JDRF Walk SLC

The JDRF walk was a big deal to me this year.

The JDRF is a research foundation that is going to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

I know the foundation's name is Juvenile Diabetes but in the last few years it's become apparent that Type one isn't just a juvenile disease. Many people were getting diagnosed after they were Juvenile so they changed it to Type one but it's hard to change the name of an international foundation.  

I haven't ever actually walked in the walk. I've donated I've just never walked. 

But this year I decided I wanted too. 

I fund raised. I broke down and asked our friends and family to donate.

I arranged a fundraiser with the Pizza Pie Cafe. (with lots of help from Sam) 

Friends and Family helped pass out the cards for the fundraiser. 

I ordered shirts for our team. 

I just needed to feel like I had some control of what was happening with my diabetes. 

It's just a guessing game all the time. 

I wanted to feel like I was doing something. 

So we walked.  

 This kid here has been having horrible anxiety about my seizing and my diabetes all together I was hoping seeing so many people with diabetes would help him realize that I'm not alone in this. But he only lasted part of the time and then it just got to be to much. So he and Sam left a little early. But that's ok. He tried.

 Can I just say that I adore this man.
He is what keeps me together.
He is the one that rescues me when my body gives out.
He is the one that finishes the projects I start and then get overwhelmed and give up.
He is the one that makes it all better.
He is the one that comes home from work early because I've had a low and don't feel good after.
He is the one that works, and will never own his own business, so I can have insurance.
He is the one who never makes me feel guilty when we balance the budget and we have to spend almost as much as our mortgage payment on medication copays. (not to mention all the other money we shell out for dr co pays, insurance premiums etc) He always tells me not to worry because I'm worth it.
He is the one who sold his beloved convertible to cover cobra when I was laid off and we lost our insurance.
He was the one who sold his motorcycle that he loved so we could have more money to cover meds.
He is the one who gets up in the middle of the night to get me juice.
He is the one who told people he could handle it when they kept bringing it up as a concern when we got married and he takes that very seriously he can handle it. He will admit sometimes that it's not easy but it's worth it.
He is the one who massages my feet to help my circulation.
He's the one who has never made me feel guilty about how hard pregnancy is and that no more kids are coming out of me.
He is my Type 3 diabetic. (Type 3 diabetic is a nickname  the diabetes world gave to the support people of Type ones)
I love him so much.

 So these were our team shirts. When I ordered them I didn't realize we would have so many more people walking with us. So, maybe next year I will order more. Seth Forsgren is my Grandpa who passed away from Type 1.

 The theme of the walk this year was Lights Camera Cure, so they were going for a more Hollywood theme but my boys wanted to be super heros. So we were the Diabetes Destroyers. The DD is supposed to be similar to the Dare Devil symbol but I realized not many people know the Dare Devil Symbol. Next year I have more ideas.

 They had all sorts of fun and exciting things for every one to do.

 Somebody was super excited.  

 Many of the Type 1's make posters that they hang up around the walk route to remind people why they are walking. Most of the posters are for kids with their cute little faces but I made one too. The boys helped with this one. It has a picture of me in 1991 the month before I was diagnosed. A picture from 1991 with my Grandpa. A picture of my family and a picture of me now.

So the next part goes out of order and I don't care enough to rearrange all the pictures.
We walked. We ate lunch and then Seth had had enough. So him and Sam left. But Christian was ready for some fun.

 So were Lexi and I. 

 She was ready to go for another walk when we got home. 

 Before the walk they had a bunch of Mascots come and lead the stretching, they had a flag ceremony, t shirt competition all sorts of stuff.

 This was our SLC team. 

My family. Our friends the Flanders (they lived by us in SSL) and Chrissy. 

 While everyone got ready to walk, we played.

 The walk started with lots of people. 

 We found my sign on the route 

 Seth was not impressed and would not stand by it. 

 

 I had a good time. It's nice for me to be reminded that I'm not the only one. And that we are getting closer to find a cure.

Hurricane-20 year reunion

We headed down to Hurricane for a quick trip the weekend after Christian's birthday. Sam was supposed to be off work and home by 3pm and then we were supposed to leave. But he was in meetings all week at the Church office building and got stuck up there doing a presentation that took longer than it was supposed to so he didn't get home until after 6pm. I had the van loaded and we headed out, later than planned but still on the road.
We got to Halls about 10pm. Unloaded, got the kids in bed. The next morning we got up early, ran to the store to get supplies for the party and then headed to the parade.
Sam's High school class was walking in the parade. They were supposed to ride on a trailer of a truck but it got a flat tire at the very beginning so they walked.

 Waiting for Daddy in the parade.

 

 The parade started right on time... but Sam was one of the last entries.

 

 It was a  traditional small town parade, the kids got lots of candy and other goodies.

 And then Daddy finally came. 

 The boys wanted to walk in the parade too, after all they got to walk in the one for the 24th of July. So they finished the last few blocks with Sam.

 After the parade we headed back to Peggy's.  The boys played with cousins and Lexi went down for a nap. At about noon Sam and the boys headed over to Peach days to look at the booths and to have lunch with his HS class. I stayed with Lexi and we came over later.

 After lunch with Sam's old classmates we wandered booths some more and then the kids played in the Splash pad and Sam helped his parents do their dutch oven cooking.

 After the fun at the park we headed back to Peggy's. We cooked up some pizza's and invited every one over for a party for the Boys. We had Grandma and Papa Hall, Andrew and family (7). Excells (7), Darrell and his family (3), Grandpa and Grandma Baugh, Leah and her family (3), Jon and his family (5), and Heidi. So it was quite a group. After Pizza we did pinatas. Christian picked a monkey and Seth picked a present.

 Christian did not want to hit it. He kept telling me you don't hit animals. We finally got him too and every one took a turn and the kids all got candy.

 Seth had no problem hitting his pinata. He took a few swings and then so did every one else and then he finished it off.

 After Pinata fun we headed inside because it started to rain. We sang, opened presents and had cupcakes and ice cream.

 To be honest it's a little weird for me to see myself in all these pictures. Angie had my camera and took care of the pictures taking for me.
The boys got nerf guns, Seth got tools. Christian got a super fast Choochoo train. They got puzzles and bandannas. Chris got a flashlight of his very own. They got spoiled.

After the party the kids went to bed and got to visit with every one. 

Sunday morning we got up and  got ready to go home. 

We orginally were going to stay until Monday since it was Labor day. but my nephew was being baptized in Bountiful Sunday night. So we headed north. 

To fill in some time before church Sunday morning Great Grandma and Grandma let me take a few pictures of them. Grandma Great normally hates her picture to be taken. But she has Alzheimers pretty bad and can't remember that she doesn't like it so she let me take a few.  

Super 6!

Dear Seth,
Happy 6th Birthday!! I can't believe that you are 6 years old. Six years ago I was holding a tiny baby, with big blue eyes and pokey hair. Today I got to go to your Kindergarten class and watch you read to the class and hand out your treat. You stood up there so confident but still a little shy with your birthday crown and a big grin. Watching you up  there made my heartache a little for that little baby in arms. You still have the big blue eyes and pokey hair.
You are growing up to be a boy I am so proud off. You are so smart and curious about everything. You love to take stuff apart and see how it works. You are always wanting to build and invent something new or make something work better.
All you wanted for your birthday was for us to make you a workshop in the garage with your own tools. You have such big dreams and ideas and I hope that never dies out. I always want you to dream big. I want you to always believe that you can conquer the world.
You have a soft heart and worry tremendously about the people you care about. You also might have inherited your daddy's (none from me at all I am nothing but complacent) stubbornness and can sometimes be very bull headed. You are very determined and don't like it when someone tells you, you can't do something.
My little Monkey Man know that we love you!

Happy Birthday Seth.

Love,
Mama