Skip to main content

Relay Time! and Good News! and sad news...

RELAY FOR LIFE is going on this Saturday, I'm excited!! I always like to see all of our students get motivated and raise money for the cause. Our goal as a school is always $100,000. Last year we raised $86,000. We've raised over $500,000 in the 7 years we've hosted Relay! That's very exciting!

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... oh, did I say PLEASE? Help me reach my goal of $500. I am raising for my Aunt Donna with Breast Cancer, my Uncle Gary with Melanoma, and myself with Brain Cancer. The American Cancer Association contributes to ALL types of cancer, so this is the right place to give!

Here is my page so you can donate!  My Page!!   or go directly to DONATING on my page: Donate!!

OR, you can: JOIN MY TEAM! and be there in spirit and try to raise money yourself to support me! That would be so awesome guys!!


Good news! I got a PAID summer internship here at my institution with the Career Development Center. I'm going to learn how to use the newest and latest software in conjunction with career counseling! This is a BIG DEAL, because this is the field I'd like to move into next. So, I can then pretty much put on my resume I had 2 months of fulltime career counseling under my belt, have an additional set of references,and move into the next field SOON. There might even be a fulltime position that opens up here sometime.

This is a big deal to me, we all know I'm so career-oriented, I've been whining about how lost I feel because nothing is moving forward. It's a small step, but it is FORWARD.

Sadly, it means I'll be in Albany this summer instead of home. As with becoming a "big kid" that means you don't get summers off. I know the hours at the center in the summer are 8-4pm, so I'll have to become an early bird. BUT, that lets me have plenty of time after work to do fun stuff. Yay! =)

Erica, Jason's cousin who attends UofM right now, is going to be staying with us this summer also. She's going to work in Jason's lab and get research experience. (she's pre-med). This will help her for applying to medical school. It will be nice to have a girl to gang up on Jason with. Mwahahahahah!

Sad news, a student in my buildings died this weekend. Nothing has been fully confirmed yet, but it happened while she was home for the Easter break, we think she was hit by a car as a pedestrian. She was nineteen years old. Life is fragile and beautiful, hold on to it, it's a quick little bugger! Be grateful for all the years you're given!

Despite the tragedy, I have some positive things to keep me up and to help me be there for my students. With Relay, we are FIGHTING for more Birthdays, more years, more opportunities for the ones we love to be with us.

So, one less thing to worry about: millions of people are fighting for MY birthdays.... and those who have already helped support me are still continuing to show up in little ways, even if it's a little donation to THE cause!

I love you all, really....

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Butterfly Day

( The title of the last blog post indicated that I needed a simple name for this day. I can't remember if someone suggested it outright, or whether they said something to make me think of it, but either way, the name I now use is Butterfly Day. Torin painted on a picture of a butterfly at school on the very day his mother passed, and his teachers had just so happened to put his name and date on it.) Another year has passed, and it simultaneously seems like a short time and a long time. I do still write letters to Danielle, but just haven't been posting them here. The one I just wrote took a lot out of me, in fact, so this probably won't be a long update. When I took over the blog, one of the things that felt important in continuing this legacy was to document not only the grief process, but the process of healing.  Overall, on a day-by-day basis, I'd say I have come to terms with my loss. By that, I mean that, except for days like today, and on a few rare other occasion...
Post a Comment
Read more

Letter In A Bottle

Today, on what would be her 38th birthday, I wrote a letter to Danielle. It's the first such letter I've written, and it was cathartic. I wasn't sure whether I would just paste it here, or just paste parts of it here, or write something else entirely, but I've decided to share it in its unabridged entirety. It re-treads some ground that I've already covered in this blog, but this was written to Danielle; those were not. Most typos are inside jokes or turns of phrase. Happy birthday, Danielle. I love you. First, foremost, and always. My love for you is unconditional, unquestionable, and unquantifiable. I miss you. Lort, how I miss you. I miss your smile, your wit, your kindness, your grace, your strength, your care, your laugh, your sillies . I miss my partner and companion. I miss my babymama. I miss my wiff. I cry every day. I have a little ritual - my specific time for grieving you. When I put Torin to bed, I play him the last video you made. I can watch the video...
Post a Comment
Read more

I need a name for this day that neither cutesy nor grim

Danielle Louise Joanette-Kluck passed from this life one year ago today. As has become a cathartic personal tradition on milestone dates, I've written her a letter, which I share with you below. Danielle, my love, It’s been one year since I held your hand and felt you squeeze mine for the last time. Though only the first of many, it’s still surreal to think about. I went back and read the blogs I wrote and the other letters I’ve written to you (some of which I’ve also published as blogs), and it very easily brought back feelings and memories of the past year. There are a number of moments that I remember like they were yesterday, and that I’ll likely never forget. It seems like a good time to take stock. How are Torin and I doing, one year out? There are a few different axes upon which we can measure, but I think I’m going to upgrade the overall answer from my frequent reply of “okay most days” to “pretty good on average” . I’ve hit a stride in my single-parenthood and feel more c...
Post a Comment
Read more