TNT Friday

Yes, I know it's always been TNT Thursday, but I can't seem to get my posts done on Thursday, so I changed it to Friday. I can do that. I thought I would let you know a little more about the Poker Run our team is doing tomorrow. I've spent a good part of the last couple of days getting ready for it. One of the things we all needed to do was to make 'memory boards' to have at the different stops. Here are the boards that I've been working on....

The first is a board I made which will sit outside the restaurant that we are having registration at and will be the starting point of the 'race'. Turns out there is a big 'Panther on Main' event tomorrow which should draw hundreds of UNI students who may be interested in registering for the race. I've ordered some balloons to tie on to it as well.












The second board is our memory board that is basically an enlarged version of our support letter which highlights the 3 special people who Steve and I are running in memory of: David; Barb and Lindsay. Steve will have this board at the stop that he will be at and will be able to explain more to people the purpose of Team in Training and why we run!












For the last board, I decided I wanted to have an emphasis on the importance of giving blood and what a source of life that is, especially to those who suffer from a blood cancer like leukemia and lymphoma! I stopped at both the American Red Cross and the Blood Center and got information for people on giving blood. I especially would encourage people to look into Apheresis.. which is a special kind of blood donation where they basically just take the platelets from your blood and give the rest back to you. Platelets are especially needed in those with blood cancer. I remember being able to watch Lindsay perk up and the color return to her cheeks when she received a unit of platelets. Almost like magic. If you've never looked into it, call your local Red Cross center or Blood center today!!





Everyone who registers receives this t-shirt, which I think turned out very cute. The colors are the same colors as our local University (UNI) which should be a big hit!






A close up of the front:













Basically the way a Poker Run works is that people register and receive a map of the 9 stops along our 'course'. At each stop they receive a marked card. With the 9 cards they get, they come up with their best poker hand and the winner wins this: A 4GB Ipod Nano. Now people also have the option to purchase additional random cards at one location to better their chance. Sounds fun. We hope it will be fun for all who come and a big success for the team.






Until Next Time....

TNT Thursday

on Friday. Yes, I know it's Friday. The weeks keep slipping by! Anyways, it is time for another update on our marathon training with Team in Training. Steve and I will be running in the San Antonio Marathon November 16. While we are training, we are raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our hope and prayer is that we can help in the race to find a cure for these diseases!

I thought I would post a bit about the fund raising aspect of this journey and then share the winners of my first prize drawings!

When we first signed up to do the marathon we were told that we needed to raise a minimum of $8200 between the two of us. Yikes. That seemed like a lot of money! (And it is!) I don't particularly enjoy asking people for money and Steve has a downright aversion to it, so I knew it wouldn't be 'easy'. Steve designed a great support letter to send friends and family. I talked about our undertaking on my blog and amongst the knitters on the Ravelry site. And it has been amazing (and humbling) to watch as the funds have come in.

To update you, as of today we have raised roughly $7478 of the $8100 minimum. Personally I would love to be able to raise $10,000, but we will see!!! We are helping with a Poker Run on Saturday August 23rd which is one of the fund raisers our local team is doing. If you are reading this and are interested in more information on how to take part in it, just post a comment; send an email or give a call!!!

Now, on to the winners of the prizes. I did two drawings.... one for the knitter (since the prize was yarn and all!) and one for the non-knitters. Here is who won:

Allison won the Ladigitessa sock kit from Yarnissma (Wollmeise yarn and sock pattern) - courtesy of anonymous. I know that Allison will enjoy this. I know I would!!















Nancy (a fellow knitter and Spring Flinger) won the Loopy Ewe 'Don't Be Blue Kit' courtesy of Sheri at The Loopy Ewe!









For the non-knitter (fondly referred to as 'muggles') there is a $25.00 Applebees Gift Card courtesy of Sumo our dog (who earns them by eating massive amounts of Purina One Dog Food) which is going to my oldest brother Greg!!! We have received tremendous encouragement and support from both of our families and consider it a huge blessing!! But Greg, you get the gift card!!!












A big THANK YOU to all who have supported us so far! We couldn't do this without you. We will have another drawing after our funds are all in for several more prizes that you can see here.

If you would like to donate and be part of the race to find a cure, head over to my donation page. For every $25.00 donated you get a chance to win a prize AND the deep felt thanks for helping us and those diagnosed with Leukemia; Lymphoma and other blood cancers run the race!!

Until Next Time......