cathedrals to be one of my favorite sights. When you step inside and look up at this amazing vaulted ceiling or admire the intricately detailed stained glass windows or feel the devotion present in the various small chapels around the edges, you can't help but be awestruck at what they were able to accomplish. This particular cathedral was never finished as they built it too close to the city wall.

We wanted to sit down to a nice dinner, but almost everything that wasn't touristy was closed because it was Sunday. So instead we opened a bottle of wine and had ourselves a little picnic for dinner. We will go out for dinner tonight instead.

Soccer match in Girona

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Friday was a driving day, getting from the Costa del Sol to Valencia. We were trying to find a hotel close to the freeway, as we knew we would want to head out early in the morning to make it to Barcelona. We had spied a second division soccer match about an hour north of Barcelona and thought that we could make the timing work, but first we stopped at Camp Nou - the home of FC Barcelona. We were planning to take a tour of the stadium, but after seeing the crowds we remembered that it was a Saturday and speculated that the tour might be easier on a weekday.

We headed north to Girona and started looking for a hotel. The only hotel that we could find happened to be loading up a team of soccer players in uniform. We decided to pretend we were groupies and followed the bus to the stadium. After we figured out where the stadium was, we headed back into town to continue our search for a hotel. We finally found a hotel with 1 room left, but it was 140 euros for the night ($200+). Time was getting short before the match start, so we decided that we would just go to the game and hope to find a room afterwards. Since the game started at 6pm and the next down was maybe only 30 minutes away (and hopefully not clogged with soccer fans and high end weddings like this one) we thought we would have better luck.

The soccer match was fun. We bought seats that were supposed to be behind the south goal, but ended up too close to the 10 foot tall fence separating the home fans from the visiting fans and couldn't see 75% of the field clearly. We ended up moving seats pretty early on in the match. Our new seats had a much better view, but were somewhat less appealing in smell due to Mr Cigar 2 rows in front of us.

Because time had been so short getting to the match, we hadn't had any sort of dinner, so I had the challenge of figuring out the concessions stand. In Girona we paid at one window and were given a colored token based on the amount we paid. Cold sandwiches were 3 euros and hot sandwiches were 4 euros. I bought two hot sandwiches and moved over to the food area to try to order them.

In the end, it took 4 concession stand employees to help me order two different kinds of sandwich. I could easily order the Frankfurt, but had trouble figuring out what other kinds of sandwiches were available. We think we ended up with a pork sandwich, but they might have been charading something else for me.

The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but we enjoyed the soccer despite the lack of goals. I was intrigued by the yell leader who walked back and forth in our section all game long, trying to get us to cheer more. I'm still chanting Gee-Rona - hey! in my head at random times.

After the match we headed back to the car and then went in search of the freeway again. In Spain, many of the freeways have tolls. We have been trying to take the older highways that parallel the toll roads, but that lends additional challenges as we try to decipher the signs on the side of the road. In any case, we for a hotel next to the highway on our way out of town for only 52 euros, so we happily booked a room there.

Thursday in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:04:00 +0000

Unfortunately, I was slow to get moving on Thursday morning and we had to modify several plans that day. The first was learning that we couldn't get Alhambra tickets for any of the days that we could make Granada work, so we had to cancel that plan. The second change came around lunch time. We had been heading south towards Tarifa, so that we could catch the ferry to Morocco and spend the day there. At lunchtime, I finally admitted that we weren't going to make it in time to see Morocco that day. The next day (Friday) is their holy day and we didn't have enough to see in that area to wait around until Saturday. I'm bummed to have missed out on Morocco, but will have to pick it up on one of my next trips.

Because we made that decision, we were able to stop and enjoy lunch along the Costa del Sol. The restaurant we chose was suffering from an invasion of ladybugs so we were covered with them almost as soon as we sat down. I've actually never seen so many ladybugs in one place. The restaurant was actually losing business because of it. But our sangria was delicious and the food was outstanding, and the ladybugs were avoidable once we switched to an inside table. Our waitress was very sweet and we liked her enough to invite her to come visit us in Seattle.

With the change in plans for the day, we bumped Gibraltar up a day. We took a tour of the Rock and were fascinated by the history of that area, as well as the amazing views. They have a long and varied history, but are proud British citizens now. Our favorite part was the view from the top. I took video of the amazing 360 degree view, but I am certain that it won't be able to do justice to the amazing sights!

After our afternoon in England, we started back up the coast again, headed towards Barcelona. We made it to Malaga before I demanded food. We ended up at a cafeteria, trying to use their wi-fi to look up hotels. The streets were narrow, one way, and difficult to navigate. We were tired and really wanted to find a place, but weren't having much luck. Finally we just decided to head a little bit out of town. There weren't many options on the way out of town, so we finally pulled off the freeway again at Cala del Moral. Lucky us, we found a fabulous little gem of a hotel with low prices and friendly staff. The desk clerk told me that I was very beautiful, which I'm sure was a lie since it was 11pm at night and I was exhausted. But we got checked in and then we happily collapsed in bed and slept.

In the morning, I headed out for my first post-marathon run. It was quite muggy out, but I enjoyed the opportunity to run along the paseo and on a great path up and around a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Ocean.

Toledo Exploration

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:16:00 +0000

We have a rental car for the rest of our trip, so we have complete freedom to wander wherever we want to go. On the trip between Segovia and Toledo, I caught up on emails, read, and enjoyed the scenery. Mom (the driver) did her best to point out a church in every city and to figure out the logic between which roads have tolls and which do not. Having the directions that we could walk through on the iPad made it much easier to get out of one town and head to another. With luck, TMobile will figure out what is wrong with my phone soon so that we can get directions on the fly if we change our minds.

Toledo is a medieval city with much to see, but we were primarily interested in their cathedral. It was well worth the stop. We parked outside the walls of the old city and took the escalators to the city itself. Nothing says medieval city like an escalator, right? At the top, we had a short discussion about whether or not we should stop in the tourist information center to get a map. I thought we could just follow the signs to the cathedral. It turns out mom was right. Even with a map we got lost several times.

We had another audio tour of the cathedral and it was positively amazing inside. My favorite part was the transparente. Because it was such a big and dark church, they decided to cut out a skylight. But then they had to figure out how to blend that in with the rest of the church. The result is a combination of fresco, sculpture, and God's own sunlight that takes your breath away. The best photo I have been able to find was at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dschwabe/2311973004/ but it still doesn't really do the church justice.

Mom really liked the choir area. Each of the seat backs had beautiful carvings, depicting battles that Spain had won defending various towns. I was impressed that the clergy that made up the choir had to stand for long masses, singing from giant hymnals in front of them. They carved "mercy seats" into the designs of the choir seats, allowing the clergy to perch on them slightly even though they weren't allowed to sit down.

On our way out of Toledo, we ran into Barb from the LLS office. Unfortunately it was her last day in Spain, but it was very fun to run into her randomly!

After chatting with Barb for a few minutes, we headed south to Granada to spend the night there. Well, actually... I think we probably headed north, then west, then east and then south. ;) Having Internet access makes quite a difference with finding the right roads to get on. Spain seems to share highways quite often, so we find ourselves sorting through 5 highways listed on the sign to see if the one we want is there. Then we have to figure out which direction it is headed. Spanish highways don't say anything about north/south or east/west. They just list a couple of cities that direction. Since we don't know where anything is, we have to search on the map to see if those cities are in the direction we want.

We stopped for gas on our way south and were able to grab some Internet, so I looked up directions to a hotel in Granada.

We arrived in Granada after dark on Wednesday evening and I lost the directions to the hotel just after we pulled off of the freeway. Because people are not allowed to drive through the center of Granada, we were a little stressed out about just wandering our way to the hotel.

In the end, we decided to pull into 4 star hotel we had driven by and ask how much the room would be for the night. In Spain, there is a national rating system for hotels and this one looked like it might be closer to my Madrid hotel which had charged us a couple hundred dollars/night for a double room. Anyways, much to our surprise, the hotel said only 60 euros for a room and had parking underneath for 10 euros more so we decided to stay there.

We were tired and hungry so we went to the hotel bar for dinner and ended up seeing the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich game on TV. There were only about 15 minutes left in the game when we sat down, but the teams were kind enough to take the game to OT for us. Mom gave me grief for ordering a hamburger for dinner, but it was well worth it. It did say that it was an Andalucian hamburger, but the only difference I noticed was the addition of an egg. I had heard from friends that the egg on a burger thing was good, but had never tried it. Mom has really been embracing ensalata mixta, which is a green salad with tuna on top of it.

Travels in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:43:00 +0000

Travels in Spain Now that I have run my race, the fun can finally begin! After a day of rest, Mom and I headed to Segovia to admire one of the last standing Roman Aqueducts. It was amazing to see such an imposing structure up close and then be able to walk in and around it.

This particular aqueduct has been standing for over 2000 years without any sort of mortar to hold it together. Engineering is completely amazing for the tools they had available at that time.

After wandering around the city admiring old buildings and learning about them with our audio guide, we finally sat down to enjoy some tapas and sangria at El Gato. I picked the first round of tapas, so we enjoyed patatas y salchichas (potatoes and sausages) and tortillas (a potato and egg cake similar to a quiche without a crust). Both were served on slices of crunchy French bread.

Mom chose the second round of tapas, so we had a different potato and sausage combo and then she also chose cold, slimy clams. I ate one, but a significant amount of sangria was used to wash it down. She happily enjoyed both of her clams and my second clam.

The cost for the sangria and tapas was only 8 euros! After two glasses each of delightful sangria, we headed out to wander around Segovia a little bit longer. I really enjoyed the sights of the city while the sun was setting. On Wednesday morning, we were trying to find directions to a cafe with free Internet by asking the delivery men and bartender at El Gato. We accidentally found out (thanks to a nice couple from Colorado) that all we had to do was ask the bartender for a password to their wireless and we could get online to grab directions to our next stop. So we hung out in the bar for breakfast and ate more sausage and potatoes and tortillas. Breakfast only cost us 2 euros, which was most likely mom's tea. We headed to Toledo then. More on that in my next post...

Why I Do What I Do

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:52:00 +0000

This article shows one of the major reasons I am so committed to fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The drugs we have aren't as smart as the disease yet.
http://www.cityofhope.org/about/publications/news/Pages/city-of-hope-researchers-show-how-cancerous-stem-cells-manipulate-their-environment-to-enhance-their-own-growth.aspx?elq=0a8a28452e03456c9fd6d175daab9659
I think the researchers are making some great progress and I am excited to play a part in that. I remember Dr Oehler telling us that Tyler's leukemia had found a way to recognize his Dad's stem cells by dropping that part of their cell structure. I didn't ask if that meant that Tyler was now a woman (since his cells dropped the male half of their XY structure), but it definitely meant that his disease was way too smart for the treatment option of a bone marrow transplant.
Thank you so much for helping me fund a cure to blood cancers. The Team in Training group at the Madrid Marathon raised $1.5 million dollars with 266 athletes entered in the race. That is making a statement, isn't it? My friend Ruth put the best line on her race shirt... The shirts have a place for us to put why we are running on the back and Ruth wrote that her reason for running was "finding a cure, duh!". Same here, Ruth!

I am a Marathoner!

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:54:00 +0000

Yesterday, I finally accomplished my goal of running a marathon in memory of Tyler. The whole Team in Training experience was amazing - meeting and getting to know so many wonderful people for the last 6 months as we trained together, as well as knowing that we are making a difference in the fight against blood cancers. I have, however, decided to retire from marathons and stick to half marathons or less for the forseable future. That is still a Long distance than I expected to be willing to run and I admit that I want to continue my training runs. But I can be proud that I finished the race, which was a worry of mine primarily because of the 6 hour time limit. If at any point during the race I fell behind that pace, I would be forced to quit. And I am SLOW at running! But I was running ahead of my own projected pace until about the 25km, at which point I started walking a lot more of te time -- mostly because there were some serious hills there. I finished strong and was proud of at. My photos aren't being uploaded, so I will have to share those later. But I am a Marathoner!

My Verse for Race Day

noreply@blogger.com (CML Wife) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:56:00 +0000

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31