Around our Pond

I like these pretty, little purple flowers around our pond. They scream Spring.

Spring Again

I am so happy it is Spring again and the weather is nice again. I missed our backyard and most of all our lounge chairs.

Can you find me?

This photo is from 25 years ago back when I was in the 9th grade at Knickerbacker Junior High School in Troy, NY. Time sure flies by, huh?

Can you find me in the photo?

Back Home

How great was my night? Three jars of Hot Dog Charlie's meat sauce arrived in the mail today. So guess what we had for dinner night? Yes. Hot dogs with mustard, onions and Hot Dog Charlie's Chili Sauce with Meat. It was so damn yummy! It makes me feel like I was back home in Troy again.

I lost 17 pounds

I lost 17 pounds in April and am doing great on my 60 day challenges. Yeah me!

Against Sandy I lost 17 pounds or 6.29% of my body weight. She is still kicking my ass but I am closing the gap little by little. After 4 weeks I am impressed with both of our progress. I have not heard her numbers for this week but rumor has it she passed the 10% loss mark. Great job Sandy.

Against Andrew I am down 10 pounds or 3.80%. I am beating his 1.75% body weight loss but Andrew is very committed so I need to keep my eye on him. Still it is great to have some motivation from Andrew. Go Andrew!

A Walking Fool

Today I walked 6.5 miles from my house in Arvada, CO to the Westminster Promenade in Westminster, CO to see Chimpazee at the AMC Theaters for Movie Club. It was far, but it felt great to set my mind to something and complete it.

Happy Birthday Lucy

Our pup Lucy turned 1 today. Since she is a rescue we picked her birthday based on the day she was rescued and the fact they estimated she was 6 months old. For her special day, I took her for a morning walk and she got a new toy and some treats. She has been such a blessing in our lives and I am so glad we found this crazy, little angel.

Let them eat cake

This is the cake Dale made for the Candy Land party last night. It is actually very healthy as it inside in angel food cake with layers of bananas and strawberries, plus all the frosting is fat free whipped cream. It was delicious.

Stunning

The sunset last night from the Stubbendick's back patio was stunning.

Candy Land

Last night for Couple's Game Night, the Stubbendick's hosted and created an adult-themed version of the childhood game Candy Land. They turned their house into a life-sized version of Candy Land with gumdrop falls and shots when you landed on certain squares. Everyone dressed up for the occasion and it was an absolute blast. How can you not have fun when you are all dressed characters like Princess Lolly, Grandma Nutt and Lord Licorice.

I came in first last night, but Shannon and Tim came in 2nd and 3rd. Judy was 4th. Dale was 5th. And Sandy and Steve were 6th and 7th. So even though I won, my combined score with Dale put me behind Tim and Shannon, so once again they took home Pat the Trophy.

A huge kudos to Sandy and Steve for taking Game Night to yet another level. It was so much fun.

Judy filled in for Sam & Anjanette who could not make it and dressed as Grandma Nutt.

Dale and Mr. Mint. 

Don't you love the candy swirl buttons.

That's me dressed as the evil Lord Licorice. Yes, I sort of look like a pimp.

Steve as King Kandy and Sandy as Princess Lolly.

You have to love Steve's cape.

Don't you love my shoes? I have owned these for 6 years.

The start of the game board near the front door and heading to the basement.

The Candy Land dinner table.

I made vodka infused gummy bears.

Grandma Nutt's buts.

Shannon as Queen Frostine and Tim as Gloppy the Chocolate Monster.

This is Pat. The trophy we fight to win.

Dale kicking it as Mr. Mint. 

The entire Candy Land gang. So damn funny.

Sandy had the game boards as table decorations.

The game begins.

Gloppy takes a quick lead.

Queen Frostine, Grandma Nutt and Princess Lolly in the action.

We are not off to a quick start.

Princess Lolly and keeper of the game cards.

Gloppy jumps to an early lead.

Gloppy getting excited for another win.

Don't you love the game board.

More of the game board in the basement.

I made it to the castle and made it a hat.

March for Babies

Yesterday morning, Dale and I joined the gang from my office, Bridgeline Digital Denver for the March for Babies. It is a great cause and I am so proud that my office raised a staggering $7,320 to help premature babies and babies born with birth defects. It was a great turn out of co-workers and their families. A huge thanks to everyone who donated to Team Bridgeline, Dale and myself.

Squished

I took this photo last night while Dale was lying on the couch. Lucy is all squished in next to him. It is so sweet. She seems exhausted.

What the hell?

This morning at the bus stop I am waiting, enjoying the cool, cloudy weather and I look on the ground and see this. Yes, it is a severed deer hoof. What the hell happens in my neighborhood at night?

More from the garden

Our yard is showing beautiful signs of Spring everywhere. I love it.

I am honored

This morning along with my business partner Becky Stemmons, I attended the Annual Meeting for Children's Hospital Colorado, where they presented their 2011 Annual Report. Children's Colorado is a client of our office, Bridgeline Digital. Robin Doerr and Jennifer Messina in their Marketing Department kindly included us in this event. Words cannot accurately express how this event amazed, inspired and moved me. I have attended several annual meetings in my life, but I have never attended one that brought tears to my eyes. Yes - actual tears.

This was no ordinary reading of financials by a Board. This was an event showcasing the dedication, hard work and growth by the family at Children's Hospital Colorado throughout 2011. It was humbling and inspiring to see video clips highlighting the accomplishments of the year told by actual members of the staff. To hear what makes them proud of Children's Colorado and why they are honored to be a part of the organization was beautiful.

However the part that brought tears to my eyes was at the end of the meeting when a family stood before the room and bravely told their experience with Children's Colorado. How their son was diagnosed with a rare birth defect that most hospitals would have told them was incurable. How most hospitals may have recommended terminating the pregnancy. How most doctors would have told them that their son would die shortly after birth if they did choose to go through with the pregnancy. How Children's Hospital Colorado was different. How the team at Children's Hospital Colorado saved their son's life.

To hear these parents tell their story while they held their beautiful, thriving baby boy was incredibly moving. You could hear the love in their voice as parents for their son and their love for Children's Hospital Colorado. They said it so well when they stated, "...choosing Children's Hospital Colorado was the best decision of our lives." When I saw their son smile it made it that much more apparent how important the work and research of this organization is for our community. They are truly creating a better future today.

It is also very personal for me. Children's Colorado has quickly grown to become one of my favorite clients over the past year. If you spend even a few minutes at this hospital it is easy to see why. From the doctors to the nurses to the administration staff to the volunteers, you feel surrounded by love. Their passion for helping children and supporting our community warms my heart and inspires.  It is so more than a hospital.

My team and I have worked with Children's Colorado on creating a new website for their Orthopedic Institute and helped to redesign their existing Heart Institute website, which will be launched in a few weeks. I am very proud of these two projects and the contributions from my team. Both websites are not only beautiful, consumer focused websites, but I feel they perfectly represent the brand, spirit and expertise of Children's Colorado as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country. Knowing my contribution in their web projects may play some small role in connecting a parent with a sick child to this incredible organization makes me feel incredibly honored.

A huge thanks for Robin Doerr, Jennifer Messina and the entire team at Children's Hospital Colorado for including me today and allowing me to be a part of your incredible organization. I am honored. Thank you.

Few things better

There are few things better in this world than seeing innocence, joy and excitement in a small child. There is a little girl at my gate here at Logan Airport who is probably five or so and is flying today for the first time. It is actually not her first time flying. Her Mom keeps reminding her flew three times before at 6 months old, 18 months old and again at 2 years old, but the little girl is quick to point out to her Mom that those times were when she was a baby so it does not count. This is her first time flying as a "big girl".

She is absolutely adorable and is thrilled to be going on a "big plane". It is fun to listen to her interact with her parents and even the people around her. She is so excited she is beaming with joy, not to mention questions. Every little thing fascinates her from which plane outside the window is "my plane" to "why did that woman bring a pillow...is she sleepy". It is hard not to smile.

It also makes me a bit jealous. I am not jealous wishing I to had a daughter like her. No. I am jealous because when was the last time I was that excited about something new. Don't you miss being young sometimes where everything is a new experience? Where going to an airport is thrilling and not a hassle between getting here to security and waiting. Don't you sometimes just wish you could feel that innocence, joy and excitement again?

Not the flight I expected

My flight from Denver to Boston this afternoon was a bit emotional. Actually, to tell the truth it was very emotional. It was not emotional because of turbulence or that I am away from Dale for a few days (although I do miss the guy already like crazy). No, on the flight today it was a fellow passenger who made for a very emotional flight.It was just not a fellow passenger, but the man seated directly next to me in row 12.

From the minute he sat down next to me I knew something was wrong with him. I could tell he was extremely nervous. He asked the woman sitting on his left, who was traveling with him,at least four times for his bag. Each time she told him it was at his feet in front of the seat in front of him. Each time he would reach down and just make sure it was there.

At first I thought he was possible special needs and maybe the woman was a relative or caretaker. However, they held hands during takeoff and it seemed slightly romantic, so perhaps she was wife. About 20 minutes into the flight the man's left arm seized up and he could not control it. He started squeezing the woman's hand tighter and tighter. She physically had to pry his fingers from hers. You could tell he could not control his left hand as he was trying to use his right hand to pull his left hand away.

He looked embarrassed. He turned to me and apologized. Quietly, he said that he has cancer and is struggling with his left side. His speech seemed a little garbled too. He said he was sorry to interrupt my flight.

I told him I was sorry to hear that he had cancer and we started talking. I learned his name was Dave. The woman was in fact his wife and her name was Katie. He was 45 years old with three kids, was from Colorado Springs and he had brain cancer. He explained the type of cancer to me but it was hard to understand the medical name and I did not feel comfortable asking him to repeat it again. As we talked he told me the tumor was on the right side of his brain, impacted his speech and left arm severely. He had already faced two years of chemotherapy, surgery and as he described it - hell.

Brian and Katie were flying to Boston to meet with specialists as the doctors in Colorado Springs and Denver had reached a point where there was nothing more they could do. The tumor keeps returning despite surgery and chemotherapy. It broke my heart to hear him say that Boston was his last hope. I could tell it broke his wife's heart even more because when he said it she took his hand again.

Dave said it took every bit of energy to get on the flight. He was nervous being on a plane for four hours. I thought about Dale at his weakest point during his treatment and the idea of telling him he would have to get on a plane would be unthinkable. There were times he could barely find the strength to make it to bed. I could not imagine him having to fly across the country.

Dave and I talked almost the entire flight, which is not like me. I am not one to talk on a plane, let alone to a stranger and for over three hours. I told him all about Dale and his battle against cancer. I talked about my Mom, my Dad and their battles with cancer. I talked about my friend Wendy and her battle over a brain tumor. Most of all, I listened. I listened to him talk about his kids, his job and what the past two years had been like for him and his family. We talked about accepting help from friends and family. We talked about doctors, hospitals, cancer clinics and drugs.

Probably the toughest part to hear was when he said that he was not sure how much more fight he had left in him. I
understood this all too well as I heard my Mom say the same thing about four and a half years into her battle with cancer. She was done fighting. She did not have anything left in her. Listening to Dave I almost felt like this trip was more for his wife Katie than for him. It was hard to hear and I felt it was not my place to offer him cliches to keep fighting or to hang in there. I have never been in his shoes. However, I was glad that at the end of the flight Dave said he was happy to meet me and that Dale's story was very inspiring. I hope it will give him some strength to keep fighting.

After we left the plane, I stood with his wife Katie, while Dave used the restroom. She hugged me, which was unexpected and awkward since I am not one to hug. She said that was the most talkative and engaged she had seen Dave in months. She said most people probably would had just ignored him on the plane, so it really meant a lot that I talked to him as she felt it kept him distracted on the flight from worrying. I knew what she meant. When Dale was sick, he would sometimes become so singularly focused it was hard to stop him from worrying.

Dave came back, shook my hand and thanked me for a good flight. I wished him luck and told him I was honored to have met him. We parted ways.

Part of me wanted to exchange contact information as I wanted to know what happens with him, but I was a coward. It felt awkward. I felt like it was too intrusive. I regret that a bit now. But maybe I am not meant to know anymore than I do. Maybe he was meant to bring me something today. And maybe I was meant to make his four hours on a plane a bit easier.

As I rode to my hotel and checked in, all I thought about was Dale. He has come so far. We were so blessed. As quickly as cancer entered our lives, it left. We were so lucky. So many people are not that lucky. Dale is healthy and happy today. I hope Dave is given that same opportunity.

It was not the flight I expected, but oddly so much more.

Tired

Zoe gets tired after her walks and finds comfort on the cool hardwood floor versus her bed. She is so sweet.

As always

Standley Lake once again provided a beautiful backdrop for my weekend walk with Zoe. I love it there this time of year. It is beautiful, calm and gives you ton of opportunity to think.

Peaceful

After a 90 minute walk to Standley Lake and back, Zoe and I are enjoying some patio time. I love our backyard. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

Rhubarb is back

Dale's rhubarb is back again. He transplanted this from his Dad's house several years ago and it has done great. Bring on the rhubarb pie!

Magnolia

One of Dale's favorite items in our backyard is his magnolia bush. The flowers are gorgeous.

Lilacs for our Moms

A few years back Dale and I each planted a lilac bush in the backyard as a sort of memorial for our Moms who are no longer with us. A nice reminder of their love each Spring. We planted a light and dark purple. Both bushes are growing nicely and the smell of lilacs is so sweet.